Sounds all came flooding back at once. A continuous salvo of loud rings and pings, followed swiftly by the thunderous rushing of the wind. After a few seconds, the horribly bombastic cries of animals never heard before slowly lowered to manageable levels.

Once the ringing stopped the other senses slowly started to return.

The feeling underneath his body was of that solid dirt.

The smells invading his nostrils reeked of fresh flowers and unrecognizable fauna.

Sight was the last thing to return. A fluttering of the eyelids allowed a cascade of moonlight to assault the boy's eyes. First there were black spots, but then everything started to slowly clear.

His ears picked up another sound. A voice was calling out to him.

"Are you alright, child? Wake up. Wake up..."


"Wake up!"

Natsu's eyes opened to the blinding light of the sun through his room window. When his vision cleared, he was met not with the concerned face of an onlooker…but rather the irritated scowl of his younger sister.

"Weiss…?" he weakly called. "What are you doing in my room?"

"Obviously I am waking you up. Now hurry and get dressed, class starts in less than an hour."

Weiss walked over to the closet Natsu shared with the rest of his team and began throwing pieces of his uniform at him.

"Class…?" Natsu groggily inquired as his undershirt hit him in the face.

"Yes. 'Class'." Weiss responded. She placed his toothbrush and a bar of soap on top of the pile of clothes in her Natsu's arms. She then stood him up and pushed him out of the door. "Hurry along! There isn't much time left! You will not make me late on the first day of school."

"Ok! Ok! Stop pushing. I'm going."

"I expect you back here in no less than fifteen minutes!" she shouted down the hall.

Natsu yawned as he made his way to the bathroom.

Students attending Beacon Academy lived in co-ed dorms located across the courtyard from the main school building. This meant members of a team - male and female - shared one room together at night. It was an adjustment for some, but Natsu didn't really care. He slept just as soundly no matter who was in the room with him. A certain number of team rooms - usually around five or so - shared one hall on a floor, this meant that they all shared one bathroom at the end of the hall - thankfully these were separated by gender..

Natsu turned the corner and was unexpectedly greeted by Yang and Pyrrha. The latter blushed the moment she saw her Initiation partner's state of undress, but Yang grinned.

"Get up too late to dress, flamingo head?" she teased.

"Huh?" Natsu looked down, finally realizing that he was only in his fire print underwear. "Crap. Sorry about that. Weiss tossed me out before I could put on pants."

"I-it's quite alright." Pyrrha stuttered, trying her best not to look at the half-naked pinkette.

"Yeah no problem." Yang said playfully, her eyes squarely focused on Natsu's toned abs and arms.

"I should get going. I'll see you guys in class." With that Natsu walked by the pair and continued on into the bathroom.

"How embarrassing." Pyrrha sighed, her face slowly returning to its original color.

"Oh I don't know." Yang shrugged, her eyes on the boy's bathroom door. "I thought it was a nice morning view."

Pyrrha blushed again, knowing full well what her blonde haired companion was referring to.

"Y-yes." She slowly nodded. "I suppose it was."

"That's the spirit!" Yang smiled, slapping Pyrrha on the back.


The warm shower water cascaded down Natsu's body as he meticulously scrubbed his pink locks with shampoo. He washed out the subs and smelled his fingers.

"Still smells like Grimm blood."

He squirted more shampoo into his hand and restarted the process.

"Who gets up at nine a.m. for class? This sucks."

Natsu washed more shampoo out of his hair and started on the conditioner. As he scrubbed the product through his hair, he remembered something before he left the room. Sometime in between Weiss waking him up, and her kicking him out of the room he noticed that the rest of his team was missing.

"I wonder where they went."

The water splashing in his eyes, Natsu thought back to his first ever conversation with the newly formed Team CMSN the previous night.


Natsu sat on his bed opposite his three teammates. Having returned from Professor Ozpin's office he decided now would be a good as time as any to get acquainted with the people who would be watching his back for the next four years.

"Well this isn't awkward at all." Emerald stated, finally breaking the silence.

"How about we begin by introducing ourselves?" Cinder smiled. "As Professor Ozpin said in the amphitheater, my name is Cinder Fall. This is Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black."

