Underneath the Underneath

by no169

Naruto finds himself in an unfamiliar land, facing unfamiliar monsters. Stripped of most of his power, he'll need to adapt to not only survive but to flourish. Can hard work and skill make up the difference? This is a story about recovering from disaster, overcoming great challenges, and adapting to incredible circumstances. Weiss x Naruto medium-burn. Mature Naruto.

8. Truth and Reconciliation

A/N: So here's chapter 8. Thank's a bunch for the warm reception of the last chapter! I said it there, and I'll say it here, I really enjoyed writing that one!

This chapter, however... I'll be blunt. I'm unhappy with it. I had a terrible case of writer's block trying to get this one out. I think the problem is that I'm not very good at writing arguments. Regardless, there were parts of this I enjoyed writing. For example, this chapter really gets the plot moving, whether it's immediately noticeable or not. Trust me, it does. I hope you guys enjoy it anyway, it's a pretty massive chapter, somehow the biggest one to date, and it's a lot of character interaction/development.

And just so everyone knows, this will be the last chapter the poll is up, so get your votes in!

xXx

Naruto slammed the heavy tome in his hands closed and collapsed lifelessly into the back of his chair. His head was pounding, his shoulders were tight, and his eyes were dry. A lingering tickle in his throat indicated he was also thirsty as all hell. Kami, he really needed to start taking better care of himself. Even with all of his training and all of his legendary stamina, he was still human. And evidently, susceptible to books.

Who's crappy idea was it to scour the library in search of a way home?

Oh. Right.

Naruto sighed deeply while massaging his tired blue eyes. He'd been at this every night for the past week. For the past three weeks, actually. Three weeks and no progress. Only one more week and his mandatory tenure at Beacon would be over. Did time always move this quickly?

As Naruto had suspected from the day the offer was made, it would be a difficult departure. He'd grown close with his team. He'd even cemented close friendships with the members of Team JNPR.

Naruto glanced at the stack of books to his side. He hated those books. They represented hours of wasted time. Hours of his wasted time. Feeling unusually vindictive, he tossed his most recent text at the massive pile. It collided with a loud thump and landed in a smaller adjacent stack.

Naruto grunted, stuck his tongue out, and blew a series of wet raspberries at the lifeless heap of books.

"What are you doing?" Came the unimpressed voice of Blake. Across from Naruto, his teammate lounged on a comfortable suede loveseat, similar to their first encounter over a month ago. In her hand was a thick green hardcover that she held split down the middle.

Oh. Right.

Blake had decided to join him for the evening. Said she needed to escape the craziness of the two sisters. This wasn't the first time the ravenette had joined him in the library, though it was far from a routine occurrence. Sporadic at best, if Naruto had to say.

"It's not my fault," Naruto groaned. He shifted uncomfortably in his cushioned chair, searching for a new position. "This crap is so dry. I zone out half the sentences I read, so by the time I'm at the end of the page, I have to re-read it all!"

Laughing softly, Blake raised a delicate eyebrow and said, "I'm sorry, but that literally sounds like your fault. You don't have to read the whole library within the next month."

No, he had to read the whole library within the next week.

Well, not really. He may have been overreacting just a little bit. The more Naruto thought about it, the more he accepted that while his minimum time limit at Beacon would be over in a week, it was only the minimum amount of time he was required to stay. He could, in theory, stay longer if he wished. Hell, Ozpin undoubtedly wanted him to stay longer. Indefinitely, if the man had his way.

The rustling of paper could be heard as Blake sifted through another page. "The offer of help still stands. Whatever it is you're looking for, we can help you."

This wasn't the first time Naruto had heard those words. He hadn't tried to hide that he spent every evening in the library, so his team had figured out relatively quickly that he was there for more than just studying or working on class assignments.

Naruto cracked open a bleary eye and focused on his teammate. "I know. And as always, I appreciate the offer. But it's -"

"- a personal matter. I know," Blake seamlessly finished his sentence. She smiled wryly. "We don't need -"

"- to know the specifics to help. I know," Naruto echoed back, finishing her sentence. His own wry smile danced across his tired features.

It was a well-practiced exchange. Yang and Blake had each had this exact conversation with him once before. Of course, they were worried for him, but they hadn't pressed the issue after his initial refusal.

Ruby and Weiss, on the other hand, had been much more insistent in their offers. More frequent too. Regardless, Naruto couldn't fault his team; they were coming from a good place. In fact, Naruto was painfully aware that every time he brushed aside an offer of help, he worried his teammates further.

It wasn't something Naruto was doing intentionally. His refusal to accept his team's help wasn't due to a perverted sense of pride. There was no desire to 'do it all himself.' How hypocritical would that be, given his conversation with Jaune last week?

Naruto simply had no way to explain what he needed or why without coming off as a lunatic. Sure, Blake had assured him that they didn't need specifics, but what was he supposed to say? 'I'm looking for a way to cross time and space,' and leave it at that? Maybe there were better ways to phrase it. He could be more cryptic, disguise the question, or simply take Blake at her word and refuse to elaborate on the matter.

It all sounded like one hell of a headache. He'd been getting a lot more of those lately.

As the silence between them grew, Blake snapped her book shut. The audible crack rang throughout the empty library. Naruto tilted his head as the black-clad girl stood and walked to the table he was seated at. Her amber eyes traced the spines of several of his discarded books. She began reading their titles out loud, "Theoretical physics? Exotic semblances? Magic: Practical Applications?" Looking back at him, she asked with barely contained surprise, "What are you looking for?"

Naruto groaned. It was a great question. Beyond getting home, he wasn't sure himself. Half of the material was near-gibberish to him. It was probably responsible for his increase in headaches.

"I'll let you know when I figure it out," Naruto sighed weakly. Kami, his head hurt.

Blake frowned, then moved to sit across from him. "You know, you're starting to worry us, right? It's been three weeks since the start of the semester, and you haven't gone a single night away from the library."

Damnit. The last thing Naruto needed to deal with was a guilt trip. Not that this is what Blake was trying to do, but the guilt would come regardless. He would have expected this from Weiss or Ruby, but Blake? He always assumed that the girl had a healthy respect for privacy.

Ah. Now he realized.

"Did Ruby send you to talk to me?" Naruto prodded the girl before him.

Blake's silence was her answer.

Naruto sighed, then mumbled quietly, "Figures."

The black-clad girl's eyes narrowed. Apparently, she had very good hearing. "We're all worried," she said sharply.

Naruto winced. That was careless of him. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insinuate that you cared any less," he apologized while raising his hands.

Blake's eyes softened immediately, and she looked down at her hands. She took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. "Whatever you're looking for has been taking over your life for the past three weeks. The last week in particular. You're staying up late, not sleeping, skipping meals, and overall, you're distracted. It's visibly noticeable." Blake's eyes bled with concern. Naruto had seen those eyes before. On Sakura. Tsunade. His old team. And now his current team.

Blake continued at his silence.

"Look, you're not in trouble; no one's trying to lecture you. If you need to keep things to yourself, that's honestly okay. I'm not exactly open about my own past. But we're a team. If we can ease any of your burdens, let us."

Kami, did it ever feel strange to have Blake, of all people, insisting that he open up.

"You sure I'm not in trouble?" He asked weakly. Faint traces of humour were barely detectable in his words.

Blake offered a sympathetic smile and a soft nod. With that, his uncharacteristically chatty teammate stood and made to depart. Before disappearing behind a bookshelf, she turned to face him once more. "Just... don't stay up too late. We've got Forever Fall tomorrow. Just think about what I said. Please?"

Naruto remained silent but absently nodded to indicate he'd heard her. He refused to look at the girl. One part from shame, the other part to prevent him from taking the proverbial olive branch. He listened to her footfalls as they gradually became more distant. The faraway click of the library doors signalled he was alone again.

Perhaps it was for the best. Naruto had been finding it more and more challenging to maintain his aloofness whenever his teammates would press the issue of his late-night research. Despite his earlier comparison, he couldn't help but lament the fact that he was behaving upsettingly similar to how Jaune was when he was refusing the help of his partner.

It all fed into the great overarching dilemma. Balancing his social relationships while maintaining enough distance from his friends so his departure wouldn't hurt everyone involved, himself included.

But really, who the hell was he kidding? He was well and truly past that point. No matter what Naruto did now, everyone would suffer in some way. Now all that could be done would be to mitigate the damage as best he could. Hence the aloofness. Why the hell had he caved so quickly during team selection? He knew this would happen.

It was beyond frustrating. Damn Ozpin for making him promise to get along with his team. Damn himself for pretending it was Ozpin's fault for his current situation.

Naruto had no one to blame but himself. His desire to be close with people was his own undoing. The need to fit in. It was why he went out of his way to spend time with his teammates. Why he willingly bonded with them despite the obvious consequences.

Kami, they would hate him when he left. Would he be able to handle that?

There was a tightness in Naruto's chest, and his stomach twisted uncomfortably. He could feel each individual heartbeat as they thundered loudly from his chest to his ears. Was it beating irregularly? Itchy dryness tickled the back of his throat, and he had begun to sweat at some point. He only now noticed that his breaths were coming slow and short. Brief panic flashed through his mind as the edges of his vision darkened.

Naruto was trapped, and the walls were inexplicably closing in on him. The consequences of his own actions were more evident than ever. He'd screwed himself.

What the hell was happening to him? He'd been fine a moment ago.

Feverish thoughts passed through Naruto's mind. A tremendous loneliness came over him. It was like everybody in the world was doing something without him. He needed to breathe. Now.

Naruto gasped quickly, pulling in greedy gulps of air. It helped, if only a little. Screwing his eyes shut and placing his forehead on the table helped block the blinding fluorescent lights, which, just moments ago, had been entirely too dim.

After nearly five minutes of focused breathing, the dizziness dissipated, and his familiar headache returned.

What the fuck?

What the hell was that?

Whatever it was, it went away almost as quickly as it had come. It was extremely unpleasant. Naruto sat stock still. What was he supposed to do now? See a doctor? The thought brought a sardonic smile to his lips.

Yeah, no.

Pulling out his scroll, Naruto clicked his tongue in annoyance. A black screen greeted him. Dead. He'd forgotten to charge the device yet again. For all he knew, he had a veritable flood of messages from his teammates.

Maybe it was for the best that it was dead.

It also meant that Naruto had no idea what time it was. Blake implied it was already late, and judging by the weakness in his limbs and the heaviness of his eyes, it probably was. Maybe he could squeeze out a few more pages of his book.

Naruto glanced at the book that had fallen to the ground during his... during his what? Moment of weakness? Panic attack? He discarded that line of thought. Straitening out the crumpled pages, he snuck a peek at the book's title. That fact that he couldn't even remember it was troublesome in it of itself. The book's title read:

The Story of the Seasons, A Fairy Tale

What the hell? How had this ended up in the pile? Naruto tossed the book aside. He didn't have time for this. His head throbbed as he reached for the next book.

Naruto sighed.

xXx

"Weiss."

The white-clad girl paused from pacing the room. She eyed her team leader as she spoke.

"Relax. That's an order," Ruby instructed from her bed. The younger girl, clad in her nightwear, was lying supine while fiddling with her scroll.

Weiss' face twisted in consternation. "I don't know how you can be so relaxed. It's been hours." The pacing resumed.

After a few moments, Weiss continued, "And your sister! How she manages to sleep right now is beyond me!"

Weiss glanced at Yang, who was sprawled across her bed, one arm dangling over the edge. She released a loud snore in response.

"She's sleeping because it's late," Ruby replied, then yawned as if to emphasize her point. "In fact, I should be asleep as well. You should be asleep. You know how you get when you don't get enough sleep."

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about." Weiss huffed at her team leader. "Besides, how are any of us supposed to sleep while Blake has yet to return?"

Yang snorted, then mumbled something unintelligible.

Ruby sighed. "We all knew this would take a bit. Give her some more time," Ruby gently reasoned.

Weiss threw her hands up, "It's been hours! What if something happened to her?"

Weiss' cheeks coloured. She cleared her throat after the short outburst. She hadn't meant to yell. She glanced idly toward Yang. The blonde's motionless form confirmed she remained dead to the world.

The girl really could sleep.

A loud snort of amusement from the other set of beds broke Weiss from her thoughts. Ruby snickered into her hand in barely suppressed mirth.

Weiss narrowed her eyes and mustered her signature look. Annoyance and gracefulness. A Schnee staple.

Upon noticing her partner's proverbial 'stink eye,' Ruby coughed to clear her throat. She sat up and, with barely contained laughter, asked, "What exactly do you think could happen? It's a library. Do you think a bookshelf is going to fall on her?"

Weiss scowled at the younger girl but had no retort. Ruby was right.

After several moments, Ruby added, "You're kind of a dork when you get worried, you know?"

Weiss blinked, and her mouth dropped. "Dork? I am not a... how dare you!" The petite girl cried.

Unfortunately for Weiss, Ruby had long since distinguished between the heiress's anger and embarrassment. That knowledge only fed the ashen-haired girl's fluster.

"You are totally a dork! Also, you know Blake is fine. It's not her you're worried about." Ruby stated with confidence.

Weiss groaned. "Obviously, I'm worried about Naruto. We all are," she admitted without skipping a beat.

Thoughts of the only male on the team ran through both girls' minds. Naruto had been acting strangely the past week. Well, stranger than usual. He'd gone from an unassuming, well-rounded teammate to... something else.

For the first two weeks of the semester, the boy had been an outstanding teammate for them. Supportive, involved, and reasonable. He still embodied these traits, but since the start of this week, he'd been on a physical and mental decline. It was the small things. Bloodshot and baggy eyes. Dozing off in class. Zoning out in the middle of a conversation. Okay, the last part had been happening since the very beginning, but Naruto had always been quick to fill in the gaps, indicating he'd been, at the very least, partially listening. Not anymore. Now, it was as if he was in a different world. Thinking. Remembering.

