A/N: Well. I now know what Nichoals Schnee sounds/acts like thanks to Ice Queendom. Fits perfectly with the image I'm going for here.
Also, Season 9 has officially gone off the deep end. Two episodes left.
*coughs*
Still having trouble breathing but I'm trying to push through.
With my fifteen year anniversary on this site finally here, I find myself reflecting on the little things in life. What was once a lazy pastime meant for me and a few friends really grew and evolved over time. There are days when I look back on the last fifteen years here and I wonder if anyone will remember me; if I made an impact, despite never making a single cent on any of these stories. Some days were happier than others, and some stories I enjoyed writing WAY too much; to the point where I'd stay up all night working on them.
And of course, there are times when I look to the future and wonder what will become of things when I'm gone.
Of course, I try not to dwell on the latter overmuch; I'm still alive and still writing. In an ideal world, I'd like to keep doing so for as long as I can. But old age is catching up to me and these days, the world is filled with so much madness and death. The recent earthquake in Turkey/Syria serves as a terrible example. Even before that, so many friends and fellow writers I once knew are gone, now. Will I still be here in twenty years? Ten? Five? Its a chilling thought. But for now, I'm still here, still writing.
No questions this time around. There's work to be done~!
Alright, I think I've kept you waiting long enough. As ever, Time and feedback will determine if this remains a story in the future.
In other words...its up to YOU, the reader. Do let me know~!
We've got the timeskip coming soon, but not quite yet.
References to Ice Queendom in here:
Title is a rhyme~!
"How did you become so strong, Grandfather?"
"Bit of an accident, Weiss. My joy in life always came from protecting and serving others. I never really wanted to become...well...Death.
"So how did you?"
"Hmm. Bit of a long story, that. Listen, Weiss. A day may come when you feel you're not strong enough. A day when you feel small. A day when you fail. But that's alright. Failure makes us stronger. Whether that means following in my footsteps or running the SDC...that's your choice. Until then this gift will be like a castle, protecting you. Eventually however, you yourself will become a castle that will protect others. And that will make me quite proud indeed."
"...should I castle just like you did, then?"
Ha! That's right. Inside your heart, build the biggest and most noble castle you can.
Build it together with the friends you'll one day meet. You never know. You might meet them sooner than you think."
~Wise Words.
Fear is Here
"Welcome home, Hazel."
Salem knew something was wrong at once; if only because Hazel flinched when she said the words.
Nevertheless, the silent giant bent his knee before her. "I come bearing a gift, my queen."
Salem tilted her heard. "A gift?"
There was a box tucked under his right arm. He offered it to her now. "It was given to me, for you."
She accepted it with a frown. "By whom?"
...I would rather not say."
Her smile soured. "Leave me."
Hazel obeyed all too readily. That was her first warning.
Salem eyed her "gift" intently, considering it as one might a ticking time bomb. Immortal though she was, she couldn't deny a silent pang of curiosity. Hazel wouldn't dare betray her; he knew full well that she could not be slain. Any treachery on his part would be pointless. No matter. She was immortal. Whatever trap lay within, she would survive.
Salem opened the box.
Tyrians severed head stared back at her. Calm. She must be calm.
Wait. There was a note taped to his cheek. She unfurled it and read it contents.
Three words awaited her within.
"You were warned."
Her eyes flashed.
"No." she hissed. "No, no, NO!"
Salem shrieked in fury and flung Tyrian's head against the nearest wall.
(.0.0.0.)
He was a gentleman.
The realization startled Glynda; if only because she'd expected more from him after all this time.
In truth, Naruto cleaned up rather nicely when he wasn't butchering his enemies.
More than that, he'd been on his best behavior. There were untoward actions on his part-no overt gestures or suggestions of sex-quite the opposite, really. He was the very picture of decorum. He'd treated her to a simple meal, talked with her for a time, then walked her home after dinner.
She expected some sort of move then, a play on her perhaps, but none came.
He was just...so...old fashioned! She couldn't tell if she liked that or not! It was maddening!
"Well, here we are." Once they stood just outside their door, Naruto took her hand in his, raised it to his lips and kissed the back of her knuckles. "Until next time."
