The morning light slowly burned onto his face. He usually didn't stay in for this long. However, given the night's circumstances, the day that preceded it, and everything that led up to the events, he was tired.
Naruto would allow himself to rest longer than usual, clutching a shivering Blake in his grasp, her wounds still fresh from last night.
After having to personally resuture her wounds with Weiss' assistance, he was exhausted and hardly remembered what had happened next. Considering that the bedding they were sleeping on had been soiled with Blake's blood, not to mention that they were sleeping on the shikibuton itself, he considered hygiene extremely paramount.
Despite that consideration, emotional support was more meaningful as he held Blake, lying draped over most of his left side. She had her head resting under the crook of his chin. It seemed somewhat uncomfortable, but he supposed it wasn't so much for physical comfort; otherwise, she wouldn't be lying on top of him at all. Her wounds had bothered her due to her position, but they were not under any threat of reopening.
Yet they weren't the only ones sharing the bed.
On Blake's side, Weiss trembled as she curled up on them, the stains of her dried tears now clearly marring her face. Her body seemed to hiccup after every couple of breaths and move spontaneously, almost like she was readjusting but without any control. And the muscles in her face and cheeks twitched restlessly.
Naruto knew she wasn't dreaming. He couldn't feel an emotional response from her. This was due to how stressed Weiss had become that her body couldn't hide it while she slept. He had to wonder why Ruby or Yang hadn't expressed their worry. He then frowned.
Of course they wouldn't know.
Weiss excelled at masking her emotions and displaying a strong, cold front. It was how she was raised to be. Even with how close she had become to everyone, she most likely didn't feel like burdening everyone else with her issues, preferring to keep them private. It was something he understood to an extent. For the longest time, his smile and attitude was his mask that protected him and kept those that cared from worrying.
It was yet another similarity he felt he shared with her. It was odd the more he thought about it. For as dissimilar as they were in some aspects of their lives and upbringing, it was startling to find more and more commonalities between them. He couldn't even say the same about Blake in that manner as he felt their chemistry worked together, and they complimented one another.
It was almost like…
Naruto frowned. That couldn't be.
While he knew Fate obviously had some grand scheme at play, since he was brought directly to Beacon after passing in his world, he had been fighting tooth and nail against what he thought was complex planning. Was it that simplistic, and had something gone wrong at the beginning?
Was it something he did? Was it…
Feeling shifting in his arms and a groan of agony, his attention shifted to Blake as her eyes started to flicker open. The uncomfortable position seemed to register with her, yet her muscles felt rigid and tense. Weiss wasn't the only one sleeping restlessly through the night. He had felt her uncontrolled spasms that woke him during what sleep he could get.
It was the other reason he found it acceptable to bypass his usual wake-up schedule and why he was exhausted. He did not get all that much sleep, so he was slightly delirious.
"Your warmth… Does not help this pain." Blake lightly yowled as she lay on top of him, shifting in the bed to straighten out and look into Naruto's eyes. "Or make up for this stiffness I feel all over as I feel tender everywhere, not just in my normal areas. This is the one time I will complain about you being hard as a rock..."
"I did not need to hear that first thing as I woke up," Weiss grumbled from her spot as the movement in the bed was enough to jolt her awake, and from her groggy state, it seemed she did not catch everything that was said and only the very end of what Blake stated. "I'm not that adventurous to want to see that…"
Naruto chuckled as Blake looked horrified at her statement being mistranslated and forgetting that Weiss was in bed with them. And she immediately had to defend herself. "I would not dream of doing that! I swear everyone heard me that night because we thought the room was sealed, and I could be as vocal as…"
"I'm gonna be sick." Blake lurched forward, holding her mouth as she focused her disoriented eyes before weakly rolling out of Naruto's grasp. "Oh, that nausea hit from nowhere…"
"Nausea?" Naruto blinked at his mate in slight confusion as she gingerly slid off him and onto the floor, stumbling towards the bathroom while groaning. "We have some dramamine and pepto. Give those a try. This is the third day of this, isn't it?"
That immediately caught Weiss' attention as she was slightly worried about her friend seeing her state. Looking back at where Blake entered their private bathroom and then at Naruto, she frowned slightly as she recalled something from last night. "Naruto…"
"She said she was finally ready to give herself to start at the beginning of the month…" Weiss cringed and tried not to squirm as she heard the sounds of her closest friend barfing and possibly dry heaving in the bathroom, starting to feel queasy at the sound alone. "I know this is personal, but how long ago was that?"
"About under three weeks now." Naruto took a moment to answer as he was worried enough to give Weiss the information, and she was only trying to help. "Why is that relevant?"
"Because what I want to ask next is even more personal, and I really hate asking as it is none of my business. And I don't want the answer, but hearing her in there worries me, and I have a thought. It would be odd but not impossible. Everyone's body is different." Weiss flinched, hearing another heave before taking a moment to compose herself by taking a few large breaths. "Did…"
"You use protection?"
Naruto choked on his spit and then started to cough.
That was indeed something that was none of her business! And he understood why she didn't want to know the answer! But if she was asking that…
Did she think Blake was…
"No, I don't believe in rubbers…" Blake growled as she pushed the door open, swallowing a small medical cup of pink liquid with a disgusted look on her face as she did. "They're unnatural and feel wrong."
Weiss choked on her spit and started hacking up her lung. Then she looked up at Blake with a startled expression. "But they are so necessary for safe sex! If you don't wear them, you could get pregnant if you aren't on the proper medication, and even then, sometimes the medication fails as everyone's body is different! At least tell me you were on the pill!"
Blake hissed, and Weiss' eyes narrowed before she finally gave in and nodded. Naruto sighed as he put his hand in his face. "This was technically our first fight as we had an hour-long argument about usage. We would have done this at the end of last month if she had been willing to use a condom. However, she refused, and I absolutely refused to give in without some kind of protection on my end. Therefore, she agreed and decided to get on the pill."
