Cinder was in a good mood on this day, and with reason after so many recent victories. She had obtained at least half of the Fall Maiden's power, where the other half would be hers in just a matter of time, plus she had managed to convince one of the White Fang leaders to cooperate with her cause.
Really, everything was going almost according to plan, and she hoped it would continue like that until she obtained everything she wanted, no matter what it was.
Speaking of obtaining, Cinder also couldn't forget the little Dust thief recently recruited.
Roman Torchwiki was a small fish who dreamed of swimming in the shark-filled ocean that the world was made of and being more than he could ever be; a weakling destined to be a tool in someone else's hands.
Thinking more about it, it was almost laughable how easy it was to get this scum under her feet, needing nothing more than to disintegrate a person to make the message clear of what was best for him and his little multi-colored partner should he choose to refuse.
Oh, and he understood the message, submitting to her without even attempting to put up any normally expected resistance, just like a coward.
It was still gratifying to remember the disappointment in the look on that mute girl, Neo's, face when she resigned herself to follow her pathetic little boss, almost a waste of talent in the hands of that excuse of a man.
Neo should just act on her own, without depending on a man like that, but maybe there was something going on between them and it disappointed her to the point of losing interest in trying to recruit this girl, as she had done with Emerald and Mercury.
As such, she once again began to consider whether someone like that little thief would really serve her cause. However, even disregarding the kind of person Roman was and the fact that there were definitely others who could fulfill that role, he was simply the man for the job.
Thus, Cinder had some expectations and on this day she expected to be surprised or disappointed regarding the outcome of the first robbery intended for the Vale takedown operation.
At the moment, she was approaching with the Bullhead she had borrowed, after convincing a pile of ash, to assist in this first endeavor that would help determine how long approximately it would take to put the entire city in the red.
The low stock of such a vital component would raise more than just prices, but also the negativity present as a whole. There would be dissatisfaction at first, where promises of restocking and catching the culprits would silence the ignorant people for a while. Then anger would prevail with the lack of results from the police force, as Cinder didn't intend to be stopped for anything in this world, and finally, there would be fear born of uncertainty with the desperate course the situation was taking, helping immensely with what would come later.
Even more, now that she had the cooperation of White Fang, racial discord would raise the tension to a peak and negativity would overflow to the Grimm's delight with its endless hunger.
The days of this kingdom were numbered, and Cinder didn't give a damn about it, being able to think only about the power this tragedy would bring her.
While she would get the other half of the Fall Maiden's power, Salem would have her little relic and whatever it could do.
In a way, the idea of simply taking it all for herself was tempting, only Cinder knew better than to try to go against someone who couldn't be destroyed.
For now.
After climbing to the top, perhaps she should put her... Master's immortality to the test.
Her current position before Salem was something she didn't want to think about and would rather get lost in planning ahead, but it seemed that things weren't going according when Cinder began to notice how strangely cold and... uncomfortable this night was becoming.
Even worse, this bad feeling tied to the sudden cold was getting worse as she approached the meeting point with no sign of stopping.
What is happening? This wasn't normal and from inside the Bullhead, she focused on another anomaly taking shape below. The lights in an entire area went out and what appeared to be mist came up so fast that it reached her before she even tried to move away and felt every last strand of her hair creep with a well-known and hated feeling. N-no! Not this!
Cinder came to an abrupt stop, almost losing control of the Bullhead with the vivid memory of a time of submission watered with pain and fear in her life. Bringing her hands to her neck, she found herself trying to get rid of something that used to hurt her time after time, day after day and year after year until it almost broke her. While there was something around her neck, it wasn't that object of torture but a simple necklace that she wore exactly to never forget what happened; to remember what it took to never again find herself groveling in fear before someone else... only to end up exactly like that in front of Salem.
No matter how hard she tried to ignore that truth, in the end, while everything seemed to have changed, at the same time, nothing really changed and it reignited that feeling that could overcome fear; pure hatred of remotely allowing herself to fall into the same position under someone else's feet, regardless of who it was.
Literal fire came to life in her eyes and Cinder melted her necklace, almost doing the same to the Bullhead's commands with anger boiling inside her.
