AN: Chapter eight is here. I won't lie, this one gave me some trouble. The entire direction of it shifted sort of midway through the chapter and I was forced to soft reboot it. It was thoroughly frustrating, but I like it better this way. In the original version I was going to end up with something unresolved and I wasn't very happy about that. Anyway, let me shut up. Enjoy the chapter.

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XXX

Last Ray of Sunshine

"We need to act on this. Now." Said Ironwood. Ozpin could only agree.

"Of course. But how to proceed is the question."

"The two of you can't sneak up on these… gods, can you?" Winter asked. Naruto and Sasuke looked at one another for a moment and Naruto shrugged.

"I couldn't say. We still haven't quite figured out how to fully suppress our chakra yet. I think if we had another week to work it out it would be fine, but I doubt Salem intends to wait that long for Cinder's return." Naruto replied.

"Which means we need to a determine a different entry plan. What about chakra suppression seals? Do you have any knowledge on those?" Sasuke inquired. Naruto shook his head but looked thoughtful.

"I don't… but Kurama just told me he remembers one from the Shodaime's wife. It should work. Let me just make a few thousand clones to start working on it." Naruto quickly made his way over to the window and essentially poured clones of himself out of the building. They were gone in a blur, off to the forest to get to work.

"That is good news at least. But with the two of you preoccupied that still leaves Salem's forces. And while they pose no threat to you, they are not insignificant to the rest of us. The moment Salem realizes I am not there to be her lapdog again, her full might will bear down upon us. I will not be a sufficient deterrent." Cinder said.

"We need reinforcements." Winter scowled.

"Yes… we do. Winter, gather up Qrow, Taiyang, and Glenda. We will need them." Ironwood ordered. Winter saluted on reflex.

"Sir." She acknowledged and was I. Her way out of the room swiftly.

"Could you grab my team as well?" Cinder called, earning a nod from Winter as the door closed shut behind her.

"That likely won't be enough people." Grumbled Ironwood.

"No… no it won't. And no active Hunters will be available in our timeframe. Those that aren't busy are simply too far away. And even with my influence, I very much doubt I can convince anyone to meet us in the most Grimm infested area of the planet. They will think me mad." Ozpin replied. His brows knitted together as he steepled his hands in front of him and let a heavy sigh pass his lips. He looked down at his scroll and hung his head.

Ozpin reached for his scroll. His decision was made. He only hoped he could be forgiven for the sin he was about to commit.

Yang paced back and forth in her room. Ruby absently followed her with her eyes. She had been doing this for the past hour and a half. It had begun following Pyrrha's return to her room, shortly after Blake had told them about Naruto's mom. She said she hadn't felt comfortable with learning that about him the way she had.

Ruby could only agree. If Naruto had wanted them to know about his mother or this Hinata person, then he would have told them himself. Yang didn't really seem to care about that at the moment, however. More than anything she just wanted some proper answers from his own mouth. And so she acted on that, calling Naruto up on his scroll. She hadn't received an answer but left a message to ensure he got back to her.

"You should take a seat, Yang." Weiss spoke, looking up from her homework for only a moment. Her hand continued to write away deftly, however.

"I can't sit still right now."

"So we've noticed. This won't do you any good though. Maybe do something constructive instead of just waking a path into our floor?" Weiss countered.

"As if I could focus on anything right now. I dunno how you can. You like Naruto just as much as I do! How are you not bothered?" Yang shot back. Ruby's eyebrows rose into her bangs and Blake's hand stopped mid page turn. Weiss's face went scarlet.

"W—what? I most certainly do not!" She stuttered back. Yang turned to her; her pacing ceased.

"Weiss, you talk in your sleep sometimes. And I happened to have woken up to use the restroom." Yang responded. Weiss's mouth clicked shut. She opened it again, her jaw working, but doing little more than wasting her breath. After a few more seconds she just sighed and set down her pen.

"Fine. So I like him. He… intrigues me. Your point? I am not in a relationship with him Yang, you are." She replied, her lips twisting bitterly, "sure, I am… upset, that he will one day leave us, but we hardly know him. I am fully aware that what I harbor is a crush. It will eventually pass. As will yours. Unless you mean to say you love him? I surely hope not… that would be fairly unhealthy, Yang. I think Naruto deserves more than feelings so thoroughly based in hero worship."

