Unaware of the unwavering resolution appearing in an older sister's eyes, which he had inevitably personally witnessed more than once to the point of being dangerously selfless, Sasuke had his hands full, in more ways than one; dealing with this competition between Blake and Weiss for dominance over him, and a Ruby whose mind had collapsed at some point during his pondering with fantasies unthinkable to her before this day.
"Calm down, all of you," he asked as he tried to do so himself. "You are causing a scene right now."
One that was undeniably reminiscent of the Chuunin exam with Ino and Sakura making a point of hanging onto him and fighting over him while ignoring everything else around them.
The difference, however, would be that all this attention was not the result of hatred nurtured for generations but envy, both on the part of the male and female audience.
These teenagers were more immature than the children where he came from, making the difference between worlds more and more evident; proving that this less extreme version of his revolution had achieved some promising results.
That aside, luckily there was still some sense of reality in Weiss and Ruby, finally realizing where they were and what they were doing. They immediately reddened even more, how this was possible was beyond Sasuke, and reluctantly turned away from their beloved.
Blake, on the other hand, didn't give a damn about this warning and refused to move an inch from the spot. In fact, she even squeezed Sasuke harder now that she had him all to herself and stared back at these people who had nothing better to do with the same hateful intensity.
If there was one thing she was used to, it was being the victim of this kind of attention, no matter where she was.
If they want to stare so badly, I'll give them a good reason to! She smiled at the boldness of this idea that strangely excited her to worrying levels, raising dangerous implications about an unknown fetish, and crossed her arms around Sasuke's neck, soon staring at his lips ready to try to surprise him again and have an advantage over the other girls. I'll probably end up kissing de Weiss again, but whatever.
At this point, her body was speaking louder than her mind and she didn't care about possibilities.
What mattered was to keep trying until she got what she so ardently desired!
She's going to try to kiss me again, Sasuke knew that thirsty look from afar, almost being able to see hearts in this girl's amber-colored eyes to change his mind about the intensity of what she really felt for him. It seems that she loves me too...
It wasn't just Ruby and Weiss.
Something he preferred to ignore before because it wouldn't help with the turbulence in his heart.
A wise decision considering his current state.
Regardless, that's no reason for her to keep trying. Maybe it was, but after the last few attempts and the result of kissing her supposed enemy more than once, Sasuke hoped for more caution and not this insistence. Better to spare Weiss this time. Unfortunately, he couldn't keep putting her in that kind of situation without a good reason and hope that she wouldn't be angry with him. Not just her, I suppose.
Blake was hardly going to like what was in store for her, but it was necessary for her to stop trying.
Before he could do anything, however, he looked around looking for a different victim, and inevitably saw Yang staring back at him to remind him of what happened earlier.
That feeling of guilt was there again to prevent him from making a decision long enough for Blake to be able to feel his breath and delight in believing that this time she would make it!
Luckily, there were guardians ready to act the very second the threat was detected.
"No!"
"No, you won't!"
Ruby and Weiss regained their senses, and were close enough to grab Blake in time to prevent a tragedy!
For them, at least, something worse could hardly happen.
As a result, they all fell while Sasuke remained motionless where he was.
No matter how many times this happens, I don't think I'll get used to it. He had found himself in this kind of situation more times than he would like to admit, ever since he was a child, except that now it was affecting him, for many reasons. Adolescence can be truly problematic.
That must be why his brother had a girlfriend when he was only thirteen.
Making the sacrifice and getting one definitely helped to ward off other girls...mostly, and calm?those damn hormones.
At least, that was what Sasuke was beginning to believe.
"You're no fun, Weiss," Blake sat on the floor of the main hall, somehow less upset about her failure than expected. Well, I guess deep down I didn't expect to get to kiss him anyway.
Even though it seemed that Sasuke was going to let her have her way with him; a part of what she really wanted, the possibility remained that in the end, it would be another kiss between her and Weiss.
Hopefully, an odd line of thought to have, but one that made sense to Blake. Kissing an unknown girl would be far worse.
That and Sasuke wasn't crazy enough to switch places with another boy, because if he did, she would never forgive him.
Other than that, there was no way she would want to kiss Weiss voluntarily.
However, seeing the extreme reaction this princess was having as she grabbed the collar of her blouse made her change her mind a little.
"You kinky cat!" Weiss wanted to choke this lustful, inconsequential girl! "What would you do if he switched places with me again?!"
She knew very well what would happen and that was exactly what made her skin redden and her heart beat faster!
