Chapter 454 - My CO Stash #54 - Embers of Hope by NeonZangetsu (NarutoXRWBY)

-Great fic to burn time, it kinda reminds me of White Sheep by Coeur~ Jacques getting what he deserves is also a cherry on top!

Synopsis: Salem's heart died long ago with her children. It had turned cold and black, like the Grimm she commanded. All that remained were the faded embers of Hope. Tiny, forgotten feelings, wasted sentiment she had no need of. She needed nothing. No one. Or so she thought. Until she found him. A single whim on her part just might bring the world together. Narutoxharem? You decide !

Rated: T

Words: 57K

Posted on: fanfiction.net/s/13518823/1/Embers-of-Hope (NeonZangetsu)

PS: If you're not able to copy/paste the link, you have everything in here to find it, by simply searching the author and the story title. It sucks that you can't copy links on mobile (´ー｀)

-I'll be putting the chapter ones of all the fanfics/originals mentioned, to give you guys a sample if you wan't more please do go to the website and support the author! (And maybe even convince them to start uploading chapters in here as well!)

Chapter 0+1

"In all my lifetimes, I have discovered three powerful emotions in this world.

The first is joy. That unparalleled feeling of bliss and hope and strength. Brightest and sharpest of them all.

The second is sorrow. Misery and tears have often moved armies and nations alike, swayed the hears of bitter enemies.

The third would be hate. They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned; that there is no greater enemy than that of a former friend. They'd be right."

~Ozpin.

Prologue

"Bwah."

That single, solitary sound, stole Salem's soul.

It wasn't even a real word that finished her off; more a gurgle really, a tiny pitiful mewl begging for her undivided attention. That, or perhaps food. She couldn't be sure. Still the immortal woman found herself undone by it all the same. She was the Mother of All Things Grimm. Terror incarnate. Mortals feared her. Men and women alike wept when they heard her name. Grimm everywhere bowed to her. Ozpin and his Inner Circle feared her very presence. And yet, Salem had no more hope of vanquishing this menace than she did of defeating the Gods themselves.

The Mother of Grimm looked left.

The Mother of Grimm looked right.

Finally, the Mother of Grimm looked down.

Much to her chagrin, the blasted baby was still there.

Bright blue eyes gazed back at her from within a tiny, whiskered face.

"Where did you come from?" she muttered crossly, making a shooing motion as though to banish a bad dream. "Go on now, shoo."

Much to her chagrin, baby most assuredly did not "shoo." It stayed right where it was, transfixed by her. At least the blasted brat wasn't crying anymore. That was what had woken her in the first place. Salem scowled at it and the infant actually had the temerity to giggle. Giggle! At her! What manner of trickery was this? Ozpin's doing perhaps? No. Her lover had been many things in the past, but not even he would be so cruel as to leave a starving child on her doorstep wrapped in swaddling cloth and left for dead. Which begged the ancient question:

Where.

The Hell.

Did he come from?!

Who in their right mind would bring a child to her doorstep?! In the badlands no less! It was a miracle that he hadn't been eaten alive by some wild Grimm!

Upon further inspection, she realized the ground beneath the boy was scorched black Well. Blacker than usual. Curious. A ritual gone wrong perhaps. Or perhaps some other ghastly secret that she didn't understand? Nor was he unprotected. A pale blue cloth cocooned its body. There was even a name stitched into said blanket, one her keen eyes instantly discerned. Na~ru~to. She sounded it out, rolling the syllables around on her tongue. Not the name she'd have chosen for a child. Bah. Whatever the case, the origins of this tiny pink creature didn't matter, she supposed. His fate was still sealed.

She tentatively nudged the bundle with a boot; unfortunately, this startled the child and it began crying again.

No. Salem would have none of that noise.

"CEASE!" she snarled loudly.

To her disbelief, it did.

Unfortunately, the Mother of Grimm miscalculated in her anger; for the reprieve she received proved as brief as it was poignant. Then it cried even louder. She grit her teeth against the sound and weighed her options as she stared down at the squalling infant. The sensible thing to do would be to kill it. This was no place for a bawling brat. If she couldn't stomach doing the deed herself, then surely one of her many minions would be more than happy to do it for her. Tyrian perhaps. He would feel no guilt from such a fiendish act.

