Author's Notes
Full disclosure, I've been taking a bit of a break from this story. 200k words in the time that I've put out is a great deal, and I don't want to risk burning myself out by never taking a break. That being said, the story is still going to receive updates, and it's still one of my top priorities. It will just be sharing the space with one or two other stories. With that said, enjoy the chapter!
The next few months started passing in routine.
The routine was simple: Wake up, eat breakfast, train or do other activities, sleep, then repeat. However, it did get broken up in a few instances.
For example, Lunus' birthday.
The guy was kind of hard to get gifts for, but luckily Ruby had the perfect thing for him that made all our other token attempts at getting gifts almost pointless. Almost. Ruby debuted Selene's new upgrades, it still started in its regular form, but with some mechashift magic the body of the Buzzsaw would… well, shift. Then, it would become something of a double buzzsaw on a long staff that consisted of the body of Selene and a collapsible red pole.
That certainly solved his problem with overextending. It was hard to overextend when you could swing your buzzsaw staff from a few feet away and still hit them. Ruby also made a few more subtle improvements so that it was easier for him to surf on it. It also gained the ability to shift its body into a much wider surface, to make bringing other people along with him easier.
Then, to no one's surprise, she kissed him.
Apparently, they somehow weren't already dating. Lunus wasn't even surprised, he apparently just wanted her to make the first move for… some reason. For as reasonable a man as he is, Lunus still has his oddities. So, that was a thing worth celebrating, that Ruby had finally worked up the courage she needed.
When Cobalt left, we had expected to not have another mouth to feed for awhile. Of course, that changed when Yang showed up.
On that day in particular, I was reading a book in the living room, most everyone was out back again, Cinder was sitting with me, resting her head against my shoulder. There was steady knocking at the door which prompted Qrow, who had been in the kitchen, to speak up, "I'll get it!" His voice held the characteristic slur to his speech.
When he went to pull open the door, it was pushed open with some force as he stumbled backwards. In came Yang, wearing what I recognized as her 'Mistral' outfit, as she grinned, "Heyyy party people! I heard you were going on adventures and didn't invite me!" She placed her hands on her hips as she looked around and noticed that only Cinder and I were in the living room, "Uhm… everyone out back?"
I nodded and stood up, walking over to the glass sliding door and opening it, "Hey guys! Yang's here!"
Of course, the first person in was Ruby, who hurried in and stared wide eyed for a few moments before hurrying over and wrapping her sister in a hug, "I missed you." She said softly.
Yang reciprocated softly, "I missed you too." When the hug broke off, she looked as everyone else looked in from outside and smirked, "Man, it really is a party!" She walked towards the back and hummed, "So! Who are the new people?"
Oh boy.
I knew where this was going to go, so I gestured to Ozza first, "That's Ozza Pine." She waved awkwardly, then I pointed at Caine, who was sitting in his favorite tree, "That's Caine Branwen, your half-brother. He abandoned Raven to he-"
Yang immediately ran over to the tree, "I have a brother?!" She grinned, seeming to not care much about Raven at that moment, "Come on down, bro! We gotta talk!" Caine nervously looked at the rest of us before nodding and jumping off the tree. No sooner than when he reached the ground did Yang throw her arm around his shoulders, "Man! You're short! Nice ears, by the way!" She led him back towards the house, "We've got a lot to talk about! Like how shit our mom is!"
Well, that went better than I expected it to.
I had half expected her to get very angry and demand to know what he was doing there, but I suppose that I underestimated Yang back then. She wasn't a vindictive or vitriolic person, she was just (rightfully) pissed at her mom for leaving her.
Later that night, when everyone was off to bed, I found myself unable to sleep. There was no particular reason for it, I just didn't feel like laying in bed for another hour waiting to go to sleep. So, I didn't.
Instead I sat in the living room reading a book. During the day our house was filled with activity and noise, but at night? Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse… boy. That reference sounded better in my head, but it's committed to paper now. Oh well.
I had settled in and was enjoying my book when I heard some steps on the stairs. I hummed and looked back, seeing that it was Cinder, wearing her nightgown. She smiled at me and I reciprocated before she walked over and sat next to me. She asked softly, "Can't sleep?"
I shook my head, "Nope." I couldn't exactly tell her why, because I had no idea. It was just one of those nights.
Luckily, Cinder didn't seem to care much. She walked over and sat down next to me, leaning her head on my shoulder just the same as earlier. She asked in a whisper, close to my ear, "What are you planning after the relic gets locked away?"
I couldn't help but shudder before I responded softly, "I have reason to believe Salem might target Shade, but it's hard to be certain. There's no doubt in my mind that she's changed up her plans since you broke away. Her new maiden, well… she's unpredictable. However, there is something working in our favor…" I hummed, "I told you once that General Ironwood went off the rails in the other timeline? Well, given how everything turned out, I have no reason to believe he's done the same here. It may be prudent for me to pay him a visit to let him know about the risk to Shade and Vacuo as a whole. That way, if the worst comes to pass, we'll have Atlas ready to assist Vacuo."
Cinder listened along and kissed my cheek, "I love listening to you plan. At least, whenever you're not pushing yourself too hard." She hummed, "I have to continue my search, but… there's nothing saying I can't help you while I'm doing it. I can head to Vacuo and you can head to Atlas, if something does happen to either side we can simply contact each other."
She had a point, though I had previously not been quite on board with her continuing to seek power, with how things have been going it made sense that she continued to travel on her own. Even if the two of us didn't really want to be apart, it was what we had to do. After all, it's better to have eyes and ears in several places than in one.