"Hey." Emerald waved with a smile.

"Yo." Mercury called passively. He was currently finding his nails much more appealing than this conversation.

"I'm Natsu Schnee. Nice to meet ya."

"Schnee?" Cinder repeated. "Are you related to the head of the Schnee Dust Company by any chance?"

"Yeah. That's my dad."

"Interesting." Cinder grinned. "I didn't know that we were in the presence of a celebrity."

Natsu looked away in embarrassment. "I wouldn't say I'm famous or anything. Honestly I don't really like to talk about it much. Kind of a pain really."

"I'm sorry for bringing it up." Cinder apologized.

"No worries. You didn't know." Natsu waved off. "So, where are you guys from?"

"We're from Mistral."

Natsu thought of her answer for a brief moment. Something about it didn't seem right. It sounded…rehearsed. As if she had practiced this answer countless times before.

"Really?" Natsu followed up.

"Yes." Cinder nodded. "Is that so hard to believe?"

"No. Just surprised you guys came this far."

"If I remember correctly, Pyrrha Nikos came from Mistral as well, correct? I don't see how us being from the same country is so farfetched."

"I-it's not. I was just saying."

"Of course." Cinder smiled.

There was an uneasiness that coiled around Natsu as he looked at Cinder's smile. He couldn't quite place it, but something about her was off. The longer he talked to her the worse the feeling got.

"That was impressive what you did during the Initiation." Emerald complimented - pulling Natsu's attention away from Cinder. "I've never seen someone take down a Nevermore and a Death Stalker at the same time before."

"Yeah I was pretty awesome, wasn't I?" Natsu boasted.

"And modest." Emerald muttered under her breath.

"I didn't see you guys during the trail though."

"We had taken it previously." Cinder answered.

"What happened to your fourth member?"

"Unfortunately...we lost them during a mission." Cinder said solemnly. "We got a bit ahead of ourselves, and she suffered the consequences of our recklessness."

"Oh." Natsu replied. "Sorry about that…"

"It's quite alright. With you joining we're now back to four members. It makes us seem whole again."

Natsu stuck out his chest proudly. "As long as you guys are on my team, nothing is going to happen to you on my watch. That's a promise."

Cinder giggled. "My how admirable. Then we will put our trust in you…leader."

"Don't let us down." Emerald smiled.

Mercury rolled his eyes. "Seriously with this guy?" he grumbled.

"You can count on me." Natsu assured.


Those guys are a bit weird - especially that Cinder chick - but they don't seem too bad. Maybe this team thing won't be lame after all.

Natsu finished dressing himself and stepped out of the bathroom. To his surprise he was met by Weiss.

"What took you so long?" she scolded. "It's 8:55! Class starts in five minutes!"

"Sorry. Guess I got caught up in the shower. Those things feel great. Wish they were hotter though."

"We don't have time for this!" Weiss groaned as she fixed her brother's crooked tie. Once done with that she pulled him by said tie through the hallway. "Hurry or we'll be late!"

"Weiss, stop pulling!"


"Monsters. De~mons. Prowlers of the night. Yes the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I prefer to call them prey. And you shall too after graduating from this prestigious academy. Now as I was saying at the start of class, Vale – as well as the other three kingdoms – are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world…"

Natsu found it hard to stay awake as Professor Peter Port droned on and on about the dangers of Grimm and the importance of Hunters and Huntresses. Despite the round man's overwhelming enthusiasm for the topic – as well as the sound of his own voice – a very small percentage of students in his class seemed all that interested. Yang tapped on the desk in an attempt to stave off boredom, Blake read a book that had nothing to do with the class, Jaune twirled around the pencil in his hand, Nora hummed to herself as she doodled on a piece of paper, and Ren folded pieces of paper into various origami animals and flowers.

The only exceptions were Weiss and Pyrrha, who were diligently taking notes.

Natsu was starting to drift away when he felt his sister elbow him in the arm. His head to jerked forward and his eyes shot open. Revived for the moment, he quickly looked around. A trail of drool hanging from his mouth.

