pyro: hello every one pyro here. well many people commented they wanted a update on some of my stories and i decided that i should shake my depression off. iwas kinda stumped on how to continue my artic fox series and many more...i was given a chance in the form of a very talented writer whose stories i enjoy. he messaged me in a dark time and gave some encouraging words and even went as far as to help me with a reboot of artic fox. so a thousand thanks to blazeraptor54. who is my co-author on this story.

disclaimer: i dont own rwby or naruto they belong to rooster teeth and kishimoto respectively

P.s the scene where Kushina jumps from the waterfall please listen to Narrow Skies: You won't find me.

The wheel churns forevermore, a deadly spin, endless in the cycle. Cold winds, the rustling of a few leaves, and the chill of the air gave setting to a soon tragedy. What is purity, is it white, like the snow upon the cold ground?

If so then why is winter so bitter, full of war and death?

A woman bounds over a log, carrying a bundle wrapped in an orange blanket as she looks around, her fox ears twitching at the sound of crunching snow. Her eyes widened, blues laced with fear as she took off running and bounding quickly over snowbanks.

Hiding among the trees, her breaths showing the air as a fine mist, she peers over a tree. Seeing several men and women looking around, guns and bows, swords and axes. They were armed to the teeth, from the claw and down, all seeking blood.

Her blood, and the blood of her son. Whom was mewling at her bosom, signaling he needed nourishment, but she couldn't afford to feed him now. Distraction would put the baby in a wail, then she'd be sprinting all over again.

She barely dodged the first round of arrows and shots made at her, she doubted she could be so lucky once more. They were relentless, uncaring of the people that they slaughtered to get to her in the first place, Death Watchers.

Expert assassins, working for high bids only, very skilled in the art of the kill. They were faceless, wearing porcelain masks to hide the manly jaw of the men and the soft round face of the women that wore them. An emotionless killer, neither woman nor child escaped them.

The leader of them was wearing an eagle mask, walking slowly and looking around, "come on out Kushina!"

"Kushina Uzumaki, you know that I know you can hear me, I offer you a deal. We've had to chase you for a day now, you're very skilled to avoid us, despite us being hot on your trail. So, I'll overlook you stabbing Gecko in the head. As a show of goodwill," the leader removes his mask, revealing a young man with black hair and black eyes, "I show you my face."

"Now, listen Kushina, this is a one time offer. You can offer the child, or we can start this cat and mouse chase all over again, and you must be cold…hungry…tired perhaps? Come now, why care for something that has shown you nothing in return, maybe it won't even love you when it's grown. Faunus women like yourself have pride in strength, in need of survival, so I implore you to look at your instincts of self-survival." He furthered his words, crossing his arms as he spoke, "I only give you thirty seconds."

He puts his mask back on, taking a deep breath, "twenty-eight!"

Kushina grits her teeth, removing the cloth off her son's head, her red hair matching his as he gurgled and looked at her. She looks into her son's blue eyes, whimpering as she kissed his forehead. Crying as she placed her face into his chest.

"No matter what," Kushina says with tears spilling from her eyes, "mommy will always love you."

Holding him with one arm, she reached under her jacket, grabbing a pistol. Quickly she whipped around the tree and fired a shot, and it found it's mark on a man wearing a dragon mask. His head split open from the shot, blood and gore flying into the air as he collapsed.

Kushina began running hard as she used their shock and distraction to get a head start. Throwing herself over brush, cold icicles cutting into her arms as she shielded her baby. Bounding over various obstacles of snow banks and rocks, she ran along a river and was looking a way to cross as she saw the strong stream.

She dodged to the right as her ears caught the whizzing sound of an arrow, barely managing to hop over it since it was aimed at her feet. She used all her might to channel her semblance which was her ability to be super active in her reflexes, but it didn't matter against those more skilled than her.

It only helped her dodge shots at this point or turn her body to avoid hurting her son. Her lean figure was agile enough to navigate the snow, having been used to it all her life, and some of these assassins seemed used to it as well.

Most were lagging.

A roaring sound filled her ears, soon coming up the edge of a huge waterfall, she skids to stop on the rock that she barely saw over it's mist. Looking down, seeing no bottom, she winced as she saw assassins block her escape routes.

