~NRK~
Tuesday morning found Obito working out in the basement portion of his home/store, the man sweating.
The area below had become a workout area for him to do quick sessions with him being away from his actual training spot.
Wearing a pair of weighted pad's on his biceps, shins, and abdomen, he went through a series of 200 push-ups before pushing up off the floor into a standing position.
He wiped off the sweat on his form after traveling to a nearby table with a one-gallon jug of water, and a towel, on it.
"There, today's session is done," he said routinely, a thing he'd picked up after ending any training session. "What time is it?" Obito wondered as he picked up his Scroll from a jacket he hung on the back of a chair. "Mmm, noon, time for my lunch break."
He jumped and phased through his floors before landing in his apartment and taking a shower.
Ten minutes later, he was in a black t-shirt and dark blue pants that tied off at his ankles.
Putting on his blue shinobi sandals, Obito hummed as he dried his hair one more time before jumping and phasing onto his roof.
Landing in a crouch behind an air duct, Obito smiled at the winds he felt as he walked to the front portion of the roof.
A nice windy day to find a place to eat at-
"Oh, yo, Obito!" Came a call from below, getting him to look down to see a familiar 'white' half of a twin. "Got some time?"
Obito jumped down and landed moments later with little issue as he turned to meet Melanie. "What's going on… And why are you dressed like you're going on a date?"
Wearing a strapless white dress, with a black band around its midsection, Melanie Malachite tapped her black open-toed heels against the floor.
"One, mom wants to meet ya," the more aggressive twin of the Malachite sisters said with a grin before twirling a bit. "And I'm not, mom likes dresses and stuff so…" She shrugged.
"Hmph, trust me, I know what it's like wanting to make your mother happy," Obito said before raising a brow. "What's she want with me?"
"She wants to make a little mini-propo," Melanie said. "Turns out, we've got some new faces in town," she said with a sigh. "Real annoying bastards from the old home of Mistral."
Obito's eyes narrowed. "I see… Alright, let's go," he said as they walked off. "... do you even enjoy heels or?"
"Damn right, I do!"
~NRK~
He nodded in the private room, sitting next to Junior and Melanie while, to Melanie's left, was Miltia and then the twins' mother.
Miltia wore what could only be called a red mini-dress, with black stocking, and a pair of bicep-length black arm sleeves that came down to her wrists. Her black loafers bounced a bit as she crossed her legs.
"So, you've got intel that trouble is heading this way?" Obito asked with a frown as Little Miss Malachite, Muffett Malachite, nodded.
Wearing a white, shoulderless bell-sleeved top and a long dark purple skirt that came down to her shins, the woman had transformed from a moderately attractive robust female to a southern belle in all the right ways.
Her small purple bowl hat was tilted as the woman sighed and bounced her crossed legs, white heels on as she scrolled through her Scroll before handing it to Miltia who handed it to him.
Looking at the screen, Obito raised a brow at the young man within.
He had a pale complexion, yellow eyes, and a slightly long face. His hair settled in a short light brown mop atop his head and his eyebrows were littered with little patches of brown scales.
It was a full-body photo, as well. The teen, Obito thought this was a young man, wore a pair of dark brown pants that led down into black boots and a dark green open tunic-like vest that revealed the scars across his chest.
Around his waist, Obito raised a brow at a scorpion tail that he was sure he'd seen in his mother's memories while the boy's hands were dark brown claws that looked reptilian in design.
"Who's this?"
"That young man's name is Gage Gallion, an impossible Faunus crossbreed," she said as Obito noted the boy's weapons.
It was a long saber that was wider by six inches, more of a longsword and saber mix.
It was dark grey for the blade and scaly green for the hand and guard. And Obito meant scaly as both portions looked like scales on his arm. At the beginning of the blade was a hazy purple design that came up to the middle of the four-foot blade.
His other weapon seemed to be a gauntlet for his left arm that was metallic in design but dark green like his other weapon's non-bladed portions. It had a soft-looking black leather for his hands while each finger had a pair of claws above it that had purple crystals at the end.
"He calls them Judge and Gallows," Muffett shook her head. "Kind of morbid but they live up to their reputation," she said with a frown as Obito reciprocated.
"What do you mean?"
"He and the woman in the next picture had been going on a killing spree of the gangs in Mistral," she said as Obito swiped right and his eye widened. "Turns out, they've got a knack for running the underground because they've almost completely got it under their control… oddly."
"This woman…" It was her.
Tock Croc!
She hadn't changed all that much, her hair had simply grown long enough that she let it cover the right side of her head.
Her outfit only had two changes, one being the girdle she used to wear being gone and a new, black-furred, mantle that settled over her shoulders.
"Tock Croc," Obito said with a frown as Muffett nodded.
"This is the woman, yes?"
"Yes, I almost killed her nine years ago," he said, surprising the mob boss pleasantly as her daughters grinned and Junior hummed. "I killed her companion, Norma Valhallan of the Valhallan Raiders, but she got away somehow."
"Hmm, I see," she nodded with a small smile. "You've no clean hands? I'm a little surprised."
"I haven't done any killing ever since then," Obito said as he passed Miltia Muffett's Scroll before leaning back in his seat with his arms, and legs, crossed. "I'm not a hired 'gun', anymore, though… but if these two come here and try to re-enact the event at Shirohana, I'll handle it."
"Hehe~" Melanie grinned as she threw an arm over his shoulders. "Not bad there, Red-Eye, glad to know we've got you on board."
"That's a new one."
"Yup."
"So you can handle these two when push comes to shove?" Junior asked and Obito nodded.
"Is there any information on the boy?" Obito asked and the man sighed with his head in his hands as Miltia shook her head. "Fantastic."
"That's an odd thing about these two," Miltia said. "From what we could gather when we went to visit, the fact remains that no one knows what their abilities are."
"The Tock woman can seemingly become invulnerable," Obito explained, surprising the group before Miltia went to work typing in that information. "It doesn't last that long or must be draining because it makes no sense that she wouldn't use it all the time. There's a limit to it."
"Interesting. That said, the boy is an odd one," Muffett said. "From what taverns are willing to speak about, he's easily angered and she's an enabler. Other than that? They've been looking for gangs, it's one of the reasons why I think we know their names, they want people to find them."
"What we do know is that that kid had some kind of supersensory ability," Junior said. "He's capable of finding people miles away, somehow. This Gage bastard is also single-minded. He's willing to chase you for days and doesn't seem to get tired, he's a real monster."
"I see," Obito hummed. "I'll have to look into crocodiles and scorpion traits. From what I do know is that crocodiles are rather sturdy and have a high healing factor. If that's been ramped up to eleven, and if he has his mother's Semblance in some form, then he's going to be a huge issue."
"Hmph, hmph, I'll keep you updated on him, I'll also add on another favor if you happen to kill them."
"Hmm, actually, Little Miss," Muffett perked up. "Do you guys have people who can deal with security cameras? You know that scorpion girl I told you all to look out for? She came back twice and once with her 'caretaker'," he said with a twitch of the hands as the group frowned. "It seems more and more like more crazies are coming here. That Scorpa girl found me while trailing one of my girls, somehow. And I'm assumin-"
"Hold, girls?" Melanie asked as Obito's face went mute before red crawled up his neck. "Uh, yo, girls?"
"Isn't Velvet your girlfriend?" Miltia asked. "Trust me, Red-Eye, two-timing ain't cool."
"No, wait, while that is true, this is a bit more complicated than that," Obito said with a flat but red face. "... I'm in a five-way relation-"
"Hold the fucking phone!" Melanie's eyes widened along with the rest of the 'mob' crew. "Four fucking women?"
"... Hmmm, I have to assume you're one for old Mistral culture," Muffett said as a fan found its way into her hands, fanning the mother of two. "Goodness."
"I know you've got clones," Junior began with some awe and extra respect. "But how in the world do you get four females to join in on this craziness?"
"... I-It wasn't my idea," Obito said as he shook his head, the four gawking completely. "I-It just happened. I just wanted them all happy."
"Hold the fucking phone, they came to you?!"
"Hehehehe~ I bet they came alright."
"Melanie?!"
~NRK~
The following evening, Obito laid down on his bed, the time 9 pm and his store now closed.
"Ugh," he blushed like an idiot. "Am I… Oh God, what happens when we come out in Atlas?"
The idea had just hit him and now he was trying to find the right way for this to go.
'W-What if we have a kid?' Obito swallowed. 'P-People are going to want to know the kid's dad! Then the whole damn world is going to know!'
To be honest, it really was only a matter of time b-but he wanted to enjoy this with just their close circle knowing!
Obito groaned as he turned face-down in his bed.
