A/N: More of a focused chapter this time. Hope you enjoy it~!
Well, the site seems to be having problems.
Chapter notifications, and other things, have gone wonky. Hopefully you can see this.
Had a bit of a snow day yesterday, so it gave me more time to focus on this. I'm starting to think I should take at least one day off a week, but ach, mine rent...
As ever, the Embers rule remains. Working two jobs leaves me with precious little time to write, and I can't bear to write something no one likes. Moreover, I don't have the time to. So by all means, speak up! Every bit of feedback matters here! Truly, it does! That's no joke!
Now onto your questions. Got some heavy ones this time. I do hope you've prepared yourself.
Q: Are you taking requests?
A: It really depends. They also need to pique my interest. See No Evil was a request, as was Not My Security Breach. Oddly enough, I've had a few interesting requests since. Already got people wanting me to write a pure FNAF Security Breach thingy, though I'm not sure I've got the chops for that...
Q: Wait...in chapter 9 you mentioned Varney. THAT Varney?! From Dracula?! Is he...?
A: *zips lips*
Q: We gonna see anymore grandparents? I see you with that Supernatural reference, btw.
A: You just might.
Dean Winchester is essentially Cardin's grandfather, just as Noelle Valkyrie is Nora's grandmother.
Although at this rate, Cardin and Nora just might end up being related...
Likewise, we've seen Duncan Taurus, the grandfather of Adam.
Q: Salem's not plotting, surely? Surely?! Would she waste this second chance?
A: Read and see.
Q: That little Nevermore is more than it appears. I just know it.
A: Her name is Mavis. You'd do well to remember it.
And consider this. Salem commanded the Grimm. She tempered them. Focused them. What happens now that she no longer has that power?
Q: Gee, I wonder whose going to make first contact out of all four of them *Stares*
A: Oi, now! Not a word! You'll spoil it! But yeah, the answer's obvious...and yet unexpected.
Q: So is the pairing multi or...?
A: Complicated would be the best way to describe it. Each member of Team Seven is paired up with someone of course, but that isn't to say there won't be other pairings down the line. Gotta bring the cast of RWBY into the world somehow~!
Alright, then! I think I've kept you long enough.
Now I think I'm going to enjoy my first day off in forever.
As ever, I own no references, quotes, themes or memes. Not a wit or one~! They're merely tributes.
Now then! Here! We! GO~!
"Way I see it, you're trying to be a better person now. And besides! Once a mother, always a mother!
That...is the most sentimental drivel I've ever heard in a thousand years.
Maybe! But it made you smile, Salem~!"
~?
Reasons to Be (Just a Moment)
Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
Heavier still is the body that willingly protects it.
Heaviest of all is the heart which takes up these burdens for the good of all.
Naruto had never truly understood those words, let alone the concept, until he'd found himself literally wearing a crown.
Now that he'd returned to Vale he had found himself with a to-do-list nearly a mile long. He had a family to corral, a city to run, petitions to hear, idiots to smack upside the head. And all that was before lunch. It helped that he had a crude Council of his own to help him run the day-to-day affairs of said city, but the fact remained that Noelle and Winchester were terribly overworked in his absence.
Ironically, Salem had proved a boon in this. Or she would, if he could convince her to help.
Finding her proved easier than he'd thought.
"What do we have here...?"
(.0.0.0.)
Mortality felt...strange.
Salem had never thought to miss it, let alone experience it anew.
All her senses, once muted, now flew freer than a flock of bluebirds in the wind. She rejoiced in them as she lounged in the garden and watched the girls at play. To feel the afternoon sun warm her face. To hear the faint laughter of children in the yard, to see them -not hers, never truly hers, but so alike all the same- playing without a care in the world. Even little things like the smell of flowers warmed her once cold heart. Likewise her emotions, once firmly under her control now ran wild, alternating between joy and sorrow in equal measure. Was this how it felt to be human again?
'You're not human.' A nasty little voice hissed in her head. 'Not fully. You never will be.'
Her lips pursed in a frown. That much was...unfortunately true. While curse was broken and her lifespan restored, she was not truly...whole. Diving into the darkness had changed her. Even with the corruption purged from her soul, its shadow yet lingered in her thoughts. Her lifespan might well be shortened because of it. Then again, the reverse may well be true. She had no way of knowing. He thoughts soured at that. Would she die now, if someone struck her? Or would she simply crumble into dust without warning...?
She understood the significance of life and death now; and it terrified her. The very thought left her atremble; if she could expire at any moment, then what was the point of even-
"Mother?" A hand tugged at her dress. "Are you alright?"
