"What, exactly, are you doing?"

Ruby blinked before realizing Naruto had asked her a question. She looked over at the boy as he continued the kata uninterrupted, the same he had been doing for the past two weeks since they fell into the forest.

With all that had changed, a part of her couldn't help but feel like it had been longer than that. At the beginning they had been at each-other's throats, neither lowering their guards- physical or mental- for even a second.

Then, through necessity or desire, they had stumbled into a routine that hinged around staying away from each other for as long as possible and keeping to their own strengths. Finally, at last, they had a real heart to heart- at least that's what Ruby assumed.

And now-

"You've been tinkering with the scroll since we arrived," The blond stepped into a sidekick, leg mechanically flat like an action-figure. "I was under the impression it didn't work."

"It doesn't," The stranded girl admitted. "But there's not much else to do so I thought I'd see if I could make something out of it."

"Like what?" He asked, falling into another too-perfect stance that had been smoothed through repetition into a fine polish.

"I don't know," Ruby shrugged as she detached the screen and re-rearranged the circuitry for the umpteenth time. "Maybe a bazooka or something,"

That made the blond pause amid an open-hand punch and falter into the low sweep. He craned his neck within the awkward crouch he found himself in and over to the red cloaked girl. "A bazooka?"

"Yep," Like the Assassin, she didn't even pause in her fiddling to give the quip.

"You want to take apart the scroll… and turn it into…a bazooka." Unlike the kata, his lips struggled to form the sounds of the question and made it come out like a statement.

Ruby looked up at him and he was nearly bowled over by the radiating glow in her eyes.

"Bazookas are awesome," All her enthusiasm locked within the star-spangled stare, she was able to keep the statement to a level volume as she learned her companion didn't appreciate the noise.

He did, but erstwhile had no response. Unable to think of one, he simply went back to his kata and left the girl to her devices.

"Want to help?" She asked after a moment more, tinkering absently. "Could be fuuun," She emphasized, snickering to herself at the consternating concept. When had she started teasing him?

"I have to hunt," Naruto pointed out, though without making a break in his resumed form.

"No you don't," Ruby countered, holding a small screwdriver aloft for emphasis. "We still have the fish, remember?"

Ah.

He had forgotten.

That in itself was strange. Though he could rationalize it with the fact that every day seemed the same, and he was without missions or practice to orchestrate his time. The far more troubling issue was that he'd found himself waking up… late.

"Come on," Bored herself of the solitary activity, Ruby entreated the boy to join her. "It's not like you have anything better to do."

Though he wanted to… he could not deny her statement. Making no instant move to walk towards her as he was still in the middle of his kata, he nonetheless gave a quiet nod of consent and hoped it would suffice. Ruby hummed happily as she continued working with the little device for a few more moments which would hopefully be the last alone. With the solo activity passing the time as it always did, it seemed to be only seconds later she felt the teen sit next to her without looking up from the scattered sets of parts.

"How should I help?"

"Hand me the metal plate there." Without her needing to specify, Naruto found the small item and obliged with a hand that was as steady as it had been during the forms. He watched as she took the postage stamp sized plate and inserted into a slot, beginning to twist it carefully clockwise.

"Wooden log, please." Unflinchingly Naruto handed her the block and she began lightly peen the edge, trying to bend the case back into shape without harming the puzzle of electronics she'd assembled inside.

"Next come the wires." Huffing to herself, the silver-eyed girl began fiddling with something the young assassin couldn't see behind her spiderlike hands.

"You seem to enjoy this." Even though he wasn't doing much, Naruto could remark from his newfound perspective next to the girl. He found he was equally fascinated with her apparent skill, as he was her single-minded need to assemble and disassemble.

"Yeah it's great, I always love doing this." Ruby chirped in routine, her chipper voice coming to sound more and more like the gay birdsongs which serenaded them throughout the day. "And I'm glad you're helping me."

"You're optimistic for someone stranded with an enemy," Less enthused than her, Naruto was also less encouraged with this observation as he didn't know how to qualify it. He was still her enemy, and now, doing nothing much to help her. Yet she was still… glad, as well?

"Gotta learn to look at the bright side," She responded, hesitating in a quarter-turn counterclockwise of an almost-invisible screw. "I just…"

"Just, what?" Naruto asked, unsure when he had gotten so curious about her personal woes.

