Disclaimer: "Rwby" belongs to Rooster Teeth, "Naruto" belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, Shueisha and Viz Media… I am none of these.

Ch.4

The Shining Beacon

After two hours, Naruto had come to deeply understand one thing about himself:

He absolutely hated flying.

It had been two weeks' sense Ozpin had first recruited him as a student of Beacon, and Naruto had spent that time getting reacquainted with society.

He had traded his stolen and tattered Schnee company jumpsuit in for an outfit that fit his style a little better, using a stipend that Ozpin had given him to buy school supplies and other necessities once they reached Vale.

At the moment, he wore a pair of orange cargo pants with a black stripe down the sides and an unzipped black hooded leather jacket with an orange winged Fox head on the back, paying homage to his impromptu moniker. The latter was stitched together using orange trim, with a pair of black sandals and a mesh undershirt, not unlike what he'd worn in Konoha, tying everything together. The bracelet the little girl, Rosalia, had given him now hung around his neck on a string as an impromptu necklace, a memento of his last rescue (in Atlas…For now…)

Since he didn't really need to pay for lodging, still preferring to sleep under the stars rather than in what he felt were overly padded beds, he had only spent half of what remained on clothing, and supplies, pocketing the rest in preparation for the upcoming year.

Presently, he was on a Vale Sanctioned Bullhead hired to transport his class to Beacon, all the while cursing the school's choice in transport, as he furiously tried to stop himself from groaning.

Now make no mistake, his discomfort didn't stem from anything as simple as, say, airsickness, like what was currently afflicting the slumped over and groaning form of the armored blond boy sitting next to him.

No, his problem was much more deeply rooted.

His past life's experiences with Nature Energy, alongside his current bodies animal instincts and ties to the outdoors, made him more than a little attuned with the natural world. It was how he had survived on his own so well, in conditions that would have normally killed another person. His body was simply built to account for the wilderness.

So, as you can imagine, transitioning directly from an area where he was surrounded by Nature Energy to one where it was all but nonexistent was very… Jarring, for the young fox boy. Even now, after all this time, the lack of Life Force in the air made his skin crawl, instincts going haywire at the lack of energy he was receiving, putting him on edge. Mix that feeling with being hundreds of feet in the air, surrounded by presumably well-armed strangers (most if not all of whom were human) and having no way of getting back to the ground on his own that didn't involve becoming a bloodstained mess, and you can understand why he was a little grouchy.

Pushing his thoughts to the side, Naruto started to go through the supplies in his book bag, hoping the distraction would help calm his nerves before the ship landed.

"Let's see" he muttered to himself "extra PJs, sleeping bag, toothbrush, med kit, airsickness pi-" he paused as held the vile of medicine in his hand, casting a glance at the long-suffering blonde boy beside him. He didn't really need the medicine; his strong constitution having carried over from the original Naruto. He could afford to give them up, besides…

'Ought to at least try and make friends while I'm here.'

"Hey buddy" he started, patting the slightly older boy on the back.

Though he didn't look up, the questioning groan from where the boy had his head tucked between his knees confirmed that he was listening.

Naruto put the vial under his nose where could see it "Use some of these."

There was a slight pause before the vial was quickly snatched from his hand as the older boy raised his head, tilting it back as he popped three pills straight into his mouth, before lowering it with a sigh of relief.

Handing it back, the boy gave him a grateful smile "Thanks buddy, you're a life saver."

Naruto waved him off, before extending his hand "Don't mention it. Naruto Uzumaki, pleased to meet you."

The older boy shook the hand offered "Jaune Arc, likewise."

Naruto smiled "So, Beacon huh? You ready for this?"

The older boy gave a distinctly nervous chuckle "About as ready as I'll ever be. What about you?"

The Faunus boys smile turned distinctly feral "More than ready, it's been too long since I've had a good fight." As he said this, his tail rose unconsciously to accentuate his point, which Jaune took note of.

"Holy crap, you're a Faunus?!" he asked in surprise.

Naruto stiffened "Yeah" he ground out slowly, before his eyes narrowed as he looked at the other boy "Problem?"

Noticing the young Faunus's tone, Jaune quickly raised his hands in surrender "Nope! No problem at all! Just, kind of surprised me is all!"

Naruto gave a slight sigh before he relaxed "Sorry, so many bigots in the world you never know."