When they had kissed before, twice at that, it was bearable up to a point because only Sasuke was there to witness those moments of misery... which was bad enough in itself!
Now, to do that in front of half the school and on the first day?!
Even more, her sister was nearby and the misunderstanding this could cause would be even worse than when Winter showed up unannounced in her room earlier!
Imagining her reaction and all the resulting embarrassment almost put her in the same state Ruby was in!
In fact, considering the attention gained, it was one hundred percent certain that this kiss would end up on the Internet and in her father's hands!
At that moment, the chaos in her life would be unimaginable!
The answer Blake had for her hardly helped to appease her fears and only served to make her question this new friendship they had formed.
"What would I do?" she smiled a little as she leaned closer and stroked the flushed cheek of this new friend of hers, giving reason for the terror Weiss felt and added teasingly, "We both know what I would do~"
Weiss jumped to her feet so quickly that even Ruby would have had a hard time doing the same if she hadn't been too busy blushing in confusion at this unexpected development before her.
I think Blake is part of that Bisexual stuff! She understood right away, having learned about it earlier and many other things that were bad for her little heart! So she likes both Sasuke and Weiss?!
Could someone like two different people like that at the same time?!
If that was the case, then...could more than two people date?
Suddenly, she remembered the absurdly obvious fact that Yang and she were the daughters of two different women!
How could I have missed this before?! Now Ruby felt like an idiot! Could this have something to do with that harem thing Yang had talked about before?
She really had to look into it later and maybe touch on a sensitive subject with her sister about their father's relationship with their mother.
While she was lost in these revelations and what they might mean, Weiss was having a hard time dealing with Blake's unexpected affection.
"For God's sake, I can't let my guard down around you!" she said after taking some distance, being almost hysterical for letting herself be swayed by this cheap teasing. That was almost as bad as letting the kiss happen!
Then, just when she didn't believe it could get any worse, someone she disliked finally got tired of being ignored and took advantage of this moment to get some revenge.
"Oh~" Yang couldn't miss this opportunity to improve her mood and worsen that of this little princess, deciding to leave the problem related to Ruby for after the initiation, when Sasuke would answer the doubts they all surely had in excess and who knows, expose some truth capable of putting some sense into her lovesick little sister. "A colorful friendship? That must be why you two didn't get anything with him last night, being too busy while flirting with each other!"
After all, all that was needed was to tease him a little and Sasuke would do all the rest.
She would know, having taken the proof of his manhood firsthand and discovered just how big and hard this womanizing bastard could be if he wanted to.
That way, if these two didn't get anything, it must be because they didn't try hard enough.
This provocation was just what Weiss wanted to justify a fight and let all her frustration out, as well as put this girl in her place!
Not only her, Blake too, but for a different reason.
They hadn't noticed it before, but this busty blonde was wearing Sasuke's clothes!
They didn't know why and didn't care, each of them had already drawn their own biased conclusions based on their negative emotions about it and a hint of jealousy, which was reason enough for them to put everything else aside and join forces to take this bitch down!
Before they could do so and create an even worse first impression on their first day at Beacon, however, an overly happy girl, just like Ruby, but with orange hair and who had a big hammer on her back instead of a scythe, suddenly appeared from within the surrounding crowd to use words that sent shivers down the spine of even Sasuke who was about to stop this fight from happening.
"You!" Nora could hardly believe who she just found, pointing directly at this boy who looked like Ren, but with funny hair and crazy eyes! "You're the guy from that video!"
All the girls stopped in their tracks, frozen in place by the fact that there was an absurd audience around to hear such an accusation and gain everyone's curiosity.
"He's not!" Weiss was quick to shift her focus and deny, used to this because of the training she received from her father. Always deny until they can prove otherwise! As despicable as the original reason for this was, it wasn't necessarily wrong and she stood before Sasuke with the intention of protecting him from this unnecessary attention, especially given the state he was dressed in at the time. "You must be mistaking him for someone else!"
If it leaked out that he was the Moonlight Shadow, Beacon would become the eye of the storm in all of Remnant, which would definitely drive Sasuke away!
Unfortunately, this girl was just like those blood/money-thirsty lawyers and wouldn't give up that easily.
"Of course he is!" Nora objected, being sure she wasn't wrong, and to prove it, she had the video in question in hand. "See?"
Sasuke calmed Weiss down before she could say anything and accepted the offered Scroll to confirm what this was about; to know how big a headache he would have to deal with this time.
"Me too!" Ruby managed to escape all the sudden turmoil of her new discoveries and not be left out, securing the best spot before the other girls gathering around Sasuke could! "I want to see it too!"
