A/N: PLEASE READ THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE, WOULD YOU KINDLY?
On an antibiotic now and doing a bit better. Not as much as I'd like, but something's better than nothing. It was an odd combination of a dry throat and coughing causing the blood, which is a bit of a relief frankly, given what I thought it was. Now I've got to take this ghastly medicine in the meantime and keep my throat lubricated lest it get dry and crack again. Not a pleasant experience, let me tell you!
At this point writing is essential; getting lost in another world helps me ignore the pain.
Alright! Onto the questions, comments, and concerns!
Q: Did...Did you see that leaked episode?!
A: SH! Spoilers!
Q: I'm loving the shades of grey you've got going on with Naruto and Salem's respective factions.
A: At this point, Naruto, Cinder, and even Salem are hopelessly twisted. They don't believe themselves to be evil. Naruto's selfish. He's greedy. He wants to be the hero, yet hold onto everything he possibly can. Cinder craves power and strength to never be weak again. She wants to be valued. Loved, while never losing control. Naruto may have mellowed her out, but in some ways, he's made her even more dangerous. To say nothing of the rest!
Cinder's found herself a partner. She'll kill to keep him.
By contrast to them, Salem has nothing. No one. Watts doesn't count. We all know him for what he is. All this time she's clung to the past; remembering a happier time while craving vengeance for her perceived slights. Now suddenly she's met another immortal; one who won't bow to her, but hasn't made himself an enemy of her either. Its awakened something in her.
That...may not be a good thing.
Q: So who's the big bad? Who would say is stronger?
A: At this point its more of a trifecta. Kaguya, as we know, can put up one hell of a fight when backed into a corner. Conversely, the Brother Gods are powerful and terribly dangerous. Neither would come down quietly if it came to a battle. They'll all need to be dealt with in time.
Make no mistake! We will be dealing with those three.
Now then, lets get ready. Set! Go! Once again, chapter title is part of the lyrics from the song "All Things Must Die."
As ever, I own no references, themes or memes! Not a wit or one!
And so, with that said...away we go~!
"What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?
The answer is quite simple. You have yourself a paradox.
Something will break of course. Sooner. Or later."
~a discussion.
This World Transcends
Cinder knew what was coming. How could she not?
She felt it. Everyone felt it. The very air boiled with tension, fresh with the promise of violence and bloodshed. Two monsters walked side by side ahead of her, not looking at one another, but keenly aware of the other's presence all the same. Their footsteps were measured yet swift, their tongues silent as they stalked toward their final destination. Cinder wasn't taken in by it.
Because you see, Salem was smiling.
Not quite a smirk, nor a grin, but an actual genuine smile, one that lit up her pale veined face with childlike delight. It was the smile of a devil let loose upon a pack of unsuspecting peasants. The smile of a wolf about to devour a herd of sheep; the smile of someone who had just gotten everything she'd ever wanted; granted the greatest gift of all.
By contrast, Naruto didn't smile at all.
His expression was carved from granite, blue eyes cold and hard. It was the look of a man marching off to war; a soldier performing an ugly yet necessary task for the safety of his nation. And yet despite his stoic silence, Cinder sensed his excitement all the same. Oh gods, he was looking forward to this too, wasn't he? He was. She just knew it.
Salem and Naruto would fight. One would stand. One would fall. And one way or another, she would know the truth of their words.
"Ah. Here we are."
In short order Salem led them out of the tower and into the courtyard; a word Cinder used very loosely. More a desolate ruin than anything else, it offered precious little in the way of protection or cover. No doubt that was intentional on her part. Salem had ever been the sort to make a statement. And this spoke for itself.
Beyond the courtyard, the horde awaited them.
Baying beowolves and beringels bared their fangs at their uneasy little band. Boarbatusks pawed at the ground, threatening to charge. A murder of nevermore wheeled through the bloody sky overhead, cries filling the air as they called out to their brethren. Goliath stomped their feet, shaking the very earth beneath their trunk like legs. There were more still; species she'd not seen before, great towering behemoths she couldn't even begin to describe, let alone know. They crowded in around their mistress -and them!- cutting off any hope of escape and confirming their worsts fears.
