Chapter 1: So... that happened

Disclaimer, I do not own either Naruto, or RWBY

Warning: May contain OCs, OOCness, AU and other applicable nonsense

Note: Another chapter down, I am on a roll

On with the story


Cold.

Biting and harsh.

Why was it so cold?

Limbs ached and would barely respond.

Why am I in pain?

Get up

Kaguya?

Get up or we'll both be lost in this blizzard

Ah that was right. She fell from a really high place. And that was before she was physically restructured in a rather painful manner. She also remembered that Kaguya had something to do with it.

Pushing that thought for much later, she opened her eyes. Eyes that felt as though they were opening for the very first time, the light was blinding despite being moonlight and did not help at all. The first struggle of being in a body that was not exactly like the one you remember was reorientating one's self. So the act of opening one's eyes was significantly easier than the act of actually moving her limbs.

So instead of actually getting up, it was more of a slight crouch before a really sad tumble back to the ground.

This is just pathetic, you've survived far worse than this surely

Well excuse me for being in pain and all of this was your fault to begin with. I don't know how, but I know it's your fault

She chose to keep her silence as she struggled upright, using the tree next to her as a support. It took several minutes for her, which included several tries and several snowy floor to the face, but she eventually managed to get upright.

It was only then, that she was able to take stock of her situation at hand.

Firstly.

She was in the middle of a dense forest, the large tree she was next to was in a rather large clearing, with trees on all sides just a few metres away.

Secondly.

There seems to be no traces of civilization in any direction, which might require her climbing up something so that she can take stock of her situation. The closest was more than a day's worth of travel away.

Thirdly.

She finally realised the current state of her body. Now the only reason that she was not flipping her shit the moment she saw the fairly large bumps on her chest was because she has been in weirder situations. Reaching underneath the red skirt and searching about, she found no trace of evidence that she was the manly man that was Naruto Uzumaki.

Speaking of skirt, she was dressed in a rather interesting outfit. A white blouse with a red collar and a red skirt with a white trimming. Over her blouse was a black corset like garment with red lacing, which went just under her bust to her waist. This was complimented by a slightly lighter shade of black belt that bore a silver rose-like emblem, and carried an empty buckle designed to carry a sheath and multiple small symmetrical knives built for throwing. On her legs were dark red stockings as well as a pair of rather neat metallic heeled boots of red and black that seem to have a strange mechanism to them and ended just below her knee. And this was all topped off by a comfortable and warm cloak, white on the outside and red on the inside.

This, she recalled from the fragments of memories, was Summer Rose's clothing. Or would it be her clothing? She stopped that train of thought for now. It was not the best of times after all.

If Summer's memories are to be relied on, then this side of the woods was filled with multiple Grimm, Beowolves if she was to be specific. With no weapons aside from the small knives and the boots, which she did not know the function of, and the nearest civilisation being a day and half of travel away, it was fair to say that she was in a pretty bad situation.

If you have time to gather your thoughts, then you have time to get moving

Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!

And saw came the journey to the nearest… well anything really, was Signal. An academy if memory serves well. Yes, she could see it. Days that have gone by, with a dusty crow, a raven and a little dragon. A weird image yes, but she doubted that they were actually the creatures stated, more like terms of endearment for actual people.

Was it odd to feel so familiarly about people you did not know exist until a while ago?

Well technically, according to Summ—her memories, she knew them since they were put in a team together, perhaps even longer.

It was hard to tell, the memories came in fragments and told a story in a rather roundabout way that led to more questions than answers. Always something missing.

Less thinking more walking

And that was without Kaguya disturbing her thoughts near constantly. Why that damnable rabbit thought it was a good idea to disturb her self-reflection was beyond her. Then again, it may be a petty way at getting back at her for the sealing and what not.

I am not petty

And I'm not in the middle of nowhere trying to gather my thoughts

Gather your thoughts? You can barely gather your feet

And while she would never admit it, Kaguya was indeed correct. As of now, she had stumbled into twelve bushes, ran into eight trees and had tripped over nothing a countless number of times. As of now, she was in even more pain than ever before, she was cranky, memories of another person… her memories… whatever, kept slapping her in the face and all she wanted was to go home.

Home.

mommy, you'll come home right?

I will my precious rose…

You promise?

I promise…

She fell to her knees as the sudden memory hit her. She wasn't sure when the tears began to fall from her eyes, but it came as soon as the feelings of anguish and guilt came crashing on her. She… she failed her promise didn't she? Summer never returned like she promised. She never returned, the more she searched for the reason why, the more it eluded her, but one thing was for sure. She left her little girl all alone, her precious rose…

Precious rose?

An image of a little girl with a large red cloak that trailed on the ground, with eyes, hair and complexion that matched her own almost perfectly popped into her head. Just the sight of this girl invoked love the likes of which she never knew of. Maybe this was what Kushina had felt when she first held her, as Naruto, in her arms. An almost indescribable yearning washed over her through the grief.

Just how long had I been gone?

