Chapter 19

Each person had their own special way of dealing with doing something rather dramatic or violent. Some people drowned the memories away in booze, other people found a partner and engaged in some carnal pleasures of the flesh, but it was a rare enough thing to find them sitting quietly under a tree and cleaning their most prized possession. Yet here Naruto sat, his sword resting gently in his lap as he ran a soft cloth over the blade's edge while making sure to clean the blood out of the dust mechanism that ignites the blade in fire. Just a few hours ago, or more like the other night but he hasn't slept so he doesn't count it as a previous day, Naruto had slaughtered an entire group of White Fang extremist down to the last man. He engaged their leader, played with his mind for just a bit, and then stabbed him through the heart before calling it a night. Still, Naruto felt guilty.

Don't jump to conclusions too quickly, because he didn't feel guilty about all the lives he'd taken just hours ago. Those people kidnapped his friends, friends that he hadn't intentionally thought of making when he first infiltrated Beacon, and signed their lives away the moment they said they would publicly execute said friends. They were little more than savages in Naruto's eyes. What Naruto did feel guilty about, what his tired mind wouldn't allow him to forget, was what happened after all the killing was said and done. His friends, those that had never taken human or faunus life, looked at him in a way Naruto had yet to experience before. They'd been afraid of him, or more specifically they were afraid of what they saw him do. Everyone aside from Blake, who had seen her own fare share of violence, couldn't even look him in the eyes. Not even Yang.

"They don't understand what was about to be done to them," Naruto tried to reason with himself, "They've never experienced how horrible people can be. They just don't understand."

Naruto's hands were moving on autopilot now, not even paying attention to how he moved the cloth against the blade. It didn't help that he was also very tired by now, he could feel his eyes growing heavier and heavier as the minutes ticked by, and by this point he was only staying awake through sheer force of will. Despite what his team and friends may no doubt think of him, despite the fact that they watched him butcher people, Naruto swore that he wouldn't rest until he saw them again. This was proving to be easier said than done considering they were taken to the Vale County Hospital and were yet to be allowed to receive visitors.

"Ouch!" Naruto let out a small cry, looking down to see the cloth in his hand had been split in two and he'd end up cutting himself on his own sword; maybe it wasn't such a good idea to clean his weapon while he was struggling to stay awake.

The sound of a message coming to his scroll quickly drew Naruto's attention away from his barley bleeding hand, although he was careful to wrap it before moving to see who had messaged him about what. Naruto felt his heart skip a beat as his eyes scanned over the words, only to read over them again just to make sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him.

"The doctors say they can have visitors now. I'm with Yang and Ruby now but they're both still asleep."

Blake

Naruto was on his feet in a matter of milliseconds, scrambling to sheath his sword as he made a beeline for his dorm room for a quick shower and a change of clothes. Legends would be told about how quickly he moved through the school, running along walls to pass a large crowd of students and literally scaling up the side of the dorms when the elevators wouldn't come fast enough. With a new set of clothes, a bandage around his cut hand, and a quick shower to wash away the stink, Naruto decided it would be a good idea to take a shortcut instead of running through the school once more. Team CFVY, who was just getting back from a mission and was heading to their own room, bore witness to Naruto jumping out of his rooms window. Thankfully he landed on a tree branch that was rather close by, but that didn't slow him down in the slightest.

"Damn, hey Velvet isn't that the guy you were telling us about?" Coco asked, tipping down her sunglasses as they all watched Naruto land in a roll before seamlessly taking off into a sprint towards the transports.

"Y-Yea," Velvet stuttered out, not knowing what to think of what she just saw, "What could he be in such a rush for?"

"A girl, most likely," Coco chuckled, "Only a girl could make someone move that fast and with no sense of self preservation."

"Coco, be serious," Velvet half whined; Coco had to make everything so embarrassing.

"Heh, mark my words, that boy's got a girl on his mind and nothing's standing in his way."

For as sure as Coco had called it, Naruto practically held a gun to the pilot's head and ordered him to take off. This was a bit dramatic of course, Naruto didn't even own a gun, but the pantated Branwen glare had been just as persuasive as any weapon. While he didn't know how Yang and the rest of them would act around him from now on, he was determined to at least be there for them as much as he could.

