So got some good suggestions for the eventual teams, I really like the few I got so far
Not sure which I'll go with at the moment for the main team.
So, again, asking for your input!
Frappé or the phonetic of Fire.
So shout outs to, Santaniel of Zodiac, AvexedAuthor, who hit on both and djtdagreat for the help!
Very much appreciate it!
A few notes before we bust into the chapter here.
To the guest asking about how Fen/Naruto can take care of Salem, the Brother's mistake.
He does have an answer for her, as they wouldn't send him in without giving him an answer.
By the way.
We aren't going to be seeing Fen/Naruto's Semblance for quite some time.
I think I will be using Fen for this opening segment mostly, and until we're at Beacon, when starts having people call him Naruto will his name officially switch to Naruto in the narration.
I'm going by what he's commonly referred to at that point in the story so it makes sense early it's Fen and when more people start calling Naruto I'll make the logical switch.
Hope that alleviates any concerns.
Also, before anyone starts asking as it is always inevitable, the Ships are set for this story.
Naruto/Yang, Pyrrha/Ruby, Blake/Weiss, Nora/Ren.
No Harem, despite some of the background leaning that way and maybe hinting at this being a more-some ship.
It's not.
Oh, something to keep note of.
The Brothers did state there was another they had their eyes on for reincarnating.
So I have a detail I want you all to keep an eye out for.
Ze, Ben, or Vix.
Enjoy.
Now onto the story.
"Vix!" Ze was startled the moment the door opened, and her youngest child rushed into the house, looking frantically around, spotted her, and leapt to her side, embracing her hip and shivering. "What's wrong? Dear, what happened?"
"They… They…" Vix trembled, her sharp canines biting and causing her lip to bleed, her grip tightening around her mother, her eyes fixated on her mother's lower back.
Seeing the terrified state his daughter was in, Ben snarled. Without hesitation, he demanded to know what happened as he saw his son moving to the door as if to leave. "Fen, what happened? Where do you think you are going?"
"To take care of those that forced us to hide and cower in this place," Fen growled in response, answering both questions in a single sentence as he clenched and unclenched his fists, his eyes dilated with raw fury.
His father's skin tone began to fade rapidly, and his ears spiked alarmingly. His mother's tail suddenly became rigid. The hair stood on end as her arm slowly wrapped around her daughter, her eyes shifting and dilating as she bit her lip. "They're here? Are you positive?"
"Yes! They were handing out fliers and putting them up!" Vix cried, burying her face into her mother's side, carefully rubbing her left arm against her mother's lumbar.
"Recruitment. Shit." Ben cursed, tucking his head down, pondering and thinking about the situation. "There is every chance we're still on their radar, and they'll recognize us. Fen might get recognized, but Vix should be fine since she was so young. We'll need to stay hidden for at least a few days. Maybe a week. Have to call into work. Think Rufus can cover for me. If I lose this job, it's fine. I'll find another…"
"I said I'm going to take care of it!" Fen turned back and hissed at his father, a determined glint in his eyes. "This isn't like it was four, fuck, almost five years ago! Things have changed, and it's time to show them that much and run them out of town!"
"Fen!" Ben raised his voice, locking eyes with his son as he stepped toward him. "I understand what you are feeling! Maybe things have been going well with your night runs and taking out what's left of the Xiong clan and putting them in their place, but this is the White Fang! They are on another level! They have more manpower and resources! If you catch Vale's leader's attention, it's a problem! Do you not remember the hell we went through leaving? What it cost us?"
"I am more than aware." Fen lowered his voice to a seething, guttural growl. "And it is why I cannot let them move in here without a fight. I saw what happened. The rage that caused me was the first time I awoke my Semblance and saw its horrors."
Flinching at the remembrance of that particular trauma, Ben closed his eyes and felt a shiver travel down his spine. It was not a spectacle he wanted to remember. Seeing his son like that…
Effortlessly being capable of doing such a thing…
"And if I can protect my family and keep them away from other families, I'm going to do so." Fen's voice brought his attention back to his son. "I've seen both sides of the White Fang. I know there are different sects in it, and not everyone is at fault for what happened. Those that follow them are just following their beliefs, and I understand their pain. But I'm not letting them come in here, establish their presence and drag other people into their insane cause as from what I've been hearing, it's only been getting increasingly troublesome around here."