Baffling.
Utterly baffling.
He didn't make a lick of sense.
His peace said, the immortal let her go and stepped back.
Glynda found herself calling out after him. "Where are you headed next?
"Mistral, then Atlas." His smirk was smug, that of a hunter who had found fresh prey. "I have a few debts to collect, and old friends to visit."
She quirked a brow at him. "Going to see one of your grandchildren?
"One, yes."
Glynda counted herself lucky she wasn't one of them. It would've felt far too strange. Even now she still found herself struggling with the concept of dating someone who may well be hundreds of years old. If they shared blood...no, just no. She had her limits, lines she wouldn't cross. This was one of them. Thankfully she needn't worry about that.
"When will you return to Vale?" she cursed herself for asking, but it was too late, the words were in the wind.
"In a few days." his eyes twinkled. "Might I have the pleasure of your company when I return?"
Heat crawled up the back of her neck. "What did you have in mind?"
"Perhaps a walk in the park?"
Said heat reached her face now turning her cheeks a rosy pink. Ah. She understood now his game now. Naruto was in no rush. None at all. This would be a slow burn. How refreshing. He wasn't going to make a move until she did. She couldn't remember the last time she'd dated someone like that. Who would crack first? Him? Or her? For once, Glynda didn't know, and the uncertainty excited her.
"I'd like that."
His eyes flashed.
Then he vanished in a streak of gold.
Glynda sighed and leaned against her door.
An enigma. He was a complete and utter enigma.
Still...she'd given him one chance already, hadn't she?
Perhaps she might see her way to giving him a second...and a third...
(.0.0.0.)
Death was coming.
Here. For him. On this night. Lionheart knew it in his bones. He knew it, dreaded it, feared it in equal measure; just as he'd known he always would. Knowing did not help him prepare. Knowing only made things worse. So much worse. Ignorance was bliss. Ignorance was always bliss. There were monsters in the dark and he found himself ruing the day he ever learned of them. Even now the shadows seemed to stretch out for him, trying to trip him up with their questing fingers.
Leo kept his head down and kept walking.
He'd packed his things, wiped his records, and chartered himself a private bullhead to the distant wastes of Vacuo.
No one went to Vacuo these days. He'd live a new life, under a new name. No more Salem, no more Ozpin.
Just had to make it to the airport. He was close now. So very close...
.
..
...why was he on the ground? Had he tripped?
He blinked, baffled, and looked down.
His right hand came away red.
A sickle jutted out of his stomach, having pierced the small of his back.
And he heard the whistle.
Dread dawned.
"No...
Someone spun him around. A low grow filled he air. He glimpsed red eyes in the gloom.
Moonlight danced off bloody steel. There were no clever words. No puns. Nothing.
Simply...his end.
Lionheart flung up an arm to ward him off. Silent steel sheared it off at the elbow. He screamed.
"No, wait! Please!"
Death waited for no one.
Bloodstains spattered the alley.
(.0.0.0.)
"You're leaving the Tribe?!"
Raven shoved the last of her belongings into a duffel bag, checked Omen at her hip, and grunted once.
"Boss, you can't!"
Red eyes rolled as she ignored the man pleading with her and stalked out her tent. More endless bleating. It hadn't changed an hour ago and it wouldn't changed now.
She had to leave the tribe. She didn't want to, but she must. Word had reached her of Leonardo Lionheart's grisly death three days ago. Sudden being the operative word. Someone had put his head on a spike outside the gates of Haven and written a warning in his blood. If she stayed here she would die.
He was back.
'You know why.' a nasty little voice hissed in her head. "You broke your promise. He will come for you. Kill you.'
She fought down a shiver.
Yes, he would. That one kept his word. Ever and always.
So she had to run. Far, far, far away from here before it was too late.
Best to leave now at dusk. He couldn't track her in the dark, surely. Even he wasn't that skilled.
