This is a fanfic. BUY THE FUCKING MERCHANDISE!
Stepping out of the tent, Yang found herself protecting her eyes from the sun for a couple of seconds before taking in the sight of a new morning.
Already, many of the bandits that followed her mom were up and about. Many were just doing their own personal activities, sharpening their weapons or just lazing about. Others seemed to have proper job, like keeping count of supplies or even cooking for the camp.
Adjusting her hat, she began walking straight towards one of the ends of the camp. Right in the direction of her mother's tent. So many questions answered yet there was so much left to ask anyways.
Yang was given the basic rundown. Salem was after the Maidens. What did she want the Maidens for though? Power?
Well, apparently it was a bit more complicated that that. It turned out that there are four relics that were left behind by the gods – yes, gods – that created mankind. Such pieces were supposed to be gifts; Knowledge, Creation, Destruction, and Choice.
These relics were actually hidden inside out the four main academies where hunters and huntresses-in-training would go of all places! With that said, it meant that Beacon Academy was actually holding a relic somewhere within its walls!
That was not all though! The headmaster, his assistant, even Uncle Qrow knew about all of this stuff! Which is why they were trying to find and protect the Maidens themselves from Salem. Qrow of all people! The womanizing drunk who practically tried to glue himself to Minato whenever a meter near the boy!
To think that she had the power to get her hands on one of the relics. It was… bizarre for a lack of a better word. Wait until Minato hears about thi-
Oh right, Minato was actually with Salem.
If that were the case, the boy would surely be able to get answers that he would want. Maybe he would be able to get more than what she could. After all, he was a bit smarter.
Speaking of which, Yang was wondering how Minato was doing at the moment anyways. Ever since they had started going out, they never missed a single day at least looking at each other and talking. This was the first time they had been separated since their relationship. Craning her head around, she sighed and made her way to where the cooks were serving their food.
"Hey, what's cooking?" Yang asked as she approached the adults distributing the grub. Yes, she acted rather casual, and it irked the bandits. She knew it, but also knew that they couldn't really hurt her unless given permission from Raven.
"…Just some dried meat."
"Hm." Yang bent down to get a closer look at the small slabs. "What kind?"
"Cat."
Yang curled the corners of her lips down but had an amused look in her eyes. "Can I take some?" She asked, looking back up.
The chef gave her a weird look but handed the blonde her appropriate share. Grabbing the meat and putting some into her mouth, Yang turned around and came face-to-face with Vernal. "Raven wants to speak with you. Now." The girl stated, arms folded and waiting for confirmation from the blonde.
"…" Yang couldn't reply, busy chewing on cat meat which was actually better tasting than she expected.
Vernal narrowed her eyes at the Yang. "Fine," She said. "We can wait for you to finish your food before we go. But be quick. I prefer that we don't keep her waiting."
"…" Yang chewed.
"…" Vernal stared.
"…" Yang nibbled.
"…" Vernal breathed.
"…" Yang moved her teeth around.
"…" Vernal's eye twitched.
"…" Yang still was working on the first piece.
"You're just screwing with me, aren't you?" Vernal finally deadpanned.
Yang only grinned, still keeping the cat meat sticking out of her mouth. "Pretty much." She answered without shame. "Alright, let's get going." She then started to walk further into the camp.
But Vernal put her hand on Yang's shoulder. "Where do you think you're going?"
"…To my mom's tent." Yang said. "Isn't that where she's waiting?"
"No." Vernal shook her head before gesturing in the other direction with the exact skull while flatly staring at the blonde. "She's outside of the camp. There's an area nearby where we go to for fighting practice."
Y13
Minato snapped his eyes open, finding himself staring at a dark ceiling.
As his eyes darted around a bit, he soon began to realize that he was in reality right now rather than a dream. He sighed. Minato had dreamed last night. It wasn't pleasant, nor terrible. His dream was just… confusing to him. It was something he probably should talk to Salem about later.
Shifting around, he felt the sheets of the bed he had slept on still embracing him. That feeling went away immediately when he threw the blanked off of himself. Stretching his jaws to yawn, he moved his legs so that they would dangle at the edge of the bed. Waiting for a few seconds, he felt something rush in his head.
His vision went blurry, but he expected if since it was something he went through every day and he was decently sure people did as well due to blood flow. Getting off of the bed, he walked over to where he had set his clothing.
Putting everything back on, it was almost convenient timing when he heard the door open.
"Good morning, Mini-Mini!"