"And then I had to stop taking it immediately for our mating ritual, so it didn't even matter," Blake grumbled before holding her gut again, still feeling slightly off. "Oh, this is the worst…"
Weiss narrowed her eyes, this time at both of them. She wanted to give Naruto a pass, but she couldn't. And Blake knew the doctor had told her when she had the prescription made for her. "You didn't wait seven days! You idiots! That medication takes seven days of constantly taking it to be effective and start to work!"
"Wait, what?!" Naruto growled while Blake paled, his eyes snapped over to her, and he saw the recoil in her step. "Blake Belladonna. You knew? And risked it? You risked my safety! We're not ready for that yet!"
"No! I don't want kittens right now!" Blake shook her head and hissed back at her mate. "But after everything we had dealt with, I was tired of waiting! I was ready to be with you, and suddenly you backed out on me because of something so stupid as a piece of plastic…"
"By the Brothers Blake, it is not stupid! It's the most important thing if you don't want to get pregnant!" Weiss cut in as she held her hands in her face and took a breath to control her anger before she coldly gazed at her friend. "I can see how it would feel better without it. What I can't get is why you were absolutely risking everything for just one sensation? And why do you think that risking it for one time was worth it when you could have just used it once and been over and done with it after taking it for seven days?"
"Because Ilia and my girlfriends at the Fang always said…" Blake started before her face fell, her eyes darkened, and her ears drooped as a thought began to cross her mind. "I… I was always told that it was unnatural and that it was the pure way to do it without rubbers or medication. They told me that all the time, then I just started to believe that because it was all I heard for two years. That it was the only way to do it and every other way was wrong. No…"
"Indoctrination," Naruto muttered lightly as he stood up from the shikibuton and made it to Blake, embracing her as she started to shake at the realization.
"Are these…" Blake began to choke on her words as her body began to tremble. "Even my beliefs…"
"I think this might be one of those times when you should talk to your mother and father," Naruto replied as he held onto his mate, giving her a comforting smile as he lightly rubbed the small of her back. After all, from what I know of you, many of your beliefs are derived from them. So something like this is very likely, and with them here, I hate to say it…"
"We need them here right now. Especially if Weiss is correct, I don't think we can handle a little one right now. It's too much with everything going on."
Nuzzling into his chin, letting his warmth and smell calm her, stopping her from shaking. For a moment longer Blake stayed nestled into him before she sighed deeply and pulled back slightly before she gave a slight nod. "Okay. I think I have a few things I need to discuss with them anyway, as there are some things I don't know how to handle right now. At least they will be able to comfort and guide me."
"That's all I can hope for, as your mental and physical health matters to me," Naruto whispered before planting a soft kiss on her forehead, making her mewl as she lifted her head to bring her lips to his for a passionate, loving kiss.
Weiss' head dropped as she looked away, dejected. Even with everything going on, it was heartbreaking for her to watch the two in their tender moments. Even as she got used to them, it didn't make it any easier for her.
She still had feelings for Naruto and the complexity of Blake being her most treasured friend…
She first began to crush on the faunus in this room almost eight months ago, after a disastrous start, after he had saved her the day before. And six months prior, she began to realize that the girl on her team she found out was a faunus on accident during the Christmas season was someone that would go out of her way for her even if they were not on good terms at the time as before she couldn't understand why Blake was always getting upset when she went off on the White Fang…
And now she knew, but back then, she had no clue.
This morning had only started, and it was already feeling like this. She had a terrible feeling about where today was going…
Suddenly, Naruto's scroll started buzzing, and he growled in his throat. "For the love of all that is…"
"What could it possibly be now?" He disengaged from Blake, frustrated at another call as he couldn't fathom who it could be, and raised his eyebrows upon seeing the ID screen. "An unknown number? What in the world?"
As his curiosity grew, he had to answer the scroll. "Who is this?"
"Don't trust the ironman. He's not as noble as he seems." A familiar voice spoke on the other line, his tone firm but hushed. "These devices are always recording and my hack will only last so long. Meet me at the place where our partnership first began. I'll have more information for you there."
With a click, the other end hung up, and Naruto glowered at what he heard. He ignored how easily he managed to access his contact information without giving it to him. But now, twice in two days, something had come up that had begun to question a particular person's motives. And now he was about to start digging himself whether the man wanted him to or not.
"What was that?" Blake twitched, not liking the look on Naruto's face, while Weiss looked worried.
"Get dressed and get ready," Naruto said, keeping his voice calm and collected as he collected his equipment. "We need to be prepared in case I don't like anything that's happening."
"I think I made the right decision by letting a criminal out of jail, and I hate that was the best play I had," Naruto announced, leaving Blake and Weiss wide-eyed and startled as he growled. "I don't know who I can trust anymore besides a bandit and a criminal!"
"What are the fucking odds?!"
"I've never seen Naruto not up and out this late into the morning," Yang muttered, for it was abnormal for him not to be up and moving at this time of day, even on days when they were given off. "Know the fairy guy went in there to help with their wounds, but at least Naruto should be out by now to give them the rundown. Thought that was the plan…"
He was an early riser by trade, and unless he had explicitly done a job at night, which, as far as she knew, was not the case, he was awake and moving about at this time. So what was the deal? What was she missing?