Dammit! she was possessed by it all and strangely such emotion allowed her to be more rational amidst this mist of vile nature. What is causing this? Cinder wondered who or what it was that had done this and turned him into ashes! Maybe it's a Semblance? She considered, but dismissed it with the absurd scale of this mist, being sure that there was no way anyone could have that much Aura to cover such a range. A Grimm then? Again, it was a possibility, but one that could hardly be real. Not only... she had to take a breath as she thought about her current Master, Salem would warn me about something like this, but it is almost impossible for a Grimm to get through the kingdom's defenses. Sure, not every Grimm was under that immortal witch's control, but the point remained and there was only one option left to consider, somehow managing to excite her to the point of almost forgetting the icy fear present in the very air. A Maiden! Only a Maiden could affect the weather on such a vast scale!
If it weren't for this terrifying feeling tied to the mist, it would be so obvious that it was stupid not to come to that conclusion right away! Even more, the epicenter of this mist had as its exact origin the location where she had agreed to meet with Roman!
"So a Maiden must have shown up to play hero and doesn't want to be seen, or is she just having fun while massacring a bunch of weaklings?" Cinder put the Bullhead on autopilot, grabbed her dual blades, and walked towards the exit with a sadistic smile on her face, especially after seeing an explosion happening just below and identifying where a fight, possibly involving Roman and her new target, might be taking place. "In that case, how about if the actual villain makes an appearance?!"
One step forward and Cinder descended from the heavens, sinking into the darkness she chose to follow towards the power that belonged to her and her alone!
Power that would one day lead her to true freedom!
With such resolution keeping her mind on only what she most desired, Cinder had Dust from her dress in hand to enhance her incomplete power, recognizing how strong this opponent possibly was based on her fight against the former Fall Maiden. As soon as her attack was ready, a silhouette with glowing heterochromatic eyes appeared amidst the darkness, exactly like a Maiden and confirming that she just found what she was looking for!
Cinder rained hell on her target and saw the attack being dispersed so easily that had she not been on peak adrenaline, she would have been worried. However, that wasn't the case and her weapon, Midnight, was in hand and heated with her Semblance to bury the blade in the wall of a nearby building, thus slowing the speed of the fall and focusing on what she would do next.
Of course, a mere flame like that would do nothing, but what about this?! Cinder continued her attack with the residue of the Dust that spread around the unknown Maiden. Burn!
Said and done.
The mist cleared away along with the darkness and gave place to light for everything in her field of vision to explode!
Although effective, Cinder knew that such an attack was nowhere near enough to defeat a Maiden, much less kill her. Landing soon after, she was ready to enter into close combat. However, while she was watching and waiting for her target's next move, Cinder felt pain followed by fear as she saw a sword project out of her chest from behind her back.
W-what?! She staggered, dropped her swords, and brought her hands to the center where the blade was only to find nothing, not even blood to her confusion. An illusion? Cinder was beginning to put things together and understand what was happening. It's not just the Maiden's power, there is a Semblance being used too!
Only that could explain all these cursed memories and visions!
Although it was a nasty power, knowing about it only served to piss her off even more.
Cinder focused on keeping any and all influence of this ability off her, occupying her mind with all sorts of torture to be done to this bitch when she got her hands on her! Except that, once again, her body went against logic and let fear manifest itself when her words turned on her to have more swords pierce her in excruciating pain.
This time, however, it was different; hellish to the point of almost breaking her mind and making all those years of torture in the hotel look like a paradise.
Vividly, she could feel the metal ignoring her Aura, cutting through skin and piercing her flesh like it was nothing without stopping.
When it was finally over, it could have happened all in an instant, but for Cinder, it was an eternity and all the strength she had was gone to have her fall into what could only be described as despair, because right behind her she could feel the horrifying presence of something that made even Salem look like a joke and could only be described as death, holding a scythe against her throat.
At that moment, Cinder was certain that she was going to die the same way she lived; weak, submissive, and helpless.
Yet despite the realization of what was about to happen, a tiny spark of that familiar hatred that wouldn't succumb even in face of imminent death flickered inside her.
Am I really going to die here? After all I've been through and persisted, will I fall before my goal? The answer only served to irritate her even more! Regaining some of her ability to reason, she finally realized the pathetic state she was in, trembling, almost crying, cowering, afraid to make a sound so as not to irritate the thing near her... When was the last time she had seen herself like this? Never! Because Cinder Fall was not a weak woman! It won't end like this!
Even if this thing really was death itself, she would still fight!
The reality, however, was different, as she was lucky she was still breathing for nothing but a whim of the one observing her with his mind elsewhere.
Sasuke didn't even pay much attention to the fact that a second person of this world stood before his Killer Intent, more displeased at how this day was going.
