I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying writing this story.
Having this kind of feedback helps tremendously, so I thank you.
Funny enough, due to my update schedule, this chapter landed a day before my birthday.
...I'm getting too old...
I guess this is my gift to all of you!
Although, don't give gifts just yet...
Have a poll running on my profile where people are choosing what they wanted to see updated...
So I could end up just updating again tomorrow...
This goes without saying.
Obviously, I'm ignoring the events and lore of Volume 9 of RWBY.
This just goes for all my stories in general for my writing.
While it was a decent Volume, maybe bordering on good given some time to simmer, it really hinder what I had set up for each of my stories.
That being said, the events don't really hurt Hushed Dreams, and may even help it, just my other stories...
So I might end up adapting them to the story but we shall see.
So anyways...
Onto the show!
Oh, wait...
Two reminders.
One, as it's been a while, and I had to do it for myself...
Don't forget about your notification setting to get your updates!
Wasn't getting mine!
As for the other thing...
Disclaimer Warning: Depictions of Parenting that will likely give and cause flashbacks. Reader Discretion is Advised.
"And it was like, all sparkly, and then zoom! Boom!" Yang loudly cried with her right fist cocked back as she suddenly jumped from the couch and landed in front of Ruby in a demonstration as she planted her fist into the ground.
Then she jumped up and held her hands up and to the side. "And the big snake Grimm was no more! Nothing but smoke!"
Ruby watched in awestruck anticipation, jittering side to side. Her eyes glowed with hearts, and sparkles sparkled around her head. "Wow!"
"I wanna see too!"
"Did any of that really happen?" A third, unfamiliar voice approached Yang, arms crossed.
And she snapped her attention to the new girl that happened to be in her house. Her black hair and her stupid cat's ears twitched as her golden eyes stared at her.
Yang didn't like her already.
"Yo! Who are you?" Yang squinted at the unidentified girl and frowned at her. "And yeah, it did! It was so cool!"
"Blake." Was the simple response from the short-haired black girl, who squinted her eyes in return at the bright-haired blonde. "I have doubts. Aura doesn't work like that."
"Yo! I saw what I saw! You just mad you weren't there to see the awesomeness of it!"
"No," Blake calmly responded and took a breath. "I recently unlocked my Semblance. Mother picked up a book, so I could study and learn about Aura, and that's not how it works. That's too…"
"Yes, it is! I saw it!"
"No, it's not!"
"Yeah, huh!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"You're stupid!"
"You're a dumb-dumb!"
"You want to fight?!"
"Yeah, I do! Let's go!"
The girls were face to face, one snarling as the other gnashed her teeth. Staring into one another's eyes as they waited for the other to make the first move, both clenching their fists…
"Blake!" Kali's voice resonated from the stairs above, Blake freezing at the disapproving tone. "That's enough! You know better, young lady! I expect more of you."
"Yang!" Tai echoed at the exact same moment. "Go to your room and clean your room until it's spotless! I will come to talk to you in a moment!"
Blake fidgeted and withdrew into herself, her shoulders lowering and her head hanging shamefully. She shuffled to the couch meekly before taking a seat, looking quite morose.
Yang turned belligerent, scrunched her nose, and sneered as she looked up the stairs, stomping her feet. "No, that's not fair! She started it! It's her fault!"
"Yang Xiao Long! On the count of three, you better be in your room!"
"One…"
"Yes, sir!"
Yang scurried up the stairs, stumbling and tripping up the steps in her hurry, occasionally running on all fours to make it to her room in time.
She didn't want to get to three! Not after the last time!
"T…"
Her door swung shut, and Tai stopped counting, knowing Yang was doing as she was told.
Blake stayed seated in her seat, looking at her lap, sulking and displeased that her actions upset her mother. She didn't mean to come across that way. It was just…
The story sounded so make-believe. Like a fairy…
A mild depression on the seat next to Blake drew her attention. Ruby had climbed onto the cushion next to her and had begun to mimic her position and demeanor. This was supposed to be her reflective period where she thought about what she did, but…
How could she do that when someone that wasn't scolded looked so miserable?