Now it was time for them to be outstanding teammates for him.

Weiss sighed in annoyance. "More than likely, Blake is using this opportunity to sit with him and read her own garbage," she said while shaking her head.

Ruby gasped as the words passed her partner's lips. "Don't say that! Ninjas of Love is a literary masterpiece!"

Weiss' eyes narrowed into thin slits, "No, you don't say that! You don't even know what the book is about," she chastised her partner.

Ruby pouted, then crossed her arms. "I would if someone told me. I can't believe Yang made me promise not to look it up!" She frowned. "Besides, how bad could it be? Blake insists it's a masterpiece."

Weiss cleared her throat awkwardly. "Of course she does..." she mumbled. She thought about their book-loving teammate. Blake had been the logical choice when it came to subtly investigating what had gotten into Naruto. They'd all spoken to the boy individually. Some more brazen than others.

Another glance at Yang revealed that the girl had somehow shifted entirely upside down from her starting position.

Naruto had been both transparent and tight-lipped regarding the purpose of his library visits. He hadn't tried to lie to them by saying he was studying. Perhaps he knew he couldn't get away with it. But whenever they asked why he was pulling information from hundreds of texts, he'd only ever stated that it was highly personal and that he didn't feel comfortable speaking about it.

Respectable enough, but it was beginning to come at a cost. Before, the blond had been 'reasonable' in the amount of time he spent among dusty tomes. But now? He must have been staying up until the early hours of the morning. At the very least, it was after the rest of the team turned in for the night.

Something had triggered this sudden change. He was like a writer coming up on a deadline. Or a marathon runner entering the final stretch.

"Don't worry, Weiss. Blake will be back any minute, hopefully with some answers. Then, we'll find a solution." Ruby smiled confidently.

Right.

Weiss felt the corners of her mouth tugging upward at her partner's words. Ruby certainly had an aptitude for picking them up when they were down. It must have been a combination of her cheerful optimism and that incredible talent bubbling beneath.

The makings of a good leader, indeed.

"Are you two dorks still awake?" Came the tired voice of the formerly sleeping blonde. Yang rolled onto her stomach, fighting against the bedsheets, which had become a tangled mess among her limbs.

Dorks?

Weiss raised a brow. "How long have you been awake?"

Yang yawned, then began rubbing at her eyes. "About 15 seconds. Why?"

Weiss' face screwed in annoyance and doubt. "Don't call me a dork," she muttered.

Yang paused. "What? But you're such a dork when you get worried."

Weiss scowled.

Before the heiress could address Yang's own shortcomings, a muffled beep emanated from the other side of the room's door. Brass tumblers rotated and clicked, and the door swung open, revealing the missing ravenette of the team.

"Blake!" Ruby cried, "You're back!"

The amber-eyed girl jumped at their leader's shout, then froze in the doorway. Upon running her eyes across her three teammates, she relaxed.

The excitement in Ruby's voice eased. "So... how did it go?" She asked tentatively. The three girls waited with bated breaths.

Blake sighed as she entered the room. She deposited her worn book on the nearby desk and kicked off her well-worn shoes. Three sets of eyes observed the girl as she walked gracefully to her bunk.

Weiss eyed her teammate. She knew the answer before her friend would open her mouth. The slouch of the girl's shoulders. Her neutral gaze. Her refusal to meet their eyes.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Blake met their collective stare. They were met with frustration and anxiety. A look all four of them had become familiar with over the last week.

After mulling over her thoughts, Blake answered, "He's still as evasive as ever."

Ruby's shoulder sagged at her words, and Yang released a low groan. Weiss especially felt no small amount of disappointment.

"Did you get anything?" Ruby asked. There was a brief glint of desperation in her silver eyes.

Blake tilted her head in consideration. "Well..." she dragged the syllable out.

Ruby quickly perked up, desperation replaced with hope. Yang had shifted onto her elbows, tired eyes eagerly anticipating Blake's explanation. Weiss idly noticed that her own hands had stopped shifting in her lap.

When had they started?

"I took a look at some of the books he was going through. They were very..." she paused to find the right words, "Varied. And esoteric," she finished tentatively.

Yang released a noise of confusion, then asked, "What do you mean?"

Blake nodded to herself as her eyes creased. She looked into her lap. "The topics were pretty high level. Scientific journals, advanced Aura theory, and exotic semblances. I even saw some titles that seemed out of place, like what looked like fiction."

The group of four remained silent, looks of deep contemplation strewn across their features.

Ruby hummed aloud. "Last week, I saw him sifting through a bunch of maps."

Yang perked up at her sister's words. "And I saw him going through a bunch of history books." She frowned. "I doubt they had anything to do with Oobleck's class."

Four soft sighs rang out in staccato. Then, more silence.

"Guys..." Yang began, "Doesn't this feel weird?"

Weiss blinked. Of course it felt weird. Their team problems were supposed to be resolved with her and Ruby's reconciliation. But now, it was the group's mediator himself that was the problem.

...

Perhaps that was a poor way to phrase it. It wasn't that Naruto was the problem; it was that he had a problem, and they wanted to help.

Catching three very different looks from her teammates, Yang elaborated. "I mean the three of us sitting around talking behind Naruto's back. I know we're talking about helping him, but it feels like we're plotting something."

Weiss rolled her eyes. If only. "Plotting something implies we have a plan. From where I'm standing, we've got nothing," the heiress lamented.

"Well..." Blake began.

Ruby immediately perked up. "Oh! You've got a plan, don't you, Blake? I knew you were saving the best for last." Ruby grinned widely, then pumped her fist in relief. "Good old reliable Blake. Always coming through for -"

"- No." Blake interrupted flatly.

"No?" Ruby asked, perplexed.

Weiss rolled her eyes at the younger girl's 'puppy eyes.' So very dramatic.

"No," Blake affirmed. "But I do have some thoughts." She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around the joints, hugging them tightly.

"Like we assumed, he's looking for something. He basically confirmed it. He didn't say what. It could be a person; it could be a place. I'm leaning towards the latter based on the history books and maps."

"We were already working off the assumption that he was looking for something," Yang interjected.

Blake nodded. "Yes, but I don't think he knows the exact details himself."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"I mean, based on the variety of books and how hard he's been pushing himself, it seems he doesn't know where to find the information. I think he's going in blind," Blake explained. "And based on how things have been progressively worsening, it's like he has a deadline."

Yang raised her hand. After a moment, she realized she wasn't in the middle of class and spoke freely. "A deadline? That sounds ominous. Do you think he's up to something sketchy?"

Weiss scowled at the blonde. Naruto? Sketchy? The boy was the furthest thing from it. Sure, he kept his personal life close to his chest. Very close. But Weiss would never accuse him of being sketchy.

Ruby threw her pillow across the room. The bundle of fabric collided with Yang's face, and the blonde let out a loud 'oof' as she fell back in bed.

"Don't talk about Naruto like that! Especially when he's not here!"

Yang sat up and adjusted her messy hair. She glanced at her sister and was met with cold silver eyes. Weiss met Yang's lilac orbs and shook her head. Blake wore a look of disapproval.

"E-Easy guys," Yang attempted to placate the group. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I don't even know why I said that," she said with her hands in the universal 'surrender' gesture.

There was sincerity in her voice. Enough for the three girls to ease their glares.

Ruby sighed, "We need to figure something out."

"Like what?" Yang asked. She tilted her head back and fell flat against her pillow.

What indeed? Weiss crossed her legs as she shifted into a more comfortable position at her study desk. There were plenty of ways to help. "If Naruto doesn't want our direct intervention, there are other things we can do for him."

All eyes turned to the white-clad girl. "If we're not helping him directly, we can help him indirectly. Help him manage his time better. Make sure he's eating and sleeping properly. Or maybe he just needs to vent?"

"I don't think it'll come to that," Blake disagreed. "I don't think he's actually that stubborn. Not for this. I got the feeling he wanted to open up tonight. Despite his obvious reluctance to share, he's not a very secretive person."

Yang laughed. "You realize we barely know anything about his past, right?"

"You barely know anything about my past," Blake countered. "The difference between Naruto and me is that I don't want to talk about mine."

"And Naruto does?" Yang asked, a single eyebrow raised.

Blake shrugged. "Maybe. I can tell his reasons are different from mine."

Ruby groaned. "We're getting nowhere!" Her shout startled Yang, forcing the blonde to jolt out of her leisurely position.

Silence dominated the room at the short outburst. After a few moments, a stern look overcame Ruby's features.

"Okay. I've got a plan," the team's leader declared.

The three girls leaned forwards, waiting for their leader's thoughts.

"Okay," the youngest in the room began. "We've each individually spoken to Naruto about what's been going on, right?"

Three nods answered her.

"And he's said the same thing to all of us, right? 'It's personal.' I don't know about you guys, but I don't get the impression that he doesn't trust us."

Three nods.

"And Blake seems to think he has some internal struggle. Like he wants to involve us, right?"

Blake contemplated Ruby's summarization, then nodded tentatively.

"Good enough for me," Ruby nodded back. "The way I see it, we've tried the subtle route. Plan 'B' if you will," she gestured to Blake. "It's time for plan 'W'!" Ruby cheerfully indicated to Weiss.

Weiss blinked. Seriously? What was she supposed to do that they hadn't already tried? Also, if Blake was the subtle route, what did that make her?

Weiss looked at Ruby. The girl was smiling as if she had solved everything.

Weiss looked to Blake. The ravenette met her gaze and nodded as if coming to an unspoken agreement. What the hell? They hadn't agreed to anything!

Weiss looked to Yang. The blonde brawler was stroking her chin in thought. A growing smile spread across her face as if she was assessing the 'genius' of her sister's 'plan.'

One last look to Ruby and Weiss was met with her own visage. The scythe-wielder was holding a small hand mirror in front of herself. Weiss frowned at her reflection.

"That's you, Weiss. You're plan 'W,'" Ruby added with absolute seriousness.

She didn't like the look of acceptance she could see in her own eyes. Weiss shook her head on principle alone. "Saying 'you deal with it' is not a solution, Ruby."

Yang clapped her hands together once. "Well, actually..."

"No, Yang. It's -"

"- No, shut up, Weiss." Yang insisted. The ashen-haired girl recoiled slightly at the blonde's instant reply. "Ruby's got something here," Yang said while excitedly nodding.

What? No, she didn't.

"Yeah," Yang carried on. "Yeah, that's exactly what we need! If subtlety isn't getting us anywhere, we need to turn it up a notch!" Yang struck a fist in her open palm. "We need to go in fast, hard, and aggressive. That's you, ice queen!" Yang pointed her dual-finger guns directly at Weiss.

A look of disbelief shrouded Weiss' features. "Just what do you take me for?"

Yang dropped her finger guns. "Fast, hard, and aggressive?"

Weiss remained silent. Is that how people really saw her?

"You can be pretty aggressive," Ruby nodded without a hint of remorse.

Weiss hung her head.

"All that aside," Blake chimed in, "You kind of said it yourself, Weiss."

What? What had she said?

"Maybe Naruto just needs to vent? Besides, he always struck me as a straightforward guy. Maybe the subtle approach was never in the cards."

Yang nodded. "He does listen to you better than anyone else."

Weiss could practically read the girl's mind. 'Because you're always yapping at him,' went unsaid. This time, at least. It wasn't the first time Yang had accused them of behaving like an old married couple.

"More importantly," Ruby continued, "You listen to him! Maybe that's what he needs? Someone to listen to him."

"Are you implying none of you listen to him? Or that he thinks none of you listen to him?" Weiss asked with curiosity.

"Of course not!" Ruby replied automatically. "But you're closer with him than any of us are. By a fair amount, too." There was something curious in her leader's words. Bitterness? Acceptance?

Yang threw her arm up. "I say we put it to a vote!" A large grin adorned her face.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Don't bother. I won't pretend helping my teammate is such a detestable act," she said while waving off Yang's enthusiasm.

"Well, colour me surprised, Weiss-cream; there is some warmth in there," Yang practically sang. Ruby and Blake smiled softly.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Just not for you, Xiao Long."

"Only for Naruto, eh? That's cute," Yang grinned mischievously.

"Cute?" Weiss questioned. Disapproval coated her words.

Yang nodded. "Yeah, cute. You two. We're not blind, you know. You two started out the semester with chemistry. It's another reason plan 'W' will be a smashing success!"

Weiss took a deep breath and exhaled gently. Too much to unpack there. She could refute Yang's words if she wanted to; they were exaggerated. But there was also truth in them, and she didn't want to bring attention to the truth. Besides, this wasn't the time.

"So it's decided then?" Ruby asked. "Weiss is going to pull Naruto aside and give him some tough love?"

Weiss crossed her arms. "Don't phrase it like that, but yes."

Ruby nodded. "Okay. Tomorrow's the Forever Fall field trip. That would be a pretty good opportunity."

"If it feels right, then yes," Weiss agreed.

"Great! We're counting on you!"

xXx

"I'm just saying, I prefer autumn over fall."

"Jaune, they mean the same thing," Naruto pointed out.

The blond knight shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, but autumn just sounds so much more whimsical," he said, throwing his arms up. "I mean, just look at this place!" He gestured to the flurry of vermillion leaves gently floating to the ground.

Naruto nodded along. Whimsical was certainly one way to describe it. The Forever Fall Forest was a marvel. While they were still in the air, he had been awestruck by the vast crimson sea, its endless canopy stretched into the distance, far past the visible horizon.

The class had arrived at the forest only minutes ago. They were currently following their combat instructor, Professor Goodwitch, through the dense foliage. The woman was describing their assignment, something about tree sap, which Naruto was only half listening to.

"Plus," Jaune continued, "autumn is distinctive. If everyone used autumn, there'd be no confusion."

Naruto paused mid-step. "What confusion?" He asked plainly.

