A/N: Well, the latest chapter of Grimmslayer didn't get much in the way of feedback. Ah, well. I tried.

Forgotten Son isn't quote ready yet, but should be tomorrow

I dearly don't want to rush it; so I'm taking this up in the meantime.

Someone made a request. This is me testing the waters.

With my fifteen year anniversary on this site here, I find myself reflecting on the little things in life. What was once a lazy pastime meant for me and a few friends really grew and evolved over time. There are days when I look back on the last fifteen years here and I wonder if anyone will remember me; if I made an impact, despite never making a single cent on any of these stories. Some days were happier than others, and some stories I enjoyed writing WAY too much; to the point where I'd stay up all night working on them.

And of course, there are times when I look to the future and wonder what will become of things when I'm gone.

Of course, I try not to dwell on the latter overmuch; I'm still alive and still writing. In an ideal world, I'd like to keep doing so for as long as I can. But old age is catching up to me and these days, the world is filled with so much madness and death. It feels like the everyone's lost their minds the world over. Even before that, so many friends and fellow writers I once knew are gone, now. Will I still be here in twenty years? Ten? Five? Its a chilling thought. But for now, I'm still here, still writing.

So here we go. The fate of this story depends on you, the reader. Your feedback determines the fate of this tale, and many others.

I'm just a humble author trying to make his way in this wild world, one word at a time.

Time and feedback will determine if this remains a story. Simple as that.

Lets see if anyone gets this references. The request wasn't subtle.

Consider this an excerpt of something that may or not be.

"Beware the old man, for he is not what he seems...

~?

Mastermind

This was her moment.

Cinder Fall drew her bow back, nocked a single arrow of blackest glass to the string.

No one challenged her, no one got in her way. The vault stood empty, Amber's glass coffin left unprotected.

Golden eyes narrowed, sighting down her target. She took a moment to bask in her triumph. She could burn Beacon any day. It wasn't enough-wasn't the point of this. She had to beat them. Her enemies, her adversaries, her rivals, all of them. Had to prove herself superior. There was a right way and a wrong way to vanquish one's enemies, and she'd done it so very right. Every contingency accounted for. Every event prepared. Above her the battle raged. Beacon would fall. She was certain of it.

And so she let her arrow fly.

It pierced the glass, slaying the half-dead woman within. She closed her eyes and waited for the rush of maiden energy...

.

..

...it never came.

"Wait...where's the power?"

A chill shot down her spine. Had she missed? Two more arrows were drawn and shot forth.

Nothing.

Exasperated, the aspiring maiden cast her bow aside and stalked across the chamber. No attack came. No ambush. No surprise. Only the faint sound of Amber's life support persisted; but not for long. She tore the lid free with one hand, squinted into the steam that followed, and stabbed down with a knife. She felt her blade pierce something. There was undoubtedly a humanoid shape within...

Pillows?!

"Congratulations, miss Fall." someone clapped their hands behind her and stepped out from behind a pillar. "You played yourself."

She whirled, knocked another arrow to her bow and fired on them.

A hand caught it. Crushed it down to so much dust.

She saw its owner a moment later.

"Ozpin! What have you done?! Where is she?!"

The Headmaster only smiled.

"ANSWER ME!"

...alright." this time, the voice that issued forth from his lips didn't belong to him. "Since you asked so nicely, I'll tell you where she isn't."

He waved a hand and with a plume of smoke, he was Ozpin no longer.

Cinder made a disbelieving noise. "...?!"

"She's not here."

His face was all wrong; tan with tawny blond hair, bright blue eyes and wicked whiskered cheeks; the later of which were, even now, dimpling in a wry smile. Even the suit he wore seemed ill-fitting now that he'd set the illusion aside. He tossed the cane away, throwing it over his shoulder as one might a useless stick. She didn't know this man; had never seen him in her life.

"Who are you?!"

"Naruto Uzumaki, at your service~!" the young man bowed, grinning from ear to ear. "Feels good to finally say that, ya know? I think this might be my greatest prank every-one second." he looked down, scowled at his ill fiitting suit, and tore it away, revealing ragged black jeans and an orange tee beneath. "There, that's much better I hated that outfit, ya know? No idea how he put up with it."

"I...you..how?!"

"I'll be the first to admit, I'm not a very good headmaster." he prattled on, granting her a sheepish grin as he scratched the back of his head. "But I lost a bet with that old coot, and I keep my promises.I've been in charge for...lemme see here...a year?" a pause now as he counted off on his fingers and shrugged. "Huh. Feels like longer than that. I was worried you might see through me, in the beginning." His head swayed side to side as though he were reproaching a small child. "But you...you didn't even notice me. Not me, and not the net closing around you."

