A/N: PLEASE read this note, would you kindly? It would mean the world to me.
EDIT: First, there's a reason for that my delayed schedule, one I'm not entirely comfortable talking about, but it needs be said, because I'm a mess right now.
My grandmother, who lived with me, has passed away. As of today. I came home from work and she...she was gone. I'm currently in mourning. Also, shock. I think. It hasn't really hit me yet. I don't even have words...
Why did she have to go? Why? I already lost my grandfather, and now her...
Second, I hope folks like this. I worked hard on it...and lack of feedback really murders my inspiration...T_T Third, well, certain characters stole the show this time around. So much so that I had to split this in half!
*takes a deep breath*
But you're not here to hear me cry. You came here for a story. I'll do my best to provide one.
Now then, onto your questions:
Q: Wait, wait, waitwaitwait! Surely you're not going to let the Madame, that is to say, Cinder's stepmother, get off that easily?! She deserves a fate FAR worse than being knocked out! Don't wimp out on us now, Neon! Give her the beating she deserves!
A: As stated by Willow herself, killing the Madame -Lady Tremaine as she's known in this story- simply isn't enough. Her punishment must be more...severe.
Q: Neon, no! I know what you're planning! Don't you do it!
A: Do what? What're you on about...?
Q: So, is this story comprised of multiple arcs or books, or...?
A: I suppose you could say the former. We're just about at the end of the first arc. Anyone care to guess what the next one will be? I haven't been subtle about it.
Q: So is Marcus real or an OC?
A: Marcus Black is in fact, canon. Much like Nicholas Schnee, we simply didn't see much of him.
Works for me! That gives me a chance to write all sorts of wonderful things...
Case in point, this chapter's going to get the blood pumping.
Q: What's Salem up to? Aside from recruiting Jacques a few chapters back, she's been strangely quiet.
A: She hasn't actually. The Queen of the Grimm has been quite the busy little bee since we took our eyes off her. We all know how her mind works these days. Plans within plans, plots within plots, and should those schemes ever fail...well. Nobody wants to have a giant Grimm whale on their doorstep. Certainly not now! Naruto would nuke the hell out of that thing.
Alright, I've kept you long enough~!
I had fun writing this; hopefully you'll enjoy reading it. Pretty please?
As ever, I own no quotes, references, themes or memes! Not a wit or a one!
"See, that's the thing about villains. They seldom think. The really nasty ones never consider the consequences of their actions at all. Why would they? They have power. Their victims don't. Rather than use their gifts for the greater good, they lord their strength over others like its their god-given right. They never stop to consider that somewhere, somewhen, somehow, someone might be watching. They never ponder what might happen to them if the shoe were on the other foot; if the same were to happen to them.
And guess what? I was watching. That's my daughter you just tried to PUT A COLLAR ON...
...lets see how you like it."
~If its For My Daughter I'd Gladly Kill Monsters.
At the Stroke of Midnight (Part I)
"And here. We. Go."
Slowly at first, pushed at an unnatural angle by unseen hands, a window in the Schnee Manor creaked open. Not from within, but without. Camouflaged palms pushed against the glass pane and forced it apart with infinite care. A bitter breeze whistled through the now-open aperture, bringing with it the faint whine of the night. None paid it any mind. None noticed it at all. None saw a thing as a humanoid shape chivvied their way through the window and closed it behind them with a deft flick of the wrist.
Invisible boots padded against the carpet.
Their body shimmered and became solid once more, revealing a figure clad in dark leathers with darker eyes and silver hair bordering on gray. A confident smile flashed in the moonlight. Marcus Black looked left. Marcus Black looked right. Marcus black swore softly and rolled his shoulders.
"Bloody hell, that Semblance is a bitch on my reserves...
Such a shame too, Invisibility was one of his favorites. That fellow in Mistral had been loathe to part with it, but part he had. Then he'd parted with his head. Such a shame. Dead men told no tales and all that. Rich types were easy marks. They thought themselves safe. Untouchable. Pride cometh before the fall and all that.
He was pleased to find that the Schnee were much the same. They hadn't taken any measures to keep him out beyond the ordinary.
He'd staked out the manor for days, knowing his target lay within, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Now he had it. That damn blond was clear across Atlas at some fancy shindig, and he'd taken all his little friends with him. How convenient! So long as Marcus made sure to steer clear of any tricks and traps -because only a fool would leave their charge unguarded, he was certain his wit and will could carry the day. Really, it was only a matter of time now. Sneaking in had been the hard part. Disabling the alarm had been child's play.
From here? The rest would be easy.
Whistling softly to himself, he stretched out his senses, searching for that telltale spark of power he'd touched once before-aha!
"There you are." Bright eyes flashed in the gloom and his grin grew, taking on a hungry edge. "Did you really think you could hide from me? Silly girl...