"You didn't get into trouble." Blake shook her head and tried to return to her self-reflection. "Your sister and I did. You did nothing wrong. You can go play."
"No. No time for play." Ruby shook her head before sliding off the sofa and shuffling to the coffee table.
And on it were several books scattered, and she lifted one. Ruby turned to Blake pleadingly as she held the book tightly to her chest. "Nap time. But story time comes first…"
"Can you read for me?"
Seeing Ruby awkwardly hold the book out to her, Blake lifted her head with a tilt at the barely out of her toddler stage young girl oddly.
What was this girl? Why was she so…
Catching a glimpse of the book in her hand, a small smile graced her lips as she reached out. "Okay."
"Yay!" Ruby quipped and crawled back onto the couch, cuddling into the seat next to Blake and looking at her expectantly with wide-open eyes.
Eyes that were so innocent and pure.
"The Four Maidens. I know this one as the Stories of the Seasons," Blake pursed her lips before smiling as she looked outside the window to see snow falling. "Fitting."
"Deep in the forests of Remnant, beside a great and mighty river, stood a small, fragile home of a cold, frail man. A lone wizard."
"Well, they stopped fighting at least…" Tai muttered as he peeked through the door, watched Yang shut hers, and could hear the swishing and motions of a cluttered mess being shoved around.
At the very least, she was attempting to clean and make it look like she fixed the devastation of her earlier escapade with her sister during their sugar high rush.
"They're children. Arguments and fights start for the slightest of reasons." Kali exhaled and shook her head, her arms crossed as she sat in a simple dinner chair overseeing the bed.
Where one blonde-haired boy shivered and spasmed under the covers, recovering from his wounds and King Taijitu's venom that coursed through his veins.
And she felt very annoyed by the fourth party studying every minor facet of the young teen. She was okay with the father of the household and his brother-in-law, but her genuine disdain for the researcher only intensified. "Would you give it a rest already? He's clearly out. Honestly, I don't understand why we're keeping him here instead of taking him to the hospital."
"I would normally agree, but," Qrow responded, his eyes glued to the patched wound on his chest. "Let's take it in that he was envenomated. All he did was throw up and required the slightest assistance to walk back. And that I was watching the wound in his collarbone physically repair and regenerate lost tissue. Not to mention a King Taijitsu's venom should be wreaking havoc in his system now, and he's only having mild night sweats?"
"Exactly!" Bartholomew excitedly spoke out, much to the annoyance of the others in the room. "I believe all this to be related to the fact that his Aura is different from ours on a fundamental level! His type of Aura very well may be the progenitor of where modern Aura is descended from. It has evolved and molded over the years into what it has become today from his time."
"It explains why he has a vast array of different techniques, as they're not hard-coded into his Aura." Oobleck continued to ramble rapidly. "It's why the scroll had techniques in it! They had to be taught and learned! When I saw him use the technique from the scroll, my suspicions were confirmed!"
Kali's eyes darted to the professor, and a hiss thrummed in her throat. Her father had translated that scroll, and she knew how old it was! If the boy had indeed learned something from within it…
The boy was indeed out of time.
"Then let us not throw that further in his face." She hissed at the Oobleck and glared daggers at him. "He's not in the state to deal with that emotionally. Maybe ease off the research until he's in a better place?"
"I'm in full agreement with her, Bart." Qrow cast a vicious glare at his colleague before sighing. "Look, you did me a solid favor, and I thank you for that. I owe you…"
"But right now, I think it's best for the kid if you aren't around. He's already on edge with just Tai and me here. I'm sure Mrs. Belladonna here, while well-intentioned, isn't helping to make things easier for him, even with her being able to speak his language. But she is a necessity given the need for communication, which is why you brought her in. Think it's best for you to leave for at least a while." Qrow finished before holding his gaze with Bartholomew's eyes. "When he's more adjusted, maybe you can get some answers or whatever you want for your research. But this ain't helping."
Saying nothing as he held Qrow's gaze for a while, silence engulfed the room. Finally, Oobleck broke his gaze and fixed his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "I see. Very well. Tai, may I speak with you in the hall before I take my leave?"
"Uh, sure?" Tai looked somewhat baffled before shrugging as he opened the door, having stood beside to monitor his daughters.
