The smoke in the area was thick and heavy. The Glass Unicorn was in ruins. Amber eyes shone maliciously, watching as the firefighters attempted to combat the flames. She wrapped the blanket his mother had given her around her shoulders. She left with Rhodes to report their findings to the general, leaving them all alone on top of this building...
And she watched. Harboring the desire to observe the place be reduced to ashes. But the thought of the innocent bystanders, the others who would suffer, held her back...
Yet, even as she witnessed her sisters and Madame, her former family, huddled before the ruined and charred remains of their once-thriving establishment, she stared blankly at them. Perched high above on one of the many buildings within the city well out of view with a blanket around her shoulders, Cinder stared blankly at them.
A sense of emptiness gnawed at her. Her anger was justified, yet they persisted... She let them walk because he convinced her to.
It didn't feel like the correct thing to do. With how the firefighters were treating them. Consoling them. It made her bitter. Gnash her teeth. She wanted nothing more than to finish the job she started...
However...
"At least one head of the hydra has been cut off," Adam muttered, standing distantly behind her on the rooftop. She couldn't see what he was focused upon, but he knew what he was looking upon.
It was the business district. Where Madame had taken her yesterday afternoon... To that man.
"Maybe now we'll have more of a presence here in Atlas," Ilia spoke, a bitter sourness in her voice. "Can't be too hopeful, but it's a start. Outing the extremist element here can only help our cause."
Amber eyes flickered. Whether it had been intentional or not, as she watched the woman who had cared for her these past five, nearly six years... something had been taken from her. Seeing a police officer come to talk with her and see her body tense only made her more satisfied.
The woman wouldn't walk away from this without scars.
"For now, the main head has been severed. But more will rise in its place. It will take some time for the radicalists to rise back up from a blow like this." Adam added with a light growl. "We'll have to remain vigilant, but it is progress. The less people like them in power, the better."
"Ain't that the truth." Ilia agreed, likely nodding.
But she couldn't see that. Instead, her attention shifted from the open flames below to a figure sitting on the edge of the building next to her. "How are you feeling?"
There were layers to that question.
Cinder needed a clear-cut answer. Her emotions were everywhere, and she didn't know how to feel about any of it. This situation, as a whole, was complex and irritating. The only thing she was entirely positive about was that she was finally released from Madame's grasp...
The other thing she knew... Was that it all started with him.
And that left her with a question. One that she almost didn't want the answer to. She felt she knew the answer in some way, and she didn't want to know it... And it was better not to get that confirmation. But knowing that was the case...
Ate her alive inside. To know the reason for all of this... That she may have never played a factor in any of this! She knew it was the storm of emotions that bubbled within her, but the rage that swelled within only built and swarmed. That she was just a piece... A pawn in this game!
"I... Need time to think." Cinder slowly rose, the blanket draping her shoulders falling off as she dropped from the edge of the building and landed on the street. "Give me some time... I need to sort out everything in my head."
"Okay..." Naruto winced, watching her rise and absently walk down the street. She had been in a peculiar funk since he had pulled her from the hotel, not that he could blame her. The myriad of emotions that she had to be experiencing...
Kid, she shouldn't be going out alone like she is.
'Yeah, but I should respect her wishes, too, ya know?' Naruto reasoned, running his hand through his locks while watching Cinder's back.
You're not wrong... I just have a terrible feeling. There is a negative energy in the air—something I can't place. Better be safe than sorry.
Frowning, Naruto took Kurama's advice under advisory. Scrunching his brow, he reached into his pocket, pulled something out, and tossed it toward Cinder. "Hey, catch!"
Glancing up, Cinder turned back toward Naruto and reactively reached out and caught... "Your scroll?"
"How are you gonna stay in contact while out on your own?" Naruto responded with a soft smile before shaking his head. "I'll head out and buy myself another in the morning and send you the number so we'll still be in contact if you need something; otherwise, Adam and Ilia's numbers will be programmed into it if something comes up!"
"I did not consent to this..."
"You did the moment you became my best buddy, so shut it!"
Blankly staring at the device tossed to her, Cinder glanced back toward Naruto. The strange emotions flooding her caused her lips to quiver before she turned away and closed her eyes. She still didn't know what to make of any of this. The one thing she knew was that despite everything...
His actions always felt genuine. Things may have been at play around him that caused everything to turn out the way they did...
So maybe clearing her mind was the best so she could ask him with a clear head was the best decision.
[ X ]
How long had it been since she explored Atlas on her own accord?