"I just wish I still had my sigil," Removing the tiny tool, Ruby sighed as she looked down at her belt. After stripping her clothes for her first bath she had noticed the emblem had been missing. Most likely it had fallen off when the two of them had fought after they landed. Or perhaps, during the fall.

"Your sigil?" Naruto questioned, unsure of the significance. The Assassins had hallmarks, calling cards, certain modus opperandi- but nothing to identify them individually.

"Yeah," She answered distractedly, not understanding his incomprehension. "It was part of a set,"

"I see." Still clearly not, he had learned this phrase often placated the girl regardless.

"It's fine," She waved off. Though her heart had not been in the answer, and she wasn't sure her companion understood that, either. Well, at least she still had her scroll to tinker with.

That is until the device began sparking like crazy. With a small 'Eep!', the misplaced R of RWBY tossed the device away in shock while Naruto recoiled defensively. The two of them watched as it flared and fizzled before dying a moment later.

"I don't think that was supposed to happen,"

Ruby turned to face her companion who was mere inches away from her. Whether it was the distance or the circumstance, she could actually see a spark of curiosity in his normally void blue eyes. She couldn't help herself as she began laughing.

"You would be right," Ruby giggled freely, plenty used to having things combust on her watch but not so accustomed to the spectators.

It was a nice change.

Theirs was a world steeped in sin. Mankind's every lofty ideal had its roots deep in death and deceit, such that when it grew to fruition, it was stained like the white rose, red with blood. No amount of tearful regret could wash away this plight. Yet hopes and flowers still reached for the sky.

Therefore, like shit being shoveled atop a garden, there was no greater sin than the old outliving the young. Out of all the atrocities that Sarutobi had committed in the name of a better future, this was the one he most regretted. Because, what would it all have been for if not the next generation? The roots of the tree supported its branches and leaves, knowing that someday they would fall and fertilize the ground again- but not without showing their true colors! Oh! Such aspiring hopes, nipped in the bud before they even had a chance-

No. The old shadow sighed and set down his pen, rubbing his eyes which were seeing lines on paper like veins in leaves- or blackened veins of bloated corpses. Black curtains of fatigue like locusts nipped away at the edges of sanity.

He was getting too old for this shit.

He had buried too many youths including his own son and his successor. And now he feared for the next generation. But hope was not lost just yet. It was just getting harder to find on the uninspiring walls of his office, earthen tones reminding him too much of the grave he now longed for- the spot that kept getting filled by friends and family.

Standing with the same resolve he used to justify his unenviable job and difficult decisions, Sarutobi decided he needed another reminder of why he accepted the position again. He quit his chair and office with an alacrity that decried his old age, flying through the doors and underneath the notice of his studious secretary who did not so much as glance up from her own duties.

Only once he was in the halls could he remember his leisure, redonning the calm bearing and grandfatherly demeanor that assured his subordinates of a purpose and plan which would make their sacrifices worthwhile. He only wished that he could convince himself the same.

Unwavering, unquestioning. If there was one thing Naruto's emotionless manner was good for it was this, being a constant in a world which was always changing. He was the embodiment of conviction, even if he himself was not always cognizant of his own role in the grand scheme of things.

-Perhaps that was part of the problem. Sarutobi had wanted him to have as 'normal' a life as possible, when their profession clearly defied normalcy. Teaching children to kill from a young age was supposed to give them an appreciation for life. But how could they understand that which they never had? He had fought long and hard to retrieve the boy from the clutches of someone who wanted to use him as nothing more than a living weapon. Only to then place him right back in the thick of things, somehow hoping the other equally damaged children would help instill some stability- if not normalcy.

If anything, the opposite seemed to be true. Now that Naruto was gone, it was as if buckles to the straitjacket had been loosened and their cute little headcases were becoming a danger to themselves and others- not the others they wanted them to, though.

Team 7 couldn't go on any missions with their missing member, which was making them a bit stir-crazy. At the same time, they made it a point to not stray outside their barracks or the dojo, keeping to themselves and their training. And even if they wanted to, Sarutobi didn't think it wise to let them loose with the lot at each other's throats. Talk about teens unable to manage emotions, none of them understood how their shared sense of blame caused them to alienate one another.

