A Grimm Light

by Nasha Rei-Kun

Among the darkness that was Salem's island, Summer Rose expected to find one of two things. Victory or... unfortunately, a loss so great she knew her family would never get over it. So, when the weirdest third option showed up, a single piece of light in this land of darkness, she'd been confused... and then she'd been happier than she ever imagined.

14. What We Wanna Be

There is a Sex (Lime) scene in this chapter, you have been warned.

Inspirations:

Also, yes, it was very inspired by Guts. You all will understand when we get there.

There was also this sick armor on Pinterest:

https : pin/5488830787391819/

Some Ornstein/Silver Knight from Dark Souls

That Red Armor Knight from the early 40/50, I think, chapters of Solo Leveling? Also, don't ask for a fic on that, I really couldn't get through that manhwa, I really dislike its concept.

And, of course, Fujin's general concept.

Or Weiss's Artemis, I think it's called, from Eden's Zero.

The song sang at the end: I Wanna Be… by SPYAIR

~NRK~

Entering their hotel room in some loose olive-green robes with a scarf acting as a cowl, the woman's martial artist flats slapped against the carpeted floors with intent, her eyes narrowing as they scanned the room.

Gray eyes twitched and Neptune swallowed as he stood ramrod straight, looking nervous beyond words.

"H-How are you, ma'am?"

"Where is he, Neptune?"

"Eepp!?" The boy jumped. "B-Beneath the bed."

"YOU TRAITOR-CRAP?!" Sun made a hasty retreat to the window only for a warm tornado of wind to grab him and take him to his fate. "No! Dammit! Nooooooo!"

Once he was before the Summer Maiden, her eyebrows straight and expression set in a heated stare, he slumped.

"Don't kill me."

The whack that slammed into his skull had him reeling as she dropped him.

"YEOWCH!"

Nora hid behind Naruto as Mercury snorted on the bed.

"Hah! Served him right!" He said as the Vacuo woman turned her gaze on him. "What? Do I know you? I don't know him," Mercury said quickly as Naruto snickered.

"Hmph," the Maiden huffed as she looked from him back to Sun then to Neptune and finished off her 'I see men' roundabout with Naruto. "... So, you are this Grimm the odd caravan speaks of," she said before sighing. "... Thank you for… taking care of Sun, I know he's a handful."

"No problem, it's been fun to have him," Naruto said as Penny smiled. "Though, uh, was sending him here, on his own, a good idea?"

"I had my Alert Magic active in case of anything," Ramaal said as she sighed, pinching Sun's cheek as he sat up with a twitching brow. "Honestly, at some point, I'm really going to have to push his training if this keeps… wait," she blinked, hands on her hips, as she looked at the huffing Sun, the boy raising a brow.

"What?" He asked and she crouched to his level before pulling on his cheek. "Twiss is annoying!"

"You have… Aura?" She wondered in total confusion, head snapping up to look at Naruto and Penny. "Did you two…?"

"No, it was Nora," Penny said with a smile as the girl came out of the bathroom with a look of confusion. "Though… um, well, you haven't been in contact with Master Ozpin as of late, do you?"

"Master Ozpin?" Ramaal blinked. "W-Wait! Wait, wait, wait! I'm confused! Aren't you a robot?!" She asked her as Sun blinked.

"What are you talking about? Penny's clearly a real person," the Faunus said as Neptune blinked.

"W-Wait but, um, you were a robot, weren't you?!" Neptune asked in shock as Penny chuckled nervously. "Huh?! You're real now?!"

"Well, that's not something that's on the up-and-up yet, ya know?" Naruto said to the boys and woman who gawked at him. "Yeah, I might have had something to do with it. It's due to the concept of Life within me being a Grimm whose entire purpose is usually to spread destruction," he grinned while his personal group shot him some looks of surprise. "It's going to be big, one day, that's not a question. We haven't even thought about the plans we'll need for that but, yeah, with enough of my materials, a couple years, and… I guess that's it."

"Y-You mean you can make people?!"

"W-Well, no, I had a soul, Neptune," Penny said as the boy swallowed but nodded. "And when I was in my more humanoid form, Naruto's materials composed nearly every part of my body. It was basically 95% Naruto Material."

"So, he helped you get a fleshy body," Sun said and she nod. "That's cool. Dude, you could do a lot of good!"

"R-Right? And Ozpin knows?" Ramaal asked as the four nodded. "... Wait, t-the children nodded?"

"Duh, we know magic," Mercury said as the Maiden looked faint. "... Oh, crap, right. That's not really big news yet," he said before choking at Neptune's look of shock.

Ramaal's finger pointed at the shocked boy and a small zap sent him into lu-lu land moments later.

"Please explain."

The four did, every detail necessary to the situations at hand being given in full. When they were done, though?

Ramaal screamed into Mercury and Nora's bed, face down in the linen as the others watched with sweatdrops.

"She's a drama queen, isn't she?" Naruto asked Sun who hummed.

"Only when she's really weirded out," the boy explained.

"Haa… haa… I'm fine… I'm fine," the woman said as she sat up abruptly, head turning to the waving group. "S-So, Sun might have…"

"Magic, yeah?" Naruto said as Penny pulled something out of one of her pouches and kneeled by Sun.

"Can you touch this while activating your Aura, Sun?" She asked the monkey boy who blinked while Ramaal gaped. "Yes, we got a copy of the Element Paper from Master Ozpin, we've been making good use of it."

Sun hummed before doing as she asked and the group blinked as two elements shot up.

Life and Spiritual.

"Huh, that's the lowest so far," Naruto said as the boy grumbled a bit. "Hey, it's cool, it's not like you can't make use of what you have. It's only a matter of perspective," he said.

"Hmph," the boy still huffed but Ramaal getting up got his attention. "So, uhh… what do we do now? I mean, we're still waiting on Nep's 'rents."

"She'll be here in a couple of minutes," Ramaal said with crossed arms, looking at her charge. "... This changes a lot of things," she added.

"I mean, yeah, magic's a big deal," Nora said with a grin as the woman huffed but smiled all the same.

"Yes, it is. I just… never expected to teach Sun actual magic. I was going to gift you numerous magical items I could craft so you can have a true leg up… and, well, I guess it wouldn't be bad to still do that," Ramaal said as she pulled something out of her sleeve.

Sun blinked at the small golden cloud that exited, surprised and intrigued.

"This is Gyhm Dhahabi or 'golden cloud' in normal language," she said as she pushed the cloud towards Sun.

He blinked at it, the cumulous just 'puffing' there in front of him before he touched it.

Ramaal smiled as he messed with the floating item before jumping atop it and grinning as he sat down.

"This is so cool!" He said as Nora giggled before jumping on, the two snickering as the cloud moved left and right randomly. "Yes! Thanks, teach!"

"Hmph, well, come now, get off it. It's not like you can just ride it through town," the Maiden said as the two whined, Naruto chuckling before he plucked them off, pushing the cloud over to the now-shocked Maiden. "?!"

"There ya go. Come on, you two, you've gotta listen to our guest. Or, in your case, Sun, your caretaker," the Grimm said with a chuckle as the two groaned while Penny smiled at them and Mercury hummed on the bed.

"R-Right, well," how… he could touch the Golden Cloud? 'It only allows one who pure of heart to touch it… so he's…' He was truly a being of the Light? "... They're right, Sun, we should leave once Neptune's mother gets here."

"Alright, well, it's been awesome being here," the Faunus said before Naruto grinned.

"You remember that thing I wanted to ask your guardian about?" Naruto asked and the boy blinked before gasping.

"I forgot!"

"Right, what is it?" Ramaal asked.

The man explained their upcoming situation in Beacon, surprising her.

"Over twenty kids?!"

"W-Well, we don't believe the number is so high," Penny said. "The Arc children minus their youngest and oldest, Blake, Garnet, Whitley, Sun, that's ten. Nora, Mercury, Ren, that's thirteen. Hmm, there will be more there, though, and they're not magic-users. Just normal children with Aura. Weiss, Yang, Ruby, that's sixteen. Oh, Pyrrha and Neptune are coming, so eighteen. It's almost twenty."

"T-That's a lot of children," Ramaal said. "Still, how will you all handle the potential risks?"

"I can make more than enough clones to monitor them all. That and we have more than enough security, powerful security, and even some of the headmasters and Glynda-nee will be teaching. Honestly, the only thing we might need to worry about is a particular Councilwoman, ugh," Naruto huffed.

"Did something happen?"

They explained that situation, Naruto the most, obviously.

Ramaal frowned. "This woman doesn't seem… kind," she said.

"She sounds like a dirty old sock," Sun said as Mercury snorted.

"Yeah, seems right," he agreed.

"So, what do you think?" Penny asked the Maiden who cupped her chin.

"... I don't know, it's not that I don't trust you, I do, it's just… Sun's excitable nature has gotten him into trouble more times than I'm really willing to count," the Faunus looked embarrassed. "... I'd like to think on it if you don't mind."

"We don't. Honestly, I don't think we're closing the roster so much as the type of kids going is gonna be a special group," Naruto said as she nodded.

"Hmph, very well, I guess I'll see you all in time."

"You have a Scroll number?"

Exchanging contact information, Ramaal took both Sun and Neptune with her, telling them she'd bring the blue-haired boy to his parents as a more familiar face for the mother.

With that, the four were left stretching in their hotel room. "Time to hit the hay," Naruto said as Penny nodded, yawning a bit.

For the next hour and a half, Naruto, Penny, and Mercury got cleaned up before dressing in their pajamas, all color-coded, and getting into bed.

Well, one bed, because these things were big and Nora didn't like all the space.

She dragged an embarrassed Mercury over with her.

And Penny was always in the Grimm man's bed ever since the beginning.

So, the four fell asleep, Naruto's arms working as the other three's pillows while he slept on a trio of stacked ones, completely comfy.

