Maria's was feeling something different about her adoptive grandson when she woke up. He had gotten them all breakfast, and was even whistling a merry tune. Lapis was rubbing the crud out of his eyes while yawning, reaching behind himself to scratch his behind before hopping up from the bunk. Sapphire landed in front of him with a thud of her feet on the soft carpet.

"Last full day for our trip, next stop Patch Island," The old woman reminded them all before walking over to the table. She saw pancakes, waffles, eggs, and sausage. She saw that there was also white gravy with ground pepper, and biscuits. She whistles while looking at it all, "What's got you so chipper today, Naruto?"

The blonde smirks while signing, "Can't I just be nice?" before grabbing a plate. He filled it with two pancakes, with honey syrup. He placed a scoop of biscuits and gravy onto the side of the pancakes before forking two sausages.

"No eggs?" Sapphire questioned before grabbing a spoon and scooping up some. Naruto just shrugs and she smirks, "More for me then!"

Lapis chuckles before grabbing two waffles, "Man they really loaded you up!" he exclaimed before setting up his plate with eggs in the center, drizzling them with honey.

Naruto smiles before taking a bite out of his biscuits and gravy. Swallowing the piping hot bread and sauce down with a joyful smile. Maria took a bite out of the eggs, noting that they were all still fresh. Humming, the old woman took in a spoonful of biscuits and gravy, and was quickly reminded why these were a southern Vale delicacy.

"Mmm, so good!" Sapphire stated while digging into the pancakes on her paper plate, "I definitely love the fact that you got blueberries!

The blonde rubs the back of his head sheepishly, "No problem, Sapphire!" he signed before going back to his food. Taking in spoonful after spoonful of the biscuits and gravy.

The bluenettes smile at him, their wolf ears standing tall. If they had tails, surely, they would be wagging. Finishing his plate first, Naruto goes over to gather the leftover eggs. It was always interesting how this world's food differed very much from his own. They had mostly the same animals, mostly, but the one thing they never had was something called geese.

From what he read, at the very least saw in videos, they were vicious little bastards. Constantly going after things that shouldn't be bothered with. He saw one video, where an adult goose in something called musk, attack a wolf of all things. For some reason, he felt though they would definitely make good eating. The more he had researched into it, apparently most of Remnant thought the same.

"Naruto," Sapphire walks over to him after throwing her plate away. He looked at her before she suddenly sprung up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. Lapis watches as the blonde's face turned bright red before he bashfully rubs his head while looking away.

"Aww," Lapis cooed at the blonde, "I think my sister likes you, Naruto."

She giggles while looking at him with her yellow eyes, "Not like that you jerk, it's just he's been nice!"

"I feel very awkward," Naruto bashfully signed while looking away, "Ain't she like nine?"

"Nine, and two months, but hey you've been the nicest people to us so…" She ran over to Maria, who felt the girl plant a kiss on her cheek as well. "My mama used to tell me we kiss the cheeks of our friends, because that is a form of love in of itself."

The blonde continues to turn a heavy shade of red, but takes a deep breath, "It's a weird thing."

"It's not really," Maria argued as she patted the girl's head. "Some cultures do weirder things."

"I heard that in Atlas, most people greet each other with something called a curtsy." Sapphire offered up and smiled before bowing slightly with one foot out, "Like this!"

Lapis laughs saying, "Nerd," before watching her pout. He held his hands up in defense, "What, you know you are!"

"You're search a jerk, Lap!" Sapphire whined before crossing her arms, "Isn't he, Naruto?"

The blonde was still looking away, slightly blushing now compared to his skin turning red earlier, "No comment." He signed before sitting at the table. Twiddling his thumbs while thinking about what Sapphire meant by the kiss on the cheek, because in the shinobi world open displays of affections were…sometimes seen as flirtatious at most.

It was definitely a little culture shock!

Then again, for some reason, he related more to these two than even most people. They were orphans, orphans with animal traits, granted theirs were real. He often wondered what he'd identified more with, and his answer came with these two. Faunus, people who were outcasts in some areas of Remnant, and this White Fang reminded him a lot of shinobi. Save, shinobi weren't a paramilitary group who served separately to their country, they were the military.