Sasuke said nothing, letting Ruby get comfortable between his arms and with her back to him as she waited anxiously for him to play the video, an attitude that clearly displeased Weiss and Blake.
In their eyes, it seemed that Ruby was finally showing her claws hidden by her supposed innocence and taking advantage of the situation.
However, this was a game more than one could play!
In response, Blake and Weiss wasted no time in taking the liberty of embracing Sasuke's free arms as they stared at this younger girl in defiance.
In the midst of the silent war these three were waging, Sasuke found himself struggling to concentrate on what he should.
There was hardly a man alive capable of doing so; not with the soft feel of the protuberances pressed into his arms, the feminine scent of flowers that Ruby exuded literally below his nose, and the contagious warmth that these three beautiful girls emanated to make his heart escape his control by beating faster than it should.
The way Yang stared at him as she came closer to watch the video, showing a pair of conflicting red eyes, didn't help either.
At least she wasn't touching him... just like she had done before.
Taking a deep breath, Sasuke forced himself to focus on what he needed to and it was only as he had been told by this unknown girl who was as surprised as he was at this relatively amorous development before her.
The video in question was indeed about him, but fortunately not the one they believed it to be, with him on the wall while destroying the Grimm who was threatening to diminish the number of kingdoms in the world.
This one was done during the celebration of the extermination of the Grimm in the streets of Vale after Sasuke had made Weiss and Blake fight to gauge the extent of their abilities.
Not every hero wears a cloak
That was the title of the video that made Sasuke narrow his eyes, Ruby flash a warm smile, Weiss felt proud of him, and Blake rest her face on his shoulder.
The content was simple, just Sasuke showing some kindness to that little girl while the world around him seemed to stop to witness his good deed, almost as if they didn't expect it from him... as they knew about his past.
An impossibility that only served to confuse him even more.
His act was nothing but a moment of realization about the intention behind the sacrifice made by Hashirama and Itachi in his world; about how important it was to preserve peace so that children, as he used to be, wouldn't have to die in futile battles and could grow up to be part of the future of a better world.
So while there was meaning in what he did, it was only for him. In the eyes of these people, he was nothing more than a teenager who went out of his way to comfort a child and nothing more.
So why was there such a commotion?
As Moonlight Shadow, the positive response gained after what he did was justified, as it had consequences that would benefit the people of this world for years to come.
This, on the other hand... made no sense.
"Own~" Yang let it slip unintentionally, but as soon as she realized her mistake, she switched to a teasing tone necessary to hide how she really felt seeing this guy acting like that, all caring and even smiling! "Look who has a thing for little girls~" The way Sasuke looked at her in response made her heart leap with fear and something else, especially since he wasn't the only one. "It's a joke, dammit!"
This fucking harem wasn't her audience!
Weiss really should cut this cheeky girl to pieces if she didn't have her hands full with Sasuke, but that could be left for later. The priority now was to check the repercussions of this video which showed not only her kind-hearted beloved but Blake and her too!
The Schnee family heiress, a faunus who used to be a member of the White Fang, and an extremely handsome unknown boy with strange eyes; all three relatively downcast after their individual battles.
There was a good chance that her father had already seen this and her heart fluttered with concern.
She wasn't the only one.
Blake was also swallowing dry and squeezing Sasuke's arm tighter between her chest to feel him stiffen for a moment, yet letting this small achievement go unnoticed by just imagining what the other faunus was thinking of her around the world, especially those in White Fang and... Adam.
That's because not only was she accompanying a Schnee, but at the end of this video, Weiss and her, despite the state they were in, were smiling in such a friendly way that it seemed unreal when viewed from another perspective.
Even more, there was the look she had when focusing on Sasuke; the way she did it, undeniably demonstrated her feelings for him that up to that point Blake believed to be merely instinctive.
She was so wrong about it that she felt like laughing, but she couldn't; not with the constant reminder that Adam was going to take another step toward hatred and madness with what was in this video, especially since she had never shown any of that for him.
For both of them, this carelessness and disregard for their surroundings was the prelude to a storm in their lives; one that would surely involve Sasuke as well and for that, they felt guilty.
Except that, for him, that storm was already happening... inside his heart and mind.
That's because, once again, regardless of the logic these people possibly had to justify it, Sasuke found himself being adored as a hero in this world.
His fingers tightened over the Scroll where the video was repeating itself from a different image angle to show his own facial expression and... not recognizing himself.