"Eh no problem. I grew up around a lot of Faunus kids back home, so I kinda don't really notice, but I know how some people can be."

"Thanks."

Their conversation was cut short by the sound of the bullhead landing. As everyone on board made to exit, Naruto quickly wrapped his tail around his waist, taking in surroundings as he followed Jaune out into the courtyard.

"So" the older blonde started "Any idea where we're supposed to go?"

"Auditorium I guess, as for where that is… No clue."

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

As his fellow blonde started to try and get a lay of the land, Naruto was busy taking in his fellow classmates, watching for anyone of interest.

'Let's see here. A bombshell' A blonde haired girl who just disappeared in a crowd 'a rookie' a smaller girl with short red-tipped dark hair and a red hood trailing behind her, looking dazed and nervous, before tripping into…

His eyes narrowed as he caught sight of a familiar mop of white hair pulled into a side ponytail popup amongst the mountain of suitcases the small red girl had fallen into 'And a Schnee. Joy.' He thought sarcastically, watching as she scolded the smaller girl for her misstep before taking a breath.

'But let's not hold that against her.'

In all honesty, he couldn't drum up that much hatred for the older girl. Years in self-inflicted exile tended to mellow a person (or drive them nuts, but, you know, semantics), and mixed with his time around Amber, he had long since releasedmost of his hatred for the Schnee company.

Most.

He still held plenty of anger over the situation itself, but he wouldn't just snap and go on a murder spree against them either. That was part of the reason he had only stolen that Manchester guy's clothes instead of outright attacking or leaving them for dead once he'd seen who they worked for. He was trying to let it go. It would just take time.

Lots of time, but hey, what can you do?

So, if it came down to it, no, he wouldn't hold her family name against her.

Her personality on the other hand…

"Hey Jaune" he started, pulling his fellow blonde out of his thoughts "I think I just found someone to help us." At this he pointed at the small red girl, who, while he had been going over his thoughts had somehow ended up laying in a shallow soot-covered crater looking miserable.

The blonde knight looked where he pointed before nodding resolutely as he spotted the younger girl "You know; I think your right."

0

The day had quickly gone from bad to worse for one Ruby Rose.

The trip to Beacon had started off bad enough. Immediately after entering the Bullhead that morning with Yang, she'd immediately been set upon by the other students.

As soon as she'd step foot onboard the ship, she could feel all of the other student's eyes zeroing in on her. Some with curiosity, others with contempt, but all centered around the fifteen-year-old who dared to skip ahead. Watching her closely as if she were some rare specimen in a jar, as if waiting on the moment she would mess up and prove she didn't deserve her position.

She had never been more thankful for her older sister's explosive personality in her life.

As long as Yang was around, everything would be okay.

So of course, everything had gone straight to Hell as soon as the older girl left her high and dry.

The Golden Flame Bomb's speedy retreat had quickly left her dazed and confused, as she rapidly found herself falling into a huge pile of suitcases that had inexplicably made its way behind her.

And of course, that had called down the Wrath of the White-Haired Harpy.

Who of course had shaken the Dust, which caused her to sneeze, which led to the explosion and where she was now.

Alone, lying in a crater, wishing she could be somewhere, anywhere else.

"Welcome to Beacon" she mumbled dejectedly, close to tears.

So, with the way things had been going so far, you can imagine her surprise when, while she was laying there drowning in self-pity, she was approached by two admittedly attractive older boys, one of whom offered her a hand up.

The older of the two, the one who helped her up, was admittedly very… basic would be the best word. He wore a simple breastplate and spaulder combination over a black hoodie, with brown leather gloves, a simple pair of jeans and high-top sneakers, the sheath for a medium sized broadsword attached at his right hip.

"Hi" he started off, a tad awkwardly as he helped her to her feet "I'm Jaune. And that's Naruto."

At this he gestured to the other boy who looked decidedly… wild, compared to his companion. The whisker marks on each of his cheeks, the foxtail wrapped around his waist and the way he held himself made his presence seem practically feral. Though he appeared relaxed, one hand in his jacket pocket as he used the other to give her a two-finger salute in greeting, the roguish look in eye showed that he was scoping her out, trying to figure out exactly what made her tick with just a glance. Everything about this other boy seemed to scream one word: Dangerous.

She liked him already.

He reminded her of her Uncle Qrow.