"You know..." Jaune mulled over his words, "You know how fall has multiple meanings? It's, uh, a synonym," he replied, uncertainty in his voice.

"Homonym," Came the slightly distant voice of Pyrrha.

"Right. That. It's like, am I talking about fall the season, fall the action, or fall the name?"

Naruto's face twisted in confusion. "Okay, now you're being silly. No one has ever been confused over which type of fall to use. Ever." Naruto laughed, "Also, autumn is a pretty common name. Probably more common than fall."

Jaune frowned. "Point taken. Also, you don't know that no one's ever been confused over the different types of fall."

Naruto shrugged. "I think you're just manufacturing confusion at this point. And the number of times you just said 'fall' is making the word lose all meaning." He shook his head to clear the metaphorical cobwebs, then turned to look at the group's third blonde. "What do you think, Yang?"

The blonde brawler simply shrugged, then grabbed a leaf out of mid-air. "Leaf fall. Makes sense to me."

Jaune frowned. "I think you're approaching things too simply. Try thinking about it like -"

"- Would you three just shut up already?" Came the shrill cry of their resident heiress. All three blondes turned to face her. She glared at Naruto. "One dumb blond was enough." Her gaze shifted to Jaune. "Two dumb blonds were too much." She turned to scowl at Yang. "But involving a third dumb blonde in your asinine conversation is going too far. I swear, we need to set a rule so that you three can't be around each other for more than 10 minutes at a time!"

Naruto harnessed every fibre of his being in order to not burst out laughing. Instead, he pouted at the small woman. "W-Weiss, where is this coming from?" It was obvious to most present that the slight tremor in his voice was due to barely suppressed humour and not hurt.

Ruby suddenly threw her weight into the conversation. "Yeah, Weiss! What's gotten into you?" She chastised with a genuine frown.

Obvious to most, but not all.

"Oh, you don't get to complain, miss leader!" Weiss snapped at Ruby.

"W-What's that supposed to mean? And why did you say 'leader' with air quotes?" Ruby questioned weakly.

"Those three have been going on about seasons for the past 20 minutes! How in brother's name can anyone talk about such a mundane topic for that long? But you were sitting ignorant with your ridiculous headphones on throughout the entire airship ride!"

Ruby gasped, "Weiss, think about what you're saying! You don't mean that! My headphones are the latest model equipped with kitty ears!"

As the two partners began to bicker, Naruto turned back towards Jaune and Yang. The three burst into laughter. Naruto fist-bumped Yang, then said, "I swear, sometimes she makes it too easy."

Yang nodded. "She really does, doesn't she?"

Pyrrha tilted her head and altered her walking path, closing the distance between the four. "Are you sure intentionally antagonizing Weiss is a good idea?"

"Listen, P-money," Yang began, "Antagonizing Weiss is always a good idea. Especially on purpose."

The look on the redhead's face indicated she disagreed.

Jaune chose to add to the conversation, "Still, I feel a little bad about her turning on Ruby like that. Didn't see that coming."

Yang shrugged. "Casualties of war, my friend."

"Anyways," Naruto turned to face Pyrrha. "How's training been going?"

Pyrrha immediately brightened at the question. "Wonderfully! As we suspected, Jaune has been an excellent student." Pyrrha's smile was earnest. Full of warmth. She truly meant those words.

Jaune chuckled nervously. "Ah, c'mon. I'm nothing special. If anything, it's your teaching ability," he replied bashfully.

Yang slapped Jaune on the back. "Come on, vomit-boy, no need to be modest. If Pyrrha says you're good, then you're good. Guess we misjudged you!"

"Jaune," Pyrrha began, "You've improved so much in the past week. You deserve to be recognized for it."

Naruto was overcome with a sudden wave of intrigue. He turned to the redhead. "So where do you think he's at?"

The spartan warrior cupped her chin in thought. "If I had to say... he'll be a match for Cardin before long."

Naruto whistled. Jaune must be an entirely different person in battle by now. Excellent student, excellent teacher.

"What?" Jaune exclaimed. "Y-You really think so? I don't feel all that different. Still getting my but kicked by you."

"You probably wouldn't notice the difference," Pyrrha nodded. "I've been steadily increasing the amount of effort I put in so that I remain just a few paces ahead of you."

Jaune nodded dumbly in response.

"And you wanted to do it all on your own," Naruto teased his fellow blond.

"Yeah yeah, I get it," the knight waved off the words.

Their banter was interrupted by Professor Goodwitch. "We will rendezvous back here at four o'clock. Have fun!" With that, the class was dismissed, entrusted to complete their objectives as they saw fit.

Naruto looked around. Several students began to peel off from the class. Some broke into teams, while others separated further into partners. Hopefully, Blake had been paying attention to their task. A brief glance at Ruby and Weiss indicated that they were still bickering.

Yang lightly jabbed him on the shoulder. "Come on, let's catch up with the rest of the team," She said while walking in their direction. She craned her head back towards Jaune and Pyrrha. "We'll meet up with you guys in a bit!"

"Of course!" Pyrrha replied. "Come on, Jaune, we need to find Nora. Ren warned us about her and sap..." the redhead began to look around.

As Yang walked away, Naruto turned to follow her. He paused, then stepped close to Jaune. "Keep an eye on Cardin and his team," he whispered. "They're giving off some bad vibes. I think they're up to something."

Jaune's eyes widened in surprise. To the teen's credit, he simply nodded. "You think he'd try something?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," Naruto answered honestly. He had seen the look in the larger teen's eyes. He'd seemed entirely too pleased with himself not to be up to something. Plus, the large container that Team CRDL carried with them, which they had told Goodwitch was part of their 'equipment,' didn't bode well. Their professor was clearly skeptical, but she hadn't called them out on it.

"Right. I'll be on my guard." Jaune nodded.

As Naruto regrouped with his team, he noted that Ruby and Weiss had ceased bickering. He jogged over and stopped next to Yang, who was standing with her hands on her hips. She stared in mild surprise as her sister and her white-clad partner seemed to be in the middle of a civil conversation.

"- I never really thought about it that way," Ruby said while nodding to Weiss. "I mean, my mom was named after a season, but I just chalked it up to her being born around that time."

Weiss nodded back. "Being named after a season is more common than you might think. Believe it or not, I know more than one Winter. Although my sister stands above all the rest," she added proudly.

Naruto scratched his head. Seriously?

"Seriously?" mumbled Yang from the side.

Suddenly, alarm bells rang within Naruto's mind. His sixth sense screamed at him to turn left and raise his hands. For what, he wasn't sure. To defend or attack, Naruto was undecided. But as he rotated, before he could truly comprehend what he was seeing, his hands opened up for a third option.

To catch?

With a quiet 'thunk,' he felt a small solid object land perfectly into his grip.

He looked down. A medium-sized glass jar greeted him. Looking up, he spotted Blake with several other jars, one for each team member. A small crooked smile adorned her face.

"You've got the reflexes of a ninja; I'll give you that much."

Naruto narrowed his eyes playfully. "And what if I didn't?"

Blake shrugged. "Then I'd be apologizing right now," she replied while handing out the remainder of the jars.

Naruto eyed the ravenette. "Why am I the only one who got something tossed at the side of their head?"

"Because you're the only one with ninja reflexes," Blake answered, then chuckled lightly.

Naruto shook his head in amusement. Despite her outward demeanour, Blake could be surprisingly mischievous. Her sense of humour, however, was still in the air.

After briefly explaining their task, Blake suggested they split into partners, reasoning that since not every tree could be tapped for sap, they would have an easier time if they split up. It made sense.

"Come on, Naruto," Ruby grabbed him by the sleeve. "You're with us this time! You can go with Yang and Blake next time we split into pairs."

Naruto barely had enough time to blink before he felt himself being dragged away by the surprisingly strong girl. Several minutes later, he found himself deep in the forest with his two teammates.

They made it a respectable distance, to the point that Naruto could neither see nor hear the rest of the class. Ambient woodland noises permeated the surrounding area. Countless deciduous trees of varying heights and thickness spread out in every direction. The forest felt alive.

It was during that brief tap into nature that Naruto realized something. It really felt like they were being watched. There was something subtle just outside his field of perception. Obviously, the Grimm were likely nearby; Goodwitch had said as much, but whatever he felt now was different. Grimm weren't subtle. At least, the local species weren't. He pushed the feeling aside for the time being. He wasn't about to go hunting, though he'd stay alert for the foreseeable future.

Speaking of the Grimm, based on his personal experiences and what he'd been reading lately, Naruto was now under the impression that not only were the creatures attracted to negative emotions, but they were composed of them. He imagined that when his connection to Kurama eventually restabilized, he'd be able to detect them like flares in the darkness. It would be an interesting theory to test.

Naruto turned to the nearest tree, examining it. For the time being, he really should focus on his current assignment.

After several minutes spent examining the nearby trees, Weiss' skeptical voice cut through the silence of the grove. "Do either of you actually know how to tap a tree?"

It took less than a second for Naruto to realize that, no, he did not. But how hard could it be?

A quick glance at Ruby indicated that she was similarly clueless. The girl cupped her chin in thought. "How hard could it be?" She echoed his thoughts.

Naruto laughed at Weiss' unimpressed stare. "What about you, snowflake? No experience tapping trees? Or would that be too commoner for you?"

Weiss huffed and, in an overexaggerated manner, turned her nose at him. "I don't see you offering your knowledge."

"I'm sorry to say I have no knowledge to give," Naruto replied with a simple shrug.

"Oh?" Weiss raised a perfectly sculpted brow. "That's it? Not going to pretend to know what you're doing? Not even a false sense of machismo to impress us?"

That sounded like entirely too much work just to fabricate an easily disprovable lie.

"Nah," Naruto waved her off. "Nothing wrong with not knowing stuff. In my opinion, where most people go wrong is in thinking they have to hide what they don't know."

Ruby clapped her hands. "It's alright! We can figure this out together." She declared with a toothy smile.

Naruto smiled back. Classic, positive Ruby. The girl's sunny outlook was always appreciated. Naruto smiled in general. This was nice. Relaxing. It had been a while since he had the opportunity for a nature walk. He hadn't realized how much he missed being outdoors. At the end of the day, he was still a sage.

Naruto turned away to inspect a nearby tree. Prospecting certainly wasn't something he'd expected to do at Beacon, but there was a certain level of comfort in the mundane. Out here, with a clearly defined task, it was just a little bit easier to forget his problems. To, at the very least, ignore his self-imposed deadline. To ignore the stress, the concerned looks from his teammates, and that nagging feeling that every moment he spent in this world was time spent leaving his old friends to suffer.

His peace was interrupted by the sound of shattering glass. Whipping around, he was greeted by a sheepish Ruby and an annoyed Weiss.

Naruto glanced at Ruby's feet and was greeted by a small debris pile. Dozens of transparent shards of glass indicated that the girl had dropped her container.

Unfortunate.

"Seriously?" Weiss exclaimed. "You are such a clutz!" Her tone was coloured with disbelief and annoyance.

Ruby laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of her head. "Eh. My bad. But I think Professor Goodwitch had a few extras." Her tone was calmer than Naruto expected. Less flustered than she usually would have been. The girl was notorious for her frayed nerves, at least when making mistakes in front of her partner.

Then again, she had been steadily improving. Perhaps it had something to do with Weiss easing off her as of late. They'd both been improving.

"We can head back and grab another," Naruto offered.

"No!" Ruby refused quickly. She coughed uneasily at her quick response. "No need for all of us to go. I can head back. I'm fast, remember," she smiled, then quickly added, "You guys find some nice," She paused. "Uh... juicy trees?"

What a horrible way to describe their task.

Ruby cringed at her choice of words. At least she knew. It didn't stop both Naruto and Weiss from sending simultaneous frowns to their leader.

In a display of tactical brilliance, the scythe-wielder activated her semblance and disappeared in a flurry of rose petals, leaving Naruto and Weiss alone in the clearing.

Weiss released a strange sound. Something between a growl, a groan, and a gulp. Naruto's ears perked as he caught Weiss mumbling a series of quiet complaints. "I swear, that girl is..." The rest of her words became too muddled for even his shinobi hearing to pick up.

"You good, snowflake?"

"Yes. I'm fine," Weiss sighed.

That sounded not fine. The tension in her was palpable.

The ashen-haired beauty chose to say no more, resulting in a slightly awkward silence.

Naruto was no stranger to long periods of silence between him and his white-clad teammate. Their time spent together varied greatly, whether as a team or just the two of them. It ranged from studying, which often involved in-depth back-and-forth conversations between them, to simply coexisting in the same area while doing their own thing.

This was not that kind of silence. And Naruto was reasonably sure he knew why. He hoped he was wrong, but the tugging in his gut said otherwise. There wasn't anything he could do about that now.

They traversed deeper into the forest for several minutes, neither saying a word. All the while, the awkwardness between them continued to ferment. It wouldn't be long until it began to fester.

How had things shifted so drastically?

Naruto wasn't enjoying the silence at all. It reminded him of his early shinobi career. Mundane D-rank missions with a moody Sasuke. Those were some of the best and worst memories he could recall.

Right now, his mind was focusing on the negatives.

They continued walking. Ruby should be back fairly soon, yet neither of them had found any suitable trees.

...

At least, Naruto hadn't. Weiss still wasn't saying much. Should he break the silence? Should he start prospecting over there, or -

"Naruto." Weiss addressed him coolly. There was a tightness in her shoulders. Something unpleasant in those icy eyes.

Great.

"Weiss," he fired back evenly.

What was with the proverbial standoff?

In a single deep breath, the girl released her pent-up tension. Naruto thought he knew what this was about, but Weiss' body language was all wrong. It made him question himself.

He felt uneasy.

"We need to talk," Weiss informed him without hesitation.

Nothing good had ever come from those words. Ever.

Also, it seemed Ruby's accident hadn't been so accidental. They'd once again planned something.