~XXX~

They sat in the hotel room as a Naruto clone handled Mercury and Nora outside. Embarrassingly enough, Mercury seemed to get it and had done his best to occupy Nora for… however long 'this' would take.

"So… before we'd just… go at it," Naruto admitted as they sat on the side of the bed, facing the large window they had, the two of them capable of looking down on every building nearby. "So… usually," their hands rested atop one another's, their hold quickly becoming intertwined fingers. "... W-Whoa, why does this feel way different?" He blushed as Penny did the same.

Sitting there in some green boxers with a white shirt and a pair of black short shorts and a white shirt that was too large for her, Naruto and Penny respectively, the tension built almost immediately as Penny stared at something she'd long since become accustomed to but not seen recently.

The bulge in Naruto's boxers was there for her to see and, somehow, the fact it reminded, taut, in its cotton confines made her heart skip an anxious, perverted, beat.

Naruto, for the first time, saw Penny's arousal with the help of his shirt over her body. The rapidly stiffening peaks that were her nipples were shining through her bra and the shirt, something that set his arousal on 'rocket' pretty quickly.

"T-Then, I'll begin-" Penny began to say, reaching for his boxer-briefs with a growing energy only for her to stop.

Or, really, a hand, and soon body, stopped her as Naruto caught her wrist before rolling over and pushing her down, wrists in his grips above her head and their crotches touching if only because of the hovering position he was in.

"N-No… you've done this for me first and…" He blushed before steeling his resolve like diamonds. "I… I want to make you feel good, Penny-chan," Naruto admitted as she blushed herself, her peaks becoming more obvious.

He kissed her temple before kissing her cheek, getting a small giggle out of her. Then, Naruto kissed her on the lips and she gave in to his newly aggressive behavior with a ball of want growing in her core.

The kiss was unusual, odd, more sexually charged than all their previous ones, somehow. Perhaps her body's need to buck against his was the reason? Or was it that his position of power over her, currently, made her feel more… vulnerable?

More sensitive.

Their kiss deepened and soon, he was combating her tongue like never before, leaving her cheeks flushed than before as he made sure she was 'secured'.

Their kissing came to an end, lips leaving one another with a slick of their tongues passing one another's, the two swallowing their saliva before Naruto was assaulting her new sensitivity once more, his firm lips kissing her chin followed by her neck and clavicle.

As he did, Penny wiggled her hips at the feeling of his erection pressing against her stomach and covered sex. The feeling of it, even through his boxers, made her heart beat harder and the feeling of heat in her stomach rise.

Naruto wasn't much better, the feeling in his member making his body thrum with an eager desire to just have her blow him like she always did but he reigned his urges in.

This wasn't just about him anymore. Penny was now a woman, one with all the sensitive bits that needed tending to. And, in that same vein, he adjusted his grip to hold her wrist by her head as his dipped lower.

The sight of perky nipples, even through their covers, made his penis throb and so he did something that just popped into his mind.

He bit down on one of the peaks gently and Penny's muffled shriek-squeak-squeal left his mind void of thought for but a moment… only for it to return in an instant and he grinned lecherously as she blushed, the look on her face enticing now more than ever before.

He nibbled some more, her moans and squeals becoming his reward. Each time he heard her, each time her body bucked, each time Naruto felt the warmth growing in Penny's crotch, he dry-humped and she decided to wrap her legs around his waist.

When she did, he groaned before biting her neck, squealing as her arms fought to try and do something but he didn't allow it.

His tails waved before one of them came around and extended, grasping the bottom of her top and lifting it to her neck, Penny bucking as the air hit her slightly moist nipples that were currently pushing against her bra… her green KITTY bra.

"..." Naruto's mouth fell as her cheeks reddened. "H-Hehe, I get the feeling you've been wanting this more than even I did."

"I-I was just p-prepared," Penny stuttered as her entire face burned red. "B-But, Naruto-"

He grinned mischievously before she damn near screamed as he ducked down and sucked on a barely exposed nipple.

Her thigh clenched around him but not enough. The embarrassment and yet the shot of pleasure made her body ache in a way that made the last three months nothing in comparison. The way Naruto's warm teasing mouth nipped at the divide had her mind filling with oxytocin as he kept teasing the divide before pulling her bra down with his tail.

Blue eyes locked onto a rather nice-looking pair of breasts, as Jiraiya was sure to say… wait, Jiraiya. A lust-filled haze grabbed him and Naruto chuckled as Penny's nipples perked up more without her consent.

He kissed her and the warmth of her lips made kept the kiss going as she moaned into it, Penny's hands quickly becoming grasped by his own without a thought as he pressed her into the bed.

Their 'tongue lashing' lasted for maybe two minutes, she sucked on his lower lip and kissed deeper even as her shorts began to grow warmer.

'God, she's so damn warm,' it was hard to stay away!

"Mmm," Penny groaned some more as they kept kissing before their lips parted for them to breathe, her breaths tangling with Naruto's own before they were kissing again and again. "Mmm."

With his girlfriend, at the moment, significantly satiated, the Grimm man looked back down at her breasts with intrigue, not minus most of his initial eager energy, he focused and grabbed on, getting a small jolt out of Penny… as in an actual jolt that didn't even harm him but… b-but there might have been a mistake.

When did that feel so good? Was it a heat of the moment thing? Because he wanted more of that earnest energy.

He moved the boob around with a firm grasp as Penny bit her now free hand's pointer finger.

Naruto burned as he faced the other breast, the supple quality to it and just the look of it made his body turn on more and he took the first step to satisfying her.

Penny did scream this time as the man suckled on one of her nipples, her hips bucking against his involuntarily as Naruto sucked on it hard before letting it 'pop' out of his mouth. "N-Naruto! Wait! T-That was?!" Her mind had been 'hazed' by the sharp increase in sensitivity his mouth had caused. "W-Wait, I need to calm-"

He nodded before attacking the breast again, her hips basically grinding against his own at that point as his one hand took a slightly more possessive grasp on her one breast while he licked, bit, and sucked on her other.

At some point, Penny's screaming had become background music as he felt more of those sensual jolts flash over her flesh.

He pressed his lips harder over her nub one last time and let it go with a little suck, the boob jiggling a bit back into place. The fact it did had nearly sent him into another tit-sucking craze but he controlled himself… barely.

That line was so fine Naruto was sure the only reason he did come back was because of the pain of his erection. Speaking of, it was currently very hard, very warm, and now wet?

He blinked as he looked down Penny's gasping, sensual, sweat-covered body to look at their pressed crotches and saw some liquid coming out of his boxers but that wasn't the area.

"Penny-chan," he whispered in her ear as she let out orgasmic breaths that he was pretty sure were literal. "You came, Penny."

She bucked involuntarily against him, once more, getting a chuckle out of the Grimm man.

"Hehe," he smiled, kissing her before her free hand combed into his hair, their lips pressing hard against one another.

It went on for another minute before she needed air and he grinned shakily at the pain in his crotch.

He sat up with one knee on the bed before balking at the fact that they weren't even on the edge of it anymore. "Damn," he whispered before looking at Penny.

The orange-haired woman's hair spread out around her head had him leaning over and brushing a strand off of her cheek as she rode down the high she was on, leaning into his touch as her eyes locked onto his.

He chuckled with a smile, pecking her on the lips before getting up with an ache in his crotch before he took off his shirt, Penny's form flashing with green electricity before she sat up with a moan at how cool her body felt.

Her breasts, her lips, her… her sex felt cool and yet her body still ached.

This feeling of arousal was damn near mind-numbing and Naruto, hell, people dealt with this heat for so long when they found someone attractive?

It was humbling as much as it was invigorating.

Watching Naruto pull his shirt up and over, revealing the powerful musculature beneath, and still being afflicted with that bulge within his boxers had her swallowing before she quickly removed her shirt and tucked her fingers into her shorts' waistband.

Naruto blinked as he prepared to take off his boxers. 'I-I wonder if we'll even be able to control ourselves?' He blushed at the thought, looking up from his erection towards…!? "Haaa?!" His eyes widened as his mouth fell and his face went bright red.

Why, you ask? Well, because outside of the 'altered' state of Penny's kitty bra… t-the lower part w-was a-

"Thong?!"

Penny burned bright red as she folded her hands in front of her stomach, the way her arms smushed her breasts, and the innocent blush she had on making Naruto's member twitch in sexually frustrated agony.

"I-It was part of the set," she blushed, holding her face in complete embarrassment before looking up at him with eyes full of lust. "You like it, don't you?"

His arms quickly embraced her before their lips met once more that afternoon, Naruto's hands quickly coming down and gripping her ass as she felt her core warm one more.

The kissing grew more heated as he massaged her rear while her hands ran down his neck and shoulders, the feeling of the broad strong upper back of her… of her lover made her 'heat' rise.

Minutes later, their lips separated but they didn't separate. Penny smiled, giggling, drunkenly as Naruto found his high finally hit.

He pushed her back onto the bed and repeated his first foray onto Penny's body, her moans, head-grabbing hands, and 'trying to crush him between them' thighs making him feel a bit mischievous as he decided to wrap his arms around her thighs and hold them at bay, Penny's bucking hips restrained to the point that she was moaning, whining, and pleading.

"W-Wait! Please, at least let my legs go!" She begged him, begged, leaving the former blonde's mindset altered.

He clenched them tighter and bit at the sides of her breasts as she squealed.

"N-Naruto?! NARUTO! Please! I'm not-!"

"Mmm," he smirked as he kept biting before sucking on one nipple, Penny's thighs trying their damndest to crush his abdomen but he was the stronger one and made her live with his 'rules'.

He felt warmth build against his lower abdomen and let go of her perky peak to look at the blushing, arms over her eyes, Penny with a look of triumph before chuckling as she pouted regardless.

"Hmm, pouty?"

"Hmm!" She did continue to pout at him as he gently released her legs… before Penny squealed as he crouched lower. "W-Wait! Y-You can't!" She blushed like the innocent woman she wasn't, at the moment at least. "..." The way Penny's face reddened encouraged the ninja more.

