Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or RWBY.
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Colder
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Chapter One
A quiet sigh escaped him as he sat on a bench out in front of Beacon Academy, relaxing as best as he could while he could. It had only been three days and his life had gone from quiet and peaceful to chaotic and hectic. Three days. That's all it took. Then again, his four team mates struggled to keep the peace amongst themselves for more than five minutes. It also didn't help that he was the only male member on the only five-person team in Beacon Academy...
'The only reason Ozpin even did it is because of Winter, the little schemer...' The teen mentally noted with a hint of irritation, grimacing slightly. He hadn't wanted to come to Beacon, but his older sister, Winter, 'tricked' him into enrolling anyways. Now he was stuck with attending classes at the Academy for the next four years. It was only through luck that he ended up on the same team as his younger sister...
Easily standing at 6'2" with a lean and slim build, the eighteen year old had semi-shaggy snow white hair pulled back and twisted into a thick braid that went down to his lower back while his chin-length bangs were left free to frame his face. His skin was a little on the pale side, but not unhealthily so, and his eyes were an intense deep ocean blue with a thin ring of icy blue-white around either of his pupils.
Like he often was, he was dressed in a pair of slightly baggy black slacks held up with a simple black leather belt with a polished silver buckle, polished black business-attire style shoes with white metal on the toe and heel of either shoe, a black skin-tight long-sleeve underarmor shirt with intricate pale blue tribal designs decorating the cloth that he wore beneath a snow white button-up long-sleeve shirt with the sleeves neatly rolled up past his elbows, a black vest over the shirt that had the same intricate pale blue tribal designs on it as his underarmor shirt, a black tie set around his neck and tucked under is vest, and black full-finger gloves on his hands with white metal caps on the knuckles and covering the tips of his fingers while the Schnee family snowflake emblem decorated the palms and the backs of his gloves in pale blue.
He was Naruto Schnee, the 'middle child' of the Schnee family. Unlike the rest of his family, his name actually had a bit of a sad story to it. His father's old team mate from his younger days used to dream of having a family one day, saying he would name his first son 'Naruto', a name meaning 'Maelstrom' out of family tradition, the men always having a storm-themed name. The man had died while protecting a village from Grimm only a few years after graduating from Beacon Academy. His father, after hearing of the man's death, honored his old team mate and friend by naming his own first son and second child 'Naruto'. It was the only reason his name didn't start with a 'W' like most other members of the Schnee family.
"Ah, there you are, Naruto." Weiss spoke up as she approached her brother and sat beside him on the bench. Just as she opened her mouth to say something else, she promptly shut it and scowled slightly, noticing the small white ear buds the older Schnee was using; the wire blended in perfectly with his vest, making it incredibly hard to notice from almost any distance. Plucking one of the ear buds out of her brother's ear, she gave him a half-hearted glare when he finally glanced up at her curiously. "We were wondering where you ran off to...Have you been here this whole time?"
"Yeah. I was tired of hearing the four of you bicker over who got the shower first in the mornings...Again." Naruto answered calmly while focusing back on the pad cradled in his left arm, a simple pencil held in his right hand. Noticing it, Weiss got curious, having known of her brother's little hobby of sketching out concepts of new weapons and, sometimes, combat-oriented clothes.
"What's this one?" Weiss asked quietly while trying to get a peek at her sibling's new artwork. Naruto glanced at her out of the corner of his eye for a second before tilting the pad so she could see it better. To Weiss, it looked like a vest of some kind, but she couldn't tell much else from it since it wasn't quite finished and lacking in details; her brother always took a long time to sketch anything out, always saying it helped build patience and gave him plenty of time to refine the thoughts in his head.
"It's merely an idea right now, but I plan on making this one whenever I get the chance..." Naruto commented idly before slipping the pencil through the spiral along the top of the pad, folding it shut a second later. As they stood up and started heading back to their dorm room, Naruto thought of something. "Did you and the others finally agree on a schedule?"
"...No." Weiss nearly growled with another scowl as she looked off to the side. Naruto couldn't help smirking slightly, having noticed the hints of change in his younger sister. Then again, he himself was an oddity among the Schnee family in more ways than one and had an odd talent in changing how people thought and felt about certain things. Speaking of being an oddity...
