With his healing accomplished satisfactorily and unexpectedly getting the much-needed recommendation for Beacon initiation, as well as meeting a snow princess who proved to be extremely helpful, Sasuke could focus on the few things that were missing for him.
New clothes, a sword, and documents, he listed the order of his current need, again watching the streets below as he looked for his next stop from above the buildings, where he was away from trouble in the form of women. Besides looking for a place where I can eat and sleep for today.
A risky move, this one of wanting to rest without making sure he was safe in this foreign world, but it was a need that couldn't be ignored, especially after being healed and exhausted in the process.
I can always make a clone to keep watch, an unpleasant thought, Sasuke knew, repudiating the idea of using a technique characteristic of Naruto, of all people. Although, I wasn't wrong about my initial theory. Now that his body was no longer screaming in pain and his Rinnegan was perfectly stable, Sasuke could do a deeper analysis of the local time flow. Time in this dimension actually flows faster than where I come from.
In a rough estimate, he determined that the speed of this flow was hundreds of times greater, almost enough to make a year in Remnant be a mere day in the Elemental Nations.
At the very least, if nothing goes wrong, Naruto can last an hour without me to help, which is the equivalent of fifteen days. Enough time for Sasuke to accomplish much, but hardly gets his hands on the power he desired. Three hours, the equivalent of forty-five days, would be the ideal time for everything I need.
However, Sasuke would set the average time at two hours for Naruto and thirty days for him. His only friend would have to endure or die in the meantime, for he wouldn't return before then, at least not before he managed to assimilate the power of the Yin seal completely and make it his own permanently.
Among other things. Sasuke really had a lot on his mind to accomplish and test, so he needed to take advantage of the precious time he had on his hands. Found it.
A clothing store of sorts was within the reach and an item from his list was about to be obtained.
Before that. Sasuke covered his left eye and deactivated his Sharingan, as well as keeping his Chakra to minimal levels. All to avoid trouble. Except that, considering that he was going to buy clothes and probably not rob the place, Sasuke refrained from using his hood. After all, what are the chances of my presence causing another ruckus?
Much more than he would like to admit, and that was a fact.
A day on the town between sisters, Ruby loved these moments! Even if they were more frequent than she would like to admit, it was still nice, especially considering that this precious time with Yang would soon become rarer with the separation of schools. Her sister would be going to Beacon and she still had two more years ahead of her at Signal, which wasn't bad since Ruby had some friends there, but Yang was the best of them all and she would miss her, both at school and at home.
However, even though this was one of the last days they could enjoy, she was sure that Yang would make another one of her escapades soon and that bothered her.
Bad Yang. Was Ruby the only one who disliked their impending separation? The answer was no and she knew it. Yang is just Yang, I guess.
Her sister was simply indomitable and had this tendency to want to leave her alone to force her to interact with other people, something Ruby preferred not to do. After all, who needs so many friends when you have a scythe that is also a long-distance precision weapon?! Well, kind of everyone...
Anyway, she had to enjoy this day and do what they did best!
Shopping!
That is, when they had their father's credit card, which was not the case at the moment, or for a while, since they had broken the limit... several times, but that wouldn't stop them from visiting the stores they liked and maybe eating some cookies?!
For her little chocolate friends, Ruby would always have money, even if it wasn't hers and her father would scold her for taking it out of his wallet hidden...
"What do you think of this one, Ruby?" Yang asked as she saw her little sister start to drool, probably daydreaming about cookies or something sweet like that.
"Hmm? Oh!" Ruby remembered where she was and what she needed to focus on. As for her sister, she was holding another extremely short piece of clothing... "Same as the others, Yang. Too little fabric and too much skin. Daddy won't like it."
"So it's a really good one~" Yang loved to see Ruby sulk like that with her relatively... contradictory choices. "Maybe you need some of these too, Rub's."
"No, I don't!" Ruby was turning red just imagining herself wearing something so revealing! Never!