He hummed at her lean stomach, the soft nature to it rather deceptive but he laid his chin on it regardless with a playful grin as she pouted, growing redden.

"M-Mean!"

"Yep."

He finally went lower and reached the 'center' of their 'conflict'.

The green thong was soaked, likely twice over, and he sweatdropped still at the fact he could still see damn-near everything.

"I really wonder what perverted bastard created thongs," he said as Penny held her arms over her chest.

"I-I believe it was the father of the Ozpin's king life," she said and giggled a bit at the way Naruto's head perked up in complete and total disbelief. "I-I suppose that even thousands of years doesn't leave you without urges."

Naruto rolled his eyes.

~NRK~

Ozpin sneezed before rubbing his nose with a napkin at his desk.

"Hmm, I don't believe I have a cold," he said to himself as he got up and walked over to his windows. "... I should probably purchase the Toad Sage's latest book."

The latest had a rather shocking odd pair of lovers in it!

~NRK~

"Good for him, I guess. Now… so, I've watched tons of videos, Pens," Naruto said as she swallowed at his determined expression. "Alright, l-let's do this."

He considered his first move as he saw the soaked underwear of Penny. A thong at that. A thong that made him very horny.

Penny's breath hitched as he ran his hands over the outside of her legs, the feel of his calloused, powerful, hands gaining both her attention and embarrassment.

'R-Right, he still gets calluses,' she remembered only to yelp as he stuffed his face into her crotch, Naruto's hot breathing slamming into her sex. "W-Wait! Too fast-!"

He sucked along the thong-skin boundary and her toes curled.

Naruto experimented by kissing the inside of her thighs and Penny tried to clench them but his head didn't allow that, the force of her thighs not even a footnote save for how soft the blonde man felt now, much to his amusement and horniness.

Naruto kept going, trying different things, licking, blowing, sucking, and biting, a bit, on the sensitive inner thighs, and barely visible, skin on his girlfriend, Penny shivering with each one that got closer to her sex before her toes would curl as he still 'took care' of her crotch.

A minute of 'work' later, Naruto raised his head from between her legs to look at the hazy-eyed expression Penny held, her hands pawed over her chest and making the kitty aesthetic more obscene and apparent.

He nodded before hooking his fingers beneath the waistband of the thong and pulling it down in one swift move, ducking and still pulling all at once.

He threw it behind him and Penny gasped as the air met her bare, visible to the world, sex. Her pussy on display to the man she loved making her heartbeat thunder in her ears.

"..." Naruto looked at the clean-shaven, save for a small patch, flower in front of him. 'This is a 'pussy' and I'm about to…' It looked less and yet more sexual in real life if you'd believe him, compared to the magazines and Jiraiya's books' illustrations he used to read or be the 'editor' for as a kid.

He smelled it and blinked at the smell of blueberries… before locking his mind on one thing.

His woman and by using techniques from a certain series he knew way too much about.

~NRK~

"Huh?" Jiraiya perked up in his spa, drink stopped mid-way. "This feeling… it's like I'm really proud all of a sudden," he chuckled. "HAHA! Maybe that brat finally got some!"

~NRK~

Penny had been dazed a bit with watching Naruto's every reaction, every shift in expression, raised brow, and more, hoping for the best.

So, when he just dove right in, she was assaulted by euphoria, pleasure, and happiness that things were good… w-well, until his mouth sucked on her clitoris and his tongue lashed at her pussy's lips.

Then her mind blanked as she bucked into his face and found his tongue jamming against the sides of her lower lips and pressing heavily around her sex's opening, sending growing-in-sensation jolts up her body. He 'activated' her in a way she'd never understood outside of literally being given life, of becoming aware of a whole new world she'd never done before.

Penny screamed as she gripped his hair, eyes wide, full of shock and crazed lust. Naruto, meanwhile, finally built up enough confidence to go all the way with this.

He held onto her thighs gently before his eyes zeroed in on the 'main course'. Naruto took a deep breath before licking the entirety of her pussy, getting a pair of tighter-clenched hands in his hair before he pushed his tongue's flat side further into her walls.

More and more, the growing presence in her most vulnerable area made her hips lift more and more before her hands were gripping the sheets around her as Naruto licked deeper and deeper inside of her.

Penny's toes clenched onto the bed as her lover kept going before he was sucking on her 'lips' on occasion as he got more eager.

Thirty seconds felt like minutes as she felt every bit of pressure, moisture, firmness, and intent until she finally hit her 'stride'.

'I-I'm going to-!' Penny thought as her eyes rolled and the 'pressure' burst.

Naruto blinked at the taste of multiple berries on his tongue before sucking and slurping at her sex for the next ten seconds had his mind filling with a bit of a haze.

When it stopped coming, he licked several more times to get the last bit before removing his head from Penny's crotch, blinking in confusion as he looked around.

'Oh, wait, shit!' He'd totally forgotten what he was actually doing! "P-Penny-chan?"

The way her eyes dilated and her breaths came out rapidly had him blushing, flinching, and groaning as he moved a bit to the side and flopped down onto the bed before his breath hitched.

He rolled over and groaned as his 'kunai' stood up without resistance… wait.

His mouth fell at the sight of a pink fleshy member just stiff in the air, a hole in his boxers allowing it through.

"The hell?!" He choked as he looked at it some more. 'My erection literally ripped through my pants,' it'd be hilarious if it wasn't so ridiculous.

Naruto huffed as he sat up on his elbows, looking at his reproductive organ with a flat look.

"Geez, I'm something else, huh-?" He began to say to himself jokingly only for his words, and brain, to come to a stop by a pair of eyes coming into view. "Penny-chan?"

Their lips met and he gave a slightly drain attempt that she giggled at once they separated.

"Are you alright?" She asked him as she leaned onto his chest, Naruto chuckling in response.

"Didn't know just this part was so… mentally draining," he admitted with a blush that she reciprocated but Penny's grin was full of vigor. "U-Umm, Penny-chan-Hrk!?" Naruto began to say something only to freeze as his breath hitched. "P-Penny-chan?!"

She smiled innocently even as she stroked his shaft and sent him into a full-body shiver that he couldn't contain even if he didn't want to. The feeling of her hands was so nice.

Soft feminine hands he'd yet to 'feel' in this way made it all the more erotic, somehow.

As Penny stroked him, she considered the phallus at… in hand. Hers, specifically.

'It feels so different,' she looked at the base of his pink member and noted that a bit below halfway, there was a scrunched-up black membrane of some sort. "Oh! Your foreskin, that's what that is," Penny realized as Naruto groaned but looked at what she was pointing out.

"O-Oh, yeah, that's not before, it was u-usually, just a bit darker than… my skin," he huffed out as she hummed but pumped him sporadically. "A-Ack! P-Penny-chan! Wait, I can't!"

"I understand," she said with a nod. "With this, we've stepped past a large hurdle… I hope we can learn more about one another as we move along!" Penny grinned as he threw a shaky thumbs-up. "Now, I've been testing this out and your girth is just the right amount to fit, mostly."

"H-Huh?"

Her mouth found the end of his cock and Naruto twitched as a bit of pressure relieved itself into Penny's mouth, the woman humming at the taste of the oranges from this morning Naruto had before she flicked her tongue against the bottom of his member, a small flash of green electricity jolting against it.

"Hmph!" Naruto's abdomen clenched as one of his hands came around and held the back of Penny's head, his fingers gently combing through her hair despite his urges to do otherwise. "A-A little stunning y-yeah?" He joked before letting out a guttural growl.

Penny smiled before slurping up his cock and leaving him weak in the knees, hands on his thighs as Penny's head bobbed up and down, pleasuring him in a way she honestly couldn't before.

It was mind-blowing how much pleasure she could get out of him, leaving the Grimm groaning as the veins near his crotch began to push to the surface.

"Hmm?"

"I'm close, yeah," he answered her impossible-to-ask question. "K-Keep going."

She did, every now and then pulsing electricity at her fingertips so as to add a literal shocking element to her blowjob that kept reigniting those spikes of pleasure.

He didn't last, he couldn't, Penny had proven far better than him at this whole 'pleasuring others' thing.

He let out a loud guttural groan that Penny prepared for, pulling back to his head in preparation.

Tastes, texture, viscosity, and scent filled her mouth, the former android swallowing when she could to keep things 'manageable'.

Naruto huffed as he fell onto his back, completely drained in every way possible. Physically, mentally, and euphemistically.

Penny, meanwhile, swallowed one last time before releasing his member from her mouth, the now shrinking organ telling her that they'd truly finished.

She smiled as it felt like the entirety of her senses were encapsulated by 'Naruto'.

The sight of him, the sound of his breathing, the feel of his skin beneath her hands, the smell of his musk, and the taste of him on her tongue coiled her focus and left her giggling as she crawled over to him before laying down on his chest. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

A quick message to his clone gave them an hour and a half of rest time before they hurried into the bathroom to 'clean up'.

Of course, within it, they couldn't stop there and Penny moaned into his chest as his cock kept moving in between her legs, not true sex but it was rather close.

Naruto growled as he repeated that 'first time' when she'd been brought to life but the warmth of her sex and the friction between them made it so much better.

He held her rear as he kept going in and out between her thigh and that 'warm button' like before, groaning as Penny's hands clawed down his back before they finished in unison.

Their twin groans echoed in one another's ears before they let out long sighs of satisfaction, holding one another close.

"Hm, hm, hm," Penny giggled a bit as he chuckled. "We really should clean up before they get back."

"I can sense them all the way down on the street, they're on their way," he said as they let go of one another before helping each other clean up. "Hmm, so you're all about the long-hair deal?" Naruto asked Penny as he scrubbed her hair, his girlfriend giggling a bit.

"Honestly? I don't know yet but I don't mind it being long so I'm seeing how I want to do it," she explained as he nodded with a hum.

