AN: No, this isn't a 50-word count update giving an excuse why I haven't written anything, this is real. Holy crap, it's been over two years! I apologize for taking so long; part of it was a deliberate choice, which will become clear in the AN after the chapter, but part of it was just life. Real life happens, and sorry to say, but this takes a backseat.
Also, on a more unpleasant note- Rooster Teeth, I love you for creating RWBY, but that is no excuse for what you did to Vic Mignogna. Not saying there aren't sleazebags and perverts out there, especially in the entertainment industry (cough-Harvey Weinstein), but I firmly believe that you must present a couple of things known as EVIDENCE and PROOF before you assume someone is guilty of a crime. For most of human history the justice system was essentially 'guilty until proven innocent', and one only has to look at the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition, or the internment of Japanese Americans during WW2 to realize that such a philosophy does not a better world make.
Jason Liebrecht has been doing a good job taking over Qrow's voice so far, but I still miss Vic…
Anyway, on to the main event!
'thoughts'
Uchiha of Remnant
Chapter 11: Walking the Tightrope
If one were to be asked 'what is Roman Torchwick surrounded by right now?' their answer would, without any hesitation, be 'a shitload of Dust'. Indeed, one could have mistaken the dozens upon dozens of boxes and shipping containers around the thief at that moment as walls and structures themselves, as though Roman was currently in a building constructed entirely of crates containing the precious material like they were LEGOs.
Considering that Roman's goal over the past several months had been to steal and horde as much of Vale's Dust supply as possible, one would have thought he would be in a good mood. Dust prices had already more than doubled, uncertainty and apprehension in the Kingdom were running high, and as the cherry on top Vale's law enforcement had just had their standing force cut by almost a fifth and- even if they received Huntsman aid- were significantly understaffed and overstretched. The plan Roman was taking part in was not just going flawlessly, it was going better than expected.
But Roman, far from being comfortably satisfied with a (so far) job well done, was livid. He was supposed to be perusing over a map of Vale and planning his next few robberies, but instead he was rolling a cigar in his mouth, struggling to control himself enough to not bite it in half as he couldn't help but listen in on the last conversation he wanted to hear at the moment.
"Hey, did you hear about that last job we did?"
"Bro, everyone in the Kingdom has heard about that. They really brought the heat down on you guys huh?"
"No shit, man. Thank the Gods Sasuke was there- no way we would have gotten out of that shitstorm without him."
Torchwick inwardly struggled to control himself enough to not blast the two henchmen's heads into bloody smithereens. The last Dust heist they'd pulled had nearly ended in disaster, and it was almost entirely due to the Uchiha's actions that they had managed to not only escape, but still take a good chunk of the stolen Dust with them. And much to Roman's fury and alarm his men were now practically worshipping the kid. For the past two days since the averted catastrophe his henchmen had spoken of almost nothing else other than how wonderful, how magnificent, how great the perfect Sasuke Uchiha was.
And those were just the conversations they had when they knew Roman was in the room. There were more whispers- ones that were only uttered when they thought he was out of earshot. But he had heard snippets, and that was more than enough.
"Am I the only one who thinks Sasuke should be in charge of this operation instead of Torchwick? Before he hired that kid the cops were practically riding our asses and we weren't getting half the payout we are now. Sasuke's the only damn reason everything's been flowing this smoothly."
"I don't understand why that Uchiha kid hasn't just bodied Torchwick yet. Heard he's being blackmailed into helping him, but I'll bet my bottom lien he could beat Roman and Neo no sweat."
"Why are we still working for Roman? Torchwick was ready to fuckin' leave and let the Cops arrest us! Sasuke's definitely rougher around the edges, but at least he sticks up for us lackeys when the chips are down."
Roman was beyond infuriated as he recalled these words and more. But behind the blind rage, he was afraid.
Despite how angry he was at his men for their words, the plain fact was that they were right.
Their victory at the Great Dust Shootout, as it was being called, was not Roman's triumph but Sasuke's. The kid made the plan, did the heavy lifting, and made sure the help had made it out, while the redhead had pretty much just sat back and fired a few shots from Melodic Cudgel.
While it was incredibly inconvenient for him, that alone would not have been reason enough to panic. He hadn't blackmailed the Uchiha with an empty threat- he had a contact that would spill everything he knew about the kid to the authorities if Torchwick was found dead under any suspicious circumstances- and he'd dropped more than enough hints to the kid that the Uchiha full well knew it. As for the newfound respect and admiration from his men, Roman personally thought that the idea the Uchiha cared for all of his subordinates was wishful thinking on their part. More than likely the kid just didn't want any of the men spilling his identity if they were captured. If Roman decided to quietly 'retire' a few of the more outspoken members in his ranks, he doubted the kid would lift a finger.
No, the real problem was Cinder.
When he had first met her Roman had thought, like most men, that she was a fine piece of ass. She hadn't walked but strutted to him, giving him a look that was somehow a combination of bedroom eyes and a serpent about to enjoy its next morsel. She'd then proceeded to place her hand on the shoulder of one of his henchmen, and in a flash of orange fire incinerated his body right down to the bones almost before he could blink.
Then she made him an offer he would have been an idiot to refuse.
"You will gather every available man at your disposal and steal every last ounce of Dust in the Kingdom of Vale, or you can join your friend in an urn."
Roman had no desire to be cremated alive, and that meant he had to keep Cinder satisfied with his job performance. He had initially been doing well enough to avoid such a fate, but the woman made it clear that she wanted more out of him. She wanted him to steal more Dust, she wanted it done faster and she wanted it done with less of a trail for the authorities to follow.
Then Torchwick had the good fortune to find the young Uchiha completely by accident as he was visiting Junior's to look for more muscle, and suddenly that problem was solved. Cinder had been visibly pleased at the new and improved numbers he was giving her, checking in on him with less frequency since he'd hired the boy.
Now, however, he had the opposite problem.
If- no, not if, when Cinder got word of what was going on, and she learned just how much of an asset the Uchiha was, how he held the respect of his henchmen better than Roman could ever dream, and how the only reason their operation was having such stunning success was because of him, she was going to ask herself a very simple question.
Why did Cinder need Roman to be in charge of the Dust robberies when there was an alternative that was superior in every way?
The answer could not have been more obvious.
Once Cinder took stock of the situation, Roman would be excess baggage that'd be discarded for the hot new model without a second thought.
And amazingly, this wasn't the end of his list of problems.
Cinder had informed Roman a week ago that they would be expanding their operations in Vale even further- more hits, and more muscle to do it. To the thief's astonishment she'd somehow secured the cooperation of the Vale Branch of the White Fang, a group whose actions and whose local leader, Adam Taurus, held such extremist views Roman wouldn't've dared touch them with a two-hundred-foot pole if he had had a say in the matter. Alas, he did not. He was going to be forced to work with an army of veritable animals who not only hated his guts merely because he existed, but who would find any excuse to ignore every word that came out of his mouth at best and maul him to death at worst.
At this point Roman was certain that whatever plot Cinder had in mind, it wasn't going to end with simple Dust robberies. He'd already told his subordinates as much, not mentioning the White Fang partnership that was rapidly approaching on the horizon but still strongly hinting that the thefts they'd taken part in so far were likely a mere warm-up for what was coming. Sasuke, of course, had seen fit to remind him that he was not going to take part in any activity that resulted in loss of life, and Roman had to force himself to not try and throttle the kid and his stupid conscience.
And as the cherry-on-fucking-top, he just received word that Marko Cain was coming to Vale to exploit the recent lack of manpower in the local law enforcement.