Not to mention, their taciturn behavior also estranged the other assassins with team Shiva being the most noticeably rebuffed. Which was a shame, because Nila and the rest were almost as affected by the loss. Their guilt for being gone on another mission at the time was only compounded by the fact that Kasai now wouldn't let them come close enough to offer condolences.

Foolish brats. It was all Sarutobi's fault in the first place, for not noticing sooner that their so-called head of intelligence was making seemingly stupid decisions. It was his fault for letting Naruto fall into Their hands to begin with. It was his fault for letting things get so fucked up, and now not knowing how to fix it.

Not knowing what to do or even what he was doing, Sarutobi chomped on the end of his pipe he had unwittingly stuffed into his mouth. The worst part was that he didn't even have time to be morose about his missing subordinate. Rather, dealing with the fallout of the failed mission took priority. He still had the rest of an organization to run.

Word spread quickly despite the Assassins' secretive nature. The latest rumor said that the North Branch was sending that man to find out what was going on- probably hoping to find weakness in the Kage's leadership. While Sarutobi himself was still strong enough to take on the best warriors the others had to offer, the danger wasn't with infighting- or really, fighting at all. Oh no, this latest mission proved that intelligence was what won or lost battles- and that was something this Northern Assassin had in spades; their agent had the uncanny ability to read people like brail within shadow.

Speaking of shadows, the current Kage couldn't afford to have Itachi or Kakashi deployed for much longer. They had been hanging around huntsmen's hotspots hoping for leads on their missing member. But the longer they did that, the more they risked exposing themselves and the organization- not to mention taking time away from paying jobs.

Honestly, Sarutobi himself didn't even really have time to visit with the teens. But his sanity was being strained by doing nothing but damage control, and right now he needed to be reminded what he was fighting for. At least before he lost it entirely and crashed.

It was a testament to just how tired he was that he nearly crashed into a dark blur that was making its way opposite him in the halls. Rather, it nearly barreled into him in its single-minded drive to get wherever it was going. But he was not the head of all Assassins for nothing, and swiftly caught both himself and the offender before any damage could be done.

"Hey! Let me go, I need to- Kage-sama!"

The lithe body quickly fell from his grip and dropped into a low bow, kissing the floor. Sarutobi was taken aback by the change in attitude which was almost as fast as the body running through the halls. That and the sheer coincidence meant that he didn't recognize who it was at first.

"Ah! Nila, my dear girl. What luck it is running into you- well, nearly so." With a gentle chuckle and hand he bid her rise, since her face was flat against the floor in all flavors of embarrassment. "Not that I'm displeased to see you, but what is the rush?"

"Kage-sama," She breathed out with relief and elation. "I was actually coming to see you."

"Oh?" He then tried to usher her to a place where they could both sit down. But this time the young assassin did not defer to his rank or old age and insisted on standing her ground. He overlooked this breach of decorum because he could see the seriousness on her face. "What about?"

"I think I have found Naruto."

Staggered by this simple declaration, Sarutobi now wished he had a chair. But he wasn't that old, so it only took a second before the feeling passed and one of decisive action overcame his bones.

"Where?"

While it was unlikely this junior assassin had prevailed where days of veteran soldiers combing the forests had yielded nothing, the Kage had to remind himself this shadow in particular was not your average teenage girl. Pride that was unbecoming of a killer crossed her face when she realized he believed her, but Sarutobi could let that slide considering he was probably just as much- if not more- elated.

But as she opened her cherry lips that were chapped and faded from weeks of neglect, a much gruffer voice than expected startled them both.

"Nila! There you are!" Setting a good pace for his stout frame, Ferrer came jogging down the hallway followed by an irritable Lonán (but really, when was the androgynous teen not sour?). "We've been looking everywhere for you! I thought we locked you in the room and told you to get some sleep!"

A combination of defensive and disgruntled, the captain turned halfway back to her approaching team and Sarutobi could finally see the bags under her eyes. They were as black as her unkempt hair which had lost its usual gloss and gave off an unwashed odor underneath a mask of perfume. Giving her a quick assessment, Sarutobi had overlooked the fact that she had not slept in weeks- likely, ever since Naruto disappeared.

