AN: Welcome back ladies and gentlemen! Happy late thanksgiving and possibly early or late Christmas depending on when you actually get to read this. I'm sorry I haven't been uploading this as much as my other story, I've just had so many ideas that have came to mind for that. There are so many ideas that I've actually already made the ending for it and so much more but let's not discuss that. I do believe we have some reviews to discuss, yeah?
STRIKER ENERGY: Glad I could keep your interest and thanks for the review.
GrimmKingOfAtlas: Thanks for the review, and about Arachne. I actually wanted to make her extra to somewhat describe one of my friend's personality. I'm actually glad I don't have any negatives, at the moment anyways. My pillow got fucked up when my dog decided to use it as a humping pillow then tear it up... little fucker.
XCOMHEAVY12: I can't wait for it and hope it's out soon. Yeah, you kind of gave me an idea the last review you posted (which was very well written and actually helped me point out some flaws in his character) and decided, hey? What the hell. It ties into your idea but has some different points as far as the consumption of the Grimm. I wanted to give a sort of Predator vibe to him, because who's to say that the White Fang or someone else wouldn't wonder in the woods? As you can see he's extremely territorial but smart when he's hunting prey now, preferring to asses them first before going in for the kill, collecting them as trophies if they're worthy. Now he won't go and actively hunt down randoms for pleasure but he'll get rid of any trespassers that step onto his territory and don't leave withing a certain time frame. Thanks for reviewing, and holy hell. You have become one of my favorite reviewers and possibly my favorite author when your story comes out; I'll be sure to check out your story once it's posted and give you the love and support you've given me.
Carnivore Does: Thanks for reviewing and which version are you talking about? The one by Simon & Garfunkel or Disturbed?
Now that the goddamn reviews are out of the way, I'd say it's time to keep this show on the road. Without further adieu, let's roll on with the fucking story!
The moment his name was called by that familiar voice he froze. How long had it been since her voice had touched his ears, embracing them gently to reassure him that everything would be alright? Too long, long enough for him to almost forget it. All was quiet for a minute before he stood up and she noticed him, staring blankly before slowly walking up and embracing him in a hug.
"Long time no see huh?" She asked quietly, taking in his scent to confirm it was actually him. He nodded and wrapped his arms around her and squeezed tightly, as if she would disappear at any moment. Ken and Rei's eyes were confused at first before they slowly widened and they gave childish squeals.
"Sistine!" They both squealed in delight as they went to the hug. She laughed and opened her arms for the two little ones to join in, taking in their scents also. All four of them were in a group hug and held onto each other tightly while Arachne and Frost stood to the side, the latter uncomfortably as she watched them. Arachne's eyebrow raised a bit as she saw all three of them hugging this mysterious woman that somehow seemed to slip in the keep undetected, eventually coughing in her hand to gain their attention.
"Who are you?" She asked.
"I'm uh... someone Ares knows." Sistine said, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.
"That's not really answering my question." Arachne deadpanned while tapping her foot. Sistine didn't really know how to answer with the look the woman in front of her was giving, it was so unsettling and personally her mere presence scared her. She was brought out of her thoughts when Ares gently pushed past her and stood in front of Arachne with a calm expression, completely unlike himself in the past.
"She's someone from my childhood Arachne. She's possibly the first friend I've had that hasn't tried to kill me in the future." He explained. Arachne's stern expression softened before she sighed and nodded a bit, raising an eyebrow when Sistine picked up Rei and placed her on her back.
"You had friends? Man, the universe sure has it's mysteries." Arachne said making Ares give his trademark scowl that she had always loved to see for some reason.
"Not funny." He said.
"I thought it was." She smiled.
"I didn't, now shut up." He replied.
"Aw, is the little baby getting upset?" She cooed while pinching his cheeks. Everyone giggled as she pinched his cheeks and pulled them apart before squishing them back together and pulling at them again. He let out a low growl when she began to slap his face lightly then pull his head down and kiss it.
"Can you fuck off?" He growled and shoved her off, making her cross her arms and stick a tongue out. She suddenly leaped on his shoulders and began to play with his head while struggling to stay on.
"I think the baby needs a nap." She laughed and clamped both legs for better grip but then raised an eyebrow when he suddenly stopped moving and stood stock still; her eyes widened when he reached in his quiver and pulled out a white dust crystal and held it in front of her face.
"See this?" He asked in an icy calm voice that made her shiver.
"Y-yeah." She stuttered, body already freezing up at the sight of the crystal.
"If you don't get off my shoulders then I'll break it above both our heads and freeze us solid." He explained lowly. Half a second later she was near the door and had her back pressed against it, staring wide eyed at the crystal, breathing heavily. Sistine muttered something underneath her breath then smiled when she felt Ken and Rei pressed against either side of her, leaning on her shoulders. Arachne stuck her hands and feet on the door and started scaling the wall while hissing when Ares stepped closer to her, flashing her fangs when he was a few feet away then finally spitting a web at his hand to block the crystal before bolting out the door. He peeked out the room and saw her round a corner before laughing and closing the door quietly to avoid anyone from discovering that he was back, he'd make his debut tomorrow but now it was time to catch up.
"So how're you?" Sistine asked, looking at him with soft olive eyes.
"Fine... how have you been?" He asked.
"Good." She said, looking around to see the bag near him. "I see you got my gifts." She observed, making him look at the bag.
"You left these?" He asked.
"Mhmm, figured you could use them for your stay. Plus... what kind of friend would I be if I let you die?" She asked while brushing a lock of Rei's hair to the side.
"Like all the others who's left me in the past." He shrugged and sat down next to her. Frost scampered up to him and sat on his lap before leaning back while playing with the grappling hook, rotating it every so often.
"Who's this little cutie?" Sistine asked while tilting her head at Frost, who turned away shyly.
"This little shit is Frost. She's like me when I was younger." He said rubbing Frost's hair lightly. She batted his hands away as he kept doing it until she huffed and gave up, succumbing into the rubbing.
"Defiant, sarcastic, cynical at times, and violent when you didn't get your way? Basically a giant savage little hatchling throwing a temper tantrum." Sistine summarized.