Too long, a small part of her mind whispered to her. She pushed those thoughts away. She needed to find her.

Hmm? What is this? How adorable

You could hear the glee from Kaguya's voice, as the rabbit witnessed the memory with her.

And to think she came from someone like you

Screw you too

And here she thought Kaguya might have had something nice to say for once. So much for wishful thinking.

Ruby Rose, an interesting one wouldn't you agree Naruto, or would you prefer Summer?

Either… neither… whichever will get you off my back!

My, my, how testy

Fine how about a deal. You stop and I'll stop doing it

Stop doing what?

This

And Kaguya was bathed in the beautiful light of youth in the form of a sunset, as two figures embraced in the mid-distance.

STOP! I'll stop, if you stop this… this thing right this instant

Ah the sunset of youth, truly there was no weapon quite like it.

In all honesty, it was her only nonlethal weapon she had against Kaguya at the time. The fact that she was still unsure of who she was did not help things in the slightest. The fragments conflicted with the memories already there. Naruto's childhood kept clashing with the fragments of Summer's in a hodgepodge of thoughts and memories.

One part still believed she was Naruto and the other thought she was Summer.

The whole thing keeps giving her a headache and more than slight dysphoria, if that was the right word she was thinking of. That is not even mentioning the overall guilt brought on by the thought of leaving such a precious child without her mother for goodness knows how long.

My, that was a pretty big word, I'm impressed

Not now… please

Since you asked so nicely

Thank you

She thought that would have been harder to deal with. Kaguya on the other hand did not really care if her prison suffered physically and emotionally, but from one mother to—technically—another she couldn't watch her suffer. She too had been a mother, she too loved her children once.

And while you make your way to this, Signal Academy, what exactly should I call you

Didn't you just call me fool earlier?

If that is what you wish then I shall do so

What? Wait a minute

Oh? Then what do you wish for me to call you? Come, come, we don't have all day after all

That was technically not true. They had at least another half a day's worth of travel before they reach Signal Academy.

Call me Summer, this is her world and her body and I might as well get used to it

Summer it is

Summer could only chuckle at that.

What?

I didn't think that the two of us would ever talk like this

Don't think so deeply about this, your survival means my own and as long as I live, my plans can still be carried out

Yeah, yeah, your Moon's Eye thing, well what do you make of that?

By 'that' she was referring to the broken moon that floated above in the night, and bathed the forest in moonlight. While the moon was technically still there, it wasn't really much. She doubted, even if Kaguya got out, the woman would be able to cast her Infinite Tsukuyomi.

I minor setback

'Minor'? The flipping moon's barely there

It is enough

"Enough my left foot," Summer murmured to herself, sure there may be times when that moon would become perfectly circular, but how long would that actually last.

Kaguya could only chuckle in amusement within her prison, at least the girl was no longer lamenting in such a dangerous area. She had more pressing matters to deal with than the memories of how long ago. Problems like that dark presence she has been sensing creeping along just out of sight. It seems that her godly presence was warding them, but it did not lessen her worries in the slightest.

As she is now, Summer was not prepared for combat as she was now, she had no sense of balance and reach. While the combat might awaken Summer's memories of combat the risks outweighed the possible gains, and the rabbit goddess preferred that no harm was to come to her prison.

Keeping this information to herself, she flared her power slightly. A miniscule amount, enough to warn the creatures of darkness to stay back, but not enough for Summer to notice.


[Konoha]

"What do you mean he's missing?"

That was the Sixth Hokage, Kakashi Hatake, speaking to one of his old students, Sakura Haruno.

Kakashi, dressed in the white robes and the hat of the Hokage, left only his upper face visible to anyone, what with his face mask covering him.

"It means what it means. I'm not explaining again. You're not old enough to be senile," Sakura replied in a clipped tone, the harshness in her answer understandable. She had scarcely slept for a week since Naruto had vanished, spent searching the wherever she could think he might have gone.

"Have you checked his room, or Ichiraku's, you know how he can get."

"I checked everywhere," Sakura slumped on the chair she sat on. "He's missing, not off training or on a mission, but officially missing."

"I see," Kakashi steepled his fingers as he leaned on his elbows in a contemplating pose. "I hope I don't have to tell you to keep this as quiet as possible."

"Yes, but what about Naruto?"

"Our nin have been spread thin, what with the peace treaty signing coming up and security preparations being made and are being undergone."

"So, you're saying we do nothing?"

"Oh not at all. All I'm saying is that when you leave this room and begin your search for Naruto, try to be as discreet as possible. Wouldn't want to cause a scene with the other villages after all."

"You got it sensei!" Sakura replied with a smile as she made to leave, before pausing at the door. "Am I going to be paid for this?"

Kakashi paused. "Technically, it is a mission, so I suppose you will be."

"Sweet, see ya," with that she walked out and made her way to her home, she had a mission to prepare for… again. "Jeez, first Sasuke, now you, how am I supposed to keep track of the both of you?"

Someone had to keep those two in line and Sakura Haruno was on the job.

