A/N: EDIT: Holy crap that's a lot of trolls in the reviews. Can't we all get along? Why do so many people want me dead? T_T I don't understand...

I just want us to have peace...

This chapter's got it all, laughs, drama, plus more laughs. And of course, revenge. Sweet, sweet revenge.

And of course, Penny being Penny.

I apologize for the delay, internet went out right as I saved and I had rewrite everything...not fun...

Damnit, Salem! She stole the show when I wasn't looking.

In other news I nearly got mugged over toilet paper at the store today. Crazy times, folks. I say nearly because...well. Bastard should have aimed for the head. I'm not a tall guy, but I'm nearly six feet and I bloody know how to fight. Gave him a black eye, told his punk ass off...and gave him some toilet paper. I don't mind share but don't try to steal mine, jeez! Just ask!

THE SNARK IS STRONG WITH THIS CHAPTER. Hope you like it. As promised a double-and-or-triple update is coming, and this is a part of that. Worked really hard on this, though it took me bloody forever to get Ozpin's dialogue right. We all know how he talks, but its not a simple matter of stringing words together.

So let's address some things.

Someone got angry about Naruto panicking with a gun to his head. It wasn't that. He wasn't happy to be caught; it'll take more than a bullet to kill him. He PANICKED because everyone saw him and he didn't have the chance to escape without being noticed. Other readers were more...visceral with their complaints.

Some were kinder with their opinions.

I don't write the same Naruto in every story; in fact, I do my best to mix things up in each variation I write. Do some characters feature in them? Yes. Are they same in every story? No. None of them are perfect, Naruto sure as hell isn't. and neither am I. At the end of the day, I'm only human. Maybe I need to work better on fleshing things out. That's my fault.

For example: This incarnation of Naruto lost everything. His village was wiped from the face of the earth, and he wasn't able to save anyone; furthermore, he was denied his revenge. He landed in another world half dead, was promptly abused and taken advantage of, then dunked in a Grimm pool. Now he hallucinates the ghosts of his fallen comrades and has the voice of SALEM in his head, who is intent on keeping him for her own -nefarious?- purposes that have yet to come to light.

She's able to drive away the "ghosts" that our boy sees; after all, she's far more powerful than a few stray guilt-based hallucinations.

So here, have this quick while I prepare the absolute MONSTER that is the next chapter.

Quote is modified from a song, and it sums things up quite nicely I think:

Eh, its a bit angsty, but Naruto's been through hell in this story.

"If these scars could speak, you would hear my hell. All the lies I use to save myself.

"If these scars could speak, you would know my pain. And all the demons hiding in my rage.

Be thankful then, that they stay silent. If you knew even a fifth of what I've seen, what I've done...you'd go mad."

~?

If These Scars Could Speak

"You can't throw him in jail! He's not a Grimm! He fought with us! He HELPED us!"

"You've said that several times now." Ozpin blew out an exasperated breath. "So what do you propose we do with him then, miss Rose?"

"I...I don't know!" Ruby swore, arms flailing before they came crashing down on the man's desk. "But you can't just lock him up and throw away the key! Its not right!"

"If it were within my power I would gladly let him go, but-

"No buts!"

Naruto hadn't had any plans this morning. His routine consisted of eking out a living and continuing to squat in Mountain Glenn. No grand heroics, no chasing Grimm, no rescuing crazy little huntresses wielding a giant-ass scythe, much less accidentally stealing said scythe. No stopping trains. No killing wanted terrorist. It was meant to be an ordinary day like any other in a string of ordinary days. A simple life lived in simple solitude, where he could ignore the ghosts of his pasts and recover, where had no chance of stumbling onto any grand plots or dastardly schemes...until a little girl with a scythe upended everything.

Today was just full of surprises, wasn't it?

To make matters even more baffling, said girl was now ardently defending him in the face of any and all scrutiny. What was she, his lawyer? She was certainly tearing into Ozpin as if she were one. Each argument the man made found itself dashed against the sheer wall that was Ruby Rose; it was like watching a beautiful disaster unfold; you wanted to look away, but you just couldn't.

