Better Days

Chapter 3

***NUBB***

I was not prepared for this.

That is the constant thought going through my head currently as I dodge shard after shard of glass, each aiming to gut me and render my life forfeit. I know I asked her to show me what she got, but this is too extreme. With a spin, I dash around the latest attempt on my life and throw a dagger to distract her long enough for me to cover the distance and finally get her into close combat. She swats away the dagger and I move in.

I shoul-

Jump!

My legs propel me into the air and now I shudder as I look at the land beneath me. This barely looks like a forest anymore. Come on Naruto, don't lose focus; I tell myself. My senses come back to me as I trace the battlefield to look for this woman. The fluttering of my clothes in the wind slowly catches my ears attention, and I can feel the tightening of my skin as the air crashing against me cools my body. What I am most aware of however, is that smug smirk on that cocky broad's face. She's been standing in the same spot this whole time. Her arms cross as she tilts her head to the side slightly. As much as I want to say I dislike this woman, the blood pumping in my veins is not from anger. I land on the ground and give her a smirk in response.

I'm actually having a bit of fun.

Not many in the White Fang are good enough to keep me on my toes, and Adam doesn't trust me sparring against him, for good reason, so normally the only action I get these days are on those soul killing missions I'm constantly on.

"I hope your goal here is not to overwhelm me." I call out to her. She did get me by surprise though. I am not quite sure my evasion would have been so painless if I had to fight her without already having a glimpse at her abilities. A little bravado never hurt though. Always makes the enemy doubt their own prowess and half the fight is over.

"Indeed, I have heard much about how you tend to tip even the most impossible odds into your favor." She calmly replies. Her arms drop from their crossed position and steps back in a relaxed position.

My smirk grows. Time to see how well she can keep her cool.

One of my clones bursts through the ground and the chain connected to his weapon wraps around her while his blade takes purchase in front of her neck.

"Hey!" The green haired girl shouts. Her charge towards my clone is interrupted by another clone striking her from her blind side, causing her to crash into the ground. Her body rolls for a bit until she is face down. With a groan she tries to get up. A foot on her back persuades her that her current action would not be good for her health.

"You should learn to recognize when someone is out of your league, little girl." My clone taunts.

My gaze goes back to Cinder Fall. If this was Chess, then I essentially would have her in Check. Too many things were not in her favor. My Semblance works best in wide open areas, she's never seen me fight before, and I have homefield advantage. Plus, my fighting style specializes in quick battles. Without proper preparation, she would be hard pressed to beat me. That all being said…...

Why in the world did she look so confident?

"Wha-"

Fire engulfed her. Soon, that fire consumed my clones and their pained screams were quickly drowned out by the buffeting sounds of the blazes taking over the environment. In a flash, the fire that made up Cinder's silhouette ceased. Now, amber eyes that used to show a quiet confidence where glowing with power that made me feel like I should look away. Her previously modest traveling clothes where now replaced with a red dress that looked to be laced with dust, and heels made of… black glass?

Well, that was new. A full wardrobe change came along with her shift in power. The heat still radiating off her warms my own skin, even from this distance. I have honestly never seen anything like that in my life. This Cinder Woman is powerful. One glance toward the ground reminded me to keep my guard up. A part of me is glad that I decided to have my clones engage her instead of me. Those piles of ash on the ground could have just as easily included me.

"Congratulations, Naruto. You're the first person to see the new power that I've recently gotten." Her voice slowly transitioned from sophisticated to sultry. "Let us see if you can help me work out the kinks a bit. I promise it'll be fun for the both of us."

I look her up and down. If I didn't know better, I'd half believe that she was getting aroused on her own power.

"How do you know my name?" I ask.

"Oh, please do give me more credit. One doesn't kill as many high-profile targets as you do without people finding out, no matter how stealthy you are. It only takes knowing the right people to get certain murmurs to come your way." She gestures to the remaining parts of the White Fang camp around us, spinning in a slow unthreatened fashion with her arms out wide. "Not everyone around you is as cautious as you are. They certainly are not as silent. I truly didn't even know you were near until you showed yourself, not even a whisper to give you away." Cinder stopped her movements and gave me her full attention.

"But they whisper."

"Oh? And what do these whispers say?" I say in a flippant manner, but I am genuinely curious. I grip my blade tighter. Do I even want to know what they say? Her expression makes me want to think that I don't. The title of monster has hung above my head for years now, even before I became Adam's tool. Blake was what kept the voices from breaking me and the casualties from haunting me. The blood on my hands always felt like the would be washed clean by her presence, like it wasn't too late for me to be redeemed. Now she is gone and that title above my head feels like its connected to a rope around my neck, and the blood on my hands never leaves. I know there is no redemption for me now.