"Pleasure to meet you their Miss …" The wild boy, Naruto, trailed off, searching for her name.

"Oh!" She started, realizing she hadn't introduced herself yet, too caught up in her thoughts "I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose." She said, a slight blush coloring her cheeks in embarrassment.

Both boys only smiled at her, unknowingly sharing the same thought:

'Well, that's just downright adorable".

Of course, then the girl had to go and ruin the moment.

Looking at Jaune, her eyes narrowed before widening in recognition, half cracking up as she saw who she was talking to "Hey, aren't you the guy who almost threw up on the ship?"

She could only smile sheepishly as Naruto burst into laughter, while Jaune slumped in defeat.

0

"All I'm saying is, motion sickness is way more common than people let on. It could have happened to anyone!"

The now group of three had quickly moved on from the court yard after their initial meeting, taking the time before orientation to get to know one another better.

Or at least they would have, if Ruby hadn't started off with mentioning Jaune's near reintroduction to his lunch on the ride over.

The girl laughed, "Look, I'm sorry! Vomit Boy was just the first thing that came to mind!"

"Oh yeah? Well what if I called you Crater Face?

"Hey! That explosion was an accident!"

Naruto snorted at that.

The red themed girl immediately rounded on him "Watch it Fuzzy!"

Naruto's left eye began to twitch at the name, while Jaune couldn't help but bust out laughing "Dang dude, she's got you pegged!"

Naruto turned to him, eyes narrowed "Is that so, Vomit Boy?"

Now it was Jaune's turn to pick up an eye twitch, while Naruto smirked and Ruby laughed at his expense.

"You know what? Screw the both of you." He said, trying to keep a straight face, but failing badly, breaking down into laughter a minute later, quickly joined by the others.

"Anyway" Jaune started off, eager to change the subject "the name's Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue –ladies love it!" He said with confidence…

…Only to be met with twin looks of skepticism.

"What?" he asked noticing the looks.

The other two glanced at him, before looking at each other, and then back to him.

"Do they?" started Ruby

"Do they really?" finished Naruto, eyebrow raised in the universal sign of: "Come on man."

"They will!" he insisted, before faltering "I mean, well, I-I hope they will. My mom always says that … You know what, never mind."

The other laughed for a second before descending into a silence that was equal parts awkward and comfortable.

"So…" Ruby started after a moment "I got this!" She quickly unsheathed and expanded her weapon, Crescent Rose, stabbing it into the ground as she did so.

Naruto whistled

Jaune gaped, half-way between impressed and scared "Woah! Is that a scythe?!"

The younger girl smirked "It's also a customizable high-impact sniper rifle!"

"Uhhh…?" he replied smartly

"It's also a gun" she simplified, cocking it and smiling sweetly.

"Correction, it's a big, bombastic gun" Naruto amended, looking it over "And she's a beauty. Can I…?"

He pointed at Crescent Rose, leaning forward and running a hand over it when Ruby nodded her approval.

'Tiny girls with big badass scythes and a school that teaches people how to kill monsters…?

He's rose back to his full height, before nodding to himself.

'Best. Decision. EVER!'

"Oh. OH! That's cool!" said Jaune as the other teen's words settled in "Strike that, that's awesome!"

"Thanks!" She said, pleased with herself "So, what've you guys got?"

"Oh! I, uh…." He struggled for a minute, before pulling out his own weapon "I got this sword! Crocea Mors!"

"Ooooohh" she breathed, Naruto just looked curious.

"Yeah, and this shield too!" At this, the young knight quickly pulling out his scabbard and expanding it into a shield with his family crest.

Placing a hand on the shield, she glanced at him curiously "What do they do?"

"Oh uhh" at that moment the shield chose to go haywire on his arm, expanding and retracting rapidly as he struggled to get them under control, before forcing it to shrink down and reattaching it to his hip "Well, the shield shrinks, so when I get tired of carrying it I can just… you know… put it away…

She looked at him confused "But… doesn't it weigh the same either way?"

He slumped "Yeah, yeah it does…"

Naruto patted the older boy on the back while Ruby giggled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head with her free hand "Well, I'm kind of a dork with weapons, sooo… I guess I did go a little overboard when I was designing it."

She looked at him in confusion when instead of bucking up he just gawked at her in shock. Looking at Naruto, she saw much the same look on his face.

"…What? Is there something on my face?"