Salem had any army. She was going to invade Atlas.
It had to be Atlas; if only because there was no where left to strike. Beacon was in ruins. All that remained was to acquire the Relic there. Haven's huntsman population was gutted. Shade already bore her wrath. What did that leave, then? A few scattered islands? Menagerie? No. That tiny nation was no threat to her. Only the military might of General Ironwood could possibly pose a threat to Salem. But against an army such as this? There would be no glorious rally. There would be no triumphant last stand. They'd be slaughtered to a man.
They were well and truly in the endgame now. There could be no turning back. She'd follow him to the end, whatever it may be.
Emerald muttered something crass behind her. Cinder didn't hear the words, but she echoed the sentiment.
Likewise, the others each became attached to Naruto in turn. Emerald sought a family. Naruto gave her that. Mercury craved entertainment and the Father he never had. Naruto gave him that. Hazel wanted retribution for his sister. Naruto gave him that and promised to revive her the moment he marshaled his strength. Neo wanted her precious dumb-dumb back. Naruto gave her that and provided her a way to ensure he'd never die again.
They were all loyal to him; because unlike Salem, he gave them tangible rewards, while being kind to them.
As the pen is mightier than the sword, so too was the carrot stronger than the stick.
And he...he had given her everything.
Naruto spared the demonic host a sidelong glance. "Why are they here?"
"Why not?" Salem hummed happily. "You have your followers and I have mine. With the loss of so many useful pawns, I was forced to...adapt."
A pair of what could only be called Hounds peeled off from the Grimm and stood on either side of their Queen, flanking her like a pair of loyal guards. Cinder felt her hackles rise at the sight of those twisted creatures. The power of the Spring Maiden -Raven!- sang angrily in her ear, whispering warnings. Something was...wrong with them. There was magic at work here. Dark, twisted magic. The strength she'd stolen from Raven resonated with it, thumping angrily in the back of her head, promising a migraine.
It also begged another question.
She had slain that cowardly craven and taken her power for herself. That much was clear. Yet she still didn't feel herself. Her fingers itched for a long sword, rather than her twin blades. Memories still pricked at her, odd thoughts and feelings that weren't her own. Raven was long since silent, but some small part of her still lingered. Had she acquired her Semblance as well? Her ability to change form and take wing? Thoughts for later, she supposed. One way or another it would
A ghastly pall of silence fell over both parties, broken only by the snorts and snarls of the Grimm.
"Will you not reconsider?" Salem spoke into it once more, entirely at her ease. "There is no need to shed blood here."
"And let you weasel your way out of our agreement?" Naruto slashed a hand through the air. "Not a chance."
"Bold, aren't we?" red eyes pulsed with thinly veiled delight. "I like that in a man. Very well." she lifted her chin, a bemused look flitting across her pale features. "Allow me to "sweeten the pot" as you mortals say. If, by some chance you manage to best me, I shall grant you the Summer Maiden."
Cinder jolted forward. "You have her?!"
Salem sneered. "Quite so. She's rotting in my dungeon. I no longer have any use for her."
"Question." Roman raised a hand. "Se hasn't fled because...?"
"Because she cannot, you silly little vagabond." Laughter split the air. "One cannot run without legs." A pit of dread opened in the maiden's stomach, but still her former master smiled. "They cannot fight back without arms. They can only scream." Neo flinched behind her. "That one is little more than a shell of her former self now. Death would be a mercy for the poor girl."
An anguished look burned in Hazel's eyes. "Then why not kill her and end her suffering...?"
"Simply put? I do not wish to." Salem shrugged carelessly. "I would not have her power go to another, and Raven could not be trusted to do anything other than flee. No. Best to keep her close and deny Ozma a potential pawn. Hmm. I've changed my mind." A pale palm rose, fingers splayed in silent genteel benediction. "You may have the Maiden regardless of the outcome of our duel. Even if I granted Cinder this power, she would still pose no threat to me. I have something far sweeter to offer you."
Cinder absolutely hissed and reached for her swords. "What might that be?"
"He'll just have to win then, won't he? And if I triumph-
Naruto shook his head. "You won't."
