There are few things I've ever had to do with someone like Winter Schnee, most of which occurred during this mission. Even then, practically all of it has been neutral or positive.
Only one thing in my life could be big enough, while still relevant, for Winter Schnee to apologize to me out of the blue after our most recent victory. However, the likelihood of it ever becoming a topic of conversation was so minimal that I didn't even think about it. But looking back, it wasn't until just now, after the battle, that she looked at me like that.
'She saw it.'
It was the only reasonable conclusion, and the anger I had neatly tucked away at her relation to the Schnee name burst forth without warning. Because to apologize is to recognize it, and to recognize it is to know about it, but she's done nothing about it.
[Celestia] - "How dare you?"
It came out as little more than a growl, but the trained Huntsmen hearing of Argento and Winter in the silent hallway caught it easily. I almost missed the look of mixed confusion and concern that Argento gave me, but the nearly imperceptible flinch from Winter, the holder of my attention, only made my anger swell further.
[Celestia] - "I guess I shouldn't have expected any more from a Schnee."
Even through the haze of red my anger left in its wake, I could tell my words came out harsher than I wanted, but the self-pity could wait until later. Once Winter lifted her head, I saw the neutral Schnee face they were all known for, marred only by her eyes, filled with guilt, regret, and hurt, which caused my anger to flutter violently.
[Winter] - "You don't understand the first thing about what it means to be a Schnee. The absolute tyranny of my father -"
[Celestia] - "Exactly, your father, the oh-so-magnanimous bastard who had me and, if he could have it his way, the entire faunus race branded and used as nothing but forced labor! Tell me, princess, do you know the conditions he forces upon those unfortunate enough to be caught by his enforcers?"
Tactfully ignoring Argento's sharp breath intake, the way she moved her head, not looking away but avoiding my glare, was worth more than words, and it made me further incensed.
[Celestia] - "If you know enough about those gods-forsaken camps to recognize the design I was 'gifted' when I was a fucking CHILD, then why the hell are you doing nothing about them?!"
[Winter] - "Because I can't! He reminds me of that every damn time I step even one toe out of line by threatening my family, and I'd sooner lose myself than let them be hurt!"
The brief silence that followed that statement was heavy, made only worse by the finally breaking mask of the woman in front of me - tears were falling from a contorted, self-hatred-filled expression that made my anger have an unwanted companion of pity. Argento, who now knows more about my past than I wanted him to, gently put his hand on my shoulder.
The action grounded my buzzing brain, and even though I continued to feel all the anger, I grudgingly accepted the pity when I noticed how stiff his grip was.
[Argento] - "What do you mean by threatening your family?"
As she furiously wiped away the tears falling down her face, which refused to readopt the neutral mask she usually wore, she continued in the most forlorn tone I had heard since the mines of Mistral.
[Winter] - "Contrary to what most people might think, my home life has been hell since I could understand what a happy life was like. When that bastard took over the company from my grandfather upon his death, he showed his passion for money and power overrode his love for my mother, if there was any in the first place.
I don't know what he did, but he quickly took all the power away from my mother, the rightful heir to the Schnee name by blood. I was too young to see it happen, but whatever happened took the fight out of her, and she took up drinking instead. From there, it was nothing but a downward spiral.
The faunus extortion had been a problem around the globe, one that many were fighting hard to extinguish, but for an individual like Jacques, it was merely the next step to his "rightful position" in this world. The first time I started gathering evidence, memorizing things like the symbols different branches use, was also the first time I realized just how far he is from humanity.
Jacques made me watch as he had dozens of faunus brutally tortured, and I had only been 13 at the time. He said it was to teach me how this world works, but all I understood was that it was my fault, and I had to stop this demon.
The second time I got caught, he made it very clear he wouldn't let a third time slide, saying, and I quote, 'You wouldn't want something unfortunate to happen to you or, gods forbid, your siblings and mother, would you?'