"Perhaps we should all go out into town for a little bit and relax." Naruto suggested, getting a look from Weiss. "What's wrong with that? It's been a stressful few days for all of us."
"But on a school night?" She questioned a little incredulously, getting a small sheepish look from her brother. "You can be so irresponsible sometimes, you know that, right?"
"And yet, I'm still your favorite brother." Naruto responded with a small smile, making Weiss roll her eyes sarcastically with a small smirk of her own.
"You're my only brother, Naruto." The youngest of the Schnee children remarked before Naruto grinned a little more cheerfully.
"Well, then. That settles it. You get the others and I'll go arrange our transportation into Vale." Naruto instructed and then turned on his heel before Weiss could protest. Watching her brother walk away, Weiss sighed heavily while palming her face; he almost never took no for an answer. Shaking her head and turning back around, Weiss went to do as he had requested...
xXx
"Oh, wow..." Yang, having called 'shotgun', muttered in surprise as she sat down in the front passenger seat of the sleek and expensive four-door varitable 'super car'. It was a glossy black on the outside with dark tinted windows while the front-quarter panels and both front doors were done in pale blue tinted chrome. Polished chrome trimmed the narrow, slit-like headlights and taillights while the streamlined door handles were outlined in chrome as well. The interior was primarily black with pale blue accents trimmed with snow white in some areas while the interior door handles were chrome, some of the gadgets on the center console and on the doors being trimmed in the silvery finish. The glossy black hand grip on the gear shift had the Schnee family snowflake emblem on it in pale blue tinted chrome. "What kind of car did you say this was?"
"The new Raven XS model from Whisper-Shift..." Naruto began as the others situated themselves in the back, Weiss instantly spotting the smirk that formed on Naruto's face as he turned the car on with the engine roaring to life and growling as it idled. The youngest of the Schnee siblings suddenly getting quite nervous, though very thankful that they were all wearing seatbelts; she knew what kind of driver her brother was. "...But I call her Black Ice."
"Black Ice?" Blake questioned curiously with a bit of skepticism in her tone, unaware of Weiss's sudden nervousness as Naruto casually pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road. "Why 'Black Ice'?"
"Weiss, are you okay?" Ruby asked quietly, but before the Schnee heiress could answer, Naruto was already answering Blake's question.
"Because she likes to slide..." Naruto responded with a rather fiendish smirk before flooring the gas pedal and swiftly turning the wheel with his left hand rather easily thanks to the glossy black suicide steering knob on the wheel, the mounted item also bearing the Schnee emblem in pale blue tinted chrome like the gear shift. Smoothly shifting gears with his right hand in mid-turn, Naruto's grin grew a little more wolfish while the back end of the car swung out from behind them as he turned down a less trafficked road, the car sliding side-ways for a moment. The four girls in the car instantly braced themselves and a couple of them let out startled cries, Ruby and Blake getting just as nervous as Weiss was while Yang was grinning almost as much as Naruto.
"Hell YEAH!" Yang cheered excitedly, already feeling the adrenaline pumping through her veins as her heart raced. "I've got to get me one of these babies!"
"Haha! Good luck with that one, Goldilocks! The Extreme Sport model costs an extra ten thousand Lien on top of the thirty-five thousand Lien price tag for the car itself!" Naruto returned, still grinning fiendishly as he switched the stereo system on. The speakers instantly started blaring a song the four female members of RWBYN weren't familiar with. As the song 'Body Cult' by Shaka Ponk resonated from the surround sound speakers, the white haired teen sitting behind the steering wheel spotted some traffic up ahead and couldn't help letting his grin turn a little more mischievous and wicked as he shifted into the third gear before ripping the steering wheel to the side, yanking on the E-brake for a second as he pulled down another side-street running between buildings that the car barely fit in. Having shifted back down to Second to compensate for the loss in speed during the turn, Naruto shifted back up to Third and soon into Fourth as he continued to accelerate.