He didn't encounter a single maid or guard, or...anyone really as he roamed the manor. For one of the purportedly richest families in the world the Schnee were awfully blase when it came to any real security. Or maybe he was just that good. It was easier for one man to break into a manor than many, and with the recent deaths of his...associates, he could move light as he pleased. It also meant the reward would be his, and his alone. Yes sir, one fat purse of lien for Marcus Black. And all he had to do was finish what he started in that alley.
With the single stroke of a knife, he would have wealth, fame, and power eternal. The man who broke into the Schnee Manor and survived to tell the tale.
Heh. He'd be a legend for this. Life was good.
Beneath supple fingers, another lock flicked open with a soft click. Then he was through to the hall beyond. Marcus poked his head in, gave the hall beyond a cursory inspect, and slipped through.
Looming glass windows bled fractured moonlight into corridor, casting shifting shadows wherever the light touched. Mighty statues lined the walls, giant frozen knights standing silent in their eternal vigil. It was a strangely wide expanse, almost foreboding. He eyed them warily; half-expecting one or more of them to come alive and hack him apart. They didn't, of course. Didn't stop him from scowling at them. Right creepy things they were, and he wanted no part of them.
Beyond them, a few doors down and to the right, he sensed his target.
"Gotcha." his grin grew further still, bordering on the edge of mania. "Come to papa."
The might of the Winter Maiden would be his. Screw his client and her lofty demands. Take the Girl, she said. Bring her to me, she said. You will be rewarded, she said. Ha! Once upon a time Marcus would have followed those terms to the letter...before he'd seen Freya's power for himself. His client would keep the rest of their fee. In fact, this "Salem" chick could piss right off. He had more than enough to set himself up for life after his recent exploits.
Marcus Black served no one but himself. And why shouldn't he?
He was invincible. No one could touch him. Every semblance was his to take.
"Heh. Amateurs." he scoffed, reaching for the door handle. "You'd think they'd guard a mansion better...
"On the contrary, my dear boy," a shadow fell over him. "I sent them away. Better this way. No one to interfere."
A sixth sense shrieked a warning. Too late. Move!
His back howled in agony as a greatsword carved a bloody trench between his shoulders. Marcus grit his teeth against it and flung himself forward in a roll. The motion aggravated the wound even further, yet saved his life as the keening blade carved a frozen swathe through the space he'd just occupied. Trusting to one of his many stolen semblances to repair the damage, he braced himself against a wall and kicked away, avoiding a second swing that would have surely shorn his head from his shoulders.
On trembling legs, he stood and turned to face his would-be executioner.
He found himself face to face with a great mountain of a man clad in a suit of white heavy plate, armed and armored as if for war. A crimson cloak hung from his shoulders, fluttering in a breeze brought forth from the still open window. A might broadsword swung itself over his shoulder, still dripping with the thief's blood. Another clad-hand pried his fearsome helm back, revealing wild white hair and a bearded visage known across Remnant thrice over. Cold blue eyes like arctic skies gazed back at Marcus, devoid of their usual warmth.
"Good." his attacker commended him gallantly. "You're still alive. We have business, you and I."
Blast it all. He'd been made by the man himself. This wasn't supposed to happen.
"Stand aside, old man." His voice rose in a warning. "This isn't your fight."
"Oh, but it is." Nicholas Schnee cocked his head and considered him as a bemused wolf would its prey. "Did you think I would leave my dear friend unguarded?" Marcus stilled, and the man's smile took on an wintry edge. "Did you think I would let what you did to her go unavenged?"
Marcus clicked his tongue and lunged for the door. If he could just get past...!
An icy glyph caught him midflight and hurled him into a wall with an awful crunch. Aura crackled dully, leaving his right arm hanging limply as he lurched upright. He took hold of one of his many healing semblances and it set itself with a grisly crack. His aura plummeted further. Damn Schnee. Still, this presented an opportunity. If he played his cards right, he'd walk away with more than
"Fine. We do this the hard way." Dangers danced in his fingers. "I always wanted a Schnee semblance."
Nick scoffed and raised an armored first. "I'm afraid your desire shall remain unrequited, lad."
They closed with a whirl of steel and danced a waltz of death.
Marcus dodged a broad sweep to the inside, curved daggers seeking the Schnee's throat.
That terrifying sword swatted it aside with contemptuous ease and countered with a low sweep at his legs. Marcus knew better than to block against a weapon so large; he danced backwards, feinted, then surged in again, aiming for the vulnerable joints of the armor. His blade skittered off a glyph and went wide. Nicholas barked a laugh. Marcus swore. The sword came in again and he had no choice but to cross his daggers against it or find himself a head shorter. Metal sparked against metal and they warped against the impact, driving him to one knee. His foe bore down on him, a cheery grin tearing across the man's face.
"Come now, don't be surprised. Even an old dog like myself can learn a new trick...or two!"