A trend then began, keeping me in line by limiting my ability to be the heiress and threatening my family. Even if I managed to remove him from power and keep my family safe, he has kept everyone, including me, too far out of the loop to take over properly. This would put the livelihood of the Schnee name in danger and, therefore, the well-being of my family at risk.
So hate me all you want, be rightfully angry at me, but know that my punishment is eternal, as I have to look at all the good people being hurt and enslaved by that bastard and do nothing but watch."
Let it be clear that I am in no way vindictive by nature, and quite often, I am pleased with that. But as I try to coax out all the anger I can to keep my steam going, looking into Winter's sad, broken eyes just drains it all out of me, annoyingly leaving me a bit lost.
As someone who had to live through it, seeing faunus struggling to survive in situations no individual should be in against their will, I feel almost obligated to hold onto this anger at Winter, someone in a position to do something about such a horrible problem. But then I put myself into her shoes, weighing the safety, and possibly the very lives of those I love, against the betterment of a whole people.
I understand why she would choose inaction, now that my anger is no longer in control. As bad as it may sound, I would do the same for my family, even if it meant letting other faunus continue through what I intimately know to be a bad situation.
Coming to terms with that idea will take a while, but feeling the subtle shaking of Argento's hand makes me look up at him. With a twitch in his eye that matches the anger of his scowl, I can confidently say I've never seen him this angry.
The following string of insults that left his normally well-behaved mouth was so harsh that it had even me cringing, let alone Winter's reaction to her father's, unfortunately, accurate description and comparison. After he finally finished, silence settled on our little gathering spot again.
As it stretched further, I could only watch the usually infallible Winter twitch uncomfortably. Just as she began turning to leave, I saw Argento's eyes narrow in the way they do when he plots something.
[Argento] - "So that's it? You're just giving up?"
[Winter] - "Dammit Argento, I just told you exactly why I couldn't act against him, at least not yet. It will be a good couple of years, but maybe if I can get into the Atlas military, I can get promoted enough to challenge him legally. Until then, my penance will be to watch my inaction tear families apart."
[Argento] - "What if you could do more than just watch?"
Since arriving in this world, I've experienced almost every emotion one can - happiness, sadness, and anger being the most straightforward examples. An uncanny hatred for another individual is one of them; Salem has a reason for being at the top of my shit list.
I didn't expect to have more than one person on that list, though, and Jacques Schnee's sudden appearance was a surprise. I never expected to learn such a sensitive part of Celestia's history so abruptly, though, so surprises all around, I guess.
I tried to keep it in; I really did. But the more Winter said, the more I had it out for him. With an unfortunate amount of certainty, violently dethroning Jacques Schnee became a Chrono-Bravery Fixation, and cursing his very existence is simply the beginning.
It would be highly improbable to achieve this without sabotaging myself or the rest of the Schnees, but as the silence began stretching thin, I realized that the key to it all was about to walk away, so I chose to give her this chance.
[Winter] - "...What do you mean by that?"
The strangely hopeful way she said that led me to believe she might have a hint of my heritage, which made this all the easier.
[Argento] - "There are many things I would like to do with that man, but none can happen without consequences I'd like to avoid. However, that's if I do it myself. If you are truly tired of doing nothing, we can work together to take him down."
[Winter] - "If he finds out, my family -"
[Argento] - "If he finds out, I will ensure the safety of your family myself. I give you my word as a Chrono."
Seeing Celestia's narrowed eyes to the side, I can tell questions are popping up - dangerous ones that lead straight to the truth of my family and this world's actual danger. However, that was a problem for future Argento because I kept eye contact with Winter as she pondered my words.
I saw several emotions and thoughts travel across her face. She still hadn't regained control over her mask before a metaphorical fire flickered in her eyes. The intensity of her gaze was all I needed for an answer; the firm nod was simply the cherry on top.
[Argento] - "Realistically, even by the end of the festival, there will be nothing we can do. Give me until the end of it, and I'll have a way for us to keep in contact - without being found out."