"Miss Rose, you must understand the gravity of this situation-

"Nope."

"You're being irrational about this-

"Nope!"

"Would you let me finish-

"NOPE!"

Truly, it was a fearsome thing to behold.

"Remind me not to get on her bad side," Naruto muttered with a word of awe, "I didn't think it was possible to weaponize such cuteness. Just think of the possibilities...

Yang's elbow jabbed his fractured ribs and he sucked in a vicious breath as he toppled out of his chair.

"Whyyy?!"

"Oh, shit! Sorry!" to her credit, his fellow blond at least sounded contrite for her actions as she hauled him upright again. "Forgot about those. I didn't mean to hit you there-hey?!" Then it was her turn to tumble backward with an angry squawk as he headbutted her chin. "Damnit, whiskers! What was that for?!"

Naruto dove at Yang and tackled her to the floor. "Revenge!"

"So that's how it is, huh?!"

Weiss palmed her face as they tussled. "Children, the both of you...cease!"

A glyph sprang into existence between them both; bodily flinging the blond's apart. Naruto let himself be blasted back with a laugh, the first he genuinely felt in a long time.

Sequestered in the man's tower, he'd initially found himself the subject of some scrutiny as Ruby and Ozpin bickered back and forth. None of the sort Ironwood had brought to bear earlier -and he would have to meet the man again once all this was done!- but scrutiny all the same. He didn't like it. Oh, he understood the reason well enough. They were terrified of him. Anyone with a sane mind would be. That Ruby Rose and her friends weren't almost led one to question their collective sanity.

Still everyone had been tense; he was more than happy to give them an outlet for it, distract them, if nothing else.

Only a few moments before the rest of Team RWBY crowded around him protectively, Weiss at his right, Yang at his left. Blake had shadowed his chair, Adam's sheathed sword clutched against her chest. She looked lost, and refused to meet his eyes. He couldn't tell if she was relieved, cross with him, or some ghastly mixture of the two. Adam had meant something to her, even twisted as he'd been at the end. And now none of them were dwelling on that awful mess. Victory achieved. For all his faults and flaws, Naruto was still good with people...when he chose to be.

Was this what it felt like to have a family? Siblings? He rather liked it.

They barely knew one another; yet they'd fought together. Bled together. Nearly died together back on that train. Theirs was a bond forged through fire and flames; blood and battle alike. They'd had every chance to stab him in the back and they hadn't. That spoke volumes for their character. As such it was all too easy for him to strike up a rapport with Yang and the others

Blake was the exception to the rule for the time being, but that was too be expected. Psychopath or not, he and Yang had killed someone near and dear to her. Those teary golden eyes had told him more than words ever could. Adam was nothing to them-no, less than nothing. But he'd been something to Blake. Perhaps he still was and his death had redeemed him in her eyes. Who could say?

Whatever the case, he these girls his life. Or unlife, as it were. Naruto wasn't wholly sure he could properly die anymore after what Salem had done to him. Would Ozpin be worse? Or was that his paranoia talking?

"True, you are somewhat difficult to kill at present." The devil herself hummed in his ear, briefly turning all his thoughts to static. "And Ozpin lies. You would be wise to distrust anything he says. He's like to betray you at the earliest convenience."

"Bull." Naruto's lip curled as he shot a thought back. "You're telling me you won't?"

A moment of poignant silence swept through the back of his mind. Then came the laughter.

"My dear boy," Salem hummed softly, and for a moment, Naruto swore he felt her cold fingers cupping his cheek, cradling his visage as mother might a stubborn child. "The truth is FAR more painful than a lie. And why would I betray you?" No, he really did feel her hand there. Brr. Still, he ignored it. "Come now, look at me when I'm talking to you. Don't be rude."

It was only when he felt that unseen hand turn his head that his blood turned to ice.

