Second Chapter on Ao3. Naruto/Hinata, Sasuke/Sakura, Ruby/Weiss, Blake/Yang.
A darkness had fallen.
There was no hope left. Their world was ending. All was evaporating and turning to dust before her very eyes. All she could do was watch in horror as friends and family turned into nothing.
Tears welled in her eyes as she watched each and every one of them fade away.
Weiss faded before Jaune could reach her.
Blake crumbled in her sister Yang's arms before she perished as well.
Nora and Ren held one another as the darkness swallowed them whole.
Oscar disappeared and faded before her eyes as she desperately reached for him.
Now, she was left alone to lament in this pitch-black void of never-ending darkness. The end came so suddenly. Nothing could have prepared her for it. It wasn't even her that had caused it.
It was never in their hands. It never was.
Why didn't it take her? Why was she left all alone? Was this what it felt like for her all those years after being the only human alive? She began to understand her grievance toward the world!
Yet she persisted, wandering aimlessly through the void. Seeking any comfort she could find.
There was none.
There were only her soul-crushing thoughts and memories of those she lost. It weighed heavily on her soul. How long had she wandered this domain of darkness?! She had no sense of time or reason! It could have very well been eons! But her body stayed the same…
She was the same girl she was before. Was this a curse? Did she inherit that woman's immortality to walk a mile in her shoes? To understand her agony? Cause she more than did!
Two bright lights filled the void. One of malignant purple, the other of extravagant gold. She was forced to shield her eyes and look away due to their intensity as they approached and landed before her.
She scowled. Were these who she thought they were…
"You are too late," Ruby bitterly uncovered her eyes as the luminous lights dimmed, and she could gaze at who had descended upon her. Yet she couldn't muster the will. She hung her head bitterly as her eyes misted at all she lost. "There is nothing to judge. Our world has faded into the void… Just like you two will. And so will I…"
"Hey, don't lose that will to keep fighting just yet! We just found ya!" A chipper voice of the golden glow resonated before her. "Be a shame to lose ya before we could revert the damage done here."
Ruby, now clearly able to see the glowing figures before her, shot up toward the two and stared in confusion. They were not who she had expected.
Instead, it was two men. One with blonde hair, spiky locks, a vivid smile, and bright cerulean eyes. The other was a man with longer raven hair, one side parted and covered his left eye while a visible onyx eye gazed upon her.
"Who are you?" Ruby questioned, not expecting these two men to stand before her, glowing in similar colors to the Brother Gods she had come to learn about after their expedition into the Ever After and more from Oz. "I was expecting… I don't know… Someone else, I guess."
"Like who?" The raven one responded with a raised eyebrow, looking around. "Nothing is left. Everything was swallowed."
"I know that!" Ruby bitterly retorted before hanging her head. "It's just… You see… There were two Gods that created our world… Called the Brother Gods…"
"I mean, we have been called brothers before. I've even called you that before." The blonde one grinned, causing the raven man to scowl.
"Shut up, Naruto." The other rolled his eyes and scolded his counterpart.
"Make me, Sasuke!" The blonde's grin only widened. We have time to kill. Annoying you is just fun."
"Focus." Sasuke clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and rolled his eyes again. His attention focused on Ruby, who drew Naruto's attention to her.
He scrunched his face for a moment, annoyed at his friend not playing his game before his face fell at the solemn expression on her face. "Ah, you're right… I should be treating this more seriously… Eons of this kinda make me lose focus, ya know."
"Why I am here." Sasuke flicked his hair, giving Ruby a minor visible of what seemed to be a silver, ringed eye beneath his raven hair. "Don't understand how Hinata has put up with you for all these eons."
"Easier than you think," Naruto muttered, running his hand through his locks. His attention then focused on the solemn figure who stared weakly at them. "So, you ready to go back?"
"What?" Ruby's eyes shimmered, startled, glancing at the two men she had thought were the Brother Gods. "What do you mean Go Back? What are you talking about? …You were talking about reverting the damage… Are you saying you can return Remnant to the way it was before? How? What are you?"
"No." Sasuke shook his head, drawing Ruby's gaze toward him. "That is impossible, even for what we have become. As for what we are… Let's just say… We do this for a living."
"Saving worlds is our specialty." A wide grin spread onto Naruto's lips before he scowled at the scenery around him, taking it all in. "Hate seeing this… Yet another world lost and swallowed by the void."
"Huh?" Ruby was lost at how seemingly confident he was at his statement before ingesting everything said. They didn't have the power to recreate Remnant like the Brothers… But he said… "What's the Void?"