Roman knew every major crime lord in all of the four kingdoms to some degree, and he knew all of them were dangerous- Miss Malachite in particular had a good reason to hold a grudge to him. But Marko, more commonly known as Stonewall, was the only one who legitimately terrified him. While not as powerful as Cinder Fall, Torchwick still wholeheartedly believed that he was the more ruthless of the two. Unlike Torchwick, Marko's empire was not limited to Vale- he had multiple cells operating in all four kingdoms, mostly in Mistral- but Roman knew that once Marko arrived Cinder was going to keep him there. He was far too big a player to not bring under her thumb, and even with his ridiculous Semblance he had no chance of standing up to that bitch. The problem was that after Marko was done huffing and grumbling about him being strong-armed into a job he wanted no part in, he was going to take it out on someone. And after he found a dozen or so poor souls to mash into paste he was probably going to set his sights on the dapper thief. At that point he would gradually grind and consume every bit of Torchwick's empire he could get without stepping on Cinder's toes, and eventually Torchwick would lose so much influence Marko could off him without worry of any fallout.
That is, if Cinder didn't kill him first to make room for his replacement.
Roman had been struggling to sleep the past few nights, the feeling of the walls closing in far too stressful as he racked his brain over and over again to think of some way- any way out of this.
"Hello, Roman."
Torchwick froze in place- he knew that smooth, velvety voice all too well.
'Oh, fuck'
Swallowing the golf-ball sized lump in his throat, the thief turned around to see the very Devil he had just been thinking about.
Standing smack in the middle of the front door to the warehouse was none other than Cinder Fall in the flesh. She stood like she was a Queen overlooking her subjects, her body draped in a dark red dress with yellow trimmings that made her look like a smoldering flame. She locked eyes with him, strutting forward with a cool smirk and oozing with unflappable confidence.
Flanking her were her two subordinates. The silver-haired son of the infamous assassin, Marcus Black, and the little green-haired street rat the woman had found in who-knows-what ditch somewhere- Mercury and Emerald, if he recalled. For a brief instant he noted he was seeing… more of Cinder's two henchmen than usual. She'd come alone more often than not when she had to check up on Roman's progress in the past- but for the past several weeks it seemed that she'd never show up without them.
He hastily dismissed his thoughts as he realized it was in his best interest to offer the woman who could and would kill him on a whim a proper greeting.
"Well… Ahem," Roman cleared his throat, steeling his nerves to try and hide as much of his internal panic as he could. "A good evening to you, madame. I do hope you can forgive the clutter; I would have tidied up the place if I had known you were coming."
"Oh, that's quite alright," the woman replied, stealing a brief glance at the multitude of boxes holding stolen Dust with a look of satisfied appraisal. "I see that you've been quite successful in fulfilling the Dust quota I gave you, even with that little snag you were faced with on your last job."
Roman tightened his grip on Melodic Cudgel. Of course she heard about that.
"It was definitely more trouble than we were hoping for, but I would say we still managed to come off on the winning side."
"And where is your new associate I've been hearing such interesting rumors about?" she asked with a glint of curiosity.
Roman could feel himself start to panic. He knew this moment would be coming, but had hoped he would have a bit more time to come up with a story of what happened that night that would conveniently leave out the Uchiha's role in their success. Unfortunately it seemed it was too late for such a deception. It hadn't escaped his notice that Cinder had not referred to the Uchiha as Roman's subordinate or henchman. No, he was an associate.
Torchwick's equal.
It seemed the Dominos were already starting to fall.
"Unfortunately Sasuke isn't with us at the moment," he replied, struggling to avoid stammering. "He's a part-timer, I'm afraid. I only call him over when we've got a hit planned."
"Hmm… that's unfortunate," she replied, her earlier smile slightly fading. "I was hoping to meet such a promising individual personally. Competency is such a rare quality to find these days, wouldn't you agree Roman?" The smile the woman was giving him could've frozen a killer shark in its tracks. There were more than a few veiled threats he could insinuate from her words, and Roman got the impression Cinder meant every one of them.
"True," he hastily agreed, "but I would say between Neo, Sasuke, myself, and the White Fang, we should have enough players to run this operation without any more hitches."
Cinder slowly moved her gaze away from Roman, looking up at the mountains of stolen Dust surrounding her with a contemplative expression that the thief knew she was only using to rattle his nerves.
"Given Sas- your success as of late, you may very well be correct."
Torchwick struggled to hold in a growl of rage. He would've had to be deaf to miss the woman correct herself, and judging from her sly expression it was no accident.
"Nevertheless, we are not going to rest on our laurels because we simply assume the odds are in our favor," she continued. "That is why I am tasking you with recruiting more men to our cause before my next visit on top of your regular robberies."
Despite the situation Roman couldn't help but balk.
"E-Excuse me!?"
"It doesn't need to be too many; a hundred or more will do just fine."
"Do you have the slightest idea what you're asking?" the thief retorted, unable to hold his faux-humble tone. "I'm not sure if you know this but between stealing every speck of Dust in the Kingdom, finding safehouses to store it, making sure no one discovers any of those safehouses, and covering our growing trail from the damn cops, I don't have that much spare time to hand out cookies and flyers to get people to join up!"
"I do not want your excuses Roman," Cinder said in an icy tone, all traces of amusement gone. "I want results. Surely such a simple task is well within your modest capabilities?"
"If this is such an easy task, why can't you do it? You were quick enough to get those human-haters in the White Fang to sign in!"
Roman knew before Cinder leveled a smoldering glare at him that he'd crossed a line. Slowly she turned to face him, venomous eyes staring straight into his own, daring him to utter another word.
'Shit shit shit shit!'
This was hardly the first time Roman's mouth said something it shouldn't have, but there was a good chance it would be the last. He could practically see those terrifying amber eyes glowing alr-
"Cinder has more important things to do than to gather up your henchmen for you!"
The tension was abruptly shattered as everyone was reminded that Cinder was not in fact alone. Emerald Sustrai stepped forward, looking at Roman as though she wanted to squash his face into the ground with her heel.
Compared to the raw power and presence Cinder commanded however, her attempts at intimidation were laughable. She looked more like a puppy barking at a passing mailman than an actual threat.
"Oh my, the runt can speak!" Torchwick exclaimed in mock surprise, regaining some of his earlier bravado. "When did you graduate from polishing Cinder's boots?"
The girl's eyes widened in fury, baring her teeth as she reached the weapon on her waist.
"Emerald."
Cinder's sharp voice snapped her out of her fury in an instant. The dark-skinned girl glanced back at her leader and took an involuntary step back as the fiery woman gave her a glare that held more fury than any of the one's she leveled at Torchwick. Roman and Mercury too were openly staring at her- one in gleeful anticipation at seeing her take some of Cinder's ire instead of himself, the other looking at her in sheer disbelief that the girl would be so stupid as to speak out of turn.
Had Roman been looking in Mercury's direction, he would have also seen him bring a finger to his lips in a silent gesture to his associate that was meant to and did go unseen by the rest of the room.
"Silence."
Immediately Emerald bowed her head, trembling slightly as she realized her error.
"Y-Yes Ma'am. I apologize…"
Letting out a slow exhale Cinder again turned her attention to Roman, who was not at all happy that he was again in the woman's sights.
"As out of place as my subordinate's comment was, she's correct," the woman affirmed. "I have my own tasks to complete to ensure our operation proceeds as scheduled, and do not have the time to hunt for more manpower."
To Torchwick's horror she began closing in on him, before placing several deceptively delicate fingers on his jaw. "And if you start disobeying instead of thinking, your position in this organization will become far more expendable."
Roman held his breath as the woman lightly caressed his jaw, his heart hammering in his chest. Judging by her words it seemed Cinder had not yet decided to end his life, but that didn't mean his fear was gone. Any second he expected to feel those cool fingers turn painfully hot, heating his flesh just short of burning it as the woman teased his life in the palm of her hand.
He breathed a sigh of relief when she pulled away- scarcely believing his luck. He'd only pushed back against Cinder once in the past, and despite mindfully keeping himself as tactful as possible to avoid needlessly drawing her ire the woman had not hesitated to sear his skin enough to force him to back down. He'd never back-talked her as brazenly as he just did, however, and was amazed he had apparently been let off the hook with nothing more than a thinly veiled threat.
"I will return as soon as I am able," the woman continued, "and I hope to hear that you have produced the results I desire."
"I-I'll get it done." Roman stammered.
"Excellent," she smirked. "In that case we're done here- you don't have a moment to lose, after all."