Ah, but first she had to take a bath, a week of searching did not leave her a lot of time for bathing either.


Now this is interesting

What is?

That

Summer motioned to the big castle?

It is hardly the largest castle you have ever seen, and I have seen far more extravagant ones in my lifetime

It's not a castle

The sense of déjà vu was killing her head. The cacophony of noise filled her thoughts as Summer's memories rushed her like an angry Ursa.

'Welcome to Signal Academy'

'The name's Taiyang, nice to meet you'

Another memory

'Whoa is that a scythe?'

'Indeed it is'

'Who uses a scythe in this day and age?'

And another

'Alright team, your fearless leader declares this our first mission, time to decorate!'

'Summer, you're not even the leader.'

'Don't ruin my moment Taiyang!'

Summer shook her head, as if attempting to physically shake the voices away. "So this is Signal."

Signal was not what she imagined. It was quite large and awfully castle like, granted it was quite a sight to see. It had fancy towers and arches to accompany it. It made the whole place a lot more like a fortified castle than an actual school. The thing that caught her attention that most however, was the tallest tower of the Academy. It was like a large lighthouse, shinning with a brilliant light. It seemed capable of illuminating anything for miles.

While she wondered around staring at the magnificent sight that was Signal Academy, she did not know she was getting a few stares herself. She easily stood out from the crowd, but then again to be fair she was a very attractive woman, her youthfulness as Naruto translated into her current body making her look just as if she was in her later teens. That, and she was not wearing the uniform for Signal Academy, making her stand out like a sore thumb even more.

Kaguya would have warned her, but rabbit was feeling spiteful at the moment, almost twelve hours of being ignored by her jailor would do that to most people. At least she got balancing on her new feet down pretty quickly, what with the change in balance and whatnot, or else she would have stood out even more.

Signal has changed quite a lot from when she, Summer, last saw it. According to her memories some place are a lot larger than they used to be or some places have been replaced with something different or were outright gone. It was like an old friend greeting her again, the memories oddly welcomed, and sometimes not as they overlapped with her vision.

There used to be a café there

And pray tell, why is this important?

We used to go there all the time after school

Fondness tinged her thoughts as she looked at the garden where the café used to sit and saw a faint memory overtake her vision. She saw herself, much younger than she was now, and her team mates sitting in a booth by the large glass window. She saw herself chatter animatedly to a blonde dragon next to her and to the crow and the raven across, as they looked on in amusement. It was weird how she could only remember vague impressions of them. Never a face or an actual name to put in the picture, but close enough.

She sighed as the memory faded, replaced by an empty garden. Just how long had she been gone?

It's no use asking such questions, we can only look forwards now

Kaguya sounded kind, almost encouraging.

But how? I have the memories from two different lives and all I see brings me closer to one side and I feel like I'm slowly losing it!

It does feel that way against insurmountable odds does it not, but it has not stopped you before. Never have you backed down from such a thing. Not as Naruto and not as Summer, never have you faltered against an overwhelming opposition

I guess… wait, you said Summer, what do you know of her?

I know enough

Summer chose to speak no further, sensing that Kaguya did not wish to talk of the subject any longer. She would let Kaguya keep her secrets for now, she did not need to pry on the age old goddess for something that she would certainly rediscover in her memories. But she was right. She did not falter against Kaguya, and she would certainly not falter now.

She had to be strong now, not just for her, but for a little girl that was no doubt missing her mom. And maybe a little bit for Kaguya, who was undoubtedly plotting her demise or something just as similar.

She was broken from her thoughts at the sound of approaching footsteps. Being the shinobi that she was, she moved slightly faster to the garden that was void of people. She weaved past the arch at the entrance before losing herself in the surprisingly vast flora. When she had adequately hidden herself behind a fairly large bush, supressing her presence, she waited for her prey(?) to appear.

And like clockwork, he walked into the clearing she wanted him to walk into. Ebony hair contrasted with milky white skin, which only emphasised his crimson eyes. Clothed in a black top, lined in silver and on top of this was a dark red, almost black mantle with matte black pauldrons with a silver trim. Along that he wore black pants, with silver lines on the sides of the legs, with dark leather boots. On his right pauldron, painted in a dull grey was a wing-like insignia with a gear design. His handsome visage while it aged with time, was not detracted by it.

His face has always been a blur in Summer's memories, but now, face to face, the blur has vanished, but even then she hesitated with a name. He looked different from how he once used to.

A crow…

"Perhaps I was seeing things again," she heard him whisper morosely, sadness and regret vivid on his face.

Not crow. Qrow

Without even thinking about the consequences of her actions she walked from her hiding spot. Red orbs widened at her, as their eyes met. And Qrow could say was one thing and one thing only.

"Summer?"


END

Summer and Qrow encounter one another for the first time in years.

Next Chapter: Conversations with a Crow and meeting a Dragon once again. Friends and Family or what is within Patch at the moment

But that's all for now, hoped you like the ooze that poured from my head

As always thanks for reading! ^.^