Blue eyes met tainted crimson framed by a pallid visage and ashen hair. Her body was ethereal, little more than a looming wraith composed of black smoke. She didn't so much move to his side as she did glide across the floor. All the colors of the world seemed to drain away around her, and he realized with some horror that no one was moving. Ruby was still glaring silver daggers at Ozpin, one finger poking against the man's chest. Yang lay doubled over in the corner, her mouth still open as she laughed at Weiss, the latter even now frozen with her hands on her hips as a softly smiling Blake looked on. None of them saw this terror. None but him.

"Is this not better?" the Mother of Grimm tilted her head. "Now we can converse properly."

Why the hell could he see her?!

"Worry not, your little friends aren't aware of my presence." Salem hummed, perhaps sensing his confusion as he scrabbled backward. "See for yourself." Ignoring his startled squawk, she roved across the room once more and paused just before Ozpin. Her hand slid harmlessly through his chest. "Even he can't see me, though I suspect he senses something amiss. He always was the perceptive sort."

"Doesn't bloody feel like it!"

"Naturally." she glided back to him again and once more he felt her hand glide across his shoulder. "This must come as quite the shock to you; did you not think I was capable of such a feat?"

Words dried up in Naruto's mouth, and refused to give her the satisfaction of speaking. It didn't stop the slow smile that spread across her face.

"We are connected, you and I." Salem elucidated, smirking against his scowl. "From the moment you emerged from that Grimm pool, so too was our bond was forged. Do you not see this? Your existence has meaning. Worth. More than you can possibly know." when he didn't answer, her smile only deepened further. "Ah. Your thoughts betray you. Did you think I begrudged you for hurting my pawns?" the laughter came on again, a soft, bemused chuckle. "In truth, I would gladly throw the lot of them away ten times over for one such as you; for you are more than any of them could ever be. But like any child you chose to rebel. And I allowed it." she drifted past him, a spectral hand sliding across his head. "Why else would you be able to escape the Grimmlands?"

Naruto's breath caught in his throat.

Liar. She was lying. She had to be. She couldn't have...!

"You didn't allow anything." he choked out, climbing to his feet. "I got of there on my own power."

"Believe what you will." slim shoulders rose and fell in a dainty shrug. "It matters little to me. You cannot stop what has been set in motion. Find Cinder if you wish. You'll find her her in Beacon." while his eyes widened at the mention of her minion, Salem merely flicked a flippant palm at him. "Kill her, break her, make her yours. I care not. Consider this an act of good faith."

Something about her words irked her more than her smile ever could. "You'd just throw your own pawn away?"

"And what of it?" Salem surprised him with a another shrug. "Her death would...inconvenience me for a time, but now that I know the Fall Maiden is trapped somewhere within Beacon, it matters not. If not with Cinder, then I'll just find another vessel. She has ever been expendable. You, however, are irreplaceable. Ozpin, however, would try to kill you in a moment if he knew you we could converse like this, the shortsighted fool."

Something snapped deep inside of Naruto, then. "Then just what the hell am I to you?!"

Perhaps it was his own madness. Perhaps it was despair. Perhaps it was simply frustration. Who could say? Regardless, he swiped at her. Salem made no move to escape; on the contrary, the Goddess of Grimm accepted the blow wholeheartedly, arms spread wide as his fingers dove deep into her chest. It felt like dipping his hand in an ice cold lake; his fingers were left tingling and numb as he jerked away.

Salem took the opportunity to surge forward.

"Everything." all at once her face dominated his vision as her forehead pressed against his; eerie eyes narrowed upon him with frightful intensity. "We did not meet by chance, you and I. Ours was a fated meeting from the first. You may choose to hide your new gifts but know this." she leaned closer, cold lips brushing the outer lobe of his right ear. "None will ever understand you as well as I; your pain, your solitude and your rage, your fury at having your world and all your loved ones taken from you. I know them all. What do these children know of you? Nothing. Less than nothing. Perhaps you'll come to thank me for your new strength someday."

