And here's another chapter to enjoy. To recap: To the surprise of no one, Glynda is Naruto's mom. That's the most important thing that happened in the last chapter.

And seeing the finale…I guess I made a ample comparison between Naruto and Cinder's style of fighting. I guess you could say Cinder's mobility options and pyrokinetic proficiency mirror or look familiar to Naruto's own. Though I have to say with bias and knowledge of Naruto's weapon that the latter has more raw power compared to Cinder's little flamethrower.

Pyrrha's fate will be unknown. That much is all I can say in the matter.

Warning: some angst is obviously seen in this chapter.

I hope you enjoy this chapter in light of what has happened in the finale of volume three.

Disclaimer: first chapter

Chapter 19: A Simple Mystery

"It's strange for Ms. Goodwitch to have a fever all of a sudden." Ruby said aloud.

"It's probably a summer cold. She'll be fine soon." Weiss dismissed the idea. Though in the back of her mind, she saw how shocked the instructor was when Naruto used that flashy move to constantly attack Pyrrha. It shocked the woman as if she saw a ghost. "That woman is tough. A simple cold won't put her in bed for too long."

"I guess you're right." Ruby agreed. "Hey Weiss? Do you think Crescent Rose needs an upgrade?"

Weiss scoffed. "Hardly. You've done all you can with that weapon." She said. "Your proficiency with it is astounding, but your leadership skills? Yeah, they need work."

"Leadership workshop gets boring after a while though…" Ruby complained.

"At least you're learning something from them." Blake said as she sat down next to Weiss. "You'll get better with time, Ruby. I'm sure of it." The young team leader smiled from ear to ear at the vote of confidence.

"Same here." Jaune agreed as he set his tray down on the table. Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren followed within seconds. "Ruby, you're exceptional. Understand?"

"Okay, okay." Ruby surrendered to the praise. "But seriously, do I need upgrades for my weapon?"

"Unnecessary." Everyone said.

Nora, the voice of rebellion, said "Yes!"

Sadly, Ruby did not hear Nora's support. "Aww…" But she quickly perked up. "Anyone else want a free upgrade?!"

"Unnecessary." They synced together.

"Aww…"

"You people have no imagination!" Nora said as she Showed her support for Ruby. "Ruby! Make Magnhild have a setting for boosting!"

"Boosting?" Ruby repeated. "Oh! Like a constant stream made by a propellant? I think I can manage that. I'll need the specs for Magnhild though as well as reverse engineer it to add that new system and-"

"Ruby. Please don't make Magnhild stronger." Ren pleaded. "If you do…I fear her power will be too much!"

The young, silver-eyed woman scoffed. "Please. What's the worst that could happen?"

Ren offered his Scroll. It was a video clip.

"Put that hammer down, young lady!" A police officer ordered.

"Uh…bad call, sir." Ren said immediately. "She very much loves her hamm-" Ren was knocked off to the side.

"You want me to put the hammer down?!"

The video cut off immediately. The silence from the table was Ren's explanation.

"I rest my case." He said before Nora booped his nose.

"Um…" Ruby was speechless. "I'll look into it at a later time, Nora."

"Aww…" Nora visibly deflated, and Jaune was there to comfort the pancake-loving teammate.

"But still! Does anyone want an upgrade?"

Weiss sighed at the young, weapon-obsessed leader. "If you're so adamant about an upgrade, why not make a secondary weapon for yourself? Your style emphasizes spatial awareness with your scythe and sniper rifle. Why not have one specified for close combat?" She suggested.

The young leader's silver eyes gleamed with wonder. "You're absolutely right! There is a flaw, and that's if people get past my effective range! Oh man, I'm getting ideas from this! What should I do? An axe cannon? Hidden blade, laser rifle? Bladed brass knuckles? Lighter sword? Oh! Maybe the swords like Naruto's boss uses! Oh~ maybe something like Uncle Qrow's!"

Everyone felt fear at Ruby's enthusiasm.

