A/N: As ever, the Embers rule remains.

If folks don't like this story, POOF! Away it goes.

So by all means, speak up! Every bit of feedback matters here!

Suppose you could call this an interlude of sorts; something to set up for the next chapter...which will be a DOOZY.

In other news, work is running me ragged now that my boss is out. Which means all their work falls on me. Ugh. Might have to stop daily updates for a bit; this constant back and forth is doing my head in, to say nothing of my sleep schedule!

Alright, now that we've got that way, onto your questions!

Q: Is Naruto going to be a teacher in this story?

A: I won't lie, 'tis a tempting notion. I may save that for another story. Besides, how would it happen? One can only suspend their disbelief so much. As fun as it would be to have a clueless Naruto teaching hunters and huntresses...well, I'm not rightly sure how it would happen in this story.

So? Thoughts?

Q: Soo...what's Naruto's stance on things here? Love the "Seduce That God!" inspiration, by the way. I miss that story...

A: So do I. It was one of the rare stories I actually got invested in, and I wanted to see where it went. T_T

As far Naruto's concerned, this is a miracle. He expected to die, or barring that, wake up in his own era. Now that he hasn't...well, he was pissed for a bit, but his little play-bout with Yang bled off a good bit of his anger. He's calmer now, if a bit confused to his purpose. But he's determined to live his second life to the fullest. He knows nothing of Magic, Maidens, Salem or Ozma. Why would he? He was sound asleep for all that. Something woke him in this era for a reason.

And make no mistake. He was toying with Yang.

If he ever hits someone for real, they're gonna be paste.

Thankfully our boy ain't a killer. Doesn't make him a pushover though...

Q: Sooo...not to be a broken record, because I always ask this, buuuuut...what's the pairing?

A: It'll be...entertaining to say the least. I've been holding back on Yang and others in most pairings. But here?

She's absolutely in her element.

Lets go nuts~!

Q: Ahoy, captain! Naruto's at full power, right?!

A: And then some! Jinchuuriki of the Ten Tails, remember? He's more than a demigod at this point; even if he doesn't quite have a handle on his powers he's well capable of flattening any meaningful opposition. If someone intends to fight him they need to be clever about it. Face him on the battlefield, and...welll...

... YOU DEAD!

But we all know there's more than one way to face someone. Ought to be interesting.

Aright, I think I've kept you long enough.

As ever, I own no references, quotes, themes or memes.

I'm just here to keep you all entertained. Hopefully I'm doing that. If not...

...why am I here?

"There is no shame in deterrence.

Having a weapon is very different from actually using it.

Case in point, I could kill you all with both hands tied behind my back. Do you want that?"

~?

Love Like Fire

"Well, this is unfortunate.

"No," Yang sniped from her cot, "You think?"

Naruto furrowed his brow as he regarded the ceiling of their cell. "Hmm."

"Is that all you have to say?!"

...

...

...you'e a great kisser?"

"Raargh!" A pillow pelted his face, momentarily muffling his grin.

Still the blond kept both hands folded behind his head as he considered the ceiling above. Maybe it was the booze; because he was still feeling rather calm after all that. Perhaps even a little too calm. An almost pleasant haze had fallen over his thoughts. With all that anger and frustration out of his system, he felt quite nice, actually. As if he were lying on a warm rock sunning himself on a mild summer day.

Speaking of warm...!

"Y'know, you fight pretty good." Yang flopped down beside him with a grin and yanked the pillow off his face. "Gave me a black eye and everything."

"Right back at ya." He chortled a little. "Weren't you angry with me a second ago?"

"A little." she confessed, crossing both legs beneath her. "I got over it. Better out than in, I always say. S'ides," she flicked his side, "We're stuck in here together. Might as well get comfortable."

A blond brow cocked.

She smacked at his chest. "Down, boy!"

The other brow rose to match the first. "You started it."

"Tch." her face turned a lovely shade of red as she looked away. "You've got an answer for everything, don't you."

"I try."

His gaze swept back to their cage once more, considering it. If this was what passed for a cell in this world, it was woefully inadequate. Those bars were frail and rusted by time; they wouldn't hold Yang, let alone him. He could walk right out of here, and no one would be able to stop him. He was almost tempted to at that; if only because he was still freakin' hungry and his promised meal had yet to materialize. Blast it, he really needed to eat something...

