Chapter 12: White part One; The Politics of the Matter

(March 10th, 2019)

Welcome back to another chapter, so I don't have a schedule but I do have a story pattern now and it is as follows Dangerous Love → Asset 009 → Remnants of a Vixen. So in simple terms if you see Asset 009 update assume that I will be posting a chapter for this Story unless I announce otherwise, also if you haven't already try to give my other fics a try.

(June, 2019)

I'm first going to say sorry to all of you as you can see this chapter was supposed to come out way earlier, but I recently had a family death, and I'm sorry I should have got my shit together sooner but I'm here now.

"She is becoming an annoyance!" Barked Watts as his hand slammed on the table in front of him, harshly shaking the tea cup several inches from the point of impact.

With a sigh, Hazel gazed at the good doctor "Unfortunately I must agree with you" he spoke bitterly. One could clearly see that he was distraught at the idea of confronting his student.

"But you must admit" Giggled Tyrian "Naruto knows how to put on a show! Who would have thought that crybaby blonde would kill the great RAVEN BRANWEN!" his voice cracking into maniacal laughter at the thought.

Word of Raven's death had begun to spread like wildfire, mere hours had gone by and nearly the entire criminal underworld had learned or at least heard that the Bandit queen had met an untimely end at the hands of a blonde fox faunus that could apparently control the beasts of grimm.

Nevertheless Naruto was quickly becoming a person of intimate interest to those on the scene.

"She needs to be dealt with" grumbled Watts his voice hushed as he pondered possible strategies of attack, yet his attention was stolen by by the chair to his left being occupied by a humbled Cinder, her face clear with bitterness.

"So you've returned, surprising, due to your recent failure of keeping your sister in line" sneered the Doctor, trying to incite a reaction out Cinder's bruised pride.

"Shut up Watts, at least I didn't return empty handed!" Growled Cinder as the dust inlays in her dress popped and crackled like wood kindling, firing off a slow train of embers.

"Then share your findings" he huffed.

"Very well, Mercury come" and on Cinder words a young man stepped through the decrypt doorway, his skin a light pale, his eyes a coal black yet his hair was an odd silvery grey betraying his young looks, his close followed a strikingly similar palate of grey, black and silver.

Watts was unimpressed, "this is what you brought, a pretty boy? Why am I not surprised, you have always been a useless asset to this plan." Berated the doctor as he waved his hand in clear disapproval.

Cinder was quick to jump to her feet, preparing her fiery rebuttal yet before she could even release the words in her throat she was silenced by the creaking of the door located at the end of the conference room.

Looking towards the disruption, Cinder quickly composed herself and sat down, bowing her head in reverence.

Mercury confused by her behavior, took a quick glance around the table, to see the men doing the same. Curious to see what was causing this he looked towards the door and he saw her.

A monsterous woman, her skin the color of bone and eyes as red as blood, her veins black crackling around her eyes and hands.

He couldn't bring himself to look away as Salem approached, her eyes peering through Mercury. practically examining his soul as she walked past him. Her presence causing chills to erupt up and down the length of his spine. It was clear she intimidated him, terrified him actually and the closer she got the more openly Mercury shuttered. Then she was upon him, close enough for her breath to graze his skin. Her pale hand reaching up to examine him further delicately touching his shoulders and grasping at stray strands of his sliverly hair.

Salem's touches were light and measured, as if a single mishap would break or kill Mercury. "Is this what you have brought us?" Finally spoke Salem as she circled the boy, her eyes darting across his form and fashion in a meticulous manner. She clearly wasn't looking at Mercury as a person but as an object, something to be used.

"Yes, I have brought him" was Cinder's reply. Her head still bowed upon the table, her eyes closed to prevent herself from looking towards Salem.

"Very well, he may prove useful." She replied her voice soft, yet powerful still demanding respect and fear from those in attendance. Gracefully she moved pass Mercury her steps so soft, she practically glided across the floor. Her dress flowing behind her as she walked, the train curling and twisting like black waves cresting once she stopped in front of her seat, leaning into the chair she sat at the head of the table.

Salem's posture was unnaturally perfect, her hands resting within the center her lap. Her back completely parallel to her seat as her shoulders were pulled back, it was clear to Mercury...that thing was leading this operation. And if he valued his life, as he did, he knew making any moves against her it would sure be his last.

Mercury was ambitious, not stupid.

"Now tell me, my young Cinder why did you abandon my beloved daughter?" Questioned Salem, her voice may have been calm and collected yet her face was layered with disgust and hints of rage, "think carefully about your answer Ms. Fall because it could be the last thing you say.."