With that Cinder nodded to her two lackeys to follow her out, slowly strutting out with all the assurance she came in with. The impatient Mercury was transparently relieved that their little errand was finally over, but Roman noted with some amusement that the Emerald girl was walking so stiffly it almost looked like someone glued an invisible plank of wood to her back.
The door shut with a heavy slam, and Roman let out a sigh of frustration as he wasted no time in taking out another cigar to ease his nerves. In retrospect, Cinder's surprise visit had gone about as well as he could have reasonably hoped. Despite having heard about the Uchiha's incredible talent and skill Cinder had not decided to take him out of the game just yet- meaning he had a bit more time to figure out his next move.
With the tip of his cigar alight with a smoldering glow and whisps of curling smoke snaking through the air around him, the wheels in Roman's head began to turn. He wasn't dead yet- but Cinder dropped enough hints to let him know that she was impressed enough with Sasuke that his fears of her replacing him with that child weren't unfounded. She'd given him two tasks to fulfill by the time they next met; continue stealing shitloads of Dust from anywhere in Vale he could and draft new recruits whose numbers were in the triple digits at minimum. Considering Cinder hadn't told him when they would next meet- a deliberate move to keep him on his toes no doubt- he had to plan for the worst-case scenario and assume she would be back in a week or less. It would be difficult to accomplish both goals in such a limited time, but if he scrambled and worked around the clock he might just be able to pull it off.
But even if he did manage to scrape by this latest challenge, all he would really be doing would be treading water and kicking the can containing his true problem down the road. Sasuke would still be there, still be the driving force behind their success, and still be garnering the ever-growing support and loyalty of his subordinates.
That last part in particular was going to be an incredible selling point for Cinder to put the Uchiha in Roman's place. With the White Fang being integrated into their ranks, it was going to take a leader of incredible talent and skill to have any chance at commanding the human-hating ranks of the Faunus Rights group. They would hate Roman and Sasuke equally for their humanity, but Torchwick knew very well that even a leader who was despised by his subordinates could still earn their grudging respect if said leader was skilled and competent enough.
It had occurred to the thief that the Uchiha's refusal to commit murder would eventually put him at firm enough odds against Cinder that she would burn him alive on the spot, refusing to negotiate with him about his ethical principles, but he hadn't lived this long by wishfully thinking things would turn out in his favor. The fiery woman was a hell of a lot more intimidating than he was, and it was also possible she might think he was too much of an asset to simply incinerate without at least attempting to twist his arm a bit. And if anyone could forcefully persuade the stubborn Uchiha to let go of his damn moral code, it would be Cinder.
Keeping the Uchiha on was simply too big a risk. He had to go, and the sooner the better. So Roman had to find a way to do it that would not only succeed, but also wouldn't irritate Cinder by eliminating one of their most valuable players.
But how would he even kill him? There was no one in Vale Roman was friendly with who could do it, and he'd seen enough of the Uchiha in action to know that even if he and Neo teamed up on him, they'd still likely be on the losing side. Poison was an option, but it was too easy for Cinder to trace back to him for it to be a desirable course of actio-
Suddenly, like a blast of thunder, Roman remembered Marko Cain. The man was already on his way to Vale to expand his business here, and while Torchwick may have been terrified of the man he was on modest enough terms with kingpin to at least get a meeting with him. Most importantly, if anyone could kill Sasuke Uchiha, it was Marko 'Stonewall' Cain. He'd seen the man use his Semblance only once, and if that couldn't kill the Uchiha then nothing would. And as a cherry on top, Stonewall had significantly more than a hundred men working for him. The thief had thought that Cinder would recruit him herself once she realized he was in the Kingdom, but with her gone it gave Roman the chance to do it himself and check off one of the tasks Cinder had given him.
With this eureka moment, Torchwick began formulating a plan. It was risky. He was almost certainly going to have to procure some of Stonewall's preferred 'market items' to butter up the man enough to get him to consider Roman's proposal, and even then sweet-talking Stonewall into joining him as a subordinate to Cinder without the man crushing his head on the spot by itself was going to be a challenge. There was also no guarantee that the man wouldn't try to edge Roman out of power in the same way the Uchiha was doing once he was brought into the fold. Nevertheless, it was leaps and bounds better than simply keeping the present course and waiting for Cinder to replace him.
Little did Roman know as he began bringing up Stonewall's number on his scroll, he was not the only one in a tight spot.
At that very moment Emerald Sustrai was focusing all her efforts into placing one foot in front of the other without trembling or stumbling, both her and Mercury following several steps behind Cinder as they made their way through the lamp-lit streets. The girl forced herself to hold her head up high despite the almost natural instinct to meekly look at the ground, occasionally taking anxious glances at the back of Cinder's head, wondering and fearing the thoughts no doubt going through it.
A few minutes later they reached their destination- a modest duplex that had been gifted to the trio by a friend of Lionheart for their stay. With the twist of a key they went inside, Mercury locking the door behind them.
"Cinder," Emerald began, wringing her hands. "I'm sorry I-"
She got no further before she felt the sting of a harsh slap on her cheek, hard enough to twist her head and painfully tingle her skin. A stunned and shocked Emerald looked up at Cinder, arm still outstretched, the cool confidence she had shown on the public streets evaporating into seething rage.
"What the hell were you thinking back there!?" Cinder shouted, her chest practically heaving with emotion. "I told you before we left to act natural and let me do the talking!"
The green-haired girl held her struck cheek and took a timid step back.
"I- I know!" Emerald pleaded, "I just saw Roman talk back to you and didn't want him to think anything was suspicious when you didn't use y-!"
"You know what else Roman might find suspicious?" the amber-eyed woman interrupted angrily. "My subordinate speaking for me!"
"The only reason we came along was in case Cinder needed muscle," Mercury added, his words less harsh than his superior but still stern. "The two of us just needed to act normal and stay quiet unless Torchwick or one of his men threw a punch or drew a gun. Acting out of character like that is just going to tip Roman off that something is wrong."
Emerald's shaking legs finally gave way, the girl collapsing to her knees. She should have known better, she'd known what was at stake if something went wrong, and yet when the time had come, she had still tripped.
"I-I'm sorry, Cinder." The girl apologized. "It won't happen again."
"See that it doesn't," the black-haired woman snapped. "We cannot afford to slip up in front of Torchwick again! If he finds out-!"
Cinder's next words stuck in her throat, her rage at Emerald rapidly redirecting to the true cause of her stress. A month ago, she would have strolled into Roman's hideout without care or concern, making any demands or any threats she wished. The power, the sheer power she held was so far above what any normal human could possibly hope to attain she could toy with Roman with complete impunity and indulge in the ever-so-satisfying sight of him squirming in his pants to stay on somewhat favorable terms with her.
Then, one morning, Cinder had woken up from a satisfying slumber and found her Fall Maiden power gone.
Well, not really gone. While Cinder wielded a portion of the Fall Maiden's power, it never truly belonged to her. The Beetle Grimm Salem had created for her had been specifically designed to steal and hold the power of the Four Maidens within Cinder's body as a kind of symbiote, forming a mental connection with its host and allowing her full access to any Maiden power it had stolen. Much to Cinder's delight the Grimm had performed its function perfectly, allowing the stolen portion of the Fall Maiden's power to flow through her body so freely she often forgot the Beetle was there. Then she'd awoken one morning a few weeks ago, and the creature had refused to give her so much as an ounce of it. The power was still inside the Beetle, itself still inside of her, but it now rejected every attempt by Cinder to persuade it to allow her to access it.
At first, she had thought something was wrong with the creature, or she was miscommunicating with it somehow, but only a few hours later the news began to flood with reports of Grimm fleeing the vicinity of the kingdom of Vale by the tens of thousands, and that the historic Patch Anomaly had inexplicably shifted over a hundred miles overnight. This was not just her Beetle Grimm- this was bigger.
Much bigger.