This seemed to break the dam as Jaune looked at her in alarm "Wait, wait, wait, hold the phone – You made that?!"

"Of course!" she replied, shocked he was even asking "All students at Signal forge their own weapons! I mean, didn't you two make yours?"

She slumped when both of them shook their heads

"It's a hand- me-down" Jaune said after a minute "My great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the war."

"Same" said Naruto, unsheathing both of his gun blades "About the hand-me down-part. My older sister passed them down to me the last time I saw her."

"Sound more like family heirlooms" Ruby said, laughing awkwardly at their reactions "Well I like them! Especially yours Jaune! Not enough people have an appreciation for the classics these days."

The young knight sheathed his blade, still looking decidedly bummed "Yeah, the classics…

Naruto put a hand on his shoulder "Don't let it get you down buddy, trust me when I say this: Ain't nothing got your back in the middle of a fight like a solid piece of steel; sometimes the simple approach is the best one."

The older boy cracked a half smile at his words "Thanks."

"No problem."

The trio walked on in a comfortable silence for a moment, happily allowing the previous moment's seriousness to dissipate in time.

"So, I want ask you guys something" Ruby said after a moment, drawing the other two's attention with the thoughtful look on her face "Why'd you guys help me out back there? In the courtyard, I mean?"

"Why not?" Naruto asked, looking at her in honest confusion "Besides, you looked like you could use a pick-me up after dealing with the "Snow Princess"."

"Yeah" Jaune picked up, shrugging "I mean, it's like my Mom always says, 'Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet.'

"Hmm" she said thoughtfully, honestly unsure of how to respond to their words, before taking a look around "Hey, uh, where are we going?

Jaune snorted "Heck, I don't know. I was following you guys. Think there might be a directory or something? Maybe a food court? You know, some kind of recognizable landmark?" He stopped as he saw the other trying (and in Ruby's case failing) to hold back their laughter

"I'm, uh… I'm guessing that's a 'no' then?

Neither of his two friends could take it anymore as they descended into a fit of laughter, halted only momentarily by Ruby, who, surprisingly, managed to get ahold of herself long enough to answer him

"Yes Jaune, that'd be a 'no'."

0

After they had all calmed down, Naruto revealed that he had known the way the whole time.

"I smelled a ton of people headed that way" he said shrugging, tapping his nose before pointing in a seemingly random direction "I figured y'all just wanted to chat for a second."

After that explanation, (and the subsequent face-palms that followed it) the trio had rapidly made their way to the auditorium, gawking as they took in its size, as what seemed like hundreds of students milled about trying to get settled.

They were quickly pulled from their stupor by the loud sound of a girl's voice.

"Ruby! Over Here! I saved you a spot!"

Looking over, they saw the blonde girl from earlier, waving her arms up and down like a madwoman, heedless of anyone else around her as she zeroed in on the form of her little sister in the doorway."

"Oh!" said Ruby as she spotted the older girl "That's my sister! Look, I-I gotta go! I'll see you after the ceremony! It was nice meeting you!"

Jaune started "Wait!" he called out too late before sighing as he watched his second friend at Beacon disappear into the crowd "Dang it! That's just perfect. Now where am I supposed to meet another nice, quirky girl to talk to?!"

Naruto patted his shoulder, obviously amused as he watched their young female tear into the older blonde girl "Eh, don't sweat it. Let the girl tear into her sister, Oum knows she needs to vent. Now come on, we still gotta find some seats in this place. Besides, big as this place, there's bound to be another cute redhead to keep you company around here somewhere. "

As they walked off, neither one of them noticed a tall Spartan-themed girl with her long red hair tied into a ponytail, watching them with curiosity before turning her attention elsewhere.

0

"Really? Freaking really?" Naruto asked in exasperation.

"Hey, cut me some slack, it was a spur of the moment thing!" Jaune said, trying to defend himself.

It was about an hour and a half after Ozpin's "Speech", if you could call that half a minute long demotivational spiel that, and the two new friends were getting changed for bed, while Jaune regaled Naruto with his latest foray into the realm of the romantic.

And its failings.

Evidently, while Naruto had dived headfirst into the crowd of people to find a seat (no matter how briefly he had needed it) Jaune had taken the more passive route, trying to scope out a free space from where he stood amongst the constant throng of people.

As he did, he had managed to catch the tail end of a conversation (ironically involving Ruby) where he'd heard a girl call him "cute."