That smile he showed, so calm and warm... it recalled precisely what Itachi had for him when he asked for forgiveness in his final moments before he died.
Sasuke was beginning to tremble as he was unable to control his emotions.
"See, Ren?" Nora was even more excited now that her childhood friend had joined her, being completely oblivious to the clear change in the one before her. "I told you it was him!"
To be honest, it was kind of hard to mistake Sasuke for someone else considering his unique characteristics.
"I never said it wasn't him," Ren had an apologetic look toward this peculiar boy who managed to gain the world's attention even with what Moonlight Shadow had done to eclipse everything else. Not just on the internet, it seems. How he could handle so many girls was beyond him, especially when one was already so much trouble. It's not my place to meddle. If he could make them happy, nothing else mattered to Ren. "I just said that wasn't a good time to ask."
From the earned reaction and the constant oscillation of this boy's Aura and emotions, he was more than right.
Likewise, he could also feel it in his skin that he should get Nora away from there and out as soon as possible.
Before he could even try, however, his childhood friend proved to be indomitable and had already taken it upon herself to reveal her intention without any regard for the problem she herself had created.
"But I can't wait anymore!" It wasn't long until dinner and Nora would never have any other priority than syrup over her pancakes! "I want his autograph!"
Unexpected didn't even serve as a word to describe her goal in approaching Sasuke, especially since she wasn't the only one with such a wish.
Ruby wanted one too!
She knew it was kind of selfish to want even more after she had gained Sasuke's cloak, a Kunai and Shuriken set, plus an offer of power that would help her save many more people in the future!
All this without giving anything in return... for now.
Still, seeing Sasuke being the hero she knew he was and always would be made her heart flutter and desire so much more!
An autograph, to hold his hand, to get a hug from him, to hear him say she was beautiful, to see him blush when he looked at her, and... maybe... to kiss him?
Just the thought of it all made her all shy and smiling!
Too bad the target of her fanciful affection didn't share her excitement.
In fact, Ruby was forced out of her fantasies when she saw the slight tremor in Sasuke's hands and felt his Aura; the emotions that had been suppressed since the extermination of the Grimm, now slowly returning to the surface and not in a good way.
"Sasuke?" she turned to him and saw that she wasn't the only one noticing these changes, much less the one getting worried. "What happened?"
He didn't answer, much less look at her, and that wasn't a good sign.
"Is everything okay?" Weiss followed Ruby's cue, almost regretting what she had hoped for earlier when she wished Sasuke hadn't suppressed his emotions, forgetting how bad that could be. "You don't look well."
The lack of focus in her gaze, uneven breathing, and slight trembling of his body was more than enough to justify her concern.
"Do you want to leave?" Blake figured the problem was this annoying crowd that had nothing better to do, focusing on Sasuke as they talked openly about him and the video they all seemed to be watching. "I think we should go somewhere else."
Someplace empty, preferably far away.
"I agree," Yang said suddenly and they all looked at her as if she had grown a second head. I think I deserve that. Her attitude toward Sasuke could be anything but friendly, so showing concern and offering cooperation for his well-being was bound to earn her that skepticism. "Look," she started to explain herself but stopped, preferring to approach these girls and speak softly so no one else could hear, "I just don't want him to lose control and scare the whole kingdom again, okay?"
Regardless of whether they made up in a very straightforward way and confirmed these feelings of love and hate she had for him, the fact was that Yang was still afraid of Sasuke and his endless power.
So if Yang could help him and at the same time keep the people around, especially Ruby, safe, nothing else mattered.
The motive was more than valid and the discretion used helped to reinforce the concern present, so all it took was to share a glance, and once again Ruby, Weiss, and Blake put aside any rivalry to enter into a consensus for the sake of the one who held their hearts.
However, when they tried to leave with him, Sasuke didn't even move from his position as he disregarded their concern which didn't help with what was leaving him in this state in the first place, preferring to focus his shaken mind on what he wanted and needed to know.
"Do you want my autograph?" he managed to ask, wanting to make sure he hadn't misheard, and the confused girl before him just nodded repeatedly, in a way that made even Ruby look docile in comparison. "Why?" he simply couldn't understand. "I didn't do anything special by calming that child down, so all this fame and adoration is just as unreasonable as your request."
Her motivation and admiration were not influenced by attraction, Sasuke could tell just by looking into her eyes.
This girl already loved someone else.
The sharp boy ready to fight at any moment beside her seemed to be the person she loved, for she turned to him immediately as she hesitated to answer his question.