'... I'm lonely,' he realized with a blush as he slammed his face into his pillow. 'Dammit! Dammit! I can't get Friday out of my head!'
The idea of resting here with one of his girls, right now, filled him with a lust he'd only recently become familiar with. He didn't want his relationships to fall to him wanting sex constantly!
'... I still want to see one of them,' he realized with a sigh as he picked up his Scroll and looked at it with hesitation. '... dammit,' Obito opened it and looked at his top contacts.
His family came first then it was his girls and next came his 'family', the other people in his life who'd become close to him.
Obito's thumb played eeny-meeny-miney-mo with his contacts before he closed his eye and made the thumb flicker about before pressing a name.
The sound of ringing caused him to look over and his face paled.
N-No… Not Cinder! He was trying to NOT have lusty thoughts, dammit!
Why'd it choose the most voluptuous of his girls?!
-H-Hello? Obito?- Damn his luck. -I wasn't expecting you to call-
"S-Sorry, Cinder, did I wake you?"
-Hmph? No, I was in the middle of some… designing. What's wrong?-
"N-No, nothing's wrong, per se… I just… wanted to see one of-"
-I can come!- She said immediately, shocking him. -I-If you're lonely… let me know-
Obito blushed a bit before swallowing. "A-Alright."
~NRK~
Appearing in Cinder's room, wearing some black shorts and a dark blue yukata, Obito hummed aggressively as he heard movement from behind him.
Cinder Scarlatina stood there, at the door, in some black yoga pants and a crimson red tube-top on, the woman looked embarrassed quite a bit but she smiled at him as she strode forward.
Obito's eye locked onto the naturally swaying hips of his second-oldest harem member, her yoga pants doing him no favors.
… Or, really, it was doing a ton to him but he'd been trying to not have that happen.
Reaching him, Cinder smiled a beautiful smile that tore his will apart, the rubber in his pocket growing heavy with each inch of willpower lost.
"Welcome, H-Hunny," she said with more red on her face even as she smiled triumphantly at his embarrassed expression. "Come," Cinder said as she held her arms out.
Obito was on her in seconds, strong arms rested around her back and Cinder shivered at the warmth that enveloped her.
This was right, it was theirs and theirs alone. This warmth was only meant for three others and one had already become further intertwined with it while another was to do so at the end of the week.
For now? She just wanted to enjoy this little slice of his life before it became her turn.
"Mmmm," she nuzzled his neck a bit, breathing on it, getting a shiver from the man beside her. "Come, talk with me, lay with me," Cinder whispered into his ear and she felt his grip on her lower back gain a possessive strength to it, Obito's arms climbed the entirety of her back and she found her body flush with his. "?!"
Amber eyes locked on to powerful coal, Obito's power had never been a topic that they'd stayed on often… but in this position now…
She knew he had the control, his strong arms along her back were powerful enough to tear apart the area beneath their feet but they were contained, controlled, by a complex mind and a cocktail of emotions.
"Now, now," Cinder whispered to Obito and he froze as her pointer finger tapped his lip, the man's eye snapping to her. "There's such a thing as the ability to wait, O-bi-to-kun~" Sultry, husky, whispers were made to lure and entrap.
Power wouldn't do her any help here, traps, positive reinforcements, prizes, would do her better.
A kiss to his chin as his head turned to her but Cinder smiled and cupped his cheek, Obito's gaze wanting but she knew better.
Even if her body quaked at the idea of trying to wait, even if her own will to perform the act was great and wanting… she had to wait, that was her decree and that would be how it was.
Cinder hummed as she pressed her forehead to his, their gazes locked and she giggled.
Obito knew the arrangement and he'd never break from it… but it was hard, dammit! Cinder seemed to understand it better than he, the woman's smile so fragile, he feared it'd break.
"Not today, not now," she told him as she wrapped her arms around his neck and the back of his head, pressing their noses together. "I want it as much as you do but we. Must. Wait."
Obito growled a bit and Cinder felt her body burn at the sound of it, his hands roaming before she bit her lip as he took control of her rear.
"All of this," he hissed back into her ear and Cinder's eyes widened as he lifted her. "Will be mine soon."
'O-Oh no,' she felt her nether region ache at the idea of him doing this and not bringing her any satisfaction.
"And it will," she said back, their lips meeting between them, his hold on her great and secure. 'Oooooh, don't do this to me…'
These were going to be the most painful two weeks of her life.
He took her to her bed before crawling, and hovering, over her to lock her in with his legs holding her thighs up and his hands by her head.
"I'm going to make sure to plan for each and every one of you from now on," he said, coming down and cupping her chin. "I now know that you all need to be dealt with in special ways and I will find them."
Their lips met and Cinder realized she'd lost control again.
If she was to be ready for her Day, she'd have to build up an immunity to his tricks!
And if that involved kissing that made her knees week, her legs jelly, and her mind foggy? Well, those were the 'downsides' she'd have to deal with.
An hour of making out, aggressive touches, and blatant sexual urges, later found Obito holding the scarred Faunus as they laid down.
Cinder had fallen asleep quickly, the woman nuzzling up to his chest before dozing off.
Right now, Obito was left adoring the woman in his arms and wondering how he'd gained all these females who loved him.
'I wasn't lying,' he thought with a blush as he kissed Cinder's forehead, the woman relaxing further into his grip with a smile on her face. '... I love you… I love all of you,' Obito thought with a soft gaze.
It wasn't really a question, Obito had fallen in love with these women of his and he'd always been left confused as to how. Before, he'd been rather monogamous in his pursuits, he wasn't a skirt chaser or even a pervert… and yet, here he was, with a harem who wanted to be a harem.
The fact alone made him want to laugh too often at how absurd it all was… but he found his feelings circling back to the fact that he loved these women and would do right by them.
Right now? That boiled down to having sex and making sure they enjoyed it and, for that, he'd have to think about it.
Considering the girls' personalities, he'd found Velvet as a good balance. She led while also enjoying being led. She was weak to attacks on her thighs.
He blushed at his calculating thoughts. 'Dammit,' he continued, still.
Vernal was someone who'd want to be in control but, if their kisses in the past told him anything, she enjoyed being challenged and dominated on occasion. She'd concede to the stronger of them at the moment but wouldn't forever.
Cinder… Oh, Cinder. Obito always expected her to be confident out the wazoo and strutting her stuff with a body like hers, but she was far more reserved and willing to submit to his whims. Cinder might be the kind to be dominated completely.
Then there was her opposite, Winter, the to-be CEO of the SDC who'd lead the Dust industry to a bright future… Oh, she was definitely someone who dominated. He'd spoken to Winter on occasion and he'd seen, in bits and pieces, how she enjoyed her job. Maybe she liked the power a bit more than she let on, especially since she was helping people.
Add on that Winter was the one raised to be a leader, it made sense that she might enjoy 'taking the reins' if you will.
His face glowed but his expression was determined.
He'd be damned if he got this wrong!
Cinder sneezed.
~NRK~
Winter Schnee sneezed off to the side, away from her documents.
Grabbing a tissue, she wiped her nose.
'A cold?'
~NRK~
The following Wednesday morning saw him eating breakfast with Cinder and Valour as their mother was off vacationing with Hughes in Vacuo.
Obito had made breakfast for the three of them and the Scarlatina siblings smiled as they ate.
Sitting next to Cinder, with Valour next to her, the three brunettes ate in companionable silence for a few minutes.
"Mmmm!" The 12-year-old rabbit boy made pleased sounds, much to the older two's amusement. "Y-You should teach mom some of these!" He said as he ate his fluffy scrambled eggs.
Obito chuckled along with Cinder as they watched the boy go.
"... Hey, Obito-kun," he blushed a bit before looking at her. "... You know how you told us you could bring a plus one?"
"Yes?"
"... I-If it's fine with you… Please take me," Cinder said, shocking the man.
"C-Cinder, are you sure about that?" Obito asked with a frown as he held her hand, running his thumb across her knuckles. "We both know how it was for you, back there," he said with a frown as she gripped his hand back.
"I-I know… but the girls think I should at least try," Cinder said with a shaky smile. "Add-on that Winter wants us to be able to go over to her resorts every now and then, I don't want to let some fear make me miss out on having fun with my friend."
Ironic as it was, outside of Velvet, Winter was Cinder's most cherished friend.
It was weird, make no mistake, she was a Faunus and the Schnees, back in the day, had been riddled with rumors on how they viewed Faunus.
But, somehow, they bonded. Maybe it was age, maybe height, maybe just because they were the oldest of the four who liked Obito and were capable of bonding over that.
Fact was, she was Cinder's most cherished friend and she didn't want to let Winter down.