"Pay attention." Weiss hissed. "And clean your mouth."

Natsu wiped away the drool and refocused on Professor Port – who had now transitioned into telling a tale of his exploits as a young Hunter. Soon he found himself nodding off again.

Next to Natsu sat Ruby. Having recently awoken from slumber herself, the leader of Team RWBY was currently doodling something on a piece of paper. Giggling all the while.

"Psst! Natsu!" She whispered when she finished, holding up the paper.

The drowsy pinkette looked over to his friend and saw the finished doodle in her hand. It was a crudely drawn picture of Professor Port with stink lines radiating off of his rather round body.

Yang saw it too and all three started snickering at the drawing. Blake ignored them, but Weiss was not amused.

When Professor Port cleared his throat the four snapped at attention. Upon seeing that they were once again paying attention, he resumed his tale.

"In the end the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity, and I returned to the village a hero. With the beast in captivity, and my held high." He briefly bowed as if he was waiting for applause and rose again. "The moral of the story is a true Huntsman must be honorable, dependable, strategic, well-educated, and wise."

As the professor spoke these words, Weiss found herself fuming at the sight of Ruby and Natsu. Instead of listening to Professor Port's words, the two were spending their time drawing stupid pictures, balancing random objects on top of one another, playing paper football, sleeping, making ridiculous faces, and last but certainly not least…picking their noses.

The heiress was practically shaking with rage at both her older brother as well as her team leader. They were supposed to set examples for everyone else, but instead they were just goofing off. They were nothing but lazy, childish buffoons. It made her blood boil.

It's not fair!

"Now who among you thinks they possess the traits needed to become an exceptional Huntsman?" Professor Port asked his class.

Weiss' hand shot into the air.

"I do, sir!" she proclaimed.

"Excellent! A volunteer."

A pair of custodians wheeled a cage into the classroom. Judging from the growls echoing through the bars - as well as the red eyes glaring at the Professor's back - it was obvious that the cage contained some form of Grimm.

"Step forth and face your opponent."

"Gladly."

Weiss went to the locker room to change into her battle gear and returned to class with Myrtenaster in hand. She stood across from the cage, readying herself for the monster locked inside.

"Go, Weiss!" Yang cheered.

"Fight well." Blake called, waving around a small flag with their team's initials.

"Yeah! Represent team RWBY!" Ruby exclaimed.

"You got this, sis." Natsu said.

"I'm trying to concentrate." Weiss said to the latter pair.

"Ready? Then let the match…begin!" Professor Port sliced the lock off of the cage and from the open sprang a Boarbatusk.

The boar-like Grimm instantly rushed the heiress. Weiss managed to dodge the beast, slashing against its side as it passed by her. To her surprise her weapon didn't even do so much as scratch the beast.

"Aha! Weren't expecting that were you?" Professor Port interjected.

Weiss reset and charged the Grimm as it came back around. The monster turned its head as the point of Weiss' sword made contact, catching the weapon between its tusks. It swung Weiss around for a bit before the two began to fight for control.

"A bold strategy!" Professor Port complimented. "I like it!"

As Weiss struggled to free Myrtenaster from the beast's clutches, the sounds of Natsu and Ruby's cheering continued to grate in her ears.

"Come on, Weiss! Show it whose boss!" Ruby said.

"Pull harder! You almost got it!" Natsu added.

She glared at them, losing focus and allowing the Boarbatusk to knock her back and throw away her weapon.

"Now what will you do without your weapon?" Professor Port questioned.

Weiss got to her knees just in time to see the Grimm rushing her once more. She jumped out of the way just in time. Making a mad dash for her weapon.

"Weiss! Attack its belly!" Ruby advised. "There's no armor under-"

"Stop telling me what do to do!" The heiress snapped.

Ruby slowly sunk her shoulders in compliance.

The Boarbatusk leapt into the air and rotated its body forward, turning itself into a wheel and rolling to Weiss at high-speed.

The heiress summoned two glyphs. One in front of her, and one above titled at an angle towards the floor.