"Yeah, something along those lines. Despite her being like me as far as violent she's extremely protective of Rei and Ken... all three of them looked out for each other while I was gone and for that I'm glad." He smiled at each of them while they smiled back. The room was basked in a comfortable silence before they three little ones yawned and closed their eyes before falling completely asleep, making Ares and Sistine look at each other. He stood up with Frost in his arms and slowly went over to the head of the bed and dragged the blanket down while gently lowering her to the bed; Sistine did the same but needed help and carefully handed Ken to him while she tended to Rei. Once they were lowered both of them dragged the blanket back up to them until it was up to their shoulders and sighed when all of them were snoring softly, both looked at each other before shrugging and going on the outsides of the three. Sistine was next to Rei and Ares was next to Ken while Frost was smack dead in the middle of the four, all sharing the same bed.
"Night ash bearer." He chuckled tiredly as he took off his hunting outfit and was in nothing but a pair of black shorts.
"Night you savage idiot." She laughed quietly before falling asleep. Once she had closed her eyes and was snoring he eventually followed, finally able to get sleep next to the ones he calls family.
He was woken up by crying. Not wailing in anguish or agony but a soft cry that required you to strain to hear. He groggily got up and rubbed his eyes a bit to rid the fatigue and looked to his left to see all of them still asleep, Rei holding onto Sistine in an iron grip while Ken did the same to him. The door to the room slowly opened and he peeked out to see that it was still night, maybe early morning depending on the scent the air gave. Crying was beginning to get louder the closer he got to the halls and finally found the source of the sound, it was Andy there crying softly while holding his arm. It wasn't injured or anything but the way he was holding it was almost as if the young Goliath was reminiscing a phantom pain that seemed stuck to his young mind. Ares would watch in curiosity as he thrashed around in his sleep and eventually cry out in phantom pain which made him act. He knelt down and got close to the young Goliath but the moment he touched his shoulder his eyes shot open and he looked around frantically before he caught sight of Ares. He quickly scrambled backwards towards the wall and began to hyperventilate as he stared at Ares' orange eyes that glowed in the dark, making him seem like a monster from a nightmare.
"S-s-stay away from me." He whimpered and tried to scramble back more but hit the wall.
"Andy... calm down. It's me Ares." Ares said as he got closer to the young Goliath. Andy didn't calm down in the slightest and was about to scream out loud but stopped when a hand clamped around his mouth; he looked up to see Ares look at him with a calm but concerned expression. He struggled a bit but eventually gave up and looked at Ares with teary eyes, sniffling every once in a while. Andy's mouth was released and was pressed tightly together trying to keep any noise from coming out but appeared to be failing since light whimpers could be heard.
"Are you calm?" Ares asked calmly, making Andy shake his head quickly. "Why aren't you calm little one?" He asked quietly.
"I-I had a nightmare." Andy sniffled.
"What was it about?" Ares asked, sitting next to the young Goliath to ease his tension.
"Frost broke m-my arm again a-and she b-bit off part of my other ear." He choked making Ares stare at him intently and quickly grab his head and turn it to indeed find part of Andy's left ear missing part of its lobe. He let go of Andy's head and sighed deeply for a second, blowing a plume of smoke out of his nose; he later picked Andy up and held onto him tightly while walking towards his room and entering it quietly. Once inside the room Andy caught sight of a strange female sleeping next to Rei and Frost, he began to visibly show his discomfort in the situation before he heard Ares talk to the strange female.
"Sistine..." Ares whispered next to her ear.
"Hmm?" She moaned sleepily.
"Got another one that wants to sleep in the bed with us." He whispered. She turned and sleepily looked to see Ares with a tired look in his eyes and a young one that looked really uncomfortable before she sighed and nodded, opening her arms. Andy looked at Ares as he was lowered and reached out to him before he was engulfed in Sistine's soft arms, he struggled a bit before she started to hum gently while stroking his hair; she then began to rub his ear lobe while softly singing to calm him down. Eventually his eyes started to droop then close completely while he nuzzled in her chest, snoring softly with the rest of them. She sighed in relief when he fell asleep and tiredly looked at Ares, who was getting under the covers again, and whispered to him.
"Psst." She whispered quietly to him.
"What?" He mouthed to her. She glanced at Andy in her arms then looked back at him with a curious expression, silently asking for an explanation. He mouthed that he'd explain it in the morning and made her snort in amusement at his old tendencies before she closed her eyes and fell back asleep; while everyone was asleep and comfortable, he wasn't. How was he going to explain him arriving earlier tonight or last night depending on what time it was now to the others? Brock would probably try and say he was sorry then try to go back to how they were before the incident at the hunter school, Mathias would say he made a mistake and try to do the same as Brock, and Michelle would probably try to attack again then later apologize and say that he had deserved every bit of scorn. If this is what he's going to be returning to then he's better off with Sistine and the young ones at the cave he found months ago, it was big enough for them to live comfortably. His anger may have subsided but that didn't mean that he was even close to forgiving any of them, he was disappointed more than anything. Those thoughts were pushed aside though when he finally fell asleep in the warm confines of the bed.
The morning had came and filled the tunnels with warm air and scented the whole residence with an earthy smell. This was considered a lazy day for the group and even for Ares at some points but since there was no food in the storage or in the pot, this day needed to be productive. That's why when he woke up before anyone else he decided to go hunting while most of the animals were still asleep, but instead of going to the nearby hunting ground he decided to go to his near the cave and managed to catch an old Bison that was about to pass. He didn't even need to do anything to it since it had pretty much accepted death in any form, even going as far as exposing its neck a little bit so his claws could cut its neck open and slowly bleed it dry. The trip back was more of a hassle since he had to worry about other predators trying to steal the kill from him, a pack of wolves tried to take the meal but backed off when he burned two of them alive; later a bear tried to size him up but quickly fell when he smashed its skull with a boulder. Right now he was in the back room skinning the Bison quietly to avoid anyone from waking up, throwing the meats in the makeshift cooler, the fats in a container, and washing the blood that caked the ground into the little tunnel that lead outside.
Once all the blood was washed from the room and all the meats were stored he trekked back to his room and quietly opened it to find Arachne standing there looking at a still sleeping Sistine. She had on a pair of dark green panties and a black tank top that was tightly pressed against her. It wasn't a type of slutty attire but it wasn't for a younger audience.
"Arachne, why are you looking at Sistine?" Ares sighed and sat on his side of the bed.
