Fox of Remnant

by Zagger the Bloody Angel

A wish. His wish and dreams were placed into the hands of another. And their wish was for him to live peacefully. It seemed Fate was a cruel mistress and still had plans to use him for her gains. No more! He will fight against these chains that shackle and bind him! Naruto/Blake/Weiss. Volume III. New Crossover is Incoming. Tags: Action, Fluff, Humor, Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort

21. Volume III - Chapter III

Sorry, this was a week late and is shorter than the other chapters in the Volume so far.

I apologize for that.

Needed some time off, and it allowed me to catch up a little bit.

Only slightly.

The Halloween Special will more than make up for this chapter.

So let's do a Q & A to start this first for the Guest Commenters.

For the reviewer that keeps asking about Cinder and now Emerald.

It is in the story.

Cinder's Fate was apparent, but if you need a more concrete answer, this first section will answer it for you.

All you need is patience, my friend.

Most answers will come.

Emerald's whereabouts will be explained shortly, although not in this chapter.

As for the Fall Maiden portion of that question, the first section once more.

I am listening.

If something doesn't seem clear and concise, I will make it more apparent.

For there being reviewer informing me other Transmigrants of Asura or Indra...

You are more than likely correct.

My end of Naruto lore is a little off, but at the end of the day, do the others matter?

Does their story directly affect the story of Naruto like the other reincarnations?

So for the sake of the story, they don't exist.

Just like Boruto.

Sorry for those of you who like Boruto, it's my personal preference and belief, and you are allowed to enjoy whatever you want.

Lit, who asked about me doing a Honkai crossover...

My friend, this is my last story.

I'm not doing another though an adjacent side story to this one may occur.

Haven't decided on that yet.

It may be a Gaiden Arc between Volume III and IV.

Although One-Shots or an idea bin may become a thing for other writers.

This story barely got made as it was, and I love it.

Truth be told, it beat out a Genshin Impact Crossover as I felt Fox of Remnant had a more clear direction and ending.

And then Sumeru hit and I kind of lost my interest in it...

Probably burnout, but the new characters didn't help either.

But I don't know enough about Honkai do a story about it, regardless.

Everything I write is with love and adoration for the source material.

If I don't know it well enough, I will honor it by not writing about it until I've done proper research and dive into the series proper.

For whom asked about Kushina and the Anomaly...

When in fanfiction has Kushina used Bold text, my friend?

If you are using TTS, fair enough, I suppose.

I just did that to gauge how my story sounds myself, especially now with the re-edit.

It took eight hours to get through Volume I.

May the Brothers help you get through the next chapter for those that use TTS.

It is over half the length of that Volume alone.

As for the Anomaly, that's for you to solve.

By the way, new poll for at least a week.

For those who can't see my poll, I will not spoil it here.

It's teased in the summary.

Can you figure it out?

WARNING! This Chapter Contains Sexual Content. Reader Discretion Is Advised.

I still do not consider this a lemon. I consider it a romance scene as it is tasteful and brief and would be something more you see in a TV drama. The scene isn't as telegraphed as before, so for those looking to avoid it, I will give a heads-up, it's on a beach.

---

"Ollie Oil… Crippling medical debt after years of remaining undiagnosed from having a brain tumor…." Glynda sighed as she brought up the man's file as she sat across from Naruto in her office as the new chief of police while she sipped some coffee, having spent the night scouring for information as the morning sun was now rising. "Divorced his wife and gave her full custody of the kids and just… Vanished two years, it seems. Most likely living on the streets… But it seems he recently made a will."

"That seems vitally important… Let me guess, a grand sum of lien that he now mysteriously possessed?" Naruto narrowed his eyes and frowned as he had a hunch.

Glynda scowled as she looked at the papers, too but nodded. "That is indeed what it was. In the end, all of his debt was paid, and just a hundred thousand liens were left to his ex-wife and children... Looking at the bank account, I believe the donation will be anonymous and virtually untraceable. They're not about to make a similar mistake."

"Yeah, unfortunately, criminals like these are crafty and learn from their and others' mistakes." Naruto felt disgusted by everything he heard about how cheaply they treated life and the fact nothing was going to be found through this. "At the very least, we have my lead. But that raises a new concern if they are willing to snipe one of their own in the middle of the street… She needs to be protected while she's here until she can testify about what's on that contract. And the contract itself I'll seal away for safety as that is just too vital."

"I agree." Glynda frowned, knowing the scope and magnitude of the situation as the contract lay before them on her desk. "They didn't have trouble picking Kobe off as he, in comparison, wasn't as prominent as just a business mogul… The names she spoke of… Those are council members, and one is another on the Remnant World council…."

"I know." Naruto grinned as his eyes briefly shone before they darkened, and his mood soured. "And so they chose to make the most dangerous enemy of their lives. I'm about to tear their world to pieces. That woman is the first key to all of this. The contract and my recording serve as a second indication that I know a group is out to get me. And finally, if I can find where those VR7 laboratories are located, I think I can start opening this thing wide open."

Glynda stared into Naruto's gaze, staying silent for a moment, for that would be a massive step. She then frowned. Are you aware of how reckless you have become? The dangers that you will be putting upon others, not just yourself. While they might not understand you are an immortal part of this ongoing struggle of the Gods here on Remnant…."

"They understand how to cause pain and won't just be targeting you. They are aware of the wedding. They'll have seen the news about you and Blake, despite all the effort Jacques has spent covering it up to make his wedding the perfect event. They know about your team. Do you think they won't target them? What happens then?" Glynda spoke with an edge to her voice, speaking what she knew the young man already had to know by now.

"Then Fate wins, as I think that is her goal this time," Naruto responded without blinking as he kept his composure and gazed back into Glynda's emerald eyes. "I think it has become painfully obvious she wanted me to snap there have been a few close calls. It's why she turned Kurama's remaining chakra into this hazardous gift of a semblance I have that causes severe damage if I don't control my emotions."

"I think she's why Oz made these ill-advised decisions. I don't believe he normally would do so if she weren't forcing his hand as if what I think is now true… Salem is now being forced into the field without her full power and unable to repel Fate as she once was." Naruto stated, and that caught the good witch's immediate attention.

"You ran into her possession?" Glynda was surprised by this as, at the very least, she would have expected more to happen than just a simple run-in with Salem and Naruto to be involved, knowing her entire goal.

Naruto sighed as he ran his hand through his head, making his ears twitch. "Yeah, she is possessing a twelve-year-old girl with short emerald hair, emerald eyes, and unhealthy white skin, but I'm not sure if that's from Salem taking over or if she was already sick, to begin with, for she was rather thin for her age and her clothes were rather ragged too."

"Regardless, she is still intent on making me hers. The new wrinkle was that she told me she and her new court member were interwoven into Fate's course before everything started to break down. Again, something she gave me heads up on…." Naruto finished before an odd thought came to him and just rolled off his tongue. "Wondering who betrayed who back then if she is just that open about what she's doing…."

"She has also been moving in the dark for thousands of years, hampering humanity maliciously and doing far more heinous acts without hesitation, but I guess she isn't one to lie or tell a false narrative, so it does beg some questions… And yet some of his ideas are so fundamentally sound and just…." Glynda frowned as the topic had changed from Salem and on to Oz, and she knew what he wanted to know at this point, seeing his look.

"I think you may be right in some fashion that Fate has some control over his decisions, but he has always been callous and uncaring toward those he deems as simple pieces. Once they have proven their worth, he begins treating them, but at the beginning, everyone is a pawn to him, and I guess after millennia of having to swap bodies…."

"Oh, he's not like Salem then," Naruto commented as he began to wonder if Ozpin was like Salem in that regard before frowning. What does that mean? Does he die regularly and just slowly take over a new host's mind and body like that? That's... Worse. The Brother God of Light is a dick if Salem and I are anything to go by."

"I'd… Not like to think of it like that." Glynda frowned as they realized just how morbid Ozma's life was and how horrible the host's life had to be once they realized what was happening. "Considering… I still respect the ideas he holds… Just not the man."

"So your trust was fading as well," Naruto began to understand just from what she was saying, because he knew Qrow could not handle the danger that Ruby and Yang were in.

It was due to his negligence in handling the Fate situation and protecting his family on Beacon property. And he had become disenfranchised with him for some time before it seemed…

"It was because some of his judgments have always annoyed me, but I thought they were fine as he was thinking long-term in a way we couldn't. Because of that, some things we didn't see eye to eye on… But then you opened my eyes about the issues of our students at Beacon and…" Glynda's eyes dropped to the coffee cup in her hand momentarily before her gaze locked straight into Naruto's once more. "Pyrrha is coming to stay with you with the rest of the group for the summer, correct?"

"I would ask how you know that, but knowing you… You're still in contact with them… Particularly team CFVY as you favored them and Pyrrha for the festival." Naruto commented as he met Glynda's gaze and frowned as he was worried for the Mistral redhead.

"Of course. I wanted to make sure Beacon had the finest we could offer in the team, doubles, and singles competitions in the tournament. This is because every major academy was sending their top students. The Vytel Festival is one of the major tournaments in Remnant and a chance to show off the strength of your Academy. I wanted nothing more than to prove we were the best." Glynda spoke with pride as her love for being a teacher shined through before her eyes darkened.