Why did that sit so unwell with him? The scheming was hardly necessary.

Naruto's uncertainty shifted to distaste. He didn't want to talk about this, yet frowned while nodding. This was an interrogation, not a talk. He bit back the urge to blurt out his thoughts. It wasn't hard to figure out. His and Blake's conversation the other night practically screamed that another intervention was coming. He just hadn't expected it to come so soon.

"Good," the heiress nodded. "Then I won't waste time breaking it down," she said dismissively.

How considerate of her.

A moment of silence passed as Weiss seemed to choose her words. She appeared to be struggling. The uneasy feeling in Naruto's stomach began to spread. He wasn't mentally ready for a heart-to-heart.

"Okay," she began, "what's gotten into you lately?"

Naruto reflexively huffed at the girl's words. That wasn't how he expected her to start the conversation. One of the most appropriate adjectives he could think of when describing Weiss was 'graceful.' This applied to many aspects of the girl. Her appearance. Her demeanour. Her fighting style. Yet the one thing she was not graceful in was her words.

Most of the time, at least.

"Excuse me?" Naruto couldn't help but reply. Something about Weiss' phrasing agitated him.

"You've been completely withdrawn for the past week!" Weiss shouted. Her eyes widened in surprise. Reigning in her volume, she continued. "You've spent every night in the library, isolated and working yourself half to death."

Naruto crossed his arms. "Okay, first of all, you need to change your tone. You might speak with your family servants like that, but I don't appreciate it."

Weiss' face burned red. In anger. In embarrassment. She was not happy with how he worded that. Frankly, Naruto wasn't in the mood to care. As far as he was concerned, they were even.

"Secondly, yes, I've been busy lately. But I don't see why you need to get so involved. I'm managing well enough," he tried to reason.

Weiss choked back her anger, then scoffed. "You don't honestly believe that, do you?"

Naruto frowned. He wasn't doing that badly. He thought about his late nights. The uptick in nightmares. His anxiety attack. Eh. Maybe things were getting worse faster than he realized.

Weiss pointed an accusing finger toward him. "You've been spending entirely too much time buried underneath a pile of books. Brothers only know what time you've been going to bed!"

Uncrossing his arms, Naruto scrunched his eyes in confusion. His frown deepened. "I really don't see how that's relevant at all."

Weiss scowled. "It is relevant," she looked away in frustration.

"How? It's not like I'm neglecting the team. I spend plenty of time with you guys, my training is steadily progressing, and I'm keeping up with my schoolwork." Naruto reasoned. Maybe that last comment wasn't entirely truthful. Regardless, he understood well enough that they were worried about him. But Weiss' approach had really set him off. And he was feeling more irritable than usual right now.

"That's the problem!" Weiss shouted.

What?

"You're doing too much, too fast, all on your own. And quite honestly, it's taking a toll on you. We can all see it." Before Naruto could challenge her words, Weiss continued. "First of all, you look terrible."

Naruto frowned. Sure, the bags under his eyes were more noticeable, but he didn't look that bad, did he?

"Secondly, you may be there with us, but you're not really there with us. We notice it, you know. You've always tended to get lost in thought, but it's been egregious lately."

That wasn't true, was it?

Weiss fixed him with a flat stare. "It's true."

Was he that easy to read?

"Over the last week, you've zoned out of entire conversations," she added.

Naruto shook his head and quickly managed to get a word in. "That's not true! I don't remember missing any conversations between -"

"- of course you don't! You were completely zoned out! How could you remember!"

Anger surged in Naruto. Anger towards Weiss. To himself. But primarily toward his situation.

"And Naruto?" He raised his brow. "Your grades have been slipping," Weiss added as an afterthought.

Naruto rolled his eyes in annoyance, something the girl in front of him took notice of.

Before she could call him out, Naruto took half a step toward his teammate. "Look. I know everyone's worried about me, but you don't need to be. I'm pushing myself hard, yes. But I know my limits, and it's not like I'm going to keep pushing until I die of self-neglect."

Weiss shook her head. "You can say we don't need to worry all you want, but if our roles were reversed, would you be able to follow that advice?"

Naruto didn't need much time to realize his answer was no. He would not be able to sit idly while someone like Blake or Ruby did what he was doing. He hated that.

"You're going to burn out. And it isn't going to be pretty."

It was more a statement of fact than a warning. As if Weiss had seen this before. As if she had the experience to substantiate her claim.

Naruto shook his head. "I don't burn out," he stated with finality.

Weiss grunted in dissatisfaction. "Anyone can burn out."

Naruto took note of her red face. The creases marring her elegant features had only deepened throughout their conversation. If they became permanent, would it be his fault?

"I just... don't understand," Weiss continued. Naruto tensed, awaiting her words. Her shoulders shifted. "Why won't you let us help you?"

Naruto suppressed a cringe. Kami, he did not want to go down this route again. At this point, he'd be sounding like a broken record.

"You won't even tell us what's going on. We're completely in the dark here." Weiss' shoulders began to tremble.

Naruto couldn't tell if the girl was angry or sad. But the tightness of her muscles, the waver in her voice, and the glistening sharpness of her eyes indicated she was probably both.

Guilt seized him by the throat. Being kept in the dark was one of his own most painful grievances. He'd been kept in the dark over half his life over his Jinchūriki status. He'd been kept in the dark regarding Jiraiya's death while others planned on how to break the news to him. He'd been kept in the dark at the beginning of the war while countless others fought and died.

At that moment, Naruto desperately wanted to explain everything. To shed just a little light on why he was being so tight-lipped.

Weiss looked at him desperately. The girl obviously had more to say, yet she held back her words to allow him to speak.

When it became apparent that no words would come, Weiss scowled harshly. "Do you not trust us?" She asked. Small traces of venom poisoned her words.

Naruto's stomach twisted into a knot. He knew trust was important to the girl. To all of them. It was an antagonistic question if he'd ever heard one. He wanted to yell at Weiss. He wanted to walk away. He wanted time to think of a suitable response.

But Weiss wanted an answer.

Delicate hands gripped into small fists. "Will you say something already?"

Naruto's emotions were all over the place. "What do you want me to say?" He abruptly shouted. Weiss took a step back. This was the first time she'd heard him raise his voice. Lose his cool. Luckily, she didn't seem intimidated, just surprised.

"I don't have the answers you're looking for!" Naruto took a deep breath. "I wish I could tell you everything. Believe me, I do."

Weiss' scowl began to dissipate. "Then give us something to work with!"

"I can't!" Naruto replied. At this point, he'd lost control over his volume. Composing himself, he continued. "I... I don't know how," came his much quieter answer.

It was a weak response, and they both knew it.

"You can't or won't?"

Naruto met her eyes. Kami, it was hard to maintain eye contact. She was decidedly more angry than sad at this point. Why was it that everything she said came off as an accusation? Was she being callous? Or was he being sensitive?

Naruto knew they were both speaking emotionally. Weiss' attitude was terrible. His anger was justified. But that didn't mean he enjoyed getting upset at his teammate. His friend. That was the most frustrating thing about it all. To feel that anger, annoyance, and frustration and to simultaneously know that he didn't want to behave that way. All the while, he let those emotions dictate his words, knowing he shouldn't. It felt like he was shooting himself in the foot, and he could do nothing to stop it.

And then there was that tiny voice in his head that wished his team would simply drop everything. Adhere to his way of thinking. Stop worrying. Stop bothering. It was a ridiculous desire, and he knew it. He tried to banish those thoughts. He failed. Just more frustration.

The other thing was that throughout their argument, he knew Weiss was correct to some degree. Sure, her wording sucked, and she was in no way delicate, but she and the team had a point. Naruto wasn't so far gone that he couldn't empathize with them.

A loud, echoing scream suddenly cut through the forest. Both teenagers were shocked out of their emotionally charged silence, their backs shooting ramrod straight.

A deep animalistic roar echoed shortly after.

Something flared in Naruto's gut. Adrenaline. Anxiety. He latched onto it like a lifeline; anything was better than the current conversation. Hopefully, this distraction would afford him time to process. "Hear that, snowflake? They're playing our song."

Weiss released a frustrated cry. She jammed a finger into Naruto's chest. "Do not think this is over. We're going to have a proper conversation about this. No deflecting. No running away," The ashen-haired girl practically growled at him.

There was that temper again.

Naruto frowned back. "We'll see," he stated simply.

At that, the two teenagers sprinted toward the sound of the disturbance. It didn't take them long. After initially separating from the class, they only spent 10 minutes leisurely walking through the forest. Now, they were moving at top speed. Naruto's chakra-enhanced strides easily matched Weiss' glyph-propelled dashes.

Now that their emotionally charged argument had passed, Naruto could once again detect that subtle presence in the distance. He'd completely forgotten about it during his and Weiss' fight. He focused on it. It wasn't a matter of seeing or hearing; instead, it ignited his time-tested '6th sense.' The sense that he'd long since learned to trust.

Naruto debated on whether or not to notify Weiss, but several things held him back. First of all, they just had a major argument. Their first real argument since meeting each other. Things weren't exactly normal between them right now. Second, he had no idea if she would even believe him, let alone understand what he was talking about. In the Elemental Nations, any shinobi worth their salt had a well-developed sixth sense. Here in Remnant, Naruto wasn't sure if that applied to huntsmen. If it didn't, then trying to explain it to her would be useless. It would be like explaining what something tasted like to someone born without tastebuds.

Upon entering a large clearing, Naruto and Weiss were greeted by the backs of Ruby and Pyrrha. In front of the two, Jaune stood over the fallen corpse of an Ursa Major; the beast's corpse was already starting to evaporate. The creature was missing its right arm, along with its head.

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. Had Jaune taken it out himself? The blinding glow of pride emanating from Pyrrha and Ruby seemed to indicate that he had. Only now did Naruo notice the fallen form of Cardin on the ground. The boy seemed no worse for wear, though a significant amount of sap was splattered across the front of his breastplate.

Naruto approached Ruby first. "What happened? We heard a scream."

"Oh, that was Team CRDL," Ruby replied.

"What? Like the whole team?"

Ruby nodded, then indicated to Cardin. The armoured teen was still lying on the ground, his large mace lying several feet away. Jaune was crouched over him, holding the larger boy by the scruff of his undershirt. Heated words seemed to be passing from the blond to the ginger.

Damn.

Ruby continued, "I guess they ran into an Ursa and bolted."

Naruto's shoulders sagged. That was... pretty lame. A whole team fled from a single Ursa?

"Well, that's not the entirety of what happened..." came Pyrrha's sheepish voice.

Three sets of eyes turned to the redhead. She laughed awkwardly. "It seems Cardin chose me to be his next victim?" she said unsurely.

All three frowned, but no one said a word, so the invincible girl continued. "We were collecting sap when I felt something was off. I can't really say what. Instinct, perhaps?" She nodded while scratching her chin. "I turned slightly and saw something coming at me from my peripherals. I grabbed it out of the air and redirected it to where it had come from."

Pyrrha laughed sheepishly. "As it turns out, Cardin had thrown a jar of sap at me."

Ruby let out a long 'ooh.' "So you returned it to sender? Splattered him instead?" Ruby grinned at the thought.

"W-well, not on purpose. It was purely reactionary!" Pyrrha flushed at Ruby's apt assessment.

Ruby laughed heartily while Naruto chuckled. Good. Served Cardin right.

"Anyways," Pyrrha continued. "It seems that some species of Grimm are attracted to the sap. Hence the Ursa."

Huh. How... out of character for Grimm.

"Jaune jumped in and saved Cardin from the Ursa after it thoroughly embarrassed him." Unfettered pride bubbled from the redhead. Her joy was infectious. Naruto found his own sour mood had already begun to turn for the better.

Naruto briefly wrestled with the idea of following through with his threat toward Cardin and reporting him to Ozpin. He reconsidered as he watched Jaune verbally rip into the large teen. Naruto had never seen Cardin so thoroughly demoralized, nor had he seen Jaune so assertive. There was a certain level of irony to the situation. Maybe this was just what the bully needed.

Weiss released a dainty huff. "Serves the brute right." She nodded to Pyrrha, then fixed her gaze on Jaune. "You both did well," she praised.

Pyrrha tilted her head. "What exactly did I do?"

"You returned the sap where it belonged," Weiss answered as if it were obvious.

Pyrrha appeared conflicted but nodded along reluctantly.

As Jaune stood, he offered a hand to Cardin as a gesture of goodwill. An olive branch. He pulled his fellow team leader to his feet. Before anyone could decide what to do next, a loud buzzing could be heard from the edge of the clearing. The large cardboard box that Team CRDL had brought during the trip had been discarded during the commotion but was now vibrating intensely.

Cardin appeared panicked. "Uh, guys? We should leave. Now."

Jaune frowned at his former bully. "Why, Cardin? What's in the box?"

The large teen began fidgeting with his hands. He seemed to struggle with his answer. "A... uh... batch of Rapier Wasps?" He glanced at the smattering of sap on his chest. "They're attracted to the sap."

Weiss glanced at the box of wasps, then at the sap on Cardin's chest. Her eyes settled on Pyrrha. "You are the worst kind of scum," the heiress growled while shooting daggers at Cardin.

"Right, right, I'm trash. Now, can we get moving?" The teen asked. "I really don't want to get swarmed by those things."

Naruto shrugged. "You're free to go. I don't see how this affects us."

Cardin laughed nervously. "Well, about that..."

Jaune's eyes narrowed. "What did you do?" He growled.

"I didn't do anything!" Cardin replied hastily. "But... the wasps are pretty damn aggressive. They'll probably attack anything nearby on the way to me..."

Naruto blinked. "I'm good in a fight, but I don't know how I'm supposed to fistfight a swarm of insects." It'd be like fighting Shino. Now that he thought about it, he'd never actually faced the Aburame heir before.

