Volume II
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It was a quiet and calm night in downtown Vale. A few passersby and cars drove by but most people had turned in for the night. And in one club with the lights feverishly going off, glass shattered as a man was thrown violently out of the window and people screamed and rushed out the entrances.
The bouncers quickly rushed in to assess the situation and apprehend the subject. Sounds of a struggle of objects being broken such as tables and chairs could be heard before both bouncers were smashed through the windows, unconscious and unable to get up. They were followed by several more men flying through the air of broken windows and another just running through the door, calling their boss 'Bullshit!' for doing this job.
Inside the owner of the club was pushed up into a corner, crawling and begging for mercy as a weapon transformed into a sawed-off shotgun before his eyes and pointed to his face. "Please... I'll do whatever you want! I pay however much it takes just leave me alone!"
"I don't care about your money!" The cloaked man growled before flipping his hood revealing his blue eyes and burning into the owner's eyes. "Where is Lidia Silver? She was last seen here at this establishment and she mysteriously vanished without a trace! That is the third time this month a woman has disappeared from here and I want answers!"
"You know something and you are going to tell me!" A low guttural growl escaped his throat as his eyes bored into the insignificant club owner.
"I... I seriously don't know anything and that's the truth!"
Sniffing, his growl became louder and his weapon fired blowing a massive hole with a Dust infused shot next to his head. "Lie to me again... See what happens."
"ALRIGHT, I'LL TALK!" The club owner spasmed uncontrollably, his dress pants darkening as he released his bladder in terror. "I was paid handsomely to have specific women targeted every week by Vest Frontier... Those guys have started to get their hands into a lot of business since Nix and Rainbow went down and wanted a piece of the action they no longer were dominating the market in... And once I target them..."
"They would pick them up..." Naruto growled before slamming his foot into the man's face, knocking him unconscious and transforming Dream back into its normal state and sheathing it. "I know where I'm going next."
Walking out of the club, hearing and seeing the sirens, he simply held out his scroll and showed his license before a small smile graced his lips on seeing who it was. "Night, Officer Lumine. Out on a Search and Rescue... Refused to cooperate when he had vital information on the victim's whereabouts."
Alice lowered her weapon as she stood away from the car door, seeing it was Naruto, before scowling. "We've been here multiple times and he never once gave us any information..."
"I may have been a little intimidating." Naruto undersold his tactics as before he pulled out a device, connected it to his scroll for a moment and after a series of presses that took him a moment to figure out, he accomplished his task and handed her the device. "Have his confession on audio. Book him. He admitted to assisting in the kidnapping... I'm heading to Vest Frontier to finish this... Might want to call in back up tonight for the clean-up."
Alice looked alarmed at both the statement and being handed a confession, she could only nod before getting on the radio as she headed into the club. "Got it... Victor, I'm here at the Ruffus Club... It was Naruto... Yes, we're going to need a clean-up crew tonight but not here."
Turning from the Club, Naruto looked on his scroll to map out his destination and found it.
Target, Vest Frontier.
Waking up in his dorm to the smell of fresh coffee was becoming the norm over the past month. While he liked to try and sleep in a little more often now it simply was not possible thanks to his new living partner as she was always up and…
Making sure everything was serviced just properly.
She was living the role she was playing a little too perfectly if Naruto was being honest.
Ever since Neapolitan did as he asked and he found her sitting on his bed, waiting for him to arrive, she decided to disguise herself as a maid while they planned and waited for Cinder and Salem to make a move. Well, most of the time she was a maid...
There were times she was a bodyguard, a waitress, a cook, a huntress in training at the academy, Ruby once for some reason...
Shaking his head of her weird illusion disguises, the fact he got more information from a mute than Ozpin was annoying as hell and she didn't know what their plans were but knew who they were at the very least and a few of the things they had been up to!
Both she and Torchwick were kept out of the loop of their plans until the next stage was going to unfold as they were the smaller players it seemed and unfortunately they were expendable. When Naruto showed up Cinder decided to jettison them as their value had run its course and she could replace them.
And if she could replace someone like Neo…
Well, that bothered him a little as she was very valuable to him so far in the last month she had joined his team.
With her illusions and disguises she could practically get anywhere she wanted to. The fact she couldn't speak made that all the more impressive when you would think it would require, you know, her to talk sometimes. So gathering intel had just taken a surge forward as even his clones couldn't do what she was able to do.
And she was driven. Of course, she wanted Roman free but busting him out wasn't an option. He had to serve his time. His crimes were too heinous and the fact that he managed to get his sentence reduced to five years with visiting rights and in a highly protected and secluded zone so not just anyone could get into was amazing by all rights!
All because he was willing to spill the beans on the operation to him once he realized both he and Neo were had and there would be no rescue coming. A little maid next to him convinced him of that.
A lot of Dust was starting to be recovered because of it and he was sure somewhere someone was not amused.
So he would serve his time but in a rather decent cell as Neo would sneak things in for him that were rather questionable but Naruto allowed it as long he wasn't going to bust out. He'd be the first to catch him and then lock both of them up.
And Neo was hard driven for vengeance towards Cinder as she had sold not only her out but Roman so in her eyes she hurt him the most. Sure she was now a wanted criminal, as Naruto previously set up cameras to catch everything in the act, but she was nowhere near as wanted or in a valued state as other targets at the moment so she was relatively safe.
