The bed was warm. And it was soft. While it wasn't as big as his personal bed, it did the job just fine. The only oddity was the warm body in his arms. That certainly had not been there when he went to sleep, and neither had the warm, sucking sensation-
Naruto's eyes snapped open, his blue eyes focusing on the head of orange hair under his nose. Nora, his hyper female teammate, had, at some point in the night, snuggled up against him and started sucking on the skin of his bare arm.
He blinked and nudged Nora. "Nora," He whispered, "Wake up."
The girl blew a small bubble and didn't respond. Naruto shook her again. "Nora." He flinched as she sleepily slapped at his face. "Nora, let go!"
The girl mumbled a bit and clamped her teeth on to his arm.
Naruto tried to push her off, but her strength was too great, locking her arms around his chest and squeezing tightly. He pulled back as far as he could and placed his foot against the sleeping girls' stomach and pushed.
With a sound similar to a cork leaving a bottle, Nora flew across the room and landed in her own bed. "Heey!" She whined, awakened by the sudden movement. "I was warm! And why does my mouth taste like metal?"
Naruto pointed at her. "Don't sneak into people's beds like that! And I wear metal gloves all day, what would you expect?" he ducked as she grumpily tossed a pillow at his head.
Well. I'm awake, he grumbled mentally. Might as well get in my morning workout while I can.
Naruto left the room quietly, noting that the time was six o'clock, and threw on a tank-top and a pair of loose pants. He trotted down the stairs out onto the grassy lawn and fell over, starting a set of push-ups.
An hour later, Ruby awoke in her room, yawning and stretching. She smacked her lips blearily and glanced at Blake, who was sitting next to a window, her eyes on something outside.
The leader shuffled out of bed and joined the quiet member of Team RWBY at window. What she saw was Naruto doing push-ups. Push-ups on only his hands, his feet sticking straight into the air.
"How long has he been doing that?" Ruby asked, a sliver of awe in her tone.
Blake glanced at her leader. "About five minutes. He was doing yoga and crunches before that."
The pajama-wearing brunette frowned to herself. "How would you know? Have you been watching the whole time?"
A small blush lit up the bow-wearing girls' cheeks. "No." She replied a little too quickly.
Ruby glanced out of the window and quirked an eyebrow. "Is he dancing?"
Blake peered out of the window. "Looks like it. I think that's break-dancing."
The weapon-loving girl made a small 'oh' of realization. That's right, he uses the boots to attack, so his legs would need to be involved.
Shrugging, Ruby watched a little longer. "I'm going to take a shower. Want to be clean for our first day!" She announced before skipping into the bathroom.
Naruto finished his last set and stretched, looking up at the sun as it rose. I probably smell something fierce, he thought to himself as he stepped up the stairs. And I'm hungry as well. I had pancakes yesterday, so…eggs today.
He stepped past Ren as magenta-eyed teen toweled his hair dry and grabbed his clothes for the day.
After showering, Naruto held up the uniform and gazed at it with a critical eye. "I wear this shit everyday." He commented to himself, discarding the pants, shoes, shirt and tie; just throwing the jacket on and straightening his burnt orange tie. And true to his word, his clothes resembled the rest of the uniform.
Afterwards, he created a sandwich using two pieces of toast, some eggs and a few strips of bacon. He looked at the clock and shrugged. Ten minutes to go. He thought morosely.
Odd noises, similar to power tools issued from the room across from theirs, followed by someone shouting. Ren, Pyrrha and Nora peeked out of the door as Team Ruby sprinted past, yelling about being late.
The other members of NNRV dashed after them as Naruto finished his sandwich and pulled a thin silver oval out of a pouch on his belt and dropped it. The oval bounced once and settled before it started to click and expand rapidly, forming into a silver board with what looked like two thin jets on the bottom, near the back, that hovered about a foot off of the ground.
The blond stepped onto the board, and the jets lit up, propelling both forward at a good clip. Not as fast as some Huntsmen or Huntresses could go, but about as fast as an all-out sprint.
He quickly caught up with Pyrrha and scooped her up, setting the surprised red-head on his back. As he passed by Ren and Nora, he picked them up and held them under his arms, still gliding along on his hover-board with a bored expression on his face.
The team quickly caught up to and bypassed Ruby and her group. "Hey guys." He called as they floated past the other team.
"Is this a jet board?" Pyrrha finally asked.
"Yup." Naruto confirmed. "It's a prototype I've been working on."
They sailed into the classroom just as the professor, a rather barrel-chested man with grey hair and a thick mustache with permanently squinting eyes, stood up from his desk.
The blond CEO set his team down and hopped off the board, tapping it with his foot. Instead of compressing as he expected, the board shot off and bounced off a nearby wall, just barely missing a window, and flipped through the air before hitting the ground with a solid thunk.
Naruto sighed and flipped the board up into his hand. "Yeah, definitely needs tweaking. Well, I know what I'm doing tonight." He muttered, taking a seat as Ruby and her team arrived just as the bell rang.