"I wouldn't recommend fighting them," Cardin warned. "They're freaking bugs, man. And their venom is pretty damn nasty. Not poisonous, but definitely painful. One sting and you'll feel like you're on fire."

Weiss sighed tiredly, then rotated the barrel of Myrtenaster. The chamber clicked several times, then locked onto its fire dust cartridge.

Pyrrha took notice of this and then quickly called out. "I don't think that's a good idea, Weiss. We're in the middle of the forest."

Weiss considered the words. "Well, I don't see many other options."

As she finished speaking, the cardboard box finally lost its structural integrity. The thick paper walls fell apart, and a large swarm of black and yellow insects poured out. They were large, as far as insects go, and they buzzed angrily.

Finally, as if locking on to the nearest heat source, the swarm rotated to face the group of six.

"Oh, oh!" Ruby shouted, "Try freezing them!"

Weiss squinted incredulously. "That's a ridiculous idea." She looked around for any other suggestions but found nothing. She shrugged. "Forest fires can actually encourage new growth. I'm sure Professor Goodwitch will understand."

As the swarm launched itself toward them, Weiss readied her semblance.

Naruto couldn't help but feel like this was a terrible idea. Could it be that Weiss was a little too eager to set something on fire? Was this his fault?

Before the woman could launch her semblance, a faint purple glow surrounded the swarm of insects, forming a transparent purple bubble. The group of six paused in confusion. Soft footsteps could be heard entering the clearing, announcing the arrival of Professor Goodwitch. She approached the group, arm raised and riding crop extended. A similar purple light encompassed the end of her weapon.

The blonde adjusted her glasses. "Children, please do not play with fire." With a flick of her wrist, the purple ball rapidly compressed, crushing the dangerous insects within.

Damn.

Their bespectacled professor turned her steely gaze towards Cardin. "So, Mr. Winchester. Would you kindly explain what happened? Your team was adamant I find you." She glanced at the discarded cardboard box, no doubt recognizing it from their arrival. Her eyes narrowed. "And please, I insist on complete honesty."

Naruto shook his head. Damn.

As the group stood around awkwardly, unsure of what to do, a brief flash of red caught Naruto's attention. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. It wasn't so much the red that caught his eye; the whole forest was red. It was what accompanied the red that alarmed him. In the distance, roughly several dozen feet into the treeline, a unique Grimm sat hovering several feet off the ground, watching them.

The creature was almost jellyfish-like. It was comprised of sparse boney fragments covering a red bulbous head, a black base with teeth-like protrusions, and several long red tentacles hanging downward. Naruto was stunned. Its appearance was so unlike anything he had read up on so far. He'd never seen nor heard of such a Grimm. And this was undoubtedly a Grimm.

Naruto's eyes darted to the rest of the group, none of which were paying attention. All except a single pair of bespectacled green eyes. Professor Goodwitch matched his gaze, noted his apparent unease, and narrowed her eyes. She followed his line of sight and paused for several moments, likely trying to determine what he saw.

After another few moments, the professor flinched. Without a word, she raised her riding crop, and the compressed ball of purple energy, which was still hovering in the centre of the group, immediately twisted and stretched into a long luminescent lance. Those present made several squawks of surprise. The blonde professor flicked her wrist, and the ethereal spear was flung toward the queer Grimm at incredible speeds.

Kami, she could send that thing flying.

The creature was impaled in the blink of an eye, barely having enough time to release a death cry.

Jaune was the first to voice his surprise. "Geez Louise, what the heck!" He cried.

All eyes turned to their professor. They were greeted by silence. The woman appeared conflicted. She chewed her bottom lip, presumably a sign of nervousness. That, in turn, made Naruto nervous. He didn't think it possible for the stern and stoic professor to be nervous. Several voices called out to the woman, yet she remained silent.

Naruto studied her. She was lost to the world. Thinking. He could practically see the cogs turning in her mind.

Eventually, she turned to the group of six and addressed them. "Always be mindful of any lingering Grimm. Some have been known to lay in wait, searching for the opportune moment to launch an ambush." Her tone was severe, brokering no room for discussion.

Naruto could see her words for what they were. A blanket statement meant to deflect from what had just happened. He could smell the bullshit from a mile away. The worst part was that it worked. While the rest of the group was clearly uncertain, they didn't question the woman.

Interesting.

"Inform the rest of your teams that you all have 10 minutes to complete your tasks, then we shall reconvene at the Bullhead," the blonde woman commanded. "Mr. Winchester, I shall see you after class so that you may explain what happened before my arrival."

Cardin groaned.

Naruto glanced toward Weiss and Ruby. As if Goodwitch hadn't been obvious enough that what she had seen affected her, she had effectively cut the length of their trip in half.

They better hurry and collect their sap.

xXx

The rest of the field trip was about as uneventful as Weiss could have hoped. Aside from Professor Goodwitch's abrupt ending of the excursion, they had completed their sap-collecting task with relative ease. At least once they regrouped with Blake and Yang. Who would have thought that Blake knew how to properly collect tree sap?

After meeting up with the rest of their team and JNPR, the short ten minutes of sap collection had been spent in relatively good spirits. Well, everyone but Weiss seemed to be in good spirits. Weiss tried as best she could, but she had never been particularly gifted at covering up her emotions.

...

That wasn't true at all.

She was actually quite gifted at donning a pleasant facade despite her mood. She'd almost perfected it over the years due to her status as a Schnee. But white-hot anger had always been the hardest emotion for her to control. The others were undoubtedly aware of her foul mood but, thankfully, chose not to bring it up.

In times like these, Weiss was both envious and curious of Naruto's ability to play the role of a happy-go-lucky friend. There was no doubt in her mind that he was still just as agitated as she was, yet he hid it better.

Of course, she could still see the cracks in his armour. The dip of his smile when he thought no one was looking or the brief moments of neutrality at the end of a conversation was plenty of evidence that he was still burdened. Even before their argument, she could see these things. But now, they were glaringly obvious. At least, to her, they were. Everyone else was either unable to notice it or refused to see it.

Weiss turned her head slightly to the side, catching her partner anxiously fiddling with her hands. When they had boarded the ship, all it had taken was a brisque shake of her head and a frown toward Ruby to convey that her conversation with Naruto hadn't gone over well. Thankfully, her partner understood well enough and let the matter rest before even needing to bring it up.

The class was currently seated in the Bullhead back to Beacon. The transport really was an all-in-one vehicle. It was initially designed as a military carrier, as indicated by its spartan design and utilitarian interior. Two rows of benches faced each other, framing the bay's interior, while a large open centre allowed additional personnel and supplies to be transported.

Thinking back to the team's resident shinobi, Weiss frowned in annoyance. As if the awkwardness between her and Naruto wasn't obvious enough, it was exacerbated by the fact that they were sitting on opposite ends of the ship.

Weiss' head dropped into her hands. She should have handled herself better when broaching the topic. She approached sensitive issues too fast. She was too hard on him. She was far too aggressive. Damn plan 'W.'

Now they were angry with each other, but only one had any right to be, and it wasn't her. Well, Naruto was still angry with her. Weiss wasn't sure about what she was feeling. Her anger always did burn fast and bright. Like a dying star. Beautiful. Intense. But short-lived. Maybe she wasn't as angry as she thought.

Although, a glance at Naruto indicated he might not be as angry as she initially thought. At least, not as angry anymore. Because he had certainly been angry at her. Brothers, he'd been angry. He hadn't exploded at her, maybe it wasn't his brand of anger, but Weiss could read him plain as day. His body language. His eyes. His breathing.

It was surprising, as the only other time she'd seen him angry was the day they met when she'd falsely accused him of being a... criminal. And attacked him.

Weiss sighed. She really could be the worst sometimes.

"Hey," Ruby whispered while nudging Weiss on the shoulder. "What's the plan, partner?"

Weiss considered the question. It was an excellent question. She turned to her partner. "I think one of you guys should talk to him," she replied reluctantly.

"That bad, eh?" Ruby frowned.

"Worse."

"Well, I'm sorry to say, but it's gotta be you again," Ruby stated with finality.

What?

That was a terrible idea. Weiss shook her head. She'd only make things worse. Talking to Naruto again so soon was a recipe for disaster. Weiss respectfully informed her team leader.

"That's an idiotic idea," she whispered harshly. "I'll make it worse. Again."

Ruby shook her head and donned a stern look. "You'll make it worse if you let things fester. You may have made things worse in some regards, but I'm sure you've at least made a dent in tackling the original problem, right?"

Weiss wasn't so sure.

"Look," Ruby continued. "Are you still angry?"

Weiss sighed. "No, I suppose not," she replied tentatively. A moment later, she realized that she was being honest. She wasn't angry anymore. She never should have been. It was her short temper that had gone and worked herself into a miniature frenzy.

"Good," Ruby nodded. "Then learn from your mistake, and don't spazz out at him again."

Weiss recoiled. She did not 'spazz' out at him.

"If you're still worried, I don't think he's mad at you."

Weiss had already been thinking along the same lines. But just to be sure... Another glance at the blond revealed that he genuinely didn't appear angry. If anything, he looked sad. And tired. But mostly sad. She didn't enjoy that look. His anger was almost preferable.

Weiss hummed in thought.

Ruby nudged her again and donned her most effective weapon. Puppy eyes. "You need to fix it, Weiss."

Could she?

Ruby leaned closer and whispered, "Fix it, fix it, fix it, fix it, fix it, fix it," she paused for a moment. Weiss shot her an unimpressed stare. "Fix it, fix it, fix it," she finished.

Weiss shoved her team leader out of her personal space. "Alright. Stop, you pest."

Ruby simply smiled in response. Weiss realized that the girl knew how to push all the right buttons to get what she wanted. Is this what having a younger sister was like?

"How ya gonna do it?" Ruby asked with a lopsided smile.

"You don't need to know," Weiss turned away. "I've got a plan. Plan 'W' was terrible in its conception. I'll have results by the end of the day."

Weiss did not have a plan.

But it would probably be best she come up with something before they landed. If she didn't, Naruto would disappear into the library. From there, it'd be impossible to pull him away. It'd also likely just annoy her all over again. That didn't leave her a lot of time to think of something.

What could she do?

What could she say?

...

Fifteen minutes later, the flight back to Beacon was nearing its end, and Weiss still didn't have a satisfactory plan. At this rate, she would have to improvise. She was terrible at improvisation.

Weiss looked around the cabin. Team JNPR seemed to be taking a team nap. Quaint. Blake was reading her book while Yang chittered away in her ear. Team CRDL was sequestered in the corner, looking downtrodden. Ruby still sat beside her. She was weaning her ridiculous headphones, her head bobbing to barely distinguishable music. And Naruto. The boy had wedged himself in the opposite corner. He was surprisingly less lethargic than the last time she took note of him.

That was good.

As the ship's landing gear deployed, Weiss realized that, without a doubt, she would be improvising from here on out.

Maybe it was for the best.

A weak plan is what got them into this added mess.

Now, the only thing Weiss had going for her was that once they landed at the school, classes were over, and they were free to go where they pleased. And it was the weekend. Maybe she could take advantage of that?

As the door to the Bullhead lowered, the gaggle of teams began to disembark. Weiss clung to the exit and watched most of the class pass by until she saw Naruto approach. She eyed him. It seemed his brief moment of attentiveness was destined to be short-lived. Once again, he was distracted. Lost in his head. As the teen walked by, he didn't notice as her hand shot out, quick as a viper, and clamped down on his wrist. He jumped in surprise.

"Weiss?" Naruto asked with raised eyebrows. Moments later, he gained his bearings and frowned. "What are you doing?"

Weiss remained silent but tugged on his arm. Not hard enough to force any movement, not that she thought she could force him to move, but enough to let him know she wanted him to follow her.

The heiress considered using her words but simply didn't trust her voice. If it cracked or waivered, she'd lose what little presence she had managed to muster.

Plus, this served as a way to gauge him. Naruto could refuse to follow her, thereby ending their interaction, or he could let her lead. Whatever he chose, Weiss would respect his decision. She wouldn't force what she had to say onto him. It was what had caused the initial argument.

Now, if only she knew what to say to him.

Much to Weiss' surprise, Naruto acquiesced, allowing her to gently lead him down the ramp of the Bullhead.

"Weiss? Hello?" He asked. The girl hid her smile at the genuine confusion in his voice.

Perhaps she could offer something in the way of explanation.

"Would you please be quiet?" Weiss requested quietly. Eh. An explanation would be too difficult. She still didn't really know what she was doing. But she was rather proud that she kept her voice level, at least.

As she led him, Weiss tried to imagine the look on his face. Confusion? Caution? Whatever his reaction, it was surely amusing.

As they reached the bottom of the ramp, they turned sharply toward one of the other Bullhead stops. The landing pad they were on was one of many that acted as a bus station of sorts, except for Bullheads travelling between Beacon and Vale. As luck would have it, the next Bullhead leaving for Vale was due to depart within the next five minutes.

"Hey! Weiss, Naruto! Where are you -" The loud voice of Yang was suddenly cut off. Weiss and Naruto glanced briefly behind them and found both Ruby and Blake pulling the buxom blonde away toward the school campus.

"Uh. Should we tell..." Naruto trailed off. "Right. Whatever."

Brothers, he sounded confused. It was almost cute.

The two entered the Bullhead set to depart for Vale and found the transport to be relatively empty. Only two other students sat along the benches, neither being anyone Weiss recognized. They must have been upperclassmen. She and Naruto sat on the same side of the ship, a single empty seat spaced between them.

Weiss struggled to find something to say. In the end, she settled for nothing. Naruto hadn't said anything, and things were still relatively awkward between them. After five minutes, the Bullhead prepped for departure. It seemed no one else would be joining them.

The ride to Vale was short, yet it felt long. The entire way, Weiss' mind was at odds with itself. What the hell was she supposed to say to fix everything? This was Naruto's department, not hers. And yet, it was Naruto that needed fixing.