Vale wouldn't do, Ozpin was there, and she'd never be safe here in Mistral. Atlas, maybe? Vacuo? No, screw Vacuo. Nobody liked Vacuo. Vacuo was the pits. Menagerie, maybe? She'd run there if it meant getting away from her father in law. Caught between her two great fears; an immortal Grimm monster that couldn't die, and a death dealing destroyer. What could she do but run? She'd have to cut her hair, maybe even change her name, but she could figure that out on the way. For now she must flee.
A tiny hand grabbed at her wrist. "You can't leave us! What will we do without you?!
Raven scoffed. "Live normal lives? Die? I don't care."
"But...but I'm your apprentice...
Raven looked down at the little girl grasping her arm. Something stirred in her cowardly heart. Vernal was the same age as Yang. There would be no place for her in the tribe. She knew full what happened to helpless little girls with no one to protect them. "Then as your master, let me do you one last favor. Say hello to Taiyang for me."
"Wha?"
She cut a portal through the air with her blade, grabbed the small child by the scruff of her neck, and tossed her through. Then she closed it behind her.
There. She'd done her good deed for the year. Vernal would live, if nothing else.
"Hey!" One of her tribesmen bridled. "What about the rest of us?!
She shrugged and walked away. "Too bad, so sad don't care."
A harsh click echoed behind her.
Sloppy, she chided herself as she felt cold steel pressed against the back of her head. In her prime, in her right state of mind she never would've let one of these bastards get the drop on her. Not that it mattered. She had aura...and she most assuredly didn't have the time to deal with a few surly jagoffs who didn't know when to run for the hills.
She hear the safety being thumbed off. "You think you can just walk away from us, boss?!
Her eyes blazed with crimson flame.
"Yes, I do."
Frost fled from her fingertips in a singular surge to render the stupid bastard a human ice sculpture, pistol and all.
"Can, am, will." she flipped them off over her shoulder and made for the gate. "You're on your own."
"So that's it?!" someone shouted at her back. "You're just going to run?!
Another took up the clal. "Without us, you will always live a life of-
A figure stepped out the shadows ahead of her.
"FEAR."
Raven stumbled backward.
There was no whistle. No warning. He simply...appeared.
"Even after all these years, you're still afraid, Raven. Some things never change...
Her blood ran cold.
He was every bit as terrible and terrifying as she remembered and utterly unchanged. He hadn't aged a day since she'd saw him last. Somehow that made it worse. He loped toward her with lazy grace, wearing that small smile of his, sickles in hand.
No.
Not him.
Not...not here.
She couldn't speak at first. She didn't dare. She could only walk backward-away from him.
"Sorry to crash the party with your tribe, or should I say your corpses." He casually slit the throat of a nearby bandit as he walked past. "You know why I'm here, Raven." One of her men rushed him and lost their head for it as he swiped backwards. "I warned you what would happen if you broke my son's heart." his words turned her cold blood to purest ice. "You didn't listen. Now I've come for you.
But I'm still alive!
"Are you?" he tilted his head and for a wild moment she imagined a wild wolf staring down a flightless bird. "You had a good life." Another bandit fell over as he gutted them. "You didn't value it. You're not going to change. So in lieu of a long-winded speech, why don't I do us both a favor and kill you now?
"That's not-
"Fair?" a sickle flashed before her face, hooking itself painfully in her left nostril. "And what would you know of fairness, hmm?
"I'm stronger now! I've become a Maiden!"
"And you're weak as ever."
"You were gone!"
"I has some business to attend to. But you lot," he looked past her. "Your tribe isn't even worth dirtying my blades.
His eyes pulsed. The wind keened.
Dozens of men and women pitched over, dead.
Naruto clicked his tongue. "Run, run, little bird.
Raven did. She flung herself through the trees. Her mind went mad. She saw him in the branches. Looming behind the trees. Semblance! She had to use her semblance! Taiyang would be furious with her, but anything was better than-
A hand burst out of the dark and seized her by the hair, hauling her back.
"I've enjoyed the chase, birdie." he pulled back his hood, freeing his hair, "But I think we've reached the end now, you and I...
He swung down at her throat.
"Wait! Mercy!
The sickle paused.
"I'm afraid!" she warded one hand before her face to fend him off. "I've always been afraid! Of you, of Oz, of Salem, of getting attached, of everything! I'm sorry!"