Backing up, rocks kicked by her feet fell over, clattering against the cliffside.

"Give us the child."

"No!"

"Give him to me!"

"Never!"

"My son is worth more to me, to this world, than you or my own life. I will not, I shall not, and cannot let filth like you harm him. Killing me makes no difference, Naruto Uzumaki must and will live, and he will come back…and hunt everyone…of you down. I foresaw this, I knew it would be like this, but I love my son…and accepting fate is alright with me." Kushina backed up, looking at them as she tucked her son under her coat.

"Stop!" An assassin wearing a fox mask screamed.

"May you all find peace in hell," Kushina says as she takes a deep and then jumps backward.

Time slowed for the young mother as she clutched her son, looking up at the cliff edge as it got further away from her,"we will meet soon my love."

"Our son will live, he must live, a song of fire and ice has been made between us. Blood of a mother to soak upon her child, and with it, the door to light opened."Looking under her coat as she blinked once and smiles as she strokes her son's hair.

"I will always hold you, in this life, and into the next. I will see you, but you will never find me until the end, I love you my son…go in peace."She takes a deep breath as the first rocks approach.

Silently her body smashed into them, crunching sounds made as her bones snap from the force. Clutching her son, intent to take all punishment for him. Tumbling off them, she collides with a second set of rocks that break open her jaw, making her gurgle in agony as she had tears fall from her eyes.

Slowly, she took a deep breath, and both slammed into the ice-cold water below. Angling herself to where she was laying on her back as she floated upwards, she smiled as she heard her son bawl. Tears mixed with blood as it poured down her face.

"I…love…you." She manages to say, but alas, she finally gives in to the embrace of death.

Floating down the ice river as the stream slowly became calm, the infant wails, wanting his mother when he sensed her gone from him. A bond that was transcended of death and knowledge, he wails as he felt her leave despite her being there.

Her foot caught a rock, holding both there, and slowly blood washed down the river as her lifeless body clutched her son. One last act to give him a fighting chance, to stay warm. Slowly, but surely snow began to fall around them, giving false purity to the scene of a tragedy.

The rapid sounds of crunching of snow could be heard as a man wearing a cloak, a giant sword on his back, and a small cape that fluttered in the winds hitting opposite of him ran through the snow. Looking at the body as he heard an infant cry, he looked at the body, stopping.

"Goddamn…" He nearly chokes at the scene, through the blood in the water he could see something moving around under the woman's coat.

He seriously hoped that it was some little Grimm that got her, but as he opened the coat he found a redheaded child, "fuck me. You had it rough didn't you little guy, come on."

The man reached down, taking Naruto from his mother, making him wail some more. He bounced him a little, putting him under his cape her turned it to make a makeshift blanket for the infant. Looking at the woman he could see that she somehow had a smile on her face, her eyes were still open.

Shaking his head, he reached down and pulled her out. Checking for a pulse he found none, looking back at the where the waterfall was and then looking at her, he shakes his head. Clutching his eyes as he sat there and choked back some sobs as he realized that he arrived too late save someone.

Suddenly several figures came from around, surrounding him, the lead took off his mask once more. Looking at the man in his eyes, the man that held the baby looked down at him as the group drew their weapons.

"Qrow Brawen, younger brother of Raven Brawen, a drunk with no title. My name is Lucius Verdant," Lucius gave a graceful bow, "a man has paid a lot of money for the child's death. You can understand that, coming from a bandit background and such, no?"

"So, my deal is to you, walk away and I'll pay you my take." Lucius offered as he watched Qrow's equally black eyes turn red, and then glare at him.

"You dare…" Qrow grinds out as he reached behind, "try to swindle me…after killing a young mother…for money?"

"You…pigs…you…animals…" Qrow unfolded the sword into a scythe, "you're about to meet the reaper of Beacon firsthand."

Lucius eyes widened, even more so has his take on the world become inverted, was that his own body that he was staring at? It collapsed just about the time he hit the snow, blood leaking down, painting a liquid portrait upon the snow as several of his men and women screamed around him.

Metal could be heard; the sounds of flesh being torn following soon afterwards.

And, within mere moments, those that didn't escape Qrow's wrath were soon split open for the entire boreal forest to see.