Weiss frowned at the thought. Maybe that was a crude way to look at things. Naruto didn't need fixing. He had a problem that needed fixing. Maybe. She still didn't know what was bothering him. And he'd made it clear he didn't want their help.

Maybe whatever was going on went beyond the binary metic of fixed and broken. Maybe whatever was happening to her friend couldn't be fixed pre-se. Is that what the problem was? Was Naruto trying to fix something that couldn't be fixed? Was she? There was no way to tell unless he talked.

Weiss slowly stood as their Bullhead touched down on the Vale landing pad, her action mirrored by Naruto. "Where are we going, Weiss?" He questioned her.

Weiss glanced at him. Curiosity pooled in his cerulean eyes, but there was no more irritation or anger. Good. She should probably give him some form of answer in order to keep his annoyance at bay.

"I don't know about you," She started. Naruto's eyes focused. "But I really don't want to end things on a sour note today. I don't do well when negative emotions are allowed to fester."

Suffice it to say, she was speaking from experience. Long-buried emotions of her father and mother threatened to dredge their way to the forefront of her mind, forcing a frown onto her face. She crushed those thoughts without mercy. This wasn't about her. A glance at Naruto indicated he'd caught her brief slip of emotion. He nodded wordlessly. With an unspoken agreement, they began to walk. She still hadn't told him where they were going. Shestill didn't know herself. Perhaps a simple walk around the city would do them well. They didn't need a destination. So they walked.

The two walked through the city at a leisurely pace. It was a Friday afternoon, so for most civilians, school and work were out for the next two days. It made for busy streets. It made for a lot to look at. People-watching had always been somewhat of a guilty pleasure for Weiss. Since she was little, she'd always been taught not to stare. Not to sit idle. That it was wasted time that could have been spent on better things. And yet, people-watching never left her feeling like she'd wasted time.

The knowledge gained from observing the ordinary person was almost valuable enough to justify the action. The entertainment gain certainly was, but she'd never been willing to admit it to her father. He wouldn't have liked that. That knowledge alone was almost enough to bring it up, but it wouldn't have been worth it.

Throughout their walking, Weiss cast the occasional glance toward her blond companion. It seemed he was equally as invested in the art of people-watching. The thought brought a smile to her face. For her, it'd been a way to combat her loneliness growing up. Perhaps it was the same for Naruto. He mentioned that he grew up without a family. No friends either, until later in his life. Maybe they were similar in that regard.

At the very least, the awkwardness surrounding them seemed to have dissipated significantly. That was good. Another weight off her shoulders. Eventually, Weiss slowed her steps. Naruto followed her example and matched her stride. She surveyed the area they were in. They seemed to be on the border between commercial and residential districts. One side of the street was lined with shops, the other side a park, surrounded by cookie-cutter houses. It was rather quaint. Like one of those annually-produced romance movies. The ones made on an extremely low budget that middle-aged women liked binge-watching around the holidays.

Weiss didn't realize that Vale had these kinds of areas. She really should get out and explore more. Naruto nudged her lightly on the arm. "Are we... going in there?" He asked hesitantly.

Hmm?

Following Naruto's trail of sight, Weiss was met with a modest storefront. She had seemingly stopped directly in front of a shop. The only Dust shop for several blocks. Of course, she had. Well... it probably wouldn't hurt to take a look inside. She could see if they had any of the more exotic Dust types.

Weiss examined the display window and frowned. Its layout was annoyingly familiar. Upon reading the storefront signage, she scowled. The name was unfamiliar, but the small snowflake emblem emblazoned under the name was clear as day.

"No. I don't want to go in there," Weiss muttered through gritted teeth.

Naruto looked down at her in surprise. "Are you sure? You stopped us here, so I -"

"- I'm sure!" The heiress growled.

Naruto raised his palms as a sign of surrender. "Alright, alright. Sorry."

Weiss sighed. Temper control. "No, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to snap."

Naruto nodded in acceptance.

Weiss gripped his forearm and tugged lightly. "Can we just... go to that park?" She asked while pointing across the street. "My legs are tired."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, of course," he answered, then began to lead the way. He was clearly uncertain as to what was going on. He was so stiff. Less chatty.

Weiss took a moment to observe him. He seemed calmer than before but still slightly on edge. Despite his uncertainty, he appeared mostly 'back to normal,' so to speak. Still wound up from whatever had been bothering him over the past week. The past month. Since she'd known him. But back to how he was before their argument earlier in the day.

That was good.

A glance around the neighbourhood revealed that it had been several hours since their fight. At least if the low sun was any indication. With Vale being so close to the equator, the sunset was almost always at the same time year-round. 6:30 p.m., give or take a few minutes.

As Weiss was from Atlas, having such a constant indicator of time was strange. During winter, the sun set hours earlier. In the summers, well, Atlas' excuse for summer, the sunset was significantly later in the evening. Here in Vale? The seasons barely affected the sunset. Strange.

Regardless, it meant they'd been walking through the city for nearly an hour and a half. Her legs were tired. Her feet were tired. Damn wedge heels. Next time they came out, she'd wear something more casual.

Weiss hummed. Next time, huh? They still needed to survive this time. The upcoming conversation was going to be difficult.

"I'm sorry about that," Weiss began. "That store was one of the many Dust shops that fell victim to my father."

Naruto looked at her strangely.

"Oh. I suppose that doesn't make much sense without more context, does it?"

Naruto shook his head.

"The Schnee Dust Company originally started as a mining corporation. Recently, my father has decided to branch into the commercial sector. He's made a habit of buying out small businesses."

Naruto nodded. "He's monopolizing."

"He is," Weiss acknowledged. "He's already monopolized the mining aspect. Now he's moving into distribution. The problem is, he's not particularly moral about it."

Naruto remained silent, so she continued. "All he needs to do is make a single acquisition in a given area, and it's game over." Weiss sighed. "Once he has a foothold, he drops the prices, offers promotional sales, etcetera. It's something he can afford to do since he's... you know. This draws business away from the local shops. Once they enter the red, he swoops in and buys them dirt cheap."

Naruto nodded along. "Interesting business strategy."

"Don't misunderstand. It's a very good business strategy. Practical," Weiss admitted. "But immoral. Cruel." Weiss stared at the storefront across the street. "I'd bet that at one point, that store was a humble establishment, its owners familiar to the local community. A real mom-and-pop shop."

Weiss smiled sadly. "Not anymore. Now it's run by another corporate shill, as are all the local stores, most likely. Without any real competition, they can price gouge to their heart's content."

Naruto frowned. "I guess it doesn't help that the SDC is in charge of mining and processing Dust. They have the advantage over small businesses since they dictate the price."

Weiss raised her hand in the 'so-so' gesture. "You'd think, but Dust has been around a lot longer than the company. The SDC grew exponentially during the Great War. Everyone needed Dust, and the SDC was the only one who could meet the demand. Because of their necessity, they were safe to sell to every Kingdom. Once the war ended, all four kingdoms actually collaborated on a form of international law so that the SDC couldn't manipulate the prices and destroy all forms of competition. It was an effort to protect small business."

Another frown soured her porcelain features. "The funny thing is, when my grandfather ran the company, that wasn't even an issue. He understood the value of a diverse marketplace. Variety. Degrees of quality. You get the idea. But when my father took over, he ran things differently. He wanted everything. And he's been working on a way to circumvent the limitations posed on the company. His connections run as deep as his coffers."

Naruto hummed. "You know you've done well for yourself when every nation agrees to put restrictions on you."

Weiss laughed softly.

"Your grandfather was right, though. Competition is the key to innovation." He tilted his head. "That and war. I'm surprised your father doesn't understand that."

Weiss was surprised. She hadn't expected him to have much business knowledge. Naruto noticed the odd look she was giving him.

"Don't get me wrong. That's all I really know about business. I had a friend whose father ran a weapon shop. She was pretty involved in it. Talked about opening one of her own someday," Naruto smiled sadly.

Weiss nodded. There it was, another fragment of his past. Before she could address it, Naruto continued as if he could sense her line of thinking.

"So you're not a big fan of how your father runs things?"

Damn. Weiss missed the opportunity to dig into his history. Oh well. She could try again later down the line. For now, it was an interesting experience to talk about this with someone other than Winter.

Weiss didn't dare speak about this subject with anyone else for fear of her father finding out. He already disapproved of a lot of her life choices. "It's funny, isn't it?" She asked. "I'm set to take over the largest commercial empire in the world..." she trailed off.

"And you don't want to?" Naruto probed.

Weiss paused. Did she want to? It was a question she had asked herself countless times. It was the cause of many sleepless nights. Of many long showers. Of course, if anyone else asked what Naruto had, she'd vehemently deny it. But with Naruto? It was different. The realization brought a smile to her face.

"Part of me wants to say no. That I don't want anything to do with the company. Despite what my father says, I'm not training to become a huntress to spite him. Not entirely," Weiss admitted with a sardonic grin. "I genuinely want to be a huntress. Like my sister is. Like my mother was once."

At the mention of her mother, Weiss frowned.

"I thought your sister was in the army?"

Weiss wiped the frown away and met Naruto's gaze. He was focusing intently on her. It felt nice. To know he was listening. To see him remember details she'd shared in the past.

"In Atlas, Huntsmen and the military go hand in hand. Did you know the headmaster for Atlas Academy is also the top General in their military?"

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. "No, I didn't," he admitted. "They sound like a... very powerful person."

Weiss chuckled. "You don't know the half of it. He also holds two seats on the Kingdom's council."

Naruto leaned back in his seat and released a low whistle. "Man, what the fuck."

Weiss shook her head in mirth. She'd never say it, but what the fuck, indeed.

After a few moments of silence, Naruto turned back. "You said part of you wanted to say no to inheriting the company. So another part of you wants to say yes?"

"My father disowned my sister six years ago. Ever since then, my future has been decided for me. More than it was before. Since I was 11, I've only been referred to as Weiss, the heiress. It's all I know now," she admitted reluctantly.

"Sure," Naruto replied immediately. "But is it what you want?"

Weiss remained silent for several minutes. What she wanted never felt like it mattered. It was always something to be swept aside whenever brought up to her father. But Naruto wasn't her father. He seemed genuinely curious. Then again, maybe she was destined to inherit the company. Her father mentioned that several times. The words always tasted sour. She wasn't destined for it. Her sister was. She simply inherited the responsibility from Winter. Disdain clouded her mind.

"Do you believe in destiny?" She asked the blond abruptly.

Naruto tilted his head in surprise, then frowned. He didn't answer immediately. Weiss observed him. Apparently, she'd asked a loaded question. Something was warring under the surface of his eyes. Various states of anger, hurt, and doubt flashed across his face until, finally, he replied.

"No. Fuck destiny." His words were decisive. Rock solid. He believed them to his core. Somehow, it made her feel a little better.

They continued to sit after that. A comfortable silence began to settle, tentative as it was.

"My father is completely torn over the idea of me running the company. I wouldn't be surprised if he passes the role of heir onto my brother. Whitley already idolizes the man."

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "From how you've been talking, it sounds like a preferable option for you."

"It does, doesn't it?" Weiss replied airily.

Naruto frowned. "But it's not?"

Weiss shook her head. "Not really."

"Why?"

Weiss remained silent to gather her thoughts. She hadn't put them into words before. At least, not out loud. She'd shared them with Winter over e-mails but never spoken them. "I think my brother would be a terrible CEO for the company. He's too much like my father."

Naruto nodded in understanding. "And you're more like your grandfather."

Weiss' train of thought halted. She'd... never thought of it like that. She didn't think she was anywhere near her grandfather's pedestal. But the very comparison made her heart swell with pride. Whether Naruto knew it or not, he'd just given her an incredible compliment.

Perhaps sensing her small amount of doubt or simply taking her silence as bad, Naruto hastily continued talking. "I-It's just... it sounds like you're a lot more like your grandpa than your dad. Not that I really know either of them."

Weiss simply grinned at him, and he relaxed.

"Thank you," she replied softly. "And it all comes down to that. If I run the SDC, I can fix it. Cut out the cancer. Get it back to where it once was. It may not be as profitable, but what's the bloody difference between 100 billion and 50 billion lien a year?"

Naruto almost choked. "T-Those aren't the actual numbers, are they?"

Weiss fixed him with a flat stare. "The largest energy producer on the planet, remember? By every measurable statistic, and it's not even close."

"R-Right. Holy shit," the blond mumbled.

"And that's my point!" Weiss shouted. "When a company makes so much brothers-damned money, what the hell are you supposed to do with it? My father only sees the future in profit margins, as a warmonger can only see the future in battlelines. I want to do something more. I have ideas but no details, but there has to be more than just lining your coffers. I want to build a real legacy. Not one built on crushing others under my boot."

Silence blanketed the park. Weiss needed a minute to calm herself. It had been a while since she'd gotten so worked up over the topic. Naruto likely needed time to process her words.

"To live under a boot is not to live," Naruto mumbled.

"What?"

"It's on old White Fang quote. Before they turned violent. I read it somewhere once."

Weiss' face scrunched in disdain. "That's another thing. I'm not ignorant to the fact that under my father's leadership, the SDC played a large part in the degradation of human-faunus relations."

"I take you've had some pretty bad experiences with the White Fang?" Naruto asked cautiously.

Ugly memories surfaced. "Yes. And I'd rather not talk about that, please," Weiss requested. Naruto simply nodded in respect. Weiss released a sigh she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"Well, snowflake," Naruto began. Weiss perked up slightly at the nickname. It'd be a hot day in Atlas before she admitted to liking the term of endearment. "I knew you were passionate, but I had no idea you could be this passionate," he nudged her with a smile.

Weiss felt the urge to tease him. To make an inappropriate or suggestive comment. But she'd never been any good at flirting. She was only ever exposed to the tedious art of courting. Always as the recipient of some wealthy businessman's son, trying to gain her father's favour through her. No, she'd hold her tongue. No need to ruin the mood. She once again envied Naruto's silver tongue.