Eventually we heard more footsteps, and when we turned to look we saw it was Shi, wearing her light blue nightgown. I frowned slightly and spoke in a worried tone, "Can't sleep, Shi?" She shook her head and I smiled, "You're not the only one." I gestured for her to come over, so she hurried over. Cinder and I made room so she could sit between us. Once she did, we both closed in a bit so she could cuddle with both of us.
I closed my book and fished out my scroll and looked out at the holo-TV positioned on the coffee table, currently turned off. I grabbed the remote from the couch's armrest and flicked it on, then I used Mage Hand to reach for the light switch and flicked it off. Cinder sounded content as she asked, "So, what should we watch, Neve?"
I hummed and tossed around a few ideas in my head, knowing that it should be something that Shi could fall asleep to while not boring Cinder and I to death. To be honest, though, if it bored us then it would probably bore Shi, so I ultimately decided to turn on a Mistrali animated movie. This one was about someone having some spirit as their neighbor, at least based on what I could gather from the summary.
While we were watching the movie, Shi seemed to be thinking about something. I didn't know what until she asked, "Uncle Neve…" She turned her head towards me, "When's all of this going to be over? You've mentioned fighting and going to Atlas, but I wanna know when we can go back home…"
Home…
Even at this point, after so much, part of me still felt it was odd to call anywhere on Remnant home. And yet, I would consider that house on Patch my home, I truly would. It snuck up on me, that warmth and that care, the feeling of belonging and the illusion that there was nothing left to worry about. When we return, I hope that there will truly be nothing left to worry about, so we can live a peaceful life for the rest of our days. If the worst comes to pass, then at the very least they will be able to be happy.
I hummed at the question before answering truthfully, "I don't know how long it's going to take, Shi." I could have lied, but I promised myself I wouldn't lie to her or Cinder, so I didn't. Instead, I just put my arm around her to try and comfort her, "We've still got a lot to get through before that, but I promise we will get through it." I smiled down at her, "You have my word."
Shi nodded and clung to my side while watching the moving, allowing Cinder to scoot a bit closer so she could place a hand on the girl's back. Shi muttered, "Okay, D- Uhm, Uncle Neve." I wasn't sure what she was going to say, but I figured it was just because she was tired.
The movie continued, none of us said anything. Cinder had a contented smile on her face while Shi had closed her eyes about halfway through the movie, the steady rising and falling of her chest that followed told me she was sleeping. That being said, we still finished watching the movie before either of us spoke. While the credits were rolling, Cinder asked in almost a whisper, "Where should she sleep tonight?"
I thought it over before whispering a response, "If you could get a blanket, Shi and I can sleep here. That way we don't risk waking her up." Sure I could have probably used some magic to guarantee she'd stay asleep, but that just didn't sit right with me.
Cinder smiled in silent agreement before she got up and walked upstairs. It took a few minutes before she returned with a large blanket. I was only moderately surprised when she sat down and put the blanket over the three of us instead of just Shi and I. Thankfully, it was a big blanket.
We fell asleep like that, and the dream that awaited me was great. I dreamt about us being back at that very house, sleeping in a large bed with Shi between Cinder and I. When we woke, we would go about our day, my mind was telling me this was in some… alternate world. Salem? The Relics? What's that?
Shi and Cinder were just my family, and we were going about our day like a family. I made breakfast while the other two went about their routines, Shi was getting ready for her first day at Signal. I knew that, and I remember that even in the dream she seemed to be having trouble with her fears.
Some things, I suppose, never change.
The dream didn't last long, it was a vignette of a morning, and it was over in what felt like seconds. In reality, it was morning and I had been stirred awake by the smell of Ren cooking eggs and bacon. Shi was still asleep, although Cinder seemed to be stirring awake as well. I slipped out from under the blanket and went upstairs to prepare for the day.
While I was on my way there, Ozpin spoke, having been hidden away for most of yesterday.
"I believe our joining has reached a new stage. You should check your 'stats' when you have a moment. I believe your magic and mine may be intermingling."
'I'm not sure how to feel about that. On one hand I'm glad to have more magic, on the other I'm not at all looking forward to our merging continuing…'
"Were there a way around it…"
'You'd be for it just as much as I am.' I reached my room and pushed open the door, shutting it behind me. 'Do you think we're going to be… someone new? Someone different? Are you just as afraid as I am?'
"I would be lying if I told you I wasn't at least moderately afraid. This is the unknown, and fear is a natural response. We don't know what the end result will be, who the end result will be. Yet, I get the feeling that whoever they will be, they'll be… the sum of their parts. They will also need help. A lot of it. Provided my thoughts come to pass…"
'Good thing I've got friends.'
"Indeed."
Oz retreated again while I went through my morning routine. Once I was dried and dressed in my usual outfit I stood in my room and checked my stats.
Neve Osiris Cadere
Level 20 Rogue Commander
Other Titles
Wannabe Hero
Coffee Boy
Dragon Slayer
Age: 19
HP
100/100
MP (Equipment)
100/100 Usable (10,000 total)
MP (Self)
70/70
Aura
200/200
Stats
Vigor - 28
Mind - 44
Charisma - 50
Endurance - 40
Strength - 22
Dexterity - 50
Intelligence - 29
Sorcery - 20
Skills
Sword Fighting
75/100
Cane Fighting
60/100
Archery
75/100
Fist Fighting
50/100
Dodging
79/100
Blocking
50/100
Aura Usage
70/100
Dust Usage
70/100
Stealth
64/100
Deception
85/100
Leadership
68/100
Milestones reached!