Salem looked down and shivered. For a moment she saw one of her children in their place. She blinked and the illusion vanished, leaving a young Glynda in their place. Somehow, that made it worse Summer and Tock oft called for in their own adorable way, but there was just something about the little blonde that made it all the more poignant. She looked so much like her eldest child, if only a few years older. It made her heart hurt. To see such a child and be reminded of what she'd lost, it ached more than she could put into words.
"You looked sad." Glynda's hand wrapped around hers, little finger squeezing her palm all too gently. "Did something happen?"
Salem patted her knee. "...come here."
Little Glynda didn't need to be told twice. Rather than clamor onto her legs as one might expect, the clever girl calmly climbed onto the bench and sat beside her. From there she laid down. Golden hair touched her thigh as she sprawled there, resting her head in the faux-immortal's lap. Salem made a tiny noise. It sounded like a squeak. Tears burned in her eyes and she stubbornly blinked them away. She would not break. She would not weep; because once she started, she wouldn't be able to stop.
"I'm sorry," Anxious green eyes blinked. up at her "Did I do something wrong?"
"No, no", she stroked at her golden hair. "You're just fine, dear."
Better than fine! This was bliss!
A moment of weighted silence passed between the two of them while Summer and Tock tussled in the grass. One of them said something and Maria laughed across the way, pulling them into a crushing embrace. Salem watched with a thorn of envy in her heart. Birds chirped in a nearby fountain as a gentle breeze wafted through the garden. Still she took a pause to bask in it as best she could, if only because she knew such moments were truly fleeting.
"You're not my real mother." Glynda whispered into the void at last. "I know that. Really, I do, but...
Salem sucked in a breath. It felt like she'd been stabbed in the heart. "I'm sorry, dear girl."
"But you could be." Those guileless green orbs held hers, sparking hope in her heart. "You're nice and kind, and...and...!" here her voice broke a little, warbling as she patted her head, "You act just the way she used to an' you sing the same...!" her body twisted a little where she lay, pivoting to grab at her hand. "You should stay here." she held tight. "Please don't go...
Salem bit her lip. The pain brought her clarity. Focus.
Focus that was shattered when Glynda sniffled.
...Say it again."
Glynda blinked once, not quite comprehending. Realization dawned and she tilted her head in Salem's lap to look up at her. "Like this, mother?"
Salem shivered just a little and patted her head. "Good girl...rest now, if you wish. I'll be here when you wake."
A little yawn answered her. "Promise? M'sleepy...
Salem hummed an agreement; she didn't trust herself to speak.
Instead she began to hum a lullaby for the future huntress resting in her lap.
It wasn't long before Glynda nodded off. Within moments her breathing evened out and her eyes drifted shut. Of course she tried to resist , stubborn child that she was, but she could only last so long. Beneath her ministrations and spurred on by the sweet sound of music, she slipped into sweet slumber within a minute. By five she was all but dead to the world. At ten, her legs had fallen asleep, denying her any chance of escaping with her dignity intact.
At the fifteen-minute mark, footsteps echoed behind her. Even then Salem daren't move.
"Thought I'd find ya here," a familiar voice drawled, "She didn't cause too much trouble for you, did she?"
Salem scowled, but didn't raise her voice for fear of waking Glynda. Such base weakness would have disgusted her once upon a time; back when she'd lost her heart, when her only goal had been an end. To herself, to the wold, everything. Now it was all she could do to suppress a blush, to not scowl and stammer in Naruto's presence. Even now, his silent stoicism was driving her mad.
"No," she continued stroking her scalp. "No trouble...none at all...
He chuckled, and the noise unleashed butterflies in her belly. "Glynda's a good kid. Take care of her, won't ya?"
"This is all your fault." Salem huffed, all but refusing to look him in the eyes. "I hope you know that. You've made me soft. Weak."
This time his laughter was lower. More genuine. "You've done that yourself these last three weeks."
She had, hadn't she?
"Way I see it," his hand came down on her shoulder, "You're trying to be a better person now. And you know what they say, once a mother, always a mother."
The butterflies were causing havoc now. "That...is the most sentimental drivel I've ever heard in a thousand years.
"Maybe! But it made you smirk, Salem~!"
She touched a hand to her face, alarmed to find a tremulous smile there. It was the straw that broke the camel's back. She made a noise caught somewhere between a snicker and a sob. Her eyes burned tenfold and for all her might and magic, she couldn't stop a lone tear from running down her cheek.
"I had everything I wanted." the words escaped her in a whisper. "Everything. And then...I lost it. Will I lose this, too?"
"Nah."
Her pride bridled. "Excuse me?"