Not like anyone could ever identify her anyways with the sheer amount of disguises she had and illusions she could put up…
But getting back to the point that first brought him to these thoughts she was dressed up in her new maid outfit, which was the same as her maid illusion except Naruto decided instead to simply just have come with him to the clothes shop and have them custom make her outfit along with the few others she liked to use often. If she was just going to constantly be wasting her aura to be using the outfits he might as well have them make them for her so she stopped taxing herself so much…
And it seemed that brightened her mood dramatically as the only other person to ever buy her things… Was Roman.
And that put him in an awkward position as now there might be a little bit of something developing in that head of hers. He wasn't sure what as she was mute but just seemed a little Weiss-like and he did not like that in the slightest.
She had Roman. That affection needed to stay in the direction. Blake would strangle the both of them, most likely commit a willing murder despite her stance against the act upon Neo, and then walk away from the scene as if nothing happened.
Blake did not like her still. She accepted her presence as she was useful, that was it.
It was probably due to the stab wound scar on her chest that didn't quite heal over. One didn't get over trying to be murdered quite so easily.
That was fair.
She did, however, admit Neo's skills far outvalued her dislike and therefore she was too much a valuable commodity to allow to pass by. She would just glare at her and if you had Naruto's secondary hearing you be able to hear hissing coming deep from Blake's chest.
There was a legitimate hatred directed towards the ice cream woman.
And Neo did not care one bit. She seemed to thrive on it and Naruto swore sometimes she even flaunted it and purposely try and make the faunus jealous and extremely protective of Naruto. And she would only try it when Blake was around as if it was some sort of game. He was worried the entire building was going to catch fire as he saw Blake digging into his stuff and she found his detonator.
There was a struggle to reclaim one of his most valuable tools.
The only time Neo didn't flaunt Blake, besides during serious discussions about their plans and training, was when it was during the regularly scheduled relaxation period Naruto declared when Blake came over as it was their cool-down time where nothing happened. It seemed she enjoyed that too and she just started playing what seemed to be an archaic handheld gaming system while her face lit up with enjoyment.
Go figure. She needed quiet time too. Despite the fact, that she was creating the CHAOS!
That being said she was very good at disappearing and giving and giving Naruto and Blake the space they needed. Despite the fact it seemed that she may have recently been building something in her head towards him, she was devoted to Roman and knew there was something between the two. And they needed time.
And Neo wanted nothing to do with any of that. She wanted revenge and that was a hard pass for her. She just went to Vale and went to see if she could find any more information when they wanted to figure out how to like a couple.
They were taking it slow and most of the things they did were talk and listen to one another. They had ready bared each other's worse secrets to one another so other the course of the next month they just kept going, giving the other new parts of their life. There were still many things left to discuss but the more they opened up to each other the more they bonded.
And then there were times they were simply silent enjoying the presence of each other as they would walk through parks together and Neo would just follow after them and watch in the background, throwing paparazzi to the side without prejudice all the while staring at the two of them and holding up a sign saying 'KISS THE GIRL!'.
Neither saw it and it frustrated the ice cream woman that she would occasionally snap her sign and throw the pieces into a nearby pond or slam it into park benches in frustration. There also may have been someone who had their head dunked into the water until bubbles stopped for following them and trying to post pictures on tabloids.
They didn't need to know about that fact. Naruto wasn't the only one trained in hiding bodies.
There were also the two the time failed miserably to eat out as a couple. It wasn't due to paparazzi or any adoring fans of theirs, as they tried to get close but were mysteriously pushed away if they were fans, swatted away if they were anything else by some unknown force. They just enjoyed that no one managed to get close to them for once after they became big-time stars in Vale.
What it happened to be was a four-and-a-half tall black-haired woman wearing sunglasses and a black suit playing bodyguard. Neither noticed this as they just ended up embarrassing themselves during the entire ordeal despite the bodyguard holding up multiple signs and giving them instructions on what to do while in the process throwing people out of the building violently, smashing people's heads through tables and there may have been powerbomb spot at one point.
Neo seemed to watch wrestling as well.
Many more signs were broken and thrown through windows, fire hydrants were mysteriously smashed open, a car was flipped on its side and a puppy or two may have been kicked out of sheer frustration.
Also, that restaurant may have been lit on fire after the two left.
What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them.
Sighing as that date didn't go well last night, Naruto took the cup of coffee Neo offered to him as he sat up and smiled. "Thanks, Neo… At least both Blake and I agree we suck at going out. Could have been a lot worse though. No real issues with crowds."
Neo twitched as the memories of last night returned. And then the screaming started and everything became a happy memory.
So she simply smiled and patted Naruto on the ears to comfort him before moving to clean the desk.
Naruto blinked at the assassin/recon specialist pretending to be a maid as she was just fully committed to the role. Either that or she truly thought was a maid at the moment and…
He stopped his thoughts. He wasn't even going to try and figure out Neo anymore. All he knew of her personality was that she was sadistic and loved chaos but was extremely loyal to those that gained her loyalty.
Naruto wasn't sure how he fit into that later camp as he only offered her a way to get revenge but apparently, getting Roman's sentence reduced and giving him protection, allowing her access to him with him present, and then buying her that outfit was all it took.
Why was it easy?
What was her life like?!
And how did no one else manage to earn her loyalty? Were they all just douchebags?! The Roman thing was probably the big one but still?!
Shaking his head and taking a sip of his coffee, finding it odd that Neo had quickly zoned in on exactly how he liked his brew, Naruto stretched before he went to the bathroom to take care of his morning routine.