"... If you're sure," Obito said with a determined expression that she smiled at. "Alright, Cinder, would you like to come with me, to Atlas, as my plus one?"
She giggled. "I'd love to."
~NRK~
Back in his store, Obito smiled as he went about setting things up when a familiar set of faces appeared in the door.
Saphron waved in her sleeveless orange shirt with white capris and white tennis shoes while another woman looked around his store.
"Saphron, Terra," Obito said with a smile as the other woman smiled back at him, a little baby boy in her arms.
About a year back, Saphron had made them aware of her newest, longest-standing, relationship with Terra Cotta, a widow with a child. Her husband had been a Huntsman who'd died in the heat of a battle three years ago.
It'd been a sad event that Saphron had found her in and, over time, had helped heal her heart while making it bigger for the Arc to fit in.
Terra had milk chocolate-colored skin, calm black eyes, and medium-length black hair that fell to just below her chin. Dressed in a dark blue dress shirt, a pair of black slacks, and some brown slip-on loafers, she adjusted a pair of red frame glasses on her face.
"Obito, I hope business has been going well," she said with a smile and an assured tone.
"I mean, you'd know more than I would," Obito said with a smirk that she reciprocated. "Oh, stockholder."
"I've never made so much money, so easily, as I have with your store," she said with a grin as the little boy in her arms reached out for the sweatdropping Obito. "And Adrian has missed you, hm, hm."
Adrian Cotta was a small 2-year-old boy with wide brown eyes and short black hair. Dressed in a long-sleeved blue-striped top and some blue overalls, he giggled as Obito chuckled and slipped through the counter to hold him.
Terra cleared her throat as Saphron smirked. "S-Still not used to that," she said with a finger scratching her cheek. "Honestly, your powers are truly outstanding."
"I have been told," Obito said with a chuckle. "How's life?"
"Well, I've recently gotten involved in some coding," Terra said as she and Saphron sat down at the counter. "Turns out, in my area, there's been a huge upsurge for coders and since Atlas is literally a boat ride away, they're reaching out."
"Well, ever since that incident with the train last year," the three, Obito himself included, winced at his words. "I'm not surprised, the number of people who likely got fired would open up the space for others."
"Thankfully, the jobs in Argus depend on maintaining the CCT towers," Terra explained and Obito chuckled in relief. "I know, it's crazy to think I could luck out like this… Which is part of why I'm also here," she said with a grin as Obito raised a brow. "Obito, would you like to help me out with this?"
Saphron smiled. "With the way things are going, Terra wants to secure this job just for the sake of the benefits," the chocolate-skinned girl's eyes shone with a hungry light. "So, she thinks, with your Sharingan, if you two learned alongside one another and you beamed her what you understood, it'd be easier."
"Hmph… I don't have an issue with that," Obito said with a nod. "I can just send a clone over. You probably don't know but these types of clones let me learn… Actually, Terra, I might have a better idea for you," the woman blinked as the Arc female's eyes widened.
"I-I totally forgot about that," Saphron said with a blush of embarrassment as Terra blinked at her. "Well, T, Obito's Semblance has more than just hand seal functionality. He can use written symbols to cause the effects of his jutsu."
"... How does this relate?" Terra asked suspiciously as she turned her gaze to Obito who chuckled. "... Something I'll like?"
"Well, it depends on if you really just needed another opinion, how about three more from yourself?" Obito asked with a grin at her confusion as her girlfriend laughed. "Hold on," he held Adrian with one hand before drawing blood from his thumb.
Terra's eyes widened as Obito ran it along the back of his forearm before a puff of smoke came out and he was soon holding a scroll.
"... T-That's new," she said with a stutter as Obito chuckled.
"Terra, do you have her Aura unlocked?"
"I do," she said. "Before he… passed on, Terry made sure that I knew how to defend myself," Terra wore a melancholic smile as Saphron held her shoulder, the darker-skinned woman leaning into her touch. "I have my Aura and everything, I just don't like fighting."
"And that's fine," Obito said as Adrian reached out for the scroll as he unfurled it onto the floor. "Now, push your Aura into the center and, well, you'll gain a better understanding."
Terra looked at the seal with interest before placing her foot atop it and pushing her energy-
"W-What?" She squeaked as Saphron laughed, smoke popping around her. "Is this nor…?!" Terra's eyes went as wide as dinner plates as the smoke cleared to show three very confused copies of herself.
"W-What happened?!" All three shouted as Saphron laughed.
"... O-Obito, what just-"
"This is the Kage Bunshin Fuin Shiki, the Shadow Clone Sealing Formula, in normal language. It's a formula-based technique that applies one of my best cloning skills to whoever's energy is pushed into it."
"... So these are my clones?" Terra asked in shock as she got up and raised her hand, the clones did all forms of different actions, much to her disbelief. "... O-Obito, why did you make clones of me?"
"It's because of the effect of these clones," Saphron spoke up with a grin, gaining all the Terras' attention. "... H-Hmph, when they 'pop', all the information they gain goes back to you," she explained with a blush.
Oh, this had potential.
"... I-I'll need a few copies of the courses," Terra realized a moment later with eyes wide and mind full of possibilities. "How have you not taken over the world already?"
"Snrt," Obito snorted as Adrian looked at all his moms with shock before reaching out towards one and then another. "It's because I wouldn't want to and that'd never leave my conscience even if I did," he said.
"... That's fair."
"Besides, who the hell would want to have all those targets on their back?"
~NRK~
~Naruto Canon~
"Achoo!" Obito Uchiha rubbed his nose with worrying confusion.
"Who the hell is talking about m-"
"W-Who's that?" Came Canon!Kakashi as he looked up from the KIA monument.
"Fuck."
~NRK~
"So, the range for these copies is, give or take, ten meters from the scroll," Obito said as the Terras nodded. "That said, anything they learn, once you dispel them, you learn."
"That's crazy," one of the Terras said.
"I'm surprised they're not calling themselves the 'real' me," Terra said with a nervous smile as one of the Terras shook her head.
"It's… Imagine that you know your purpose from the beginning and know the situation. Trust me, you, whatever, we know how the hierarchy works," the Terra copy said.
"... Fascinating," Terra said. "So, she's me down to the memories?"
"Yes, though, it should be said that they can only take one good hit before dispelling."
"Where do you get all these jutsu from? Obito, you really could change the world," Terra said as Saphron hummed. "I just don't get it."
"One day, eventually," Obito began. "I'll apply for a Huntsman License or, really, I'll probably get one soon and just hold onto it, for a while. It's really me just enjoying life for now."
"You deserve it, trust me," Saphron said as Adrian was taken by a Terra clone who played with 'her' baby. "Any idea on what you'll do once you really get into it?"
"Hmm, I'll probably start my tenure by clearing out the entirety of Patch," Obito said, confusing the women. "I can make more than enough clones, you two, trust me. I'm going to raze their numbers to the ground. I just need to figure out where they're coming from, honestly."
"... That's not a loaded paragraph or anything," Terra said with a chuckle. "Well, thanks for the help. I'll probably need to borrow that scroll-" she found another scroll in front of her. "You make copies, don't you?" She asked with a grin as Saphron snorted.
"So I'm told," he said with a chuckle. "Now, can I interest you in my menu?"
They partook in his suggestion and were soon seated at a booth, the clones long since dispelled as Obito laughed nervously at the fact that he was left with a child… again. He was starting to think the universe was trying to say something.
Adrian giggled and he sighed in amusement before a ring from the door informed him of someone entering.
When he turned, he chuckled at the sight of Oobleck and a familiar redhead in a fish tank.
"Ah, Obito, could you help?"
"One second."
A moment later, Fanny Sails giggled as she looked at the selection on Obito's menu. In her arms was a redheaded child within her arms, the woman's hair color normally red but she'd dyed it when they first met.
The child's eyes were dark green and had Oobleck's fair skin and crazy hair which was red in color. Atop his arms were blue scales while, coming from the boy's backside, was a large fin that looked more like a tail.
"How's it going, you two?" Obito asked the small redheaded boy. "Is Irin, fine?"
"Yes!" Came the boy's cheer and Obito chuckled.
"We're here to relax on our break. Fanny has begun teaching marine warfare, as I've informed you."
"Hehe, I'm glad, most Hunters don't really focus on terrain combat like that. Well, save for those in Vacuo but they're the exception, not the rule."
"Thanks," Fanny giggled a bit. "Apparently, Chieftain Ghira put in a good word for me."
"Well, over the years, we've helped protect the White Fang," Obito said. "Me, you, and Blake were the scouts and field experts, we learned the lands and figured out locations. Add on that, with the new battle squad, the White Fang has a sort of protection and extermination service and your skills have expanded."