Yang came up to the table. "Have you guys seen Naruto around?" Yang asked her team and JNPR. No one said yes. Her face formed a frown. She sat down next to Blake. "He's been quite shadowy these past few days. I wonder what's going on in his head right now… All the times I've seen him is when he's so distracted by a letter." She said while thinking deeply on the matter. Her head tilted to the side as she leaned back and crossed her arms.

"If it's anything like a few days ago, then Naruto is most likely running away from the people who want answers he doesn't have." Blake said as she read a fiction novel of a soldier who wanted to be a hero, whose dreams and honor dictated his code of conduct. "A janitor wasn't meant to be in the spotlight as much as he did." The golden irises of Blake's took a gander at Pyrrha. "How is your mother handling the situation, Pyrrha? No doubt that the media is hounding her because they can't get to you."

Pyrrha wasn't worried. "They have tried." She said. "However, my mother isn't a pushover. So when they tried to be like the sharks of gossip that they pretended to be, my mother easily threatened them with her weapons." Her arms crossed. "Honestly, I have no problem dealing with them, but continued pestering grates on my nerves."

"Even you too, Pyrrha?" Weiss asked. She sighed. "I guess we're alike in that regard. And our latest problems stem from Naruto himself."

"Weiss, Pyrrha, both of you are to blame for your own problems." Blake said bluntly.

Ruby perked up. "Blake! That's not nice."

"They interacted with Naruto. In Weiss's case, she dragged Naruto out in public. In Pyrrha's case, she publicly challenged Naruto. In both situations, the media caught wind of them." Blake argued without missing a beat. Both young women in question lowered their heads at the truth. "You have nothing to blame but yourselves. You two, of high social standings, interacted with what many would consider someone at the bottom. It's only natural people find it odd. Even more-"

Yang placed a hand over Blake's mouth. "All right, Blake. That's enough ranting for today's breakfast. I don't want to fall asleep while eating my bacon and eggs when I have Oobleck to worry about later in the day."

"Yeah! Let me enjoy my pancakes in peace!" Nora said with her fists simultaneously slamming the table.

"Nora…you're never at peace." Jaune remarked.

"Nora enjoying her pancakes is the most peaceful you can get, Jaune. Enjoy it while it lasts." Ren muttered beside Jaune.

And so, the two teams enjoyed their breakfast once more in relative peace.

"That's quite a predicament, Glynda." The portly Professor Port said as calmly as possible. It was quite alarming for the strict woman looking vulnerable in front of him.

Her head was low in shame. Shoulders scrunched as if she wanted to fold into herself. Knuckles were white with self-aimed frustration. Clothing wrinkled and wet from tears that were most likely shed. Her hair was down, and her eyes red from crying. "What do I do, Peter, Bartholomew? I've already met my son. I'm already a teacher in his eyes… If I reveal this to him-"

Oobleck cleared his throat. "If you reveal this to him, there are multiple possibilities." The green-haired prof- doctor started off. "First is the most obvious: he will gladly accept you since you informed us that he doesn't hate you." The man took a sip of his coffee. "Another: he will slap you or even do some form of bodily harm, and absolutely hate you. Another form of possibility is that he'll accept whatever reasons you will say right to his face; however, your relationship will not be one of mother and son." He paused. "Actually, I'm sure of it that all possibilities lead to one result: you will never be truly mother and son."

Port took his turn saying the other possibilities. "The less obvious ones are isolation from you, indifference, and…so on." He couldn't say anymore because he did not want to break the woman further.

Glynda's bloodshot eyes welled up with tears. "I…I feared that possibility, but it seems it's inevitable. He's seventeen. He was devoid of a parent. I'm not his mother. By blood, sure, but not once did I do a…motherly deed. At this age, he has no need of me. He's survived this long by his wits and support of Lupa and Minato, whereas I…I was nowhere in his life." She held back a sob. "He…will never see me as his mother."