"The darkness where a world is swallowed and destroyed when it slowly fades away, and all its memories are forgotten." Sasuke frowned and sighed, glancing at the shadows their light penetrated through. "No one is sure what brings it about. Just that it has taken many worlds far before their time."
"It's happened to many worlds. We traverse the void since we have become ancients and were bestowed with these powers by old man Hagoromo, looking for survivors to restore any lost worlds. Try to restore balance to the universe since the parasites sucked away so much it so long ago and maintain that order." Naruto softly smiled before holding out his hand to Ruby. "So, are ya ready?"
"Ready for what?" Ruby scowled, giving Naruto a sharp glare. "You already said you two can't bring back my world… And you were too late to save it…"
"You're still here, are you not?" Naruto tilted his head, cerulean eyes meeting silver. "So a part of you is still fighting. Holding onto your world, trying to remember it and everyone that remains dear to your heart. …It's through you we can find your world again."
Ruby's flickered at his words. Through her… She could return to Remnant?
"How?" Ruby simply asked, wanting nothing more than to return to her friends. To change their fate. To change her fate. To give them one more chance.
"By finding you, one who was strong enough to resist the erasure of her world, we're able to recall the flow of time of your world and reverse it to a time before it faded to the void. To a time where the world's memories are still bright and can fight off the darkness… And never be forgotten." Sasuke flicked his hair, fully revealing his ringed silver eye as he turned to Naruto, the malignant purple aura beginning to shimmer around him.
"So, do you trust us?" Naruto held out his hand as his cerulean eyes burned gold, and a golden aura lit around his frame as he knelt before Ruby. "Yeah, I know it's strange. Two guys you don't know just appeared out of nowhere after your world was destroyed, offering you a chance to go back and save your world…"
"Do you have any other choice? Your other alternative is to wander the void until you fade into nothingness yourself." Sasuke motioned to the void.
"Teme! …You don't have to put it that way…" Naruto growled before his expression faded solemnly, and he gazed at Ruby. "You don't have to trust us… I can understand not wanting to trust us after watching all your friends fade into the void. It's horrifying."
"But we are really out here doing this out of the goodness of our hearts… Despite his gruffness." A slim smile spread across Naruto's expression, and he held out his outstretched palm for Ruby. "You can believe it. So, you ready to head back and rewrite your story?"
Silver eyes gazed into golden hues, watching as the magnificent golden aura mixed with malignant purple aura. She knew they were correct. There was no choice… But looking into his eyes… Seeing the concern and feeling how genuine his words felt…
Ruby reached out and clutched his hand.
And all she saw was a swirl of gold and purple light.
"Ruby! Wake up. It's time for our first day! Get up silly!"
"Huh?"
Silver eyes blinked several times, her eyes adjusting. That light was so intense… Her stomach turned, and her world spun as she lay in bed. She felt queasy, bile building in her throat.
Where was she? Whose voice was that? Wait… It sounded familiar?
Silver eyes snapped open and stared directly into beaming lilac eyes.
Yang bellowed with laughter, seeing Ruby jerk awake suddenly. Placing her hand on her hip while laughing, she shook her head. "Geez, Rubes. Oversleeping on our first day? Everyone else is awake and ready to go!"
"And she was chosen as our leader." A bitter voice muttered distantly, causing Ruby's body to tense.
"Oh, hush you!" Yang glared toward the petrator of the voice, who only rolled her eyes as she set up her side of the room. "Oh, that's a good idea. We should get our things unpacked!"
"I agree… And I'm done." Another voice added before a clatter of stuff fell out onto her bed.
"That's all you have?" Yang raised her eyebrow. "Girl, we got go shopping for ya… Too excited for our first day at Beacon and stayed up too late last night preparing for class, Rubes?"
Ruby stared widely at Yang as she suddenly sat up. Her eyes shifted to the other two in the room. Blake and Weiss were here, too. Their attention shot toward her immediately, and they turned toward one another, more guarded than usual, while Yang's back was turned and gazed toward them. Blake was the first to speak. "Yang… Something's wrong…"
Her eyes shot to herself. She was still wearing the clothes before the Void took everything from her. She was still in her old gear. She still possessed everything she had on her… She was still her old self… No wonder Blake and Weiss thought something was up…
And she couldn't blame them… But it didn't matter to her. Tears began welling, and her eyes misted as she took in every detail of her sister's appearance. After being alone in that void for so long… To hear their voices again after so long… She had to be sure.