Steel descended.
There was no pain.
.
..
...Raven creaked an eye open.
Naruto loomed over her. "...well done."
She gulped. "You said you were going to kill me!"
"And I did." he granted her a death's head smile. "I killed the old you. Who are you now...well. That remains to be seen.
"But why...?"
"I believe in second chances." in a flash the sickle hooked around her throat. "There will not be a third. Make something better of your life than this...or we'll meet again."
He vanished into so much mist.
Raven collapsed with a sob
"I will, I promise...
(.0.0.0.)
Jacques drank.
Then he drank some more.
He kept drinking. And drinking.
A wise man once said salvation could be found at the bottom of a bottle. If it was there he had yet to find it.
And so he kept drinking.
One of the benefits of being obscenely wealthy; he had his own bar in the manor, outfitted with all manner of wine, whisky, even vodka when he was feeling courageous. But he did not feel brave today. If anything, he was quite tired. Even the finest drink couldn't wash away the migraine beating at his brain. He'd had an awful day. Blasted white fang. Filthy animals. Why couldn't they let a honest man make an honest wage? .
"Another round, Klein." he thumped the now-empty green glass bottle on the counter. "Give me the strongest vintage you have."
"As you wish, sir." the man in question bowed. "I keep the strong wine in the back." but rather than retrieve it, the butler dithered. "Sir, if I may speak frankly...
"You already are."
He took the plunge. "Perhaps you should consider retiring."
Jacques nearly brained him with the bottle outright; it was only his atrocious aim that caused him to miss. It shattered against the wall, spraying glass everywhere. Klein didn't bat an eyelash. He was butler to little Weiss first and foremost, such outbursts seldom fazed him these days.
"All this drinking is adverse to your health, to say nothing of your hair-
Jacques scowled at him. "Get me that bottle and shut your damn mouth!" he hiccuped once. "One more word of you and I'll have you sacked! Do you hear me?! Sacked!"
Klein did just that.
Jacques all but tore the bottle from his grasp.
Ah, an Atlesian vintage. He uncorked it with a flick of his thumb.
"Me?!" He scoffed at his surly, flushed reflection within the blue glass. "Retire?!"
Sure profits were down, his family wouldn't listen to him, and shareholders were unhappy, but things would bounce back. They always did.
"I'll never retire." he hissed down into the counter. "The SDC is mine. MINE! I bled for this! I suffered for this! I earned this! No one will take it from me!"
A low whistle sang through the air.
Every hair on his body, his mustache included, bristled.
He'd heard that whistle once before at his wedding. Hadn't he?
He turned, startled to find that he was no longer alone; a hooded figure sat beside them, their face hidden by a heavy black cowl, still whistling. The melody tickled the back of his brain. Why did it fill him with dread. He couldn't remember. He thought he might, but his mind was far too fogged by drnk. Why? What had he forgotten?
Without warning, the whistling stopped.
"Well, well," Jacques glimpsed the ghost of a smile within the shadows of that hood. "If isn't Jacques Gele himself.
Jacques knocked the bottle back and drank deeply. "Its Schnee, now. How did you get in here...?
"Hmmhmm." the stranger hummed." Even after all these years, you haven't changed." much to his confusion, those words warped into a low chortle. "You just dyed your hair. There's the same mustache, the same attitude and of course, the same suit." he clicked his tongue in mild admonishment. "My compliments to your tailor."
He wasn't nearly sober enough for this. "Do I know you? This is private property. I could have you thrown out of here in an instant...!
"You could try. I wouldn't recommend that." the stranger flipped the hood back. And he saw. "It wouldn't end well...for you.
No.
Not here.
N-Not, not now.
"Hello Jacques." Nicholas Schnee smiled back at him blond hair threaded through with silver, almost white as his teeth. "Klein, you can stay. The rest of you?" a lien card flashed between his fingers. "Out. Take the night off on me. You'll be paid triple for the rest of the week."
Footsteps scampered as every servant fled for their lives.
In his drunken stupor, Jacques didn't have the heart to try and stop them. They were wise to flee; because they remembered the lord of this manor well as did he. Nicholas Schnee -or Naruto as he sometimes called himself- had a certain reputation for inspiring both love and fear in those close to him.