"But it was that favoritism that came back to haunt me…." Glynda drank her coffee as Naruto sealed the contract away as he would need it later, it being safer with him for now anyways, and she could call if they needed it. "It was something I would say was always there before, but funny enough, you kind of brought out of me with the incident with Velvet and team CRDL…."

Glynda stopped as that team's name rolled off her tongue. Despite the misgivings she had about them, she never wished what had transpired to the boys to have occurred. But there was one shining bright spot. "I heard Cardin was transferring to Atlas after what happened to his team here. He wants to join their military to defend Remnant so things like that won't happen. However, I may have issues with Ironwood's stance on a few, and I mean quite a few, things... But he does wish nothing more than to protect Remnant so Cardin will be in good hands there and may yet turn into a model Huntsman."

"Excessive force is one of the main issues of my book with him, but I'm a culprit of that myself, so I can't judge too harshly. You're right, Cardin had made some changes... Ironwood will make him into a capable Huntsman." Naruto agreed with the statement about the ironman, however, he couldn't help nodding in agreement as he saw Winchester doing well in Atlas.

"Among other things, yes, that is one." Glynda slyly commented as she knew the man was now one of Naruto's close associates like he was to Ozpin, and Naruto only pursed his lips as she knew far more about the man than she was letting on. "But… I always loved my students and wanted to see them succeed and become model Huntsman, but I kept forgetting they are students, and you reminded me of that. That they are still very immature at times despite how they present themselves as the future defenders of Remnant…

"They are all teenagers to young adults not quite ready for the harsh reminders of what this world can be like!" Glynda glowered as she turned from Naruto and looked at Vale outside her office window. "To be truthful with you, I think giving you your Hunter's license was a mistake despite all the good it has brought forth. Despite having to undergo forced maturation because of your life... You still have more growth to go and are not yet ready for everything thrown at you. You are making mistakes."

"We all make mistakes. It is part of life." Glynda turned back with a concerned expression and looked at Naruto and could see him frowning at what she said, but felt her tone and emotions. "And regardless of how I feel, I decided I could no longer support Ozpin when he decided the new Fall Maiden power needed a new vessel despite Amber having regained her power and reawakening... I couldn't accept the host he has chosen now."

"Amber can no longer sustain the power of the Fall Maiden due to whatever they did to her." Glynda bit her lip and recalled the day she split from Beacon. "The attack crippled her body. She can hardly move after being severely injured and in incredible pain at all times from the Maiden power forcibly ripped from her soul. So he moved to invite the second best option of becoming the Fall Maiden as he forbade the other vessels he had picked from touching the Academy grounds due to your actions."

"He chose Pyrrha."

"You are joking with me?" Naruto growled as he suddenly remembered Glynda asking about Pyrrha coming to spend the summer with him along with her team and CFVY. "He's turning Pyrrha into the Fall Maiden? Why would he… Because of her drive and want to help the weak but be the strongest, shit!"

"Pyrrha has never seen Ozpin in a bad light even though we have left, although she might expect some things at this point. But giving her an offer like that to protect the world from Grimm… To someone who is still finding themselves and learning who they are… Amber was trying so hard not to cry and stay strong as she didn't like the choice, but the options were running thin. If I were compatible, I would have…." Glynda trailed off as tears began to build up in her eyes.

Those words at the end alarmed Naruto. He was unaware of that and suddenly gained a completely different perspective in his head. "Wait, only certain people can inherit a Maiden's power? Then how did Raven…."

"She must have been a candidate all along, which is why Ozpin somehow convinced her to come to Beacon. It wouldn't be the first time." Glynda sighed as the transferring of Maiden's powers had become standard practice. "Winter was a candidate as well, and that is why Ironwood pushed to have her join his military as hard as he did. As much as that man irritates me, he is willing to let Fria live her life out, develop a bond with Winter over the years, and allow the power to transfer naturally."

"Oz isn't?" Naruto narrowed his eyes and glistened in rage as it didn't sound like he was planning to wait for Amber to pass naturally, despite now that she is awake and aware of the situation.

"He is giving her as much time as he can, but even then, there is still the unknown of when she will pass. She was already living on borrowed time and getting the power back allowed her to see her end, which I can't imagine is any better. She is willing to let the pain stop early as trying to create a bond in such a time… It is difficult when Pyrrha has started to come into herself as it was, and now to have this be thrown on top of that."

"Everything is confusing to her right now, and I can't blame her as I think there was a better choice. He is just too stubborn to admit it and is adamant about not letting it be her now with everything that has happened. She is just too involved with you…." Glynda finished, but what she had said left Naruto with wide eyes as only one person could be.

"No… I would think Ruby, especially given her odd circumstances on stopping Roman and her silver eyes… It shouldn't have been enough to justify bumping her to the major academies so quickly. But Blake, my mate? She is a potential candidate for being a Maiden?" Naruto was astonished as he didn't expect his mate to be on Oz's radar for that reason.

It made him question things even further…

"Ruby is, but due to her inexperience, he started to doubt the idea, and I'm thrilled he did, as she did not need that pressure. She has a lot to learn still. And with her new issues, I'm sure things are even harder than I can imagine." Glynda shook her head and could only imagine. "Pyrrha was always the prime candidate, but Blake was an interesting one as she was something rather unique but was a massive flight risk, and he knew that. He was taking a risk by accepting a member of the White Fang on the run but also the daughter of the founders and original leader of the White Fang. It was a massive risk."

"And she developed far more than he could have possibly anticipated. Maybe he knew that she had the drive and passion of her father to take stands as he would, but she has become something else, and in his eye, she became the candidate. While we were at the dance, he admitted that he would call you both in and explain the situation to Amber soon… As he wanted to pass the other half of the Fall Maiden powers to Blake."

"It would have made her Cinder's target, but… You already had her in your crosshairs, and you were well aware of Salem, so he was trying to put all his eggs in one basket, I suppose." Glynda scowled as she felt Fate very well played a hand in this, wondering just how much control she had.

"Fuck us, I guess… Oz had a tad more trust in me than I thought." Naruto rolled his eyes at the thought and had to give the headmaster a little more credit than he would like. "I still don't like that scenario, focusing all the danger on me and who would become my future mate… That I find very irritating."

"I agreed and said that at the time. You both were overworked and didn't need the extra pressure at that moment and told him to wait until we knew more of what they were doing." Glynda smiled as she had their back at the time. "And I didn't want to ruin the morning after seeing the two of you run off… Something else had to do that for me."

"I think that ruined most of our lives," Naruto growled, as everything that led to that was just a travesty. "So Pyrrha is primed to be the next Maiden… Or the powers just are transferred randomly, and that is just a pain as it becomes a race to find the Maiden, and anyone can get to her."

Glynda nodded as that was what happened, and Naruto groaned out. "Wow, I have to convince Pyrrha this is the right choice, don't I… Because I can't waltz in there and try to mend bridges, and I don't want to. He burned it. He should rebuild it! And I'm not sure I want to risk Blake either!"

In response, Glynda nodded as she understood before she offered a sad smile. "I left because I knew the choice, while ultimately the right one is the foolish one when we were so close to having a better choice and that he reacted rashly when he knew he was at fault… I spent so long trying to get him just to accept his blame and try to fix some of the damage done that I gave up."

"If he weren't inclined to try when there were better options, I would do what was right for everyone. Start helping weed out the corruption here and through Vale after I saw it… I wanted nothing more than to root it out myself. And given my qualifications over the years, I just so happen to be more than adequate for the job here, although I will immensely miss my students… This will mean more if done right." Glynda's eyes glinted with determination before she frowned at Naruto.

"Which is why I must return to the mess you made. Although the information could be groundbreaking... Is it worth it? We had a man's head splattered because they didn't want the information to be found. We have another corpse of a man who has been missing for two years and did the deed because he was a scapegoat. What they are willing to do is horrific. You should be prepared for the consequences if they did this to silence one of their own whom they knew would make a foolish decision. And they capitalized on your aggression in the process. It is a win-win for them as this is the first time the Gale Fox has been made to look shady in the public's eye. And what's worse is..."

"What happens when they start actively coming after you and your friends when you aren't around?" Glynda spoke sternly as her emerald eyes bored into Naruto's cerulean's.

Those worries were founded, and they weighed heavily on him as well. But he was prepared as there was one thing they weren't expecting. "Well, there is about to be a televised event showing them specifically why you don't fuck with the Gale Fox…."

"And I'm going to break a man on live television, and now I just have even more reason to," Naruto growled as Glynda's eyes widened in response, and he knew it meant that it had been approved. "The world is about to get an introduction to what Naruto Uzumaki is capable of and what I am all about! This storm is brewing! They better head for the storm shelters and prepare for their lives about to be ruined!"

"This maelstrom is just getting started!"

---

"I'm okay… It's just a bruise." Weiss sighed as she sat in one of the several seats on the bridge of the Altesian airship that Ironwood was using as his command center while he was stationed in Vale for the festival. "Winter… You are embarrassing me."

"And you need to stop getting in over your head," Winter growled as she saw the blackened bruise on her sister's face. "I understand wanting to make a difference as well as anyone else. Retreating and grouping is a vital tactic when separated from your team. Charging head first into your goal on your own without knowing your opposition is foolhardy."

"Indeed… What information was gathered?" Ironwood looked at analysis in his database as he frowned at this mysterious Huntsman they encountered during the raid at Rainbow Hotel. "A stout man known as Jett dressed in black armor with a giant sword…."

