A/N: : EDIT: BUZZ OFF WITH THE FLAMES AND THREATS! Would the trolls kindly stop telling me to choke and die or get the virus?! Can't we all get along here, people?! I know its more than one person, no single individual could be this persistent.
Alas, I had to split this into three chapters. There's just too much going on otherwise.
Nice long chapter for you, with more coming soon.
PLEASE READ THIS NOTE!
Why, you ask?
Because we pick up almost directly where we left off. I'm going to try and use the time skips sparingly. Oh, there will be some of course down the road, but that's not what I'm concerned about. We get to see some key players here as the action picks up...and that insanity might upset some people. That's my fear at least. I'm afraid this will drive people away, more so than the twist we had last chapter.
Silence...silence just hurts, more than flames.
Last time for good measure, reviews keep me writing. If folks don't review, I tend to think folks dislike a story. I hate to say it, but that's the truth, just a simple statement. Any and all feedback really helps me out. As ever, I own no references or material. Nor do I get paid to do this. Not a bit. Nothing. Not a cent. Not a penny. No commissions at all. Zilch. Now lets move on to the madness and all that it entails, eh?
Also, a mild trigger warning here. Because Little!Cinder is a suspicious kid with serious trust issues. Poor Cinder...
Naturally she thinks too highly of some people and others...well. Not so much. I'll leave it to you to make your own assumptions.
Given what little we know of Willow and the others, I've had to improvise. Also, if you hated Jacques before? You're REALLY going to loathe him after this chapter.
DOUBLE EDIT: Some people in this story assume Naruto to be a Faunus due his appearance. WE clearly know isn't -as do Willow and Nicholas- but the folk of Remnant believe what they want to believe.
Well this chapter just found another mouthpiece in the form of Little!Cinder. Apparently she's a hit.
Keep in mind that she's still a kid. Her views are a bit skewed due to her upbringing at this time. She'll need time to come out of her shell of course; but this chapter does an able job of that. Hope you're ready for some good fluffy bits because I absolutely cackled while writing this. Hope you do too~!
Loooooong chapter ahead! Hope you brought popcorn! Events are beginning to spiral out of control...and we get to see more of the cast in this chapter. Sorry I can't update as fast as I used to, but I'm trying my best. I appreciate hearing from all of you, and all the emotional support in this trying time.
Baaaaaaaaaack to the Schnee Mansion we go! Remember whose staying the night?
What's that, now? You do! Lovely. Enjoy the shenanigans.
Also! Don't touch the child!
"I didn't expect grandchildren this soon!"
"Daddy. Do not. Don't you dare."
...but she's so cute~!"
~?
Rags to Riches (Cinder's Interlude)
Mantle was a harsh mistress.
Cinder knew this to be true; because this lesson -this terrible, awful truth- had been burned into her back time and time again. Living in the shadow of Atlas only further served to cement this belief. If you weren't tough enough to brave the cold? You died. If you couldn't survive the streets or the gangs that ran them? You died. If you couldn't rely on yourself? You died. If you trusted anyone? You died. If you let your guard down? Three guesses, and the first two don't count. That's right! You died.
Cinder was many things. Fierce. Feisty. Fiery. Other big words that started with the letter F. But she wasn't foolish. Idiots didn't live long in Mantle.
And yet in that very same vein, she'd made the worst mistake of her life today.
She'd been desperate; hadn't eaten in days. Nearly a week. Her food had been stolen by someone, and she'd been beaten when she tried to procure more. She didn't run with the gangs; no one wanted to use children for anything other than drugs in the winter season and she would have no part of that. Never that. But she'd been hungry. So, so hungry...
Desperation drove her to make mistakes.
She'd glimpsed a single pair of people storming away from a nearby stand. Seen the food in their hands; warm, hot food for her cold and empty belly. Food. Little legs had propelled her forward almost before she realized what she was doing. A week ago she would have shadowed them for a block or two, wary of a trap. This time? Hunger overcame her and she surged after them. Not to murder -she wouldn't dare!- but to snatch the prized morsels from their grasp.
She still remembered the heat of her Semblance flaring in her grimy hand, super-heating the glass dagger clutched within.
But you see, that was where little Cinder had made a mistake.
Blinded as she was by that desperation, her world shrouded in a haze of hunger, she hadn't seen the Schnee until it was too late; even as she recognized the signature stark white hair and snow-pale complexion, her knife was already falling towards her thigh. It wasn't fair! What was a Schnee doing down here?! They hardly ever left Atlas! By then she was too close to abort her attack. She could only change its path.
Ironically, this saved Cinder's life.
Somehow she'd managed to twist her arm and slash the man beside the Schnee instead. Attacking a bodyguard would net her a beating to be sure -if he caught her!- but stabbing a Schnee? That was death. There was an unspoken rule in Atlas and Mantle alike. You didn't mess with a Schnee. Or even a Schnee's guard for that matter. But the hunger left her choice. Food. Hers. Now. So she shanked the blond bastard in the leg as hard as she could, which wasn't much, given how weak hunger had made her.
When the Whiskered Man -and she'd get to that nickname later!- reached down to pluck her dagger, he dropped his food. Just as planned. Little Cinder did what any thief would do. She caught it and bolted, devouring the meat bun even as she ran for her life. She didn't care for their cries at their back; she was small, fast, and clever. They'd never catch her. No one had before.
Then they caught her.
That stupid Schnee did something with a glyph that slowed her, giving her bodyguard the chance to tackle her. He tried to take her food. Hers! The gall! She'd stolen it fair and square and she bit him when he tried. He laughed and didn't try again. He didn't hit her, didn't snarl at her, didn't do anything at all. He just...laughed. Laughed and plucked her off the ground like some angry kitten. The Schnee had shouted at her, but not this one. He'd asked her name, promised her still more food if she answered. So she gave it to him And he fed her.
Naturally, she demanded more.
You could never be satisfied in Mantle; an urchin like her needed to fight for every scrap they possibly could. Cinder had learned this the hard way. Satisfaction meant complacency. Complacency meant death. This was her mark and she was determined to wring every scrap from him she could before the Schnee wised up and dragged him away. She'd sworn that if this was her last day on Remnant -and judging by the way the Schnee glared at her at the time it might well have been!- she was determined to meet it with a life well lived.
