Anthropocene- the geologic age wherein human activity is the dominating factor controlling the environment.
"Ohisashiburi, Naruto."
The person-creature-thing lurking at the far end of the table drawled in a sultry maleficence.
"Oi, oi. Is this what happens when you don't have me around to check you?" Unnerved and cautious, Naruto retreated into his persona at the same time he took a challenging step forward. "First off, don't 'cha think your Emo's gotten a bit out of hand with all the black-goth shit? Not to mention, you might've let the whole 'prettyboy' thing go to your head a little. If this is to avoid the fangirls, I get it. But I also hate to break it to you, but things have changed since our time, and well, these days girls don't have to like boys, -ttebayo?"
Some were stunned to silent incomprehension, whereas others in the room knew exactly what he was doing, and were simply awaiting the verdict the same as he.
Somewhere between a snort and a scoff, either of which dashed the refinement Salem built up around herself with the one sound.
"Once a Dobe, always a Dobe."
The feminine lips twisted into a snarl as if disgusted with the way the word tasted in her mouth. At the same time, the witch's frail body hauled itself onto its feet with the aid of the Kusanagi lookalike, grunting in unladylike exertion.
"It's true, though." The whole room waited on bated breath for whomever it was to rise to their not-quite full height, and to finish this thought which was not-quite unique. "Everything you say. Without your annoying pestering, I've let myself slip." Slouching in that body which was meant to remain rigidly upright, they tested their grip and watched as spindly fingers trembled into a fist. "Too much… too far. I was consumed… But, things have changed, and we must get used to them."
"Who… are you?"
Just as Naruto was beginning to solidify this in his mind, others were having their previous images torn apart. The loyal Tyrion surged forward next to the shinobi, but no further as he was halted by an invisible barrier called the truth.
"You… are not Salem. What have you done to my Lady?"
The single-minded creature before them might have been pitiable, but received nothing but contempt from the one who wore his savior's visage.
"The witch is dead." Sasuke sneered, looking down his- her nose and the vast distance between them. "Although, I suppose she died a long time ago."
A shrill scream pierced the halls, rattled the leaden glass and forced them to their knees with hands clamped over their ears to drown out the howl. One moment had had Tyrion frozen in abject desolation, the next saw him flying towards the other side of the room.
The change had happened at the speed of madness so that none were quite prepared to stop him. None even tried, as his target waited lazily at the end of his sting without moving a muscle.
None was needed.
"Tsukuyomi,"
It was a whisper that penetrated their consciences as profoundly as the scream, and the silence which followed contained the note still ringing in their ears.
"And yet, what is really so different? Male, female, Humans, Faunus- Grimm, all the same. All beasts." Sasuke- for it could be no other- paced forward, now with the entranced Tyrion following like the loyal dog he was. The transmigrated shinobi looked up to the broken moon with only the slightest frown of disappointment at the corner their face. "Not even a clean slate could cleanse the world of sin."
"You're wrong."
"Oh? You've seen what I've seen. Tell me, what do you think of the world you created, Naruto? You won, after all. Madara wasn't allowed to complete his infinite Tsukuyomi, and now it is impossible even if one were to try."
Sasuke waited expectantly. He might have emerged from slumber with a backlog of words, but he was never one for rhetoric. And even though Naruto's friends wanted to give their support, this was a question that only the blond could answer. A bystander, Glynda watched this all unfold in silent rapture, understanding only that she was witnessing history which no one else alive would - not even Ozpin.
"No," This one word and the clenching of a fist reverberated in the empty hall. "I've spent forever blaming myself for not doing enough- I still do. But you know what? That isn't fair to the people who've accomplished so much despite the crappy world we managed. That's right, you're in this too, Sasuke. Just like you've always been, even if you try to deny it. This is your world just as much as mine. You wanted there to be no shinobi. If it's not to your liking, well then tough shit."
Digesting this rebuttal with the same impassivity, Sasuke cocked his head.
"You're not the same either, are you?" Naruto felt the tables turned as those all-seeing eyes regarded him with suspicion. "You agree, then, that people are no different now than before? There is no changing them."
Sasuke gave a general gesture, sweeping across the ones loyal to the witch, the shinobi, the huntress.
"Look at them- look at yourselves. Inevitably drawn to conflict. This was the reason you came here, the reason I invited you. This one," Finally motioning to Tyrion who perked up eagerly at the attention, "He believes I am Salem, and why should I take that from him? He will not be sated without blood. Is it better that I allow him his indulgence or pacify him with the illusion?
"What is wrong and what is right? It's been so long I don't think I can even tell anymore. Both are as pervasive as the blight which is life. Both were supposed to be stricken from this planet and yet," Throwing up slender hands to encompass all of them, the entirety of their goodness and their faults, "Here we are again."
"Are we gonna throw down, or what?"
Not showing if he was disappointed, Sasuke lowered the pale arms of his ghost and stared unblinkingly at his one-time friend.
"I suppose that depends on your answer."
"Yes," While the two of them were still, the rest tensed in nervous anticipation. Suddenly, both Hazel and Dr. Watts were made to realize just how precarious their positions were, and they looked at one another in strange commiseration. "… If I have to. I'll do it again and again until you understand, Sasuke."
"Understand what?" Still not moving a muscle, yet Sasuke brought to bear force unrivaled outside of myth and legend. "What can you tell me that eons of ruminations have not?"
"You're right."
It was as if all the candles in the world had been extinguished at once. Black flames which might or might not have been an illusion behind Sasuke abruptly waned, and the heartbeats of living and dead paused in reverence.
"What?"