She wasted no time in trying to contact Salem via a Seer Grimm and question her about this development, only to find the creature every bit as mutinous as her Beetle. The jellyfish-like Grimm had refused to even float out of the bag they had smuggled it in, wrapping its tentacles around itself seemingly in an effort to make itself as small as possible and refusing any attempts to open up a communication with the Seer at Salem's Castle. So, Cinder had in the meantime been forced to keep her plans with Roman going with mere bluffs until she could find a way to safely contact Salem that couldn't be intercepted or tapped by anyone at the CCT, relying on her previous shows of force and Torchwick's established fear of her to ensure the man kept up his robberies.
It had worked well so far, but the fact was that if Roman ever learned or suspected that Cinder had been showing him nothing but a false front, she would find herself at the business end of Melodic Cudgel quicker than she could blink. It was humiliating, but without the Maiden's power Roman actually had a chance at killing her. That was the reason Mercury and Emerald accompanied her during her last few checkups; should her deception be discovered, she still had two skilled subordinates- one who could craft diversionary illusions no less- to aid her escape.
Her situation was also the reason she made sure to drop in on Roman unannounced- to make sure the chances of him having Neo or his now infamous new hire there with him were minimal. His new hire, Sasuke, if she remembered, was of particular concern to her. He had been an incredible asset by all accounts, and she truly was anxious to meet someone who could prove so valuable to Salem's cause. He certainly deserved Cinder's praise for ensuring Roman's robberies had gone so smoothly recently, and the recent string of success he'd brought were one of the main reasons Cinder had been able to afford to not pay Roman as many visits to keep up appearances as she otherwise would have. And if he was as skilled as the rumors suggested, she could perhaps even recruit him into her inner circle- such talent was certainly wasted on that near-worthless thief. Unfortunately that was going to have to wait. She'd heard he had a sharp mind to back up his raw power and talent, and meeting someone like that while she was stuck with a bad hand was just asking for trouble.
Hopefully, this meeting with Roman would be the last time she would have to pretend she was strong.
"Grab your things," Cinder snapped, "we're leaving."
"Leaving?" Mercury questioned. "Where are we going?"
"We're going to Salem's palace." She replied. "Now that the Vale Police force is crippled, Roman should be able to keep our operation in Vale going for a while without us looking over his shoulder. And that to-do-list I gave him should keep him busy enough to not try and contact us anytime soon. In the meantime, we need to get out of Vale, contact Salem as soon as we can and figure out why I cannot access my Fall Maiden powers!"
With that Cinder practically stormed into her room, grabbing her suitcase and throwing any clean articles of clothing within reach into it. She paused for a moment as she lifted one of her signature red dresses to reveal the Seer Grimm Salem had lent her for communication. The creature was as pathetic as when she'd last seen it, curled up on the ground in the corner of her closet. It slowly extended one of its spear-like tentacles, the deadly appendage that not so long ago would have impaled anyone not a member of Salem's Circle without hesitation, now timidly searching for another object to conceal itself with as if it were a terrified child.
With a growl of frustration Cinder threw the Grimm into her suitcase and covered it with a few more bits of clothing, hoping that once they left the vicinity of Vale the thing would return to normal and allow her to contact her Mistress and finally figure out what the hell was going on.
She slammed the suitcase shut, fully intending to force Emerald and Mercury out the door with her whether they had finished packing or not. She had not suffered for years or risked so much for her to simply wait for the winds of fortune to start to blow in her favor again. No, she was not going to be like those now pitiful Grimm, hiding their true nature and concealing themselves up in whatever pathetic holes in the earth they could find as if they were cockroaches scuttling away from the light. She had a problem, and she was going to go fix it. And Gods forbid if this whole mess had been caused by someone. If there was a person who was to blame for her current humiliation, she was going to immolate them alive and in pieces.
Cinder Fall had a goal- a destiny- and she would ascend and overcome any obstacle that stood in her path- whatever the price.
"You know, normally it's the girl who's late and the guy who waits for her. Care to explain why you decided to swap the roles tonight?"
"No."
"… You're not gonna give me an excuse? Really?"
With a deadpan stare, Sasuke slowly turned to his interrogator. Shyla was staring at him with pursed lips and an expectant stare as they continued their walk towards Junior's Club, clearly hoping for a better excuse for the crime of making her wait on him. In the grand scheme of things, he didn't think she had much reason to be upset. She'd waited fifteen minutes for him, not two hours. But even if her grievance had more weight behind it, he wouldn't have cared.
"No."
"Hmff, fine then. I was hoping you'd finally gotten a date or something, but with that sour attitude it sounds more like you got dumped."
As tempting as it was to wipe that smirk off her face and tell her that he now had a partner that, while he wasn't technically dating her, was pleasant enough private company, he kept his mouth shut. Neo was a known criminal, and adding a civilian to the short list of Junior and the Malachite twins who knew he was involved with Roman would be beyond stupid.
And while he certainly would have preferred to be late from an extra spar or two with Neo, his tardiness was due to the now familiar frustration of a far more sluggish learning curve than what he was accustomed to.
He had been practicing with a phenomenon known as electromagnetic levitation in his apartment earlier, using some of the Lightning Dust Roman paid him with to remotely lift and control the movements of a small nail, surrounded by a gentle blue glow several feet away from him. In theory, he could use this ability on any object that wasn't an electrical insulator- which meant it had enormous potential. Any weapon made of metal would be utterly useless against him, which in his home world meant almost all of them. He could barely suppress a smirk at the thought of Itachi's face when he redirected any kunai or shuriken his brother threw at him back to the sender.
Unfortunately, his progress with electric levitation had mirrored that of the creation of his seal- he'd gotten the basics down immediately, but working out the kinks and finer details was turning out to be a frustratingly slow process. He could make the nail rise off the ground easily enough, but controlling its orientation, as well as the movements back and forth, was much more difficult. The nail had arguably spent more time bumping into the wall and surrounding objects than it had floating in the air. His irritation actually started to rise to the point where he knew he wouldn't be making any more progress until he had rested and started anew the next day.
"No answer? I'm right, aren't I?"
Sasuke managed to keep his face neutral- he had played this game with Naruto more times than he could count, and knew better than to respond to provocation and feed the beast.
Luckily they were almost at Junior's, where Shyla would promptly find someone she knew and leave him alone until he needed her. She may have been an annoying brat, but she had kept her end of their bargain at the very least.
"Hey Twinkletoes, since when did your boss have a broken window?"
He looked up where she was pointing. Sure enough, one of the second-story windows was almost completely smashed with only a few jagged pieces left clinging to the frame.
"…I'm not sure," he replied. It must have been a recent accident of some kind; the window had been fine the other day, from what he remembered.
Unfortunately for Junior's high-class establishment that the man no doubt poured his heart and very soul into, the sad state of the outside window was the least of its problems.
The sight that awaited the pair in the main room forced the both of them to pause briefly in shock- several of the glass columns were shattered, several of the tables and chairs had been ripped apart or smashed, the bar's counter was split from a hit or impact of some kind, small nicks and chips in the walls from bullets were clearly visible and, unless he was mistaken, there were several impact craters on the floor.
Buzzing around them were various henchmen, all of whom were sporting black eyes or minor limps, sweeping up debris and hauling out the shattered tables and chairs that were too far gone to bother trying to restore.
"What the fuck? Looks like a tornado came through here!"
Sasuke was inclined to agree with the blonde, though the damage was obviously from a fight with one or more Hunters. Anyone else would have been stopped by Junior or the Twins.
Speaking of whom, the Uchiha saw them at what was left of the bar, several empty bottles next to them indicating they had started trying to drink away what could only be the sting of defeat.
"What happened here?" the Uchiha interrupted.
Three sets of eyes turned to him, all with signs of minor intoxication. Junior's normally flawless appearance was rougher and more unkempt than he'd ever seen, and he was likely fighting a bad case of depression from the destruction of his pride and joy. Melanie and Miltia, on the other hand, were in a much more irritable mood. They glared unrelentingly, as if daring him to address them.
"A blonde Huntress-in-training came through here last night and trashed the place, that's what." Junior briskly replied.