"But if I do," Salem continued without missing a beat, "You will forsake Cinder." The world ground to a halt, punctuated by a few startled gasps and Naruto's frown. "You will swear yourself to me, necromancer. Body and soul." Salem's cruel smile became something altogether softer, sensual even. "You will be mine. For eternity."
To his credit, Naruto didn't overreact. His brow rose to his hairline. "I'm afraid I'm spoken for."
Unfortunately, Salem mistook his refusal for something else altogether.
"I assure you, I'm a capable lover." she touched one hand to her chest, smile gone coy. "Far more capable than that broken girl. Just think of it. Our children would rule this world and be as gods-
Cinder rounded on her former master, all but spitting flames. Rage burned the world red. Damn her. Damn her to hell. Salem was a petty creature of spite and vengeance. She should've expected as much from her. She envied Cinder her little piece of happiness and wanted it for herself. No, not even that. If she couldn't be happy, no one could. Flames burned bright in in her palms and she resisted the urge to fling them forward, knowing what the outcome would be. In the end, her tongue betrayed her.
"Never! Touch him and I'll burn you alive-ack?!
An invisible fist closed around her neck, stifling the words on her tongue lie a heavy weight. Cinder's hands flew to her throat and panic flared to life in her breast. She couldn't breathe...!
"Dear girl." Salem twisted one hand into a claw, drawing a gasp form her. "Do you think I fear you? As you said before, without me, you are nothing."
Cinder took a hand from her throat and flung it forward, unleashing a torrent of napalm. Salem batted it aside with a lazy palm.
"Salem." Naruto's voice rose in a low, strident warning. "Release her."
"Why? She's much better this way, don't you think?"
"I said enough!"
The blond snapped his fingers and her spell guttered out a like a blown candle. Cinder toppled forward with a wordless gasp, narrowly catching herself on bent knee. Emerald raced to her side. Mercury was only two steps behind, bless his snarky soul. Together they took hold of her by the arms and dragged her back. Hazel helped, shielding her with his bulk. In mere moments between the rest of them closed ranks around her.
It proved strangely...humbling.
"Have you learned your lesson, now?" Salem's gaze followed her as she climbed back to her feet. "I was here when this world was young, you arrogant little snit." Glowing scarlet slits filled her vision, threatening to swallow here whole. "I stood in this place long before you but a twinkle in you mother's eye. I walked this world when the Gods were among us and I will still be here long after you PERISH. Remember that before you challenge me."
Naruto stepped forward, eyes burning white. "Don't do that again. I won't be responsible for what happens if you do."
"As you wish." the Queen demurred with a careless shrug. "Shall we begin this farce, then?"
The blond raised a fist and took on a guarded stance. "Any rules?"
"Hmm." Salem tilted her head, considering his words. "Death and aura mean nothing to you and I." As she spoke, her Hounds peeled off from her and stepped back. Cinder watched the abominations like a hawk, even as the madwoman continued to speak. "We cannot die, and so we will fight until one of us yields...or gives into despair."
"Works for me. We using weapons?"
"If you like. I was never trained in the art. My talents lay...elsewhere."
She reached up and broke the metal clasp around her neck. Her cape fluttered free, gone with the wind.
Naruto shucked his coat in similar fashion, and then, after a moment's consideration, the vest beneath. Tan arms were exposed, riddled with scars and old wounds that had left their own marks. Cinder, no stranger to the sight, barely batted an eyelash. Salem gave a short, startled blink, briefly taken aback. The others were decidedly alarmed in their own right.
Hazel grunted in surprise.
Roman whistled. "Hot damn."
Mercury seconded it. "Tough old bastard."
Neo tilted her head. Emerald slapped her arm, only to find herself staring as well.
Salem stepped forward, a dark miasma stemming from her shoulders. Naruto mirrored her, veins pulsing against his eyes.
Someone moved. Looking back on that moment, Cinder wasn't rightly sure who broke the stalemate, only that someone did. Naruto struck high. Salem went low. Their fists collided and a sonorous shockwave ripped through the Grimmlands in an almighty thunderclap. The earth ruptured. Grimm flew backwards like flung stones, scattered by the first trike. Naruto spun away, favoring his left. Salem matched him, right arm hanging limply at one side.
