On December 9th, the First Part of the Four Part Holiday Special will begin.
Each part will take place before this chapter canonically as such; this chapter will be pushed back.
So if you are reading this for the first time and it doesn't make sense, this isn't the next continuation after what you just read, that's why.
Each update will occur every Friday on the 16th, 23rd, and 30th to the end of this month.
Special Note: Just for thought... This happens on Valentine's Day.
"Blake…" Naruto started as he worked as he sat in the middle of his room on one of the zabuton pillows, working on his breathing as he breathed in slowly and allowed oxygen to flow through him at a steady but controlled pace.
"Hm." The bow-wearing girl as she read a very questionable book called Ninjas of Love while sitting at a small desk in his room.
"I'm not complaining as I enjoy your company…" Naruto started as this was a long time coming and finally had to ask while continuing to do his exercise. "But is there any reason you choose to come to my room at this time of day to read? I've got to ask, as we've been doing this since I returned from the farming village a little after the Christmas break seeing as my replacements didn't come for a week after you guys had to come back here."
"Quiet. No fighting. No loud talking. No one is trying to force me to go anywhere or do anything." Blake answered as she read her book, seated by his desk. "It's comfortable. …It reminds me of home before I ran away."
Opening his eyes, stopping his exercise, letting his breath out, and slowing the oxygen through his bloodstream, Naruto looked over at Blake with a small but understanding smile. "From Menagerie?"
"Yes," Blake admitted while she kept reading, which confirmed that she was a faunus in simple answer.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Naruto asked as he wanted to see if she was ready to open up, as he showed concern for his friend but didn't want to push too far.
She had been his listening board for his time here at Beacon. The least he could do was be hers.
"No, not yet." Blake flipped a page and appreciated the tone, for she knew Naruto wouldn't push further. "I will soon… I'm just not ready… There are some things I'm still too frightened of to talk about."
"I understand." Naruto nodded as he understood and backed out of the conversation, giving Blake her space.
She was an introvert, and it was something she didn't get very often anymore. She had an entire team of extroverts, and while she was doing everything she could to meet their expectations...
It was draining for her.
Blake needed this time for herself, so she had been coming to his room when she knew he was studying seals or meditating, knowing it would be quiet. He had a routine, and she quickly figured it out, took advantage of it, and snuck over so she could read peacefully. So she didn't have to deal with her three extroverted teammates for at least an hour.
Something he could understand.
Weiss was the least extroverted of the three, as her thing seemed to be shopping. The one time he allowed himself to be taken into town by her was when he needed to go in to get a few more variants of his outfit. She took him all over town, showing him every store in Vale.
And then got very upset when they refused to serve them because he was faunus and reminded them of who she was and how she could run them out of business.
She was very frustrated that day.
Ruby was very hyperactive. She always wanted to be on the go, working or being active. She could sit down and calmly read, usually with music, and she loved to do so, as Blake said, but that seemed to be at the end of the day. That wouldn't be nearly as problematic, but...
Ruby's music was so loud! He could hear it from over here at times and, multiple times, had to tell the girl of roses to turn it down, so he pitied Blake. She probably listened to that to drown out her sister!
And then there was Yang. The most extroverted of the group and very loud, especially if she came back drunk. She always ventured out every night, going to bars or riding her motorcycle. She was always heading out every night, and now she was actively trying to take Blake everywhere she could. She had been playing along with it up until now, but...
Blake was hiding in his room today, considering what date it was.
She did not want to be dragged into town on the day of love.
Sensing Naruto was preparing to leave her alone, Blake would have usually just kept reading after the brief silence. Today was different. She wanted to keep hearing his voice. And there were some things she needed to know. "Naruto…"
"Yeah?" Naruto was surprised that Blake was continuing the conversation, for usually that would have been it, and they would have continued doing their things.
This was new.
"I have to ask… Why do you always work so hard?" Blake questioned as she put down her book and looked at her friend. "I get this, as you don't want your new semblance to hurt anyone… But even before, when you had no reason to, and you already are most likely the strongest thing on this planet… Why keep working so hard?"
"In the past few months, I have come to know you… You hardly do anything for fun unless someone comes and gets you it, and it is usually only food related or work-related. The only non-work thing I ever see you do is when you walk between places as you aren't interested in getting there on time and just need a moment to think!" Blake added that she did much of the same despite having this decompression time.
"What I'm trying to say is… I'm worried. Everyone has a limit, and you have been doing this since you were a small child… How? Even when I was young and always trying to join protests… My mother and father always made sure I sat aside to have time for myself. To never wear myself out."
Taking a moment to compress his friend's worry, Naruto sat and thought about it for a moment before he realized Blake had a point. It was something he had thought about a month before things went bottom up.
"I've just always been driven. I can't even tell you why I'm doing it anymore… It's just hardwired into me just to keep working. Keep putting in the time, as there is always going to be something just around the corner waiting, and I need to be ready for it. Because if I'm not… I'll lose everything with what little I have right now. I can't handle that." Naruto explained as he looked downcast, realizing he had been pushing harder and harder.
Recognizing that she had just brought Naruto's mood down, she made a choice even if she didn't like it. Blake slid out of the chair she was sitting on, slid a zabuton in front of Naruto, and sat before him before sliding her hands into his. This lone action snapped him out of his funk as she brightly smiled at him and tilted her head endearingly. "Hey, today is Friday… And I haven't been to the movies..."
Seeing Blake flustered at her attempts to cheer up Naruto brought a small smile to Naruto's face. "Since you can remember?"
"I can't even remember going to the theater before, to be honest. It's not something I want to do." Blake admitted as she failed at trying to do something extroverted, and a shade of shame hung over her head as she hung her head in defeat.
"Then let us not do something like that and do something that stays indoors instead? We don't have to go out to watch a movie, you know… I can just send a clone to grab us one." Naruto asked softly, smiled, and Blake blushed before nodding as that was agreeable despite the fact she was trying to make him feel better. "Besides, I would rather not go out either. ...Never had this much attention back home."