This world in a lot of ways suffered strife, but the more he saw, he got the feeling that they took care of it's children. They had childhoods, most of them, and stuff like different kinds of music had been foreign to him a little over a month ago. Thirty-two days later, and life changes a lot. Outlooks mend themselves to the environment they're envisioned in after all.

He started to feel that warmth in his hearth, belonging, every person in this room was his friend. In Maria's case, he 'owed' her his loyalty, which she got even it meant not wanting it. She saved his life, in turn he saved hers, but if she was going to train him then he'd view her as a master. He wasn't a slave, but her student, and maybe that's what he needed most.

A sense of purpose!

If his skills as a shinobi could be translated over to those of a Hunter, then he'd be comfortable being the next "Grimm Reaper." Although, he was iffy on the scythe part, he never was a weapon's user to begin with. At best he had a kunai, then again, if he needed to learn something perhaps something similar to a spear wouldn't be so bad?

He honestly didn't know what he would be comfortable with!

"So," Maria yawned while licking her lips to moisten them, "What to do on our last day abroad this mighty fine vessel?

"Ooh, how about go sightseeing, by now we should be over The Shallow Ocean!" Sapphire stated before running over to her clothing bags, "I call dibs on the shower!"

"Hey!" Lapis complained before watching his sister run off, "no fair I called dibs last night!"

She turned around sticking her tongue out before running in, slamming the door behind her. Lapis watched as Naruto stood up, smiling before looking toward Maria. He decided to show them both, he knocks on the table to get their attention before closing his eyes. Maria's ADA system started to scan over him, her mouth hung open as a bright flow of energy came over Naruto.

A thick soup made of orange light, he smirked before looking at Lapis, who's golden eyes was widened. "Holy…shit…" he breathed before feeling the warmth of the energy around him. It was indeed aura, a lot of aura.

Normally, Maria would correct Lapis's cursing, but even she was stunned by the feeling. There were very few people who actually trained their aura level to feel this way. If this was just what he had within him, then what he was could only be the contributing factor. He walks forward, rubbing the back of his head. Using ADA to scan over him, the AI coming up with a factor, that the aura was indeed very strong, but poorly controlled. It was 'bleeding' off, something that lowered aura levels over time.

"When did you unlock this?" Maria inquired before while walking around him, noting that his aura was bleeding off uniformly. "I can see that it one of the strongest auras that I've ever seen, and orange, such a fitting color for you."

He blushes with the comment, signing, "Thank you, I unlocked it last night."

"No kidding, wow, I mean just whoa…" Lapis breathed while adapting the same walk as Maria, "Naruto, this thing looks like a fire around you."

"The Will Of Fire," Naruto mentally boosted his ego before crossing his arms. Maria and Lapis quit marching around him, he signs, "Well?"

"Your natural aura reserves are crazy, but you have a really terrible control of it. It's something I can train you to do when we land, since it involves advanced mediation. Since you also have aura, Lapis, I can show you some pointers as well." Maria remarked before walking over toward her bed, yawning a little bit. "Now, your true training begins you too…although my methods will seem harsh, they'll give you the jumpstart you need."

"Wait, you're wanting to train me as well?" Lapis asked while looking at her confused, "No offense, but my aura is super weak compared to his."

Maria pointed Life at him, smirking, "Which is why you'll receive training to boost it. It won't be crazy difference, but you'll definitely at least have average reserves."

"Oh, well that's neat," the bluenette commented before giving her a small smile. "Is it like mediation?"

"Yes, which why when we land, you both will start advanced mediation training. Obviously, I'm tailoring yours to increase your reserves. Naruto's is the hardest, most people actually have decent control initially, but you're bleeding aura." Maria revealed to Naruto, whilst explaining her future regiment for the two boys.

"Bleeding?" Naruto inquired with hand signs while looking around, noting that his aura rolled off him like flames.

"It means you're not holding your aura on you, it's normal for beginners." She explained to him before activating her own, which slightly there but withered from where it used to be. "It should look like this, where it's visible, but not blatantly so."

The blonde nods his head in understanding, observing how the teal hugged her skin, but wasn't exactly like a flame. He tried to focus his aura, managing to keep it from rolling off as much. Slowly, he releases his aura, seeing it crackle off him. Taking a minute to catch his breath, the former shinobi stretches.

