Upon entering a doorway, Sasuke was faced with a scene familiar until then, being dimly lit and silent in an unnerving way. In this hallway, the broken windows were blocked by blood-soiled wood, the best at hand to prevent the entrance of whatever was walking outside. With each step taken, Sasuke could feel the tension in a way that rarely happened to him. Certainly, being badly wounded and on death's doorstep should he fail to tend to his wounds did not help. To defend himself in this moment of vulnerability, he held a gun commonly used by the inhabitants of this broken world, something almost useless in his opinion and which he would trade for a handful of Kunais without a second thought. However, it was all he had. Without Chakra or his sword, Sasuke needed to do with little, regardless of what it was.
Almost there, he knew, thanks to Ruby's hints, that all he had to do was walk down this corridor, and at the end, at the foot of the stairs to the right, would have a safe room where he could recover. That is if I don't run into any opposition.
Exactly what awaited him just ahead.
I should have known. It was all going too well to be true. What do I do now? One of those things, slow and grotesque like the others, noticed his presence and his heart beat faster in response, raising his attention to another level. After all, there were only five bullets in its possession. Not enough.
Avoiding combat would be the best option, but given his injuries, he couldn't run when merely walking seemed the limit.
Shoot him in the head! He could hear Ruby's voice echoing in his mind, giving him hints that couldn't be more obvious. The problem lay in the difficulty of doing exactly what he was told when he didn't even know how to use that damn gun.
Focus, Sasuke, he took a deep breath and almost held it as he aimed at the target following Ruby's instructions, pulling the trigger soon after only to find himself missing the first shot. Damn it!
This was frustrating; being in this position of near powerlessness that obnoxiously repeated itself more than he would like to admit.
Except that his opponent was not Itachi or Madara but a walking corpse!
Sasuke wanted to breathe fire on this thing, or better yet, join hands and turn the infested city into a floating ball of rubble!
Unfortunately, none of that was an option, and only four more bullets remained to keep the distance between him and the enemy from shrinking even further, as it suddenly seemed that the slowness expected from an undead had ceased to exist.
I have no choice left! Sasuke fired without thinking about anything and the second shot hit straight in the head and an almost devilish smile, full of twisted satisfaction adorned his face to make Ruby swallow dryly and worry the other three girls who were not far away from him. Hmph, they hadn't seen anything yet.
If they were afraid of so little, imagine showing them his expression from the fight against Danzou?
Not one of them would want to be near him anymore... probably.
Karin existed to prove that even going through a girl's chest with a lightning spear might not be enough to erase feelings.
Strangely enough, Naruto was like that too.
Unfortunately, his momentary happiness and memories of a bad time didn't last more than a second when that thing lunged forward instead of falling.
"What the hell?" He backed away, almost startled. "This thing has an Aura protecting it?"
That was all he didn't need!
"Of course not, because it's dead!" Ruby explained after recovering from that frightening display of sadism, as Yang had described just now. "No life, no Aura!"
Simple as that.
"So where's my Aura?" He might barely be standing, but he was still alive. Not for long, it seems.
As long as Sasuke could get away, he would live. In this state, however, he wouldn't get very far.
"Hmm, you kind of don't have one?" Ruby forced a smile, agreeing with this contradiction yet knowing it was for a good reason. "Otherwise, it would be too easy!"
Easy games are no fun!
"Right..." Sasuke pretended to understand that logic, if there was any, more concerned about his imminent death, deciding to bet everything by unloading his gun at this thing's head and hitting exactly two shots out of the remaining three...only to prove completely ineffective. "I think it's over."
Not only his ammo but his momentary life in this apocalyptic world.
"Don't give up!" Ruby encouraged, certain he could handle it! "You wiped out thousands of Grimm!" she spoke softly so no one else would hear about what he had done. "A mere zombie is nothing!"
Only the truth was being told and Sasuke remembered who he was.
Not even after having his heart pierced by Madara did he give up, so why would he do it now?
It might be different, but it was still a test of determination and Uchiha Sasuke never gives up!
"Ruby Rose," he called out in a commanding voice and the girl responded accordingly, stepping into readiness. "Prove your worth and assist me in combat!"
This fight was still far from over!
"Yes, sir!" Ruby did not hesitate, retrieving her Scroll with enthusiasm to join in a cooperative game. "Let's go for the win!"
Sasuke died horribly soon after.
Meanwhile, the other three girls, where two had no idea what was going on and one was brooding about wanting to participate but refusing to even try out of fear and anger, watched this whole scene unfold.
"It seems Sasuke doesn't like to lose," Blake commented, having a mixed opinion for being glad to see Sasuke having some fun despite all his seriousness and not so much that she wasn't there contributing to it. "Even if it means asking for help."