"How is she able to keep the children asleep this long? I've been struggling to just get them to calm down." She gestured towards the sleeping bunch. He glanced at them too then shrugged and lied back down, closing his eyes for a minute before he reopened them when he felt Arachne nudge his arm.
"What?" He asked, looking at her.
"Is there any food?" She asked.
"Mhmm, now can you go away now?" He asked and turned away.
"Yeah... you know it's noon?" She asked.
"So? I'm tired and nobody else is up." He yawned.
"Aren't you, I don't know... supposed to go reintroduce yourself to everyone else?" She asked.
"Are those hunter girls still here?" He asked tiredly.
"Yeah. They won't leave until later on tonight." She said.
"Then I'm not leaving this room until they're gone." He huffed and began to fall asleep again. Arachne just shook her head and walked out of the room, returning to her's while enjoying the warm air. On the way there she caught Yang in the hallway with slightly disheveled hair and raised an eyebrow as to why she's in the hallway. She was about to enter her room but Yang had spotted her and waved at her.
"Hey Arachne." She greeted, making Arachne frown at being caught in her sleeping wear then turn to greet Yang with a smile.
"What's up Yang?" Arachne greeted back.
"Nothing, I was just wondering where Brock is. He wasn't in the room with us when I woke up." Yang said.
"He's probably either near the cliff's edge or taking a walk. He usually goes on one when he's either stressed or bored, but I'm guessing it's the former." Arachne shrugged.
"Why?" Yang asked.
"He still feels guilty about Ares. All of us do in fact, but Brock seems to be taking it the hardest since he viewed him as a younger brother." Arachne explained. Yang's shoulders drooped a bit when she thought about Ares, it was part of her fault he's gone.
"Do you think he'll forgive us?" Yang asked.
"Well... he probably will." Arachne said making Yang perk up a bit. "In a few years give or take." She then added. Yang immediately deflated and hung her head low.
"We uh... really screwed up huh?" She asked.
"I'd say you did but I guess Ares is always like that. He puts trust and family above all else, and once you break one of those then it'll be a minute before he even decides to look your way." Arachne said. Yang shrunk further down the more she heard. She guessed this is what her punishment is for tampering with him, not only did she and the rest of the team get him exiled but they almost broke his family apart.
"We should have just left him alone." She sighed dejectedly.
"Well he's usually a beacon for trouble... Brock should be either in his room or outside." Arachne said and began to walk in her room. Popping her head out for a second.
"Hey Yang?" She asked.
"Yeah?" She asked back.
"If you and Brock are going to 'shag' then please do it when no one is around and wash up afterwords." Arachne said.
"W-what!? We weren't doing that!" Yang denied with a red face.
"Oh please. I can smell it on you and him. You two are very active I can tell you that." Arachne deadpanned and closed the door to her room; leaving Yang standing in the middle of the hall with a red face. She muttered something under her breath and searched around to look for Brock, first looking where Arachne had advised and didn't find him there but then searched all around for half an hour and found him staring at the back room.
"Brock?" She called out to him. He quickly turned around with a stupidly happy expression on his face and was wagging his tail quickly.
"Yang! Do you see this?!" He asked excitedly as he showed her the back room.
"No? What's got you so excited?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Look!" He said and lead her to the storage unit and opened it. Her eyes widened when she saw all of this food in the storage, last time she had checked there wasn't any food in the container, which means someone had gone hunting.
"Where the hell did all this come from?" She asked.
"There's only one person who bags this much game." He said, bouncing up and down.
"Ares?" Yang wondered making him nod his head quickly.
"He's back! Oh man, this is great! It means-" He spoke quickly.
"Brock." Someone interrupted, making him and Yang to see Michelle, Ruby, Weiss, and Blake all standing there with tired looks on their faces.
"What's got you so excited?" Ruby yawned.
"Ares is back!" He exclaimed making all their eyes widen.
"W-what?" Michelle asked incredulously. He was here? And he didn't bother telling anyone?
"Yeah, and he brought us food. Oh man he wasn't pissed off at me then I'd hug him. Although he still might hit me even if he wasn't mad, but that's besides the point." He said making everyone sweat drop. He quickly pushed passed everyone and made his way to Ares' room with a light expression on his face and saw Arachne walk out of her room with a pair of tan pants on with the same tank top and a green jacket over her.
"Arachne! Did you know Ares is back?" Brock asked excitedly, making her raise and eyebrow. She leaned to the side and saw everyone behind him, all heading towards Ares' room where him, Sistine, and the little ones slept.
"Oh yeah." She said nonchalantly and began to walk past them.
"Wait? You knew?" He asked incredulously.
"Yep, he got here maybe late last night. Went hunting this morning. Technically he was going to make his big reveal when you four were gone but hey since you all know, eh what the hell." She shrugged and began to walk away but stopped. "Oh don't go in his room because him and Sistine are sleeping and won't be awake for another few hours. They'll probably be up later on tonight." She added and walked towards the main hall, leaving all of them dumbfounded at the name Sistine.
"Who is that?" Weiss asked.
"I dunno. Let's find out." Brock said and walked up to the door slowly, opening it quietly to avoid generating any noise and peeked inside with everyone else. They saw Ares and widened their eyes at his differences. He had more scars on his torso and arms from fighting, his tattoos glowed more often as opposed to being dull all the time, the spikes on his back were more jagged and looked ready to gut someone, his claws were razor sharp, and he had a calm collected look and not his usual scowling one. Next to the bed was a bag that had different makeshift weapons and gear; ranging from a double bow, arrows with dust crystals as the arrow heads, throwing shards, a makeshift jagged knife, and a grappling hook. Ruby had to contain herself from pouncing on the weapons and waking him up, in fear of his reaction. Their eyes roamed to the right and they saw the strange female that must be Sistine. Her skin complexion matched Ruby's but was a shade lighter, silver hair that seemed to shine, no spikes on her back, and had a tail with light brown spikes. In between the two were the little ones that slept snugly, making soft snores as they were nuzzled in between. The team had the urge not to gush at the adorable sight and were held back when Brock had to stick his arm out to prevent them from barging into the room and taking pictures. Michelle just stared at the sleeping bunch with a neutral expression, part of her was angry at him for staying away so long but another part of her felt guilty for pushing him to that point.