So of course, he'd taken that as a cue to introduce himself, with his first words being…

"I'm a natural blonde" though? Seriously? How do you even…?" Naruto griped, leaning against the wall as he waited for the older boy to get done changing.

Technically speaking, Naruto was already ready to crash, having already stored his blades away in a locker after making sure that the others in the room were also unarmed. Old habits die hard, and the need to watch his back was still firmly ingrained in the young man as he'd watched the other teens filter into the room, wary of threats. He had set his sleeping bag up in a corner near one of the oversized windows, head facing the center of the room, and he always had his claws to rely on. Worse came to worse, he could fight his way out.

At the moment, he wore a loose pair of black pajama bottoms with orange trim, his mesh undershirt, and the bracelet turned necklace around his neck.

The problem had arisen when he'd seen what Jaune had planned to wear. The older boy had fallen out of the changing room in a pair of bunny-themed footy-pajamas, not an ounce of shame on his face as he prepared to make his way across the room, on full display for all of his new classmates.

Naruto wasn't having any of that mess.

Getting up from where he had been seated, the young fox Faunus had all but dragged the older knight back into the changing area by his collar before tossing him the extra pair of pajamas he had brought along heedless of the protests his new friend had made.

There was being comfortable in your own skin, and then there was just sheer stupidity.

One guess which category wearing those fell into.

And that's coming from a guy who had once worn a neon orange jumpsuit everywhere.

Think about that.

"Hey, it wasn't that bad!" the young knight exclaimed from behind the door as finally made his way out, now wearing a pair of black pajama bottoms and a white undershirt.

"Dude, she face-palmed" Naruto deadpanned.

Jaune could only blush, unable to argue that point.

Releasing his breath slowly to gather his thoughts, the younger boy looked his new friend in the eye to get his point across "Look buddy, word of advice: If it takes less than 30 seconds to think up, its gonna fail. Trust me, in a fight, with girls, anything. No exceptions. You keep dropping bombs like that one, and there ain't gonna be enough Aura in the world to heal what that girl does to you. Believe me!"

He didn't even know who this girl was, having cut his friend off when he'd been about to describe her. Seriously though, no matter what she looked or acted like, that line was bound to crash and burn.

Hard.

"Yeah, yeah" the older blonde waved off, storing the info for later, before looking at his companion in confusion "Aura?"

"Yep, it's got no chance" Naruto chuckled before seeing the lost look on the older blonde's face "No way… Jaune, you do know what Aura is, right?"

"O-of course…!" the farm boy said quickly, trying to save face, before spotting the skeptical look his companion shot him "… I don't…"

"Oh, dear Oum man, what the hell?!" Naruto gasped out in shock, genuinely horrified "Why didn't you tell anyone?! You were about to be a sitting duck tomorrow!"

Jaune cringed as he was scolded by his new friend. Had he really almost screwed up that badly?

"Alright, hold up, we can fix this." Naruto said after he had let the information sink in "Fist bump me."

Jaune blinked at the odd request, watching as the young fox boy raised his fist and gestured for him to do the same.

Shrugging, the older blonde did as he was told, eyes widening as he felt more than saw his friend draw upon something, urging it forward through the point where their fists connected

Before he could ask what is was going on, he felt that same something again, only this time he felt it building up within his own chest.

His first instinct was to panic, as the energy continued to build, he found it harder and harder to hold it back, to keep it under control. But as he struggled against it, a new feeling emerged, some baser instinct he wasn't aware of having, urging him to simply let go. To embrace the energy, rather than to try and restrain it.

Feeling that the loss of control was imminent, Jaune did what practically anyone in his situation would do. Rather than allow himself to be overwhelmed, he chose to simply let go, placing his trust in his instincts as he embraced this new energy, feeling it wash over him in a torrent of unbridled power and energy.

The whole process, long though it may have seemed, lasted less than five seconds.

Opening his eyes, having closed them without realizing it, the young knight was met with the familiar sight of his own hands, only now they had been transformed, set upon by an ethereal white glow that encompassed the whole of his young body, before it slowly dissipated.

Slightly overwhelmed, the older blonde could only utter a mystified "Woah…"

"I know, right?" Naruto said, obviously pleased with the results "Oh, and just for the record, that's Aura. Congrats, you've got plenty."