"You do realize we could break out of here."

'We could,' he allowed, 'But I don't wanna be hounded by the police at every turn.'

They wouldn't be a threat to him, but he'd have to put them down to discourage pursuit. Put them down hard and without killing at that. Pretty sure that would make him a criminal. He didn't want to spend his second life flitting from place hounded by bounty hunters and the like. He wanted to enjoy it. This era seemed to be at peace for the most part. Might as well enjoy it, no?

"Hey," Yang chimed suddenly, capturing his attention once more, "You're going to Beacon, right?"

"Beacon?" Naruto pivoted to regard her from where he lay. "The hell's a Beacon?"

"Really playing up the whole country bumpkin angle, aint'cha?" her elbow nudged him in the ribs. Didn't even tickle. "C'mon, stop joking. With skills like yours you've gotta be headed there." her brow furrowed anew as she considered him again. "Unless you're already one? Nah, no chance." she tossed her head from side to side, sending her hair swaying. Too young."

"Oh, sweet summer child. You have no idea."

"No, really." the whiskered warrior sat up. "What in blazes is a Beacon? I literally have no idea what you're talking about."

"Wait, for real?" Wide lilac eyes regarded him intently. Narrowed. "You been living under a rock or something?"

"YES!" He flung up his hands. "Why is that so hard to understand! I was literally asleep for years!"

Her brow furrowed. "What, were you in a coma or something?"

You know what? Fine. Let her misunderstand. This was giving him a headache. And it wasn't far from the truth. He was in a coma. Technically. He'd slept for a terribly long time. Maybe it would've been better if he never woke up at all; if he simply continued to dream endlessly beneath the earth. But there could be no going back to that now. For better or worse, he was awake, and the deed was done.

...sure. Lets go with that."

"Alright, champ." she slapped his back with a cheeky grin. "Next you're gonna tell me you don't know what a Scroll is."

The silence was telling.

"What the actual hell. Did you lose your memories too?"

Naruto shrugged let her roll with it. Easier than explaining all this tripe.

"Jeez, that sucks. I'm serious, though." his fellow blond scooted a bit closer until her hips brushed his, "You've got talent to fight me to a standstill like that."

That and restraint. If he hadn't held back, Yang would've been a pretty red smear on the ground. He tried not to think about that. Probably best for everyone if he kept tabs on his strength for now. Unwilling to broach that particular subject, he opted to steer the conversation to safer waters.

"This...Beacon of yours." he frowned at the name. "Tell me about it.

"Sure thing, Champ."

Yang did her best. She'd never seen it firsthand, but she painted a grand picture all the same; a fine school for Huntsmen and Huntresses, a bastion of strength devoted to fighting off creatures called Grimm. Curiosity got the better of him and he asked about those, too. She was more than happy to indulge him...even if he sometimes felt like she was babying him a bit. It was a small price to pay to learn about the state of this world.

But in the end, there was only so much Yang could tell him.

"Sooo~!" the buxom rocked back on her legs. "Having heard all that...what now?"

"What do I want to do? I'm not really sure." tan fingers drummed loosely against the floor. "Already saved everyone once. Maybe I'll try to conquer the world with ramen this time around...?" He waggled an eyebrow at her when she gigled. "But me? Go to Beacon? Why would I wanna do that? I already sat through school once. No way am I doing it again."

"You say that, but you haven't seen Beacon." she looped an arm around his shoulders. "Just think about it, champ."

"That word again. "His brow furrowed at her, eyes squinting intently. "Why do you keep callin' me that?

"Seems as good a nickname as any. Better than whiskers. Its got some bite to it, y'know?"

Kurama preened a little-no, a lot. "Heh. I'm starting to like this girl."

'You would! She's clearly stroking your ego.'

Naruto lifted his chin. "Still not doing it."

"Fine. What about teaching?"

"Me?!" A guffaw burst out of him, short and sharp as he sprawled in her lap. "Why would I...?" Then he frowned. "Huh. Never really done that...might have to think about that. "Probably not. Don't think I'd have the patience for it."