Finishing up, they stepped out of the bathroom in new pairs of clothes only to pale at a single, rather hard to remember, fact.

THE SHEETS!

They yelped in unison before scrambling about, pulling up the sheets, electrifying the carpet, and picking up their discarded clothes.

"CRAP!" They said in unison before rushing out of their room while leaving a clone behind to watch it.

They hurried to a laundry room where two staff members were handling some of the laundry.

"Hmm? Sir? Ma'am? Do you need help with those?" One of them asked, a deer Faunus.

"N-No! We're fine! We just need to clean these ourselves!" Penny squeaked as she and Naruto rushed to a set of empty washing machines with looks of relief.

"... Oh?" The second 'laundry man' began to smirk as his compatriot hummed before blushing a bit. "Yep."

"M-My word, they're huge, Bastion!"

"YEP!"

~NRK~

Mercury sighed in relief as he sniffed the air and blushed as he smelled the slight bit of ozone.

'Gods, they r-really…' Ugh! Nope!

Not thinking about it!

Nora ran in with a grin, followed by Ramaal, Sun, Neptune, and the nervous Naruto clone who saluted them before disappearing.

"..." Ramaal's eyes narrowed as she looked around at the sheets not on one of the beds, the opened bathroom door, the feeling of the condensation, and she felt her eyebrow tick as her cheeks reddened and facepalmed. 'THOSE HORNY BASTARDS!' Don't leave her in a 'pre-used' room!

Just then, the two in question ran into the room with the sheets in hand before they froze as the five turned to face 'em.

Nora grinned obliviously. "Sup, pops, ma!"

"... H-Hi, Nora," Penny said nervously before blushing and ducking behind Naruto as Ramaal's blush, and glare, told the two of them something embarrassing. "I-It wasn't what you think!"

"Y-Yeah! It was just some… massages," Naruto said with such a look of disbelief at his own excuse, he slumped. "W-We know, Ramaal," he whined as the Maiden huffed.

"Right."

~NRK~

The following day, they left Gormhen with a pair of surprising individuals in tow.

Ramaal huffed as she sat down in the hall, a blindfold over her eyes as Sun chuckled next to her.

"Tell me when we get there, Sun."

"Gotcha!"

Naruto chuckled in the chair across from the eyebrow-twitching Maiden as Nora sat upfront with Penny in the cockpit.

Mercury, meanwhile, slept in the cabin as they traversed the lands.

"So, uh, how is Sun's training?" Naruto asked the Maiden who huffed.

"It's physical training with magical limit removers," she said as Sun nodded, confusing Naruto. "Though now moot, I slowly released the limiters on Sun's body as he trained. It's why he had no Aura. Despite his diminutive size, he's stronger than a grown adult," Ramaal added as the monkey boy grinned proudly. "With his Aura, magic, whatever awoken, that's now no use."

"Sorry," Naruto said as she simply crossed her arms, no glare or anything.

"No, it's not wrong for you all to be worried about him and gifting him the power to be safe. I'm more glad that you all were there when he needed help."

"No problem!" Naruto grinned before blinking as his left eye flashed.

"C-Can I come out now?" Came a familiar voice, confusing the pair in front of him before Naruto chuckled as Ramaal lifted her blindfold.

"Yeah, you're good. Come on out."

In seconds, the two gaped at the Earth Spirit forming on Naruto's shoulder, now small enough to hang on the man's back and crawl over.

"Wow…" The Spirit said in awe as they looked outside. "W-We're flying! This is usually only reserved for Wind Spirits!" He clapped his little claws together, getting a small giggle out of the Maiden. "Oh! You're one of those Spirit Ladies!"

"Spirit Lady?"

"Y-Yeah, I met one of you a hundred years ago," the Spirit said as she hummed as he floated over. "You guys have control over elements but more than one! The other small Spirits always thought it was weird and they thought you all got the blessings of different Great Spirits!"

"Really? That's weird," Sun said as the Spirit tilted its shell at him. "What's up?"

"You remind me of the Forest God," he said as the group blinked. "T-Though, I was really young that long ago. I was… 50," the boyish Spirit said as they sweatdropped.

"Young?" Naruto asked as the Spirit nodded.

"Spirits below the Great-level can live a really long time!" The Spirit said. "Unlike Great Spirits, who are immortal, I can live a thousand years! And since I'm a Spirit with the Earth, I can go so far as 1500!"

"Man, that sounds insane!" Sun said. "Go back to the Forest God thing. I… I-I think I've heard that story before."

"Well, of course, you did, I've told you about that myth," Ramaal said as the Earth Spirit tilted in confusion. "There are all sorts of myths around the world. Many things that had been real became legend, folktales, and myths that no one truly believes."

"T-That sounds horrible! W-What about-?"

"People don't even remember Spirits. It's been well over quite a few thousand years since the day where your kind first-ever came into existence."

The Earth Spirit slumped. "O-Oh."

"It's fine, I promise. One day, I'm sure you'll be a known quantity again, it's only a matter of… well, things going badly, I'd guess," Naruto said as Ramaal raised a brow. "Being honest, I bet something is gonna go wrong eventually."

"Don't wish that upon us, please."

They chatted for the rest of the trip's duration, the bullhead slowly coming to a halt in the air.

As they descended, the Earth Spirit returned into Naruto's body.

"It's so special here!" He said to the group after being asked about his 'container'. "His body is like an Altar itself, sort of."

With that vague explanation done, their transport landed and Penny opened the side haul door, allowing them all to see three people there.

Ozpin, Glynda, and another young woman standing there.

"Huh? Wait… I think I saw you on the bullhead to Beacon," Naruto said as his group arrived, the slight snow in the air making the area whiter than they remembered.

"Y-Yes, pleased to meet you," the girl said with a bow. "Gretchen Reinhart, at your service."

"Pleased to meet you, Gretchen," Penny said with a smile as the young woman nodded, tucking one strand of her hair behind her ear as she dressed in a thick white sweater. "Though, who are you to Professor Ozpin?"

"O-Oh! Well, um…" Gretchen's eyes went to Ramaal and Sun. "I-It's not something usual, so-"

"Spit it out, child, I and Sun are far more aware of Ozpin's other situation than you probably are," Ramaal said as Gretchen balked while Ozpin nodded but looked intrigued.

"Ramaal, it's been some time," the headmaster said as the woman nodded. "I didn't expect you all to meet. It's rather fortuitous… but you say the boy here knows?" Ozpin winced. "As in a student?"

"Yes, Sun's been quite the worthwhile youth," she said as the Faunus boy blushed a bit.

"H-Hehehe, nice to meet you, Oldie Ozzy," Sun said as Glynda smirked while Ozpin's eyebrow twitched.

"O-Oldie Ozzy?"

"Hm," Ramaal looked amused. "He's quite the smooth-talker."

"I'd have expected a female student," the headmaster facepalmed as she hummed.

"I did have a girl in mind but her mouth, and alignments, are more likely to get things said than secured."

Ozpin sighed. "Some youth these days," he sighed before looking at Naruto. "How did things go? Well?"

"Yep. All things considered, we solved things rather… okay, no, there's something important I need to tell you guys," Naruto said with a frown as the group followed suit. "Let's do this somewhere more private."

~NRK~

Now in Ozpin's nice and warm office, the group sat around in some new couches he'd bought ever since their group started getting bigger and bigger.

Naruto blinked at the girl. "So, wait, she's in on this?" He asked Glynda who nodded.

"Gretchen is a special young woman," she explained as the student blushed, looking down in embarrassment. "Hmm, so you may not know this but the Fall Maiden wants to pass on her powers," Glynda explained as Naruto and Penny gawked, Mercury blinking as he sat up, catching eyes with the to-be Maiden who looked away while fiddling with her fingers. "And she chose to pass it onto Gretchen due to believing her elemental affinities match up perfectly."

"I see, it's better that way," Penny said with some nervousness. "... So, how much does she know?"

"She's been a potential candidate for about a year. Actually, she's going to be in the same year as one other we know in the coming year," the glasses-wearing woman said as Penny hummed. "With this, we eased her into things and asked her about her views on hypothetical situations before bringing her into the fold, as it were."

"So, how do you feel about… all of this?" Naruto asked her and Gretchen tilted her head at him before humming.

"I-I couldn't believe it at first, you know?" She said as he nodded. "I… magic exists? The old myths of Maidens were real? Silver-Eyed Warriors are REAL? How was I supposed to believe that… u-until I met Mrs. Rose," Gretchen swallowed as she looked at Ramaal who raised a brow. "A-And I met another Maiden by the name of Fria?"

"How is Fria doing?" Naruto asked Ozpin who sighed.

"She's not in great condition, a bit of dementia has set in. She's still coherent most of the time but her mind is certainly not as sharp as it usually is," he said as Naruto and Penny frowned.

"We should visit her," Penny said and he nodded.

"Maybe we can do something, hopefully."

"If you could, I'd be forever grateful," Ozpin said as Glynda smiled. "Still, for now, you had something to say to us?"

Naruto nodded before explaining the entire situation that happened during the rescue operation.

The more detail he gave, the more shocked and horrified the group got.

"WHAT!?" Everyone besides Naruto shouted as he nodded before raising his arm.

"Earth Spirit," he called and the horseshoe crab appeared, shocking Ozpin, Glynda, and Gretchen to no end. "Do you know any more about this?"

"N-No, not really," he said as Glynda's mouth felt, Ozpin cleared his throat, and Gretchen blinked before looking at him curiously. "When that guy infected my body, though… t-there was something. I think? The lands around us, what's left, there's been these black spots. I think you call them Black Gates?"

"Yes, they're rather worrisome things," Penny said. "With the inclusion of your location, we've destroyed three so far."

"Whoa! I-I thought I felt few of them going away," the Spirit clacked his small claws together. "Then, um, there's more of those tiny guys," he explained as the group balked. "That Minor Spirit of Darkness, now that I know what his dark powers feel like," he quivered as Naruto pat his shell. "I can tell you, there's one more in the lands to the north of where I was. And one that's a bit in a land far away. A-Across the waters? I think?"