Meanwhile, Neo kept cleaning, grinning to herself before she pulled out her very own notebook and started scribbling notes down.
While he had captured Roman it was his job and there was no harm in that, order and chaos were two sides of the same coin and she accepted that. The world had a balance. She was chaos and he was order... With a side of chaos, but order nonetheless. But his willingness to help Roman and her going after the ones that betrayed them with her endeared him to her. Getting her this outfit and the others was just the cherry on the cake.
Neo would make sure her plans come to fruition those two would be much closer than they were, despite having a closer bond already and be knocking boots by the end of the semester. She was sure of it.
She just had the extra benefit of getting to see his morning issue every day and knew how lucky the faunus was.
Now if they only knew about all the camera equipment she had been secretly storing…
"UGH! WHY CAN'T I DO THIS?!" Ruby screamed to the heavens as she fell and crashed into the ground for what seemed to be the hundredth time of the day.
Before her stood a thick tree that was the bane of her existence that Naruto had brought her and the rest of team RWBY for training exercises. They had been doing things like this over the weekends since the incident as they now were officially dubbed by the media as his huntress.
And it pissed Ruby off.
She was the team leader. It was supposed to be her team! And now she didn't even have that! No control over exercises, nothing! She couldn't even go out into Vale without being confronted by at least a few reporters asking her what it was like to be trained under the new prodigy faunus of Beacon! She couldn't even live her life now!
"Not only can I not run up this stupid thing I'm not even in control of anything! My team! My life! I hate you Naruto!" Ruby screamed out as her hero worship vanished over the last month as this had gotten out of hand for her.
Ever since the incident at the harbor, her life had changed and she had not liked it. She had been hounded here, at Beacon, by reporters asking what it was like to be trained by the Prodigy faunus and what it was like to be under his tutelage, not even acknowledging that her team was called RWBY and was led by her... RUBY ROSE!
After a week it had lessened and the reporters began to thin and then they started to be violently thrown and they became scared for some reason, she wasn't sure why. All she heard were smacking noises and things breaking in the background and the awful sound of what she thought was a hurt puppy!
She looked for hours trying to find it!
Now it was only a few here and there when she went into Vale and a few scummy paparazzi looking for any story they could make up and those were the worst. When the first one popped up on her about how she liked going into bars and...
Ruby cried for days as Yang tried to comfort her as it was her fault as she was out off doing roamer thing, jumping from place to place in search of something she wasn't able to find, her sister came looking for her without realizing they had been followed. Neither took kindly to that kind of reporter shortly after.
But that brought her back to this situation as she stood before the tree as this was now their team exercise and it had been started by Naruto. Not her. Naruto.
"Why did you have to ruin my life?!" Ruby screamed out as took out Crescent Rose and slashed the tree and cut it down. "I hate you! I hate you! I HATE YOU! YOU RUINED MY LIFE! I'm not allowed to do anything myself, am I!"
"Ruby!" Blake hissed as she stood above her team leader, hanging on a branch with her aura alone Naruto had left for the day as he had other business to take care of and she was tired of listening to her vent. "That is enough!"
"But it is not fair!" Ruby cried at her teammate that hung above her, extremely jealous that she got extra training before any of them. "I can hardly go out anymore! I don't get to live my life the way I want to! I barely ever got the chance to ever lead and no one ever gives me the chance! You, Weiss, or even my sister! Naruto at least tries but always steps in and I… I just don't know what to do anymore! My life is falling apart and it all starts with him and I can't see it any other way!"
"Ruby..." Blake started as that was not what she thought this was going to be about and her heart sunk for the girl and everyone else lost concentration on practice as Ruby screamed once more.
"Ozpin messed up! I'm not the leader he thinks I am! I'm a worthless nobody that was never fit for this job! I'm not even worthy enough to be a huntress! I QUIT!" Ruby cried out before using her semblance and sprinting away in a burst of rose petals.
"Ruby!" Blake, Yang, and Weiss all called out together but knew chasing was pointless as Ruby was simply too fast for any of them to keep up with.
"SHIT!" Yang fell as she nearly made it to the point of the tree she had been aiming for but was distracted by her sister's outburst before looking at where Ruby disappeared to. "This has really been eating away at her… Guys, I'm going to go try and see what I can do. I don't know if the usual tricks will work but are always worth a try."
"I think we should all go," Blake stated as she jump down from her branch, flipping in mid-air and landing on her feet as gracefully as a cat by the blonde bombshell and it simply irked Yang to no end. "I think this all our problem as she mentioned it was about her self worth and her getting the chance to lead… And with Naruto having taken over team drills over the last month."
"It's making her own inadequacies feel that much greater... Not to mention with this sudden change of lifestyle and having to deal with the press way more often and the scum." Weiss joined in not looking too great and rather worn down from working as hard as she was trying to run up the stupid insensitive trees before sighing as she knew the life of dealing with more fame was not easy to deal with.
And the pressures could overwhelm those not ready for it. Especially if it was attacking something that was already an emotional wound that opened before...
"I guess so." Yang scratched the back of her head. "Alright, let's go. I think I know a few of her spots here and if not here I got a few in Vale if she ran straight for the airbus… I doubt it though. Ice cream has been off the menu since that woman has shown up. Brings back up a stinging memory I guess."
