Chapter 2: New Challenges
Amity Colosseum, 13:00 pm…
Nathan heard the cheers as he and Team RWBY entered the arena, taking Blake's hand as they headed to some seats.
He could sense Emerald and Mercury behind him, but paid them no heed as he squeezed Blake's hand, seeing his girlfriend look and smile at him as they finally found some seats.
Sitting down, Nathan pulled Blake onto his lap, hearing his girlfriend's giggles ring through the air.
"Nathan…" Blake said softly, sighing as Nathan kissed the top of her head.
"Nothing wrong with showering my amazing, beautiful girlfriend with the love and affection she deserves, is there?" Nathan asked.
"Save some of it for our date later on." Blake said gently. "We'll have plenty of time then."
Nathan smiled and kissed Blake once again before they settled down to watch the fight.
Nathan's smile widened as he watched his teammates take the field, against another team whose attire suggested they were from Vacuo.
"Team JNPR of Beacon!" Port called out over the PA. "Versus Team BRNZ of Shade!"
Nathan joined the crowd in cheering loudly as several holograms appeared around the arena, sifting through various environmental symbols that would dictate the environment that his teammates would be engaging BRNZ in.
They soon settled on two: forest terrain, and mountainous terrain.
Nathan noticed that one of the members of Team BRNZ had a sniper rifle, and frowned. These environments would be a wet dream for them.
"Hey… you okay?" Blake suddenly asked, drawing Nathan's attention.
"Yeah, I'm good." Nathan replied. "Just noticed that girl on Team BRNZ has a sniper. These environments are like a sniper's wet dream."
Blake nodded. "But if anyone can figure out a plan of action: It's going to be Jaune. Have some faith in your teammates, Nathan."
"I do." Nathan replied. "Just thinking about this tactically. Sue me."
Blake giggled as Ruby cheered loudly and Port started the countdown:
"Three, two, one… BEGIN!"
With Pyrrha…
"Come on, guys!" Jaune shouted as he and the rest of JNPR charged.
Pyrrha nodded as she joined her team, charging Team BRNZ, blocking a knee strike immediately from her opponent, a young man with dark purple eyes and short black hair that gradated to grey that was slicked towards his left.
She knew immediately she was fighting Brawnz Ni, the leader of Team BRNZ.
Brawnz then attempted to attack once again by throwing a left hook.
Pyrrha took care to block this with Miló, countering by bashing the leader of Team BRNZ with Akoúo̱, slashing at her opponent to follow up, only for him to dodge.
At this, Pyrrha managed to spot another member of Team BRNZ leap up into the trees, taking position.
Before long, the boom of a sniper shot rang out across the arena, and Pyrrha allowed herself to look, seeing the shot barely miss Ren.
Apparently Jaune noticed too, because his voice soon rang across the battlefield: "Retreat!"
At that, Pyrrha rushed to join Jaune, holding their shields behind them to block oncoming fire and cover Ren and Nora's retreat as they all took cover.
"What do we do?" Pyrrha asked Jaune, eyeing her team leader.
Jaune responded by looking over the rocks they were using as cover, as did Pyrrha.
Together, they both saw the rest of Team BRNZ rushing towards them.
"Spread out! Try to keep moving!" Jaune ordered, just in time to block a punch from Brawnz as the battle continued.
With Ren…
Ren leapt in front of one of Team BRNZ's members, a young man with messy dark red hair and pink eyes that was wielding some form of baton.
He watched as the guy turned and nodded, at which the sniper opened fire on him.
Ren ducked and dodged, leaping to the side just in time for his opponent to club him in the face with the baton. Grunting, Ren staggered away, but recovered just in time to attempt a spin kick, which his opponent dodged.
The guy promptly landed a sharp hit on Ren's left leg, unbalancing the ninja.
Ren spun around, and made to counterattack, only to feel his opponent jab the baton into his cut. At that, Ren spluttered as electricity arced through his body, before he sank to the floor.