With one more firm nod and a remorseful final glance at Celestia, Winter finally settled her mask into place as she marched off. I could see Celestia hesitating to let her leave, but while it was probably hard, it was perhaps equally as wise when she did so.
We stood silently for a short while, both staring at where Winter was, contemplating the interaction. I had no clue what was going through Celestia's mind, but it was surely more organized than mine.
The liberation of my fears about my vision was short-lived. Now, I know of a very private part of Celestia's life that I doubt she wanted me to hear about—at least not yet. On top of that, I've practically sworn a blood feud with Jacquez Schnee, and outside all the dangers that pose, there's a subtle buzzing of my aura whenever he is involved that promises nothing good.
[Celestia] - "Do you think I should tell the other two?"
The sudden question seemed almost out of nowhere, but it didn't surprise me. Taking a moment to ponder, I started slowly strolling back to our room, Celestia taking a similar pace right next to me.
[Argento] - "What do you want to do?"
[Celestia] - "Well, my original plan was to open up to you all when I felt ready, but now that you know, it's like the bandage was only partially ripped off."
"That is one way to see it, but I think you're forgetting the most important part."
When Celestia stopped walking, I did, too, but only after taking another two steps to lean against the windowsill next to us.
"And what would that be?"
The slight huff she gave me was quite adorable, but her frustration was real, so I pushed that to the back of my mind to help my friend.
"While we are a team and need to be honest with each other, our friendship comes first, and they'll understand you wanting to keep your secrets."
"But you know it, and even Winter knows it, so it feels wrong to keep it from them."
"Ah, but that's where you're not entirely correct. Winter and I only really know whatever you told us, and whatever we 'know' is a matter of our conclusions. Besides, I wasn't supposed to know that, so I could just shut my brain down whenever it tries to think about it."
"Oh yeah? And what makes you think you can just stop your brain from doing so? We both know how frantically information flows through your mind."
"Because I care about you, and if it's for you, I could do the impossible, which includes forcing my mind to be less frantic."
As I gazed into her electric-blue eyes, I could see the tension from the earlier interaction slowly fading away, the slight crinkle between her brows easing. 'It really is a wonder how one woman could be so beautifully captivating.'
When her eyes widened just a little, followed by a pleasantly smug grin, I let out an involuntary chuckle as I shook my head. Our little game of cat and mouse has just found a winner.
"Considering how well you keep yourself together most of the time, it's surprising how often I catch you slipping your thoughts into words accidentally."
"Yes, but there's a reason why it only seems to happen around you."
The subtle shift in the air wasn't what I noticed first. It was how her eyes softened, unsuccessfully hiding a glint of concern.
"I'm sorry if it takes a while for me to open up about my past, but I hope what you have learned doesn't change things."
"Unfortunately, you are once again not quite correct."
Having heard the uncertainty, I realized that this was why she hadn't wanted to share her past - not because she was ashamed, but because she was afraid it could negatively impact how others perceived her. Before my words could fully register, because I knew how easily they could be taken in the wrong way, I took a step forward and grabbed her hands, holding them between us.
"Knowing a little of what you've gone through, I can say such an experience would horribly change many people. But, while it's left a mark on you, it shows a strength few have when you don't let it affect every part of your life.
It's pretty easy to see my past has been anything but easy, so I know a little about fighting against demons raised from our situations. Seeing you shining so brightly despite it all makes me admire you all the more."
With our eyes still locked and hands folded together, it was after a few seconds of searching that Celestia's concern vanished, replaced with that familiar playful spark I've become so attached to.
"How do you manage to be so vague yet so open at the same time?"
"I have no idea what you are referring to."
With a slight chuckle and shake of her head matching my rising grin, I relish the look of the setting desert sunlight dancing around her, as if in reverence of her beauty. She moves a hand to place over my heart, and out of instinct, I gently put my hand on her waist.
"What I meant, smart-ass, is that of the four of us, you might have the most mysterious and unknown background. Usually, that would cause some unrest, maybe unease at the thought that you aren't who you say you are or that you're putting up a front brought upon by your past.