"I think we should leave before we wake him up." Brock whispered.
"Too late." Ares said, startling them when he spoke. While his voice was calm and collected it held no warmth towards their presence but it held no hostility either, it felt dead to be honest.
"Oh hey Ares... you heard us?" Brock asked sheepishly.
"Kind of hard not to with you screaming." Ares replied, he didn't even open his eyes to acknowledge them which stung a bit.
"Yeah, sorry about that." Brock said rubbing the back of his head. It was quiet for a minute with the exception of the soft snoring before Ares spoke up again.
"What do you want?" He asked calmly.
"We wanted to apologize to you." Brock said making Ares give a light chuckle after a moment's silence.
"I'll accept your apology but do not think this puts us on good terms Brock. Same goes for you Michelle." He said towards them, opening an eye. Everyone backed up when his eye opened and brushed over all of them in boredom.
"Why not?" Michelle asked.
"You really serious right now? Let me think, you said you would have me killed if you were the leader, haven't treated me with actual respect because of first impressions which happened almost a year ago, and finally you almost broke my nose and rendered me unconscious." He explained making her shrink. It went quiet for a minute again before he sighed and got up, showing all of them his full body, which was littered with a few scars ranging from a bite mark to a slash mark. He began to get dressed in his hunting gear and showed everyone the changes it went through. Needless to say they were disturbed at all the bones they saw attached to it, what disturbed them a lot was the fact that he was collecting them as trophies now. But the thing that made them blank in fear was when he pulled out human and faunus skulls and attached them to his belt, this signaled that he wasn't just hunting animals and Grimm now, everyone was his game. Blake backed away when she saw how many skulls there were, too many to count.
"You're hunting faunus and people now?" She asked with clenched fists. He looked at her and flashed her a toothy smile that showed his canines were sharper and whiter now, it was a savage smile that promised massive amounts of pain if provoked. Brock and Michelle looked at him differently, this wasn't the Ares they knew; the one who would play with the children when no one else would, go hunting when needed, or just joke around. This was someone who had been out in the wild and basked in its untamed glory, turning him into the apex predator of these woods. They truly did make him into a monster who had no filter when it came to killing. Everyone in the room realized that this wasn't someone who would just rush into battle with no assessment, this was a predator that preferred to stalk their prey and physically, emotionally, and mentally break them before ending their life quickly. It was behind this mask of calmness and intelligence lied an untamed beast that would rather use the gained knowledge to slowly break their opponent before taking them out.
"What happened to you?" Brock asked.
"The wild did. You all threw me to the wolves... now look at me. I came back leading the pack." He said and brushed past all of them but stopped when he got to the door. "You wake them up and I'll break you." He said and left the room. Michelle and Brock blinked at him, usually he would have cursed as a way of showing he was relaxed but not once did he, it made both of them uncomfortable. All six of them left the room quietly to avoid waking the sleeping bunch and headed outside to see Ares making some more arrows in silence with dust crystals as the arrowheads; Weiss nearly exploded when she saw him throw a red one over his shoulder in an uncaring manner, making it land near them. He looked over his shoulder and glanced at them before turning back and sharpening the crystals to a razors edge, each arrowhead was tied to a stick tightly and put in his quiver. The area around was basked into an uncomfortable silence, the only noise was from nature in the distance but even then silence seemed to affect there too. Getting fed up with the constant company just standing there, he finally turned around with a minor agitated look but still kept his cool.
"I can see you all are standing there, what do you want?" He asked them, placing the final arrow in the quiver.
"We wanted to apologize to you." Brock said.
"I don't need another apology. I need to know what is it you all want." Ares deadpanned.
"Then nothing I guess." Brock rubbed the back of his neck. Ares just rolled his eyes and walked past each of them, gently opening the door to his room and closing it behind him. Sistine was still asleep and so were the little ones. It was almost a shame to wake them up since all of them looked so peaceful but they couldn't just sleep the day away, it was too nice out to do that.
"Sistine." He whispered as he knelt down next to her ear. She turned a bit and moved around some more before her eyes opened tiredly and stared at his.
"What?" She yawned in her human voice, making him raise an eyebrow.
"What's with the human tongue?" He asked.
"I don't know, just happened to be there when I woke up... what time is it?" She stretched a bit before sighing and sitting up.
"Around noon. How'd you sleep?" He asked.
"Fine." She said, putting on a pair of black flannel pajama pants and his black V-neck T-shirt. He raised an eyebrow as to why she chose that then dismissed it when he remembered that it was that shirt Mathias had bought him months ago. Those types of shirts always bothered him. After a minute of putting on the clothes she looked at him then smirked.
"What?" He asked.
"Nothing. Come here you big idiot." She smiled. He walked over and sat down next to her with a confused expression; her hands traced a cut on his back, making him wince, and then reached in his bag and pulled something out. As she was applying something she stopped when black goo started to secrete from the cut and harden a bit before breaking off and landing on the bed.
"You can do it too?" She asked.
"Do what?" He asked.
"Go back in your original form?" She asked, tilting her head.
"Supposedly, though I don't know how to. Last time I did it was when I fought those hunters a year ago." He replied, lying back down on the bed. She lied down next to him and looked him in the eyes.
"Luckily for you, I know how to do it at will." She smirked and made his eyes widen.
"You do?!" He asked.
"Yep, but it'll take a minute." She said.
"Doesn't matter. The fact that I can do it at will is enough." He said. She shook her head at his antics of wanting to be back in his original form. "Though, why aren't you in yours?" He asked.
"Believe it or not, I somewhat enjoy being in this form."She said.
"The fuck? Why?" He asked.
"Before you start getting angry like a hatchling, hear me out. Not only am I able to be treated as something other than a monster but I'm also able to go into different places and experience what humans do." She said. His brows furrowed at her statement. She always had a strange curiosity of humans and their activities, claiming that they were truly an amazing species that made the best of themselves. As children they would often get into arguments about humans; he would always say that they're nothing but genocidal beings that know nothing of the wild and destroy everything they touch while she claimed that they were also compassionate that had good in them and made great things too. He saw the bad in humans and hunters while she saw the good. She often claimed that he had a soft spot for humans too but he would usually deny it out of embarrassment.
"You truly are a strange one. How the hell did I meet you?" He asked making her roll her eyes.