A good trait to have and one she could learn a bit about.
"Explaining his offer to each of us." Weiss was no different from Blake about all this, again feeling envious of this younger girl who managed to turn Sasuke's cloak into a beautiful dress. "Well," she looked at the girl named Yang who was mulling over next to her, adding, "at least for part of us."
Offering power to someone who clearly hated him didn't seem like a good idea, no matter what the reason.
"What now, little princess?" Yang took her attention from the one she wanted away from her little sister more than anything in this world, even though she knew it was far from her ability. "If you want to say something, just say it!"
Yang was in no mood to beat around the bush, especially when it wasn't Sasuke talking to her.
"Exactly what I just said, that it doesn't make sense to offer power to you," Weiss was as straight to the point as this girl wanted, not the least bit intimidated by those red eyes, especially after almost knowing death by fighting Blake. "I'm sure there are countless options far better and less resentful than you."
Her own sister, Winter, was a perfect example of that.
If not for the spark of emotion shown and the fear of having her own sister as a love rival, Weiss would have made a recommendation to Sasuke.
As for that, Yang, oddly enough, did not disagree.
She really didn't like Sasuke, regardless of the strange way she felt in his presence.
If this little princess could see that in such a short time, there was no way Sasuke wouldn't know it too.
Still, the offer of power to her existed just the same.
Especially since, depending on the situation, Yang was capable of siding with the unknown woman who managed to hurt this Uchiha in the world he came from.
A reality that was hard to accept.
Like, another world?
If it were true, considering all the crazy things he did, Sasuke was basically an alien!
Worse yet, even knowing this, these girls showed no fear and still liked him!
Teenagers in love are just stupid!
Fortunately, she wasn't one.
"Who knows?" Yang shrugged, hiding how big her doubt was on this very topic. "Maybe he needs someone who is capable of throwing a good punch," she smiled in disdain as she looked this little princess up and down, "something you can hardly do with that little body of yours."
The same provocation was made by another girl with a more developed body and Weiss was biting herself with rage, but Yang hadn't finished getting under her skin.
"That must be why you didn't get anything out of that monster last night," Yang barely closed her mouth and had to dodge a sword immediately, having the skin of her face just below her eye being cut off without being able to activate her Aura in time, resulting in blood on her previously blemish-free face. "You're fucking dead!"
Yang was about to burst through the flames that covered her hair and throw this damned girl out of the Bullhead when a second sword had its tip directly above her throat.
Even knowing that her Aura would protect her, anyone would instinctively stop in their tracks.
"That's enough, Blondie." Blake placed herself between them, holding the wrist of a Weiss who was about to get into another fight to possible death, knowing this well from experience, and preventing a tragedy from happening, even more so with Sasuke's slight glance at them. "Not only would it be a terrible idea to start a fight inside a Bullhead, but you don't want him to do anything."
A bluff, she knew, as Sasuke might very well want to see a fight to learn more about their fighting style and confirm his choice of possible allies.
Except, did this Yang know that?
One thing Blake and Weiss omitted from their explanation of Sasuke's situation was that he made use of a misunderstanding to get them to fight.
The reaction of this hate-filled girl gave her the certainty that no, she didn't know.
Yang almost froze as she looked at Sasuke and knew that he was looking back.
Not only him, but Ruby also did too, and the expression full of disappointment she made almost hurt.
While fear and shame were shown by this girl, Weiss had something similar taking over her, feeling as if she had disappointed Sasuke's trust before she had even proven herself worthy of the offer made.
In the end, it seemed that the anger issues Weiss had were not limited to the faunus.
"Tsc, whatever," Yang stepped back to avoid that silver look full of disappointment, yet knowing full well the outcome of continuing and that it needed to be avoided, yet her frustration wouldn't allow her to do so without returning the blow to this little princess, even if it wasn't physical, "Except that doesn't change the truth of anything I said."
While she needed to avoid getting on Sasuke's bad side, the same could hardly be said about these other girls.
Hypocrisy was present, but Yang didn't care, mostly because she wanted the power offered by that monster.
If she could become several times stronger just by exerting real control over her Aura, as these two had explained, she would pay to see.
After all, with that kind of power, there was a greater chance of her opposing Sasuke should the need arise.
Weiss, on the other hand, didn't want to let this mean comment about her appearance dictate the truth, but hearing it from two different girls, her age who had more feminine bodies didn't help her self-esteem.
"Don't mind her," Blake had seen that look on Weiss's face before and knew it was anger speaking through this Yang. "You are beautiful and you know it."