The words stung, but Naruto refused to let them show. He crossed his arms defiantly. "Not likely. I'd rather kill you."

"Very well. I cannot force you to accept my words." with but a sigh she withdrew and turned the tables on him again. "You may well be stronger than me, but I cannot be killed; even by one such as you. Likewise, I lack the strength to slay you, and even if I possessed such power, I do not wish to kill you, Naruto. Our battle would be legendary but it would serve no purpose. We would only exhaust ourselves. Why fight one another when we could rule?" her silken smile stilled the instinctive protest he tried to offer. "Think on that."

He clamped down on that thought before it could consume him.

Time snapped back like a rubber band and it was with a heavy heart that Naruto returned his attention to Ruby and Ozpin. The latter was looking at him now, a single silver brow arched in confusion.

Shit. Had he asked him a question or something? "You seem out of sorts, son. Are you alright?"

"I'm not your son." he muttered.

"Quite right." Salem's voice preened like a proud parent watching their child's first steps. "Is this what it feels like to have pride in someone else? How...fulfilling."

'Shut. Up.'

"A poor turn of phrase," Ozpin conceded, utterly unaware of their argument. "Now, then, miss Rose and I were discussing what to do with you."

"Right." Weiss snorted. "Discussing."

Ruby beamed. "Heh. I did good."

"Be that as it may! He is not a student and a great many people saw him...transform." the headmaster declared, finally demolishing Ruby's prickly protests through sheer tenacity alone. "Even if he were to be enrolled, assuming I could allow the public to accept it, he would have no team to support him." he paused and steepled his fingers, giving his words time to sink in. "I cannot simply attach him to yours or anyone else's for that matter. Not with the Vytal festival at hand."

Her spirits plummeted, and Naruto's with them.

"However." The faintest smile plucked at the corner of the headmaster's mouth. "There is, however, a third option. General Ironwood suggested it. Well." he amended with a grimace, "Demanded, really. I'm speaking of a chaperone...of sorts, for the time being. Someone to watch over our friend and keep him out of trouble."

Ruby perked up, but Naruto rapidly shook his head at her. "Wait, then who-

As if waiting for that very moment, the elevator behind them shot open with a rush. "Salutations~!"

"Penny?!" Ruby cried out in disbelief as a blur cannoned into her.

"Hello, friend Ruby!"

Naruto had expected many a thing when those doors opened; indeed, he thought himself ready for anything short of an elevator full of Grimm. He was not ready to find a civilian in plain clothes. Bright green eyes -almost too bright- regarded him happily, her face framed by a cloud of curly orange hair. Well. That earned her points in his book. At least rest of RWBY certainly seemed happy enough to see her, which implied they knew her; it still left him very much in the dark about everything.

"Why's she here?"

"Miss Polendina is...uniquely suited to contain you if you lose control." Ozpin circled around his desk and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Her presence is part of your probation."

Just like that, Naruto's gaze snapped back to Penny. Contain him, he'd said. He didn't sense any negativity from the girl. Or anything, really. His senses had been sharpened since he'd emerged from that blasted pool, but he still didn't see how a simple girl could possibly hope to match him, or why Ozpin thought she might. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't sense her. At all. She was standing before him and though her smile looked a bit too fake, and she smelled faintly of metal he couldn't understand the void she represented. But that didn't make any sense, unless...

Oh.

Ohhh.

"Well played, Ozpin."

For once in his life, Naruto agreed with Salem.

"Hello~!" Aaaaand there she was in front of him wearing that damn smile of hers! Quick little thing! "Are you a friend of Ruby?"

Lazy blue eyes flicked over her shoulders. Ruby flicked him a pleading look, silver eyes wide.

...yeah, sure." Naruto shrugged reluctantly. "Guess you could say that."

Penny tilted her head. "Does that make us friends, then?"