"THIS IS WHY DAD DOESN'T LET YOU DRIVE HIS CAR!" Weiss suddenly cried out from the back seat as they shot out of the alley street and whipped back out onto a main road, the engine roaring like a furious lion as they slid side-ways almost all the way across the street for a couple seconds before straightening back out. Naruto only laughed from his spot behind the wheel, but he couldn't really argue her point; he had always been a bit of a speed demon despite being as patient and laid-back as he usually was. After getting his first speeding ticket, their father, Wilhelm Schnee, absolutely forbid Naruto from ever driving any other vehicle apart from the boy's own, something Naruto had to buy himself and maintain all on his own if he wanted to continue driving.
"Yeah, well, Dad needs to lighten up a little bit!" Naruto returned as he whipped the car down another street, getting another whooping holler from Yang, who felt like she was riding one of the best roller coasters she could find. Weiss let out another girlish scream of fright, thinking they were either going to crash or flip over, Blake was rigid and tense all over, her amber eyes wide with fear, and Ruby was kind of a mix of the three other girls; excited, but nearly on the verge of having a heart attack at the same time...
xXx
"All of that...just to come here?!" Weiss yelled at her brother while stomping her foot in anger, the taller Schnee unable to stop laughing as she started to repeatedly hit him a rolled up newspaper that no one could figure out where it came from or how Weiss came into possession of it. They were all currently standing outside of a building, Naruto's 'Black Ice' parked nearby. "A stupid club that was just a few blocks away from the port?!"
"H-Hey! I haven't had the chance to cut loose in a while and wanted to make it worth it!" Naruto countered, still struggling to keep from laughing at his sister's temper; he had actually done it mostly to annoy Weiss and to the give the others a taste of what he could do behind the wheel and torment them alongside his sister; Yang was the only one of them that enjoyed the ride as much as him. He was always the first to admit it with pride; he was the Schnee family 'black sheep'. More specifically, he was the family 'partier' and over-all thrill seeker that didn't have the usual arrogance that came with the family name. Still, he was pretty decent when it came to financial and business management, but that was something that simply came with being a Schnee. "Besides...the look on your face was priceless! Hahaha!"
"You jerk!" Weiss barked out angrily as she resumed trying to flatten her brother's head with the rolled up newspaper. It wasn't really working, but she was stubborn and angry, so she kept trying anyways...
"Alright, Weiss! I think he's had enough." Ruby spoke up while pulling Weiss away from Naruto, the heiress getting in one final whack to her brother's head before she was disarmed of the newspaper by her team leader.
Still laughing a little, Naruto adjusted the snow white leather belts loosely crossed around his waist that held his silver trench knives, both having been named Frost Bite, in snow white leather holsters at his hips. The belts were decorated with pale blue stylized designs not unlike those decorating his vest and underarmor shirt, the buckles on either belt being the same pale blue color. Both trench knives were almost fang-like in design with the area that would cover his knuckles being spiked knuckle dusters while the handles had a built-in rotary cylinder that held several different kinds of Dust in each 'slot' with a dial at the ends that he could turn with his thumbs to select which kind of Dust he wanted to use. The weapons were primarily a silvery chrome with pale blue accents on parts of the blades while the handles and Dust-storage cylinders were pitch black.
"Come on, let's go in already!" Yang exclaimed with a giddy grin, Blake simply rolling her eyes from beside the blonde. Still, she was internally curious as to how the unusual Schnee spent his free time and what the club was like inside...
"Alright, alright! Come on." Naruto laughed out a little more before leading the others into the club with him; staining the door that was tinted so dark that it was virtually impossible to see through were the words 'Ebon Snow in white'. Reading it and noticing how eerily similar the 'O' in either word was to the Schnee snowflake insignia, Weiss and the other members started growing suspicious of the club. The moment they passed through the door, they were assaulted with the loud rhythmic beats of the club's music, something that made Yang grin from ear to ear, already liking what she was hearing. After passing by the lady at the front desk with a simple wave and grin shared between her and Naruto, the white haired Schnee son turned and faced his team mates, still smiling broadly; a rare thing the female members of RWBYN had yet to find out about him. "Ladies...Welcome to my club, Ebon Snow!"