Minato found himself suddenly freezing due to the absolute enthusiasm that Tyrian greeted him with when the scorpion-Faunus kicked down the door. He swore, the energy the adult put into things when it came down to him reminded Minato of Qrow or Tai.
…It then came Minato's attention that the number of people that could exhaust him just by listening to them increased by one.
"I brought breakfast!" Tyrian only continued to announce as he stepped right in front of Minato's face before setting them both down onto the floor. Balanced right on the tip of the scorpion-tail was a tray filled with various foods of homemade quality. Bread. Some milk. Ham. Edible stuff one would usually eat for breakfast.
Minato stared, but then it came to his mind. "Where did you get this food from?" He asked. "There is no area nearby to grab supplies of that quality due to… the environment around here."
"Hm? This?" Tyrian asked back, moving the tray to his head while pointing to it. He then grabbed the latter and brought it to the floor. "You don't think we live here twenty-four seven, do you?" He then laughed. "Don't be silly, Mini-Mini! We grab supplies and stock up here when we feel like it anyways or while we are fulfilling our missions." Hands soon started clapping childishly. "Now eat up! Our goddess had requested your presence once you finish!"
Minato, deciding it was better to eat rather than talk with the risk of the conversation drawing out even longer, reached over and grabbed a slice of ham. While eating, Tyrian hopped up onto his feet. Spinning around on his heels, the scorpion-Faunus took one step before stopping. "Oh, yes, one more thing." He spun around, an even bigger grin being on his face. "Thank you for getting me and Hazel out of trouble."
"…Are my mother's punishments that bad?" Minato questioned.
Tyrian hummed before scrunching up his face. "They are… scarring." He stated, his tone losing the lightness to almost everything.
Minato noticed such a change and paused his eating. "…Mentally or physically?"
"…Whatever she thinks of appropriate."
The blue-haired male chose not to reply verbally, only nodding his head in acknowledgement to listening. Tyrian scurried off right after, allowing Minato to eat in peace.
Finishing his meal quickly, Minato then started to carry the tray to where he was supposed to meet his mother. Although Tyrian did not leave a destination where he was supposed to go, the boy assumed it was in the room with the large table.
Arriving at the large doors, he lifted a fist. Knocking on the massive wood, the sound bounced around him. The banging echoed around behind him. "Enter." He heard Salem permit.
Pushing open the door, he was greeted to the sight he had seen recently. Standing at the end of the room, staring out of the window, was the white-haired female. Turning around, Salem only continued to stay in her spot. "Minato, thank you for joining me."
Minato did not say anything at first. But still, he walked into the room. His footsteps tapped against the floor as he made his way over to the one who had given birth to him. "You're staring out of a window again." He observed.
"A habit I developed." Salem stated curtly.
The boy went up right next to his mother to stare out of the glass as she did. "…" He did not speak either, choosing to be silent.
"…I suppose it started long, long ago. Years… decades… maybe more before you were born." Salem decided to continue on, her curt answer not an appropriate one for her son. "I believe when humans had started becoming much smarter after creating civilizations." She kept her eyes glued to the window, just staring out towards the wasteland.
"I was not normal, just as I am right now." The white-haired female started off. "I was more Grimm-like appearance-wise when I was first brought into this world. I had the instincts of the beasts as well, hunting because it was what they did. But as I devoured more, change started happening. My very physique and psyche started changing. I started becoming… intelligent. My body started taking on a form that resembled a human but still resembled a Grimm. Powers beyond all races even to this day at my convenience."
"At first, people feared me given my appearance. But I learned and adapted to their styles. I settled in a village and started performing good deeds. I wanted nothing more than to use my power to help people. Sometimes that took the form of healing wounds and illness. Other times, I toppled tyrants. And for my trouble, I was punished; even put to death. A minor setback, given what I am capable of."
"People celebrated my many returns as miracles. To them, I was a god. It was by no means an unpleasant feeling." Salem looked down and stared at her chest where the heart would be located. "Over time, word of my exploits had spread to other settlements. People from afar sought my aid. I went to help these new villages, just as I did the first."
"When things finally settled down, I made my way back to the first village to rest my weary mind. I believed that I would be welcomed back with open arms."
Out of the corner of Minato's eye, he saw Salem's red orbs narrow in hatred and disgust. He even saw her hand twitch a bit.
"I was a fool. My return drew nothing but criticism." Salem spat venomously. "After growing accustomed to my powers, they all took me for granted. They blamed me for every negative event that occurred during my absence. It was then that I realized. I wasn't a savior to those people. I was merely a repairperson whose absence inconvenienced them. I was an everyday system. Every other village or establishment of civilization I helped were the same when I came to visit them."
