Correction. Lime, not Lemon, those two are similar but one's a case of not all the way and the other isn't, respectively.
P.S.S. since it needs some sort of explaining, even though it shouldn't.
Ozpin is not a Grimm specialist, he is a SALEM specialist. These are not the same thing. As said in the chapter, this was before Ozpin's time as a Headmaster and he was not only still fighting Salem to even know. He's NOT going to know everything.
He's not God. Knows a lot? Sure. But that's it, 'a lot' not 'everything'.
It's like how Maidens are still myths regardless of how ridiculous it is. Hell, SEWs are seemingly myths even though they shouldn't be.
No one could budge me on this because the very show makes points that not everything is a known variable. Especially things that are locked away via a large group of powerful people.
~NRK~
They were met by a butler, a middle-aged man who smiled at them before looking at Naruto curiously.
His skin was tan and his head bald with a half-crown of soft brown hair around it and on his upper lip in a mustache. His eyes were kind and brown as he dressed in a pair of brown dress shoes, black slacks, and a vest over a white dress shirt and tie.
"Welcome, general, young lady, Mr. Uzumaki," the man said with a bow. "I am Klein, Klein Sieben. I'm the head butler at the Schnee estate. Come, Mr. Jacques is busy in his office, general."
"I'll go and see him," James said with a nod before turning to Penny and Naruto. "Take care, you two. Weiss is young but she's bright, don't be too surprised if she traps you eventually."
Klein chuckled at that. "Young Weiss is quite crafty but this will be a new experience for… well, anyone, really, Mr. Uzumaki."
'Just call me 'Naruto', Mr. Uzumaki sounds weird,' he said with a nervous bow. 'Nice ta meetcha.'
"Salutations," Penny bowed as well before the two of them came back up. "I'm Penny Polendina."
"I didn't know Dr. Polendina had a child," Klein said as James chuckled.
"He does, in his own ways," Penny grinned at the man's words.
They separated after that, James heading one way while Klein took Naruto and Penny to another.
'So, Klein, what am I in for?' Naruto asked as the man chuckled. 'I've never dealt with the elite before.'
"Well, Young Weiss is just that, young. She's not as cold and ruthless as her father but not as mature as her mother. So, she's a child. still, hm, hm."
"I've read that children can also be ruthless, though," Penny said as Klein smirked.
"They can be but Weiss is but a strong silent type. She'll speak when she deems it necessary, usually. Though she can get excited at times, which I believe this is one of those times," he said as they came to a stop. "Here we are, the young miss's room."
Knocking thrice, Klein held perfect posture as the door was soon answered by none other than Weiss Schnee, the girl in a white dress with a black bow at the back.
"Ah, y-you're here," she said in surprise, looking up to see Naruto's nod.
'Nice ta meetcha, Weiss' Naruto said normally but the girl held her head in shock. '... You alright?'
"A-Ahem! Yes, I am well… I didn't expect to be done before you came but I should expect punctuality when the general is involved," Weiss said before welcoming them inside. "Come in, come in. Thank you, Klein."
"It's no issue, miss. I'll bring some tea over for you all."
"None for me, please," Penny said with a bow that the man nodded at.
"Very well, Ms. Polendina."
He left with energy in his steps that Naruto chuckled at.
'He's a good man,' he said to Weiss who smiled.
"Klein is the best butler in the world, I'm sure," she said and Naruto smirked.
He was seeing the childishness of an elite kid, now that was interesting.
'So, tell me, Weiss, what made you call on me?' He asked.
"... You made several statements a week ago," she said with a soft frown. "I needed to know why you didn't make sense to me."
"Hmm, is that not normal?" Penny asked. "I've learned that you don't understand everything about someone from first looks no matter what. You need to continuously expose yourself to them to learn their true feelings," she said with a smile that Weiss folded her hands in her lap at.
"I-I get that," she said. "I just… what did you mean by your words to that cat girl?"
'... Oh, you mean from when I got revealed and was with Blake,' she nodded. 'What about that doesn't make sense? People need to communicate. That's the truth.'
Weiss looked nervous. "... But it's wrong, isn't it? All will bend for a price… there's no one who wouldn't…" She said with a frown.
'Do you believe that? Or is it someone else?'
Her silence was telling.
'Well, here's an idea. A little scenario,' Naruto said with a smile. 'If you were promised riches that no one could reach, a life of perfect luxury, a life where everything is at your fingertips… and all you'd have to do is give up your entire family, would you?'
She flinched. "T-That's horribly unbalanced."
'Yep.'
Weiss gripped her knees. "... I… I-I…" She grimaced.
"Hmm… I don't think I could do it," Penny said as Weiss sighed. "My only family is my father… but I'd never give him up for anything. I don't think I could look myself in the eyes if I did."
"Is… that the correct answer?" Weiss asked and Penny tilted her head.
"I believe Naruto would say so but I also think it depends," Penny said as Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Do you hate your family, Weiss?"
"H-Huh!?" Weiss flinched. "N-No! What would make you think that?"
"I just find it odd you'd struggle with this question if it was that easy to say you love them."
Weiss bit her lip and looked down. "... I-I didn't say I loved them either," she whispered and Naruto's eyes softened.
'Want to talk about it?' He offered and she looked up at his grinning visage. 'Sometimes, it's not about solving it as it is about just getting it out.'
Weiss blinked before considering that she would literally be exposing herself to a creature she'd just met… before grunting.
"Not everything."
'Doesn't haven't to be. Anything you want to say.'
"... I feel like most of my family are strangers," Weiss admitted quietly but both teens heard it. "How… I don't know. I love my sister, I know that."
"Hmm? I was under the opinion you had more than one sibling," Penny said and Weiss grumbled.
"Whitley's just a nuisance," she said. "I don't hate him, he's just annoying so I can't love him."
'... hmm,' Naruto considered her words. 'So, would you choose money over him?'
She grimaced at the question. "... N-No."
'Not because I think that's right or because you do?' Naruto asked and she looked down. 'Weiss, if you're unhappy with your family situation, you can say that, you know?'
"... That's not 'normal', though."
'So? Your feelings are important.'
"... I don't know what to call them," Weiss finally said. "Do I tell them I don't like it?"
'Well, I think that if you want to fix your family situation, you have to get to the core of the issue.'
"Most things all start at a source," Penny said. "If it's to be solved, the main issue needs to be dealt with, first and foremost."
"... I don't think father l-loves us," Weiss admitted quietly.
"... Oh," Penny was stunned dumb at the sentence while Naruto grimaced.
'Did he say that?' He asked and Weiss frowned.
"On my tenth birthday… he said that he only married her for the money," Weiss said and Naruto winced.
'Were they fighting?'
"Y-Yes, dad was becoming annoyed with some disruptions at work… people were stealing from our mines and then… t-things got worse," Weiss said with some disbelief in her eyes. "H-He yells about it and wants us to listen. S-Something about 'removals' of our family. I don't really know what he means."
