A/N: I wanted to update Rise of the Beast Hero today, but alas, life intervened.
We need you to come in early today since three people quit, need you to open and do this, that and everything else, blah, blah, blah...
Such is the way of life, I suppose. Darn it. Tomorrow for sure!
Because as ever, the Embers rule persists. If folks don't enjoy this...well, I won't continue it. Reviews are the fire that keeps me writing. Without them, I cannot put pen to paper. Simple as that. I work two jobs these days, which means I'm lucky to have four hours to even write. Every bit of feedback matters, large or small~! Your voice matters! Speak up! I repeat, every bit of feedback matters...even if people think it doesn't.
Now then, onto your questions! A little short this time around.
Q: Wait, wait, wait. You mentioned Rengoku in an earlier chapter. As in Kyojuro Rengoku!?
Naruto had a son?!
A: Yup. We'll see that fiery blond around...eventually. Alas, his mother passed away some time ago.
Q: You should try branching out and showing how the rest of the world reacts to Team RWBY being related. Don't focus solely on Naruto.
A: Funny you should mention that...
Q: Can we get some father daughter bonding with the kiddos?
A: Wouldn't be much of a story if we didn't have that now, would it?
Q: So is the big bad SPOILER because I feel like Roman's the red herring here. Really do.
A: *zips lips*
Q: So what's to stop Raven from coming back?
A: Scythe. Rapier. Claw. Sound familiar? I may be kinder to her in some stories, but not this one.
In short, Summer and the others won't tolerate her after all she's done. Rightfully so! Time and time again, Raven's proven herself to be nothing less than grade-A coward, not to mention a callous witch in the show. All that strength. All that power. And what does she do? She runs. She hides. She abandons everyone and everything, all the for the sake of survival. Hell, she's probably still running in Volume Nine.
Alright, I've kept you long enough.
As ever, I own no references, quotes, themes or memes. Not a wit or a one.
Speaking of which, there's a tribute to Coeur's Arc Family in this one. Lets see if you can find it.
I repeat, a tribute, nothing more. That said, I Really had a blast writing this chapter. Ready? Set! Go!
"Oi. I may not be the best dad, but at least I didn't run away and abandon my kid."
"To be fair, Raven set an exceptionally low bar when she pulled that stunt."
"Indeed she did. Which is why I'll kill her if I ever see her again."
~Consensus.
Can't Choose Family
"YOU'RE ALL RELATED?!"
Three little words from Nora.
That was all it took to turn to turn Yang red like roses.
Credit where it was due, her body reacted quickly; she was a huntress in training after all, she could do nothing less. Her eyes snapped red. Legs tensed and muscles fired in the same instant, all but launching her over the table then into her prey, driving the giggling grenadier out of her seat and down to the floor. Even as they landed, she clamped both hands over her mouth with a hiss.
"Shhhh!"
Too little, too late. Even as she restrained the rowdy redhead, her earlier outburst echoed through the cafeteria like a thunderclap. More than a few curious students looked their way. Some squinted. Others connected the dots. Still more began to murmur among themselves, heedless of the blond's baleful glare. Didn't take long for the whispers to start soon thereafter. She could already hear them from here - in a matter of hours the Beacon rumor mill would be buzzing.
Not a rumor if it was the truth, now, was it? Damnit. There went her rep.
Nora made a muffled noise against her hand. "Mmmrgl?"
Cheeky little...!
"Yes, I'm mad at you!" Yang took the grinning girl and shook her by the shoulders. "Why'd ya have ta go and say that out loud?! Now everybody knows!"
"How is that possible?" Leave it to Lie Ren to ask the tough questions. "You and Ruby I could understand, but Blake and Weiss look nothing alike." His gaze swept between them as they climbed back to the table, alighted upon Ruby, then turned back to her once more. "Let alone the four of you...and you say you all have the same father?"
Yang scratched the back of her head with a wince. "Its, ah...complicated."
"Clearly."
"Yup. And," she flicked a scathing glance Nora's way. "It was supposed to be a secret until someone hollered at the top of her lungs."