"Dry your tears, Glynda." The green-haired man requested. "You will need to be strong. Face him. Face him, and let your feelings say what needs to be said."

"The truth will set you free of this misery, Glynda." The portly man explained. "If there are emotional wounds that are inflicted in your upcoming encounter, let time heal them." He stood up, and went next to Oobleck's side by the door. "We shall leave you alone to let you meditate upon you next actions."

"But we implore you to choose the option that will not lead to regret." Oobleck added as a final nail to the conversation. "Good luck on this matter, Glynda. This encounter may either make your current condition better, or make it unfathomably worse." The two men swiftly and firmly shut the door, and left the woman to collect her thoughts.

Blank. Stiff. He was emotionless. Motionless. Near breathless. He had no outward reaction. He read it. Several times. He couldn't think. He couldn't process the information. He took a deep breath to attempt to calm rising nerves. His right hand clutched his temples. His blue eyes reread it one more time just to make sure he understood.

Arms wide open, I stand alone.

I'm no hero, but here I am at war.

In this bladed field, I stare at my enemy,

An army of treasured weapons ready to make me bleed.

A defiant glare in my eyes as I faced a hero

Blackened, twisted, corrupted into a monster.

And I, the wannabe that fights to end him,

Ready my steel body

For this fight

"Body of swords…Act five prelude." A voice said from behind. Naruto promptly shut his book. The voice walked around the table, and took the empty seat in front of him. "Are you trying to predict what will happen next, Naruto?" The blond nodded wordlessly. "It's not trying to lie to you. That much I can say." Naruto looked glad that it wasn't as complex as he initially thought. Blake moved on to her next topic. "I didn't think you would be an avid reader of novels regarding fantasy and complex thematics."

Naruto looked puzzled."…Um."

Blake simplified her words. "I didn't think you were a fan of fantasy novels with big themes."

"Oh…" Naruto said. "It just looked cool so I chose to read it."

"How long have you been at it?" Blake asked.

Naruto closed his eyes. "Hm…two hours or three? Give or take?"

Blake was impressed. She didn't think he was a fast reader. The work Naruto held in his hands was quite interesting with its themes. Ideals versus truth. Self-sacrifice as an act of heroism or stupidity. The deconstruction of the naive representation of 'Heroes' in the main character. "Do you understand what the main character is like?"

"He thinks his life isn't worth the cost of the lives lost in a tragedy. So he chose to have everyone use him as…atonement, and for the childish wish that he "wanted everyone to live happily." But when the man who wanted to kill him told him all the wrongs of that idea, it showed that if he continued without seeing to the consequences, and rushed in without a second thought, he would have been a machine. But still he fights for it because he understood that's what it was: a dream. Un…unattainable, but reachable with effort." Naruto answered. "Did I get it right?" Blake gave him a so-so. The young man smiled. "I see. Close enough." He closed the book. "How are you, Belladonna?"

"I'm quite fine." The Cat Faunus answered. "Although Yang is an entirely different case. She's worried about you. You need to see her."

Naruto's eyes fell to the book on the desk. "It's nothing serious. Really."

"She told me you were quite…enthralled by a letter." Blake said, idly remembering what Yang observed and reported to her this morning. "So invested in it that you yourself shook in what she considered fear, uncertainty, and…-oddly enough- acceptance. What is it about?"

Naruto's expression darkened. The young man pondered on what to do next. To Blake, he looked distracted by something. Which was true.

Considering what Adam said about his past and about a certain Cat Faunus, there was plenty to be distracted about.

It was when his left hand shuffled into his jacket's left pocket that he made the decision. He placed the envelope on top of the novel he read. Its seal, frayed and worn by age was the crest of the Fiamma, a lion with its mane on fire. "It's a letter from my dead dad." Naruto said. "The one who put me in the orphanage." He paused. "I haven't read it yet, but its existence distracts me sometimes." He confessed. "His origins are shocking, but I'm more uncomfortable knowing what surprise is hiding inside it."

