3,632A/N: I may sick and in pain, but I'm not dead...yet. I will fight on!
Well, here we are. With that said, I proudly present Fragments of Remnant.
Each chapter will be a different tale, a fragment if you will.
This is the long awaited NarutoxRWBY plot bin I promised. It ought to tide some of you over. In other words, this isn't so much a story as STORIES; a bunch of self-contained stories that didn't quite make it off the cutting room floor. Notions that didn't quite pan out, short ideas that couldn't stand on their own. That sort of thing. Naturally, they'll be finished here, and this little bin will contain quite a few short-lived tales. Ironically, this was what Everybody Loves Cookies was supposed to be, but that story took on a life of its own.
We've got romance, mini-arcs, humor, drama, a little bit of everything, really. So buckle up, and get ready to smile.
As ever, I own no references, quotes, memes or themes.
Now I'm off to the doctor's again to get treated.
...looking forward to your reviews.
"Welcome home! Sooo...how was your day?"
~?
Heart
There's no place like home.
Truly, there isn't. Home is where the heart is, as they say. A warm, safe place where you can kick off your shoes and be yourself.
After the week she'd had, Illia Amitola was determined to do just that. She grasped the bright brass doorknob like a drowning woman and all but wrenched the door open. It swept open on smooth oiled hinges. Almost immediately the bitter chill of an Atlas winter slapped against her back and propelled her inside. A startled yelp tore past her lips as she slammed the door behind her. From there, she threw her pale grey cloak onto a rack, stomped the snow from her boots, and shook the chill out of her body.
Blasted weather. Even after all this time, she'd never quite gotten used to it.
"Stupid lessons," she ran a hand through her wet hair, skin red with cold. "Stupid winter. Stupid, stupid, stupid!"
Gradually, the familiar smell of a warm meal teased the irritated Faunus from her melancholy. A small smile tugged at her lips. Right. Holiday. No thinking about school.
"Dad!" She hollered, padding her way inside. "I'm home!"
"Welcome back!" A rough yet happy voice drawled from the kitchen. "You're just in time. I made your favorite~!"
Illia perked up, ponytail twitching. "Pasta?"
"You know it!"
Her kin flushed in a rare tang of glee as she slipped out of the hall and into the living room. She'd only been gone for a week, but even that was enough to make everything seem strange. Nothing had changed of course. All the old photos were just where she remembered and the furniture hadn't budged an inch. Dad wasn't the sort to paint these days. Not after the Great Paint Disaster.
Dad...liked bright colors. Red. Orange. Blue. If he had his way the colors would be all over the house. Heh. Made her smile just thinking about it. Good times.
She touched a hand to a worn photo, smiled, and moved on.
"Better hurry, or their won't be any left!
Illia hustled.
Dad was...well dad. Even if they weren't related by blood, he was the closest thing she had to a parent these days. He took her in after that awful disaster in the mine and cared for her as if he were her own. Thanks to him she was somebody. Someone. The name Illia meant something here in Atlas. She was a student with top marks, the envy of her peers, a girl with a bright future ahead of her. She was going to be huntress someday. She was going to help people. She was going to change things. So what if she was a Faunus? The last person to call her a dirty animal was still eating through a straw.
Dad had seen to that.
Creeping her way into the kitchen, she found him hard at work, back to her.
"I hear you." he didn't turn as he hefted the pot. "How was school?"
"Stuffy." She groaned, sinking into an empty seat. "But its getting better. I've made friends."
"Great!" A lone blue eye peeked over her shoulder, framed by a sunny summer smile. It warmed her more than words ever could. "What kind of friends?"
"The good kind, don't worry." Ilia knew the unspoken question for what it was and leaned her chin against the table. "I'm not being bullied. Oh," she looked away, hoping he would miss her flush, "And I got partnered with Weiss Schnee." Who was lovely, by the way. Once you got past her attitude. "Dunno if Ironwood told you."