"That's the point!" She flung up her arms. "You'd be an awesome teacher!"

"Aaaaand I'm starting to think you're just an enabler...

"Pssh, me? Naw...

What would he even teach? He knew only the barest bones about Grimm and this world. Moreover, he didn't think the people here had chakra anymore. It seemed lost to time. Or maybe they hadn't, and their coils had fallen dormant by time and lack of use. Something to look into at a later date. This was his world after all, just changed by time and so many other things. Oddly enough, the notion calmed him.

"Hey." Kurama prodded him first. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

He was. "If this is still our world...we could...

"Yes, we could. But do we want to?"

That was the question.

On a whim, he cast a quick glance at Yang and stretched out his senses. What he found there nearly had him reeling back. She burned like a fire in mind, all bright and gold and sunny. There was certainly...something to be seen there, but it didn't quite feel like chakra. What had she called it? Aura? Beneath that, a smaller flame, so tiny you had to squint-

Their door swung open with a harsh clank, cutting his thought short.

A weary-looking guard sauntered in, his blue uniform rumpled and creased. Naruto sniffed once, then frowned. The man smelled of stress and sweat. His eyes were a strange shade of silver, framed by a strong jawline with a messy mop of auburn hair going on grey. Strange combination. He looked like someone had browbeat him within an inch of his life, dragged him back, and done it again. Poor bastard took one look at them and shook his head.

"You lovebirds done in there?"

Belatedly, Naruto realized he was still leaning against Yang. She was warm. He didn't feel like moving just yet.

"Yeah." he stretched a little, drawing a flush from his fellow blond as he squirmed. "And you are...?"

"No one important." The guard jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "You're free to go."

Yang perked up. "Already? But I only called Dad five minutes ago."

"Not you, Blondie." the guard pivoted and stabbed a finger at Naruto instead. "You."

Naruto tilted his head.

"Me?" Now it was his turn to blink. "I don't know anyone in this city with that kind of dough." Really! He didn't! "Who the hell did that?"

"Dunno." the man offered a helpless shrug. "Some broad. Said she was a friend of yours, or something. That's the long and short of it. You leaving, or what?"

A woman?

"Pretty sure the only friend I have is her." he poked an elbow against Yang's side. "Sorry."

"Aw," the brawler threw her arms around his neck. "You do care~!

"Look, pal." The guard sighed. "We barely have enough room in our cells as is. I don't care," he jerked his chin at a grinning Yang, "If that's your long-lost sister or yer wife-

Her smile died an ugly death. "Wife?! Wait! Too soon! My heart isn't ready!"

-but your bail's been paid." he raised his voice over her frantic babbling. "Which means someone else is sharing this cell with her. Either get out or we'll drag you out."

A flicker of a smile touched the corner of Naruto's mouth.

"Yeah...you really don't wanna do that."

"Then get!"

Naruto flicked a reluctant look over his shoulder.

"I'll be fine." Yang patted his arm thrice for good measure. "Don't worry about me. Dad'll have me out in a jiff-oh." Lilac eyes widened. Flitted from one end of the cell to another. She gulped. "On second thought, maybe you should scram while you can. He won't be happy to see you."

Naruto squinted at her, unable to comprehend why, and feeling a little hurt for it. "Why not?"

"You're a boy." she said. "And I'm his sunny little dragon."

Realization slammed down like a guillotine. "Ohh...

Dealing with an overprotective father wasn't on his to-do-list tonight. Nope!

He stood to leave.

"Waitaminute! Yang burst up, grabbed him by his jacket and reeled him back in. "One for the road."

Her lips crushed against his, hard enough to bruise. Fast, hard, and quick. Just like her. She bit his lip as she pulled away, marking him.

Naruto blinked once. Twice. Thrice, now. "Bwuh?" he managed eloquently.

Yang flashed him a wink. "See ya around, champ."

Then she shoved him out the cell.

(.0.0.0.)

In the end, Naruto never found out who posted his bail.

No one was waiting for him when he emerged from the police department. Not a soul. Only an empty street. He spied a child across the street playing with a doll made of straw. Nothing more. With that, released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Well. That was disappointing. Really, it was almost anticlimactic. And here he'd been expecting something like one of those old crime dramas...

