Hey everybody, here is an update for Eminence. Finally right? I promise that I write as quickly as I can. Still it takes time. If you are itching for some real action I am going to tell you this chapter is far more of a slower break style chapter than an action packed one. Still I hope you enjoy it.
First things first the Review and Response section.
Review: Shawn. Just Shawn's review is a bit too long to type out here but give it a peek in the reviews. Man put effort into the review and that has to be appreciated.
Response: I love to hear that you are enjoying and are so interested in the story so far. You hit the nail on the head in regards to Bane, Naruto's weapon. It fits him well for a reason. And again when you talk about his armor and his teammates and their powers you nailed my thoughts exactly. As for Erza she was tricky in all honesty. I really was tempted to have her semblance be some sort of manifestation of her aura into various weapons since I knew pretty early on I planned for the armor and knights of beacon bit. That was almost the title of the story even. After some digging on Erza though I recall finding something that said she also had telekinesis magic of some kind. Not saying that is Canon because I couldn't say for sure but the moment I found that I had an idea of a weakened polarity semblance compared to Pyrrha and suddenly there was another connection and conflict between the sisters as well as a solid base of a semblance that Erza has clearly taken full advantage of. That all being said thanks for the awesome review and I really hope to keep you coming back for more!
Review: From Sledovatel- I like this story and I like that Naruto still had a hard childhood like in canon. Nothing against Naruto but it makes the story more deep and sad. Keep up the good work.
Response: First off, thank you a lot for the review and well wishes. I totally agree. While normally I dislike neglect based stories, that's more in regards to Minato and Kushina. It's very difficult to picture them mistreating or neglecting their son…Raven and Taiyang though? Now that's not hard at all. Besides it just felt right for the story so as sad as it is it helps to build our character up. Not to mention Naruto is an incredibly strong character. Not just physically but emotionally and mentally too because of his past suffering. It's what helped make him well, him. So as much as I dislike neglect foundation stories I felt it was the proper way to go.
Anyway on to the next order of business. My typical invitation to come join the discord server hosted by AizenTheGoat. You're missing out if you don't. A link can be found here→ /7x4YFstKcz
To the story now.
The town of Arcswell was miniscule. Really nothing more than a depot for the trains and aircraft stopping by to fuel up or load or offload cargo. It made Greenmarket seem like a city in comparison.
Still it was the closest stop to the Arc family farm. Actually it was technically on Arc family land. Hence the whole Arcswell name. It was founded around a well dug by a previous Arc and used by the family's literal army of workers over the years.
"There is our mom." Mordred pointed out a woman. She was similar to both girls but her hair was much longer and much paler blonde. Nearly white.
As they approached, Naruto realized that Mordred was definitely the most physically similar to their mother. The woman was very petite just as she was. Like both sisters though Naruto couldn't help but recognize that she was beautiful.
"Hello. It's a pleasure to meet the two of you. Not just because of the game you all have now. I am happy to meet Artoria and Mordred's teammates." The woman said as they shook her hand, and there two daughters lightly hugged her.
"The pleasure is ours. I'm Erza and this is Naruto." The team leader introduced.
"I know dear. Mordy and Arty have told me alot about you two. Including a certain new development." She said with a smile causing Erza to blush faintly while Naruto struggled to keep his own blush in check.
"Mom." Mordred hissed.
"Oh fine, fine. Just so you know from everything they told me you have my full support and I haven't told anyone else in the family yet." She said as she began to lead them toward her vehicle.
"I'm Morgan, mother of these two little troublemakers." She said as she bumped hips with both of her daughter's causing Mordred to whine about this trip actually being a terrible idea and Artoria to sigh.
Taking up the rear as everyone began climbing into the car, Naruto and Erza shared a small smile as they planned to enjoy this time to its fullest.
Despite already being on the Arc family's lands it was a pretty lengthy drive back to the estate itself. The actual Manor was much closer to the border of the wilds than Arcswell. The trip gave the Arc twins to catch up with their mom and Naruto and ErA to get to know the woman as well.
"I know why you wanted to come out so suddenly…Mordred." Morgan half scolded but there was no heat in her voice and Naruto got the impression she was the sort to have done the same thing if in their shoes.
"Well, I guess Jaune's been falling behind at school so Uther has been harder on him than ever before. They always seem to be off training together or Uther is shouting at him to study when they are home." Morgan didn't seem very happy about that.
In his seat Naruto narrowed his eyes at that thought. Recalling his own training when he was little. The specialized painful training his birth mother seemed so fond of. He felt resentment toward this, Uther Arc already building inside him.
Noticing their male teammate becoming agitated and on edge, the girls changed topic. Bringing up that they didn't want Naruto and Erza to really feel like extra wheels and it was their turn to have a date.
"That seems pretty rude though. I don't want to make a bad impression on your family. I am dating you two as well right?" He asked.
"Oh he is so much sweeter than he looks." Morgan cut in. "They are right though. After introductions why don't you two go for a hike in some of the meadows west of the house. I used to drag the girls' father off to have picnics and sometimes more out there. It's beautiful."