"It has," Ze's voice somberly broke the tension and drew their focus onto her, seeing the older Faunus brushing her hand through her daughter's hair in order to comfort her in her embrace. "From what I know, there is a rising division within the White Fang that is even more radicalized and violent than what they have become. Their current leader is all but a figurehead, but he's useful as he's a young, suave Faunus with a lot of influence with the younger generation."
"Sounds an awful like those who objected to our departure…" Ben kept from snarling upon hearing that information before frowning at his wife. "Ze, I thought we were trying…"
"I know. But I had to keep my ears to the ground, so I kept my contacts." Ze softly spoke, keeping her eyes on the shivering form of her daughter before they rose and looked directly at her son's form. "Fen, I need you to know. I do not approve of what you have been doing behind our backs. It is reckless and foolhardy, even if your heart is in the right place. What you are about to do is even more so and is more dangerous…"
"In my bottom drawer, you will find it. You will need to disguise yourself as one of them to get in." Ze gazed sharply into her son's eyes. "You cannot fail in this endeavor otherwise, we are all in grave danger, understand? I put my trust in you, my son, as I believe in you. I always have."
The hairs on Fen's neck stood on end. He hadn't heard his mother's voice like this in years. This wasn't the stern and strict voice she used for discipline. No. This was different.
This was her authoritative, executive voice used to show who was in command.
And even Fen found himself listening to the power held within.
With a toothy grin that wormed his way on his face and closed-eyed smile. He felt far more confident and somehow more relaxed as she placed her faith in him. Giving a big thumbs up, he grinned. "You can count on me. I won't let you down, Mom."
"I know." Ze softly smiled as she patted her daughter's head, who calmed down significantly, hearing her brother and mother's tone soften. "Just make sure that no matter what, you come back safe. And grab the second mask as your friend at the door is gonna need it."
Slamming the front door wide open, Yang stomped in, looking miffed as Ruby stayed just outside the house, her eyes wide in fear at being caught. "Yo! How did you know I was there? All I was doing was trying to listen so I could help!"
"Your motorcycle has been running the entire time!" Three voices simultaneously responded with varied annoyance to the young blonde-haired lady as Fen left into his mother's room to grab the masks.
"And you reek of motorcycle fumes. Easy to pick out of a crowd and where you are at." Ben rolled his eyes before focusing on his wife, scowling at her. "And you call me the bad influencer? Sending our son and his human friend to a White Fang base? Yeah, that's a smart idea. She'll be discovered quicker than a coyote in a sheep flock! She can't pass for Faunus! They'll sniff her out in no time!"
His face paled as he saw the slyest of grins on his wife's face, and he did not like it in the slightest. It was only when she felt devious and in the mood to make someone suffer with a prank…
Much like their boy.
"Oh, she can pass by them just fine as long as she is willing to help," Ze turned to Yang, a smile that made Ben dread what he was seeing. "So, young lady? You said you wanted to help us and my son, correct?"
"Hell yeah!" Yang pumped her fist in the air as she stepped forward, Ruby took a step further back as she noted the sadistic smile and knew something was off about the woman. "Sounds like you need all the help you can get! Ruby and I…"
"I'd like to help, but maybe in some other way!" Ruby held out her hands, shaking her head as she felt terror unlike anything she had ever felt emanating from the young man named Fen/Naruto's mother.
Yang blinked at her sister's odd reaction. She was always the first to help someone. This bothered her. "Rubes, what's wrong?"
"Do you not feel death coming from her?"