Someone tugged at his sleeve.

He looked down to find the urchin gazing up at him; his gaze took her in at a glance; her skin dirty and smudged with ash, her hair the darkest shade of midnight she'd ever seen. Her eyes were a striking shade of gold, like twin pits of poisoned honely.

"She told me to give you this, mister." they pressed a thin slip of paper into his hand. "She paid well."

His gaze snapped to the parcel, then back up. "Wait, I don't-

When he looked back, the girl was gone. Just...gone. Not run around a corner, not slipped out of sight...just gone. He shivered a little as a cold breeze whisked its way down the street. What little he wore didn't offer much in the way of protection. Powerful he may be, but even he wasn't immune to the cold. He craned his neck left, then right, straining for any sign of the girl.

He found nothing and his brow furrowed.

"Weird."

For lack of anything else to do, he unfolded the card and considered it for a moment. It wasn't white but red, red as blood itself.

The writing within was proven clean and crisp, penned by a firm hand in dark ink:

"I saw your fight. Half the city saw it. You handled yourself well.

Perhaps you'd like to make proper use of those talents.

Warm regards,

~C.

Well. That was't mysterious at all. Beneath the message lay a...series of numbers? Naruto frowned anew. The hell was this? Some kind of code or something? Yang had said something about a Scroll, but he didn't have one of those. What even was a Scroll, anyway? She'd never told him that bit. Bah. Probably not important. He committed the sequence to memory, crushed the paper into a ball and threw it over his shoulder without a second thought.

"Phew! Talk about a close call. Glad we got that sorted...

Kurama disagreed. "You do realize Yang's father is going to be furious with you for leaving her in that cell...

"With me?" he crossed both arms behind his head. "Nah. This'll all blow over. Not like we did anything criminal." A jaw-popping yawn stopped him short. "Although I wouldn't say no to finding a bed for the night...its been along day; and awhile since we screwed around like that." his stomach offered a surly growl, turning his smile into a scowl. "And I'm sill hungry, damnit!

"Easier said than done. We have no money. Unless you're keen on picking pockets?"

"Naw, just need somewhere to camp out for the night." he reasoned to himself. "I'll explain everything in the morning."

He had been asleep for so...very long now. He wasn't exactly aware of the state of the world. The hour was late and the moon was full; shining down in all its shattered splendor. Well, that was new. Last he remembered, the moon wasn't busted up like that. Another thing that had been warped in his absence. He was a relic of a bygone age, woken to a world that both was-and-was-not his own. Things had changed. And he had to change with them.

A groan echoed in the back of his skull.

"In that case, wake me up nine centuries from now...

"No!" he mentally shook his partner awake. "No sleeping! We already tried that!"

Sleeping wouldn't get them anywhere; besides, he was awake now. Surely he'd woken for a reason. There had to be a reason. Maybe it was all that blasted digging. Maybe there was something he needed to do in this era, something, anything! If he'd genuinely woken on a fluke, the flip of a coin...what did that say about him.

Or, a tiny little voice whispered, We could see where this takes us. We already saved the world once. Aren't we owed a bit of fun?

Naruto nearly missed a step. It almost seemed selfish. But what else was there to do? There was no great evil to fight here, none that he knew of at any rate. He knew so little about this world; maybe it was time to do a bit of digging. But where? When? It was late and he was tired for crying out loud. Until he made a plan, just going with the flow sounded as anything.

"Alright." he muttered to himself. "Just go with the flow for now. I can do that...rigt?"

"Bah!" Kurama snorted. "You'll be saving the world by the end of the decade. Mark my words."

In the end, Naruto's wandering path carried him somewhere most familiar.

He recognized the Club only by its sign; most of the front had been sadly trashed. Its patrons were nowhere to be seen, though that was to be expected. A twinge of guilt plucked at his heart. He really did feel bad about smashing up the place. That guilt only intensified when he saw a familiar face brushing away a pile of debris near the entrance. Poor bastard looked positively haggard.

"Hey, buddy. Remember me?"

Hei Xiong looked up, broom in hand, and turned white as a sheet. "Not you again!"