"Sorry…" She apologized demurely, "But I told you this was something I need to do!" The change in tone hit Ferrer like a shockwave, and he came to a skidding halt. Even Sarutobi recognized the dangerous inflection in her voice and took a half-step back from the volatile woman. "-More importantly, I think I've been able to pinpoint where Naruto landed to within a square kilometer!"

"That is indeed wonderful, my girl." Sarutobi tread carefully, remembering that Nila wasn't the most stable of people under normal circumstances- this mental flexibility making her a prime candidate for captain and assassin, but also for chief case study at a mental ward. "But your health is just as important as everyone else's, and your teammates seem concerned that you have not gotten enough sleep lately. I assume that you have already re-checked your own work?"

"Of course!" She snapped, but broke when she realized whom she was talking to, all but cowering behind the sheaf of scribbled notes she clutched in her hands like a shield. "I-I mean, I did my best and I'm pretty sure I got everything…"

"Kage-sama, please don't indulge her." Looking like she'd been kept up all night as well, Lonán rolled her olive black eyes and then thought better of it as they almost got stuck in her shaved head. "She woke us up in the middle of the night last week saying the same thing, only to realize a few hours later she'd neglected wind speed."

"The velocity variations of wind gusts for tropical storms in the northern hemisphere," Nila recited flatly to the tomboy who clearly didn't care. "Not, 'wind speed'. But yes, we have included that now. Along with several other variables we admittedly neglected."

"You see? She's talking nonsense- ow! What the fuck, woman?!"

"Quiet. Let captain speak."

From out of nowhere came Charna's reprimand and spindly arm which struck Lonán in the back of the head like a whip. Sarutobi himself would be chagrinned to note that he hadn't noticed her either until just then- always a sobering experience considering the Mantle-born teenager towered over most everyone in the building.

But now was not the time for that.

"Captain, may I see your notes?"

Having indulged his subordinates for long enough, the Shadow stepped back in his robes and persona of absolute commander. He took the haphazard stack of pages as if they were a report of the utmost procedure and urgency, quickly scanning the caffeine-addled scrawl as it meandered around the page. The writing spilled over the margins, forcing him to turn the papers upside down, backwards, holding them individually up towards the ceiling so that the fluorescent lights could shine through. Sarutobi scratched his head at a few points, but assumed that the girl had done her extracurricular homework.

Team Shiva waited prostrate, the same as they would in the mission room. They were indifferent to the passersby who either scooted around the gathering with sketched bows to their leader and confused looks to the team, or else avoided that corridor entirely as no-man's land for the duraion of the impromptu meeting.

"I see." Sarutobi said at last, causing the team to sneak looks at one another in confusion.

Securing the sheets underneath his arm, the Shadow of shadows did something unprecedented and lowered himself to the young captain. The hand he placed on her shoulder had taken more lives than ever offered congratulations, but this did nothing to debase the action.

"Thank you, captain." Fighting against age again, he smiled. "You must have worked very hard on compiling this. I can only imagine the devotion you must have to your comrades and fellow captain."

"Thank you, Kage-sama." The young woman blushed so that her dark skin was almost as red as her eyes. "… The truth is, we really li- appreciate… respect… li-lik- care for Naruto." And within those eyes there was conflict, shades of the same emotion fighting to explain themselves. "… He knows what it's like to not always be the one in control."

"Make sure he knows that, next time you get a chance." Giving the girl's shoulder a squeeze that was as soft as her confession, Sarutobi was glad that there were so many people besides himself that wanted the boy back for more than just sense of security. "I wish half my subordinates were as devoted as you and your team are to one another. But you know that they have a right to worry if their leader isn't getting enough rest. You haven't slept in days, have you?"

"We… slept in shifts," Nila protested softly, hoping that her Kage would assume she meant with her team. The truth was more tangled than her knotted hair, and she winced running a hand through it while the other consciences in her head conferred. The tightening of her jaw turned to resolution as the softness in her eyes steeled. "Nothing we are not used to. Team Shiva is still ready for a retrieval mission, awaiting your orders, sir."