As they settled in, the professor marched in front of the class, and began to speak. "Monsters! Deeeemons! Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names," He announced grandly, waving an arm at the diagrams of various Grimm, including a Nevermore, Death Stalker and a multi-headed snake. "But I merely refer to them as…prey! Ha-ha!"
Professor Port looked around the room, noticing that no one was reacting to his joke, except for Ruby, who had been awoken from her nap by his boisterous exclamation.
"Uhhh…and you shall too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy! Now, as I was saying, Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world! Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces! And that's where we come in. Huntsmen! And Huntresses…" He winked at Yang, who gave a low groan of discomfort.
Naruto sighed as the man continued to talk and pulled out a thin roll of paper that he unfurled, revealing a set of blueprints detailing his hover board. He looked up as one student suddenly stood and thrust his fist in the air, shouting, "Ayyyy-yep!"
The student noticed everybody staring at him and quickly sat down, covering his red face with his hands.
The blond shook his head and started drawing on his blueprints, grumbling under his breath as he crossed out a formula and began drawing a new one, rapidly filling a section full of numbers.
Weiss shoved her hand in the air and exclaimed, "I do, sir!" In an angry tone.
Naruto glanced at the Schnee Heiress as Professor Port smiled. "Well, then, let's find out!" He gestured towards a shadowy cage with a pair of red eyes glaring out of the darkness, which shook menacingly. "Step forward, and face your opponent!"
Weiss quickly strode out of the room and returned a moment later in her battle uniform; a white bolero jacket with red insides and light blue sleeves, with a strapless white dress underneath also with a light blue bottom. She had the Schnee emblem of a snowflake imprinted over a splash of blue on the back of her jacket, with a ribbon tied around her waist, holding a pouch on the small of her back.
The Schnee heiress readied her Multi-Action Dust Rapier, Myrtenaster as the Professor held his personal weapon aloft, a double-bladed ax and blunderbuss combo.
"Gooo Weiss!" Yang cheered, raising a fist in the air.
Blake waved a small flag with 'RWBY' on it. "Fight well!"
"Yeah!" Ruby added, "represent team RWBY!"
Weiss lowered her rapier and glared at Ruby over her shoulder. "Ruby! I'm trying to focus!"
The red-cloaked girl gained a sheepish look and looked away. "Oh. Um, sorry."
Naruto, one fist supporting his head, slowly punched the air with the other. "Yay, Weiss." He 'cheered' dully. "Do the thing."
The heiress switched her glare to him and he gave her a lazy salute. "Allright!" Professor Port announced, waving his axe, "Let the match begin!"
He swung down on the lock and sheared it off with one easy motion, and the cage burst open as a white-armored animal charged out.
Weiss slashed at the Grimm's face and cart-wheeled away. The Boarbatusk skidded to a stop and faced the girl, huffing and pawing at the ground. "Ha-Ha!" Port crowed, "Wasn't expecting that, were you?"
"Hang in there, Weiss!" Ruby called encouragingly.
The white-themed girl launched herself at the Boar Grimm as it stampeded towards her, her rapier aimed at the center of its face. The blade deflected off the white armor and the Boarbatusk jerked its head, trapping the blade in its tusks.
Weiss gripped the hilt of Myrtenaster tightly as the Grimm shook its head, trying to disarm her by shaking her around.
"Come on Weiss, show it who's boss!" Her leader yelled from the sidelines.
Professor Port stroked his mustache. "A bold, new approach. I like it!"
The Schnee heiress turned a glare on her just as the Grimm jerked its head and dislodged her grip, sending her blade skidding across the floor and smacking Weiss in the stomach with a tusk.
As she hit the ground, the professor called, "Oh-ho! Now what will you do without your weapon?"
Weiss looked up just as the Boarbatusk charged at her. She dived out of the way as its cloven hooves stomped over her former position and crashed into a desk. She quickly picked herself up and sprinted for her weapon, skidding along the floor and quickly grabbing her weapon, standing to face the Grimm as it managed to pull itself from the wreckage of the desk.
"Weiss!" Ruby called, hands cupped around her mouth. "Go for its belly! There's no armor underneath-"
Weiss turned an angry glare on her team leader. "Stop telling me what to do!" She rebuked sharply.
Ruby closed her mouth slowly, hurt filling her silver eyes.
Naruto narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses as an odd feeling became present in his chest and the Boarbatusk rolled into a ball. "Hey Weiss!" He shouted, "Kick it in the balls!"
She gave him an incredulous gaze as it spun up and rapidly rolled at her. Weiss waved Myrtenaster in front of her, creating a pair of light blue snowflake glyphs, one in front and one at an angle behind her.
The Boarbatusk slammed into the first glyph and was stopped cold. Weiss back-flipped and landed against the other, pushing off to stab her rapier deep into the Grimm's stomach. The Grimm squealed and kicked before slumping and emitting black smoke, signaling its death.
"Bravo, bravo!" Professor Port exclaimed. "It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntress-in-training!"
Weiss stood up, regaining her breath as Ruby frowned. "I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings and stay vigilant! Class dismissed!"