But whenever you talk about it, even in small amounts, it doesn't feel like you're trying to hide anything, not in the traditional way. When you put forward your trust and tell us these things, it's like a loose gear suddenly clicking into place. Because you hide nothing about who you are, you just hesitate to tell us how you became this way."
Taking a moment, Celestia maneuvers our held hands to interlock our fingers and steps so close her other hand is almost trapped between our chests, still resting upon my heart.
"There is a reason why you don't share these things with us, and above all else, I trust you. Never feel like you have to tell me - tell us - everything or anything. You have our trust, and while I'm sure you're aware of just how strong curiosity can get, know that whatever secrets you hold that make Winter trust your word so readily, I will never pry, and that is a promise I intend to keep."
Her words rang like heaven's choir, whether it was the pure warmth they exuded or the fact that her voice was something that I never got tired of hearing, I couldn't say. The gentle waves of air from her slowly moving wings, which I noticed were slightly extended, carried the aroma that has become forever ingrained in my synapses.
It could have been seconds or days that passed in that moment, and even my ability to perfectly know time wouldn't have been able to help. As I continued to stare into her eyes, which were a brighter electric blue than usual due to the lighting, the proximity we held was not lost on me. However, the thought that there was still enough space between us to fit her hand comfortably made my mind buzz in displeasure.
It was with agonizingly slow speed that the distance between us shrank. Her hand became firmly trapped between our chests as they pressed together, her hand holding mine gently tugged it closer to her, and as I delicately tightened my grip on her waist, my head willingly bent forward to seal my lips with hers.
Without any shame, I will happily admit that I allowed my Semblance to activate, causing my mental processing speed to seemingly reduce the flow of time so I could savor this moment for as long as physically possible. In the few seconds I managed to extend, I savored the impossibly soft feeling of her lips, the air that gently escaped her nose as she breathed out, and the slight tightening of her grip on both my chest and hand.
As I regretfully pulled away, slightly licking my lips, the lingering taste of her was the final spark that ignited the fireworks in my brain, causing a cacophony of emotions and sensations to ripple through my body, nearly causing me to shiver. Opening my eyes to see her so close, staring at me with a smile full of affection, a smile graced my face with ease, mirroring Celestia's smile before we kissed once again.
If the first was perfection, then this one was simply magical. It lasted far longer, which was easy to do and something I happily participated in. She let go of my hand to slide hers along my arm, landing at the base of my neck. Resting my now freed appendage on the other side of her waist, allowing me to pull her flush against me properly, the tender nature of the first kiss was replaced with passion.
It was not lustful but simply a passion of the heart, a sort of promise; it was without words, yet it communicated everything we were feeling, confirming this was happening, and neither of us wished to halt its progression. I have never felt so angry at my body's dependence on air because I would've stayed there for hours if Celestia had let me.
But all good things must come to an end eventually, and as we reluctantly separated, I saw the lovely flush on Celestia's face. Though I felt a similar warmth, there was no doubt she pulled the look off far better than I could ever.
As she moved her arms into a relaxed hug, I easily reciprocated, and we simply stood there for a while. The knowledge we would have to bet back to our team was present, but there was no rush - we had the rest of the night until we had to return to our room, and neither of us intended to move anytime soon.
"So you mean to tell me that you still failed even with a Kaiju Grimm?"
Despite the copious number of windows, red light barely filtered through the large hall, where a man could be seen groveling on a black floor. The incessant shaking made most of the standing occupants sneer.
On the other hand, I looked impassive, but mostly because my mask hid most facial expressions I could make. A second big reason is that I've seen this many times by now, so as he kept his head down and stuttered to oblivion, I simply watched Her.
Sitting on a throne of large purple crystals, one of the few notes of color in the room, was an extraordinarily attractive woman whose features were made demonic by the red lines that ran from her eyes - which were red iris' with black sclera - down her chin, and under her black clothes, showing on her exposed shoulders.