"That's a great idea mom. You two can do that while we catch up. Besides, you'll be there for dinner and we aren't heading back to Beacon until Sunday morning." Artoria said, reminding them of the three day time frame they had.
"If you're sure." Erza said hesitantly. It did really sound nice spending some time on a walk or just sitting in the grass with her partner though. She would need to make sure the twins each had a good opportunity like this when their chance came.
"Oh look there's the house." Morgan said as the car came around a bend in the road and passed through the trees to reveal a huge house surrounded by numerous outbuildings, barns, grain silos, and plenty more arrayed atop a set of green hills.
"It's like looking at a picture. It almost doesn't look real." Naruto commented.
"The family takes great pride in it. Generations of Arcs have called these hills home, before the Kingdom of Vale was even an idea the Arc family ruled this land here." Morgan said, sounding a bit like a tour guide
"Impressive." Naruto commented as the car began to slow and pulled through an old gate and up the final stretch to the circled driveway of the Manor.
While Naruto took in the sights, Artoria pulled Mordred and Erza close enough to whisper. "While out with him, try to figure out what spoiled his mood a moment ago. We need to try and start helping him through things if we make it as a relationship."
"That seems a bit soon to try fixing his troubles for him." Erza said hesitantly.
"No, we've all been close for three years. Just because we only just started being more doesn't mean we just started to care. Find out what's wrong and we can work together to help him." Mordred argued.
"Alright. I'll do it." Erza agreed.
"Is that the rest of the family?" Naruto asked.
"Most of it I guess." Morgan commented. "Let's get you all introduced."
The group climbed out of the car and Naruto and Erza could stop their laughter as girls who were obviously their teammate's sisters charged them and wrapped them into a group hug. Morgan chuckled as she saw her daughters blushing and her sister wives approached.
"I'm happy to see that they were missed." Erza chuckled.
"Oh that's not the half of it. They're going to be smothered in affection over the weekend you all are here." One of the approaching women said as she stuck out her hand. "I'm Elizabeth. Saphron is mine, the little one wrapped around Arty's hips."
"I'm Mathilda, Gwen and Brigid are mine." The second woman said as she pointed out the two more reserved daughters who stood a little more beside the group hug than actually part of it. Their bright eyes and big smiles said they were extremely happy to see their sisters all the same.
"And I'm Vera. Mine is Isabella." The last woman introduced as she pointed out the single sister with darker hair. It was still blonde but it neared brown while her sister's were all much lighter shades.
"Hmm, where is Barghest?" Morgan asked. Her other daughter and eldest of the Arc children.
"She got a call from one of the steaders out on the old argent road. She went to give them a hand but she should be back by dinner." Vera replied.
"She had better be. Arty and Mordy never get to visit anymore. Not since this whole Knights of Beacon thing got started." Elizabeth pouted.
"Well this weekend will be like having the family together again." Morgan said with a grin.
"Almost." Mathilda quietly said, causing the other women to shoot her a look, one filled with compassion and understanding. Still they didn't want to bring down the mood so they went back to chatting with half of team EMNA.
"Why don't you two go on ahead? I think it will take the girls some time to catch up. You can go down to that meadow I told you about, just be back by six-thirty, we'll be sitting down for dinner then." Morgan said.
Erza wasted no time before taking Naruto with her as they headed off toward the fields and meadows that the Arcs had told them about.
They had been right. Hiking through the area, just the two of them. It was extremely nice. The weather was perfect and both of them really enjoyed the atmosphere that the fresh green grass and handful of wildflowers managed to help produce.
The pair simply walked and enjoyed the sound of wind and the occasional bird. Gradually they began to talk. Comfortable, the conversation just slowly built naturally and they calmly enjoyed one another's company.
"It's just so peaceful. No feeling of Grimm waiting around every tree and no busy city noise. Just nice." Erza said, taking in a deep breath.
"Yeah it is. I think we needed this more than we realized. The missions aren't that bad, but now even between missions there's not really a break. Those vultures never leave us alone." Naruto said, referring to the never ending fans and paparazzi.
Erza nodded. She hummed before realizing she kind of wished Artoria and Mordred were with them. They spent so much time together it felt a little off without them there. It wasn't too bad though. She didn't mind just being here with her partner.
"It's cool to see them with their family again." Naruto commented.
"Yeah, Artoria surprised me more than Mordred. I thought she would hate all that hugging and stuff." Erza said.
"When it's from your loved ones it's hard to hate that kind of thing." Naruto said thinking of his sisters and Summer.
"I guess." Erza quietly commented, no longer feeling as happy as she had. Naruto picked up on it immediately and stopped making Erza do the same.
"What's wrong?'' she asked.
"You tell me. Talking about families is bumming you out. I know we never really talk about them ourselves but maybe we should." He said.
Erza stared into his ruby colored eyes as they stared right back before she finally sighed and nodded.
"You know neither of us like to talk about our families but I think it's time we finally started opening up a bit. At least to each other." Erza said.
"Well, not a lot of pleasant things we haven't said before, so I guess all that is left is the parts we don't want to think about. Let alone talk about." Naruto replied.
"Right, well so what are we doing then?" Erza asked.
"You are avoiding the topic." Naruto said with a nod.