Behind her, Yang and Blake rapidly shook their heads. Weiss merely palmed her face. Naruto didn't realize why until it was far too late; by then the words had already come pouring out of his mouth. There were just some things that would never change about him. This? This was one of them. He always spoke without thinking.

...yes?"

Team RWBY sank to their knees with a collective moan. Naruto never heard them; his ears were too busy healing from Penny's delighted squeal. Well, that confirmed his suspicions it. Human lungs couldn't reach that kind of decibel; but the joy in her eyes was all too human.

"Sensational!" Penny flung her arms up with a delighted cry before said arms crushed Naruto around the waist. "I've never had a boyfriend before!"

Now, even Naruto wasn't that dense. "Urk?! Also, ribs! Stooop~!"

"Penny, no!" Ruby appeared at his side in a rush of crimson petals and somehow managed to priy the girl off. "Not like that!"

"I do not understand." the girl -or was she a robot?- tilted her head askance. "Is he not a boy and a friend? Does that not make him a boy-friend?"

"No!"

"Someone's got a crush~!" Yang crowed.

"YANG!" Ruby all but howled at her sister! "NOOO!"

Penny only tilted her head, a baffled smile on her face as she watched them bicker.

"Such a pure machine." Salem mused idly. "Perhaps you should see to sparing her when Vale burns to the ground."

Double Urk.

Why would she reveal something like that to him? Was she lying? Was this a trick of some sort? Salem wasn't the sort he could read and it infuriated him. Her mind was foreign to him, but she never spoke without reason; that was the one lesson he'd learned from their little chats. So why tell him this here? Why now? What did she gain from it? Could he defend Vale from a horde of Grimm? He knew the answer.

"Could you...maybe not do that?" he grimaced, shooting another thought at her. "Please?"

"Oh?" he could hear the smile in her voice as much as the satisfaction dripping fro that singly solitary syllable. "Are you asking favors of me now? Bold of you. Very well." this time he felt the woman's icy presence press against his mind gently, like a lover's caress, "I shall grant your request, just this once."

Naruto nearly yelped aloud. "Just like that?!"

"Cinder's plan calls for the immediate destruction of Beacon, but not mine." An unseen finger flicked his forehead, eliciting a flinch from the blond. "She, and by definition I, only require the Relic within. If it were to find its way into her hands...or mine," she amended at the scowl that followed, "Then I would have no interest in this wretched school."

There it was again, the distinct feeling that he was dancing to her tune. Salem claimed that she didn't lie; perhaps she was right in that. She didn't need to lie. She had an unlimited army at her command. What need had she of lies when she could drown the world in Grimm? Naruto felt his eyes narrow as Penny prodded at him, but he ignored her in favor of the bemused goddess.

"What are you up to?"

"Me? Nothing. Nothing at all. I simply want to see what you do, my dear." she laughed at him; it as soft, musical sound that sounded entirely too amused for his liking. "Will you slay Cinder? Will you betray your friends? Will you take the Relic for yourself? Or will you choose another path altogether? Choose wisely; the fate of Vale hangs in the balance...and your little friend has been trying to get your attention for quite some time now. I'll leave you to her."

"I'm sorry about this, new friend." Penny's sudden apology instantly yanked him back to reality. "General Ironwood instructed me to give you this."

"Wait," Naruto frowned down at her, baffled. "What are you going to...

"Here you go~!"

He didn't notice the gleaming silver bracelet in her hand until it was too late; even as he realized her intent she ducked down and clamped it onto his right leg. Blue eyes fluttered rapidly. More so when the device gave a small beep as it activated. No. She hadn't. Surely not.

...the hell is this?!"

"I'm afraid that is a tracking anklet my boy." his hoist favored him with a commiserating look. "Make no mistake, you are a guest of Beacon but your presence has some parties...concerned. You will stay with Team RWBY this evening until we can find proper accommodations for you." he continued, favoring Penny with a nod. "Penny shall serve as your minder in the meantime."

She saluted. "Yes, sir!"

