1,545A/N:...EDIT: Not much in the way of feedback here, and here I thought folks would enjoy a surprise update. I tried...T_T
I return. Sorry for the delay. Any and all feedback helps.
Life kept me away longer than intended, to say nothing over other events. This week's a mess.
Still, I'm back, more or less, and might be slowing down a bit this week, if only to ease myself back into things.
Lost my inspiration here for awhile, given what happened with RWBY, but now that things are being undone over there, might as well embrace the madness. It means I don't have to hold back anymore. Here goes nothing.
As ever, I own no obscure references, silly quotes, themes or memes. They are tributes one and all.
I'm just a humble author trying to make his way in this wild wacky world, one word at a time.
Ironically, Slay the Princess spurred me back into things. Sooo...here we go.
"Who are you?"
~?
Kiss of Release
Salem awoke with a scream.
Her mind burned, like someone had thrust a blazing rod of metal deep into her skull. Perhaps they had. Her head certainly ached enough for it to be so. There was a great big gap in her memory, as though a clawed hand had simply reached in to pluck the last day from her skull, leaving her numb inside and vaguely forgetful.
Yes, that was the word. She'd forgotten something. Missed something terribly important...
.
..
...but what?
The answered escaped her even as she reached for it, leaving her thoughts with naught but empty air.
Daring to open her eyes, she planted a pale hand against her forehead and took a moment to survey her surroundings.
Much to her dismay, she found herself sat on a grassy knoll overlooking a burning village.
All of it was aflame; it must've been burning for some time, now; because the flimsy buildings began to crumble even as she looked on in mute horror.
There was no life below, none that she could sense; the burnt bodies below told a tale all their own.
"What in blazes...?"
Baffled, she reached through her memories, what few she could parse.
She remembered entering that village with their captive, a bemused Naruto in tow as they threaded their way through the empty streets. Watching as Faunus shied away from them. Listening to their fearful whispers. Tasting the tension in the air as she beheld the weapons clutched in their hands. They weren't just afraid of them. They were terrified. Monsters, they called them. Pale demons of death. Tyrants who wanted nothing more than to conquer the world. And perhaps they were right about the last two bits, but it still stung.
At length, they had encountered the village chief and spoke to him.
Accepting a gift from that anxious old man and...
.
..
...nothing.
She couldn't remember anything beyond that, and it concerned her.
Now she was right back where she started, but where was-
Movement shifted behind her, boots on dying grass.
"Hey, you're finally awake."
Salem sat up and found Naruto there, his face carved from stone.
He was alright. He was safe. He was alive.
...good.
For a moment there, she'd though this a trap of some sort. One of Ozma's, no doubt. She wouldn't put it past her former husband to sacrifice an entire village if it meant weakening their reputation in the eyes of Remnant. Still, whatever his game was, they'd escaped it unscathed. Which was more than she could say for the poor Faunus below...
"What happened?"
A blond brow rose as he offered her his hand. "You don't remember?"
She clicked her tongue and took his fingers in hers, allowing him to hoist her upright. "I wouldn't be asking you if I knew now, would I?"
"Your guess is good as mine."
A lie. He was lying. Why?
His hands were bloody.
Warmth and sadness welled up in her all at once like a summer breeze as she turned her gaze back to the eviscerated village. "They'll never last, will they? Look at how they lash out at what they don't understand. They aren't like us."
"Maybe they're not meant to be."
Salem rounded on him, incredulous. "What?"
"Life's beautiful because it doesn't last." he tutted softly, squeezing her hand. "Knowing that we're here, even if only for a short time, that's what gives it meaning."
She sniffed a little and looked away. "But we are more than that, you and I."
"Yes, we are." There was something odd in his voice just then.
Salem chose to ignore it.
"I suppose we should be getting back, then." she heaved a sigh, saddened by the loss as much as the end of their reprieve. "Our children need us."
"Do they?"
There could be no ignoring that.
"Yes," she rounded on him, unable to mask her concern. "Of course they do. What's gotten into you?"
Naruto didn't look at her. He only had eyes for the burning village. "Always focused on the future, aren't you? You want to teach them how to dominate. Control. Bend everything to their will until everything is ours. And why not? There's nothing Ozma can do to stop us. Not anymore."
"No," she shook her head. "I-that's not what I want.
"Then what do you want, Salem?" he turned to face her fully and she flinched at the fire in his unnatural eyes. "Because I'm not seeing much of a point, here."
"Why are you being so calm about this?!"