Ever since he joined the battlefield back in the Elemental Nations, everything seemed to be going wrong with endless twists.
Truly, he even died early!
Of course, in return, Sasuke would admit it was worth it since Kabuto gave him the cells of so many special people to enhance his body and even open the door to evolve into something more, especially after receiving the Six Path Chakra.
Still, anger was really getting the best of him to the point where he was starting to forget some self-imposed restrictions.
Killing had always been a concept that every shinobi had to live with and accept, or die a merciful fool.
Sasuke could be considered a fool for most of his life.
Itachi rooted many things in him after the massacre of the Uchiha clan that did not include only hatred and thirst for power.
Sasuke had his brother as a role model during his first seven years of life. After that night, Itachi was the incarnation of evil itself, and committing the same acts; following in the same footsteps became unthinkable.
So when the Cursed Mark first manifested in him in the Forest of Death and he allowed himself to be taken over by that intoxicating power to torture the one who had hurt Sakura, Sasuke was genuinely frightened; disgusted at allowing himself to do something that, for him, only Itachi would have done.
So killing was never the first alternative in his book.
At least, it remained so until he discovered the truth. After that, nothing else mattered, because that monstrous image of his brother no longer existed, being replaced by Konoha and its cursed upper echelon.
After everything that happened with Danzou and his reunion with Itachi, once again Sasuke regained that foolishness and self-awareness about right and wrong. Although, in a much more... unrestricted way.
Killing had become an option when there was a reason to do so, so Naruto, the Kages, and the Bijuus would be killed because there was a reason for it.
Their deaths would result in the peace and prosperity of the world they had helped destroy, in the case of the Kages and the Bijuus, and wanted to keep as such, as it would be with Naruto and his stupid idealism.
Therefore, it irritated him when he decided not to kill anyone in this selfish attempt to relieve his frustration and result in someone's death. Even more so, when this woman in red, the second person he set his eyes on and had an incomplete form of Chakra, attacked him with some kind of Ninjutsu and made him do the unthinkable... save the life of this man in white, someone who was hardly worth the effort.
However, Sasuke didn't have a choice.
Why?
Simply his body seemed to enjoy doing things that went against his wishes.
He moved without thinking to save the life of a piece of garbage and this was exactly what irritated him.
When he did the same for Naruto, although it also irritated him, the idiot was an ally... a friend.
What was the excuse this time?
Somehow, Ruby came to mind with her childish dream and Sasuke didn't even think before making his eyes sparkle to manifest a repulsive wave, sending this woman in red through more than one building as soon as she dared to look at him and throwing the body of this man in white in the same direction soon after.
That had been the last straw and Sasuke no longer cared what happened next.
With emotions getting the best of him in this internal conflict, Mangekyou and Rinnegan in its unique form reflected the frustration that danced along with the immeasurable negativity burning in the form of his toxic Aura, polluting the air like unrestricted miasma beyond the limits of the mist created.
An unconscious act that didn't go unnoticed, especially by those who had direct contact with him in the last few hours.
At Tukson's bookstore, Blake had finally managed to calm down after the most frightening and, as much as she hated to admit it, exciting encounter with the most beautiful and intimidating boy she had ever seen in her life.
Truly, Adam may have been intense, but that guy was sinister enough for her to mistake him with death itself!
Compared to him, Adam looked like a child with a tantrum, and that meant a lot.
After writing down everything that happened earlier, with a few extra details capable of making her bite herself, Blake decided to check the book which basically triggered the whole awkward situation.
Well, part of the reason.
Seeing his face and... rejecting him? definitely had a part in it all, but she wasn't sure and preferred not to think about it.
As expected, the last book of this collection, like the others, contained only the history of Remnant. This particular volume focused on the conflicts that humanity and faunus had, not to mention the almost ineffective resistance against the Grimm over the centuries.
War and conflict... were this what bothered him? It certainly wasn't a pleasant topic but at the same time something that everyone should know about since it was common knowledge. Still, the fact that he wanted to read about history, go through all those volumes, and react as if it was the first time he had seen them...
Maybe, he didn't know any of this? As absurd as this might sound, there were also the questions asked about the most famous place in the world. Again, something that should be common knowledge.
Caught in her reflection, a familiar feeling returned with force to make her drop the book in her hands and jump to her feet. Soon after, there was that ominous Aura that filled the air once more.
That guy was angry, really angry!