"Yeah, that usually happens when you break your aura, you get feedback." She pointed out before taking a deep breath, making hers fade away without the crackle, "You have a lot to learn on the control side of things young man."

"Me, and him both, I guess." Lapis commented before crossing his arms.

The old woman chortles before patting both boy's shoulders. Both teens looked at one another, sighing before smiling. Lapis raised his fist up first, allowing Naruto to bump it. They heard a knock from the bathroom door, Sapphire's head poking out.

"Lap, can you toss me my toothpaste?" Sapphire requested before watching her brother walk over to her bag, he then tosses the tube toward her, "Thank you!"

One door slam later, which even made Maria wince, there was the sound of a hair dryer inside of the bathroom. Lapis and Naruto looked at each other, both holding a fist, with their free hand underneath. "Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!" Lapis called out before his hand landed on rock.

Naruto's smirk filled the room as held his flat palm out. The bluenette just rolls his eyes, "Show off," he murmurs before getting onto his bunk. He waves his hand in front of his nose, "You stink anyway, you smell like a wet fox!"

The blonde's response was to stick his tongue out, showing slightly longer canines in the process. Which slightly bewildered him since faunus only usually had one trait. Thinking nothing of it, he finally hears the bathroom door open. Sapphire steps out, wearing a rather conservative sun dress. It was green, with sunflowers on it that she had gotten on sale inside a drift store. She had her shoulder length blue hair tied into a ponytail, with the bangs hanging past her ears.

"How do I look?"

"Like an angel," Maria complimented, "It's unfortunate that I can't see colors anymore."

Lapis smiles softly at his sister, "You look beautiful sis, Naruto?"

The blonde gave her a thumbs up before signing, "Like a princess."

He then walked over toward his bag to get some clothes out before walking over to the hamper, getting a towel. He goes inside the bathroom before shutting the door. Taking off his clothing, he steps into the shower, turning the hot water on. The fresh, hot, water cascaded down him. It wrapped him in steam while he took a bar of soap, lavender scented, and began to scrub. Fresh grime fell off him from this morning's restless attempt to sleep.

It wasn't the fact he couldn't sleep, he could, but it was the nightmares that got him. It is November eighteenth, today marks the first week into the march onto the second month without Sakura and Kakashi. Although the lashing out became rarer over their time together, the other night scared him, because if he hadn't broken himself out of it…he didn't want to think about what could've happened."

Maria was a tough old lady, sure, but unlike what he seemed he was a trained shinobi. A shinobi who has faced down much tougher, and stronger, opponents than a grandma who's out of practice. That's when he caught himself thinking that, feeling guilty, because all she was is nice to him. He stood in there for a minute, letting the guilt go with a deep sigh. It wasn't the fact he viewed her as weak, she wasn't the one that was weak, he viewed himself as such.

His chakra system was finally getting to be fully repaired. Soon enough, he could start retraining some of the skills he lost over the month. It was official for him, children here in this world were mostly soft, and they were mostly raised soft as well. At least in Konoha, the average civilian kid was taught basic knife fighting techniques in public schools…let alone shinobi academies. Here, it was different because they had a very loose system of laws.

In the Shinobi World, if you were accused of something, you were locked up without much thought. Innocent, or not, until you were deemed so. Here, Naruto read that you could still be locked up, but only for twenty-four hours, and then they 'd still have to provide evidence to hold you. It was a day, and night, contrast to one another.

Then there was the whole thing with Sapphire kissing him on the cheek. Public displays of affection weren't typical from where he was from. People who were romantically involved, typically kissed each other on the cheek, or on the lips. Last time Naruto checked, he wasn't getting romantically involved with a nine-year-old! So, he chalked it down as to what Maria said earlier, different cultures.

The thirteen-year-old took a deep breath, focusing on his throat. He attempted to utter a word, but found he couldn't even get a syllable. He could grunt, slightly laugh, if push came to shove, probably scream if he really needed too. From what he read, at least from what he could understand, his vocal cords were eighty percent gone. Meaning while not fully mute, it's not exactly great, but maybe if he trained himself, he could say basic words.