"Guilty." She sighed. "Fine, where do I start. Wait, why am I going first."
"Ladies first or age before beauty take your pick." Naruto joked, getting her to chuckle.
"Okay, okay." She said.
"Erza, stop stalling. I know you need to get your family off your chest. Let me help a little bit." Naruto said a bit more gruffly at first before shifting his tone to a soft tender one.
"Help how?" She asked.
"Simple. We've been partners for three years. I used to think that I knew you better than anyone. Already anyone besides your parents or other family. I noticed how you avoid talking about them. Like you are trying to imagine they don't exist but also hate that. I dunno it's just an odd thing I guess. Like you are looking for belonging maybe?" Naruto said, drawing on all he knew about her. Every past interaction, every conversation, every memory at his disposal.
Erza stared at him shocked. She couldn't believe how much he had managed to understand her without her ever directly bringing it up. No more than that, with her actively avoiding the subject he had all but hit the nail on the head. This just reminded her why she had known she wanted him. Three weeks into their partnership and she had known she would wait for him to be old enough and she wouldn't hold back. He just so easily understood her, and more often than not she understood him too.
"You know how I said that three weeks into our partnership I knew I would be waiting for you?" She asked.
"Uh, Yeah when you three ambushed me with the harem idea." He said, forcing down the goofy smile and dreamy thoughts of his three girlfriends and himself enjoying some time together privately.
Erza giggled knowing exactly what was running through his head.
"Well, I said that because the truth is I got something my family never gave me with you. With Eminence. I am the team leader but without you three I don't think I would be okay." She explained revealing her vulnerable side to her boyfriend. Naruto remained silent as he let her continue explaining.
"When I was little, my father was…harsh. Demanding, I guess. He wanted more from me ever since I unlocked my aura. Testing me, pushing me into training and just running my life like a boot camp. It wasn't terrible really. He was like a drill instructor at times but he gave me plenty of attention and care too and my mom doted on me." Erza began.
"Things started to change though. In all the articles they post about us they always talk about how powerful my semblance is. About how great it must be to wield something like that. You know just like I do that's not how it works. I worked my ass off to get my skis to where they are. But for my dad it wasn't enough." She began to slowly shift into a rant, all the while Naruto listened intently.
"It wasn't her fault, Pyrrha was just born better in dad's eyes. When she unlocked her semblance it was so similar to mine except for one thing. She had complete polarity. I have to touch something to magnetize it. Have to mark it as mine. Not her though. She can just control metal with her mind. It's hardly even conscious thought I think. She just can do it. So suddenly all that training, all the time and effort I spent pleasing my father was pointless. Every boat of his devotion and attention went to her. She was going to make him wealthy. He was already talking about this tournament or that one when she was five years old. He didn't even look at me anymore. At least not really." Erza was close to tears now and Naruto slipped an arm around her to comfort her.
"It makes it worse because it wasn't Pyrrha that did anything but I started avoiding her or being rude to her when she just wanted my attention. I feel so bad about that, but I think I was jealous and angry and I took it out on her because even if I said something to him my dad just ignored me. It didn't bother him at all. And my mom was practically silent following him around and doing as told while giving me nothing but pitying looks and weak apologies." Erza leaned heavily against the younger man's chest.
"I became so perfect, to try and win his attention again. God, I acted so fake to try and make him really love me. And then I was at Beacon. And it just took three weeks with you and the twins. Three weeks and I didn't pretend anymore. I was just me." She said finally coming down from her burst of emotions.
Naruto continued to hold her close a bit stunned by the sudden emotional storm he had just experienced but he remained supportive before turning his partner and girlfriend so that she was looking him in the face.
"I'm glad then. The real Erza is the one I like, I'd hate to have started falling for fake Erza." Naruto said, getting a tearful giggle from the redhead.
"I'm sorry, I just started talking and then I dumped that on you. That wasn't very fair." She said.
"It's fine. You've carried that for so long. I'm just happy you could get it off your chest and talk about it." Naruto replied.
"Yeah…the truth is I wanted to tell you a little bit about my troubles so that I could get you to say why you were suddenly in a bad mood in the car. I didn't intend for…this." Erza explained as she wiped her eyes clear of the tears.
"Oh," Naruto quietly said with a surprised expression. "That, well that actually is tied to my family so you caught that part."
"What happened?" She asked.
"We it was when Morgan was saying that Jaune was struggling and being trained even harder for it. Brought back some pretty crappy memories of my own with my blood mom." He said awkwardly.
Erza nodded gently, coaxing him to continue. He sighed realizing that it was only fair, but he wasn't going to give her much more than the basics. He just wasn't really capable of that at the moment.
"She trained me from a young age but not really trained more like…she overworked my aura and semblance to make it grow faster and have a larger aura reserve." Naruto said. He stopped there and Erza thankfully didn't pry further. She knew what he meant and inside her chest an ache swelled as she leaned against him.
The pair sat their silently for a while before Erza finally wiped her eyes again.
"I really want to help Mordred and Artoria with their family. Anyway, we can." Erza said. "I don't want their families to be all messed up like ours are."