"You're right. I've thought a lot too, believe it or not. And… I'm not sure we'll ever come to a perfect answer." Hanging his head, the blond shook it slowly, and it was not clear if it was in resignation or defiance. "What's right and what's wrong? I've watched for so long and seen it change as people come and go. I can't even claim to have always done what's right even by myself. I can't say we'll ever know."
Looking up, at last they saw eye to eye. There was determination in those blue glaciers, enough to quench all the fire in the universe. Not all at once, but at slow, creeping, yet inevitable pace. And once Sasuke saw that, he knew that the decision had been made.
"-But I do know that we have to try. The fact that right and wrong have differed means that things do change, not just our perception of them. Life is so much more than a thought or an illusion. Amazing, incredible things have come out of nowhere- and I'm not talking just about Faunus. Thoughts, ideas that we never would've dreamed of given another billion years to do it are suddenly real!
"Life is real. Our actions are real, and they affect everyone else, stretching far into the future. Above right and wrong, we must be prepared to live with them and their consequences. Because life is our blessing and our burden.
"… And that's why if you try to take it away in any shape or form, I'll stop you."
A battle was carried out silently between the two, immutable tectonics grinding at one another. Until, at long last, a chuckle fissured the air. Then a guffaw, then full-blown laughter erupted with separate tones mixing together like magma.
"You have changed," Sasuke commended, hiding his remaining titters with the back of his fist, "But, it's good to see that you're the same old Dobe."
"Pardon me for interrupting what is obviously a profound conversation," The brief diffusion of tensions was enough to allow Dr. Watts' sarcasm to be squeezed through. "-But what in the hell is going on here?!"
Tyrion growled animally at the man for interrupting, but it was obvious that he was a collared dog. The implicit threat came from the ones who didn't move, stifling the questions that the others dared not ask.
"It's over," Piercing red eyes were fixed on the doctor but Sasuke spoke generally, far past the confines of the continent. "All the plans Salem had for this world are defunct. The cycle is broken. With the Gedō Mazō destroyed, the lost souls finally have the chance to move on."
"The end of Grimm," Breathless, as if he had just gotten through running a marathon, halfheartedly Shikamaru fumbled for a cigarette which then just remained between his fingers, unlit and forgotten.
"Eventually," Sasuke conceded. "With the souls reunited, they will no longer reform indefinitely. But the spirits are still trapped within the madness which is the Grimm construct. Not even my Sharingan can pacify their animal instincts forever. However, if I relinquish control now, a great many will be lost to the darkness. They must each be returned, forcibly."
"So, we still need to hunt monsters," Jiraiya surmised.
"-But now with the knowledge that behind each is a living soul," At last, Glynda was catching up with the conversation. And for the first time in a long time, wishing she'd remained ignorant.
"And if allowed to linger, they will be human spirits trapped within beasts," Sasuke seemed to argue, "Not unlike the Bijῡ." The old Sasuke would have shrugged in apathy, but this new amalgamation did so more in weariness. "Either way, things cannot be allowed to return to the way they were."
"Is this really possible? Are we agreeing on something?" Feigning sarcasm, Naruto really couldn't comprehend this profound change in his friend and rival, continuing to look at this as a misdirection.
"-Don't look too much into it, Baka." It was still strange the way Salem's lips curved to form Sasuke's signature smirk, but he supposed he would get used to it.
"So what now, kid?" Remaining skeptical, Jiraiya had not abandoned his plans to fight their way out of the Grimm-infested manor. "You sayin' you're just going to let us walk on out of here? Or do we need to take care of your 'pest' problem too?"
Sasuke fixed the Sanin with a dirty glare, and both Hazel and Watts looked between the two while wondering which were the supposed 'pests': them, or the Grimm.
"You will not touch them. You will leave, and never come back."
"Wait a minute-"
Sasuke raised a hand, stifling the objection before it was even asked.
"I know you're obligated to try and get me to return with you, Naruto. And I have grown to appreciate that quality of yours." Even more foreign than the face which bore it was the sad smile Sasuke graced him with. "But we have different experiences and will never see eye to eye. Regardless of what you may have thought of her, Salem viewed the Grimm as her children. This notion, however twisted, was more powerful than the hate Sasuke Uchiha once held. It was more powerful than Salem herself possibly realized.
"Therefore, I will build my world, here, from the ground up. Just as life and you have given me the chance, I wish to give the chance for these souls to live free of the society which hunted them, and free of the one which forced them to kill one another."
Back in the hallway, Grimm yet stood at attention, still placated by the Sharingan's lullaby for a while longer. When the dream ended, there was no telling whether they would remember that they had ever once been human. Beasts, perhaps, but also possibly something more. This possibility was owed to those who had been reaped before their time, the ones Naruto had been unable to save.
Thus, he was unable to argue.
"Then, that's it, then?" He asked hesitantly, despondently and he was forced to realize leaving his friend behind once again. "We just leave each other alone?"
"The rest of Remnant cannot live under the threat of Grimm, especially if they regain sentience." Sober argument, but with the slightest somber tone. "I will be counting on you to see that happen. I will gather as many Grimm on this continent as I can before they are purged. But after that, the two shall be separate."
"Never to meet again."
"Not right away, at least," Smirking wryly, neither truly held out much hope for this, but Sasuke felt that he was obligated to give that possibility. "But, one never knows what the future might hold."
"Oh…" Shoulders slumped, and just as quickly perked up as Naruto threw his hands behind his head and laughed out loud. "Phew! Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I think I can live with this. To tell the truth, it's a bit of a relief! I really thought we were gong to have to have some kind of epic battle to the death or something."
A sudden surge of electricity cackled along with this expression of relief.
"Oh, I never said we wouldn't." The ethereal blade had suddenly gained an edge, and red lightning sparkled up and down its length. Holding it in a slender grip, Sasuke dragged the blade across the tiled floor as he stalked forward with a pronounced sway. "After all, I have to make sure you're up to keeping your word."