Or if she were feeling merciful, she could simply have Watts deposit him at an orphanage somewhere.

Yes, that sounded sensible. This was no place for a child.

And yet.

And yet, the longer Salem stared at this tiny pink creature, the less certain she became. He was still crying and try as she might to ignore it, something in her dead heard twitched at the sound. Perhaps it was a shame to snuff out a life so young. He could be a useful pawn. She began telling herself such lies to soothe her conscience, to deceive herself. No one else knew of the boy. No one would dare to question her. She could do with him as she pleased...couldn't she?

Abruptly, she realized the boy had stopped crying.

Oh, he was still whimpering, but he'd simply lost the strength to continue carrying on in such a state. The whimpering made it worse; made her feel as though she were the villain here. Well, she was, but still! Gods knew she was a touch out of practice these days, but Salem was no stranger to children nor the art of raising them. She'd reared four girls, after all. Before. In happier times. Her heart had been warmer then. Before his betrayal and all that had come after. Before-

"No." she hissed the word to herself as much as the dead air and clamped down on that thought before it could consume her.

But it would not be denied.

A whim wriggled to the forefront of her mind, blotting out all else until finally, her arms betrayed her. She looked left. Looked right. Made utterly certain that no one would see what she was about to do. After a moment's hesitation, she awkwardly reached down and plucked the infant off the blackened earth. His whimpers ceased immediately. Wide, wondering eyes gazed up at her until she pressed him into her shoulder and began to rub the small of his back. Right, then. She could do this. Small, quick steps, retreat swiftly to her quarters, then-

Then he started drooling on her.

Salem twitched. "Stop that. Right now."

The drooling only continued as it had before.

Salem absolute twitched. "I hate you. I really, truly do."

She didn't. Not really. Not truly. Nor did she know how much she'd changed her fate.

A/N: You aren't ready for the chaos I just unleashed.

As a future note, Salem's going to have her hair down in all future chapters. Just looks better. Trust me. Now then.

Well.

That just happened.

NOW BEFORE YOU START!

This isn't going to be one of those Naruto-raised-by Salem and he's pure evil stories. Nor will this be one of those stories where he defects and joins the good guys because of a moral crisis or some bloody bleeding heart. This is going to be a mad hybridization of the two. How, you ask? Well, I COULD explain it to you, tell you all bout the five chapters I've already written out and all...but I think I'll just let the previews do the talking for me.

Don't believe me?

The previews speaks for themselves.

Soooooo in the Immortal Words of Atlas...Review, Would You Kindly?

They keeps me alive. Without them, I'll just vanish into the void. Poof. Gone.

(Preview)

...what are you doing here, Ozpin?"

For that WAS Ozma standing in her door. At least, the latest incarnation of that cowardly bastard. His bespectacled gaze shifted to the tiny bundle in her arms while his own...carried a parcel of some sort. What the devil was he up to this time? Her surprise jumped up another notch when he pushed said parcel into her arms. It contained...diapers, of all things. And formula. Clothes, too. Aghast, she awkwardly accepted them with her free arm. Someone snickered in the background. She swore to kill whomever it was. Later. When she wasn't holding the boy.

"I'd heard the rumors, but I had to see it for myself." her heart lurched painfully at tenderness in her old lover's words. "You're actually taking care of a baby."

"How did you know?"

His eyes twinkled. "A little bird told me."

Qrow was dead. Oz was dead. THEY WERE ALL DEAD. Before she could absolutely EVISCERATE him, the headmaster hastened onward.

"I would like to propose a truce." Ozpin began delicately, choosing his words with great care as though his very life depended on it. "Regarding that boy."

"A truce. With Salem."

To his credit, Ozpin didn't bat an eyelash. "Albeit a temporary one."

Ironwood, however, all but roared and shook him like a tree. "HAVE YOU GONE MAD?!"

Cinder scoffed. "Bah! Weak, the lot of you! Look at him! Brat's not even five and half you're already wrapped around his little finger! Salem's swooning over him! Tyrian wants to teach him to MURDER people! Watts, you gave him a math book just this morning! Hazel was trying to unlock his aura earlier for crying out loud! Well! I for one will not be swayed by this little HELLSPAWN-

"Cin-duh." Naruto lisped, pointing in her direction.