"Me either. We'll help them if we have to. I really want to talk to their little brother though. I'm worried that this training is just a front for punishment." Naruto said quietly.
"I'll talk to them and if their father is making it hard we'll find a way to distract him so that you can talk to him." Erza said.
"Sounds like a plan." Naruto grinned.
"Wait, ugh we are turning this into an actual mission…" Erza whined.
"Just means we will have to do it more often so we can have an actual vacation." Naruto said, getting a smile in return.
Once they had managed to free themselves from the steely trap of their sisters' embraces Artoria and Mordred took their time to greet each of their family members. They were a bit annoyed at their mom for sending Naruto and Erza off already as they had wanted to handle introducing them to their family, but that ship had essentially sailed.
"Where are dad and Jaune at, again?" Mordred asked.
"They're up on the mountain." Isabella said.
"Why?" Artoria asked with narrowed eyes.
"Uther took Jaune up there to train. Again." Vera replied with a sigh.
The twins shared a frown at that. The mountain, while technically within the bounds of Arc property, was part of the natural barrier that separated the Wilds from the Frontier. The rough terrain partially acted like a filter keeping some of the larger and more dangerous breeds of Grimm in the Wilds. It wasn't perfect though. Not by a long shot.
"How long have they been gone?" Artoria asked, her rarely seen protective nature coming out.
"Oh calm down. Like dad would let anything happen to little Jaune." A bold voice called out causing Artoria and Mordred to jolt at the familiar voice.
Their eldest sister stepped into the room with the rest of the family with a smirk on her face. Her heterochromic eyes sparkled with joy at seeing her two full blooded younger sisters. Like Artoria, Barghest was an amazonian sized woman with massive assets. Both girls having inherited that from their father's blood.
She cleared the room in no time before she wrapped the girls in a tight hug causing her sisters to chuckle and return the embrace. Still they pushed out of Barghest's arms to give her a look.
"Pfft, you two couldn't find them if you tried. It's the biggest mountain on the continent and they'll be home tomorrow. Plenty of time to meet your boyfriend and girlfriend." Barghest said, flicking her hair over her shoulder. The majority of the women gasped at the news while Mordred and Artoria turned to look at their mother who blushed lightly.
"Ah, oops, I forgot that I mentioned it to your big sister." Morgan said with a sheepish giggle.
With that the twins were swarmed once again by their sisters as they began grilling them for all sorts of details. Not just limiting it to their new relationship but also more general things Like what it was like being a Knight of Beacon. The focus was easily on what their plans with their not so new partners were now that they were something more.
The girls had to explain, in very minute detail, how exactly the relationship of Team EMNA had come about. How did they feel about Naruto? Why did they feel that way? Were they sure? What was Erza like? Did they respect her as a leader? Was she in charge of the group or was it more like the way their family was run with no real head of the harem? More and more questions while Mordred essentially bowed out, Artoria slowly answered each one in quick succession.
"We had a discussion about it as a team after we realized our feelings. We might love him. We have spent three years with him and seen him in all manner of situations to see what he is like as a person. Yes we are sure. She is bossy. Sadly we do respect her. And that last question remains to be figured out." Artoria said stoically. However the small smile and warm blush told the full truth about how much she enjoyed being able to answer those questions as she had.
"Well, I can't wait to meet him, or rather them." Barghest said.
"You know I actually went to school with Naruto's parents." Morgan suddenly said, grabbing everyone's attention.
"What?" Mordred asked, shocked.
"Well I think I did. Although, I could have sworn he would have been a Xiao Long with his coloring. I can't mistake that hair and those eyes though. Team STRQ was a few years below me at Beacon but they were all the rage, like a less popular version of your team honestly." The woman said as she turned to her shocked twin daughters.
"You know his family?" Artoria asked.
"Well, knew and really only in passing. Taiyang and Raven. Still, I wonder why he has his mother's maiden name. Wouldn't be surprised by her keeping it but thought Taiyang would at least get his son to take his name." Morgan rambled lightly lost in thought.
"Hold on, that's not right. His dad is Qrow. He talks about him sometimes about how he raised him in the Wilds." Mordred interjected.
"No, that can't be right. I know he is a child of Team STRQ and the only way he could have his mix of traits is if he was from Raven and Taiyang. Here look in my old yearbook. They were first years when I was a third year." Morgan said as she went and pulled out a book off the shelf and flipped to the first year team photos.
Sure enough Team STRQ was easy to find. Summer Rose, Taiyang Xiao Long, Raven Branwen, and her twin Qrow Branwen. The others crowded around and were surprised by how right Morgan was. It was easy to tell who Naruto's parents were.
"So they were like the Team EMNA prototype?" Gwen asked.
"I guess. They were in a bunch of news stories back in the day, just nothing like these kids." Morgan said with a grin shot toward her daughter.
"What were they like?" Brigid asked.
Morgan shifted uncomfortably there. It had been so long and she didn't know them well but Team STRQ had been practically all anybody talked or thought about back in the day. At least at Beacon. That meant even she had seen some of the good and bad.