Their ruined limbs began to heal instantly, but neither swung again.
"Fascinating." Salem reared back, eyes wide to regard him with fresh interest. "You heal just as I do. Better, even."
Naruto popped a finger back into place with an awful crack. "Still hurts like hell."
She smiled. "You get used to it. Now, then. You'd best dodge this."
Bolts of black light burst from her fingertips, five for each finger, and shrieked forward. Rather than dodge, Naruto slapped his hands together and rammed deep them into the earth. Soil buckled beneath his touch. With a ponderous groan of fractured rock and crystal, an earthen wall rose to intercept the volley. Dirt and dust sprayed into the air and for a moment -just a moment!- Cinder lost track of him. He barked a command in a foreign language she didn't understand and high above the clouds rolled in, blotting out the light of the shattered moon.
Salem smiled into the shadows.
"Oh, you think darkness is your ally." her head craned following movement in the gloomy fog. "How quaint. You merely adopted the dark; I was reborn in it, moulded by it." she turned toward a distant shape, and a fresh swell of sparks sprang to life in her palm. "I didn't see the light again until I was already a monster, by then it was nothing to me but BLINDING!"
She rounded on him, now at her flank, and tore a crimson trench in his chest with a clawed hand.
Cinder winced. Naruto smiled with bloody teeth. "Gotcha."
Strong hands clamped down on Salem's shoulders. High above them the clouds snarled with unfathomable fury. Forks of blue-tongued lightning crackled through the heavens as an ungodly beast of pure light moved from within. Unable to understand her peril, Salem foolishly the wherewithal to look up. Sure enough, her grimm mirrored her. Those of the human persuasion realized their peril and dove for what little cover remained. Cinder, lingering to the last, saw something emerge from the crackling clouds.
Salem saw it, too; because Cinder heard the curse that followed.
On a threat of breath, Naruto smirked. "Kirin."
A roar of thunder shattered the world as lightning crashed down on him and Salem both. Cold light burned everything away, forcing every to avert their eyes lest they be struck blind. And above it all, the Queen of Grimm shrieked in pain. Even at this distance one could hear her cry. Two bodies flew backward, thoroughly scorched and badly maimed.
Within moments, they were moving again.
"You fight like a younger man, with nothing held back. Admirable, but...mistaken!" Salem gasped and shook her head, scowling as her burns bled away. "You will need more than to do defeat...me...?"
Red eyes blinked in confusion as said head slipped from her shoulders and struck the ground with a wet splat. Naruto flung his knife aside and slammed a boot down. Cinder turned away before he could finish and even then she nearly vomited at the ghastly sound that followed. Mercury and Emerald weren't so fortunate. Neo gagged. Roman's already pallid complexion went ghost white.
"Did he just...?"
Behind them, Salem's body righted itself.
"No." Cinder swallowed her bile at the sight. "He didn't."
Naruto stood, spitting smoke. A burning blue iris blazed over his shoulder.
...you weren't kidding."
"I told you I cannot die, you silly man." Salem smiled as blood and bone grew back, pale flesh flowing over her stern visage like milk. "If its any consolation, that hurt like hell."
"Likewise." An irritated growl fled from his lips as he regrew a ruined leg. "We'll be at this all day at this rate."
A peal of rusty laughter startled the lot of them. It alarmed Cinder even more. Salem rarely laughed at all, but this was more a demented cackle -a giggle!- than anything else. Salem never giggled. Ever. As she looked on aghast, the madwoman flung out her hands, uncaring of her ruined outfit, and brought them together. Fire sparked in one palm. Wind bloomed in another, wiping her hair about her face like a pale halo. It made her smile all the more frightful. Well. That boded poorly.
"Lets test that, shall we?"
They closed with one another anew.
Naruto evaded the column of flame that followed and drilled a rasengan into her stomach for her troubles. Salem went down with nary a sound only to spring up again, uncaring of the gaping hole in her lower torso. It was already filling in. He pounced on her, and her hand ravaged the right side of his face, tearing through an eye. He ripped away an ear. They tore into one another like animals. No, Cinder decided. Not animals. Animals cried out in pain when they were hurt. Animals avoided pain. These two didn't. They fought soundlessly, save for the sounds of magic and chakra ripping across the landscape. Fire bloomed. Wind howled. Ice blossomed and shattered.