Absently wandering the streets of Atlas, Cinder could not recall the last time she had been out of the Glass Unicorn until recently on anything but business. There were moments when she got to head out and go to the nearby shops for her shopping, and Madame would allow her with the little Lien she would grant her, but that was it. She usually didn't have much time or access otherwise.
To travel this far away from the Unicorn... She honestly was lost. It had been so long that she had forgotten the layout of the floating city. Thankfully, the scroll Naruto gave her had a map, so she could quickly locate where she was, but it was still a chore...
Technology sure has advanced in the past several years! Scrolls having this capacity several years back would have been unheard of, but now almost all current models saw things such as that as obsolete! What would the future hold if technology were moving this fast?
Rubbing her reddened eyes, she pocketed the scroll. She was so fatigued, but she couldn't rest. She had a lot on her mind and difficulty putting it past her. Cinder saw his message pop up, so she had his new number , but she was struggling with the concept that she wasn't in some way used.
She had lived the last several years of her life being used... She had become accustomed to it. Expected it.
So, now that she had put the amazing events into perspective, it felt suspicious. No matter how she framed it, Naruto felt genuine in his actions. He didn't feel like he was part of what was happening... until the very end when he was drug into it and then stopped her.
His mother, on the other hand...
She didn't know how to feel about the woman either. It was clear she had an agenda now that she took an objective look at the situation. Yet she showed genuine concern toward her and separated her from what ended up happening in the end.
So, did she purposely set her up and use her? Or was it a coincidence?
Everything just seemed too perfect. Almost like it was a fairytale. It was something she had wished for for so long that it nearly didn't seem real. Now that it had happened... something didn't add up.
"Oh, I apologize," Cinder accidentally stumbled back, flushing brightly. She had been so absorbed in her thoughts she had lost track of where she had walked into this heavily cloaked woman and nearly knocked her down. "I haven't slept, and I wasn't paying attention to where I was going..."
"Think nothing of it, dear." Amber eyes locked with striking sky-blue eyes as the woman flicked her cloaked hood over her head. Her platinum blonde hair fluttered beneath her cloak as she thinly smiled and shook her head. Her voice was sultry and smooth as she finally broke the silence. "I understand. You look tired. It looks like something it is weighing heavily on your mind. It looks like you were absently wandering about. Something on your mind?"
Wincing at being so transparent that a total stranger could see through her, Cinder grimaced. The last thing she needed was to talk about her problems to someone else other than one person in particular. She left to sort out her mind so she could speak to him.
"Or perhaps you're just out on a walk to clear your mind." The woman smiled, causing Cinder's eyes to flicker as she stumbled. She flushed as their gaze locked once again. It was almost as if she could read her mind!
The older woman's eyes sparkled in amazement. "Ah, I know that look anywhere. Ah, what it is like to be young. What it is like to be in love."
"That's... That's not..." Cinder shook her head, her eyes burning brightly as she sent the woman a searing glare.
"Don't worry, you don't have to tell me. I just was able to tell something was troubling you, dear. I've been around for quite some time. It's second nature for me." The woman responded, causing Cinder to lean away. However, the woman sighed as she gained a distant gaze and looked away. "Do take care. Sometimes love... Isn't enough."
Feeling a little unnerved by the mood change, it shifted yet again as the woman turned back to her with yet another smile. "Say, it has been quite some time since I have been to this Kingdom. It has changed quite a lot since the last time I visited. If you're not busy, I could afford the time. I would love to hear about this majestic Kingdom."
Cinder scowled. The last thing she would call this place would be majestic. After everything she had been through... "I'm sorry, I have to go..."
"Well, that's a shame." The platinum-blonde woman frowned but nodded in understanding. Her face, however, darkened, and her eyes sharpened as she reached out and gently stroked Cinder's cheek, causing her to recoil violently. "I would very much like to hear the reason why you have such darkness in your heart. I would love to hear it, but alas, if you don't want to stay, I won't force you."
"Be on your way." She waved, flickering her hood over her head and turning from narrowed-eyed and rigid Cinder. Stopping, she turned back and glanced back into her amber eyes, and for a brief moment, Cinder swore those sky-blue eyes turned into crimson-black voids. "If you ever wish to talk..."
"I'll never be far away."
[ X ]
This was driving him crazy.
Naruto had to take a break this morning, needing his space. After buying a new scroll and sending his number to Cinder, he knew it would take a while for her to send something back... But he expected her to send something back.