'... Haa, this sounds like even your father is pissed about something,' Naruto said and Weiss's eyes widened as she covered her mouth in shock. '... Oh, carp, apologies, my language can be a little rough sometimes.'
"It's normal, I believe your father has probably said a curse word or two before," Penny said, smiling innocently as Naruto snorted.
'Most likely but that's not important right now, Penny-chan,' the robot hummed with a nod. 'Right now… I guess the issue begins with your dad but what about your little bro? Whitley, right? How is he annoying?'
Weiss huffed. "He keeps bothering me when I'm doing my lessons. If he's not standing by the recreational room entrance, he's peeking in. He sometimes plays his violin at the same time but it's always so off-tune, it's distracting. He has to be doing it on purpose because he keeps doing it."
'... W-Weiss, he wants to spend time with you,' Naruto said with a dropped mouth as the girl blinked twice. 'S-Surely, he's trying to harmonize with you with his violin but he's, what, seven? He doesn't fully get what he's doing, he's just trying to bond with you.'
"... H-Huh?" Weiss looked like she'd been caught off-guard. "W-What do you mean?! There's no way he's trying to do that!"
"Why?" Penny understood both sides but she saw more of Naruto's than Weiss's at the moment. "What makes you think he's being mean?"
Weiss swallowed. "He's always bugging me, even when I'm just doing my work, he's always watching me, waiting for me to mess up."
"Isn't he just trying to learn from your work?" Penny asked and Weiss's eyes slowly shrunk. "He's not bugging you when you do your work, right?"
"... N-No… b-but he's always asking questions! It's like it never ends!"
'Well, yeah, he doesn't know anything,' Naruto said like it was the simplest thing in the world, sinking her ships in horror. 'Weiss, you do remember that Whitley's not lived even remotely the same life as you, yet, right? He likely doesn't even understand a lot of the things that are being said around here… kind of like you did with my words.'
It was like he'd slapped her, Weiss froze at the sheer idea of her sibling trying to… t-trying to…
"I-I didn't mean to…" She pleaded but Naruto shook his head.
'We're not blaming you, Weiss, you're young too. You can't be expected to just understand how the world works from the get-go, that's not fair to you. No one fully gets it, probably not ever, we can only learn more about the pieces that we've known all our lives.'
Penny smiled. "Naruto's right. I've learned a lot ever since meeting him. About Grimm, about culture, about him, about family, about friends, about a lot. Naruto's brought so many things into my life that I wouldn't trade for the world," she said with a grin as the Grimm blushed a bit.
Weiss tilted her head at them, blinking. "... T-Then what should I do?"
'Well, why not make-up with your little brother? That's probably the easiest thing to do. All he wants is to be a part of your life,' Naruto said with a grin that Weiss was shocked to feel no fear from.
Even with the teeth, the same black fur, and slightly scary appearance… all she saw was another person grinning at her understanding.
"... S-Should I start now?"
"We can all go!" Penny said with a grin. "It'll be easy to say why you're there if we pretend that we're looking around."
Weiss smiled at that.
Yes, that was sound reasoning.
~NRK~
Whitley Schnee was a boy of seven years of age and, in his short life, he'd learned a lot of things he thinks he shouldn't.
Well, one, his sisters might hate him. Someone might ask how he knows what 'hate' is but Whitley believes that being ignored is probably what it is.
It hurt, it made him feel bad, and those were some of the things that the internet said it was.
So, yes, he felt hated. It was hard to just be in his sister's room without worrying about if she was going to lash out at him.
With short white hair, pale skin, and blue eyes, he looked at his drawing before making a big circle in the sky and drawing lines from it.
But he'd also learned from his father, he didn't see his mother much, that others' opinions of you were very fickle… the word meant weak, he thinks.
They were fickle, they were painted by things they didn't understand, so Whitley wouldn't let Weiss see him cry in the corner-
"Whitley?" He flinched, short-sleeved white polo creasing as he turned his head to see his sibling who was looking nervous… before he saw the Grimm?!
"Y-You going to have me eaten?!" He squeaked in a high octave. "I-I knew you didn't like me!" Whitley pointed at her, victoriously, fearfully.
If he was going to be eaten, he'd do it by telling her how bad of a sister she was.
"What?!" Weiss's mouth fell and she shook her head. "N-No, I mean… I-I haven't been nice to you but I don't hate you."
"Then why do you ignore me?" She flinched. "I-I saw on the internet, things that hurt mean people hate you…"
"I-I don't hate you I just…" Weiss struggled before Naruto ushered her forward. "... I-I don't hate you, I never did. I thought you were trying to get in the way of my lessons."
"I-I just didn't know how to do some of the exercises…"
Weiss truly realized she was in the wrong when he looked so despondent… and it was all her fault.
She walked over before sitting down next to him at his drawing board.
"I… I thought you hated me," Weiss said slowly. "I didn't know you were just having trouble with the material."
"W-Well… father says you have to watch those at the top to grow past them… so, I figured, you get all the best grades…" Whitley said, kicking his feet and Weiss grimaced.
"I… I don't hate you."
"You said that three times."
"I know because it's true," she said and he stopped. "I don't want to hurt you, I didn't know I was. I wasn't sure if who I should trust and… I made that mistake by not being that kind of sister… I'm sorry," Weiss said.
No pretenses, no excuses, no babbling.
She'd made a mistake and she was sorry.
Whitley looked shocked and up at her, Weiss blushing a bit as she moved a bang behind her ear.
"R-Really?"
"Yes."
"T-Then if I'm not used to the material, I can come… to your room?" He asked and she smiled, nodding.
"Yes. I didn't understand before but I want to… I really do now."
"O-Okay… then I'm sorry, too," Weiss blinked as Whitley blushed. "I-I wrote a lot of b-bad pictures with your name in them."
Weiss never realized how silly that was and laughed.
"Well, as long as you're not writing death letters."
"What are death letters?" He asked hopefully and Weiss's visage cracked as Naruto snorted. "W-Wait, so why's there a Grimm in our home?"
"... oh, you didn't watch the news a week ago?"
"I was trying to catch up on some of my materials, I didn't have time for my computer."
"He was revealed, Naruto Uzumaki," Weiss said, gesturing to Naruto.
'Sup, kid,' he said, to the dropped mouth of Whitley.
"H-Huh?!" The boy gaped at the snickering Grimm.
"You'll find these videos important," Penny said as his and Weiss's Scrolls rang.
"... How?" Weiss asked.
"I have my ways."
Pulling out his Scroll, Whitley blinked before watching the 'conference'.
He balked. "T-They gave you airtime?" He asked in disbelief as Naruto chuckled.
'The general's one of the people who found me and helped me out. He's kinder than people give him credit for.'
"The General is here," Weiss said and Whitley nodded. "Actually, Klein should be coming to my room with tea! We should-!"