Meanwhile, Weiss and Blake remained silent and didn't try to force Sasuke to leave this place to calm down, just as Ruby and Yang were also doing, however, there was a difference between them.
Blake and Weiss understood where the question Sasuke asked was coming from.
The night before, he had shown a similar doubt, just before this video was made, as to why people were grateful to him after he had 'merely solved' the problem he himself had caused.
While the weight and scale of the situations were definitely different, Sasuke failed to see the bigger picture of the digital age.
Understandable, since he wasn't from this world.
People were simply looking for something new to devote their attention to every day.
Musicians, athletes, hunters, models, actors, or just celebrities in general.
You don't have to save the world to be admired.
Just feeding a hungry cat can be enough to influence someone else to be better and be remembered for it.
The fact that Sasuke was basically the most beautiful guy on the planet had an absurd weight in this result, even more so for the female audience, and his sudden kindness amidst that sea of people blinded by the ongoing celebration only served to make the content of this video even more special.
For Nora, however, there was a different and much deeper reason.
Even for a moment, while watching that video, everything else ceased to exist and she saw herself there, in the place of that child, small, weak, and alone with her tears.
To see someone reaching out to her like that, reminded her of what she wanted the most in that moment of terror when her home and village were destroyed in a Grimm attack.
The hours she spent fearing for her life while waiting for someone, anyone, with a smile like that to save her, was something she would never forget as long as she lived, and that's why she wanted to be a Huntress who always smiled so that everyone she saved could sleep at night without fear.
But how could she say all this out of the blue and in front of so many people she didn't know?
Then, just like in the past, the person who reached out to her before despair could consume her completely and continued to care for her until this day, no matter what, was there to help her when she needed it the most.
As well as remembering why Nora loved him so much.
"It's important," Ren decided to let his guard down as he noticed that this emotional and confused boy wasn't an immediate threat, and put Nora's emotions into words when she couldn't. "What you did, however insignificant it may be in your eyes, helped many to create different perspectives; to remember that there is still goodness in the hearts of people in this world, and for that," he showed a genuine smile as he bowed in respect, "I thank you."
He wasn't the only one.
Suddenly, the hall came to life with Ren's cue in a way that was reminiscent of the news Ozpin had given of the total extermination of the Grimm in the Vale.
"Yeah, way to go, pretty boy!"
"Good job, Casanova!"
"Kyah! He's so cool!"
"That's Sasuke for you!"
The last one came from Jaune in the distance, trying to support his new friend and mentor.
Not only him, but more and more people who just learned his name had their voices echoing inside the hall along with positive feelings and praise for him.
"See?" Ruby smiled without missing the opportunity to hug him and let her heart speak louder, "I told you that you were a hero!"
The silent response she got was no different than having a knife pierce her heart and many others there, especially Weiss and Blake.
That's because, on her skin, she could feel tears falling that didn't belong to her.
"I'm not a hero," Sasuke whispered as he raised his hand and formed a seal as one last tear ran down his face, "and I never will be."
Then there were only leaves in the air where he stood and worried voices calling his name.
Yesterday I got home late from work and went straight to bed to sleep, that's why I didn't post the chapter and I don't regret doing so because I really needed it.
About the pace of this fic, I've said it before and I'll say it again: I don't care if it's slow or not. I'm going to use my precious time to write what I want to see happen. That's why I believe this fic will exceed 100 chapters since I'm taking my time with it.
If it's worth anything, the next chapter is kinda small but focused on Pyrrha, so I do listen to you guys.
About the DxD fic that I was writing. Yes, I was, as in the past. It still exists but is currently paused for many reasons. Not only do I not have much time, but the scope of the fic has grown too big.
It was originally meant to only cover the anime material, but that's impossible with the type of plot I came up with; the kind that impacts the entire world and its characters. This means I have to read the novel for it and... I don't want to.
Like, in my eyes, Issei is an even worse character than Naruto and that means a lot. But, even though I hate Naruto to the core, I put up with him because of the other characters(Sasuke, obviously) and the world around him, but Issei is ten times worse and it hurts to follow his story.
Don't get me wrong, the world of DxD is interesting as hell and I really like it, but the eyes on which that world is presented to us just spoil it for me.
So when I decide to write again, and I intend to, I'll use a Wiki as a reference and not the Novel itself.
And since that will take some time to happen, I think I'll post the first chapter to see if you guys are gonna like it or not.
Who knows, maybe I'll put some effort into it if it's well received.
I think that's all I had to say for now, 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 by the end of the month.