First Level 50 Stats
You have reached level 50 in one or more stats! Those two stats have become your primary stats, and your class has been assigned accordingly. You have unlocked special abilities in relation to those stats, however due to your dexterity stat reaching level 50, your strength stat will be capped at 70 as opposed to 100, should you ever get there.
Charisma Ability Unlocked!
Rallying Cry
Your way with words and force of personality make you hard to ignore. When this ability is active, everyone within 165 feet of you will hear you clearly and pay attention to you. You will be far more persuasive and they will be far more likely to listen to your words.
Ninja Vanish
Can only be used once every five minutes. Gain the ability to move with such swiftness that you deceive the human eye, appearing at a location up to 100 feet away.
New Magical Capabilities!
Your ongoing fusion with Ozma is beginning to unlock the latent magical talents within you and your amulet. You will now find that you are capable of performing impromptu spells, their MP cost varies depending on the action. In addition, you now have two separate mana-pools, yourself and your equipment. You will draw upon your equipment first, and yourself second. If you perform an action that costs more than the MP you are capable of drawing upon, it will drain your aura instead.
…Wow.
That was a lot.
Ozpin seemed to think so as well, "It is as I suspected. Your progression is still faster than it was before. You also appear to be getting wholesale boosts as our fusion continues."
'Never expected I'd be able to cast magic without this amulet.'
"I'm not entirely sure how my magic will interact with your soul. It is possible that the increased wholeness of it will result in the power becoming closer to what I had during my first life. Then again, it is possible that nothing will happen, or that the lack of magic in your soul will extinguish the rest of the magic in mine, there's no way to know."
'I love guessing games.'
I dismissed the text and headed downstairs. By that point, Cinder and Shi were both awake and missing from the couch, presumably going through their own morning routines.
I greeted Ren and we spent some time talking about our plans for the day, which was to say Ren was going to be going with Nora to visit some of the gardens located on the upper levels. That gave me an idea for what I wanted to do that day, given that I hadn't really had alone time with Cinder since we had our talk.
Specifically, I knew there was an overlook at Haven Academy over the waterfall, and I knew there was probably nobody around, given that school was still out. That seemed like the best place for us to go on the first date in several months.
I still wasn't sure if Nora and Ren were together yet, it took them a good while in the original timeline. On one hand, it took some time for them to confront their feelings before, on the other so much else was different, why not that too?
Instead of thinking about that I just focused on the light conversation I was having until everyone else began to arrive, Cinder then Shi, and then everyone else trickled in. Once breakfast was eaten and Ozpin had retreated away, I held Cinder up from going out back to train by placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked at me with a mixture of a red face and a raised eyebrow. I smiled, "We haven't gotten to go out together in awhile, just you and me. Wanna fix that?"
Cinder hummed in mock contemplation as she turned fully towards me and spoke softly, "I've been waiting for you to say something like that." Then she kissed my cheek, "I'll go let Shi know, then I'll meet you out front." We parted and I went out front, after Cinder came around we started off together on the path towards Haven.
Stairway to Haven, hah.
That had to be on purpose. I couldn't help but think about it as we made our way up in amiable silence. The view one gets of Mistral when you're at the very top is unforgettable. The city may have a rotten underbelly, but the surface glitters like gold. Some may call it pyrite, nothing more than fool's gold pretending to be more than it is, but it still looks good in my opinion.
When we reached the campus itself, it gave us the ability to look around. The oriental-styled academy was nothing to scoff at when it came to beauty. I knew the students there had their own individual rooms and then just shared a kitchen with their team, which I couldn't decide if I would have liked that more than I do Beacon. I wasn't all for it at first, but the closer I grew with my team the more I got used to the idea of seeing them all the time, sharing that space with them.
Maybe that's part of why I had invited Jeanne and Violet to live in Patch with Shi and I, other than just not wanting to be living there without someone else my age. Having them around was normal, same with Lunus, and going from having them around all the time to not having them nearby, well… I don't think it was what I needed back then.
Now, though, I was glad to have time with just Cinder. We made our way to the overlook, and I would be lying if I said the view wasn't breathtakingly whole of the city, the roar of the waterfall below and the seemingly permanent rainbow caused by that waterfall further below. I heard Cinder take a deep breath as she leaned on the railing next to me, the two of us looking out over the whole of the city. Then, she whispered, "It's beautiful…"
I knew what I had to say, especially as she looked at me expectantly. She wanted me to say it, and so I did, looking at her and smiling I said, "Not as beautiful as you." Then she covered her mouth and giggled while I looked away and huffed, "You knew I was going to say that."
Cinder took a few seconds to get ahold of herself before she nodded, "I would have been upset if you hadn't, but that doesn't make it any less cliche." Then, she stopped leaning on the railing, instead turning towards me fully, so I did the same. She stepped closer and placed her arms on my shoulders while I placed mine around her waist. Her amber eyes glimmered with unabashed affection. Not like a lot of the kisses we shared, with that hint of desire, but instead just… love. Her voice was soft and barely above a whisper, "Neve, I… feel like I don't say this often enough, but…"
I patiently waited for her to speak as her gaze broke from mine for just a second while she looked down shyly before she looked back up, "From the moment I laid eyes on you, behind that counter, I felt… something light deep within me. A fire I thought I'd never see again, because… I was certain that after everything that happened to me, I couldn't bring myself to… to care about anyone." She smiled and her eyes glistened, "But you were so damn persistent… With how friendly you were, how you treated me just like a normal person, something nobody had ever really done before." She pressed herself against me, "I know now that you only started because you didn't want me to… do those things that 'I' had done in another existence. Yet, you still did it. With what you knew, it would have made more sense to condemn me, to be afraid or angry, but you didn't, you weren't."