Light leaped from his blade and blasted the assassin away, sending him tumbling down the hall like a flung stone. From there yet another glyph caught Marcus in the air and accelerated his flight, ramming him into -then through!- an adjoining wall. A booming roar chased him when he clamored to his feet, forcing him to fling himself to the floor once more as the lunatic threw his blade at him. Even then it tore a dent in his cheek before he managed to get clear.
Just...threw his blasted sword like a frisbee! Who the hell did that?!
"Damnit! What the hell are you?!"
"You know who I am, boy." Nicholas spoke slowly, his voice a slow-moving avalanche grinding its way down the mountainside, sweeping all before it. "I am Nicholas Schnee, son of Nathaniel Schnee, first of my name, and Warden of Atlas. You cannot pass." The greatsword came down again, burying its tip into the floor before the door. "I say again, you shall not pass, foolish child." Some unidentifiable emotion flashed through those vicious blue eyes. "I'll give you this one chance to surrender. I suggest you take it."
A dull ember of anger sparked to life in Black's chest.
There it was again. Those eyes. Looking down on him. Judging him. Just like everyone else. He snuffed it out and willed himself to be calm. Anger had no place here. It would only get him killed all the quicker. He needed to focus. He hadn't brought his best tools tonight; arrogance on his part perhaps, but he hadn't thought he'd need them. What he needed now was time. Time to focus. Time to think. Time to muster up a good strategy before that greatsword carved him up a like a turkey on a platter.
"You think you've got me all figured out, don't you?" he turned his head aside and spat on the floor. "Spare me the prattle, old man. You don't know anything about me."
"My dear Marcus," Here at last that stern visage began to thaw. "I know everything about you." In defiance of that very fact, he placed both hands upon the hilt of his sword. "I was there when you were born. I held you in my arms as you took your first breath. I gave you your name as you opened your eyes."
"No." Dread stirred in the assassins chest, his unflappable calm ruffling in the wake of this sudden revelation. "You're lying."
A pale brow quirked. "Why would I lie? What could I possibly have to gain from such a ruse?"
Everything! His mind bleated, even as his tongue became heavy and useless in his mouth. This was a trick. A strap of some sort, a ruse to make him lower his guard. He wanted to ignore, shove the words away like the lies they were and focus on the task at hand. But he couldn't. Angry maggots of doubtful fear burrowed deep into his heart and tore into his confidence. He'd never known his father. It had always been him and his bitch of a mother, a cruel old hag pouring poison in his ear until he smashed her head in.
"Your father is dead, she'd laughed at him in her final moments. You have no father. He died in the war. You are nothing, Marcus. Nothing."
"That's not true." Terror trampled his arrogance. That's impossible."
Nicholas ignored him. "Leaving you behind with your mother was the the single greatest mistake of my life...
His right eye began to twitch. Stop talking. Stop! Talking! "Enough of your prattling! Be quiet!"
...but I was blind. I did not see Morgan for what she was until it was too late...
A snarl built in the back of his throat. "I SAID SHUT UP!"
...no. I will not, dear boy. I am your father."
"NO!"
Marcus felt his composure shatter. He surged in with a ghastly howl caught somewhere between a snarl and a scream.
His tormentor held the line. "And its high time you were disciplined."
Nicholas stood his ground and met his charge head on, gently interposing his greatsword between his throat and the dagger that would have taken his life. Still gripping his mighty weapon with one full hand, the Schnee patriarch planted an armored boot and drove the other gauntlet-clad fist into Black's unprotected stomach. The young assassin folded around the limb with a dry wheeze. A hand closed around his hair and lifted him up, dragging him around into a bruising chop wit the hilt of his sword; one that left him sprawled on the floor.
Nicholas could have slain him then; chopped his head right off while he lay there, wasted and gasping for air. Instead he abstained and walked away.
"Like mother like son, it seems. You truly embody the worst of Morgan Black." Nicholas knelt and retrieved his helmet, sweeping it onto his head with a sudden flourish, to concealing his bearded visage from the world. "I'm sure your mother would be so very proud to see what you've become. She always was a vile woman." Burning blue eyes blazed out at him from the narrow slit within. "I had such hopes for her. Alas, she wasn't able to overcome her base nature. now the burden now falls to me."
Marcus flung a hand forward and called upon one of his most destructive semblances. Lightning leaped from his fingertips, grounding it against the Schnee's armor.
"Enough! You have no idea what I've been through! What I've seen! What I've suffered!"
"You think you're entitled to everything because you've had a hard life; because you suffered?" Nicholas waded into the assault, boots clanking heavily against the floor. "Suffering isn't enough."
Marcus grit his teeth. "What do you know?!"
A mailed fist found his jaw when he tried to teleport, shattering his concentration and all but cracking his jaw.