Her head snapped around with an audible crack. "DID HE JUST SAY MY NAME?!"

Watts groaned and slapped five lien into Hazel's awaiting hand. "Take your damn money."

Neither man batted an eyelash when Cinder bolted back to the boy's side and crushed him against her bosom.

One of them did complain, however.

"Lucky little shit...

Chapter 1

"Hmm. The boy scratches an itch to be sure...but I may want more."

"More? I'm afraid I don't understand. What do you mean by-

"More children, you fool! Must I spell it all out for you?!"

"Salem, no. Bad idea. That...that is a terrible idea."

"Salem, yes! I'll do as I please!"

~?

Mama Knows Best

"My queen, you seem...distracted. Is this wise?"

Salem tilted her head as she reclined upon her throne, contemplating Tyrian's inquiry.

Did she think raising a baby in the Grimmland wise? No, not at all. Not in the least. It was downright foolish, really.

Did she care? Not. At. All. She'd never been one to listen to conventional wisdom eons ago and she wasn't about to start now.

Little Naruto gurgled contentedly in her arms and something in her cold heart melted all over again. Say what you would about his diapers, but the boy was a good baby; in that he hardly cried when she was near, or was held. Thus, Salem had done the logical thing and decided to carry him everywhere in a sling around her chest. This was what she deemed the most logical choice mind you, not at all realizing what it did to her image. The Mother of All Grimm, carrying a baby against her b.r.e.a.s.t and b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding him at that. Fear her, ye mortals!

"Good boy." she cooed, patting her son's head.

The thought brought her up short. Son. He was, wasn't he?

She'd never had one of those before. Perhaps this would prove a learning experience.

Never had she wanted something so badly and never known until she received it. Only a few months in and already she found herself utterly undone by the boy currently cradled in her arms. Any resistance she might have managed to mount had dissolved within the first twenty-four hours of taking him in to her home. At the time, Salem had thought her reasoning sound. She'd been a mother once before, how hard could it be? So she was a few...centuries out of practice. What could possibly go wrong?

In a word?

Every. Bloody. Thing.

Salem was the Queen of the Grimm.

In her life, nothing was ever simple. Not one thing.

She couldn't simply walk to the story and buy diapers for her boy now, could she?

Watts -wily devil that he was- had to be approached first because she needed to secure supplies for the boy. Supplies that Hazel in turn was used to procure because most of the living world thought Arthur dead. Grimm ranged far and wide to fetch what couldn't simply be acquired through...less than legal means. From there Tyrian wanted to know was going on, which in turn meant young Cinder felt left out and was thus brought into the loop. Honestly. Her minions could be such children at times. These last few days had proven to be a panicked blur that she could only vaguely recall, but Salem wouldn't trade them for the world.

Which brought her back to Tyrian's question.

"I am well aware of your concerns," she hummed, laying her chin to rest on the back of her free hand, "But this matter isn't up for discussion. In the meantime we will continue. How goes the search for the Fall Maiden-

"Then why not just kill the babe?!" Tyrian put in petulantly. "It serves no purpose but to distract you from your divine duties!"

Salem went absolutely still. "I'm sorry. I must have misheard you, Tyrian. Did you just question me?"

Watts audibly slapped a palm against his face. "Bollocks. Right then, I'll just be leaving now-

"Idiot." Hazel rumbled. Good man. He'd taken the words right out of her mouth.

Still, they thought they could escape? No. An example must be set.

"Stay."

In her peripherals, she was only distantly aware of the two men freezing up; they didn't flee the room without being dismissed. No, they didn't dare, if only out of fear of drawing down their queen's wrath onto them. The same could not be said of Tyrian. Madman though he was, he wasn't suicidal. He realized his mistake the moment he'd spoken; alas, it was far, far too late to save himself. He stood transfixed by her gaze, wholly unable to move as she rose from her seat. The poor Faunus quivered beneath her burning red eyes.