I couldn't help the smile on my face, nor the red on my cheeks, but she wasn't done. She gave me a brief kiss, "Now it seems to me like that fire that you lit is burning brighter than I could have ever hoped it would. From the iciest tundra to the tallest mountain and the hottest desert. I… Even when you're not there, I don't feel alone anymore. I… don't feel like I have to run anymore. Not just that, even if we need to stay apart sometimes, to fight the war we fight, I don't want to run anymore."
There was this… inkling of something in her voice. Anticipation? Nervousness? I wasn't sure what it was, but when she finished speaking, I got an idea. I had been the one to invite her here, but it seemed she wanted to take this opportunity and made it her own. She whispered, "I thought I knew what home was before I met you, I thought it was Evernight Castle. Then, when you took me on that first date to the cafe, even if we couldn't call it that at the time… I felt… a warm comfort I thought was just something writers made up for their books. I thought I had lost it when I had to stop talking to you, but then we just found each other all over again, and you fought… you fought so hard to get me to realize how much you loved me and how stupid I was being."
Her right hand traveled down to mine and she took it in hers, squeezing it, "I got frostbite that night, and through all of the pain, when I woke up, I realized that the warmth was back. Because I realized… that you are my home. I love you, and I don't want to imagine a future without you. So…" She took a step back and held her free hand out to her left, a ring formed there, a ring of obsidian with an amber gem in the middle, "I want you to- I mean, I would- Ah…" She took a deep breath and her face burned, "Marry me, Neve Cadere?" She held the ring up between us, so I could get a good look at it.
The amount of times I've had to use magic to dry this page of my tears would make anyone laugh, if they heard. I supposed I should have expected that Cinder would be the one to do that, she beat me to it. I had been far too focused on other things to even have it enter my mind, and we were still young. Cinder had only turned twenty the previous November, and I had yet to get there myself, and yet… that never mattered to me. We had been through so much, seen so much, laughed and cried so much, that those thoughts just ceased to matter. It just meant that we had all the more time to spend together, at least, if things went the way I wanted them to. I nodded, wiping my eyes to stop some upstart tears, "Yes, Cinder… Yes."
She slipped the ring on my finger and then embraced me, locking me into a deep and loving kiss. However, I had a question on my mind. So, when we pulled away, I asked, "...Who's taking who's last name?"
Cinder's smile grew into a grin as she looked away, "You know how much I love competition." Then, she looked at me with one visible eye, the other covered by her hair, "How about we settle this with a… contest of arms?"
I couldn't help it, my smile broadened as well as I shared her grin, "Never change, Cinder… Never change. Let's go, Haven has an arena we can use." We left together, the ring felt warm on my finger, probably at least in part due to how it was made, using Cinder's maiden powers. As for how I was going to try to beat her, well, I supposed it would be as good a time as any to try out my new magical capabilities.
I had memories of Haven, not just from watching the show but from Ozpin himself now. I remembered giving Leo that tea set, I remembered building Haven after the Great War ended. If I reached far enough, I could remember being Ozymandias, the last King of Vale.
At the time, though, I still didn't entirely want to remember that, because it meant the fusion was continuing apace. Faster than I think it had for Oscar before a certain point, it was just a matter of time. The question was: When and how? That would remain a mystery, and I didn't at all care for mysteries.
The arena was large, a dust-treated building with wooden floors, hard-light barriers that could be activated or deactivated remotely with the push of a button, and bleachers for the audience to sit in during combat classes or regional tournaments. I found the remote that controlled the hard-light barriers easily, and I brought it with me into the arena itself. Cinder was already waiting there with Aurora in her hands. Once I was standing a few feet from her, I activated the hard-light barriers and put the remote away in my satchel for safekeeping. Then, I drew The Long Memory in my right hand and took Horizon's normal blade in my left before I asked. "Ready?"
Instead of responding, Cinder just grinned before breaking out into a full sprint, assisted by a gout of fire she used to launch herself towards me even faster. She closed in and attempted to land a hit by bringing down her blades, but I blocked them both with my cane before stabbing outward with Horizon, connecting with her stomach and causing her to have to jump backwards.
Not wasting the opportunity, I closed the distance she had created and struck out with my cane. She managed to parry the attack and slashed at my arm while channeling magic, a burst of fire sent me flying backwards before I could retaliate. I flipped through the air before landing on the ground and skidding to a stop, slamming the end of my cane into the ground to fully stop myself. I looked down at the ground while I did so, and when I looked back up I saw Cinder, still standing some ways away, create several obsidian projectiles that she sent flying towards me.
I stood up completely and to the untrained eye it might have looked like I was standing still, but without even thinking about it I dodged. The afterimage of my movements was brief, and when all was said and done the projectiles had seemingly just… vanished, instead of connecting with me. Cinder looked shocked, and I was too, because I distinctly remember Oz had done the same thing when we were fighting Caine. I hadn't expected to be able to do it so quickly myself, but that wasn't the time to reflect.
Instead I raced forward, before Cinder could recover I jabbed outward with my cane. It connected with her stomach and I jabbed several times at a rapid pace before delivering one final thrust that caused me to skid backwards. Not missing a beat, she leapt into the air and took flight with the power of wind magic before racing down to strike at me again.