That was the truth that even she refused to believe, where this Yang was not blind, knowing that too, but refusing to admit it because she was full of resentment.
"Thank you," Weiss smiled at this rival/friend of hers, knowing full well that she needed to hear that, even if she already knew. I wish Sasuke would say that to me...
That would be the real proof that she didn't need to have a sinful body like those other girls to get the attention of the boy she liked.
Only time would give her an answer, and Weiss would look forward to it.
This turmoil was short-lived, but it was revealing in some ways to Sasuke who took his eyes off his game, as Ruby's mood seemed to have worsened after what just happened and was carrying the game on her back, killing everything that came her way.
For a pure and innocent girl, she was incredibly bloodthirsty when angry, and he liked that.
That aside, Yang was a problem, mainly because of her attitude which could get in the way of teamwork.
As much as he hated to admit it, teamwork was real and it worked.
In this case, he was sure that Weiss and Blake would be an odd duo like Naruto and he was.
Yang, if she couldn't even get along with her own sister, Sasuke would discard her without a second thought.
Her hatred for him made her unpredictable, yet her love for her little sister made up for it and brought predictability back to the table.
Wait and see, Sasuke decided, soon remembering the game at hand with Ruby's warning and finding himself receiving a bite to the jugular with blood gushing like wine to the delight of the thirsty creature. This is kind of disturbing...
Sasuke could only watch his virtual self, an avatar, as Ruby had described it, made in his image after having his face scanned by the Scroll, die for the second time in a grotesque way.
Exactly why, even knowing it was fake, Sasuke had a bad taste in his mouth at seeing himself powerless while becoming food for something his real self could kill by the thousands, even when he was still a child.
"Well, you're pretty bad at it," Ruby said without thinking and the look Sasuke gave her made her laugh nervously. "I mean, for someone from another world who must never have played a video game before, you did pretty well... Kind of."
Her feelings for him could only allow so much goodwill, after all.
Electronic games and the mess her stupid sister almost caused aside, Ruby couldn't help but remember what was revealed earlier.
Sasuke didn't belong in Remnant, having come from another world and even more, there was the disturbing fact that he was brutally injured when he met the other two girls, Weiss and Blake, having strands of hair in the form of needles lodged all over his body, plus other types of damage described by Weiss that made Ruby feel anger in an almost unknown way if it wasn't for the conflict that happened that morning.
A woman who was supposed to be extremely powerful, probably from the same world, had done this to Sasuke and he wanted help in dealing with her, so he was offering power to some people he deemed useful.
Ruby, Yang, Weiss, and Blake, are the girls he has chosen so far, should they decide to accept his offer.
However, as amazing and cool as all this was, except for the fact that there was an evil woman out there who was stronger than Sasuke, it didn't really matter as much as a recurring doubt.
After this was all over if this evil woman was defeated, would Sasuke return home?
If he did, could Ruby see him again after that?
That was a doubt she kept to herself, unable to question Sasuke directly for fear of receiving an answer that would hurt her heart.
To remind herself of what he represented to her and the world, a screen lit up in the window to show a report of yesterday's extermination with pictures and everything else to have Ruby with the hem of that new dress of hers in hand.
"I hope to live up to this cloak someday," she said softly, though not softly enough for Sasuke and the other girls not to hear. "To be strong enough to rain metal stars from the heavens."
Not only her but there was also hardly anyone out there who didn't envy that kind of power and wish they could do the same.
"In that case, you need to dedicate yourself to training," Sasuke said the obvious, yet nearly impossible if her eye ability didn't provide some sort of visual enhancement. Which should be the case, considering her speed and control over her Semblance. Only part of the reason for his interest in her. "And for that, you'll need this." He touched his storage seal, something they had all seen before at the top of that building, and retrieve a Kit of Kunais and Shurikens prepared in advance. "Here, for you."
Ruby had her heart leaping for several reasons. This magic of making things appear out of nowhere was super cool and she wondered if she would be able to do something like that after training with him. Plus, there was the suggestion that maybe someday she might be able to replicate the rain of metal stars!
Most of all, however, it would be the second gift she was getting from Sasuke in front of these other girls who were looking at her with jealousy!
A strange situation that filled her with pride, even though it was a bad thing.
The problem was knowing that she hadn't given him anything yet...something that needed to be remedied!
"Th-thank you..." she accepted the small rectangular bag almost shyly, it being kind of heavy and making a slight metal noise inside. Opening it to see what it was, Ruby had her eyes wide at the edges and a smile blooming. "Shurikens and Kunais?!" she had never gotten her hands on a real one before! "This is so cool!"