Norra slumped. "Sorry...
"Well, the cat's out of the bag now...
Had Blake been sitting with them, she would scoffed and said something huffy to that effect. Fortunately she wasn't. Neither was Weiss. Thank the gods for small mercies.
Ruby giggled and kicked her legs beneath the table. Of course she'd find this funny. She was all for having more siblings. Nevermind the fact that Blake and Weiss were absolute hellcats about it; hell, they weren't even on speakin' terms at the moment. Didn't they know blood ran thicker than water. Someone shoulda told 'em that. Sadly it seemed they hadn't.
Honestly, those two...!
"I think that sounds grand." Pyrrha hid a wan smile behind her right hand, heedless of the bloody-red glare her grin earned. "Its lonely being an only child. When I was younger, I always wanted siblings myself. You should consider yourselves fortunate."
Jaune...Jaune had an odd, distant, almost glazed look in his eyes; as though someone had sucked the very soul out of him. "Fortunate she says...try having seven sisters...
"Jaune?" Pyrrha tugged at him. His head hit the table with a dull thunk in response, drawing a yelp from her. "Jaune! Don't go into the light! Stay with me Jaune!"
Seemed to reactivate Ruby, judging by the concerned look on her face. "He alright? He's been out of it all morning."
"Our glorious leader's been out late...well, lately." Nora shrugged. "Won't tell us why."
Pyrrha continued to tug at the poor boy, to no avail. Yang felt a rare pang of sympathy for her fellow blond. Was that a bruise on his cheek? Had he been training? Alone? She squinted at him for a moment, thought about calling him out on it, then thought bette. Loverboy should keep his secrets while could. Pyrrha would pry them out of him sooner or later.
"Bah," she flicked a strand out her face. "He's probably just being macho; maybe training at night or something?"
Wuh-oh. Now P-money was sulking. Didn't take much to guess why.
"Enough about Jaunie!" Nora slapped a palm against the table. "What I wanna know is this: your old man give you a dust discount?"
...I guess?" Yang shrugged, not really paying attention. "I mean it pretty high end stuff, even for just a dust shop. Ruby could tell ya more; works there on the weekends to make up for a window she br-ow!" She winced when Ruby kicked her under the table. A rueful glance went her way. "Oops? Sorry, sis."
"Yaaaaaang!"
Pyrrha perked up. "Dust, you say? I have been running rather low on ammunition lately...
Nora's eyes got really big. "I foresee a visit to Vale in our future~!"
Ren saved them, bless his simple soul. "Speaking of which, where are Weiss and Blake, anyway?"
Yang winced again. "Heh, Funny you should mention that.
Ruby delivered a happy chirrup. "Parent counseling~!"
Team JNPR blinked. Jaune raised his head.
.
..
...what?"
(.0.0.0.)
"Drink your tea, dear."
Weiss scowled, but nevertheless complied. "I don't like this."
Not any of it, not at all, not one bloody bit of it! Bad enough that her worldview had been upended recently, but to be plucked out of classes by her own mother for an entire day...? There could be no greater shame for her after all she'd been through. Worse still, she knew the reason why; her grades had been slipping as of late. Naturally, mother knew the reason for that, too.
"Whether you like it or not is immaterial." Mother remained unfazed even as she sipped from her own glass. "The fact remains; it is the truth."
Her right eye began to twitch. She wanted to shout, to snarl, shriek even; the grab the table and flip it in her mother's smiling face. Good for her, she was herself again, happy as a clam. Weiss wasn't. Happy, that is. She felt trapped. Confuse. Worse, they both knew she couldn't throw a fit here; no matter how much she might wish so. To suffer an outburst here, in public in a cafe like this...well, she'd make a fool of herself. At the end of the day she still had her pride.
So she settled for clanking her teacup down a bit harder than she should have.
Ice crept up her fingers, responding to her stress...again. Weiss hissed at it -at her bloodline!- until it receded. Only then did she dare look Mother in the eye. Willow looked right back, the very picture of a Schnee once more, a woman seemingly returned from the dead.