Most of the interior was shadow black while thin lines of dim pale blue and ivory lights marked off where the floor met the walls and along the bases of the bar counter and other various things like the edges of tables and outlines of the bench/booth seats set along the walls; both as decoration and as 'safety' to help people avoid bumping into tables and such. From what they could see, the same snowflake-styled image as what they saw on the door decorated the tops of the tables in pale blue as well as the middle of the pure white dance floor, the much larger symbol on the dance floor being outlined in black. Multi-color lights flickered and flashed from the ceiling, bathing the dark club in an ever-changing iridescent rainbow of colorful lights.
"Your club?!" All four girls demanded in near-perfect synchronization, each of them shocked. Naruto's grin only grew a little bit bigger. Weiss was the first to fully snap out of her shock. "Wait, so this is what Dad got so mad at you about when you spent all of that money last year?!"
"Yep! And Ebon Snow's been one of the most popular clubs in all of Vale since its grand opening five months ago!" Naruto answered, having to talk louder than normal to be heard over the music, while leading them towards one of the VIP areas on the second-floor balcony, which was mostly enclosed with sound-proof glass to make it quieter and more comfortable for the higher-paying customers. "Open to everyone, Faunus-friendly, and a simple cover charge of only five Lien a person! Fifteen for access to the VIP Lounge! We serve both alchoholic and non-alchoholic beverages and even serve a few different dishes for any customers that get hungry, but our menu is kind of limited at the moment!"
"Faunus friendly? That's a first, coming from a Schnee..." Blake muttered under her breath suspiciously, being too quiet for the others to hear her.
That's when she spotted the ginger-haired Ram Faunus woman working as one of the club's assistant bartenders that night. Like most of the other female employees she could see, the woman was dressed in a black knee-length skirt, black business-style heels, a pale blue long-sleeve button-up shirt, a black vest over the shirt, and black full-finger gloves on her hands while a white name tag was pinned to her vest on the left side of her chest. The men wore similar outfits, only with black slacks, polished black dress shoes, and black neck ties.
Who she guessed to be the club's head bartender, the man wearing a black button-up shirt and a pale blue vest unlike the others, just so happened to start an arguement with her, the man's obvious distaste for Faunus present in the man's eyes. That's when she noticed how Naruto spotted the confrontation just seconds after her and, without so much as a word or a moment of hesitation, immediately turned on his heel and made his way directly towards the two, his eyes narrowed slightly. The four girls curiously and cautiously trailed after him, picking their way through the crowd in the building.
"Is something wrong?" Naruto inquired as he stepped up to the counter, both individuals obviously recognizing him as the club's young owner; it was hard to mistake the white haired teen for anyone else, especially since he checked in on the club at least once a week. When the male human bartender opened his mouth to respond, Naruto immediately held up one finger towards the man while looking to the Faunus woman, having already seen the hatred of Faunus in the man's eyes. "What seems to be the problem, Alexis?"
"N-Nothing, sir..." The ginger haired Faunus responded a bit nervously, stuttering a little; she had always been a bit timid around humans and while Naruto was a Schnee, she knew him to be kind. Still, she always got a little intimidated when Naruto started getting serious and he was most definitely serious at the moment. Naruto simply stared at her for a few seconds in silence before she broke. "I...I was just restocking the bar when...when Mr. Nuzlocke came over and started yelling at me, saying I wasn't doing my job right...and that I was supposed to stay in the back room..."
"Hm..." Naruto hummed out quietly before straightening up and easily hopping over the counter, surprising and confusing his audience of four along with the two employees of his club, a few of the patrons even murmuring amongst themselves when they saw it. Taking a moment to inspect the area Alexis had been working at with his arms crossed over his chest and one hand cupping his chin slightly, Naruto glanced over at the man, Killian Nuzlocke, for a moment while gesturing towards the currently half-stocked bar with a flick of his hand. "You say that she was doing this wrong?"
"W-Well, you see-" Killian sputtered before Naruto silenced him with another raised finger pressed against his own lips, the finger being folded back down a second later.
"Yes or no, Mr. Nuzlocke." Naruto cut in coldly. "Was Ms. Caprinae restocking the bar incorrectly? And was she supposed to stay in the back room tonight?"