"Weiss," Ruby said simply as she waited alongside everyone at the campsite, having come down and joined everyone now that they were here. "If she's there… Talking in private. Was what started yesterday…"
"What did I miss when I checked myself in?!" Yang snapped her attention to her sister and barked upon hearing that, her eyes gaining a tint of red before she calmed herself. "Rubes, you have to thoroughly explain how Weiss is at the center of all because that doesn't make any sense. I know talking is a challenge for you now…"
"Not Weiss… Her Father." Ruby looked rather gloomy as everyone's attention was drawn to her before she sighed and tried not to control her voice to keep it from stammering and tried to keep herself from getting agitated as she spoke. "He called. Something happened. About the wedding. Not good. Blake and Weiss argued. Blake and Naruto argued. He walked out. She panicked and chased. Her tracking failed. Fate tricked us. To the island."
"Fate?" Yang's eyes opened wide as Ren raised his eyebrow and she cursed, for no one outside of their team knew of the Goddess. "Is that the person we were preparing for? We are all aware of the person that Ozpin was at war with. Is that who it was?"
Ruby would never hold back when it came to commenting on it. She would tell everyone immediately if the information needed to be said, even if it was detrimental. That was just who she was, and her honesty sometimes was more of a hindrance. Now, if it was blackmail material or something she could leverage against someone, she could hold onto that forever…
Her sister was the most annoying person in her life!
"No, she is an entirely different person. Fate is the Celestial Goddess known as the Allmother." A younger voice spoke as Tealle slowly strode toward the group, Guts trailing behind her as she caught the conversation, being convinced to join in. "The mother to the Brother Gods and creator of this universe and influencer of many others as she controls the very bonds of destiny itself. If you ever felt like something was preordained or meant to be…"
"It is because she had deemed it so." Tealle stopped and looked at Ren specifically as he was the one that asked, everyone's gaze fell upon her as her skin began to pale to a pure white coloration as her veins darkened to a reddish hue and bulged.
And Salem's voice echoed alongside Tealle's. "The person that has been warring against hope and light is standing before you. I am trapped inside this twelve-year-old body standing before you, having been defeated two months ago by your intrepid and handsome champion for the ways to kill me are quite limited, and as of now, I know only of three in existence."
"What the everlasting fuck?!" Yang did a double take at the sudden change and had Ember Celica transform, cocked, and ready to go as she was unaware of who the girl was and only that this Guts guy was someone of interest. "Why the hell is Salem here?! What is going on?! Ruby, move!"
"No fighting! Naruto's orders!" Ruby cried as she stood before Yang and shook her head. "She helped! Let's listen!"
"Are you kidding me?! This is frustrating!" Yang growled as her eyes started to burn before she took a breath. "This again! First that Adam guy that used to be with Blake, and now this! What is with this shit and people changing sides?! What is this?!"
"Changing sides? Do not get my attention crossed, girl. I do not care for a single person, as all life is meaningless and disposable. But everyone has their uses, and some are shining examples of indomitable spirits that I cannot help but admire." Salem spoke through Tealle as she glanced over at Yang and spoke with an air of authority. "My goal remains the same, and that has never changed. I've been forced to adjust since that god chained in human flesh managed to defeat me and destroy my original body. Not to mention Fate herself used my own court for her meddling, and now I have nothing left but this girl's father for protection, and even then, that won't last."
Guts narrowed his eyes as his arm twitched to Dragonslayer. This temptress made him want to shut her up. In any other circumstance, he would have already done something. It was almost impossible not to react. It was tempting, but hearing those words coming from his daughter's body, even if she was possessed and in a transformed state…
He steeled his will and kept his face passive. When the time came, she wasn't in control. He would destroy her if need be. It would be what was needed even if it claimed the last of his humanity, and he would finally become the black beast within.
And it seemed like he wasn't the only one.
Faster than anyone could react, a golden blade swung to Tealle's throat as emerald eyes met red eyes…
Only for a massive sword to swing down, intercepting the blade.
And Dragonslayer cleaved and snapped Milo with a single swing, impacting the ground with thunderous shattering as Pyrrha stumbled back as the ground before Salem possessed Tealle wickedly grinned and gazed at the red-haired warrior. "Oh, went straight for the throat? I must say that was brave. Foolish but brave."
"Tell me, future Fall Maiden, has Ozma told you about me? Is that why you reacted in such an extreme manner as everyone else besides those closest to my chained god does not know the full extent of what I am?" Salem asked as she gazed at Pyrrha, the small girl's head tilting as her wicked eyes bored into Myrmidon's.
Looking at Milo, Pyrrha's blood ran cold. Her prized weapon. Made of the strongest and most durable metal. And he snapped it like it was nothing. She had even sensed him moving to intercept her and tried to manipulate the incoming strike with her semblance but somehow…
He overpowered it! She knew it had happened in the blink of an eye so it would have only been a slight adjustment, and only the tip of the blade was snapped instead of the entire Milo and what would have likely been her. He had come to kill her, but she was able to redirect him just enough for her prized blade to be all that was destroyed.
This man was indeed a monster, and his sword was not to be taken lightly.
And then her eyes locked with the evil witch he was protecting as he held his massive heap of iron to the side, and she snarled at what she said. "How do you know that?"
"My dear, I keep track of every possible young woman capable of transforming into a Maiden. It's why I turned and enlisted such a ruthless, callous queen like Cinder into my court. As unstable as she was a suitable vessel for the Maiden powers." Salem echoed through Tealle's lips with a nasty smirk. "And you are the only candidate with sufficient talent left that Ozma has any hope of imparting the Maiden powers upon someone he can imprint upon since the last two had an ugly falling out. After all…"
"The faunus girl and silver eyes now are most decidedly better alternatives to become the Fall Maiden if I were the one making that decision. You are nothing special after all."
Pyrrha's world slowly started to crack. Her body began to tremble, and her eyes shivered. The very being of darkness that she was warned about saw her as an insignificant spec that meant nothing to her. And now, standing before her, she could feel the overwhelming darkness engulfing her, something that wasn't there in the little girl before…
An intent like nothing before. Threatening to swallow her whole! She drowned within it after becoming lost within it. Suffocated in this pitch-black darkness! She couldn't breathe! She couldn't…
"Enough!" Naruto's voice filled the beach, and Pyrrha could breathe again, falling to her knees and her head spinning.