Still, something in the back of his mind thought it was all a little too convenient for a certain fox. A fox who rebuilt his entire left lung, in seconds, and pretty much brought him back from the brink of death in minutes. Naruto had that gut feeling, despite them 'bonding', The Nine Tails was truly finding a way to make him suffer a little bit.

At the end of the day, no matter what they talk about, his ally viewed him as a jail. A jail he wanted out of, but in doing so, Naruto knows that he'd wreak havoc. A catch twenty-two, because it was either he fully emersed himself into it's call for power, or tried to fight his own way. The fight with the beowolves nearly a month ago didn't draw out his true power.

He feared the day that he'd end up being pushed and suddenly reveal his status as a Jinchuuriki. He knew for a fact this world didn't have anything similar, because there was no sealing jutsu, thusly by default no one containing some type of foreign energy in their bodies.

Naruto may have never been book smart, but logical issues weren't a problem.

Finishing up by washing his shaggy hair, he discovered that his bangs were falling slightly under his ear. He thought for a minute, turning off the water before walking out of the shower. He reaches over to his towel, and wipes the mirror off. He looked at himself, playing with the bang. Smiling a little bit, he imagined himself having slightly longer hair, but couldn't see himself with anything past his shoulders.

He'd be caught dead before looking like pervy sage!

Reaching behind his hair, he discovered that he had a handful. Gathering it up, Naruto reaches for one of Sapphire's hair ties. He ties it around the piece of hair, looking at himself in the mirror. Humming, he for some reason imagined himself having red hair! It was a silly thought, but it wouldn't be too farfetched.

"Ponytail, eh, but maybe something like longer hair toward the back? Nothing like this mullet I heard of, but I think my bangs could be like Sapphire's. I do look good with longer hair, but then again…no…definitely not a buzz cut! He thought to himself before sighing, "Sakura would know a lot more about this than I would…"

Reaching down to his clothing after drying off, he puts on a pair of blue sweatpants. He then puts on a burnt orange shirt with a red jacket. Looking at himself in the mirror, taking the hair tie off, he gives himself a once over before nodding.

"I'm good with this for right now," Naruto encouraged himself before looking over his cheeks, making sure there was no hairs. "Need to keep an eye on that, if I get red hair…I may just grow it out."

He bit his cheek with that thought, "Eh, maybe…"

Reaching up to where his necklace used to be, the blonde remembered that day when he had first arrived at Ame. That blue-haired witch, the one who manipulated paper, and spoke so righteously had been wearing it around her neck the day he was set for execution. They called it ascension, but I guess they got their existence bumped up a nudge.

Courtesy of The Nine Tails suicidal Tailed Beast Bomb!

If he ever got the chance, and normally he wouldn't be so angry, he'd would rip that necklace off her neck! She didn't earn it, didn't deserve it, and if she was alive…well…it would be best if she remained out of sight. Because, that night, she was with that man when he killed Sakura and Kakashi. He knew this because Tsunade had briefly mentioned finding blue hair at the scene.

She was the only bluenette in the entire organization from what he could tell. Supposed kindness aside, in his mind, she was better off dying in the explosion. Hopefully the necklace choked her as well from the force, wouldn't that just be such karmic justice? Erasing these dark thoughts from his head, the blonde found himself staring into the mirror.

His blue eyes started to regain that 'glow' in them. That light of happiness, life, and an impending sense of adventure. Something he'd thought impossible, but it turned out, Maria and he shared much in common when it came to processing grief. The loss of her career, chance at family, and father mirrored him in a way.

He knew also that she formerly had silver eyes, which were something akin to Dōjutsu. They shared everything the night he had his outburst, and she assured him no matter what she's going to be right there. It was the night that he first started meaning the word grandmother, anytime he signed it, he made sure to give it some umph!

Lapis and Sapphire didn't know, but that's because he didn't know how they'd take the news. As far as they knew, he was her grandchild! The pounding on the door broke this train of thoughts, he shook his head, hearing Lapis.

"Did you fall in there?! You've been there almost an hour!"

His voice carried both frustration and worry. With a small sigh, Naruto walked over to the door, putting on a smile and opened it.

Higanbana's streets were lively as Dr. Renard was busy in his office. Finally getting through the final patient of the day. Yawning, sending the little bear girl home with stitches from her failed tree climbing, he sat back in his office chair.