Nearby…
"REN!" Nora shouted before eyeing the baton wielding member of BRNZ, charging him herself, swinging Magnhild at him in a wild arc.
He dodged, jabbing Nora in the gut with his baton as well, sending electricity arcing through her.
Only to see her give him a wide grin.
Over the PA, Port's voice echoed across the arena: "Oh-HO! Looks like one of my favourite students, Nora Valkyrie, is charging up to use her semblance!"
"What?" The member of BRNZ currently electrocuting Nora muttered, looking up towards the screen, on which Port and Oobleck were prominently displayed.
"Yes, Ms. Valkyrie's semblance lets her produce, as well as channel, electrical energy straight to her muscles!" Oobleck declared. "This allows her to jump explosively into the air, wield her mighty hammer, or, in this case, absorb Nolan's attack and send the young man flying!"
"WHAT?!" The young man, now known as Nolan, spluttered, looking towards Nora.
Nora grinned once again, flexing her muscles as pink electricity coursed through her, seeing Nolan attempting to back away, raising his arms in surrender.
At that, Nora leapt towards the baton wielding member of Team BRNZ, driving her hammer hard into his lower abdomen and indeed as Oobleck had said she would, sent the young man flying back, crashing through a rock.
Her ears then caught the sound of thunder booming overhead, looking to see a storm cloud appear atop the mountain.
"Nora! Get to the mountain!" Jaune's voice rang out.
"You got it!" Nora said, saluting her team leader before rushing off to the mountain. Now they were getting somewhere.
With Jaune…
"Ren, try and distract the sniper!" Jaune called out to Ren, who was taking cover behind a rock.
Ren muttered something under his breath before he rushed off to do Jaune's bidding.
Jaune then looked over to see Pyrrha a few feet away from him, taking a moment to admire her. Gods, she was beautiful!
They shared a nod, and together, Jaune and Pyrrha charged the rest of Team BRNZ.
The other member of BRNZ on the ground, a dark-skinned young man with green eyes and brown hair done in cornrows, hurled his weapons, a pair of circular saws, straight at Jaune.
Raising his shield to block them, Jaune blocked the first, but the second sent his own shield smashing into his face, dazing him.
With Pyrrha…
Pyrrha charged towards the saw wielding member of Team BRNZ, just in time for his saws to return to their spot on his wrists.
The man saw her, and immediately engaged, swinging his saws at her.
Blocking all of his attacks with Akoúo̱, Pyrrha became aware of Brawnz approaching her from behind, and her eyes narrowed in focus as she spun to engage him, kicking him back before using Miló, to block an oncoming saw, leaping into the air to avoid the other one, spinning in mid air before parrying one more of Brawnz's attacks and once again turning to meet the saw-wielding member of BRNZ's attack by hurling Miló towards him, flipping backwards and kicking Brawnz in the face, knocking him back.
Returning to her feet, Pyrrha spun around and landed a fierce roundhouse kick to the saw-wielder, just as Ren came running towards her.
With Ren…
Ren dodged shot after shot from the sniper, charging towards them and drawing his fire. He knew charging towards people with firearms was a bad idea, but Jaune had told him to distract the sniper, and to Ren, this seemed the best manner in which to do it.
Dropping to his knees, Ren slid under Pyrrha as she engaged the saw-wielder, who a quick glance to the aura screen in the arena told Ren was named Roy Stallion, as he approached the sniper, seeing Nolan stood there waiting for him.
Raising Stormflower, Ren opened fire on Nolan before swinging at him.
Nolan dodged, quickly landing a glancing blow on Ren with his baton, ducking another blow from Ren and landing a second glancing blow before attempting a serious counter attack as he reared back, hoping to land another major blow.
Ren parried these attacks, blocking another one as he kicked Nolan's midsection twice, allowing him to push Nolan's baton behind his head, jerking Nolan around so that his back was to Ren.