The white-haired girl turned a glare on Ruby and huffed, turning on her heel and marching out of the room. Team Nerve, having come down to join Team Ruby after class was over, watched as the heiress stomped from the room.
Naruto glanced at the sadly frowning Ruby and patted her on the shoulder. "As I said before, an icicle shoved somewhere uncomfortable."
The red-cloaked girl glanced at her sister and teammate before quickly following after Weiss.
The blond sighed and waved at his team. "I'll see you guys at dinner. I need to fix my board or it might explode." He said, striding from the room with his hands in his pockets.
The rest of Team NNRV traded shrugs and left, Pyrrha glancing questioningly at Naruto's departing back.
Yang crossed her arms and looked at Blake, who was following the disappearing blonds' progress. "Why is it that a fun, hot guy that I like spending time with seems to be more interested in my sister?" She asked the black-haired girl. "I'm not that bad, am I?"
Blake shook her head, bow twitching slightly. "Well, I've only known you for a little bit, so I can't really say. But he seems to like you too, I just think he's protective. He is her first friend here. It might be the same way in reverse."
"So unfair," The blonde muttered with a pout, crossing her arms.
…
Naruto caught up with Ruby and Weiss as the white-haired heiress stated, "And quiet frankly, I deserve better." She turned her back on the team leader, who reached out to grab her and froze at the following. "Ozpin made a mistake."
Weiss walked away as Ruby dropped her hand and her shoulders slumped, dejection permeating the air around her.
The blond quietly walked up behind her and set an arm around her shoulders. Ruby turned her head and pushed her face into his side, quietly sniffling.
"Hmm…" Ozpin hummed from behind them. "That didn't seem to go very well." He looked on the pair with a small smile hidden behind his mug. Ruby's small frame seemed to fit perfectly against the taller blonds' side.
The red-cloaked girl turned tearful silver eyes on the headmaster. "Is she right? Did you make a mistake?"
Ozpin chuckled a little. "That remains to be seen."
Ruby blinked. "What do you mean?"
The headmaster shrugged and sipped his tea. "I mean, it's only been one day." He sighed and stared into Ruby's eyes. "Ruby…I've made more mistakes than any man, woman and child on this planet. But, at this moment, I would not consider your appointment to be leader as one of them."
He leaned forward to look in her eyes directly. "Do you?"
Naruto tightened his arm around her shoulders, getting the younger girl's attention. "For what it's worth, Ruby, I don't." He told her with a small smile. "You're young, but you've got potential. So much potential, I think you could fill up a couple of other people's potentials."
Ozpin quirked an eyebrow at the blonds' choice of words. "Being a team leader isn't just a title you carry into battle, but a badge you must wear constantly. If you're not always performing at your absolute best, then what reason do you give others to follow you?" He tapped his cane on the ground for emphasis.
The gray-haired man turned his back on them, leaving with some parting advice. "You've been burdened with a daunting responsibility, Ruby. I advise you take some time, to think about how you will uphold it."
Ruby looked at the ground in consideration as Ozpin strode away, leaning on his cane. The moment was interrupted by a sudden high-pitched beeping as Naruto pulled his arm off the girl and started frantically searching his pockets, muttering, "Shit, shit, shit!"
He finally pulled out the silver oval of his compressed hover board, which was blinking and beeping. Wasting no time, he hurled it into the air, where it exploded in multi-colored cloud of electricity and fire. "Whew." Naruto whistled as the cloud faded. "That was close."
Ruby giggled as the blond cursed. "Dammit, now I need to build it all over again."
He smiled her and put his arm around her shoulder again and they started walking in silence. They came across a balcony overlooking the sun setting over the rooftops of Beacon, as Professor Port left, giving them a short nod, leaving behind a thoughtful Weiss.
The Schnee heiress looked up as the two approached, her eyes falling on Ruby. The younger girl smiled at her a little, which she returned before walking off, deep in thought.
Naruto and Ruby took her place on the balcony and watched the last fingers of sunlight brushing over the red and orange clouds, his arm around her shoulders and hers around his waist.
"Thank you." Ruby suddenly said, looking up into Naruto's blue eyes. He had folded his sunglasses and put them away to see the sun with clear vision.
"For what?" he asked.
"For being here. With me." She mumbled, a blush streaking across her pale skin at the sudden realization that they were standing rather intimately, her eyes falling back on the disappearing sun.
He chuckled lightly and squeezed her shoulders. "You don't have to thank me, Ruby. I said I would be your friend, and I meant it."
They stood in silence as the last of the light faded. "You interest me, Ruby." Naruto stated, breaking the quiet. She looked up at him in confusion. "I don't know why, honestly, but…the second night I saw you, standing tall with Crescent Rose, facing off against those thugs…"
He shrugged and sighed. "I don't know, it's just something about you…" He looked down at the blushing girl and glanced away, scratching his cheek sheepishly. "I'm sorry if that seems creepy."
"It's-it's alright," Ruby replied, unconsciously mirroring his gesture. "You're interesting too."