In truth, she'd simply dropped the facade, the act she'd been putting on all these years.
Those once dull eyes were bright and lively; her face clean, hair styled back into an immaculate braid over her right shoulder. Even her choice of drink had changed in recent days; the pale cup she drank from was filled with some ghastly herbal tea, not the red wine she often favored.
She only ever drank that when she was with...him.
"That...that man cannot be my father." Weiss refused to speak his name, if only to deny him the satisfaction, wherever he was. "He's an absolute lout!"
"Is he, now?" Willow crossed one leg over the other. "I dare say he's a sore sight better than Jacques."
Anger loosened he tongue. "That may well be, but it doesn't change the fact that you-
"Cheated?" A sardonic smile was her reward. "Yes, I thought you might take issue with that." Another sip of her glass, followed by a sigh. "But I didn't, not really. Ours was ever a loveless marriage. Jacques sought to use me, and so I decided to use him instead." that sly smirk took on a wicked edge. "Turnabout is fair play, as they say. He only ever saw what he wanted to see."
"But all this time...!"
"I kept up the act for your sake." Willow returned quietly. "Had he realized your true heritage, you would've been disowned on the spot and cast into the street as a baby. Now there's no need to perpetuate this face any longer." Another quiet sip followed the last. "Your sister already knows the truth. She's known for quite some time."
Her heart skipped a beat. "Winter does?!
"She does." another languid sip. "I've asked her to visit Vale when she has a chance for leave."
An awful pit opened in her stomach. "What about Whitley?!"
The silence was telling.
"Mother!"
"He will be told...eventually." When she didn't immediately the Schnee matriarch only sighed. "He always took more after Jacques than anyone else. Let him live out the lie a little longer."
Weiss glared pale daggers at the woman she'd once called Mother. "You're awful. How can you be so cold...?"
"Perhaps I am, dear girl. But know this. Everything I did, I did for you."
A wordless snarl rose in her. "You did it for yourself."
"Myself?" Something sparked in Mother's gaze. It almost looked like anger. "No, Weiss. In the beginning perhaps, yes." her hand flitted across the table, snagging hers before she could think to stand. "If your father and I were truly so selfish, we would've broken the news of your true heritage long ago. Instead we wanted to give you a proper life."
Her resolve faltered. "Don't say it like that...
"Now you have three new sisters and a brother besides," Willow's counter was a rapier to her resolve, "A flourishing career as a huntress, and you stand to inherit the SDC once I'm too old to run it."
Another brick in the wall of her will crumbled. "You...?"
"Well, Jacques can hardly handle the company given the state he's in. And what would you have had me do?" Willow arched a demure brow, never losing control for a moment. "Go back to that sniveling weasel? That door is closed."
Weiss winced.
Jacques had not been a kind man. Even if it this "weakness" had been an act on Mother's part, it didn't change his misdeeds. He'd poisoned everyone around him with words and deeds alike. Maybe...maybe they were well rid of him after all. Out of his shadow, she could act as she saw fit without fear of reprisal. Even then, the fear lingered. "Well, no. But...
Willow preened. "You'd best get to know Naruto, then. I suspect your Father have a DNA test by the end of the week to quell your doubts.
...and what of Fa-I mean, Jacques?"
"Oh, him?" Mother's smile was all teeth. "Don't worry. He's been taken care of. Which brings us to our next topic." Oh. Oh, dear. She knew that look in her eye; she'd seen it many a time before. "I understand you've been taking your anger out on your teammates. Or should I say your sisters?"
Weiss wilted in her seat, feeling every bit a naughty child. "Blake started the fight...
Willow's hand flitted out, catching her by the chin. Their eyes met.
"And you're going to end it. Apologize to her."
(.0.0.0.)
"We just need a bit more dust...
Roman smiled as he considered the blueprints.
It was not a pleasant smile. Not by any means or measure.
Neo quietly prayed her dum-dum would live to see another sunrise.
(.0.0.0.)
Life just loved its little surprises.