"Scars all over." Ruby frowned as she still felt a touch sore from last night and barely got any rest before coming out here stammering. "Right eye missing."

"Was incredibly quick. Fast enough to keep up with my strikes with all that armor and that heavy blade. Then he purposely took damage just to disarm me and to get a free shot to grab me." Blake recalled everything that happened. "He must have some kind of regenerative semblance if he is willing to damage like that freely…."

"Or he has lived an extremely violent life and is willing to do whatever it takes to finish the mission," Winter commented with a scowl still adorned on her face as she left Weiss alone for the moment. "Considering his weapon choice, it seems like a miracle that everyone is unscathed as they are."

"He was apologetic," Ruby reflected, almost seeming sad as she said it, as she could now see a bit more clearly about those events…

The look in his eyes did not convey any malice. It almost seemed sorrowful and full of regret. And the need to complete the job.

Having heard what he had said when he had tossed her, Blake frowned as that did seem to be the case. At any point, he could have used his weapon more offensively than he had and torn through them. In contrast, the one time he did, she was able to come up with the perfect counter for him, as she somehow felt that swing wasn't thrown with the full force he had behind it.

"Ruby is right… I don't think he was putting everything into it, and he even mentioned he was only taking the job for the money. But someone with that skill and ability needing that kind of money…." Blake looked both troubled and worried as it didn't seem like someone of that skill would need to take a job like for lien…

"I didn't get any of that from my interaction with him but at the same time… I hate to say I was dropped in a single hit…." Weiss responded before looking down and feeling deeply disappointed in herself.

What was all this training for if she couldn't even stand her own in a fight for more than a minute against anyone that was an actual threat? She was taken out quickly when they were kidnapped and treated like a hostage with little issue. She was nearly seared and sliced open by that fire witch that just wanted to use her as a hostage against Ozpin to obtain her full power. If that wasn't what she was fully capable of…

She shuddered at what she could have accomplished with the rest of the Fall Maiden's power.

And now this? She was simply backhanded and dispatched with ease once more. After nearly a month of training with Naruto, this was still the result. However, she was still rehabbing her leg and didn't dare to pick up the pace as often or test block heavy strikes unless she had to. It was disheartening…."

"Weiss." Winter's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and she looked into her sister's icy blue eyes that showed compassion, but her tone was strict. "You are a huntress now despite it being practically gifted to you by your team and Naruto's actions. You have to know your limits."

"And while you can work toward improving what I'm about to tell you, you will have to accept that you are smaller, frailer, and most likely physically weaker than most opponents you will face. You will always be those things. You weren't gifted in size and build like our mother and me. Physical combat will be more dangerous for you," Winter spoke as she looked down at her little sister with remorse for what she was saying but sternness as the point needed to be made.

Weiss flinched at her sister's words and bit her lip, looking into her sister's gaze as she tried not to let her emotions show. Tears threatened to build as she felt she had let everyone down before, and now her sister was telling her that she would always be weak!

Why did it always have to be this way with her family?! Couldn't there just be something nice said for once?!

Ruby flinched as a similar point was made to her by Yang when teaching her hand-to-hand as they were just built differently. Sure she was two years younger and still had a few years of growth left to her, being half a year from turning sixteen at this time, and she might end up as tall as her sister… But she would never be as stout and firmly built as her, and she always worked on her physicality, so she just got used to it.

…Not to mention, Yang had a semblance that just went with being able to take hits.

She was meant to be in someone's face at all times.

She was lithe, with swift reflexes and powerful leg muscles, so she was just built to be fast and agile. She wasn't going to overpower her opponents very often, and she made that mistake against Jett to take him head-on when realizing Blake was in danger… A danger she led them straight into while trying to prove she could be the heroine and take out the bad guy.

In a way, she felt responsible for this.

Blake growled at seeing Winter bite into her sister. She didn't understand the family dynamic, and to be honest, she didn't care. This was supposed to be the family member Weiss had a connection with.

"Hey, you can just…." Blake started before Winter's eyes pierced into her golden as she snapped her head in her direction.

"Mind your tongue. I am talking to the child I had to try and raise while I myself was one as our family was quite… Unique as you may have well noticed." Winter snarled at the faunus for interrupting her and startling Blake enough that she stumbled in her chair.

Just what was with their family?! It made her home life look saintly in comparison! In fact…

Blake frowned. She had the most stable home life out of her team, which was the saddest fact as she grew up seeing all the injustice and mistreatment shown towards faunus. She even felt a lot of it directed toward her family…

Yet her home life was quite comfortable. They lived life like everything outside didn't matter, only focused on their family. They took time out of their day to make life work in the house and ensure things functioned and there was communication. And that there was rest.

And now she saw how broken her friends' families were in comparison and left her heart aching.

Weiss' head snapped before she stood, strode before her sister, stared into her eyes, and spoke vehemently. "Don't you talk to my friend like that! Over this past half a year, I've learned more about what friendship and family are supposed to be like than I ever did back home, which is pathetic! It speaks volumes about what we endured, and I hate that, but it is over!"

"We did what we had to do to survive but don't forget you left too the very second you had the chance, and we barely have been in contact since... But I cannot blame you for that. Father is to blame." Weiss spoke with an edge to her voice before her face softened and her voice lightened. "But we are here now. Let's make the most of it before you go off again and try to be the family we were never allowed to be."

Winter's stoic and stern demeanor softened for one of the few times. As much as she loathed to admit it, their family was broken, and even their relationship was strained through no fault of their own. But there was always that sternness and a certain coldness to their actions. They only could act lovingly when alone together and act like normal children then…

"And… I know what you are trying to tell me. I know." Weiss sadly looked down and away as this realization was something she had, but she tried to push it aside and work to improve. "I've… Always been petite and rather demure. And I must admit, I'm never going to be larger than this as I'm eighteen now, and I don't think I'm due for another growth spurt…

"But after seeing what Trivia could do despite being more diminutive than I was… It gave me hope that maybe I could overcome that shortcoming. And I still believe I can and I will. I need to work harder, and it will become a reality." Weiss looked back up and into her sister's eyes with determination. "I'm not just going to sit in the backlines and be their support as all my friends are risking their lives! I am capable of fighting just as well as they are, and I can best most of them with my swordsmanship!"

Both Ruby and Blake nodded begrudgingly at that statement, as when It came to pure melee weapon combat Weiss was quite possibly the best out of the entire group. The debate came about whether it was her or Pyrrha, but the issue was Pyrrha was physically gifted with size and far greater strength than Weiss didn't have equivalent speed…

"Seeing what she was capable of to the very end… I won't quit. I'm not going to stop and ensure I will never let her memory fade! I know what my weaknesses are, and I will work on improving them! I will become stronger and hold my own!"

"I am Weiss Schnee, Huntress of the Fallen Leaf. And I will work to make my dream and all our dreams a reality! As one, we cannot fail!" Weiss finished with resolve burning in her eyes and let her desire be known.

Being humbled by her sister's brilliant passion as it almost overwhelmed her, Winter stayed silent as Weiss let her emotions run freely. Her eyes shimmered as the little girl she remembered had finally grown up before her, but she had to ensure one last thing. "And what is that dream?"

Weiss smirked as if she was almost begging her sister to ask. "To break free of our father's shadow… And then I will take back the Schnee name and bring it home to the roots it belongs as a good, honest, and hard-working businesswoman that takes care of her workers."

Winter's eyes widened as she remembered their grandfather better than Weiss and the stories he told her on his lucid day. It seemed Weiss also recalled a few of those memories and not the ones where he was lost in his Alzheimers and dementia and couldn't recognize any of them and drone on about how perfect his little angels were to them and how they reminded him so much of them before forgetting they were there. And then seeing them and beginning the cycle all over again…

And despite all that… She had never forgiven her father for convincing her mother to put him into the best assisted-living they could afford. For days after they did…

"Sorry to break up the family business, but we found our man," Ironwood spoke as he stayed silent and let things take their due course while focusing on his task and keeping his soldiers focused.

Winter technically shouldn't have been there as he had given her the festival off to help deal with the mess her father had made. It was even creeping into his issues at this time, as he wanted his military presence there.

The audacity and absurdity of it. The Altesian Military might was meant to protect the people of Remnant and nothing more. Using it for trivial matters was beneath it and a waste of resources.

"Then what do we have? Besides, he is most likely a part of Salem's new court." Naruto's voice came from behind everyone as he leaned against the back of the bridge as if he had been there a while but didn't want to interrupt.

Ironwood turned to hear that news and saw the blonde fox as he picked himself off the wall and walked over to where he was. Looking dissatisfied, the ironman turned to his analysis. "The name is Ebon Jett, retired Huntsman of Vacuo, although he became one rather late at the age of twenty-five. He simply appeared one day, destroying Grimm at an alarming pace, and was given a license."

"But it seems you were correct." Ironwood continued as he gave Blake a quick nodding glance." He seems to have a regenerative semblance since his wounds will eventually always heal and leave scars. Even vital areas don't seem fatal, but he has never had a massive head injury or anything that has struck the heart on his record. He cannot regenerate lost limbs, it would appear. When he first appeared twenty years ago, he was missing his right eye and left arm. He had the most unusual automail attachment ever seen before, and to this date, I've never seen anyone replicate it. He has a cannon on his left arm. Mostly because I've never seen anyone crazy enough to want a cannon on their arm and that is strong enough to deal with the recoil that entails."