"I am sure you are." And with that, the captain of team Shiva collapsed under Sarutobi's hand which formed a chop at the back of her neck. He then shifted it underneath to cradle the young woman as a father would his child. "However, team Shiva's captain is currently incapacitated, and I have no substitutes to impose on your cell. It looks like Kakashi and Itachi will have to stay out in the field just a little bit longer."

"Kage-sama?" Somewhat alarmed, the ofttimes upfront Ferrer didn't understand why their leader knocked out their captain- even if he'd thought about doing it himself.

"Uma, your team's leave has been extended for a few days. Try to make the best of it." As wordless as the young man now was, Charna glided over and took Nila from their Kage. She hoisted the significantly smaller woman over her shoulder like she was nothing but a bag of dead leaves, bowing her head imperceptibly in thanks. "-And make sure your captain stays in her room this time, I can't have my subordinates wandering about unaccounted for."

"Hai, Kage-sama."

And with that, the team disappeared into the black of their namesake. Only a fleeting, 'fucking finally' from Lonán marked their departure.

"I see," Sarutobi repeated to the now empty hall, looking instead to the page filled halfway with speculation. "So… you assume he's with the young huntress, huh? Makes sense why we couldn't find him."

A smile replacing the unlit pipe in his mouth, the wizened leader turned around and made his way back to his office with renewed purpose- not even concerned with the stacks of paperwork which awaited him, and those which would precipitate from his next orders.

"I am sorry to cut your vacation short, but it's time to bring you home, Naruto."

"So, with a Bazooka I could totally blow away my enemies while saving everyone in a totally awesome way."

"That seems like it would put civilians in harm unnecessarily," Naruto stuck his left arm in an upward block as he spun his body into the next movement.

"Nah," The girl dismissed. "They'd be fine. Unless someone was under blanket,"

"Under blanket?" Even with the weeks of experience, Naruto was unable to translate this phrase.

"You know, blending in with the enemy and actin' like an ally," Ruby rolled out the explanation, as if it were obvious.

"You mean espionage," Naruto took a stab- took another step with a spearhand to an imaginary sternum."Or undercover?"

"Yeah, that," Snapping her fingers like a gameshow host, the huntress filed away his correction for future reference, "I'm sure you've done plenty of missions like that," Though personally, she chose not to think about why he took such missions.

"I have not," The blond admitted as absently as he executed a roundhouse kick. Following through, though, he nearly missed the next move as he realized what he had said. How long had he been revealing things this casually? They were hardly crucial mission details or damning evidence- but still.

"Really?" Surprised for a totally different reason, the idea that he was lacking in some way went against everything she knew about him (which was, admittedly, quite little). "I'd think you'd be great at them as long as you alter your clothes. Something stylish yet practical. I noticed that what you had on in the ship was a little bit... antiquated," Now that she'd been thinking about it, the only reason the assassins hadn't stood out from the rest was probably because they were all sopping wet. And not that it mattered, because the outfits had been ditched as soon as they'd been discovered. "When you get back, you should ask whoever's in charge of that to let you guys go shopping."

"That's a waste," Flowing into the counter, Naruto maintained that clothing was just clothing, there was nothing special about it. For a split second his eyes found his belted arm.

Usually.

"I don't know," Able to see his point but still disagreeing, Ruby shrugged, "I think you'd look good in orange."

A took a beat before her brain registered what her mouth had said. And when it had, Ruby added a new shade of red to her wardrobe.

"Orange is an extremely visible color," Not noticing the girl's self-induced turmoil, Naruto shriveled his nose at the impracticality of an orange outfit.

"Exactly!" The girl squeaked, grateful for his misunderstanding. "Nobody would ever expect you to be undercover with that kind of color on!"

There was a brief pause as he mulled over the possibility in his head.

"That is... an idea," Naruto conceded, continuing his kata while Ruby sat idly by having nothing else to say after this lukewarm answer.

Well, idly wasn't the right word. The only idling comparable would be like a jet on a runway waiting for permission to be catapulted into the air. Sitting still was not her thing.

Ironic considering, she used a sniper rifle- which she wished she had now. It was just that she honestly didn't know what else to do, considering her only form of entertainment had short-circuited that morning.

"Would you... care to join me?"