"…Thanks…Rose." He said with a smile.
"You're welcome…Ruto." She said back, smiling.
They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment, blue gazing at silver, until they realized how close they were. They drew back, blushing. "I think we should head to dinner, the guys are probably missing us." Naruto said hurriedly, cheeks red as he berated himself in his head. She's fucking fifteen! Get a hold of yourself, dammit! You don't even know her that well!
He glanced at the similarly red Ruby and sighed silently. I'll get to know her better, and than I'll make an informed decision. He thought, I just have to be careful.
"Hey…" Ruby's quiet voice drew his attention back to her. "Can we do this again?" She asked. "Watch the sunset, I mean?"
Naruto smiled at her and looped his arm with hers. "Anytime, Rose, anytime." He replied, cursing his weakness in his head.
…
The moon shone down on Beacon, and on a figure standing on the edge of a cliff overlooking Vale. He sipped his steaming mug of tea and sighed.
"Are you going to just stand there, or are you going to speak to me?" Ozpin asked out loud, apparently to no one.
A shadow detached from the night and stood besides the headmaster, white eye slits and designs glaring in the dark. "You know who I am." The Shadow Grimm stated, voice electronically distorted to be deeper and heavier.
Ozpin nodded. "Of course. It was easy to discover if you know what to look for."
Silence filled the air before being broken as Naruto collapsed the mask with a sigh. "Then why let me come here? You know what I do. I kill people. Bad people, sure, but most would still call me a murderer." He turned serious eyes on the quiet Headmaster. "So why not you?"
Ozpin breathed deep through his nose and sighed. "I can't say I always agree with your methods, Naruto, but I can see the reasoning behind it." He drank deep of his tea. "As for the reason I admitted you to my school…"
He sighed again and tapped his cane against the ground. "You are alone."
Naruto narrowed his eyes but said nothing.
"Despite your appearance, and your attitude…you are lonely, Naruto." Ozpin continued. "You think it's your burden to protect everyone. To do what you must to save those who cannot save themselves. But, you are wrong."
He waved his cane at the silhouette of Beacon. "I run an entire school dedicated to training such people. People you can learn to rely on, to trust with your life…if you gave them the chance."
"But what if that chance kills them?" Naruto finally responded. "What if it deprives them of a happy future?"
Ozpin sighed. "Then that is life. It's not pretty, but, life rarely is." He turned and began to walk back to school. "No man is an island. One pillar cannot hold up a temple. Eventually, you will be crushed under the burden you place on yourself, Naruto, and you will fail to protect those you care for. Unless you find your own pillars, your own supports, the ones who will follow you through the rain and the hail and even into the arms of Death itself. But the choice is up to you…as are the consequences."
The tapping of his cane eventually faded into the night, leaving Naruto alone on the edge of the cliff. The shadowed vigilante sighed as his mask slid back over his face, the white designs and slits lighting up.
A soft beeping sounded from his left arm. He lifted it to his face and tapped on the flickering button, a screen emerging with a message. Robbery in Progress: Diamond Dust Suppliers, followed by the coordinates.
Naruto closed the screen and stepped off of the cliff, spreading his cape to catch the wind and glide. Red lights lit up on the bottom of his boots and small jets of fire shot out, providing extra thrust. He let his cape flap behind him and held his hands out, two similar jets firing from the palms of his hands, the power behind both allowing him to fly unassisted.
As he neared the location, his mind fell back on Ozpins' words. He may be right. Naruto thought tiredly. But I don't want to pull others into this.
As he reached the airspace above the shop, he cut the jets and fell, angling his body towards a rooftop adjacent to the shop and quickly spinning and flaring his cape to cut off his momentum, landing with only a small click of his boots.
Thin beams of light flashed in the store as four men with flashlights quickly grabbed whatever Dust crystals they could get their hands on.
Naruto jumped from the roof and spread his cape, gliding silently down towards the window as one man pried the top off of a case of red crystals.
The sound of glass shattering and a sudden shout drew the attention of the three men as a black-cloaked figure smashed through a window and landed on their compatriot.
They froze in terror, even as the lights snapped on and the alarm began to blare, staring with wide eyes at the tall black figure that exuded smoke like a dying Grimm.
One found his voice. "Get him!" He shouted in panic, pointing his sub-machine gun at the Shadow, joined by another criminal while the third fumbled for his gun.
The Shadow flicked his hands and two thin silver knives sprouted from the sides of their guns, breaching the slides and rendering the weapons useless. The two dropped their guns and ran at the man, hoping to double-team him while the third dropped his gun and cowered.
The first criminal came at him with a wild haymaker. Naruto caught the arm and twisted it behind his back, pushing the other man in front of the other robber's fist before dislocating the shoulder and elbowing him in the back of the head.
The second criminal balked as the Shadow suddenly appeared in front of him, a fist crashing into his stomach, forcing the air from his lungs. Naruto slammed a knee into the criminals face, seized his hair and smashed his forehead against a display case.
He turned to face the last criminal just as the back door slowly closed. Naruto sighed and vanished in a cloud of black smoke.