"Surprise cannon, you say... Interesting. It means his fighting style likely reflects that, and he is willing to take damage if it means he thinks it will give him an opportunity for a better strike and can end the battle then and there," Naruto commented, for it sounded like this man would be a formidable opponent.

Joining around the analysis desk beside her mate, Blake frowned as she read what was on the file. "Seems like the man hunted Grimm nearly nonstop for years. When did he take breaks? It seemed like he took mission after mission. I think I can understand an early retirement after that kind of lifestyle, but that doesn't explain the need for money… He should be set after slaying the many bounty Grimm."

"Keep reading. It will make more sense." Ironwood frowned as they typically would only have access to his hunter bio, and he dug a little deeper in this instance even before mentioning he was connected to Salem.

One thing he firmly agreed with Naruto on and the formation of his Fallen Leaves was that streets need to be kept clean. He hated the drug problem and always found it a blight on society and was of no fault to those who were afflicted and affected by them. Those creating, distributing, and profiting from it were the culprits. And as long as they made money, they would keep doing it…

And now, with some of these drugs, it just seemed like they were intent on being more addictive and warped the mind even worse than before…

Frowning as Ruby, Weiss, and Winter huddled together and scanned the bio, Blake kept reading as she heard her mate snarl. Scanning through it, she slowly began to unravel the puzzle. "Oh, by the Brothers…"

"A simple enough story. Falls in love, retires on all the lien he has earned with a Huntress he ran into, and sparks fly. Seems like a happily ever after." Naruto's ears started to droop as he finished. "It never is… She died in childbirth... Their daughter was born two months early… And never was a healthy child, always fighting and struggling to survive every step of the way as everything that could turn wrong with her did…."

"And now she is Salem's vessel, and she is wrapping him around her finger until she can regain her strength," Naruto growled loudly at the end as Ruby and Weiss gasped at everything they heard, and Winter's eyes narrowed. "Okay, I officially place Salem way lower than Oz. He's a prick, but that's just a whole new level of low."

"If Salem spoke to you directly from the girl's body, she willingly allowed it. Tealle will have most of the control over the coming years. A merger takes years. Ironwood informed him of Ozpin's usual issue, or at least what he had heard about it in case it happened again and they needed to find him. "I doubt hers will be too different. It seems that if she is willing to let Salem in control, they have already come to an agreement, which is worrisome."

"Lovely…" Naruto growled as that was fantastic information to be given now, but in fairness, he didn't expect to just run into Salem until she was ready again.

This was way ahead of time for her to make an appearance.

"We have his reasons, and now we have a motive. We also know he will make many appearances from now on, so we must be better prepared and ready for him. She's pulling her trick again to where I couldn't sense him…." Naruto started before Ruby pointed to something on his bio with her eyes wide. "What are you… Are you kidding me? I didn't sense him because of something she did… It's because I can't sense him! I struggle to detect Jaune's aura half the time!"

"He almost has no aura! What is this man?! He flat-out overpowered Ruby's semblance and shockwave with just a swing of his sword with one hand!" Blake hissed as her eyes narrowed, and she remembered how easily they were handled.

"A monster… I don't feel embarrassed anymore about just being casually backhanded anymore." Weiss was shocked at everything they had discovered and heard what had happened to Ruby and Blake.

"No," Naruto replied as he looked at the bio for a while longer saying that with a frown. "He is a man. A driven force that kept pushing through every obstacle put in his path in his life. He's struggled to his point, and he is still struggling as he's fighting to save his daughter but now…."

"I don't think he knows she is too far lost. He's struggling against a fight he can never win."

---

In what seemed to be a relaxation room with several patients inside, a certain blonde hair girl sighed as she wore a simple orange sleeveless tank top that didn't do much to contain her bust and short black shorts as she leaned back and stretched on the couch while watching the TV.

On it was the news about the Rainbow Hotel incident last night, and she grimaced. The one time she was unavailable for her team, something went wrong. Their target…

Sighing, she ran her hand through her long hair before she heard a buzzer that usually sounded like someone was coming in. That meant someone was being admitted, voluntarily or not, or a guest was visiting.

So curiosity got the better of her, and she turned around to see as did the few other patients here in the ward.

And Yang immediately jumped up from the couch upon seeing who it was while a red and black blur started running in her direction.

"Yang!"

"Wow, your guy's night sucked without me. Wished I wasn't stuck in here for another night or two." Yang frowned as she saw her friends come to visit her at the safe house, and she caught Ruby as she ran up to her, and they embraced. "Ah, I missed you too, Rubes. Anything else that's not on the news that happened I should know about?"

"Scheduled dinner with mom," Ruby muttered and stumbled under her breath, and that immediately caught Yang's attention as the two slowly broke their embrace.

"What now?" Yang blinked incredulously at those words and let them sink in for a moment as she looked at her little sister. "Okay… Did you schedule dinner with my mom? Oh, by the Brothers, it's for when I get back in a day or two, isn't it? …I don't want to come home now."

"Yang, deal with your mother. Someone has to before Blake kills her." Naruto grinned as he walked over with Blake and Weiss, the faunus narrowing her eyes at her mate for the joke before she gave a warm embrace to the dragoness.

"Oh no… She's attracted to Naruto too… Wow. Thanks for fucking my day." Yang grumbled as she broke her embrace with Blake before noticing Weiss' bruise and grimaced as she accepted her hold. "Girl, we got to work on your dodging or something… Make-up isn't covering that one."

"Shut up. We're here for you, not this stupid thing." Weiss tightened around Yang's neck in the embrace in annoyance before letting go and smiling at her friend. "Are you doing okay?"

"Better. I am not okay, but it's a start, and I can work from there." Yang sadly smiled back at the group around her. "According to them, my stress has been out of control despite how much I vented my frustrations... I bottled it up and let it out violently all at once. But bottling it up has been the problem, and it finally… My brain had enough, forcing me to deal with it externally."

"I also have started to develop hemophobia, or the sight of blood can be a trigger for me now, so that's lovely… Someone who loves to fight and brawl, and I now struggle with the sight of blood." Yang sighed as Naruto frowned, hearing someone close to him struggle with that issue before her lilac eyes turned to him. "What, no hug? Everyone else gave me one, and I think you already know my issue now…."

"Fair enough," Naruto reached out to embrace the younger dragon before letting her go. "Funny thing about the hemophobia thing is I might be able to help you with that. My adoptive grandmother had the same issue but could work around it and overcome it, and she was very much like you when she fought up close and personal. She also worked with blood almost on a daily basis as she was in the medical field, and I had to ask her how she dealt with it around it."

"Oh," Yang frowned as she sat down on the couch in the room as the others joined her in their visit. "So it's not something that just fades away, is it…"

"No, you can overcome it, but it will always be there in the back of your mind, and that fear will always be present, and it can trigger at any time," Naruto explained, as it was something he had talked to Tsunade about when he noted that she still struggled with her healing techniques when blood was heavily present.

Hanging her head at that as if it was just another thing to add to her pile, Yang decided to look at the positive aspect of things. She looked back up with a smile. "At least there is a bright side. I don't have to do this alone; everyone is here with me."

"You never had to." Blake frowned as she sat in a separate chair, as did Naruto, while Weiss and Ruby were on the couch with Yang. "We're not only friends but… We agreed on this together, didn't we? That we wanted to start our own lives together, building a better future for everyone… And that starts with us first."

"Right. If we can't take care of each other first, how can we take care of everyone else?" Weiss spoke softly as she looked over at her blonde-haired partner and smiled. "Besides, we are stronger together. We need everyone at their very best, so let's ensure we are taken care of first."

Everyone nodded in agreement, but one individual grinned wryly.

"And we missed you." Ruby nodded in agreement as she smiled at her sister before an evil grin spread across her face that caught her sister's attention. "Yang…"

"I don't like that look." Yang narrowed her eyes at her sister and knew her sister had found something of hers, which meant she was digging through her things and she was in massive trouble for that or… "What did you find?"

"I know a secret." Ruby chirped as she looked sweet and innocent again, but it only made her sister twitch as she knew this ploy very well over the years.

It always led to her getting screwed over in the end. Or being blackmailed. Or being conned into doing something she didn't want to do.

Ruby was a sly devil under that sweet exterior she presented.

"Oh my god, she is evil." Naruto blinked at the sight before him while Weiss only nodded as she had begun to see more of this side recently, only once or twice in the dorms, and Blake had never seen it as she was always out when they appeared.

"Ruby, if you were digging in my things again, I'm gonna melt Crescent Rose into scrap iron," Yang growled, and Ruby's eyes snapped to her angrily at the mere mention of harming her already damaged baby she needed to repair.

"I haven't!" Ruby said defensively as if she had been doing that, her silver eyes glaring defiantly into her sister's lilacs before she stuttered in a sing-song way. "But I know a secret."

"Rose, what do you want?" Yang growled as she knew exactly what her sister was trying to get out of her, and she didn't want to deal with it right now.

Ruby grinned as Yang's eyes narrowed, and Naruto could feel Ruby was just doing this to taunt her older sister now. She had no intention of telling her what she discovered, and while it was funny to watch…

"Yang, about the other day." Blake broke the tension and snapped the blonde's focus away from her sister's teasing as she stood up and wanted to talk to the blonde away from everyone else. "Can we, you, Naruto, and I, talk about it now?"