...

There was another joke in there, she was sure.

"If you're pining to fix the SDC, you've got your work cut out for you," Naruto added. "Especially since your ideals seem to contrast heavily with your old man's."

Weiss nodded. "You have no idea. If I shared these thoughts with my father, he'd disown me in a heartbeat."

Naruto frowned. "That's such a foreign concept to me. I grew up without a father, but I know for a fact that if my old man were around when I grew up, he'd support anything I wanted to do."

"Not all men are good at being fathers," Weiss replied. "That's the unfortunate reality."

Naruto sighed. He brightened moments later. "Well, whatever. If you ever need help, I've got your back. I promise," he offered a thumbs up for good measure.

Well, well, well. If this wasn't a golden opportunity, Weiss didn't know what was. She'd have to be delicate from here on out.

Weiss laughed good-naturedly. "You know," she said with a smile, "That's a pretty big promise for someone who's not willing to accept help himself." Weiss made it a point to emphasize the levity in her voice. She didn't want to start making accusations again. This wasn't going to turn into another heated argument.

Naruto immediately straightened his back. But upon searching her eyes, he relaxed. The blond leaned back against the bench and released a tired sigh.

Weiss placed her hand on his forearm as a gesture of... comfort? "Yes. We're doing this again. Sorry whiskers."

Naruto's face screwed up in amusement. "Whiskers? Seriously?"

Weiss blushed in embarrassment but refused to drop eye contact. "Okay. Not the best nickname, but between the two of us, why should I be the only one to have one?"

Naruto laughed. "Okay, one: don't ever call me that again. Two: don't ever call me that again."

Weiss scowled playfully. She pushed his forearm away. "Maybe I should since you seem to hate it so much."

"It's not for my benefit, Weiss. It's for yours," Naruto grinned. "That nickname is just so... cringy. It'd be like if I called Professor Port 'Moustache.'"

Weiss dropped her head. "Yeah, it's pretty terrible." She admitted. "I'll work on it."

Naruto shrugged. "You do that."

"Anyway," the huntress in training began, "Back on topic."

Naruto's smile dissipated, and he sighed. "Right."

They remained like that for several moments. "Seriously, Naruto. You need to open up. At least a little bit. You don't have to tell us everything that's going on in your mind, but give us something to work with."

Weiss kept her tone light. Conversational. Almost casual. She didn't focus on the severity of the problem. She didn't make it about what it was doing to her or the team. This was just the two of them conversing. It felt more natural.

Naruto remained silent. After a while, Weiss began to question whether he had heard her. She chose patience this time. Like he often did for her. She'd show Ruby that she could, in fact, learn.

Several minutes ticked by. The only thing that kept Weiss' patience in check was the subtle shifting of her teammate's facial features, indicating that he was actively thinking and had not fallen asleep with his eyes open.

Eventually, Naruto began speaking. "I grew up in a village called Konohagakure no Sato."

Weiss blinked in surprise. She wasn't expecting that response, but she'd take it all the same. The name of his home was unfamiliar. It sounded exotic. Like the ancient Mistralian she sometimes heard Naruto and Blake discuss. That's where he came from, right? Mistral?

"It translates to 'The Village Hidden in the Leaves.' That's home."

It sounded interesting. Weiss had never encountered that naming convention before. She'd have to look into it.

Naruto refused to meet her eyes. "I can't tell you everything. Some things are just too..." He struggled to find the right word. "Personal," he settled with.

Okay. That was fair. Weiss could work with that. She was already much further along than any of them had gotten thus far. She wanted to know what was bothering him. She wasn't actually expecting him to go into his past. She supposed the two topics were linked.

"The reason I've been locking myself in the library lately is because I'm trying to find a way home," the blond breathed.

What?

"You... don't know how to get home?" Weiss asked.

Naruto shook his head. "My home isn't a part of the four Kingdoms. I don't know how I got here, and I don't know how to get back."

There was a hell of a lot to that statement.

Beyond the Kingdoms. It was technically possible. Bandit tribes often existed beyond the reach of the Kingdoms, so it wasn't impossible for settlements out there to exist. But for Naruto to not know how to get home implied that his village was likely very far away. Weiss hadn't ever heard of any settlements like that. Then again, there was a lot of uncharted land out there, lost to the Grimm. Who was to say small bastions of life couldn't find a way to thrive, cut off from the rest of the world.

Weiss noticed that Naruto was choosing his words extremely carefully. She knew what he was doing. He was finding a way to tell the truth without revealing more than he was comfortable with. Truth by technicality. It was a method she was familiar with. She often used it as a child whenever Klein caught her and Winter getting into trouble. The memories made her smile.

She chose not to comment on Naruto's words. She was just glad that he was talking. When the time came for him to tell her more, she'd hear it then.

"It was part of how Ozpin got me to attend Beacon."

Weiss nodded. "The library," she said in realization.

"Yeah," Naruto confirmed. "Best one in all the Kingdoms. Or so Ozpin says. If there's a way home, it'll probably be in there."

That made sense. It was most likely true.

"Is there a reason why you've been so much more consumed over the past week?"

Naruto nodded at her question. "Yeah. There is."

...

"Are you willing to tell me?" Weiss asked.

Naruto considered her question. "Yeah. Just give me a second."

So she did. For the next two minutes, Weiss waited in silence as Naruto struggled. She didn't dare move, afraid that the slightest twitch would startle him and make him retreat back into his shell. The silence was taking a toll on her nerves. If the mood wasn't so heavy, she'd likely find amusement in the fact that she was thinking of him like a small woodland animal.

Finally, Naruto broke the silence. "Everyone I know and love is fighting for their lives back home." His words were quiet. Pained.

Weiss remained frozen. What exactly did he mean by that?

"Before I came here, we were at war."

Weiss' eyes scrunched in confusion. Now she was even more perplexed. "The Grimm?" She asked after a moment. Surely he meant the Grimm. A large-scale Grimm attack, perhaps?

Naruto shook his head. "No." He replied. "Worse. A lot worse."

Weiss was shocked. What the hell was worse than Grimm? Their very existence was built on death and destruction. Even the White Fang, as much as she hated them, were sapient beings capable of love, compassion, and empathy. The Grimm, on the other hand... There was still widespread academic debate on whether or not they were even sentient.

"I don't understand," Weiss managed to force out.

Naruto nodded. "It's a long story. A lot of information. Most of it won't mean anything to you. None of which I feel comfortable talking about."

Fair enough. Despite every instinct screaming at her to pry, Weiss held herself back.

"My team and I were fighting the enemy leader. The instigator of the war. I don't know what happened. One minute we were clashing; the next, I woke up a few kilometres outside a village to the north," Naruto sighed while gazing northward.

Weiss could see it. His mind truly was a blank space with no point of reference, where only one type of motion was possible. The motion of a human throat, swallowing.

"I eventually made my way to Vale upon the recommendation of one of the locals. Ran into you. Met Ozpin. Got invited to Beacon. I've only been on this continent for two damn months..."

Weiss swallowed. Two months. And before that, he'd been in the battle of his life. For all he knew, the war continued after he was gone. A lot could happen in two months. Everything could happen. No wonder he was trying to get home. A million thoughts rushed to the forefront of her mind. Luckily Naruto allowed her time to process.

Countless follow-up questions filled her mind. Who was he fighting? Where in the world could a war take place without any of the Kingdoms noticing? How badly was the war going that his home needed to involve children in the fighting? Weiss desperately wanted to ask all these questions. Yet at the same time, she was terrified to ask.

The strangest thing was that she believed him. She almost didn't want to believe him, but she found that no matter what, she did. On their own, objectively, Naruto's claims were outlandish. Like something out of fiction. But she believed him nonetheless. The way he spoke - the fragility in his voice. He was afraid. The way he held himself - so much less boisterous and confident than she'd ever remembered seeing him. He was unsure of his place in the world. The way he breathed - short and uneven. He was nervous about what she thought.

Much to Weiss' surprise, she found herself placing a hand on his forearm. To both of their surprise, she pulled him in for a hug.

The embrace was brief, lasting only seconds. Weiss took immediate notice of how warm he was. Did he usually run this hot? She smiled reflexively when he hugged her back, uncertainty in his movements. Cute.

After pulling away, she looked into his eyes. They seemed calmer. Still troubled, but no longer about her.

Weiss didn't know what to say. She settled for something simple. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I can't image the weight you're carrying."

The blond blinked in surprise. "You believe me?" He asked.

"Did you lie to me?" Weiss countered evenly.

Naruto immediately shook his head. "No. I -"

"- I know." Weiss cut him off. "You're a terrible liar. I know there's a lot more to it. But I know you're being honest."

Naruto frowned after a moment spent processing her words. "I'm not a terrible liar," he pouted.

With a slight tilt of her head, Weiss stared flatly. "Of course you are. It's the whole reason you've been blowing off the team. Because you can't just lie about what's bothering you."

"I haven't been blowing off the..." Naruto stopped at the deadpan stare he received. "Right..." he mumbled.

"I suppose that explains your increased time in the library..." Weiss trailed off. In reality, there was more to it. But her statement wasn't wrong.

Naruto remained still. "Well..." he started.

Weiss sat up straighter in her seat. She'd begun to slouch. "There's a bit more to it than that," Naruto stated hesitantly.

"Okay," Weiss replied evenly. This was more than she could have hoped for. There was no way she'd do anything other than pay rapt attention.

Naruto fidgeted with his hands. "What I'm about to say... You need to promise not to mention anything to the rest of the team," the blond shinobi requested.

Weiss' eyebrows rose to her hairline. Did that mean he... they, would be telling the rest of the team about everything up until this point?

"Okay. I promise," she replied reflexively.

Naruto nodded, then reached one arm across his torso, stretching his limb. "Things have been more hectic the past week because part of the deal I made with Ozpin was that I only had to attend the school for a month. After that, I'm free to leave if I want."

For some reason, the words cut like a knife through her chest. "You're leaving?" Weiss whispered.

Naruto remained silent.

He did say he had no intention of attending Beacon when they'd met. A horrible, ugly series of emotions bubbled up from someplace dark. Weiss' temper flared. There was so much to his statement that made her want to scream. She bit the inside of her cheek. When she tasted blood, she bit her tongue instead.

Naruto immediately noticed her temper spike.

"Weiss, I need to get home. My friends are dying."

The heiress felt her temper immediately be cut in half. Dying. The word resonated with her. She'd never had a friend die on her before. She'd never had anyone close to her killed. There had been attempts, sure. The White Fang was relentless at times. There had undoubtedly been SDC employees killed for their connection to the company, but she'd never known any of them. Yet their deaths still troubled her. Her father had called her ignorant of the world because of it. Maybe he was right.

Weiss couldn't imagine what it would feel like to have someone close to her killed while she was powerless to stop it. Not powerless, she realized. Too far away to stop it.

Suddenly, she could understand a little better. Naruto was taking every opportunity. Making every sacrifice to return home and save his people. And if the last week was any indication, he still hadn't figured out how.

But that still left the question, "How will leaving Beacon help you get home?"

Naruto blinked. "What do you mean?" He asked.

Weiss considered how to phrase her words. "I mean, what will you do if you don't find anything in the next week? Leave Beacon and go where?"

Naruto remained silent.

"Think about it, Naruto. Almost all of human and faunus knowledge is at our fingertips." Weiss fished her scroll out of her pocket to emphasize her point. "You can go through this anytime, anywhere."

"And I am!" Naruto cried.

"Okay. So what you're probably looking for is lesser-known knowledge. Stuff you'd only find in the most esoteric places."

Naruto looked around in confusion. "I guess?"

Weiss frowned. "Well, I hate to break it to you, but you do realize where you are, don't you? Ozpin wasn't kidding. Beacon is probably one of the oldest institutions with the largest collection of written knowledge. If there's any information on how to get you home, something not available on the CCTS network, then it's probably here. How is leaving this place going to help?"

The look on his face indicated Naruto was at a loss for words. "I-I could find another source..." he stumbled through his words.

"Like what?" Weiss challenged. "Another academy? There aren't a lot of information centres like Beacons. And if you do run off to another academy or kingdom, then what? You'll spend months earning the favour of whoever's in charge just to be met with a less comprehensive collection of knowledge?"

Naruto remained silent.

"Face it. Your best bet is to stay here. Just because you can leave after a month doesn't mean you have to."

Naruto closed his eyes and exhaled deeply.

"Besides, if you leave, you're running away from a whole team that wants to help you."

Naruto looked up and sighed. "No offence, but I'm almost through everything that Beacon has to offer. What exactly would you guys be able to do?"

Weiss glared at the blond. "No offence," she echoed. "But you're an idiot."

Naruto's face scrunched up.

"One of your teammates is the heiress to the wealthiest corporation on the planet. Seriously. We have almost as much money as the Kingdom of Vacuo. The entire Kingdom." Granted, Vacuo was the poorest of the four major kingdoms, but it was still a nation of several hundred million. That was a lot of tax money. "What do you think I could do with all those resources?"

Naruto appeared stunned. "You would do that for me? Use company resources to help me find a way home?"

Weiss simply flicked him on the forehead. A deep tenor sounded from the impact, and Naruto instinctively rubbed his head. Well, at least he wasn't hollow.

"Of course, I would. Without hesitation." Weiss replied.

Naruto seemed surprised. "We haven't really known each other that long. Are you sure it's okay?"

Weiss huffed. "Of course it's okay. So long as everything's within reason. I can't redirect billions of lien into funding an expedition into the unknown regions of the planet, but I could easily hire one of the best private investigators to look into the matter."

Naruto nodded reluctantly. "I... don't think it'll be as simple as finding it on a map, but I can run some ideas by you. Transportation semblances seem somewhat promising."