Without even thinking, I took to the air after her. The realization I had just channeled wind magic myself didn't even fully register at that moment as I slashed towards Cinder with Horizon. Our blades connected before she flew backward, only for her to race at me and try to strike me again. Over and over, strike, move, strike, move, an observer might have seen flashes of steel connecting with steel, fire shooting out in bursts as if the arena had become the center of a caldera, but they would not have seen everything.
Eventually, Cinder landed on the ground again and I followed suit. She was panting heavily, "Since when…?" Then she shook her head and muttered something to herself before hurrying towards me again. At this point I was getting tired too, but neither of us had made much progress at all. That was until Cinder connected her strike with my cane before rapidly dropping down and sweeping her leg, knocking me off my feet. She slashed downward at my chest and connected, causing me to gasp in pain. Before I hit the ground, though, I caught myself with wind magic, keeping an eye on my amulet's remaining mana, 70/100, finding that using magic to fly didn't drain me all too much.
As I righted myself my amulet glowed and out of it burst a gout of water with the force of a firehose, causing Cinder to yelp in shock and pain as it pushed her far away. My aura was already down to 100/200 thanks to the strikes she had gotten in on me, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. Instead, I channeled my semblance as the water spout was about to die off, freezing it into a large horizontal tower of ice that fell to the ground and shattered into a million pieces.
Cinder was covered in ice too, but she didn't let that stop her as she called on her semblance to melt it into water. I responded by charging forward while channeling ice into Horizon, slashing outward and sending several ice spikes and a chilling fog forward towards her.
My semblance dropped the temperature, but hers evened it out, she could melt the water but as long as both of our semblances were up neither of us could use our favored element on each other. I closed the distance and stabbed outward with Horizon, but I overextended and she used that to her advantage, knocking the blade out of my grasp. It clattered to the ground some distance away, and she tried to capitalize on that by swinging at me with her blades. I parried with my cane, sending one of hers to join Horizon in clattering on the ground.
Down to one weapon each, we both jumped away from each other and began to circle one another. Cinder looked like she was having the time of her life, covered in water from my earlier move and wearing a grin on her face, "Was this just an elaborate way to get me wet, Neve?"
I snorted and tried to avoid breaking out into laughter, "Cinder! Here I thought you weren't the type to make jokes like that." I grinned at her, "I guess you learn something new every day, don't you?" I knew she wouldn't have made that joke if we were in the presence of others, it would have embarrassed her to no end, but now that it was just us, she felt she could let loose. I didn't even need it to serve as a reminder that Cinder was a normal person anymore, but it did, "And what about you? Trying to get me hot and bothered?"
Her cheeks dusted up red as she scoffed, "A-As if I need to try very hard to do that. I just haven't wanted to." I didn't believe her one bit, but before I could call her out she broke from our circling and instead raced directly at me. I blocked the swipe she made at me with Aurora and reciprocated by swinging my cane at her head. She recovered and swung at my stomach, we connected with each other at the same time and reeled back before swinging again. Cane connected with blade as we began our dance all over again, this time on the ground. She managed to find an opening and stabbed at my arm, causing me to grunt in pain, 55/200, maintaining my semblance was draining me just like Cinder's was draining her. If we were going to keep them up, then we were going to keep speeding along towards the inevitable.
Finally, however, it seemed Cinder wanted to claim her victory. After I managed to land another series of jabs at her stomach and sent her flying backward, she took to the air and summoned a massive amount of fire that surrounded her and created something not-dissimilar to planetary rings as they circled her. I knew what she was going to do because I had seen this before, except I also knew this wouldn't kill me. I planted my cane into the ground again and my talisman glowed emerald green as a shield of matching color surrounded me.
I took off from the ground, maintaining my position with my cane planted into the 'ground' that was now the shield. Just in time too, as she shot out a powerful blast of fire towards me. As my bubble and her fire came into contact with each other, the mixing magic caused it all to detonate in an explosion that I was sure would have seriously damaged an ordinary building. I was sent falling to the ground, my aura and magic were spent.
As I landed and my cane clattered to the ground somewhere away from me, I struggled to my feet and found that Cinder was in the same state as me, her aura was gone and she had dropped her blade. I was panting as I tried to stop hunching forward and instead stood up straight, "You're not done yet, are you?"
Cinder laughed tiredly, "No." She raced towards me with what energy she had left and, to my surprise, raised her fists. I did the same thing and hurried to close the distance as well, we both managed to connect our fists to each other's cheeks before Cinder kicked outward and sent me staggering back.
Once I recovered I staggered forward and delivered another punch, although she managed to dodge. If I thought she was going to retaliate though, I would have been wrong. Instead, as she leaned to the left to dodge my strike, she lost balance and fell to the ground with a thud, "Okay." She panted out, "You win."
I stumbled forward and ended up falling right next to her while laughing, "We're… both gonna have bruises. You know that, right?"
Cinder giggled tiredly, "Yes. We'll tell them the truth. What's… what's there to hide?" She managed out, although it sounded like she really wanted a nap, "We probably shouldn't stay here."
I was in agreement as I stared up at the ceiling, "Shi would… be worried sick. She'd… make the others worry too." My muscles were aching and my body was extremely tired, I saw where my cane was, laying several feet away. I crawled over to it, grabbed it, and used it to help me stand, "Can you stand?"
It took her a few seconds to respond before she tiredly responded, "Yes." She grunted as she stood up and went to gather her weapons. I did the same with Horizon before taking out the remote for the hard-light barriers and disabling them. Once she was at my side, we headed out together. She hummed as we left before saying, "Cinder Cadere…I like it."