Yang's nostrils flared and her eyes blazed red for just a second. Her fists clenched. Once. Twice. She let a loud sigh pass through her nose and her tense muscles loosened. I deserved that, she admitted to herself. I didn't have any right to expose her feelings.

Yang ran a hand through her hair and spoke. "I don't love him yet. But this feels like it was doomed from the start. He knew and didn't say anything. Almost makes me wonder if he is just playing with me despite what Blake heard…"

"That is irrational." Weiss responded.

"Yeah… I really don't think Naruto would lie in a situation like that." Blake added.

"I know, I know. It's just so unfair… feels like my opportunity was just taken from me. I mean, you get me, right Weiss? You'd have at least liked to have told him how you felt." Yang replied. Weiss rose a brow, and then her eyes narrowed in scrutiny.

"I cannot tell if you are making fun of me or rubbing it in that you got to him first."

"Neither?" Yang replied, sounding more confused than confident in her response. Weiss just blinked, perplexed.

"You just told me you're dating him, Yang. Why would I make any sort of move on him after that? On top of already knowing he would not be here to stay." Weiss explained. This time Yang blinked looking just as lost as she'd sounded a moment ago.

"Oh. Uh. R-right." Yang chuckled awkwardly. Weiss's own confusion increased, her brows furrowing as she wondered what could possibly be going through Yang's mind. "Still… I think you should say something. For closure, at least… just like I need to talk to him about... whatever we are now for mine." Yang finished. With a roll of her eyes, Weiss reclaimed her pen and turned back to her work.

"I'll consider it…" the silence after that stretched for just a few minutes when Ruby's scroll rang suddenly, causing her to jump. Grabbing it from next to her, she answered the call.

"Hello? Oh, um, good afternoon, Professor Ozpin. W—what can I do for you? O—okay. We'll be there. Good bye." Ruby hung up.

"What did he want?" Asked Blake.

"He didn't say… just that he needed us to come to his office ASAP."

Emerald sat next to Cinder uncomfortably. The couch they were on was nice enough to fall asleep on. It was almost like sitting in a cloud. Those were the perks of being wealthy and influential she supposed. If nothing else, she knew Ozpin could get whatever he wanted, just about whenever he wanted.

Ozpin. That's where the true bulk of her discomfort stemmed from. She'd been fighting alongside Cinder against Ozpin and his people for such a long time now that she simply couldn't relax her body. Not with him sitting behind his desk, smugly sipping on his mug as he undoubtedly gloated over his newfound control of them in his mind. It made her sick. A small part of her almost wished Winter Schnee hadn't found her roaming the halls when she had. The body heat she felt at her side was the only thing keeping her in this room. She glanced at Cinder, only to find that the woman she admired was perfectly relaxed next to her, arms folded, and one leg elegantly crossed over the other. Her eyes were fully focused on the man Emerald hated the most in the world right now: Uchiha Sasuke.

Sasuke didn't bother looking back at Cinder, but she stared none the less. Sasuke seemed far away from the whole world. He and Naruto both, actually. She wondered if it had anything to do with Cinder's message from Tyrian. Emerald desperately wished Cinder had shared the news with her, but instead she'd chosen to report the news to Sasuke first. Emerald's hands clenched into fists and she glared at the man.

The door opening again brought her attention back to the present and she looked off to her right. From the doors came an assortment of people she did not expect to see gathered together like this. Mercury and Neo were the first in and positioned themselves with herself and Cinder, but following them were those two hunter-in-training teams they'd been prepared to sabotage at the Vytal Festival. Teams RWBY and JNPR quickly crowded around Sasuke and Naruto all while Emerald tried to remember their names. She didn't have much luck aside from Schnee and Nikos. They were public figures, after all. But she'd never cared to commit the names of the others to memory.

And then, behind all of them came more of Ozpin's minions. Ironwood, Winter Schnee, Goodwitch, a blonde man that somewhat resembled the girl Mercury fought from RWBY, and Qrow Branwen. This had a little lump of dread begin to form in Emerald's gut. What could all of them possibly have been called here for?