Cinder gulped as she tried to formulate an acceptable response, yet she opened her mouth to speak she found the words caught in throat and ended of utter incoherent nonsense. Gibberish even.

"Let me guess" hissed the Queen of the Grimm, "you feared for your life, and felt that Naruto, the child I favored over you was an acceptable sacrifice so that you could save your own skin!" Salem's grip was strong enough to shatter the armrests of her chair, as the veins around her eyes and along her arms flared to life. Pulsating the black ooze through them. "Yet" she spoke her voice and face relaxing back to neutral and monotone volumes.

"you unintentionally awakened her true, potential…" Leaning back into her chair Salem stared directly into Cinder's fearful eyes, "maybe" a long gruesome and inhuman smile spread across Salem's face, "I should reward you." Salem's grin literally stretching to ear to ear, exposing fiendish fanged teeth.

Cinder shuttered from the sight, watching as Salem's cheeks ripped open to to show the fangs that could easily rend flesh from bone, yet what brought true terror was the Salem stared at her...it was the same look Naruto gave her in their last encounter.

Hunger

But as quick as the teeth appeared they disappeared fading behind porcelain cheeks, "I have tasks for all of you" spoke the Queen as she waved at her subjects bringing them back to focus. "Hazel, I want you to continue gathering information on the fall maiden, Mercury here will assist you." The mentioning of his name caused the young criminal to straighten up his posture, as he looked toward the much larger man, Hazel, who mere grunted at the boy.

"Doctor I want you to travel to Vale and see if you can secure a deal of mutual cooperation with the criminal enterprise and the White Fang, we will need their cooperation if we wish to shake Ozpin's grasp on Vale."

"Very well, madam" bowed the Watts as he took his leave out of the room.

"And Tyrian" her voice stern and commanding, "Find my daughter."

"You're word is law" spoke the delusional man, as he prostrated himself before her, his head pressed against the floor as he bowed at her feet.

And after several seconds of continued worship, he rose to his full height and walked out the door grabbing his coat on the way out.

Leaving Cinder alone with her…

"What's wrong with her?" Whispered Emerald as she leaned over to Vernal, who was still clutching the corvid helmet of the now deceased Raven Brawen.

"I don't care…" was Vernal's harsh reply, it was clear she wasn't in the mood to converse with Em.

Yet, completely ignoring her reply Emerald continued on. "She's been like that for three day now, from the moment we got on this damn boat."

Three days ago, immediately after Raven's death. Naruto dragged both of them upon a cargo ship headed towards Atlas, currently all three of them were hiding in the hold, raiding the kitchen once the sailors had swapped to the much less observant nightshift.

But since boarding the ship, Naruto had been completely absorbed by her new arm, taking every moment to stare, prod and flex it. If Emerald didn't know any better she would have thought that Naruto was talking to it.

"Maybe she's insane…"muttered Vernal unintentionally adding to the conversation.

"You wouldn't be wrong, but there is one thing I still don't understand."

"..."

"This is the part where you're supposed to say 'what'" sighed Emerald trying to easy the stubborn girl out of her silence.

"..."

"Well since you're not going to bite, I'll tell you anyway. Why us? Why did Naruto pick us?"

The thought was enough to stir Vernal to make eye contact with Emerald, yet didn't last long as they were approached by the girl in question.

"If you really want to know, I chose you because I simply wanted to. You were, no are similar to me scared of the world but the moment power…" She paused to gaze upon her pale left arm. Clenching her her hand into a fist as she smiled. "Is given to you, you'll use it to destroy the very thing you once feared. That is why I chose you both, now get up we're here." And on a turn on her heel she walked to the edge of the hull, and with a slow steady sweep of her left hand she light grazed it with her fingers. And for a couple moments nothing happened to the steel hull.

Then slowly a thin black, bubbling, and hissing mass began appearing following the trail Naruto's fingers had taken. Like an acid it began eating at the tearing it's way through the steel layers, rust forming around the edges of the growing hole.

"I recommend you girls cover your ears it's about to get loud" smirked the maniacal blonde as she watched her work in fanciation.

Yet the moment those words left her mouth the a loud whooshing hiss erupted from the hull before exploding out with destructive force.

"Ladies, welcome to Atlas" smiled Naruto sweetly her eyes shut with excitement as she locked her hands behind her like a shy highschool girl.

Well that's the chapter, hopefully you enjoyed. I'll catch you on the flip side.