When we got back, everyone was slightly concerned at first until we told them what happened. After that we got a mixture of well-wishes and congratulations mixed in with plenty of them telling us that we were stupid for having done that without having someone around in case something went wrong. In retrospect, maybe, but we didn't exactly see a reason to wait. The fight was just part of the date, after all!
There was talk of parties, but we agreed that all of that could wait until we had figured exactly when we wanted to make everything official. It wouldn't be for awhile, that was for sure, not that it needed to be quick. It could wait until we felt the time was right. Honestly, I think that Cinder just didn't want to get married in Mistral. She had plenty of baggage there, and I couldn't say I blamed her.
Shi didn't really entirely understand what marriage was. I remember that night, after everyone had gone to bed and I was laying on the grass in the backyard stargazing to allow myself some time to think, I heard the sliding door open and when I looked I saw Shi and Cinder stepping out.
Shi was wearing her nightgown while Cinder was in a simple auburn T-shirt with matching pajama bottoms. Cinder smiled at me as they walked over, "Shi had a question she wanted to ask you." As I raised my eyebrow at her, she shrugged, "She said she'd only ask when we were both there to hear it."
Shi sat next to me while Cinder remained standing. I sat upright and looked at my charge, her red panda ears twitched as she smiled, "Uncle Neve, Aunty Cinder… What is marriage?" Cinder and I shared a look before we both began to smile.
I gestured for Shi to come closer and she shimmed over, I patted her back as Cinder moved to sit next to her, "Marriage is when two people who are in love romantically decide they want to spend their lives with each other. Usually one person takes the other person's last name, but that doesn't always happen. Cinder will be taking mine."
Shi nodded a long, seeming to understand, "I get it… So like Mama and Papa." The mention of her parents pulled at my heartstrings, but she didn't seem too downtrodden. Instead, she looked down and began to smile, "That's good. You two should be married." She grinned before looking back up at Cinder, and then me, "Maybe someday I'll find someone to marry!"
Cinder and I both laughed, it was a good natured laugh, one that warmed my heart. I grinned at Shi, "Some day, Shi. When you're much older. They'll have to be very special." Imagining her as an adult was… something. I couldn't quite picture what she would be like in her twenties, but I could imagine her at seventeen or eighteen, just in time for Beacon, and the academy would be there for her when she was ready, I made sure of that.
Shi giggled, "I know." She cuddled against me, "You both are there though. If I do something bad you'll help me! Cause you're never going anywhere, right?" Damn it, how could she pull so hard on my heartstrings? I would be lying if I said I hadn't been enthusiastic to help Shi when she needed it, I would be lying if I said I wouldn't do anything in the world for her…
I'm not lying when I say that I never expected her to become such an inextricable part of my life that I could well almost consider her my own daughter. Even if I knew that was wrong, because she wasn't, and I was why she had lost her parents in the first place. Still, she was family. My family.
I swallowed a lump in my throat as I managed a smile, "We don't know what the future will bring, but I promise you that if I can help it I won't be going anywhere." That was the best I could do, even if it was a vague promise that sounded like I had ripped it straight from Ozpin and used his words as mine.
I didn't like that comparison, then, so I tried to ignore it.
Shi, thank God, didn't prod. Instead, she just kept her smile as she hugged me and muttered, "Thank you, uhm…" She paused before speaking again, "...Uncle Neve." I rubbed her back while Cinder did much the same. I shared a look with my fiance (that was going to take some getting used to) before we both smiled. A few minutes later, the three of us got up and headed inside, we all needed to get to bed after all, Shi especially.
When I was alone and laying in bed staring at the ceiling, I felt Ozpin return and he spoke, "I believe we're at something of a juncture in our fusion. You are able to use my magic and even fuel it with your relic, but should you use it without the amulet's assistance, you will speed it along. If you perform a powerful enough spell, it might result in our fusion finishing rather abruptly. It would need to be something very, very powerful, however."
'Powerful enough to turn a giant whale into ash?'
"I received that memory, yes, using my cane's kinetic power like that would result in near, if not total, completion. Should that happen, it will be as if all of our memories crashed into each other all at once. Very much unlike how my fusions normally go, but that's to be expected. The end result, the final fusion, would be… very confused. It would take him time to sort out of all of our memories."
'This didn't happen nearly as fast to Oscar… what gives?'
"I think it has something to do with the nature of your soul, along with the God of Light having chosen you as a hero, much like he did me. That, and from what I know of who Oscar was, he was very different to me at first, that would slow down the fusion. You and I were already alike when it happened."
'I see.'
That left me with a lot to think about as I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. If the fusion went smoothly, then maybe, just maybe, I would come out of it fine. Changed, but ultimately still me. I didn't want to imagine what would happen if I had to jump into that pool of water, instead of stepping carefully into it.
It wouldn't be hard to avoid that, I was certain. It seemed unlikely to me that anything would require me to take that plunge, but I knew well enough to never say for certain.
Don't make assumptions, otherwise you'll see them shattered like mine, time and time again.
Time once again began flowing.
Neo showed up towards the end of February and managed to convince us to let her have a part in training Shi. Thank God that she didn't need a place to stay, because we had no more space. I was ready to admit that having Neo around to influence Shi was perhaps not the best thing, but given that the rest of us were around, I didn't and don't think that it affected her view on the world at all.
Having Teams RWBY and CALM plus Cinder, Qrow, and Neo training Shi was clearly accelerating her progress. By the end of March, I heard Ruby compare Shi to her own growth at her age. By then she was training with Qrow, and the man himself corroborated that. Shi was definitely a prodigy, all of the help training in the world wouldn't have mattered if she just didn't have what it takes, but she did and does. I was certain that by the time she was old enough to go to Signal she would be a veritable force of nature.