"Well, their leader was Summer. She was one of the kindest people I knew, one of the best huntresses too. I heard she died on a mission a few years back. I guess she had some kids of her own." Morgan began becoming a bit somber at the end. Everyone that knew Summer Rose knew how kind she was, it was a true loss for everyone especially her family when she passed away.
"Lets see, Qrow was a bit dark and edgy but he was the typical bad boy type. We were all teenagers back then though so hopefully he changed a bit. He was a bit annoying with all the doom and gloom and constant sarcasm in my opinion. His sister was strong…and kind of a bitch, just don't tell Naruto I said that because I'm pretty sure she is his mother." Morgan said.
"What about Taiyang?" Elizabeth asked.
"Oh, he was a funny guy. Seemed nice enough but didn't seem to really care about much other than trying to get under Raven's skirt." Morgan said with a shrug.
"Morgan!" Mathilda scolded.
"Oh please, the youngest here is Isabella and she is fourteen. If she doesn't know that sort of thing already then she is about to enter highschool the most naive teenager I have ever seen." Morgan said causing her stepdaughter to blush.
"I swear Naruto said Qrow was his dad. That's the guy I've seen in pictures too." Mordred said tapping on the image of the younger Qrow.
"Hmm, that just doesn't seem right. We can always ask, I guess." Morgan mumbled.
When Naruto and Erza had returned they had been led into the dining room and sat down at what amounted to a giant table. Which was understandable as the room descended into chaos. Neither Naruto nor Erza were really prepared for such an event. Their families had been small, and eventually pretty distant. This mess of a half dozen conversations and hectic atmosphere was a bit of culture shock. One that had both of them grinning from ear to ear as the Arc family seemed to welcome them with open arms.
Once again they were introduced to each of the twins' sisters and mothers. Barghest easily struck the most memorable introduction as she roughly shook both Naruto and Erza's hands, surprising them both with her strength. Clearly, while she was not a Huntress, Barghest had some form of training.
They met the whole family properly this time. Barring of course Uther and Jaune. Evidently out on some more training. The thought set Naruto a little on edge once again, but with Erza there to quickly snag his hand from beside him. It kept him grounded which he needed. Especially when the conversation turned to getting to know Naruto and Erza better. It only got worse when Morgan revealed to have been a former Beacon student herself.
"We were trying to figure out exactly who your parents were. I know they were members of the team. Are Raven and Taiyang your mom and dad?" Morgan asked, not knowing Naruto well enough to catch that he was becoming uncomfortable.
Mordred and Artoria looked over at their teammate with sorrowful glances. They felt a little guilty, they didn't intend to walk Naruto into some sort of conversational ambush, still they wanted to know more about him. They knew he disliked talking about his family, but it should be fine just answering some basic questions. Right?
Naruto cleared his throat roughly but decided he had to answer. "Raven and Taiyang might be biologically my parents but my mom and dad are Summer Rose and Qrow Branwen."
Realizing they had wandered into very sore territory for the blond boy the group turned the conversation to another topic. After slowly recovering from the uncomfortable moment, mostly by focusing on the previous missions that the team had gone on, the conversation got back into the swing of things. As they neared the end of the meal, Naruto chose to bring up the missing Arc sibling.
"So, you mentioned that Jaune had been struggling in school and in training. What is the problem?" Naruto asked, mainly Morgan but to anyone willing to speak.
The mothers and older sister each shared a look with one another before a few sighed.
"Ever since his mother was killed in a Grimm attack he's had trouble." Elizabeth said.
"If you asked me. I'd have to say watching him train and study…it's like his heart just isn't in it." Morgan added sadly.
With another somber note in the conversation, and dinner effectively over, the Arc sisters led their guests to their rooms for the night and let them bed down for the night.
None of Team EMNA had slept well the night before. Three years of sharing a small space together had made anytime they were separated and vulnerable, like when sleeping, uncomfortable for them. Sure there had been times when one or two of them were separated but last night they were alone in their rooms. It felt wrong.
At least Uther and Jaune had returned before breakfast even began and the awkward greetings between them were helped along by eggs, toast, and bacon.
"I'm surprised you are here. I made it clear to Ozpin I wanted you two to focus on your careers. We have things handled out here. That's why I told him to deny your request for leave. You're needed out there fighting the Grimm not checking up on your baby brother." Uther said as he tore into his meal.
He was a bear of a man with several scars similar to Naruto as well as short, well maintained blond hair. He got the mental image Naruto had managed to form in his mind while sadly Jaune managed to fit just the same.
The kid was only twelve but was at least tall for his age. Sadly that seemed more of a hindrance as the extra lanky nature of his limbs made him clumsier than he was naturally. Which sadly was very clumsy. He moved awkwardly and somewhat shyly, making Naruto realize he was very much an introvert. A bit surprising since practically every other member of his family embodied extroverts.
Realizing this was a chance for their male teammate to try and interact one-on-one with Jaune the female members of Team EMNA began their job of distracting Uther so Naruto could grab the kid and talk in private.
They hadn't really made much of a plan before bed the night before, but when an opportunity presents itself the Knights of Beacon were talented at taking advantage.
Like a switch was flicked, at Uther's words Mordred and Artoria seemed to change into something Naruto had never even imagined. Tears began to bubble up in their eyes and they began to shake slightly. Trembling as if they were heartbroken.