Out of the blue came the assassins voice, and again, Ruby didn't recognize it as anything real. She continued to stare listlessly, halfway asleep over at the blond as he continued his artful movement, until she at last realized the offer for what it had been. The girl gave a slack-jawed hum which might have been in contemplation or in shear incredulity at proposal. But she quickly shook of the surprise in order to seize this unparalleled opportunity, flashing over to be next to her companion in a mirrored position.

"The next move-" Pausing, he looked over his shoulder to correct his shadow's stance, only to see Ruby committed the next part of the kata with ease.

"I've been seeing you do it for two weeks now," She responded to his own surprise with a smile.

"Spread your legs." He commanded flatly.

"What!" Ruby twisted around and shouted over at the Assassin, nearly falling entirely out of her from and flat onto her face.

"Your legs are too close together, and you will have difficulty with the next step," He explained patiently. "Spread them out a bit more until they are just past the breadth of your shoulders."

"Oh," Ruby responded intelligently. "I thought…never mind." Pink tinted her cheeks as she refused to look over at the blond even as he moved on in the form.

Thus, the two of them continued the kata in relative silence with Naruto only giving out occasional correction where he saw necessary.

An overall peaceful afternoon, if you didn't think about the incoming rain.

"Where is everybody?"

Weiss asked… to a room filled with no one.

Their dorm, their nest now continually felt bare without that gay little red robin chirping about and squawking ludicrous orders. No, Ruby was no longer there to force-feed them predigested spiels about teamwork that were as palatable as mealworms, nor to sing off-key songs about how great the world was despite all the things that were hunting them.

Weiss was walking on eggshells as she entered the empty room, the sound of her heels on the hard floor were like the shattering of glass- or illusions. How could she think she could outrun them? The Assassins were always there, creeping up on her. They were as pervasive as her last name. And likely, they would be with her just as long, always taking away her sense of security and anyone else who happened to be in the way of that.

Ruby was just their latest victim, but by no means would she be the last. Even now, Weiss had to admit that others were suffering in her absence. The most obvious was Yang whose upbeat attitude had completely reversed so that she would hardly respond to anything. She'd simply follow them to class each day and do her work without enthusiasm or comment. And instead of being kept up all night with worry as she was before, now the party girl went to bed promptly at the stroke of nine- though it was certain she still got less than eight hours sleep.

Weiss might have wondered where Yang was now, but there were only a handful of other places she could be: Either lackadaisically forcing food into her gullet, or else exercising as mechanically as the workout equipment itself until she was as stiff as metal and could barely creak back into their room.

No, it was Blake which was the more troublesome to track down. The girl was almost as slippery as those shadows- somehow being even more aloof than average and hardly spending a second with the remainder of her team. Where she would go after class was anyone's guess.

And this dark cloud wasn't just limited to people within their circle. No, this somber mood like a hurricane was flooding the halls with a deluge of depression. Lessons seemed tenser and halls were ominously quiet as the students traversed them as quickly as possible getting from class to class- not many ventured outside the school anymore. Weiss couldn't even remember the last time she had heard a laugh.

Ruby's presumed demise had caused ripples throughout the entire school simply because it was hard to hide a Semblance that left rose petals in all the cracks. Then there was the fact that the bottomless pit always seemed to have a snack she didn't mind sharing in class. The same ball of energy attacked multiple students for information on their weapon before so much as knowing their name. Everyone knew hers, and now she was missing- or worse.

Everyone at Beacon was training to be a huntsman or huntress. And most of them had only recently learned about another enemy they would have to fight besides Grimm and the occasional criminal. Now they knew they would have to face people who were every bit as trained and determined to win. Worse, the other side had apparently also claimed their first victim- picking off their youngest before she even had a chance.

Weiss didn't know what she could do, how she could help or what decisions she should make. But if she were being honest… she wasn't the best person to be making any decisions of import. Not now, and perhaps not even normally. It was impossible to deny her own affliction to Ruby's absence. But the concession she'd been most reluctant to face was that she was unqualified as a leader in her stead. Not only could Weiss not say where any of the her team was currently, she hadn't been able to keep them together in the first place.