"…And you didn't let me know the place was going to be closed tonight for repairs because…?"
"… I guess I forgot. I was kind of knocked out last night and too busy getting together anyone who could still work to fix the place up to tell you."
A weak excuse, but the Uchiha was in no mood to press the issue- he had his answers already. The offending Huntress must've had considerable skill to have won a brawl with both Junior and the Twins. It was too bad she decided to show up on his day off; she would have been an infinitely more interesting opponent than the drunk morons he usually dealt with.
"Well, don't forget to tell me when you've got the place running again." Sasuke stated coldly, briskly pivoting to walk out of Junior's business that had no need of his services.
"Cough-ahem-cough!"
Or he would have if Shyla hadn't suddenly grabbed his attention with an obnoxiously fake throat-clearing.
"What?"
"Aren't you forgetting something?" the blonde questioned. Still facing the door Sasuke was unable to see her, but the expectant tone she spoke with couldn't be missed.
"No, I'm not." He wasn't forgetting anything. His job here was to be hired muscle that promised and enforced painful things on anyone who tried to make a scene. With the place obviously closed until repairs were finished there was no reason for him to stay.
"Urgh… fucking dumbass…" she cursed loudly, grabbing his bicep and dragging him to a neighboring room before he could comprehend she was willing to go to such lengths.
"Give us a minute." Shyla told their audience sharply before shutting the door.
"I'll spell it out for you in simple terms Sasuke," she glowered at him, "these people here are your colleagues. Your team. I know you think lugging broken tables away is beneath your pay grade, but you sure as hell have an obligation beyond your employment contract to stick around and actually be a part of the group."
Sasuke countered the blonde's glare with an iron gaze of his own. "I have better things to do than stick around and give motivation speeches."
"Oh, like going home and sitting around doing nothing?"
"It's none of your concern what I do," he declared, moving around her toward the door. "My job here is a means to an end and nothing more."
"Then you're going to very lonely for the rest of your life."
The ability to ignore people was something that Sasuke had both a natural knack for and extensive experience doing. Even Naruto, who could get under his skin like no other, had a hit-and-miss record of getting the stoic Uchiha to even glance his way.
But with that sentence, he stopped in his tracks. There was no way the girl could have known it, but the point she just made brushed on a topic that had been particularly sensitive for him since the Uchiha Massacre.
Sasuke had plenty of things he spent time worrying about, but they were merely obstacles in his path or goals for him to achieve. Killing Itachi, leaving Remnant and returning home, those were hurdles that he simply had to overcome. There were only two things the Uchiha could truly say that he feared; threats to his future that he was honestly skeptical he could prevent.
The first was becoming the same heartless killing machine that Itachi had become. He could still remember with crystal-like clarity the horrifying and enticing allure to slash Naruto's jugular as he stood above his unconscious body after his victory at the Final Valley. A fraction of his mind whispering to him like a shoulder-devil's temptation, to obtain the power to kill the one who had slaughtered his family. By any means necessary. He had managed to resist, but the fact that he'd considered such a thought at all gave him more than a few restless nights.
The second fear he had was a simple one: dying alone. Killing Itachi would avenge his clan's death, but if Sasuke failed to restore it and died a childless old man, Itachi would have the last laugh.
It became second-nature for him to push people away and direct all of his focus and effort on becoming stronger; to isolate himself from forming more bonds with people that Itachi could slaughter just as effortlessly as he had their clan or who could betray him as Itachi did. But to make a true family again, to weave himself into a community like he had before it was washed away in that night of blood, he would need to interact with those around him instead of being the silent onlooker he was now.
Sasuke never had the trust or the courage to tell anyone about it, but in the darkest corners of his mind, he was deeply afraid that maybe he couldn't do it. He'd never been the most social person even before the massacre, but he at least had some friendly and normal interactions with his classmates. Then the older brother he idolized and trusted with his life stuck a knife in his back and poured salt into the wound.
Empathy, compassion, trust. Clans, communities, lovers and friends were all built on these qualities. The Uchiha found out first-hand that it was next to impossible to truly believe in their power when he had no idea if an invisible guillotine of betrayal was hanging over any bond he might form. Restoring his clan in a physical sense would be very simple. But the sense of comfort, the safety, the love from his family that he remembered so vividly and wanted back more than anything, might well have been slaughtered in the massacre along with his clan.
Twin orbs of black slowly rounded on Shyla, who had to force herself to stand her ground at their intensity.
"You know nothing."
His breathing was steady, but his hard tone was enough of a sign that she had hit a nerve.
"You're right- I don't," she defended, struggling to not tremble. "I don't know why you refuse to interact with people. I don't know why you're never happy to see or talk to anyone."
"But I sure as hell know that you aren't happy," she stated, taking a small step forward. "People don't become like you by having a backstory of rainbows and unicorns, but if you want to get over whatever the hell chewed you up and spat you out and enjoy your life, I suggest you at least try to spend some spare time with someone other than yourself."
Sasuke glared back, but did nothing else. In truth he had pondered similar thoughts himself on more than one occasion, but having someone else call him out so bluntly might as well have been a punch to the gut.
"Look," she continued, her voice taking a softer tone, "if this gig is a means to an end for you, then I assume that you'll eventually quit and leave, right?"
He simply glared at her in response, though as the seconds ticked by the girl took his lack of denial as a yes.
"Then just stick around for a few minutes," she suggested. "It couldn't hurt anything, and we both know you need practice if you don't want to be a hermit for the rest of your life."
…
…
Sasuke wanted to do nothing more in that moment than to simply walk out the door and leave the woman and her damn mouth behind, his pride be damned. But the idea had scarcely entered his mind when he was struck with flashes of painful memories of inadequacy and neglect when his own father always seemed to have time to speak to Itachi or other members of the clan, but never enough to give more than a short greeting to him.
"I'm busy, talk to Itachi or your mother."
He had lost count of the number of times he'd heard that sentence.
Mother had told him that Father did love him, and was merely very busy running the Uchiha Clan. But looking back, he couldn't help but wonder that if that was the case, then how did his father so easily seem to find more important things to do than spend time with him?
Was that what he was going to eventually become? A stoic, silent man that couldn't be bothered with his family? To be fair, there was no one on Remnant who could be remotely considered to be his family, and Junior and the Malachite twins were certainly not under that category, but that didn't truly matter. If he did nothing to change himself, and continued to use every excuse to avoid human interaction of any kind, would he neglect any of his own children in the same way?
He feared the answer.
There wasn't a snowball's chance in hell Sasuke would admit it, but Shyla had a point. If he was going to become more than just a solitary killing machine for hire and become a clan head, husband, or father, he needed to have better social skills.
And if he did humiliate himself in the process, it would hardly matter. He would be putting this entire dimension and everything in it in the rearview mirror when the seal was finished anyway. Realistically, he couldn't have asked for better circumstances for a social 'practice run'.
"Ten minutes and not a second more."
"Excellent!" she chirped, opening the door for them to leave, "just turn down your emo settings a bit and you'll do just fine!"
Pushing down the urge to drown her in the closest body of water, Sasuke began walking toward the twins and Junior, at least until he heard his 'date' leaving behind him.
"After all that lecturing, you're the one whose leaving?"
"Hey, you're the one who works here, not me," she countered. "Besides, I wanted to leave early tonight anyway. There's been a rise in crime since that big shootout put a bunch of cops in the hospital last week; a friend of mine's apartment was actually robbed yesterday. So, I'm going home to make sure my little brother doesn't answer the door to a stranger offering him free candy."
"Anyway, you try and have fun," Shyla continued. "And try to cheer up the Wonder Twins over there while you're at it. I don't think they took their ass-kicking well."
Twin ear-cringing sounds of nails digging into the hardwood counter assaulted the ears of everyone present as Melanie and Miltia interpreted Shyla's joke as anything but funny, scraping off the surface of the hardwood counter while simultaneously trying to set the chuckling blonde's hair on fire with their glares as she exited.