"Atlas…" Naruto realized as Ozpin grimaced. "And the one you mentioned before is in Vacuo. These guys… dammit, where are they coming from?"

"... Perhaps," Glynda began with a frown. "This unusual Gate we know nothing about. Time and time again, we gain bits and pieces about it but we know nothing concrete compared to others save for the biggest from Ironwood's files. Right now, that one and the mysterious fifth are ones we know literally nothing about and they could be the reason."

"Him?" Ozpin frowned as he paced. "It spoke of an individual that had seemingly controlled him. There might be a Grimm who's gotten smart enough to cast these creatures into the lands."

"B-But they can talk?" Gretchen asked as the group frowned.

"They're like Naruto, at least… in concept?" Mercury considered as they looked at him. "Think about it. When this thing grew strong enough, it could speak? Well, speak normally, but the moment Naruto took away more of its power, its Darkness element, it reverted even as just a core. That must mean, there are Grimm who follow Naruto's concept of existence but without Life."

"If that's true, how?" Ramaal frowned. "Surely, if they knew of these skills before, we'd already have sightings of such beings, yes?"

"... D-Don't we?" Nora asked as Sun blinked. "Y-You know? The big scary ones?" She offered and Ozpin's eyes narrowed on his desk.

"If Nora is right… these creatures may spell more trouble than they're worth…" The old wizard looked at the Earth Spirit. "Tell me, Spirit, you said there were only a few?"

"Yeah but they're asleep now," he said as the group looked at him, confused. "They went to sleep when the strongest one was defeated by Mr. Uzumaki," Naruto struggled to keep a grin off his face, much to Penny and Glynda's amusement. "So, I don't sense any consciousness in them."

"... I see," Penny considered it all.

"Well, are ya gonna go find them?" Sun asked as the group considered the idea. "I mean, if they're asleep and the Spirit dude over there knows when they're not," he emphasized. "Then why not just send some normal peeps out to destroy 'em while they're not strong enough to try and fight?"

"Sun does pose a rather curious idea… if anything, I can go and handle these beings," Ramaal said as she got up before walking over to the Earth Spirit. "A moment, Earth Spirit," she said kindly as she placed her hand on the horseshoe crab's head.

Soft hay-yellow energy formed around her palm and her eyes burned with flames even in their closed position.

"... Alright, I have them," she said, patting the Spirit's shell with a smile before turning to Ozpin. "If you want, I could take a few of our people with me. Perhaps Young Gretchen?" Said student perked up.

"M-Me?! Really?!" Gretchen said in shock and yet excitement. "C-Can I, Master Ozpin?"

"... Well, you're a third-year, Gretchen, how would we handle your absence?" He offered as she winced.

"W-Well… I-I don't think my team is going to be coming back together… you know," she said as Glynda's eyes softened while Naruto felt the sadness coming off of the Maiden-to-be.

"Someone… not make it?" He offered as Nora gasped and Penny's eyes softened.

"... My friend's partner didn't… she's not feeling so great," she said. "When Torto passed on, he and she were a big thing so, even recently, Parly hasn't been… good."

"Her grades have been dropping," Glynda sighed as Gretchen winced. "She's truly affected and I don't know if she can make it."

"... I don't think she'll stay."

"W-What?!" Sun looked alarmed. "... I-I get that it's different here in Vale and stuff but people die, it happens," he said as Gretchen looked at him with wide-eyed shock. "S-Sorry."

"No, Sun does have a point. I know how this feels, it's a horrid cauldron of pain and guilt but you have to move on," Ramaal said as she pat the short monkey teen on the head. "Whether people like it or not, that's the kind of life we all live every day. It's just not as apparent in places like Vale and Atlas."

"Y-Yeah, I get it," Gretchen sighed before holding her head only to note Ozpin's look of interest. "... Ozpin?"

"You see, Gretchen, there's going to be a student who will be arriving at the beginning of the next year. She's going to be a student doing a singles-track from Atlas, would you be against her being on your team?" Ozpin asked.

She looked surprised as Glynda nodded with a hum. "Actually, that's true. She might not be interested, though. Especially since we're so far into their tenures at the Academies."

"True but it's an idea that can be adjusted. For now, consider it, alright?"

Gretchen nodded. "So, what are we going to do?"

"... the issue will be time management," Penny said with a nod. "Though, with how many people we know who are strong Hunters, it should be rather simple."

"James might know a group," Glynda said. "There's a couple of fourth-years he's had his eyes on along with a pair of others. He wants to create a team of impeccable teamwork and Semblances and he believes this group will be it. Perhaps he can use this as a test drive?"

"Is that safe?" Ozpin asked with a raised brow. "We don't know what this creature, even asleep, will reveal."

"Well… I've got an idea," Naruto said. "Why not send the Fall Maiden as well?"

The group considered it. "Well… it wouldn't be impossible," Ozpin noted. "The issue is that she's not looking to continue her tenure. She's trying to separate herself from the Hunter life completely."

"Well, you could just tell her the truth. This situation will get difficult if we leave these things alone and it'll reach her eventually," Penny said. "Framing it as such, telling her there will be another Maiden there, and letting her know that this will be the last mission might be enough to convince her to go."

"Sounds like a package deal," Mercury said. "Honestly, how old is this woman?" He asked.

"Thirty," Ozpin answered shakily as the group balked. "Y-Yes, well… not all of us can handle the minutiae of our situations when they're still young."

"H-Huh?!" Gretchen's form trembled as Glynda sighed. "A-Am I going to hate this?"

"No, Gretchen, it's just… you'll be taking on a lot of responsibility if you take this position," the blonde woman said. "And, in a way, the Fall Maiden's kindness is in the form of her patience. She wouldn't want you to take any undue issues by making sure you fit, she's a rather kind woman like that."

"... R-Right."

"Hmm… we'll consider this for another day," Ozpin said. "For now, Ramaal, I'll see about getting you a team with James. Following that, Naruto, I think it'd be for the best if you stayed on standby for a while. Especially once the new year hits."

"Yeah. For now, we'll focus on training," Naruto said. "And making some land, bud!"

"YAY!"

The group chuckled or snickered.

What a charming childish Spirit.

~NRK~

A day later, the Earth Spirit gasped as they reached Naruto's island.

Ramaal blinked at the surrounding area before shivering at the feeling of energy coming off of it, the warmth within it, getting a small huff out of her despite how pleasing it was.

"Honestly," she grunted as she left her 'Naruto Backpack'. "And you get far too big, you understand?"

"Hehe, sorry, it's a part of my whole package," Naruto said as the others exited his clones before they vanished. "Still, welcome to my island."

"... It doesn't have a name?" Sun asked Naruto who blinked along with Penny, Nora, and Mercury. "D-Dude! Come on! Why wouldn't you name it?! It's an island!"

"W-Well, ya know? I just don't think too much about it, sometimes," Naruto admitted. "Still, you've got a cool point. I should name it… hmmm," he considered it as Nora squealed.

"Let's call it the Island of the Sloths!" She decreed.

"Nuh-uh, gods, I don't want to hear that name," Mercury huffed as she whined.

"C-Come on, Merc! Think about it!"

"I did, I hate it."

"Hm," Penny smiled at the two bickering before turning to Naruto. "It's still your island."

"Well, I consider it our island, no matter what," he said as she smiled. "But I do want to name it," Naruto admitted as she giggled. "I already used the 'Konoha'... but I don't think Hi no Kuni works. It's not the same. Something that means something cool," he looked down at his hand before finding a big turtle head peeking out of the sand. "Huh? Genbu?"

"What is that?" Ramaal asked.

"One of my summons-here come the others," Naruto began to say only for a flying form to swoop by overhead, landing near him moments later. "Kokyuko," he introduced the chimera-tiger.

"W-Whoa! He's so cool!" Sun said as the summon puffed its feline chest out.

"..." Naruto blinked at an idea as Osojiai came crawling while Kachin landed and Oichi popped out of the ocean. "... Guardian Island, Uzu," he grinned as the group blinked before chuckling.

"I love it!" Penny said.

"YEA!" Nora grinned.

"It's certainly on-brand," Mercury snorted.

"I suppose," Ramaal said.

"Hell yes!" Sun cheered.

Well, it seemed Uzu was gonna be quite popular.

~NRK~

The end of the year came soon after and so too did the news of the island's new name and the newest boat they had under construction.

Their entire social circle gaped at the size of the still-being-built Konoha.

"Y-Yes, w-well!" Willow drank from her beverage at the sheer size of the unfinished product. "W-What made you both so… gungho?" The amount of construction needed for such a boat made her 'bit of business' head hurt. "Gods, you really are some sort of grand foreman to construct this."

"Well, remember, I can share thoughts between myself and my clones," Naruto said with a chuckle and crossed arms as Jacques's eyes narrowed.

"Yes, that's right, isn't it?" He asked as Naruto nodded. "So, say, perhaps, if you were to construct an entire cellar?"

"I mean, I wouldn't mind. It sounds like fun."

"We'll work on it."

Willow's eyes shined with interest as Kali smirked.

"Real big fan of alcohol?" She asked and Willow blushed.

"W-Well, it always was a favorite pastime of my father so…"

"I get it."

Summer cried womanly tears of pride and anguish. "LET ME HELP!" She wailed as Taiyang and Qrow chuckled nervously, the former with his youngest in his arms.

"No," they said as Ruby blinked in confusion while Yang just admired the work.

"Man, Naru-bro and Penny really know how to build big," she said as Ruby nodded.

"I-I don't even want to know how much metal and wood it takes," she said as Yang snickered.

"Too much for your weapon mind?"

"H-Hey! This is so different from a weapon!"

