A/N: Aha! Double update day! Even alone and with only one good hand -at the moment!- seems this old man's still got it.
Still feel like crap though...
WARNING! Please read this author's note first, would you kindly? Thank you!
We've got a Roman POV this chapter and its snarky as all hell with language and crass humor. Hope that doesn't offend anyone. Ack, fell behind on the update due to COVID and all that nasty stuff. Snow didn't help! I ain't digging through three feet of that shit. Not in the state I'm in. Nope, nope, nope! No, thank you!
This year just keeps hitting me -and everyone!- in the gut...we've all lost so many people...it just gets to me sometimes...
Still, here's the chapter you've all been waiting for. Despite crippling pain, I put my heart and soul into this chapter. This one's got a little bit of everything. Chaos, laughter, action, drama, even a bit of 'ol fashioned romance and the like in surprising places. Also, if you think NarutoxBlake is the only pairing in this story? Well, I mean it IS the main pairing, but who is to say other characters can't find a bit of love with one another? More on that later. You'll be pleasantly surprised, I assure you.
So, yup. This story will have plenty of pairings. Feel free to vote on them in your reviews. I'm all ears!
Right then, I think that's just about everything. I've kept you long enough. Shall we begin?
Title is a pun, of course. As ever, I own no references, themes, or memes.
I went full Yang this chapter. Never go full Yang.
Now, then! Awaaaaaaaaaay~!
"Guess you could say Blake found herself a new scratching post. Eh? Eh?"
"Xiao-Long! Cease your awful punnery at once!"
"Nah. Wonder if he's like catnip for her?"
"Yaaaaaaang~!
~Team RWBY.
Have a Little Pun (Interlude)
"You've done us a great service, Roman. Beacon thanks you."
The thief sketched a sweeping bow. "What can I say? I'm a people person."
Roman Torchwick was not a good man. He was not a decent man, either. Nor was he a loyal man.
Oh, he was perfectly devoted to himself and Neo, of course. There could be no greater faith than what one had in oneself and ones family. Roman was not a proud man, nor was he a scrupulous one. He would do whatever it took to ensure their survival. And if that meant turning his coat a time or two, fine by him. He'd betrayed his fair share of people already; defying Cinder was hand-in-glove for him by now. Giving her name and revealing all her sordid plans -alongside a picture of her face!- to Ozpin was just icing on the proverbial cake for him.
Just imagining the look on her face gave him a thrill as he savored another cigar. Heh. Blasted broad would be furious with him for this. Well, too bloody bad!
This wouldn't stop Cinder, of course. She'd try another way to get at the Maiden. Even if Ozpin himself chased her out of Vale she wouldn't give up. Bitch was persistent like that. If she couldn't sneak in as a student, nor hope hack her way into the Atlas mechs as planned, she'd rely on the White Fang and Taurus instead. For all the good that would do them. Numbers meant nothing when faced with that thing. He recalled a brief and vivid memory of masked men and women being crushed underfoot by a giant golden paw. A shiver stole over him.
Nope. All the nope. Not happening to him.
Ozpin was quite aware of Cinder's schemes now. Every last bit of them. Roman had been thorough. And why not? Anyone who could turn into a giant freaking fox was not someone Torchwick wanted to trifle with. He'd seen that horror firsthand. Fought him. Been picked apart like a rank amateur, him and Neo both. Power like that made Cinder Fall seem like a naughty child by comparison. Glowing eyes and flashy fireworks wouldn't do jack-shit against that behemoth. Beacon was clearly in its ascendancy now and he wasn't about to fight for the losing side.
For the tides were a' turning, and Roman had no intention of dying.
Coupled with that White Fang grunt -Deery, wasn't it?- sent by Belladona, his testimony was set in stone and their future secure. Anything less would have seen him rotting in the brig for the rest of his days. Good 'ol general Irondick certainly wouldn't bat an eyelash if he suffered an "accident" of some sort. That wouldn't be happening now. Roman had made himself useful. Valuable. Indispensable, even. Atlas might well turn their nose up at him, but the fact remained that he'd supplied them with vital information. Even now they were rewriting the code for the mechanized soldiers.