As the remaining members of RWBY trailed after their leader to figure out where she raced off, little did they know that Naruto had heard everything as he was not too far away from their location. "Seems like they are starting to handle things on their own... Although I get everything she is saying... Things kind of got out of hand once I opened the bottle Oz shook up... But he shook the bottle up in the first place, so whose fault is it really if I cracked it open?"
"Straight flush are you serious?" Naruto groaned as he sat upside down on a thick tree branch playing a game of poker with Neo, who picked up the skill immediately having caught Naruto trying to teach it to Blake.
It truly incensed Blake for she was barely a couple steps up and Naruto was just a little stunned when Neo shattered into existence standing on a tree branch above them, having silently watched them after coming back from a mission. It shouldn't have had as all illusionists had absurd control of energy even in his world but still.
That was absurdly fast.
Her powers were bullshit.
He was afraid of teaching water walking as she just might master that instantly and make him feel insignificant.
If she just learned air walking as he could do in Asura State he would flat out walk away for he still was trying to remaster that.
The fact she was holding down the cards and chips on the tree with aura as they played was impressive enough.
"Well, I fold this round. Never lost this many rounds in a row before… This is unusual. Did I take Tsunade's bad luck are something?" Naruto groaned as he put his cards down and Neo grinned and took the pot.
No one bested her in luck.
Ruby sadly sat in front of the fountain at Beacon kicking her bare feet in the water as she painfully licked some ice cream and nearly cried. "It's just not the same anymore! It doesn't make me feel any better and just reminds me I got my butt kicked by her! And she wasn't even going all out"
"HI YA!" Ruby screamed and chucked the cone of ice cream as far as she could and became a sparkle in the sky.
"OW! WHO HIT ME WITH ICE CREAM?! AND HOW DID THEY MAKE THAT HURT?!" Jaune cried from way off in the distance. "WAS THIS NEAPOLITAN FLAVORED?!"
"SORRY AND YES! IT USE TO BE MY FAVORITE!" Ruby called out and felt embarrassed that somehow she managed to peg Jaune even though there was no way she could have known that he would have been there.
"Ruby?" Glynda's voice called as she heard yelling and she happened to nearby and was surprised to see Ruby in the fountain and seemed the girl had been crying and had been eating ice cream it seemed. "Is something the matter?"
"Oh, um, it's nothing." Ruby stumbled over her words and didn't want to talk about it with her.
Noticing her demeanor, Glynda was not having any of it. "Ruby Rose, you are getting out of my fountain and are coming with me so we can discuss what is going on. I care for each of my students deeply and it will not do to see you crying here alone and having some sort of trouble going on in your life."
"But what about Jaune?" Ruby questioned as she tilted her, tears still built up in her eyes but feeling slightly better that someone had come out of their way to come to get her. "He's always having all kinds of troubles."
"Ruby, I care for all of my students deeply." Glynda smiled before reality kicked in. "But I am a teacher, and I am allowed to have favorites... And Jaune is not one of them. There isn't enough help in the world to save him."
"Ouch… Burned to cinders." Ruby quipped as she picked up a thing from her sister and it happened to be zippy one-liners.
"Now come on, get out of the fountain and put your stockings and boots on. Let's go talk more private than this." Glynda said in a motherly fashion as she offered her hand and assisted Ruby out of the fountain. "I think I might have an idea what this is about..."
"And let's see if we can figure this out together, shall we?"
"Alright, I totally thought she was going to be here," Yang commented as she put both her hands on her hips and frowned as she looked at the weapon scattered around the arena. "The arena use to be one of her comfort spots when she was upset before at Signal as she likes admiring and tinkering with the old weapons they have there. Use to do that all the time back then and it is where I would find her by herself or with uncle Qrow as it would always lift her spirits. ...She was always weird like that, never liked most girly things. Was always into weapons and stuff even as a kid but what can I say? I was the same in a lot of ways."
"Well, considering this is Ruby we are talking about so it makes sense," Blake commented as she looked around for any signs that she may have indeed been here but it did not seem to be the case.
Weiss nodded in agreement before pointing out two approaching figures, frowning noticing the state of one of them. "Seems were not alone. Pyrrha, Jaune. How are… Why is there ice cream in your Jaune? From I know Cardin is no longer bullying you unless you got directly in his way so…"
"Well… Funny story, actually." Jaune tiredly laughed as it was kind of funny. "We were just on our way over here when we heard someone scream out in frustration way out in the distance and then suddenly I get splattered by this cone of ice cream. As I cry out Ruby apologizes in the distance so it must have been her."
"Oh dammit! She did go back to her old habits! Thought those were thrown off by that woman now!" Yang growled out and grabbed her temples and threw her head back in frustration. "Which means she was at the fountain pouting and kicking the water instead! Ugh! My sister can be so annoying!"
"Well, she isn't there now," Pyrrha announced and caught all of their attention. "As Jaune was trying to get the rest out of his hair I noticed Ruby was walking with Glynda to her office. So if you were trying to find her that is your best option."
"We got location at the very least." Weiss sighed before heaving forward slightly. "Annoyingly that does make us trying to help her all the more difficult but maybe Professor Goodwitch is on it instead. She is quite observant and probably noticed she was upset."
"But she is in good hands at the very least," Blake responded as she focused her gaze on Pyrrha and Jaune while Yang growled in frustration and followed in her sister's recent footsteps.
She flipped a weapon rack as her aura activated. "Just for the love of… Can we once be the ones that do something? I'm starting to understand my sister's frustration! It is annoying! One time! That's all I'm asking for! We'd be the stars of the show just once!"