"…And that was when you started hating humans and Faunus." Minato concluded. "You saved them and yet they only saw you as a tool rather than an idol or at least a person." His mother was silent, but he knew that anger was building up inside of her. He sighed. "Humanity and Faunus have both evolved from their past selves, but I do not blame your reasoning. Some people are still as you describe to this day."
Salem looked at Minato from the corner of her eye. "Yes… it is very unfortunate." She agreed.
A banging then echoed in the room. Both figures standing around the window turned to look at the massive door. "Enter." Salem said, ending their conversation for the moment.
As the wooden barriers were pushed open, three teenagers about Minato's age came walking into the room. Two of them, one was female with green-hair and the other was male with grey-hair, were trailing behind a girl with black hair. The one in front seemed to absolutely scream dominance and control.
As they arrived a set distance from Salem and Minato, they all kneeled down in respect. "Your grace." The teenager at the front greeted. As she looked up though, her eyes laid upon Minato. "If I may ask so suddenly, who is this?"
Salem turned her head to look at her son. "Cinder, this my child, Minato. Minato, meet the Fall Maiden; Cinder Fall. At least… half of the Fall Maiden."
Y13
Yang had to admit, her mom had found an impressive spot for training.
The area was lined with trees, making the area an arena naturally. It was mainly dirt with patches of grass littered around the place. If possible, Yang would maybe consider this spot one of the most natural ideal places for a fight.
Still admiring the nature around her, she didn't take mind of her mother just staring at her from the other side of the area. Raven simply kept her eye on her daughter until she eventually started walking up to the blonde. "…What are you eating?" She asked when she saw Yang nibbling on something.
"Cat." Yang answered, her mouth slightly full due to the meat inside of her mouth. She then swallowed and held up the last piece to her mom. "Want some?"
"…I'm fine." Raven answered while giving Yang an exasperated look. Shaking her head while Yang munched on the final piece, she turned around and took a couple of steps away. "So Vernal told you what this place is for, correct?"
"I think so." Yang said, folding her arms while adjusting her hat. "She said that it's some kind of place that you and your underlings use for sparring and stuff like that."
Raven nodded her head wordlessly. "To confirm, Yang, Qrow does not know anything about you being the Winter Maiden?" Not Tai either? No one at all?"
"Just me and Minato." Yang shrugged her shoulders. "Why?"
The black-haired female looked back to her daughter. "I want you to promise me that you will only keep that fact to yourself… your companion," She gritted out in displeasure.
"Minato." Yang stated clearly without missing a beat.
"…And me. You cannot let Ozpin, Qrow, or anyone else associated with them. The same applies for what happens in this very camp."
Yang was taken aback at the request. "Why would you want that? What's wrong with letting Ozpin or Qrow know? Isn't it a better idea to inform them since they're trying to protect the Maidens in the first place?"
"That may be, but they only want to use you as well!" Raven exclaimed. "Tell them, and you expose yourself to possible danger even larger than you may be able to handle! You will end up being nothing more than a sacrificial pawn in Ozpin's game! A game that is too dangerous for you! You're not even properly experienced yet they will want you to fight their battles!" She panted after her small outburst.
"…" Yang decided not to speak, allowing time for Raven to get herself back together. She almost pitied her mom, just thinking about how much she had to go through from being at Beacon to being back here where she considered home.
Raven managed to recover, taking in a deep breath and taking back her composure. "Why is why I'm going to show you how to properly defend yourself. So you will become stronger and defeat those who come after you."
Hearing this, the blonde looked at Raven with surprise. "But… I learned everything from dad." She said. "He's taught me so much. Are you telling me that him teaching me and even Qrow giving me tips is not enough?"
"Fighting as a huntress? Maybe." Raven answered, closing her eyes and looking down. "But for your special case, you have a lot to improve upon."
Yang looked confused while feeling cool water drop on her.
…Water?
Looking up, Yang saw that the sun was gone and that she was actually underneath a patch of dark clouds. Winds soon began to pick up, causing the blonde to look back to the ground level and watch everything be blown around. The leaves flying away suddenly stopped in their path. Frost coated the very green before the tips pointed in the general direction of Yang.
Surprised, Yang just managed to leap out of the way when all of the jagged leaves suddenly attempt to pelt her. Hearing the impact of the leaves while she rolled, Yang saw the destruction each piece of nature did before snapping her head back to her mother.