"You know, as cute as you are, like this you'll never get a boyfriend~" Yang pinched the blushing cheeks of her little sister as pure as the most beautiful rose in the world, poking at where the best reactions were.
"Yang!" Ruby had to suppress the urge to fight with her sister and create a scene, Rose/Xiao Long style and all! "I don't need a boyfriend!"
"Don't need one or can't get one?" Yang could never get enough of these teases. What can I do when she keeps reacting like that?!
The girl was simply the best target, and she never tired of it!
"I don't need one, for I already have my beloved Crescent Rose!" Ruby embraced the love of her life, where they would live happily forever being the coolest duo in the world! "And also, I don't want to hear that from you, since you don't have a boyfriend either!"
So she wants to go that way? Yang would never lose in a battle of argument, even more so about boys. "True, but I don't have one by choice and you know it~"
"Urgh..." There was a side of her sister that Ruby disliked; that confidence that she could do and get anything she wanted, something she herself was not capable of. "I-I don't have one either because I don't want one!"
Kind of, she wanted to say. Ruby didn't understand relationships at all, and it was practically a miracle that she had gotten some friends in Signal, but not due to her own efforts. Joint classes, meeting every day, and having an extremely popular sister played a big part in this achievement, that and the fact that people found her... funny, but not in a good way, more like silly. As for the boys, those few who didn't approach her to ask for Yang's number were always scared away by her obsession with guns, or by the red eyes of her overprotective sister...
"Oh ho, that sounds like a lot of confidence I hear in your words, little rose~" Yang saw the hesitation and uncertainty written all over her little sister's face, and it only took one more blow to crumble her. "How about a bet then? If you can hold a conversation with the next guy who walks through that door, I'll pay for all the cookies you want!"
The seed of victory was planted, and she just hoped to see it blossom as this false confidence crumbled.
"What?!" Ruby perked up at the cookies part but then realized what the rest of this bet was about, something quotidian for them except that this was the first of this kind, and she almost gave up; almost. "D-define conversation?"
Even though it was a low blow, she was even weaker when it came to sweets.
"Enough to learn his name?" Yang said, uncertain. She hadn't expected Ruby to even consider accepting, surprising her. Even if she has the guts to try, I still win.
Too bad she didn't have any popcorn to watch because it would be a very good scene, maybe even one to film for the family record.
"And what do I lose if I can't?" Ruby swallowed dryly, trying to imagine the machiavellian plans at work in that burning head of her sister. Nothing good, I'm sure!
"Nothing really, just cover for me with Daddy when I don't get home on time." Yang still had other plans for this day and wasn't sure how long it would take to... greet Junior. I'm sure he will love my visit~.
Every man does and that was a fact.
"Again?" Ruby was used to it, almost considering this request a joke, yet an unfunny one. "So...you're going to go out and leave me alone?"
Exactly the reaction Yang wanted to avoid.
"Don't be like that, Ruby." She didn't like seeing that downcast look on a face that was always so smiling. "It's not like this is the first, or that this is going to be the last time we go out together." Her little sister didn't seem to be buying her excuses, and no one could blame her. "Just... after today, I won't have as much free time anymore, so I need to take care of some things that are important to me. You understand, right?"
"I guess so." Ruby tried to smile a little, knowing as well as her sister that it wasn't quite true.
"Cheer up!" Yang preferred a bouncy, cheerful Ruby, encouraging with the change to the previous topic, "You still have a bet to lose~"
"I'm not going to lose!" If it was to interrupt their night, at least Ruby would make Yang pay in cash! Even if I have to talk to a strange boy to do it!
"That's the spirit!" That was the little sister Yang liked to see, even if it was for the wrong reason. It's not as if I'm throwing her into the wolves' mouths, theoretically speaking.
She would be there, keeping an eye on the situation so that nothing would go wrong. Otherwise, the first wrong move any poor bastard that walked through that door would make, Yang would make sure to put him in a hospital! Despite these risks, her goal here was not only to get help to cover up her nighttime escapade, but it was also to encourage Ruby to meet new people, regardless of gender, and to lessen the possible loneliness that her absence will bring.