"Can you… Not tear up the arena? We have it rented out for Jaune's training?" Pyrrha stated as she was annoyed by the blonde tearing up the area she was supposed to be using for the next few hours.
"About that," Blake replied with narrowed eyes as she had been noticing Jaune's condition over the last month and she had finally had enough. "I know you mean well Pyrrha but I'm putting my foot down now as if you are going to refuse to listen to Ren and Naruto… You will listen to me."
Everything in the room went cold as gold eyes met emerald and in the background, Yang's deactivated her aura as she and everyone looked at the scene unfolding and she summed it up. "Oh shit!"
"He needs rest. You're running Jaune too hard." Blake hissed and took a step forward as Weiss moved out of her way and closer to Jaune as she knew he would need to be kept out of this.
"What are you talking about?" Pyrrha responded her eyes narrowing as Jaune's eyes widened as tried to step in between the two but Yang rushed over and Weiss wisely decided now was the time to pull him aside.
"No, no! Stay out of this!" Yang pulled one hand of Jaune as Weiss pulled his other hand.
"You have got a lot stronger but you look exhausted," Weiss commented as they had to try a little hard to pull him back but the two successfully put him into the spectator zone with no real issue.
"Wait, I don't want a fight cause of me!" Jaune tried to stop what he saw was not a good thing.
They were his friends and should not be fighting because of him!
"Look at him Pyrrha!" Blake waved her hand at Jaune as he struggled against the two as her team pulled him away. "He should be putting up more of a fight with the training you put him through but he's too damn exhausted already and you still going to put him through more? And what's next? More training later tonight I bet cause I've talked to Ren about it and he can't get you to stop! You won't even listen to Naruto when he tried to have a heart-to-heart with you..."
"So you know what since we are here and this is room is available you know what… I'd make you stop… You can't make Jaune train like Naruto… No one can train like him. It's physically impossible." Blake hissed as drew Gambol Shroud and was dead set on what she was going to do.
She had seen enough.
"Are you challenging me?" Pyrrha slowly drew Milo transformed into its short sword form in her right and took Akouo from the sheath off her back and grasped it in her left hand while her emerald gaze pierced into Blake feral gold's. "To stop Jaune's training?"
"To give Jaune a more reasonable training schedule! Everyone needs to rest Pyrrha!" Blake hissed as Shroud transformed into its kusarigama form and she slid into a battle stance. "No human or faunus can take the schedule you are forcing upon Jaune as the one that it was built for… It's just impossible!"
"And I will show you that even you who doing the training and haven't been exerting yourself as much as still physically exhausted so let's go!" Blake yowled out as her eyes glistened with purpose.
Pyrrha stood her ground, not willing to back down from a challenge but she listened to her foe's words and could not help but feel something was off. First, it was Glynda. Then it was Naruto. Ren then confronted her before the blonde returned and tried to have a conversation with her... And now Blake was challenging her and calling her out.
Why was everyone she respected or thought was in her friend group looking down upon her?! Why couldn't they see she was only doing what she thought was best? Maybe she was going too hard on Jaune and did need to give him rest but…
Why did everyone keep looking at her like she was a failure?! That she could not get the job done?!
She was Pyrrha Nikos! She was the best!
At least she was… Until things change on that day. On the day she realized she was just another damsel in the eyes of a true Huntsman. In the eyes of a true warrior!
In the eyes of a God in physical flesh!
And it pissed her off!
She was cordial and respected everything Naruto did as everything he did was a model in most aspects. It was an aspiration, a goal to aspire for. And while some of his actions were questionable his mottos and his goals were what every true warrior should want! Not everything as he wasn't perfect and that was even more admirable!
He had flaws! He admitted them! He worked on them! He improved! He confronted others on theirs! He stood up to others!
He was perfect! He was an Heracles!
...If it just wasn't for...
No! He was perfect! It did not matter!
But she worked her hardest to be the best and was the best! Yet on the day to prove it she had to run as she could not fight her foe head on and she was suddenly treated like a damsel by this aspiration, who was minorly injured no less by a mistake she had allowed to happen, in mid-stride, before he saved another of their friends. Then in a display of awe-inspiring raw power obliterated the opponent she was forced to flee from alongside another Grimm!
So she did everything she could to model after his success. She looked at what he did and saw how hard he was at work even with he was with friends. The only time he even seemed to rest was when he was eating, sleeping, or taking the slow stride to get to classes to think and reflect. That was it. Study periods were times for physical rest.
There would be no rest for the weary.
And knowing how much Jaune wanted to get better Pyrrha took her under his wing. She saw potential in him and started to drive him in the same way, knowing that day that Naruto tried to save him as well feeling there must have been the same thought in his mind as well. Maybe beneath everything, there was something beneath that could be unlocked to show everyone...
This is the fruit of our labor, behold! I've molded this clay unfit from the land into something magnificent for all to bear witness!
Yet here she was being called for it all the while her opponent was training with him? Her Heracles!
…But she was also the one that weakened his warrior spirit. The one that was making him lose his edge and softening him.
So maybe… Without her...
No, Blake was a friend... One of the few that she could agree with almost every time they spoke.
She would simply break her for daring to challenge her. And then maybe...
Sliding her feet, Pyrrha surged forward with near frightening speed for most. Blake was one of the few that she knew was faster than her and her weapon had range on her without her resorting to throwing Milo so she needed to be close. It gave her ways to protect herself from such an awkward weapon.