Stunned stillness suddenly gave way to two reactions: Naruto grinned manically while the rest of his team and the two stragglers wisely retreated- even though there was probably no distance safe enough.
"Once more, for old time's sake?" A typhoon tussled his hair, emanating from a swirling, blue sphere in his palm.
"No, this is for today and tomorrow." Behind them, the towering windows burst from their combined pressures and the shards were whisked away by the manmade storm. "Let's see if you can actually give me a challenge this time, Dead Last."
"Bring it on, Bastard."
"Are you going to be alright?"
"I should probably be asking you the same thing?"
Blinking owlishly at her teammate as the tables were turned, Ruby opened and closed her mouth twice before the answer came to her.
"Yes," Looking not to the black-haired girl next to her, but towards the future, she nodded unhesitatingly. "I have to be."
"Good," Approval came from behind them, marching up with precisely placed footsteps, "Because you both need to keep your head in the game. There's only so much preparation one can do. Situations can change in the blink of an eye, and sometimes the only thing you can do is be prepared to react."
"Is that an order?" Blake narrowed her gaze at the Schnee- not their usual one- and folded her arms defiantly. "-Because we don't need a lesson."
"No," Winter spoke softly as if to herself, not deviating from her hawkeyed stare of the crowds laid out before them. "But the fact is, we could all use a reminder now and then."
"A reminder that the General doesn't trust us?"
"Blake…" Halting her admonishment, Ruby saw the corner of their minder's lips twitch upwards wryly.
"I doubt he would have given me the day off if that were the case."
Faltering in her standoffishness, Blake looked between her leader and the supposedly ranking officer. "Then…"
"With Weiss off to see our father, your team is temporarily down a member. And three sets of eyes are better than two when you're looking for a Fang amidst a sea of gnashing teeth." Matter-of-factly, Winter scanned the legions of yelling protestors while looking for something else entirely. "-Though four sets are better still. Speaking of which…"
"I'm here, I'm here," Huffing, Yang pushed past the fringes of the mob and the police tape before leaping up to the small patio overlook to join her team and the tag-along. "It took longer than I thought to get through that mess. Can you believe none of the Atlas stiff-erm, soldiers thought I was really here on official business?"
"Not unexpected," Glancing at girl who was outfitted more for tourism than counter-terrorism, Winter kept her opinions off her face. "With the mutation of the Dust, systems are down all over Atlas. Updates are sporadic and official orders have to be verbally disseminated. The on-duty shift should have been informed, but I'll have a word with their commanding officer."
Not expecting such frank helpfulness, Yang blinked at the woman who looked so much like their teammate but was admittedly far more humble.
"Uh, thanks."
"One shouldn't have to be thanked for doing their job." Grimacing, the three student huntresses cringed even if they felt that this admonishment wasn't for them. "More is expected of us now than before, and just doing the minimum won't cut it."
"It seems that your people have things handled, though." Yang appraised, surveying the open plaza which had been sectioned off for this government-approved protest. Neat grids had been drawn across every street so that the gathering felt more like a concert than a public outcry. "Captain What's-His-Face said as much when I talked to him."
"Cpt. Merkwürdigliebe," Winter sighed this mouthful, "-Is a competent soldier and runs a tight ship. But he is also… old-fashioned."
Between the protesters' signs they could catch glimpses of an off-white wall of nylon and steel. Soldiers armed with rubber bullets and high-pressure fire hoses were prepared to use them against the predominantly Faunus rabble-rousers. And news trucks were stationed with state-sanctioned reporters, prepared to spin the truth whatever way best suited the party line.
"A tried and true method," Blake sneered with sarcasm which was not drowned out by the rising chants. She shot an accusatory sidelong glare towards their military liaison.
"The world is slow to change," Shrugging, Winter excused herself guiltlessly and without falter, "-But when it does, it can be violent and unpredictable. Sometimes the only thing you can do is force it to behave in a predictable way."
Poke a sleeping beast rather than let it awaken on its own. Winter must have known that's what she was doing by broaching this topic in front of the White Fang's heiress.
"Is that the official policy, or just yours?" Blake snarled, the respect she once held for this woman quickly diminishing.
"It's why I joined Special Forces," Stated Winter, not reacting to the tangible animosity prickling at her. "When it comes to preventing violence, we don't have to think inside the box,"
Her finger then pointed towards a space in that square, "-And often, we can take care of the problem before it ever becomes one. You see that woman there? Snow-Rabbit Faunus, 11 o'clock and rapidly making her way to the front."
Not the most conspicuous, the woman Winter's sharp eyes singled out was short with floppy ears bobbing between other heads in the crowd. She all but disappeared in amongst her countrymen and women with their assemblage of animal features and insolated garments that obscured everything. Except, now that she was pointed out, the three students noticed that she cut a large swath through the others- larger than her petite stature should have allowed. She was carrying a substantially-sized bag and appeared to be in a hurry to deliver it to the front.
Blake narrowed her eyes, animosity having a new target.
"Got her."
"I'd like you three to bring her over here," The tone was more insistent than that, but Winter turned to Ruby and made it clear that she wasn't about to usurp her command. "Please?"
"Don't you worry," Giving a thumbs-up and cheesy grin, Ruby assuaged both the officer and her team who were still worried how the shinobi's absence was going to affect their leader. "Nothing's going to happen on our watch!"
"What's the matter, don't want to get your own hands dirty?" Cracking her knuckles, Yang took the upper hand she had been given to tease Weiss's older sister.
"I don't think my presence would be appreciated down there," Winter said tactfully, sharing a knowing glance with the Faunus who remembered just why she appreciated Winter in the first place. "Besides, someone should keep an eye out just in case there're any more troublemakers. Just one is enough to turn this gather violent, and then…"
"Eh, like Rubes said, nothin'll happen on our watch!"