He then grinned at the sight he saw on the couch and chuckled. "Well, one of my daughters wants to start a fight with yours…"
"And the other just wants to listen to her read. Yeah, that sounds right."
Hearing this, Kali smiled softly and placed a hand over her mouth, repressing a giggle. "I see. Your youngest needs bedtime stories to sleep as well."
"Oh yeah, Ruby loves fairy tales. That's why they are scattered everywhere." Tai chuckled as he shook his head. "Need to get back to reading to her more…"
Quashing the frown that threatened to cross her lips, Kali sank her head as her ears lowered, noting the tone in his voice. During her short time in this cabin, she knew the story, which didn't even need to be told.
Two wedding pictures? And neither mother of the two girls was here.
She didn't want to know what happened in either case. It was horrible, regardless, but she had a strong feeling she understood what had happened with his last wife.
Closing the door behind him as he followed Oobleck out to the top of the stairs, Tai placed his hand on his hip as the man turned to face him. He was curious about what this was about.
He didn't have to wait long as usual. The Beacon Professor was quick to the point. The fact is, I knew my time researching the young man was limited, and I have been running out of options. I must return to my duties as I've missed the first few days of this semester with this. However, the placement issue has been a predicament I have been unable to solve, and I hate to place this burden on you…"
"But this is the most suitable place for him." Bartholomew stared straight at Tai unflinchingly. "From the environment to the people, he has relaxed here considerably. I do not think the same would have held true if this were to occur within Vale's city limits."
Tai was caught off guard by Oobleck's straightforwardness, not that he should have been. But he was also telling him that he wanted him to keep the boy here and…
"Bart, I don't think that is such a wise idea. You know…"
"And that is precisely why I ask you to consider this offer I am about to give you and to take the boy in." Oobleck cut off his friend as he bore his uncompromising vision straight into his. "Take this as scientific fact, my friend. Several weeks ago, you were near catatonic the last time I was here, trying desperately to help in any way I could. To help you keep your daughters when services were called as you weren't fit as a parent to keep them. All because Qrow asked us to lend a hand, and we feared losing them would be the last straw for you."
Tai winced. That happened? Was he really that out of it that he didn't notice his daughters had almost been taken away from him?
His head sank, and Bartholomew was far from finished.
"Since the boy arrived, you have shown steady and marked improvement. Your daughters have become more active and outgoing, unafraid that you'll slip back into your room and not come out. Each day I see glimmers of the man that was a Professor at Signal, who was beloved by his students. So that is why I am offering you a job to assist me as a head researcher," said Oobleck as he crossed his arms behind his back. "It will be less suspicious as you are the girl's father. You are meant to be here. But as a scholar, you can take detailed and dedicated notes as you can decipher key information more thoroughly than others. Qrow is also more than able to, but his objectiveness in this situation is less than cooperative at the moment. Compensation obviously can be discussed…"
"You're asking me to take the kid into my house…"
"And then treat him like he's a project instead of what he is?" Tai's eyes slitted as he looked back up and straight into Bart's gaze. "A young man that's lost his home and is scared and alone?"
"No, obviously not." Oobleck shook his head and exhaled. "No, research is a secondary concern to caring for him. The only thing I would appreciate is some progress notes and any monumental discoveries to be noted once they have been made. And that when he's comfortable enough, we could schedule a trip to the ruins. But that would be when he's also somewhat better prepared for the threat of Grimm. While he did admirably for never running into one before, some more preparation wouldn't hurt."
"Take your time and think about it, Tai," Oobleck turned and slowly took the stairs down. "There is no reason to rush and make a decision soon. There is still plenty of time, and learning our language will be rough for him. But know this, my friend…"
Stopping at the bottom of the stairs as Tai stood at the top, Oobleck closed his eyes. "Your daughters need you more than ever before without Summer here. This might not only be what you need but what they need."
With those final words, the odd Beacon Professor picked up his coat and slid it on before heading out the front door. And at the top of the stairs, Tai was left with his head lowered, mulling over what had been said to him.
Unsure of what choice to make.
This was so boring!