Jacques felt the latter now.
Nicholas had once said the loved the smell of fear. That it was intoxicating. Feeling it was worse. He couldn't blink. Couldn't move. Couldn't speak. A bead of sweat birthed itself upon his brow, ran down his cheek, and dripped down down his chin. It turned to ice by the time it struck the ground. Cold. Why was the air so cold around him? He shouldn't be surprisd. This man could move faster than the naked eye, cross continents with ease and so much more. He'd once seen him shatter an iceberg with one punch. By that mark a bit of cryokinesis seemed downright mundane.
A finger tapped down on the counter.
"So," he took a long drink, "how have you been?
Stilling his hammering heart, he faced himself to speak. "I have...been well, father."
Well, his father-in-law, but still.
"Have you now?" The glass came down, the drink within barely touched. "That's not what I heard.
Meep.
"I gave you and Willow the SDC because I had neither the time nor the patience for it anymore. Because I thought you could help my daughter run it well." Red eyes watched the whiskey swirling in the glass, a lone ice cube rapidly thawing within. "And you did. For a time...
Jacques squeaked. "Profits have never been higher-
"We both know I don't care about profits." a finger traced the lacquered wood counter. "I care about my family. You've behaved yourself with Willow." his eyes never left the tiny square of ice, watching intently as it began to shrink. "Which is good. I told you what would happen if you laid a hand on her...or your children. But you haven't been a proper husband or father, either..
Naruto continued to tap the counter with one finger.
Tap.
"Are you still behaving, Jacques?"
Tap. Tap.
"Y-yes of course, I am."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
He stood . "Now what did I tell you about lying...?
"I'm not lying! I did what you said! I made things better!"
"Then why are the White Fang attacking your shipments, hmmm?" his voice carried a dangerous rumble. "And why haven't I see Willow or any of my grandchildren since I arrived here? Do I need to take another finger?
"Its not my fault they're like this!" The words burst from him in a wail. "Willow won't listen to me! Winter did as she wished! She left for the military soon as she could. Weiss wants to become a huntress! Whitley wants to be just like you!"
"And did it ever occur to you to ask why?"
"Sir, please," he gulped, "I tried to take charge-
A hand squeezed his shoulder painfully. "Do you feel in charge?"
"Grandfather?" a small voice cooed from the doorway. "Is that really you...?"
"Aha!" Nicholas -Naruto!- pivoted atop his seat, all smiles. "There's my little snowflake! Gimme a hug!"
Weiss giggled and launched herself at him. Naruto released him to catch her and swing her round. Jacques had never appreciated his daughter more than than this moment; because in holding her, the Schnee patriarch let go of him, which in turn gave him time to scurry away to safety.
"Where's your brother and mother?"
"Practicing." she chirruped up at him as he tousled her hair. "I can use my semblance now!"
"Is that so...?"
"Mmm!" her head bobbed, setting her little ponytail swaying. "I summoned a knight yesterday!"
...I see."
Naruto's gaze snapped to Jacques. The latter fought down a flinch. It wasn't his fault! She wanted to fight an Arma Gigas! Oh, yes. He knew precisely what the women of the family were "practicing" deep within the Schnee manor. Foul techniques. Summoning. Magic. Chakra. The seed was strong. As were the Schnees. He...was not. He'd only married into the family after all. He was only a man, one with aura to be sure, but aura meant nothing to them. Fire and damnation. Had he truly known just what bloodline he was marrying into, he would have run far away.
It was too late for that now.
He'd made a deal with the Devil, with Death himself.
There could be no escape now. Even if he perished, he would still serve.
"Lovely." Naruto scooped Weiss up into his arms and let her climb onto his back. "Why don't we pay them a visit. Oh, but first..Jacques."
The former Gele whimpered. "Yes?"
"Earlier today, I told a little bird that I believe in second chances." A cold blue eye gleamed over his shoulder as he walked away. "You know what will happen if we meet again."
Jacques slid down to the ground.
Klein handed him a bottle, leaving him to stew in his misery.