It had been several hours, and it had been nothing! He understood she needed time to process what had happened. He knew it was a bit much. It had to be driving her mental. Gnawing away at her. So many questions.
Naruto wanted to answer them then and there, but he resisted the urge. With the emotional turmoil she was undergoing, there was no telling how she would respond. She needed some time to herself. He got that. Kurama understood that, too...
But the fox was also correct. She didn't need to be alone. There were too many variables. She was in an emotionally vulnerable state. If she leapt to a wrong conclusion or if someone took advantage of her in this state... And given his mother just took down the head of the Silver Bullet Brotherhood and Cinder was the plant that allowed her to do so...
So if they got a hold of her...
And did what? Naruto reasoned with himself, shaking his head as he walked through the streets of Atlas. Deeply exhaling, gazing through the hazy sky, he shook his head. After seeing what she could do when letting loose, what could they do if she went out? She could melt those bots.
Not to mention, she didn't seem to have any issues with Faunus. She didn't seem bothered or care at all! If anything, she was curious and wanted to stroke his tail when he showed it to her...
That would have caused issues... His tail and ears were sensitive...
Kid... I sense something.
Naruto's eyes slitted. When Kurama felt something was off, something was wildly wrong. His eyes bounced all around the city, searching for anything suspicious. The Nine-Tails had sensory beyond his realm, and he had only begun to tap into such a scope.
Yet he saw nothing, and that worried him the most. He felt nothing. 'Kurama...'
Kid, trust me. This is bad. Find the girl. Now. We have an issue on our hands. I can't tell you why, but I feel the negativity in the air. Something is approaching, and it gives me the chills. We need to check it out and see what and see what precisely this is I'm feeling...
"Hm?" Naruto pulled out his scroll, hearing it ring as it interrupted Kurama's thought. Quickly picking it up, he sighed in relief as he answered. "Hey, are you doing alright? Hm? Back at the fairgrounds? Sure, I'll be right there. That's not too far away..."
"What do you mean you just had a run-in with a strange woman?"
[ X ]
Finding her sitting on a bench on the fairgrounds, her face furrowed in thought, Naruto carefully approached her. He knew the incident had perturbed her, so he did everything to give her space and time to think. And she still looked bothered.
"Hey."
Dead amber eyes flickered and burned to life. Glancing up, they pierced into cerulean eyes, causing Naruto to flinch.
"Was I just a means to an end?"
"What?!" Naruto scrunched his face and scowled at the accusation, meeting Cinder's seething gaze.
"Was I just a means to get to them?" Cinder snarled, her eyes sharpened, staring intently at Naruto, tears building in her eyes.
"Hell no!" Naruto shook his head defensively, stumbling as his eyes widened at seeing Cinder's state. He wasn't sure what had brought this about. Maybe Kurama was right... He shouldn't have left her alone with her thoughts... Sliding next to Cinder, who recoiled from his presence, he grimaced. "Where is this coming from? I know some of this is weird, but you gotta believe me, you were not meant to be part of any of this... I wasn't either."
"...You weren't?" Cinder raised her head, tears still building, but a sense of confusion building.
Naruto simply shook his head and exhaled. "Nope. Mom didn't want me involved. Kinda forced my way into it. ...My flirting with you ended up putting me in their crosshairs, apparently."
Cinder froze. His flirting with her... Drew him into their crosshairs. He had... No original... That meant...
She was the reason he was involved at all with this mess.
Still, the tears flowed. That didn't quite solve the issue. It solved a lot of the problem, admittedly. He wasn't the problem... It was a mixture of her past, this mess, and the inability to trust...
"I can't get the thought out of my head!" Cinder admitted, hanging her head while softly sobbing. "It's just... I can't help but think about it! The idea that I was used to getting closer to myself when no one cared before! It just didn't make sense! I... I..."
"Hey, it's okay..." Naruto attempted to wrap his arm around his waist, but she was initially resistant to his touch. However, before he realized it, she wrapped her arms around him and buried herself in the crook of his neck. "If you want, I can answer anything you want to ask if I have the answer. If not... I think I know a guy."
Hearing a gruff response within, knowing the fox was rolling his eyes, Naruto chuckled internally. Feeling Cinder nod, gazing up into his eyes expectantly, he ran through his hand his locks and sighed. "So I guess I should start with the reason why we came here..."
"Which in some part was for Mom to take care of the Silver Bullets, but also apparently to set up a meeting with me and General Ironwood about possibly attending Atlas early..."