"Already here, Ms. Weiss, Mr. Whitley," Klein said before blinking at what he was seeing only to then grin at the siblings' position. 'He might have had an even better effect on her than I imagined,' he thought proudly. "I've gotten an extra cup just in case and that seems to have worked out in our favor," he said as he came over.
Handing the Schnee siblings their tea, he did the same for Naruto who nodded.
Watching a Grimm sip tea was hilarious, by the way.
'Hmm… oh, berries,' Naruto said with a nod as Klein chuckled. 'It's not too sweet but it's there,' he said as he held his fist out to Penny who grinned.
They pressed against one another and she hummed. "It's warm," she said, confusing the Schnees and Klein. "Oh, well, I'm a robot," she said, shocking them.
"... Ah, that's why I was so confused and you didn't drink tea," Klein said as she nodded with a smile while Weiss and Whitley balked.
"Y-You're not human?!" Whitley choked. "Y-You do all the other human things!"
'She does, Penny's more human than people will ever understand,' Naruto said kindly with a chuckle, sipping some more tea. 'When I bump fists with people, I can share images, emotions, senses, and so on. So, recently, I started helping Penny see what some things are like, taste-wise.'
"... I guess she's not the only one," Weiss admitted with a small blush. "That's very kind of you, Mr. Uzumaki."
'You can just call me 'Naruto'. Like I told Klein, 'Mr. Uzumaki' is too weird for me.'
"... V-Very well, Naruto," how liberating!
"He's in my home?!" Jacques Schnee balked in horror while James sighed.
"Jacques, he's literally the farthest thing from a Grimm," he tried to make the man see reason. "He's been around for years, he's been alone with humans on his own, whether we sent him or of his own will, he's the farthest thing from danger to your family."
"He's a Grimm, how can I possibly trust something like that!"
"... While I can't just force you to understand, just know I get what you're saying. It's not going to be easy but Naruto's already been accepted by a decent part of Atlas. Surely that means something."
Jacques Schnee grimaced as he leaned back in his seat.
He was a tall, thin, yet broad-shouldered man with white skin. His eyes were a sharp blue and his hair was cleanly cut and slicked back, the majority of the hair's color being white but there were also a few black strands as his white mustache twitched.
Wearing a white suit with golden buttons, a white dress shirt underneath, a red tie, and a pair of black dress shoes, Jacques was a man who dressed to dominate in every situation.
And, at the moment, the man looked annoyed as he was left to contemplate.
"And, James, what do you plan to do with him?"
"Didn't you read from the repositories?"
"I already read everything," James wanted to be surprised but he wasn't.
From a young age, the man before him had been groomed to become powerful in every other fashion besides combat. Him having a nigh-perfect memory and high-speed reading wasn't unexpected.
"You think I have ulterior motives?" James asked in disbelief and Jacques raised a brow.
"You don't? You have a Grimm under your employ who could conduct Dust and you're not considering the possibilities?" Jacques was floored that James could be so… soft. "He's clearly got value in his body."
"I'm not going to dissect a young man, Jacques."
"No one implied that," Jacques said flatly and James felt some relief that the man wasn't that much of a monster. "But conducting Dust with material that may get stronger? That's something to be considered."
James hummed. "We don't know if that's how it works or not, yet. For now, Naruto's mostly just training and the like. Dealing with current 'popularity' is also to be handled and never mind the people who'll want to meet him."
"Like my daughter? I didn't think she'd care about a Grimm. Much less meet one."
"Maybe Naruto made her curious? I mean, he's a literal walking-talking Grimm, that'd be interesting to even yourself."
"... Not wrong," Jacques said. "Hmph… And how is his material?"
"Amazing," James admitted with a smile. "It's elastic, his fur, and his bones' density can be altered by him so we never have the wrong kind of shape. Oh, yes, he can shape them too. It's an amazing skill to have."
Jacques was intrigued. "Is that so?"
"Yes."
Well, well, well, this Grimm might be more useful than the CEO of the SDC could imagine.
Still… "And, what is his main goal? What drives him?"
"Well… helping people, Jacques," James said seriously as Jacques grimaced. "No, please. Listen to me. Naruto's simply a kind boy who wants to help. He's bonded with me and a good amount of others and I believe that feeling is mutual. He's just that altruistic. Besides, he's already got his own personal home on an island. He grows almost every fruit known to the kingdoms!"
Jacques's eyes widened and he sat up, much to the amusement of James.
"All fruit? On an island?" Jacques asked curiously.
"Yes. Naruto's got quite the green thumbs. I've tried just about every fruit in a drink of some kind over the past year. They even taste better for some reason."
Jacques was intrigued.
"Still… I'm still not happy about Winter, James."
"... Jacques, you know more than anyone that I didn't convince her to do anything. I say anyone can come to Atlas Academy, everywhere. Weren't your own words to me, when I became headmaster, to 'spread my brand'?"
The man grimaced. "Yes… Still, you should have sent her home! She's not built for the military, you'll tear her to pieces."
James sweatdropped. "Jacques… what do you think the military does?"
"..." Jacques crossed his legs and leaned back. "Training that'd make a normal man beg for forgiveness."
"..."
"..."
"Jacques."
"That's what I could pick up from the negative reviews. Many complain about how difficult the physical regimen is. I fear not for Winter's mental skills but her physical ones."
"... She's had numerous medical checks, I promise you," James said softly. "She doesn't have… physical issues."
"..."
"Jacques, come on, we used to be friends. And… with him gone I don't…" James wasn't saying his colleagues from Vale weren't 'friends' but they weren't people he could, mind his language, shoot the shit with.
He'd already lost one person like that and his other was still pained by his eldest's choice in occupation.
"... Hmph, I'll… consider it, I suppose," Jacques admitted and James smiled. "Still, this island isn't public, yes?"
He rolled his eyes with a grin.
"Not in the least."
~NRK~
Whitley let out a small gasp as he sat atop Naruto's back, the Beowolf making several handle-like bones for him to hold onto, much to his fascination.
Weiss balked from behind him, hands feeling Naruto's fur with wonder as the Grimm moved around, Penny running beside them as Klein supervised them.
He moved about on all fours, claws covered by gauntlets to give him better mobility.
"T-This is fascinating!" Whitley said with joy, face bright.
"I-It's interesting," Weiss said, ever the stubborn one. "S-Still, this is a rather commendable speed."
'Wanna go faster?' Naruto asked with a smirk as the two children balked.
"Y-You can do that?!" Whitley asked in wonder as Weiss began to pale.
'Well, your sister's not feeling too hot about that,' Naruto said with a nervous grin as Weiss nodded rapidly. 'So, I can do it for you but I'd need one of your parents' permission, I'm sure.'
"W-Well… father is talking with Mr. Ironwood," Weiss said and Naruto nodded, coming to a trotting stop. "We're supposed to have brunch soon, as well."