Akouo blocked the sweeping strike that came but it continued and wrapped around Pyrrha, surprising the redhead and why she did not want to resort to throwing Milo. Swiping the head of the kusarigama away she bounced the rest of the weapon and made her charge into Blake…
Only for her to suddenly phase through her and the weapon to lash into her back, knocking her through a weapon stand. She was already using her semblance it seemed. But as she tried to get back up it seemed her opponent was not giving her any quarter and she was forced to use Akouo to shield herself from a kick.
Trapping her legs around Blake's ankle, she twisted and knocked her to the ground so she could scramble to her feet but still, the girl got her feet faster and was slashing her weapon before she could. Hit after hit Pyrrha was barely able to block it and was forced backward until she hit the wall. She charged forward with her shield, going on the offensive, and swiped at her opponent only to be met with such a swift roundhouse kick into her ribs that it knocked her balanced and forced her to skid to the side.
Blake was on the move again towards her and Pyrrha was forced to use Milo to swipe the chain away, she tried charging in for a shield bash but her opponent was too agile and leapt past her with her weapon transforming into its wakizashi form and she was just barely able to parry the blow as she staggered backward.
When was Blake ever this fast? When did her blows ever hit this hard? At the start of the first semester, she would have classified Blake as only a light challenge due to her speed and her weapon being a mild challenge as long as she didn't use her semblance. But with her armor being able to absorb most of the blows and weapon and shield taking away and hits that would hit in unarmored spots made her speed worthless and the weapon could easily just be forfeited thanks to her semblance...
But now... This was a challenge! Her emerald eyes glowed brilliantly as the thrill of this battle!
Panting as this was the first time in a while she had been pushed by an opponent that was so much faster than herself, she noted Blake was already coming in again with her weapon transforming once again the whip was coming.
She wouldn't let that happen this time.
Blake felt something was wrong immediately. The Shroud did not move as she commanded its target was altered just enough that Pyrrha was able to deflect the blow the way she wanted to with Akouo which was advantageous for her. And it left her completely open as both of her arms with thrown to the side with her blade as the redhead came in to strike with Milo and end the fight then in there.
Only to phase through her Shadow Clone.
"Magnetism?!" Blake cried out and Pyrrha's eyes widened as her semblance was discovered for the first time when someone was fighting her. "I know where my weapon strikes because it is such a precise weapon to control… For something to go wrong someone has to either alter my body, my mind, or my weapon."
"And I felt Gambol Shroud move against my body so I'm going with the latter." Blake state then did something no one ever did while fighting Pyrrha.
She tossed her weapon aside. She was going to fight her… Unarmed?
Blake took a breath as while she knew how to fight unarmed before she was by no means an expert and always preferred having her weapon. However…
They had started practicing recently and if she was hanging with him…
This was possible.
Especially since there was a severe lack of metal on her body now unless she could control the small buttons on her vest and her boots and if she could alter her trajectory because of something of that insignificantly small…
Her powers were beyond bullshit.
Rushing Pyrrha she used her superior speed to blitz straight past her shield and weapon before she would do anything and grabbed her sword arm. It seemed Pyrrha recognized what she was trying to do almost instantly as tried resisting her arm being outstretched and throwing her shield out in her direction but Blake moved her head out of that direction and got the full extension of the arm.
Then she kicked Pyrrha in the knee to drop her one knee and the defiant look in Pyrrha's emerald eyes told her everything she need to know.
She was not going to yield.
So Blake snapped her arm and she was forced to let Milo clatter against the ground.
"What the hell Blake!" Jaune screamed as everyone heard the snap of Pyrrha's bone and even Yang and Weiss looked a little queasy that she went that far against a friend.
But then they saw Pyrrha's shield flying back towards them and Yang called it out. "She's not giving up Jaune! She had no choice!"
"I think I'm going to be sick…" Weiss groaned as she thought saw the bone pierce through Pyrrha's skin but she hoped she was imagining that.
"Fuck!" Blake yowled as the Akouo hit her in the back of the head and that was the moment Pyrrha needed.
With her still good arm she grabbed Milo and as Blake looked down at her she sliced at her midsection not caring that had been her friend for the past semester.
Only once more to slice through shadow clone. And she turned her head quickly to her right side knowing that was where Blake was coming from as it was her defenseless side she saw her throwing a kick straight for her head and she will every ounce of her aura into her semblance as she tried to push her opponent ever slightly off course so she could have the opportunity to end the battle once in for all as she made her very own strike.
And in her other hand, Milo transformed into Javelin form as she thrust it forward, intent on finishing the fight the only way she could and prayed everyone would forgive her...
One kick to the head and it was over.
Pyrrha laid fallen on the arena floor, breathing heavily but unable to move any longer, laying on her side still looking up defiantly but knowing she had been bested.
Blake stood above her triumphantly but looked down not with anger in her gaze. It was with understanding and pity. "Pyrrha, this has been a long time coming but you have to understand…"
"I did this because I wanted to stop hurting Jaune but worst of all hurting yourself in the process!"
Not understanding what she was meaning, Pyrrha looked at Blake in confusion before the faunus girl sat down in front of her, her golden eyes gazing into hers with care. "Ren has been trying so hard to get you to tone back your training with Jaune this last month that you haven't even noticed how useless both of you were on the last expedition…"
"Naruto failed JNPR." Glynda's voice came from the entrance of the arena as she saw what was happening while she was talking Ruby down and while she thought she got through to the girl to an acceptable level she felt she was needed here for her other students as well. "Jaune I expected but not for the reason I was given."