The rolling creature slammed into the first glyph, the force of the hit stopping all of its momentum and rebounding it so the Boarbatusk fell on its back. As it struggled to turn its body upright again, Weiss quickly jumped to the glyph floating in the air – its color changing from blue to black – and leapt off with her sword held in front of her. The point of Myrtenaster pierced the Grimm's heart dead center, killing it instantly.

Weiss' breathing was labored as she stood up, her body still shaking from the rush of battle.

"Bravo! Bravo!" Professor Port congratulated. "It seems we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntress in training! I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Remember to go over the assigned readings, and stay vigilant. Class dismissed."

Weiss glared at her brother and Ruby one last time before storming out of the classroom in a huff.

"What was that about?" Jaune asked aloud.

Ruby – still upset about Weiss' attitude towards her – felt Natsu place his hand on her shoulder.

"I'll go talk to her." He smiled.

"A-alright." Ruby nodded.

Natsu ran out of the classroom before everyone else, quickly catching up with his sister further down the hall.

"Weiss!" he called.

She rolled her eyes and stopped walking.

"What?"

"What happened back there? Why were you being such a jerk to Ruby? You said you were going to be nicer to her. You need to go back and say sorry."

"Why should I be the one to apologize?! She's supposed to be a leader, but all she's been is a nuisance. She's done nothing to earn her position! Back in the forest she acted like a spoiled, petulant child, and since then she hasn't changed."

"Weiss, where is-"

"And you're no different." She accused.

"Me? What did I do?"

"You two are exactly alike! You're loud, you're cocky, you're obnoxious, you're rude, and both of you couldn't care less about the consequences of your actions or how they affect people."

"Are you still mad about what happened in the forest? I already apologized-"

"This isn't about apologizing! This about what's right and what's wrong. I've studied. I've trained. And what do I have to show for all my efforts? Nothing. Not a single thing. Meanwhile you and Ruby continue to be rewarded and praised for all your reckless behavior and horrible attitudes. Frankly I deserve better."

Natsu stood in silence as Weiss turned her back to him. From her perspective It was hard for him not to empathize with her. It had to be more than a little frustrating to study so hard but still fall short to people who couldn't be bothered to stay awake in the first class of the school year.

Putting that concern in the back of his mind, he grabbed Weiss by the arm and pulled her around the corner.

"What are you doing?! Unhand me!"

"You need to say sorry to Ruby. I'll go with you so-"

"I said let me go!" Weiss ripped her arm out Natsu's grasp. "We're not at home and you're not father! So stop trying to tell me what to do!"

"Weiss…"

"Ozpin made a mistake. He shouldn't have made Ruby team leader…and he shouldn't have let you in at all."

With those final words she walked away.

"I guess things didn't go well?"

Ruby walked to Natsu, having heard the entire conversation from down the hall. Suffice to say she was more than a little let down.

"Not really, but don't worry I'll keep trying." Natsu smiled to try and cheer Ruby up, but it didn't work.

"She really does hate me." Ruby sulked.

"Weiss doesn't hate you. She's just…trying to adjust."

"That seems like the appropriate phrase. Well put, Mr. Schnee."

Professor Ozpin approached the pair. As usual he had a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Was she right, Professor?" Ruby implored. "Did you make a mistake choosing us?"

The Headmaster grinned. "That remains to be seen."

Natsu and Ruby were confused by this answer.

"What do you mean?" the young girl asked.

"It's only been one day." Ozpin explained. "Hardly enough time to make such a bold decision." He looked to Natsu - his pensive stare confusing the young man. "I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet, but at this moment I would not consider your appointments as leaders one of them. Do you?"

"Nope." Natsu spoke up. Ruby wasn't so sure.

"Being a leader isn't just a title you carry into battle. It is a badge you wear constantly. If you are not always performing at your best, then what reason do you give for others to follow you?"

Ruby sensed the truth in these words and finally grinned.

"You've both been burdened with an incredible responsibility. I advise you each take some time, and figure out how you are going to uphold it."

Ozpin bid the pair farewell and proceeded back to his office.

Natsu scratched his head. "What did he mean by that?"

"Hey, Natsu." Ruby spoke.

"What's up?"

"I have a favor to ask."