He looked at the folded scythe in the corner of the office, having ran more tests on the metal. It was indeed steel-like, but the type of steel was very different. In old years as a Hunter, he used to flow aura into weapons, and when he flowed his into this one it channeled it perfectly. It wasn't like any other object, even mithril didn't allow aura to flow as good.

Getting his flask out, Dr. Renard went to take a drink only to hear his office door open. Sighing, he calls out, "Office is closed unless it's an emergency!" only to get silence. Getting up from his desk, he walks out of his room to see a bluenette woman with amber eyes. She was missing her left arm, which had a been concealed by her long-sleeved gray shirt she wore.

"Sorry, miss, but I'm closed." Dr. Renard told her before walking over toward her, "Miss?"

She walked over to the door, putting the closed sign on it, locking it tightly. He took a deep breath before putting his hands near his hips. Slowly reaching behind him before feeling something sharp at his back. He turned his head around to see man in a mask, with a strange eye swirl in the one single eyehole.

"Doctor, please, no need for any violence." The man softly spoke before looking right into the doctor's eyes. "We just need to know the location of something, or at least what you would call a someone."

Renard bit his tongue, but found himself unable to resist, "What do you want to know?"

The blue-haired woman smirks before reaching into her pocket, retracting a photo of the blonde, "Naruto Uzumaki…where is he?"

"I don't know…him…" Dr. Renard struggled under the red eye's gaze, cursing in his head as he spoke the last bit, "by that name…"

"Oh, so you recognize him? I must admit doctor, your resistance to my Genjutsu is astounding. Considering, in your world we supposedly don't exist." The masked man complimented before smirking under his mask, "Is Naruto Uzumaki alive or dead?"

"G-H-He is…d-de-dea-alive!" Dr. Renard blurted out before attempting to reach break the gaze, "I can't let him know that…Maria…"

He watched as the bluenette went into his office, coming back out with a single file. It had pictures in it of a boy broken on the table, with remarks on his fast recovery. His miraculous recovery at that, he growled under his breath, struggling in the man's grip!

"Maria Calavera, what an interesting name." The blue-haired woman smiled, watching as Dr. Renard's green eyes widened in horror, when had he said the name?! "The Sharingan truly does wonders for making people think aloud."

"You bastards, you're the ones that hurt that boy!"

Dr. Renard was silenced by the woman punching him in the face with her one good arm. She still held the files as she did it, with her growling at him. "That boy, is a monster, who killed the last bit of family I had left!" She yelled out before looking toward the masked man.

She stuffs the files into her jacket, freeing up her hand fully.

"Konan," he said her name before gripping his arm around the man. "That's very rude, after all this doctor was only doing his duty to help someone in need…"

"Go to hell, the both of you!"

"Doctor, please, there's no need for putting yourself at her level. Simply, tell me where they went. I promise you. No harm will come to the old woman." The mask man lied while twisting the knife's point into his flesh a little, "Doctor?"

"Mis-Mis-Mis-Tral-Mis-Tral…" Dr. Renard focused before taking a deep breath, resolving himself to one final act of defiance, "See you later…Maria…"

Konan's eyes widened as he slammed himself backwards onto the knife. Stabbing himself right in the liver, Dr. Renard coughed up a wad of blood before his eyes changed back to normal. He reached into his hip before pulling out a revolver pistol. He pulled it up to where Konan was, squeezing off a single round from nearly pointblank. The bullet sailed right into her leg. He was about to squeeze the trigger again when a paper sword slashed out!

His hand fell from a newly formed stump!

"Konan, don't!"

The masked man's words fell on deaf ears as she sends the sword sailing right into his chest! Dr. Renard coughed up a wad of blood before smiling a little bit. "Happy…hunting…Grimm Reaper…" His last words before he slumped forward on the sword more, intentionally making sure he was dead without any hope of more information coming from him!

"What have you done?!" Madara screamed out before tossing the body aside, he grabbed her by the throat. "You just killed our best lead!"

"He was trying to kill us. He managed break out of the Genjutsu you placed him under. Between your obsession with capturing the brat, and mine with killing him. I chose to live so I could get my chance!" Konan yelled out before kicking him off, she forms a paper spear before throwing it at him.