To add onto Yang's shock, Raven was hovering in the air. She acted as if nothing was happening. She was taking in deep breaths, as if controlling everything around her. "Behold, Yang…"
The black-haired female then opened her eyes, and red flames pour out around them. "This is the true potential of a Maiden."
Y13
"…So the Maidens are needed for these relics that are hidden within the academies of the four Kingdoms."
Minato made sure that he had the details on hand. It started off as wondering what purpose the Maidens held. Yes, Minato did suppose that they would contain a lot of power. But with just them and Grimm, it was likely that it still was not enough. His answer however was given when Salem mentioned these relics.
Supposedly, obtaining all four would be able to give power to change humanity, Faunus-kind, maybe reality in general.
"That is correct." Salem nodded her head.
Through the explanation though, Minato felt that it was odd that Cinder and her companions (the female named Emerald and the male Mercury) were right at the table as well. Their presences he did not mind, but rather it was the gazes from them that was getting to his head.
"Your grace… why are you explaining everything to him?" Cinder asked. "Is it because he is your son? Does that mean he is going to be among our ranks?"
"No, he will not." Salem stated curtly, looking towards Cinder. "He made his choice to be the opposition against us, and you will respect his decision."
The female teen was surprised. "But… but why are you telling his everything? He's an enemy!"
All Salem had to do was narrow her red eyes and it caused the amber-eyed female to flinch. "He is of my flesh and blood, enemy or not. He wants answers, and it is my choice to tell him. Am I understood?"
Minato watched Cinder in a cowering position, the girl so scared from a single look. He then began to remember Tyrian's words. His mother's punishments were scarring.
Cinder nodded, not trusting her own voice.
"Good." The white-haired female nodded once before returning her attention to her son. "Now… I explained this to you because I thought up of something while you were asleep." She paused to make sure Minato was listening, which he was. "What if you allowed the Winter Maiden-"
"Yang." Minato corrected immediately.
"…Yang to aid us instead?" Salem finished her question, correcting herself as Minato preferred. "There will be no need to hunt her down or even bring harm to her. We only need her Maiden powers to retrieve the relic from Atlas Academy and then we will be able to leave her alone."
"No." Minato answered.
Minato soon saw that Cinder was rising from her seat. But Salem quickly raised her hand while leveling Cinder with a single glance before replying to the blue-haired boy. "Why is that?" She asked.
"I am not going to be the one responsible in allowing humanity and Faunus to be only a step closer to being wiped out. Nor do I want my girlfriend to do the same. Also, she would never accept such an offer in the first place because of your goal."
Salem exhaled. "…This is quite an issue we currently have." She said, seeing how resolved Minato was against in helping them in the slightest bit at all. Silent, she started to think. "…How about a deal?" Her question piqued her son's interest when he raised his eyebrow. "You will be tested. Succeed, and we will not go after… Yang until we successfully have the other Maidens in our power. Fail, and we are allowed to find the Winter Maiden at our own pleasure."
Minato's eyes closed halfway. "What kind of test will it be?"
"I would like to see a display of your strength since a relationship of yours will be on the line." Salem explained. Her hand then gestured over towards Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury. "Cinder and her apprentices will all be challenging you in a fight. No one is allowed to give advice or train any of you."
He started to think. This could be a good chance to allow some time for Yang to be left alone to get stronger or do her own activities. But the downside would be that if he did lose, it was almost guaranteed that she would be hunted down immediately. If Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury were all followers of Salem, they must be tough as well or else his mother possible would have never accepted them.
"…Deal." Minato eventually said, feeling like this was one of the better options that his mother had offered. He at least had to take a chance.
"Very well." Salem nodded her head. "The match between all of you will be in four days."
Minato immediately got off of his seat and walked out of the door of the room, not looking back to the faces that were staring at his back.
Walking downhill, away from the buildings, Minato eventually found himself on the very level where he remembered seeing those black tar pits where the Grimm were coming from. With the dark pools in sight, he still continued going forward.
As soon as he was within a certain distance of Grimm that had just come out, a black substance came crashing down from above in front of him. Like a wave, the stuff rose up to a great height. As soon as if fell though, Salem appeared right in front of him. "And where do you think you're going?" She asked.
"To get ready to fight against your cultists." Minato stated, hands in his pockets.
"…" Salem did not speak at first. But as Minato tried to walk past her, she grabbed the back of his collar. Darkness began to wrap around the both of them immediately after. A feeling of being airborne soon was felt between the two of them. To Minato, all he could see was black. But to Salem, she could see everything clearly and their destination.