"My queen, please!" he cried, raising an arm to shield his face. "I meant no offense-

Salem didn't think; there was only action. A mere flick of her wrist upended the table and flung everyone from their seats like straw dolls. The tiniest twitch of her fingers created a swarm of shadowy arms at Tyrian's feet, ready and willing to respond to their mistress's command. Her follower didn't even have time to try and flee, much less comprehend his own imminent peril. Even as he found his footing they surged upright as one being, countless limbs clawing -tearing!- at his body to drag him back down to the floor and pin him there.

In his sling, Naruto giggled and tugged at her hair; it almost broke Salem out of her rage. Almost.

Gentle red eyes flicked downward.

"There, there, sweetie. Mommy will be with you in a minute."

Then her gaze flitted snapped to Tyrian and her fury intensified tenfold.

"I would like you to explain to me, how it is you failed to understand my words so spectacularly." she began slowly as she adjusted her dress, took her child from her b.r.e.a.s.t, and steadied him in his sling. Only then did she deign to glide forward. "Did I not tell you the matter was closed?"

Tyrian whimpered wordlessly. "I beg your forgiveness-mrrmph?!"

An inky black hand clamped down around his mouth, muffling his cries.

"Stop." With that said, Salem's boot settled on his head with a painful crunch. He dare not raise his eyes to meet hers for fear of being struck down on the spot. "Let me rephrase the question. Who is responsible for this situation in which you find yourself? I suppose you could blame Hazel or Watts." a dangerous smile bloomed on her lips. "Or even me, if you were feeling bold. But that wouldn't be fair now, would it? We all know who's truly to blame, don't we? You. Blink once for yes, twice for no."

He capitulated just so.

"There you have it." she growled.

"I've only held this boy for a few months now." Salem continued, reaching down to cup his chin in her hand. "But if anything were to happen to Naruto, to my baby," her voice began to darken ow, the crimson veins briefly blazing back to life in her face before receding, "If someone were to hurt my son...I would kill them, everyone in this room and then myself. Over. And over." Starting with you. Would you like that, Tyrian?"

The faunus frantically shook his head, but with his mouth gagged, could only grumble.

"I thought not." Smiling, she released him. "Now fix the damn table."

Hazel coughed. "Pretty sure you were the one to break it-

Red eyes snapped to him. "Excuse me?"

His burly arms snapped up.

"N-Nothing, ma'am!"

"Then help him."

It would be so easy to slay him for his impudence. Tyrian, too. Just a little push and their heads would pop right off their shoulders. She could almost see it now. No, no, no, she reminded herself. She couldn't do that. She needed Tyrian alive. Just as she needed Hazel and Watts. Not to mention Cinder. Each had their own essential role to play in her plot; now moreso than ever. She needed them. Just as she needed the boy. He was good and pure, and oh gods she just wanted to squeeze him-no. Squeezing was bad. She'd break him.

She still remembered that much.

Restraining her rising anger, she stepped back half a pace.

"Its important not to lose sight of what drives us. Love, justice, reverence." her gaze held Tyrian's until he could no longer bear it and looked away. "But the moment you put your desires before my own...they will be lost to you. This isn't a threat. This is simply the truth. The path to your desires is only found...through me. And this boy is under my protection."

A thought occurred to her suddenly, and in a fit of brilliance she seized on it.

"If I am your queen, then he is your Prince." She paused to let the words sink in. "You will show him the same respect you do to me." her gaze turned, sweeping them all in a slow loop. "You will not harm him in any way, shape, or form. If he asks you for something, you will do your utmost to bring it to him. Failure to do so will result in your summary execution."

Three heads bobbed dutifully.

"Good." Salem slid back into her seat and propped her chin up on her right hand. "Now, as I was saying, the Fall Maiden is somewhere in Vale. We don't know who she is yet, however-

"Waaaaaaah!"

Naruto chose that precise moment to start crying, causing Salem's attention to snap back to her little one in a heady rush of concern and confusion. Why?! He'd been so quiet until now! She immediately began to rock him back and forth, but the wails only intensified. A pungent smell reached her nose not a moment later. Oh.

"Nevermind. You are dismissed."

To their credit, neither Tyrian nor Hazel dared to question her; they paused just long enough to right the table before leaving the way they'd come. Was that smoke? They'd certainly vacated with all due haste. Watts was only half a step behind before she caught him with her voice.

