Never After: Wonder and Madness
Party 1: Falling Into Ever-Land
Attlon: So, here's something new! This is a collaborative piece between me and Agurra of the Darkness. We've been passing this idea back and forth for months, and we've finally put pen to paper! Or a button to file if you wanna be technical about it. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did making it up!
Agurra: Yup, thought the idea up a little while back, originally was a sort of Omake for Hunting or Bust, but it sort of evolved into its own thing the more we thought about it, especially with some of the untapped potential the Everafter as a concept offers. Honestly pretty happy with the idea and happy we get to share it with you guys. Though be warned, if you thought RWBY's canon got dark, oh boy, we are gonna make that seem like cake by comparison. Be prepared.
And don't worry we've more or less got the story all planned out and it won't be super long, so hopefully it won't take too long to update.
#$&#$Never&$#&$#
"Just run, idiot."
"SASUKE!"
Naruto cried out as he watched in horror as his friend was swallowed up by the pieces of stone and rock being sucked in to seal him and Madara in its center. Even with the gravitational pull of the growing center of rock and stone Naruto couldn't stop from staring at the spot that Sasuke had been swallowed up in.
He waited for some sign that Sasuke was going to come right out. Some impossible trick or new jutsu he could pull off-
"NARUTO, DON'T!" He flinched hearing Kurama scream in his head, warning him to stop as he unconsciously edged towards the growing rock hoping to help his friend, "You need to get out of here! Before you're caught in that thing!"
"Sasuke's in there! You guys are in there too! You didn't get out in time!"
"We know!" Gyūki called out in frantic worry, "But if you stay here any longer, you'll be crushed! You need to leave now!"
"B-But-"
"You can't stick around!"
"You have to get out of here before it collapses and blows up!"
"Don't waste your chance!"
"RUN KID!"
Naruto rushed away, putting as much distance as he could between himself and the unstable moon he and Sasuke had made. Even as he traversed the seemingly endless space of Obito's separate world he couldn't ignore the fervent pounding of his heart in his ears. As the ground uprooted and nearly carried him away, he desperately sucked in the air and kept trying to run forward.
Was Sasuke gone?
After all this effort to finally get him back, did he just cost his friend his life?
And how would he get home?
With Obito gone and Sasuke's new eye no longer viable, was he stuck here?
What about the other Tailed Beasts?
What about Konoha and everyone else?
All these thoughts ran rampant through his brain as he ran, but looking back he realized he still could see the growing orb as clear as day. Giant, all-encompassing, and now bursting with black flames through its cracks and seeps.
"Guys! I can't go anywhere else! I think it's gonna blow!"
"The Orbs! Use the Orbs to protect you! Do it now!" Kurama practically howled to his partner.
Nodding, Naruto used the Orbs floating by his back to create a powerful shield between him and the unstable moon. He closed his eyes and braced himself-
And felt the entire world shake as it was engulfed in an explosion too huge to quantify.
As his shield shuddered and cracked under the force of the explosion, Naruto gritted his teeth and tried to hold it together. It felt like every muscle in his body was ripping while his bones cracked and creaked inside him. Like every cell of his being was vibrating with the unending assault of sound and fire.
Kurama yelled in his mind, "Hold it, Naruto! Don't let up for even a second! We won't be able to stand it otherwise!"
He gasped and trembled for breath as he felt his shield falter, "K-Kurama!" Even with all his strength he felt his hold starting to slip, "I need help! G-Get the others-"
"I can't! They're gone!"
"Gone?!"
"They disappeared with the blast! Their bodies were at the center of this thing went it went off! We lost them! It's just us!"
The blonde shinobi didn't have much time to mull over that, as he felt the sphere protecting him start to waiver. "I-I can't hold out much longer!"
"You have to!"
Naruto noticed cracks along the shell, "Kurama!"
"Just a bit longer!"
"I-I'm not gonna die!"
"We'll live through this! And find a way to fix it!"
"I'll get back and we can help everyone!"
"Just hold out!"
"I'm not-"
The crack finally gave, the shell shattered and Naruto felt an immense pressure blast against the center of his forehead.
It washed over him. Shredding through the cloak of chakra that Kurama's power gifted him. He was swallowed up by the fire and explosion and sent flying far, far away from where he came from.
Naruto woke up and passed out too many times to count as he floated through the endless abyss of the void. The pain in his body that had been so rampant and unyielding had started to subside after some time.
When consciousness returned to him, he could feel just how weak and weary his body was. How chapped his lips were and how raw his skin felt after surviving the intensity of the blast.
Sometimes he reached out to Kurama. Asking his friend for help. For some guidance or a plan to survive the darkness.
No answer ever came.
Naruto floated through the endless black nothing for hours. Days. His stomach rumbled and his throat was parched. He begged for food and water and received no answer in return.
Was this it? Was this how he died?