When Naruto finally did get to the hospital, having snuck in through the back to avoid the literal shitstorm of reporters wanting to interview the victims of the White Fang's latest terrorist attack, it didn't take him long to find out what rooms each of his teammates were in. Needless to say, Yang and Ruby's room was Naruto's first stop, to which he stumbled in to find both girls still sound asleep and Blake sitting in a chair with a book in hand. The faunus girl looked a lot more well rested than Naruto did, that's for sure, but that didn't stop the frown from forming her face at the sight of his baggy eyes and tired smile.

"You haven't slept," it wasn't a question; only an idiot would look at Naruto and think he'd gotten a full night's rest.

"Not in the slightest, not while my team was in the hospital," Naruto grumbled as he pulled up a chair next to Blake, who was subsequently sitting next to Yang's bed, before reaching out to take the unconscious girl's hand in his own.

"Well you're not going to be any good to us if you're dead on your feet," Blake pointed out, watching as the tension left Naruto's shoulders and his eyes began to flutter.

"I'm…(YAWN) fine," Naruto went limp not a second later, his head landing right on Yang's lap while he stubbornly held onto her hand, leaving Blake all on her own once more.

As if Yang knew that Naruto had just fallen asleep, despite the fact that she herself was still very much unconscious, the girls lilac eyes fluttered open to the site of a still very boring hospital room. She'd hoped, beyond all hope, that when she woke up she would be back at Beacon and in her own bed. Because frankly, no matter what anybody would tell you, hospital beds very much suck and Yang had enough back problems as it was.

"Well look who's finally awake, feeling rested?" Blake asked her other partner, putting a bookmark in her spot seeing as it was doubtful she'd get back to it anytime soon; especially now that Yang was awake and she'd no doubt have a lot of questions.

Yang looked around with glassy eyes, still not quite fully awake and aware of her surroundings, but found that when she tried to lift her hand she couldn't. It was probably because Yang was still half asleep that she didn't immediately recognize the fact that Naruto was laying his head on her lap and holding her hand. Who knows what kind of reaction she would've had if she was clear minded, but perhaps that was for the best.

"How long have I been out?" Yang slurred just a bit, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with her unoccupied hand before reaching over to a tray to grab a small cup of water the nurses had left behind.

"Well, after all the checkups the doctors ran on you, the majority of the day. Ruby's been out about the same amount of time, although she was a bit more restless than you were and took a minute to fall asleep," Blake replied, wondering just how long it would take Yang to remember all that had happened last night and what she'd seen Naruto do; not to mention how the other blonde would react to it.

"My head is still a little foggy from those pain meds they gave me," Yang grumbled, "Not to mention now I have a nasty headache."

"You're probably just dehydrated, drink some more water."

Yang did just that, refilling her cup no less than four times and downing them equally as quick, getting about halfway through her fifth cup before deciding to slow down and sip it. Unfortunately, once her brain finished waking up and the headache subsided enough for her to think clearly, all the events from the previous night came rushing back like a movie played on fast-forward. Although two memories were painfully clear. The first being when that Adam guy stomped her into the ground and the second being when she saw her partner, plus not so low-key boyfriend, slicing his way through a whole bunch of White Fang members like a blender. It was like she was watching it in slow motion now, each time his blade sliced through a living person and ripped the life right out of them, staining the ground red. For a moment, the briefest of moments that made icy fingers clenched around Yang's heart, she wanted to rip her hand away from Naruto's grasp.

It was no secret that Yang's dad had raised her and her sister to stand on the moral high ground, much to her uncle Qrow's irritation that they weren't being prepared for the real world, and as such she was always taught that killing another person was a bad thing. This was especially important considering Yang's semblance and how quick she was to anger when she was little. Yet here was someone that she cared deeply about, even admired to a certain extent, and she'd seen him butcher people with such ease. Yet, on the other hand, what little real-world experience Yang did have couldn't help but point out that Naruto had come in guns blazing to save them. He didn't do it because he found joy in it, he didn't do it for some sick pleasure, he did it to save them. Naruto Uzumaki, the one person Yang felt like she could possibly be in a real relationship with, went up against a dangerous terrorist organization just to save his friends.