"More than you, whelp. You can't just be strong," an armored hand tapped against the knight's skull, "You have to be smart. You can't just be deserving," that hand rose again, clenching into a creaking metal fist to ward off another bolt. "You have to be worthy. But all you have ever been is a spoiled child!"
His sword scythed down, turning the floor beneath him, the floor began to freeze with shards of frost.
"With your gift, you could've changed the world, ushered Remnant into the next age." his brow furrowed behind his helm in a deadly line. "Instead you forsook your morals for power. Now everything you are is lies, lurid and false. You are no warrior; your're just a bundle of second-rate semblances stolen from others." The blade flicked out again, gleaming with ancient runes the like of which only one man had seen. "I, however, only need one Semblance to kill you."
Marcus shifted his right foot forward just so, and took a stance. "Are you really willing to die here? For some woman?!"
"I may fall." blue eyes narrowed within their helm. "But not like this. It won't be by your hand. And you...?" a deep, rumbling laughed filled the night. "There was a time when I thought you could be redeemed. I see now that's impossible. Even if by some miracle you managed to get past me, something even worse awaits you down the hall." he heard the grin in his words, saw those azure orbs crinkle in a death's head grin. "My son-in-law won't let you be after this. He'll come for you. You'd be wise to surrender now, while you still can."
Another clash, another whirl that left Marcus winded and gasping for air.
"You Atlas elites are all the same!" a snarl tore out of him as he found his feet once more. "You think hoarding power means you'll have it forever, but it just makes the rest of us hungrier!" he brandished another knife as he dove back in with reckless abandon. "And I refuse to starve! Just die already!"
A storm of glyphs hurled him back.
"Honestly, children these days. Such arrogance." Rather than defend himself like any sensible fellow Nicholas sheathed his greatsword with a put-upon sigh and removed his helmet. It clattered to the floor at his feet with an echoing clank that seemed to fill the entire manor. Somehow, that terrified Marcus even more. "Come, then. Allow me to show you why the Schnee name is still feared...
Without warning, the temperature plummeted. Marcus grit his teeth against it. "I'm not afraid of you!"
"No?" the Schnee patriarch granted him a father smile. "You should be."
All throughout the hall, the shadows began to stir. They
"I have been called many things in my lifetime." Nicholas spoke calmly into the silence, his breath a visible plume of steam in the gloom. "Before I was a father, I was a husband. Before I met the love of my life, I was a huntsman. Before that...I was a solider." he shook his head, as though mourning a particularly foul memory. "I did terrible things during the last war." his mouth screwed into a sour grimace. "I was drunk on power, not unlike you are now. I knew I was strong and had no qualms for whom I fought Anyone who stood in my way, be they Grimm or Faunus or even human...died.
The temperature plummeted yet further. Frost crept across the windows. Macus stepped back.
"I killed and I killed and I killed until the battlefield ran red with blood." those eerie shadows spread across his face, concealing his eyes from view. They did not hide his smile. "I tore my way through every battle until I finally met my match, a creature who could not be killed." for a moment, the shadows peeled back, revealing a weary and broken man. "Defeat humbled me, making me into the man you see before you now."
And then his visage hardened.
"But from all those deaths," Nicolas raised his voice, his arms moving with it. "My Semblance grew strong. Anyone I slew served me thereafter. They still serve me even now. An army of loyal servants, bound to me in the afterlife and beyond." a small. bitter laugh tumbled out his lips. "I no longer remember their names. At night, I hear their screams in my dreams. Do you know what they called me?"
Marcus gulped.
...I'm about to find out, aren't I?"
Nicholas Schnee raised his arms further and smiled.
"My dear boy, Remnant once called me the Night King. BEHOLD."
With that declaration, Marcus Black felt the last dregs of confidence die a horrible death.
Because a dozen glyphs had just burst into life behind the Elder Schnee...and from them an army emerged.
(.0.0.0.)
"Have we met?"
Those words were only the first volley, the initial salvo in a war that had been a longtime-in-coming. Watching her stepsisters simmer and seethe like the petulant children they were gave Cinder Schnee more pleasure than any training regimen. She reveled in the silence that followed. She drank it down like a fine wine, -though she'd never tasted such before- savoring every drop like the delicacy it was. She watched their confusion morph into anger and awaited the inevitable eruption that was sure to follow.
"Lets go, Sienna." She turned and walked, adding insult to injury. "We haven't the time to waste with trash such as these."
Her rival-turned-ally quirked a brow, but followed with a smile. "See, that's more like it. We're gonna get along swimmingly, you and I~!"
Behind them, the twins hissed. Cinder kept walking. Any moment now one of them would absolutely EXPLODE. All planned of course. She couldn't be seen to make the first move.
Drizella recovered first and stalked after her "Why you cheeky little churl! Come back! Come back here, I say! Respect your betters!"
"Respect?" a golden iris peered at her over one shoulder. "You? What is there to respect? You are nothing."