Just in time, a guy entered the store to put Ruby's determination to the test and Yang forgot what she was thinking when her eyes fell on him.
The reaction of others seemed to be similar, where only Ruby was able to maintain her ability to reason, but not without a slight blush on her surprised face.
"Well, damn." Yang woke up to life, as surprised as she was shocked. She hadn't expected that the first guy that came along would also be the hottest one she had ever seen in her life! This bastard is so handsome that even Ruby was affected!
That was unheard of!
"I-I have to talk to him?" Ruby began to play with her fingers, caught in a mixture of shyness and anxiety. His clothes are so cool! She didn't understand how a rope could be used to create such a unique look! Maybe he is also a student to become a Huntsman, like Yang and me, and has a weapon!
Ruby really wanted to know what kind of weapon he had!
Only, before she had the chance, the attendants... all of them, approached him.
"Why are they surrounding him like that?" She didn't understand why more than one would be needed to help him, immediately noticing his discomfort as he tried to dismiss them and no one seemed to be listening to his words. Maybe he is like me; someone bad at dealing and communicating with strangers.
Something in common that could be the sign of a friendship to come!
"Hmm, how should I put this..." Yang was having a hard time dealing with the reality of having such a cute in front of her being harassed by these random bitches. Don't they realize that they are not good enough for someone of this level? Heck, even she didn't know if she was up to the challenge and she was simply Yangstastic! "That's all because he's really cute and they want to... play with him; a lot."
"Oh..." Ruby blushed a little at the confirmation of some foreign thoughts about his good looks, only still not quite understanding their reason, yet certain that there was more to this than her sister was suggesting. "If that's it, I don't think he wants to play with them."
His one visible eye was as cold as its obsidian color, clearly indicating he was more than unhappy with the unnecessary attention he received.
Yang couldn't agree more, wanting to go over there and get rid of every one of these bitches and have this guy eating out of her hand, just like every other guy she'd ever met in her life.
Only, she already had a deal with her little sister and this guy was simply the ultimate challenge.
"Ruby, lend me your ear, I'll teach you a way to help him and maybe even win this bet." Yang didn't mind losing, even if it meant contributing to the high blood sugar level of her addicted little sister.
A necessary sacrifice, whose reward could be unimaginable!
Ruby listened intently to the words spoken, and the redness in her face grew by the second, wishing for nothing but to give up. However, if it worked, not only would she help that boy, she might also gain a really stylish friend and that was reason enough for her to swallow her shame and act on what she was told... to the extent possible.
Again, Sasuke was having a hard time dealing with the present situation in which he found himself. In a clothing store, obviously, there would be attendants, so in order not to be mistaken for a... beggar, he used a transformation Jutsu to cover up the state of his current clothes, something that seemed to have turned against him, even disregarding the fact that such insignificant use of Chakra managed to ward off any faunus in the vicinity, for even after zipping his shirt up to his chin, these women were all over him like damn jackals.
A curse, definitely. Until this day, he had always wondered what was the term that defined his endless attractiveness; a blessing or a curse? The answer was obvious, and Sasuke was almost tempted to use a transformation Jutsu to turn himself into the ugliest person he knew, just to know what it was like to be ignored for a change. Never. I'd rather suffer than stoop to the level of taking on that idiot's appearance.
Besides, Sasuke didn't change his appearance for the same reason he would always display the symbol of his clan; honor, and pride. His physical and facial features were a reminder of his family and were there to be remembered as such, not as an attraction to delight sinful eyes.
That way, Sasuke hated each of these women and was having a hard time containing these negative emotions.
Before his self-control disappeared and the coldness of his aura turned this place into a living representation of hell itself because he could certainly affect normal people as much as faunus by releasing enough power, for the second time that day help came in the unexpected form of a girl.
"Y-You're finally here!" Ruby did her best not to collapse when she hugged a boy she had never seen in her life and try to stay in the girlfriend role that Yang made her do. "I-I was tired of waiting!"