D-did he come back?! Many things went through her mind, wondering if that guy had returned to finish what he started! N-no! This can't happen! Blake's legs were shaking and she was breathing heavily just by imagining all the things he would do with her! Even worse was the fact that her mind was going in that direction despite her fear, not being able to believe how hot she was! I think there's something wrong with me...
Maybe... just maybe, she should read fewer books with explicit content.
Still, she couldn't help wondering what had happened this time to piss him off to this extent, being sure that something bad would definitely come of it.
It wasn't long before the scariest sound of any Kingdom sounded to prove her correct.
In the room of one of the best hotels in Vale, Weiss was resting after leaving the hospital with much more than she could ever imagine achieving on any other day, to be honest. So much so that she needed a shower to try to get the recent events out of her mind and fail... in a way being glad for it.
For the first time in her life, she wasn't thinking about herself, her family, and the responsibilities of an almost unwanted burden as an heiress.
A very welcome change and she really didn't dislike it, even enjoying the warmth that existed in her hand where the pair of lips of the most beautiful boy she had ever seen and her future partner had kissed.
A memory that easily gained a special place in her lonely heart with a life of imprisonment and almost reclusiveness.
So much so that, without realizing it, she was slowly bringing that hand to her lips while thinking only of the one she barely knew and couldn't wait to know more about; to know all there was to know about him!
Then, a moment before she completed her innocent attempt at an indirect kiss, her heart beat faster for a different reason and she had involuntary chills being torn from her with sudden coldness.
"Sasuke?!" Weiss jumped out of her bed in a mixture of fear and shame for what she was doing and feeling at the moment. " I-It's not what you're thinking!"
There was no response since there was no one in her room and it confused her, even more so because she didn't know why she associated this oppressive feeling in the air with Sasuke when in fact it was much more reminiscent of her home and broken family.
No, it's not just that. She knew or rather vividly remembered the moment she approached him when those disrespectful women surrounded him, only a second before helping him to feel something similar to what was causing her to have involuntary tremors. This doesn't feel right... Hugging herself to try to push this bad feeling away, Weiss walked to the window to look at the city that suddenly seemed to have lost those rich, intriguing colors that warmed the heart, looking a lot like Atlas on its coldest days. There is so much anger, frustration, and... fear?
Aura was and always would be the manifestation of the soul, reflecting people's hearts. Only, not in such an intense way that it was possible to distinguish the emotions present.
"Sasuke... is this really your Aura?" Weiss asked no one specific, uncertain if it really came from the one in her constant thoughts, just feeling all too familiar with what was in the midst of this eerie cold. "If it is, I guess we're not so different."
Although the possibility of having more in common with this enigmatic boy cheered her up, it would be a lie if she said that such intense animosity, capable of reaching the roof of one of the highest buildings in Vale, was a good thing.
Soon, her concern worsened when the familiar sound, which no one expected or wanted to hear as long as they lived, sounded to further obscure what made Vale different from her icy home.
At the station waiting for a Bullhead back to Patch, Ruby and Yang had their minds busy with everything that had happened, yet sharing thoughts about the same person.
Although, not in the same way.
Ruby had her heart beating faster every time she thought about Sasuke and that was such a strange feeling! She had never thought so much about someone before! In fact, Ruby didn't think that much about anything, not even weapons, and that meant a lot!
Well, apparently they had some things in common and that just added more fuel to her fantasies.
Supposedly she had an eye ability, as did he, and those leaves he made appear before he disappeared must be his Semblance, something very like her own!
It was all so cool!
Only... it was a little upsetting the direction her attempt to draw a line and learn more about Sasuke had gone.
At least she had settled with her sister because she really needs to talk to someone.
"Yang..." Ruby finally decided to break the unwanted silence that had formed after what happened in front of the police station and talk about the elephant, or Sasuke in the room... somehow leading her to blush at the thought of him being in her room! Focus, Ruby Rose! She had more important things to focus on than her fantasies! "Hmm, you... I don't know, do you think it's strange to want to know even more about Sasuke after what he said?"
Words spoken carefully, as she knew the opinion her sister had of him... or should have. In the end, during the direction the conversation had taken, it seemed to have changed a bit what Yang thought about Sasuke.
Hopefully, it was a change for the better.
"After what he said?" Yang hadn't even realized the caution used to touch on the matter, since it was impossible to talk about that guy, or whatever he was, and not react accordingly. In fact, she almost laughed, for several reasons. "Besides being stronger than me, faster than you, having crazy eyes that can do only the gods know what, and still using a Semblance type similar to yours to disappear? Nah, why would I think of someone like that?"