'Right, well, let's go inside and see about that,' Naruto said before trotting over to Klein. 'It's almost brunch time, right?'
"Ah! Yes! Come, let's go inside now," the man said as Weiss and Whitley giggled a bit, the group heading towards the manor. "You aren't allergic to anything, are you?"
'Nope.'
"Marvelous."
~NRK~
The other maids and butlers of the Schnee manor just stared at Naruto as he ate some muffins, waffles, and tea.
Weiss and Whitley observed him in interest while Jacques's face contorted into a look of total apathy that had to be forced for him to deal with the image before him.
James just looked amused.
Naruto swallowed before using his napkin to clean his mouth.
The Grimm had manners?!
'Whoa… those are some of the best muffins I've ever had. They're right up there with Papao fruit bread,' Naruto said, surprising Jacques and Whitley.
"You've had Papao fruit bread?" The boy asked as Naruto nodded.
'I took Blake home to her parents and her mom made some fresh ones. Man those were good. I've got a ton of those fruits and didn't know what to do with them.'
"Right… you've an island full of fruits of all kinds, yes?" Jacques asked awkwardly as Naruto grinned.
'Yup! I've got fruit from all over, I've even got a few ones from the isles in the between kingdoms,' Jacques was intrigued.
"That Alzammers?"
'Got 'em.'
"The Futoles of Vacuo?"
'Got those, too.'
"..." Jacques considered his next fruit choice while James laughed. "... The Red Sun Orange?"
'...' Naruto considered it. 'Those ones are the weird purple oranges, right? I don't know why they're called 'Red Sun'.'
"You have them all?" Jacques looked shocked and impressed. "James?"
"We bought a ton of random ones we could find," the general said. "Over time, I'm pretty sure that some of them mixed to make different fruits. While this would usually be impossible, Naruto's energy might have an effect on them and erode their differences."
Jacques's eyebrows raised curiously while Whitley's eyes shined in wonder.
'Ya know, I really should bring some of those back here. I think a lot of people in Mantle would love them and enjoy more variety,' Naruto said, confusing Jacques.
"You could corner the market with unique fruits, you know. Atlas doesn't have many such things in it and imports are priced rather painfully," he said.
'Eh, I don't see the point, to me. I built my own home,' the image of his island villa got a shocked look from those in the room. 'I have my island.'
And then Jacques saw something magnificent. Colors, rolling green forests, a home in the middle… scary birds?!
"W-What are those?!" He said as his son's eyes shined in wonder while Weiss paled beyond her skin color.
'Oh, those are shoe-billed storks, this one Kachi,' Naruto smiled and Whitley preened.
"I knew it! They're some of the most human-friendly birds known," the boy said as Weiss choked.
"T-That's friendly?" She squeaked.
"Yes! Unfortunately, they've been hunted because of how friendly they are," Whitley said with a frown before Naruto showed them an image of horror and beauty. "T-There are so many!" He said with a gasp.
'Yup, they've been repopulating and, I think it's the fruit, they've been gaining different colors.'
They saw a bright red one, yellow ones, purple ones! So many different colors.
"Oh, that's new," James said and Naruto nodded while Penny giggled.
"We went to see some of them the last time we went to the island. I've even learned how to whistle for them!" She said with a grin as James chuckled.
"R-Right," Jacques adjusted his collar. 'Those aren't birds! They're monsters!' Still… they did come in rather magnificent colors.
'There are these big tortoises too! I started a vegetable patch and they came,' Naruto said before showing them the image.
And even James's eyes bugged out at the size of the leatherback sea turtle.
"I-It's bigger than you?!" He gawked as he saw a Naruto walk next to it, its sheer size something he couldn't believe.
"I-It's enormous!" Weiss said in shock.
"They're rather kind, too," Penny said as the group saw bright purple, green, and yellow fields of vegetables, the turtles being given little patches of them. "They're starting to change color as well. See, one of them has some red on his fins!"
It did. The majesty of what was being seen melted Weiss's heart in wonder.
'So, yeah, like I was saying. I don't need money like that. I even get paid by James-ossan. I'd rather share some of the stuff I've got on the island. There are caverns, stuff in the ocean, so much stuff I haven't seen yet,' Naruto said with a big grin. 'I'm happy with everything I've been given and I want to help others. I just think it's the right thing to do, hehe.'
"... You're amazing," Whitley said with a giggle. "I'd love to see that one day."
'Sure, I don't mind visitors, I've got cabins and everything. Built it all with some help from the general, Pietro, and another friend who's way too into this kind of stuff,' Naruto said nervously, not showing Summer's image.
"And the location would be?" Jacques asked.
Exchanging the coordinates, Jacques hummed as he pulled out his Scroll and entered the coordinates.
"It says there's nothing there."
"That's for a good reason," James said and the CEO considered that before nodding. "Can't have people just finding it. I'm sure it'll be found, eventually, it's too unique of an area, but Naruto deserves as much privacy as possible."
"Hmm… Well, I can understand that. Though, I question if there's electricity there," Jacques said.
'I use a hydropower system I made a bit back with a bit more difficulty. I even use my bones and fur, as well. I learned how to do a little circuit stuff to make that work,' the Schnees, and their staff, looked surprised. 'To make that place more comfortable, ya know?'
"Yes, well, is there internet, I guess is what I'm asking."
"There are several servers on the island that work as mini-CCT Towers," Penny explained with a big grin. "That's another thing about Naruto's materials. They connect very well. We could reach the towers around us with ease after he built it."
'Thank God for clones,' Naruto said with a look of relief.
"... Ah, yes, that was on the CCTube video stream," Jacques said with much intrigue, much to James's shaky grin. "Yes, workers you don't have to feed, pay, or hire. Yes, that sounds outstanding."
'... Uhh… w-well, I still get hit with all the feedback, mind you. They're gonna knock me out, ASAP, if they work for too long.'
"Ah, unfortunate backlash," the CEO said with a sigh as Naruto smiled nervously. "Well, this island is sounding like a rather magnificent resting area."
"It's nice to unwind and just not thinking about much else," James said. "We'll be visiting it for an entire week when the month is up. Naruto typically stays for however long he can on it."
'It's just nice living simply. I feel so complete there.'
"It sounds amazing, especially from what we saw," Weiss said with a smile. "Hmm. Are there any lakes or rivers?"
"There's one river but it goes down a waterfall into a cavern. It's pretty steep so it's not really safe," Penny said. "Naruto's going to be exploring it soon. It's large, scarily so. It goes down a lot."
"An underwater cavern?" Jacques asked and Penny nodded.
"It's big, Jacques," James said with a whistle. "It's not small and Naruto and I went down for a little bit to see if there were any potential Grimm or other dangers. So far, nothing, but Naruto's told me he sensed something further down," he said with a frown. "Besides, that's so far in-island that it shouldn't be an issue… I hope didn't just jinx us."