Blake giggled at that before shaking her head, understanding the amount of attention he got today would be annoying. Velvet was understandable as it was her birthday, but she always celebrated it a day early to avoid mixed messages. The rest of the attention he had received...
Coco trying to solo him in the arena... Alone. With no one else there.
Weiss wanted to go out and have dinner and a date at a fine restaurant.
Yang had found there was a wrestling show and wanted to know if Naruto wanted to attend.
Ruby found an exotic weapon shop and wanted to check it out with him.
Then all the random trainees coming up today to ask him out. Blake shook her head. He was pretty popular.
Hearing the poof of the clone, she frowned as she was already aware of that trick, and it wasn't a surprise. However, she still frowned. "Still don't get chakra…."
"I don't get why aura is slightly different either… They should function the same way, but they don't… It's like our bodies in our worlds evolved to use our inner energy differently." Naruto shrugged as his clone transformed, so it just didn't run into any issues on the way to get a movie. "Any genre suggestions?"
"Anything works…" Blake shrugged but had a mild blush at the thought of watching a movie with Naruto after everyone else had attempted to get dates with him all day.
All she had to do was sneak over and read a book in his room in an attempt to get away from her roommates. That wasn't even her intent!
Naruto knew better. If he learned one thing from his perverted sensei, paying attention to a lady's wants was key in a relationship. And while that wasn't what this was, he would use what he knew. He quickly reviewed every book he had seen her read over the last month.
"Romance or rom-com. Go." Naruto sent his clone out on a mission while Blake's blush deepened at the implications.
"What? This isn't a date!" Blake became defensive as her eyes widened as she thought maybe the wrong impression had been conveyed. "I just noticed the mood had dropped..."
"I know… But I noted what kind of books you tend to read, so I figured that would be the movie you would choose." Naruto commented before a grin snuck onto his lips, and a mischievous gleam sparkled in his eyes. "However, considering the spicy book you have been reading, maybe that's the kind of thing you'd go for..."
Blake took a breath and calmed down as to what Naruto said. That made her feel better. He had only been paying attention to what she had been reading...
All the blood vessels popped at once. She hadn't even realized she had been reading that before him!
How did she get that comfortable?!
Naruto gave a hardy laugh before he pulled his pack over to his side and pulled out a book from the perv he kept in his honor, even if it wasn't his thing to read. "It's alright. What you're doing is perfectly fine and the most acceptable thing in the world. I had a sensei that read the stuff publicly and a master that wrote it after doing… Research… I believe you remember me reading this in the cabin."
The book was snatched out of his hands at alarming speeds as Blake settled down, and her skin color slowly receded and returned to its normal pale tone. "That makes me feel a bit better about myself… But I had no idea I had brought that book over… What is wrong with me today? …Wait, how did you know what kind of book it was?"
Pretty obvious by the title and considering I've been in bookstores and seen it in that particular section… Yeah, I know what kind of book it is." Naruto only raised his eyebrow as if Blake was questioning his intel-gathering skills before he grinned. "And considering you just took a book from me with basically the same kind of smut..."
Blake grimaced, knowing his ability to get in and out to get the intel he needed was top-notch just from seeing him vanish from plain sight multiple times. Then her blood vessel broke one more time as she cursed herself and tried to calm down, remembering what happened at Christmas break.
She didn't need to think about that!
"Ugh… Fair." Blake sighed in defeat as she had, but at the same time, she had a book from another world to read and gain… Insight from.
Yeah, insight.
"Would have been interesting, though. I would like to know what kind of kinks you're into." Blake grinned as she regained her confidence, and Naruto choked as that was not what he expected from her.
His eyes narrowed as his cerulean gaze fell into her golden eyes. It was as if she was challenging him. He was not one to back down and grinned right back. "Hm, I could send another to get something large, tight asses and anal? Maybe the leads have red and black hair, faunus girl... Being really rough and dominating their partners... Hmm, not sure. There is that other one with the rich girl and brown-haired faunus servant I was looking at where the servant dom'd her old master and made her suck her new master all night..."
Blake harshly blushed as her eyes widened as he directly called Pyrrha and herself out. She then sputtered loudly at the call out to Velvet and Weiss, and she glowered at him mentally for it. She knew he had issues with the redhead, so she poked fun at him. But to go that far and include her in the mix.
Her heart was beating a mile a minute!
Why was she excited?!
Grinning at his victory at how she was cheered up, as was he, and now Blake was both embarrassed and elated about having new material to read, Naruto let out another laugh before he stood up. "Alright… If we're planning on doing a movie, I think we need popcorn… Think I have a bag in here to pop…."
While Blake was all for having popcorn, looking around the small room, there wasn't a way to heat a bag of popcorn. There wasn't a microwave or anything, and she didn't want to see a fire set in the middle of the room. "I'm all for a good movie snack… But how?"
"I can use my chakra to pop it," Naruto stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
At that exact moment, he found the bag and saw Blake's incredulous look as chakra was starting to sound even further from aura than ever before; he decided to explain.
"Alright, lesson time." Naruto began as he slid back on the zabuton pillow next to Blake, and to demonstrate, he formed a Rasengan. "You've seen me create this before, and this is simply unadulterated chakra in its purest form… The funny thing is this is one of the trickiest things to do in my world. I can count the number of people who could do such a feat on a single hand. Ironically, they all existed in my home village, so maybe it was just a teaching thing."
Blake was shocked to hear that while watching the blue ball of chakra that Naruto held in his hand before it vanished. "That's interesting. Even here, with people able to manipulate and control their aura, there are things that everyone can do like create shields, so you would think in principle that it is just a pure chakra technique…."
"That's what I thought…. Someone should have figured out a way to copy it, but I have never seen it done." Naruto commented as he thought the same thing. "It is probably because it took my master literally years to learn it and my father even longer to create it… I was just a prodigal genius of combat and figured out each step from a couple of hours to a week and then mastered it within a week."