He wanted to rage and fight and deny it. That this wouldn't be how the story of Naruto Uzumaki ended. He needed to get back to his village. Drag Sasuke home to Sakura. Make the world a better place and finally claim his seat of Hokage like he had always dreamed.
But the void was the only answer he received.
He floated…and drifted far into the abyss…
Until…he noticed he was falling a different way.
Instead of simply drifting out into nothing he had steadily started falling.
He…had reached the end of nothing.
What would happen now?
Would he keep drifting? Falling into the black space?
Or would his mind simply stop perceiving what happened to him next?
Would starvation and dehydration take him?
These thoughts ran through Naruto's mind as he drifted down into the unknown, his eyes slowly closing so he wouldn't have to see what happened next.
But they shot open when he saw the glowing orb of light pass by his head. In his exhaustion and delirium, Naruto wondered if these lights were even real. And as one floated up through his chest a burst of energy coursed through him as he flailed around in panic.
What was happening?
His questions only grew larger as he realized he was falling into lights and clouds beneath him.
Into something that wasn't just the void.
#$&#$Never&$#&$#
His descent proved quick as he was barely able to right himself before feeling his back collide somewhat painfully with a familiar sensation.
"Water!?"
Rising to the surface quickly, Naruto's head burst from the surface, coughing and hacking as the liquid filled his lungs, his brain quickly recovering from the sudden shock.
Eyes shooting open, he saw that he was indeed floating in a large body of water, the presence of a salty taste indicating it was an ocean of some kind.
A brief moment of panic emerged, fearing he might be lost in the middle of the sea, only to feel a sense of relief when he spotted land a few kilometers away.
"Okay, first things first, get on dry land and hopefully figure out where the heck I am."
Focusing his mind, Naruto quickly set about channeling his chakra into his feet, though it proved a little more challenging than normal as he slowly pulled himself out of the water and stood on the surface as if it were solid.
"Okay, that was a little weird." His balance was a little off and for some reason, his chakra didn't feel nearly as strong as it normally did. "Must be drained from whatever the hell just happened. Should be okay after a little bit."
"Gotta stay positive. I'll figure this out, no sweat." Calming himself down, Naruto quickly took off into a sprint toward the land, trading out water for sand with great relief. Yet, he quickly noted something more alarming.
"Okay, I have no idea where the hell I am."
In front of him, outside of the sandy beach, was a tropical jungle of palm trees and bushes, none of which were native to the Land of Fire.
"Did I get blasted to the Land of the Moon or something?" Naruto pondered as he slowly walked towards the foliage. "Nah, can't be. Even this far away I'd be hearing people."
Slowly pushing past the trees his eyes drifted in every direction, trying to find even a hint of another person somewhere. Yet, even as he walked deeper into the woods he couldn't find anything, not a sight or sound to be found.
"Seriously, where the heck is everyone?"
A strange metallic sound caught his ears, along with a sensation under his foot. Looking down, his eyes widened curiously as he reached down and picked up something. A small metallic arrow, colored black.
"A…clock?" Yes, under his foot was a fairly large, circular, bronze clock of all things, seemingly smashed to pieces. That already was weird enough, but more perplexing was the state of the clock.
It looked old, the pieces had bits of rust all over them as if the clock had been lying broken on this patch of grass for years.
"Okay, this is officially getting weirder by the minute." Naruto decided not to ponder on the presence of the aged timepiece and quickly picked up speed to try and find his way out of the forest and hopefully to some kind of civilization.
However, as he continued to move forward, he felt a sudden chill go down his spine, and his head immediately shifted to the left of him.
"What the hell is that?" Naruto's mind recalled a similar sensation back during the War. More specifically the Island Turtle, where he was able to sense Kisame hiding within Samehada when no one else could. "But, I've only ever been able to do that when I'm using Kurama's chakra…speaking of which."
Naruto's attempt to contact the fox within himself was halted as the chilling and wicked sensation grew closer, and a dark, gargling sound that could barely be called human echoed through the trees.
"Detecting…Searching…Searching."
The trees just ten yards away snapped as the source of the voice finally came into view, and for a moment Naruto swore he was looking at either a living nightmare or a genuine demon.
The….thing was extremely tall, easily nine feet, with a dark purple, almost black body. It looked almost emaciated with a pronounced spine, collarbone, shoulder blades, ribcage, and pelvis. There were dark yellow stripes on its hips and forearms, with its hands and feet being the same dark yellow color as the stripes. Its massive hands had four fingers and three toes on each foot, each ending with a pointed claw. It has a long tail that starts thin and fans out close to the tip, adorned with more dark yellow stripes.
However, most striking of all was what could barely be called a face. It was more accurate to call it some kind of skull-like mask similar to a wolf or reptile with two sets of purple and dark-yellow striped horns sprouting from the back of its cranium and lower skull.