Tendrils of black ichor sprang from the ground, wrapping the man in an intricate pattern of restrictive ropes that pulled him into an upward kneeling position, staring unwillingly straight into Salem's eyes.
"In my long life, I have learned a great deal about patience, but I find your incessant muttering quite tedious. Do you know what I do to those who annoy me?"
At her question, the man's eyes widened right before he started screaming in pain, and seeing the tendrils turning more red than black, I knew they were burning him. With a sadistic gleam in her eyes, Salem let the man suffer and scream for a few more seconds before the tendrils once again turned pitch black.
"That was simply a taste of your punishment. Should you not provide me with answers without further mumbling, I will make it several times worse, for far longer than you could hope to survive.
Now, why did you fail, even when I sent a Kaiju Grimm?"
The man's breathing was still ragged, and his eyes slightly unfocused, but being threatened with further pain seemed to be enough to make him spit it out.
"It s-shouldn't have failed, my Queen! I made s-sure to wait until after their f-final surveillance team made their rounds, set up the m-machine, and led the Kaijuu Grimm to the r-ravine.
My man on the i-inside made contact the day b-before. He said the m-mission was compromised, but I d-didn't believe him until I saw the ravine the day a-after they should've all been killed. What he t-told me made no sense, my Queen!"
With a very slightly raised eyebrow, Salem leaned onto the arm of her chair while folding her legs. Showing little interest in his excuses but still having her orders followed, she put her hand palm up, allowing small globs of the black ichor to float peacefully.
"And what, pray tell, did this inside man tell you for it to make no sense?"
"Some f-first year saw the f-future or something, and after reinforcements a-arrived, the Kaiju G-Grimm stood no chance."
The globs of ichor suddenly flew off her hand, missing the man's head by very little, and with an uncharacteristic twitch of her eye, Salem sat up straight again, even leaning forward slightly. She was staring so hard, I'm surprised the man didn't faint, especially after almost having his head taken clean off.
"Was this student's name given?"
"Y-Yes, my Queen. He is a B-Beacon first-year, named A-Argento Chrono."
The sudden use of a name I could never forget made me rigid. My silver eyes began involuntarily glowing dimly as they widened. My lungs failed to bring in any air, and my legs grew weaker by the second.
Seeing my eyes now slightly glowing, Salem's thoughts seemed to be confirmed as she abruptly stood, now irritably pacing the area directly in front of her throne.
"I should have known. That family has always been a pain in my side; something as trivial as death could not keep them down. Though the lack of news about that child's parents is a good sign, even one of them can become a righteous pain given enough time."
While Salem continued pacing, and two of the other people in the room gave grimaces at the news of Argento, my breathing finally came back in quick, sharp bursts that I realized with horror would continue to get worse and would show more if I didn't get a hold of myself. But as my hands started shaking, it wouldn't take a genius to know there was no way I could get myself out alone.
Before my legs could give out, I felt my intricate crown of silver thorns warm up, my Semblance flaring subtly as a feeling of almost affectionate comfort began spreading through me. It wouldn't last long, but it was the momentary distraction I needed to keep myself together.
Salem caught sight of my minor power surge once more, despite its subtlety. With a glint of indifferent comprehension, she came out of her distracted irritation. Suddenly turning, she strode back to her throne, and the tendrils gripping the man shifted, positioning him to look up at Salem, arms outstretched as if in prayer.
"Ivy, if you would be a good girl and deal with the annoyance."
Willing what little control I had left, I emotionlessly marched behind the pitiful man who, understanding something was wrong, began babbling apologies and begging for his life. Having done my research on the man, I knew he was one of the more atrocious people under Salem's control, the ones who give in to their darkest desires too easily, and began following her out of personal desire or greed.
Letting the instinctual, small smile of eagerness grow unseen under my mask, I raise my right arm, placing it on the man's head. His begging and babbling stops for only a second, seeing out of the corner of his eye something happening to his hand.