Blake held her best poker face. If she didn't ask, she could feign consideration for his privacy. If she did, then…she felt that she would be caught under the Hyper-intuition inside the blood of every Fiamma. She chose to say something. "Do you know who he was by name?"

"I know." Naruto answered. "You know him too, don't you?" Naruto asked simply. Shivers went down Blake's spine. As if daggers of ice impaled her back, she could not move. The way he said it made her afraid of what's to come next. He was calm, normal, and fully knowledgeable on the subject when he asked that question. Blake knew she was caught. "I'm sure you know this, Belladonna. Minato Fiamma, my father. The Belladonna family swore to serve and protect the Fiamma family, right? Tell me. What happened?"

Golden orbs dilated.

Sky blue eyes narrowed.

Her hitched breath was released. "I-I can explain, Naruto." Blake stuttered out. "Don't make any rash assumptions!"

"I won't." Naruto said. "You ran away from the White Fang. And now your past haunts you while my blood's 'destiny' found me." He looked down on the letter. "I'm conflicted. I want to know more about my parents, but I feel like if I know it, I…" He trailed off, and took a deep breath. Without warning, he stood up. "We'll talk later." He said. "You, on the other hand, need to say the truth about yourself soon, or the trust you've built with your team will break apart quickly. Damn near instantly." He returned the letter to his pocket. He left the table, and exited the library.

Left on her own, Blake felt miserable. "Caught so easily." She was disappointed in herself.

Punches echoed across the fitness room. Like rapid fire gunshots, the sounds silenced anyone else in that room. Relentless like booming thunder, the frequency of the punches increased, and so did the volume. The footwork associated with those punches became frenzied as well. Sweat bounced off the young man's skin. Steam leaked out as well. With how much fervor those punches contained, many, if not all, spectators wondered what went through the janitor's mind.

'Mom…who are you? Why did you choose to leave me? Us? I understand dad's reason, and it came from your decision. But what about you? What made you choose to abandon me and dad?' With each question, his punch became stronger and stronger. The leather of the punching bag could not return to its normal state because another punch took its place. Frustration brewed. 'I don't hate you.' His right fist uppercutted the bag. 'I don't hate you.' He repeated the action with his left. The bag went higher. 'I don't hate you!' His left leg went forward. His right leg went back. His torso turned to the left. 'But I need to know…why did you leave?!' The right fist went deep into the punching bag. His right foot stepped forward, and so did his fist. The impact dislodged the punching bag from its hanging point, and sent it to the nearest wall behind it.

The punching bag was embedded into the wall, and Naruto chose to deal the final blow. He readied his fingers to snap. Luckily a hand stopped him in time.

"I think the punching bag doesn't need to be burned, Naruto." A familiar, female voice said beside him.

Naruto lowered his hand. "Right…thanks for that, Pyrrha." He said without looking behind him. He took a few deep breaths. "I'm getting too worked up."

"Indeed you are." Pyrrha said as she released her hold on Naruto's firm, scarred arm. "You're actually burning up." She commented as she compared his body to her own flawless skin. "Calm down and cool off, why don't you?"

"I'll try to do the first, but I can't make promises." Naruto said. "There's…something really deep in my head. Important, personal things." He grabbed his standing, tall bottle of water, right by the embedded punching bag. He opened it, and drenched his head and body with the water. As the water splashed him, more steam emerged. Few, if any, droplets of water reached the floor. It took less than a minute to purge any water from the surface of his skin or hair. He shook his head left and right; his hair followed his movements smoothly.

Pyrrha and a few girls in the fitness room were in awe at the sight of the janitor. The Champion felt her cheeks flushed at the pretty face.

"As for cooling off, you're seeing the results…" Naruto drawled. He slung his towel over his shoulder. "I don't see why I need a towel anymore."