"Sluggish, too tired, blows pack less of punch less normal when they should have killed." Glynda frowned as it seemed Jaune was nearing the grade of a nearly passable student. "However it was your score that bothered me the most when they were very similar besides having enough force to kill Grimm. Also, it was noted your speed and reaction time had dulled. That you were reckless put yourself in a position that if the threat was higher... You either would have been killed or someone else's life would have been lost."
"You have worked yourself and Jaune into a stupor," Glynda stated with no remorse before her face softened. "You are the best… At being who you are. Jaune is best at being who he is. Ruby is best at being who she is. No one is better at being themselves than... Themself."
"You bet I am!" Ruby grinned as it seemed she was doing a lot better now after talking with Glynda but was now worried about the scene she saw before her. "Gah… I have a breakdown and you guys look for me and cause I fight… Geez…"
"That's because we were worried about you!" Weiss yelled as she stomped over towards Ruby and glared before hugging her. "We need to stop having this happen!"
"Like seriously. We need to have a team sit down and air out a lot of stuff… Probably throw Naruto into as some of it going to be vented at him I feel like." Yang stated as it had been a wild start to their time at Beacon.
"I need to vent at him! But not because he's to..." Ruby growled before she returned her sight to the two that were sitting in the middle of the arena. "So what happened?"
"I… I wanted… To be the best and Jaune to be the best… And I saw Naruto as the best…" Pyrrha's eyes began to water as her tired and weakened body began to crumple into the fetal position. "But every time… I tried… Some told me I was wrong… And questioned my judgment… I've never had anyone do that before."
Having been through similar emotions in the last month, Blake knew where Pyrrha was coming from and place her hand on her shoulder and softly rubbed it. "It's okay to feel all those things. It's perfectly natural… But you have to realize that we weren't told those things to hurt you. We were telling you them to get you to change what you were doing."
"You froze when you should have acted and tried to help Velvet in any compacity. That is the trait of a leader and why I said you lacked it back then. You also almost caused an incident by pointing out a very obvious fact that racial prejudice and beatings happen all the time in jail right in front of the jail in front of a very emotional group of people. That was all why I said what I did. I wasn't meant to be cruel, it was to open your eyes and see the situation at hand and what you almost caused." Glynda stated as telling her the facts of why questioned her judgment.
"I was telling you were wrong because Jaune couldn't keep this up any longer and something like this was bound to happen Pyrrha before long." Ren had arrived far too late, panting having gotten a text from Weiss but could hear what everyone was saying well enough to talk about this. "I also could tell you were slowly draining and taxing yourself and becoming weaker slowly but surely and it was starting to catch up to you and I didn't want you to get hurt either."
"As for myself… You should never compare yourself to me." Naruto stated as he and Neo shattered into existence with glass shards hanging around them briefly almost as if they had been there the entire time surprising everyone as the other spun her brand new parasol that had recently been repaired for her and began to explore the area and whirl around randomly. "I'm not a model for anything you should base anything on… Unless you want to break yourself. Why do you even think I'm in therapy?"
"He's not wrong," Blake admitted, and Naruto glowered at that remark before she gave him a soft smile and looked down and continued comforting a shaken Pyrrha. "I don't think you quite understand the strain it puts on your mind to be that dedicated, that focused… To be that single-minded and have been raised that way your entire life…"
"And you were trying to make Jaune do it?" Naruto pointed at the poor boy. "I'm surprised he's still kicking! Grapes used to be able hurt him!"
"Hey! A grape in your hand is a deadly weapon!" Jaune defended himself in the best way he could, by giving Naruto as much credit as he possibly could. "Heck, a toothpick could be a deadly weapon in your hand."
Suddenly Neo popped between the two spinning around and now carrying a sign instead of her parasol. And then she held the sign out before Jaune who read it out loud. "They are… Oh god."
"Why does she know that is the better question?" Weiss commented but was concerned that the harbored criminal that Naruto was keeping with him, that he swore each of them to secrecy on for they were now in on his game whether they liked it or not, knew he could possibly kill with such a piddly household item.
Blake just ignored it as Neo was on her shitlist.
Neo just happily spun and returned to her exploration and dancing of the arena leaving Jaune with a hard swallow and the rest awkwardly looked at the odd maid that was now following Naruto around twenty-four-seven.
"I hurt him with ice cream earlier!" Ruby added as tossed in her two cents.
"That toss was from halfway across Beacon and there was a cone involved! I don't care if it was soft served! That had some velocity on it!" Jaune argued as that was just a throw and it would have hurt anyone.
"He has a point there Ruby." Naruto and Neo nodded in unison as she simply appeared and sagely nodded with him, making her twitch in response.
"You stay out of this!" Ruby pointed at Neo as Crescent Roes transformed and she was ready for a fight.
Neo just sadistically smirked before she twirled and went back to her dancing and exploration.
She was chaos incarnate,
"Okay… Point made…" Pyrrha sighed as she realized she was pushing Jaune far too hard and watching the chaos of her friend group unfold made her realize that. "I just wanted to feel… Special again…"
"Pyrrha… You are special." Blake smiled and she helped carefully lifted the girl to a seated position to see everyone surrounding her. "If you weren't, would we all be here, supporting you?"
Tears began flooding freely as everyone there as now Nora appeared as well, most likely having tracked down Ren, but saw the situation and jumped in and hugged the downed redhead. "I'm so glad you're back to good old Pyrrha, Pyrrha!"