Cinder succeeded in that aim; succeeded beyond her wildest dreams.
The Schnee Manor was mighty and tall; just thinking of it made her feel tiny and small. Oh, how the guards had sneered when they first saw her, turning up their noses in derisive scorn. They'd offered to take her off the Whiskered Man's hands. Yeah, take her and throw her back down to Mantle! At least they had until the Schnee had told them just what she'd thought of that. She might defer to the Whiskered man, but the Schnee had power of her own, too. Her word was law, just as much as his.
Where they spoke, people moved. She'd have to remember that.
She'd glimpsed others in the mansion briefly in passing, others who had balked at her presence, but she didn't care for them. Why should she? She'd barely had time to meet them before Willow ushered her away to give her a bath. Their names weren't important to Cinder; she'd already labeled each of them and lent them titles of her own. There was Silver Eyes, all bright and bubbly and happy. Red Eyes was dark and broody. There was the Crow with his sly smirks and easy laughter, followed by the Smiling One who seemed to get along with everyone and everything. Then there was the Man with the Cane; less said about him the better. That one scared her, but what truly terrified her was-
Splash.
Hot water came crashing down on Cinder's little head like a waterfall, jerking the orphan out of her thoughts and back to reality with a startling lurch and yelp alike. Instinct compelled her to tighten her shoulders and duck low as the water came on again to wash the shampoo from her hair, even as she sought to make herself as small a target as humanly possible. Didn't do her any good. She could hunch over all she liked, but she couldn't hide in the tub; much from the prying fingers that followed to sternly massage her scalp with brisk efficiency. Cinder squinted her eyes against them as much as the bitter stinging suds that followed, wriggling helplessly.
"That stings!" she whined like the child she was. "Stoppit!"
"Close your eyes, then." Willow sighed behind her and continued to scrub her down like the taskmaster she was. "Its just a bath. You're not going to die."
"Am too!" Cinder reared back and hissed like an angry kitten. "I don't have to listen to you-gack?!"
Another wash of hot water rushed down, cutting her off with a sputter and sending her slipping in the bath once more. Dirt and grime sluiced down her feet. She barely noticed the brackish water before Willow yanked one of her arms up and attacked it with noting but a bar of soap and singular determination. Stupid Schnee, giving her orders! Giving her a bath! Who did she think she was?! She had half a mind to...!
"Cinder?" Naruto's muffled voice echoed through the bathroom door, "What was that noise? Are you behaving in there?"
Willow arched a demure eyebrow. "A fine question. Are you behaving, Cinder?"
Blast it, they had her.
Try as she might, Cinder couldn't fight down the flinch that followed as those ice blue eyes bored into her. Though the blond wasn't in the room with them, his voice carried the weight of authority, even if he didn't realize it. Defiance bled from her shoulders like a broken sieve and she soundlessly slumped in the tub, all thoughts of escape washing down the drain with the bad bathwater. She wanted to stab the Schnee. Badly. So very, very badly. But if she did that, she wouldn't get anymore food.
"Yes, papa." the words came haltingly as her face flushed. "I'll be good."
Willow absolutely sputtered and a small squelching sound came from the other end of the door as someone banged their head against the wooden frame. Not Naruto, surely. Someone so strong wouldn't be flustered by a few words. And so Cinder hummed, content in her victory, Pyrrhic though it was. She radiated smugness, even as the Schnee continued to scrub the dirt from her body.
Because she'd been adopted, taken off the streets by these two and dropped into the very lap of luxury itself. Oh, the Schnee had protested at first, but the Whiskered Man had spoken and that was that. His word was law. He was the true power here. They'd whisked her away into this giant mansion and all thoughts of resistance or escape had been stymied by the horror of bathing that followed. Until this moment she'd done her best to try and appease them. Make herself seem small, useful, in hopes that they wouldn't kill her. And to her surprise, they hadn't.
At first she'd wondered at it.
Why? Why do this? Out of the goodness of their hearts? Did people do that? Her parents hadn't. Just thinking about it threatened to shatter Cinder's beliefs; everything she'd ever known until this moment. People didn't help each other. Not without a good reason. They just didn't. It wasn't done. Nobody in Mantle or Atlas or...anywhere. Didn't they? Their must be a motive. Some way to understand their actions. She'd thought they were going to kill her at first; instead they'd given her a hot bath and fussed over her like the child she was. Why would they do such a thing? There must be some way this benefited them. Wait! That was it!
In hindsight, it was oh-so-obvious...or so Cinder thought. She thought herself clever, when in truth she outsmarted herself.
They couldn't have children. Perhaps the Schnee was so desperate for a child that they'd stooped to taking one off the streets. That must've been why they were down there in the first place. Sure, they were young, but who was she to judge? Was that their angle? It made sense. It must be.
Of course, little Cinder had no way of knowing just how mistaken she was. She thought herself right clever for making such a deduction and didn't even accept the possibility that she might actually be wrong; that they'd simply taken her in for reasons she couldn't comprehend. She needed an answer -a role-! to fulfill and accepted the first one that fit. They wanted a daughter, did they? She could do that, for the Whiskered Man. But for this one?
"Arms up." Willow commanded and Cinder dutifully complied, allowing herself to be toweled off.
"Hate you." she groused, gritting her teeth as the towel descended on her head with brisk dispatch. "Hate you so much."
"Oho?" a bemused gleam shone in the woman's visible eye. "We could always bring you back to Mantle if you dislike this place so...?"
Back to the dirt. Back to the fear. Back to the gangs, the grit, and the Grimm. Winter was coming, and she didn't have any food or shelter-no, she wouldn't even survive to see spring. If they sent her back to Mantle she'd die in a ditch. Frozen. Cold. Alone. A very real spark of fear shot down Cinder's spine and she trembled. Her head whipped back and forth frantically.
"No." the words escaped her in a whisper. "I like it here. Please don't send me back."