Ozpin rewarded his allies richly. For his "change of heart" Roman had been granted a full pardon and a million lien besides. Heh. Who said crime didn't pay?
But the scene unfolding before him now? This was priceless.
"Why are you here?! Why are you talking with Ozpin?! Why aren't you in jail?!"
Perched upon the headmaster's desk like a bird of prey, Neo rolled her eyes and crossed one leg over the other. One hand flicked out at their unwanted guest in what could only loosely be called a wave. The other dug a fresh scoop from the ice cream carton in her lap, which she quickly brought to her mouth. Her eyes closed in silent bliss.
Roman wasn't quite so high-minded. "Why, Red! You wound me! After all we've been through! I thought you'd be happy to see me again!"
He knew the girl's name, of course. Damn brat had certainly made an impression.
"No, no, no! You can't be here!"
Ruby Rose crawled backward like a drunken crab, shrieking all the while. Poor kid looked she was having a heart attack. He supposed it was too much to hope for. She kept crawling until her back hit the elevator and then tried to crawl up it. It opened behind her and for a moment, Roman wondered if she would dart back into it. But no, the rest of Team RWBY -minus the B!- came spilling out and pushed their leader forward. The girl made a keening noise between her teeth, but the stony expressions of her sister and the Schnee put paid to it. Ohhh, but they were seething to see him again.
To his credit, Ozpin tried to defuse the situation. "Miss Rose, do calm down...
Not a chance. The old man wasn't getting them out of this. Roman reveled in their anger.
"Nah, its fine. To answer your questions in order." he grinned and began to count off one hand. "One, because I work here. Two, because I want to. And three, because I'm fabulous." He touched one hand to his hat and sketched a low yet shallow bow to the three girls. "There we are. Satisfied?"
Weiss thrust a finger at him. "But you're a thief!"
"Am I?" Roman looked left. Roman looked right. Roman grinned. "I don't see a thief here."
Neo snickered silently and flashed a saucy wink their way.
"Why you...?!"
Yang growled and dared a step forward, lilac eyes flashing red. Neo hopped down to meet her with a smile. Her chin lifted in defiance as her parasol flicked out over one shoulder. They'd not fought before, but Roman was willing to bet his newly acquired fortune on his partner. Neo had cut her teeth on the streets. She was a killer, through and through. Tall blond and stacked over there? Not so much.
"That's quite enough." Ozpin rose from his chair before they could come to blows. "Miss Xiao-Long, they are not your enemies." His cane tapped once upon the floor when the girl raised a fist. Stand down."
"See?" Roman preened. "Told you. Just think of as...substitute teachers."
Ruby absolutely choked.
Ozpin sighed. "Must you antagonize them!"
"Yes, we must!"
Yang subsided with a snarl. "But sir! He's a thief! You can't trust him!"
"And that's three for three." Roman clapped his hands. "Why are you even here anyway? Ain't it past your bedtime?"
"Oh! Um...!" At this, the little hellion found her voice once more. "We came to ask you about Blake, we still haven't been able to find her...we were hoping you might know something."
"Right, right, you mean the kitty-cat." Roman took wicked delight in their sudden interest; even the Schnee was looking his way now, her frigid anger thawed by concern for her teammate. "An...associate of mine took her to one of the hospitals in the city. You'll probably find her there."
Team RWY descended upon him, demanding answers. He rattled off a number of places where they might search, all the while aware of Ozpin's gaze upon him. Bastard suspected something, of course. He was too cagey to simply trust anyone without proof. But that was just is. Ozpin couldn't prove anything. Not here. No one could. Thus distracted, the girl's concerns soon drifted to more mundane matters. He caught the tail end of a conversation as they scurried out of the office:
"Sooo, we definitely heard a guy's voice on Blake's scroll, right?"
Weiss scowled. "Yang. Don't."
"Guess you could say Blake found herself a new scratching post." The blond elbowed her thrice for good measure. "Eh? Eh?"
Of course, the silly Schnee sputtered at that. "Xiao-Long! Cease your awful punnery at once!"
"Nah. Wonder if he's like catnip for her?"
Ruby groaned. "Yaaaaaaang~!