Nora was immediately at her side, checking on her, with Jaune stepping in front of her. He was unsure what he could do but felt he had to protect his friend somehow. At the same time, the Salem-possessed Tealle turned, and her gaze turned lustful as her eyes trailed to the voice she heard, seeing the blonde faunus walking toward everyone in the sand with Blake and Weiss trailing behind him, wearing their old gear while Puck floated above them.
"Oh my. Born of the shadows are we?" Salem couldn't help but admire this change of attire on the blonde. "If I remember correctly from your memories, this look is more akin to your first sensei, Kakashi, was it?"
Naruto put a finger at the edge of the mask he was wearing and lowered it, and snarled. Now clad in nearly all black wearing a no-sleeve shirt that was still thick and padded the way he preferred. Two padded orange gloves, as he had to get his favorite color in somewhere, along with a new right leg holster for Dreams, the same bright color. He had a red belt strapped to his hip for Wilt and Blush to be attached to in order to honor the bull and to match the colors of the sword. Finally, on his right bicep, he wore a purple piece of cloth with a white symbol attached to it. It was the emblem of the Belladonna clan.
"And you are not making any of this easy, so I suggest you explain because you wouldn't have revealed yourself to everyone otherwise." Naruto narrowed his eyes as he gazed into the possessed eyes of Tealle. "After all, you wouldn't have sought me out if this wasn't serious. Things have changed, and Fate's interventions are more noticeable."
"They have always been noticeable if you know what to look for, but dealing with distortions is not what many are accustomed to. After all, none of this was supposed to happen." Salem's voice echoed through Tealle's, and her intent focused solely on the fox. "Fate was never ordained to intervene in this world her children created. This was their world, even though they selfishly abandoned it and left us to fend for ourselves. Left me to toil in unending misery with this curse of undeath and the betrayal of all I loved because humanity was too stupid to understand my rule was what was best for it, cruel as it may have been."
"And she would have never stepped in as while a few have garnered her favor before, a situation as unique as yours has never happened before. You are unique as I do not think you played your role entirely as intended, as she found that fascinating. You are someone that challenges her will at every step, taking extra unplanned steps and changes but ultimately follows her designs in the end and champions her predetermined course to the letter."
"And then everything fell apart as something so catastrophic happened that she couldn't have predicted it, and she just couldn't allow it to occur."
"Your death is the catalyst," Salem stated, and her eyes narrowed. "Although I didn't realize it at the time, I thought that the destruction of my body was the most foolish thing you could do. Now it is a blessing in disguise. I was able to glimpse within the mind of Brother God of Darkness himself, even if momentarily, and I learned so much."
"What I've learned leaves me with little hope as our original story was murky and unclear, as if there was no end in sight. And that was something Fate detests. So with two anomalies happening at once…"
"She fixed them by bringing you to this world, turning you into her immortal champion, and in the process, created a Continuum Shift in our world."
"The hell is Continuum Shift?" Qrow's voice came from a distance as he slowly walked over, his eyes narrowed as he and Raven had been listening from afar and decided to join now that information was being stated. "I've heard some things from Ozpin before, but that's a new one."
Salem only grinned, seeing the Branwen twins, and couldn't help but haughtily laugh. "Well, my dear Ozma wouldn't know anything of that nature. He was far too weak, and his knowledge was quite limited compared to my own, my dear. After all, it was only a principle thought to never be able to occur without divine intervention. A major shift in causality and temporal phenomena brought forth by being of such magnitude that we cannot comprehend like that of a God or Goddess. No mere mortal could ever cause such a thing, or at least that was what we had thought."
"That was until my magic touched and saw everything he was when he first arrived and shattered our casualty by merely existing here," Salem announced as her focus returned to Naruto, whose eyes narrowed at the child she possessed as he patiently waited for her to get the point. "And I saw his world full of those capable of affecting the rules of nature and casualty through his eyes. A world where Fate's decree was weak, and her control was negligible."
Growling in his throat at her words, he remained quiet as he focused on the little girl possessed by the witch. His sister, however, tilted her head and looked over at the blonde faunus and then back at the witch. "So what you are saying is that everything that has happened up to this point was brought about by Fate bringing the boy here? Her plan to fix our world was what broke it?"
"In simple terms, yes," Salem answered, glancing over at the red-eyed Branwen. "He never belonged here. Our world exploded into thousands of alternative parallel paths the moment he arrived and due to each and every action he takes. Even pasts were rewritten and changed as each future and past she had to sort through and determine what the best course of action was and what she desired the most as she claimed Remnant as her own. That is the start of a Continuum Shift, and she was observing all of them at once to determine her optimal course, slowly thinning them out as time moved along. Making sure that only one reality remained and it was the path of her design and the rest of the Shift, the undesirables would be purged."
"She corrected anything that went awry as everything has been moving forward as her plan unfolded, and there was nothing any of us could do about it, but this has all been a game for her," Salem growled as her red eyes glared daggers at Naruto, although her hatred wasn't focused entirely upon him. "Her obsession with you is even greater than my own. You are like the perfect plaything for her, challenging her and allowing her to test her ability to control. And now all of Remnant is her battleground, so we must put aside our issues! Our desires and work together to end this!"
"You have been successfully thwarting her because of accidentally stumbling through the Continuum Shifts by making choices that would otherwise rebel against her will as you have from the very beginning, and she would have never predicted this. As such, a rogue element arose that she could have never foreseen and caused her entire plan started to crumble. At first, the ripples weren't a problem, but now they have turned into a tidal wave, and she has her sights set on removing the anomaly from her meticulous plan." Salem's eyes shifted, turned away from Naruto, and settled on someone beside him. "A plan meant to unite humanity and faunus once and for all, and you two happen to be screwing all up for her, and I am here for it."