He catches it before throwing it to the ground, "Are we really doing this right now?"

"Guess we are, Madara Uchiha, happy hunting…because when I get to the boy first, I'll gut him!" She exclaimed before walking toward the door, not before placing paper around her leg.

Madara chuckles before looking right at her, "No wonder Nagato protected you so much…so pathetic."

Konan turned around before launching paper bombs at him. His eye widened before he charged forward, tackling her out of the building. She rolls backwards to get him just in time as the office explodes. Incarnated the doctor's body, along with alerting everyone in that village. She curses under her breath before hearing sirens. Madara merely stood up, glaring at her before charging.

She brings her foreleg up to block the first kick. Weaving under the second one, forming a paper kunai, she was about to stab him in the back before her face splattered from an elbow strike that sent her stumbling back. An aquamarine necklace flopped out from under her jacket. She growled before forming a paper sword and followed Madara as they retreated before police could arrive.

They clash as they retreated, sparks flying from each of their strikes. The woman sidesteps several slashes from Madara before jumping up and landing a kick to his forearm. He grips her leg, intending to stab her before transforms the sword into a spear. He barely dodges back in time before she spun on her feet, slashing outward with the bladed spear.

Her leg was burning from the pain of the bullet. Slowly, she noted the paper around it was bleeding red. Growling, the bluenette moved back on one of the rooftops before jumping backward onto a taller building. He throws several kunai out toward her, which were intercepted by paper versions of themselves. He got ready, and leapt up. She follows him by jumping towards the same building.

They both leapt up onto a building, with kunai flying from each other. Metal meeting it's hardened paper version with sparks flying. Konan ran with Madara, both clashing every so often as they became black blurs of pure speed. She sidestepped off the rooftop into an alleyway. Madara comes from up top, falling down on her with his kunai leading the dive. She formed a paper sword, blocking and deflecting the strike before dodging backwards with single flip.

He slings several kunai out at her, making he dodge while running straight at him. Both fighters looked at one another. Konan focused on Madara's feet, while he focused on her single hand. Clashing against each other's forearms, both former loose allies growled at one another before kicking each other away.

Charging back at one another, both clashed with sparks flying from each of their weapons. She leans back to avoid a slash aimed at her throat, while he backstepped to avoid a stab from her paper sword. They both weaved hand seals, with her weaving them singlehandedly. She flung herself backwards before pointing her hand out him.

"Ninja Art: Paper Tandem Shuriken!" She called out as some of the walls transformed into shuriken, flying out at him. He smirked before realizing that a lot of these shuriken started making noises!

Paper shuriken with sizzling paper bombs tied within them flew toward the masked man. He growled out before weaving hand seals and summoning a war fan. He held it out in front of him, "Uchiha Return!" The force of the explosion was absorbed, converted by seals in wind chakra before blasting back toward her.

Several buildings shook, with windows shattering from the concussive blast!

Konan watched as dust and snow flew around her, obscuring her position. She growled before checking her coat for the files. She still had them, meaning that her best chance was to escape. Forming several paper clones that ran toward where he last was. She turned around, just in time to see him standing on the same rooftop.

"Konan," Madara held his fan toward her, "Don't you think you're getting a little ahead of yourself?"

"Actually," Konan smirked before turning white and charging, "I'm right where I ought to be!"

"Slippery little minx," Madara thought before batting the clone into the air before it exploded. "She managed to form a perfect paper clone with a mimicked chakra network, very interesting…for a fool."

The dust clears, revealing Konan to be gone. He stood there watching as the buildings affected by their clash in the alley started to crumble a little bit. He growled under his breath, "All you've done is made it harder for us to track him down…" He disperses the fan before backflipping off the building, using a transformation jutsu to hide himself as one of the many pedestrians running about.

Grabbing a paper, and then stealing a pen, Madara went about copy all of the document he managed to look at briefly. He watched as police officers pulled wounded people from the buildings, seeing no fatalities, foolish woman nearly killed a bunch of innocent people for no reason! Growling under his breath, he realized that with her having the file she still had a major lead over him.

"Mistral…Mistral City." Madara realized in his transformed state before smiling wickedly, "She probably realized it too…"

He reaches into his pocket, pulling out the man's scroll he had pocketed before the man threw himself onto the kunai. Smirking, he walked into the crowd, "Now tell me all about this Maria Calavera."