She longed for the torment and agony of the morning sessions over this. Her teacher's droning made it painful to listen to her lesson. So she placed her hand over her mouth, covering it, and mimed speaking while tilting her head mockingly and kicking her feet aimlessly in front of her.
Aurelia was a slave driver as a fitness trainer, but she was such a bore as an academic instructor! The History of Remnant hardly intrigued her, and what value was it? Well, she could name a few integral importance of knowing such things would…
But that wasn't the point!
The way she spoke was so…
"Am I boring you, Ms. Vanille?" Aurelia raised her eyebrow at her young student, frowning at her lackadaisical attitude while in the classroom.
A stark contrast to her physical routines, which she had been putting more effort into daily.
Catching Aurela's gaze, knowing she should stop; otherwise, her father might hear about this or her morning schedule getting rougher, Trivia slowed her feet and removed her hand from her mouth. However, she was not one to back down as she retrieved her scroll, mashed a few keys on it, and displayed it.
You bore me. Know this material. Read it all already.
Aurelia narrowed her eyes at her harsh reply but did not seem insulted as Trivia had expected. Instead, she took a broader glance at the room they were using for their glimpse and had a mixture of a scowl and a thoughtful expression.
Their library was somewhat extravagant. It was like her father was trying to compete with somebody he personally knew…
"Trivia, this is quite a library, no? Ranging from a wide range of subjects from what I can tell. Just how much of the material have you read in here?" Aurelia wondered as she directed her attention back toward her.
Pursing her lips at the thought, Trivia's gaze swept the library. So many books were still untouched, and sections she did not care for. She was well aware of that. The subjects had no interest for her.
Medical books? She gave a few looks at some, but they weren't to her tastes and left them alone. Philosophy. People spouting dribble? Why would she read about that when her father did that all the time? Law?
She would rather break the law! Instead, add a bit of chaos to all the rules placed upon her and force her to choose a life she didn't want!
Wasn't she supposed to be free?!
Wait, where did that thought come from? She despised getting into trouble, so it didn't make sense why she would think such a thing. Although…
She despised all the restrictions she was placed under. And wished for her…
"Trivia, I asked you a question." Aurelia's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
Remembering where her mind was, Trivia took another glance at the library before texting it on her scroll.
Don't have a definitive number. I have read entire sections unless Father has recently added new material to them. Reading is all I have when I never leave home.
Seeing the second text she typed, Aurelia's face sank, and her eyes gradually faded as she turned away. She bit her lip, took a breath, and then returned her attention to Trivia. "I see…"
"I was giving you basic introductory course material equivalent to what you would receive at an academy like Signal or Pharos here in Vale. But now I see that was a mistake, and I need to test how deep your knowledge of the material is, as I can already feel you are gifted academically if you were to put in the effort." Aurelia glowered before taking out her scroll. "You may take an early lunch and prepare for a test when you return this afternoon. I'm planning to call a friend at Pharos for a favor and see if I can get a copy of the exit placement exam and psychological measurement evaluation test."
Trivia squinted her eyes, and she furiously threw a glare at Aurelia. A psychological measurement evaluation! How dare she? She was done being treated like some sort of…
And that smug look on her face! What did she think she was looking so cockily about after being unaware of her surroundings, overlooking her mockery beforehand?
"After all, my dear student, if you are some kind of Wunderkind…"
"I want to know exactly what I'm dealing with so I can properly teach and train you."
Everything was hazy. His head was still spinning. Not to mention his brain was throbbing, and the light burned his eyes. A ringing sound echoed through his eardrums, particularly on his right side.
His blood felt like fire coursing through it. It wasn't the fox's chakra, as that was the other burning sensation that was pulsating through his body.
And his stomach was still agitated, but far less than he last remembered it. Nothing seemed like coming up anyway. That was a plus, given it was only water and stomach acid the last time, which was never pleasant.
And now he was reminded that Kakashi-sensei was the biggest jerk he ever knew. Don't eat breakfast, be forced to wait nearly three hours for him, and then do a grueling physical exam only to be tied up during lunch without eating!
If somehow, someway, he ever saw his sensei again…
A Thousand Years of Death was coming for him.