"So…you didn't want to see us anymore?" Mordred choked out from behind her crocodile tears.
"We weren't supposed to come home at all?" Artoria added, seeming to be equally upset.
Uther paused mid bite as his eyes widened. He quickly realized he had made a mistake as his other daughters and his wives rounded on him with a mix of various degrees of upset expressions. He roughly swallowed his food, but it wasn't fast enough as Morgan led the charge in chastising the man as his family devolved into a shouting and crying mess.
"Wow, when we convinced Morgan to help I figured she would just try and set things up but she really rallied the whole family into helping with this thing surrounding Jaune." Naruto commented.
"I know right? They're really supportive of one another, even if they are kind of over the top." Erza added.
"Yeah, still kinda jealous though." Naruto replied.
"Same here." The redhead shrugged, before playing her part and flying into the midst of the mess to comfort the twins over dramatically…Erza wasn't actually all that good at acting.
Naruto moved over to the other side of the room beside Jaune as they both watched Uther be overrun by the girls.
"N-no you are misunderstanding. Of course I wanted to see you both. I just wanted to do what was best for you two." Uther tried.
"Is that why you don't call us?" Artoria asked, causing a whole new wave of outrage, this time a little less fake as Uther really could do with calling his girls more often.
"Hey Jaune why don't we slip out before this turns into a boys versus girls kind of thing." Naruto suggested getting the boy to nod as he followed him out of the room.
The pair of boys soon found themselves just walking the grounds of the Arc estate. They chatted, a little difficulty at first until Naruto managed to get the boy laughing as they talked about the sight of Uther being surrounded by all the girls earlier.
"I knew Artoria was a bit manipulative but it was weird seeing Mordred like that." Naruto admitted.
"Hmm, I figured you would know she can be really sneaky too. You guys have been on a team for years now right?" Jaune asked.
"Well yeah. We know each other pretty well but there's still a lot to learn. Not to mention we have only recently started opening up about some more private stuff since…" Naruto began.
"Since you started dating?" Jaune asked.
"Yeah. Did they tell you?" Naruto asked.
"Saphron told me. Some of my sister's are kinda blabbermouths." The younger boy said.
"I see. I guess that's kinda what you have to expect in a big family." Naruto shrugged.
"Yeah, try living with seven older sisters and five mothers…four mothers." Jaune corrected himself sadly.
Naruto stepped closer and patted the boy lightly on the back. He knew a lot of the feeling Jaune was feeling right now. Out of the Arc parents only Uther, Morgan, and Jaune's mother Joan, had been Hunters. Just like Summer, Joan had been retired for several years before taking a mission when the area was low on manpower. Noone ever saw her again. The nest she was supposed to clear out gradually grew even bigger until a team of Hunters took care of it.
So, trying to capitalize on their similar situations Naruto told him about Summer. About her becoming the mother he had needed and wanted. About how spectacular she was. And about how his adoptive father had come back with some bloody and tattered clothes and a roughed up weapon.
"A part of me just wants…" Jaune began.
"To believe she's still out there somewhere. You know if she was she would move heaven and earth to get back to you. She would have come home by now, Jaune." Naruto said lightly, squeezing the boy's shoulder incomfort.
"I know." He replied.
Naruto sighed sadly. This was not really how he thought the talk with his teammates' baby brother would go. He really needed to work on his uplifting use of buzzwords or something. Helping someone with grief and personal issues was tough shit to do. Maybe changing topics would be a good idea?
"So Mordred and Artoria say you are training to become a huntsman." Naruto said.
Jaune just nodded with a shrug. Damn the kid was hard to talk to.
"Well, I'm only a ways from graduating so maybe I can help you out? Like I could give you some tips or guidance or something. You never know, it could really help you out " Naruto said awkwardly.
"That's possible I guess. Not like dad is all that interested in teaching me anyway." Jaune grumbled.
"What? From what I've heard, Uther puts you through the wringer." Naruto says.
"Where did you hear that?" The younger blond asked.
"Your sisters and mothers." The scarred boy replied.
"Gah, no they misunderstood the situation or something. Dad actually babies me really badly. Yeah he's hard on me about my schoolwork and yells at me about it, but he never wanted to train me to be a hunter in the first place." Jaune explained.
"What?"
"Well, he doesn't think it's really necessary for me to be a huntsman. I'll inherit the farm, it's always passed down to the eldest son. Even though I think Barghest should be the one to get it. She pretty much already runs it all." Jaune continued.
"Okay, but what about the training though?" Naruto asked.
"Dad is paranoid that I'll end up like my mom. He just teaches me the most basic things and then when I mess them up he just has me drill on it over and over. I'm just weak and clumsy I guess. Most of the training sessions we do is him lecturing me and healing any bruises or scratches I manage to get. He's worse than my mom was when I was little. Just don't tell him I said that please." Jaune said.
"I see." Naruto hummed as he began eyeing Jaune in a new light. He realized something straight away.
"How does he heal you?" Naruto asked.
"Huh? Oh I don't know, usually I'm too busy burying my face in my hands so I don't see him being disappointed and worried about me again." Jaune said.