Ren watched as the sniper then turned her attention to Nora, and shouted: "Nora!"
With Jaune…
Blocking one of Brawnz's punches with Crocea Mors, Jaune saw the sniper aiming at Nora, knowing he wouldn't be able to stop it.
Thankfully, he could see someone who would be able to:
"Pyrrha! UP!" Jaune shouted.
Pyrrha looked towards him, smiled, and then ran towards him, dodging Roy's attacks and running past the saw-wielding member of Team BRNZ towards her team leader, leaping over Brawnz.
Jaune got down and held his shield above his head to catch Pyrrha. The moment he felt Pyrrha's feet landing on his shield, he shoved her upwards with all of his strength.
He looked up and smiled as he saw Pyrrha block the sniper's shot, saving Nora, who was still climbing the mountain.
He smirked as Nora reached the summit, holding up her hammer as lightning struck, sending electricity coursing through her.
Please let this work, Jaune thought to himself, as Nora levelled Magnhild, now in grenade launcher form, and fired numerous grenades in the direction of the sniper.
His grin only widened as Nora's shots caused the bulk of the forest to explode, forcing the sniper to abandon her position and join her teammates down below.
"Nora! Ground and pound!" He shouted at Nora, who promptly leapt off of the mountain, driving Magnhild down and sending Brawnz, Roy, and Nolan flying back towards their teammate.
Seeing an opening, Jaune said: "This is it, guys! Let's finish 'em with team attacks!" Holding Crocea Mors in front of him, Jaune shouted: "Ren, Nora, FLOWER POWER!"
It was meant to be Ren and Nora's team attack move, one they would use to defeat Team BRNZ. Or rather, assist in their defeat. At least, that's how Jaune envisioned it in his head.
Until…
"Wait, what?" Nora said from where she was stood.
Now Jaune was confused. Looking towards his teammates, Jaune said: "F-flower power… that's your team attack name."
"Since when?" Ren asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow.
"Guys, we went over this!" Jaune said, feeling embarrassment and frustration beginning to take hold. "Flower Power's Ren and Nora! Ren brings the flower, Nora brings the power!"
"How do I bring a flower?" Ren asked confusedly.
"No, silly, not a flower." Nora said. "Flour, like in baking!"
If frustration was the gallows, embarrassment was the hangman's noose for Jaune, who looked to Pyrrha for help.
His partner shrugged as she watched Ren and Nora bicker.
"Why would I bring that?" Ren asked.
"I uh…" Jaune made to say. "No, it's your symbol!"
"So… what are we?" Pyrrha asked, looking at Jaune confusedly.
"Pyrrha!" Jaune chided, officially embarrassed now.
"Sorry, I just want to make sure it's clearly defined!" Pyrrha replied, a gentle smile crossing her face.
"Pyrrha, you and I are Arkos!" Jaune said, blushing. "It's the thing where we take our shields, remember!"
"Arkos?" Pyrrha asked once again.
"Yeah! It's our names put together!" Jaune replied.
"Right, no, I get it." Pyrrha declared.
"What, do you not like it?" Jaune inquired, now seriously feeling embarrassed, especially since this was the girl he loved he was talking to.
"No, no!" Pyrrha said, blushing a bit. "It's… good…"
"Ooh, I sensed hesitation…" Nora said teasingly.
"HEY!"
"Hmm?" All of JNPR turned to see that Brawnz had yelled at them.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Brawnz demanded.
"Trying to have a team meeting, thank you very little!" Jaune replied.
"Yeah! Team ears only!" Nora added as they continued talking.
"WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIGHT!" Brawnz bellowed in response.
"AND WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A CONVERSATION, WHAT DON'T YOU GET ABOUT THAT?!" Jaune yelled back at Brawnz.
"Um, Jaune?" Pyrrha said from behind him.
"Yes, Pyrrha?" Jaune asked exasperatedly.
"I think he means that we're all in the middle of a fight." Pyrrha stated, as the crowd started egging them on, wanting to see the fight continue.