Weiss walked out to the school's rooftop at sunset. Her mind still filled with ill thoughts of her brother and Ruby - having ignored them all day - her spirits brightened a bit when she saw Professor Port looking out to the horizon.

"Professor Port!" she called to him.

"Ah, Ms. Schnee!" The portly instructor greeted jubilantly. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"I…I really enjoyed your lecture."

"Well of course you did, dear girl, you have the blood of a true Huntress running through your veins after all."

"You really think so?" Weiss happily queried.

"Absolutely."

Weiss looked away from the professor for a moment, her eyes downcast as she fidgeted.

"Something seems to be troubling you." Professor Port noted.

"Y-yes, sir." Weiss nervously confirmed.

"Well don't be shy, dear girl. Confess to me your strife."

"I…I should have been the leader of team RWBY."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"Preposterous!" Professor Port voiced.

"Excuse me?" Weiss said in offense.

"After following Professor Ozpin for many years, I am proud to say that never once has the man lead me astray."

"So you'd blindly accept the decision he made even after seeing how exceptionally skilled I am?"

"With all due respect, Ms. Schnee, your exceptional skill on the battlefield is almost completely undercut by your rather poor attitude."

"How dare you?!"

"You only prove my point. Do you know what I see behind all of the bluster and skill?"

"Enlighten me."

"I see a girl who grew up receiving everything she ever wanted." Professor Port stated plainly.

Weiss crossed her arms and raised her nose in defiance.

"That is not even close to the truth." she denied.

Professor Port raised his brow in response. This served to wear the heiress down.

"Well…not entirely true." Weiss admitted.

"So things did not go your way. That is life. Do you really believe that acting the way you have would cause those holding power to reconsider their stance?"

Weiss offered no answer, but the Professor could tell that his words were starting to get through to her.

"Instead of worrying about what you don't have. Treasure what you do. Hone your skills. Perfect every technique. Appreciate your family. And seek not to be the best leader, but the best person you can be."

Weiss let the advice settle into her mind, and soon a small grin tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"I will." she nodded. "Thank you, Professor Port."

"You are very welcome, child." The man smiled beneath his burly mustache.


When Weiss returned to her team's room that night, she was welcomed by a most unusual sight. Gone were the four beds laying side by side in the room. Instead they had been converted into crudely made bunk beds.

Yang and Blake's beds were made into one bunk - which was unsafely held together with a random stack books under each leg of Yang's bed - and her's and Ruby's were made into the other.

Yang and Blake's bunk was - rather haphazardly - held together by stacks of random books under each leg of Yang's bed, while Ruby's bed was suspended over Weiss' by a rope attached to the ceiling. All things considered this was the worst way the create bunk beds.

Weiss pulled back the curtain around Ruby's bed to see her team leader sleeping the night away with a pencil in her hand. There were also pieces of paper scattered next to her head, and textbooks on various subjects surrounding her on all sides. Weiss looked over her notes and found herself amazed at Ruby's diligence. She pressed on her arm to wake her up.

When Ruby saw Weiss at the side of her bed she quickly rose up.

"W-Weiss! I was studying and I fell asleep. I'm sorry I-"

Weiss covered Ruby's mouth so she wouldn't wake Yang and Blake. Her eyes trailed along the bed once more, this time falling on an empty overturned mug.

"How do you take your coffee?" she asked, removing her hand from Ruby's mouth so she could answer.

Ruby didn't know how to respond. "Uh…I don't…"

"Just answer the question."

"Creme with five sugars!" Ruby quickly answered.

Weiss sighed. "Don't move. I'll be right back." Weiss briefly dropped out of sight, soon returning with a fresh cup of coffee.

"Thanks, Weiss." Ruby said as she tentatively took the mug. She still had no idea what was going on. Was she being pranked? Did Weiss spike her coffee with something? There was really no way to tell.

"Ruby, I think you have the makings of a great leader." Weiss said. "So I just want you to know that I will be the best teammate you've ever had."

All of Ruby's anxieties melted away and the girls smiled at each other.