"Ninjas usually don't have time to devote to a technique like that… Their lives were very short, even in the time of peace we had before everything turned south. The average life span was between seventeen and thirty, depending on how lucky you were… Only the lucky ones or those that retired to civilian life after suffering too much trauma got to live longer."
At this, Blake was startled at the path Naruto took during the lesson and, hearing how downtrodden Naruto had become, realized the depth of trauma that truly lay beneath. Glynda was right about sending him to therapy as his lifestyle was not healthy, and she lived a trauma-filled life as well…
Therapy was starting to sound worthwhile.
Poking him in the arm, Blake gave a soft smile that broke Naruto out of his stupor. "Oh, the lesson!"
"Now, what I'm about to do is easier and called elemental infusion." Naruto began slowly warming his chakra in his hands and pushing it into the bag of popcorn. "Every shinobi and kunoichi of my world had an elemental nature. Fire, water, wind, lightning, or earth. Some people even had two naturally, or the lucky had a blood gift. Those in the latter group usually had fusions of the elements like magma or steam to go along with it."
Blake was surprised as she heard the first pop in the bag and could feel the heat being generated. It was utterly fascinating watching Naruto do this with nothing but his own power, and a part of her wished she could learn something of this nature. "So I take it you were a fire elemental then."
"That's the funny thing. I'm not." Naruto surprised her with a chuckle, making her look at him in confusion. "Despite being born in the Land of Fire, which did live up to its name and had the most amount of fire elemental people being birthed in it… I was not. I was a wind elemental until the final events of war changed everything."
Knowing about the war, as he mentioned before, as it ended with him fighting his friend and dying, Blake wasn't sure she wanted to push this subject as it might be sore. "Oh…"
"It's fine… It's something cool I learned about myself." Naruto responded, which piqued Blake's curiosity once more. "As Sasuke and I got our butts handed to us, we died for the first time… At least I did. Hope Sasuke didn't die twice."
Blake's eyes widened because it was news to her, and Naruto realized he hadn't told her about this event.
He sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah… He and I had to die once before just to stand a chance in the middle of the war… To learn we were reincarnations of Gods in our world just to unlock the rest of the power sealed in our bodies that apparently had been there since our birth."
"Weirdly enough, I don't have those powers anymore, so I think they were either washed away when I crossed worlds and/or somehow connected to my old world. I would not be surprised if they were connected, as there could be something in my world where the Indra and Asura powers always need to exist on Earth for some specific reason. Or it could be something else entirely. I don't know." Naruto thought about it as he theorized why he didn't have Asura Path power anymore before shrugging. "The very least, I have the knowledge of what they left me and the fact that they unlocked every nature within my being, so I have access to all the elements."
Popping the bag and watching it become stuffed, Naruto noted Blake was still in a state of shock, so he nudged her with his elbow to bring her back to the waking world. She snapped right back and watched the bag once more. "You know if this was some book or manga… You'd be like a John Doe character. You know that, right?"
"I have too much personality for that!" Naruto indignantly stated as he felt the bag was popped just perfectly before setting it aside for when the movie arrived. "And what if I were to tell you… Even with those God levels of powers I had… It still took insane bullshit levels of luck to win, as we were still outgunned and overmatched by this… Just fucking kill me, overpowered level asshole."
Blake raised her eyebrow as that was a little absurd but let Naruto continue. It was a fascinating story. It was almost like a fairytale told in different segments.
She just had to piece it all together, and it was a fascinating puzzle.
"It was another villain we all completely forgot about that snuck in, attacked the guy with a fatal blow from behind, and absorbed all his energy to revive his mommy, a Goddess with near equal power but way less bullshit, to be honest. We traded a guy with ungodly reflective powers as long as he could see us unless we just flat-out overwhelmed it to someone who kept shifting dimensions on us and put us at really high levels of gravity... It was enough that jumping in those forms was difficult and I was capable of virtually flying with them! Funny enough, she was the easier of the two fights." Naruto kept telling the story as he remembered the introduction of Kaguya and how ridiculous it was when the Rabbit Goddess showed up.
There was literally no build-up for her! Why did she exist?
Blake was just stunned at the power of it. The reflect power bothered her as it reminded her of someone but being able to reflect Naruto's attacks at a more substantial destruction level was terrifying. And then someone that had extreme gravity and dimension control... And that was the easier fight?!
What else was he not talking about in the first fight? She wanted more!
"Even still, we were getting our butts kicked in this slightly more winnable fight. We actually started having a chance and got a lot more offense in before the team we all formed when we started as children joined the fray to seal her away finally. Not even kill her… Just seal her so she'll be someone else's problem in the future."
Blake's eyes widened in horror as she looked at Naruto. "By the Brothers, what kind of life did you live?"
"One of a fucking kind." Naruto grinned in response.
"Thank god you're getting therapy." Blake scoffed before taking a breath to try and relax after hearing that story, enjoying how Naruto told them.
Naruto's fox ears twitched as he got a mischievous grin. "I know, right? I died right after that shit saving Sasuke, who turned all rogue and was like, I must do this my way and only my way!"
"God dammit, Naruto! The fuck!" Blake just shook her as that was just too much to handle before she threw another zabuton into his face before apologizing immediately. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean..."
Naruto just laughed. "No, I get it. I wanted to do it to get a rise out of you, and I got exactly what I wanted. I can live with my life just fine. I'm going to therapy for it."
Blake yowled in her throat. "You jerk."
"Boss, here's the movie! Think you'll be in for a treat with this one!" The clone arrived with the movie in hand and handed it off before popping out of existence.
"Beauty and the Beast?" Naruto questioned as he looked at it before Blake's eyes sparkled in anticipation.
"Oh! That's a terrific pick!" Blake's golden eyes sparked as she leapt over and took it from Naruto's hand, rushed to the TV, popped it in, jumped back, grabbed the bag of popcorn, and was eagerly anticipating the film. "It's a fairy tale romance based on how a noble of his land refused to let a hag stay at his castle during a rainy night, and it turned out she was a beautiful witch, and she cursed him, transforming him into a beast until he could learn to truly love someone for who they were. At least that is how the book unfolds."