"Oh, that… Right. If you guys can wait here…." Yang remembered what she had admitted before standing up herself. "Okay, um… I can't take visitors out of this area, but we can talk at the chess table. No one is there."

"Or I can take Ruby over there, and you guys can discuss whatever it is you need over here," Weiss commented as it seemed they were missing something significant, but the look on Blake's face was rather serious, and they didn't want them to hear what was about to be talked about.

So it was very personal between them, and if it involved Naruto…

Weiss grimaced. She had an idea as she stood up, and Ruby reluctantly did the same before the two proceeded to the chess area to play a game. Yang and Blake sat back down, the former's head looking straight to the floor while the latter's golden gaze focused on the blonde dragon. "Blake… I know what I said…."

"That's perfectly natural. We probably should have done some testing and are to blame for that..." Naruto responded sheepishly, admitting his sound dampeners had failed that night, and they thought everything was going to be okay. "I failed. I open the door to this issue... What stands out is that there was a door. When did this even start?"

"I'm sorry..." Yang still couldn't look at either of them at this point; she was too embarrassed as she looked over Blake's feet. "As I told Blake... I think our first sighting was in the forest, and I've kind of known since then. When we first started rooming together… I was trying to get everyone together to do things as if we were a team, but I wanted to spend time with you to get to know you better."

"And I was extremely jealous that you spend so much time over at Naruto's, and I wanted that time to be with us and, more specifically, me as you were supposed to be my partner," Yang admitted with a sigh before she laid back and the couch and threw her head back and gave a short laugh. "The irony is that I devoted so much time hunting him down, trying to learn his techniques and how he got so strong that I became infatuated with both of you as you became a couple…."

Staying silent for a moment and letting that sink in, a deep breath was inhaled. Yang's lilacs were drawn into Blake's golden eyes as she spoke with a gentle tone filled with ascendancy. "Yang, you are my friend, and I love you dearly, but not in that way. In a way, it is flattering… But at the same time, I'm a bit put off by it. We're just friends, we never had a relationship like that, and my heart belongs to Naruto, you know."

"And I love Blake just as much. My love for her is what kept me from turning into a Grimm. So my heart is forever hers. I'm sorry if that's not what you want to hear, but… We love you as our friend, but we need to clarify our stance as you were starting to tread into those waters." Naruto stated as he looked at Yang on the couch and clarified their intentions.

Looking at the mated couple in front of her, biting her lip, Yang nodded as she had been thinking about this for the last few days. But with a deep sigh, she accepted their decision and her eyes glistened with a few tears beginning to build. "Okay…"

"Is it okay that I can hug you?" Blake asked before Yang nodded, and she moved to the dragoness, sat down next to her, and embraced her to comfort the blonde. "You are always going to be our friend. This is a boundary we just needed to set, okay?"

"I know…" Yang sniffled as she held onto her friend for a short while, letting her warmth comfort her before finally pulling back and sighing. "But for what it's worth… I think we would have been a good couple."

"It could have. But together, you do look like a bumblebee." Naruto grinned as the two detached from one another and gave the fox heated stares.

Both then rolled their eyes as Yang flipped him off. Blake gave Naruto a knowing look that led him to know he was in trouble.

He knew this would not end well for him.

---

"Blake…" Naruto commented as he lay in the burning sand of midday while he looked at the sky above on the beach with their house just off in the distance, welts covering his arms and legs. "Can I ask you something?"

In response, he heard a muffled hiss as Blake lay face first in the burning sand. Her welts looked much more painful. She then, with much strain, rolled over onto her back beside him. She gazed into the midday sky and was glad it was a rather cloudy day, so the sun was searing their eyes. "That really depends right now… If it is about my mom, you can forget about it… Fucking bitch."

Laughing at her grumbling at the end, he coughed a tiny bit and she smacked her arm in the chest before leaving it there, unable to move it while enjoying his warmth as she snuggled against him. Regaining control of himself, Naruto shook his head. "Not it's not about her exactly… It's about your family in general."

"What?" Blake turned her head and looked at Naruto as he gazed into the sky before she thought of what might be bothering him. "Are you that worried about accepting you?"

"Kind of yeah…." Naruto sighed as he admitted, looking away from the sky and looking into Blake's loving golden eyes. "I feel this all is just sudden and rushed. We weren't expecting them, and everything happened so quickly…."

Naruto's words were stopped short as he felt his lips be brought into Blake's, and for a moment, everything ceased mattering. His eyes closed as he enjoyed the taste of her lips that he would almost compare to black cherry even though she didn't wear lipstick. The feel of her rough tongue pushing against his sent shivers down his spine every time, and how her hands trailed to his ears and whiskers and softly caressed them…

It didn't matter that he felt exhausted. He had rolled on top of her, and her golden eyes shone brilliantly into his as she mewled under his touch. He let his hands do the work as she adjusted herself underneath. Both growled momentarily before Blake purred contently and playfully nipped at mate's human ear lobe, and her hands ran through his hair and caressed his fox ears.

Her purrs echoed into his ears as she shuddered and nibbled for a little before she had enough. Blake wanted what was hers and pulled his lips back to hers. Naruto didn't mind if she twisted and tugged on his ears slightly. The pain only added to the stimulus, and feeling her warmth pressing against his, her sweet taste, and those golden eyes looking so longingly into his eyes as she couldn't help but break their kiss and unleash the roar building inside of her…

It was everything he desired.

She was everything he wanted.

As she lay beneath him panting, her golden eyes gleaming in satisfaction, she nipped at his throat and growled at any attempted movement. "You're staying right there until I've calmed down, or we're doing this again. I needed that."

"I can tell." Naruto breathed heavily as he looked down at the beautiful, sweating form beneath him. "However, I feel like you kind of cheated your way out of my question."

Nuzzling against her mate coyly, Blake grinned momentarily before she gazed into his cerulean eyes as she twisted fingers through the spiked locks of his hair. "Did I or did I prove my point that my choice matters more?"

"Because I love you, and they will accept that and respect my choice," Blake said confidently as she closed her eyes and smiled as her ears perked up. "They have only been around you for a couple of days under some strenuous circumstances, and still, you are proving just how good of a person you are."

"I can tell you for a fact mom wouldn't have been out here whipping you if she didn't like you." Blake smiled as Naruto scowled at that before her eyes widened, and she howled as he moved, and she glowered at him as he rolled off her. "You asshole!"

Simply adjusting himself and his clothing as she twitched before doing the same, Naruto shook his head while ignoring her heated glare. "Okay, fair enough, but you also had a call with her to discuss me, so I think she knows me a little better from your perspective, at the very least."

"You think she wouldn't tell my father any of that?" Blake raised her eyebrow at Naruto, and he simply tilted his head momentarily before nodding while she took a breath and sighed. "Dad is just very protective, overly cautious, and a skeptical man. Considering he's been the leader of White Fang twice now and the chieftain of Menagerie, those are mandatory traits."

"And believe me, he would have told you if he didn't like you the moment you met and might have done more if he felt you were unworthy. Trust me on that." Blake smiled and lightly giggled at her mate's reaction seeing Naruto look a little frightened. "I had a few suitors despite feeling committed to Adam back then, and he frankly told each of them off and even ran one off as he was a jerk. His being open towards you means he respects my choice but also saw something in you the moment he met you."

"So, believe me when I say that you don't need to be worried about being accepted. Given enough time, I think even dad will come to think of you as his, and that terrifies me as I think mom already does." Blake shuddered to realize that was why they were even out here. "She wouldn't be teaching you how to wield a traditional blade if she didn't… Not after everything that happened before."

"Yeah, that reminds me… The fuck is your mom!" Naruto twitched before Blake's hair stood on end as she hissed at the question. "How the hell does she move that elegantly with a kendo stick and strike that hard?! I felt that even when I was channeling natural energy! Just what the hell?!"

"That's… Just called a mother disciplining her child when they performed poorly, sweety." Both paled and slowly turned around to see Kali standing behind them, smiling brightly with a kendo stick at her side.

Then her golden eyes turned very serious as her feet gracefully slid in the sand, and she brought the kendo stick before her. "Hearing you have so much energy still made me realize we could continue our session for a while longer. I think Ghira dear can handle cooking for once if he cleans his mess."

"Blake..." Naruto's cerulean eyes turned to his mate's golden eyes filled with horror. "I've never felt this terrified in my life before."

Knowing everything her mate had ever been through and how much that statement resonated with her, Blake recognized she was at fault for alerting her mother to what they had done. Her eyes bugged in and out with terror filling her as she slowly rose, stumbling and wobbling, for her legs still weren't a hundred percent yet. She slowly picked up the kendo stick first to spare her mate the brunt of the punishment.

Kali's eyes gleamed brightly seeing this action, and she focused on her daughter. Pride filled her seeing this very act, but…

"I love to see that my child… But it won't save you. Now let's begin. Your stance is still too weak!"

---

"Is that Blake screaming?" Weiss commented as she and Ruby decided to join the Belladonnas for lunch, only for Kali to have left and strangely ask her husband to take care of lunch.

Ghira flinched as he knew exactly what that sound was. However, he knew his wife's excellent hearing caught something she didn't like and marched down to teach a lesson. So he found himself in the kitchen with the most important task of his life before him.

To not destroy his daughter's and her mate's kitchen or have to clean it up.

They already were dealing with enough.