When the strange feeling grows, and he feels his hands and feet turning to the same silver he sees, his babbling turns into desperate pleas for me to stop. Even if I wanted to stop, under such scrutiny from Salem, I wouldn't have a choice, so his cries go ignored as the silver spreads.
It takes only 13 seconds, a testament to how weak he was before the silver finally overtakes his head. Removing my hand, a faintly glowing glob of silver is pulled out of him, though it is disappointingly small and humming with only the slightest trace of his aura.
Not wanting to handle his soul longer than I must, I make it drift down to the edge of my cloak, finally finishing the silver designs on the inside of it. My satisfaction in completing that project was dulled by the thought of how many souls it took to do so, but the active suppression of my emotions quickly washed that away.
Now kneeling in utter, agonizing fear, the silver statue stared upward, as if betrayed by their god at the last moment of their prayer. Salem watched me as I met her gaze without breaking eye contact, and the emotionless portrayal must have satisfied her because she smiled and motioned for everyone else's dismissal.
As I kept staring into Salem's eyes, the feelings from having heard of Argento began bubbling furiously, barely clamped down by my silver-thorn crown's presence. I knew I had to escape to the privacy of my room, and soon, but I couldn't do so without her excusing me from her presence.
"Very well done as always, Ivy. I am glad to see that your collection is growing steadily. However, I hope I do not have to see your performance suffer because of this boy you once knew, especially because he will be loyal to Ozma."
Once upon a time, I was a horrid liar; that little girl who was raised so lovingly never saw a need to get better at it. But now, several years later, spent as Salem's executioner and her favorite pet project, I stare into the eyes of, effectively, the oldest being on this planet without a single tell.
"This changes nothing, my Queen."
After a painful few moments, keeping it all bottled up, Salem finally sees fit to excuse me from her throne room. Having to act naturally, lifting the silver statue behind me as I walked out was harder than I had imagined, but without the will to make the trip, I had to drag the statue with me to my room.
I would move it down to the "Trophy Room" - as those in the castle have come to call it - after I give myself time to deal with this. The moment I enter my room, the statue is tossed into the corner, carefully enough to not damage it, wearing the cloak I threw onto its shoulders as I slammed my door shut.
Pulling my mask down, I remove nothing else as I slump onto the floor, pulling my knees close to my chest. With what little space is left, I grab my silver-thorn crown, causing it to melt, and hold the fairly large silver ball in my hands, pressing it firmly between my chest and knees.
It once again glows and warms up, this time giving a faint feeling of comfort as I let my suppressed emotions loose. The torrent of feelings well up far too fast, and the only thing keeping my wailing from being heard is how soundproof every room is.
For years, I had thought they all died, but now I have learned that Argento survived. This should be the best day of my life since that day, but that happiness is swiftly overwhelmed with dread and a further deepening sadness.
Maybe if it had been early on in my stay here, I could've entertained the thought of going to him, or maybe making him see my reasons, and joining me. But I've done too much, and he's too entrenched in light to be with him.
He might as well have not come back at all.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[A/N: Sooooo, it's been a while. No excuses, I've had this fully written for at least a month and a half, I just didn't feel like I had enough. Until today, forcing myself to just sit down and reread it, understanding it was a perfectly fine chapter I just needed to get out.
So Ivy's back… kind of. I have plans, they're long term even in this already quite lengthy bit of "prologue" before the Canon timeline starts. I had an original thought on her being in like a super nice, almost qipao dress, but then I found this image that just SANG with me. I genuinely hope Ivy is a character that you will all love as much as I do, which relies on me doing her justice.
Hopefully, if I can get going on it here soon, I'll resume this one. I've been hoping between a few other fanficions I'm writing, one for My Hero Academia that is already a good couple chapters long, and another for Naruto that started at Shippuden's start and is already done with the Kazekage retrieval arc.
I was planning on keeping those two for me to just pump out, and basically mass release them, but if you all wanted, I could start uploading both of them? It's an idea, and one I'm willing to play with. ]