"Not you, Arthur! I have a task for you."

The scientist hesitated. Sniffed. Flinched. "More diapers?"

Salem deflated in on herself as he helped her. "Gods, yes. Where is Cinder, by-the-by?" she asked. "Changing him was meant to be her task."

Watts fought down a wince. "At the risk of imminent bodily peril...I regret to inform you that she has been...training, your grace."

A furious snarl resounded somewhere outside, coupled by an equally fierce explosion.

Salem's mouth twitched. Well. That explained her absence.

"Has she now? You can help me, then."

...very well."

When she offered him Naruto, Watts took him readily enough, with only the faintest of sighs. Thankfully he had a fresh diaper and wipes on hand for the poor boy. In short order he aided her in changing and cleaning the little tyke cleanly and efficiently at that. It stood as a testament to how many times this had happened already. Her minions -with the noted exception of Tyrian- had taken to carrying them around in sealed bags on their personage. Oh gods, now she was imagining Tyrian carrying a bag of diapers around. Oddly enough, the thought made them smile. Salem silenced it before her minion could notice.

For something else had claimed her attention.

Watts was still holding the boy. Stranger still, Naruto wasn't crying. He looked almost happy. Dare she say content?

"A baby in the Grimmlands," the older man mused, holding the boy before his face. "Who would've thought?"

Little Naruto tilted his head at him. Salem mirrored the expression. "Isn't he just precious?"

His eyes lit up for the merest of moments before he suppressed it. "Quite."

"Perhaps you could teach him things." It wasn't a suggestion.

His mustached twitched. "I would be honored."

Salem knew full well what Watts was after; for some reason, just as she knew the rogue scientist held an interest in her boy. He'd run tests on Naruto of course, someone had to monitor his health and she was no doctor herself. Whatever he'd found within him had the man over the moon. Something about an internal energy she didn't understand.

He thought himself so clever, careful to curry favor with her until this moment when they were alone. Poor fool. She had seen through him from the first. If he wanted to mentor the boy, to sharpen his mind, then who was she to protest. Her council each held unique talents of their own, talents they might yet impart upon her progeny when he was of an age. And if she made them think it was their idea to do so...well. Sometimes the carrot served better than the stick.

"In time, perhaps." Watts conceded. "The best seeds are planted early-gah!

He yelped when the boy found himself a firm hold of his mustache.

Salem didn't giggle at the sight. No. Surely not. Nope.

Gingerly, she extracted the baby from him.

"You may go, Arthur."

Having won what he was after, her still had the wherewithal to bow before he departed. "As you will."

Another explosion, this one more distant, rocked the tower upon his departure.

Salem exhaled softly. "Ah, Cinder. Whatever will I do with you?"

Manipulating someone well into adolescence was old hat to her these days, something in which she held a wealth of experience. In many ways, Cinder, despite her age was already an a.d.u.l.t. Her past had hollowed her out, leaving only the faintest emotions behind. But this act of rebellion was new. Expected perhaps, but new. For the longest time, Cinder had considered herself Salem's favorite. To have her position so easily usurped, and by a mere babe...

Poor girl was jealous.

Still, she knew how to goad her into doing what she wanted. Her hunger for power that exceeded even Salem's own. Once they ascertained the Fall Maiden's identity she'd likely want to claim that power for herself. Foolish girl. Strength meant nothing. There was always someone stronger than you. Faster than you. Someone with more wealth or influence. In the end, it would be wits and cunning that would win the day. Not strength. Never strength. You needed something more. Perhaps Cinder would realize this. Perhaps not. Who could sy?

Salem took a moment to reminisce on this as she slipped into the halls herself.

"What do you think, my dear?"

Naruto didn't answer her, for he was already sound asleep.

Her lips graced his forehead. Well, that was just fine too. She was more than ready to turn in herself, gods be damned. Sleep sounded like the perfect end to an otherwise exhausting day. Yet her feet remained restless and she found herself wandering all the same. Indeed, the faintest smile quirked at the corner of Salem's mouth as she walked, careful now to soften her footfalls lest she waken him. A lone Seer passed her in the hall, looking agitated. She waved it away with a growl. She was in no mood for any further reports. She just wanted to rest with her child and make it to her quarters unobstructed.