"Uh...Y-Yes, Mr. Schnee, she was." Killian responded hesitantly at first before regaining his bravado. Naruto merely hummed quietly and nodded a little, still having yet to look away from the bar's refridgerator and ice-packed open cooler for that particular section.
"I see...You know, Mr. Nuzlocke, I've visited and watched a number of bars and clubs during business hours without their owners knowing it, mostly to get an idea of how to design Ebon Snow so that everything flowed smoothly without any problems." Naruto began slowly, his eyes finally sliding from the half-stocked fridge to Killian's dark brown eyes; the man instantly started getting nervous again, more than he already had been. "Ebon Snow may be my first business and I may be young, but I most certaintly know what I'm doing. I also know how to do every single job position this establishment features and all of the responsibilities of each employee position. Including how to make every single drink we serve. Do you know what that means?"
"Y-You...You know how to do everyone's job?" Killian responded uncertaintly. From their position, the four girls of RWBYN could only watch in shock and surprise, Weiss and Blake the most. Weiss had never seen her brother act serious outside of interacting with their strict father and had never heard anything about him actually running a business of his own; even Winter didn't have her own just yet and she was already twenty. Blake was shocked, having never seen someone, more specifically a Schnee, defend a Faunus so avidly and...calmly without a moment of hesitation.
"Correctly, at that, Mr. Nuzlocke...As far as I can tell, Ms. Caprinae has been doing her job correctly and since I last checked, Faunus were other intelligent life forms not unlike Humans and had civil rights, meaning there was absolutely no reason for her to be in the back room when I specifically recall hiring her as an assistant bartender, who is to be out here, behind the counter where she can tend to our patrons' needs." Naruto responded calmly, his arms finally dropping back down to his sides with his hands now clasped behind his lower back. "Now, I've already had two complaints filed against you by your coworkers and four more filed by customers about your negative attitude and behavior towards Faunus, both those employed here in my club and customers, since I hired you two months ago. I've been very lenient with you since your father was the head contractor that over-looked Ebon Snow's construction from the very beginning up until its grand opening, but unfortunately, I can no longer turn a blind eye to your behavior for I will not allow my family's reputation and history with Faunus or those of others stain the name and reputation of my club."
"S-Sir?!" Killian stammered out in shock. Naruto's stoic expression didn't change as he turned his body to face Killian fully, his back facing Alexis. That was when Naruto's eyes narrowed dangerously, his irises shifting from their usual dark blue to the same pale blue-white shade as that which outlined his pupils. The air around the two instantly became incredibly cold as the markings on his underarmor shirt and vest became a little more vibrant, the drastic drop in temperature making the bartender shiver noticable as their breath became visible from the humid molecules crystalizing in mid-air due to the severe chill.
"You're fired, Mr. Nuzlocke. Clock out, gather your belongings, and leave the property; you have five minutes to do as you have been instructed before I personally remove you from my establishment." Naruto ordered firmly, the man instantly turning around and hurrying into the back room to do as he had been told; he saw what happened to the last employee that was personally fired by the Schnee and refused to leave quietly. It had not been a pretty sight. Closing his eyes and taking a slow calming breath, Naruto turned back towards Alexis with a kind smile that instantly calmed the nervous Ram Faunus a little bit as the air temperature around him returned to normal. "I'm sorry for the disturbance, Ms. Caprinae. We're having a bit of a slow evening tonight, so if you'd like, you're more than welcome to take the rest of the night off."
"N-No, sir! I'm fine." Alexis responded with a slight stutter, but smiled back at the Schnee a little awkwardly. Naruto gently pat her on the shoulder in response.
"Alright, but if something like this happens again, do let me know." Naruto responded and then urged softly, getting a slightly hesitant nod from the ram-horned woman. Just after turning to make his way to the break in the counter to walk out from behind it, Naruto paused and glanced back at her over his shoulder, smiling slightly again. "Oh, one last thing, Alexis; don't let others put you down. You've been one of my most reliable and dependable employees since you started. Keep doing so well and you just might be taking Mr. Nuzlocke's former position as Head Bartender..."
"Y-Yes, sir!" Alexis acknowledged with another slight stutter, but she gave him a grateful smile before returning to her work, obviously a little more enthused about her job.