"I love the chaos." Salem manically grinned at Naruto and Blake as her red eyes glowed from Tealle's.
"You're kidding me! It's me she wants!" Blake roared as her entire body began to tremble; she was already dealing with enough and hearing this only added to her torment. "Everything that has happened is because Fate is trying to get rid of me? Is that what you are saying?"
She doesn't just want you gone anymore. She wants to make you suffer for existing," Salem spoke with a snarl as her eyes narrowed. "Your continued existence plagues her as it was never supposed to be you. She had set everything up in such a poetic way. The billion-dollar princess. The lonely, bilge street rat. What a romantic love story that would have been to sell to the masses just like she is doing now through her father. Trying to drown your petty existence away with her story, not yours."
Naruto was seething. Everything had been preordained from the beginning. Every step he took. Each and every choice he made. It had all led to a goal Fate was leading him to. And while it was an admirable goal, something he would wish to accomplish, the thought of not having a choice left him fuming. To not be able to choose who he loved? Was that why he kept ending up in situations with Weiss needing him? Was she purposely trying to draw him to her?
"No!" Weiss screamed, her eyes tearing and her body trembling as she stepped forward and held her hand on her chest. "I can't believe that. I…"
"I don't care whether your feelings are real or not, girl. You have been a pawn of Fate for this whole time." Salem cut her off, unaffected by her outburst or what she felt. "You were meant to help unite this world and bring under a new reign under a King and Queen unlike any this world had seen before as Ozpin and I fell before you and the might of Atlas, and she is still clinging to that possibility despite the Continuum Shift having been busted wide open now by her failure on the island."
"She's desperate now?" Naruto questioned as his eyes snapped away from Blake and back to Salem. "She's losing control, and anything is starting to become possible?"
"Exactly. Small choices have been thwarting her, but now we need something big. Something game-changing, and a servant of mine owes me the relic he guards." Salem's eyes narrowed, and her gaze shifted to Qrow. "We need to collect that now before a certain other person finds out or our chances of success are thrown out the window. The Relic is critical because the information it holds may very well give us the final pieces to break your chains and put an end to Fate once and for all."
"You're kidding me! You want our help to get you a Relic!" Qrow narrowed his eyes dangerously as he focused on the wicked witch's vessel. "I may be willing to accept many things, but that is one thing I am not! Ozpin may not have been trustworthy, but you are less so."
"I have been the one telling the truth. I do not care for humanity, faunus, Grimm, or any life. All I want is my death which has been denied to me for so long! To right the natural order, and I will throw everything away to get it!" Salem growled in her throat as she glared straight at Qrow. "Do you know the torment of watching everything you know and love die? To watch who you thought loved you stab you in the back because your rule became ruthless when you realized that everyone would make the same mistakes over and over, so you took more control over their lives?! That you had to endure every physical and terrible rupture and change after I threw myself into the ooze and attempted to kill myself once and for all, only for it to fail and be transformed into a Grimm!"
"You may think you know suffering, but endure five millennia of what I have had to endure to come to the realization of why I am after the Relics. The destruction of all life is only a consequence of my actions because the Brother Gods cursed me with undeath, and it wasn't until this last year that I found two new ways of ending that suffering!" Her eyes darted to the child's father and Naruto before clenching her fist. "I am willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish my goal, and if that means throwing away my own freedom, so be it! I tire of this immortal farce, and for once, I see the end in sight after being given a glorious glimpse of what death could be like."
"I crave my own destruction, and Fate only wishes to prolong my suffering!" Salem cried before the tired child's body began to stumble before she used Gut's large leg to steady herself. "I am so exhausted of this world. I want it to end. You have no idea what I am willing to do to end it all. So I am willing to tell you everything you need to know. Give you everything to win this fight and the fights that will follow, for mark my words, defeating Fate will not be the end."
"The Brothers will make their presence known if their mother falls."
The silence was deafening. No one was able to speak after Salem finished speaking and her body slowly began to change and recede into that of Tealle's, her possession fading back as the girl stumbled into her father's arm. She looked drained and already frail as she was, she was left further weakened from having let Salem in control for so long, especially after such a grueling day, but now they knew some of the stakes. She breathed heavily as her eyes fluttered, but she tried to find her footing on her own strength.
It was finally Jaune, of all people, that broke the silence. "You fighting a literal Goddess now? Isn't that literally how your story ended in your world?"
"In a sense, that Goddess existed on a physical plane of existence as well as the spiritual plane," Naruto answered as he gritted it out through his teeth, trying to calm himself. "Fate exists only on the spiritual plane. Without her being physically present, she cannot be combated. Not only this, she has chained and bound me to her will, so I do not have access to the full extent of my power. Without it, even if we could face her, we would not stand a chance. Even with it, the odds aren't favorable, but it gives us a fighting chance, and I'm not bound to her will any longer."
Once more, everything fell silent. The air was oppressive. No one knew what to say or what to say. Nothing made sense from what they heard. But suddenly, a gruff voice grunted, and Naruto's eyes were drawn into the mountain of man's black eyes as he looked up at Guts. "Strugglers standing against godly beings and fighting for control of one's life…"
"It's time for me to play that role then…" Guts spoke more to himself there and breathed as he sheathed Dragonslayer. "If there is one thing I do well, it is surviving against all odds, even when the Gods have marked me for death."
"If we need that relic, I'm going to get it. And nothing is about to stop me." Guts growled as he clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.