In this, she was only partially successful.

Salem almost made it to outside without being disturbed again.

Then the faint sound of footfalls captured her attention and she blew out an irritated breath.

"What is it now?" she hissed. "I wish to be left alone."

"I understand that," a familiar drawling voice ground her world to a halt, "Please, pardon the intrusion."

Incredulous, the Mother of Grimm turned to face the one person in the world who would dare challenge her rule.

...what are you doing here, Ozpin?"

For that WAS Ozma standing in her door leading to her tower, barring her escape to the Grimmlands. At least it was the latest incarnation of that cowardly bastard. She knew him by his face. His bespectacled gaze shifted to the tiny bundle in her arms while his own...carried a parcel of some sort. What the devil was he up to this time? Had he come to kill her? Indignation, then confusion, followed by all consuming anger. Why was he here? How had he gotten past the Grimm and her lieutenants? Nevermind that. His reasons for coming were irrelevant. He couldn't kill her. He knew that. He'd tried before in the past. Over and over again.

Any attempt on his part now would meet the same fate as before.

She'd simply regenerate, while she destroyed his body, forcing him to claim another.

It would be a long battle of course, and it would destroy everything around them, but could do her no lasting harm. With the creation of the Maidens, he was weaker than ever before. He could destroy her tower, slay her minions and Cinder, but it would cost him this life. In the meantime, she would return. She always returned. So why come here? Why bring about this fruitless battle again...unless...

Naruto stirred in her arms.

Salem's black blood turned to ice.

No. She couldn't handle it. Not here. Not again.

Now came the fear, cold and chilling. It choked her, strangled all thought and left panic in its place. Without thinking Salem leaped back and turned her body to one side, shielding the boy from harm with one arm even as she summoned a fireball with another. Her entire body pulsed with darkness, ready to lash out at the slightest provocation. She'd meant what she'd said earlier, and with a pang of dread, Salem realized she had well and truly come undone. Spirits, she'd gotten attached. Before she wouldn't have cared overmuch if Ozma attacked. But now her blackened soul screamed out against it.

"No." the word was a hiss. "Not again! You won't take him. I won't allow it!"

Ozpin noticed her turn of phrase; because that silvery brow shot straight into his hairline.

"So its true, then." to her disbelief, he discarded his cane and actually dared to her approach.

Salem's surprise jumped up another notch when he pushed said parcel toward her free arm. It contained...diapers, of all things. And formula. Clothes, too. Aghast, she doused the fire in her fingers and awkwardly accepted them with her free arm, too stunned to do anything else. Someone snickered in the background. She swore to kill whomever it was. Later. When she wasn't holding the boy. When she wasn't about to kill everyone and everything in front of her. She must respond. She'd utter a curse so black that he'd wilt and-

"Eh?" she squeaked out eloquently. "I...you...bwuh?"

Ozma dared another step forward and she shrank back like a frightened schoolgirl.

"I'd heard the rumors, but I had to see it for myself." her heart lurched painfully at the tenderness in her old lover's words. "You're actually taking care of a baby. I didn't think you had it in you." His mouth formed what might have been a frown when her eyes began to blaze. "I know you must be furious with me, but please, hear me out-

"LEAVE!"

A pillar of flame burst from her palm, and to her dismay, he didn't even deign to fight back. No, the old fool took it right to his chest. Aura crackling, he fell to a knee, coughed, and picked himself back up. Salem had held her breath, waiting for the inevitable counterattack to come. This was a trick. A deception of some sort, meant to make her lower her guard. Surely he would strike any moment now. But he never did. As she looked on the cane clattered from Oz's grasp, skittering across the floor to rest at her feet. When she looked back, he had both hands raised in quiet contrition.

"As difficult as it may be to believe," he began, "I come in peace."

"You'll leave in pieces!"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take."

"How did you know?" she shot back.

His eyes twinkled. "A little bird told me."

Qrow was dead. Oz was dead. THEY WERE ALL DEAD.

Before she could absolutely EVISCERATE him, however, the headmaster hastened onward.

"I would like to propose a truce." Ozpin continued delicately, choosing his words with great care as though his very life depended on them. It did. "Regarding that boy."