To her credit, the Schnee realized she'd made a mistake and reacted quickly before tears could fall.
"There, there." she crooned softly, wrapping her in a towel before drawing her into a quick hug. "Don't be upset. I didn't mean that." her apology caused the girl to stiffen in her arms and Willow pulled back in response; but even as Cinder thought to capitalize on this the towel was all but whisked away and a large white shirt swooped down on her head, followed by a pair of pale blue breeches. "We're not going to send you back to that awful place." Willow's promise remained, even as Cinder hurriedly tugged the clothes on and refused to look at her. "You have my word on that."
Her lip trembled traitorously. "Promise?"
A hand descended, idly stroking her scalp in slow, circular movements.
It felt...nice. So much so that Cinder's suspicions sparked right back to life again. "What're you doing?"
"Even I had a mother once," Willow's words caused Cinder to look up in surprise, a petulant golden eye peeking through her dark tresses as she fumbled with her new attire. "Shocking, I know. Would you believe I even had an old sister, too?" the Schnee continued, all but holding her attention in thrall, "They both died when I was very young, or so Father told me." Cinder flinched, but Willow pretended not to notice. "It was so long ago, I can't even remember what they looked outside of the odd photograph."
Still her palm continued to trace its path on her head, massaging Cinder's still-damp hair beneath.
"And while its true I remember very little about them," Willow continued as she helped her change, "I do recall they used to do this whenever I was stressed." she graced her with a small smile when Cinder sullenly tugged the shirt up and over her head and yanked on the breeches. "Its one of the only memories I have of them, really." those ice blue eyes softened and she removed her hand. "For what its worth, I'm sorry for upsetting you."
Cinder scowled at the Schnee, considering what to say. In the end gave up stuck her tongue out. "Fine. I forgive you. Meanie."
Willow arched another brow. "What was tha-
"Awww! That was such a sad story!" Naruto's voice bawled happily through the door, causing Willow and Cinder alike to jump. They'd all but forgotten that they had an audience. "I didn't know about that! Why didn't ya tell me about that before?!"
Cinder was nothing if not perceptive; she saw the way the Schnee -Willow, she reminded herself- wilted under the weight of her words, her pale face now gone nearly scarlet before she managed to master herself. And so her suspicions were confirmed. Whatever their union was, it wasn't a loveless one. With a look that promised death if the orphan so much as breathed a word of this, the Schnee heiress craned her neck towards the door and glowered pale blue daggers at it.
"Did you have anything else to add, dear?" by the brothers she could feel the frost in those words. "By all means. Keep digging that hole."
"Nah," came the muffled sigh. "Just wanted to tell ya the girls are back. You're about to have company."
Willow pursed her lips. "Could you keep them occupied?"
A weighted pause followed those words.
...have you SEEN Summer?"
"Fair enough."
Now that she'd gotten over that initial shock, Cinder found she could assess her situation properly. Even an urchin like her understood the pecking order. She knew full well that she was at the bottom of it; then came the guards, followed by Team STRQ, the Schnee, and at the top, the Whiskered Man.
Everything -and everyone!- else was of secondary interest at best.
For one such as her, nothing else mattered in her new life. Not Ozpin. Not Team STRQ. Fist there was the now-not-so hated Schnee, whom she reluctantly acknowledged as Willow. Cinder hadn't thought of a good name for her beyond that yet. But she would. She was good with names. She would call her the Schnee for now. She was easily agitated, easier to read than the Whiskered Man.
He didn't frighten her; if anything he confused her.
For now, Naruto couldn't be anything but the Whiskered Man to Cinder, thus named such for the three marks on either cheek and the way his eyes seemed to squint whenever he laughed. It reminded her of a fox. What was he? Human? Faunus? She couldn't be sure. He moved like a Hunter, though. Hunters were dangerous. Even the gangs feared them. A single hunter could and often would be sent down from Atlas to purge them whenever they got uppity. Yet another reason Cinder didn't run with gangs. Yet, for all his well meaning smiles and easy laughter, the Whiskered Man was an enigma to her, one she didn't wholly understand.
And what you didn't know could kill you.
"I brought more towels~!"
Speaking of death...!
While the interior of the Schnee mansion had proven itself to be both large and sprawling; a single bathroom could have housed five or more people. As things stood -judging by the commotion outside the door!- Cinder suspected that this room soon would. For while the guards outside clearly disliked her, those within...were another matter.
Summer chose that moment to make grand entrance.
All at once the door to the wash-room flew open and Naruto tumbled inside as the spry little huntress nearly bowled him over to get inside. Cinder wasn't fooled for a moment. He'd let her do that. She saw the small frown on his lips, the way in which he twisted himself aside to divert her clumsy charge into a tumble. Much to her surprise the white-cloaked warrior bounced off -literally bounced!- a nearby wall, followed soon thereafter by the ceiling and somehow managed to stick the landing. Cinder recoiled in horror as Naruto and Willow clapped politely. Gods, the girl wasn't human.
"Nailed it!" said huntress declared proudly, striking a pose.
"Eh, nine out of ten." Naruto offered.
Cinder considered it a six.
"I'll take it! Now where's-oh!" Then those silver eyes fell upon her and blinked in surprise. An armful of white towels tumbled from Summer's grasp. "You're already dressed, huh? Aaaaand...
Cinder shrank back.
Naruto saw what was coming. "Uh-oh."
Silver eyes all but sparkled with wild glee.
Cinder backpedaled. She wasn't gonna do that. Surely not.
"Summer, no." Willow growled a warning. "Down! Bad Summer!"
Summer's already cheeky grin grew to epic proportions. She was gonna.
Naruto and Willow tactlessly threw themselves out of the way as she surged forward. Unfortunately in doing so, they tossed Cinder under the bus. She froze like a deer in headlights, eyes wide. One does not simply escape Summer Rose and her hugs; now it was her turn to learn that terrible lesson. Poor girl. She never stood a chance; indeed, she made it all of one step backward before Summer descended upon her like a storm. Slim arms swept Cinder from her feet and crushed the girl's face against her chest with incredible strength.
"She's co cuuuuute~!"