"I'm the one being calm?" he blinked slowly, almost lazily. "People are dead. Or maybe they aren't." a small, hysteric laugh tumbled out of his lips. "Perhaps this is a dream. Perhaps none of this is real. Perhaps we stumbled into one one of Ozma's his traps.
She squinted at gum. "How can you be sure?"
"If I were, I would already be awake."
An ugly thorn of suspicion caught at her blackened soul and she drew back, releasing his hand as she went. "Tell me something only you would know. Tell me of the day we first met.
He chuckled. "Are you sure about that? You might not like the answer."
"Tell me!"
"Naruto" smiled. "I said you were the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen."
"Liar!"
Her hand cracked out, launching him back into a nearby tree with a blast of green balefire, where another set both man and oak alight.
And yer, for all that, neither screamed.
Salem snarled into the inferno. "You have some nerve invading my mind, Ozma!"
A low sigh answered. "I am not Ozma."
The flames sputtered and died, revealing a new likeness.
Herself.
Or rather, how she had appeared once upon a time , before she cast herself into the Grimm Pools.
Salem shrank back, terribly alarmed. "What sorcery is this...?!"
"I hadn't thoufht you would see through me so easily." This eerie mirror reflection stared back at her, smiling evet so softly. "Well done."
"Whoever you are, you can't stop me." Green fire flicked to life in her palm once more. "I've been through enough. You don't scare me."
"Scare you?" The image of herself flickered for a moment, like so much static. "That was never my intent."
Mustering her magic, she prepared to strike the impostor down. "Who are you? You're not the God of Light or Darkness, and you're clearly not Ozma. You're... something else."
Her younger self tilted their head. "I am me. As you are you. But if a name is what you seek, then you may call me...the Tree. Or perhaps the Blacksmith. Or simply...She. You may call me the Mother of your gods, if you so wish."
Mother?! No, nonsense!Riddles and vagaries! "What have you done with Naruto?! Where have you taken him?!"
"To where he is needed." her smile never wavered, not even for an instant. "I will return him to you in a moment. You will have your rest, though neither of you will remember it. As proof of my sincerity, and as an apology for what my little sons have inflicted upon you, I shall grant you a gift-
"I do not desire any such gift! BRING HIM BACK!"
"You yearn for perspective, Salem." The Blacksmith smiled at her and took ahold of her hands.. "Do not look to those who fear you for truth, little bird. The only answers worth knowing are those we find within ourselves."
All around her, the world shattered like so much glass.
"I pray you find happiness in the wars to come."
She reached for her in vain."Wait!"
It was no use.
When she awoke, the Relic of Destruction lay in her lap.
And there, sitting up beside her, scratching his head, red eyes blinking...
Naruto.
"What did I miss...?"
Salem pounced upon him and kissed him deeply.
A/N: But where did our golden boy go?
Its meant to be mystery; you'll have your answer soon enough...
This story has emerged from hibernation with the rest, but do let me know if you want to see more.
So by all means, speak up! Every bit of feedback matters here! Truly, it does! Working two jobs keeps me terribly busy. Reading reviews, ideas, hell, even suggestions in the comments helps keep my spirits strong. Without reviews, I can't write. Every bit helps, large or small! So speak up! Your words matter!
Right then, as ever, Reviews are love, Reviews are Life. Reviews keep me writing.
That's no joke. Without them, I just can't seem to write these days.
So in the immortal words of Atlas...
...review, Would You Kindly?
Every bit helps out!
As ever:
SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER!
PLOT DETAILS AHOY!
YE BE WARNED!
(Previews)
His finger wrapped around the Relic of Destruction, tracing its hilt. "At last."
Time dragged itself to a crawl
He found himself facing a blue, humanoid creature bearing long flowing sky blue-white hair and prominent blue eyes. Her pupils glowed as though lit from deep within, contrasting the dark lines running across her slim form. Eight spider-like appendages jutted from her back to form what appeared to be a crown on her head. Twin azure horns protruding from the center of that strange tiara; one jutting forth from her forehead and the second emerging from the back of her skull.
"Curious." She tilted her head to regard him. "I had thought the Prophet would find me first."
"And you are...?"
"I have no name, beyond what was given me." she paused, considering. "Calypso. You may address me as such...
EDIT: To clarfiy, her physical appearance, it 001 from Darling in the Franx, serving as the Relic Spirit of Destruction. As she had no name, Calypso was given to her.
Naruto slapped his forehead. "Great. Now there's two of them."
Ozma blinked. "Oh, dear...
"Mom...?"
~Nz.