"Uh… ugh…" Jaune sighed. "Nora; just… hit them with the hammer."
"Got it." Nora said gleefully, before she leapt forward, jumping in front of the entirety of Team BRNZ, swinging Magnhild into all four of them with all her strength, sending them all flying into the shields surrounding the main area of the stadium, eliminating all four of them if the klaxon they all heard was anything to go by.
"And with that, it appears Team JNPR wins by knockout! Literally!" Port announced over the PA, adding: "Can somebody go make sure they're okay?"
With Nathan…
"FUCK YEAH!" Nathan shouted, jumping out of his seat and pumping his fists into the air. Jumping down, he jogged over to his teammates, overhearing Port say over the PA:
"Oh, and it looks like JNNPR's unprecedented fifth teammate Nathan Phoenix is wanting to congratulate his friends in person!"
"Yes, Nathan Phoenix was allowed to become JNNPR's fifth team member after Beacon Headmaster Professor Ozpin bent the rules to do so." Oobleck added. "And given how integral a part of his team he has become, I feel as if Ozpin made the right decision!"
Nathan smiled as he joined his teammates, clapping before saying: "That was great!" before hugging Pyrrha as the crowd cheered. Looking to Jaune, Nathan asked: "Though what the fuck was that about you guys stopping the fight to suddenly have a team meeting?"
"Jaune had names for team attacks that confused us, prompting a conversation." Pyrrha replied. "Me and him were Arkos, while Ren and Nora are Flower Power… apparently."
"Flower Power? Really?" Nathan asked, looking at Jaune. "That sounds like some sort of drug. You sure you weren't high when you thought these up, Jaune?"
"What-? No!" Jaune protested. "I just- I thought we went over it."
"Well; guess who didn't get that memo." Nathan muttered. "Either way, bring it in, team."
At that, the team all shared a group hug as the crowd once again cheered loudly for the team.
Though Nathan imagined they were only cheering for Pyrrha, if nothing else.
Breaking the hug, he then raised his teammates' hands in victory.
His eyes soon met those of Blake's, and they shared a smile, knowing that the following day would see Nathan stood there, having fought and won his battle.
He looked at Pyrrha, smiling, and pulling her close. "See your mom yet?"
"No. And I would be glad if we don't." Pyrrha replied. "Though I shan't be surprised if she does surface."
"Well; you know who to call if she does." Nathan said, as he and his victorious teammates left the battlefield, headed for their seats. There was more action to watch.
With Team RWBY…
Nathan sat back down in his seat, finding himself surprised when Blake joined him, sitting in his lap. "What happened to saving it for our date tonight, Blake?" He asked playfully.
"Maybe I just want to cuddle up with you." Blake replied, pecking Nathan on the cheek. "Team SSSN's up next, by the way."
"Good. Means I can watch my romantic rival get his ass kicked." Nathan joked.
Blake rolled her eyes. "You know you have nothing to worry about with him, right?"
"I know." Nathan replied. "But he still was for a time. Hence why I still call him my romantic rival."
Blake rolled her eyes. "You're such a dork, do you know that?" She remarked.
"Jaune's the dork." Nathan replied, ignoring Jaune's protests. "I'm just a guy whose jokes are actually funny."
Blake giggled. "I guess I can agree with that." She replied, leaning in and kissing Nathan.
Nathan pulled Blake close as he returned the kiss, breaking it before staring deeply into Blake's eyes. He made to say something when suddenly:
"BREAK HIS STUPID FACE, NDGO!"
Nathan and Blake turned to see Weiss shouting at Team SSSN, presumably just Neptune, who he could see was flirting with the members of their opponents, Team NDGO, an all-female team.
Nathan chuckled, then said: "Rule number one of dating, Weiss; always assume the guy you want has other options. Like ones that are more… developed up top."
"Wha-!" Weiss spluttered as the rest of the gang burst out laughing. "Mine are still growing!" She protested.