"What?" Yang tilted her head in confusion, frowning in a crooked manner when she heard Ze's sinister voice echo from behind
"I am so glad you are so willing to help," Yang turned to see the most frightening woman she had ever seen. "It just so happens you look like a nice girl…"
"I do not approve of where this is going!" Fen roared as he stepped out of his mother's room with two white masks, his eyes shimmering in and out of their sockets. "Under no circumstances…"
"But dear," His mother's sickeningly sweet voice echoed through the room, and even his father knew something heinous was being plotted before his very eyes. "She needs to hide her scent if she wants to help infiltrate the base you hope to find. So why don't you help her cover it up now?"
"And coat her in your musk?"
"Did your mom seriously ask for us to have sex before leaving?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"I think we need to! What the hell, dude? First off, how chill of a mother do you have? Secondly, what? Thirdly, musk?" Yang rattled off the questions as she focused on the road ahead, ignoring that his back was pressed against her after that odd conversation she had just participated in.
And now she had images of those things in her mind, which were distracting!
It wasn't helping that she felt him shifting and moving to avoid pressing too tightly against her either, and a specific part of him away from her entirely! Oum, if he had…
"My mom has been trying to get me into a committed relationship since I was ten!" Fen growled in annoyance, finding this seating arrangement very difficult and wishing he was the one driving. "Hell, with the only girlfriend I had back in Kuo Kuana, she tried to make a pre-arranged marriage with her father! It really didn't help that her mom was into the idea too, so I don't know if it went through or not! I'm terrified they might have accepted!"
"Woah, talk about controlling. Thought my dad trying to get me to wear different clothing was something, but nah, that takes the Yake there." Yang shook her head, earning a twitching from Fen at the lousy pun before looking back at him in shock. "Wait! You lived in Menagerie? How did you end up in Vale? From what I know, most Faunus that decide to live there is that it is not only the home of Faunus, it's where they go when they don't feel like they can live in peace within the Kingdoms."
"Were you even listening to the conversation you were spying on?" Fen barked into Yang's ear, nearly causing her to swerve, barely avoiding a car on the freeway in the process.
He naturally slid in tightly to Yang as she swerved back into their lane and avoided the crash. "Fuck, alright, not doing that again…"
"Yeah!" Yang bitterly responded, giving a nasty glare back at her passenger before her face flushed. "Fen… Please back up to the way you were."
"And that brings us to number three…" Fen sighed, and Yang's eyes narrowed. "You wanted to know, well it just so happens…"
"Oh dear, Oum no." Yang's eyes widened in horror, her body tensing at what she was experiencing. "I thought she was just screwing with me and you!"
"In some ways, she was!" Naruto bitterly hissed before sighing. "But my father was correct in that they would sniff you out in a heartbeat, and Mom was correct in that the fastest way to cover your scent was to hide it by having my musk on you. So shut up. I'm transferring it this way. It may be awkward, but at least…"
"I would rather take it than this!" Yang started to swerve her bike on the road, wiggling her hips while trying to push Fen back. "Too uncomfortable! Anything but this! Get off me!"
"If we didn't have Aura, I'd say you are trying to get us killed!" Fen roared as they barely avoided swiping a big rig as they passed by it, moving back in his seat. "Fine! But this is hardly effective! Most musk is generated…"
"More information than I needed!" Yang shouted as she straightened her bike back onto the road. "This was not what I thought I was going to have to do in order to help! This is too much! There's an alley ahead! Let's just pull over there!"
"Are you serious?" Fen tilted his head and looked at and blinked at Yang bizarrely. "We barely know each other, yet you are more willing to have sex with me to cover you in my musk than just to let me transfer it by sweating it out on top of you with an erection!"
"No! I'm not comfortable with any of this!" Yang cried, tears welling in her eyes. "All I wanted was to help!"
"Well, join the club as I didn't want to embarrass you and put you in this situation, but you can't exactly waltz into a White Fang base as a human! You'll be noticed on the spot!" Fen retorted, both in sympathy and in annoyance, before sighing. "Pull over to the alley. I'll take it from here. I thank you for wanting to help. You've been…"
"But I want to help! I can't let a friend in need do something dangerous alone!"
"Pick a lane, woman! I can't do this all day!"
"Just…" Yang flushed with biting her lip, her eyes staring ahead furiously. "Lean into me and grind it off, dammit. I can take it."