"I really need to start doing the interviews myself...That's the third time this month." Naruto sighed out to himself in outspoken thought while rubbing the back of his neck as he approached his team mates. Giving them all a sheepish grin, Naruto slipped his gloved hands in his pockets. "Sorry about that. A businessman's job is never done, eh, sis?"
"Huh? Um...Yeah." Weiss answered a little slowly, her brain still trying to register the events that had just unfolded before them. Blake was right alongside her there while Ruby and Yang were simply shell-shocked with how well Naruto had handled the situation before it could ever get out of hand.
"Now that that is taken care of, why don't we head upstairs like I was originally planning?" Naruto suggested while holding a hand out towards the stairs to the VIP lounge, smiling again. "Can't let our night out get spoiled by the little things, hm?"
"Hey, Naruto..." Yang began quietly as she walked up to him to keep the others from hearing. "Think you can hook me up with a Strawberry Sunrise?"
"A non-alchoholic one, yes." Naruto responded, getting a disappointed groan from the blonde. "This may be my club, but I still abide by the rules, Yang."
"You suck..." She whined in complaint, only making Naruto smirk. Eyeing the older Schnee in their group warily, Blake found herself growing even more curious of the enigma that was Naruto...
xXx
"I've got to say, Weiss, I never expected your brother to be so fun to hang out with." Yang started while flopping down beside Weiss on the Schnee girl's bed, the sole male on the team currently occupying the shower. While a little irked by the comment insinuating that she and her family weren't 'fun' people, Weiss also couldn't doubt the fact either; Naruto was quite possibly the only one in their family that wasn't concerned with money or glory or honor or business in general. Herself included...
"I hate to admit it, but Yang is right for once." Blake remarked from her own bed on the opposite bunk across the room; Yang's bunk was above hers while Ruby slept above Weiss, the older Schnee having taken to a foldable cot set along the wall between the bunk beds just below the window. The 'disguised' Cat Faunus ignored Yang's indignant cry of 'Hey!' as she continued what she was saying. "I never expected someone our age to be running their own business already and still attending school."
"Trust me, it wasn't his idea to enroll into Beacon Academy with me." Weiss started explaining, catching the attention of the three others. "Naruto's always been a bit of a slacker, according to our father, but he's also really stubborn and despite the flashy car and his club, my brother doesn't really care for money. He just likes really fast cars, racing said cars for fun, and entertaining others. Knowing him, he probably set up Ebon Snow to spite our father, who always said he would never be a good businessman because of his 'slacker' attitude..."
"Wow...So he's like a Schnee version of Yang." Ruby piped in from her bunk, both sisters grinning at each other.
"...Sort of..." Weiss commented a bit quietly, her good mood slowly being soured by all of the talk about her brother. It was one of the reasons why she didn't like being around her brother all of the time; he had a natural charisma about him that often drew the spot light directly on to him, leaving her standing in his shadow without him even realizing it most of the time. Yet another thing she didn't like about her immediate family. "I'm going to step outside for some fresh air..."
"...Alright." Ruby commented uncertaintly as she left the dorm...
'Stupid family...Always something.' Weiss thought to herself with a bit of disdain as she headed to the roof, uncaring of the fact she was clad in her nightgown with her hair left free to hang behind her in an ivory curtain. Finding herself a clean little spot to keep from dirtying her nightgown, Weiss sat down on the roof with her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them, resting her chin on her knees as she stared out at the night sky blanketing the area. Idly, she compared herself to one of the stars competing for attention amongst the others while being outshined by the light of the Moon with her brother being said Moon, in her eyes.
"Stupid brother..." She mumbled under her breath shakily as she finally cracked a little bit, tears welling up in her eyes. Burying her face against the cloth of her nightgown covering her knees, Weiss tightened her embrace around her legs, fighting to regain control of her emotions.
"I did it again, didn't I?" Naruto asked rhetorically, his voice soft and quiet as he sat down behind Weiss and slowly wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder. She didn't move. His still-slightly damp hair was pulled back into a plain high pony-tail while his pajamas consisted of a pair of black sweat pants and a white tank top. "I'm sorry, sis. You know I don't do it on purpose..."