Jaune could only gawk at him. This was what he was talking about? What everyone in this school was supposed to have? If this was just part of the basics… Dear Monty! What in the actual hell had he gotten himself into?!

"Alright then" Naruto continued, heedless of the older boy's steadily mounting inner turmoil "the next step for you is to get some sleep. Your Aura needs time to settle, or you won't be able to call on it like you should."

"What do you mean?"

"Uhh" he trailed off as he tried to gather his thoughts "Look, I'm not an expert on this, so you might wanna ask, I don't know, that Goodwitch lady, maybe, for help later, but if I've got this straight, unlocking Aura is basically like weaponizing your soul, so when it first happens, the body needs to rest so the soul can… go through growing pains I guess. If you don't, you won't lose it per say, but it'll be way more temperamental than if you had just taken it easy in the first place, trust me."

Amber had explained this concept to Naruto fairly early into their time together. Well before she had even unlocked his, she had drilled into his head the need for "Harmony" between his body and soul. He hadn't understood it at the time, but two "Awakenings', as he called them, later, his own included, he couldn't be more grateful.

"Oh shoot, I better I go and crash then." Jaune said, pulling the young Faunus from his thoughts "Thanks for that, seriously."

Naruto waved him off "Don't sweat it buddy, you'd a done the same. Now go on, the faster you crash, the faster you get to test out what you can do."

"Right, thanks again!"

With that, he quickly exited the room, for once eager to get a good night's rest, never noticing the appreciative looks the tall red head from earlier shot him from across the room as he passed in his new threads.

0

Naruto followed a few moments later, glad he had been able to help his new friend out, Oum knew the boy needed it.

Don't get it twisted, he respected the guy. Anyone who was willing to go and help a young depressed girl with nothing in mind except making her feel better, and giving her a friend had done more than enough to earn his respect. It was just…

The guy was just too damn much like his past self!

Seriously, the bravado, the Naiveté, the lack of knowledge he held over the basic things he needed to survive. Heck even the hair! It was like looking through a vaguely disturbing mirror.

Downright scary.

He positively needed to help this guy, if only to stop him from repeating the mistakes the original Naruto had made. Oum knows he could have used the help back then. Heck, he could have used it on the less apocalyptic-y problems, least it would have saved him a couple of headaches.

Besides, Jaune was his friend now; one of his precious people, along with Ruby.

It was only right to help him.

Speaking of helping friends…

He was drawn from his thoughts as he noticed the Schnee from earlier, Weiss if his memories of Atlas weren't mistaken, picking up steam for a rant… Headed straight for Ruby.

'Oh no. That won't do. Not at all.'

Moving forward to intercept, he couldn't help the foxlike smirk that spread across his face as an idea for a prank formed in his mind

Oh, yeah, this was gonna be good.

Moving just behind his intended target as she snuck up on the younger girl, Naruto noted the other members of the impromptu group of four.

There was Ruby, of course, blissfully unaware of the storm coming as she wrestled with the blonde he had discovered earlier was her older sister, Yang. The whole incident was amusedly watched over by a calm looking black haired girl with a large black bow, dressed in… a thigh length yukata.

Heh.

Sexy sleepwear aside, he arrived just in time to hear the "Snow Princess" grace the two with her divine sense of wisdom.

"What in the world is going on over here?! Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep?"

Just before either could yell back (Yang) or apologize (Ruby), they spotted Naruto behind the crabby girl, who winked conspiratorially before placing a finger on his lips, telling them to be silent and watch.

"That Angelic Voice, it couldn't be…. Oh, my Monty it is!" He exclaimed overdramatically, gaining not only the white themed girls attention, but the majority of the room's as well as he seemingly went full on fanboy. "My Oum…Weiss? Of the Schnee family? In the flesh? Oh, I'm not worthy!"

Taking note of the stranger that had suddenly made his presence known, Weiss couldn't help the smug grin that spread across her face.

'Finally, some proper recognition' she thought, remembering that black clad girl's earlier words on her and her family's company, after that tiny red headed dolt had caused that explosion in the courtyard.

"I'll be the judge of that" Weiss declared magnanimously, as she watched the boy smile at even that simple mercy.

Oum, it felt good to be the Queen

"To whom am I speaking?'