Fine. Play that way, would he? Salem swept Naruto behind her arms. "What boy? I see no boy."

"Salem, please." She swiped at him when he tried to step closer, forcing him back half a pace. "I've been aware of him for some time now." he ducked another blow aimed at his legs. "I thought you were playing at a ruse of some sort. I thought it was a trick. That you were simply training up another pawn as you always do. But you didn't take him, did you?" when she didn't follow up on the latter, he dared a tiny step forward. "You didn't snatch him from a family." Then another. Another. "You've been gentle with that boy. Kind. The same kindness you showed our daughters. Why is that? Why now, after all these years? What changed?"

"I...found him." she confessed, cursing herself for the slip. "He was alone. Here. In the Grimmlands."

"And you didn't think that he might have parents?" her old friend prodded, testing her words.

Her walls slammed back into place and she pulled the boy close. "He is mine, Ozma."

...you're not going to budge on this, are you? Do you even remember how-

"OZMA!"

Salem hissed like a struck snake and reared; expecting more defiance, more wretched words to make her question herself-swore to silence him if he said anything else. She drew all her might and power within herself, channeling it into her free hand for a single devastating blast. She might loose track of him for a few years, but it would be well worth it to silence his twisted tongue.

"That was unkind of me." She wasn't prepared for him to kneel before her. "I apologize. For this...and everything."

She couldn't even discern the drivel that spouted from her lips.

All the while, his gaze never left hers.

"I've made my decision; if you cannot be destroyed, then you need to be saved." Urk. Why was he phrasing it like that?! Still, he bulled on. "And its become painfully clear to me that boy is the means to do it. You care for him as if he were your own."

Save her?

Those words hit Salem like a slap in the face and the Mother of Grimm felt her protests wither like a dying flower. Did she dare trust him? No. Of course not. He was the cause of all her ruin. He was the reason she'd become...this. Their four daughters lay dead by his hand; through his own cowardice he had damned them. She'd be a fool to take him at his word. Nevermind her plans, they couldn't just start over again. Could they? Centuries had passed. Eons. He couldn't just walk back into her life as if nothing had happened and beg her forgiveness. That wasn't the way it worked! Did he think her a fool?! She would stay strong! She would not succ.u.mb to weakness! She...

"We were finally free." her own voice betrayed her again in a quiet keening sound. "Who are you to come back now? Its too late!"

"I think not." He answered with a small, sad smile of his own. "I'll accept whatever punishment you deem necessary."

"Anything?" Her brow quirked in confusion. "You can't be serious. You're joking. You must be."

"Try me." those grey eyes gleamed. "You'll find my resolve isn't lacking."

Her own scarlet orbs narrowed to hooded slits.

"We shall see."

She couldn't forgive him. Not here. Not yet. Perhaps not ever. There was too much anger, too much pain, too much hurt between them. But by the gods, he was trying, and his words had reached her. Some tiny part of her heart wept for them. For his mistakes as much as hers, for what they'd become. It almost made her want to give her old lover a change. How very...weak of her. It would be easier to kill him. Yes, to simply wipe him from existence and force him to begin anew. She would pretend this never happened. She would forget everything he'd said to her.

Instead, she moved.

Salem didn't hesitate. Nor did Ozma. When she attacked, he made no move to defend himself whatsoever. Her heel slammed into his unprotected groin in a blur of black, slicing through his Aura as though it were naught but butter. The sheer force behind the blow shattered the wall behind her former lover. Anyone else would have perished on the spot. Ozpin only crumpled to the floor with a dry wheeze, writhing in pain. That was a mercy by comparison. He would not die from this; they both knew he had survived far worse. She didn't use any spells. She just kicked him. Over. And over.

"Alright. I deserve this." he croaked out between kicks.

Salem still wasn't satisfied with that. "You'll get much more, mister!"

So she kicked him again. For good measure. Once. Twice. Three times. Four.

Eventually, she simply couldn't bring herself to hurt him anymore. Her rage simply guttered out.

And in its place, the tiniest ember sprang back to life in her heart. Just an ember. A tiny flame. It was enough.

When Ozma told her the terms of this "truce" Salem couldn't help herself. She started laughing. She wouldn't stop for an hour.