"I see that we're finally all here." Ozpin led. "Good. It would be best to hash out our plans as soon as possible."

"Wait, you intend to involve the children in this?" Winter queried. It was clear—to Emerald at least—that no one questioned who she meant for even a moment. "I must protest! This is too dangerous a situation."

"We don't have any active hunters who could take their place. They're all busy. Grimm attacks have spiked since some time following the Vytal festival. We simply don't have the manpower to spare for this kind of mission. Besides, you're here to lead them and keep them safe." Ironwood responded.

"Um… what's going on…?" The leader of RWBY asked, her words escaping her lips in a quiet, almost fearful tone.

"Yes… I suppose aside from myself, Ironwood, and Miss Schnee, none of you are aware of the information we've acquired… Miss Fall, if you would?" Ozpin asked. Though Emerald doubted it was a request at all.

Cinder hummed, her gaze flicking over to RWBY and JNPR. Emerald watched her eye them with scrutiny. She frowned, sighed, and then spoke. "Yes… well, where to begin. Tell me, what's your favorite fairy tale?" Cinder asked, smirking.

"Fall. We don't have the time for this." Sasuke said, his eyes narrowing. Cinder's gaze locked on him again and the two stared at one another for a few tense seconds before Cinder sighed.

"Fine. Fine. Ruin a girl's fun why don't you. How to simplify this best… my teammates and I served an immortal woman who rules over the Grimm. She sent me here to retrieve the maiden powers I failed to fully acquire some months ago. Ah, imagine being able to control the elements without the need for dust. That is what maiden powers afford you. The arrival of our two divines here," she gestured to Sasuke and Naruto. The two of them frowned. "Ruined all of my plans. Sasuke later bested me in combat, and I had little choice but to follow their directive or die. But of course, Salem was going to recall me eventually. I am to return to her castle. Soon. And I need escorts. Hence where all of you come in. She will undoubtedly know I've changed sides before we reach her."

Cinder was met with silence. Then the room exploded into noise. Taiyang, Qrow, Glynda, and Winter were shouting protests at Ironwood and Ozpin. The two student teams remained in quiet shock, however. Emerald could scarcely help rolling her eyes at them.

"Enough," Sasuke commanded, loosening the restraint on his well-trained killing intent. He only let a small amount leak out, but it permeated the room regardless. Everyone shut their mouths. "We don't have time for worthless arguments. We have to act."

"They're just kids…" Winter protested.

"We are no older than they are. Your point?" Sasuke replied evenly, bottling his killing intent back up.

"You two are a special case though. Clearly. Speakin' of, why are all these reinforcements even necessary if you two are here and clearly willing to help?" Qrow grunted. The neutral expressions that had been etched across the two Shinobi's faces suddenly stretched into narrow-eyed scowls.

"Because we have larger problems than some mindless fodder and this Salem woman." Sasuke spat.

"There's something worse there than an immortal evil and her endless supply of Grimm? What could possibly be more pressing?" Taiyang responded, nostrils flared. He couldn't believe Ozpin was even suggesting sending his daughters into the literal heart of all evil.

"Her new masters. Cinder said the man sent to inform her of her return mentioned two people who were stronger than Salem. They have aligned themselves with her until they finished their business. They called themselves Otsutsuki's."

"So… you guys are saying you'll be preoccupied by them, and can't help us…?" Questioned Jaune, pale in the face.

"But… you have defeated a Goddess!" Weiss spluttered, "surely these people could not pose a threat to you two." She finished. Naruto sighed and scratched at the back of his neck as he looked away from them, his eyes unfocused as if he was remembering something.

"Yeah. We sealed her back into the moon in our dimension. And it took nearly everything we had to do it," Naruto replied.

"So then why—" Weiss began, only for Sasuke to interrupt her.

"The Goddess we defeated. Her name was Otsutsuki Kaguya." Weiss shut her mouth with an audible click. "Kaguya could freely traverse dimensions. It's something she used to her advantage when we fought her. Never thought there would be more of her kind, but it stands to reason they can do much the same. So, no. We will not be able to assist you in the slightest. Every ounce of our strength needs to be preserved for the more pressing threat." Sasuke finished.