Cinder shot him.

Naruto turned to so much smoke.

An arm slung around her shoulder. Warm lips brushed her ear. "Because the great Cinder Fall laughs in the face of death, right?"

She went mad; snarling and slashing at him, only for her blades to taste smoke once more.

This "Naruto" fellow stepped out of her very shadow, still grinning fit to burst.

"But you're not laughing now."

She never saw his fist; not until it slammed through her gut. She reeled back; for all the good it did her. A hand caught her by the hair and dragged her face into a fist. She tried to twist aside at the last instant; only for him to twist his fist and obliterate her right eye.

The world went red.

He dropped her and she crumpled with a scream, clutching at her face. Oh gods, the pain!

"Damn you! How did you...?!"

"Find you?" she raised her gaze to find him looming over her, face hidden in shadow. It did noting to hide those burning blue eyes leering down at her. "Easily enough. I specifically chose to meet you down here alone once I realized it was you behind this fiasco." he tapped a finger to his head. "The old man told me quite a bit before he stepped down, and it took me some time to piece the clues together, but I did.

Cinder tried to stand. The mastermind kicked out her knee, shattering the joint. She crumpled with a cry.

"I wasn't sure it was you at first but once I did?" he wagged a finger at her, heedless of her agonized scream. "I knew your blind obsession with power would give you tunnel vision. I knew you'd seek out Amber's power -wherever it went- to its fullest extent. And I knew you'd make a spectacle of it, just to make your point."

No, no, no. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening.

"You love to gloat, remember?" his grin gained an edge and with a strange hand gesture, she found herself standing before Roman Torchwick. "You were so very, very proud of your scheme." Another wave and he became Mercury in all his sardonic spite. "Honestly, ma'am!" Now he took on the guise of Emerald, grinning as her subordinate never would. "Did you honestly think I'd let you down here with that kind of power on hand, without taking some precautions?"

A distant tremor rattled the world above. She heard a rallying cry behind it. "Who...?"

"Ah." Naruto banished the disguise and looked upward, himself once more. "That would be the reinforcements from Vacuo. I'm afraid your White Fang friends upstairs will be quite unprepared for them. They'll be roundd up and executed of course, unlike your minions. Raven's already taken them into custody."

Raven Branwen?! How had he...

.

..

...oh. She understood now.

Realization dawned in Cinder's heart, then bloomed into panic. He'd planned this. Prepared for her. All this time...! "Why, you...?!"

"I've made my mistakes since I took this job." he stomped down on her good leg, breaking her ankle with an agonizing pop. "One of them was tolerating you for this long. I wanted to see if there was any hope for you." he ground his boot down, drawing another pained gasp from her. "I wanted to see what you would do. And now that I have...well. You know what's going to happen now, don't you?"

This wasn't over! If she could just kill him...!

She lunged up at him. "I won't let you stop me!"

His right hand closed around her face. The left found her throat. Clawed fingers bit into her skin.

"Little girl," red eyes leered down at her as something else spoke through him. "What makes you think you have any choice in the matter?"

She gasped wordlessly, trying to muster her response.

"Look at you, little mortal, wasted and gasping for air." his fingers tightened around her throat. "It hurts, doesn't it? Watching your little scheme come crashing down. But you don't get to go yet. When your hopes are ashes, when you pride is broken, when your mind has been shattered and you've sold out your allies, then you have our permission to die. But until then...?

He spun, dragging her to the nearest wall.

Cinder realized his intent and screamed bloody murder.

Too late; a single slam sent her spiraling into unconsciousness.

A/N: Aaaand scene.

Aaaand there we go. Hope you enjoyed this little tease. Soooo? Should this be a story? Once again! This is an AU.

Hope someone, somewhere, enjoyed this. I just don't know anymore these days. Its terribly hard to tell...

So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...Review...Would You Kindly? Let me know what you think!

Preview are the same, because this just might become a story...

...but of course, that depends on feedback.

Hope you enjoy 'em~!

(Previews!)

"You owe me."

Ozpin raised his hands. "In all fairness I didn't expect this

No, you did not." a finger dug into his skull. "Which is why. YOU. OWE. ME."

But still! You did far better than I expected! However did you manage to bring Raven of all people back into the fold?"

Naruto flushed and coughed into a fist. "That...is a long story."

Qrow damn hear choked on his flask. "Oh gods, you're f***ing here, ain'tcha?"

...possibly?"

The flask bounced off his head.

"Really? You know I didn't feel that...

You have a choice, Mercury. Roll on your allies, or I take your arms. What'll it be?"

That's absurd. You can't just kill all your enemies!

"Can. Have. Will."

Have a seat, miss Nikos."

R&R~!