"Hmm well I have to guess he uses his semblance to do it. Mordred mentions most Arc males do have roughly the same semblance every generation. Something to heal would be very useful and having your aura unlocked wouldn't hurt either." Naruto commented.
"Okay? How does that help?" Jaune asked.
"Simple, I am going to help you unlock your aura and semblance." Naruto stepped in front of Jaune and gently placed his hand on the younger boy's chest.
"There are typically three ways someone's aura is unlocked. Most people in the world actually don't have them unlocked and live perfectly fine lives but the first and most common way of having their aura unlocked was probably the first way discovered millenia ago by ancient humans and faunus. Essentially a traumatic event occurs that shocks their system into reacting." Naruto said as he began pulling on his own aura.
"Obviously that comes with plenty of troubles and like I said only a small part of the population has their aura unlocked at all. It happens pretty regularly in the wilds for obvious reasons. It can happen even in the cities though. A car crash, any accident, even just tripping badly can activate it. The second method is a bit different." Naruto said as he began to channel his aura into Jaune.
"This method is done naturally through training. Essentially you just train until you suddenly are stronger, faster, have a shield, and a super power. It's the most rare because the only people who can use this method and know that it will work are those from long lines of hunters or tribes of nomads out in the wilds." Naruto continued to explain as Jaune began to gasp for breath as he felt something swirl around him. Like wrapping him in a comforting blanket.
"The second way was technically how I unlocked mine." Naruto said, getting a confused look from Jaune.
"What do you mean technically?" Jaune asked only for Naruto to wave off the question as another pulse of energy seemed to impact Jaune.
"The third and final method is to forcefully unlock the person's aura. The only way to do that is for someone who already has theirs unlocked and can manipulate its energy to a good degree to inject it into another person and essentially jumpstart their aura. Like this." Naruto finished as suddenly he stepped back and the feeling of comfort stayed around Jaune before slowly fading away to normal again.
"That was…" Jaune began, a bit stunned.
"Good?" Naruto suggested.
"Better than good." The kid said looking across his arms as he slowly pushed his aura into a protective shimmering film across his limbs for a second. He watched as it flickered around him before disappearing.
"With practice you'll control it without thinking just like using your hands or breathing. It won't be visible most of the time then too." Naruto said while he took in just how much aura the kid had. Nearly as much as Naruto had at twelve. The Arc family seemed to be hax. At least in regards to reserves of power.
Jaune seemed to gain a new burst of energy as he began to practically vibrate in place with excitement before Naruto caught him by the arm and calmed him down.
"Relax. It's not a trump card Jaune. It's a tool and a lot of hunters die because they use their semblance and aura like a crutch." Naruto warned.
"Right. So training then." Jaune said solemnly.
"Training. Lots of it. Give me your scroll details and I can send you some of the regimens I followed when I was younger." Naruto said and Jaune began giving him what he asked for.
"Will this really be enough?" Jaune asked.
"No probably not." Naruto said calmly.
"What? Then what's the point." The boy asked.
"Oh simple really, this is just a little helper. Strength will never be enough to do what you really want." Naruto said as he sent the message to Jaune containing all his old training schedules.
"What I really want?" Jaune asked slowly.
"You want to stop what happened to your mom from happening to other people…mostly your big sister's right? Well give up on that. You can't." Naruto said bluntly stunning the boy before he glared harshly.
"You don't know what your talking about." Jaune hissed.
Mentally Naruto congratulated himself for geluessing exactly what the kid was thinking.
"No you don't know what your talking about. What you think you are gunna train super hard and get real strong and be able to save everyone? Sorry kid it doesn't work like that. There's too many people and too many Grimm and bad folks out there for even all the hunters in the world to stop." Naruto said nonchalantly knowing he was digging it in a bit deeper than necessary but he needed to drive a point home to Jaune so that his girlfriends didn't end up mourning their little brother because he got too cocky for his own good and ran off on some suicidal quest.
"Shut up." Jaune growled.
"Nah, you shut up. You think you are gunna stop the Grimm somehow? Don't be dumb. You can't. You don't even know what you're really saying. Have you ever even fought one?" Naruto asked getting in the boy's face and making him step back.
"No." Jaune but out bitterly.
"No you haven't. Take it from me it's nothing like you imagined. I killed my first Grimm when I was about two years younger than you are now. I beat it to death after it gave me these scars and for trying to get my little sisters. Do you want to know how that encounter ended?" Naruto asked.
Jaune briefly considered saying something smart ass as clearly Naruto was there before ehim so he must have lived. He held back though. He was smart to do so.
"I had to be rescued too. I was alone and I beat one Beowulf to death with my hands and feet…and barely had any energy left and there was still an entire pack of the damn things left. If it wasn't for two real huntsman, some of the best there ever were, I wouldnt be here and my sister's would have died anyway. Just a little slower. So no, Jaune you aren't going to stop it from happening. But you can make it better. Train yourself till you break and keep training. Make sure this is what you want and commit everything to it." Naruto then patted the silent boy on the head as he sighed. He probably came on a bit strong but his job was done the best way he could.