Before she could even blink, the three huntresses in training were gone in an Autumn sunset, red light fading and rose petals drifting down to melt with the late-Spring snow.
Winter sighed, not taking her eyes off the spot down below which had become a microcosm of confusion amidst the greater chaos.
"However, you can't always prevent things from happening," She sighed to herself, all alone, "Often, you can't even cope as the world falls apart around you. Sometimes, the only thing you can do is pick up the pieces and move on."
"What do you think, Klein, are some bridges even worth mending?"
Near silently the limo hummed on, running on its backup battery in leu of the non-functional Dust turbine.
"Oh, that's right…"
Like the motor, her faithful butler Klein had been unflinchingly replaced by a machine. In fact, the automated chauffeur was a perfect analogy to her relationship with Jacques Schnee: present, but lacking any human connection.
It was also an inauspicious omen to her 'welcome' home. Regardless, Weiss knew she was obligated to make the journey. Not only because General Ironwood had personally asked her to try and talk Jacques into cooperating with the government crisis response, but because someday she hoped to fill this man's shoes.
…Didn't she?
Home, she sighed longingly out the window. Weiss would admit that she missed the snow and all that came with it. But now, there was something that she missed even more. Something she was hesitant to confirm even to herself.
The spacious back of the limousine appeared vast and lonely, at the same time it felt cramped and limiting. Ever since she was young, life had been served to her on a platter. But in the company of her team, she'd seen life spill past the silver-lined edge of all logical containers. She'd witnessed things and experienced scenarios which no amount of material wealth could ever emulate.
Feeling that she now belonged to the world, Weiss was worried about the ivory prison she was headed for.
*CLICK*
Under her nose the door locks sank into the upholstered sides with a sound that was like ice crunching beneath their wheels, locking her into that velvet-lined cell.
"-Hey! What's going on?" No longer staring out the windows, Weiss was very much focused on the here and now. But she was like a bird without her wings, for she had foolishly left Myrtenaster back at the base. This did not stop her from flying from her seat and pounding on the glass privacy window separating her from the robotic driver. "Stop the car this instant and let me out!"
"I am afraid I can't do that, Ms. Schnee." Nearly falling back onto the floor as the android swiveled its head around 180˚ to look at her, Weiss was too flabbergasted to try and rationally parse the situation.
"Did my father order this? I am Weiss Schnee, heiress to the SDC! What are your override codes?!"
"How droll," Weiss blinked as the flat-faced robot began to sound distinctly more human-like. There was still a disconnect there, but it was more as if they were talking through the pages of a book rather than a machine. "I suppose you are too young for that reference. Just because art lasts forever doesn't mean there are people to appreciate it. Pity. I had thought you were smarter, but I suppose grades do not serve as a true indicator of intelligence."
"Who are you?" Besides someone who could break into SDC security to supplant themselves close to her, this person could evidently also hack into Beacon's records. It was difficult not to show her nervousness in front of this unflinching machine whom she felt was analyzing her like a barcode. "And what do you want from me?"
There was a very human pause wherein she swore the unwavering red LED's looked at her with disappointment.
"You can be excused for not knowing who I am. For now. We will be introduced in just a little while. Though I am perplexed how you made it so far with your meager skills of deduction. The situation should be self-evident."
"Enlighten me." Weiss ground through clenched teeth as she began to concentrate, focusing on molding her Aura without the assistance of dust or her weapon.
*SCREEECH!*
Neither of these actions helped as she was sent forward when the limo stomped on its breaks, her face impacting harshly against the bullet-proof glass divider. Very quickly her bearings returned, and she was partly relieved to find herself still laying on the carpeted limousine interior. Not so reassuring, however, were the dozens of white-masked faces staring through the tinted windows.
"You are being kidnapped"
"Pardon us! Coming through! Official Huntsman business!"
Yang scarce needed to announce their intentions as the protestors were already taken aback by the three students' sudden appearance in their midst. They parted, flabbergasted at the boisterous announcement. For once, the girls' innocuous appearance working in their favor, as no one in the crowd was quite sure what to do with the three who cited authority but clearly weren't Atlesian soldiers.
The soldier herself was watching as they escorted the Faunus suspect over to her perch. At the same time, keeping a close eye on the rest of the crowd for any other outliers. But apart from the group of four making their way through like a water snake, the rest of the protest was still focusing their attention and animosity towards city hall and the line of robots and rifles which hadn't ebbed.
Winter narrowed her eyes as they approached. Not at the duffle-toting Faunus, but at how smoothly it all seemed to be going.
"-Hey! Wait a minute-!"
Before she herself even knew what she was doing, Winter had snatched the heavy bag from the diminutive Faunus woman and rushed it away from the square.
Soldierly instinct was divided with guilt and tact. She knew that it wasn't a good idea to be so heavy-handed in this delicate situation. Tensions were already tight between Atlas and their Faunus denizens without her adding to the list of grievances. But at the same time, she'd rather accept the blame all on her own so long as everyone else was outside the potential blast radius.
Prudence would also have waited for a proper explosive-ordinance tech, but Winter wasn't about to stand around doing nothing. Again.
A flick of the wrist and the body-sized bag was thrown into the air in two neat halves, the contents spilling out over the ground which was still frost-coated in the shade.
"What are you doing?!" Winter's offending wrist was snatched by a petite hand, but her attention was locked onto the falling debris which was full of metal and cloth- but nothing that could be recognized as a bomb. "That's not the way we do things! This isn't why Ozpin wanted us here!"