"Great." Yang grimaced. "Guess we'll have to break out the sleeping bags."

"One last thing." Ozpin inquired, tapping his cane against the ground. "You say you were thrown into a Grimm pool. Did you see the ones responsible by chance?"

Naruto had pointedly gone out of his way to avoid names -and Salem- deliberately on his part. Cinder was his to deal with. No one else. He wouldn't be denied his retribution. Tyrian had paid with his life. Hazel had lost an arm -and likely his life- while Watts, an eye. Cinder Fall...well. He wasn't sure what he was going to do with her. Death was too good for someone like her. She'd played a pivotal role in breaking him when he'd first arrived in this world, weak and lost as he was. He couldn't simply reveal her to Ozpin. No. Absolutely not.

"See, you're already thinking like a Grimm." he could all but hear Salem croon in his ear, urging him toward his darker desires. "Cinder did hurt you after all. Hurt you so very badly. Does she not deserve to suffer as you have? She gave you so many scars...

Naruto swallowed the bile in his throat and willed himself to speak. "I did. They're not a threat. Not...anymore."

"I see." Ozpin actually looked a touch relieved at that. "Before you go," he posited one last time, "Would you be willing to demonstrate the form you utilized during the Breach?"

Ruby bristled. "I...ah...don't think that's a good idea."

Naruto agreed wholeheartedly. "Do I have to? I can't control it for long.

"Rest assured, anything you do won't be held against you." the headmaster spread his arms loosely at either side. "You are among friends here."

"Liar." Salem scoffed.

Naruto blew out a breath and reluctantly relented.

He saw Ozpin's expression change a heartbeat before it started. "Fascinating...

It was like flicking a switch in the back of his mind; these days the change proved itself just as mental as it did physical; in that it unshackled him as much as it did his restraints. Blue eyes shimmered red as white sclera burned black. His teeth sharpened and his fingers hooked into vicious claws as his body hunched over. Tan skin shimmered into ebony darkness as a series of jagged white spines and ghastly bone armor burst from his chest and shoulders and back, followed soon thereafter by several looming...

"TENTACLES!" Weiss toppled backwards with a undignified shriek of surprise.

Penny actually dared to poke one of the prehensile limbs with a finger. "Huh. Shiny."

"Those are not tentacles." Blake put in, raising her voice at last. "They're clearly tails. Look at them."

"You would know, wouldn't you?!" the heiress cried, flailing upright. All eyes turned toward the lone Faunus in the room.

Blake looked left. Blake looked right. Blake turned scarlet to the very roots of her hair. "Huh?! W-What's that supposed to mean?!"

"You practically read smut!" Weiss slammed a finger against her teammate's nose and the blackette darkened further still. "We've all seen you read that filth!"

"Yeah, that's on you, kitty-kat."

"Definitely filth." Ruby's head bobbed.

"Its not filth!" the faunus cried. "Its literature!"

Weiss planted a hand on her hip. "Ninja's of Love? Really?"

Naruto perked up, the words momentarily breaking through the haze that shrouded his thought. Ninja's of Love? Was that a novel or something? It sounded suspiciously like Icha Icha Paradise...something that he'd swore never to speak of again. Something that brought of memories of Jiraiya, and by definition, Pain. He could've said any number of things to diffuse the shouting and hair-pulling that followed, but he didn't. And so the argument raged onward.

Naruto groaned into a hand, forcing the words out. "So. This is my life. How troublesome."

Ruby patted at his arm. "Sh, It'll be alright."

A pause followed. "So, can he use-

"YANG!" Ruby wailed.

Naruto planted a palm in his face.

"Right, that's it! Changing back now!"

(.0.0.0.)

That should have been the end of things.