"You're fine…" Pyrrha reassured. "Would you like to talk about it?" She asked. "You're still on edge, and venting it out physically didn't fully finish it off." She was right. His body twitched every so often. His breathing was slightly erratic. His sky blue eyes were burning orange. He was very much on edge. He walked away and out of the room. She followed. She waited for an answer. And waited. And waited. "Naruto…your existence, your conception…I know there's trouble with it. Yang saw you with a letter. I can only guess that it's from your father. I can also guess that it might be even the cause of your stress." Naruto halted as soon as Pyrrha said the last sentence. "You need to talk about this with someone. You-" A hand stopped her from talking.

"I…I appreciate the offer, Pyrrha." Naruto said lowly. "I just…need a moment. It seems that there's some hidden resentment inside my heart for the mom I never knew."

"Re…sentment?" Pyrrha repeated uneasily. "Naruto I understand if you're feeling unconformable of your situation, but-"

"I respect you, Pyrrha." Naruto said. "You gave me the truth I needed to know. Your strength is something I admire. You consoled me the moment my world turned upside down. But I will not trouble you with mommy issues." He said bitterly. His fists tightened. "It's not necessary for you to help. I just need to calm down." He walked away. Pyrrha persisted. "I'll be fine, Pyrrha. Trust me. I haven't even had the chance to pay you back. Don't add another deed to that list. It's hard enough to pay back my caretaker with all that she's done for me…"

Pyrrha, absolutely confused by that, was left alone in the hallway as Naruto walked away. "…What do you mean by that?"

Naruto sat on a bench facing the city scape of Vale. It was the same seat he sat on when Pyrrha told him the truth of his birth and the ring he held onto. He took out the letter while his face held an unreadable expression.

"You know I could be an ass, and yank that letter out of your hands to find out what's bumming you out, but I won't." A voice stated bluntly. The voice, a she, cleared her throat. "So…you gonna spill the beans on what's causing your next bout of emoness?"

Naruto's eyes widened. He knew the voice. "Yang?!" He asked in disbelief. "W-What are you doing here?!" He asked in a fearful stutter. Why fear?

He's the son of the previous White Fang leader. Effectively making him the rightful leader to a terrorist organization. Strike one. Weiss Schnee, a prime target of the White Fang is part of team RWBY, which Yang is a part of. Strike two. He has this bombshell of a background hidden from Yang, the young woman with the most volatile hair-trigger of all time. Strike three.

Oh, but there was much more than that. He didn't want to ruin what he potentially has with Yang if this spilled out.

"I've been looking for you." Yang answered. She walked to the bench, and sat down next to Naruto. "You're being Blake right now, and I don't like it." She bluntly expressed. "What's wrong? What is so important in that letter that you're stressing out over it?"

Naruto guessed he could give Yang half-truths, but part of him wanted to lie all the way through. Then he realized how much of a hypocrite he was. He told Blake to tell the truth, and here he was with the idea of lying stuck in his head. His right hand braced his right kneecap. He handed over the letter to Yang. "It's a letter from my dad."

Yang was surprised. Naruto received something from his dad.

"He's been dead for five years." Naruto explained. "How I know? I've met him many times as a man that would visit the orphanage from time to time. He disappeared five years ago, and I found that letter hidden from me."

Yang looked down to the letter. "And what makes you so afraid?"

"I'm not afraid." Naruto insisted. "It's just…if that letter contains something about anything important, like my birthright, relatives, will, or my mom…" He trailed off.

Yang felt a pang in her heart. They were alike: motherless. "You don't know if you can handle that kind of information shoved down in one go?" Yang guessed. Naruto nodded. "Then I guess you could say the same of me."

"Hm?"

"My mom left me and my dad just after I was born." Yang confessed. Naruto's eyes widened at that. "Ruby and I? Half-sisters. When Ruby's mom never returned from a mission, I found out that dad had a first love, my mom. I made it my mission to find out why, and nearly killed Ruby and myself for answers." The two fell into silence for a few moments to let it sink in.

It finally made sense to Naruto why Yang acted motherly to Ruby. Not that he'd say it aloud.