"Oh, my sincerest apologies! Whatever was I thinking? I haven't even introduced myself. My name is Naruto Uzumaki" He dipped into an overly extravagant bow, the reverent tone he had been using dropping as he did, instantly transforming into the confident swagger he was known for as he unfurled his tail to its full length for all to see "Better known, as "The Flying Fox of Atlas. Pleased to meet you." He finished with a smirk, straightening to meet her eyes.

His smirk widened as he saw the look she had given him; her smug grin having melted away into open mouthed shock.

He so wished he had a camera on him, it was freaking priceless.

"T-The Flying Fox… Here?!" She stuttered out in shock

"In the flesh" he said smiling as he watched her shock melt into anger.

'Oh, here comes the fun part.'

"Y-You FIEND! How dare you mock me after, after all that you've done?!"

"In order: quite easily, and with great relish. The question here though, is not how I'll do something, no, the question is" he leaned forward, so close that he could have kissed her if he'd been so inclined, but stopped just before reaching that point "What're you gonna do about it?"

The girl reeled back, blushing despite herself at how close he had been, preparing to retort before she stopped.

The question wasn't what would she do, but rather what could she do?

She was unarmed, just like everyone else in the room, her personal rapier, Myrtenaster, locked away like all the other weapons. She wasn't a physical fighter by any sense of the word, preferring to rely on her speed and Glyphs alongside her Dust arsenal to get ahead in a fight rather than her strength. She held no delusions that she could take him on unarmed if things came to violence, and if her past experience with Faunus criminals was anything to go by, he wouldn't hesitate to take it there if she provoked him.

The best course of action was to walk away now, wait until she was armed and take him out later.

Satisfied with the plan, the Schnee Heiress met the still grinning face of her whiskered adversary with an indignant glare.

"I…! You…! Aagh!" Apparently so angry she couldn't even articulate a thought, she stormed away in a huff, leaving three relieved girls and one bewildered Fox Faunus, as the others that had been watch all shrugged before going about their own business as the show ended.

Naruto watched the white-themed girl walk away with a bit of surprise.

'Heh, that was easier than I thought.'

He had come over with the goal of keeping the Schnee girl's attention off of Ruby, having seen the young redhead finally escape the slump she had been in earlier. Messing with the Schnee had been nothing more than a bonus.

A hilarious, vastly enjoyable bonus, but a bonus just the same.

Having seen how she'd harped on Ruby earlier for such a simple mistake, he'd been fully prepared for her to go full diva on him after she'd learned his identity.

So, for her to walk away with no fight at all was… surprising.

She hadn't even tried to slap him. He wouldn't have let her, but he had at least expected her to try. Apparently, she had more self-control than that.

Go figure.

Remembering he wasn't alone, the boy plastered his by now trademarked Fox-like grin onto his face before turning to the remaining three girls.

"Well, that was fun."

They only stared back at him in confusion.

Oddly enough, it was the black-haired girl that broke the silence. "Are you… really the Flying Fox?"

He immediately flicked his eyes to her, and she just barely managed to restrain a blush as he did. They were just so…intense would be the best word, and mixed with that foxlike grin, which was now directed solely at her… yeah, her cheeks actually did color slightly at that.

Smile never wavering, Naruto shrugged at the older girl "Far as I can tell. Least that's what Ironwood told me people called me. Figured it would be enough to tick Snow over there off, so… mission accomplished."

"Uh excuse me?" Yang said, as both turned to look at her "Yeah, I hate interrupt but, um, the HECK are you people talking about?!"

Seeing the Ruby nod at her sister's words, Naruto scratched the back of his head in thought "Um, that's kind of a long story, so, uh…"

The black-haired girl came to his rescue…kind of "Naruto Uzumaki AKA "The Flying Fox of Atlas" is a 16-year old Faunus from Atlas who spent nine consecutive years of his life in the Forest's surrounding the city, training himself and rescuing anyone, human or Faunus, who found themselves stranded there. His reasons for doing so are unknown, outside of the fact that he, in his own words "Just wanted to help. "Currently, He's slated to attend the school of Beacon in Vale to officially become a Huntsman." She summarized, getting shocked looks from the two girls, whether from the information itself or just the amount she had unloaded was anyone's guess.

Naruto himself, however, only looked pensive as he scratched his chin "Heh, guess they did publish that article after all."

A few hours after he'd made his arrangement with Ozpin, he had been interviewed by a reporter sanctioned by the Atlesian Military to record the past few years of his life, and release the story to the public.