Cinder wriggled like a wildcat in the older girl's arms, to no avail. Silver-eyed demon woman! "Lemme go!"
Silver Eyes didn't scare Cinder; if anything she reminded Cinder of an eager puppy she'd once known... before too many kicks from a bunch of boys turned it mean. Happy, eager to please, and far, far, far too affectionate for her liking! A low growl fled from her lips as Summer cuddled her closer still. Could this evening possibly get any worse?!
"Summer, let go." Naruto warned. "You're gonna break her."
"Never! She's mine now! I'm keeping her! Erm," she hastily amended as a pair of ice blue eyes found hers, "I mean, I can be her aunt, right?"
Cinder rapidly shook her head and mouthed the word 'no' at Naruto and Willow! No! A thousand times no!
"Summer?" Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Yeeesss?" she beamed.
"Drop her."
"Awww...
Of course, Summer's entrance was the excuse for the rest of team STRQ to bull their way into the room. Once they realized everyone was decent, events snowballed from there. Somehow, Cinder managed to wriggle free in the chaos and duck behind Willow's skirt, but even that shelter didn't last long in the face of these new arrivals. The Smiling man -Tai, she recalled- took one look at her skittish expression and granted her a nod. Nothing more. Cinder quietly elevated her somewhat pale opinion of him. Not so the birdbrain.
"So, this is the runt we saw earlier?" Qrow saw her and bent down to muss her hair, drawing a black look from the girl. "Barely recognize ya without all that dirt-ow!"
Cinder reared back and bit his hand before he could think to muster his Aura. Hard. True to form Qrow recoiled with a strangled yelp, clutching at the throbbing red mark she'd left him. Willow actually laughed at that and patted her head. Cinder dared a smile at her, one her patron returned in kind as she pinched Summer's cheek, drawing a whine from the cloaked huntress. Huh. Neat. Willow understood the pecking order, too. Maybe the Schnee wasn't so bad after all.
Alas, it didn't last.
Naruto sensed the danger a heartbeat before anyone else, before even Cinder's own innate paranoia; likely because he heard the rapidly approaching footsteps surging down the hall toward them. Blue eyes narrowed and he blew out an irritated breath as he raised his false arm toward the now-ruined door. Tai and Willow exchanged a long-suffering glance and the latter released Summer to step back. The reason for their overabundance of caution became vividly clear as someone burst into the room and tried to cut Naruto down where he stood.
Not a single drop of blood was shed; because metal fingers neatly pinched Omen's crimson dust blade before it could descend on his head.
"Found you!" Raven Branwen howled her fury, bearing down on her weapon with all her might and a manic grin. "I demand a rematch! Here and now!"
"Really?" Naruto drawled as held the trembling sword at bay. "This is getting old...have it your way."
In a single seamless movement the blond shattered her blade, twisted his wrist, and yanked her off balance. Raven squawked like a startled bird as she sailed over his shoulder back into the hall. Naruto waltzed after her with a lazy gait, which in turn caused Willow to hurry after him and Cinder took that as her cue to follow with the rest. She winced at the harsh clash of steel and when next she saw Raven Branwen -or Red Eyes as she'd come to call her- the angry woman was sprawled facefirst into the ground.
Not a heartbeat later, she bounded upright again. "Once more! That one didn't count!"
"Raven, really?!" Naruto flung up his arms. "Again?! Already?! Come on!"
"Hundred lien says he beats her arse again." Qrow rolled his eyes.
Cinder immediately reversed her opinion of said Branwen.
Summer slapped his hand. "I say ten seconds."
"Can...Can I bet too?"
Qrow whipped around with a grin. "Can we keep her?"
"You cannot." Willow hummed, tucking her close. "Naruto and I saw her first."
"Aw, don't be like that, Ice queen." the younger Branwen drawled. "I'd make a great uncle."
"Hey!" Summer wailed. "No fair! If he gets to be an uncle then I wanna be an aunt! Tai! Back me up here!"
"Eh, lets not and say we did." the blond shrugged as Raven sailed past and crashed into a wall. Tai winced. "Think we should stop them?"
Naruto and Raven snorted in unison, realized they'd done so, and promptly went back to attacking one another. Cinder meanwhile, found herself caught between the remainder of Team STRQ and Willow. Not painfully of course; she simply wasn't used to having so much attention. Down in Mantle, she'd always done her best to remain hidden. To suddenly have so many vying for her attention...well. She simply didn't know what to do with it; because it frightened and excited her in equal measure.
'What am I, a chew toy or something?!'
Red Eyes on the other hand annoyed Cinder; in part because she smelled like blood, but also her arrogance. Anyone who craved that much battle couldn't be right in the head. From what she'd been and what she'd just seen, Raven couldn't accept her defeat, no matter how soundly she was defeated. She just kept coming back for more. What was she an adrenaline junkie or something? Strength was all well and good when you were on the streets, but without a goal, what was the point? Even a child could see that this path would lead her nowhere good. Someone needed to knock some sense into Red Eyes soon...
"Ow!"
...and she was down for the count again.
"Is she always like this?" Cinder muttered aside. "She seems foolish."
"No, actually." To her surprise, it was Taiyang who answered her, drawing a curious look from the urchin. "She's not always like this, you know." he said, earning himself a confused look as Raven tumbled back to the floor without her sword. "Raven and Qrow...didn't have the best upbringing. Qrow's adjusted rather well since, but Ray?" Both winced as she flew back at Naruto with a shriek, only to be ruthlessly dismantled once more. "She's got a competitive streak a mile wide and hates to lose. She's not a bad person once you get to know her, she's just-
"Bad!"
Cinder stifled a smile at the declaration.
"Bad Raven!" Naruto rebuked her once more, jabbing a finger against the latter's nose when she tried to attack him once more. "No! Bad!" She winced when he flicked her forehead, the action drawing a small giggle from Summer in the background. "You can't beat me like this! You're sloppy! I can read your every move!"