Naruto wasn't sure why he expected anything different. They'd been coming fast and hard lately. Ever since Roman ransacked his shop, so too did they descended upon him one after the other, without fail. The way things were going, he half-expected Salem herself to show up at his doorstep with a gift basket. Wouldn't that be a hoot?
"Lest monolguing more consoling!"
Right, right, crying daughter. Best attend to that.
Blake sniffled a little in his arms, curling into him, seeking his warmth. Reflexively, he tugged her closer. Poor thing. She was soaking wet. How long had she been standing out there in the rain, banging on his door, before he'd finally woken up...? He didn't even want to consider it - so he didn't. Easier that way. Don't sweat the small stuff. Just calm her down.
Because you see, Blake was a clingy daughter.
He shouldn't have been surprised by that bit, but there it was.
Since he'd cracked through that surly shell, she'd surprised him time and time again. Everywhere he went, she wanted to be. Everything he did, she questioned. Always with the questions! They weren't even bad ones at that. She wanted to know what he could do, and if she could do the same. Now wasn't the time for such questions, however.
"C'mere, lets get you dried off." he tugged her into his apartment after him, searching in vain for a towel. "No need to cry. Why did you leave your team...?"
She hiccuped. "We had a fight. Weiss nearly bit my head off...
"Of course she did." he returned from the bathroom with an orange towel and tossed it at her. "Lemme guess. White fang?"
...no?"
He tapped a foot. "Blake."
...you're actually going to help me...?"
"Of course I am." his smile was nothing short of serene. "What's family for?
"Hey, your old man's pretty cool!"
Naruto's gaze snapped to Sun.
Right. Forgot he was there.
There was a silence.
And then.
Kurama yawned from the couch.
"Why is it always blonds? First Cinder, now him...
Sun had the good graced to scratch the back of his head. "Sorry-wait, you can talk?!"
...stay put." Naruto growled and stomped away. "I'll wake Kali and Summer. I mean it. Don't you dare move!"
A/N: Hope you enjoyed~!
As ever, the "Embers" rule remains in effect for now.
If folks don't like this...well, I won't continue it. It pains me to say that, but I work two jobs, and days off are a thing of the past for me as of late. Reviews are the fire that keeps me writing. Without them, I cannot put pen to paper. Simple as that. Every bit of feedback matters, large or small~! Your voice matters! Speak up! I repeat, every bit of feedback matters...even if people think it doesn't. And there we have it.
So in the immortal words of Atlas... ...Review, Would you Kindly?
Here, have a preview! Hope they make ya laugh.
(Preview)
Roman paled. "Oh, shit. You're his kid...?"
Nope, nope, nope! All the nope! Take the dust and bolt!
Ruby hit Winter in a cloud of crimson petals. "New sister!"
Weiss stomped a foot. "Ruby Rose! Unhand my sister this instant!"
"But she's my sister too...
"Its decided, then."
Kali laid her drink down with a scowl.
Summer mirrored the motion, not looking best pleased.
"We have an accord then." Willow smiled softly. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend?"
"I'll agree...on one condition. Raven has no place here."
"Don't have to tell me twice." Naruto took a long drink from his bottle. "Screw breaking her legs, I might just kill her straight up if I ever see her again.
"I know you hate her, but that's still Yang's mother. Doesn't she deserve a chance to reconcile-
"Nope."
"But at least Yang-
"Nope." he smacked his lips with an audible pop.
Summer's right eye began to twitch. She paused. Waited. And then. "Let me finish my sentence-
"NOPE!"
She flew over the table at him.
"Oi."
"What have you done?"
He grinned. "Scorched earth."
"Come closer. I won't bite."
Jaune gulped. "Its not the biting I'm worried about."
Cinder hummed a little. "Good, you're cautious. That trait will serve you well...now, defend yourself."
"Please to meet you! I'm Kyojuro!
She vaguely recalled the old mentioning someone named Rengoku. With that hair and those eyes...if they weren't related, she'd eat her boot.
The young man beamed back at them, utterly unaware of her racing thoughts.
"Wait. I have a big brother?!" Ruby squealed.
"I GOTTA TELL EVERYONE!
R&R~!