"Okay… Good pick me, I guess." Naruto looked at how excited she was and was glad she seemed ecstatic with his clone's pick, as it's essentially what he would have picked up if he had been there.
Their decisions reflect his own in the same situation.
"Excellent pick. I wanted to watch this, but… Life these last few years haven't allowed me to do so." Blake stated with excitement before her voice wavered, her eyes dimmed, and finally, she looked down at her own hands holding the bag of popcorn. "What am I doing here?"
"Enjoying a movie with a friend?" Naruto responded as his muscles tightened, and he prepared for multiple scenarios, for he could sense various emotions surging through his friend, and every single one was negative.
The one he found the most worrisome was…
Run.
Blake gave a pained laugh but gave a slight, weak nod. "Is that what we have… Is this really a friendship?"
"Considering the amount of time we have spent together, listening to one another even if it's a bit more lopsided than I would like it to be and the few things we've already been through together… Yeah, this is a friendship. It's one based on trust, and I'm always here to listen when you are ready." Naruto spoke slowly and softly, carefully selecting his words meaningfully and from the heart.
Thankfully, although the swirl of emotions was still a vortex within her, he noticed that one had disappeared and was no longer present. Running was off the table for the time being. That was progress.
However, as her legs slid up and her knees retreated into her face so she could hide her tears, Naruto was still very worried. Blake had a strong character, and this last thought of hers had finally snapped her, and she was losing it.
So, he embraced her, giving her the emotional support she needed right now. He knew the feeling as it had been happening to him recently, and sometimes you just needed to know someone was there.
And that was what Blake needed as the damn broke, and she reached around and embraced Naruto back, and the tears came. "I don't know what to do! I'm so scared! They're coming to find me! If I stay here too long… He'll find me! And I don't know what will happen!"
Naruto let her cry everything out, holding her and listening to every word she said. He said nothing, but he took note. She didn't need him to act right now. She just needed someone to listen.
He could do that.
Her tears kept coming as she buried her head in his shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably. "I can't even go back home now, and it's all I want to do! I want my dad! I want my mom! But I'm scared of what might happen to them if I return! But what's worse is… I'm scared of what they'll think I've become after everything I've done!"
Sitting quietly with her in his grasp, Naruto knew it wasn't time to speak. Her heart was still pouring out, and he just had to be here.
It was all he could do.
"Not now…" Naruto heard a knock at his door as Blake still sobbed on his shoulder, shuttering at the sound but the number of emotions that were wracking her body.
Unfortunately, the person knocked again, as they were the harbinger of bad timing. It just happened to be Blake's partner. "Yoo-hoo! I noticed that your clone ventured out and brought back a movie, and I was wondering if we could join in on a movie night!"
Naruto's ears twitched. Did Yang just naturally have lousy timing, or was she just gifted?
"Tell her to go away… I don't want to see any of them tonight… I can't handle them… Not like this..." Blake responded as she lifted herself from Naruto's shoulder, her eyes red and heavy from the tears she had been shedding before she returned to the fetal position she had been in before she broke contact with Naruto.
Simply collecting his composure as he didn't want to snap at Yang, for how could she know what was going on? Naruto calmly opened the door to reveal it was just the blonde bombshell. "Firstly, how?"
"I've been tracking you down every day, trying to learn all your moves," Yang answered honestly and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "And I saw you create a few and do those cloaking things, so I figured out it was you, so I followed to see what they were up to."
Glowering at that, as he needed to get back to focusing on his sensory if Yang Xiao Long was sneaking up on him, Naruto was about to respond when she continued. "And I wanted to join in, and since Ruby and Weiss will be here shortly… But really, I just wanted to see if I could get the whole team in as a bonding experience."
"We barely get to hang out with Blake during free time, which has dropped even more over these past few weeks. I wanted to change that and thought adding you to the mix could help, as she spends so much time over here anyways. She seems so lonely and needs more friends, but she keeps shutting us out. I'm trying to reach out, but… I feel so helpless." Yang finished somberly as she was just worried about her partner.
For the first time, Naruto could see the side of Yang Ruby kept talking about. Despite knowing it was there, all he could see was the comedic, tough girl who was always looking for a fight or for something fun to do. From time to time, he caught glimpses through the window and could make out more
And he wished she would show it more because it seemed a little more natural.
"Tell you what..." Naruto started as he glanced behind and noticed Blake had twitched, hearing every word Yang had said. "Tonight is a no-go, but that's because the movie will have to wait… She's having a rough night, and I don't think it will be safe for her to return to that environment with that energy level and… The Princess. So here's what I need you to do for me."
With just a small step, he allowed Yang to see the state Blake was in, and Yang immediately wanted to rush in, but Naruto stopped her, shaking his head. "What she wants is her nightwear and her morning stuff… Can you grab that? I'll take care of her as we've already been talking. Another person isn't going to help."
Feeling a slight sting as once again it was not any of them that Blake had come to, for something was weighing her down, Yang looked defeated but nodded as she rushed back to her room to gather Blake's stuff. There was enough trust to let her know what was going on.
Blake did not move and remained where she was, glad Naruto had gotten Yang to grab her things for the night. She knew her partner cared, but this was the first time she truly felt she was trying to open up.
Maybe she could open up to her later too?
"Here you go?" Yang returned with Blake's yukata, another set of clothes, and her bathroom kit. "Let me know if there is anything I can do through the scroll, okay?"
"I'll try to remember how to use the damn thing. No promises, though… I'm bad about it." Naruto answered honestly to get Yang to smile a bit before she gave a soft wave to Blake before she retreated to their room, and Naruto closed the door before moving to put her things on the desk. "I think you can trust your team more than you think..."
"Not with this… Not even close… I don't even know why I trust you..." Blake curled further into herself, succumbing to the depression that welled within her. "I shouldn't. I've only known you for three months."
Sliding down on her right side, Naruto felt it was a better time to talk now as her tears had dried away. "I think it may be because of how often I share my own life with you. Deep down inside, you feel that if I'm willing to trust you with my innermost secrets..."