"It's certainly interesting teaching at Beacon," the woman said before looking at the candies. "Do you have any coconut candy?"
"I've got it," Obito said as he jumped to the middle of the third of five shelves and pulled off a jar. "This is still kind of new so you'll have to be gentle with my feelings on this one."
Handing her one for a sample, Fanny popped it into her mouth before sucking on it a bit.
"Hmmm, it tastes fine but… I feel like something's off with the texture… Mmm, well, I don't get the flakiness of coconut, maybe it'd be better in a gel form?" She suggested and Obito's eye widened as he cupped his chin.
"That makes sense! Then, all I have to do is make it flake-filled," he grinned. "Thanks."
They did business for a bit before a familiar person came into view.
Qrow Branwen stepped into the store with a serious expression, confusing Obito, before seeing the family and shifting to a bright one.
Did something happen?
"Yo, Bart, what's going on?" He asked and Oobleck smiled.
"Simply spending time with Fanny and Irin," the doctor said. "What of you? I was of the opinion that Glynda and Emerald were in the cafeteria."
"No, it's fine, I was just getting them something a little sweet," Qrow said with a grin as he walked by, hi5ing Fanny before ruffling Irin's hair. "Obi-boy, let me make a special order, yeah?" Qrow asked as he beckoned Obito forward.
Obito raised a brow, holding back a frown as he came forth and leaned in with false amusement on his face.
"What-?"
"..." Obito smiled at the words passed before grinning.
"Alright, let me try that," he said as he moved to the cake display and pulled out a slice of vanilla cake and chocolate cake.
All the while, his mind was awhirl with the news.
That was Tyrian Callows. The girl, Scorpa, is his daughter.
He grimaced for a moment as he turned to a blender by the shelves.
That one who cried so easily? She who was so easily scared?
'She was the enemy?' He thought with a frown. '... Should I have…'
The thought was one that always lived deep in his mind, a mindset, really.
Should he outright kill their opposition to cull Salem's ranks? Scorpa wasn't going to be hard to find, she was in an apartment three blocks away, his senses told him.
Yet… His mind went to his girls and Obito knew that were he to do this, he'd bring back a part of himself that he'd never want them to see.
One might say 'they won't' but these kinds of things had a way of coming out eventually, he knew it would.
Vernal wouldn't really care, he was sure that she'd actually be MORE for it if it was him killing for the sake of a good cause.
Winter… He's not sure what Winter would do if she knew. She was logical, smart, and understood, on a certain scale, that some people were bad eggs… But to kill someone? He knew she'd need more time to actually come around to the idea.
Cinder… Obito had a feeling that Cinder would follow him through hell itself if he so deemed it. Cinder was devoted in a way that made him worry at times but deeply touched him.
… But, even with all that said, there was one who knew he wouldn't, couldn't, betray like this.
He couldn't do that to Velvet. That kind girl who'd grown strong but hadn't become that 'strong'. Obito never wanted to hurt any of the girls but Velvet… He knew he'd break if she'd cried because of him.
He'd never recover.
~NRK~
Thursday night they hummed as the bullhead moved on, a bribed man their ride as he guided them through Vale waters illegally.
"We're almost there," he said as they passed over the land before reaching the airspace of Vale, the city, proper. "You know what the deal is, can't land."
"Yeah," Tock Croc said with a wave as he opened the side haul door. "Gage! Wake your ass up, we're here!" The mother of two shouted at the seat next to a vacant one, the boy in it snorted and jumped awake.
"B-Buwah!" He jumped off his seat before slamming into the bullhead floor. "O-Owwwwww."
"Don't be a bitch, just get up," she said as her mantle flapped in the wind. "You're about to see your dad, aren't you-"
"Dad?!" His head snapped up before he jumped to his feet. "W-Where?! Down below?!"
"Wait, you idi-" Tock made to shout but the boy jumped out without a second thought. "... I really shot that out my puss? Really?"
"... Shouldn't you follow him?" Came the pilot's question.
"... Nah, it's, what, three blocks from the location? He'll find his way there," she said with a sigh. "You know, I'd kill you if it wasn't for the fact that you're a reliable ride."
"Quiet as crystal."
"Fucking right, Gage already locked onto your signature, he'll know where you are no matter where."
"Hey I'm scum but with standards, I don't exactly snitch on my passengers."
"... Whatever, I hate you on principle, all but no offense."
"Have a nice day."
She jumped out above an apartment building.
'Ugh, I'm way too fucking taut right now.'
The plan to take over Mistral was underway, the continent of the underground was controlled through said position. To take it over meant to take over the black market, slave trade, and bandits.
Right now, they had to deal with the slave trade, many of those useful slaves being worth their lives in energy.
The market was more… ugh, technical. Gods, wasn't it supposed to be illegal. Where'd all that fucking paperwork come from?!
She kissed her teeth as she landed atop the roof with nary a sound. 'The big bandits, though, they're trouble.'
As it turns out, two of the three large bandits had been dealt with. The Valhallan Raiders had been destroyed years ago. The Cain Convent was all that was left and had been rather silent and kept to themselves in their hidden spot.
Finally, the Branwen Tribe had given up the life of banditry, worryingly. It'd be a shock to think they came out into the light as the Raven Envoy, the group had quickly earned a reputation and moving 'village'.
Tock's eyes narrowed. 'It's a good thing that bastard didn't come with any other members of his kind,' she thought. 'Though it was nice seeing that cunt be worried for once,' Croc thought with a grin as she entered the building through its roof door.
Going down the stairs, Tock remembered the text she'd been sent and entered the top floor door before heading down the hall.
Knocking on a door, it opened to reveal her daughter whose eyes widened.
Croc sighed as she was enveloped in an embrace that had a blubbering young adult around her.
Gods.
~NRK~
Gage was lucky he held off the trash with his Aura, keeping that stench on his body was bound to get a yelling and a cold night outside.
'Guh, mom, don't do that,' he thought as he mentally imagined what'd happen as he walked down the street, passing all kinds of 'normal' people that had his head on a swivel. 'So many people.'
Outside of their Goddess, Uncle Reinhart, Scorpa, and their four older 'aunts', Gage hadn't met that many people. Their Goddess had said that they wanted people from every Kingdom but getting ones in Vacuo and Atlas were difficult.
So, they were supposed to take over Mistral for now as it was the easiest Kingdom to do so.
His stomach growled and he groaned as he walked before Gage's eyes widened at a set of sweet smells just a bit away.
Normal-pupil having yellow eyes turned to see an orange and dark blue place that had a pinwheel, that looked recently-attached, on the sign.
Kamui Candy
He hummed at the idea before walking forward and activating one of the gifts his goddess gave him.
It was a skill that allowed people to not pay much attention to him even if they were speaking directly to him. It was supposed to deny 'spirited' individuals, the most notable ones who'd know of him's, mind on his appearance.
So, as he went in through the store's front, he saw an employee, or the manager, at the counter, talking to a girl with green hair.
"I'm going to go on a little trip around the country with mom, bro-bro, I'm going to start 'getting into my skills' now," Emerald said with a small smile as she sucked on a lollipop. "Also, it turns out that my 'skills' work better in the forests."
"Gotcha," Obito said with a smile as he turned to the door before his expression froze. '... You've got to be fucking kidding me.'
There he was, Gage Gallion! Why the hell was he in his shop?!
Coming up to the counter, where Obito's smile was stuck on his face, he sat down with a loud growl that got a blink from Emerald.
"... Uh, yo, you okay, buddy?" She asked around her candy as she held a bag in front of her, the parchment bag having a pinwheel emblem on it. "You sound like an Ursa's in your belly."
"Hungry…" The young man said as Obito blinked at him before sighing.
"What do you want?" He asked as the young man, or he was a teen, looked up at him. "We sell sweets, cakes, coffee, and normal sandwiches."
"... uuuhhh," Gage hadn't spoken to 'normal' people before, his parents told him being normal was the goal and to not be as rough as he was in Mistral. "... Sandwich… sir."
"What kind?"
What kind?! Dammit, he hadn't prepared for that! "Ummm," he looked up and stared at the four-sandwich menu in the corner of a large plaque full of food items. "Uhhhhh," Gage never was good at making decisions.
He had a nervous breakdown at too many options and choices! U-Usually his mom just told him what to do!
"... Do you like meat?" Emerald asked him and the man's head snapped in her direction. "W-Whoa, slow down, can you not eat meat?"
"... No… I like meat."
"Then, do you hate vegetables?"
"... I don't like onions."
"Then just get a BLT," Emerald suggested with a grin and Gage blinked.
"Built?" Obito snorted.
"It's B.L.T. It stands for Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato. It's one of the most known sandwiches," he explained and the guy looked surprised.