Her arm swung back with obvious intent. Amber eyes flashed with triumph. There it was. The moment she'd waited for.
Quick as a flash Cinder rounded on the shorter girl and stepped in to seize her by the wrist. A single twist wrenched the limb at a vicious angle, forcing Drizella to abort her hast attack. Her smug sneer vanished, replaced by a cry of pain. She tumbled to her knees and clutched at her mangled limb. Cinder devoured the fear that flowed from her; it fed a dark flame deep within her soul.
"That wasn't very nice." she twisted the limb further, drawing a keening cry from her former tormentor. "I believe you owe me an apology."
"N-Never!" Even in pain, the blasted girl remained stubborn. "I owe you...nothing...trash!"
"Trash, am I?" Cinder's smile was all teeth. "Then what does that make you?"
Despite her painful upbringing, Cinder was not a vicious child. She was simply pragmatic. On the streets, if someone wronged you, you had two options. Sit there and take it, or fight back. Such was the law of the streets, such had been the way of Mantle. Eye for an eye. Tooth for a tooth. Evil for evil. These two had wronged her. They had tortured her. Tormented her. They owed her a debt of blood. She would have her due. Simple as that. And if she took some small pleasure in it...well. Perks of the job.
Revenge wasn't a dish best served cold. No, no, no! Revenge was a meal served scalding hot.
"Let her go!"
Anastasia tried to strike at her while her back was turned, the coward.
Golden eyes narrowed. "Sienna. Do you mind? I'm having a chat with my dear, dear sister."
Sienna needed no further encouragement; a quick flick of her heel and Drizella's twin found her face planted in the floor. Cinder turned and flung Drizella over her sibling, leaving the two of them trapped in a wild tangle of arms and legs. Silence fell over the hall. None of the adults moved to stop her. Why would they? No doubt they saw it as children squabbling. And no one wanted to mess with a Schnee.
Unfortunately, that didn't keep the little twits from jabbering on. It irritated Cinder to no end.
Weak. They were weak. Their words filled her ears in an endless animal bleat.
She was strong. She was smart. She was worthy. Destiny had lifted her from the pits of squalor; never again would she serve on bent hand and knee. She was the one being served now. No longer ruled over, she would in turn be the one to rule. Because she had earned her place here thrice over, through fire and blood.
And what had these two earned? Nothing! Nay! Less than nothing!
Their attempts to tear her down were just that. Attempts. Whatever these two thought they held no power over her. The tables had turned once and for all and they would never turn back. She could burn them alive. Hack them apart. She could make them hurt and they would be unable to defend themselves. Maybe she should. It would be so simple. Just one touch and she could sear their throats, rendering them speechless forevermore, leaving them silent as the grave...
With an effort, she quelled that dark desire.
No. She mustn't do that here. There would be witnesses. Papa and Mama would be dissapointed. They had taught her to be better than she was; taught her very well indeed. She was a lady now, and a lady had many an awful tool in her repertoire. Besides, words cut could deeper than any blade. She could play that game just as well. Nothing wrong with putting on an act and twisting the knife a bit.
"Run along, now." she made a shooing motion with one hand. "I haven't the time to deal with peasants."
Both girls balked where they. The taller of them scowled and climbed to their feet. Cinder allowed it, knowing what was to come.
"What did you just say...?!"
"Oh dear," she feigned a laugh. "Do you not have a brain between your ears? Must I repeat myself?"
She was a far cry from the girl they bullied once upon a time. She was taller. Stronger. Her hair was longer. She had nice clothes and wonderful weapons. The seneschal had announced her as a Schnee to all in attendance and there was not a thing these two could do about it. They could only seethe and resort to petty insults.
"Throwing your lot in with animals, are you? How far you've fallen."
Cinder quirked a brow. "Father's a faunus. And a Schnee. Are you insulting him?"
Their faces went white. "That creature is her fiance...?!"
Untrue. Cinder knew her Papa was undoubtedly human. But she was content to perpetuate the lie for now, if only to see these witches squirm.
"Worry not," Instead she smiled as Willow had taught her. "I'll put in a good word for you. We might allow you to serve us someday."
"How dare you!" Drizella tried to make a grab at her, then thought better of it when Sienna bared her fangs. "Mother's been trying to catch the Schnee's eye for years. And you just worm your way in?! The cheek of it all!"
Laughter bubbled up in Cinder, startling them both. Worm her way in? She'd taken a terrible risk that day, and by some miracle it had paid off. No worming involved here! Fate favored her. Destiny demanded that she was to take her rightful place here, center stage. And they thought to question her? Maybe mercy was too much for them after all. They deserved to squirm.
"On second thought, I take back what I said." She turned her nose up at them. "They'd never accept you."
The twins shared an irritated glance. Drizella found her voice first with a sly smile. "Technically, you're still mother's ward. She can take you back at any time."
Sienna snorted. "Yeah, not bloody likely."