The Uchiha couldn't help but feel the urge to go back on his promise and just walk out of the club's ruins now that he knew Shyla wouldn't be there to see it, but decided against it. Even if the girl never found out, if he ran out now, he would be admitting that he couldn't change himself for the better.
"Calm down, you two," Junior interjected, trying to pacify the twins before their temper snapped. His business had suffered through enough damage as it was.
"Come with me," the man stated gruffly, walking into the room he and Shyla had just exited.
For the second time in five minutes, the Uchiha had someone leveling a serious glare at him as he closed the door behind him. Junior wasn't mad at him, but the stern look on his face was the exact same one his father had worn whenever Sasuke did something he shouldn't have.
"I'm not as ignorant of what's happening in my town as your friend is," the giant of a man declared. "I gave you a fake ID because I assumed you needed to hide your identity. To avoid the cops. So why the hell did you think it was a good idea to send over a hundred of them to the hospital?"
Sasuke internally scoffed. It didn't surprise him that Junior knew about his presence at the shootout and the part he played in it; with his role as Vale's top information broker, it would have been disappointing if he hadn't.
"They had us boxed in before we could escape. Roman and many of his henchmen know what I look like, so I couldn't risk one of them talking under interrogation."
"All excellent points, but it doesn't answer the obvious question: how are you going to dig yourself out of the hole you're in?" The man crossed his arms, wearing a harsh frown as though he were lecturing a child that didn't know any better.
"You can't stay with Roman- sooner or later someone's going to figure out who you are and swoop into your apartment in the middle of the night with a swat team- and you can't quit your job with Roman, because a knife in the back is the only thing that someone who knows as much about Roman's activities is going to get by jumping ship. So, what exactly are you going to do?"
With every word Sasuke could feel his anger growing. Did Junior seriously think he wasn't aware of the position he was in? That he was a clueless child who couldn't see the risks and dangers that came with following the path he was walking?
Not for the first time Sasuke almost wished that his personal training and history with Konoha and Orochimaru were common knowledge. It was useful to have everyone he came across underestimate him the same way Neo had when they first met, but he missed the respect he'd garnered both during and after his time with the Snake Sannin. With the exceptions of said Sannin, Kabuto, and one particularly gifted Kunoichi by the name of Guren, no one was remotely close to his level of power. Whenever he entered an occupied room, anyone who wasn't one of the previously mentioned Shinobi would shut their mouths and avert their eyes. He wasn't one to demand or even care whether people got on their hands and knees in his presence like his teacher did, but it was still gratifying for his abilities and accomplishments to be openly acknowledged.
The last time anyone gave him a condescending lecture in the manner Junior was now was when Kakashi had tied him to a tree after his fight on the hospital roof with Naruto. And just like before, the Uchiha could feel nothing but resentment and irritation.
"I'm perfectly aware of my situation, Junior," he snapped. "I have it under control."
"Control? From where I'm standing, it looks like you're in over your head. Roman is merciless, and he's got you on a short leash."
The Uchiha actually had to force back a dismissive huff at Junior's last sentence. Roman may have been a dangerous adversary for Junior and Vale's police, but to Sasuke he was nothing more than a pathetic shadow of the sadistic creature he had spent the last two and a half years with.
Though to his credit, it seemed the cane-wielding thief was going to start closing that gap a bit pretty soon. Roman had been dropping hints for a while that their operations would be going beyond mere Dust robbery in the near future, and there would eventually be jobs that would require them to do more than just knock out or injure anyone that would undoubtedly be in the way.
Sasuke had seen fit to remind the thief that he would be sitting out any jobs that required murder and had suggested that Neo was perfectly capable of handling such a task without him, but it was clear from Roman's clenched jaw and narrowed gaze that his answer was not the one he wanted.
The only reason he hadn't crushed Roman's throat and burned his corpse was because he was certain that the thief had arranged for someone to leak his identity and what personal information Torchwick had gathered to either the Police to get him on a wanted list, or to the other crime lords who would quickly arrange however many assassination attempts were needed to make sure his defiance did not go unpunished.
Fortunately, the Uchiha had made himself an out. It had taken a while, but his exemplary performance as the underground fighting champion as well as his business deal with Slate was finally starting to bear fruit. Slate informed him earlier that week that over eight dozen restaurants had finished their safety inspections and trial dishes for the sushi courses he'd given them, and were already starting to offer them on their menus.
As promised, Sasuke would be getting ten percent of the gross. And that income was going to be more than enough to leave all of his jobs behind, buy an airship ticket to Mistral, disappear into the fringes of the kingdom, and work on the seal to home in earnest without having to worry about earning money to pay rent. The Uchiha had already set up a confidential account with a rather high-end Atlesian Bank that he'd instructed the restaurants to wire his share of the profits to so that he could have a continuous, non-traceable income he could continue to use. The first deposit to his account would arrive in a couple of days, and at that point Roman would have no leverage over him. He would then snap the thief's neck, board the first airship out, and his time of having others trying to control him like a puppet on strings would be over.
It was sorely tempting to tell Junior his plans, if only for the satisfaction of wiping that condescending look of concern off his face. Unfortunately, the man would have to be kept in the dark. Junior would be the first person anyone looking to track him down would go to, and Sasuke couldn't risk him giving his location to anyone if he was blackmailed or tortured. He felt a small amount of pity for Junior, who in the next few days would have to deal with cops at best and crime lords at worst trying to track him down, but there was not a better option.
"I have more control of the situation than you think," Sasuke finally replied after a brief pause.
"Tell me kid," the giant of a man continued after his own brief pause, "have you ever heard of a man named 'Stonewall' before?"
"…No," the Uchiha said simply, wondering why Junior was changing the subject.
"Well then, I don't think you have as much leverage as you think you do. Stonewall is another crime lord. He's based in Mistral but he has branches in all four kingdoms."
"Is that his-"
"It's a nickname, not his actual one," Junior interrupted, answering the predicted question.
"Why would I care about another crime boss that's on the other side of the world?"
"Because he's not going to be on the other side of the world for much longer. I got several tips yesterday that he's on his way to Vale," Junior stated, before staring Sasuke straight in the eye. "Roman apparently invited him over for a partnership or trade of some kind only a few hours ago. And I guarantee that if Roman's teaming up with that guy, your 'no killing' oath is going to be thrown out the window."
"Even by criminal standards, he's one of the most ruthless," Junior continued. "He doesn't limit himself to the standard money laundering or smuggling operations; he's got rings for human and sex trafficking, assassinations, organ harvesting, hardcore shit like that. You got away with drawing your no murder line with Roman, but I'm telling you now that Stonewall will kill you for it."
If Junior was expecting Sasuke to be intimidated by Stonewall's resume, he couldn't be more wrong. No matter how much power this man supposedly had, he was nothing more than a beta-version of Orochimaru at best.
It seemed that Junior wasn't wrong when he said that Sasuke was going to have to compromise his ethics if he continued his work with Roman, but despite the Uchiha's almost single-handed devastation of Vale's police force Junior still hadn't considered the possibility that if push came to shove Sasuke could kill both crime lords by himself.
"A new player won't change anything," Sasuke countered calmly, "Stop worrying about it."
His tone was final, and Junior knew it. For a moment Sasuke thought the man would go on a monologue about how stupid and ignorant he was being like Kakashi had all those years ago. Instead, Junior dropped his shoulders in defeat and disappointment.
"Anyone ever tell you that you're an idiot, kid?"
"Once or twice," replied the Uchiha. "Are you not going to continue trying to convince me of my ignorance?" He had thought for sure Junior would at least try for a few more minutes before giving up.
"Oh I want to. But I know the look of a man who won't be persuaded," he said, raising his head to look Sasuke in the eye. "I know your type. The harder you're pushed, the harder you'll plant your feet."
The Uchiha almost raised his eyebrows in surprise. He had not expected the man to respect his opinion like this.
"At least promise me you'll watch out for yourself." Junior said, reaching out to place his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "You're a bit rough around the edges, but you're a good kid, and I don't want to lose you."