"If you think so," Sasuke pretended not to care about her reaction, when in fact he could almost see himself there, being the one smiling so purely at receiving his first ninja tools from his mother when his father was too busy doing something else, "If you master the use of those, I'll give you one of the big ones too."
All Ruby needed to hear to lose any restraint and repeat a bold action from the day before and embrace Sasuke with everything she had!
"Thank you, Sasuke!" she said from the bottom of her beating little heart, burying her face in his exposed chest without caring about anything but the happiness that filled her! "You're the best!"
Sasuke, on the other hand, didn't know how to react, again having a girl in his arms to leave him speechless.
This was the second time Ruby had hugged him, but the first time she had done so of her own free will and not to help him push away another girl who was bothering him.
"If that's the case, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me go," he asked instead of simply replacing himself with someone else, since Ruby wasn't trying anything else, that and the way all the others are looking at him. It's almost like going back to the ninja academy.
Definitely a bad memory.
While Weiss and Blake had this jealous side unknown to them revealed, Yang showed red eyes as she stared at him, not much different than usual.
"O-oh, right," Ruby did so reluctantly, mostly because of the heat she was feeling and it brought to mind all those images from the video Yang gave her to watch, embarrassing her and with a reason as she looked at Sasuke's lower half in an attempt to see some volume. Bad Ruby!
That was not the kind of thing she should do, no matter the reason!
Yet she still did it and was disappointed that her hug didn't cause that kind of reaction in him.
Unaware of Ruby's slightly corrupted mind, Sasuke had the problem in the form of three other girls to deal with.
"I suppose you guys have some interest in this too?" he went ahead and retrieved three more ninja tool cases, knowing full well how to get that expression off the faces of these other girls. Just put them all on an equal footing and everything would be back to normal. Then he could have an easier time dealing with them. "There's one for each."
He offered to get mixed reactions.
Ruby was a little disappointed that she wasn't the only one, but she knew that being selfish was no good and said nothing, just promising that she would master these Shurikens and Kunais before any of them!
Weiss was glad to gain something and not be left out like last time, however not so much for being offered to several girls again.
Blake didn't mind, as long as Sasuke didn't forget about her, everything was fine. Even more, she hugged him twice and saw him half-naked, so this little one could have an equally small moment with Sasuke before she took him all to herself.
Yang was the most complicated. She wanted to shove that case down this guy's throat and slap Ruby to wake her up for life!
However, she had to play along and accept the damn gift, especially since it had a chance of her getting the ability to recreate something as absurd as that rain of metal stars.
In this way, each of the girls had Kunais and Shurikens in their possession, giving Sasuke a sense of pride.
Ruby placed her case on her ammunition belt.
Blake on the back of her waist next to her dominant arm.
Yang on the right side of her waist, for lack of option.
Weiss did the same but on the opposite side from where her weapon normally stood.
One step less, Sasuke knew, in this attempt to recruit and prepare these girls for what was to come.
Kunais and Shurikens could very well be a joke that they were of little use, but against Kaguya, they might have some.
After all, what Sasuke really wanted from these girls was for them to serve as a distraction in the coming fight.
Any second they could buy against Kaguya for him would already make it worth the effort and time wasted training them.
One thing, however, would be the strange fact that he didn't want them to get hurt.
Each of them was a girl with dreams, not tools to be used and discarded.
I hope they become strong enough, otherwise...Sasuke didn't like the idea of having them die for nothing; being discarded after being used like Itachi was, even if it was for the greater good. Morality...I had forgotten how inconvenient this could be.
His self who faced Danzou would have a very different opinion, reflecting what happened to Karin.
At that moment, sacrifice was the only solution at hand, where nothing but victory mattered.
Sasuke wanted to think that he changed for the better after that, but he also didn't hesitate to save Naruto and ignored Sakura and the others, knowing that only his friend could assist in combat and help to seal Kaguya.
While that was a hateful thing to do, regardless of knowing that Kakashi could save himself and help Sakura and Obito, it was nonetheless necessary and if again the choice between saving any of these girls' lives and finishing the job arose, Sasuke would not hesitate to let them die.
Worlds depended on it; on the coldness of his heart.
Another chapter in which I hope I at least made you smile a little because, in the next chapter, Sasuke will enter a CS GO tournament to put those eyes to good use!
At least I wish I could do that.
Too bad the fic would progress even more slowly than it already is.
I know it's not getting much action, but don't worry, one day Sasuke will arrive on Namek to face Frieza! (It's funny that I actually have an abandoned fic in which this fight happens.)
Anyway, that's all for today, so don't forget to review, and if you want to support me and read ahead take a look at my P t r & on (slash) Bertoti
The next one comes out on the 15th.