The official reason was to publicly out him as a ward of Beacon, before the Schnee companies headhunting lawyers (or heck, their regular brand of headhunter) could take a crack at him.

Unofficially, it was to caution the people about the loss of his presence in the forest; with any luck, the people take it to heart and take measures to protect themselves better with the official lack of their savior.

He had been more than willing to help, not wanting anyone to die having expected him to save them, and with no (biological) family to speak of, there was no one to threaten on his behalf, so he had nothing to lose.

He had expected it to pass through Atlas, so he'd been sure that the Schnee would recognize the name.

Evidently it had traveled outside the cities walls as well.

Neat.

"Indeed" the black-haired girl said with a small smile, pulling him from his thoughts "I'd been hoping to meet you when I heard you be going to Beacon. "she held out a hand "Blake Belladonna."

Naruto grasped the offered hand before shaking it "Pleasure to meet you Miss Belladonna…."

"Hold on! Exclaimed Ruby, her strawberry and chocolate chip fueled brain having sped through the information faster than her sister could burn through it, as the other three turned their attention to her "I get it now!"

Eyes sparkling as they practically transformed into stars, the younger girl nearly squeed as she looked at her whiskered friend "You're a superhero!"

While the other two could only sigh at her childish answer, Naruto blinked.

"Huh, never heard that one before…"

Undeterred, the younger girl practically teleported in front of him, getting right in his face, modesty going out the window in lieu of her child-like enthusiasm.

"Can I be your sidekick?! Please, please, pleeeeeeaaasee?!" With every 'please,' she got closer and closer until they were practically nose to nose.

Unprepared for her sudden bout of enthusiasm, Naruto couldn't help the small blush that spread across his face as he looked at the younger girl.

"Uhhh… m-maybe?"

He was saved from having to respond further by the now named Blake, who coughed into her hand to gain the other's attention "I think that's a good note to go out on" as she spoke, she held up the candle she had been using for reading light, looking decidedly amused "Good night."

She gave them all a minute let that sink in, winking at Naruto when he shot her a grateful look for her interference, before they all went their separate ways, Yang practically dragging a protesting Ruby away from the scene, before turning to give Naruto a playful grin.

The boy himself made his way to his sleeping bag just a few moments before Blake blew out the candle, slipping under his sheets as he thought about the day.

Let's see, he'd made friends with two rookies, unlocked the aura for one, confronted a Schnee, played a prank, found out that he may be a little more famous than he'd first thought, and was about to delve into a forest filled with bloodthirsty beast's and monsters just for the right to sit behind a desk and listen to lectures for a license to do what he'd been doing for free the past nine years of his life.

He shrugged to himself.

'Not bad for a Monday.'

And it was with that final thought that the young Fox Faunus finally allowed himself to relax for the night, mentally preparing for what the next day would bring, and the adventures that would come along with it.

Author's Note:

Cut, Print, That's a wrap!

Hello, my lovely readers, it is good to be back.

For those who don't know, my name is Reflective599, ad this is my very first fanfic!

Right, the all-important technicals: This chapter has been done for at least two weeks and I'm sorry you didn't get it until now, but, on the plus side, it's here now and Chapter 5 will be up some time in the very near future (Had to do something will the site was glitching) so don't worry too much about it.

Next, the story itself.

Okay, I'm gonna go right ahead and say this: I like Jaune.

I know some people don't, and I respect that, but, out of the main Male characters he is my favorite, with Nora as my favorite Female.

And before you ask, my least favorites (respectively) are Neptune and Blake.

More on that later.

Now if that bothers you, I thank for either reading to this point or suffering through those portions.

I've always had a soft spot for underdogs and lovable losers, so that might (read: will probably) creep up when I'm writing him. Don't worry, I'll try not to make him too much of a Mary Sue or whatever, but he'll be different then in canon, a little cooler.

Just a little.

Just…Try not to bite my head off when those moments come up.

Now, with that being said, tell me how I'm doing on the other characters as well just so it doesn't become too much of a chore to read through their segments.

Again, I want to make this as fun for you guys to read as possible, so seriously, give feedback.

Just please, be constructive, that's all I ask.

(Deep Breath) Now then!

Next time on RTR!

The moment you've ALL been waiting for!

Nora…Will be Unleashed!

Be ready…

And as always, I am Reflective599 and thank you for reading!

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