The beast was crouched forward, crawling upon the ground on all fours, its head twitching and shaking violently in every direction, barely staying still for more than a few seconds, cracking and snapping as though its joints were being dislocated with each movement.
Naruto instinctively dropped into a defensive stance, hand near his weapons pouch as stared the beast down. Yet, the second he flipped the pouch open to reach for a weapon, the beast's head jerked in Naruto's direction, looking the shinobi square in the eye.
"DANGER!...ATTACKING!"
With a powerful lunge, the monster charged toward Naruto, who froze for only a second before his instincts kicked in. He yanked a kunai out of his pouch and raised it in defense, clashing the steel against the massive claw of the monster.
Naruto felt his knees bend slightly as the weight of the creature pushed on him, struggling to find his strength, fatigued from his recent encounter before arriving on this strange land setting in. Still, he didn't let that stop him or allow this creature to get the upper hand.
Dropping his knee, Naruto ducked under the spindly creature's arm and ducked its claws as it swung for him. He stayed down and evaded its strike before jumping up, slashing his kunai against its mask and sending sparks flying. The monster shrieked and scurried away as it tapped its face in fright.
With the beast briefly dealt with Naruto quickly re-holistered his kunai and instead held his hand out for his signature technique.
"Let's see how this thing enjoys the taste of a Rasengan."
Chakra started to form in the shinobi's opened palm, yet like with the water before Naruto found himself struggling to form the attack, and this time with much more noticeable difficulty.
"Whatever sent me here seriously must've drained me if it's this hard to form a Rasengan."
With another grunt of exertion, the orb finally took shape in his hand, howling like a miniature hurricane. The time proved good as the monster regained its desire to attack, its head again twitching violently as it stared down Naruto. However, this time it didn't immediately strike.
Instead, its eyes seemed to focus on the orb of destruction he was holding.
"Danger…Danger…DANGER!" The beast quickly jumped back, putting more distance between it and the ninja. "Running…Running."
With another leap, it disappeared back into the trees, Naruto's senses were able to tell the creature was moving as quickly as it could to escape from him and was well and truly gone in seconds.
Thus as he finally dispelled the Rasengan, he was left with one burning question. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!"
His outburst echoed through the forest, as Naruto attempted to calm his now frayed nerves, trying to figure out just what exactly he'd seen.
Angrily glaring at the trees, the ninja started to move at a faster rate, trying to find some semblance of civilization. "I swear if I see one more weird thing that isn't another person I'm officially gonna lose it."
As he pushed out of the trees into a more open area, he found himself greeted this time not by some strange monster, but by a couple of mice seemingly walking amongst the ground without a care.
The sight allowed Naruto to let loose a calming breath, feeling somewhat relieved. "Okay, not people, but at least it's something normal for a change."
"INTRUDER!"
"...What?" Naruto's stunned voice echoed as one of the mice immediately jumped onto its hind legs like a human, pointed in his direction with its small paw, and immediately spoke in words beyond the expected squeak.
The other mice had similar reactions, jumping about and also talking as though it was perfectly natural.
"Quickly, flee before he attacks!"
"No, we should attack him, stop cowering, and fight back!"
"I wanna eat some fruit!
The barrage of voices continued as Naruto just looked dumbfounded at the sight for a moment, before quickly rushing off, building momentum and putting as much distance between himself and the bizarre rodents as possible. And more importantly…get a proper lay of the land.
Spotting a particularly tall tree, he quickly applied chakra to his feet and scaled the top, standing atop it with ease.
"Okay, now let's finally get…a look..at..where….I…?"
His words died in his throat as once he'd finally reached the top of the tree, rather than a simple expanded landscape, potentially with a city or even town visible in the distance he was greeted by a…bizarre sight.
The land itself almost seemed to have been divided into different sections, as if someone cut out pieces from completely different maps and arranged them with no rhyme or reason.
One area looked to be a dense and oddly neon-colored forest, another was a collection of smoking mountains and volcanoes, with another being nothing but red, red trees, grass, dirt, etc. And one….looked to be made out of ice cream, complete with cherries the size of houses and gumballs the size of boulders.
However, the most striking of all was the massive tree in the center of everything. It almost reminded Naruto of the massive God Tree Madara had summoned, taller than any building or mountain he'd ever seen, even reaching beyond the clouds.
Naruto's breath hitched for several quiet moments before he looked around with wide eyes, "Something tells me I'm not in the Elemental Nations anymore."
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Done
So, here's the first chapter of our new idea. We had planned for this to be a story in the Side Story fic, but considering how long it'd take for me to reach this point we thought it better to create something new!
We're only getting started, and I hope you enjoy this and what's to come!
And if you like more works like this, check out Agurra's other story Avatar and The Revolutionary, an interesting AU between Naruto and Korra. I like helping there from time to time and I'd like for you all to check it out too!
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Thank You and Bye