"Shut your mouth, or we'll have you whipped!"
Once, those words would have put the fear in Cinder right and proper. Now? She had a family. Parents. Grandpa. Aunts. Uncles. She laughed at them anew, a soft, lilting sound that only further fanned the flames of their ire to new heights. "Is this what you've fallen to?" she rolled her shoulders in a slim shrug. "Petty threats? You have no strength. No power to call your own. Its sad, really...
Drizella sneered anew. "We'll see about that. Security!"
"Hmm?" A large man padded towards them. "What's going on here?"
"Rhodes!" Anastasia sputtered, jabbing a finger at Sienna. "This animal threatened us!"
Cinder blinked. Rhodes. The names sounded familiar. Had she seen him somewhere before? She thought she might. The name tickled something in the back of her brain. Might she have known him better if she hadn't run away that fateful day? No. She shook the thoughts of her past down. It didn't matter. She was Cinder Schnee now. Cinder Fall was dead and gone. She was weak. She had destroyed her. Fall could be hurt and bullied, but Cinder Schnee didn't matter. They couldn't touch her.
The same could not be said for Sienna. She was a Faunus. That made her vulnerable in their eyes.
"Come with me." Rhodes reached for her. "We'll sort this out upstairs."
"No!" she clawed his open hand away. "Fuck off!"
"Look, you're only making this difficult-
"Ah, ah, ah." a familiar rasp rose in the air before things could come to a head. "Lets not make a scene there, big guy."
Cinder rounded on the sound, and Sienna with her. She expected to find Summer or even Raven. Not so.
Instead she fought a bird of a different sort sauntering their way.
Qrow? When did he-? Where had he come from?!
"Y'know, when Oz brought me to this little shindig," he tipped back his flask, drank mightily, and wiped his mouth with a grin. "I really didn't expect to have any fun...guess I was wrong."
Rhodes blinked. "And you are...?"
"Your worst nightmare."
Cinder shrank back half a step, pulling Sienna with her. Branwen was like Naruto in that regard. He didn't laugh when he was truly angry. He smiled. And it was a terrifying smile indeed. She could see the bandit he'd been in that grin; glimpse a keen edge that had been dulled by kindness and time. It looked to have returned in her absence. Raven's brother walked right up to Rhodes, heedless of the larger man's baffled look.
The younger branwen had always seemed so...nice. Like a tame, flightless bird. He didn't look nice now!
Qrow walked -staggered really- right up to Rhodes. His forehead met his. "Don't be messin' about with my nieces, you hear? I tend to get a little...stabby when someone upsets them."
Sienna sputtered. "Not him, too!"
"Now, now. Lets all take a deep breath." The girls flinched as yet another made themselves known. "This is no place for violence."
A cane clicked against the ground. Cinder knew the sound and rounded on it, alarmed to find that Ozpin of all people had come to their rescue.
He seemed younger than she remembered; more energetic, if such a thing were possible. There was a strange spring to the man's step that she hadn't seen in their last meeting; a curious gleam in his eyes that hinted at some wonderful secret only he knew. He looked like the cat that caught the canary and slaughtered its entire race. Papa didn't like the Headmaster. Here, in this moment, she thought she understood why.
"Why are you here?" she asked as much.
"I was invited, of course. Qrow is my escort." he favored her with a patient smile. "Tai's wandering around somewhere hereabouts as well." said smile dimpled a bit as everyone looked on. I had thought to bring Summer and Raven as well, but they mysteriously vanished." Cinder winced. Oh. Not portals then. Did that mean Raven and Summer were in trouble? "I don't suppose you'd know where they are...?"
Cinder held her tongue. Rather than challenge her, his gaze sought out the offending huntsman responsible for this mess.
"Ah, Rhodes." he offered his hand, and the man shook it. "I remember you. How fares your father?"
"Well, sir." Rhodes smiled. "His operation was successful. He'll make a full recovery."
"Capital." Ozpin patted his shoulder. "I trust there won't be any trouble?"
"No, sir." Rhodes frowned at the girls, perhaps realizing he'd been had. "Just a misunderstanding. Have a pleasant evening."
Bereft of their guard, Oz found the twins next.
"I understand Miss Schnee's parents," he emphasized the latter with a black look at the madame's girls, "Would be quite cross if anything happened to their charges." his cane clicked down, drawing a flinch from Anastasia and Drizella. "You would do well to follow their example and better yourselves rather than cling to petty grudges." A stray spark of green flickered down the length of his weapon, and those flinches became a quiver. "Do I. Make myself. Clear?"
Cinder blinked, somewhat taken aback by the display. Was...was Ozpin actually angry? For her sake?
To be fair, the twins tried to rally in the face of his anger. "Yes...well...we wouldn't...
"Oh for the love of-!" Qrow lack such decorum and snarled at them. "Scram!"