"They say many things." Her voice, rich like caramel, interrupts my musings. We make eye contact again, and I'm compelled to do nothing but stare. I know most would think that its her beauty that has got me ensnared. If only it was that simple. There is an intensity in her shimmering eyes that makes it hard for me to look away. Quite the contrast from when she first unleashed her powers. It feels like she is reading me, as if I became more like text than flesh. "They say you're strong, perhaps the most powerful person in the whole White Fang. They also say you're kind, but now that kindness is only shown to your victims. What interests me most are the whispers of the girl you were said to be completely loyal to. I had wanted to see what she must have been like to get such a legend devoted to her. However, given what you've told me, I suspect that she is the one that dear Adam is targeting."

That weird feeling is gone now, and I'm no longer in the mood for talking. Reaching behind me into my pouch, I grab two knives. The first one I toss as high as I can in the air. The second, I throw straight at her. She looked bored with the maneuver. Her expression quickly changed when that single knife became nearly a hundred. A wall of glass appeared to block the deadly metal and I took this chance to jump into the air while she can't see me. She backs up, and even from here I can see her confusion as she tries to find where I am. I land in a crouch behind her.

"Peek-a-boo," I taunt. She turns around surprised and my fist meets cheek in a satisfying impact. She goes soaring and grinds against the ground a bit until her body coils viciously around one of the remaining trees. That first knife I threw into the air falls into my waiting hand and I waste no time in coating it with a paper laced fire dust and throwing it at her again. Again, that knife multiplies into several more and pelt the ground around her. The resulting explosion was blinding.

That would be enough to keep anyone down for the count. I turn around to see if Cinder's green haired lady friend will try to do something. She is still on the ground, staring at the smoke surrounding Cinder's location a little wide eyed. "So, just for convenience sake, could you tell me your name?" I ask her.

"E-Emerald."

"And your stupid grey-haired friend?"

She looks at me now. After taking a second to compose herself, she stands. "His name is Mercury."

"While, when your boss wakes up, tell her that I'm going to have to say no deal to her offer." I was about to turn away when I notice Emerald starting to smile. "What are you smiling about?"

My answer was given to me by a very painful and burning sensation in my back. I stagger forward from the force of the blow and turn around to see a fire ball careen into my chest. Now, I'm the one flying backwards. I reorient myself so that I land on my feet, and the second I stop sliding back from the powerful momentum, I dash to the side to avoid another one of those blasts. Cinder definitely has the advantage in long range combat. She knows it too, that's why she's barely given me a chance to get close at all this whole time. I doubt she'll be willing to make that mistake again, given the last time I was close she was practically blown to kingdom come. No matter, as long as she is focused on me she is vulnerable.

A clone materializes behind her. He grabs his kyoketsu- shoge and aims to land an ending blow.

"Behind you!" I hear shout out from the other end of the field. I give a short tsk in Emerald's direction. Cinder rotates, grabs my clone's arm, and twirls so that they are both facing me. Her movements are smoother than I expected, and that hostage-hold she has on my clone must be strong for him to not be able to break out of it. She places her hand on his face and just stares at me impassively as my clone cries in pain. His face starts to melt, and the cries start to die. Her stare never wavered from my own.

Whoa.

"Well, someone has quite a sinister side to them don't they." I say to ease the tension.

"You'll find most people aren't too happy when they are caught in the middle of an explosion." She quips.

"Um," I stammer. She does sort of have a point. "That doesn't mean you can go around turning people's heads into goop." I fire back.

"Again, you give me no credit, Naruto. I only did that because I knew it wasn't the real you. If nothing else," she smirked again, "consider it as me just blowing off some steam."

A glass spike came out the ground in front of me and forced me skyward, my predictable action caused me to come face to face with a number of flaming spheres and no way to dodge them. I see colors swirl as they all slam into me. The last thing I see is black as I slam into something hard. My guess is that I finally hit the ground. Now, I'm hurting all over and my Aura feels like it's almost depleted. I can't tell direction or where I am, but I know I need to get up and move. Forcing myself up, I race forward randomly, and once I'm clear of the smoke I see Cinder only a few feet in front of me.