Hearing voices around him, he knew the adults with strange language were in the room with him. He wasn't lying in a hospital bed. It felt like the same bed he had used the last few nights, so they must have brought him straight back.
Did they learn he recovered relatively quickly from his wounds?
Youch! Yeah, his collarbone was still punctured. That's why the fox's chakra was searing into his network. His head didn't feel great either…
Oh, right. Smashed it against the stupid snake's head and then into a tree. Yeah, that would rattle his brain a bit.
Explained the severe headache and sensitivity to light. He was pretty sure he had used the word correctly. He got that one from Tsunade after she healed him after their battle against Orochimaru and Kabuto. He had to pay attention to Granny's words; otherwise, she would rock his world!
Or smother him to death with her…
She was weird. Why were all the adults weird around him except Iruka-sensei and Shizune-nee? Neither of them had any odd quirks and were the most normal people he knew. Well, they had one or two, but they were still relatively normal in comparison to everyone else.
"How are you feeling?" Naruto heard the cat-ear woman's voice and flinched as her voice, by no fault of hers, caused the ringing to intensify.
"Been a lot better," Naruto muttered as he blinked his eyes a few times and felt how uncomfortable it would feel to sit up.
It wasn't the worst experience in the world, as he could push through it. It was manageable, if not a tad miserable. "Been worse too. Compared to how I felt when I wound up here and after fighting Gaara, this ain't nothing how I felt after those battles."
"I was dragging myself by my chin at the end of the encounter with him to talk sense into him after I gave him a good ole courtesy Uzumaki beatdown for endangering my friends' lives." Naruto finished mumbling as the last of his blurriness faded, and he saw the woman called Kali, and father of the two rambunctious girls, and what he guessed was his brother in the room.
But his attention was immediately drawn to the beastkin woman as he caught the slightest inhale of breath. What had he said now? Seriously? What did he say that triggered something she knew? There was nothing in that statement that she should have known of!
"What? What did I say this time? Last time I said something that caught your interest, and now I have said something again! Spit it out already!" Naruto thrummed in annoyance as he vocalized his agitation.
Wincing as the two men looked on worriedly, Kali sighed and regained her composure. Then steadying her gaze, she met his gaze. "That's not the first time I've heard either name."
"My father found several ancient scrolls on his many expeditions through the ruins of our people. Gaara's name comes up quite often in the ruins of the Kingdom of Vacuo as a man of significant importance in his era. One of the last leaders of his people in a time of tremendous peril during what the scroll calls," Kali recalled the tale of her father with sorrow. "The Last Shinobi War."
"And in many of his texts, one name was always credited for being the greatest influence on his life, and is the only time I've heard the name Uzumaki."
Naruto hung onto every word the cat-ear woman spoke. His body stiffened and tensed in an unsettling manner. Gaara had become the Kazekage? There was another Great Shinobi War? It was the last one! What happened after that?! He needed to know so much more!
But he could never prepare for why she recognized the Uzumaki name.
"The person that changed his life and made him a better person and became the last true leader of our people before an unrecorded event occurred and our people's time came to an abrupt end." Kali took one last breath before intensely staring into his cerulean eyes. "He always credited Uzumaki Naruto for being his guiding light."
"You're kidding me! Me! Why?! All I did was kick his ass and tell him off!
Kali's eyes opened wide, her ears straightened, and her body tensed at those words.
Then a hiss followed.
"You! You are the Uzumaki Naruto? The child that disappeared on the day the Gods stepped foot on Remnant for the first time!"
Everything stopped for Naruto at those words. And the fox's words echoed through his mind one more time.
I sacrificed so we may live.
This is only one of many prices that we must pay.
There is no turning back.
His blood froze as he understood what the fox meant.
The Nine-Tails opened the door to these so-called Gods because he failed to capture Sasuke…
So in his failure to save Sasuke…
Opened the door.
Chapter 11 Preview:
And before her very eyes, light began to refract around her. Her image began to shimmer and disappear before her very eyes while tiny glass shards fluttered into the air.
Trivia gleamed with external glee as she watched her transformation.
It worked! She was bending the world around her to her will! Turning into what she wanted and becoming a shade in this world!
No one could see her if she wasn't there to be seen!