He didn't even the brats and their fruitless chase.
Torchiwck watched them hasten back down the elevator, then made his own excuses to turn in for the night. Ozpin didn't challenge him.
Soon enough the elevator rose again for them once. Its doors creaked open, now unoccupied and thankfully free of noisy teenagers.
Roman would not say where Blake Belladona had truly gone; in part because he wasn't quite sure he believed it himself. It smacked of magic and myth, but he'd seen the truth with his own two eyes. He'd woken from a savage right hook just in time to see that big blond oaf take the girl into his arms and leap into a damn book. Literally! He wasn't making it up! He wished he was!
With a subtle smile, he touched one hand to his right side.
Said book was even now on his person, secured in a heavy leather binding against his hip. It was curiously warm against his coat. He'd not let the strange tome out of his sight since. Thankfully, no one had questioned him about it. If he started rambling about that, they'd think him mad. Mad meant being locked up again. No thank you! Even if they tried, his lips were sealed. He refused to speak of it. Was there another book on the other side? If so, it meant he could return at any moment, bringing that damn cat with him. Yes, The blond bastard would be back soon. Roman knew it in his bones.
It was only a matter of time.
Neo stole a knowing glance at him as they slipped inside the elevator. Roman laughed and tousled her hair, drawing a scowl from the petite girl.
The elevator doors closed on his smile, conceal the muffled peal of laughter that followed.
Roman beamed in the silence that followed. "Life's good, eh?"
She wriggled free and frowned at his waist.
"My thoughts exactly." he gave his belt a brisk pat. "No sleep tonight. Not for us. I wanna have a look at this book...
Opportunity was a knock-knock-knocking at the door, determined to be heard. Who was he to ignore her? On the contrary. Roman Torchwick was all to happy to open that door and unleash havoc. That blond bastard had already plunged the world into chaos, and he didn't even know it. Chaos was good. Criminals thrived in chaos. Chaos kept Cinder from hunting him down and exacting vengeance. If there were more like him...well, better the devil you knew than the one you didn't. Well. Devils in this case. He'd gladly sell his soul to see that bitch burn.
After all, revenge was a dish best served cold.
(.0.0.0.)
Blake found the Hidden Leaf Village beautiful. Big, too.
More a rambling city than a village, it was every bit as Naruto had described. More than that, really. All told, the village rather reminded her of Menagerie, if only in passing. There were people from all walks of life here; women and children, grizzled warriors and even the occasional civilian. Her hosts were most accommodating, if a bit...bemused by led her through worn streets and around winding alleyways, across towering rooftops and through the market proper, smiling all the while readily while pointing out places of interest.
"And that's Ichiraku, and over there's the academy, those are the stone faces, not to mention...
She looked up, favoring a glance at the mountain casting the village in its shadow. Towering stone faces loomed large over them all like great gods promising protection. From this angle, they almost seemed to be smiling. Surely that was her imagination. She couldn't even begin to fathom the amount of work that must've gone into their construction. To carve something so grand from the very mountain itself with nothing but the strength of one's one hand; it must've taken months, if not years.
It was so much to take in. Too much. Beacon had nothing on this.
Her world was awhirl; she had questions of course and he answered them readily.
Moreover, no one seemed to care about her Faunus heritage, though her ears did merit the occasional glance.
When asked about it, Naruto laughed.
"Wasn't too long ago we fought a mad goddess with horns." he mimed them with two wriggling fingers near his ears. "What're ears compared to that?"
"I suppose so." His words drew a soft smile to her lips, once that vanished as his words caught up with her. "Wait. You fought a god?!"
"Yup." he smacked his lips and crossed both arms behind his head. "I
Some took note of Gambol Shroud at her side and favored her with respectful nods. Others noticed her close proximity to Naruto and waggled their brows. The Elemental Nations were a far cry from Remnant, but gossip was the same everywhere. Much to Blake's dismay, her keen ears heard it all.
"Uzumaki finally got himself a girl, eh?"
"Shame about that Hyuuga, though. She'll be crushed...
"Too bad. Somebody's got to continue the family line. There's talk he'll be the Seventh Hokage...