I wondered just what her semblance would be. I knew it would have to be equal parts a reflection of herself and her soul. It was the same way with everyone, but that still left a million and one possibilities. At the end of the day, there would be no way to know what it would be until it manifested.
If it was half as good as the ones of the people who trained her, then she would be just fine. Although with that fire that burned in her heart, I would almost expect it to be something grander.
We had some more birthdays, Jaune and Jeanne had theirs in March. Violet and Nora had theirs in April, and Weiss' was in May. Other than that, Cinder and I endeavored to go on dates every so often, Ozpin and I tried to keep track of all of the changes and the fusion, and Caine kept his nose to the ground as he tried to learn more about the Branwen Tribe's movements. He also followed rumors and leads if he felt they were relating to Orchid or her crew, after I described them to him he mentioned wanting us to not be blindsided if they decided to show up one day and cause trouble.
May was when things began to happen. A few days after Weiss' birthday Caine told me that the Branwen tribe was back at their usual base camp in Anima. He told me he was going to go talk to Raven and deliver my request, and while I was worried he told me that Raven wouldn't do anything to him, he was far too valuable thanks to his semblance. I didn't like that line of thinking, but I knew it was true, Raven was ruthless like that.
It took him a few days to get there, but it took him a few seconds to get back. I was in my room reading a book when he knocked on the door, "I'm back, Neve. Raven used her connection to Qrow to return me with her response."
I closed my book and stood up, walking over to the door and opening it. I noticed that he was wearing pants now, and I was sure that Qrow's urgings for him to do so had something to do with it. Yet, that wasn't the important part. Instead, I stepped back and let him come inside, "What did she say?"
He closed the door, "Is there a way we can make sure there are no prying ears?" I nodded and took hold of my talisman, closing my eyes and allowing a small pulse of magic to exude from it, "Nobody's gonna be able to hear anything we say for the next thirty minutes."
Caine nodded and smiled before making his way towards the window while saying, "Good." When he reached it, he pulled the curtains closed and turned to me, "She said she would be willing to lock the relic away again…"
I didn't like the tone in his voice and I knew there was a catch, there had to be, "But?" I took hold of my cane and extended it out, resting my hands atop it while it was planted in front of me. It was a habit at this point and helped me keep control of my nerves and emotions.
Caine frowned, "Well… She wants you. Specifically, she wants you to go with her to the Branwen tribe's encampment after she's finished sealing away the relic. She didn't tell me why, but…" He crossed his arms and looked away, "I don't like it. I know my mother, she's planning something. If she thought that the relic would buy her bargaining power with Salem, then…"
I finished his thoughts, "If she has any inkling of the possibility that I am the new Ozpin, then she will see me as an equally valuable bargaining chip." I frowned slightly, "I suppose I should have expected that. Yet…" I mulled this over, "...Perhaps this could be turned to our advantage."
Caine nodded, "I… had thought of something similar. I'm not sure what the extent of that magic of yours is, but from my visions, I feel like it wouldn't be impossible to devise a means to track your location. If you did, then…"
The two of us were clearly in sync, because I knew where he was going, "If she wants to turn me over to Orchid and her crew, then I could lead all of you right to them. They might be strong, but with everyone rallied together, it would be a winnable fight." I didn't know if this would be the coup de grace that would rid us of Orchid, but it would give us an advantage. If there was any time to try and slay Salem's metaphorical dragon, it would be then.
Caine sighed as he uncrossed his arms and started to pace, "I don't like this, Neve. Who knows what Orchid has planned for you? She could just want to kill you outright. If she wanted to do that, there wouldn't be anything you could do to stop her."
I hummed, "No, I know the type of person she is. She isn't going to want to kill me, she's going to want to try to break me down. She will torture me, of that, I have no doubt, but…"
Caine stopped pacing and nodded, "She won't kill you, and you've got two different minds to carry that punishment." He smiled, "I think she might be overestimating herself."
"This is risky, but it's not the first time I've played the role of a prisoner. Our combined willpower will see us through this."
'Glad to see you're agreeing to this.'
"It's not ideal, but you are correct in stating that it's our best chance. From what we know of this maiden, she seems interested in serving herself more than Salem."
'I just hope that proves to still be true when we get there.'
I grinned at Caine, "Exactly." Then, I realized something, "...We're going to have to break this news to everyone. I don't want Shi to know, so let's do it tonight. I'll let everyone know that we're to have a group meeting while Shi is sleeping." I knew this was going to be a hard sell to everyone, especially Cinder. He was in agreement, and so the two of us left and spread the word. Of course, we kept Shi in the dark.
That night, when I knew Shi was asleep, I found myself pacing in the living room as everyone took their seats. Ruby was the first to ask the obvious question, sitting on one of the couches with the other two members of her team that were present, "So… what's all of this about?"
I cleared my throat and stopped pacing, "Well, Miss Rose-" I caught myself and swore, "Damn it… Ruby! Rubes! Rubster! Rubber Rose! Not Miss Rose, ugh…" I sighed, it would have been funny if it weren't for the implications, "Anyway, I received a correspondence from Raven Branwen…"
After I explained everything and explained my idea, I received the expected backlash. Yang cursed her mother and called her a number of insults, Ruby and Weiss were both looking down and thinking. Team JNPR had mixed reactions, on one hand Ren and Pyrrha seemed to be thinking it over while Jaune and Nora both had knee jerk reactions, standing up and telling me it was suicide in their own ways.