She'd never seen Salem fight before. Nor Naruto. Not like this. This? This was terrifying.
Quite suddenly, it ended.
With a quick sweep of the legs Naruto knocked Salem to the ground. She made him pay dearly for it course, but rather than retreat her rode her down and rammed a hand down around her throat. The other swung up, fingers pulsing with eerie violet flames. Something loomed behind him, an indistinguishable shape in the gloom, gone when she looked at it. Was it a trick of the light? Her imagination? She wasn't sure, but the sight of it gave her chills in the worse way.
"I may not be able to kill you, but I can certainly stop you." the wayward swept a hand back, fingers blooming with flame. "Ever had your soul torn out before? I assure you, its not a pleasant experience."
Cinder tensed, expecting a trick from Salem, a fight at the very least.
"I yield." Salem smiled instead.
Keen red eyes fixed upon Naruto with grim intent.
"Now, then. Would you kindly return my children to me?"
(.0.0.0.)
And so the Summer Maiden was brought before Spring.
Salem kept her word. Troubling. Cinder gazed down at the poor creature and felt a frown mar her face as the Grimm guards left her to her grisly task. Her victim didn't. Limbless. Mindless. Silent. Her head shaved, clad in threadbare rags, she was broken in every way. This might have been a beautiful woman, once. A powerful warrior, perhaps. Now she was just a shriveled shell of a woman, unable to do anything but breathe. The thought disturbed her. In another life, she might have suffered the same fate. No doubt Salem had intended the same for her.
Sighing softly, she knelt.
"Look what has become of you." she murmured. "A rat in the desert. Who were you, I wonder?"
Dull eyes met hers. Parched lips parted. A thin rasp emerged.
"Please...kill...me...
Cinder blinked, terribly startled. "You want to die?"
"Yes...mercy...
She saw her reflection behind those hazel eyes. Her very soul shivered in revulsion. Without the aid of Naruto this would have been her fate. She'd expected a fight, resistance at the very least...not this. She wasn't sure if she should be pleased or dissapointed. She had fought for the power of Spring. Summer was gifted to her on a silver platter. She felt cheated.
Still, if this wretch truly wished to die, who was she to say no?
Cinder hardened her heart, reached down, and squeezed her throat. Their neck creaked in her grasp. She tensed, expecting a trap or a trick. The stupid Rose girl would come hurtling through the tower window, silver eyes flashing with light. Salem would turn on them. The ground would give way beneath her feet and she'd plummet to her death. None of that happened. Instead, the Summer maiden expired with a relieved sigh. She slumped in her grasp, glad to be gone from this world. Her death was, in every way, a mercy.
This time, when the surge came, Cinder was ready for it.
Power pulsed up her arm and flooded her core. Full lips parted in a startled gasp, but only for a moment. She did not fall. Instead she stood tall. Spring melded with Summer, becoming some unholy blend of the two. Her eyes burned ever brighter, howling with new might. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes of her former self, so too was she reborn. Half of Ozma's power, now hers to command. She would make it her own. Oh, how the old wizard would squirm if he ever learned of this.
Two down, then. Two to go.
She returned to the others, heels clicking against the stone floor.
(.0.0.0.)
Four prisoners were brought up from the dungeons.
Four circles were painstakingly drawn.
Four sacrifices were prepared.
Salem drank the ritual in like a woman without water, observing keenly. Naruto had made his requirements clear; he needed the genetic material of her daughters to call them back into this world. Anything would do. An old hairbrush perhaps, a favorite toy, or a cherished outfit of theirs. She provided what little she had of their possessions. Apparently it was enough for his means. Watts watched with her well, looking quite harried and out of his element. Captivity had not agreed with him and he still bore an ugly black bruise below his right eye.
"Did you bring the girl?" Salem whispered to him.
"Yes. I...extracted her as you requested." he bowed stiffly, grimacing at the memory. "She's blindfolded and barely conscious. I've placed her under heavy guard. She'll not escape."
Salem preened, quite pleased with herself for her foresight. That one would prove valuable. "And our Maiden?"