"You sure?" Fen asked quizzically, making sure his partner was okay with her decision.
"Yeah, just hurry before I change my mind," Yang muttered, her face scarlet red as she focused on the road, trying to ignore what was about to happen as much as possible. "Just try to keep my mind off what you are doing, okay? I think that would help a bit!"
"I will try," Fen bit back a chuckle as he pulled in tightly, feeling Yang stiffen against his touch. "But I have to say, the last thing you want is me to grind it off. We'd both be in a sticky situation if that were to happen."
"Get off Bumblebee this instant! Only I can tell bad jokes while riding it!"
"Why do you have those?"
"Put them on. With my scent, you'll definitely bypass the guard."
"Isn't this, like degrading for you people?" Yang questioned as she carefully slid on a pair of furry and fluffy blonde cat ears and looked miffed as he stared to comb his hands through her hair to position them correctly and hide they were fake. "Seriously, why would you have them?"
Taking a step back, looking at Yang, his eyes glimmered at the sight of her. She looked so adorable with cat ears! They matched so perfectly with her that he just wanted to…
"Oh, I think I know the reason now…" Yang puffed up her chest and stood toe to toe with Fen, eyes burning. "No way! You already had a free session, perv! Not getting any more time with this bombshell bod! Not happening! After today, we're going to stay at least ten feet away from each other! Understood!"
"Crystal clear." Fen grinned as he tilted his head at Yang. "But, on the off chance we end up teamed with one another at Beacon…"
"I will end you!"
"Time to focus," Fen announced, moving past an irate Yang twitching and shaking as she fumed and started down the alley. "We know from the flyer that it is located generally in this location. I would normally say split up to find it, but I don't want to risk you getting sniffed and found out, so sticking together is the better option. Instead, we need to locate and follow someone who knows where they are traveling. Newbies are guided by a senior member to the entrance. It's an unfortunate fact that nearly every Faunus in the sector is acquainted with someone that is part of White Fang."
"Wait, is that true?" Yang scowled as she followed after Fen, keeping her eyes peeled as they searched for someone to find the entrance to this base. "You seemed upset when you realized they were here, but it sounds like they've been here for a while. I know they're a terrorist organization and all, but…"
"Members of the White Fang live here, yes. But the faction's presence has largely been shut out of Vale by Huntsmen and Huntresses and even the crime syndicates like the Xiong clan until recently." Naruto scowled as he didn't see anyone and started sniffing, hoping to catch a scent.
"Seriously?" Yang gave a ludicrous stare as she placed her hand on her hip, not believing those guys could ever be a threat.
"When I first came here, yeah. They were big time and in charge of Vale's crime scene." Fen stated in a matter-of-fact tone as his eyes shifted, catching a nearby scent. "A little less than four years ago, something happened, and they collapsed when their leader died, and Vanille Dust Industries went under as their CEO was killed as his estate burned to the ground. Somehow, I have a distinct hunch that those incidents are closely linked."
"I remember hearing about that one!" Yang bit her lip and scowled. "Dust prices have soared since then, as I was just starting at Signal, and Combustion Rounds were nowhere near as expensive as they are now! Doesn't help that thief, Torchwick has been robbing Dust left and right lately, and no one can seem to stop him!"
"Huh," Fen frowned, having caught two distinct scents, however, he recognized one as he stopped, he shook his head as the name brought something to mind. "Odd that you mentioned him. His name was first mentioned a lot during that time too. Can't shake the feeling that maybe he might have played a role in the fire now that you refer to him and his Dust robberies now. Who better to strike and make a name on than to steal from the biggest Dust supplier there is?"
"Are you two seriously trying to solve a cold case here?" A voice echoed and caught Yang off guard while Fen sighed, catching her scent moments ago.
"Ruby! I told you to stay back! How did you get here so, never mind!" Yang pointed at her sister, rage building in her eyes, before throwing her hands in the air in defeat. "Stupid Semblance of yours…"
"I'll have you know, I can't have you going in. Ready had to embarrass myself and your sister to cover her scent. I don't have time to do the same for you, nor do I want to, and we don't have an extra mask."