"Because you would often go near the swamp and tease the baby tyrants despite your mother's wishes, then later hide from her when she found out. I remember when you got caught toying with the Trap-Jaw she was studying and you tried to find another one that looked like it." She laughed softly.
"Okay to be fair, it had gave me a dirty look. And about mom finding out, it was only because Rei and Ken would give hints when she bribed them with something shiny." He said. She rolled her eyes and looked at the sleeping bunch with a smile then dropped it slightly when shuffling could be heard from behind the door, Ares heard it too and scowled. Getting up and marching to the door he suddenly opened it and scowled when everybody fell from leaning on it, all of them landing in a giant heap. Brock looked up at Ares' neutral expression and swore he could see an agitated look in his eyes.
"Hey Ares, lovely weather we're having right?" He laughed nervously, making the other Goliath visibly scowl.
"How long have you been there?" Ares asked stoically, even the girls gulped at his lack of emotion.
"This whole time." Brock gulped, not seeing the point in lying and breaking the already broken trust further.
"If I knew you were going to act like this then I would have never come back." Ares said coldly. Brock and Michelle shrunk a bit but Sistine scowled when she saw his old habits of trust beginning to resurface.
"Ares. Don't be rude." She said sternly making everybody look at her. The looked back at him and saw him actually listen to someone else before widening their eyes when he nodded and walked back over to her, standing next to her. They all got off one another and brushed themselves off before standing up, staring at the duo awkwardly. The silence began to get uncomfortable as time passed before Sistine sighed and addressed them.
"You might as well begin to talk." She sighed.
"Oh okay... so how do you know Ares." Ruby asked uncomfortably, averting her eyes when Ares' gaze honed in on her.
"Grew up with him. I've been the only one he trusts and don't intend to break it." Sistine said, letting her gaze fall over Brock and Michelle, who averted theirs.
"What was he like when he was a kid?" Yang asked.
"Defiant, cynical at times, extremely violent when something doesn't go his way and... what else am I missing?" She tapped her chin while looking at him.
"Protective." He said.
"Savage." Sistine said.
"That's not what I said." He deadpanned. She didn't say anything and just placed her hand against his face and gently pushed it playfully, making the others gape when he didn't even retaliate. He had a smile on his face, like he was used to it.
"Savage?" Blake asked.
"He's a savage skinned Goliath. One of the rarest kinds out there, able to strike fear into any other species just by being near them." Sistine shrugged, unaware she was releasing some hidden information to the girls. The girls looked at Brock, who looked at each one of them and sighed.
"I wasn't lying when I saved you all that night. He's a savage skinned, only monsters who have gone through savagery and managed to regain their mind have it, though most of the time it's inherited. There's possibly only three savage skinned Goliaths that are alive and have their minds but they usually are left alone due to them being the best fighters, even one can take down a heavily fortified settlement in the span of a few hours." He explained. All of them looked back at Ares, who was tapping the side of Sistine's head with a claw in a playful manner then looked back at Brock.
"S-so he's the one who ripped Neptune's arm off?" Weiss asked shakily. Brock looked at her and nodded, feeling a little guilty for knowing so long and not telling her; she went up to Ares and poked his chest, not caring if she woke the sleeping bunch.
"Do you realize what you did to him?! He calls me every week and sobs in the scroll about you chewing his arm off! He had to give up his chance as a huntsman and go through surgery to even walk straight after you broke his spine! Sun and his team take him to therapy every three days so he can finally talk to someone because he can't even tell his friends what happened and even then he can barely talk! He's a broken boy with a broken body and mind! And all you can do is crack a smile at that?!" She shouted in his face. He gave a neutral look and shrugged at her outburst, she was about to smack him but was stopped when Sistine intervened, holding her hand and shaking her head. The others looked at Ares differently; Ruby didn't want to be near him and looked at him fearfully, Blake had her doubts about him being the monster but now that it's confirmed she didn't even want to know what he's capable of if he went savage, and Yang had an angered look on her face. Weiss' face though, it had one of absolute rage on it, the kind that swore vengeance on somebody. The room was heavy with turmoil and became stuffy as time passed, both parties didn't bother saying a word to one another before Sistine turned to him with a stern expression and spoke.
"Ares, what did I tell you about harming innocents? I understand that you don't care about humans but you told me back on Shear that you'd stay away from innocents. Yet you harmed an innocent boy." She said. He ignored her comment and turned to the six who stood by the door.
"It's funny you all came to apologize to me but here you stand scorning me for defending my family. Fun fact Sistine, Brock here stopped me from killing these four for trying to take Rei and Ken away from me, have me killed, and dissected for future study." Ares said, turning his attention to her. She blinked a few times before her gaze hardened and she looked at them with slits.
"You what?" She said lowly. Blake sensed the turmoil that was about to go down and slowly began to creep out the room, then hastily walk down the hall and go outside. Brock then translated what Ares said and stepped back when he saw Sistine's expression.
"W-we didn't know it was him. We thought that he was a new type of Grimm and was going to attack." Ruby said nervously, shrinking a bit when Sistine gazed at her unblinkingly.
"So you thought that just because of his form that he was a new Grimm? You didn't even bother listening to his siblings when they said it was him, you should have known right then and there that it was him. I see why he attacks hunters. You're all nothing but killers claiming to be heroes." Sistine whispered harshly, picking up Andy and Frost before storming past them. Ares did the same to Rei and Ken but not before shooting a glance back at the six, specifically Brock.
"This could have been avoided you Brock. I merely wanted to come back to my home. But seeing as to how you've become more of a hunter than a monster, I'm not sure if I can call this place that anymore. I won't go after anyone you care about but know this... there won't be anyone to save you the next time you cross me." Ares warned, walking out quietly. They all stood in silence and shifted uncomfortably. Hot tears leaked from Weiss' face as she rubbed them away harshly, this whole entire time he had been that monster that broke Neptune, but that's not what struck a nerve with her. It was the fact that Brock knew, he knew that Ares was that monster yet he didn't tell any of them.
"This is your fault!" She shouted at him.
"Me?" He asked.
"Yes! If you just told us that Ares was that monster, then we could have dealt with him sooner! He's the reason Neptune is the way he is now!" She shouted. In the span of a few seconds, Yang and Michelle were at his sides.