"Um… Rubes… What the heck?!" Yang stumbled as Ruby leapt toward her and clasped her tightly in a deep embrace. She was forced to catch her balance and hold her sister up, noticing her sister's tears rolling down her cheeks and the sobs racking her body. "Ruby, what the heck? Are you okay? Were you having a nightmare or something? …Wait, are you taller than you were yesterday? And your hair! And that outfit! Oum, what happened?! "
"You didn't notice when she sat up!" Weiss cried, rushing over, weary of Ruby as she clutched Yang.
"Honestly, no! She's my sister!" Yang retorted with a glower, gently patting and rubbing her sister's back and turning her attention to the more critical issue. "Hey, now. Catch your breath. Tell your big sister all about it… What happened? Why are you like… Well, like this!"
Still struggling to accept this reality, hyperventilating as she tightly grasped her sister in her clutches, Ruby tried to catch her breath. She was real. This was real. They had sent her back. She didn't care about the odd things they said about her appearance. She had returned. She had a chance to change everything… To spend her final moments with…
"Where do I begin…" Ruby wiped her eyes, finally letting go of Yang. "I don't think you would believe me if I were to tell you."
"Try me." Yang scrunched her face, frowning as she took in her sister's new appearance. "Seriously, something weird just happened, girl. I didn't hear anything weird or see you leave last night, so if you know something, maybe it would shed some light on what the heck is up!"
"I would have noticed if she left." Blake frowned, her bow folding on the top of her head, observing Ruby's appearance. Noticing the peculiar glance shot toward her from Weiss and Yang, she winced. "Just trust, would you? I… "
"She would. She has her ways, right Blake?" Ruby nodded, agreeing with Blake and gently smiling toward her.
However, that smile caused Blake to stiffen as their gazes met. With one look at the changed Ruby, she didn't know how or why, but she knew… Ruby knew. Ruby knew she was a Faunus.
And that terrified her.
"Blake?" Weiss saw her teammate tense and stare intently at Ruby. "Okay. I get it. There is something weird going on. But shouldn't we trust Yang…"
"Who are you, and how do you know?" Blake hissed, her eyes slit toward Ruby.
"Like I said, you won't believe me if I told you." Ruby sighed but reached down into her hip pouch connected to her belt and withdrew her scroll. Pulling up an image on it, she showed the scroll to her team, who all stumbled back, seeing older versions of themselves smiling in the picture. "I am from three years in the future. This is when we all become Huntresses, desperately trying to save Vacuo from the same fate as Vale and Atlas."
"I was sent back after the Void swallowed our world in an attempt to change our story and save us all."
"It begins." Naruto whistled, cracking his knuckles, sitting atop a tower.
Cerulean eyes gleamed as he looked upon the school. This would be a change of pace. He hadn't taught in some time. This would be fun. Now it was just time to get accepted as a Professor of this University or whatever it was…
Tapping on his earpiece, he cranked his neck and stretched his shoulder, preparing for what came next. "You ready on your end?"
"Of course. You have the easy job, like usual."
"Mah, don't you like doing the dirty work?" Naruto raised his eyebrow as he stood up, sensing a presence that had made its presence known as he sat on the edge. Electricity crackled and began to chirp, causing Naruto to chuckle. "Yup. That sounds about right. …Now then, I got a deal for you, Ozpin, is it?"
"Correct." The voice wearily responded, measuring the man on the roof of his tower, unsure how he came to be or arrived. "Your arrival here is at an odd time. Many strange instances are occurring at once… What is this deal you offer?"
"You'll love it!" Naruto chirped, turning to face Oz, his eyes glimmering. "I have the solution to all your problems. But let's solve the first one I know is bugging you…"
"How about that girl whose spirit is split in half below?"
A string missing warriors. Huntsmen and Huntresses or whatever they were called in this world.
A lunatic out on the loose. Given direction by a single man. Empowered and emboldened by the darkness of this world. Despicable. It was time to fix this problem.
Hearing radio static and a tap, Sasuke rolled his eyes as a voice echoed in his eardrum. "You ready on your end?"
"Of course," Sasuke responded, standing over the cowering man, his eyes wavering as he lay breathing heavily. He was far from finished with him. The man deserved a far more severe punishment than what he had dished for him so far. But he responded with a click of his tongue. "You have the easy job, like usual."
"Mah, don't you like doing the dirty work?" He heard Naruto's witty response.
For once, Sasuke didn't retort. Instead, lightning ignited in his palm as he stood over the cowardly lion as he stepped on his chest, his left eye bleeding crimson. For once, his friend wasn't wrong in this case. He did enjoy the dirty work. It suited him better to work in the shadows.
"Now, tell me precisely everyone targeted and where they are heading so I can find him, and I may show you leniency."
R & R.