He'd likely thrown those words at Raven just to shut her up; and under any other circumstance they might have worked. Unfortunately, Cinder saw a spark of defiance burn high in the huntress's gaze. It was an expression she knew all to well from the slums. Desperation. Raven couldn't lose to him; no, she could and had, but she simply couldn't bear the idea of being bested so easily by someone her age. Cinder waited and saw the exact moment that desperation crystallized into furious resolve. As such, she had a front row seat to the spectacle that followed:
"Then train me!"
...Birdie say what now?!" Naruto squawked.
Willow went positively ashen. "I'm sorry, what? No. Absolutely not. You're leaving tomorrow, remember!"
"I can make time before then." Raven challenged. "What's wrong, Schnee? Afraid I'll steal him? Don't worry. He's not much to look at."
Willow absolutely hissed at the slight, her pale face flaring a sharp shade of scarlet. "Are you trying to calm me down? You're doing a poor job of it."
"You're not exactly easy on the eyes yourself, birdbrain." Naruto snarked back, earning him a glower of his own. "Too angry and edgy by half. Its kinda off-putting, you know."
Raven absolutely hissed. "You little...!"
Team STRQ reacted in myriad of different ways. Qrow hooted with a loud "called it!' wearing perhaps the biggest shit-eating grin Cinder had ever seen in her little life. Summer spun and gave him a high five. Tai slapped a palm to his forehead and started muttering beneath his breath. Cinder...just blinked. Well. She'd expected many things but not that that. Never that. Him? Train her? She didn't like it; let alone the idea of anyone monopolizing his time. She wasn't sure why, but it rankled her all the same.
"Me too." she whispered. No one heard, none save Naruto. "I want to learn, too."
Oh gods, she'd done it now.
Sensitive ears pricked up and his head snapped to her with such force that he nearly suffered whiplash. She expected anger, annoyance at least. All she found was surprise.
"Eh? I mean sure," to her great delight, Naruto scratched a whiskered cheek and yielded to her pleading gaze, "I don't see why not; guess I could teach you a few things, if you think it'll help. And Willow, if she wants," he amended hurriedly as her hand clamped down his arm and twin chips of ice all bored into neck. "But not Raven."
"Why not?!"
He scowled at her. "Don't wanna~!"
"Oh, so you'll teach the Schnee and a child, but not me?!" she jerked to her feet and rammed her forehead against his. "Coward. How can you be such a hypocrite?"
"I don't use a bloody sword!" the blond butted right back, blue eyes blazing into red. "I have nothing to teach you! You'll do fine on your own!"
"You're still going to train me." Raven's mouth twisted into a defiant smirk. "If not know, then later."
"You're head back to Vale tomorrow." Willow stepped to his side, tugging Cinder with her.
"We are." Raven's smile didn't wave for a moment. "That won't be a problem."
"You absolute dolt...!"
"Oh!" Summer caught the hint and pounced on with a sharp gasp. "Raven's Semblance!"
Naruto grimaced. "The hell's a Semblance?"
All eyes -Cinder included!- turned to her with a baffled look as Raven preened. The remainder of Team STRQ recovered first. Qrow's eyes lit up, with Tai not a heartbeat behind. All this talk of Semblances sailed right over Cinder's little head, but by the end of it, Naruto had gone nearly apoplectic with anger and Willow with him. Cinder didn't much understand the lot of it. Summer had gushed about bonding and portals.
Still, she understood this much; Raven could create a portal to whomever she'd bonded to. Apparently being a "rival" or "someone to defeat" counted enough in Raven's eyes. She even demonstrated as much. That...that was a handy ability. It made her heat and flames look paltry by comparison.
For a moment afterward, just a moment, Cinder thought Naruto might explode.
Naruto's face absolutely twitched.
...you know what? Screw it. Garden. Tomorrow. All three of you." he swore and spun away. "I've had enough for tonight. Can we get something to eat or what?"
Cinder almost began to wonder if the Whiskered Man was cursed somehow.
He had to know what he was doing...didn't he?
"Now, now," a gentle voice soothed as a burly man bearing a white beard and heavy armor bulled into the hall from an adjacent corridor, ice blue eyes shining. "I believe the boy's quite right. That's enough chaos for one night. I'll thank you not to blow holes in my home." Finally, a voice of sanity! She'd call this one the Bearded Man, for lack of any other name. Still, he looked almost familiar...
She saw the Man With The Cane following him and wilted.
She couldn't say what it was about Ozpin that spooked her, only that something did. Maybe it was his face. Maybe it was his silence. Maybe it was just the way he looked right through her. She didn't like it. They had yet to speak so much as two words to one another and for some innate reason she'd already formed a strong dislike of the man.
Naruto shifted his body just so, placing himself in the man's line of sight. Cinder wasn't quite sure why that left her so relieved.
"Aha! There she is!" Then the Bearded Man took one look at her and all that grand composure he'd shown earlier shattered like brittle glass. "My word, she's adorable!" In short order Cinder found herself swept into strong arms once more, unable to escape her captor's grasp. "And tiny! Wherever did you find her?!"
"Mantle." Naruto said pointedly.
"Mantle, you say? Isn't there an orphanage down there?"
Cinder made a noise of disgust. Naruto and Willow shrugged helplessly.
A flicker of concern passed through the elder man's gaze followed by righteous fury, but he tamped it down. Cinder noticed. You learned to notice tiny tells like that when you lived on the streets. Interesting. Perhaps this man wasn't as much of a fool as he let on. Instead he released her and rounded on Willow with a smile.
"My dear, I know I said I wanted grandchildren but this is so soon! So sudden!"
"Daddy, no." Willow groaned. "By the gods, please don't overreact again-
"Daddy, yes!" Nicholas Schnee crooned. "She's absolutely adorable!"
Cinder tried to dive out of the way when he patted her head.
A thought occurred to her and she froze beneath that large hand, her blood turning to ice. Daddy? That meant father. Willow Schnee only had one father. By the brother gods this was Nicholas Schnee. Quite possibly the richest man in all of Atlas, perhaps even Remnant itself. And he was...being kind to her. Her! Maybe this wasn't an act after all. Maybe she'd gotten lucky. Maybe they did care. Was she safe here? Unlikely. Nowhere was ever truly safe. But this place was safer than most. She could play the part, then. So long as they didn't hurt her. She was wasn't like the other street rats; if anyone tried that they'd get a knife in the leg.