The criminal ran, the one case of Dust he managed to grab in his panic flailing in his grip. He ran as fast as he could, feeling the shadow on his back the entire time. Once he reached the rendezvous point with the client. "You gotta help me!" He pleaded, dropping the case and moving toward his client.
A slim hand reached out from the darkness and stopped his progress. "Shh." A low, sensuous female voice shushed, "Everything is going to be alright…"
Blue light illuminated the hand and began to spread up the arm, across the chest and down the legs of the figure, leaving the neck and face completely hidden except for a pair of glowing blue eyes. "Sleep now, your task is done."
The criminals' eyes rolled up and he slumped to the ground, completely catatonic.
"Idiot." The figure muttered derisively, the lights fading.
"Siren." The Shadow stated, suddenly appearing in front of the figure.
Siren gasped and stepped out from her shadow and into the light cast by the moon. "Oh, darling, it's been so long!" She exclaimed sensually. "Have you missed me?"
Siren was woman, nearly five-and-a-half feet tall with purple hair pulled into a spiky ponytail on the side of her head and a darker shade of lipstick to match. From her hands to her feet, a multitude of tattoos covered her skin, light blue ovals of all sizes being the design, the only area devoid of ink being her face.
"I'm surprised to see you outside of Artemisia," Naruto replied, ignoring her flirtatious tone. "More importantly, outside of prison."
Siren waved a hand dismissively and rolled her eyes. "Please," she said, "As if any prison can hold me, darling. You're the only one allowed to do that." She winked a blue eye at him, one hand caressing her sternum, drawing attention to her cleavage.
She wore a pair of light orange boots made for running, along with black cargo pants supported by a belt tied around her hips, rather than her waist. What she wore on her torso could only be called an armored leotard, with no sleeves and deep neck-line that showed the tattoos crossing her chest, as well as her pale, nearly flawless skin.
"Plus, daddy had me put in a low-security wing," Siren added, smirking. "He'd do anything to help his little girl."
Naruto narrowed his eyes on her behind his mask. "What are you doing here, Siren?" He asked, his right hand drifting behind his back to grip the handle of a concealed knife.
"Oh, you know, a little burglary here, a little blackmail there, and some all-around chaos for everyone. I even brought my ladies." Siren waved her hands at the surrounding rooftops which became lit up as multiple women, all tattooed similarly to the woman who led them, though their tattoos only covered one arm as opposed to their whole bodies, looked at him through glowing eyes.
There were easily four dozen, all staring down at Naruto, some with lust on their faces.
He was outnumbered.
Siren smirked at him and circled the tense vigilante, running a hand over his armored torso. "Oh, don't be so tense, dear." She purred, sliding a fingertip along the edge of his mask. "As fun as an orgy would be, I don't have time tonight. But don't worry, we'll definitely have our time later. I'm sure we'll be seeing much more of each other."
In the distance, a sudden explosion rocked the ground, and a fireball arced over the rooftops.
"This isn't over, Siren." Naruto growled, clenching his fists.
She giggled girlishly, an oddly innocent sound for someone who screamed seduction with every sway of her hips. "Of course it isn't handsome." Stepping back from him, she placed a finger to her chin in thought. "I say 'handsome', thought I've never seen behind your mask. Although, masked men always have handsome faces." She mused to herself, watching the Shadow Grimm faded away like smoke in the breeze.
"Come on, ladies, let's plunder that shop." Siren ordered, picking up the dropped case. "After all, that's what our…friend wants."
…
The next morning found Pyrrha waking up as the early morning sun began to light up the room. Nora was lying on top of her bed, legs hanging off one side and her head off the other, drooling onto the carpet. Ren had his covers drawn tightly around him and appeared to be chewing on his hair. Naruto…wasn't there. His bed looked like it hadn't been touched, let alone slept in.
The scarlet-haired warrior furrowed her brow and glanced at the clock. It was barely five-thirty. Where could he be? She wondered to herself, standing and throwing on a red robe and slipping into a pair of sandals.
Pyrrha wandered up and down the first years' dorms for nearly ten minutes before deciding to look in a nearby building.
The first door she came to was opened slightly, and soft snores echoed out into the hall. Pushing open the door, she found Naruto sitting at one of the desks in the lecture hall, head down and snoring quietly.
She smiled to herself and slowly made her way up the steps to row Naruto slept in. As Pyrrha approached the sleeping blond, she noted the scattered paper around his head, detailing different machines with complicated formulas and equations.
She sat in the seat next to him and gently poked his shoulder.
Naruto sat up quickly, eyes open as he rapidly glanced around the room in alarm. His eyes finally settled on the girl next to him and he settled. "Oh, hey…" He started before yawning widely. "…Pyrrha. What's up?"
She smiled at him and shrugged. "I noticed you didn't go to bed last night and I went looking for you. I didn't mean to wake you up, sorry."
He waved off her apology and rubbed his eyes. "Don't worry about it, I should probably get up anyway." Naruto smacked his lips and blinked slowly, looking down at all the papers on the desk with dull eyes.