"T-Then that… sir," Gage said only to balk as the guy made a clone and it started making his food. "C-Copy?!"
"Heh," Emerald grinned as the food was made quickly, five minutes later, after Gage gawked at Obito's fire-breathing abilities, the sandwich in front of him moments later. "Try it out, it's pretty cool."
"B-But he burned it."
"... No way, do you not know slang?"
"What's slang?"
"..." Obito sweatdropped as the boy blinked curiously at him. "Don't worry about it, you'll learn one day."
Gage nodded before looking at his sandwich and his stomach roared at him as he swallowed down saliva.
"... H-How much is it?" He asked.
His parents had made sure to inform him of how payment worked in normal places. He could do all the stealing he wanted in Mistral but it was different in places like Atlas and Vale.
"It's two lien," Obito answered.
"..." He gave Obito the money from his pocket. "Thanks… sir."
Holding onto, and biting into, his food, Gage's eyes widened as he ate like a madman.
Moments later, his food was gone and the two chuckled at his appetite, the young man blinking at them.
"Y-You're not weirded out?" He asked as swabbed at his teeth with his tongue, catching any little bits. "I mean… most people don't like my teeth."
"Lots of people don't care here," Emerald said. "Sure, there are racists all around, but there are more people who want to just be cordial thanks to the White Fang."
"The White Fang… I heard about them."
"As you should, they're the guys going around to help make relations easier for everyone."
"... Hmph."
He finished his food before ordering one more to go.
Gage paid and left with a nod to the two.
When Obito fully felt his signature leave… towards that apartment, he sighed and Emerald shot him a look.
"... You know how everything is with the Grimm, right?" He asked quietly and her eyes widened.
"Y-Yeah, when mom and Oz told me about the Maiden powers, she also filled me in about Salem… Obi-bro, that guy…" Emerald winced at his sad nod.
"Yes, he's one of her members, I just realized," he said, capturing her with his Sharingan before Emerald grimaced as she returned to the presence, eyes wide. "They're in the apartment complex three blocks down. Scorpa, Tyrian, Gage, and a fourth one who I know is Tock but her signature… it changed and I'm worried about what that could mean."
"Well… I'll tell Oz. Also, I didn't know you had underground contacts, bro."
"It's a recent thing."
~NRK~
Ozpin's eyes narrowed as Emerald informed them of the situation.
Qrow hummed. "They're all in the Heartgold apartments, top floor."
"What should we do?" Glynda wondered as she crossed her arms in thought. "If we could just deal with them now, it'd save us some time."
"About that," Ozpin began, gaining their attention. "... I wish for Mr. Uchiha to interact with them some more. If this Gage has gone back to his home base, they might know of Obito's presence and make contact. If he can hypnotize one of them and get information out of them…"
"Then we can be more prepared, gotcha," Qrow said as Glynda nodded.
"... Can I do anything about this?" Emerald asked and Ozpin considered her for a moment. "Summer has control over heat, minor wildlife, powered winds, and a rewind of an hour a day. If I try to get as much information out of them in under an hour, we could mess them up before they even try something."
"... It's not untrue," Ozpin said. "... I'm aware that Mr. Uchiha is going to be… busy for the next two days," Qrow smirked at the wizard's chuckles. "So, for now, you and Qrow can perform some reconnaissance. SOME, Emerald."
"I got it, I got it."
"I worry, I really do," she grinned at him. "Very well, Qrow, you've taught Emerald almost everything you know, time to see her out in the field."
"I will," he laid a hand on his stepdaughter's shoulder with a grin that she reciprocated. "Time for some real-life experience, Ems."
"On it!
~NRK~
That takes care of this in-between, a lot to unpack but it's not as much as I usually write.
Reminder, the next chapter is gonna be 'Vernal's Day Out', you all know what that means.
~NRK~
~Omake: I Can Save the Future! Part II ft. Obito, Summer, Cinder, and Ruby~
Rubes didn't think her powers got more complicated than The Flash, as she liked to call it… but her mom was super cool!
"Okay, focus, girls," Summer said, sitting on her knees with Ruby and Rubes with the latter's clones. "The idea is to reach for that light within you, feel out your Aura, and then look besides that. You're nineteen so you should have been taught meditative breathing by this point."
"... Uhhh," the original Rubes began sweating. "About that-"
"I-I think I get it!" One of the Rubes clones said as they focused intensely, crossing her arms over her chest as her closed eyes trembled. "It's really really weird."
"H-How do I do it?!" Rubes asked the copy as her mother giggled a bit. "Come on! I have to be battle-ready!"
"Hmph," Penny walked over and stared at all the copies before looking at Summer. "You are Ruby's 'mother', yes?"
"I am, Penny."
"Hmm," Penny sat down like Summer did before looking back at Obito and Cinder speaking with Ironwood while they messed with a large map. "How does he know me?"
"Hm?" Summer looked away from the original Rubes's bickering with her copies to focus on Penny. "Well, he knew you from your first ever form, I believe," Penny's eyes widened. "Yes, Obito met you when he was eleven, he said you were a little robot with tank legs."
"T-That was my first ever 'body'!" Penny realized in shock. "H-He knew me back then?"
"Yes, you were one of his first friends."
"... Friends?" Penny's eyes were shining stars as she got up before running at Obito. "Salutations, Friend Obito!"
"Penny, wha-Gurg!" The man was tackled to the floor and gasping in Penny's ironclad hug. "P-Penny! I-I can see a… light!"
"Lights are all around us, friend!"
"Penny, nooooo…"
The Rubes giggled at their robotic friend's happy embrace of their older sibling.
"Hmm, now, Rubes 6, tell the others how you did it."
~NRK~
Winter and Weiss made their way back to the Winter Maiden's room, Fria's room.
The old Maiden's eyes were simply looking about the area, eyes lazy and barely there.
"Ohh, Winny, you're back," she said with a smile that Winter coughed at as Weiss smirked. "I think I had a weird dream then there was a loud 'pop' and… now I'm here… I think."
"It's fine… Fria," Winter said as she moved over and opened up the capsule the woman was in. "... Things are going to get dangerous, Fria. Extremely so, we need to move-"
"Oh…" She smiled at Winter who flinched. "I know… I think I also saw it in my dreams… I saw how you felt and you're a better person than you think."
Winter's eyes trembled before her gaze fell. "I… We need to move you to a safer location, Fria. Right now, our enemy is coming en masse and we're evacuating the masses to Atlas. This is our stand against the world's greatest opponent, Salem."
Fria's eyes softened as Winter's eyes lost their confidence.
"... Winny, you're not well?"
"... I… I've come to learn that, amongst my lifetime, I could have solved so many things by being more open," Winter said with a sigh as Weiss's own head fell. "I've recently come to realize that, despite how I might have initially viewed someone… there still might have been a heart to change… and I'm not sure what to do with that information."
"Winter…" Weiss whispered. "..."
"... In my lifetime, there have been many things I'd call mistakes," Fria began with a soft smile. "I've left my family because I didn't agree with the direction and haven't seen my own daughter in so many decades… Oh, Norma, I made so many mistakes… I believed in the world's protection to a worrying degree but forgot the small things… the oh so tiny things that seem so trivial, so frivolous, so insignificant that I forget that it's those very things that make me who I am, Winny," the Winter Maiden smiled sadly. "And I won't ever get the chance to fix some of those mistakes… I don't have the time anymore."
The two Schnees' eyes widened.
"F-Fria, wait, I-"
"It was nice," Fria interrupted with a grin at the grief-stricken Winter. "You and James, you're both so much more caring than you let on but you keep it bottled-up. Emotions aren't meant to do that, Winter," the former heiress bit her lip at the full use of her first name. "James needs people around him with who he can share his burden. You need to show your emotions more, like that happy robot girl, she could teach you a few lessons… And I hope, with this, you can correct so many mistakes that you look back tomorrow and realize how easy it all was."
The heart monitor on the side began to slow and Winter's eyes trembled as Fria smiled a sad, regretful, yet serene smile that filled her with warmth and yet so much emptiness.
"Please… Don't waste your time on this earth, Winny," the old woman said with a slow chuckle as her head leaned back, eyes closing for the last time. "I'm glad… even if only for a moment… that I could tell a daughter that…"
The room grew silent as the Maiden's form grew still, a smile on nevermore moving lips and a pale face.
Weiss held her sister as Winter collapsed to her knees and cried so many tears that she was unsure of how much she'd come to love this woman.
This selfless, brave, oh so motherly woman who'd given her something she knew she'd been missing for so long.
~NRK~
Putting them into far-apart cells, Marrow looked at Neo as the… woman? He thinks she was older than he was but he couldn't really be sure.