I engage her relentlessly. She is good at dodging and blocking, but I'm not giving her a chance to fit in any attacks. She falls for a high feint and tries to block, so I do a low sweep to make her lose her footing. I catch her falling body and with a painful twist I slam her body on the ground. The impact blows loose rocks and twigs away. I take this opening to kick her prone body and send her into Emerald. I mostly aim for her as revenge for when she gave that warning shout out earlier. The green haired girl took the surprise blow and now it's finally quiet again in this forest.

Cinder gets up and brushes some dirt off her body. Other than that, though, she looks no worse for wear. I know she's hurting, but she clearly has more Aura left than I do. Large fiery bombs start raining from the sky and shatters the glass spires surrounding us. The broken glass starts to lift and dance about as if they were fish swimming in the ocean.

A foreboding feeling comes to surface.

The sharp pieces of debris circle me and start to shoot at me in what feels like a random fashion. A multitude of clones appear by my side to help me destroy or absorb the blades of glass. Soon meaningless cuts on my arms become huge gashes, and I wince as a particularly bad cut comes across my calf. I take a jump back to get ready to reengage.

"I suggest you get out of here while you still have the chance." I hear Adam say. It's about time he joined in, bastard was probably happy watching me get torn to pieces. While Cinder and I were getting absorbed into our little scuffle, the rest of the White Fang were positioning themselves to ambush the powerful woman. A disappointed sigh comes to her lips.

"Oh, Adam, you certainly know how to ruin a girl's fun." She comments, her voice sounding like it's sophisticated and sultry default once more. "I was starting to really enjoy my time with Naruto. Nevertheless, I know when I'm not wanted, but rest assured, I will be back. Third time's the charm, they say. When we meet again, you won't have your unwilling bodyguard to distract me with a good time. You'll have my full attention."

"Third time?" I ask. "You were here before?"

"Yes, however, your brilliant leader does not know how to see the bigger picture. What I'm proposing will not only help me, but the Fang as well. I heard what you told Emerald before but know that my offer still stands. I'll protect this Blake that you care about so much, you just got to return the favor." I continue to watch her as she picks up Mercury and walks over to Emerald. "With that, I'll be seeing you later."

The trio disappear with a blink. I can feel my eyebrow raise in confusion. That woman has way too many tricks up her sleeve. I hear footsteps as the crowd gradually gets over their own surprise and begins to disperse. I walk back to camp myself.

With my opponent gone, fatigue starts to take hold of my body. A few more minutes and Ilia's tent comes to view. I walk inside and see her reading a book in bed.

"Hey Naruto! That was a nice show you put on out there. I haven't seen you that worked over in a while." She laughed out. I don't bother to answer right away. Instead I take off my mask and crumble onto the bed to lay beside her.

"Which is exactly why I'm going to need commence the world's biggest nap right now."

"Now?! You can't sleep now! You're all sweaty and stinky! At least take a shower first." I hear her pleading. I'm much too tired to open my eyes and confirm this however.

"Too Late." I respond, and soon the sweet release of sleep takes me.

***NUBB***

Blake's POV

"I don't mean to be rude, but could you please stop bothering me for right now."

"No, Blake! We've been a team for two months now, and it doesn't feel like you gotten any closer to us. If you can't talk to us, then who can you talk to?"

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I know exactly who I could talk to. In fact, I can almost see him when I close my eyes like this. It's like he's still here. I feel my hand start to caress my locket again. He's smiling at me, in that way that only he smiles. I can see the shine in his eyes that's always there, even during the hard times. The tips of his spikey blond hair gently sway with each movement of his head, and from the wind coming in from the window. He looks like he wants to say something, and I can't wait to hear the happy timber that is his voice. It feels like it's been so long.

"Blake?"

Only, it's not the cheerful and masculine voice I remember that comes from his lips. It's the concerned voice of my teammate. I open my eyes and the illusion fades away. Short blonde hair becomes long, blue eyes turn lilac, and that beautiful smile morphs into a concerned frown.

"You did it again." Yang says. "You know, when you start spacing out. This time you started smiling instead of crying, so I guess that's a good thing. But now you're looking at me and I have to say it kind of hurts to see that disappointment on your face." She says, and I can tell she is only half joking.

"I'm sorry." I don't really know what else to say.

"Never mind, how about I get Ruby and Weiss and we all go get something to eat?"

I feel a little guilty for ignoring someone who is only trying to help me. I drop my hand from my locket and place both my hands on my lap. I don't really feel like eating at the moment, but I do need to do something to take my mind off things.

"Sure."