"Whoa there Weiss. Calm down okay? I'm sure Brock meant to tell us but didn't know how to. Plus he's dealt with Ares before, who's to say he can't do it again." Yang said. Weiss' breathing was hitched a bit and sounded forced as she glared at him then sat on the bed and began to cry, this whole encounter was a mistake.
"Why did we even come here?" She asked.
"I came to see Brock and Oobleck wanted to know more about Ares." Yang said.
"Then why the hell doesn't he just ask him in person?!" Weiss shouted. Ruby and Yang jumped at her sudden outburst. This was the first time they've ever heard her cuss and the first time they've ever seen her break down, this was really taking a toll on her.
"I don't know, maybe because Beacon just sends its students anywhere without any regard for their safety." They heard Arachne's voice from the door. She was leaning on the frame with a neutral expression but her voice was laced with sarcasm.
"It doesn't do that." Ruby defended.
"Oh really now? Then why are you all out here? I know it wasn't to kill a few Grimm or even try to find something. This is a spying mission sent by your oh so grand headmaster." Arachne said, twirling her fingers.
"No it isn't Arachne, if we were spying then we'd be back by now." Yang said.
"Bullshit. You're stay ends later on tonight at eight. Did you think I'm a fucking idiot?" She asked in a low tone, reaching behind her to throw a dismantled camera on the ground. All of them blanked when they saw the camera that was assigned to them by Oobleck.
"We're documenting." Yang tried to lie.
"Uh huh. And I guess scorning Ares for defending his family is 'documenting' too? You know, I didn't know how he came here or why he hates you all so much but now I actually understand now. He doesn't hate you all because you're not only hunters but a team that tried to take away what family he had left. You constantly spy on us, try to get us to 'join' you, and actually pretend like you give a damn about us. Those little things right there are enough to make me snap." She said dangerously. All of them could sense a dangerous aura emitting from her and backed away.
"Arachne, calm down." Brock said.
"I am calm Brock. I'm more disappointed than anything, because I told you earlier not to go in here because they're sleeping but what did you do?" She asked.
"He was already awake from my yelling." Brock said.
"That's not the point Brock. When I tell you something, it usually has a reason behind it; I don't usually sprout shit out of my ass for no reason. This was the one chance to apologize to him correctly and make him want to be part of us again and what do you all do?" She asked sarcastically.
"Don't blame this shit on us." Michelle said.
"Well I can't blame it on Ares now because he did nothing wrong. You know what? Maybe the problem isn't him... maybe it's you all." Arachne said and picked up his survival bag before grabbing a skull and walking out the room.
After Sistine had set Andy down in his bed she walked outside with Ares as he stared at the cliff's edge. He was carrying a sleeping Frost and Rei while Ken stood next to him with a spear and a mask on his face.
"I see why you didn't want to come back here." She said.
"Yeah. Only reason I came back was for these three." He gestured towards the three. She nodded and stood next to him before looking at Ken when he suddenly perked up and ran inside for a minute, later coming out with Ares' mask, throwing shards, and knife.
"You left these." Ken said as he held up the select items.
"Thanks, can you go inside and grab Rei and Frost's too?" He asked as he handed the girls to Sistine. Ken nodded and bolted back inside before coming out with the girls' spears, knives, and masks, handing them to his brother. Ares nodded as he held the select items in one hand and grabbed Rei from Sistine's arms, gesturing towards the woods. They left without saying their goodbyes to anybody, every single one of them had lost his respect except the little ones. The walk to the cave was silent with the exception of Ken humming and jumping on every rock he saw.
"Hey Ares? Where are we going?" Ken asked.
"An actual safe place that's far from that hunter school and the keep." He answered, setting Rei down as she woke up and tiredly walked next to him.
"Is it big? Does it have Water I can play in? Is there a lot of food? Will we be able to see the others?" Ken asked quickly.
"Yes, yes, yes, and I don't know. It depends if they're ready to stop being hunter pets." He said, pushing over a tree to create a bridge for them to cross. While they all walked and talked, no one noticed a crow flying up above while staring at them. The next few hours were spent just gazing at the flora with the occasional fauna, it truly was a beautiful place when there was no one trying to always pester or start a conflict. Once they had came within sight of the cave, all three of the children scampered off to explore while Ares and Sistine stood nearby and just smiled as the three of them stared in awe at the overall sight. Both of them walked inside the cave and Sistine was immediately taken aback at how much he had done with the place. Inside was torches that lit everything up while giving off a pleasant scent that smelled like a mixture of fruits, there appeared to be a little cover area that held a large bed and numerous tiny ones nearby that had a sort of cover over them as well. The cover was made into a little shack like appearance that was composed of large logs kept together by strong vines and had animal fur covering it. Nearby was a skinning rack that was near a little crevice that flowed water towards the outside. A small container that was made out of clay seemed to be holding food in there and there was a fire pit smack dead in the center of the cave.
Nearby was a weapons rack that had numerous dust, arrows, knives, clubs, spears, and a couple of slings. There was also a few fire bombs spread out on the station made out of stone.
"Wow." She breathed.
"Yeah, spent a lot of time in here. C'mon, we need to get to bed." He said and lead her towards the bed, the children came inside and sat down next to them. Their stomachs began to rumble loudly making him raise an eyebrow then move to the makeshift cooler and pull out a large piece of meat. He threw some logs in the fireplace and sucked in some air before blowing a stream of fire to make a large fire and threw the meat on a stick and place it over the open flame. All their mouths watered as the meat cooked for a minute before he took it off and sprinkled something on it and handed each of them a large chunk, to which they snatched from his hands and tore into it like a pack of wolves. Even Sistine tore into hers in haste. Each one of them took another piece and ate it quickly before leaning back with full bellies, the little ones burping before falling asleep. Sistine and Ares looked at each other before placing them in the master's bed and going back to the fire place.
"You really know how to make the best from the worst you know." She said, leaning back on the log bench with fur covering.
"Yep." He said and leaned back also. It went silent for a minute.
"I'm sorry." She apologized.
"For what?" He asked.
"Leaving you during the battle of Shear." She said quietly. That's right. She had left them during the battle, thinking that she could try to hide from them, she didn't make it very far before Hyde had forced her into the fusion core.
"It's not your fault. I was too busy trying to destroy the power plant than checking up on you." He sighed.