"Well, to be fair, is it?" Sarcelle considered as Ruby's head snapped to her. "U-Um?! That is," she adjusted her glasses. "Hmph! A boat of this size was used in the past wars, Ruby. There are likely going to be some kind of cannon on it."

"?" Naruto blinked before cupping his chin as Ghira chuckled. "Good idea, Sarce. I didn't even consider it," she sweatdropped. "I could make canons that shoot my bones! PERFECT!"

"I-I see?" The 'Smarty' of the Arc children huffed proudly as her father snorted. "Y-Yes! See, you're not allowed to just break the laws of physics while I'm around!"

"She's on her soapbox again," Charlie said with a huff atop a big, floating, green energy manta ray. "So, when do ya think this'll be finished?" She asked Penny who hummed.

"The thing is, with the Konoha, we're not seeing this as being truly done for a while," she said as Ozpin hummed curiously and she grinned. "There are a lot of parts we want to add to it," his eyebrows rose.

"Well… I hope those parts are safe," he noted.

"Of course. It's just a bigger boat, nothing unusual."

Mercury hummed. "Ya know, we should ride this around the world one day," he said as Nora gasped atop Osojiai's head. "Yeah…haha! I'm loving that idea!"

"YES! We should take everyone with us!" Nora declared as Ren chuckled behind her along with Blake.

"S-Still, we can't leave the Fang alone for a year," she said as Adam stood in the background, gaping at everything.

'T-The hell?! WHAT ARE THE SCHNEES DOING HERE?!' When the hell was Naruto chummy-chummy with Schnees!?

Why the hell were Ghira and Kali standing next to them like it was no big thing!? The hell kind of planet had he landed on!?

"Well, how about we all do a world tour?!" Sun suggested with a grin. "I mean, me and Old Lady Ramaal-"

"Hmm?"

"Young Lady Ramaal d-don't have jobs!" The Faunus boy said from behind Naruto's legs. "Nothing!"

"Hmph," the Maiden huffed as Fria sat next to her atop Genbu, the sight of soft glowing from the crystals slowly flowing into the oldest Maiden's back and seemingly keeping her observant. "Honestly, he keeps saying things like that. I'm not even in my forties."

"Children have a way of being overly observant," the old Maiden chuckled as the Summer Maiden shrugged. "I've learned it's all curiosity."

"He can stay in-curious about my age."

Aster gawked along with Sienna, Perry, and Neon who'd quickly recovered and joined in with Nora, Ren, and Blake, riding Osojiai with laughs and giggles aplenty.

"A-Am I seeing things?" The large muscular woman asked in disbelief as she looked from the beach to the trees to the people to the big-ass boat! "T-That thing looks like it'd carry Menagerie on it!"

"Y-Yeah, it's… is that Jacques Schnee?" Perry's mouth fell as he saw the man's conniving devil horns and tail… okay so maybe he was exaggerating. "H-How high-profile did Naru get?!"

"... Um," Sienna's expression shifted between anger, confusion, and disbelief at the assembled group of individuals admiring the giant boat. "I-I don't know what in the world is going on," she said unsurely as the other three nodded. "... this alcohol still kinda kicks ass, though," she admitted as she drank some of a rather colorful drink and shivered at the feeling of amazing burning in her throat.

Adam looked down at the drink he had in his hand before huffing and trying some with a hard-to-keep scowl on his face as he looked at it.

"The hell is this?"

"Heaven?" Perry offered as he took a slurp.

"A succubus," Aster offered as she took a slurp.

"Heaven or hell, it's amazing," they said in unison as Sienna huffed.

Petra marveled. "My word, Naruto, this creature of a ship of yours looks like it'd take on the world!" He said as Pyrrha's eyes shined at the sight of it.

Its size, still unbuilt state, and the idea that it could be bigger resonated with her.

"C-Can I help build it?" She asked the Grimm who balked along with most of the others sans Petra and Thetis. "I-It looks so GRAND! It'll be big! And great! And I want mom and dad to go on it one day!"

The two chuckled some more. "She probably takes that from me," Thetis admitted as Penny raised a brow.

"You go to sea often?" She asked.

"Well, I used to, honestly, I've been rather lacking as of late," the redheaded woman said. "But, yes, I'd regale Pyrrha with my stories while Petra would do so with his own. She's grown-up by the sea, many children wish to set out one day."

"Yes!" Pyrrha said with a grin as Jaune tilted his head.

"Hmm, we could be a Hunter crew!" He realized with a grin as she gasped with rapid nods. "Naruto will be our captain and we could travel the world fighting Grimm on the legendary boat!"

"YES! Millions times YES!" Nora cheered as Ren chuckled while Blake tilted her head and Neon hummed.

"W-We'd get lots of fish?" The brunette cat girl asked as Kali started laughing with Jun, Aster, Willow, Summer, and An. "W-We'd be on the ocean a lot! I know how to fish! I do it with mom all the time!"

"Hehe, I mean, while I'd love to essentially go on pirate adventures," Naruto began with a smirk as the Arc children perked up. "You guys have a long way to go before being strong enough, to me, and getting your parents' permission."

"Exactly," the parents of the group declared as their kids whined. "That's the entire point."

"Come on!" Jaune whined as Pyrrha giggled. "B-But think about the treasure we could find!"

"I actually wouldn't mind some sea-faring adventure!" Oobleck grinned as he adjusted his glasses, one-piece swimsuit stretching as he leaned back to just look at the giant wooden boat. "Hmm… actually, Naruto, how often do you expect to use this beautiful creation?"

The Grimm man snickered. "Honestly? Maybe in the far future? These Gates are big deals to me and I want to be able to get to each one without worrying. Especially if we find some on an island at some point, ya know?"

"Ah, yes, that'd be rather worrisome."

"Honestly, still going around with supplies from the island can be a good use," Penny said with a smile as Mercury nodded.

"Grab some of the awesome fruit, wheat, soap, bones, ore, and more? We'd have a veritable 'Help' ship in the Konoha," he smirked. "Honestly, it's still gonna be a while, though. What with the whole 'people are trying to find you' thing."

"Ah, speaking of," James began. "We've been working on the notes left behind by that lost scientist and we've made a rather worthwhile amount of success," he chuckled as Pietro nodded.

"We've been able to recreate a bit of the phenomenon thanks to your bones," he explained as Naruto nodded. "The issue with that submarine you all saw was that it couldn't handle the stress of such connecting Dust. Dr. Grass was a rather amazing individual for thinking of this but he was trying to find a material mix that could handle it all. Right now, we only have you bones that can help pass on the connection and any other material with it is on a timber," the paraplegic huffed. "We considered using more of your fur but that'd just mess with the wiring."

"... Wait, why not use Naruto's boat wood?!" Nora suggested as the two blinked. "It's got all of his energy in it and it's super bouncy!"

"Buoyant," Glynda corrected as the teen grinned. "Hmph, honestly," she chuckled. "Still, she has a point. We know how Naruto's boat-prepped wood works."

"Hehehe, we can just call it 'Uzu Wood'," Naruto grinned as the group raised brows at him. "I finally named the island. The Guardian Island, Uzu. It's perfect!"

"Oh, ya finally did it?" Qrow said as the taller male chuckled embarrassedly.

"I totally never thought about it, ya know? Thanks to Merc's input, we can finally put a name on this bad boy! Uzu! There aren't any whirlpools around here but it's just a name with a subtitle."

"Rather curious but fitting," Ozpin chuckled. "And Nora is right. Naruto's Uzu Wood is powerful and doesn't bloat. You know as much from the carts he left in Atlas."

"Hmm… that's a lot of wood, Naruto," James said to make sure he considered this. "Though, in this case, it's not like we're building bullheads."

"Yep. And, who knows, maybe I can help with this connector business?"

"You just get into everything, don't you?" Perry asked and the Grimm man chuckled.

"I help all over. If anything, why not bring some of that equipment to Beacon so I can be there and try and work on some of the connections. I'm good at sensing and using energy, maybe I can figure something out?"

"Speaking of," Fria came over, shocking those who didn't notice Genbu at first. "That one in Gormhen, any idea on what powers you may have gained now?" She asked with a smile.

"Honestly? No idea," Naruto shrugged. "That thing was all bones and it was good at calling them on? I guess?" He hummed as he raised his hand.

A bone gauntlet formed over it that surprised him a bit, the bones forming a smooth spiraling plate-like gauntlet with thicker claws over the finger portions before a thicker plate came over the top of his forearm, forming a series of spirals that each held blue accents and all meeting at one point in the middle.

"Hmm, that's a curious design," Leonardo hummed as Kali tapped the armor.

"Hmm, and it's harder than I'd think," she said before smiling intently at Naruto who snorted before holding his arm out.

"Go right ahead, I don't think I even know how strong this is. The last time I had someone hacking at me? Summer-okaa-chan didn't know the meaning of 'restraint'."

Summer pouted as Taiyang smirked.

"He's got a point, you know?" He said teasingly as she huffed.

"I'm effective," she pouted again as Jun smirked.

"Is that what we're calling it?" She asked as Willow hummed.

"Deadly would be more apt," she said with a grin of her own as Jun and Kali snickered.

"Alright," the woman pulled a katana from her hip and grinned as she held it towards Naruto with one hand. "Thank you, Baby Ruby."

"You're welcome!" Ruby grinned widely as Yang rolled her eyes. "I can make MORE!"

"Chill there, kiddo, you'll become some kind of crazy weapon woman who has steel cats instead of cats," Qrow snorted as Ruby gasped.

"H-How dare you?!"

Penny chuckled. "Well, no time like the present, Kali."

Naruto nodded as he gestured to the side before he and the feline woman moved towards the waters. They came to a stop with Naruto by the waters, arm up and perpendicular with the crashing waves.

Kali raised her weapon and it slowly burned black as Adam leaned in with interest.

"Tempering, right? The soul-hardening technique…" He said as Sienna scratched the back of her head.

"I'm not from Mistral, dude, I didn't even know this was a thing until Kali introduced it to us this year," she sweatdropped as he shrugged.