"I know. Jaune certainly didn't care about that when he was wooing you earlier on in the month." Nathan teased. "Maybe you should…"
"Let's just focus on the fight." Jaune suggested, drawing Nathan's attention.
They watched as the environments soon were chosen:
Desert and the ocean.
Nathan promptly noticed Neptune looking at the oceanic environment with wide, fearful eyes.
"Uh, what's up with Neptune?" Ruby asked confusedly.
"Yeah, what's made his dick so limp?" Nathan asked.
"Oh no…" Blake muttered. "Neptune's… afraid of the water."
At the same time; Oobleck shouted over the PA: "THREE, TWO, ONE; BEGIN!"
The moment that Oobleck made the call to begin, Nathan burst out laughing as Neptune rushed over to NDGO's side, wanting to get as far away from the water as possible.
"Now I realise why he's so reluctant to date you, Weiss." Nathan remarked playfully to the SDC Heiress. "Cause if he melts the Ice Queen, he gets the Water Queen! And you can't have sex in water! Especially ice cold water!"
"Will you stop it?!" Weiss said, lightly slapping Nathan's arm.
"Just saying…" Nathan replied as the fight between SSSN and NDGO kicked off in earnest.
He watched as the tallest member of Sun's team, a large man named Sage, engaged the spear wielding member of NDGO, who a quick glance to the aura level screen told Nathan was named Dew Gayl.
Not a good match-up, Nathan thought to himself. Unless Sage is pretty good with his weapon, then he's fucked.
Nathan's assessment of Sage proved to be correct, as Dew used her spear to create a tornado that sent Sage flying out of the area, eliminating him. Leaning in to Blake, Nathan muttered: "So much for him."
Blake nodded, as they continued to watch the fight.
Nathan smiled as Sun and Neptune used teamwork to take care of another member of NDGO, who Nathan saw from the aura screen was called Octavia Ember. "Well; at least Neptune is actually helping." Nathan remarked to Blake, who smiled.
The fight continued, with Scarlet David, the other member of Team SSSN still in the fight besides Sun and Neptune, duelling the leader of Team NDGO, Nebula Violette atop a ship positioned within the ocean environment and Sun and Neptune fighting Dew and the other NDGO member still fighting; Gwen Darcy.
Nathan watched as Scarlet, once he had dealt with Nebula momentarily, used a grapple hook pistol to hook Gwen and hang her upside down whilst he descended, although this act nearly caused him to be stabbed with the dozen or so knives that Gwen had stored within her skirts.
Nathan smirked, looking to Blake and saying: "Lucky bastard. One of those knives barely missed his balls."
Blake giggled as the fight continued.
Dew advanced on Sun, who looked up and punched a nearby tree, at which two coconuts fell into his hands, before hurling them at Dew.
Only for Dew to counter by using her spear like a baseball bat, sending the coconuts flying towards Sun, who dodged them.
Nathan watched as the coconuts flew towards Scarlet instead, one catching him in the face; the other smashing Scarlet square in the crotch.
Nathan flinched as Scarlet went down and he was eliminated via aura depletion, reaching towards his own crotch, letting out a groan as he imagined the agony Scarlet was in right now.
He then heard giggling, and looked to Blake. "Of course you'd find my pain amusing." He muttered.
Blake rolled her eyes and kissed him, straddling him as they did, ignoring the action in favour of each other.
Eventually though, the sound of a klaxon drew their attention, and they looked to see that NDGO were down, whilst Sun and Neptune celebrated their victory.
"And with that; Team SSSN moves on to the doubles round!" Port declared over the PA.
"How about that?" Nathan muttered. "They actually won."
"Yeah. For a second, I thought they wouldn't." Blake replied, before giggling as Sun and Neptune started dancing to celebrate their victory.
Nathan laughed at Neptune's especially terrible dancing, looking at Weiss. "You sure that's who you want to fuck?"