"And how can I use her to get to Naruto Uzumaki?"

Broken Moon!
"Every day the clock resets. Your wins don't matter. Your failures don't matter. Don't stress on what was, fight for what could be."
-Sean Higgins

Naruto was watching Lapis and Amira mingled with the crowd. The lobby was full of partygoers from the airship, with Maria even dressing for the occasion. The only one who seemed to stick out like a sore thumb was him. He was facing the bay windows, watching lights on the horizon faded. His eyes wondered over toward where a redhead was sitting by herself.

She was pale, wearing a red dress with golden embroidery. Noticing that he was starting at her, the girl got up and walked over to him. Sitting down at his table, she cheerfully holds her hand, "Hello!" the redhead greets before he reaches out and shakes her hand.

To say that she was beautiful, would be an understatement. The girl's green eyes were filled with life abundance. It strangely reminded him of someone, somewhere he remembered that red hair, but those eyes were different…violet in color. It had been a dream of sorts, but it had long since past him.

"I'm Pyrrha," she introduced herself before rubbing the back of her head nervously, "I'm not being rude coming over here, am I?"

He shook his head, giving her a smile. Tapping on Maria's scroll, he slid it over to her, "Sign language?"

To his surprise she smiles, nodding, "I do know a little bit. I have too…because of charity balls and other events."

"Famous?" Naruto inquired with a hand sign, smirking a little bit.

"Little bit, have you ever heard of me?" She asked, although slightly embarrassed.

He shook his head, "Should I?"

"No, it's probably for the best…are you here with anyone?" Pyrrha inquired before looking around, "You seem lonely over here."

"I am here with my grandmother," Naruto replied before looking out toward the bay windows.

She looked at the sight with him, sighing, "I can't believe I'm heading back so soon…I barely get time with my mother."

He looked at her, watching her blush a little, "Oh, I'm sorry…I sometimes think aloud."

"It's okay, I used to do that, now not so much." The blonde signed before smiling brightly, "Why are you coming to Vale?"

"Um, well, I'm a student at Pharos Academy." She told him, hoping that he wouldn't catch on to who she really was.

"Neat, I'm trying to be a student there." The blonde replied before smiling softly, "What it's like?"

"Well…I hope you don't have family living far away…you'll barely get to see them." Those words made him frown a little bit, but she smiled softly, "But it's really the best Huntsmen prep school there is in Vale."

"Sounds expensive." Naruto commented with sign language before looking toward Maria, wondering why she would risk her financial state over him learning in a school.

"They offer scholarships for those who have talent," Pyrrha told him before smiling. "If you're a good fighter, and studious, you could actually go to school only worrying about room and board."

"Neat, but it's weird because the actual academies don't require payment." Naruto commented while rubbing the back of his head afterward, clearly nervous.

The redhead just smiles before pointing at him, "That's because we'll be fighting Grimm and performing a public service…technically prep academies are meant to give us the basics to apply in academies."

"So…it's technically not required?" Naruto eyed her while signing, curious to know.

"Generally, no, but it does help you get in. Either through feats of valor, or study, those are the only two ways in. I'm doing both," Pyrrha stated proudly before deflating a little, "Still…that's why I said I wish I had time with family more."

"Family is sometimes more important than studying." He replied before looking toward Lapis and Sapphire dancing.

She took note of this, "Are you wanting to dance?"

"A little, but I suck at it." He smiled softly before blushing, "I'm thirteen."

"Aww, you're still a kid. Tell you what, how about as a token of friendship, I teach you some waltzing?" Pyrrha inquired before smiling brightly, "One future Huntress to future Hunter?"

"Waltzing?"

"It's fits to the song currently playing, The Blue River. Please, I'd be delighted in your company, friend." She implored before holding out her hand.

Naruto took a deep breath, shrugging before taking it. Needless to say, he learned that waltzing was slow, but it was fun to see Lapis gawk at him the entire time. Maria meanwhile had stopped dancing with a stranger before feeling an urge to look out of the bay windows, walking over to it. Placing a hand on the glass, she stared out.

"Renard…why do I have the feeling something has happened to you old friend?"