"Good luck studying." Weiss fell back to the ground, but quickly popped back again and pointed at the paper Ruby was writing on. "That's wrong by the way." She fell down again, this time making her way to the door.

"Weiss...thanks." Ruby said.

"You're welcome." Weiss smiled as she closed the door and entered the hallway.

That's one down. She mentally noted.

She walked further down hall – past Team JNPR's room – to the second to last door at the end of the hallway. She took a deep breath and lightly tapped her knuckles on the door. After a few seconds of hearing shuffling and locks being turned, the door opened to reveal a very tired Emerald Sustrai.

"Yeah?" she irritably asked. Her hair was more than a little messy, and her eyes were more than a little red. "What do you want?"

"I-I'm sorry for waking you this time of night." Weiss apologized. "I was wondering if I could speak to Natsu."

Emerald yawned. "Alright. Hold on."

"Thank you."

The door closed and Weiss stood there as she once again heard sounds from inside the room - these ones sounding more like irritated groans and grumbles.

When the door reopened, Natsu was on the other side. He looked just as tired as Emerald was when she opened the door.

"Weiss? What's going on? Don't you know what time it is?"

"I need to talk to you."

"It can't wait until tomorrow?"

Weiss shook her head. "No. if I don't say this now, I never will."

Natsu sighed. "Ok. Fine." He stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. He was wearing nothing but pajama bottoms.

"You could have at least put on a shirt."

"What do you want?"

"I…" Weiss twisted her toes into the tile flooring of the dormitory, nervously averting her eyes from her brother's tired gaze. "I wanted to apologize for earlier. I said really harsh, unforgivable things to you and you didn't deserve that. I was just taking my frustrations out on you because I didn't get my way. I'm really, really sorry."

Natsu yawned as he looked down at his sisters bowed head. "That it?"

"What do you mean is 'that it'?" Weiss implored. "I'm trying to apologize here."

"Yeah. I know, but you really didn't have to."

"But I-"Weiss stopped talking when Natsu placed his hand on her head.

"I forgave as soon as you walked away."

"You…you did?"

Natsu smiled wide. "We're siblings. Whether we like it or not, we're stuck together. So it really doesn't matter what mean things you say to me. I'll always forgive you. That's what family does. Besides it's not like that's the worst thing you ever said to me, and you'll probably say even worse stuff to me later."

Weiss slumped her shoulders in shame. "But I don't want to be the kind of person that says rude things to people all the time. I want to be better."

"You apologized to Ruby before coming here right?"

Weiss nodded.

"Then it looks like you're already a better person. You can't rush it. Just got to do a little better each day."

Weiss grinned and looked to her brother. "That was surprisingly helpful."

"I use my brain every once in a while."

Weiss hugged him. "Thank you, Natsu. I'm glad you came here."

"Thanks, me too. Now are we done?" he pointed his thumb to his room door. "I kinda wanna go back to sleep."

"Yes. We're finished." Weiss let go of Natsu and started to walk away.

He turned to reenter his room, but stopped when Weiss called to him one last time.

"Natsu?"

"Yeah?"

"You're the reason our room is in shambles now aren't you?"

"Well Ruby asked me to help move stuff around. Then when they mentioned bunk beds I said that you always wanted one as a kid so we went for it. You like it?"

Weiss grinned. "It'll do for now." She started down the hall again. "Good night, big brother."

Natsu smiled as he watched her walk away.

"Night, little sister."


New chapter is up for y'all to read. Still somewhat playing around the the character dynamics here so sorry if things are a bit rough. Trying to add more to the canon with Natsu thrown in is a bit harder than I thought, but I feel I'm managing well enough. You guys are the real judge though.

Don't worry, there will be wholly original content in this story, mostly in how Natsu ties with these character's various stories and arcs. One revelation about his connection to one of the main characters is coming up fairly soon. There is also the matter of his team and just how they will all influence one another. There are some kinks, but I will be sure to iron them out. As for his relationship with Weiss, I like to think of Natsu as taking the role of a big brother very seriously (this is slightly shown in regular FT through his interactions with Wendy and Romeo) so I like writing those scenes between the two. Hopefully you like them as well.

As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think and thanks for reading! :)