"That I should trust you with mine… I think that's part of it, and it is true. I trust you because of it. You don't hide anything; all I have to do is ask." Blake responded and relaxed her position, and her left leg unfolded as she wrapped both her arms around her right knee. "But another reason, and I think the main reason… Is because of your presence… It just feels like home…."
"It feels safe… I feel like I'm standing beside my dad again." Blake admitted, to which Naruto kept silent about it but understood. "And this is before you showed how strong you were. From the first moment, you showed up and protected Ruby… I felt that presence, and I was drawn to it. Every word you said hit home and made me want to run home so badly..."
"It also helps you decorate like my mom..." She dryly commented at the end as she looked around the room to try and raise her spirits, but she was still very, very downtrodden.
"Huh… Neat." Naruto could only respond to that final statement as he looked around his room at all his scroll paintings and oriental decorations as they reminded him closely of home.
There was nothing he could say about his presence. That was simply a state of being, and he had no control over that.
"You are your own person… And I didn't mean to compare. But it is just how I feel." Blake stated as she stared off into a blank space on the wall before turning to Naruto. "I just wanted that feeling again. I haven't had it in forever. I've been running for so long that I forgot what it feels like to be... To be safe. And I finally felt again since I left home."
"Blake, I'm going to hold you. Is that okay?" Naruto asked for permission as he felt he needed to ask as the situation was still in the ask department.
Releasing her other leg, Blake simply leaned over, placed her head on Naruto's shoulder, and nodded to give him her acceptance. Sliding her arm around her waist, he pulled her close to him so they could share one another's warmth.
"It's okay to want that feeling," Naruto responded as he held her tightly and gave her the support she needed. "You need home and safety before you can feel any kind of stability. Those are base needs everyone must have to be mentally sound… Without them, you are just running scared, which I think you have been doing, and I don't want to see anymore."
"Not only am I here… You have others just next door worried about you and at least a few others, a good little witch willing to step in and help you… You have more safety here than you give yourself credit for." Naruto rubbed her waist he held tightly.
"You don't know this, but when I was released… A cop recognized your name." Blake's eyes widened, and worry filled her, but Naruto put it to rest. "She recognized it from Menagerie. Glynda immediately silenced them and told them to keep the information to themselves… Luckily it was a faunus cop, so I think she would anyways but still… So you have someone from higher up looking out for you here too."
"She cares a lot more than people, hell even I, give her credit for. She loves her students and this academy." Naruto admitted Glynda had changed his opinion about her dramatically, and he came to like the good witch.
Now, if she would accept the nee-chan nickname he had been giving her as she was too young to be more. Maybe Baa-chan, but it would be awkward calling her that.
Why did the older blonde women he knew look so young? He didn't realize she was that old! How did he end up knowing two blonde women that looked that gorgeous and were almost fifty or older?!
After hearing about that, Blake was momentarily stunned and had to reevaluate the professor again. She already earned a positive mark after the incident with the police, only wishing she had arrived earlier, as Naruto was right. She was always late. But she knew who she was from the start and was protecting her identity…
She'd have to find out what the witch liked and get her some gifts. It was the least she could do for her.
"I... Know there are… But I don't want to drag anyone into my problems. I don't want to get anyone hurt. It's why I didn't go home..." Blake took a moment before her mood dropped again, and the bow on her head drifted down again.
"Alright, I know this is personal, and this is digging, but I have to ask at this point." Naruto sighed as he had to know from how she spoke that there were very few options. "You were part of the White Fang?"
"Yes," Blake answered honestly; she hung in shame as Naruto pieced together her ramblings, knowing he would.
He was good.
"That's rather shocking, to be honest, and I wasn't expecting you to be part of them once." Naruto paused before he said anything, catching Blake by surprise. "Your views are so opposed to what they represent that it is almost impossible to imagine that you were ever a part of the Fang… But if what I learned is true and they only recently became this way…."
"Five years ago is when the change happened," Blake admitted before she removed her head from Naruto's shoulders and gazed into his cerulean eyes. "We did things peacefully before. Protests, rallies, events… Anything to show we wouldn't violently oppose the order but not be pushed back by unfair laws!"
"However, there was too much strife, and the Fang wanted to move in a different direction… And my father stepped down from leadership as he refused to accept the path they were choosing." Blake gazed straight into Naruto's eyes as she told her story.
And that was a revelation that caught Naruto by surprise. "Wait, your father was the head of the White Fang?"
"Yes… Ghira Belladonna. The chief on Menagerie." Blake responded as, despite everything, she looked up to her father and wanted to live up to a fragment of what he had done. "Despite the direction they move in being more violent… They respect him and rarely move against his will because of his sway over all faunus, even to this day… He was our leader for so long that many of us still see him as such."
"I think that is why I ran away from home… I didn't want to see my father as the chief of Menagerie… I wanted to see him as the head of the Fang. Being proactive and doing something." Blake hung her head in shame as she looked at the floor. "If I only knew what the Fang had become…"
Naruto remained silent as he listened, knowing more was to come, but something was about to be said that left him startled, and his heart broke for her.
"They were ruthless… But it worked. They had gained respect through fear… And the man I saw as my friend, my brother, my mentor… The love of my life… Betrayed my trust the most." Blake's eyes teared up once more as her body began to shake. "He mentored me when I was young and guarded my father, and we knew each other for so long..."
"I thought I knew everything about him, but something began to change in him without me noticing at first. He became increasingly violent after the first time he killed someone to protect my father... Who admonished him as he didn't believe it was necessary. Now, I think about it… My father was right. He could have just knocked him out instead." Blake continued as tears streamed once more, and her body convulsed.
"But Adam… I think he got a thirst for it despite being distraught by what he did at first. He found that it didn't matter whose life he took as long as it meant accomplishing his goals. His target. Dead. Innocent... I thought he would still spare them if I confronted him about his methods, but he just used my father as his reasoning and convinced me that he was right..."
