A/N: SPOILERS ahead. Read if you dare. Still here? Good.
DAMNIT!
*screams in frustration*
More than eight thousand words, but I had to stop!
I was so close to finishing the latest chapter of Take the Girl! But noooo work called at the last minute, the district manager needs me to put out another fire for an unexpected meeting so in I go! THE JOYS OF RUNNING A STORE! I love my job, I love my job, I love my job. Bah, who am I kidding, but I can't afford to quit.
With luck, I'll have the proper chapter ready tomorrow; so we're posting a portion of Take the Girl as another teaser. Feedback would help a lot.
I'm at my wits end. Reviews would lift my spirits. My sister's surgery is next week, -the one who lives with me-, which means she'll be off for at least a month, which MEANS I have to work even more hours to make up the difference in rent/expenses/electricity and etc. I'm already working crazy hours at both jobs, but now I'll need even more, which means no days off for a bit, most likely...life is just peeling pieces of me as of lately and it hurts...
So here we go. The fate of this story depends on you, the reader. Your feedback determines the fate of this tale, and many others.
As ever, I own no quotes, references, themes or memes. Not a wit or one. They're tributes, one and all.
I'm just a humble author trying to make his way in this wild world, one word at a time.
Time and feedback will determine if this remains a story. Simple as that.
In other words...its up to YOU, the reader. Do let me know~!
SPOILERS AHEAD. Read if you dare!
"You don't seem to understand the situation. Here, allow me to...educate you.
This is MY city. MY family. MY home. Not yours. MINE.
I swore on my soul that I would protect them all.
So in the worlds of a rather infamous man...
You picked the wrong house, FOOL."
~Naruto.
Prepare the Girls
"Ozpin and his cronies will be here any day now...
"Bah! Let them come, I say!"
"So we're at war, then?"
At the last remark, Naruto dragged a hand across his face in a vain attempt to stifle a sigh and looked to the chair opposite him. "Why is it always war with you, Vanessa?"
"What can I say?" Their resident redhead shrugged a bare shoulder and leaned into him with a cheshire grin. "It's what I'm good at. Give me a battle any day, be in on the battlefield or the bedroom. If you can't fight or finesse or otherwise f**k a problem to death, then you're clearly doing something wrong."
Heat speared through his face at her lurid words; even after all these years she still tripped him up at times.
Ann hoisted her bottle with a laugh. "Oh, my! You made him blush!"
"Can we please focus on the matter at hand?"
"Alright, alright, party pooper...
Mizu had reluctantly settled into their little clique with only a bit of awkwardness, but his focus wasn't on her at the moment; she'd already retired for the evening with the rest; it was to the others he looked now. With the day done, they'd all gathered round the table once more sans Raven, having put the brats to bed beforehand but instead opting to spend time with her brother rather than join them tonight.
To his great delight, she'd managed to win him over while he away. He was in his room with her now, door locked and the window barred as they discussed something he wasn't privy to. Fine by him. The best laid plans always had a backup plan or two...or three...or nine. He didn't fear for Raven's safety; Qrow wouldn't try to hurt her, much less escape without his permission. That would break his Deal, you see. Even if he could, his loyalty to Yang bound him to her, and by definition, the manor.
Brave birdie, he'd give him that; it took courage for anyone -man or woman- to break the mold and question everything you knew. Small wonder Qrow didn't want to talk to him just yet...
Willow laid a hand on his arm to comfort him, distracting him from his dark doldrums. "If its legal matters, don't worry, the SDC has your back. If that foolish, foolish wizard tries anything against your and yours, I will personally see him buried in litigation."
Vanessa smirked. "That, or Anora will break his legs.
He laughed despite himself. "Sounds like something she'd do.
Ann clicked her tongue. "That said...you really need to talk to her about this, eventually. The sooner we bring her into the fold, the better."
Hrk. And now they came back to the elephant int he room. He scratched the back of his head then looked away, more than a little shamefaced. "I'll ask her...eventually. Nora and Ren are getting on so well, I don't want to get in the way of that."
Vanessa tutted, not believing him for a moment. "How noble of you."
Noble? Cowardly, more like. He was afraid of falling for anyone else; of them becoming targets. Raven, Ann and Vanessa could defend themselves. So could Willow now that she'd been properly trained. Malachite had her criminal connections and all those safeguards to keep her and the twins safe. Mizu...yeah, he was pretty sure she hated him. Right?
.
..
...right?
Anora didn't have those things. She was good, skilled for a Huntress, but she wasn't that good. Better she remain ignorant of Salem and Ozma for now. Ignorance was bliss. Once you became aware of something like that, there was no going back to your normal life.
Someone coughed behind him, commanding his attention in an instant. "All of you, scram. He's got a busy day tomorrow, and I want a minute with him."
Raven was down with her little strategy session it seemed. He did so adore her blunt behavior. Never change birdie, never change...