It wasn't like she was ungrateful or anything. She'd dreamed of a place like this for as long as she could remember. Why wouldn't she? She'd lived her life in the shadow of Atlas, clawing and scratching for what little she could find, all the while wondering what it was like up here. Now she was the one looking down on the world.
Her stomach chose that moment to growl.
"Sounds like someone's hungry." Naruto smiled.
Cinder clamped both hands on her stomach and scowled at it. Betrayal!
"Right then, shall we?" Ozpin offered, earning a blacker look from her that in turn drew a confused blink. "I believe dinner is served. We did come to fetch you, originally." he took in the damaged walls with a glance and a small frown pulled at his mouth. "As for Miss Branwen...
Raven bristled.
...we will have words later."
Oh? So Team STRQ answered to Ozpin. She'd remember that.
"C'mon, sis." Qrow tugged her aside. "Lets go and get you patched up. You can eat later."
"Dibs on Tai!" Summer laid claim to the blond's arm before he could escape. "We'll catch up with you in a bit."
"Tomorrow!" Raven craned her neck back and glared bloody red daggers at Naruto. "Don't forget, or I swear by all that's holy, I will find you!"
Qrow muttered an apology and ferried her away.
With that matter dealt with, Naruto turned and knelt, capturing Cinder's attention once more. "You want up, kiddo?"
On his back? Happily! Cinder clamored onto his shoulders like a monkey, glad of the chance to rest.
What followed was a confusing maze of halls and corridors that she couldn't even begin to remember, yet tried regardless. She failed spectacularly. Whatever the case, the Schnee mansion was a maze. A few maids and the odd servant favored them with odd looks, but with Nicholas and Willow present, none dared to challenge them.
And then, quite suddenly, they arrived.
When they led her into the dining room, her jaw nearly dropped. Defiance compelled her to click it shut and swallow the drool that began to pool in the corner of her mouth. It had nothing to do with the room, its long table, or even the lovely lit windows that let in the light of the shattered moon nigh above. No. Her attention was decidedly drawn...elsewhere.
Her mouth clicked open again, and this time she couldn't quite keep herself from grinning at the sheer decadence of it all.
For it was the contents of the table that seized her sight. So. Much. Food! Plates upon plates of it!
Ham! Turkey! Food she'd never seen before!
Naruto set her down and snatched one such plates for himself as he took up a perch on the windowsill. He didn't move from that spot, even as he began to eat. A small distant part of Cinder respected that even as she beheld the feast before her. You never could let your guard down in the presence of strangers. But the pleasant aroma of and the buffet before her inevitably claimed her attention once more. Was it even possible to have such a bounty in one place? Even the gangs didn't eat this well at their peak.
"Feel free to eat whatever you wish," Willow's hand guided her forward to a seat and Cinder numbly followed.
Her hand stretched out and she yanked it back. No! She mustn't give in. This was a trick. It must be. They were trying to deceive her...weren't they? Yet as she watched a happily smiling Summer settle in beside her and Willow on her right, her defiance buckled. Moreso when the set a plate of turkey and mashed potatoes before her, the latter heaped in gravy.
"Go ahead. Its not poisoned, see?" Naruto waved, mouth full of food. Winter pinged a fork off his head and he barely batted an eyelash.
The dam broke and young Cinder tore into as though it were her last meal.
Naruto blew out a breath and watched from his perch as she devoured the food. Adopting a kid. What the hell had he been thinking? He didn't know the first thing about raising a kid. Did he regret it? Not at all. There was just something about Cinder that told him he done the right thing. Who knew what she might've become if he'd left her in that alley?
Case in point, she held out an empty plate.
"More!"
"You'll get sick if you eat too fast." Willow warned.
"Don't care! MORE!"
Willow arched an eyebrow.
...may have I more, please." Cinder squirmed in her seat, then considered again, trying to choose the best words for maximum effect. "Mommy?"
Summer choked on her drink.
Willow's face turned incandescent.
Naruto tumbled out of the window with a startled squawk of shattered glass. "CRITICAL DAMAGE!"
Cinder laughed, then clamped a hand over her mouth as she realized he'd just fallen out of a window. That wasn't good...was it?
A jaunty whistle greeted her and quite suddenly the blond walked back up the way he'd came, cresting the windowsill with ease. His hand swung over the edge, brushed a bit of glass from his coat, and that was that. As she looked in disbelief he calmly took a seat across from her and chose another plate. "Still alive! Thank god for chakra! What? Why're you all looking at me like that? Huh? Tai? Anybody?"
Willow sighed. "Why am I not surprised?"
...how did you do that?" Summer squeaked out.
Naruto blinked. "Chakra, how else? Can't you do that?"
Taiyang finally found his voice. "No...that was...quite different."
Nicholas hummed as he tore into a steak. "See? I told you he was unique."
Ozpin's eyes visibly bulged and Cinder stifled a smile at the sight. Good. She hoped he choked.
So.
This was to be her new life, then. In all honesty, she liked it. She liked it a lot. Three meals a day. Clean clothes. A warm bed. Affection. Love. Care. Naruto and Willow were odd, Team STRQ was odder still. Ozpin was the only one she was genuinely uncomfortable around -for reasons she couldn't understand- but she wouldn't have to deal with him for long. And the rest were...well, they were nice. They didn't hit her. Didn't beat her. There was no pain here. No panic. Only peace.
...why were her eyes wet?
"Uh-oh." Naruto found her first. "You okay, there?"
"H-Huh?" Cinder blinked, rubbed her eyes with a small hand, utterly baffled when it came away damp. "I don't understand. Why am I...?"
She tried to speak further; all that emerged was a small hiccup, followed by a hysteric giggle. She couldn't stop the tears; for all her fierceness, she was still just a child after all. Paranoia and suspicion could only last so long and she wasn't as strong as she believed herself to be. In another life she would've grown up to be a cruel and vicious woman who cared for no one besides herself and naught but power. But here? Now? She was just a little girl and surrounded by a group of people who were, all things considered...insane. There was no other word for them. Was it any small surprise that they'd affected her so?