For most people, it would be difficult to accept they were wrong. Harder still to accept such scolding from a girl almost half her age. But Winter had already prepared to burn for her sins and had cast aside her pride before the first stone.
"I apologize," She muttered quietly, still not taking her concentration off the scattered contents.
Flustered and unsure of how to deal with the impulsive officer, Ruby instead turned to the Faunus they had detained and whom watched on with no small amount of surprise. However, the bag's owner was strangely devoid of upset. Curious instead, as if she hadn't known herself what was inside.
"I am so sorry," Mortified, Ruby apologized on behalf of her team and their mission which already seemed to be floundering. "We'll repay you for any of the damages."
"Hey, wait a sec-" Yang's protest was interrupted, first by Blake's gentle hand on her shoulder and then by another voice muffled by their turned back.
"No, I accept full responsibility," As she had been prepared to do since joining her sister's team unofficially, "My actions do not represent Atlas nor the team and Beacon academy."
Even as she recited this boilerplate, Winter felt that something was still wrong. And not just with her halfhearted apology.
"I am so, so, so, sorry." Ruby groveled before the Faunus woman who was little taller than she herself.
"What were you doing with this stuff anyway?" Keeping her indignation in check and one eye on Winter, Blake nonetheless harbored her own misgivings about the Faunus. Having been in the same position not long ago, she knew that these actions were suspicious. "And why were you in such a hurry?"
Turning from the nearly-prostrate team captain, the Faunus regarded her fellow with scrutiny. Her lips parted as if in a prearranged response that was withheld upon seeing whom she was dealing with.
"I-I was just b-bringing some stuff to my friends." The woman stuttered, either timid by nature or recognizing what- who she was talking to, "They just told me to grab the bag from their house and bring it to them. They've been here since yesterday. I-I just assumed it was food and clothes…"
'Not untrue…'
They all took an instinctive glance over to the scattered contents which appeared to be just what she claimed. Except that Winter was crouched over something and blocking it from their view.
'…but not entirely honest, either.'
"I am sorry for the inconvenience," Approaching them with a calm celerity, Winter held that something she picked up tight within the folds of her civilian clothes which bore little distinction from her military outfit. "-But if you wouldn't mind explaining this…"
Tawny eyes widened and floppy ears stiffened slightly upon seeing the iconic White Fang mask brought forth.
"I-I have no idea how that got in there!" Taking a step away from its association, the Faunus found herself backed up against the immutable wall of Huntresses. "I-It's not mine! The bag's not even mine! I swear, I had no idea that any of my friends were part of the White Fang!"
'That, however, was a lie.'
Ruby blinked at the same time as the rabbit Faunus who turned to her.
"It's not mine. I- she's trying to frame me." Clockwise, she turned to Blake in desperation. "Please, you know how the authorities operate. This is just a peaceful protest! No one has any intention of causing harm."
'Another lie.'
The dark-haired huntress and her sister were obviously conflicted whereas Ruby herself was simply confused. Taking a mental step back from the conversation, she let the increasingly serious interrogation pass overhead while trying to focus on the instinct speaking to her.
"I know how most of my colleagues operate," Winter interjected before anyone could form further opinion, "And I know I personally haven't given you much of a reason to trust me, but I can promise you that I will not hold this infraction against you. My only concern is the safety of my Kingdom and its people. So if you know anything about a possible terror action, I implore you to tell us about it now."
Ruby watched the back and forth in mute silence, reading faces like closed captioning.
"I know who you are," Another step backwards brought the timid rabbit into the waiting arms of Yang who held her almost protectively. "You're Winter Schnee. You'll kill me if I don't say anything, won't you? But I swear, I don't know anything!"
Winter was very honestly taken aback by the accusation. But before she could defend herself, she was interrupted by another.
"You're lying."
This time, it was the Faunus's turn to be surprised. Turning to the innocent-looking girl who had until this point been defending her, the woman's pupils dilated, and heart fluttered like a snare. Ruby could feel it happen, that very real pang of fear.
"N-no, I promise-"
"Don't." Ruby's voice suddenly turned cold at the same time the spring chill melted around them. "-Just tell the truth."
Her teammates had the same brand of surprise on their face as their captive, but they still had innate trust in their leader. The Faunus herself felt compelled by this foreign command, her mouth parting involuntarily and ready to spill all her secrets.
It turned into a sneer.
"Well, crap."
Just as the truth was closing in, the rabbit Faunus hopped into the air and shot her legs out to give herself room. Both feet caught Ruby square on in the chest and at the same time shot the rabbit Faunus backwards, plowing both her and Yang into the adjacent brick wall. The latter getting the wind knocked out of her as the Faunus leapt off her ample chest and towards the nearest roof.
Somehow only skidding back a few paces, Ruby saw the escape attempt and shot into the air to intercept. She flew past a stunned Winter who was incredulous at suddenly being proven right.
But her reverie was quickly shrugged as Ruby hurled the fugitive at her feet with an audible smack that broke the spell and roused her to action. Winter cast a spell of her own, pinning the Faunus to the frozen concrete with a restraining glyph invoked without thought.
"Fine! You want the truth?!" Seeing that she wasn't going to escape the gravity keeping her prostrate against the ground, the suspect White Fang chose to hurl words at them instead. "You're already too late Schnee, if you think you can undo the years of mistreatment suffered at the hands of Atlas and your family! And you little whores, selling yourself to these monsters- you were born too late!"
Giving herself to the inevitable, the Faunus ceased her struggling and regarded the four surrounding her with an ugly look that was so out of place on her button-like face.
"What is the White Fang planning here?" Seized by the sudden stillness, Blake knelt next to her countrywoman and half demanded, half implored. "Please, tell me. It isn't too late- not yet."