"Alright!" The woman breathed out with a shaky grin as the black energy flickered. "I-I'm really out of practice," Kali said as Naruto nodded.

"I'm always down for some training and spars."

"Thanks."

She lunged with her weapon's handle quickly grasped by both hands and raised before she brought it down, foot stomping into the sand.

A black flashing of energy sliced the gauntlet, the sand, and the waters ahead, cutting into all three but with the gauntlet taking the least amount of damage with what looked like only a slight carving of an arc in its plating.

"Damn, that's impressive," Kali said as Naruto sweatdropped.

"Kali, I've gone through, like, three power-ups since I was just a Beowolf and you can still cut me," he said with a shaky laugh as she chuckled nervously.

"Um… it's good?"

"Not working but I appreciate the attempt."

Summer zipped on over with her baby in one arm and her scythe in her other hand.

"Let me try!"

"Wait, no!" The two shouted in horror as she slumped.

"She'll do way more damage than I would," Kali sweatdropped with a shaky grin as Naruto quickly nodded while Glynda chuckled as she came over.

"Hmm, how condensed would you say this is, Naruto?" She asked him and the Grimm hummed as he clenched his fist-

The bone immediately fixed itself, much to their surprise.

"OH, that makes more sense now," he said as Mercury came on over before noting the smooth surface. "I can, sort of, regenerate my bones, ya see?" Naruto told him as he hummed.

"That's actually pretty sick. Imagine making a continuous bone wall that never stopped," he grinned with a killer gleam in his eye.

"Well, we don't know if it's, like, forever. I still gotta use energy, Merc."

"Just a thought. That gauntlet, though? Still sick."

"Heh, yeah, it is," Naruto said with interest before humming as Fria raised a brow. "I wonder…"

"You're going to use your full armor, aren't you?" The Winter Maiden chuckled as he grinned embarrassedly.

"Yeah. I haven't used my Wind Armor for a while, I've never had to, ya know? So, I figure, I might as well know now before I step into something I don't want to. Oh, that and Sage Mode! Man, I haven't used either of those skills in a fight!"

"You'd get a cool set of armor?!" Jaune's eyes shone like stars along with Pyrrha, Ruby, Yang, Charlie, Saphron, and Nicholas who tried to play it off. "Do it! Do it! It's gonna be so cool!"

"YEAH!" The group of kids cheered as he chuckled while rubbing the back of his head.

"Alright, alright, just back up, I don't know what'll happen when I do," he said as he jumped back a bit before breathing in. "Alright," Naruto held his hands together in a prayer fashion.

"Magna-Ventus."

The wind seemed to just become violent in an instant, harsh winds erupting from Naruto and hiding his form from view… before the feel of something hit them.

Something powerful and yet calm.

When the upward spiral of sand, water, and wind slowed to a crawl it all dispersed a moment later by the man within the center of it all.

Powerful smooth bone plates layered time and time again over his humanoid form while his appendages became tipped in black-taloned greaves and black-clawed gauntlets. The gauntlets both bore that familiar spiral 'ornament' atop their forearms while the greaves' knee pads had spiral-like extensions on the sides.

The armor's chest piece was covered by a long blue tassel around the waist while he still had on his Apprentice Scarf which actually complimented the tassel well. The helmet, meanwhile, was an odd rendition of Naruto's normal fox skull, honestly.

It'd clamped shut, seemingly, and the snout became shorter while fitting more over his face like a helmet, the two black horns originally coming out of the eye sockets now coming through the forehead. Glowing blue energy filled the now angular eye sockets, acting as his eyes, allowing Naruto to look at his raised arms to stare at their armor.

The last piece, which was the weirdest, was a large ring floating above his back, the circle being as large as his torso and covered in blue sun-like markings.

With the soft yet powerful green aura coming off of him, his seemingly new powerful stature, and, rather begrudgingly in some minds, how cool the armor looked, the group could say it was, indeed, too cool.

"I'm way too cool for school now," Naruto chuckled as he crossed his arms. "Yeah, I'm loving this."

"IT'S SO COOL!" The kids shouted in unison along with Saphron, Oobleck, Jun, Adam, and Perry.

"D-Dammit, that's way too cool," Perry said with a look of awe only reserved for his wife and the heavens themselves. "I-I feel unworthy!"

Sienna and Aster sweatdropped as Adam cleared his throat.

"H-He kind of has a point," he admitted as he kept his head turned away from the two women's look of disbelief. "It's a guy thing, alright?"

"YES! YES! YES!" Nora squealed from atop Osojiai, her, Blake, Ren, and Neon quickly coming over so they could observe the coolest thing on the island. "I LOVE IT!"

"Hmph, it's impressive," Nicholas admitted as Taiyang snickered while Qrow cheered.

"HE LOOKS LIKE FREAKING OMEGISMON! I'M ALL FOR THIS!" He declared with a look of awe that Li agreed to.

"Y-Yes… I can see the very impressive plating," he began.

"Yeah…"

"The rather amazing colors…"

"YEAH?"

"THE OUTSTANDING WORK?!"

"YESSSSSSS!"

The two formed a fervor that had the women sweatdropping as many of the other men joined in.

'Were men always so weird?' They wondered in feminine unity that had them all chuckling. "Gods, they're all the same."

Agreed.

"Hmm," Ozpin tilted his head as he observed the floating ring with interest. "Hmm, I'm curious, Naruto. What is that item on your back?"

"Hmm?" Naruto looked behind him, spiky hair shifting out the back of his helmet. "Oh. I kind of noticed," he said as his three fox tails moved side to side slowly. "... I think it's where all my wind powers went."

The ring began to spin slowly and then glowed light green, becoming a glowing green ring that the Grimm removed from his back with but a thought.

When he did, Naruto hummed as he raised the ring over his head before moving it around while moving his finger.

"Huh, that's pretty cool," he said before looking at his gauntlets and looking at the spirals on the back of them both. "..." Naruto raised one and his floating ring shot over to it before 'latching' on. "..." He raised his hand, wide open.

And the group blinked as something came spinning into sight before he grabbed it, his ax now in hand.

"Wait, when has that been a thing?" Ghira asked.

"Oh, ever since I made it with Rubes. It's not really, like, telepathic, ya know? I can just call it to my hand since my energy had a part in making it."

"Curious."

"Now you've got a shield!" Jaune said with a grin as Pyrrha nodded.

"Perhaps you should spar in that form?" She asked with excitement as Petra perked up while Thetis looked excited by the prospect. "Dad did want to fight with you one day… so…"

"Well, since he clearly wants to," Naruto chuckled as the man grinned, hand on his greatsword's handle before he walked forward, Thetis whining behind him.

Their social circle backed away, the kids at the front of the crowd.

"The first blow?" Petra offered as Naruto nodded.

"Yep."

With the last pop of the 'p', they slammed their weapons between them as they lunged.

Aura cracked against wind magic before distorting the space between their weapons and sending the two of them shooting back. The fine sand beneath their feet went ignored with an application of Aura and wind magic, the two men's forms lunging at one another again.

Their blades before Petra stepped in beneath Naruto's legs and threw their weapons to the side. He aimed to slam his shoulder into the armored Grimm only to find another shoulder greeting it, the two men struggling to push one another back before Naruto's 'shield' arm came off his ax and swung out.

Petra's grip on his greatsword slacked as he jumped back before his hand jutted out, a brown Aura extension shooting out and grabbing the handle on his weapon.

Naruto directed the front of his Wind Ring, coined by him, towards it and blocked Petra's upward swing before lunging at the man with speed he hadn't processed.

Petra reached out with his hand and felt it go through an image of his opponent, eyes widening as he heard the sound of 'whirring' at his back.

His Extension shot back towards him as he rolled forward before he swung up, Naruto knocking aside his greatsword with some difficulty before dropkicking the man's quickly made cross-arm block.

Petra tumbled once before recovering and regaining his weapon, the large brown blade held aloft in one hand. He swung out thrice and three blades of energy flew at Naruto who reared back his own weapon.

And then green energy from the ring on his left arm burned bright before the swings he let loose with a speed that made his arm barely visible.

Petra's eyes widened as his own attacks were torn through by six blades of darkness that he rolled away from, the attacks exploding on the surface of the ocean behind him.

"Ho ho!" He grinned as he rushed the Grimm who chuckled and held his ax aloft. "Don't hesitate on me now!"

As they fought, their blades clashing and throwing up dust clouds of sand, those at the sides observed with interest.

"Get 'im, pops!" Nora cheered with a bloodthirsty grin that Mercury chuckled at.

"Yeah! Show 'em that sword doesn't mean nothin'!" He heckled as Nora cackled.

"B-Beat him, dad!" Pyrrha cheered as Sun snickered.

"Beat his butt, Mr. Nikos!" He said with the chaotic nature of a teen as Nora gasped while Mercury snorted.

"Chaotic-Neutral?" He asked the boy who grinned.

"Chaotic-Neutral."

Jaune simply grinned as the two fighters went at it before a decisive winner was decided with their last three clashes.

Naruto's ax locked down Petra's greatsword, keeping the large blade in the ground.

The larger man grinned before his form burned with Aura and the Grimm's eyes widened as he threw him off with a heft upswing, sending him off balance.

And the finisher was when the man's weapon lowered and he led with a charge that was stopped by a floating-in-front-of-him Wind Ring.

Naruto chuckled and rotated his hand before clenching it into a fist.

Petra was sent flying back into a roll that he recovered from, shakily.

"H-Hahahahah! Amazing!" He said as Naruto kipped up before coming over, the two shaking hands as the Mistralian man stood up. "Honestly, I should have remembered."

"Y-Yeah, trust me, it's not easy trying to perfectly control that thing yet," Naruto chuckled as they walked back to the ground. "Still, this is an amazing upgrade. I can feel my energy burning but it's not as bad as it ever was before. I could probably keep this up for 20 minutes without throwing out wind blasts and stuff."