Naruto paused. He didn't sound particularly confident in his words.

"Even if there isn't a way home in that regard, there might be some level of connection between the person attacking my home and the Kingdoms of Remnant. Maybe she's been here before..."

Weiss paused. "Kingdoms of Remnant. Why phrase it like that?"

Naruto froze. "Ah, well... Where I'm from, we call the world the "Elemental Nations,' Remnant is a new term for me."

Weiss considered his words. They made sense. If he was from a place completely disconnected from the Kingdoms, how would they know to refer to the world as Remnant? Still, the world had been referred to as Remanat for a very long time. Just how far removed was Naruto's home to not know it? She'd make a note of these 'Elemental Nations.' It could be helpful.

Ultimately, Weiss nodded at his words.

"You're sure it's okay to use your family's resources to help me?" Naruto reiterated.

Weiss rolled her eyes and raised her hand to flick him again. Natuto's had quickly shot out and claspt hers. "Okay, okay," he stated hastily. "No need for violence. I just feel weird about it. I don't take charity well."

Weiss ignored the warmth of his grip. The rough callouses earned from years of combat. She certainly didn't think about the tangible strength that sat coiled within his lean hands.

"Weiss?" he questioned.

Weiss immediately pulled her hand back. She cleared her throat. "R-Right. We may not have known each other long, but I'm not ashamed to say you're one of my closest friends. So this isn't charity. It's helping a friend in need."

Despite her words, she could feel the heat creep up her neck. She was aware of the redness that kissed the tips of her ears.

"That goes for all of Team RYBWN," Weiss quickly added.

Nice save.

"I guess we both had difficulty making friends while growing up." Naruto smiled sadly. "All because of what we are," he mumbled quietly. That last part clearly wasn't meant for her ears. She chose not to comment on it.

They remained in a comfortable silence for the next few minutes.

"You know," Weiss offered. Naruto's gaze connected with hers. "Whatever happened to you. Whatever brought you here. It could have happened to the person you were fighting too. If that's true... there's a chance your friends are okay."

Weiss regretted the words immediately after they left her mouth. She didn't want to give him false hope. There was the very real possibility his friends weren't okay. But Naruto would be more aware of that than anything. He'd probably been thinking about how all his friends were dying for the past two months. It could be enough to drive a man mad.

Against Weiss' expectations, Naruto barked in laughter, startling her. At her raised brow, he offered an explanation. "It's something I've considered. Part of me hopes it's true."

Weiss prompted him to continue with a small hand gesture.

"If she's here, she's laying low. Which means she's as messed up as I am. Because there's no way she wouldn't have either left or torn down the kingdoms. Another option is that she got sent somewhere else. Somewhere... further away."

The way he phrased that was curious. Weiss wasn't sure what it was, but his tone seemed off. She dropped the thought. She wasn't working with the whole story. Of course, his words seemed strange. Something else caught her attention, however.

"As messed up as you are?" The white-clad girl parroted his words. Naruto raised a brow. "You said she might be as messed up as you are? What do you mean by that? You seem fine."

Naruto froze, and his eyes widened.

"Are you hurt?" Weiss asked. A small bead of panic welled up in her. "Sick?"

Naruto struggled with his words. "N-no. Maybe. I don't think so?" he offered in confusion.

Weiss narrowed her eyes. Naruto had said he and his team were fighting someone who had declared war on his home. It made sense that this person was extremely powerful. They would have to be in order to start a war. Granted, Weiss had no way of knowing how big Naruto's homeland was, how many people were involved, or the general scale of it all. But for Naruto to be fighting the leader of an invading nation...

"Naruto." His eyes snapped to her. "Just how strong are you?"

He said he was 'messed up' from his journey to the Kingdoms, yet as far as she could recall, she'd never seen him struggle in any kind of fight as far as she could remember, even against Yang. Well, there was the time he got stabbed by some nobody...

Naruto refused to meet her eyes. "Not as strong as I used to be..." He muttered.

What did that mean?

Upon reading the confusion in her body language, Naruto groaned. "Promise not to say anything to the team? At least, not yet?"

Oh. So it was a very sensitive subject again, was it? He knew he could just pass the information off as too personal. He didn't have to tell her. Part of Weiss felt a small amount of joy knowing that he trusted her enough with this. That he trusted her more than the rest of the team. She didn't know what to think about that. Should she feel guilty?

She nodded instead.

Naruto released a long hum. "Weiss," he addressed her. The girl tilted her head expectantly. "I used to be a goddamn force of fucking nature."

He seemed oddly pleased.

...

And he was entirely too casual with the way he worded that.

After several moments of silence, Weiss responded. "And you're not anymore? You seem plenty strong." Her tone was skeptical. Mainly directed at his boisterous claim.

Naruto's shoulders sagged. "Not like I used to be. Whatever brought me here crippled me. My strength, at least."

Again, for whatever reason, Weiss believed him.

"Care to explain?" She asked.

Naruto shook his head. "No. Definitely no. Not yet. Maybe..." he was struggling. "Maybe I'll show you one day. Not now. It's too much."

Weiss didn't understand what was confusing about it. Although... she was supposed she was already pretty damned confused.

Huh.

"So," Weiss started. "You're from a very far away land. One that was at war. In an epic clash again the powerful enemy leader, you suddenly found yourself transported to these lands, stripped of most of your power. You now search for a way home, all while trying to keep those close to you at arms reach. Did I miss anything?"

Naruto cupped his chin. "When you say it like that, it almost sounds made up."

Weiss hummed. "Should I give Blake the spark notes? Think she can recognize the book title?"

Naruto gave her a flat look.

Weiss smiled. "You know, the SDC is considering going into the entertainment industry. Think I could use your story as our premiere show?"

"You're mocking me," Naruto stated flatly.

Weiss smiled. "Yes."

"But you believe me?"

"Yes," Weiss nodded.

"Even though it sounds ridiculous. And even knowing that I'm leaving out a lot of details."

It really was outlandish. Weiss nodded anyway.

"Why?" Naruto asked.

Weiss considered her answer. There was a lot to consider. "Because," she began. "I'm good at reading people. My whole life, I've been surrounded by those who refuse to be honest with me. All the company employees and business associates... sycophants, the lot of them."

A frown marred her pretty features. She forced it away.

"Being a Schnee has always painted a target on my family's backs," Weiss added.

"Whenever there was a White Fang..." She paused abruptly. "Whenever my family was put in danger for being who we were, my siblings and I would be sequestered away to different safe houses. My father never had the courtesy to keep us in the loop. He'd lie or deflect. I would spend hours, sometimes days, wondering if my sister or brother were still alive."

Naruto shifted uncomfortably.

Weiss shook her head to clear the haze. That had been unexpectedly personal. "That's why I like your company. You've never had a problem being honest with me. Even after you found out who I was. Especially after you found out who I was."

Naruto nodded.

"So that's how I know you're telling the truth. And if you're not... If somehow you've managed to pull the wool over my eyes... Then I'll destroy you."

Weiss flashed an innocent smile. A pretty smile. There was no hesitation in her body language. No sign of malice nor humour.

"You're scary. You know that?" Naruto shuddered as he spoke.

Weiss beamed at him.

"You know, Weiss." The girl hummed in response. "You remind me a lot of my teammate, Sasuke." Weiss's interest was once again piqued. "And my mother, if the stories are true."

Weiss recoiled. That was not something a girl wanted to hear from a boy.

Upon noticing her reaction, Naruto raised his hands. "It's the highest compliment I can think of! Apparently, my mom was a badass!"

Weiss released a small huff of air in amusement. A moment later, she posed an interesting series of questions. "You miss them a lot, don't you?"

Naruto smiled sadly. "Yeah. I do."

Weiss nodded. "Missing someone is different for everyone. What's it like for you?"

Naruto's raised an eyebrow.

"What's it like?" The blond echoed her question. He took a moment to think. He thought of the pain he felt with their absence. He remembered the good times with them. They were some of the best he'd ever had. Finally, he thought of where they would all have ended up in the far future.

"Good. And bad. An ache that brings you joy." He smiled warmly. "I think of my friends a lot. I dream up these silly scenarios, in a lot of detail. Of living with them after the war… it comforts me."

There was a pause and a sigh. Then he turned his eyes to her. "What about you, snowflake? You missing someone?"

Weiss looked down and mirrored his sad smile. "My sister, Winter."

Naruto hummed. "What's she like?"

Weiss looked up in surprise. After a moment, she locked eyes with him. "Tell me about them?" She asked. "And I'll tell you about Winter."

Naruto shifted his head back and forth, a sign of his indecision. Eventually, he nodded. "Sure. Why not?"

Weiss smiled.

"My mom was great. But Sasuke? Meh."

Weiss frowned.

xXx

Naruto gazed at the ceiling of his room. His evening with Weiss had been many things. Terrifying. Exciting. Liberating.

Overall, it was a positive experience. How the girl had convinced him to talk was astonishing. He'd been so sure that he could keep things to himself until the time came to leave. And now? A single conversation with his temperamental little snowflake, and he was genuinely considering staying for the foreseeable future.

A lot of what the girl had said made sense. Kaguya possibly being weakened. The futility of leaving Beacon. Teammates who were willing to help. All things he'd thought of himself, but significantly more impactful once he spoke them to another person. Or maybe it was just Weiss herself that made things seem just a little more real.

Naruto yawned. He was exhausted. They had remained in that park for hours talking. And not just about mundane subjects. Those were some heavy topics. Friends, family, and his village, just to name a few. There was so much he still wasn't ready to tell her. And to be honest, he wasn't sure if he ever would be. He'd been surprised by how accepting she'd been of the fact. He supposed she was just happy to have him talking.

And it was talking about things that had eased his guilt. For the first time, it didn't feel like he'd made the wrong decision to join a team. Make friends. It honestly made him a little suspicious. Things had gone questioningly well. And until this point, he was beginning to think he was cursed. Or maybe it was the entire world that was cursed? Such a precarious place. Nothing ever worked out the way he wanted.

The biggest energy drainer of the night had been their return to the dorms. Weiss had somehow managed to convince him to speak with the rest of the team about what he'd disclosed to her. Thankfully, as promised, he'd left out the topic of his possible departure, as well as his crippled strength levels. Those would have been too much. Weiss even knowing about them was one thing; she practically forced the information out of him. But the rest of the team knowing would be too much of a headache, at least for now. He'd probably end up telling them at some point. Maybe when he left Beacon. If he ended up doing so.

Weiss had been fairly persuasive. Offering her family's resources was a tempting offer, and he wasn't sure if the offer still stood in the event he left. Knowing Weiss, it probably did. He'd have to be conscious of what he disclosed, and there would be limitations to it, but a professional investigator was not something to scoff at. Maybe he could convince their R&D department to build him a way home. He scoffed. That sounded far-fetched just thinking about it.

Naruto's thoughts drifted to his ashen-haired teammate. The girl was something else entirely. Unexpectedly compassionate. A surprisingly good listener. Beautiful. Intelligent.

The girl's outlook on her family's business spoke volumes about her character. Naruto would never have guessed she held such strong opinions. He got the feeling she'd never discussed them with anyone before. It made him feel oddly affectionate towards her.

Strange.

'It's not that strange if you think about it.'

Naruto froze.

What the fuck?

'Kurama?'

'Hey, kid. Long time no talk.'

xXx

A/N: Damn, there's a lot to dissect here. LOTS to dissect. Feel free to skip all this; it's just basically one big rant.

Most pressingly, yes, Kurama is back. Most of you should have been expecting it. I practically said as much. He was always intended to be part of the story. His return may seem somewhat random, but that's the point. I could have had him return in some cinematic action sequence where he saves Naruto's ass... but I didn't wanna. That's not really how life works. I mean, it could be since I'm the writer, but that trope is so exhaustingly overdone. If you want that, just watch the anime. It happens like 50 times. There's something just so normal about Kurama returning in an inconspicuous moment. Like he just woke up from a nap he forgot to set an alarm for.

As for the whole 'Naruto revealing bits of his past' aspect, I enjoyed writing it a lot, but I'm still unsure of how I feel regarding its timing in the story. I hope the scene didn't feel rushed. I hate when chapters leave you on a cliffhanger where characters are pissed at each other, so I didn't have it in me to write it. If that comes with the trade-off of a rushed scene, it's a consequence I'll begrudgingly accept.

As mentioned in the above author's note, I don't think I'm good at writing arguments. Plus, no matter how I went about things, I couldn't find a way to write the scenes so they didn't seem rushed. I know some of you may feel like this conflict between Naruto and his team came out of nowhere. It doesn't, but it kinda does, ya know? Things have been eating at him over the past month. The past week, in particular, due to his self-imposed deadline coming up, it had to boil over eventually. Perhaps I could have given it more time to simmer, but I really didn't want to dedicate another chapter/10,000 words to it. This isn't an angst fic. Regardless, if anyone finds the tension/conflict there rushed/out of place, you're not the only one. This might be the first instance of me actually agreeing with someone criticizing the pacing of the story.

Weiss/Naruto bonding is always fun to write. Everyone keep in mind that we're 120,000 words in; we're bloody moving out of medium-burn and sliding right into slow-burn! Plus, the two have known each other for about a month. As a frame of reference for anyone worrying about a rushed relationship, I started dating my fiancée after knowing her for 15 days. And we've been together for 10 years. Naruto and Weiss aren't even at that stage yet, but damn, we've gotta make some headway here.

Finally, developing Weiss' character is a lot of fun. Her personality is coming along faster than in canon, that's for sure. I blame Naruto. Also, her ambitions toward the SDC are my own take on things. Call it OOC, call it AU; giving her that ambition gives her more depth of character. Also, I know her ambition seems like it was pre-existing, like she felt that way before knowing Naruto. This is true. I like it better this way. Holding your own opinions independent of someone else makes for a more interesting character.

Last chapter before the poll ends!