Naruto left the clearing they had stopped in and headed back up toward the house. Once he rounded a bend suddenly Jaune found himself ambushed and trapped in a pair of slender arms as Artoria and Mordred pulled him into a hug.
The older girls cooed at him over how cute he was and how proud he made them. Jaune blushed brightly at the affection but still he is happy that they clearly support his wish.
"Thanks it means a lot to have your approval to try and become a Huntsman. Wait how much of that did you hear?" Jaune asked.
"Oh, you know…pretty much all of it." Mordred said with a grin causing Jaune to sigh out an 'of course'.
"Hmm, speaking of approval." Artoria began sharing a conspiratorial glance with her twin. "What's your thoughts on our boyfriend?"
Jaune sighed again. He had known this was coming.
On his way back up toward the house Naruto suddenly found he was not alone as Erza stepped next to him and picked up his pace. She was silent simply entwining her fingers with his as they walked holding his hand.
"How much did you three hear?" Naruto asked with an amused sigh.
"More or less all of it." Erza replied before she leaned her head against his shoulder.
"Whenever you are ready to talk to us, you know all three of us are here to listen" Erza said.
"I know." Naruto said with a small smile."Same to you."
Erza nodded silently as they continued up to the Arc family home.
Sadly the Team had to leave the next day. All things considered their mission vacation had gone be far too quickly. Still they were committed to doing it again sometime. Maybe to a beach or something just the four of them though.
That was the only real complaint. The four teammates felt like they hadn't seen each other but for a few minutes over the entire weekend. Sadly they couldn't really extend their stay. Ozpin had probably checked what mission they were doing even with Glynda running interference for them by now.
"It was a pleasure meeting all of you." Erza said for the team.
"Of course, make sure to come back, we loved having you all visit." Morgan replied.
"Take care of my big sister's, or you'll have me to worry about…in a few years." Jaune said losing his confidence easily.
Naruto laughed and shook the boys hand happily. "I will, and I look forward to seeing the kind of huntsman you become Jaune."
Uther swayed slightly side to side as the two girls trapped in his arms kicked their legs in a vain attempt to find purchases on the ground. Finally he dropped them causing them to send him unamused looks, though they knew it was partially payback for the day before.
The final two to say goodbye before Barghest drove the teens back to Arcswell, Uther tried to crush Naruto's hand in his grasp as they shook.
Unfortunately Naruto simply smiled, unfazed by the vice grip as he shook back with not too little and not too much pressure on return. Uther got the message and huffed faintly as he released the younger man's hand. Naruto had made it clear he was going to date the girls with or without Uther's say so…not that the man really intended to get into his girls' love life. He trusted them to make good choices.
Mordred and Artoria we're all smiles as Uther seemed to accept their boyfriend while being led away by his own wives. They wrap the arms with either one of Naruto's and Erza does the same with Artoria as the four rode back to Arcswell.
"We really should do this more often." Mordred said with a yawn. They still hadn't slept well in their separate bedrooms on the second night either.
"Its awfully peaceful out here. Not too many Grimm and none of the craziness that comes with the city life." Erza said.
"Yeah, kinda reminds me of Patch." Naruto said wistfully.
He wondered how they were doing. He wouldn't be surprised if Yang and Ruby hated him for leaving. He wouldn't hold it against them if they did. By now though he knew his team's siblings better than his own and his chest ached at the memory of little Yang and Ruby eating the breakfast he had made for them.
He pushed the thoughts of himself being so similar to Raven out of his head. It was time to leave.
The four Knights of Beacon were in pretty high spirits as they made their way back up to their dorm. Talking about how travelling made them want to take a shower leading to Artoria lightly teasing Naruto about saving water.
The conversation died as the froze on their floor when they saw the Headmaster and his Deputy Headmistress standing outside their dorm room. Ozpin looked his typical aloof self, calmly sipping at his drink while Glynda looked borderline murderous. Furious was an apt description.
That confused the team briefly. Glynda couldn't be mad about their vacation mission, she'd helped them plan it. She had been of the mind they needed a break too. If she wasn't angry with them though, who exactly had made her so pissed?
"Ah, Team Eminence. I hope you enjoyed your, sojourn to the Arc family territory. I'm glad you are back though as I have an important mission for you to complete." Ozpin said causing them to look at one another.
"It is an anti-personnel mission." Ozpin finished.
That bombshell let them realize why it was Glynda seemed so angry. Anti-personnel missions were controversial. They amounted to hits put out by the government on groups of people, typically groups of nomads in the wilds or bandits. There was a reason that such missions were not taken by students. It had nothing to do with safety though.
What was worse, Ozpin would not have come to their dorm directly if they honestly had any say in taking it.
"Please follow me to the briefing room." Ozpin said as he started down the hall.
Glynda shot the team a sorrow filled glance before following after the Headmaster. The team didn't wait much longer before bringing up the rear of the group, headed back toward the elevator.
That is that. Like I said mostly a fluff chapter. We learn a bit about some of the teams points of view as well as a bit more about Erza. Jaune is set on a better path hopefully and we get a better look into Naruto's mind.
Obviously this next chapter is going to be different from this by quite a lot.