"Our uncle saved us, and from then on, I learned."

"…What did you learn?" Naruto asked.

"I learned that I need to have a strong heart to find the truth. I learned I need the strength to continue past any obstacle to grab that answer. And I've learned to not let my life be dictated by this." Yang confidently said. Her lilac eyes faced Naruto's own. "I haven't stopped. I'm just not having the time to find those answers. Part of me is afraid as well. Afraid of what she may say about me and dad. You, on the other hand…you're holding onto something very important that reveals an important piece of your life. Take it slow. Whatever happens, accept it."

"Whatever happens?" Naruto repeated in confusion.

"You're seventeen. Do you still need your mom in your life after all this time surviving?"

Naruto faced Vale. "I guess not." He muttered as an answer. "But I still would like to know."

Yang handed the letter back to Naruto. The young man gladly took it. "I'm sure it's personal, so you can handle this yourself. If you need help along the way, I'll be there, okay?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah…"

Yang's lips met Naruto's left cheek. It was a quick peck, but enough to take away Naruto's brooding attitude. The young man's gawked expression was all Yang needed to know she did something right. "You'll be fine." The female blonde reassured. She stood up, and moved in front of the seated Fiamma. Her hands went to his shoulders as her forehead touched his. "Again, take it slow. Understand what you read, and then make your decision." She left a pause in between. "After that, I hope you trust me enough to tell me what the letter says once you've read it. But I won't hold it against you if it's too personal."

"I understand, Yang." Naruto said. 'I hope you can trust me with my truth in the end…' He thought to himself. 'Now to pay you back for the help.' He gulped and took some deep breaths, then said, "Can I ask you a question?"

Yang hummed, "What is it?"

"Can this Pauper kiss the golden princess before him?"

"Wha?" Naruto's left arm wrapped around her waist while his right cradled Yang's chin. He pulled her in to a lip lock. The two deepened the kiss while the male tightened his hold. Half a minute later, they broke off. "What was that for?" She asked.

"Payment for helping me think through this." Naruto said and finished with a smile.

Yang crossed her arms underneath her bust. "If that's how it is, then I don't mind helping you out all the time, Naruto." She gave a playful smirk after that.

Naruto quickly became bashful. He turned around while hiding the growing blush cause by his mind's imagination. "I-I'll change it up you know! It doesn't have to be the same thing all the time!" His voice squeaked out those last sentences, and it wholly amused Yang.

"Hoh~ Is that so?" She played along. "That sucks. I kind of want that as my gift from now on…" She snickered as she saw Naruto's ears turn red. She leaned forward. "Maybe…I want something more." She whispered into his ear. She felt Naruto freeze in place. The young woman stifled her laugh; Naruto was much too easy to tease.

"D-Don't you have s-somewhere to be right about now?" Naruto stuttered out.

Yang thought about it. "Oh! Right! Thanks for reminding me." She said. "Weiss wanted to spy on the competition today! I'll be in Vale for the rest of the day, so don't worry about me, Firecracker. I kinda want to see what talent comes out of those airships too."

Naruto turned his face back to Yang. "Wouldn't want to be late now. Go on."

"Will you be all right?" Yang questioned one final time.

The young man stood up. "Yeah…" He replied. "I'll be fine." His assurance was believable, and so, Yang left, and headed for the main landing pad to wait for her teammates to catch a ride to Vale.

Naruto's Scroll beeped. He took it out of his pocket, and looked at the message he received. "From Professor Goodwitch?" He asked himself as he read the message.

I have something important to talk about. Please come to my arena at nine tonight.

And bam! Chapter end. Cruel, I know, but look at it this way… Yeah…I-I got nothing. At least it isn't a character death! Oh…too soon. Yeah. This is more of a setup chapter to the next one. What do you guys think? I know Angsty Naruto is back, but could you honestly say that Naruto should be fully happy about a mom that wasn't in his life for his childhood?

Review, follow, favorite, I don't care.

This is Azure signing off.