"You're wrong about that," Laid out in front of the feline huntress should have made the other woman quaver in fear. But all that showed was contempt. "You know, I might've actually felt pity for you. Growing up in the homeland and then Vale, you might have truly believed that there was a future for our kind in the world of man. But from what Taurus told us, you're just a privileged little minx who thinks she knows what's best for all of us- just like your deluded father."
"W-what?" Where the woman's only weapons were her sharp teeth, she struck a critical blow against Blake and made her recoil from the acerbic words. "Adam's here?"
Blake chose to latch on to that fact amongst the many disturbing ones uttered in the same breath while Ruby and the others were mostly lost in the conversation. Bookmarking later questions for her teammate, Ruby took her place over the captive.
"We're not our parents." Ruby spoke softly but again, her words seemed to carry more weight than all the blows thus far. "We haven't wronged you, but we're the ones who're going to have to deal with the consequences of whatever happens. Us and many others, most of whom aren't even born yet. It might seem like I don't understand your suffering- and perhaps I can't. But I do know pain. I know the world isn't perfect."
Ruby took a deep breath, remembering the life of that little blond boy whose actions had ramifications even now. She thought of her own life, the choices she made and where they might lead.
"-Not yet. But that doesn't mean we can't try to make it so. We don't have to keep passing down the hatred of our ancestors. We're strong, we can take it upon ourselves so that the no one has to suffer this way ever again."
"Some lessons can only be taught through pain." No longer vindictive, yet a bitterness had aged lines into the woman's young visage. "That strength you proclaim, it was caused by suffering, wasn't it? That's the only way people learn. Humans might think that they're different, but both of us are really nothing more than animals." She smiled wryly at the ironic image this presented. "-And we will all suffer greatly before this is over."
Turning to the one who held her captive, Winter had a bead of sweat dripping down her face which was not due to the strain of maintaining the glyph.
"I imagine even a Schnee has a heart." Her smirk was trying to decide whether it was antagonistic or apologetic. "I almost feel sorry for what's going to happen to the sister. But then again, she won't be the only one."
By design or accident, this veiled threat caused Winter's concentration to waver and her hold to be broken. Either way, the Faunus was quick to take advantage of it and scramble away in the blink of an eye. She was undoubtably fast- had probably unlocked her aura and received some training to serve as a runner.
But she was no huntress.
Before that eye could open again, she found herself pinned against the wall with the back of a blade pressed against her jugular and the force of the world pushing down on her shoulders. She looked down the length of that claw-like scythe into the slivered eyes of its wielder, and couldn't decide which was the more intimidating.
"What have you done with Weiss?"
Finding some strength, some defiance in the face of discomfort and the pain threatening to crush her, the Faunus gulped and answered.
"I told you, it's already too late."
"I doubt that I will be of much use to you." Before long, Weiss found herself trussed up and marched before someone she believed was the ringleader. The limo had pulled off on a road that was more mud than dirt and doubled back around, heading for the granaries and storehouses at the outskirts of Atlas. They were empty this early in the Spring- filled instead with what seemed to be every Faunus from the northern continent. "My father and I aren't on the best of terms. You might get a ransom as long as it isn't too exorbitant. But if you want concessions made for the Faunus workers, you're better off having me as an advocate rather than a hostage."
In all honesty, Weiss wasn't sure it would matter either way. Her words meant little to the CEO of their family's company, and she suspected her life as his daughter was worth even less.
"I wouldn't sell yourself short, my lady." The voice behind the machine intoned- thought from what she'd seen thus far, he was little different in person. As robotic as before, it wasn't even the standard White Fang disguise that hid his expression. Rather, his face appeared to be a mask of flesh set into a permanent look of apathy. "You are more than a personage or a mere name. I have a far more useful purpose for you."
Weiss frowned for the first time since her entrapment. If it had been anyone else telling her this, she might have been delighted to be distinguished from her infamous family. But beyond the circumstances, there was something in the redhead's voice which did not bode well.
"You will make yourself a target long before then." She wouldn't be surprised if someone had noticed her disappearance, and that there was already a plan in place to rescue her. Though this did more to make her nervous than reassure her given of the veritable army of White Fang occupying those storehouses. "You do anything public, and you'll have the Atlas military coming down on your heads. You know that they don't negotiate with terrorists."
But by far, what unnerved her the most was the fact that there were currently none of those armed Faunus to be seen. It was just her and their leader- the one professing to be Adam Taurus. And his sudden, self-assured smile only furthered this awful feeling of foreboding.
"Of course. That is the idea."
She felt cold. Growing up in the sub-zero climate of Atlas, Weiss never felt cold. But now her blood congealed in her veins and her heart choked on the thick sludge.
"What are you saying?" Not even sure she really wanted to know, any of the various scenarios were equally unthinkable. "Do you know how many of your people will die? Even with how many are here- you're going to start a war!"
The answer was out of her mouth before it even registered as a possibility in her mind. She fell to her knees, still with her hands tied behind her back as she dipped her head to the floor.
"You're going to start a war. But you can't win. There's no way. It'll be a massacre. Don't you realize that?"
"Yes, it will."
With shock and horror she went rigid, gaping up at the supposed leader of the Faunus with any such rebuttal caught in her throat.
"They're your own people!" The shrill sound ripped past the blockage and tore at her esophagus. She prayed that her cry would carry to someone outside that little office space- she prayed that there was someone outside to listen and believe her.
"They are my puppets." Cocking his head to look at her, his face twisted itself so that it resembled amusement. "Some of them, literally. The others will soon follow. But for the near future, you shall be my most useful tool, my lady.
"The White Fang can incite violence well enough on their own. It doesn't take much here in Atlas, does it? And with the current upheaval, all one needs is the pretense of a threat against the government and the spark might catch on its own.