He suddenly sighed explosively. "Fuck it," he muttered, rolling up the papers and storing them away in a pouch. "I'm too tired for this."
Pyrrha stood up and backed away as he packed away his stuff. He made to get up, but tripped over a chair. She reached out and grasped him by the arm, stopping him from taking a tumble down the stairs.
Naruto regained his balance and thanked her before stumbling down the steps, Pyrrha still gently gripping his arm. They slowly walked across the paved paths as tendrils of sunlight peaked over the horizon and grasped at the sky.
"Hey," She stopped, her hand pulling Naruto to a halt. "Do you want to watch the sunrise with me?" Pyrrha asked somewhat nervously.
Naruto stared at her tiredly, weary blue meeting emerald green, before he nodded. "Sure." He acquiesced.
They walked a short distance, onto the soft grass and sat, watching as the sun began to rise over the Emerald Forest.
Pyrrha sighed in contentment and glanced over at her blond teammate. Naruto was nodding off, though desperately trying not to. His head would droop for a second before shooting back up, and he would shake himself each time.
The red head bit her lip and thought to herself for a second, before tentatively reaching and grasping one of his rolled-up sleeves. She tugged on it and Naruto, in his tired state, was no match for her. His head tilted and descended, landing on her lap, as she intended.
He rolled onto his back, the back of his head pillowed by her thighs as he looked up, past her chest and into her green eyes.
Naruto just looked at her as she gently ran a hand through his hair. Despite its spikiness, Naruto's hair was really soft and silky.
His eyes drifted closed and he began to breathe deeply. "You know," He said softly, not quite asleep, "I wish I'd met someone like you earlier in my life."
Pyrrha blinked at the odd statement. "Why?"
He sighed. "Because I think you'd be a great friend."
She paused in her stroking. "Are we not friends?" She asked quietly.
Naruto didn't answer for a second. "I hope so."
Pyrrha nodded to herself and played with a blond lock of hair. "We are. Do you want to be?"
He nodded slowly. "Yeah. I don't have many friends…I wish I had more."
"Why don't you try to make more?" She tried softly. "I'm sure there are plenty of people who would want to be friends with you."
Naruto snorted quietly. "Friends with who? CEO Naruto Uzumaki, head of one of the most advanced weapon companies in the world? …Or Naruto, orphan kid from a backwater town?"
Pyrrha gently stroked his hair. "I like Naruto, personally." She admitted. "He's growing on me."
He chuckled a little and fell silent.
"I wish this was real." He mumbled to himself, though she heard it clearly.
"Why do you say that?" she asked in confusion.
"I know I'm going to wake up any second now and find myself in my bed…alone. As always." Naruto muttered sadly.
Pyrrha looked at him questioningly, before realization dawned on her. He thinks he's dreaming. She realized. How sad.
She thought for a second, debating the merits of her actions, and swiftly bent down, planting a soft kiss on his forehead.
Naruto blinked the blurriness out of his vision and looked up, straight into a blushing Pyrrha's eyes. He stared at her for a second, before red blossomed on his cheeks and his eyes went wide. "Uh…"
She smiled down at him and stroked his cheek, still blushing heavily. "Hello."
"Hey." He greeted back, swallowing thickly. "I'm not dreaming, am I?"
Pyrrha shook her head. "Nope. Sorry."
Naruto stared up at her. "Are you going to tell anyone what I said?" He asked softly.
She smiled and shook her head again. "We're friends, remember? Secrets stay between us."
"…okay."
…
After lunch, the first years filed into a room and took a seat before a watchful Ozpin, mug of tea clutched in one hand and his cane in the other.
When everyone was seated, the headmaster spoke. "Today, I am going to introduce you to the Mission System." He stated plainly. "Missions are a vital part of Beacon Academy's curriculum, providing both in-the-field experience and income for aspiring students, and the Academy itself."
Ozpin tapped his cane on the ground, and a blank screen lit up the wall behind him. "Missions are designated with stars for difficulty." A single bronze star came onto the screen. "Single-star missions are simple, with an emphasis on learning team tactics in differing environments, such as patrolling a town."
Two silver stars came on the screen. "Two-star missions generally involve combat, such as defending a town from Grimm attacks or guarding a client traveling within Vale." Ozpin sipped from his mug as three golden stars appeared on the screen. "Three-star missions deal with hunting down and eliminating dangerous Grimm; for example, a large pack of Ursi or Beowolves. These will be undertaken jointly, with two teams or more."
Four white stars appeared next. "Four-star missions are typically diplomatic in nature, or deal with the protection of an important client outside of Vale."
Five red stars came after. "Five-star missions are highly dangerous, and any undertakers may find themselves fighting very strong opponents, Grimm or human."
The headmaster gazed at them with very serious eyes as six blacks stars appeared. "Six-star mission are the most difficult tasks many will ever face in their lifetimes, and survival is not guaranteed. These are for masters only. No exceptions." He stated firmly.