"I really am sorry about what happened." he raised his hands to show himself unarmed. "Let me make it up to you."

"Look, kid." Junior growled, "Unless you've got an army hiding under that coat of yours, I don't wanna hear-

Kurama sighed. "That's low hanging fruit and you know it."

Naruto crossed his fingers. 'Don't care!'

POOF!

A neat three dozen shadow clones materialized behind him with a rush of smoke.

Junior's broom clattered to the floor. His jaw looked fit to fall with it. "I...you...what the hell?!"

"What was that about an army?" Faced with such awe, Naruto couldn't help but preen a little. Look, I'm willing to bargain. I'll lend you these guys as a clean up crew if you let me stay here tonight. I need somewhere to rest my head, ya know."

Junior recovered so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash.

Strangely enough, he didn't sense any negative intent from the man. He seemed eager to please. Almost too eager.

...fine, you can stay in the attic with the twins. But just for tonight."

"I'll be gone by morning." he beamed. "Scouts honor."

"We'll see about that. Melanie! Miltia!"

Someone latched onto his arm.

Naruto looked down, only mild surprised to find the twins from before.

"Oh, hey! Its you two!" he beamed back at them. "Sorry about the mess earlier. I'll help you clean it up, I swear."

Miltia regarded with intently. "We'll hold you to that."

Melanie pulled him closer. "You must be tired. Why don't we show you to your room?"

"Got anything to eat?"

Their grins were nothing short of smug.

"Trust us, there's plenty inside...

They didn't look half bad now that they weren't sneering at him or trying to lop his head off. Waitaminute. If he didn't know better he could've sworn they were eager to please him. Why? Were they afraid? Nah. Couldn't be that. He was a good guy. Nothing to be afraid of here...nope! Not a thing. He swayed on his feet. Right, he was definitely still a little tipsy after all.

...but maybe that wasn't so bad...

"Twins, huh?" he laughed. "Could be worse."

With a shrug, Naruto let them lead him upstairs.

A/N: Once more, the Embers rule remains.

If folks don't like this story, POOF! Away it goes.

So by all means, speak up! Every bit of feedback matters here!

And now you see the angle here. Yes, Naruto could well be a teacher in this tale.

But does he want to be?

Yang's in her element in this story; her anger burns hot and bright, sure, but it burns out fast. Just like in canon. Sure, she can hold a mean grudge against someone who actually hurt her -Adam and Mercury and Emerald for instance- but we all know what those three did to her.

To her? Naruto's a pal? Also, they're both still a bit tipsy.

Just wait till Yang comes down from this drunken high of hers.

Reviews are eternal. Reviews are Immortal. Reviews are precious to me.

Sooooo...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...Review, Would You Kindly?

No previews! I've got bit plans coming!

Alright, just one...

...or two~!

(Preview!)

He woke in a warm bed.

"I'm not just going to reawaken chakra for everyone. These people need to earn it. Prove their worthy of it.

"Wow, that actually sounded profound. Color me impressed."

"Go bite your tail, Kurama."

The fox laughed.

"We meet at last."

...um...do I know you? You're weird."

A spark of anger seared through Cinder's chest.

This mustn't register on an emotional level. She refused to register it.

"I paid your bail, fool!"

"Oh, that was you! Thanks for that!"

She didn't see the Twins moving into position behind her. Why would she? Her attention was fixed firmly on Naruto.

More fool she.

"Is it possible to learn this power?"

"Not from a Huntsman."

"Out of the way, old man-

Naruto sighed.

"Kurama."

Pale fingers caught a metal shod boot."

"Do you know why I avoid killing people? Because its easy.

THRUCK! He rammed a knee into their torso. Ribs shattered like brittle glass.

"Once you've started, its hard to stop."

CRUNCH! Five firm fingers slammed into his adversary's throat. They wheezed and stumbled way.

"Congratulations. I'm angry. Haven't felt that in awhile. Bye now."

They tried to crawl away. He caught them by their leg and hurled them through a brick wall. Blood spattered. They did not return.

Junior whistled. "Holly hell."

"Holy shit." Melanie hissed. "I want that."

Miltia could only nod numbly. Want that?! That was HERS!

R&R! =D