"Yang?" Blake asked, a bit of concern in her tone when she saw the girl freeze up and her eyes flashed crimson for the briefest of moments.

Yang took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and just let go of all the negative crap that was flowing through her head at the moment, "I'm fine, everything just came back to me but I'm fine."

"Do you want to talk about it; about what happened last night?" one of Blake's catlike ears twitched just a bit; Yang assumed that means she was nervous, or maybe she just heard something.

"I just need to know one thing," Yang began, reaching out and running her fingers through Naruto's spiky hair, "When he heard the news, that we'd all been taken and were gonna be executed on live TV, how did Naruto react?"

Blake seemed to take a minute to consider her words, or she was just trying to remember one specific part of a really long night, "He was angry, angrier than I'd ever seen him before, but he was also focused. He was on the move the moment Adam's broadcast ended, saying that first he was gonna save you guys and then he was gonna rip his way through any White Fang member that stood between him and Adam. His exact words were that no one attacks those he cares about and lives."

Yang sat there and absorbed Blake's words, her gaze never tearing away from Naruto's peacefully sleeping face. She knows those words should've made her a little concerned about the lengths Naruto would go to, but instead she just felt butterflies in her stomach and her heart skip a beat. More importantly, she felt complete. Unfortunately, now that her little mental battle about Naruto was taking care of, Yang's mind instantly zoned in on one other very important fact.

"You kissed my boyfriend," the way she said it was so casual, but the way Blake's entire face lit up and she practically leapt out of her chair was anything but.

"W–W–What!?" Blake hissed, actually hissed like a cat, and thankfully didn't wake up the now passed out Naruto or the lightly snoring Ruby.

"You. Kissed. My. Boyfriend," Blake felt like each word was another nail in her own coffin, she had to think of a way to explain this that didn't end up with her being thrown right out the hospital window.

"It's not what you think!" Blake somehow managed half whisper and half shout, displaying more emotion now then Yang ever remembered seeing before.

"Oh really, I could practically see your toes coil from where I was tied up," Yang spoke so evenly, so unnaturally calm, that it very much unnerved the cat faunus, "In fact it could've sworn that steam was coming out of all four of your ears."

"No no no no no no! That was just to throw Adam off his game, to make him angry and unbalanced!" Blake's face was now completely red, her life was flashing before her very eyes, and she feared what Yang was going to do to her.

"Are you sure, maybe that idea of a Blake sandwich is finally starting to sound pretty good in your head."

Blake's panicking mind ground to a halt at the near cheshire cat smile that almost cut Yang's face writing two. Yang was teasing her, she was being teased, the nerve of this girl! Blake had her arms on Yang shoulders in a matter of seconds, violently shaking her with enough force to somehow knock Naruto right out of his own chair and send him sprawling across the ground with a startled grunt.

"You. Are. The! WORST!" Blake shouted in a very uncharacteristically emotional tone, which somehow Ruby still managed to sleep through even while Naruto was forced to pick himself up off the ground with a rather annoyed look on his face.

Any scathing mark Naruto is about to make was instantly cut off by the sound of Yang's happy laughter, which was like sweet music to his ears. Blake finally seemed to have enough of throttling her more annoying partner and decided to just leave the room with a huff, refusing to look at the now awake Naruto as to hide her still blushing face. She'd get her revenge on Yang, marker her words!

"That girl really needs to learn how to take a joke. As if I'd be that insecure about one little kiss," Yang laughed a bit to herself before turning her attention fully to Naruto.

"Yang..." Naruto tried to begin, only to be silenced when Yang held up her hand and beckoned him forward.

Naruto was about to speak again, now that he was sitting back in his chair, only for Yang to suddenly reach out and pull his head back down onto her lap, "You don't have to explain anything, not right now at least. You came for us, you fought a small army for us, and from the looks of it you haven't slept since yesterday. So just lay there, close your eyes, and don't worry about it for now. We'll all still be here when you wake up."