"Y-Yes, you do..." Weiss stuttered out quietly and stubbornly, struggling even harder to contain her pain now that her brother was around. "E-Every time you c-come around, I'm the one that gets l-left behind..."
"Hmm...Well, I'm just going to have to fix that, now aren't I?" Naruto commented with a small, sad smirk as he closed his eyes held her tighter. Calming down a little bit, Weiss turned half-way around and buried her face against Naruto's shoulder, holding her brother as tight as possible; no matter what, she just couldn't stay mad at her brother. Adjusting their position so that his legs were crossed and Weiss was sitting in his lap, Naruto gently ran his hand over her head and down her hair, soothing his sister as best as he could. "There we go...You know your brother will always have your back, right?"
"Mm-hm..." She mumbled out quietly, no longer trusting of her voice at the moment. Weiss suddenly felt bad for thinking so ill of him, recalling all of the times he protected her from the rich snobby bullies when they were younger and attending Guardian Academy back in Atlas. He also went out of his way to not just get her something, but make her something for her birthday every year.
Last year, it had been small light blue crystals he had cut himself and strung on a simple black cord for her to wear as a bracelet. Three years ago, it had been a simple glove infused with Ice Dust that made it easier for her to use her Glyph Semblance, the same Semblance that had been in the Schnee family for many years; she had been having trouble with using her Glyphs during a fight in the past and while it took a while, Naruto made the glove for her to use and train with. It was actually because of him that she was so good with them now...
Even now, she had both of those gifts from him amongst her things back in the room along with a few others he had made for her in the past...
"Hm...You remember that time you had to save me from that crazy girl back at Guardian?" Naruto questioned with a smirk, thinking of the past just as Weiss was. Remembering the incident in question, Weiss couldn't fully contain her quiet giggle, still holding her brother tightly.
"Y-Yeah...She wouldn't stop bothering you and...I had to teach her not to mess with my big b-brother..." Weiss answered, her voice cracking slightly towards the end as her tears started flowing more freely again despite how badly she wished they'd stop. "W-Why d-did you ha-have to be the f-fun one?! Why c-couldn't it b-be me?!"
"...What is my favorite piece of advice?" Naruto asked quietly in return, whispering in his sister's ear calmly. It took a minute, but Weiss finally answered him.
"N-Never walk...the beaten path...Forge your own...and find yourself..." She mumbled slowly against Naruto's shoulder, her breath hitching in her throat every few seconds as she started calming back down. Naruto smiled softly.
"That's right. Never walk the beaten path. Forge your own and find yourself..." Naruto repeated. "I was just like you, Weiss, stuck in our family's shadow...and I got tired of following the same old 'path' the rest of them walked. So I made my own. That's why I'm like I am. It'll take some time, but you can do it, too."
"...R-Really?" Weiss asked quietly, sounding almost as if she were afraid.
"Mm-hm...And your big brother is going to be standing there with you, helping you." Naruto whispered softly before gently kissing the side of Weiss's head, inadvertantly making her start crying yet again. Holding her a little closer, Naruto smiled sadly again and rubbed her back soothingly; it was probably the first time she had vented her emotions in years. It would do her some good to shed some of that emotional weight from her shoulders. "Shh...It's okay, Weiss...Let it all out..."
Stealthily spying on the pair from the cracked-open door that led to the roof were the three other members of Team RWBYN, each sharing silent looks before leaving the two Schnee siblings to their little moment together...
xXx
"Geez...I kind of feel bad now..." Yang mumbled as she sat down on the edge of Blake's bed, heavily subdued after seeing how emotional their team mate had been. "I didn't realize she felt like that..."
"I don't think any of us did, Yang." Ruby spoke up as she sat on the edge of Weiss's bed while Blake did the same next to Yang on her own bed. "Maybe we should make it up to her tomorrow..."
"While I'm sure she'd like that..." Naruto spoke up quietly from the doorway, a sleeping Weiss cradled in his arms. He continued as he gently laid his sister down in her bed with a little help from Ruby, who pulled the covers back for him. "I think it'd be best if you didn't act any different than you normally do and just work your way up to it. She'll be the one that'll be mad if she finds out you three had been spying on us up there; she a very private person and doesn't like others knowing her personal business."