"The hell you will! That relic needs to stay there, and we need to discuss this more!" Qrow countered and narrowed his eyes at the large man, his hand moving to his back and ready to draw Harbinger in case he needed to. "I was more than ready to help retrieve it once we proved Leonardo's guilt, but now I have my doubts. Under no circumstances will I ever support the side of that witch, especially knowing what she has done to my family personally."
"And I have my doubts about Ironwood after receiving a call this morning which leads me to believe there is more going on than there seems. I do not trust him, nor do I trust Oz with the Relics." Naruto retorted and brought the Branwen's narrowed focus to him. "And finally, whether I like it or not, Salem does not lie. She gives you exactly what you want when you want it in the most manipulative way possible."
"And for that, I cannot trust her personally, but I can trust what she tells me. It's a double-edged sword, and it's one I'm going to have to ride as I was already aware of the relic, thanks to your dear sister. Even in a world of noble ideas you hold dear, it's a bandit, a criminal, and a wicked witch that provide me with the most help. So as of now, that's how I'm putting my trust in that, and I'm going to confront the ironman myself here shortly and see what he has been up to."
"Dammit, Raven, really kicking me in the dick here…" Qrow growled as he looked between Naruto and the swordsman as there was no way he could handle the two of them.
He couldn't take Naruto. He wasn't sure about the swordsman as he felt that was a fight, but that massive sword meant guaranteed death if it ever hit. He didn't want to test Harbinger's durability against it, as while it was a heavier and thicker weapon than the girl's…
Qrow was sure he wouldn't have a weapon after a few hits with that weapon. He saw what it did to Crescent Rose, and Harbinger wasn't any more durable than it, and if he was swinging it harder…
"Qrow, times are changing, and I never trusted Ozpin and Ironwood," Raven spoke as she looked at the young girl standing by her father before gazing at her tense brother with intense red glistening eyes. "And while I will never trust Salem for what she has done to our family, look at how frail and weak she has become."
"We know where she is. We know what her goal is. She is willing to give us whatever it takes to down a more serious threat. As much as I hate to admit it, we need someone with her world knowledge, whether it be her or Ozpin, and she is willing to give it. If she says the Relic of Knowledge is necessary to handle Fate, I will go to Mistral myself to retrieve it. Ruby's life was almost taken by Fate once, and look what just happened! We nearly lost her again because of that damn Goddess, all because of some damn game to her! Fuck that! I'm done with running from my past and fears!" Raven's eyes burned brightly before she walked right in front of Qrow and tightened her hand on Omen's handle.
"Do not make me choose between my daughters and my brother, as you know who will win."
"Now you are trying to look after them! What fucking took so long, Raven?!" Qrow barked, finally relaxing his hand from behind his back. "Fucking fine, but I am taking no part in this, and I am out! Keep Tai and I out of this from now on! I cannot, in good conscience, after years of working against her, suddenly work on the same side as the witch. I will stay out of whatever this is while taking care of one last thing."
"Much as I hate to admit it, I have my suspicions about what's going on with Ironwood after yesterday, and I'm determined to follow this lead through. Something doesn't feel right, and I can't shake the feeling that something terrible is brewing. And if this is another Shift caused by Fate, I may consider my position later." Qrow finished with a scowl as he turned away and began to walk away from the group.
Only to be stopped by the voice of Tealle. "Mother wants to warn you that she did not expose herself for just any reason…"
"That what she uncovered in her brief glimpse was enough to force her hand as she would not be granted the end she so seeks." Tealle weakly spoke as she tried to convey the last of Salem's messages. "While she couldn't see Fate's goal, what she saw was stained in blood and…"
"Very few here will be left standing by the end as barely any of you factor into her plans. All that will be left standing is a King and Queen ruling this new bloodstained world, defending it from the futility of the light and the clout of the darkness and giving it a glimmer of hope."
"What you speak of…" Qrow began as he turned and focused on the child, his eyes deathly cold. "Makes it sound like her plans are to start a new Great War."
"That is the conclusion mother has reached, yes. And while this would be of no consequence to her normally…" Tealle began as she listened to Salem's words and briefly paused. "The aftermath is so devastating that she fears the consequences as the Relics will be used in them. And if that is to come to pass…"
"They will be destroyed."
Qrow's eyes grew wide for a moment before he bit back a snarl. "Using them in that kind of situation would imply…"
"Those that have the knowledge of using them would use them. And there are only a select few that know how to, and I'm willing to wager a guess there is a specific reason he hid them the way he did…" Qrow continued before finishing with an edge in his voice. "You don't know how to activate them, do you?"
After a brief pause, Tealle weakly shook her head in confirmation. His eyes narrowed, and he growled. She wanted to claim it without even knowing how to activate it. The foolishness. "Well, you are out of luck as I don't have a clue how to activate it. I'm sure only Buckethead knows how…"
"He does not." Tealle shook her head again and sighed as she listened to Salem from within. "He would never trust anyone with that knowledge for fear they would use it against him. Once he found them, got access to them, and hid them away from her, he ensured that the only way she could ever activate them was to come through him and only him."
"So only Ozpin knows how to use the damn things? Why does that not surprise me?" Naruto couldn't help but roll his eyes, and his ears twitched in annoyance before he sighed as he turned his attention to the confused group as they tried to keep up with everything being said. "But I think we are getting ahead of ourselves here, and as my friends, I need to tell you exactly what's going on and what has changed since that fateful day when we were expunged from Beacon. I'm sure everything here was confusing to all of you, so let's start from scratch."
"As you know, I am from another world, but because of things that happened, I have learned that I was brought to this world by the Goddess known as Fate…"
"What has happened since you guys left? By the Brothers, this is too much to take in!" Jaune frustratedly rubbed his temples as the team sat down at the campsite and allowed Naruto to fill them in.