"Then all those people on the train..." Blake choked as she thought about that day, and tears started streaming down her face again. "If I didn't act… He would have blown them up without a second thought… He kills whatever is in his way with no regard for innocent life anymore! I never wanted to be a murderer! I just wanted faunus to be treated fairly! But those other missions we were on, and he just… Killed… Every time he did, it made me an accomplice..."
"I'm a murderer by association and I accepted what he did for so long. It was what was needed. For the cause. To save faunus everwhere." Blake shivered and bit her lip at the thought before taking a deep breath and continuing to press forward.
"He manipulated me into believing what he was doing was right despite knowing deep in my heart it wasn't, and I just couldn't see it until it was too late!" Blake's body shook before her anger rose as she looked up angrily into Naruto's eyes. "Yet here am I confessing my heart and soul out and possibly making the same mistake again… To someone else, I know who could be heading down the same road… Because I know you killed that cop!"
"You knew." Naruto didn't deny the accusation; as anger rose in Blake's eyes, her gaze intensified before giving a weak and sorrowful sigh. "Yes… I made the kill."
Blake flipped onto Naruto, straddling his waist as she grabbed him by his shirt collar and brought his face inches from hers. Her hot breath streamed against his face as tears rolled down her face as she cried, and her body convulsed in both rage and sadness. "Why?! Why would you do it?! You know violence isn't the answer, so why?! Tell me!"
Giving himself up and submitting himself to Blake's ire as it was wholly earned, Naruto could only weakly smile as he gave her a solemn answer. "He did it before to many others… Two cellmates panicked when he showed up. He broke Vajo, the wolf faunus' nose… And he was so terrified he was jittering more than normal and couldn't look the man in the eye. He didn't even answer the man's roll call."
Although Blake's grip began to loosen, she still held firm as the anger in her did not fade, but another emotion developed. Understanding.
"The prisoners had protocols for dealing with this guy. The respectable cop that booked me flat out gave me instructions on how not to aggravate him and stay off his radar, yet he purposely targeted me. This wasn't something that happened off and on. He did all the time, and they couldn't do anything about it." Naruto growled, and his ears twitched as he started to match Blake's intensity before backing off with a whisper. "What would he have done if that was Velvet instead of me like the warrant intended it to be?"
The grip was immediately let go of as Blake's anger faded as she baked away, and fear replaced it as the imagery of Velvet in that situation took hold. But that was not what Naruto wanted, and he barked at her. "Do not stop being angry with me!"
Blake was taken aback by what Naruto stated, and he growled and put his face back into Blake's. "You have every right to be mad, and it is justified. What I did was wrong by every metric and should never be considered the right thing, even if every reason is valid! I did it because I was the only one who could stop the madness going on there! So no one else would ever have to go through that again!"
"So that he would never take another life!" Naruto finished with a pant before he looked at Blake's terrified, tear-filled face and slid away, disgusted with himself. "Two wrongs don't make a right..."
The room fell silent after those words. There was the occasional hiccup from Blake as her body was still shivering from the amount of crying she had done, and the emotional drain was taking its toll.
"You know… Despite being a trained killer as a ninja and constantly being in life-or-death situations most of my life… I never had to kill anyone before." Blake's eyes widened at this admission as she looked at a defeated Naruto beneath her, leaning back and looking drained. "I've… always been able to talk. To convince whoever I was fighting and change their minds, make them see what was right. Even if it was after beating their ass so hard they couldn't move afterwards."
"The only time I tried to kill my opponent… My sensei stepped in and stopped me." Naruto continued as he remembered his past life. "He didn't want me to lose my last innocence, so he finished the act himself. He wanted me to still believe that I could find a way and convince people to change."
"And I took that to heart to the very end… Until I died myself."
Blake remained silent as she listened to every word from Naruto.
"In the end, I failed, because I found someone who would never be convinced, no matter what I tried. And it was pointless to try. And was so corrupt that I couldn't let it stand… So, I took care of it… And I hate myself for it. But I finally learned the lesson..."
"Some people in this world just want to watch it burn… And nothing can be done to reach them. And that means I will most likely have to kill again… Because I'm being led right into the direction of those trying to burn this world down." Naruto finished with a cold but calculated stare as he looked out his window and directly at the central tower of Beacon.
Blake's attention was immediately drawn to the central tower before turning back to Naruto. "What are you talking about?"
"Blake, I think we've had enough tonight if we are being honest… How about I tell you this here in a few more days when I've got a little more to go on?" Naruto winced as he let that slip and now saw the look in Blake's eyes, knowing he wouldn't get away without telling her at least something. "Alright… You know I don't trust Ozpin, right?"
"You two have the weirdest relationship I've ever seen, but… I thought there looked like some trust involved." Blake stated that the few interactions between the two had been positive.
"There is a small amount, but don't mistake it for what is essentially us placing faith in each other's abilities." Naruto said. "I think Oz may treat me more as one of his children as he is trying to teach me because he knows something about death… Because I can feel death coming from him, but I can't explain it."
"Nonetheless, he regularly flaunts me, as he did at the ceremony and had news coverage of it. The prodigy faunus, graduates from Beacon on the first day but still attends classes to continue his education... What an inspirational story that helped both him and Academy... But what exactly did that do for me?" Naruto asked Blake and she honestly needed a moment to think about it.
But she came up with an answer. "Honestly, it only gave you your Hunter's license and very little else. If anything, it came with the drawbacks of being a known quantity that now would be known worldwide, so it is increasingly difficult to work discreetly, and you would be put on the Fang's r… Oh my god."
"Exactly… Why do you think I hardly leave Beacon except on missions unless I'm cloaked, transformed, or in a group?" Naruto stated as Blake came to the realization that she had never seen Naruto in Vale without a group or on a mission and he was always cloaked or transformed. "The White Fang is actively searching for me as I am a target. They desperately want me, as what would that do for their public image?"
"It would be a massive boost in morale that a prodigy Hunter joined the Fang… Why would he make that such a public affair? The damages are far greater than the good!" Blake hissed as she gazed at the tower and felt hatred for their headmaster for the first time.