"Sorry..." Ruby mumbled quietly for all three of the now-ashamed young women in the room. "We were just worried about her and then you left without saying anything and you had that look on your face and-"
"Ruby, relax! I understand." Naruto reassured with a quiet and momentary laugh while ruffling the youngest team member's hair. He then sat down next to his slumbering sister, who had cried herself to sleep back up on the roof, and gently brushed her bangs out of her face. His smile turned a little sad. "Don't hold her attitude against her; Weiss just isn't very good with expressing herself, something you can thank our family for..."
"Oh..." Ruby mumbled quietly. While Yang climbed up into her bed, Blake stared down at the floor in though for a moment before getting more comfortable in her own bed. Sighing and shaking his head slightly, Naruto smiled weakly.
"It's getting late..." Naruto mumbled softly as he got up and started getting his cot ready. "Good night, everyone."
"Good night, Naruto..." The three still-conscious young women returned while Ruby flicked the light switch, turning the lights off...
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A/N: And voila! The first chapter of my first Naruto/RWBY crossover story is finished! This story had actually been a bit of a request from a friend of mine and after hearing their ideas for it, I just couldn't say no...
Now, before anyone even starts; Yes, I know Naruto might as well be an OC with the same name and whatnot, so shut up! It's my story, and my friend's since she was the one that came up with the idea, and I'll do whatever I want with it (so long as my friend gives my ideas the all clear)! Also, I know I didn't cover the Initiation Test; I simply didn't want to do it, but I'll be giving you all a bit of a taste of what Naruto can do and his fighting style in the next chapter. As for the team 'initials' being RWBYN (formerly RWBYS prior to editing), it's named for the color 'Rubin'. (Credit goes to 'Kyo no Kitsune' for the suggestion)
Now, about Naruto's and Weiss's relationship; they are strictly brother/sister (figured I'd get that out there while I was at it). Although a year older, Naruto was always around Weiss when they were younger and often defended her from any kind of bully that tried harrassing her. He also did his best to help her get better at things and still does. However, being as naturally charismatic as he can be, it makes it difficult for Weiss to make her own friends whenever he's around since they tend to like him more than her and she is sometimes 'forgotten' by her friends. He knows he does it, by pure accident, and does things for her in an effort to make up for it; such as actually making a present for her whenever her birthday comes around.
When it comes to his Semblance, me and my friend decided to make Weiss's Glyphs sort of a family Semblance, kind of like a 'bloodline' or something, but each Schnee has something that makes them unique. We also decided that the Schnee family weapon preference is primarily swords and other bladed weapons. I've already got ideas about Winter's and Wilhelm's weapons, so sorry my readers, I won't be needing ideas for those. Having wanted him to be speed-oriented, we decided to give him twin trench knives instead of most other weapons, giving him the most potential in flexibility, mobility, and adaptability during a fight. Having no actual ranged capabilities, Naruto has to rely on his Glyphs and talent in Dust manipulation to use any kind of ranged ability, not unlike Weiss with her rapier, Myrtenaster.
Kind of like how Yang has her motorcycle, Bumblebee, I decided to give Naruto his own form of transportation since he's technically from a very rich family and has his own business; I like to think of him as a young Bruce Wayne (if you squint your eyes and tilt your head to the side) that still has his family, only without the Batman and still fights crime (and Grimm). For a better idea of what it looks like, Naruto's car, 'Black Ice', is loosely based off of Peugot's Onyx concept car (Story Pic), only picture it as a four-door version instead of a two-door.
Also, I'll be posting a poll as well to determine the pairing for him; only one girl, just so you all know. The candidates are as follows: Yang, Blake, Ruby, Coco, Velvet, Neo, and Militiades (and/or) Melanie (they're identical twins and seem to be the kind of sisters that usually do everything, or at least most things, together. That's just my opinion, though). I'm already writing the second chapter, but won't be posting it until after I end the poll once I'm at least half-way through the third chapter. Also, 'Shaka Ponk' is a real French experimental rock band...
Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed the story! Please keep following all of my stories (even those that haven't been updated in forever)!