Doors banged open when the black mass burst through. Dropping down in the center of the room, the darkness dispersed and Minato blinked in surprise due to the sudden change in environment. "…Where did you take me?" He asked, looking around to see that he was standing in some kind of arena with the outside lined by many candles.
"This place is used for training… and it will be the room used when you fight Cinder and her companions." Salem answered, walking to the other end of the room.
"…I see." Minato only said. Turning around, he was about to walk out of the doors when the barriers suddenly swung shut. Stopping, he turned around. "What was that for? Are you trying to make me lose on purpose?"
"No." Salem said. "You planned on fighting the Grimm for your training."
"If you're planning on telling me it's a bad idea, then don't." Minato replied. "I thought you said that no one else was allowed to train us or give advice."
"I'm not. I wish for you to attack me in order to see your capabilities."
Standing in place, he stared blankly at his mother. "Why is that?" He asked.
"Curiosity."
Minato sighed while shaking his head. "…Fine." He said, just wanting to start practicing already. Yang's life was on the line and he was wasting time just standing around and talking.
As he shifted in a comfortable position, he then remembered something and did not like how he was going to do what he just said he didn't want to do. "Before we start… I have a couple of things I would like to discuss."
Salem turned her head, eyeing Minato from a different angle. "Speak, my child."
"Well… I had a dream last night." Minato started off. "Not a nightmare… Just… a normal dream. I was just floating in darkness, drifting along like it was nothing. But then… I started hearing words… Eris, Geras, Philotes, Nemesis, Keres, Moirai, Hesperides, Oizys, Momus, Oneiroi, Hypnosm Keres, Moros, Hemera, Aether. But one of them stood out to me… Thanatos."
She stared, blinking. Slowly thought, she started looking down in thought. "…Those words… they were all names in an old tongue. Each of them was something that your father debated over choosing for your name. But in the end though, he had a favourite name; the name that stood out to you, Thanatos."
"…Thanatos…" Minato said quietly. Looking behind himself, he thought about is Semblance. A single, white-gloved hand shot up from the ground. Slamming itself down onto the surface, another one came up and did the same thing. As the two hands seemed to pull up, the black monster with a skull mask rose up into reality. "…Seems like a good name for this."
The summon only released a guttered grunt but did not do anything else.
"…Then why is my name Minato Arisato instead?" He then asked with a small frown of confusion.
"Your father was not there during your birth, so I decided to name you in his stead."
Minato did not know how to properly reply. "I see." It was all he could muster. But then it went to his head. "You said those are names in an old tongue. Do you and father have names like that then?"
She did not speak a word. She did not make a sound. "...Yes, we do." Her answer finally came, an internal debate finally being settled. "…I believe that is enough talking."
Minato nodded his head in agreement. He was not going to be back any missing time with asking his mother questions. Questions that needed to be answered could be retrieved later. Reaching into his pockets, he pulled out his earphones and picked a piece of music from his mp3 player.
(Play Under Night In-Birth OST: Overwhelm Despair (Hilda's Theme))
Closing his eyes, Minato shook his head around and his blue-hair swayed with the movement. Opening his eyes, he wore a neutral expression on his face. Putting his hands into his pockets, he only stared at Salem while hunched over. His summon meanwhile, now which he dubbed Thanatos, had its hands down while it roared viciously with coffins circling above its body.
Salem was not intimidated in the slightest bit. Spreading her arms apart as far as they could as if she were playing a piano, the black ribbons holding the six offshoots of her hair began to unravel themselves. The objected then began to float evenly above her with the total difference being from the tips of her right hand to the left one. Each ribbon soon started spinning around, allowing each piece of material to fold upon itself until it formed a black circle at high speeds.
When each circle was seen, the tips of obsidian-black blades poked out from the dark objects. The weapons looked like they were pulling themselves out, the more of the weapon seen the smaller the circle became. As soon as the tip of the handles were seen, the black spiraling circles had disappeared completely. Now six blades all floated and poised their direction for Minato and Thanatos.
"Come, my son." Salem beckoned with words. "I look forward to your efforts."
Apologies, no Salem fight… yet. Still going to be a long way ahead. Instead Minato vs Cinder and Co next chapter.
So… I attempted to give Salem a backstory… it was a thing… that happened. Not very creative if you ask me. Not complicated or anything. Tons of possible problem with it. But hey, I'm a simple guy so I'm… kind of satisfied with it? I have no idea anymore. But apparently you guys are satisfied with me portraying Salem as I am now so… I guess I'm doing a thing.
Completely overshadows the fact that Raven is teach Yang how to wield her Maiden powers properly.
No flames please.