Yang disappears with a command to meet them in the cafeteria and I reluctantly make my way down the halls. It's a peaceful walk. The type of peace I haven't experienced in years. There's no worries about making sure I'm always pack for an emergency retreat. I don't have to worry about sleeping with one eye open at all times. I reach the court yard leading into the cafeteria and the sun feels good on my skin.

"Blaaaaakeee!"

That could only be Ruby. I turn in time side step her supercharged hug. Her momentum keeps her going and she crashes into one of the numerous fountains at Beacon.

"Hmph, serves you right. Why in the world would you try to tackle someone like that. That's not showing affection, that's assault."

That berating voice could only be one person.

"Hey Weiss." I call out, returning to my path towards the cafeteria.

It's not long until Yang joins us, and we leave Ruby to catch up. My teammates know how to make a scene, if nothing else.

"You're in luck Blake!" Yang calls out. "I hear that have some super expensive fish on the menu today."

My previously full stomach now feels like it has room for more. I don't want them to see how excited I got over some food. I can feel someone entering my personal space. A quick glance to my side and I see Yang happily slithering up to me. She's humming some sort of tone and pretending like she is not purposely trying to get my attention. I let out a small sigh.

"What do you want, Yang?"

"Well, if you really want to know. I was wondering when you would finally tell me about what's been eating away at you. I've barely seen you smile ever since I've met you, and when you do smile it's because you're off in your own little world."

I debate how much I actually want to talk to her about this at the moment as we shuffle forward in line to get food.

"I've already told you. There is nothing wrong." I try to dismiss her, knowing she'll never go for it.

"Don't give me that crap, Blake." Her clipped response almost makes me wince. I input my order into my scroll and wait for my tray to be ready. I can Yang's barely constrained frustration starting to seep out in the form of tapping fingers and feet. "You need to learn to depend on us more."

I find my self hesitating. Maybe she is right. I'm about to speak up when our food comes. I use the distraction as a way to avoid responding. I grab my tray and the fish smells amazing. We walk over to a table and soon after the rest of the team shows up. Not long after that team JNPR joins us.

Minutes pass and I watch. I watch how happy and carefree they all are. My silence is generally accepted by everyone so they don't really bother me too much anymore, but this is the first time I actually just watched. I took it all in. The jokes, the little games, the stories that leave one person embarrassed and the others almost in tears from laughing. In this small amount of time I saw them encourage one another, chide each other playfully, and enjoy themselves like they were the only ones in the whole cafeteria.

I find myself looking around now, at the other teams and friends seated by each other. It was like my senses exploded. A wave of laughter and words struck my ears. I saw friends, and new lovers. It's such a joyful atmosphere here.

I turn back to my table. These guys gave off a more comfortable vibe that was greater than the groups around us.

JNPR

RWBY

They felt more like a family than a group of friends.

It would be nice to be apart of a family again. Especially one that doesn't ask for you to kill for them. I watch as Yang gets engrossed in another one of Nora's wild stories, with Ren on the side gently discrediting her. I see Jaune fail in his latest attempt to win Weiss' affections, and how Pyrrha cheers him up. These dorks are my teammates, and if I had to admit, friends.

Hopefully one day, I'd allow myself to join in with them and call them family as well.

"Ah! What is this?!" An excited cry calls out. "Everyone look!"

Soon Yang has the whole table gathered in a small circle and looking at me.

"Well, would you look at that." Nora says with her hand grabbing her chin like a pondering detective.

"Yea, that's a rare site. Almost as rare as seeing one from Weiss." Ren agrees.

"Hey!"

They all laugh and I almost feel like joining in.

"What are you guys talking about?" I ask.

"Blake," Yang says happily, "You're smiling."

"Yeah! And its not one of your weird ones where you're all zoned out!" Ruby adds.

"See, this is a you I would like to see more often." The blonde sister continues. "I knew you could do it if you try."

My eyes widen as that brings up an old happy memory.

"See, Blake, that's a side of you that I wish I'll be able to see more often." Whiskered cheeks caked with mud get stretched as a huge grin appears. "If I would've known that all it took was me getting destroyed in a Sumo mud fight, I would have entered a tournament much earlier."

"Well, who wouldn't laugh at the sight of a kid getting tossed like a ragdoll after challenging men four times his size."

"Heh heh!" He gave a proud hum, and I could feel the cheer on his face spread to mine.

Naruto did always hate when I was all broody. I guess it wouldn't hurt to allow myself to enjoy things a bit more.