"But I had been there with you than maybe I'd been able to help out more and beat them-" She was interrupted when he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Sistine, we lost either way. Hunters managed to best us in our own terrain. It's not your fault that we lost to some killers." He said. She looked down and sighed before nodding, about to head to bed until both heard something. He stood up and threw a stone shard at the shadow and made them fall.
"Ow! Dammit Ares." Arachne said, rubbing her back.
"What are you doing here Arachne?" He sighed.
"Came here to get away from Brock and them... mind if I sit down?" She asked. He nodded and scooted over to give her some room.
"Did the others follow you?" Sistine asked.
"Please. They couldn't even follow a simple trail if they wanted to." Arachne said rolling her eyes.
"Are they that bad at tracking?" Sistine asked.
"Kind of. Brock gets distracted by the smallest things, Michelle gets angry too fast, and Mathias's smell is going haywire due to how old he is." Arachne said. This drew a few laughs from the three before Arachne looked around the cave. Ares handed her a piece of leftover meat.
"Thanks. This where you're going to be living from now on?" She asked, chewing on the piece.
"To be honest, I don't know." He sighed. Both girls looked at him and saw in his face how stressed this whole situation must be, exiled for a few months, came back only to be scorned, and forced to leave.
"If it was me, I'd stay here." She said.
"Why?" He asked.
"To be honest. The keep has been going through some problems recently; hunters finding us more, those drones that creep sends are starting to be more frequent, and not to mention food is starting to run low." She listed.
"If food is running low then why don't you all just find another place to stay?" Sistine asked.
"We don't have another place to stay actually." Arachne sighed. Sistine just looked at her before an idea popped in her head and she looked at Ares, who just stared at her back.
"Sistine, no." He said.
"You heard her Ares. They are starting to run low on food, and it's only a matter of time until they run completely out. We need to let them come here." She said.
"No we don't. I specifically chose this place to get away from them, because we all know Brock can't keep his fucking mouth shut and Michelle is just going to bitch and complain." He said as he stood up and paced around.
"What about Mathias and the little ones?" Arachne asked.
"What about them?" He asked.
"You really going to let them starve? I know Mathias is old and can hunt but come on, he can't stay out that long without breaking his back. The children barely know how to hunt and without anybody teaching them they won't know how to take care of themselves." She explained. It went silent for a minute with the exception of Ares rubbing his head then blowing a plume of smoke out his nostrils.
"Alright fine. They can come." He said.
"Thanks Ares." Arachne said.
"On three conditions." He said in a low tone. Sistine knew that tone of his, it was usually the one where he gave somebody one chance and that was it.
"What are they?" She asked.
"First, they must never tell anybody about this place because if they do then there'll be a mess to clean up. Second, they are building their own hut because I'm not going to be building everything. And finally, every single one of us has a job. You can't just sit on your ass all day; if you want to stay here then earn your keep." He explained.
"Seems easy enough. Do we get to design our own huts?" She asked. He just nodded which made her squeal in delight and jump around before engulfing the two Goliaths in a hug. She was quickly shoved off when Ares roughly pushed her before looking behind to see if she had woken the three little ones up. Sistine rolled her eyes and waved to Arachne as she said her goodbyes and used her web to fling herself into the trees and back to the keep, telling the others the news. They looked at the sky and noticed how dark it had become in the span of a few hours and decided to turn in for the night.
"You do realize if Brock brings his hunters here I'm going to kill him this time right?" Ares asked as he got underneath the covers.
"Yeah I do. If he jeopardizes the lives of any of us then I'll help you kill him." Sistine smirked as she took got underneath the covers too. He shook his head and gave a light laugh before slowly closing his eyes and falling asleep, shortly followed by Sistine, who thought about the future.
One month later:
Ares sat near the lake watching Rei, Frost, and Ken play in it. Each one of them had wanted to play in it today and practically dragged him to the lake despite him saying no. He didn't know where Sistine had gone for the last two hours, this morning she was moody and lashed out at him, leaving a slash mark on his chest. Pushing those thoughts aside he reached in his survival bag Arachne had dropped off a week ago and fished out a seashell bracelet, clenching it tightly in his hand before putting it away. The weather was sunny and warm, making it the perfect day to go swimming. He smirked when Ken disappeared for a second before reemerging with a crab in his hand and scare the girls when he swam close to them with it. There was a rustling noise behind him and he turned to see Sistine come out of the brush and sit next to him in silence. She leaned on his shoulder and just stared at the little ones in the lake before closing her eyes.
"Sistine." He said.
"Hmm?" She hummed.
"You alright?" He asked then let out a little cough of black goo.
"Yeah. I'm just... tired." She yawned. He leaned his head on her's and stared at the three continue to play in the water, eventually they got out and started to shake themselves dry, much to the dismay of Sistine and sat next to them. She opened her eyes when she felt Rei climb up on her lap and lean back while Frost and Ken did the same to Ares and just sat there in silence.
"When are we going hunting?" Frost asked as she fiddled with her bracelet.
"Later on and-" He stopped when he felt something rise from his throat and almost force itself out of his mouth. Frost and Ken quickly got off of him as he stumbled a few feet away and projectile vomited out black goo, staining the ground black with the sludge. Sistine was immediately by his side and held onto his chest and back as he vomited more at a faster pace.
"Ares! Ares look at me!" She said as she knelt in front of him. He shakily looked at her with dilated eyes then held onto her tightly as she pulled him into a hug, violently vomiting more. "Go in the cave!" She shouted at the three, who didn't hesitate to run into the cave. She looked back at Ares as he breathed heavily.
"I-it hurts." He coughed.
"I know. I know." She said quietly as she held onto him tighter and stroked the back of his head to calm him down. It seemed to have a minimal effect because he was still coughing up black sludge. She sighed as what was happening. He was going through the evolution process between forms. The first few times are horrible since when inside the cocoon the cells of the host's body is ripped apart before being molded into the new form, feeling every single bit of pain. He fell on the ground and started to vomit more and more to the point where the sludge had nowhere to go and began to pool around them, forming a pile of the viscous substance.
"Y-you'll get hurt!" He vomited near her. She placed a hand on his cheek and flashed a smile at him, hugging his neck as the mountain of sludge reached up to their necks at a rapid pace.