"…But why take that chance when I have firecracker right here in my hands?"
He paused in thought as if asking himself this rhetorical question. Then he chuckled, a tidbit of emotion at long last. But it was a joke that the living wouldn't understand. "You know… a long time ago, I had a debate with my partner about the nature of art. I am chagrinned to admit that it took me this long to finally understand… art can be a blast."
"You're mad." Weiss was embarrassed that it took her this long to figure out. But she didn't have time for embarrassment, she needed to find an escape. Trying to reason her way out proved impossible, and she turned to the only option she had left. "-And you're especially insane if you think I'll be your little pawn!"
"Perhaps I am. But the fact is that you don't have a choice."
This self-assured statement further roused her indignation. Why? Because he dared try and control her. That was what her father had tried to do. She had rebelled against him, run away. She could run away from this too.
"-Don't think that I need you to be alive to use you."
Weiss's teeth snapped down on each other instead of her tongue as the man took even this option away from her. She would have even thanked him for reminding her of her rational- except that she would rather die than thank him.
"In fact, you would be doubtlessly easier to manage. Quiet, for one. I also wouldn't have to drag you along; I could just leave you here. Imagine the devastation of the rescue team as they arrive heroically only to find your cooling corpse. Or perhaps I should string out the torment for months, make it public sensation with body parts left all over the city? That should be enough of a scandal for a man such as Jacques Schnee to rile him to action. I dare say the General himself would be forced to get involved.
"Ah, but that is too crude. Too quick, and frankly, unbecoming for a beautiful doll such as yourself. I think it would be far more tasteful if you were to become a turncoat. Picture it: the heiress of Faunus kind's worst enemies leading the rebellion against her own family. What could be more devastating to a man who thought he controlled the world? Not to mention your friends when they find out you betrayed them. It might even be enough to throw Uzumaki off his game…"
"You're a shinobi." This fact clicked into place and finally got the rest of her gears turning. But what emerged seemed even more hopeless than before.
"Of course," 'Adam Taurus' cocked his head somewhere halfway between curiosity and bemusement, like he didn't know what to do with it. "Didn't I mention that?"
"There seemed to have been something lost in translation during our 'introduction'." Weiss practically spat, reluctantly playing into what she felt was a game.
"Oh, right. I suppose I forget that I don't have as many puppets up here as I did in Vale." As he turned to face her stiffly, Weiss was once again given the impression of an inanimate object, of someone pulling the strings in the rafters. "Shame. this one has been useful, if not a little conspicuous. It was too easy for those close to him to realize that 'Adam Taurus' was acting strangely and well… after my cover there was blown, there weren't enough forces left to join in the attack on Vale."
Shrugging indifferently, he left Weiss to infer the rest. Though she wasn't about to shed any tears for a gaggle of dead terrorists. And besides, she wasn't even sure she had the ability to be horrified any longer.
"Oh well. In the end, I suppose it was a good thing since it allowed me to follow the General's retreat and make my way here. The Atlesian Knights and Paladins are truly incredible, aren't they? Even if they are mass produced, they are true works of art. Tireless soldiers, stainless, unflinching.
"-But they will be nothing in comparison to what I will craft once I get my hands on the technology. What do you say, my lady? You could become my masterpiece. I have formulated theories about how to preserve Semblances, and what better one to try than the infamous Schnee Hereditary Glyphs?"
Her revulsion was too much to hide even if she wanted to. Allegories about tools and puppets had suddenly become disturbingly literal. With every answer she received, the immanence and reality of the situation sunk in and she realized that she needed to escape.
"Don't be so quick to refuse my offer. Think about it, I could make you immortal. Invincible. In one fell swoop you could become stronger than your sister, overthrow your tyrannical father. You could even keep your sense of self. I can do that for you. It would be better than simply being my pawn, wouldn't it?"
"That wouldn't exactly be a smart move on your part." Weiss snarled, trying to focus on the seemingly ludicrous argument. Trying to focus on the diversity of objects in the room, their potential uses, the number of exists, the type of restraints, the state of her Aura, the capability of her abductor, the chance of escape and the likelihood that the waiting White Fang wouldn't just gut her the moment she was out of her bonds. "What makes you think I'll remain beholden to you if you give me this 'gift'?"
"No… I suppose it wouldn't be such a great idea. More of a whim, rather. A Risky one." Forgetting himself once again, the one masquerading as Adam Taurus turned to the blank wall and stared through it as if it were a window. "A remnant of human fallacy. I suppose I still have that, even after all this time."
He seemed distracted by this, disturbed. Maybe he was contemplating his goal, with the end being so close in sight. If Atlas were to fall, the rest of the Remnant would not be far behind. And after that? What was his purpose in conquering humanity and Faunus if only to turn them into unthinking dolls with lifelike faces? What was perfection? He had lived a reality without anyone to argue this with him, and he had found it even more intolerable than his partnership with Diedera, eons ago. Now there was a thought. Maybe he had gone mad, and there would be no one to say otherwise.
But Weiss didn't consider any of this.
"THEN YOU CAN TAKE IT TO HELL WITH YOU!"
It shot over her shoulder with a cold wind, whisking her hair which had fallen out of its tight ponytail and giving her the barest of nicks on her cheek. Right under the scar it had also given her.
But the Atlesian Knight she had summoned did far more damage to its intended target. That selfsame blue eye stared down the length of the crystalline blade as it impaled the imposter through the sternum.
Having no time to be impressed with her accomplishment and before it disappeared, Weiss cut her bonds on the extended blade and massaged her stiff wrists. Busy assessing her combat worth, she paused as the disembodied arm and sword fell away in a flurry of snowflakes that defied gravity. She watched the body as it slumped over against the far wall, nonplus nowhere to be found on its waxen face.