"Is it really alright for me to be here?" she whispered, scrubbing at her face furiously to no avail. All she managed was a watery smile.
Willow realized what was happening next and wrapped an arm around her. "Oh, sweetie...of course it is."
Naruto didn't walk; rather, he absolutely vaulted the table to give her the same treatment.
Summer's hand massaged the small of her back and that was all it took.
Something in Cinder broke; she laughed and cried all at once.
And in doing so, she set herself free.
(.0.0.0.)
Everyone was laughing at him.
Jacques Gele knew it, even when his friends lied right to his face.
You're being paranoid, they said. It wasn't that bad, they said. Liars. Filthy hypocrites, the lot of them. They'd turned on him. Everyone had turned on him. Their whispers dogged his every step around every corner, in every face he saw. Everyone sneered at him, silently mocking him for his failure, this once great man brought so low. They all knew his face. They all knew his failure. How could they not? His sorry face was plastered all over the news. People loved gossip nearly as much as they loved scandal and Jacques was both; albeit not at all in the way he'd intended.
There was no escape from their laughter, even here in the sparse comforts of his threadbare apartment.
These days, this was all the remained. It was all he could afford.
The news was a cold comfort.
Red-rimmed eyes stared at the television, glowering as he watched the scene play out before him, over and over again. Mercifully, tonight's story wasn't about him. Unfortunately it was about her. Willow. Willow and that blasted ponce she'd taken up with. What were they doing down in Mantle? Bah! What did it matter. With a roar the once proud man snatched up the remote and flung it headlong at the television. It bounced off the screen, leaving an ugly crack behind. Again! Another reminder of his failure.
All because he'd made the mistake of trying to court Willow Schnee.
His plan had been brilliant -or so he told himself- in its complexity. Worm his way into Willow Schnee's heart with his debonair ways until she opened her legs for him. From there, he would use her as leverage for his true goal; thereby wriggling his way into the good graces of Nicholas Schnee. Convince the man that he was the only one fit to run the SDC. Sire a few brats off his bitch of a daughter, wait until the man passed and the waters were calm. Then he would strike. Buy off the shareholders, claim the company for himself and profit endlessly. No one would've been the wiser.
Instead she'd ruined him. Her and that blasted boy toy of hers.
He'd never heard of this Naruto fellow before; any attempt to dig up information on him had failed utterly.
Now his contacts had all but run dry, and with them, the very last of his favors. Jacques Gele had not been a rich man, but he'd had a decent amount of lien tucked away over the years. That was gone now, burned away to trying to find a ghost in the night. He didn't exist. There was no proof of anyone named Naruto Uzumaki anywhere. A man with one arm and those features tended to stand out. An assumed name? It must be. But that made him a ghost, and he lacked the resources to continue. But he would find a way. He still had contacts. Men owed him favors. Powerful men...or so they had.
Atlas had turned its back on Jacques Gele.
They say bigger you are, the harder the fall; the higher one climbs the ladder of life, the greater risk of being broken by said fall. Jacques had climbed very high indeed. It had only taken one bad day to bring him crashing low. His reputation only suffered further in the days hence. When one lived in the clouds for so long, the fall was high indeed. Sometimes he wondered if he could fall further still. It seemed impossible.
Someone knocked on his door.
"Begone!" he growled incoherently. "I'm not taking visitors!"
The knock intensified. Once. Twice. Thrice, until finally he could stand it no more.
Mustache twitching and eyes ablaze, the former businessman flung himself from his chair and marched across the room. Three swift strides carried him to the door, where he seized the worn lock handle and flung the latter open with a crash. He cared not who it was; whomever dared disturb would rue the day they messed with-
"Jacques Gele."
His protest froze in his throat.
"I...you...who are you? What are you doing here?"
A cloaked figure awaited him in the hallway without; at first he couldn't be certain if it was a man or woman. No, he realized as they stepped forward and shoved him back inside, their arm was too slim, and such a fine figure could only belong to one of the fairer sex even clad in black as she was. He tried in vain to catch a glimpse of them, but the hood remained up and thick black mask concealed any and all hints of their visage. They carried a strange silver case of sorts at their side, no a briefcase, he realized. This was a woman, though the realization did him precious little good.
He was more concerned with the bearded man looming beside her.
Whomever he was, he was an absolute giant, stocky and broad of shoulders, dressed in plain clothes. Unlike the woman, he made no effort to conceal his face, or even a cloak for that matter. Was that some boldness on his part? Or did he simply not care?
"Your actions have not gone unnoticed." the man rumbled and his voice was like a slow moving avalanche. "My name is Hazel Rainart. For what its worth, I apologize for the intrusion."
The still-silent woman drew forth an orb from within and held it out to Hazel, who in turn offered it to him.
"Our...employer wishes to speak with you." Hazel said.
In hindsight, maybe he shouldn't have touched it; the moment he did a shadowy figure burst from the sphere, filling the room with smoke. Jacques saw it. Her. His mind revolted.
Death. She was death and despair incarnate and seeing her broke him.
He screamed and clamored backwards like a drunken spider until his back struck a wall. He kept screaming. It was a sharp, startled sound, one that seemed to go on forever and ever until he he could scream no more and had shouted himself hoarse. It could have been minutes. It felt like hours. It didn't matter. It did matter. Nothing mattered. He couldn't think straight, not when faced with this demon, this devil, this absolute monstrosity. They made no move to silence him, only staring at him with those ghastly red eyes.
This was a dream. It had to be. He'd drank too much and fallen asleep, surely.
"Well, well, well." the specter of a woman crooned at him in a voice that was pure sin itself. "What do we have here? A rat cowering in the dark. What is it you desire, little man?"
...what?" Jacques croaked out, incredulous.
The woman scoffed. "Hazel, you assured me this one would be useful."
The giant grunted, utterly unfazed by her anger. "He will be, once he recovers his senses."
"I hope so." those eerie scarlet orbs rimmed by black swung back now, locking onto Jacques. "It would be a shame to kill him."