For a moment, Sasuke had to restrain all his instincts and muscles to avoid electrocuting this girl to death.
Who the hell is she? He had his Sharingan active again out of pure instinct, checking to see if she posed any threat to him, and was surprised at what he saw. The Aura from her eyes... is completely different from the rest of her body.
Normally this could only mean some kind of eye ability, and his interest in this unknown girl increased to the point that he hesitated to throw her against the wall on the other side of the store for daring to touch him.
"Who is this little girl?" the nearest attendant asked, annoyed at the intimate sight before her. "Shouldn't you be in bed at this hour?"
"Yes, this is no time for children to be running around!"
"You should take your hands off him and go home!"
"You're completely out of your league, brat, so why don't you let someone more experienced dealing with this handsome?"
Murmurs of the sort spread among the clearly irritated women and the girl's grip on him increased with the addition of a slight tremor born of intimidation.
In the midst of it all, Sasuke felt something besides the discomfort of being hugged, and not far from there, his eyes caught a slight flicker in the aura of the only girl who didn't join the others in degrading the one next to him, demonstrating red eyes and flames of fire burning over her long golden locks, about to explode with rage.
She is ready to attack. He narrowed his eyes, being sure that her irises were lilac before they turned red. It shouldn't be an eye ability, considering that there is no power in her eyes at all.
If it weren't for the fact that he was in a different world, Sasuke would say that he had just encountered a Jinchuriki.
"I-I think we should go..." Ruby was doing her best to keep the desire to cry away from her, not being able to understand what got into these people. Before, they had greeted her with a friendly smile, very different from the sneers and words dripping with hostility of now. Each of them seemed to be a completely different person, almost making her want to give up. N-no, she couldn't give up now! This is not just a bet, I have to help him escape from these false and malicious people!
Feeling the girl trying to take him out, Sasuke turned his attention away from the one having a fit of rage in the distance, taking a closer look at what was happening and the answer left him with a bad taste in his mouth.
Even though she is being verbally attacked, she is still trying to get me out of this situation... He had to repress a sigh, recognizing the obstinacy of this reddish-black-haired girl despite having become the target of someone else's twisted envy. And to think that I would need another girl to help me when the solution to all this couldn't be simpler.
For being in a foreign and unfamiliar world on more levels than one could imagine, Sasuke had been holding back and acting carefully in every action, no matter how insignificant, to avoid drawing attention and getting into unnecessary trouble, but since that was proving to be the case no matter what he did, what was the point in continuing as such?
Not one.
His cold, ominous Chakra coursed through his veins as the strands of his hair parted with the slight twinkle of his eyes, literally glowing in their unique colors to send involuntary chills to everyone present, inside and outside the store.
If no one listened to the voice of reason, Sasuke would communicate in a way that everyone could understand; through fear.
Yang stopped in her tracks, even backing up one at the slight purplish light that illuminated the guy who ended up turning her little sister into a target for these resentful bitches, feeling literal cold pass through her and being sure that everyone in the store was as good as dead.
In her fearful eyes, Ruby was literally embracing death itself; an entity in the form of a sinister skeleton, and it sank her heart to the point where it almost stopped beating, vividly forcing her to remember a snow day whose cold was no match for the present and almost ended in tragedy.
Just like that time, she felt like the reckless little girl who put her childish desires above all else and dragged her innocent little sister into a deadly trap and could do nothing to save her.
No! Yang bit her lips to force herself to overcome fear with pain and tasted her own blood. I am no longer a helpless child!
Displaying red eyes again, her Ember Celica was in hands and she stepped forward as if she were a living fire able to ward off the cold to save her little sister from the claws of death!
One more chapter to the account and I think I'm doing well, whereas I mostly write on the train to and from work... Yeah, it's that bad but I try my best.
Anyway, if you want to support me and read a few chapters ahead of the public release, take a look at my P t r & on (slash) Bertoti.
Also, don't forget to leave your opinion and I'll see you all again in two weeks.
Until then.