"That is why I don't trust Oz completely. I don't understand his game and need to learn more..."
Blake was quiet for a moment after Naruto stopped speaking. After everything that had happened on this night, she was exhausted, but she looked up one more time with determination. "I want to help."
"Why?" Naruto questioned because, after everything that happened this night, that was the last thing he expected.
He was expecting her to be angry, to deny him. Something else…
Not for her to join him.
"Because I don't want to sit here and do nothing when you know something is coming!" Blake waved her left hand as she placed her right hand on her heart. "You said it yourself there is something out there that wants to burn this world down, and Oz is aware of it too, so he is leading you on! So let's scope it out and figure out what's going on for ourselves! So at least we are prepared and know what we can do! We can…"
"Blake…" Naruto sat up and took her right hand before reaching out and grasping her left and pulling them together. "It's not going to be just Grimm and machines, okay? There is a very likely chance that it will be humans and faunus… The Fang itself."
Blake's eyes widened, but she tried to stay determined as Naruto kept going. "And while I will do everything in my power to make sure everyone comes out alright as I don't want anyone to die… I've accepted there might be an accident here or there that I can't stop. I've accepted that someone might try something I can't imagine and cause the death of others but worst of all..."
"I've accepted that I'm going to have to kill someone as you've already mentioned someone that is far beyond redeemable," Naruto admitted the cold harsh truth to Blake as he looked her in the eyes. "Just how many others are out there are there who will stop at nothing to cause harm like that in this game that Oz is taking part in… I don't know, but if it comes down to protecting others and killing someone…."
"I'm willing to make the kill… Even if I hate myself for the rest of my life for it... I'll know those other people get to live. And I think I can live with that thought." Naruto finished as he firmly gazed into Blake's eyes and let her know what this journey would take.
And he wasn't sure she was ready for that.
"I… I…" Blake wavered as steely as her determination was before doubt crept in once more as the thought of killing was almost too much for her to bear.
And Naruto embraced her. "It's okay… You don't have to… Give it time and think about it. I'm not intending to force you ever to choose your path. …This is a path no one should have to walk. I do so because I must… And I want to see a better tomorrow as that has always been my goal… I wish there didn't have to be bloodshed on the way."
"I'm tired..." Naruto sadly smiled as this drained him, as he released Blake. "You want to get dressed, so we call it a night? …The bed is yours. I'll use my rucksack."
Hiccupping, Blake nodded and simply rolled off Naruto and weakly walked over to the desk where he laid her things before walking over to the personal bathroom. While she changed, Naruto took his clothes off and threw on a simple black shirt and light orange bottoms as he put his uniform in the laundry.
As he pulled out the rucksack, Blake exited, noticing that she wasn't wearing her bow for the first time he had ever seen her. Her cat ears were drooped and exhausted, and she was paler than she usually was, but she had washed up, and tears were no longer staining her face.
Putting down his sack, Naruto walked to his fridge before pulling out two bottles of water. This was something he kept in high stock now, and he handed one to the dehydrated faunus. "Here, looks like you could use some."
"Thank you." She simply nodded as she took a long, solid drink. "From keeping me from running, letting me cry and talk, even just getting mad at you despite… Everything… I don't know how to feel right now."
"Then we are in the same place." Naruto gave a small smile. "And that's alright. Let's sleep on it, and figure out what we're planning to do tomorrow as I, with your consent, agreed to a movie night with your team, so you got to attend, and so do I."
"I don't want to… But fine. Yang deserves that much… By the way, I texted her and let her know I was doing better." Blake hung her head temporarily before nodding and looking up at Naruto. "You're in trouble."
"And why is that?" Naruto asked as Blake huffed and sauntered to his bed.
She slid on top and turned away from him. "You didn't have a single toy in your bathroom..."
At this, Naruto's ears twitched before they angrily flattened. "Why were you looking?"
"Thought it'd be interesting to see what you used… Was disappointed." Blake commented as she lay on his bed, her legs shifting as her butt lifted in his direction.
Naruto shook his head. She was not taunting him. That could not be what she was doing. Not after the night they had up to this point.
Or was something else running through her mind? Did she remember their conversation from before all this? Was this revenge?
Did she play the long game?
Naruto decided to play the game as he turned and slid into his rucksack. "Yeah… No. They didn't have an XL model in stock, and the Larges get stuck and chaff the shaft."
Blake choked on her spit before sitting up and smashing Naruto's face with a pillow with a heavy throw. "You didn't have to go that far!"
"You didn't have to sultry move your legs and stick your ass out towards me on my bed!" Naruto roared back.
"I didn't… Did I?" Blake looked horrified as she sat on Naruto's bed before realizing that was what she had done. "I'm so sorry! My body moved on its own and…."
"Hahahaha!" Naruto suddenly cracked open as he realized he wasn't the only one that didn't have control over his body. "Oh god, so it's not only me… Thank god."
"You ass! Don't laugh! It's not funny when it happens!" Blake slammed the only other pillow into Naruto's face, furiously blushing. "And give those back! I need them!"
"Yes, mam…" Naruto tossed the pillows back. "And I know it isn't… But I've been dealing with this for since I got here and have been desperately trying to control it, and you just let me know it's just something all faunus go through… Thank you."
At that realization, Blake looked more introspective as she held the pillows in her hand but frowned as her golden eyes gazed down at Naruto. "You could have asked… I would have been willing to tell you."
"When?" Naruto wondered curiously as he lay back down. "Until today, you officially hadn't come out as faunus to me. Sure I knew, but I wasn't about to just come and say anything about it. You have your privacy, and I'm not trying to invade it."
"Even though I invade yours all the time?" Blake looked down as now that she thought about it, she was always spending time here.
"What, spending an hour during the weekdays and maybe a couple during the weekends is an invasion of my privacy? Hardly," Naruto gave her no indication he felt she was being invasive. "To be honest, it's like you said earlier…. If someone doesn't come to drag me from my work to eat or help them do their work or something training-related… I don't spend time with anyone…."