"You're speculative," Vine said as he stood next to the dog Faunus. "Worried?"
"... I'm more relieved than anything but then it all came crashing down," Marrow said after a moment of thought, frowning as he locked onto Neo's unconscious form. "You heard Cinder… the other Cinder, there are so many things we don't know about, so many people who are hurt without our knowledge…"
"Faunus live a rough life everywhere, we all know this," Vine said with a sigh, eyes set in a melancholic state. "I remember so many I've saved in Mistral, Vale, and Atlas. It's interesting to think that, despite all that, there are so many we couldn't help… but that's also why we have to try, Marrow," the Faunus looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "We are not divine beings, we're mortals who can't see that big of a picture yet we try so hard to… sometimes, we need to remember that we are helping. That those we save are still saved because we WERE there."
"... I know… At least, I hope I do."
"It's difficult," Elm said as she came up to them, having heard the conversation. "My strength could lift the highest, heaviest, weights in the world and I could save no one. In the end, my strength was gifted to me and I have to use it to help everyone in the ways I can."
"Elm, I…"
"It's fine," she grinned with a fist-pump as Vine chuckled. "I'm not really good with words but I think I'm good with my heart," Elm said with a slight blush and laugh. "It's kind of my go-to for stuff like this."
Marrow chuckled. "It's certainly helped me more than I know," he said as she grinned and Vine smiled.
They could only do so much… but that was fine.
Because even a single pair of hands was enough to help people.
"What do you guys think about all this?" Oscar asked the other members of Team JNOR. "I feel like everything is coming to a head and yet it feels like it's too fast."
"Yes," Ren said as he crossed his arms and looked at Cinder Fall with narrowed eyes. "Everything is starting to line up, all of the threads are coming to an end… one way or another."
"... Ren," Jaune spoke up and the normally stoic boy turned his head from his leader. "... Haaa, this isn't easy for all of us, I know that can sound insensitive, your feelings are important," Nora flinched as Jaune looked at her before gesturing to her… her special person. "Nora, Oscar, Ren, I think we all should finally just… say it, just accept some facts… We're not okay," Jaune admitted with a grimace as his reflection looked back at him in Cinder's cell walls.
"We are all so very not okay and… you two told me before, as well, that it's fine to accept that."
"... We weren't cut out to be Hunters," Ren finally said even as Jaune winced, Nora's mouth dropped, and Oscar grimaced. "I… I don't feel like we're ready. Salem, losing Pyrrha to her," his eyes narrowed on Cinder. "The Maidens, Relics, Gods, the second go-around, all of this is so… frustrating. I don't feel like we're the ones who SHOULD be doing all this… Jaune, you should be enjoying your home life with your family, Oscar shouldn't be Ozpin's vessel and should have led a somewhat peaceful life… Nora… Nora should have… I should have…" He didn't know how to finish his sentence.
"... I'm… scared," Oscar admitted to the three. "I don't know what's going on sometimes, on occasion I feel like I'm not even myself but am at the same time. Other times, I'm watching his memories, all of their memories, and I'm wondering if that's all I'll be, a memory… But I want to help people, I… the more I 'watch', the more I realize how alone he is… how sad his place in this world is and my heart feels like it's breaking just watching him repeat, repeat, and repeat. By some point, that's all I'm going to be, a repeat."
"... W-Why are we talking like this?" Nora asked as the three boys said their pieces. "Huh? W-What's all this supposed to mean, Jaune?" She asked, frown on her face and eyes narrowed.
"Nora-"
"No! I know I'm not the smart one! I'm not even the brave one! I'm the one who goes in and hits things, that's it! B-But I thought that was fine, why does the world need to be more complicated than that? Huh?!" The blonde's eyes looked and her heart trembled. "D-Don't! I-I can't be a problem, I'll end up all alone again…"
The three's eyes widened but none more so than Ren whose form froze.
"Huh? Are things being simple so wrong? Does me loving you have to be so difficult?" Ren's head went down. "I don't want to be NOT okay! Being hurt, being worried, being a problem is the same way to get yourself thrown to the side! You'll never see the light of day and be left alone! Why do we have to be problems?!"
"..." Ren bit his lip before his gaze went and his heart broke.
Teary baby blue eyes looked around at the other downtrodden members of their quartet before landing on him.
"Why is it wrong to be like this?" She whispered and they fell, those warm droplets fell and Ren's heart throbbed.
"..."
"..."
"... There's nothing wrong with wanting things to be simple," Oscar spoke up the first of the four. "Because, in the end, we all want to return to simple days where the world isn't landing on our shoulders… but there are times where we CAN'T be simple… When I left home… Outside of Ozpin, I also wanted to just not be some simple farmhand who'd spend his days mindlessly tilling fields, tending to livestock, and breaking his back in a warm sun… but that sun was so comforting, the job fulfilling, and the fields a nice place to just be. I miss those simple times and I… I want to go back to it when this is all over with."
"... I want to go home and actually talk to my mom and dad," Jaune said with a small smile as his head came up. "I… They must be so worried now that I realize what I'd done at the start of all this. What a shitty son, huh?"
"... J-Jaune, don't…" Nora bit her lip at his words but a strong hand placed itself on her shoulder and a grin was thrown her way.
"So I have to go back and be a son worth having. I've made so many mistakes up to this point but, looking back, those days were so unnecessary, and yet they made me the man I am. Oscar's right, I also want our simple days back," he said with a chuckle. "I want to tease my little sisters when they get a crush, when they start dating, when they get married, and when they have kids. I want to…" He blushed a bit himself, hand coming to the back of his head as Oscar chuckled. "I also want to have a family one day… man, I never thought that dating would look so easy from where we are now… it's kind of freaky."
"Dating… I never have been on a date before," Oscar said with embarrassment and Jaune laughed.
"Then I and you can hit the town in Argus. Saphron did say that they needed more Hunters and it'd be a nice change of pace, yeah?"
"Yeah!" Oscar grinned back. "When this is all over, I want to do so many simple things because they're amazing things. As you said, Nora-"
"Because they're simple," Jaune and Oscar said in unison and the girl's eyes widened. "Simple's GREAT."
"... Y-You guys, you… making a girl c-cry isn't cool," she said as she wiped her eyes, tears falling further but a smile on her face. "... A-And I really want 'simple' back. I do so much…"
"..." Ren looked at his team, his family, with worry, regret, longing, and sadness. "... I don't know what I want right now…" He said, gaining their attention. "We're in so deep right now that all that needs to wait."
"And that's fine," Jaune said, surprising Ren. "Ren… I haven't been a good leader to you, I should have talked to you and Nora more instead of just thinking you both were on the same wavelength… I trust you with my life, Ren, I should at least trust your feelings. You're right, we aren't ready but, sadly, we have to be," the blonde said to him and Nora who winced. "That said, we can't forget why we're here. It's going to be hard, it's going to suck, but we've got to get through all this with our hopes and dreams because that's what will lead us to a brighter future."
"... I… I guess…" Ren said as his gaze came up to look at Nora, the young woman's face reddening and turning away from him. "... I want Nora to be able to have that simple life she wants… we don't really have that much going on in the home front."
"Then just come with me and Jaune!" Oscar said with a grin, getting a small giggle out of Nora as Ren blinked at him. "You don't need to be on your own, neither of you. You all could even come and visit my family's farm. We could go to La Pucelle, maybe try out some of Atlas's stuff, and just enjoy life."
"... I don't think I'd dislike that," Ren said after a moment of thought, a smile on his face. "... But, for now, we have to prepare, don't we?"
"Yes," Jaune said with a nod and a smile. "But we're gonna get through this. Let's go help the civilians."
~NRK~
Qrow crossed his arms in thought as he, Robyn, Harriet, and Clover were given the job of grabbing The Cube.
"That name's horrible and you know it," Robyn said with a grin as Qrow smirked.
"It's fitting, no?"
"It's not a bad name," Clover said with a hum. "It's rather fitting."
"Clover, it's literally a cube, you can't get plainer than that."
"H-Hey sometimes plain is good. Plain is known, known means you know how to use it."
"And this conversation didn't end up in odd territory or anything," Harriet said as Qrow snorted. "... Gods, this whole situation is STILL unreal. Freaking time-travelers are real. Am I the only one still FREAKED about that?"
"Nope," Clover said as he chuckled nervously. "With this one fact alone we've just proved that the multiverse theory is literally real. You can't really come back from that."
"Nevermind that, now, I'm gonna have to wonder if whoever writes Light Sci-Fi aren't people who have time-traveled," Robyn said with a twitching eye. "I don't think my life is going to get easier because of this."