'Same.'
"What's jinxing?" Whitley asked.
"It's similar to saying 'bring bad luck' onto ourselves, my son," Jacques said and Whitley made an understanding sound.
"Oh. That's bad."
"Hm, yes, it is," James said. "Now, we should all probably eat before the food gets cold."
Naruto chuckled.
~NRK~
'That was way more pleasant than I expected,' Naruto said as the three of them were returning to Atlas Academy in their bullhead.
"They're honestly not a bad family. Even Jacques can be quite sociable but he's so much more ambitious nowadays, it's hard to find him like that. This was one of the few times I've seen him not stuck in his workroom," James said. "So, there's a festival in your honor coming soon, huh?"
'Yep!' Naruto grinned.
"Can I go, general?" Penny asked.
"I don't mind as long as Pietro doesn't need you for some more minor work."
"Father just needs me for small circuitry work," she grinned. "I can solve it quickly."
~NRK~
That night, in Naruto's room, the owner asleep, Penny scrunched into his side and went around websites in her mind.
Naruto had given her the safe idea of doing this in 'Incognito Mode' and she wondered why but did so regardless.
So, in that subject line, she put in 'sex'.
What came up was a nice scientific description… before she hummed.
'Naruto said it was more intimate than that,' she thought, remembering his embarrassment. 'There must be more.'
She kept searching before considering a rather obvious idea.
Videos.
And when she made it to a sight called RedHub, she smiled before blinking in surprise at all the… human genitalia on screen.
In ads, in thumbnails, in wording, and so on.
'Tags, Categories, functionalities?' She thought in wonder as she looked at all the tags. 'Bestiality?' She frowned and clicked on it only to see something else. 'They list Grimm?' W-What?!
People were… getting intimate with Grimm who weren't Naruto?!
The idea was shocking to her very core and she hesitated before choosing the Beowolf option and hitting search.
Then her mind was put at ease, somewhat, as she saw that it wasn't an actual Grimm but 3-D programs with the creatures… 'reimagined' essentially.
Naruto was the only Grimm with an appendage below so these additions were humans being weird.
'... Still,' she looked at all the videos before nodding with determination, picking one. 'I need to understand, don't I?' How was she to potentially help her friend if she didn't understand?
So, she watched the acts before her with some shock, awe, confusion, and then a frown.
'Naruto's appendage isn't so small,' she thought as she replayed her receptor memory. 'Ah, I should delete these when I'm done.'
Naruto had said this wasn't to be seen and Penny was going to be given her bi-annual maintenance soon, so she'd dump these items soon.
… B-But, wait, wouldn't that mean she'd forget? How would she help if she forgot?
'... An encrypted folder!' She realized with a grin of triumph. 'I can make one for helping Naruto and not forget.'
She'd need to set herself unnoticeable alarms. To her father and potential future mechanics, she meant.
So, she did what she could before smiling as she paid attention to the vide-
Green eyes widened at… insertion?! W-Wasn't that supposed to be a waste ovipositor?!
Her eyes widened as the woman within the video moaned, groaned, gasped, and then screamed one last time as some kind of white liquid spilled from their conjoined parts. The Grimm's appendage seemed to engorge itself inside of the woman before throbbing as more white liquid spilled out, the woman's body twitching and spasming with each throb.
"What is that?" Penny wondered quietly as she tilted her head. 'Do humans do this normally?' She frowned.
Going back to the homepage of the website, she picked one of the human pairs and watched them.
She nodded, there wasn't nearly as much movement as with the 3-D figures but perhaps that was because they weren't exaggerated?
She looked it up and that white liquid was… 'Cum?' She blinked. 'Cum, a mix of bodily liquids involving the sperm of the human body…' Penny read and read, the more she did, the more some things clicked together.
That first video wasn't realistic but such things elicited the urges of normal humans. It made them 'horny' and when they were they 'masturbated'. Masturbation being the act of self-pleasure and 'release' that allowed their sexual frustrations to go down.
'So, Naruto was horny?' She looked it up and understood some more. 'No, that was morning wood,' Penny hummed before remembering that Naruto said her words made his 'problem', his erection, harder…
More research was done and, when she found more understanding, she closed all the sights before copying the memory files to that folder.
'Words, notably from one the owner finds attractive, can cause the erection to fill with more blood and the owner with sexual wants,' she recited, looking at Naruto's sleeping face with curiosity. 'Naruto finds me attractive?' The idea was interesting.
To be attracted to someone meant they'd wish to become more than friends, as she saw in side notes. That they may wish for relationships… but it was also involuntarily most of the time. People just found things attractive without thought.
So, was she, Penny the android, attractive? When her body was being made, her father had said he wanted her to have more modest outer shell settings but Fria had given her input and she'd been given the body she has now.
Of course, the Maiden's words had been sound, with more of Naruto's material, Penny could potentially do a lot of things but Penny had just learned that Naruto found this 'body' attractive.
Penny closed her eyes and considered the idea before leaning her chin down onto her pulled-up knees.
'Should I ask him?' She didn't know… but something within her warmed, her mind rebelled against the idea as something filled her being. '... This feeling… am I embarrassed?' Penny balked at the idea.
From what she knew, embarrassment wasn't involuntary, it was born from an understanding of modesty and basic life skills… so why was she embarrassed?
She wrapped her arm around her legs in thought. 'If I am embarrassed, something about the situation makes me feel awkward?' She looked at Naruto before combing one of her hands through his fur and then drummed the fingers onto his muscles beneath.
Naruto had a very muscular form, having learned that he did have physical limits and could train. So, she could certainly call him attractive, physically.
He was in an animal form… but, for some odd reason, Penny didn't seem to… care. He was not attractive by normal human convention and she still thought he was handsome.
Her mind wasn't rebelling this time but it focused on his body and Penny froze as she stopped, turned around with her hands on his body.
'... A-Am I… Attracted to Naruto?' The idea was new! '...' She trailed her fingers along his bone ridges before feeling his palm.
She played with it for a bit before intertwining her hand with one of her own and her being warmed, eyes widening at the feeling.
'... I-I might… like him more than just physically?' Penny realized with a slow gasp. '...' What should she do?
Who could she speak to about this? Could she ask her father? No, her mind was embarrassed at the thought.
Who… ah, yes, maybe him!
~NRK~
The following morning, James Ironwood blinked as he entered his office to find Penny waiting within.
The area was large, circular, and had a small jump in elevation in the middle. On the elevated half was his desk with a half-circle of windows behind it.
In front of it were two chairs with a couch at the side, Penny sat in one of the two chairs, smiling at him.
"Good morning, sir," she said warmly as James nodded.
"Good morning. Did you need something, Penny?" He asked curiously.
"Yes, I…" She felt her spirit grow warm once more before folding her hands together in her lap. "Sir… I-If I said I liked Naruto, would that be weird?"