"Yeah, I saw that while riding on top of the big rig, no thank you!" Ruby shook her head as she wanted nothing to do with that.
"You saw that!" Yang roared, her eyes illuminated by her burning aura. "If you say a word to Dad about any of this…"
"My stock of chocolate chip is running low…"
"You are worse than any Grimm. Fine! I'll supply you with more horrid fuel to power your disaster engine." Yang snarled at her younger sister, her eyes twitching.
"Yay!" Ruby flew over in a flurry of rose petals and hugged her sister. "I love you!"
"Yeah, yeah…" Yang pushed her sister away from her and narrowed her eyes. "Now get out of here! We have no time to waste!"
"But I want to help too!"
"Oum, I thought you said you two weren't alike!" Fen growled at Yang, who had the decency to look shameful at her sister as she pleaded with puppy dog eyes, slumping forward at the visual.
"Fine!" Fen snapped at the girl, pointing at the roof above before reaching into his bag and pulling out a radio headset and an earpiece. "Keep watch from above and let us know if anything suspicious is happening outside after we find the base, understand?"
"How did you afford one of these?" Ruby looked at the device in her hand, knowing it was expensive, and glanced at Fen. "They cost quite a lot..."
"Does it look like I acquired it legally?" Fen hissed as his gaze bore straight into her silver one. "I have beaten down many criminals. I take their stuff after and often sell it for lien. Sometimes I take it as it's useful, understand?"
"Yes, sir!" Ruby nodded and put on the headset, not wanting to question him again after seeing the glint in his eye and hearing the tone of his voice made her knees wobbly.
"Good, now go!"
Bursting up to the roof in a swarm of roses, Fen commanded Yang and motioned for her to follow. "I got a scent. Come on. I think I have found the base."
"Okay…" Yang muttered, floored by the sudden shift in Fen's demeanor as his attitude flipped.
He became calculated, measured, and far more stern. So different from his usual lax and careless attitude. It was strange to her as she was always herself, despite getting angry, even when fighting and doing odd jobs.
What was there to Naruto? To Fen? To whatever he wanted to be called?
Why was he so weird?
And why did she want to know more about him?
"New recruits?" A gruff voice of what smelled like a raccoon Faunus stood at the door, gazing at them, sniffing lightly before nodding. "Interesting. I don't recognize you. Most don't find us on their own or have masks."
"They were my parents before they passed away," Fen responded, telling him the truth as he already had a story lined up to tell him. "They passed away a few years ago, and I was given their masks by Sienna Khan personally in thanks for their service. I've been bidding my time until I felt ready to join, and the Fang needed me. My lover here wanted to join me, not wanting to be separated, so she came along."
"Ah, that explains the scent." The guard stated, giving a side nod and an amused smile as he gazed at the two of them, more particularly Yang. "Gotta say, good score there, kid. Gonna be a challenge to keep her while in the barracks. You look tough, though, so I say your chances are fairly high. Might get the Leader Taurus' attention if you can use your Aura. Been needing more special operatives since that traitorous bitch Belladonna left us…"
"Belladonna?" Fen stiffened at the mention of the last name before relaxing his demeanor and scowling. "Ah, so the old High Leader's daughter joined the current regime and scurried away with her tail tucked between her legs? Typical cowardice from them."
"Right!" The guard grinned, liking Fen more and more before wincing and whispering. "Yeah, but don't let Leader Taurus hear you say that. He'll gut you for insulting her. Apparently, the two had a thing, and he is pissed she left. It's why we're stepping up and actively entering Vale more than we have in the past despite the dangers it presents, even against Sienna's wishes. He's a man on a mission right now."
"Sounds like she broke his heart if he's willing to do what you say he's been doing." Yang frowned, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable about the situation they were entering was a lot more caustic and ready to explode than she was expecting.
"That's for sure." The raccoon nodded before opening the door. "Better head in. I've held you up long enough. The rally speech is starting soon. Just head straight, and you'll find it."