"Look, Grimm aren't a big deal for us even if we are only using our hand-to-hand skills. We can fight them with you at least until the Otsutsuki show up." Naruto said, trying to assuage their worries. It didn't work, of course. The people in the room who weren't completely lost as to Naruto and Sasuke being from another dimension were fully aware that the two of them were leagues above them all in strength. Now they hear about two enemies who could rival them at the least. And they were here on Remnant. Nothing could calm their fears after that.

"I do not want Ruby or Yang or—or any of these kids anywhere near any of this!" Taiyang shouted.

"Neither do I," Ozpin replied, hands folded tightly upon his desk. His lips were pulled into a thin line and his eyes were almost chilling. "But there is no one else Taiyang. Besides, if we fail here then they would not be safe regardless. The world would be plunged into darkness."

Naruto and Sasuke were silent as they walked back to their room. From the windows they could see the night sky shining with stars, the hallway only lit up from the lightbulbs overhead. Trailing behind them were Cinder and her squad, RWBY, and JNPR. While Sasuke's and Naruto's steps were inaudible, the various footsteps of their companions were anything but. Clicks, clacks, thuds, and taps drilling into their ears almost incessantly. Sasuke was getting annoyed, but he didn't bother voicing it since they were nearly to their room.

"So… you two ain't from Remnant?" Mercury asked. Sasuke sighed through his nose. His shoulders tensed and Naruto wondered if he had just considered turning around and running Mercury through with his Kusanagi.

"No," Naruto replied.

"And you killed a Goddess." Mercury continued. Naruto shook his head with a frown, though he didn't look back so no one saw.

"Didn't kill her. Not even sure we could." Naruto said.

"Huh." Was all Mercury could say to that.

"Super awkward." Nora exclaimed. Ren sighed and the tension lightened between them. From there small conversations broke out between them. Naruto, Sasuke, and Cinder, however, did not participate.

"You guys should get some rest. You're going to have a long day tomorrow." Said Naruto. He and Sasuke now stood in front of their door. Sasuke help his scroll up to unlock it. With nods and goodbyes their little group started to disperse, but Yang did not move at all. Seeing her still there, Sasuke scowled and headed inside. Naruto eyes softened as he gave her a small smile.

"What's up, Yang?" He asked, a tad more cheerful sounding than her meant to sound. Much as he was glad to see her, he was still feeling conflicted over what he'd talked about with Sasuke. Yang craned her neck to stare him in the eyes.

"We need to talk."

Naruto made a face but nodded. "What about? Oh, do you wanna talk in my room?"

"No. I'd rather not. Let's just walk and talk. Maybe heard out toward the courtyard?" She offered. Naruto shrugged and started down the hallway. Yang was quick to take up a position at his side and the two walked in silence for a few minutes. By now, Naruto concluded that something might be wrong. But what? He didn't know.

She was fine when she left my room earlier. More than fine, actually. Haven't seen her that vibrant since I've been here. Wonder what coulda' happened. It's only been a couple hours at most, he thought.

"Naruto."

"Hm?" Naruto replied, grinning down at her.

"You care about me, right?"

"Yeah…?" he replied, sounding uncertain in his response. Not because he thought it was a lie, but because he didn't know how to feel about the question. It was a little odd. Naruto felt like she should know that much after earlier.

"I see… then why did you agree to date me when you knew you wouldn't be able to come back to Remnant once you left?" Yang asked. Naruto's eyes widened. How did she know about that? He wondered frantically.

"Where—where did you hear that from?"

"Does it matter? I just need to know why." Yang retorted. The two of them walked a little longer and Naruto didn't respond. He wondered if he and Sasuke had been too loud earlier. Had she come back to his room for something and overheard? That didn't make a lot of sense to him. What would she need to come by again so soon for?

And if she had, wouldn't she have already known his reasons? He scratched the back of his head and heaved a loud sigh.

"Because even though it's likely Sasuke and I won't be back, I still thought you were worth it."

"Why?" she asked. He scratched his cheek now, a pink hue dusting his cheeks. He had wondered if she'd stuck around long enough to hear about his mother, but he supposed this meant she hadn't. That just made this whole situation even more embarrassing.