Qrow had yet to leave, deciding to stick around as if he was waiting, staying silent as he let those facts wash over him again. Knowing that all of this was being set up by the Goddess of Fate that potentially led to something more now left a pit in his stomach. And what mattered most in this life to him was being pulled into it all due to this divine will. That wouldn't have stopped Ruby from involving herself in the end, but…
"And it doesn't sound like much we can do about this." Ren frowned as he pondered what they were even capable of doing. "However, from what Salem said earlier, was that small choice being made that thwarted her plans? How does that even work?"
"I had a thought." Yang surprised everyone, and their attention was drawn to her, making her blush before she returned to her thoughts. "I came across this thought last night when everyone was talking. I thought how lucky it was that Blake was there and had experience fighting those abominations and could tell everyone exactly what they were doing, and Naruto could relay that over the scrolls. But then, something occurred to me."
Yang's lilac eyes drifted and looked into Blake's golden eyes with a soft but gentle frown on her face. "What if you weren't meant to know how to fight them? How much more severe would your injuries have been?"
Blake's eyes widened. That statement caught her off guard, and while her wounds were healing once more, they would have been far deeper, and considering what they did to members of CRDN and those two hunters that were caught unaware, she was prepared for what they could do. Her movements were enough to keep herself from being mangled or worse…
And then another thought crossed her mind. Her gaze snapped to Naruto's, who looked back at her in worry when she spoke. "You remember when you said your first instinct was to leave me with my parents, but you chose not to?"
"That was a shift we stumbled into!" Naruto cursed as he tilted his head back, and his ears flicked in annoyance. "I have been questioning my decisions and judgments the entire time, and when I saw you there with your parents when that warning went out, I naturally wanted to leave you with them as you hadn't seen them in three years."
"And by listening to me and taking me with you, it opened this path," Blake spoke, but her ears slowly started to flatten. "But then that means we'll have to think critically about every possible decision when we can't. Sometimes action has to be taken. We don't have the time anymore with what she has done over these last few months, and now with the wedding being moved up to next Wednesday…"
"WHAT?!" Ruby screamed at the top of her lungs, her silver eyes wide at the realization of what had happened, causing the three to wince, remembering that she was left on the other side of the door and didn't hear what it was that set everything in motion. "That happened! Fucking dick sucker!"
"Ruby… Come on…" Yang embarrassingly put her hand over her face at her sister's vocabulary, starting to mimic hers, and she really didn't like that now that she was using shorter and simpler phrases to get her point across and stumble over her words less.
But still, she was very displeased to hear that. No wonder it took them so long this morning to come out if they were trying to sort things out between themselves. And it explained why none of them looked like they were doing all that well. Even considering the bombshell of information dropped on them, they seemed utterly drained…
"That is unfortunate timing, considering I was beginning to suspect that the wedding here was only for show and he had other plans, but we did not have a chance to converse until now." Ren's frown deepened, and he received a confirmation nod from Naruto and Weiss, and he cupped his chin. "That makes things more difficult. That leaves three days after today before I assume you and Weiss are heading to Atlas."
"Yeah," Naruto answered honestly, with his ears dropping while Blake's shoulders fell, and she looked away. "Faking the wedding isn't an option anymore, especially with the press he has put on it. I don't know what else to do anymore, and with so little time to garner support from council members, I can't do anything to protect Weiss from her own damn father. So I'm going through with…"
"But you can't!" Velvet's voice loudly cut him off as her eyes sternly gazed at Naruto before she gazed over at Blake, seeing how dejected she had become, and it only lit her fire further as her eyes returned to his ablaze fury. "I know what's on your neck. I confirmed last night with Yang to make sure I wasn't reading into things, and I was fine with this being faked to help save Weiss, but you cannot follow through with this!"
"Mating is a sacred tradition for faunus! It has been around since the first faunus and was made to display and commit our loyalty to the one we loved the most! It's why most faunus spend years without mating, as they want to be sure they find the right partner, and some never do like my mother, as no one ever seemed right!" Velvet seethed hearing the plan for the marriage and couldn't handle it. "Our traditions have been tossed aside and ignored for ages, and now it's going to be made the biggest mockery of all in front of all of Remnant?! Enough is enough! I cannot abide by this!"
"What else can we do about it, Velvet?!" Blake screamed back; her head snapped up as she stood up, and her face snarled as her golden eyes pierced into her friends. "There isn't anything we can do to stop it because the Kingdoms don't give a damn about our traditions! We are still second-class citizens! They say we are equal, yet nothing changes. It was why I joined the White Fang and didn't leave when I saw what it had become! There was still something to be done, and they were listening to us as much as I despised our methods."
"W-what?" Velvet stammered, caught off guard by Blake's admission to being part of the White Fang. "I-I didn't know…"
"Because only a few people did. Even those that did besides one know what I did within! I didn't want people to know I was a criminal. That I firebombed company storefronts and even burned houses down before because they were staunch opposition to faunus rights and making our lives harder!" Blake hissed before her face fell. "I…"
"Tried to ensure no one was harmed, but I can't guarantee that. There is a real possibility I hurt and even killed someone during those attacks, and it would have entirely been my fault even when Shade and I tried to evacuate the place beforehand to make sure no one was injured in the process. Someone like Ilia or Braun would usually have started it, and the blaze would have begun…"
"Everything we did worked and our rights were respected. As much as I hate it, the Black Fang doesn't have the same reputation level, with the White Fang returning to its roots…" Blake hissed as she clenched her fist. "It's an uphill battle to get noticed and make changes! I doubt they are using all this coverage to distract from the bigger issues! To keep everyone from remembering what that society is really like when they have figures standing at the top of society, standing tall!"
"That is why we need this place!" Blake cried and waved her arm at everyone. "Why we need every one of our friends here?! To build for the future we deserve! To be something that the Kingdoms fear and don't want to see happen!"