"You honestly are the person I spend the most time with and, sadly, today is the most amount of time we've spent speaking to one another… But that could be because you're an introvert that loves reading and being in her world, and I'm a work-a-holic that might not know what he is. Maybe an introvert with some extroverted traits... I dunno." Naruto shrugged as he wasn't sure.
"That sounds about right..." Blake fluffed her pillows before lying back down. "I think we both need to work on changing… I need to… Spend time with my team and talk more with you and you…."
"Just everything with me… But starting with less work for now until things get to the point I need to start ramping it back up." Naruto sighed but agreed as he needed to calm things down.
He wasn't home. He wasn't meant to be the Hokage here. Even more importantly, what was his goal besides trying to make the future brighter? He wasn't sure, but he could take his foot off the pedal for a bit.
It was probably for the best, and a some rest and relaxation would do him well. He'd still be working, but not devoting everything he had to it.
That would probably be a difficult adjustment as it was his life. For as long as he could remember, he had trained. He was always doing something. Sitting back and doing something for entertainment would be new for him. Doing therapy was unfamiliar to him, but he thought it was working to an extent, as it was to ensure he was healthy so he could keep working.
He was work-oriented, and it was frustrating.
"Naruto…" Blake's voice stopped his train of thought.
"We really suck at this sleep-on-it thing, huh?" Naruto dryly commented but with a slight smirk on his face.
Blake mildly laughed. "We do."
"What is it?" Naruto asked as he sat back up to see Blake doing the same.
"I've come to my decision."
"I think you should take more time on it." Naruto sighed as he really didn't want Blake to make this decision right now or at all while she was still in an emotionally compromised state. "You're still coming down from a high trauma and emotional state…"
"And that right there is why I want to make my decision," Blake stated as determination rose in her eyes again, but this time they were not about to waver. "You refuse to pressure me and want me to make a calm, rational decision. You wanted me to hate you for did and tried to push me away from the road you were choosing to walk down."
"Yet all you have done is support and listen to me this entire time, only rising when I confronted you about the life you took... even if it was justified, it was wrong, but you admitted that and wanted me to know."
"This entire time you've known me, you've known things about me, and something was wrong. You have always asked but never pushed me, just waited and were patient with me! It's all you do with everyone while occasionally calling out people on their faults or bullshit when it needs to be called out!" Blake gripped her chest and looked at him with a burning fire in her heart. "So, if someone as truly good as you believes this may be the only way…"
"I'll join you, whatever the cost. Even if it means I must take another life as a last possible resort..."
"Blake…" Naruto was taken aback by her conviction as this was not the same Blake he had been dealing with, who had been an emotional wreck tonight.
This wasn't even the Blake he first met and got to know since she arrived at Beacon.
This most likely wasn't even Blake when she was part of the White Fang.
This was Blake Belladonna when she first left home, wanting to make things right in the world and thought she had the power to do so.
And somewhere inside her, she had found that side of her again.
"Okay." Naruto simply agreed with a nod before lying back down.
Blake was simply floored by his response and wasn't sure what to make of it. She felt almost like Yang when she taunted her partner when she got on her nerves. "Just okay? That's it?"
"Yeah," Naruto responded as he looked up at her from his lying position. "Let's take a few days to relax as we said we would, and then let's do this."
Blake blinked at her fellow faunus as he lay beneath her. This was still an abnormal response, as she had expected something more. But maybe muted was for the best. "Okay, a few days sounds good… But do we…
"Yes, tomorrow, movie night. Another word about it, and JNPR might be invited." Naruto glared daggers, and she recoiled.
There would be no challenge here. He was serious.
She simply lay back down. In a few days, she would be joining a new frontier, and it scared her. However, she believed in Naruto. She wanted to put her faith in him and would fight for the cause he believed in because it felt so much like her own.
A better tomorrow.
Not just for faunus. A better tomorrow for everyone. A world where humans and faunus can stand together and truly be equals. There would still be hate, and that might never go away. But a world where maybe…
Things like what happened last month wouldn't be a regular occurrence. Where everyone had the power to make a difference no matter who they were.
That was the world she wanted.
Slapping the bed beside her, she frowned.
"Naruto…"
"Oh my god, we can't sleep on it, can we?!" Naruto laughed as he seemed to be having too many thoughts as well.
Blake let out a laugh too. "Naruto… I feel like a jerk for kicking you off your bed when mine is twenty feet over. Come sleep in your bed."
"I see way too many issues with that," Naruto responded as he sat up and shook his head.
Blake frowned and patted the bed beside her. "Why? I trust you won't do anything."
"You're not planning on accepting no for an answer, are you?" Naruto glared at the cat girl in front of him.
"It is your bed, so no, I trust you," Blake responded as she made more room so the two could sleep on the bed together. It would be a little cramped, but it would work.
Naruto sighed, but it was no use fighting, and it was getting late. He wasn't winning this. "I'm putting a pillow between us."
"I said I trust you," Blake commented as Naruto walked over with the pillow and frowned. "Do you not trust me?"
"It's not about trust… It's about modesty here… Morning time." Naruto responded; he put the pillow right in front of his crotch as he lay down. "Earlier was not an exaggeration, and when morning hits… It hits."
"Oh… Okay, pillow it is." Blake lay down on her side and closed her eyes, but a smirk was on her face as she placed a hand on her stomach. "XL is nine to eleven inches in length and an inch and a half to two inches in diameter, right?"
"I have never met a girl as perverted as you before," Naruto growled at Blake. "And if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to start something?"
"No, just a little play. Not ready for anything more… Not ready for a relationship either. Last one hurt too much." Blake answered honestly as she stayed where she was lying on the bed. "Like where things are right now… Later I want more… Right now isn't good… For either of us."
That made Naruto smile as he finally closed his eyes. "Okay, I feel the same. Not ready to move on from where I was either. Not yet, at least."
"Naruto…"
"Oh my god, Blake..."
"Night."
"Oh… Night."