The cowards beat feet with one final threat. "We'll remember this!"
Sienna whistled. "Damn, I wanna learn that trick!"
Cinder watched the frightened girls flee with their tails between their legs. Vindicated, she dared a smirk, her beliefs reaffirmed.
"There you are!" Summer stormed over, eyes blazing. "Why'd you run off like that?! Do you have any idea...
She saw Ozpin too late.
...urk."
Ozpin saw her too, and there was no hope of retreat.
"So this is where you and Raven wandered off to, miss Rose." his smile rooted her where she stood; the smile of a parent who'd caught their child doing something terribly naughty. "I confess, I had hoped to surprise you, but instead you surprised me. Most unexpected."
She wilted. "M'sorry...
"Quite alright. It is a weekend, after all."
A question nagged at Cinder, then. She gave voice to it. "Why did you help us?"
"Why, indeed?" The headmaster was silent for a long moment. When he finally spoke, he sounded weary. "I have made more mistakes than any man or woman alive," he barely murmured the words, eyes gone distant in some forgotten memory. "I have no desire to make another."
She sensed the contrition in his words and her face flamed. "Thanks...
"Think nothing of it, Miss Schnee." He tapped his cane once upon the floor and departed with a quick glance over his shoulder. "Give your father my regards and enjoy your evening. Do keep an eye on them, Summer. You as well, Qrow."
"Me! Why do I gotta watch the brats?!"
"Well?" Cinder preened at Summer instead, silently satisfied with their victory. "We did good, didn't we?"
Sienna regarded the huntress as well, ears twitching.
Summer sighed and patted their heads.
"Good girls."
(.0.0.0.)
Cinder could certainly fend for herself, it seemed.
Naruto watched the proceedings that followed with a small smile. His little girl -and didn't it still feel strange to say that?- was beginning to grow up. She'd found her courage at long last and woe betide anyone who got in her way. With someone like Sienna at her side, he was sure her future would be a bright one.
Now if only Ozpin weren't here.
For reasons he still didn't understand, the headmaster was here and he'd seem him step in to help Cinder. He was grateful for that, make no mistake. But he still didn't trust him. Ozpin wanted him and Willow in Beacon. No doubt he'd try the same for Cinder. If he thought to trick or cajole her, he'd be dissapointed. But it still begged the question. Why? To what end? Why did he want them in Beacon so badly? What was so important that he felt the need to make an appearance at a formal function such as this...?
Someone tugged at his arm, drawing him back to reality. He blinked. "I'm sorry, did you say something?"
Bemused blue eyes blinked back at him. "I can tell when you're spacing out, you know."
A tiny laugh escaped him. "Sorry about that.
Willow tucked herself against his arm. He tried to ignore the contours of her body against his. It was...difficult.
Her smile faded. "Did James really rile you up that much?"
Despite himself, Naruto winced. "No, its not that. I'm just out of sorts...
Ironwood seemed was an admirable fellow, but he simply didn't know the man well enough to make a proper judgement call. In the end he'd fobbed him off with a promise to speak later. Bad enough that he knew about his shadow clones. He wasn't about to leak anything to him if he could. Watts was at least someone he could trust, so long as their interests aligned. Judging by their last conversation, the man considered him an equal, if not a partner and friend...aaaand he was rambling again. Damnit.
Willow snagged a flute of wine from a passing servant and presented it to him. "Care for a drink?"
Naruto wrinkled his nose. "I don't like wine."
"Its just a glass."
"Willow...
"Fine, more for me then." she knocked it back and drank quickly. Too quickly. Naruto quirked a brow.
"I need a bit of courage, alright?" she saw it and flushed. "Everyone's staring."
Whispering, too. Curse his sensitive ears. He could hear the gossip:
"So that's him, is it?"
"Can't believe she's with a faunus."
"Did you see the girl they adopted? Truly, they have no shame...
"I hate to interrupt...actually, no. I don't. On your left."
Kurama's prodding had him standing at attention.
In his peripherals, he saw someone moving.
Well, well, well. Seemed the wicked stepmother was out and about again. Much recovered from her ordeal, she was making a beeline...not toward him he realized, but past him, skirting the main bulk of the guests to seek someone else. His eyes followed her, and so saw Lady Tremaine stalk toward Cinder. Her stride was quick, her eyes intent. No one could doubt her motive. Raven saw her from across the room, saw the face he made, and moved to head her off. Didn't take much to see why.
Because there was a strangely familiar necklace dangling from the Madame's right hand.
Naruto noticed it at a distance, saw the gleaming golden jewel within, and frowned.
"Wait." Kurama unbent enough to growl. "Is that what I think it is?"
"Dunno." his lips pursed into a frown. "Almost looks like...
A memory hit him without warning or word. Cinder had said something...
"She made me wear a necklace with a yellow dust crystal in it. She shocked me everyday. It...it hurt...