"A place of equality and hope! A place of freedom and order! Someplace where everyone works together for a common goal to make it a better place but still has their own dreams and ambitions! Where the hurt and sick are taken care of, those in need aren't frowned upon and helped!"
"So things like this can't happen any longer…" Blake reached a climax, holding her right hand on her chest as she took several deep breaths to calm herself, closed her eyes, and tightened her left hand into a first. "And I will do everything I can to make this place a reality, even if it takes years to make it happen."
"It is worth every second if it can prevent someone else from suffering."
As her words left the other academy students silent, Naruto let her passion fill him, renew his strength, and focus him. Giving a soft smile, he wrapped his left arm around her hip, feeling she could use the comfort. Sure enough, Blake melted in his grasp, almost whimpering but refraining from doing so, if only just. He could only sigh as he felt the last two days had broken her down and all he could do was give her this.
It had started to chip away at him too…
Blake's ears twitched, and her eyes opened as she turned her gaze from Naruto's embrace to see Weiss standing on her other side, offering her hand and softly smiling. Yet again, somehow, it was her. The first person outside her mate always seemed to be at her side, sometimes even faster to react than him. If he wasn't the first to stand at her side, knock some sense into her, or help her in some way, she seemed to be the one that came to her side.
How ironic was that? Around this time a year ago, she had been firebombing and robbing the Schnee Dust Company and actively making Weiss' life miserable, and now she was one of her closest friends and not only comrades in arms but…
Trying to make all this work together somehow.
Reaching out her hand and placing it over Weiss, she softly smiled back before a third hand placed itself on top of theirs.
And they both sharply snapped their attention to a grinning Ruby, her silver eyes glowing with determination. "Let's do this!"
A fourth member joined the gathering, and Yang smirked, looking at each of her friends. "After what I've seen and some of the revelations I've come upon being around you guys, fuck yeah, I'm in! This world could use a fresh kick in the butt!"
"Surprised you didn't say ass there." Naruto gave a toothy grin as he chuckled and decided to join in on the fun, adding his hand to the mix as the dragoness glowered at him for poking fun at her.
"You're the ass!" Yang barked back with her eyes scrunched up and aimed at the fox.
All five of their hands were nearly knocked to the ground as an energetic hand slapped its way into the pile. And the positivity of Nora filled them as she beamed brightly. "I am so in! We'll make it happen! I personally guarantee it!"
"Nora…" Ren sighed, even if a weak chuckle was embedded within it before he looked at the small gathering and slid his hand in. "Even with the unbelievable things that go on around you guys, I couldn't feel a place that felt more like…"
"Home. Let's get to work."
Two more hands joined as Velvet and Fox made the group very compact and squeezed in, Fox giving a confident grin despite having missed the hand pile at first before finding the top. "I've got nothing to go back to. My friends are all here and are championing a cause I want to get behind. Hell yeah, I'm here for this. Let's kick ass, take names and help people all while doing it. Clean up the streets, give them new hope, and all the while, we build and make them a new place to show them how this is done!"
She could only agree with that sentiment as it echoed what she had said last night. "Together, we can do this. A place of equality where humans and faunus work side by side and make it work."
"Where you belong regardless of where you came from, and are accepted for who you are." Jaune threw his hand and grinned as Yatsu and Coco walked alongside him. "Where you can make contributions when you don't even think you are capable and find ways to help."
"You're getting there. Just have to figure out what your semblance is, as the Brothers know your Aura reserves have massively grown since being awakened." Ren commented, and Yatsu nodded, giving the now more muscular blonde a slap on the back.
"Yeah, we just need to keep working at it!" Nora grinned before a mischievous twinkle sparkled in her eyes.
"I don't like that look…" Jaune frowned before a final hand that seemed almost reluctant to join at first slid by him.
But Pyrrha looked at her friends all joined together in a tight huddle, now all squeezed together, and she smiled. Despite what had happened and everything that shook her moments before, she trusted these people. She knew them well enough to know that they were good people and that this goal, whether or not it was achievable…
Was worth the effort.
"Well, I'd be damned…" Naruto commented, seeing everyone grouped together before taking a deep breath and speaking. "My dream was always to be Hokage and lead my village to prosperity…"
"That time has passed, but now I see a whole new world that needs the same kind of thing that Konoha represented when it was built. And it is going to take a lot of effort and hard work to make it happen, but it has to start somewhere, as this world needs that kind of hope. What better place than right here and with these very people?"
"Let's go and make this happen." Naruto gave a cocky grin as he stood out in the middle. "Got some assignments for ya'll. We'll need to get started in a hurry if we need to make some things happen. I don't want to give Jacques the satisfaction of bending my knee to him, nor am I bowing to Fate's will."
"There is a fight to be had, and I am taking it to them!"
As of right now, I am returning to shorter chapters to help get back ahead of schedule.
Been hurt, and that's been making writing even more difficult, so I can only hope everything can keep going smoothly.
And that's on top of wanting to play Pokemon Scarlet and Ruby Arrowfall so...
The Poll is still up, and if you wish for the longer chapters to return and cannot vote for whatever reason, please use your voice.
I'm still torn on deciding, as I think there are benefits to both.
So let me know which you prefer, as after the Volume I Holiday Specials, the following chapters will return to being smaller chapters to help with workflow.
There will be at least one more update before the Two Part Holiday Special, most likely on the 9th or 10th.
First Part of Volume I - The Fated Holidays will be released on December 23rd, and Part Two will follow on the 30th.
After December, we'll see where I am, what everyone wants, and how the update schedule will look.
And before I forget.
To my dear Guest reviewer.
Winter was pointing out the ship was leaving the island and recognized that wasn't a good thing due to how overburdened the Bullhead was.
They simply couldn't follow and, as such, would have gotten away.