"Quiet you!" Weiss said as Ruby muttered:
"Ugh, that was so close."
"Looks like the dorks made it to the next round!" Yang said happily.
"Emphasis on dork." Blake replied, looking to Sun as he gestured to her.
Nathan saw this, eyed Sun, and flipped him the bird.
"That concludes the matches for the day." Oobleck declared. "Please leave the Colosseum in a calm and ORDERLY FASHION!"
The group all flinched at the order from Oobleck, before Yang said:
"Come on, let's go congratulate them whilst Nate and Blake head off on their date. Enjoy yourselves!"
"We will." Blake replied, as she and Nathan stood up and left.
As they walked, Nathan took Blake's hand and shared a warm smile with her. "Do you want to get changed, or you fine just hanging out as you are?" He asked.
"I'll go get changed." Blake replied. "Would you mind waiting for me in the fairgrounds?"
"Yeah, sure." Nathan replied, pecking Blake on the lips before they continued walking. Words alone could not express how lucky Nathan felt to have someone like Blake in his life.
Later, the fairgrounds, 15:00 pm…
"Nathan?"
Nathan turned, and as was usual when it came to Blake, he had to fight his jaw not to drop to the floor.
Blake had dressed herself up into a purple tank top that hugged her figure, black jeans, and a white leather jacket. As they were in public, her signature black bow adorned her head.
"You look amazing, Blake." Nathan remarked, looking his girlfriend over. "Not that I should be surprised. You always look amazing, whatever you're wearing."
Blake smiled warmly, walked over, and pulled Nathan close before claiming his lips in a passionate kiss.
Pulling Blake closer, Nathan returned the kiss, until they eventually broke it, pressing their foreheads against each other's, hearing her sigh happily.
They spent a moment or so stood there, just basking in one another's presence, until finally, they stepped away from each other.
"So, what'd you have in mind for our first 'official' date, Blake?" Nathan asked.
"Let's start small." Blake replied. "I know a place that serves amazing tea and other minor refreshments. I thought it would make for a nice first date."
"Sounds good to me." Nathan said, offering Blake his arm. "Shall we?"
Blake smiled and nodded, taking Nathan's arm as they set off towards their designated date spot.
"Noticed Weiss going nuts over an incoming ship as I headed here." Nathan said. "Know anything about that?"
"Given her reaction upon seeing it, I can only imagine that it's a member of her family." Blake replied. "One she actually cares for."
"A relative Weiss actually likes?" Nathan asked incredulously. "That's a first."
Blake giggled. "There was bound to be one family member Weiss has some manner of affection towards." Blake replied. "Perhaps we'll meet them."
"If they're anything like Weiss, then I'm looking forward to it." Nathan declared. "Even if all it's gonna be is me roasting their tits off. Provided that one: they're a woman, and two: Said woman isn't flat like Weiss is."
Blake laughed. "Are you going to continue roasting Weiss for her flat chest?"
"So long as it's still funny to you and everyone else; then yes: I will continue to roast Weiss for her bust; or lack thereof." Nathan replied, smirking.
Blake rolled her eyes. "And what if it's a man?" She inquired.
"Then it'll be the man's balls I roast off." Nathan answered. "Unless it's a Schnee curse that stops all family members being well endowed when it comes to their assets."
Blake burst out laughing once again as she laid her head on Nathan's shoulder, almost hugging his left arm. "How am I so lucky that I have such a hilarious boyfriend?"
"How am I so lucky that I have such a beautiful girlfriend?" Nathan replied, reaching over and brushing a stray hair behind one of Blake's ears.
"I think the list of answers for both questions would number so long, we'd be in the geriatric ward before we finished listing them." Blake answered, leaning in and kissing Nathan on the cheek.
"You aren't wrong." Nathan replied, doing the same with Blake. He became aware of numerous people looking his and Blake's way, casting jealous looks in his direction.