James stopped, blinked, and turned to face her fully.
"Excuse me?"
"I was doing research into feelings," Penny admitted. "... A-And from what I can self-realize… I might… like him."
"..." So his hearing was working… it's just that this little tidbit of information had shocked him too much. "Well… that's part of having feelings, emotions, and bonds. You might catch feelings."
"That's an interesting phrase."
"It's got some slang in it, I won't lie," James said. "The only thing I can say is… well, what do you want to do with those feelings?"
"... I don't know," Penny admitted. "These are new to me. I'd only had this body for almost three months but all these new things are both scary and yet breath-taking."
"Hmm," James hadn't thought about it but Penny was a robot with a soul.
She was alive minus organs and living flesh. For her, this was brand new. The fact that Naruto's bones could help lock in her soul, oddly, was the biggest change to her metrics.
Penny had a body that melded her soul perfectly and that fact probably came with effects they didn't expect.
Still, she was awaiting an answer, no?
"If so, why not allow yourself time to observe yourself? It's better to consider what's going on with you first and foremost before you spring it on him," he said with a chuckle. 'Come on, James, you coward! You're the same way!' James grinned nervously.
"... Alright," Penny said with a smile. "Thank you, sir. That's a sound action to take!" She said with double-fistpumps. "Time to know my friend better!"
She charged off, leaving James to snort.
'Imagine if she was sexually compatible with Naruto, we'd have a real set of valuables in the future,' James thought, rolling his eyes.
~XXX (Lime)~
Naruto awoke that morning with a blush as he was 'afflicted' once more with morning wood.
'I guess Penny went somewhere,' he thought with some relief. 'Still, a-am I really about to have her… get me off?' The thought caused a wave of embarrassment to wash over him. 'Dammit!'
"Friend!" Penny declared as she entered the room before seeing his frozen form and its familiar predicament. "O-Oh, well, I am aware of… a-all of it, now," she said as her core warmed up at the sight of it.
That was a cock, a penis, a dick, a meat rod, a shaft with balls, member, and so many other phrases and terms she'd learned last night.
She locked the door behind her before she strode forward to the frozen Naruto.
Once she was standing in front of him, she held her hands behind her back.
"So… May I help you?" She asked him, steadily as she saw his member twitch at her words and approach. 'It's truly interesting,' Penny thought as she sat down, seiza-style. "I learned… a lot, last night. I still want to help you, Naruto-kun."
Naruto swallowed before turning towards her, his engorged member bouncing as he did. '... F-Fine, I… uh,' he stuttered like a fool, causing Penny to giggle a bit.
"We can take it slow. I read it's better to not rush so much. We're friends. I'm happy when you're happy."
'... I'm the same,' Naruto said, cooled but still very hot. 'S-So… uh, what'd ya learn?'
"I can't do fellatio," she said curiously, causing his cock to stiffen to attention. "At least, not the pushing it into my mouth, part. You'd get hurt."
Then he shrunk a bit, horror on his face. 'Y-Yeah, I, uh, wasn't considering that,' Naruto choked as she smiled.
"But licking is possible," she said with cheer and he returned to full mast, much to her fascination. "It's like a lever," Penny noted with a giggle.
'Yeah, uh, it does that,' Naruto said with a swallow. 'I'm serious, Penny-chan. If you aren't comfortable, let me handle it.'
"I promise, I'm fine," Penny said proudly. "I want to explore this part of your existence with you."
'... Alright,' Naruto nodded. 'Thanks.'
"No problem, now…" Penny felt some form of excitement well up inside of her. "I should examine the subject first, right?"
Naruto simply blushed before sitting back on his rear, his member hanging there in the air.
Penny crawled forward before sitting between his legs, hands coming around and grasping it softly, sending a harsh twitch throughout his cock.
"O-Oh, it's more sensitive than I expected," she said curiously as his face burned bright, facepalming immediately after. "Now, I'll apply my research."
Then Naruto's entire body twitched as she pumped it once with her right hand.
'H-Holy crap,' Naruto choked.
"Hmm~ Wait, comparison!" Penny said as her eyes glowed before gaining tick marks around her iris. "Hmm… 11 inches in length… but the thickness is a bit more than a normal penis."
Naruto felt his pride rise with his dick. 'Thanks but we're making the problem worse.'
"Hmm, not wrong."
Then she pumped him twice and he grunted, Penny smiled even as she calculated her pumps.
She didn't stop anymore, massaging the pink cock with interest and then Naruto moaned when she licked it.
"My tongue is made of a velvet material," she said, looking up at him as she licked him time and time again. "Emulating a normal tongue wasn't plausible so," Penny licked the shaft while working it between her hands. "It was decided that the material shouldn't moisten my shell and this would work as a good substitute."
Each of her words pushed air onto his cock and Naruto groaned.
'P-Penny, I'm…' He groaned some more as she felt his member throb against her sensory tongue.
"Alright," she said gently before doing something he hadn't expected.
She nibbled on his member before suction was done to his tip.
Naruto gave in then and there, growling as he came into her waiting mouth?
Penny smiled before swallowing? Her mind was filled with a form of euphoria she'd never felt before that filled her being as she 'swallowed'.
'H-Huh?' Naruto made a confused sound before collapsing on his back. 'I-I'm confused.'
"Hmm," Penny's eyes were closed as she rode out Naruto's emotions before letting out a shuddering breath? "It's… I need oil from time to time and father and Fria considered it to be more normal-like, and funny, that I can drink. And that's not the only thing helping," she said with a smile, swiping the rest of his cum into her mouth with her tongue. "With your Darkness element as part of my circuit, it breaks down whatever enters my body and turns it into energy thanks to tips and input from Headmaster Ozpin."
'Whoa…' Naruto said with a drained chuckle as Penny crawled over to his head before laying down next to him. 'You're seriously an amazing friend, Penny.'
"And you're one as well," she said softly. "I've gotten to experience so much since you came into my life. I'm eternally grateful."
'Hehe, well, as long as you like being my friend, I don't mind, not a bit.'
"Likewise."
~NRK~
Two days later, on a Thursday, Naruto, Penny, the Arc family, Glynda, Weiss, Whitley, the Belladonna family, and the Xiao-Long-Rose family were in Mistral.
The large pack of Naruto clones blinked as they released their passengers, the group balking at the size of the festival.
"You're here!" Came the waiting Ren's call as Nora grinned next to him. "Welcome, that's a big party!" He said as the group made it to them.
'This place got crazy fast!' Naruto gaped as Nora grinned, coming up to him before claiming her spot atop his neck. 'Like, s-surely I'm not that big of a deal, right?!'
"It's probably something related to the Black Gate," Qrow said as he got out of the Naruto Crevice. "Ah, it's nice and warm in there," he said, feeling refreshed as Weiss and Whitley blinked when they were released as well.