Whether it was because he was running on fumes or Yang's rather touching words, Naruto lost his ability to speak and finally allowed himself to willingly slip away into dreamland. He felt like a burden had been lifted from his shoulders, one he didn't even know he was carrying, but he could finally sleep while knowing that those he cared about would be alright. He was out like a light, falling asleep to the feeling of Yang running her delicate fingers through his hair.

"I love you," Yang whispered before she closed her own eyes and just relaxed.

Blake watched the whole thing from just outside the door, having cracked it just enough to peer in, wishing that those words could have been directed at herself as well.

"What am I gonna do now?"

Salem wasn't normally one for nostalgia, in fact she hated being reminded of the past almost as much as she hated the past itself. It was an embarrassment, it made her heart clench with a dull pain, while also turning the blood in her black veins into rivers of lava. Ever since gaining her immortality, ever since diving into the black pits in a vain attempt at finally ending her own life, the need for basic human functions no longer applied to her. She didn't need to eat, years of trying to starve herself made that painfully apparent, and as such her body produced no waste. She also didn't need to sleep, or more like she could choose if she slept or not, which she only ever did when she was first reunited with Ozma. Her castle, which she built from the ruins of her old home, had many bedrooms in which those loyal to her could utilize for their own needs. Salem even had her own room, even if she didn't really require it, and it had long since been unused. Yet, for the first time since it was created, Salem opened its doors with just a twist of her hand and a wave of magic; the torches within lit up with a dark purple fire while a massive crystal hung from the ceiling and radiated the same purple light. What can she say, she was feeling nostalgic.

With little more than the throwaway thought, the loops and braids in Salem's hair unraveled themselves and allowed the delicate strands to fall loosely around her shoulders. Just as her body seemed frozen in time, wanting for nothing, Salem's hair remained as smooth and silky as it had ever been. Next came her long and delicate dress, the same one that she'd worn for hundreds of thousands of years, which slipped off her body like water being ran over a rock. Even with the dark veins criss crossing across her body, or the fact that her skin was so pale that a corpse would be jealous, Salem was still a sight to behold for those that desire the darker things in life. Yet still, despite finally changing her appearance after so long, Salem's face remained a stony mask of indifference. Even when she approached her bed, one modeled after the one she had first shared with Ozma before his first untimely death, no one could see what was going on within her mind. For if they did, if for even a second they could see through Salem's eyes as she looked down upon that bed, they would see a young man and a young woman holding each other close while being as naked as the day they were born.

"How innocent we both were back then," Salem spoke to the ghosts of her past, remembering how so naively in love she was with a man that was as equally in love with her.

She didn't hate Ozma for those first few hundred years after their rather explosive breakup, not to the extent that she did now at least. The death of her children had been a horrible horrible accident, to which they both shared the blame, but she didn't hate him. It was Ozma's next reincarnation that first came after Salem with anger in his heart, fighting his way back to their destroyed home in search of any clues as to where Salem might've gone, only to find her still there. After fighting through the Grimm that had flocked to her, single-handedly no less and with his magic blazing like a fiery beacon, Ozma found her standing in the only room that was untouched by their battle. A large bedroom, decorated in many different colors and with many different toys still scattered around to the day, but most importantly it had four beds all in different corners of the rooms.

Salem had been just standing there, like a living statue, with her long white hair hanging down around her face like a veil. And like a match being blown out by a strong wind, all that righteous anger left Ozma and left behind the hollowness that was clearly present in Salem's eyes. She remembered the sound of him dropping his sword, of removing the well forged steel plated armor, and then on how he moved to stand next to her. They didn't fight, they didn't speak, they didn't even so much as look at each other, but what they did do was something that Salem will never forget. At the same time, moving like mirror images of one another, the two now childless parents simply stood there and held hands. Ozma's will had been so strong back during those days, he had been like a mountain standing in the way of a hurricane. He didn't move from his spot until his body finally gave out, dying only a few days later from dehydration of all things. Salem finally moved after his soul had gone off to find another body, taking the one that had stood next to her and placed it on his old throne. She then sat on hers, folded her hands into her lap, and waited.