"Ditto," Qrow said with a sad smile. "... I didn't think I'd ever see her again."
"Summer Rose, right.?" Clover asked and Qrow nodded. "... It's kind of a sort of divine intervention, no?" He said with a smile as Qrow chuckled. "Even if it's not permanent, you got to at least see her alive and well one more time."
"... You know, yeah, you're right," Qrow said with a grin. "It's weird to think about but this kind of gives me hope… Maybe they'll visit with the entire entourage next time. Alternate Tai, Raven, the sexy beast known as Qrow Branwen-"
"Someone's full of themselves," Robyn said with a shake of the head. "Still… It'd be interesting to see other-timeline 'me'."
"I wonder if it's any different in Atlas because of the changes?" Clover wondered out loud and the group hummed.
"Who knows, maybe we dat…?!" Robyn began to make an off-hand remark before realizing what she'd been about to say.
The two glowed bright red as the woman's words were clamped down on.
"Oh?" Harriet grinned at the embarrassed Hunters. "Man, that sounded real interesting, Robyn."
"It did, didn't it?" Qrow joined in. "Man, you guys were going so hard at it in the bullhead, I'm surprised you can keep your hands off each other."
~NRK~
Two hours passed from the moment of their entrance and those in the General's office watched as numerous Schnee storage ships spread out towards Mantle.
Yet, even then, various small figures slipped in and out of the city of Mantle, Obito nodding.
"With everyone, my clones, and the ships, we should be able to get everyone up here or, at least, most of them," he said as Cinder nodded, James's Scroll ringing. "?"
"This is Ironwood, what's the issue?" James spoke to it.
-We've got the cube made, sir. It's rather slipshod but it's sealed together with an opening at the top and a topper, as suggested-
"It's fine, thank you. Harriet. You all bring it up as soon as possible."
-Oh, also, our esteemed prisoners woke up. They're making a ruckus and the guys guarding the door are getting annoyed… meanwhile, Winter has asked to speak with Jacques Schnee-
"... Allow her in. As for the others… Simply keep them under wraps for now, I'm going to send Long Hua down there soon."
-Got it-
Obito sighed as he nodded to the general before Cinder held his shoulder.
"Are you alright with this?" She asked with a frown at his soft frown. "... Y-Yes, she's… me but she's gone down such a bad path… I'm not… She's done too much…"
Obito sighed before wrapping her up in an embrace that his Cinder melted into, reciprocating.
From their places a bit away, the Rubes clones peeked at the two out the corners of their eyes.
"It's so weird…"
"Cinder being nice…"
"And it's real?"
"I-I think I like your timeline…"
Summer chuckled. "As he said, he and his… girls," she blushed a bit before chuckling some more. "Have been together for about a year and a half… and Cinder's probably the most 'in-love' with him for saving her back when she was ten."
"Whoa…" the real Rubes blinked as the two nodded before disappearing with Kamui along with Penny. "T-That's still so weird."
"It can be… Now, how are you coming along?" Summer asked and the original Rubes's eyes narrowed before she held out her hands.
A ball of light appeared between them before it elongated slowly and ended as, at best, a tanbo that was four feet in length.
"Ughhhh," she frowned as she looked at the little thing. "I hate how balanced this is! I-It's not even a scythe and yet it's SOOOO balanced."
Ruby grinned as she performed what Rubes had with ease, a scythe appearing perfectly in her hands. "Hm, hm, hmmm."
"Ooooooh!"
"Now, now, girls," Summer said with a chuckle. "Come on, I can feel her darkness now, she's coming and Rubes needs to be as ready as she can be for our attack."
"... W-Wait," Ruby's eyes widened and she grinned. "We're going to Resonate?!" She asked with excitement as the Rubes clones blinked at her.
"What does she mean?" They asked and Summer hummed. "Mom?"
"... Rubes clones, time for a popping," Summer said as Rubes blinked before scrunching her face in focus and slamming her hands together. "Rubes, remember, think of them like their balloons and you're popping them with a pin."
The clones popped slowly before all that was left was the original Rubes who sucked in a breath as her copies' information zapped into her brain.
"Mmmmm," she moaned a bit as she held her head before Summer's hands rested on the sides of her head and a soft white light flashed over Rubes's noggin before she let out a breath of relief.
"So we can do healing… 'power'?" She asked, looking at Ruby… Not dignifying that. "I didn't know."
"We're different, Rubes. It's a legacy that we need to learn and embrace for the world to really regain its hope."
"I know… but I just… I never had anyone to really teach me," Rubes said. "Maria, the old lady who Obito picked up with Dr. Polendina, she used to be a Silver-Eyed Warrior," Summer's eyes widened. "She taught me the beginning of my powers but… but we never… I never had the time to try and learn more."
"... I'd like to meet this Maria," Summer said and both Rubys blinked. "If only to meet another of our kind… Though Ruby, I'm confused, Maria is not a mother? Not a grandmother? How old is she?"
"She seems to be in her 80s."
"Really? With no children?" Ruby asked.
"... I… I never really thought about it," Rubes said. "I don't really know."
"Then we should go see her," Summer said as she got up along with her daughters. "I want to know her. If we can see if we can all Resonate, it'll make our lives a lot easier."
"Resonance," Ironwood spoke up, gaining their attention. "Is the act of your people enhancing one another in a 'chain' so to speak. You're causing a sort of feedback loop by opening up your bodies by sending large amounts of your power to each person in the chain. You're increasing your powers by connecting with others of your kind."
"That sounds so convenient!" Rubes said with her hands on her head. "I don't understand, how in the world did we lose my people around?!"
"It's… complicated, I'm not even sure how, myself," Summer said as Ironwood sighed.
"From what Ozpin tells me, it was a case of self-destruction," he said with a grimace as the three balked. "Some wanted to protect the world at large and reveal their existence, others wanted to remain silent myths so as to be unbothered, and others wanted to make a form of financial gain from their 'gifts'," James sighed. "It's actually kind of depressing to think we might have had entire schools for people just like yourselves had greed not made its way into some."
"I see… I'll talk to both Ozpins because he never told me that," Summer said. "Alright, girls, let's go and visit an oddly-related relative."
~NRK~
He looked at her cell as her own eyes… eye, now that he noticed, stared back at his group in disbelief.
"W-Who are you?!" Cinder Fall yelled at Cinder Scarlatina. "Why do you have my face?!" She said in horror.
"... I'm a 'you' from a different place," she said, not revealing the truth to a potential enemy… even if it was herself. "A 'you' who didn't decide to join the woman who would destroy everything."
F. Cinder stared in disbelief before her eye lit up with an opportunity that Obito sighed at.
"Then you know this world isn't for us!" This world's Cinder said with a grin. "You know that we have to focus on getting what we want. No one cares and we'll make sure they know we never needed them."
"... And that's where you're wrong," Cinder said softly, twin amber eyes looked back at the shocked Cinder. "We did need people, look where you are right now. How is this what you wanted?"
"A mere setback," F. Cinder said with a huff as she got up. "She's coming, Salem will be here and, once she is, no one can stop her."
"That's where you're wrong," Obito said as his eye went to 's left arm in consideration as Penny stood right next to him. "As we speak, almost all the civilians in the kingdom will be here in Atlas. We'll soon have everyone here along with all the Hunters in the area."
"Hah! I didn't think you were so eager to give her a kill count," the one-eyed woman said with a grin only to stare at Obito as he hummed. "... She's inevitable, she can't be beaten and I can't wait to have you groveling at my feet. Begging for your life."
"Well, that won't be as life-threatening when I do it but I agree," Cinder muttered, confusing Obito as Penny blinked and tilted her head.
"For your information, I'm working on a solution for that," Obito said with a chuckle and shrug as the opposing Cinder frowned at him. "Surprise surprise, not all of us have given into a dumb woman who seems to have forgotten that she can still be dealt with. She's not a god, she's just too arrogant for their own good… kind of like you."
"Excuse me?"
"Don't worry about it, you're not being excused any time soon," Obito said as he phased through the Hard-Light Dust walls of F. Cinder's cell and took a seat on her bench. "Now, how about you do yourself a favor-"
He grabbed her swinging arm and held her up by it before doing the same to her… Grimm arm?
Obito stared at the struggling wrists in his grip and frowned as he squinted at it.
"What the hell happened?"
"... Hmph, it's a gift."
"A gift is supposed to help you," Obito countered as his Sharingan activated and his brows lowered. "And this isn't helping you. If anything, I think this is part of your problems," he said as he let her go, F. Cinder grimacing as she stepped back from him. "A Grimm arm… it's deteriorating your body as we speak. It's currently crawling up your cells bit by bit and is affecting you mentally."