"No…" Ghira casually lied and shook his head as he could make something simple, but the temptation to fry up that raw steak was too tempting. "I mean, it was my daughter, but she always yelled at her mother during training. I figure that hasn't changed too much."

"Sounds like screaming," Ruby commented, frowning at her stuttering as it was frustrating before noticing it now sounded like a male scream that belonged to Naruto.

That would have worried her, but looking at the scene before her, she tilted her head at the panther as he paused in the kitchen. He looked wary of what he was doing. She was confident that the two outside would be okay.

At least Naruto. Blake could maybe disappear, and then perhaps she could… No, that was too much. She was her…

Shaking her head at her disturbing thoughts, Ruby blinked at the large man. "Are you okay?"

Ghira could only chuckle. "I must admit… I'm not the most skilled in the kitchen. I always leave a massive mess in my wake, and despite how tasty everything tastes, it doesn't end up being worth it in the end… I don't want to leave their kitchen looking like a natural disaster hit it."

"So… You don't want it to look like the last time they decided to let Yang cook here," Weiss commented, and Ruby snickered at the colossal mistake that was and how long they made her sister clean up after herself. "We can assist and clean up as we move along if that will help move things along?"

"Oh, thank the Brothers. I'm not the only one capable of such destruction," Ghira commented with relief, as it made him feel better knowing that others couldn't cook and not leave a massive wake of devastation behind them. "That would be most appreciated. As I said, I am confident in cooking… Just not what is likely to be left after."

"So better than sis." Ruby grinned, and Weiss snickered; even the large faunus could only smile, which boosted his ego. "I help her all the time."

"Ah, thank you both. This should make things go smoothly then." Ghira laughed as the two came in while he pulled out the steaks and before searching for a pan to sauté them on. "Well, since I'm preparing to sauté, why not potatoes? They cook up well that way."

Nodding in agreement, Ruby found the potatoes and grabbed a knife and a chopping board before she started washing them. She also counted how many she thought they might need considering there would be at least seven. "Do they eat with us?"

"Oh, my guard? No, they have their setup and food supply, so they're all set. Just the seven of us." Ghira commented as Weiss rifled through the fridge and into the crisper to take out some carrots and celery before getting her cutting board and knife. "Good call. Delicious, well-balanced meal."

"Thank you" Weiss smiled and hummed to herself after washing off the vegetables as she began to make healthy proportion slices as if she had done this many times like a professional.

However, as he waited for the pan to heat up and grabbed the vegetable oil, he couldn't help himself but note how odd it was that she, the heiress of the Schnee Dust company, was so comfortable around not just faunus but him at the very least given his history with her father. The now once again leader of the White Fang. They were the so-called enemies of the Schnee family for so long.

"I find it curious," Ghira said as he applied a smaller amount of oil to the pan, so it was starting to brown. "How was it that you, of all people, are so comfortable? I cannot imagine this to be easy for you considering your upbringing."

"It's not… Everything is unfamiliar, and at times it is terrifying." Weiss honestly spoke her mind as she chopped her vegetables. "I have struggled with everything since the start of coming to Beacon and meeting with Ruby, Naruto, and Blake. Ironically we met on the least favorable of terms, and yet now I see them as my closest friends, and it all started with Naruto just being himself and protecting someone as I was ranting and raving about Ruby tripping into all my extra Dust…."

"Ever since then, I started learning how the world worked for myself and… I hate it." Weiss stopped her chopping as she looked down, and her eyes glistened coldly. "I finally saw things from the other perspective. I saw the senseless hate. The law only seems to hurt those at the bottom, and the rich get slaps on the wrist unless they have done something truly heinous. I finally understood what that hate meant to those fighting against those that had oppressed them for so long."

"So I take everything I want to learn from it... and rebuild the Schnee name... Back to my grandfather's standard and wash the shame my father has stained it with." Weiss spoke with conviction as icy blues pierced into her space before she straightened up and returned to cutting.

"Geez, Naruto and his penchant for dramatic speeches have been rubbing off on me as well." Weiss laughed a little as Ruby nodded from her spot as she sliced through her potatoes rather quickly as she was a speedy one. "I will say both he and Blake have made it welcoming here, though… I never thought in my life I would be in a household of faunus making lunch but look at where I am now!"

Having been caught flatfooted by the girl's statement, Ghira could see a little bit of her father in her from how she spoke. But hearing everything she said, he gave a confident smile as he chuckled at that. "Fair enough. Never thought I would be cooking next to one of my eighteen-year-old daughter's best friends, who happens to be a Schnee, in her mate's kitchen. Life is full of surprises."

"Ah! Fire!" Ruby cried as the pan caught fire while no one was paying attention, and both Ghira and Ruby's eyes widened before she quickly came to the rescue by dashing to the cabinet with her semblance, grabbing a box, and then dumping a thing of baking soda all over the pan, extinguishing the flame. "Saved…"

"Okay… Let's pay more attention now." Ghira grimaced as the mess had already begun.

How he wished he wasn't a cooking disaster.

---

Lunch went by rather… Smoothly?

It had passed by without a major event happening, and Naruto counted that as a win in his book as he slowly ate. It was delicious, and he wanted to eat a little faster, but his arms were so sore that every movement was agony.

But he would take that over everything else right now…

Ruby was grinning and poking at a very annoyed and tired Blake, defiantly glaring at her mother, her eyes and ears twitching. She occasionally swatted at her teammate and hissed at her but did not break eye contact with her mother as if she was trying to establish dominance.

Kali seemed perfectly fine at ignoring her daughter's glare, striking up a conversation with Weiss. "Weiss, was it, dear?"

"Yes?" Weiss answered and was slightly caught off guard by Blake's mother as she was expecting to be brought into a conversation.

Kali smiled as she continued to ignore the heated glare of her daughter. "I know you probably hear this all the time, but I must say you are nearly a spitting image of your mother."

Weiss blushed at the compliment and was caught off guard before shaking her head. "I did but not that often. My older sister looks even more like her, so she hears it more often. She was presented as the heiress… She inherited more of my mother's looks than I did. And Whitley looks like my father as a child, and he is the boy he always wanted, so he always received all the praise…."

"Ah…" Naruto could sense both Ghira and Kali's displeasure at those words and wanted to change the subject as fast as he could. "So, Weiss, I am rather curious but is your semblance passed down… Who is calling me? I've already talked to Ironwood, Glynda, and Fawn, so… Oh no."

"You've got to be kidding me. Father? What else can go wrong?" Weiss sneered at seeing the name on Naruto's scroll as he groaned and took his scroll, painfully stood up, and walked back to his and Blake's room.

"Be back when I'm done with this…." Naruto growled as he disappeared into their room to answer the call.

Everything fell silent after he departed from the room, oddly enough. Perhaps it was because of who called. Or perhaps it was due to the negative feeling emanating from Weiss that even knocked Blake out of her attempted display of instinctual dominance.

Her eyes gleamed enraged as her body shook while she tried to take a bite, but she simply couldn't. She was upset now, seeing that he was still interrupting their lives. She just wanted a chance to live in peace for a moment without him being involved and taking over some aspect of her life! Or her sisters, brothers, or mothers…

Putting down her fork gently on her plate and taking a deep breath to calm herself, so her tone was pleasant, Weiss looked towards Kali and spoke. "How… Did you happen to know my mother by chance? Considering our family's history isn't the best with what happened thanks to the White Fang and how my father took over and dramatically raised the company stock in the last twenty-five years to the juggernaut that it is now…."

"I have been an activist for a long time, dear. The White Fang may have been in its infancy around the time when your father took over, but I've been fighting for civil rights since I was a teenager…." Kali began the story. "And Nicholas was one of the biggest faunus advocates even in his later years before time began to take him away from us, and he often showed up to protests to help in Mantle to help support our cause."

"And in the very same demonstration that I first met my eventual mate, I also came across your mother." Kali smiled as she gleamed at Ghira, fondly remembering that day before meeting Willow. "She was very kind and gentle when we crossed paths, but she was just so elegant, and her beauty seemed…."

"Otherworldly," Ghira commented as he knew where his mate was heading, for he had to admit there was truth to that statement. "It was a brief encounter if I recall correctly, but she was an upstanding individual at the time. And then…"

"My father convinced Nicholas to betroth my mother to him as he started to turn the family business around and made many sound business decisions." Weiss sighed as she knew the story of how her father came in, the son of another businessman in Mistral, turned this company around and into the most profitable in the world. "Soon after, grandfather's health started to deteriorate, and he became the company's president when Winter was still learning to walk."

Finishing those words, however, left a deep frown on Weiss' face and her eyes narrowed as she looked down at her food. It was so convenient too. If she didn't know any better, she would think that…

She snarled at the thought. The most frustrating part was she couldn't put it past her father. He might have done something! It was entirely possible!

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you by bringing up this conversation." Kali could see the anger boiling in the girl's eyes and her face reddening due to her pale complexion. "I only intended to point out that you inherited her elegance and beauty. That was all. Didn't mean to bring up any memories."

"It's okay… It helps me put things in perspective and reminds me of what I want to do further." Weiss' eyes glinted with determination as she looked over at Naruto's room, knowing whom he was speaking to before shaking her head and returning a smile to Kali. "But I do appreciate it. I'm sure mother would have loved to hear that."

Weiss tried to hide her sorrow with a smile at the end, but her words rang hollow. And Blake knew why after spending time with her, and her ears drooped.