Maybe it was just being smacked in the face by the vacant dorm yet again which made her finally realize this. Or perhaps she'd always suspected it, and she was no longer able to drown out the truth with Ruby's inane prattle. In either case, she was just about ready to concede defeat, hand in the mantle of captainship she'd usurped uncontested and surrender herself to a jury of her peers.

-Peers which were nowhere to be found. It was just herself, and the problem was that Weiss was contrite enough to be lenient with her own punishment. She sentenced herself to solitary confinement on her bed, face down on the bottom bunk.

Physically, she was fine. She had the strength to lift herself out of the plush mire and the mental capacity to know that she really ought to. It was her duty and her penance. But Weiss was emotionally drained, the bottomless reservoir of happiness and energy she'd come to count on was gone and she was unable to fill the roll herself.

Still, she nearly hit the top bunk when her Scroll went off and startled her.

Whipping out the device, she glared at it as if it had done her a personal affront. Weiss certainly wasn't expecting anyone to message her, nor was she particularly willing to talk to anyone in her current mood.

Thankfully, the message was short- to the point of being unintelligible. In fact, what she initially took to be an esoteric acronym turned out to be nonsense the longer she looked at it. And the longer she looked at it, the more the brief assemblage of letters irked her.

"What kind of idiot-?!"

She looked at the sender.

It was Ruby. Her idiot.

"-What- wait- but how?!"

She returned to the text with renewed fervor and alertness. Quickly figuring out what was written was gibberish, she passed over the body of the message for the metadata. The recipient list was long, probably everybody in Ruby's contacts. But more important than that was the pin which dropped where it was sent.

She now knew where Ruby was.

"Figures," Weiss sighed, her urgency momentarily being overcome by relief. "Only that dunce would be saved by a butt-call."

The mere thought of her captain filled Weiss with a renewed sense of purpose that trickled over into a manic grin. Some of that extra energy she used to leap out of bed and grab her previously discarded shoes.

"I've got to find Yang and Blake!" Tearing out the door with heels in hand, Weiss was then torn about what to do first. "No-wait! I've got see Ozpin!"

Still in stockinged feet, she accelerated with the use of her semblance down the hallway. The line of pale glyphs like breadcrumbs lead the way to Ozpin's office. No doubt Blake and Yang had gotten the message too, and they would be of the same mind. While they now had a location, Weiss was also sure they would need all the help they could get if the Assassins were still in the area. If they happened to get there first…

No. She wouldn't let them. She wouldn't be left behind this time.

"Hang on Ruby, we're coming."

Ruby tapped her foot repeatedly as she waited in the cave for the blond to return.

"What was he thinking, running out there in the rain?" She scowled as she paced back and forth. Shortly after finishing the kata, her companion (whom she refused to call by his codename and thus had to refer to in this cumbersome manner) had gone off without an explanation- which wasn't that odd, except that there was nothing else for the blond or her to do that day.

Fortunately, she wasn't left with her thoughts much longer as the cause of her ire casually walked into the cave, dripping wet.

"Where have you been?" Huffing irritably, Ruby accosted her cave-mate with an accusatory stance.

"I had something to retrieve," The blond answered enigmatically, already moving to get past her and remove his sopping clothes.

"And what would that be?" She asked with her hands on her hips. The blond eyed the girl and her posture. The look she was giving him screamed 'Better be good or you'll regret it,' a tactical stance he recognized from dealing with his female teammate's legendary short temper.

Thus, he believed her.

But it wasn't like he didn't have good purpose. At least, what he was led to believe was a good purpose…

Her emblem. He'd found it. Producing the carved emblem from within the folds of his drenched clothes, he held it out so that the gloomy light from outside would just shine upon it.

"I remember the general area where we had landed," He explained. "I searched the area and came upon it."

As if it had been a mission, once he set his mind upon it, he had ventured forth uncaring of the conditions outside. The rain would have made finding anything so small nearly impossible, but he had also thought of it as training to look for tracks and had been almost disappointed at how easily spotted the shiny piece was. The twisted metal been sticking halfway out of the mud, like a hand asking to be rescued from a shipwreck.

"I thought I'd try out…compassion," He explained, tasting how the words sounded on his shivering blue lips while thumbing the ornate emblem in his palm.

"How did it…make you feel?" Ruby asked, suddenly more interested in this fleeting idea rather than the return of her undamaged property.