A grimace. "Cinder's gone to find her. I suspect she's passed by now."
The faintest breeze passed through the foyer. Salem smiled, knowing what it meant. Cinder was another step closer to her goal. And her ruin. Silly child. She knew not what awaited her. The more power she took in, the more vulnerable she would be when the time came. She might survive what was to come. She might not. Who could say? But that was a matter for another day
Still, her servant dithered, not liking the look of the ritual. "Are you quite sure about this?"
Oh, Watts. So wise in some ways, yet such a fool in others. He was a man of science; myth and magic meant nothing to him. He didn't want to believe in their existence. Once she might have admired such pride. Now it only irritated her. Watts could be as stubborn as he wanted, but he could not interfere here. She would flay the flesh from his bones should he try. Still, perhaps she should give him an outlet.
"Come now, speak your mind."
"This is pointless." Her servant scoffed. "Superstitious nonsense. The dead cannot be revived."
"Then you are a fool." Salem snarled at him. "There are more important matters at stake here than your ego."
He withdrew, looking mightily offended. Salem didn't care. Watts wouldn't dare betray her. He knew what fate awaited him if he turned his coat. And if he did...well. He would die.
Ah, but the ritual had begun and there was no more time for idle thoughts. She edged closer to the ritual, wanting a better look. Naruto paid her no heed. His fingers flashed through an alarming array of seals, blurring before her very eyes. As one being, the four prisoners screamed. Strands of awful ash burst from the soil and devoured them whole, swallowing the condemned souls in spite of their panicked cries. Salem watched with an expression bordering on pure rapture. She smiled as their bodies were burned away to make room for what was to come. They became smaller as the cocoons constricted.
And then. Quite suddenly.
There they were.
Her girls.
A/N: PLEASE. READ. THIS. Else, you might be horribly confused. Wouldn't want that, would we?
And there we are.
No, I'm not glossing things over. Next chapter gets heavy, but I'm still really weak at the moment.
Surgery hurts. Surgery hurts a loooot. But silence from readers and reviewers? That hurts even more.
As ever, reviews keep this old man alive during this dark and crazy time. I ain't joking.
Seriously, we're all locked away anyways these days, its all that sustains me.
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas... Review...Would You Kindly?
And enjoy these previews! Remember those hints?
Yes? No? Hope you paid attention. Because!
SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!
PLOT DETAILS AHOY!
YE BE WARNED!
Read at your own risk!
(Preview)
"Mommy?" the eldest girl asked, "Why did you kill us?"
"Kill you..?!" Salem balked. "My dear children, that wasn't me at all, I didn't mean to; it was an accident...
"We can't afford to wait any longer." Ironwood grit his teeth. "Its time for a new maiden."
His gaze shifted to Freya; prone and still in her bed. Weak and old; growing cold. She wouldn't last much longer. And they were out of time. Every second wasted was another the enemy used to gather their forces. Salem would strike. Soon. The hammer blow would fall hardest here and they. Were. Not. Ready. Even with all their forces, all their ships, all their preparations, there was still a chance it would all go awry. The Winter Maiden was an almighty force, a power to be reckoned with both on the field of battle and off.
The time for waiting had passed. It was time to attack. Time to take the fight to the enemy.
"Do what must be done." his gaze swung back to her, under the geas of Mettle once more. "Do not hesitate. Show no mercy. This is for the good of Atlas."
"I...yes, sir." Winter flinched only a little. "Glory to Atlas."
She drew her blade and approached the bed.
Freya opened her eyes.
EDIT: To clarify, poor, poor Ironwood doesn't know Salem is immortal. No one's told him here...
Ruby winced. "Where do we go now...?"
Cinder awoke to silken sheets, warm and secure between two naked bodies.
Wait? Two bodies? Amber eyes fluttered rapidly.
She dared to crane her neck. And saw.
Oh. Oh dear. Oh dear indeed.
...what the hell."
"Hello, brother."
Hazel opened his mouth to speak.
Clenched knuckles barreled into his noise.
A beat of terrible silence followed.
Kaguya went berserk. "No, no, no! I refuse! I will not allow it! You will never be rid of me!"
"To our alliance, then."
R&R~!