"I-It is kind of refreshing," the heiress admitted with a small blush while Whitley looked at the festival with bright eyes. "But I think Naruto's right but then again, he saved their town."
"Not just that," Li said as he and An came forward and the gang now started noticing that each member of the Lie family was sporting a white necklace with a blue eye within that sported wolf motifs. "With the reclaiming of Umikaen, we've regained a valuable resource, more land, and the homes of many who came to Kuroyuri. It's really important to us," he said with a smile as he donned a necklace around Naruto's neck. "Welcome, Blue-Eyed One."
Then, he, Ren, and An bowed to the Grimm who blushed as Penny giggled.
'Thanks… but I don't want people to thank me for doing the right thing.'
"There he goes, prepared to warm people's hearts and get all the booze," Qrow said as Jaune blinked.
"Don't you mean girls?"
"Nope."
"So, you're the family my sort-of-not-sure-but-kind-of adopted son tells us about," Taiyang said as Nicholas nodded to the wording.
"I can tell you know a lot," the bigger blonde said as he and Tai shook hands. "Nicholas Arc."
"Taiyang Xiao-Long."
"That's quite the long name."
"Hah! I knew one of would love puns!"
"Let in on that!" Yang said as she blurred into existence. "I'm Yang, Yangy, Yangy-Tangy, and Dragoness."
"Where'd that last name come from?" Jaune asked. "Oh, uh, Jaune. These are my seven sisters."
"Why did you say that like we're weird?" Cera asked.
"Because it's really weird."
"Hehe. And, my name means 'Little Sun Dragon'," Yang explained while Jaune's eyes shined.
"T-That's so cool!"
"I know, right?!"
"They've basically become friends on the spot," Jun said as Summer grinned nervously at the number of children she had. "Yes, it is harder than it looks."
"I feel for you. I've done it three times and each time has never felt better than the last but eight?" Summer said as Kali choked.
"T-That's quite ambitious!" The cat woman said. "Kali."
"Summer."
"Jun," the mother of eight said with a smile. "Well, sometimes life finds a way!" She said in an airheaded manner as both other women laughed nervously.
Blake huddled by a Naruto clone's legs as she saw all the colors and SCHNEES?!
"I-I don't know what's going on," she said to him and Naruto chuckled.
'Life finds a way,' he said with a chuckle before lifting her to his neck. 'Come on, guys! We've got an entire festival to look at!' Naruto declared as the original grinned.
'Onward! What kind of games did they make of me?' Naruto guessed and Ren smirked.
"We've got the Blue-Eyed Super Tag," he said and the children looked intrigued. "W-Well, you need Aura to do it, by the way. It can be really dangerous… I think."
"It is, by the Brothers, it is," An said nervously as Kali wore a nervous grin.
"Trust us, we know something about dangerous situations our child can be in."
Blake had the decency to blush.
As the group entered the festive area, they blinked at the sheer amount of people there.
"There are so many," Glynda said as Naruto nodded. "They must have heard and came from all around Mistral."
"There he is!" Came a shout from a crowd that turned to lock onto his presence, causing Naruto to jump. "Our savior!"
'Uhhhhhhhhhh,' Naruto's eyes then shrunk as he was approached en masse. 'Whoa now!'
"Calm down!" Glynda said to the crowd with narrow eyes and they froze before looking sheepish as the woman adjusted her glasses. "Hmph."
"She's so cool…" Sarcelle whispered in awe as Charlie snickered.
"You're just saying that because she has glasses."
"... No comment."
"Hah!"
"Go on," Glynda said as Naruto chuckled.
'Sup, Naruto here, how can I help ya?' He asked as one of the group came forward.
"Blue-Eyed One, we've come to see you, to enjoy your festival and hear your tales."
'My what?' Naruto's mouth fell as the others laughed. 'L-Like, uh, seriously. I've got some stories but I'm not some explorer of the world, yet.'
"You seek to see all of the world?"
'... Eventually?' Naruto said as Penny smiled next to him. 'I mean, I could tell you all about when I helped a few people and Kuroyuri, that enough?'
"Splendid."
Naruto nodded before one of his clones came forward. 'This is a copy of myself, he can tell you everything, and anything you tell him, I'll know.'
"Thank you, a Gracious One."
'This is starting to, uh, be stifling. Take your time with my copy. Trust me.'
The man, the crowd, and many others around bowed to him and Naruto burned bright red.
'I didn't think this is what'd happen,' Naruto said in disbelief along with some of the others.
"Dude, you're basically a hero. I didn't even know people did this kind of stuff!" Cera said in disbelief.
"Mistral culture is centered around famed individuals," An said. "Many places have statues like Naruto does. They are the heroes we praise and Naruto is our symbol. Those men and women were from Shirakumo in the north. They're likely scoping out Naruto's abilities."
"Wait, what? Why?" Summer asked.
"They're probably going to ask you to fight their famed champion," Li said with a chuckle. "You can refuse, of course, you can… but your standing might drop a bit."
'H-Hold on a second there. Standing? How on Remnant do I already have street cred?!'
"Well, there are the hero standings," Ren explained as Naruto's mouth fell. "Then there are the popularity polls, contests, tournaments, and exhibition matches. The more you do for the people, the higher your standing!"
'W-What?'
"Wait, how good were the standing benefits again?" Qrow asked with a widening smirk.
"Hm. Well, those in the Top 10 are granted special one-year wishes by the Council, the highest levels in the underground, and most of the towns," Li recalled. "At current, Naruto's collective ranking is number 148."
"Whoa, that's kind of far up!" Kali said. "I'm guessing they counted both his Grimm kill count, the number of impressive Grimm, and the resources he returned, right?" She asked.
"Yes. Add in that he's a Grimm and his popularity soared. Even now, they're recalculating his rankings," An said with a chuckle.
Naruto burned bright red as Jaune, Ruby, Yang, Sarcelle, Blake, and Whitley gasped in awe.
"Y-You're a real-deal hero?!" Jaune said. "That's so cool!"
"Yes! I know another hero besides mom!" Ruby said as Yang snickered while Summer looked proud. "That's so cool! You have to have a signature weapon now!"
"Whoa, that went into Ruby Mode way too quickly," Yang said with a sweatdrop. "Still, bro-bro, you're a hero! I thought that was only in fantasy stories! What can he get for now?" She asked Ren with rubbing hands and an ominous giggle.
"Um, well, with how high Naruto's ranking is, he can get free tickets to any tournament in Mistral or go to the Big Four," Ren said with a grin as Yang smiled wider.
"What's the Big Four?!"
"It's the top tournaments held at the end of every week in Mistral," Ghira informed them as Kali smirked. "Kali used to participate in her youth. Following that, there's the final tournament in Spring."
"That's next year's April," Kali said. "Right now, we're on the 40s of the year. Man, they must be getting intense."