"Honestly?" he began, plunging onward. Let no one ever say embarrassment stopped Naruto from doing anything. He used to frequently transform into a scantily clad blonde bombshell when he was younger for Kami's sake! "You remind me of my mom… and she told me to find a girl like her." Naruto watched her out of the corner of his eyes and saw her give a shallow nod.

Yang knew that already. Sort of. Blake had told all of them about his mother and Hinata, but Blake had kept the details as light and vague as she could. Despite wishing she could have understood the context more, Yang couldn't fault Blake for this. Naruto's private life was his own.

"So… where does this leave us? I won't lie to you, Naruto. I know we're just dating, but I was kind of hoping for this to actually develop into… something. Feels like I'm never going to even get a chance now."

"I haven't just given up on being able to visit after we leave, but even if I can't I want to see how far the two of us can go."

"But what's the point?" Yang responded, her voice raising. Her fists clenched at her side and her Naruto noted that her cute little nose scrunched up as her lips drew back into a near snarl. Yang herself knew that Naruto wanted to cherish the present instead of worry over their inevitable doomed relationship, but she just couldn't be fully satisfied with that.

This is so unfair! She screamed to herself, unwilling to throw a verbal tantrum in front of her crush. She was so pissed and was positive he'd understand, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Naruto shifted his eyes away from her as they stepped out into the courtyard. There weren't a terrible number of students around to overhear them, but he made sure to steer clear of the Faunus in particular. He didn't know too much about them, but his interactions with Blake had taught him the extra appendages were not for show.

"You know… I died once." He spoke. Yang's head whipped around.

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah… it really sucks. But that's not the point. The point is that it happened. The only reason I'm alive right now is because my teammate, not Sasuke obviously, cut open my chest and pumped my heart with her hand and her chakra. I couldn't have survived without her, but as much as I hated the experience… it did give me a bit of insight." Naruto replied. Yang wanted to say something to that; anything would have done. Really. But all that left her lips was air. That's not something you expect to hear just out of the blue.

"People die, Yang. Often. At least, that's how it was where I came from. I've seen thousands die just with my eyes alone and there's so many more I haven't. Death is a simple fact of life; Inescapable. Well, unless you're a creepy, Cursed, Grimm lady. Or a literal god. But you get my point. For us humans, its unavoidable.

"Do you think people don't let themselves love just because they know their partner will die one day? Maybe before them?"

"That's not the same!" Yang replied, jerking to a stop. Naruto took a single extra step than she had, unprepared for her sudden stop. He turned about and shrugged.

"Sort of is. And I hadn't really gotten to my point yet. Look, Yang. I've died before. Do you know how many regrets I had when I did? So many. I'd felt like a failure. I hadn't succeeded in my dreams and that moment when I was killed, physically and mentally aware that I. Had. Been. Too. Weak. Still haunts my dreams and even my waking moments. And it's been weeks since then.

"I will never get over that. It's going to be a driving force of mine for the rest of my life. Bottom line, Yang? I don't want to have regrets like that again. And I knew I would regret not being with you after you kissed me earlier. So yeah, I want to be with you despite everything. I'd rather that than always wonder what if. Besides, we may not have a whole lot of time together to really give this a shot, but I've learned over the years that quality and quantity can sometimes be interchangeable." Naruto spoke with a grin, and, despite his flaming cheeks, took that single step toward Yang and wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

She fell against his chest with a soft rustle of clothes and just stood there. She didn't say anything or try to hug him back. For what felt like forever, Naruto wondered if maybe he shouldn't have been so forward, but then she laid a soft hand on his chest and looked up at him from beneath golden bangs.

Yang is paler than he is, so her blush was even more pronounced than his own.

"You give really good speeches, Whiskers…"

"So I've been told…"

Yang hummed. "Well… quality, huh? I guess we better start working on that." And before Naruto could question what she meant, Yang leaned up and kissed him. And this time he was not too stunned to kiss her back.

XXX

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That's the chapter. The beginning of the next arc in the story starts off with tying up some loose ends. Despite how frustrating this was to write, I'm very happy with it. If there are any questions you all have, feel free to leave a review. If you want some sort of more in depth discussion, then go ahead join the discord. Peace out.