"Revenge." Jacques croaked the word out without thinking, anything that would allow him to survive. It drew their attention and he bulled on like a frantic rat, desperate to save his skin. "You asked me what I want. I'm telling you. Someone made a fool of me; made me the laughingstock of Atlas. He ruined me. I want him dead. No! I want him broken, I want him brought low, lower than I was! Please don't kill me. I have connections. I can help you. I'll do anything," Jacques gasped, reaching out hand toward the shadowy figure as he knelt. "Anything."
Her smile made his very soul shudder.
"Is that so?"
A/N: Cinder really stole the show, didn't she? Next chapter will focus on Naruto and the others again, don't you worry.
And now Jacques has been approached...by Salem...and someone. Surprise surprise. I'm not giving names. In other news, we'll get to see the White Fang next chapter.
Pairing is still up in the air. Naturally I cut some of the previews out, can't go tossing everything into one chapter after all, as much as I'd like to. Which makes me feel rather bad for Ironwood, given that his scene keeps getting kicked back. I just need to find a transition point into it, and that didn't work out here. Next chapter for sure!
On another note, careful what you wish for, Naruto!
Go to Atlas, he said last chapter. I'll help anyone who needs it, he said. Of course the White Fang is going to notice that as did Kali and Ghira, whom we'll see soon enough. Haven't forgotten about Sienna either. Remember, at this point in time the White Fang is still very much a peaceful organization. Of course, there will always be some Faunus who are violent and Humans who dislike said Faunus, but that's simply the way the world works.
A reminder, review votes for the pairing are worth DOUBLE those on the poll. Its still a close race! Tell me what you think!
This chapter was more of a build-up than the rest, the gears have begun to turn and there's no going back. For better of worse, Naruto's made changes. Changes that we're all well aware of, but he certainly isn't.
For instance someone saw the hint last chapter -one that Cinder and Nicholas expounded upon- that more than a few folk have mistaken Naruto for a Faunus. One with a Schnee at that. He doesn't much care to correct those people at this time, even if he did, many would make their own assumptions.
Some seem to think I favor Cinder in my stories; in truth, I really don't. She just tends to feature prominently, as does Raven. In some she dies. In others, she lives. Oi, don't give me that look! I ain't spoiling anything! I have standards! Also, full credit to Fox Boss for arm ideas. You'll see some wacky ones in coming chapters. In his own words:
"I'm thinking Watts decides to go full throttle with it and makes various types for multiple situations and fighting styles."
You have no idea.
As for pairings...nope. Not telling yet.
In fact, I've even created a poll on my profile.
Give it a look and a vote after you review, will you?
Or you could just vote via review. I tend to prefer that, these days.
Reviews are all that keep this sick man going these days; they truly brighten my day.
So In the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review, Would You Kindly?
And enjoy the previews.
As ever, a warning:
SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!
READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!
PLOT DETAILS AHOY!
Read at your own risk!
Still here are we? Alrighty then.
Someone asked if Naruto's just gonna go around adopting all the kids.
Oho? Is that a challenge? It sounds like a challenge. Well then. Challenge accepted~!
Of course, he's going to have kids of his own, but I won't say with who. Not yet. Keep those votes/reviews coming!
(Preview)
"There's a mob of Faunus outside." Nicholas arched a bemused brow as the blond blinked sleep from his eyes. "Your doing, I suspect?"
...yeah, I'll deal with it."
"Wha?! Hey! Lemme go...! I'll gut you, old man!"
Naruto twitched. "Why you little...I'm not that old, you little shit!"
Roman kicked him in the groin. The blond absolutely hissed, but didn't drop him.
"Hrmph. Some master thief. Still, you've got guts breaking into my house." Instead he grinned, and it was a terrifying thing indeed. "I like that. Now where's your little friend I saw earlier-ah. There she is."
Blue eyes snapped into gold and he swept a hand outward to seize a small body by the scruff of the neck before she could slit his throat. Neo's tiny form flailed desperately, to no avail, though she did manage to stick the bastard in the ribs with her blade. He merely rolled an eye, swung her around, and sent her crashing into Roman. The impact wrenched them both free and the boy's heart leaped into his throat. This was it! Their chance to escape, get the hell out, and-
The door slammed shut in their faces.
Rather than pursue, their would-be-victim pulled up a chair.
"You know, I was just telling Cinder she needed to make some friends." their captor hummed. "She's not a very social child, you see...
Cinder soon realized she was the only one still standing, and only then out of mercy.
"No fair!" Summer sprawled flat on her back. "You cheated!"
Willow joined her a heartbeat later. "Too fast...
Raven gurgled breathlessly.
"Absolute...bastard...
Naruto shrugged.
"Round two?"
"DIE!"
"What do we do if a boy tries to hold your hand?"
Cinder tilted her head, ebony tresses falling across an amber eye. "Stab them?"
"BINGO~!" Strong arms swept her up with a delighted roar, heedless of the yelp that followed. "Got it on one! That's my girl!"
Freya hummed softly. "Aren't you a wild child?"
Cinder absolutely hissed and dove behind Naruto's legs.
"Don't mind her. She's shy. I'm sorry if she's caused you any trouble."
He wasn't prepared for her laughter. "Not at all! Why, she makes me feel young again!"
"I've seen the future! These are no saviors! They are demons in disguise! And that! That is no child." the madman raved at them, spittle frothing and flying from their lips. "That is a monster." a long, bony finger jabbed at Cinder and she shrank back with a glower. "There! There it is! Do you see the look in her eyes, brothers and sisters?! Do you see the hate she holds for her fellow man?! She will burn us all! Mark my words! She shall be the ruin of Remnant once she's grown! Listen not to these fools! Trust in the one true Goddess! Trust in Salem! Kill the demon! Kill the witch!"
Naruto growled.
"Alright. That settles it. Cult leader. Decking him now."
Willow was faster. Her rapier flicked out into the man's chest, knocking him from his pedestal.
"Her name is Cinder." she planted a boot on his chest. "And mark MY words. You lay a hand on her? Your hand comes off."
R&R~!