"Means no." she still couldn't see his face, but his words held true all the same. "You're going to enjoy your second life. I'll make sure of that."
Sentimental oaf...! Here at last she turned to face him; here at last she saw him in his entirety. He looked good with a crown. But for all that he also looked tired. Exhausted in a way he hadn't been before, even after their bout. Dark circles loomed beneath his fatigue was born of the mind, not the body, and even she could see its source.
...you are unwell."
"Bit of a cold." Naruto stifled a sniff, swaying a little on his feet as he did so. "Might've been working too hard."
"So you say." Her eyes narrowed. "Lower your head. Let me check your temperature."
He did. Her palm touched his forehead and recoiled.
"You're burning up!"
"M'fine." he batted her her hand away. "I've got work to do. Just wanted to check in on ya...
"You and Mara need not take this burden on alone." she spoke slowly, choosing her words with great care. "I have some experience when it comes to ruling." She and Ozma had tried their hand at ruling for a time. They'd done that well...before everything went south. "My talents would not go remiss here."
Perhaps her kingdom had faltered toward the end, but only due to infighting and the disaster with Ozma. She'd not mention that to him. Her already fractured pride wouldn't be able to take such blow.
"I was hoping you'd say that." Apparently it was the right thing to say; because sat beside her and laid his head on her shoulder. 'Cuz I'm think Glynda's got the right idea, here...
Heat flooded Salem's face. "F-Fool! What do you think you're doing?!"
"Tired...gonna take a nap."
"This is far too forward! You cannot simply...!
The faint sound of snorting reached Salem's ears a moment later.
.
..
...right, apparently he was.
A soft click reached her eyes. Her back stiffened and she craned her neck to find the culprit.
Maria lowered her scroll, wearing a smile sweet as sugar, and thrice as deadly.
Salem squeaked. "...I can explain?"
"I'm sure you can. By all means. Start talking."
Sanity flew away in the wind, replaced by panic. "Well, that is to say...!"
Blast Naruto! She would have him take responsibility for this! One way or another.
And yet for all the relief and panic she felt, she couldn't help but feel she was forgetting something...?
(.0.0.0.)
The Grimm were lost. Adrift without their queen, left directionless in the absence of their most-holy liege.
For centuries Salem had tempered their aggression. Guided it. Harnessed it.
But now they were devoid of her guidance. Alone. Abandoned.
In the end, they did what any abandoned animal would.
They lashed out.
A/N: ...that's ominous.
Well, this was an adorable bit of fluff. Hope you enjoyed it.
As ever, the Embers rule remains.
If folks don't like this story...well, that'll make me said.
So by all means, speak up! Every bit of feedback matters here! Truly, it does! That's no joke! I really don't have much time to write these days and feedback is the wind beneath my wings. Silence is a lead weight that just drags me down.
As ever, reviews/feedback keep me writing them. Without them, I lose all hope, creativity and imagination.
So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review...Would You Kindly!
SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER!
PLOT DETAILS AHOY!
YE BE WARNED!
(POTENTIAL PREVIEWS. Be sure and vote for what you want to see~!)
"Letter for you, m'lord!"
Naruto creaked an eye open where he lay.
His brow shot into his hairline. A letter? Why not use a Scroll?
He tore it open in any case, not once considering his own safety. Why would he? Poison meant nothing to him these days.
"Hey!" his eyes widened at the familiar scrawl within. "Its from Kakashi!"
"Hello, Naruto. I hope this finds you well."
"I'm in Atlas. Or running it, I suppose. Send help. I'm losing my mind."
The ghost of a smile touched his mouth. "Yeah, that sounds like him."
Could Vale make an alliance with Atlas? Was that legal?
"Meh, I'll just make it legal...
Salem laughed softly.
"I'm sure you will."
Maria groaned. "Both of you!"
...you look awful."
"Really?" Naruto frowned. "You still look like a scarecrow."
A moment of silence passed between master and student. And then? They both laughed.
"Great." Maria groaned. "Oh gods, there's two of them now...one was bad enough...
Salem shrugged. "Gods have nothing to do with this...
"You're right on one account. It does make things more difficult...
"Ha! I knew it! Hear that, boys? He's scared!"
...to decide if any of you live."
Summer tilted her head. "Who're you?"
Cinder stomped a little foot. "I asked you first!"
"Traitor, you said?" he walked through the flames. "Me? The same as you?" A hand cupped his face, unscathed by fire. "Ha!" He threw his head back and cackled. "I can't stop laughing at your words!"
"You intend to battle me, then?"
"Battle you, beat you, and spit on your grave."
STAY TUNED! R&R! =D