Naruto's world went red and he made a sound that had no business coming from a human broke like the dawn, and it was a bloody one. Panic reared its ugly head, blotting out rational thought. She was going to put that thing on Cinder. She was going to take her away. And then...!
Willow tugged at his arm again. Her voice was low. "Naruto!"
He looked down at her with a frown. "Hmm?"
She looked alarmed. Frightened, even.
"Your eyes...they're crimson."
"So they are." he stepped forth, gently tugging his arms from hers. "Excuse me for a moment. I'll be riiight back...
She saw his anger and kissed his cheek. "Don't make a mess, dear."
Wiloow might've said something else too, but Naruto could barely bring himself to hear her. His heartbeat swelled anew, pounding furiously in his ears, drowning everything out. With it came an age old anger he'd nearly forgotten. Ah. So this was what it felt like. He'd been calm lately. Too calm. His temper had stirred against Marcus Black and his predations, but here? Now?
He finally felt a father's fury.
His old friend felt it too. "Are we doing this? Now? Right here?
"Yeah." Naruto surged forward at brisk walk. "We'll settle this. Right here. Right now."
Only a few paces ahead of him blatantly false smile bloomed across Raven Branwen's saturnine visage as she "bumped" into Lady Tremaine and "accidentally" spilled wine all over the hag's dress. Caught unawares, the mistress of the hotel startled and rounded on her. Raven fended her off with obnoxiously loud -and false!- laughter, the better to mask his footsteps. Just as well, that.
Lady Tremaine never heard him coming.
Why would she? He had no desire to be heard. His footsteps were silent, his will intent. The Madame was not at all aware of him. She was too distracted by Raven's antics, bless her black heart. Maybe the surly girl wasn't so bad after all. No, lady Tremaine was not at all aware of him. More fool she.
But some were.
He caught Cinder's eyes over her shoulder and she startled at the sight of his searing scarlet slits. Then she realized just what he intended and her fear vanished. She glanced to the Madame, still held in check by Raven, still blissfully unaware of the angry shinobi bearing down on her. Now her golden eyes gleamed with pleasure. She'd always been a clever little girl. Good. He wanted her to watch this.
Tremaine turned at the last, some sixth sense compelling her to glance away from Raven and over her shoulder. It didn't save her. Narrow eyes grew wide with fear.
He fed on it.
"Calm down." Kurama warned. "You're going to do something foolish at this rate."
But Natuto couldn't be calm. Not here. Not how. For a moment, he had briefly glimpsed his reflection in her eyes. He barely recognized it. It was a strange thing to see your very self staring back at you like this. He looked angrier than he'd ever been. Made sense, really. He couldn't recall ever being this angry before. Raven must've seen it too, because she immediately moved to black Lady Tremaine with her body. Baffled by this behavior, the older woman tried to backhand her aggressor. It availed her naught.
"Hello, friend." Naruto's hand clamped down on her shoulder, fingers digging into bone. "Lets go for a walk."
"What is meaning of this?!" The Madame blanched. "Who are you?! Unhand me at once!"
"He wasn't asking." Raven took hold of her other shoulder. "Off you go."
Lady Tremaine's face drained of all color.
Together they carried her off.
A/N: And there we go.
Nicholas pulls a Vader, Cinder and Naruto lay the smack down...and the shadows begin to move.
Writing this really took a lot out of me...
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review, Would You Kindly? And enjoy the previews!
(Previews)
They steered her away from prying ears. Not out of sight, of course. That wouldn't do. This needed to be seen.
"Scum like you don't think." Naruto talked over her with a laugh, concealing the snarl within a smile. "They never do. They never consider the consequences of their actions." he leaned closer still, pressing his forehead to hers. "They never stop to think that somewhere, somewhen, somehow, someone might be watching. Guess what?" his gaze lanced into her, a knife through her courage. "I was watching. And Cinder is no longer yours to torment. If you're smart, you'll relinquish any claim on her, here and now."
She went slack-jawed for a moment, but annoyingly enough, rallied again. "Never! She's my property!"
"Nice necklace ya got there." he leaned forward. "May I see it?"
Willow wilted. "I'm not the best dancer."
Naruto found himself smiling despite his anxiety. "Nether am I."
"Willow's gonna sing?!"
Cinder frowned. "Wait, does that mean Naruto's going to sing, too?"
A pause followed. Sienna clapped both hands over her friend's mouth. Too little, too late. The cat, as they say, was out of the bag."
"NARUTO CAN SING?!"
"Not on your life!" the blond called across the room.
Jacques laughed manically. "Not so proud now, are you?!"
Blood sprayed through the air.
Hazel did not enjoy this.
Some might call him a hypocrite, and perhaps he was. But he took no pleasure in ending lives. Innocence was a precious thing, something to be preserved at all costs.
No one had to die today. But some would. They always did.
R&R~!