Salem's mind came back to the present, her stony mask cracked as a small tear slid down her cheek, before she sat down on her bed and eventually laid down in the same position that her past self once did. So much time had passed since then, so much regret, so much depression and so much anger, and she was just so tired now. It's why she so desperately, even if to her that meant thousands of years of planning, was trying to gather all the gods' relics. She wanted those brothers to return, she wanted them to find Remnant still wanting, and she wanted them to end it all. Ozma had put it best during one of his earlier reincarnations, as much as it had angered Salem back then. This war between them, was little more than history's longest suicide attempt.

"But maybe now I'll have a different way, a way to finally get what I want," Salem spoke to herself, another bad habit that had come from years of being alone before humanity had crawled itself out of the mud once more, "Pure destruction, down to its very core. It might just be enough, but just in case it isn't I'll still collect all the relics. One last slap in Ozma's face, one last story to end this fairy-tale."

Salem turned over so that she was lying on her back, her arms and legs spread out across the black silk sheets, as she effortlessly used her magic to build a figure hovering above her. Crimson eyes stared down into scarlet pools while a strong muscular frame hovered above a feminine one. Salem had witnessed his slaughter of those pesky White Fang, especially the way he so effortlessly killed their leader. The death of Adam was no consequence, his purpose was to merely put Naruto on the board like the rest of them. Sure the young Branwen may just be a pawn right now, but isn't a pawn the most tricky piece in the game? While on their original side they are little more than a sacrificial piece, but if they make it into the lands of the enemy then they can become something truly magnificent.

"To think, Ozma's meddling could make something so wonderful. If he hadn't tried to make those two brats into his agents, then you wouldn't be here," Salem's mask broke once again as her eyes softened and a smile tugged at her lips.

"I know what Ozma will eventually have you do and when he makes his move, when he convinces you to come to me and be his little spy, I'll be waiting with open arms."

Salem had no idea if she was still capable of love, if it hadn't been deformed and twisted along with her body, but perhaps she could love the one that could one day give her peace. Maybe, just maybe, she'll find a reason to live and love life.

"Oh, death," Salem hummed gently, "Don't you spare me over another year."

Ozpin was a man of refined taste, being alive since before the current incarnation of humanity would do that, and as such he often found himself enjoying the more expensive things in life. A well cooked steak, a glass of red wine, and Ozpin was a happy man for the rest of the day. Although before he would go out to some fancy restaurant or some other high dining place, Ozpin now had his meals delivered to him directly and personally selected what wine he felt like drinking. This refined taste also transmitted over to the clothes he wore, the type of sunglasses he fancied, and even the coffee he drank. It may seem rather funny, but he also preferred that his agents be the best of the best as well, settling for nothing less. So now, as he sat in his tower enjoying his lunch, Ozpin found his mind wandering down many different paths.

Raven, one of the most skilled close quarters fighters he'd ever have the privilege of training, had unknowingly proved him right about her children being special. Yang was a skilled fighter, Ozpin was under no delusion that she got her temperament from her mother and skill from her father, but the truly amazing one was her son. There weren't many people alive that could take on so many fighters, let alone while being so young, and come out with virtually no injuries to speak of. Not even Raven, for all her natural talent with the blade and killer instincts, had even been close to what Naruto seemed to possess at such a young age. That's why, ever since he woke up this morning, Ozpin has been thinking about in what manner he could employ the young Branwen.

Ozpin's first thought was to make him an enforcer, a frontline fighter that could act as a hammer against Salem's forces, but that idea was quickly thrown right out the window. He had plenty of enforcers, technically he had four schools worth of enforcers but that was beside the point, and it would be a waste of Naruto's other talents. To put it simply, Naruto had seemingly infiltrated the Academy personally overseen by Ozpin himself and blended in rather spectacularly. He'd given almost no indication away that he was nothing more than another headstrong student. A natural born spy if given the right motivation.

The sound of the elevator to his office ringing drew Ozpin's attention away from his rather excellently cooked steak and gave him just enough time to focus his mind before both Qrow and Glynda marched right in. It was evident by the way he was swaying that Qrow had been drinking, which wasn't all that much of a shock to those who actually knew the man, and Glynda still had that ever present scowl on her face. From the looks of things, Glynda finally finished cleaning up that little mess that those annoying White Fang left behind, to which it was no wonder she looked more aggravated than normal.