"Winter's little sister? Ouch!" A peal of muffled laughter followed. "I take it she's a bit of a handful.
"More than a bit." Illia wrinkled her nose. In the beginning, there had been a brief moment when they'd nearly come to blows. Thankfully that blew over. "But she's gotten better about being team leader. Penny and Ciel helped. She's not as pushy as she used to be."
"Hmm. That's good." He turned at last, and set down a piping hot plate for her. Reaching back, he claimed another for himself.
Illia didn't flinch at the sight of his scarred face...or the stump of his right arm. Not anymore. Sometimes she wondered why he refused a prosthetic, but that wasn't her business. Dad might look scary when he fought, but he was a big softie on the inside. Just like Ironwood. He didn't like to talk about his past or where he'd gotten those wounds. She could respect that. Everyone had their secrets.
So what if he was from another world? The past was the past. So long as it stayed in the past, she was content to let it be.
Sometimes she wondered what her life would have been like without him. The thought made her shiver.
Ilia dared a question as he drizzled sauce over her plate.
...Winter's not joining us?"
He tensed only a little. "Not tonight, no."
She did the same courtesy for him. "Did you have another fight?"
He granted her a selfsame smile and a shrug, didn't deny it; fine with her. It was just the two of them. Dad didn't need anyone else. Let other people fight monsters. Dad had earned his rest. He had fought and bled for his friends and family; if Winter wanted to drag him back and "fight the good fight" she would be sorely disappointed. What she would have become without him? She had been so angry after the accident...but that too was in the past.
Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to.
At the end of the day, Illia was a selfish girl. So long as she had a little slice of happiness to call her own she was content. Maybe that made her a bit of a hypocrite, but she didn't care. She'd fought to earn her place here, and she was going to keep it, gosh darn it! If that meant fighting for it again, then she would fight. She would fight for them both. Dad -Naruto!- had given up so much for her. Let him retire in peace.
"We're aiming for the Vytal Festival in a few months." she said instead, trying to distract him. "I think we've got a real chance at winning."
"Are you now?" The scarred shinobi smiled. "I've got a few tricks I could teach you. Might give you an edge."
She perked up, grateful the opportunity. They'd not sparred in ages. "Really?!"
"Sure." he leaned forward, eyes alight. But first, tell me about this partner of yours. Do you liiiiiike her?"
"Like Weiss?!" Her face flamed. "Daaaaaad! Its not like that! And don't roll your tongue!
Laughter spilled through the kitchen. Home is where the heart is.
That saying was certainly true. Illia's heart was here.
Always.
A/N: EDIT: To clarify! Each chapter posted in this plot bin -with a few exceptions- will be a new tale of sorts. For instant, the fragment here with Illia is complete. The previews are hints to other one shots, drabbles and the like that will be posted in said plot bin.
Worry not, more is coming. I've got a few surprises in store.
And there we have it; a wounded Naruto who found his way to Remnant and decided, for once, not to take center stage. He's a pretty decent sort, but as we can see, his final battle with Sasuke took a toll on him. Still, as we see, he's not entirely out of practice.
In this world, if Salem and Cinder ever come to Atlas...they're dead. Dead, or sealed. Certainly if Naruto goes to Vale to watch Illia fight. What's the saying? Beware the old man in a profession where men die young? Yeah, that's the one. Hope you liked this little taste. There'll be more tales like this to come. But this fragment with Naruto as Illia's father is done.
As ever, reviews keep me writing; without them, I just can't seem to muster up the motivation.
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...Review, Would You Kindly?
And of course, enjoy the previews for future chapters...
(Previews!)
"I didn't get your name."
"Arc." the young woman extended her hand. "Juniper Arc. Pleased to meet you."
"Well you certainly know your way around a sword and shield...
"If its any consolation...that...hurt...like hell."
"Long live the king!"
"Congratulations, you're going to be a grandfather."
Naruto fainted.
R&R~!