Now all she had to do was-
"Mr. Taurus! We heard a noise, is something the mat-?"
Weiss and the intruding Faunus were both caught in the middle of thought, staring at each other with wide eyes and mouths agape as they each prepared to say something that would bring action to this freezeframe.
"And it's a wonder that I prefer inanimate objects…"
"Mr. Taurus, are you alri-"
The Faunus guard was the first and last of them to speak. From his open mouth, the only other thing that emerged was a needlepoint blade.
"Perfectly fine, thank you."
Defying his wounds and all logic, 'Adam' stood up and brushed himself off, ignoring the limp body which fell to reveal another White Fang foot soldier that had been standing behind the first.
-Except that Weiss greatly suspected that like the Bull Faunus, they were not what they appeared to be. She didn't even think that it was a 'they' anymore, much less a Faunus or living being. Her first hint was the summary betrayal of their supposed comrade. The second being the mechanical whir of gears as the blade retracted into their throat and the dislocated jaw snapped shut.
"Although, I greatly dislike being interrupted." He looked at Weiss with the same bland expression, not even bearing the annoyance that he proclaimed. "I trust you understand now what awaits if you irritate me."
"Then I can only hope you don't hold this against me."
Even given this warning, the puppet master could do nothing with his marionette as it was blown back by a glyph which occupied the doorway. Weiss soon followed, snatching up the fallen Faunus's sword on her way out of the office.
Her fluid movement came to a skittering halt the moment she set one foot into the storehouse proper. Dark though it was, she could see the lines of white-masked figures packed side by side like teeth in a grin, and she was sure they could see her as well.
"Crud."
It was just a whisper, but there was no doubt they heard her as the darkness answered back with its own cacophony of noise. The ringing of blades being unsheathed, racking of shotguns and the cracking of knuckles which might bear claws sharper than the second-hand katana in her hand.
And behind her, the sounds of the maestro's deliberate footsteps clacking towards her. There was no way she was getting out of this alive. Not by herself.
"Someone, help me!"
Flummoxed by this plea, several of the White Fang looked at one another as they decided whether to refuse, scratch their heads, laugh, or just gut her. She decided to give them a hand.
"This man is not your leader! This is not Adam Taurus!" Moving attention away from herself, she stepped from the doorway and pointed at the lackadaisical redhead who stepped forth into the dim light. "He wants to destroy you, and he's going to use me as the tool for your demise!"
While it was clear by the audible growls, there were none too few that didn't believe her- not that she could blame them. But along with the preexistent animosities, there had also been those who doubted their new leader. And Weiss's confession took advantage of their mistrust.
"Interesting gambit." 'Adam' commended, staring back at the number of faces which regarded him with suspicion. "But this time, you lose."
An explosion shattered the farthest wall, fire casting dancing shadow puppets on the wall and across her waxen skin. Any and all attention that had been on the escaped fugitive was immediately directed over there.
"The military's attacking!"
No one could be sure where the first cry came from. But it was soon joined by multitudes of others screaming any number of derogatory slurs, harried commands and exclamations of glory. This chain reaction polarized any of the contention between Faunus and destroyed the quantum chance Weiss had of swaying some to her side.
But even as the forces cleared out to deal with the intruders, several scores of White Fang remained stock still like terracotta warriors guarding her tomb.
"Like dogs chasing a squirrel. It would be disappointing, if it weren't so amusing." Not behaving in the least bit amused, the imposter wasn't looking anywhere but her even as the sounds of battle and chaos waged around them in the darkness. "So how does it feel to know that they are fighting and dying over you? Granted, I am sure quite a few would rather see you dead as well. But history will remember the final battle and say that it was sparked from a woman. It tends to be romantic like that."
There was nothing romantic about this that Weiss could see. Just a simple reality, barbaric, stilted, short, and solitary. She would have really liked for her team to be here. She was even beginning to miss that quiescent presence in the back of her mind. He never needed to speak, but it would have been nice to hear his voice one last time.
Why? Because Shino would probably have chided her for her foolishness, reminding her not to give up until the very end.
Like this thought, it came crashing in. Whatever it was, interrupting her nihilism and tossing several of the White Fang automaton over their heads whereupon they were dashed against the far wall. As the spray of gears clattered against the floor and the oil slowly dripped, the figure rose to greet them.
Weiss was shocked. Not only for her deliverance, but for the first true emotion she glimpsed manifested on the shinobi's borrowed visage. A twinge of surprise, then annoyance as he recalled the rest of his mechanical army into a defensive ring around him.
"How annoying."
Even if he was as undead as he claimed to be, Weiss had no idea how the man could still be so calm in the situation. Her own rational and bearings had been scattered like cockroaches in the lamplight as she stared upon this brilliant figure.
The Aura which surrounded them was unlike anything Weiss had ever seen- yet at the same time, somehow as familiar as the person who wore it. Although, it still took her a little while to recognize who it was under that cloak of crimson fire. She was deceived, not only by the primordial power which cast both light and shadow on every corner, but the ferocious snarl which occupied her innocent visage.
"Ruby?" Weiss rasped. The little girl had stolen her breath from her and used it to fuel the flames, transforming her into a beast.
"LET HER GO!" Heedless of her whisper, Weiss's partner growled with fangs bared at her kidnapper.
"How annoying," However, the shinobi was all but unaffected, almost as if he'd seen it before. "But I suppose, predictable. You weren't supposed to be here, Kyuubi. But then again, when has logic kept the story from repeating itself?"
Ruby replied with a primal yell that nearly whisked Weiss off her feet and tore the sheet-metal walls from their buttresses. White as a sheet, she was once again forced herself to assess her options, only to find that the list had shrunken.
"After all, none of us are in control here."