After all the chaos he'd endured in the last twenty-four hours, Naruto was more than content to fling himself facefirst into the nearest bed he could find; even moreso to let Ruby and the others bundle before him like a shield wall to hustle him back to the dorm, with Penny bringing up the rear. They certainly set a blistering pace across the pleaza, all things considered. Ozpin had been rather insistent on that bit. No one wasted waste any time; anyone foolish enough to bar their path; reporter, or press or otherwise, were summarily forced aside

And then he saw her.

Blue eyes snapped into savage scarlet the moment he recognized his target. It wasn't a conscious decision on Naruto's part to look; on the contrary, he wasn't even trying when he saw her in the hall. A flicker of black in his peripherals drew his eye and he looked out of instinct if nothing else and it was instinct that doomed him. Really, he shouldn't have looked.

"Oh, dear." Salem's airy sigh confirmed it. "That was sooner than I expected."

Salem hadn't lied. She was right here. In Beacon. Only a few feet away from him. Judging by her ashen expression, she hadn't expected to see him again either. Clad in the student uniform of Haven Academy -ah, so that was her angle!- and flanked by two students whom he didn't recognize, she stiffened the moment she saw him. Amber eyes widened as shock and surprise went to war within her gaze. But only for a moment. Then her smile returned and she had the nerve, the gall, to actually approach him by herself.

Cinder.

He could've killed her in that instant. Could have revealed her name and exposed her identity then and there. He didn't; because he knew she would immediately do the same to him. Hateful woman. Spiteful creature. She made the fox inside him seem tame by comparison. But he had other ways of dealing with her. And she him. No one knew about Salem. No one could know about Salem; the moment they did, he'd be thrown into a cell. A cell he could escape from of course, a cell all the same. He'd have to fight his way out and that...that was something he couldn't countenance.

"Is there a problem?" Penny asked.

"Hmm?" Naruto blinked the haze away. "No. No problem. Just saying hello to an old friend. I'll be but a moment...

Wordlessly, he stepped to Cinder and met her half way leaving Penny half a pace ahead of him.

Cinder was of a like mind.

Emerald and Mercury's saving grace was that they didn't know Naruto; nor he them. She suspected he'd kill them if he knew their faces. As things stood he dismissed them out of hand and focused solely upon her. That'd be his undoing. She had allies in places he wasn't even aware of, while he dared to move in public circles. It left him weak. Exposed. Now, she just had to survive their initial encounter...

"Cinder." his greeting was curt and harsh, his face carved from granite.

"You look well." she favored him with a false smile, well aware of the eyes upon them.

"No thanks to you." a fist trembled at his side. Bah. Weakness. Was he still so affected by what she'd done to him?

No. That wasn't it. Naruto wasn't trembling from fear, but excitement. He wanted to kill her. Wrap his hands around her throat and squeeze. She could see it in his eyes, the way they flickered from sapphire to scarlet. Why was he here?! How had he gotten into Beacon?! She'd heard tell of a monster fighting back in the Breach-but she had given the matter no more thought. More fool she. Still, he wouldn't act here, or so she told herself. Even he wouldn't be so foolish as to-

CRACK.

Five open fingers slapped her across the face like a vicious whip, leaving an angry red hand-print behind as her cheek screamed in pain. She stumbled back, stunned, keenly aware of the interested students and the gasps that followed. No doubt they thought this a lover's quarrel of some sort. Clever boy. He knew she had no desire to reveal herself, not without so many students present. Still, her own golden orbs briefly burned before she mastered herself and raised her gaze to meet his.

CRACK.

This time Cinder thought herself prepared for his attack; this time she made the mistake of catching his wrist. Her arm went along for the ride and the slap turned into a punch that knocked a tooth loose and sent her all but sprawling to the floor in a tumbling heap. That was all the cue Emerald and Mercury needed to rush to her side -as she'd planned of course- but by then Naruto had already withdrawn and that blasted little ginger was rushing to his side and bringing the others with her.

He learned down and hissed at her before they could. "There's more where that came from."

"Have you come to kill me, then?" hidden in his shadow, her eyes burned with golden flames. "I won't go quietly."