Jacques popped the cork and drank. All the whiskey in the world wasn't enough for this.
A/N: *whistles*
Aaaaand there we go.
In an ironic twist of fate, Jacques is the drinker this time around, not Willow. Seems fitting. He runs the SDC in name only. Willow and her children are the real power behind the scenes, and powerful they are, given they're of Naruto's blood...
We get to see some proper family bonding next chapter; sweet fluffy goodness and more~!
Last Wish references abound, hope you enjoyed 'em!
How many grandkids/kids, you ask? The answer is YES. Not all the cast, but yes.
Its heavily implied that Naruto's is a grandfather in this story, aka Nicholas Schnee. Also a stone-cold killer wielding the infamous weapons of Death himself. Strangely enough, it fits when you look into Nicholas' backstory. They're a lot alike.
Aaaand there we go. Hope you enjoyed it.
Soooo? Should this be a story? Yay or nay? Need to hear from you here.
Hoe someone, somewhere, enjoyed this. I just don't know anymore these days.
So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...Review...Would You Kindly?
Hope you enjoy the previews~!
(Previews!)
"GRANDFATHER!"
Whitley launched himself at his grandsire.
Mother looked just as surprised -and pleased!- to see him again. She walked to grandfather at a brisk place and gave him a fierce hug.
"We didn't know you were coming!
You've gotten better with that.
Winter dropped her saber with a yelp.
"How long have you been standing there?"
"Only a few minutes. Come here. I got you a gift."
Her face warmed at his praise. "Thank you, grandfather."
"Why did I play with my food?! There's no fun in killing you now...
She gulped. "D-Does that mean I get to live...?"
He stared at for a long moment.
"Want a job?"
"Sooo...did she scream?"
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Who?"
"Goodwitch. Who else? Always took her for a screamer...
Qrow did not fear death. Maybe that was his semblance. Or his upbringing. They said anyone who came near Nicholas-sorry, Naruto-was destined for death. A bad end, if you would, that sort of thing. If that were true he would've died ong ago. Bad luck and death went hand in hand. He didn't fear the old man anymore than he feared his crappy luck.
"Diddya at least hold hands?"
"We did. Felt nice to be old-fashioned for once. Is there a reason you're here to torment me."
"Ruby's getting her scythe today." his smirk became a shit-eating grin. "Figured you'd wanna be there."
He was right.
..."I knew you were my favorite son-in-law.
Adam crashed through a tree. His sword skewered the bark inches from his face.
"Pick it up."
"Be nice to each other. You both want to be Hunters, after all. Might as well get along.
"Yes, grampa.
"Okay, grandpa."
Ruby waited until he left the room. Then she grinned. "He's kinda scary, huh?"
The blond boy nodded. "Yeah...
"Well, duh." Ruby tilted her head. "Scary is what grampa does. He only kills bad people, though. Don't worry!"
Jaune gulped. "That...is not encouraging. Wait. Did you say grampa?"
"Yeah, why...?"
"I have a cousin!?"
"I have a cousin, too?!"
"You know, I'm not a cat person. Never have been. Just can't help it." Run along, kitty-kat." the hooded figure made a shooing motion. "Monsters come out at night.
Blake grimaced. "Who are you?"
His smile took on a bemused edge. His head tilted to the left, just a little, exposing tawny blond hair. "Ask Sun."
"Ah...hey gramps. I promise this isn't what it looks like."
"No? Looks to me like you're hunting White Fang...
"Sorrysorrysorrypleasdon'tbreakmyeverything-
...without me! How could you?!"
Death walked among them. Amber couldn't think of any other word for it. It was all she could do to hold her wound shut, to watch him wade in. They couldn't touch him. Three to one and none of them came close; not even once. Steel flashed, sickles danced and they were the ones to fall back, bleeding badly.
"Three against one, hmm?" he tilted his head beneath the hood, grinning as an arrow whistled past his cheek. "Now that's unfair...
His sickle flicked out. One of their attackers pitched back, headless.
"Oops." he smiled thinly." Two, now. Better, but not quite."
A lazy swipe took another head. Someone yelped.
"And then there was one...
R&R~!