"It didn't," Flatly and honestly, he answered, no different than the many reports he had given over the years. Ruby nodded, telling herself that she didn't expect anything yet still feeling disappointed.

"But," Raising her head to look back up at the taller teen, she made eye contact and thought again that she saw something flicker in the waning light. "The endeavor didn't seem… pointless,"

They stood in silence with the rain once again falling heavily on the muddy ground outside, a gloomy mood and a somber setting which Ruby couldn't help but feel lift her spirits. She let a smile peak out in place of the sun which seemed so far away.

"It's a start," She whispered, hugging the emblem close to her chest so that the chilled metal felt warm. She looked back up, locking eyes with boy that had brought back the precious item to her on a whim. She would never be able to express how much she appreciated this to him, and doubted that he'd understand it anyway. But this lack of empathy didn't preclude the action which was a step in the right direction.

Without another word she walked over to her corner while he did the same. Despite the heat in her cheeks, the fire wained low and was just about dead. But it wasn't a cold night, so they would be fine.

That's what Ruby thought as she wrapped herself in her cloak and burrowed into the fuzzy threads saturated with her scent. But then her eyes once again found their way over the low fire, towards him who, much to her embarrassment, had begun to strip out of his damp outer clothing.

After shedding as much as he dared to retain heat and decency, Naruto still could not stop shivering. He closed his eyes in the hopes that it would conserve energy, but the act simply made him realize how tired he was. And yet, unable to truly rest as his body juddered like Ruby when she tried to keep still.

That was, until he felt something drape over his shoulders by its weight alone, unable to sense the fine wool. Slower than he would have wanted, he opened his eyes to see Ruby sitting next to him and wrapping them both up in her cloak. Part was chagrinned that she had gotten that close without him noticing, and part was embarrassed because… well, he honestly didn't know why.

"I remembered you shivering the first night," Not looking at him, she explained to their empty hearth. "I don't want you to be that uncomfortable again."

Not saying anything as he processed this event, he knew he wished they had a fire so he could think straight. Yet, he also knew that he appreciated the current warmth, and did not want to offend the owner.

"Your cloak is rather convenient," He finally admitted as the two sat next to each other, each unknowingly bemoaning their lack of dry kindling.

"Yeah, I love it," Ruby whispered with childish pride. "It keeps me warm and doesn't get in the way when I use my weapon- plus, I look so cool saving civilians when I'm wearing it."

"Why do all your comparisons involve heroism or weapons?" The blond mouthed into the fraying edges of the garment, breathing his own musty stench and the inherent sweetness clinging desperately to the dirty lanolin.

"Why do all your metaphors involve death or blood?" Ruby retorted in good humor, trying not to let her irritation with the dampness of her neighbor intrude and hoping he understood the joke.

"Fair point." Too tired to argue, Naruto muttered his acceptance and burrowed further into the source of primal comfort. Ruby giggled at the blithe response, her eyelids beginning to feel heavy.

"You know; you can be funny when you want to." She whispered, the shared heat suddenly claiming her victim as well.

"I don't know… what you're… talking about." Naruto yawned as he felt Ruby's head slump onto his sagged shoulders which had finally stopped trembling. In return, his nose found its way into her hair, surprisingly sweet and soft after weeks without any kind of soap or conditioner.

"I…know... you…don't." Ruby whispered as she felt the taller teen smother her like a weighted blanket- like a set of fleshy armor which didn't sting in the cold and moved with her to make her stronger.

It was with this thought that the two drifted into slumber, not a sound more except their slow breath and the rain which continued to fall.

AND HERE WE ARE! Looks like them finding common ground last chapter has allowed their relationship to evolve into something different.

But for how long can this last since their sides seem to know where they are. Makes you wonder what's gonna happen next. You'll just have to find out…IN THE NEXT COUPEL OF SECONDS! I did promise a double chapter and a double chapter has been delivered.

Speaking of sides looks like Weiss is coming to realize just how charismatic her peppy captain really is. Not to mention everything going on with Hiruzen and his merry band of assassins.

Well I won't keep you. Just click on that next button to see the conclusion of the stranded arc. Also share your thoughts on the opening we made. I'm really curious on what you thought about it.