"As first year students at Beacon Academy, you will be selected at random to participate in missions no higher than three stars. A portion of the proceeds received will go to Beacon, while the remains will be for your own personal use. Use it wisely." Ozpin drank from his mug and began to leave the room. "Missions will begin next month, and these next few weeks will focus on the use of Aura, History, Dust and Weapon Maintenance. Class begins in twenty minutes."
Naruto watched the door close and turned to his team. "Well team, as team leader, I think we should get to know one another. I mean, we know each others' names, but we don't know a lot. So, let's introduce ourselves, abilities, hobbies and a dream."
Seeing the expectant looks, the blond sighed. "Alright, I guess I'll go first." He muttered. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I am your fearless leader. Hold your applause, please."
The dry quip was met with a small giggle from the girls and an amused shake of the head from Ren.
"Anyways, I use two pairs of weapons. My Asura Fists, or just 'Asura', are Multi-Action Dust-Powered Gauntlets," He started, tapping his gloves. "The name references the multiple Dust abilities such as Ice, Lightning, Fire, Air and Force. The other pair is called Staccato Blitz. They are Dual-Action Ballistic Boots, with heels shooting Dust bullets and the palms shooting just blasts, which can be used to damage or as a boost."
Naruto leaned back in his chair and tapped his leg thoughtfully. "Abilities…Well, I'm pretty strong, pretty fast, I'd like to say I'm smart…in some things, anyway. I know how to use Aura and I can use my Semblance, but I like to keep it on the down-low."
"Why?" Ren asked curiously, looking up from a pad of paper.
The blond shrugged. "Well, if no one knows what it is, they can't be ready for it."
The raven-haired teen thought for a second. "Aren't we supposed to trust each other?" He pointed out.
Naruto smiled somewhat ruefully. "Trust needs to built, and as this whole 'introductions' thing shows, we don't know all that much about each other. We just need to plant it and let it go. We've got time; missions don't start for a month."
Ren nodded and the blond kicked his legs up on the desk. "Alright, for hobbies, I enjoy gambling, creating things and then tinkering with those things, and making music."
Naruto rolled his head from side to side, thinking. "As for a dream…I'd like to make a difference in the world."
He looked at Ren, who took the cue and started to speak. "I am Lie Ren-"
"Yay Ren!" Nora cut in, cheering playfully.
The raven-haired male sighed in familiar resignation and continued. "And Nora and I grew up together outside of Vale. I'm a speed fighter, using my weapons, StormFlower." He flicked his wrists and two green pistols slid into his hands, extending to their full length along with long green axe-like blades. "They're a pair of SMGs that use Air Dust as a propellant for more damage."
Ren flicked his wrists again and the two weapons disappeared into his sleeves. "I know how to use my Aura, though I don't know my Semblance just yet. I enjoy drinking tea and relaxing in nature, and I can't really say I have a dream beyond being a successful Huntsman."
Naruto and Nora golf-clapped at the same time before trading amused glances. "Alright, Pyrrha?"
The red-head in question did a short bow. "Hello. My name is Pyrrha Nikos. I grew up in Mistral, went to the Academy there and did pretty well. My weapon is Milo." She pulled the gold and red sword from her back and gave it a little twirl. "It's a sword-javelin-rifle combination, and I like to think I'm skilled with it. It's partner is Akouo, my shield."
She sheathed the weapon and settled into her chair in a thinking pose. "I can also use my Aura and I know my Semblance, and I really enjoy writing and training. As for my dream…I just want to protect people."
The group clapped lightly, as was the custom just then. "And finally, last but not least, Nora!" Naruto mock announced, mimicking a crowd cheering.
The Orange-Haired Excitable Person jumped to her feet and basked in the faint praise from a fake crowd. "Hi, everyone! I'm Nora Valkyrie, Ren's All-Time Best Friend For All Time!"
"You used 'All-Time' twice." Ren pointed out calmly, though the small smile on his face belied his amusement.
Nora waves his comment off. "Because it's true. Anyway, Ren and I grew up out in the wild-"
"A small village outside of Vale."
"-and we fought Ursas every day, killing them and selling their pelts for money-"
"It's 'Ursi.', and our parents were friends."
"-and one day, we were running through the wild woods that we lived in and found Headmaster Ozpin surrounded by a hundred fully grown Ursas and Beowolves! He was really hurt so me and Ren-"
Naruto and Pyrrha glanced at Ren for the real story, as he had been telling it in-between Nora's wild tale. "We were home-schooled and we sent a video detailing our training and skills to Headmaster Ozpin. He thought we were worthy and admitted us to the roster." The calmer of the duo explained.
"-I pulled out Magnhild, my awesome hammer, and launched ten grenades into the crowd of Grimm and Ren pulled out his guns and was just zipping around, going pewpewpewpewpewpew! Until he got caught in the jaws of the Biggest Beowolf you've ever seen! And then he screamed for my help and I ran over with my Aura and smacked that Grimm right in the face! And the Headmaster was so impressed, he put us down for Beacon right then and there!" Nora finished her story, complete with gestures and sound effects, even badly mimicking Ren's voice to shrilly scream, "Help me, Nora!"