He ignored them, though. Let them be jealous. He had earned his relationship with Blake, and could now enjoy being her boyfriend.
And he wouldn't change it for anything.
A random café stand in the fairgrounds, 15:15 pm…
"Here we are." Blake said as she sat down.
Nathan joined her, looking around. "Nice little spot." He remarked.
"I found it earlier this morning when I was looking for places we could go out on our date." Blake replied. "Figured it would be a nice place to just relax on our own and just… just talk. We've not had much time to spend together since Patch, and I felt like tonight would be a great place to do just that."
"Any time I get to spend with you; I'm all for that." Nathan replied.
Blake smiled and quickly pecked Nathan on the lips, as the owner of the stand came out to meet them.
"Hello, what can I get you two today?" The owner asked sociably.
"A normal cup of South Menagerie tea, please." Blake replied. "Make it fairly strong, but not too strong. Oh, and a chocolate muffin, please."
The owner nodded, then looked to Nathan.
"I'll have a mug of hot chocolate with three sugars, and a slice of Victoria sponge cake, please." Nathan stated.
"On it, sir." The owner replied, at which Nathan paid, and so the owner grabbed their snacks and handed them over, before heading off to start on their drinks.
Nathan took a bite out of his cake and swallowed, nodding happily. "Force, that's good." He remarked, looking at Blake, who smiled as she ate a bit of her muffin.
They ate in silence for a while, until Blake finally spoke up:
"I… I took the advice you gave me whilst dress shopping for the dance." She said.
"What; you wrote to your parents?" Nathan asked.
Blake nodded. "Wrote to them the day after you and I started dating." She replied. "Said everything you suggested; like how I've been, what I'm up to… I mentioned my teammates, and… I spoke a lot about you."
"Oh boy." Nathan said nervously. "What'd you say?"
"Just that you're my boyfriend." Blake replied. "And that I've never felt happier than when I'm with you."
Nathan smiled. "So… have you gotten a reply?" He inquired.
Blake smiled back and reached into her jacket, fishing out a sealed letter. "I felt like we should read it together after our date."
"Sounds like a plan." Nathan answered. "Would be a nice way to finish off our date."
"Exactly." Blake declared, just as their drinks arrived. "Thank you." She said to the owner as she took her tea from him.
"Thanks." Nathan said with a grateful smile as he emptied the sugar sachets into his hot chocolate and stirred it all in, taking a sip. "Anyway, what can you tell me about your parents?" He asked.
"Their names are Ghira and Kali." Blake replied. "My father was… he was the old leader of the White Fang before he stepped down five years ago."
"So, before he dipped out, you were basically heiress to the White Fang?" Nathan asked. "Should I be bowing in the presence of royalty or some shit?"
"No! No…" Blake laughed. "It didn't work like that. When my father stepped down, he chose the person he best felt would be a good successor. It just so happened that Sienna Khan, the current White Fang High Leader, was the woman he chose. She advocates violence as a means of self-defence, not outright senseless violence like someone like…"
"Like Adam?" Nathan asked.
"Yeah… like Adam." Blake replied. "Anyway, as for my mom… I have a feeling you'll like her. She's kind, friendly, and back before I abandoned her and Dad for the White Fang, she... she and I were very close."
"Of course. She's your mother." Nathan said. "Why wouldn't you be close to her?"
Blake smiled. "Yeah." She replied. "Oh; I should also tell you this now: My dad is seven feet tall."
"What?!" Nathan spluttered as Blake burst out laughing. "Are you sure he's NOT planning on killing me?" He then groaned as Blake continued to laugh. He was sure that his life was now in very big danger.
Beacon Academy grounds, 16:00 pm…
"This looks like a nice spot." Nathan said as he sat down with Blake on a bench.
Blake sat next to him, fishing out the sealed envelope from her jacket, staring at it and taking a shaky breath.
Nathan saw his girlfriend's nervousness and wrapped an arm around her, kissing her on the temple. "Hey… I'm here, Blake. Let's do this."