Willow rose with a yawn. "That's our cue. I suppose it was getting rather late."
Vanessa trailed a hand across his arm. "Tomorrow night, you're mine.
Ann gripped her wrist and yanked. "Nice try, dear! I called dibs."
"Then I suppose there's only one way to solve this.
Kurama offered a low whistle, nothing more.
Gulp.
Raven steered him away from them before a brawl could commence; pity, he would've liked to see how an Assassin stacked up against a Champion.
He sat her down on the couch.
We all mess up sometimes. Its not only inevitable, I thin maybe its even necessary. But answer me this. Whatever it is you do now, whatever it is you've become tell me this, Raven. Are you happy?
She stiffened in his grasp. What kinda of question is that?
We all go through pain, we all lose people we care about, we all suffer, we all get hurt. Its the price of being human. But at the end of the day, do you like your life here? Are you happy, Raven?
...I am. I really think I am.
Then that's the only thing that matters, isn't it?
Raven pushed him down so hard that he got...well, it went without saying. No sooner had his back bent the bed than she planted herself in his lap and hitched up her clothes went flying and she began grinding herself against him, hips gyrating, mouth seeking his furiously, biting hard enough to bruise even him. And yet there was a desperation to it. A hunger. Need. As though she were afraid of something, terrified.
He grabbed her wrist. What's gotten into you?"
Was she afraid...?
"You're not allowed to die, you here me?"
He patted her face. "When you feel like crying, cry. Tears aren't jewels; they're not so precious that they need be contained.
She snuggled closer, all but sprawling herself in his lap. She'd never been the sort to beg before, and she certainly wouldn't now. He buried a hand in her hair, laid another on her hip, and leaned up to kiss her.
It was the right thing to do. She came alive in his arms and tackled him down to the bed. In a matter of moments he had her pinned.
She hooked both legs around his waist and drew him close.
The night descended into a carnal haze.
(.0.0.0.)
"Watts."
"Yes, my lady?"
"Are the preparations in place?"
"They are. I've accounted for every variable."
Excellent. The fools will do our work for them, without ever realizing it...
(.0.0.0.)
Naruto rather enjoyed visiting the orphanages these days.
Not those filthy hovels once employed by the now-defunct Hana Guild but proper places for children to live. Shortly after the downfall of the Hana Guild he'd taken it upon hims elf to inspect every orphanage in the city. None hadn't been up to been up to snuff. So he'd done what he did best. He tore them down and began anew. A single complex one large enough to house half the city, with every amenity a child could ever want.
These days, they were calling it the House of the Hearth. Not the best of names, but he hadn't been the one to come up with it; that was all Raven's idea.
He swung the door open and found a familiar smiling face there to greet him. "Hello, Father~! You're early! We didn't expect you for another hour!
He rolled his eyes, but let the nickname slide. "Hello yourself, Lynette. Is your Mother in...?
The faunus hummed happily. "Miss Arlecchino is still out for the day, I'm afraid.
"I was," a low voice retorted behind the, "Now I'm back."
Lynette nearly jumped out of her skin with a yelp.
Naruto sighed. "Don't scare the poor girl."
"But that's half the fun...
She was like him in a sense; in that she also went by many names. The Knave, Arlecchino, or as he knew her, Peruere. He knew she wasn't human but that was fine; after all he was hardly human himself. The more monsters the merrier.
She smiled at him and sketched a bow, one he returned even as she spoke. "Thank you for answering my invitation, Father."
He winked back. "But of course, Mother."
Those titles had become something of a running joke between the two of them these days, though he sometimes thought the title of Father suited her better than him. She acted stern, and perhaps she was, but he knew she was secretly a softy where her children were concerned. Another aspect they shared. He really had gotten lucky encountering her after the Hana purge.
A shame she wasn't interested in teaching. She would've been...sensational. Ah, but she was staring at him and he must attend to her.
Now to business. He tilted his head just so. "I understand you have some children wishing to join Sanctum...?
"Yes, Phos, Bort, and the other girls are just this way." She held out her arm to him. "Walk with me."
He looped his arm in hers and did just that.
A/N: MIND YOU, this is the rough draft.
Worry not, we aren't throwing the whole Genshin cast in here. That would be too much.
The proper uncut chapter will be ready EARLY TOMORROW MORNING, barring anymore work emergencies. Wish me luck!
We'll cut it here. Don't wanna spoil too much. Would you like an update next week? Do let me know! We'll be picking up the pace soon, but with the notifications down, I really need to hear from you here.
RWBY may have been canned by Warner Bros. but we fanfiction writers are out here trying to keep the light alive, as it were. So here we go. The fate of this story depends on you, the reader. Your feedback determines the fate of this tale, and many others.
So by all means, speak up! Raise your voice! Make yourself heard! Your reviews matter!
That's no joke! I can't write without feedback. Guess that makes me weak...T_T
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review Would You Kindly?
No previews. I just can't...
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review Would You Kindly?