Physical contact had never been something Sasuke tolerated very well and many times not at all. But for some absurd reason, the knee-jerk reaction to brush away the offending appendage and threaten its owner with amputation did not flash though his mind.
"I'll be… fine." That was an acceptable response, right?
"…I hope you're right," Junior said, lowering his arm and turning to leave. "Oh, I almost forgot. Before you leave, talk to the twins."
"What about?" inquired the Uchiha. "If it's for the same conversation we just had, you already have my answer."
Junior turned around again, giving him a look of pity.
"Kid, they're women. What the hell makes you think they'll be giving you the same talk as me?"
'Of course it wouldn't be that easy.'
It appeared he would have three 'intervention' attempts before he departed the club, and the best had been saved for last.
The Uchiha followed Junior out the door before making a beeline toward Melanie and Miltia, hoping to get whatever ridiculous problem they had with him over with quickly. The sight of Junior silently waving the rest of his employees to follow him to another room and give him and the twins some privacy, however, did not bode for a 'quick and easy' discussion.
The twins both ignored him as he sat down next to them and poured himself a shot of whiskey before downing it. As impotent as alcohol was on him, the Uchiha found that a strong enough drink would still give his palate enough of a shock to help him focus his thoughts just a bit.
He thought better of refilling his glass, though. Even with his body neutralizing the alcohol in mere seconds, it did not escape his notice that both twins were discreetly watching him out of the corner of their eyes as they sipped on their own beverages. He couldn't give the impression that he was trying to drown his troubles with a bottle before any of them had spoken a word. When the door clicked behind the last of Junior's employees to leave the room, Melanie and Miltia dropped their nonchalant act and rounded on him like a pair of wolves.
"So," Melanie began, an ever so-slight tension in her tone, "how have you been?"
The Uchiha paused before replying, putting on the poker face that had served him so well for most of his life. Not a single blink or twitch of muscle to betray his thoughts could be seen.
"Fine." Normally he would have stuck with a single-word answer, but he wasn't going to give the twins an opening to decide where the conversation went like he was usually content to. "Had a snag on the job with Roman the other night, but nothing I couldn't handle."
"Oh, we heard about that," Miltia snipped. "I'm sure it was quite an impressive display."
Sasuke turned toward them fully, looking for any sign that either woman was going to elaborate on the shootout they'd surely heard about from Junior. He found none. If they weren't interested in Sasuke's work with Roman or the moral conundrum he faced as long as he worked for the thief, there was only one other logical possibility.
"It's not as impressive as it may sound," he replied, staring into their eyes as he set the bait. "It helps a lot to have a partner in a fight that can handle themselves."
"Neo tried to kill you in this very room!" Melanie snapped, slamming her drink hard enough to splash the ice out. "And now you're best fucking friends!?"
"I never mentioned Neo," the Uchiha drawled knowingly.
Melanie's retort died in her throat as a small blush formed on her cheeks at realizing she had been played.
"Don't you dare push this back on us!" intervened Miltia. "We're not the ones pairing up with that psycho bitch!"
"If you know as much as your boss, then you know that I didn't have much say in the matter."
Seriously, what did they expect him to do at the time? Demand a new partner and risk Roman's immediate wrath when he had no idea what the crime lord's hand was?
"How much of a say in the matter did you have when you decided to fuck her in her apartment? Did she force you into that?" Miltia snapped, her voice bleeding sarcasm.
… Sasuke had to admit that he did not see that coming. Junior hadn't mentioned it, so he'd assumed they knew nothing about that personal detail as well.
"Just because Junior is the know-all around here doesn't mean the two of us are just his wallflowers," Melanie said. "We keep our own tabs on things we consider important."
"…I'm flattered that you have such concern for my well-being," the Uchiha responded, making sure to add a layer of sarcasm to his voice, "but you will cease prying into my personal life."
"Oh trust us, we didn't have to look very hard to find out about your hook-up."
Sasuke paused briefly. How had they found out? He had come in through the window and closed the blinds on both occasions, and it wasn't like Neo was going to tell anyone.
"Just because that bitch can't talk doesn't mean you can't wake up all of her neighbors!" explained Miltia with a small flush of red on her cheeks. "For the Gods' sake, some of them thought they heard construction equipment!"
…Well in hindsight, maybe he had gone a bit over the top. In his defense though, Neo quite literally asked for it.
"That still doesn't explain why this is any of your business," he challenged. "Why do you care about what I do with Neo at all?"
"Roman is playing you, you moron!" Melanie exclaimed, forcefully shifting topics. "He's not going to need you for much longer, and when he's done with you-!"
"He'll have my 'sweet and trusted' partner poison my drink or use her feminine wiles to lead me into a shallow grave," he interrupted. "Right?"
The twins paused; their tempers momentarily forgotten as the Uchiha literally stole their words.
In contrast, Sasuke felt his own anger starting to flare. First Junior, and now them? Why did everyone think he was a stupid kid who couldn't understand his situation?
"I grow tired of saying this, so I'll only tell you two once. I know of my situation, and I have it under control."
The twins renewed their glares at him, the green of their unflinching eyes taking on a venomous hue.
"If you know that Neo is trying to wrap you around her finger, then why the hell did you jump at the chance to get your dick wet!?"
"Because turning her down would have been a sign of weakness."
The twins merely gave him identical looks of confusion.
"If I had gone to her place," he began, "given the chance to stay for some 'fun', and turned her down in her own home after her show of hospitality, what do you think Neo would have thought of that?"
"That you play for the other team?"
"You don't fuck crazy bitches?"
"No," he said, forcing himself to not grit his teeth at the former answer. "She would get the impression that I either fear or do not want to get close to her on a personal level. If Neo makes either of those assumptions, what reason would she possibly have to take my side when Roman decides to cut me out?"
Despite the twin's impression of the situation, Sasuke was no fool. He knew full well that eventually his refusal to murder would make him more valuable to the thief as a corpse. It was a familiar game to the Uchiha; one that he had already played and won with Orochimaru. Both of them had known that eventually their relationship would no longer be mutually beneficial, and it was only a question of who would attack the other first, and who would be the last one standing.
But Roman was not like the Snake Sannin. He was far weaker than Sasuke, and they both knew it. If the crime lord was going to kill him, he couldn't do it by himself.
And that was going to make Neo the deciding factor.
She was the only one Roman could rely on to help him tip the scale in his favor; the only subordinate he had that had a chance in hell of lasting more than a minute against the battle-proven Uchiha. Perhaps more importantly, she was also the only one arguably close enough to him on a personal level to have the slightest chance of catching him off-guard.
Unfortunately for the thief, she was hardly loyal. She was a mercenary- she was not going to sacrifice her life for the man, she just wanted to get paid and live another day. If she believed that any attempt of Roman to kill him was doomed to fail from the start, she would not hesitate to jump ship.
As such Sasuke had spent nearly every moment he had with the woman, in one way or another, trying to imprint in her brain a simple series of thoughts.
Sasuke wins.
Sasuke always wins.
Sasuke will always win.
It was a type of psychological manipulation that he'd observed with a front-row seat during his time with Orochimaru. No matter how much his prisoners were starved or abused, the hopelessness of escape and fear of torturous punishments would mercilessly crush any seeds of revolt before they could sprout.
It was for this reason that the Uchiha indulged all of her little challenges, and made a point to win them. It was why he never turned down a sparring opportunity that would inevitably end with her absolute defeat and remind her just how powerless she was against him. As much as Melanie and Miltia might disagree, that exact same power struggle took place in the bedroom just as well. It was another opportunity to dominate her.
Whether it was a spar or a round in the bedroom, it was the same story. The same game.
He set the pace. He told her what to do. He made sure she was the one forced to yield and never the other way around. He made sure that she dropped from exhaustion while he stood up and walked around as if he merely tied his shoes.
If she had any stray thought at any point of how to retake the initiative from him and the will to attempt it, he humored her efforts for a few minutes before picking apart whatever new stratagem she had in mere moments and putting her back in her place. A slightly vindictive part of him almost purred with satisfaction during those moments- when he saw Neo's eyes widen as she realized that despite all of her will, wit, and determination, she was a mere rabbit trying to fight a tiger.