"Ms. Goodwitch, Mr. Branwen, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company during my lunch break?" Ozpin inquired passively, his hands already moving on autopilot to cut another piece of juicy steak before washing it down with a small sip of wine.

"We were able to keep Mr. Uzumaki's name out of both the police reports and the press, which wasn't easy by any means considering the police commissioner is up for reelection and doesn't think it's a good idea to lie to his own superiors. Unfortunately, the parents of the students involved have been calling almost nonstop demanding answers. In the case of Mr. Xiao Long, he threatened to come to the school and throw you out your own window if you didn't call him back today," Glynda replied as dutifully as ever, transferring the necessary files from her scroll to Ozpin's main computer.

"And you, Mr. Branwen?" Ozpin's gaze shifted over to Qrow, who was busy stuffing his flask back inside his jacket.

"Oh me?" Qrow asked, rather mockingly as he dumbly pointed a finger at himself, "I'm just wondering why the hell my nieces were involved in a near public execution."

"Qrow," Ozpin tried to begin, only for the younger man to walk over and slam his hands down on the headmaster's desk.

"Don't Qrow me! You told me they'd be safe here! Hell, why wouldn't they be safe here of all places?! Yang I can understand, she's old enough to make her own choices by now, but you promised me that Ruby would be safe!" Qrow snapped, being more than a little drunk and so much more than a little pissed off.

"It wasn't his fault that these things happened," Glynda tried to but in, it was more reflexive than anything else but Qrow didn't quite see it that way.

"If I wanted your opinion on the matter, I'd fucking ask for it," the glare Qrow sent her was soul piercing.

Meanwhile, Ozpin slowly put down his fork and knife before folding his hands together in front of him, matching Qrow's gaze without even blinking. After all the things that Ozpin has seen and done in his life, a drunk and angry Qrow was about as dangerous to him as a kicked puppy. Still, he couldn't afford to lose Qrow as a subordinate and he did trust the man to some extent.

"You're right," Ozpin said with no small amount of conviction, "I promise you that your family would be safe here, a promise that I failed to keep. If not for the efforts of one of our other students, then I dare say we would be burying seven bodies today. I did fail you Qrow, for that I am truly sorry, and I'll do whatever it is in my power to regain the trust that I've broken."

"It's not gonna be that easy this time, not after I nearly lost what little family I have left," with his peace said, Qrow turned around and began swiftly marching back towards the elevator.

"What are you gonna do, Qrow?" Ozpin asked.

"What do you think I'm going to do? I'm gonna try and convince my brother-in-law not to come here and kill you, while also trying to convince myself not to let him," Qrow answered without even looking back, slamming his hand on one of the buttons once he was inside the elevator and not turning around to the door slid shut.

Ozpin missed the way Qrow sobered up and smirked on his way out. Cover still intact.

"He's not wrong," Glynda spoke up, "You've been acting strange lately, giving orders that I never thought you'd give."

Ozpin let out a deep sigh as he reached over to take another sip of wine, "You're quite right, Ms. Goodwitch. I have been acting out of line lately, ordering others to do things that they are uncomfortable with and acting so much like our shared enemy. I think it's about time I start correcting some of these mistakes. Start by removing the cameras hidden within Mr. Uzumaki's dorm room."

"Sir?" Glynda asked, not sure how she personally felt about that given her own recent hobbies.

"After last night's events, Mr. Uzumaki has proven to be trustworthy in my eyes.. In fact, given the skill he displayed, I think I'll take a much more active role in his education," Ozpin said before he felt something wet run down his hand, but when he looked over he saw that a small crack had developed in his wine glass and allowed the red liquid to run all over his hand.

"How frustrating."

I know it took a while to get this one out, not to mention my reviews for the last chapter almost doubled, but here's the beginning of the aftermath. Personally I'm not sure if I should take it slow with this portion, really get everyone's perspective on recent events, or dive head first into season two. Also, for those wondering when the long awaited lemon seen between brother and sister (you perverted wonderful readers) will take place, I plan on having it some time during this season. So anyways, R&R if you would be so kind.