Blake looked at Nathan, smiled gently, and then looked back towards the envelope. Steadying her breathing, Blake took a deep breath before opening the envelope, reaching inside and pulling out a folded piece of paper, which she then unfolded as she and Nathan began to read:
"Blake, I was beyond overjoyed when I received your letter this past week. I have it next to me right now as I write this reply. It fills me and your mother with tremendous pride to hear that you are no longer associated with the White Fang. Know that despite everything that took place nearly five years ago, me and your mother still love and miss you very much, and look forward to the day we can see one another again. Perhaps you can join us along with your friends for Christmas and New Year's? As for the boyfriend you speak of… that remains to be seen. As for myself and your mother, we are both doing well here in Menagerie. Still in good health, and still happy, though we would be happier if you would join us someday soon. We would also appreciate it if you were to call us at your earliest convenience. Our number has not changed since the last time you contacted us, so there is no need to worry about us having new numbers since the last time we had contact. I hope you can speak with us soon, Blake. It has been far too long since we last spoke in person. We still love you. All the love in the world, your father."
Nathan looked up from the letter to see Blake holding back tears, and smiled as he pulled Blake into a hug.
Before long, Blake burst into tears, holding Nathan tightly as she cried tears of joy and relief.
Nathan held his girlfriend close, not caring about his now significantly soaked shoulder as he kissed her on the cheek, whispering comforting words to her.
Eventually, Blake broke the hug, still sniffling, and fished out her scroll. "No better time than the present, right?" She said.
"Nah." Nathan replied. "Better to calm yourself down first. Then call your parents. Then you can cry all you want. I'll be there too when you call them, if you want."
Blake smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'd like that very much, Nathan." She declared, before sighing happily. "I'm glad you encouraged me to write that letter. I wanted to write it for so long… it's thanks to you I finally had the impetus to actually write it."
"Blake… as your boyfriend, it's my duty to ensure you're happy." Nathan replied. "I'm just glad I can do that for you."
Blake's smile widened as she said: "I know. And that's why I love you so much."
"Pretty sure that's just one of many reasons, but okay." Nathan responded, before pulling Blake close as they shared a passionate kiss.
Blake sighed happily into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Nathan's neck as she scooted closer and returned the kiss.
What felt like a moment as well as an eternity passed, until Nathan broke the kiss, smiling at his beautiful girlfriend before opening his mouth to say something.
"Nathan Phoenix?" A voice rang out. It was female, but firm, dignified and measured.
Nathan looked towards the speaker, saying: "Yeah… that's me."
We can only wonder who was calling out to Nathan at the end there.
But I felt like I should have some payoffs to things that have come before; such as Nathan advising Blake to write to her parents to re-establish contact.
Also; isn't it nice that what would have been a biting insult two stories ago from Nathan to Weiss is now just a playful joke? They may not seem like it sometimes, but I do want to have a scene at some point that shows how far Nathan and Weiss have come in their relationship.
Either way; let's answer some reviews, shall we?
april-551: Trust me when I say that Emperor Palpatine could not care any less about Remnant. It's within the Unknown Regions, which, while Palpatine was interested in expanding into, I assume there are some worlds he wouldn't really bother with. You'll see what happens when the Empire do wind up on Remnant why they're there. And I think that even if Palpatine paid Remnant any attention; while he'd see Salem as a rival; she may also pose as a valuable ally for him. This is Palpatine we're talking about. Playing the long game is like a regular game of chess to him.
dragon44pride: Oh, trust me... Jaune's old man will be real crispy when Nathan's done with him.
Guest: I'm debating including Ahsoka, since it's been established she and Nathan are long time friends, the Bad Batch maybe. But I'll keep my options open to see what can be done.
With all that said; thank you all for reading this chapter. If you enjoyed it, you know what to do.
Stay tuned for the next chapter, which sees Nathan meeting several family members of his friends.
T-Rock14