"Gotcha, thanks, man." Fen gave a prideful salute, something Yang tried to emulate quickly, and the man at the door returned before they stepped through the closing door behind them.
After a few steps, clearly out of the man's hearing, Fen sighed in relief. "Glad that turned out well. Now onto stage two of the plan…"
"That was well?" Yang retorted before shaking her head. "I heard the venom in your voice when you said the name Belladonna. What's the deal there?"
"She should have never come back to the White Fang!" Fen snapped at Yang, who stumbled back at his sudden aggression, and he recognized he had taken it out on her and calmed himself. "Forgive me. I get aggressive when people I care for are in danger, and now I know she's in trouble, too? I cannot let that go in good conscience. I have to find a way to help her, too, somehow."
"Okay, I get that." Yang regained her footing and smiled, seeing where the anger had come from before her eyebrow shot up from behind her mask. "Wait, hold on. Her? Care for? Does she happen to be the girlfriend you mentioned before coming here?"
Fen turned and did not say a word as he continued down the hall. He rolled his eyes at Yang, somehow finding that the most crucial detail in everything she heard.
"I'm not hearing a no!" Yang chirped in a sing-song manner, following behind with a grin. "Oh, I am so helping you find her! Want to tell her everything I know so far…"
"I regret ever meeting you."
"I don't! This is fun!"
"What exactly is stage two?" Yang frowned as she noted Fen had not taken the straight path the Faunus had instructed them, and they had started to take a winding path around, watching him occasionally sniff the air. "If I didn't know any better, I swear you know who we are looking for…"
"I do. I know this Leader Taurus." Fen simply stated, sniffing the air again as they descended another hallway path. "We don't have much of a history, but if you recall Blake, she's the history. And he was always pissed that I went out with her, despite the fact that the dude was the High Leader's guard and seventeen, eighteen while she was twelve and thirteen."
"You just made that sound really gross." Yang gagged at the thought and shuddered.
"Because it is." Fen kept his eyes straight, focused on his goal ahead. "Didn't have a problem with him otherwise back then. It was just creepy that a young man was trying to hit on a girl barely in her teens. And now I have more issues with hearing they had a relationship after I left…"
"As for what stage two is, this is it. Searching for him."
"Oh, because I thought we'd go to the rally to find him."
"Do you want to be found out?" Fen gazed back at Yang, his eyebrow raised as they walked across a path, sniffing around. "Because my musk around you is fading and becoming very mute. Without skin contact or actually doing it, the musk isn't as strong. Being forced into a room with dozens of other Faunus would have blown our cover."
"Oh…" Yang grimaced as she sniffed herself before almost gagging. "I don't know what you are talking about. I can smell you just fine on me. Ugh, how the hell do you have that kind of smell when doing it?"
"It's pheromones. Faunus are more in tune with their chemical and natural side than humans, so it puts the ladies in the mood. And yeah, it's fading. Your nose isn't as sensitive to notice that, though." Fen responded, keeping his eyes open and shifting around as he searched the hall.
"I guess that makes sense. Still don't have to like it…" Yang muttered before she caught the sight of a small group walking down the hall in their direction. "Quick, we should hide…"
"Where? Faunus can see perfectly in the dark, and there is nothing to hide behind." Fen announced, reaching for his pouch and drawing a knife. "Prepare for a fight. This is who I was looking for. He's come to us!"
"Are you serious?" Yang engaged her gauntlets, preparing for a fight as the three men strode and walked toward them, two flanking the young male with brilliant red hair and horns jutting out of his hair. "Oh, this isn't…"
"So the informant at the door was right." The man's smooth voice rolled off his tongue, a lone crystal blue eye shining dazzling beneath the right side of his mask. "A Fennec Faunus with a mask that matches that of former Vale Leader, Ze Aryl."
"It's been some time since we last talked, Fen." Adam Taurus' voice came hauntingly smooth as he calmly gazed at Fen. "Can we put away the weapons for now? I'd rather not do this here or at all. I think we can come to some agreement without bloodshed."
"I'd prefer this not to be a repeat of what happened that fateful day and would like your support when I take over the White Fang from Sienna Khan."