"Thank you… Thank all of you…" Pyrrha cried as Nora hugged her tightly and everyone gave her a comforting touch in whatever way they could.
Then finally Naruto sat down before her and beside Blake and they nodded together as Blake started and she reached out and touched Pyrrha in the chest, right at her heart. "What really matters is right here. This is what we got to work on."
"Your plenty strong already." Naruto continued with a soft smile. "But a strong body needs a strong heart too and we're all here for you. Now let's work together again and get this going."
Pyrrha softly cried but nodded as Nora helped her up. "Ren and I got her… Go do your things."
Everyone nodded as team Ren and Nora helped Pyrrha out to the infirmary with Jaune following as it was his responsibility as the team leader. Naruto simply smiled at Blake. "Well, seems like we're slowly getting better without my involvement… I didn't need to be involved too much…"
"Yeah, you're going to be a listening board for our team session cause that has to happen now!" Yang cracked her knuckles and Naruto pursed his lips. "And I'm thinking like we need one right about now."
"Neo, time to go," Naruto responded as he had no interest in taking demands from the blonde dragoness.
"What?!" Yang cried out before Neo suddenly booped her on the nose with an umbrella and both Naruto and Neo shattered into glass fragments and left her screaming out in frustration. "I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE! YOU CAN'T AVOID THIS!"
"Not trying to." Naruto's voice echoed from all around them, being honest with her. "But it has to happen naturally, no need to force it."
"Till then… The camera also adds ten pounds, Yang… Maybe stop ordering all those Strawberry Sunrises, hm? You're filling out a little too much." Naruto finished with mirth in his voice and an echoing laugh before he and Neo left the building in her illusion.
"OH, YOU ARE SO DEAD!" Yang roared as her semblance blazed the life and she blitzed out of the arena and was on the hunt for Naruto and the ice cream winch that was now his maid bodyguard.
Blake hung her head in shame at both her partner and her boyfriend's interaction with one another. What was she going to do with them?
Ruby patted her on the shoulder. "He is right. It does have to happen naturally."
"And Yang does need to work on her temper. Naruto baited her right into that. She's going to be unconscious again in the middle of the street from the aura burnout she's going to go through." Weiss groaned before she rubbed her temples. "When will she learn the lesson?"
"He's picking on her," Blake commented sadly which caught the attention of everyone but Glynda in the room who simply nodded in agreement. "She reminds him so much of himself when he was younger with her brazen attitude that he trying to break her of it and to see the error of her way… I'm afraid it's just not working and I'm going to have to talk to him about it."
"She's too stubborn to give in I'll give her that," Glynda stated as she was mildly impressed that Yang had gone this long without snapping and having a breakdown like two of the other members of her team. "Miss Belladonna, your appointments begin next Monday as requested."
"What?" Ruby questioned as she looked between her Professor and her teammate. "Appointment for what? Am I being left out of the loop again?"
"It's nothing like that." Blake laughed and gave Ruby a pat on her shoulder. "After doing a lot of talking with Naruto about things I can't discuss with all of you… As they are still too personal… I've decided I needed to talk to a therapist and get help."
"Oh… That is a very wise decision and I'm happy to see you are taking care of yourself." Weiss stated and gave a short smile but was glad her friend was getting the help she needed.
Naruto was a good source but didn't have all the tools and resources available and was not a professional. This would be good for her.
"Thank you." Blake sadly smiled and closed her eyes giving off and knowing look that left wise shivering as it left a clear message.
It said I know you need help too.
Weiss shook her head. No, no, no! She could not know just what her father did to her and her sister! To her mother! Hell to their grandfather!
I mean should understand what trouble they were put through because of the actions the White Fang put them through but… Not what was done to…
Her eyes gazed downward and softly kicked the ground. It did not do her any good to think of these thoughts she must stay strong. She must remember who she was. She was Weiss Schnee, heiress to Schnee Dust Company.
She had a reputation to keep…
So why was she did she…
Feel like she wanted to cry like how everyone else had been crying?
The door snapped off the hinged and for once Oz was not amused at the action of his locale ninja. "Naruto... Can this wait? These last few weeks have been a real hassle. I'm dealing with enough after the sheer amount of press you have managed to bring here to my Academy..."
"Cut the shit, Ozma," Naruto growled as Neo dressed in her maid attire stood directly behind her current boss with a wicked smile, writing notes as she went along.
Ozpin's face for once fell and he gave a deep sigh. "Great... This isn't going to be an easy night is it if you have learned that name but I take it that is why she has been kept around and why you've managed to special lockdown privileges to Torchwick."
"While intel gathering is a specialty of hers… The name drop was given to me by someone else… Someone that happens to work for um… Neo, what was the name again?" Naruto faked pondered as he walked into the room before she grinned and flipped through her notebook and showed him the page. "Ah yes, Salem."
Ozpin did not budge but Naruto could tell Naruto dug into the well and he was not done. "Or what was it… Ah yes, thank you, Neo! You are so helpful!"
Neo gleamed at his compliment before Naruto glared at Oz. "So just what is a Maiden?"
With one last deep sigh, Oz gazed into Naruto's eyes as he felt that Naruto had been biding his time with this one and making sure he had everything he need for this and picked his moment before striking. "You might want to sit for this one. This going to take some time to explain but at the very least it will give you the full story on what's going on here."
Naruto glowered but it was finally time.
He was getting his answers.