He never fought with her, he played with her. As if he were a cat toying with a mouse it had caught for nothing more than its own amusement, letting the poor creature try to fight and run before he got bored and tore its head off.
He made sure she knew that defeating her in any arena was effortless for him.
When Roman inevitably told her to help in the attempt to kill him, the only thing he wanted Neo to think was, 'I want to be on the winning side, and Sasuke always wins.'
Unfortunately for the twins they would have to figure that out on their own. He was not about to pointlessly divulge the logic behind his actions to two girls who would be thousands of miles behind him in a few days.
"You're-," Miltia began, struggling to find the right words, "you're fucking reckless."
"You can think whatever you want about it, but I am not going to be lectured by two girls who don't know what they're talking about."
"Don't you dare put this on us!" Melanie erupted. "You're robbing stores with known killers every other night, and you expect us to just twiddle our thumbs and assume you're okay!?"
"You're a good person, Sasuke! No one as powerful as you who refuses to take a life could be considered bad; you don't deserve to gamble your life with these maniacs!"
"I've dealt with worse."
"That's not the point!" shouted Miltia. "You shouldn't be risking your life here to begin with!"
Identical looks of burning green eyes bored into his own. The anger he had seen from them from the beginning was no less impressive than it was now, but for the first time he saw something else hidden beneath.
Fear.
"We've known Roman for years, before he even came to Vale, and he's never had any qualms about selling out his 'allies' if it got him what he wanted." Miltia felt her voice tighten as she spoke, her mind recalling the terrifying occasion not that long ago when Roman had betrayed her and her sister and tried to offer them to Paul Parrot to ransom them to their mother.
Melanie felt her chest tense as she listened to her sister's words. She remembered that night just as well, and like her sister never wanted to go through that again.
Or watch as someone they cared about was sent to their death by the same madman.
It was at this moment that the Uchiha noticed embarrassingly late that Melanie and Miltia were both slowly inching a hand toward his own that had since let go of his drink. A second later, his appendage was being gently wrapped in their smooth, slightly warm grips.
It was an experience the Uchiha had almost completely forgotten. No one since his own mother had ever done such a thing. Not even Sakura or Ino had been so bold. For the first time in a long time, Sasuke felt a warm, gentle upwelling in his chest. It was pitifully small, almost imperceptible, as though it had to sprout through a meter-thick layer of cold concrete. But it was there.
"You have a target on your back now."
"You can call us stupid, over-worried girls who don't have enough confidence in your abilities."
"Call us whatever you want, we don't care."
"We don't want to lose you."
There was no pity in their eyes; the kind that Kakashi had given him that made his anger boil all those year ago when he'd been tied up and lectured by the man.
No, he saw anger at his callous disregard for his own life and the fear of what would happen if he lost.
For a moment, he was looking at Naruto at the Final Valley again.
Across their joined hands, Melanie and Miltia saw a flurry of almost imperceptible changes to Sasuke's face. Near microscopic muscle twitches, along with his pupils dilating and contracting ever-so-slightly were the only cracks seen in his usually perfect mask.
He slowly withdrew his hand from theirs, even as their fingers extended to try and extend the contact, and rose from his seat.
"You're right. You are both distressing about me to a foolish degree."
The twins' hearts began to crack. All of their sympathy, all of their support, all of their emotion. All for nothing.
"But..."
Two pairs of defeated green eyes rose up, confusion growing as they saw Sasuke, for the first time since they met him, struggle for words.
"…Thank you."
It was said so quietly that the footsteps of a passing mouse would have been able to drown it out, but they both heard it.
It was a small flame of comfort in the icy depths of his callous rejection. It was enough to give them a glimmer of hope.
"Be safe."
The twin's response was just as quiet as the Uchiha's had been, but like his own soft words the weight of their short sentence was as loud as a trumpet.
He closed his eyes and lowered his head by almost imperceptible angle; a small nod of thanks.
Without another word he strode to the exit and left.
For several minutes, Melanie and Miltia sat motionless, their heads bowed in defeat. What else could they have tried? What more could they do?
It wasn't until the loud footsteps of their heavy-set boss echoed through the room that they lifted their heads to face their boss.
There was no need to say anything.
Heaving a sigh, Junior walked around the shattered bar, took out three glasses, and filled them with the strongest drink he still had.
"Do you think he'll be okay?" muttered Miltia, taking hold of the offered drink.
Junior thought a moment about his answer. The truth was he really didn't know. Sasuke was tough, no question about it, but the hole he was in was dangerously deep. Roman, Neo, Stonewall, and the cops and local Hunters could come down on him at any time. Even if the kid did have a way out, there were a thousand ways shit could hit the fan.
"Kid is tough as nails," he replied, pouring the last drop of the bottle into his glass. "If anyone can survive this, it's him."
"…I hope you're right."
All three of them chugged the entirety of their glasses without a moment's hesitation.
Outside, jumping between rooftops like a shadow, Sasuke was having thoughts of his own.
The previous ten minutes were a roller-coaster ride of emotions and sensations that he had almost forgotten. He'd had no father to sternly lecture him about dumb choices with predictable outcomes, nor a mother or sibling to worry themselves about his life decisions for literally years.
It was... strange, going through all of that nostalgia.
'It's almost exactly like when I left Konoha,' he contemplated.
Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto had given him a lecture, an 'I understand you, but please don't do this' speech, and a rather violent intervention respectively when he chose to leave and train with the Sannin. Minus his fight with that moron Uzumaki, he received much the same treatment from those who 'cared for his well-being' here.
If he'd known that taking Shyla's suggestion to socialize for a few minutes would mean going through that again, he certainly hadn't bargained for all of that.
Speaking of Shyla, a cursory glance at his scroll revealed that she called him during his conversation with the twins. He almost called her back, until he saw the length of her voicemail was only two seconds.
A butt dial no doubt.
He refocused his thoughts. His family was dead, cremated, and buried. They were not here.
No number of admonishments from Junior, no persuasions to make friends from Shyla, nor heart-felt worries from Melanie and Miltia were going to replace what he lost.
With the smooth motions of a well-used and well-oiled machine, Sasuke buried his emotions beneath a bedrock of reinforced concrete. Like he always did.
AN: Okay, who thought that Sasuke would meet Yang at the club just like in every RWBY crossover fic ever made. A bunch of you, I bet. I have been laughing my ass off at every single one of you who has made that assumption.
It was never going to happen. Working a crossover character in and introducing them to the RWBY main characters via the events of the Yellow Trailer is incredibly popular among fanfics; and as such I considered it for all of five seconds before saying hell no.
Not to mention the outcome of a Yang vs. Sasuke fight is, well, I actually can't think of a metaphor that can accurately show how ludicrously obvious the end result would be. Pre-Chidori Sasuke would kick her ass- end of discussion.
And besides, I have something far more original in mind.
As for Sasuke's 'socialization' decision and rationale here, I can already hear many of you screaming 'OOC' at me. It's not in canon, fair enough. But given Sasuke's history, his resulting antisocial personality, and his claimed goal of reviving his clan (which is never addressed directly in the series after the THIRD EPISODE), I think it's rather likely that he would have developed some kind of mental block from getting close to people again to prevent the trauma of another betrayal like Itachi's, and a subsequent fear of never creating or being part of another family even if he did avenge his old one.
For those of you who are getting impatient with the pace of this story and are unsatisfied with the meager length of this chapter after all these months of no update, I have an olive branch for you. The next chapter will be uploaded in two weeks. Literally two weeks.
I have several new chapters, actually. This fic was taking me a lot longer than I thought it would when I started, and I know I've been blue-balling some of you with how long it's taking to get to the actual canon. I was too far along to want to do a complete rewrite like Obsidian Pen did for A Hawk's Plight, so I decided to finish every chapter leading up to the actual start of the series.
I still did not write anywhere near as much or as fast as I thought I would, but I think I have enough written to have something for everyone.
See you in two yea- two weeks!
Please review!