"Lies of the 'force of good'," she said with a hiss as she glared at him. "You ever get tired of lying to make things work?"
"I didn't lie but I will, on occasion, if all parties end up in better places afterward," he said with a shrug before sitting back down on the bench and looking at her. "Because, as much as many would wish it otherwise, being on the side of 'good' doesn't make you a saint."
"... You know this and yet here you are," F. Cinder said with a growl. "You speak like you lie for a living."
"I don't but you're certainly living up to your words."
"I've no one to lie to, I live for myself and that's the truth of the world," she said with ice in her voice as Obito frowned at her. "Yes, people like you, you speak all kinds of pleasantries and lies to make yourself feel better. I bet you lied to the General just to feel great about running with your tails between your legs! But I'm better than that, better than you, I know my place in the world and won't be told lies again. I won't be running from anything ever!"
Cinder's eyes widened as she stepped up to the gate. "You're talking… about Rhodes, right?" F. Cinder's eyes narrowed at her… copy.
"What, did he pull you in with all that drivel?"
"No… but he's precious to me for letting me leave without burned bridges," Cinder said as the other growled. "I don't understand, Rhodes wanted to train us, to take us away when-"
"Oh, that bullshit," Penny's eyes widened at the venom in Cinder's voice as she stalked over to the wall to lock eyes with her copy. "... Hm, hm, hmph, let me guess, he," she pointed at Obito behind her. "Took you away from Atlas before he could train you 'for a better life', right?" F. Cinder said with a sneering grin that Cinder frowned at.
"Let me tell you how things went. He trained me, yes, he kept that deal but that's all he did," she said with a growl at the surprised look of her copy. "He left me here. The so-called 'Huntsman' simply watched. No other forms of help just lies about one day leaving. Years of 'training' to placate me so I'd remember my place on the totem pole. Don't fuck with me."
"..."
"..."
"... Is that true?" Penny asked Cinder who grimaced. "Did he do that?"
"Of course it's true, doll," F. Cinder said with a grin. "Hunters are NOT the good guys you think them to be."
"... Yes, humans are weird no matter which side they're on," Penny said after a moment, getting a frown from F. Cinder. "But, not everyone is like that."
"Oh please, you're merely a tool made at the behest of some military worker, save your nonexistent breath," the criminal said with a roll of the eye. "You've been programmed to act as they want you to, you've no will to say any of that."
"Denial of anything opposing your views, that's mature," Obito said from behind the criminal as she turned her sneer on him. "What, so into your echo-chamber with Salem that positive thinking is a problem? Or are you lashing out because you do know better?"
"From the living being, not the tool."
"The irony is strong with this one," Cinder said with a frown as F. Cinder turned a sneer her way. "... You're right, in a way, not everyone who's a Hunter is guaranteed to be a good person but Rhodes cared enough to come back, didn't he?" Cinder said with resolve as her other self growled.
"He left me to rot."
"He wasn't perfect, you're right," Cinder said with a glare. "But that doesn't make everything he did a lie, does it?" She asked. "He told me the same thing but Obito came back two weeks after I and Rhodes met. Yet, for as little as that time was, Rhodes cared. He cared more than anyone in our entire lives," the revealed Faunus said as Cinder grimaced, hands tightening. "For as much as you say other people do it-"
"Shut up!"
"Stop lying to yourself!" Cinder shot back in an instant as the criminal growled loudly and vocally. "You know the position you're in. I knew back when I was in the Glass Unicorn, this isn't what we wanted!"
"WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW?!" F. Cinder had immediately passed her 'Bullshit meter's max settings. "I'm so sorry I didn't get the miracle of a lifetime that you did. I'm so sorry that watching the world burn brings me joy as someone who hates every living being in it. Quite frankly, listening to such a privileged person makes me sick."
"Excuse me?!" Cinder grew incensed and the only thing stopping her from tearing these flimsy shields and teaching this kid a lesson was Obito coming through, stopping her, before pecking her once on the lips.
"What?!" Both of the Cinders said but one was in embarrassment while the other was in disbelief.
"Look, we can't become too distracted… As much as it hurts me to say this," he turned to F. Cinder who flinched at his gaze.
A single eye so filled with sadness that her body throbbed at the sight of… This true sadness.
"I can't save you here," he said softly and even his Cinder flinched at that as he turned to envelop her. "I… Hearing everything that Ironwood revealed to us… I'm powerless here, you've gone too far over the line, Cinder. I just don't understand it and that leaves me so confused. So worried that there's nothing my hand can do here… I'm sorry."
F. Cinder's body froze as each burst of emotion slammed into her, her arms wiggling underneath her mantle as he spoke.
"... Before we leave this place, I'm going to deal with Salem. I have too many methods to fail at beating her… and I don't want to think about where that leaves you," stop. "I… Maybe you can do something, anything, to make up for what you've done but I'm not sure if that's possible," stop it.
I don't care.
"All the lives lost, I'm so…"
I don't care.
"You ending up here isn't something I want to see."
I can't care.
"... I'm saying this and it's probably weird…" Obito's body sagged in a way that told her that he was… destroyed by these turn of events, her other self embracing him for all she was worth. "I'm sorry that I couldn't help you."
His eye glowed red and Cinder's body stilled as Obito took all the information he could… before giving her three years to live some kind of life.
In her mind.
"Give me ten minutes, Cinder, dear," Obito said as he pecked her on the cheeks once before separating and phasing through F. Cinder's cell walls.
He moved her over to the bench before falling into the connection between them.
"This isn't real… Is it?"
"It's not. I can't save you, I can't get you out, and I can't take you from here… I'm such a mess and, despite everything, I want you to live some sort of life. Even if it's only three years."
"Ten minutes for three years… That's all, huh?"
"..."
"... Very well, you fool-"
Lips met her own and… a-and… she latched on, she gripped his clothing and made this little moment last for an eternity.
And so she lived out a life, enjoying things that she didn't fully understand.
Cinder Fall enjoyed three years of a life without some large, grand, destructive goal and… and treasured each odd, new, invigorating piece of 'life'.
Cinder wore a sad smile as she held Penny's shoulders, the android's hand coming to rest over her own.
"I… I don't fully understand," she said to this otherworldly Cinder whose gaze was sad and conflicted. "... I only know that he loves you beyond normal reason," Penny's gaze went to the F. Cinder and Obito sitting on the former's bench, leaning against one another. "And, yet, he's broken over her."
"... Love is so complicated… Penny, I don't fully get it myself," Cinder said softly and the android gripped her hand tighter as she bit her lip. "But, one thing I do know… that I believe in above all else and had Velvet confirm for me… Obito loves us so much more than we could love him individually. He'd destroy the world for us just to live another day, another second, and his love is so powerful that he'll likely cry after this."
Penny turned and embraced the saddened Cinder who held her in return.
"He's too kind, so warm, that I would follow him to hell and back. I don't want to leave his side. I want him in my life as my lover, as my friend, as my husband, and the father to my children… Love is so complicated because it makes us so crazy."
"... I understand," Penny said as they separated, the older 'woman' wiping her eyes as Penny's softened and their gazes went to the awakening two.
~NRK~
When James saw Obito again, he hadn't expected to see a torn-up man and simply… offered him, Cinder, and Penny some chairs that they collapsed into.
The man wept sad tears that Ironwood turned away from, knowing why but knowing he couldn't fix it.
That did not mean he didn't damn Salem once more for everything she put them through.
And so, the rest of their time passed.
And Salem was upon them.
~NRK~
That's it… man, I'm not gonna lie, I didn't think I'd be so… somber about Future/Fall Cinder… but the idea of her realizing her mistakes and yet having to live with her situation like this, deservedly mind you… I don't know, man, it really almost brought tears to my eyes and I didn't think I could feel that for Canon!Cinder.
Here, I tried to make her whole backstory make a bit more emotional sense if you will. Remember, she has been in an echo chamber of her own feelings, assumably, after killing Rhodes, I'd assume.
I doubt that years of time together made her that cold and she'd cry for MONTHS after this one move. I'm talking full-on, nose running, bawling, crying.
In a way, I do understand canon's Cinder after writing this. Thinking more about her, I still think she's beyond horrible, too bad to even try and redeem, but I get it. She's sadly too far to try and 'save' at this point… So all Obito can do is give her some false peace.
Dammit, just writing that makes me sad again. Fuck… Look, in brighter news, I've got the next chapter of Unlimited Courage written up. Not just that, another Naruto x MHA 'short story' chapter is over 15k+ in the making while the Naruto x Persona 5 short fic is also started. That's why this is so late.
Considering updating the Disgaea fic with the Unlimited Courage after.
Sorry.
Words: 15k
~NRK Out~