Her mother was lost in her private world of alcoholism and ignored the real world as much as she could at this point in her life. She had accepted that her life was a sham.

Biting her lip as she looked at her mother and father sitting across the table from her. Looking at Ruby and Weiss, Blake felt ashamed of herself for running from home even if she thought the cause was worth it. Compared to her friend's home lives, hers was heavenly, and that was no disrespect to Tai, who gave his best effort to raise two daughters, with his brother-in-law by his side.

And now here she was, trying to make a loving and stable home life in front of them. She could only imagine what was running through each of their heads.

Blake sighed and hoped this day couldn't get any worse, but she felt it was about to. Naruto was on the scroll with the one person that could ruin her day even further…

And almost answering that, she heard her mate's frustrated yell from within their room, and she bolted up and into the room. She didn't care about waiting. She needed to know now what was wrong. If she could hear him through their sound-dampening walls, something was wrong.

There she saw Naruto had half thrown himself onto their shikibuton with his legs dangling off it and was staring aimlessly at the ceiling above. "I've come to the realization that if I am the Champion of Fate… She fucking hates me and wants me to be miserable."

Walking across the room to their futon, Blake settled herself in the same uncomfortable position beside her mate, since Blake had the distinct impression that whatever was happening was not going to be pleasant. So she tried to be strong and smile while nudging her mate but seeing his gaze not budge, she became perturbed.

"Naruto?" Blake worriedly responded as she slowly sat up on the shikibuton, frowning as he seemed very lost as he looked up at the ceiling and was deep in thought. "Love, come on. What was that about?"

"Nothing good… The worst thing imaginable." Naruto finally broke down; his voice quivered as he spoke. "I had a plan ready, and he changed the game on me just like that, and now I don't know what to do!"

"I was so focused on the ceremony here, thinking that was going to be the main event but… God dammit!" Naruto slowly rose to a seat and put his hands on his temples. "Just because of all this shit yesterday, he rushes and moves everything ahead of schedule and makes the ceremony just a fucking show for the masses when the real thing has already been taken care of!"

"What?" Blake's eyes widened as her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach, and fear gripped it tightly. "No, don't tell me…."

"Weiss! Come in here! You need to hear this!" Naruto called for Weiss, knowing she was listening and involved with the situation directly. "Close the door behind you. Sorry, Ruby. Later."

Treading in carefully, feeling she was almost intruding on something she shouldn't be, Weiss silently apologized to a very annoyed Ruby as she fumed outside the room. She wanted to be part of the discussion. This was personal. They would tell everyone together after they dealt with the issue together.

"If I understand the tone in the room correctly, he is trying to capitalize on the wedding at the end of the festival to create publicity and profit. Yet do not leave anything to chance..." Weiss frowned, her tone disapproving, but she knew how her father operated. "And my greatest fear has come true… We're heading home soon, aren't we?"

Naruto faked a harsh smile that made both Weiss and Blake cringe as he lathered on the sarcasm when needed. "Yeah, we're off to Atlus next Wednesday to be privately wed honey before taking a three-day private cruise, so I'll be rested and relaxed before my big opening match to start the Vytel Festival! It's almost as if he's giving us much alone time on purpose, if you catch my drift!"

Weiss' face and the horror of what her father had just orchestrated caused her knees to lose strength as she lost the will to stay upright. She fell to her knees, tears beginning to build. "That's next week! We were preparing for the end of July so that we could fake a wedding here where we had the layout and everything! What do we do now?!"

Jumping from the futon, somehow no longer bothered by all the welts and bruises her mother inflicted, Blake grabbed Shroud's magnetic sheath as she growled. "If no one else will make the call, I am… I'm doing the deed myself!"

"That's my father! No matter how much of a scumbag he is, no! No, you are not!" Weiss screamed at the top of her lungs as she jumped to her feet and ran to stop Blake while Naruto moved to intercept both of them, ready to make sure neither a fight started, nor Blake left the room at this point. "I don't want any of this either, but if you think for a second I'm about to stand by and let you walk out of here and take his life, FUCK YOU!"

Everything grew deadly silent as golden eyes crashed into icy blues. It looked like Blake was ready to push past Weiss for a moment. However, she stood her ground and continued her impassioned speech as she glanced over at Naruto for a brief moment.

"You are my friend, and I know you love Naruto, but I love him too!" Weiss spat back as her icy blues clashed with Blake's goldens, and she snarled at that statement that startled the faunus and made her stumble backward. "Out of everyone, he was the first person to treat me with dignity and respect, not because I was a Schnee, but because I was just another person, and my world was upheaved when I realized that! Whenever things started going wrong, he comforted me! But really…"

"The first time I met him, I became conflicted as I knew something was off! It just took me so long to realize!" Weiss cried as she stared into Blake's eyes in anger. "That very moment he dropped down to protect Ruby and utter those words… Those same words he first said resonated something within me and reminded me of something my grandfather said in his more lucid moments!"

"When something is wrong, we rise, stand up for what is right, and fight for those in need! To give everything, we have to do what is morally just!" Weiss panted as she let her raw emotions flow through her. "That's not what you are doing right now! You are acting purely in your own self-interest. The appropriate course of action is to make sure my father pays for what he has done, his crimes come to light, and he is put in jail for the rest of his life! We have the contract! We have the assassin testifying to all these people who are his associates!"

"We have him on the ropes..." Blake began to realize before slowly putting down Shroud, and tears began to fall freely. "I... Apologize... I... Weiss... Naruto... I can't keep this up for much longer. I can't. This hurts too much! I just want this to be over and done with!"

Moving to his mate and embracing her, Naruto made room as Weiss also came and hugged her. "I know… I believe we all do at this point. Nevertheless, I think he just outplayed us here, since I think there isn't enough time to get this moving right now. I'd have to find a lab and bring one down within a week…."

"Then leave it to the team and me." Blake shuddered in their grasp before her golden eyes wisped with determination as she found her strength once more as she enjoyed the warmth of her mate and... "The man keeps treading where he shouldn't. Soon as we get word where a lab is, I'll take a team, and we'll head there. We bring one of those down and get the person behind it. The dominos will follow."

"But that still will take time and…" Weiss frowned as she realized where she was and let go of Naruto and Blake. "That means we have to disrupt the wedding somehow or….. Proceed through with it. But how does that even… By the Brothers, does my father understand what he's doing?! If that happens, there is nothing we can do! Divorce wouldn't be an option due to how much attention he has placed on this... Fuck!"

"He got me again by just moving ahead of schedule, so yeah, I think he does, and you're right," Naruto growled as his ears twitched angrily as he released Blake as he sat on the shikibuton and grumbled. "Fate might guide him in some fashion, but his resourcefulness and planning still get us."

"But if he's acting like this, that means he is part of this group, and they acted against his wishes and did this despite announcing you as part of his family…." Blake's eyes widened as she connected to something Naruto had said earlier. "You said he was doing this to protect his assets… He's doing this to safeguard you! You're the asset, Naruto! If by this early he thinks in some way it protects you from the rest of this group by putting the Schnee name on you…."

"Blake's right… They'll most likely stop, as father is the strongest influencer in the world! Whoever controls the most amount of Dust controls the most amount of power… And that's what my father truly is. Money and power are the most vital resource in the world!" Weiss placed her hand on her head and groaned for not realizing it sooner. "This is all just a power play to him. He wants Naruto because he is the strongest and will sire the strongest heirs. Race be damned!"

"Schnee always inherited the Glyph semblance and… We all have white hair and pale skin complexion. I have been told that my grandfather's father was the same as that of his mother and the lineage before her. " Weiss felt faint, and Blake helped her sit up on their futon bed. "I feel so sick right now."

"Think we all are," Blake growled as she sat beside her and put her hands in her face. "I hate your father so much… But this is our most sensible plan, as it will ruin him in the long run. We don't have the time, and our original plan has gone out the window."

"Way out the window… So much using an illusion on you to make you look like Weiss and marrying you in front of thousands of people… Would have been fun." Naruto groaned as he rubbed his temples in annoyance.

"I'm sorry…." Weiss quietly frowned and looked down as she felt guilty for her father's actions. "He's a nightmare that has done this my entire life, and now he's doing this to people I call my friends and love the most…."

"Hey, don't be sorry about something you can't control." Naruto wrapped his left arm around Weiss' waist and offered her a soft embrace. "You can only control what you do, and you've been amazing at that. As much as Yang preached about not wanting to get involved, boy, did she cross some lines recently… And Ruby's my stalker now, so…."

"This was chosen against your will, and I appreciate everything you've done and how you still respect our boundaries despite your personal feelings… Which I want to address." Blake smiled as Weiss looked up at Naruto and smiled before looking over to her and grimacing at those words when she sighed. "I'm about to sound like a fucking hypocrite for what I told Yang earlier…."

"Blake?" Naruto could sense a slight unease in his mate but did not like what direction this was leading. "Wait, I don't agree with this…."

"I know… But I am fine with it if it just gets this all over with, as I'm done with dealing with it repeatedly. I said this hurts too much, and I want it done and over with!" Blake hissed before her golden eyes focused on Weiss' confused icy blues, with tears beginning to form in her eyes. "With this current situation, I realize we're in dire straights. If all is lost... I will give you my consent to marry my mate in a week's time. This is because, unlike both Ruby and Yang, you always tried to keep to yourself and stayed out of our personal life despite having those feelings. And while I knew you harbored feelings for my mate from before, I didn't realize where it stemmed from, and it isn't just a silly idolization or some attraction."