"And I'm not handicapped this time." His gaze didn't leave hers. "But kill you?" the blond tilted his head, "No. That would be a kindness."

Without another word, he released her shoulder and walked away. "Your punishment must be more severe. You'll suffer as I have suffered. Only then will your debt be settled."

"Salem won't take my death quietly. Kill me, and you'll bring her wrath down on your head." she expected the words to cow Naruto, make him hesitate at the very least in the threat of retribution. She wasn't prepared for the small bemused smile he granted her instead. It sent a shard of ice lancing through her heart.

"You really do have no idea, do you?"

"What the heck was that?!" The little silver-eyed lass swooped in before Cinder could respond, arms flailing. She didn't even realize the danger. Why would she? She was blind to his anger and Naruto was quick to hide it again in the face of her scrutiny. Even now his scowl snapped back into a smile as he led her away.

"Nothing, just an old lover's quarrel." he flicked a dark glower at her. "Cinder here insulted my family. I took exception to that."

She'd said no such thing; yet she foudn herself forced to play, to nod as Ruby frowned at her.

"Well, if she was being rude...

Arrogant fool. Cinder scoffed as they rejoined their little group of friends once more. Their confidence would be his undoing. Still, she couldn't quite fight down the shudder that followed when Naruto glared back over his shoulder at her. Those cold blue eyes bored into her very soul and burned it raw. Damn it. Damn him. Damn them. She wouldn't die quietly. She was meant for greatness.

She had a destiny...didn't she?

A/N: This chapter could've been far more graphic, but I toned it down. In canon, Cinder really isn't a nice person.

Blast it, I don't want to work today, I wanna write! My muse is really fired up right now! Well, I hope folks like this chapter; many have claimed this feels is one of my weaker stories; after all, it has the least reviews of the RWBY bunch. That makes me sad...

Dayum, Salem thirsty.

Sorry, just had to say that, couldn't keep myself from laughing.

In any case, now we see just why Salem's so keen on keeping Naruto alive; she'd gladly trade her pawns for a more powerful piece. And for all his madness, our boy's still packing a lot of chakra; as we all well know by now. Its something of a stalemate. Naruto can kill her. Easily. But Salem can't die. She'll just come back again and where does that leave him? Naruto lacks any sort of sealing tricks. Kurama's very much NOT a friend here, and is still little more than a mindless ball of rage by this point, so he'll find no help on that there. Unless he makes peace with him.

IF he makes peace with him. There's a reason the fox hasn't reared his ugly head.

On another front we see just how boned Cinder really is; Salem doesn't give a fig for her, not when she has the chance to recruit someone far more powerful.

So, hope you liked this. That was quite the roller coaster rider, wasn't it?

As ever, reviews keep me alive in these crazy times.

Seriously, without them I might just fade away.

So In the Immortal Words of Atlas...

...Review...Would You Kindly?

And enjoy the previews!

As ever, I own nothing.

BE PREPAAAARED~!

(Previews!)

"Dodge!"

"Wha-OOMPH!"

...you weren't ready."

Yang merely snorted. "Dibs!"

Naruto blinked, "Wait, dibs on wha-mmph."

Her mouth touched his for the merest of moments, gone before he could grab her.

"See you around, Whiskers." Yang smirked. "I'll win next time."

Then she bolted, leaving him to gape after her.

...I'm a monster, aren't I?"

"You're not!" She wailed. "Stop saying that!"

"But I am. I killed them." Naruto blew out an angry breath. "I didn't have to. But I did. And I enjoyed it. That makes me a-

"You are not! Stop saying that." Ruby latched onto him like a limpet. "You get all upset when I go missing the minute you look away. You get worried when I catch a cold or get hurt! Sometimes you ignore me and don't say anything, but I can tell you're scared! You act really strict because you don't me to get hurt. When I get hurt you sit by my bed because you don't want to be lonely. You always hold my hand so that I can be with you. You...you're actually really nice. Because you're my friend!"

R&R~!