"I know." She whispered as they were engulfed in the cocoon. It slowly steamed for a minute before hardening to where it was the same consistence of a jello-like object that was large in size.
He opened his eyes and found himself in a reddish-orange jelly-like fluid. It was warm and quiet inside of it, making it seem like a haven compared to the outside.
'Where am I?' He thought to himself as he looked around, feeling like he was everywhere. His mind felt expanded in a sense, like he could hold more.
'You're in the process of re-evolving.' Sistine's voice echoed from somewhere. He looked around and eventually saw her floating there a few feet away, the only difference was that she wasn't wearing anything, he then looked down and saw he wasn't either. Where the hell had their clothes gone? She swam over to him slowly and then floated in front of him while staring at him with a smile.
'How are we... why are we... what is this? It feels... different.' He thought as he looked at his hands.
'When two monsters change forms with one another, their thoughts are shared. They become bonded inside the cocoon, and therefore bonded outside.' She thought back to him, placing a hand on his.
'So you can hear my thoughts outside now?' He asked in childish curiosity. She gave a light laugh which echoed throughout the inside, bouncing off the walls and making their way to his ears.
'Unfortunately no, it's only on the inside... It's time for us to change Ares.' She said softly and began to float away from him.
'Sistine... Sistine wait!" He thought frantically as he reached out. She flashed a soft smile to calm him down and her body started to dissolve slowly, eventually fading away and coming back as a small ball of white, growing in size and gaining limbs slowly. He felt something on his hands and looked down, widening his eyes when he saw the flesh on his body begin to dissolve and tried to swipe away the thing that was breaking him apart. His skin dissolved completely and showed open muscle that was dissolving slowly, it felt as if someone had thrown him into the acid swamp and sprayed him with hot water. His muscles dissolved into tiny particles and he began to thrash around before he suddenly stopped when his body had completely vanished and he was stuck in what would be described as a tiny igloo. He closed his eyes for a minute before he felt something grasp him gently and opened them to see Sistine in her monster form but as a tinier version. Limbs started to sprout and all feeling came back as his body began to mold him back into a physical form, except instead of pain he felt relief. His body started to grow in size until he was about the same size as Sistine.
'About time you got here you big baby.' She teased happily.
'You can't blame me for being cautious.' He said lightheartedly.
'Cautious my ass. You were scared.' She laughed. He just rolled his eyes and went quiet as his body began to grow in size as did her's until both were able to stand up on the ground and had to bend down to fit. They heard a thumping noise on the side of the cocoon and both looked to see a tiny silhouette tapping the side, it was Frost since they could barely make out the spikes on her back.
'Guess they're ready.' He looked at her.
'I guess they are.' She laughed softly. Both leaned their heads up a bit and sliced open the cocoon with ease and let the sides of it fall down with a wet splat against the ground. Fresh air flooded their nostrils as both blew out a plume of smoke and gazed at the sunny sky, taking in its beauty. The rest of the slimy cocoon slid off their backs and landed on the ground before being tossed away by Sistine, they looked around and saw Frost staring up at them curiously. Sistine bent down and blew some air into her hair and made it fly back, she stared at the older monster before giggling happily and hugging her snout. Ares knelt down and nuzzled her too as she hugged him, all three of them heard a squeals of excitement and turned to see Rei and Ken warping and flying over to them, hugging their snouts while giggling happily. He gave a happy rumble and continued to nuzzle the three before Sistine opened up her hand and let them climb on, she walked over to the lake and lied down near the shore, curling around them gently. Due to him being larger than her, he curled around her and set his head near her's, later closing his eyes.
"You know we can't lounge around all day right?" She asked, giving a light laugh as the three children climbed on top of her.
"Mhmm, though just... just let's. For a minute anyways." He said.
"Fine you idiot." She said lightheartedly and closed her eyes. She felt the children continue to climb on her for minutes on end until both of them heard Frost hit the ground hard and Ken laughing.
"Ken! You fucking asshole!" Frost shouted angrily and began to climb on Sistine to chase him. Sistine's eyes snapped open and she stared wide eyed for a second before she looked at Frost and Ken. Ares began to snort in amusement then quickly clamped his mouth shut when Sistine shot him a stern glare.
"Children." She said in an icy calm tone which made them shudder. Ken and Frost slowly and timidly walked in front of her with their heads down as she stared at them.
"H-hi Sistine. How're you?" Frost asked nervously, trying to mitigate the punishment.
"I'm fine, thank you for asking. Now did I catch you cursing?" Sistine asked, making Frost gulp.
"Yes." She nodded timidly.
"You know you're not supposed to be cussing at this age right?" Sistine asked calmly.
"Y-yes." Frost said.
"So why are you cussing?" Sistine asked.
"Because I wanted to be like you and Ares." Frost mumbled making Sistine tilt her head.
"What was that?" She asked.
"I wanted to be like you and Ares." Frost repeated. Sistine just shook her head and sighed a bit before turning back.
"Listen Frost, Ares and I are almost adults which means we can say these things. Just because we say them doesn't mean we should." She explained making Frost look down before nodding.
"But what about Brock and Yang?" She asked innocently.
"What about them?" Sistine asked.
"I hear them say it at night. Usually when everyone is asleep." Frost said.
"And what do they say?" Ares asked, already not liking where this was going.
"They usually say things like 'I fucking love you! Give me more you big fucker! Tear this cun-" She began.
"Okay, stop. We'll uh... get on them too." Sistine said uncomfortably. Oh god, that was super uncomfortable. Ken laughed and began to walk away but froze when Sistine spoke up.
"Don't think I'm not done with you yet." She said calmly making him gulp.
"This is bullshit." He whispered.
"Ken! Watch your fucking language!" Ares shouted.
"Ares, you're not helping!" Sistine exclaimed. The rest of the day was spent reprimanding three certain individuals that had cussing problem. Not one of them saw a Beowolf stare at them with flashing eyes before disappearing into the forest to report back to its master.
AN: Howdy ho everyone! I meant to have this out earlier but I got lazy and am currently working on my other story that should be out next week. No, not Remnants of a gold gear but yet another one. Anyways, I told you I would base Sistine off my friend and this is how she acted; caring and loving but stern and defiant. Don't have much to say other than you all know the golden rule of reviews and have a nice one. Take it easy guys and gals.