In fact, all this craziness was only part of the reason she kept thinking about him.
You must understand how it is... What is it like to be desired, those words, what that meant coming from a man, and everything he tried to do to Ruby by taking advantage of that unpleasant reality.
Something she herself had done before and probably would have continued to do regardless if the events of this day had never happened.
I don't want to be like that guy. By guy, she meant arrogant bastard, but maybe she also needs to start being less foulmouthed. Among other things...
"Hmm," Ruby was about to say something, probably agreeing with some things and talking about others, when she realized what this was about! "That was sarcasm, wasn't it?"
"Yes, Ruby. That was sarcasm," Yang eventually relented a little in her stiffness and smiled. "You know, it makes me proud to know that you're learning to differentiate between that sort of thing."
"Thanks!" Ruby puffed out her chest and smiled.
"Better late than never," Yang couldn't help but poke at that inflated ego for so little. Well, at least I think we're on good terms.
One less worry that lifted a huge burden off her shoulders after all that arguing.
"Hey!" Ruby pouted, but eventually laughed, glad that everything was as it should be. If Sasuke hadn't intervened at that moment, how would we be now?
Maybe they wouldn't even be speaking to each other and this reinforced the idea of avoiding fights between them.
Both shared this familiar feeling and were glad to be so, but not for long. Just as they were about to continue their friendly conversation, the main topic almost became present when they felt the temperature plummet to steal a beat from their hearts with the sudden fright.
"Sasuke?!" Both Ruby and Yang said, looking in the same direction so as not to see who they were expecting.
No, all there were was people cringing at the horrifying sensation of the unknown making fear take root.
"W-what's going on?" Ruby stroked her arms, remembering that feeling that hit her earlier in the clothing store when she hugged Sasuke and watched him get angry. "Is that really him?"
"Yeah..." Yang had her fists clenched, staring in the same direction and being sure that this Aura was from that guy, "Looks like someone managed to piss him off even more than those bitches in the store and... me."
As much as she didn't want to admit it, she knew that she had gotten off on the wrong foot with Sasuke and went from bad to worse during their time together, regardless of the apparent reconciliation at the end of it all.
"We have to go!" Ruby didn't even think, just ran in the direction that confused Aura was focused, but didn't get far before she almost choked on her own cloak!
"The hell we're going!" Yang had her sister pinned down as she pulled her back before she could move away. "We're going home, far away from that thing!"
"Yang!" Ruby snatched her cloak from her sister's hands and looked at her with anger rarely seen in her silver eyes. "Not now! Sasuke needs help!"
"Sasuke needs help? Are you kidding?!" Yang waved around, pointing at everyone who was almost panicked by nothing but the poisonous influence of that monster's Aura! "Look at those people! Look what's happening because of him!"
Ruby opened her mouth to refute but stopped when someone just fell down beside her.
"Hey! Are you okay?!" There was no response and she began to really worry when more people, or rather say faunus, began to follow suit. "Yang, call for help!"
Yang was about to do just that, realizing that maybe this wasn't the best time to continue her discussion, certain that her point was more than made with the result of that guy's actions.
Hell, they were both only relatively okay for having experienced this exposure more than once while in his presence, or else they too would be terrified... even more so.
Only, before completing the call to the authorities and maybe even reporting Sasuke while Ruby wasn't looking, a warning as frightening as the current situation sounded to make what was already bad worse.
"That's..." Ruby laid the faunus girl down on the ground and stood to focus in a different direction, where the Vale walls stood.
"The defense alert against large-scale Grimm attacks," Yang completed the bad news, which could very well mean the end of a kingdom.
What was supposed to be a night between sisters in the city turned out to be the beginning of a war for survival against Remnant's greatest enemy, and they were sure that no one there was ready for it.
I know, I didn't post anything when I should have, but I'm kind of resentful.
When I see that two thousand people have read the last chapter and only three or four have deigned to say something, when all I want is an opinion to validate my effort, I get angry and decide that you are all ungrateful and don't deserve the hours of sleep I lose, making me even consider stopping writing. But then, I remember the obligation to those who support me on P t r & on and stop to think about what to do...
The original plan was to post nothing this month, but this Saturday was my birthday and I drank enough to decide to drop the whole thing and carry on as normal.
Oh, and I deleted the other version of this story.
Anger makes shit happen.
Anyway, that's all, and maybe I'll post another chapter by the end of the month.
Until then, suckers.