If Naruto heard them, he said not a word. She caught his gaze from the corner of her eye. His smile seemed a little stilted now, a touch strained. Oh dear. He might've heard them after all. Golden eyes sought blue as they walked and both looked away. What was the saying humans liked to use? Curiosity killed the cat? Well, it wouldn't be killing her. Not if she had anything to say about it.
"I...wanted to thank you." the words tumbled out of her before she could hold them back. "For helping me back there."
"Hmm?" he squinted at her. "I already told ya, you don't need to do that. Anybody woulda done it."
Her expression clouded. "No. Most wouldn't. Not for a Faunus."
Naruto scoffed. "Then someone oughta give 'em a smack."
She looked up at him and something clicked.
Their hands brushed.
"My, my. You two don't waste any time, do you?"
Kakashi tittered softly behind them and they jerked apart. Blake burned to the very roots of her hair. Blast it all. She'd forgotten about their chaperones. So had Naruto, judging by his flush.
"I keep telling ya, its not like that!" he flung up his arms for what must've been the umpteenth time. "And why're ya followin' us?! I'm just showing her around!"
"Is that so?" his teacher's visible eye creased in mild amusement, much to his student's chagrin. "I must've misheard you...
Naruto tried a new avenue of attack. "Can you at least tell me what's being done about that damn book?"
A beat of silence. And then. "No idea!"
He sputtered. "But you wrote it!"
"And your point is...?"
"Aaargh!"
In all honesty, Blake was beginning to think his teacher was a bit of a troll. The mystery of the mysterious tome would not be solved so easily.
At least his teammates were nice.
Sasuke had been silent for the most part and Sakura, as she understood, was something of a healer; her efforts had seen her walking within a day. The pinkette favored her with a wry smile, but said not a word. Like it or not, she was as much an oddity to these people as they were her. While her semblance was casually dismissed as some sort of clone jutsu, her Aura was not. Much to her chagrin Kakashi had taken an interest in that -as well as her ears!- and not stopped hounding her about it since.
Yes, they were real. Yes, she could hear with them. No, you couldn't touch them. Ugh. She wanted to go home.
This place was lovely, but it wasn't Beacon. Time undoubtedly passed here, yet it felt strange all the same. But according to Naruto, only a few hours had elapsed in Vale. Did time pass slowly here? Could she use that? A tiny voice nagged at her, delighted by the possibilities. She should. This was a good place to train. A world without Grimm, where the people lived in peace as they pleased. She could become strong here. Strong enough to make a real difference when she returned to Remnant; though to do so would mean leaving her team behind. That didn't sit well with her.
A miserable look flashed across her face. Naruto saw it.
"Back to Beacon, then?" he asked.
"Not alone, I think." Sasuke arched an eyebrow. "I'd like to see this world of hers for myself. My search for Kaguya's remnants hasn't been fruitful as of late.
"Sure, if you can get through the damn book." Naruto shrugged. "We're still not sure how it works. They're trying to make a gate from it...
Blake made choking noises. Naruto was already dangerous enough.
But another monster like him? MORE?! In Remnant?!
Her world was not ready! Nope! Nope sandwich!
In the end, she had no say in the matter.
A/N: Felt lovely to write a more laid back chapter,
As ever, reviews keep this old man's engine alive, so I'll be looking forward to them.
Soooo in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review...Would You Kindly?
And enjoy the Previews!
As ever:
SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!
PLOT DETAILS AHOY!
YE BE WARNED!
Read at your own risk!
Ask yourself this. How screwed would Salem be if the Elemental Nations found a way to Remnant. Answer! VERY!
(Previews!)
Yang pounced.
"Alright, where is he?"
Blake hid the book behind her back. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Cinder blinked at the raging inferno of darkness. Once. Twice. Thrice, before she found her voice. "Emerald."
Her pawn straightened and stood at attention. "Yes, ma'am?"
...I do believe I just fell in love."
Adamn seethed.
This would not stand. No, it would not stand!
"Dance? Me? No no no bad idea!"
"Petulant child! I will tolerate your arrogance no more!"
Naruto clapped his hands. "Nope."
Cardin flew. Through the air, through a pillar, through a wall...
R&R~!