"That's not a lot of time," Penny noted as Naruto nodded.

"As I get used to it, beat more Gates, and just practice, I'm sure I'll be able to make this last longer. For now, I've got excess energy to burn so, I'm gonna see what I can do with this," Naruto concluded as he brought his Wind Ring in front of him, Nora grinning as she jumped from Osojiai into the middle before landing on a bed of wind.

"Hehe~"

"Please don't do that," Penny said with a look of reproach that Nora wilted a bit at. "Haa… well, how's it feel?"

"O-Oh! Uh, well, it's like a bouncy bed!" Nora said as Ren blinked at it before getting on, standing on it as well.

"I-It kind of is," he said as he tried to bounce a bit, jumping up before coming down. "It's more like a traMPOLLLLINNNNNNEEEEE!" Ren shrieked as he popped up… and kept going. "E-EEEEHHH?!"

"... I've got it!" Naruto said immediately as he jumped up before the spaces beneath his scales glowed. "Huh?" On the back of his arm, he blinked at his now glowing green tails before flying. "WHOAAAAA?!"

"... He can fly now?" Sienna asked as Adam raised a brow. "I… I guess that's good? Before, it really was just air-hopping," she admitted, rubbing the back of her head. "This whole thing got crazy on me really fast."

Naruto's form vanished from sight along with Ren, the two males coming down and landing moments later, the Grimm's hold on Ren absolute as the teen rested in a green ball of wind on Naruto's back.

Removing him from it, the Grimm noted how it dissipated back into his back with a hum. "Cool."

~NRK~

The group chuckled as Naruto, Penny, Mercury, and Nora went onto a stage in the middle of the camp area, the others sitting in bleachers of wooden seats Naruto prepared beforehand.

"They learned how to play instruments?" Ozpin asked as Glynda chuckled.

"Naruto asked me to get some for them," she grinned. "And for a translator," the woman added as the group perked up.

"Wait, a translator?" Adam asked before huffing and turning away from the grinning Glynda. 'God, humans are so ugh,' taking a few of the Grimm's words to heart was difficult.

"He's going to be singing this nearly entirely in Old Mistralian."

Ghira perked up along with Kali. "Oh?" They both said in unison, very intrigued.

From afar, in the treeline, Raven huffed with her cloak on, leaning on the side of a tree as Yang grinned next to her along with Osojiai.

"Hehe," Naruto smirked from atop the stage, a microphone in hand. "This is gonna be a bit different than usual," he admitted as the group chuckled while he blushed. "Shush. As your gracious host, I decided, for the new year, we should really get a bit more festive so me, Penny, Merc, and Nora decided to learn quite a few songs for you guys!" They cheered. "Some of 'em are covers, basically, while we've got a few originals. I'll be opening this up with one of those. I've got a translator up top," he pointed to the large screen above the stage that was connected. "Alright. Everything good?"

"Yep!" Nora grinned with her drums.

"I'm ready," Mercury said with a smirk as he randomly played some strings. "This ought to be good."

"Indeed!" Penny smiled. "It's time to, as they say, 'blow the roof off of this place!'... I think I used it right!" She smiled brighter as the group chuckled.

"Alright. Merc, hit it."

The riff that Mercury came in on was deep and already filled the air with energy as a few lighter, but still a bit deep, chords were strum. The boy played in with a smirk before Nora and Penny joined in maybe a few seconds later.

"

Tatazunda machinami wa, kyou mo kawaranai.

Mukashi to wa chigau you ni, mieru no wa naze?

"

Kali perked up with twitching ears as Blake blinked and tilted her head.

Ghira smiled as he cupped his chin and closed his eyes, eyebrows raised.

James hummed as Pietro chuckled along with Oobleck.

Ozpin sat with his hands on his cane, eyes closed, the translations unnecessary for him, he'd already known the language, after all.

No… his mind listened and he was reminded of all the lives, all of his, all of those he'd led to their deaths, each one a solemn reminder.

These moments were too great to forget, especially the ones like this.

Glynda simply smiled, already knowing the song but enjoying it no matter the number of times she had.

It was a song that wasn't just about Naruto's life here, it was a song of life most here didn't know… of a life full of big lies, hurt, and pain but just as much love, protection, and stubbornness.

She giggled a bit.

"

Yogoreta shatsu ni wa shimitsuita jibun wo damasu tame no uso de...

Nani wo mamotte kitan darouuu.

"

Winter blinked as she sat up, eyes wide at the sounds she was hearing.

"T-This isn't… classical music…" She seemed to realize like she'd never heard music before, Willow smiling a bit with a nod.

"It's rock," she said simply as Weiss blinked.

"Hmm… Naruto has a singing voice," she considered as Jacques raised a brow at that before cupping his chin.

Then the abrupt riffs 'down' into a small silence… that was abruptly broken by a quartet of voices singing the next lines… of the four on stage.

"Hmmm…" He simply closed his eyes as they sang while Whitley smiled knowingly.

"

I Wanna Be...

Datte, nakushitatte!

Ikutsu ni nattemo yume ga atte!

Sore wo tada hokorashiku omou jibun ga ireba ii!

I Wanna Be...

Haite sutechimatte!

Anata ni atte, omoidashite!

Kore de ii!

Sou ieru ashita e!

Ohhhhhh.

Ohhhhhh.

Ohhhhhh.

Ohhhhhh!

Nani hitotsu kawaranai kono machi de.

"

The Arcs listened in unity, bobbing to one side and then to the other as they followed the four's voices.

"T-That's so wicked…" Jaune gasped as his father nodded. "I-Is this the music thing girls like, dad?"

Nicholas considered the question as Jun rolled her eyes.

"He was so bad at it, I'm worried you picked it up, Jauney," the mother of eight said as her youngest bounced to the powerful rhythms in front of them. "He could take some tips from Naruto."

"B-But I'm really good at guitar!" The boy whined.

"His skills have improved," Sarcelle noted as he perked back up. "Shush, after the music."

"

Rojou no kagerou wa, omoide no you.

Chiratsuki tsukamezu ni michi wo yusabutteru.

Jihan ki no koohii to gaitou de daradara to shourai to ka.

Katariaeta ano hi kara...

I Wanna Be...

Katte kimama yatte!

Kizutsukeatte wakachiatte!

Mune wo tada, furuwaseta!

Nanika ga ima no subete!

I Wanna Be...

Satte shimau kage!

Anata ni atte, setsunakutte!

Ikiru no ga!

Umaku nareba naru hodo!

"

Mercury's fingers danced over his strings, each one emphasized by the dampening of the other instruments and no lyrics.

Pyrrha's eyes shined as she listened, the sound of the music not one she'd ever heard much less knew what to compare it to. The girl's parents smiled as the translator kept up, the lyrics translations sad and yet the following build-up of hope within them had them smiling brighter than before.

Sienna blinked as Neon sat atop her mother's shoulders, the girl squealing in awe and admiration they kind of understood even if only a bit.

"Damn…" Perry's mouth fell as Adam's followed halfway, the thrumming in their souls apparent. "J-Jeez, talk about encouraging," he added in embarrassment as the bull Faunus nodded, too, cheeks a bit red.

"Dammit. It's music, why's it doing this to me?" He asked the lizard Faunus who grinned.

"It still kicks ass, though."

"Duh."

Fria smiled as she relaxed atop Genbu's shell, eyes closed as she rested.

Or listened with all her being, really. This wasn't music she believed would be easily forgotten and wouldn't let it.

Ramaal leaned on the crystal shell with her own eyes closed, simply listening, not to the lyrics, so much as the emotions of the world around them. Of the sad yet hopeful yet strong wavelength of the island and its inhabitants.

She smiled as Sun grinned brightly.

"

I Wanna Be...

Datte, nakushitatte!

Ikutsu ni nattemo yume ga atte!

Sore wo tada hokorashiku omou!

Jibun ga ireba ii!

I Wanna Be...

Haite sutechimatte!

Anata ni atte omoidashite!

Kore de ii!

Sou ieru ashita e…

"

Leonardo sat silently as his tears fell.

'I wonder where you are…?' He thought as he translated the lyrics into his head as they came to an end.

Vernal looked at him while not showing any emotion… on the outside.

'THAT WAS SO FUCKING AWESOMEEEE!' She thought with a fist clenched in admiration.

"

Ohhhhhh!

Ohhhhhh!

Ohhhhhh!

Ohhhhhh!

Nani hitotsu kawaranai machi de kawaru oretachi wa!

"

Maria wiped at her eye as Summer held onto her shoulder, nodding as the younger Silver-Eyed Warrior nodded back.

Qrow chuckled above Raven on a branch, his twin simply cross-armed and silent even as her head shifted slightly in rhythm with the music as Yang and Ruby did it blatantly next to her.

Taiyang chuckled as Garnet's gurgles stopped all for the sake of this.

"He's got you, too, huh?" The father smirked as the baby 'aahhhhed'. "Yeah, me, too."

This was probably one of the best New Years they'd ever had.

Up above, Jiraiya chuckled at the Grimm's musical efforts.

"I guess he really found a place that's his own," the Toad Sage said with a shaky smile. "Things aren't gonna be quiet in the coming year, kid, you gotta be prepared."

~NRK~

She sat in the alleyway, knees pulled up, arms crossed over them, head down, and tears falling aplenty.

'I-I killed him…' The young woman realized with a shaky breath. 'I-I killed Rhodes…' Her body creaked as she grew green again.

Lock it away like all the years of abuse.

Lock the faces of her dead abusers inside that 'box'.

Turn his face away and lock it up, never let it bother you again.

"I'm strong… I'm powerful… I have no master."

"Are you now?" Came a voice from behind her, something crackling, with a tone that sounded so unnaturally saccharine that she felt sick. "How would you like true mastery of your fate?"

Her eyes widened.

~NRK~

Words: 15.8k+

~NRK Out~