Finally, there was my team and Cinder. Jeanne shook her head rapidly, "Neve! You're tough, but if she got her hands on you…" She looked down, "You could die. It's suicide!"
Cinder was just as outspoken, practically launching out of her chair and pacing around, "That bitch! I'll burn her skin off and reduce her clan to rubble! How dare she?!" She gritted her teeth, "Neve, don't be stupid! This is-"
I cut her off firmly, "Cinder!" Silence fell over the room as I looked over everyone, "I know the risks. Raven is a problem in and of herself, but we have bigger fish to fry. Raven can take me to Orchid, and by extension take all of you to her too. We might not get another chance like this! Orchid is a bigger danger, not just to us but all of Remnant! If she figures out where the Relic of Destruction has been hidden…" I shook my head, "It would be a bloodbath. That's not even mentioning the possibility of her trying to go after the Winter Maiden first… She's not at an age where she can defend herself. Not for very long."
Cinder was about to speak but Lunus beat her to it, "I say do it." Everyone looked at him, some in shock, others in understanding. He explained, "Look, it's dangerous, but does anyone have a better plan for finding and killing this bitch?" Silence ruled the room as he looked around, "No? Then it's the best we're going to get. We get the relic locked away, Raven takes him captive, then we use the spell he mentioned to track him to wherever Orchid takes him and then bring her down!"
Cinder had her own worries, "What if she takes you to Evernight? We'd never be able to get you back then!" Her voice was laden with that worry, laced with fear and sadness. I think she knew that this was our best shot.
I shook my head, "From what Caine has found out from Raven, Orchid wasn't interested in the Relic of Knowledge. That tells me that she might be trying to use Salem for her own gain. I don't think Orchid particularly cares about giving her what she wants, at least, not if it conflicts with what she wants."
Ruby spoke up, "I'm with Neve. I don't like it either, but that girl, Orchid… She's responsible for killing so many people. She needs to be stopped!"
I heard similar agreement from Weiss, and then Pyrrha, and then Ren, and then everyone else. Only Cinder remained worried, but eventually she relented, "Fine. I can't promise I won't hunt down and kill Raven when this is all over."
With that, the meeting was adjourned. The group dispersed (I knew I was going to have to come up with a name for them at some point, but I didn't know what) and everyone went to bed.
Well, almost everyone.
I was sitting on my bed, in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt enjoying some peace and quiet while reading (Ozpin had locked himself away for the night already) when I heard a knock at my door. I stood up and walked over, and upon opening it I saw Cinder, dressed in her nightgown, looking worriedly at me. I stepped back and let her come in while asking, "Cinder, what-"
She interrupted me as she stepped inside, shut the door behind her, and locked it, "From what Weiss has said about this woman, we don't know what kinds of torture she would want to do to you. What… she might try to take from you, for her own pleasure." She added, "Use that spell, I've heard you mention it before." I knew what she was talking about, so I did, activating the noise-canceling spell I had used before.
I had a feeling where she was going with this, but I was skeptical of the idea that Orchid might resort to that. She was a lot of things, but that? "Cinder, I-"
She interrupted me, "I'll take what's mine and give you what's yours. I…" She deflated and walked up to me, placing a hand on my chest, "...We don't know how long you'll be gone. We don't know what she's going to do. I want… I want to have you. At least once before we need to separate again, before I have to wonder what kind of torture you're going through…"
So, it wasn't just about that…
I managed a smile, "I understand. I… want you too."
That was all she needed to hear, she tackled me onto the bed and locked her lips with mine.
That was a night I'll never forget.
It was awkward and neither of us knew what we were doing, but it's still a memory I cherish. I suppose it's like that for a lot of people.
The next day we had time to shower, dress, and eat breakfast before I had to meet with Raven. Caine was her point of contact and he mentioned she would teleport in when he said so, and so the two of us left for Haven. When we got there, Caine produced the pocket watch needed to unlock the elevator. It was only when we were standing in front of the relic's doors that he texted Raven.
A few seconds later, a portal opened, and out stepped Raven Branwen. She was wearing her mask and had Vernal with her. I called her out no sooner than when the portal closed, "You needn't hide your true nature, Raven. I've known about it for a long time."
Raven scoffed, "You really must be that old bastard's new body." She walked over to the door, "I could just take you and not fulfill my end of the bargain."
I smirked, "You could, but then you'd be out of bargaining chips. Put the relic away, and you can come back to get it later, should the wolves come barking again."
Raven laughed, although there was no humor in her voice, "Clever, kid. Clever." She wasn't even surprised I knew what her plan was, then again it was obvious. If anything, I think she knew I was going to figure it out. She opened the door, "Caine and Vernal can go put it away. When they're back, we'll leave."
When that was done, Raven opened another portal, she must have had more people bonded to her at the Branwen tribe. We all stepped through, and in a blink I was at the Branwen tribe.
In a blink, I had dozens of people pointing their weapons at me. Caine was standing next to me and his eyes were wide, he whispered with concern in his voice, "Neve!" In a flash, I drew The Long Memory and Horizon, "What are you doing?!"
I grinned at him, instead of answering his question, I whispered to him, "Fly, you fool." I knew Raven was going to have him come with us, but that wasn't a reason to get him involved in what was about to happen.
Raven herself had her own question as she regarded me from where she was standing a few feet away, "You know you're not going to win, right? Ozpin or not, you're outnumbered and out classed."
Caine took the opportunity to flee. I nodded to Raven, "Oh, I know. You're going to hand me over to her, but…"
"That doesn't mean I'm not going to make you work for it."