"You were reminded of something that mattered deeply to you, and it began to build and form something greater within you... That was genuine love." Blake began to cry while biting her lip as she did not want to cede her love to her mate but realized another loved him just as much as she did. "And something you said really hit home about how selfish I was... About wanting to take care of your father, it was just for my own good. Your right.". I wasn't even thinking about Naruto in that instance, and I'm ashamed, yet you were. You were the one caring about my mate, and I wasn't! All I thought about was myself!"

"Blake?" Naruto tried to interrupt his mate but she shook her head and growled as if she wasn't done. "Dammit, listen to me!"

"We can discuss this in a second!" Blake glared right back at Naruto before turning her gaze back to Weiss.

"…By no means does this mean I am conceding him as he is my mate and he belongs to me," Blake growled as she looked directly into Weiss' eyes and made herself crystal clear. "I realize our time is limited now, and things look dire. So stopping this doesn't appear to be in the cards now. So if it has to happen this way, by the letter of the law, you two will be a married couple, and I will have to live with that. I am simply sharing him as I understand how much he means to you, and given I know how big this doofus' heart is…."

"Will you quit your shit and listen!"

"Get it over it! We can discuss this later, as we are running out of options!" Blake hissed at the interruption from her annoyed mate as she was far more furious than he was before trying to finish with a softer tone for Weiss. "As I said, I know how big this doofus' heart is; given enough time… He'll find room to love more than just me. He still has a love for the one he left behind in his old world, so I can only imagine he can find room for you."

"Blake!" Naruto yowled at his mate and tried to get her attention as he was not happy with anything she was saying as it clashed with what they had previously set against Yang, and he quite honestly was very displeased by the whole ordeal as a whole.

He did not want this to happen, period.

He loved Blake, and that was the end of the story.

And seeing Blake defiantly glare back at him was not helping matters in the slightest. It was only pissing him off!

Stunned at what was being said to her, Weiss simply couldn't comprehend what Blake had just admitted to her, and it took a few moments to process it. She was being permitted to… Marry Naruto?

It seemed like it was in the scenario if they didn't have any other choice, but she was being given permission to seek her heart's desire, and Blake was okay with that… There was something she had to be missing here…

And that was the other individual in the room, as he had been on edge the entire time.

"Are you sure? I mean, I want to say yes, but… I know how much he means, but… Naruto's opinion should be valued too, and he doesn't look pleased..." Weiss began as she was happy as her heart skipped beats left and right, but then she saw Naruto stand up, and he walked away from them.

"Because I haven't agreed to this," Naruto growled, tears building as he slid open the door. "Fuck this. If I'm not getting to be heard, I'm out of here."

"Naruto?!" Blake jumped up from the shikibuton, but by the time she had reached the door, he had simply vanished without a trace.

All there was at the edge of the door was disturbed Ruby, that was left spinning at how quickly Naruto rushed past her and both her parents looking on in worry seeing the fox faunus disappear after they could hear the muffled sounds coming from the room.

Blake's ears drooped, and her eyes darkened as the world around her grew cold.

This entire time she just kept ignoring her mate's needs and focused on herself because she thought…

Grabbing her boots and sliding them on, she did not care if she could catch him or not. Instead, she ran out onto the beach outside and picked a direction, sniffed the air and caught his scent, and sprinted.

She was preparing to pursue. He was her mate, and she made a mistake.

"NARUTO!"

---

"Well… This is a surprise. I wasn't expecting a visit from you in a long time considering the last time we met… Was on a very dower day." A very dapper individual with orange hair in a white suit greeted a particular individual who entered their cell. "To what do I owe the pleasure of a visit this late at night?"

Placing a cane on the visiting desk, a blonde fox sat before the dapper man with his eyes aglow with a furious passion. "I was working some shit out, and I happened to find myself over in the area when I realized something… I need connections and couldn't think of a man more suited for the job… Hypothetically speaking, of course. Your sentence still has another four and half years, maybe less with good behavior."

"Ah, so that's it." Roman slowly took the cane before him and studied it longingly, almost grinning. "So, hypothetically speaking, what's this job entail? It pays to do my due diligence before ever accepting a job offer, so I don't risk sticking my neck where it doesn't belong."

"Oh, you know, the usual." A coy grin slipped onto the fox's face. "Taking to the one percent, showing them what's for… Tearing down their corrupt system all the while taking our glorious piece of the pie, distributing the rest to where it belongs, and establishing our regime… The old Robin Hood tale, if you would, but with my own personal twist to it."

"Oh-ho, that old song and dance." Roman couldn't help but laugh before sighing as he put the cane back on the desk and leaned back in his chair. "Well, this is all hypothetical and could happen in a few years. It's not like I'm getting out of here any time soon… But what would the deadline be for the said job?"

"It is an ongoing project, but the real rush came when we encountered an unexpected contingency. Now we have less than a week before I'm screwed and married to someone else. I have no answer for this problem and no connections to get me out of this." Naruto answered before growling at the end as he leaned back in his chair after laying out a contract on the desk.

"Fate keeps dealing you the worst hands." Roman grinned as he saw the contract, shook his head, and stood up. "Oh, you have gotten deep… But I think I got the gist of what's going on here. Too bad I'm locked up so tightly in this cell. I might call it a night and think about this offer for a while. I have all so long to ruminate on it."

"That you do, my friend… Have a nice night." Naruto sighed as he stood up, grabbing the cane but stopped before he did.

"You might want this," Roman called out and tossed a very familiar object to Naruto, who grinned as he caught it. "Might come in handy soon."

"Ah, that it will." Naruto grinned as he put it away into his trench coat, and he tapped the cane on the floor next to the table before he made his way out of the room. But as he did, he made a single-hand movement and formed a seal before he walked away, the cane nowhere in sight.

And in the room propped very discreetly against the table, it stood as Roman lay down to take his rest for the night. He was thinking about the offer he received.

He cockily grinned as he cracked his neck and popped it. "About time… Was starting to go crazy in here."

---

Night had fallen. She still couldn't find him anywhere. Her breath heaved heavily as she scoured the entirety of the island and the trail gone cold. His scent vanished as if washed over the waves…

Narrowing her eyes as she looked over the dark horizon to see an island in the distance, Blake growled in her throat. Could that possibly be? It would be secluded enough to where he might have fled to get away from everyone…

From her.

Why didn't she just listen?! He was trying to vent his feeling about the situation, and she just kept silencing him and expressing her opinion on the matter! After all the times, he would listen to her and…

"Blake!" Weiss' voice came from behind as the girl panted as she ran over, tired just as she was and just as fruitless. "I can't seem to find him anywhere… Do you think he ventured into town? It doesn't seem like something he would do when upset, but I don't know where else he would go. He does tend to channel his anger into his work, so maybe? I've never seen him like this before, though."

While she knew that made sense, she sniffed the air once more. For the briefest of moments, she caught his scent as a gentle wind breezed through the air, and her eyes narrowed. She wasn't sure why but she felt he was on the island.

"There, maybe?" Blake growled as she pointed off in the distance, and while Weiss couldn't make it out due to the darkness, she pulled out her scroll to see if there was another nearby island Patch, and indeed there were many smaller ones. "He may still be around... I just caught a whiff of his scent, so maybe that's where he is? He's not answering any of my texts... I wonder if he is out of service range. He hasn't answered my texts..."

"Oh, by the Brothers, he could be at so many of those… We'd never find him." Weiss wanted to cry as she pulled the map and her heart sank. "But I did see a small paddle boat that looked all right… Not sure how seaworthy it is…."

"It's fine," Ruby spoke as she appeared in a burst of rose petals, looking annoyed as she couldn't find Naruto before stammering. "Dad's fishing boat. Should make that."

"Never been there before, though…." Ruby frowned as the island didn't feel right to her, and to be honest, her dad never really ventured too far when he fished either, so she was guessing too. "Wait! Guard... told me... Fuck me!"

Ruby cursed as Blake immediately stormed for the boat, knowing where it was, and Weiss trailed after her, not wanting to be left behind. Growling as it was technically her dad's boat, she chased after the two. She was liable to get into so much trouble if they damaged it!

Blake had a single goal on her mind as she sprinted, her breath hitch in her throat. She just wanted to let her mate know she was in the wrong… And let him air out his grievances to her so…

So she could hear his voice even if he was still upset. To feel his presence even if he was still furious with her. To know that he was just okay and not drawn into the abyss or being pulled into some trap by Fate!

To know this wasn't something Fate had driven her to do!

Her heart clenched as she saw the shed the boat was in. She kicked it open, jumped to its side, and began inspecting its hull to ensure there weren't any breaches. Not seeing any obvious signs of damage, she began to drag it through the door as Weiss and Ruby joined to help.

All she wanted was to see him and know he was okay!

---

Parameters Set.

Target Incoming.

You Will Not Stop Me.

Go Fuck Yourself!

I Am the Allmother.

My Will Be Done.

Executing…

Termination.

NOT IF I CAN HELP IT!

---

Next Update is on October 28th.

A Halloween Special Treat from me to you.

A 50K Chapter so here's your ticket.

Get on the boat.

You'll be in for a hell of a ride.