***NUBB***

Emerald's POV

I don't like that White Fang assassin. Cinder has been acting a little strange after that fight.

I don't know if it's because she liked his skill, that thrill that their little fight gave her, or if its something more intimate, but she as been adamant in the fact that we need him on our side.

Even now I watch as she calmly goes over all the reports that she has managed to get on him, memorizing every detail. For a normal person that would not seem like much, but this is the most interest that Cinder has shown in a single person for as long as I've known her. The only person I know that matches this level of interest would be the Fall Maiden, and even that has fallen off after she received half her power.

"Emerald. How long do you plan on staring at me?" Crap, she noticed.

"I was just wondering when you plan on going back to the White Fang. We were supposed to already have them on our side."

One of her eyes is covered by her bangs, but even with only one eye visible, when her gaze came upon me I started to feel very small.

"I've already organized to account for the delay. Plus," she smiled suddenly. Her hand swept across all the paper on her desk and they burnt to ash. "I have a feeling the White Fang are going to be much more co-operative."

I look over to Mercury, sitting in a corner acting like he is reading a book, and silently ask him if he knows what that was supposed to mean. He gives me a shake of his head.

We both look to Cinder. Her smile only grows, and she stands up.

"I have been waiting for you to come." She calls out to the empty room. "I was beginning to regret holding back during our fight."

A figure steps out from a dark corner on the other side of the room. Mercury and I get ready for battle.

But then a grimm mask becomes visible. That same specialized grimm mask that covers the whole face. I almost shiver. He makes me feel so uneased.

"You are powerful, but it's your connections more than your skills that made me want to come here."

"So can I take it that you want to take me up on my offer?" I know that voice. Cinder always uses that voice when she's trying to manipulate someone. It's an airy, seductive type of voice.

"No." That threw me off guard. Cinder really doesn't get denied that often. I look at Mercury, and he has a spiteful smile on his face, like he's looking at someone he doesn't like whose about to be murdered.

Given what usually happens to those that refuse Cinder, that might be the case.

"Instead, I want to modify it. I still can't risk someone going after her, so I can't kill Adam." He sounds like just saying that left a bad taste in his mouth. "But if you can promise me to keep her safe from the White Fang, I'll do whatever else you want."

Cinder looked absolutely ecstatic. This was they happiest I've seen her in months.

"Well, that is an offer I cannot refuse. Anything, you say? You may very well come to regret saying that."

"Trust me, there is not much that I can do that would make me feel lower than I already do." I noticed that he looked down and started to rub his hands at that, almost like he was washing them.

"Deal. If you tell me this girl's name I can go ahead and start my end of the bargain, and I promise, no physical harm shall come to this girl while she is under my protection." Oh, she did it again. That's classic Cinder-speak. She just worked two different kinds of loop holes into that agreement.

"As for you," she starts again, probably in an effort to keep Naruto from thinking too much about what she just said. "There's other ways to replace Adam without killing him. Take his spot as leader, and help me in creating a world that's better for everyone. I'll even help you with your coup."

I feel like I'm witnessing what might turn out as one of modern histories most powerful partnerships. I still really don't like the guy, but he was able to go toe to toe with Cinder, even after she started using her added Fall Maiden strength. Plus, he is sneaking enough to get in this room without me or Mercury noticing. If he starts to lead the White Fang, while doing everything Cinder says, our plan has a much better chance of working.

"Blake Belladonna."

"Pardon?"

"That's her name. The one I need you to protect, Blake Belladonna."

"Perfect," Cinder ushers the assassin towards another room. "We have much to discuss, Naruto."

Not soon after, Mercury and I get a message on our scrolls.

Find this Blake and get me all the information you can on her. Be discreet. Failure will not be tolerated.


Hmm, I guess at this point even an apology would feel hollow. I am not dead. Hopefully, I'll more able to upload as well.

But I don't want to give any empty promises, so the next chapter comes out when it comes out. hehe

This Chapter came out a week later then promised, but here you go Night Angel.

Thank You to everyone who takes the time to write a Review. That little notification is what reminds some of us to set some time aside from our busy schedule to give back to those that appreciate our work (I'm speaking for hopefully all writers here). It's always a treat to get those, and it's a huge driving force to not only make us want to write more, but to get better at writing as well.

That being said, I'm actually not happy with my writing haha. I wanted to get this little chapter out to help advance the plot so that I could get to get to the nice juicy bits that made me want to create this story in the first place. Hopefully, by then, I'll be a much better writer.