"Yep!" Nora said. "And Naruto gets free drink and food! We need to go!" She said to the big Grimm who chuckled.
'I'm assuming there's a guest limit,' Naruto said as Ren chuckled.
"Of course. For your ranking, it's five people. For those in the 100s, it's ten and those in the Top 10 can bring their entire extended families, guests, friends, and so on. There's a set of people during the tournaments who can make extra VIP seats for those in the Top 10's party."
"That's outstanding!" Sarcelle said in awe. "If you were in the Top 10, you'd be able to bring my family. That's outrageous!"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jaune asked with a disbelieving smile.
"Our family is very large, Jaune."
"... That's fair."
"Free. Food!" Nora declared as Naruto chuckled.
'We'll see, I promise. Now, let's enjoy the festival, please,' he said as the group spread out.
Staying with him were Glynda, Penny, Weiss, Whitley, the Lie family, and Jaune.
"Can you tell us about your stories?" He asked and Naruto chuckled.
'Sure. So, around when I was first getting used to being alive, I realized I didn't have dreams but views at portals that lead out to people in negative situations. I used them to help you out, a pair of Faunus in Atlas, I think, Ren's family, and a few others.'
As they chattered, as they moved about the festivities, Naruto's neck came to adorn several more necklaces that had colored stones that built an image the closer the group got to the center of the town.
Naruto chuckled as he saw his statue while the kids not in the know looked on in awe as Penny smiled warmly.
"It's impressive," Glynda said with a chuckle as she looked at the symbols below. "Old Mistrali?" She asked Li who smiled with a nod.
"I come from a line of calligraphers. We knew the ins and outs of the old language," he said as he touched the stone. "He came and brought light into the Black Flower's world by being darkness himself. He taught, helped, and saved with barely a thought to the otherwise. Given such kindness, those of the Black Flower know that life is odd and the world wise. It knows who and what to send."
Naruto smiled as he read along with him, the old characters closer to his old language than he expected. 'They're words that seem too good for me,' he said as he looked at the statue of him. 'Heh, looking handsome, dude,' Naruto said to the statue before grinning. 'You don't mind if I write my name, do ya?'
"Be our guest," Li said and Naruto pressed one of his claws to the stone, black vapor forming around the tip.
He drew in his old characters, his name, his title, and his thanks.
Then he did something rather amazing, Naruto carved out ten perfect shapes that he fit the colored stones he'd been given into.
Standing back, the group could see the long, beautifully-drawn, wolf in Mistral's cultural painting. It bound to the blue eyes in the middle before bounding off.
Naruto stood to his full height before placing his fist against his palm and bowing to those around him.
'Thank you, I didn't expect to be held in such high regards… but I won't let that trust be misplaced. If you want me as your hero, I'll be your hero,' he said fully bowed before standing tall at clapping, cheers, whistles, and raucous noise. 'Heh.'
Penny's eyes shined and she smiled softly, warmly, at her… object of affection, yes.
She was infatuated with the Grimm, it seemed.
~NRK~
Life continued after that, leading to December.
Currently, Naruto and Penny were sitting inside the Grimm's wooden villa on his island, now named Aomei, Blue Eyes.
They were currently just sitting on the floor in the extension he'd made so many months ago and looked outside to see the bits of snow that dropped.
"Kachi should be okay," Penny reminded him as she sat within his legs' space, Naruto calmly sitting around her. "You built them all that small home and even allowed them into some of the other spaces."
'I know, I just hope it's good enough for them,' he said and she smiled at him, cupping his cheek. 'Yeah, yeah, I get it.'
"Hmph. So, it's been decided, hasn't it?"
'We're exploring the caverns at the beginning of Spring, yeah,' he said. 'I've been keeping a track of whatever's down there and it hasn't moved.'
"That's good, we wouldn't like any surprises," she said, snuggling up to his chest. "Hmm, I can get cold, that's surprising."
'Well, I'm here.'
"Yes… I know."
They sat like that, warmed by one another and the fireplace he'd built just in time.
This… He really liked this.
His eyes narrowed, though, as he remembered his important meeting and what he'd gained from it.
Things were going to get tough.
~NRK~
That's a wrap.
So, we not only have some fun with the Schnee siblings minus Winter but we clear the air between Weiss and Whitley.
I can very easily see this being the cause of the divide between them, outside of Winter anyway.
How Weiss and Whitley were raised would instill some form of hostility and it makes more sense to me that it'd actually be Weiss because of how badly she treats Whitley in canon. Weiss always came off, to me, in current Volumes like she embraced her father's way of thinking subconsciously and that'd translate to how their relationship would be as children.
Whitley, even in canon, keeps trying to get Weiss's attention despite everything. Think about it, there's no way he wasn't the pesky little brother type despite their upbringing and Weiss would never know how to deal with it so she falls back on her lessons. In that vein, she ostracizes Whitley by considering him just trying to ask her things as wanting to dethrone her, and here we are.
Of the Winter siblings, Whitley literally does not deserve any of the bullshit he gets handed, time and time again, for no reason. I sometimes worry about how this would be seen in a better-written story and the terms that come to mind are 'Stockholm Syndrome'.
So, we're fixing that. Weiss not only gets a reality check but she's given the chance to fix a mistake before it becomes permanent and, as we hear from Whitley, that was very close to happening.
So, now they're on better terms if only because Weiss doesn't want a ruined family. She wants one that's good on the inside like it's viewed from the outside.
And, following that… we have the Lime. Now, honestly, that felt like the most normal way for Penny to involve herself fully.
She researches, hypothesizes, frowns at conventions, learns some more, and when at the cusp, she needs a human element that can explain it to her. Because, for now, she's just a robot whose MO is to learn and apply. Penny's still more than that and that adds to her need for human injection.
The lime was honestly nothing special. It's basically what two teens, who understand the concept of sex to an extent, explore when alone. With Penny's new knowledge forming an interest and Naruto realizing he's becoming more attuned to these peaceful times, they experiment.
It's happened plenty of times in the small timeskip to the point that they're getting familiar with the routine. Oh and Penny learns to like Naruto more due to how much he does for her, for how he can make her feel things she'd never be able to without him.
Naruto's not that far behind, viewing Penny as his best friend on Remnant, a female he recognizes as attractive, and one he knows would go the ends of the world for him. That makes a hell of an impression.
So, yeah, they're getting 'it' and it won't be long now… but I wonder what big changes will come before that step?
Afterward, we get a big handful of Mistral culture. Naruto learns about tournaments and so on. I'm not gonna lie, I was really tempted to put Pyrrha into this chapter but held off for the future.
Soon, teams RWBY and JNPR will have met as kids and might get to bond a bit. Awesome.
And, finally, we end on a warm note. The two oddest beings in the world relaxing together, feeling warm… and Penny saying some weird things.
I'll leave ya for now.
Ciao.
Words: 11.3k+
~NRK Out~