Ren just sighed and shook his head. "She had that dream last night."
How does he know that? Naruto thought before shaking his head. "Nora. Do you have hobbies and dreams?"
The energetic girl pursed her lips in thought. "I like fighting and eating sweet stuff!" She declared. "And my dream!...I don't really have one, hehehe!"
Ren sighed in familiar dismay, while Naruto palmed his face and Pyrrha just gave her a small, bemused smile. "Well, now that we're all introduced to each other," The blond spoke up, "We should find some time on the weekend to train together, get used to working as a team."
Which is not going to be easy for me, He thought ruefully.
Pyrrha nodded with a smile. "That's a good idea, and it seems like the bell should be ringing any second now."
As if waiting for that cue, the bell rang.
Team NNRV stood from their desk and made their way into the hall with the crowd of students. As they walked, Ren flicked open his scroll and scanned the class list. "It seems we have history this morning."
Nora booed loudly while the calm ones (not Nora) traded amused looks.
…
Gleaming orange-yellow eyes studied the video playing out on the scroll in her hands. The Shadow Grimm quickly cut down his opposition of thugs, ruthlessly maiming and taking down all who stood in his way with quick, brutal strikes and his ability (possibly his Semblance) to vanish and reappear at will.
The woman stopped the show and switched to another, this time showing the Grimm using the pair of short, white-handled, silver-bladed swords to cut a swathe through an attacking group, his slashes enough to incapacitate but not kill.
She paused the video as the Grimm faced the camera mid-spin and zoomed in to examine his mask. This man…She thought, This man could be my greatest enemy. Ruthless, merciless and efficient.
A gleam of…something else entered her fiery gaze. But he's also just, somewhat honorable, and not afraid of getting his hands dirty. That could make him my greatest ally. Not so easily manipulated as Torchwick or the White Fang…a true partner.
Her red nails slowly trailed down the screen, framing the Grimm's masked visage. Blackmail might work…but not taking a hostage. I don't even know his name. But…maybe…if I told him the truth…maybe he would join me then?
She clenched her hand into a fist, memories of pain, loss and suffering flowing through her mind, the air around her becoming heated from her swirling emotions. I must be sure. I must test him. I hope he is ready.
…
…
…
A/N:
The Shadow Grimm's Deck: Queens: Siren.
"Siren", AKA Cynthia Hamilton: The daughter of the Governor of Artemisia, Syrus Hamilton, Cynthia Hamilton is the classical wild-child: Drug abuse, wild spending and a taste for organized crime. She spent hundreds of thousands of her father's Lien getting Dust-Infused Tattoos inked onto her skin, giving her the ability to manipulate an odd element, something unnamed and unseen until she came onto the scene, though she refers to it as Phasing.
How that works, I couldn't say.
It also allows her hypnotic powers, which she uses to build up her all-women gang she refers to as 'her ladies', and they call themselves 'Madame Siren and her Ladies'.
I personally call them 'Siren and Her Bitches'. Everyone of them is some sort of criminal, the typical being a thief, though with the odd murderer her and there.
All of them get a Dust-Infused tattoo similar to hers, though not as large and aligned to their element.
Typically mobbing stores and stealing whatever they can get their hands on, their appearance in Vale is troubling, considering I personally arrested Siren four months ago. Her father, ever wrapped around her finger, apparently moved her to a low-security wing, which allowed her to escape. Also, she seems to be behind the Dust theft, which is very strange considering that Dust shops have never been targeted by her before. There may be more to her actions, which is troubling.
-The Shadow Grimm
…
Actual A/N: What up? Been awhile since I've updated this. Might be awhile more for me to do again, as my Muse seems to be grabbing me by the head, shoving my face into 'Still Not A Hero' and going, "Do this! ALL OF THIS!"
And I really don't have a choice, as my Muse is a flighty broad and if I refuse her whims, I'll get writers block.
Bitch.
Anyways, the mission system: A little familiarity from the Naruto-Verse, and possibly the first of only three things from there. I put it there because it made some sense to me: it gives prospective Huntsmen and Huntresses experience and some money, and all of the mission are watched over by an Experienced Hunter to ensure safety, though most won't know that unless there is imminent danger they can't handle. It gives the illusion of Autocracy while also being a safety-net, just in case.
Besides, if you don't like it: Shut up, who asked for your opinions? I didn't.
Opinion are always welcome unless it's just flaming; those people can suck my salty-
Ahem, anyway: I hope you enjoyed this addition to the story. Why don't you review on the way out?
Read, Review, and Enjoy.
Stay Awesome.
~Soleneus
P.S.: Yes, Siren is based on Maya from Borderlands 2, though mostly in appearance and none in personality. She won't be the last to be based off of a game, movie or cartoon, should I feel like it.
I would also like to point out that I am very detail-oriented, so some small things could be very important in the future, such as that way someone acts, or even accessorizes. *Hint fucking Hint*
Stay Awesome Some More.
~still Soleneus