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.

12. But I Don't Know Anything About Dating

A/N: So here's chapter 12. As promised, it's only been a week. Based on the title, I'm sure you've figured out what this chapter is about. I'll put a disclaimer here and now: I don't understand teenagers and haven't for a long time. I don't really get how they think except that they're "supposed" to be impulsive. I'm not sure how applicable that is to our main pairing. Anyway, I didn't really want to pretend to understand something I didn't, so I didn't. Instead, I applied my own understanding of how relationships and first dates should go. If characters are uncharacteristically mature, then that's why.

Check the below author's note. I'll need some input from you guys to determine the flow of the story from here on out.

xXx

Naruto's eyes widened as the rush of free-fall shot a healthy dose of adrenaline into his system. The sensation was short-lived, milliseconds if it were to be measured, as his hand quickly shot up to catch his drooping head. The blond suppressed a yawn. His study partner probably wouldn't appreciate his inattentiveness if she were to look his way. Glancing across the table, Naruto's eyes scanned the various books, notebooks, and writing utensils sprawled across the wood surface. Pens, pencils, and highlighters of different colours greeted him. It was a far cry from his own single pencil and notebook.

Blue eyes travelled up and rested upon a crown of snow-white hair. Weiss, his aforementioned study partner, was scribbling away in her notebook. Soft creases marred her forehead, and she wore a cute frown. The girl certainly was focused. Most other times, she could easily recognize when his attention span reached its limit.

Naruto tilted his head in consideration. The girl had been acting strangely for the past few days, ever since his rescue in the Emerald Forest. She hadn't exactly been treating him differently per se, but she'd been spending an exorbitant amount of time with him. Not that the blond was complaining. Her company was always welcomed. Since, perhaps, one of his most undisclosed vices was that he really did enjoy being doted on. It was the same with Tsunade. The same with Shizune. The same with Sakura. This time it was with Weiss, and for some reason, it almost felt like he was indulging in a guilty pleasure.

The blond shinobi's head bobbed as he wove his pencil between his fingers. The rhythmic scratching of pen on paper filled the airwaves, disrupting the relative silence of the common area they sat in. Glancing around the large room, he noted with idle boredom that they weren't the only students stuck studying during this fine afternoon. Emphasis on 'fine.'

The weather outside, as it had been lately, was perfect. Warm, sunny, and the ever-present aroma of nature made for a comforting, if not a slightly painful, reminder of home. Honestly, if he were to be blindfolded, he might have been able to convince himself he was still in the Land of Fire. Such were the similarities across the other senses. The smell of the air. The touch of the grass. The sound of nature.

But it wasn't home. The differences were small. Barely noticeable. But they were there. The vegetation was different. The climate was slightly too cool for this time of year. There was a barely noticeable chemical taste in the air. But damn, if it didn't feel good to ignore those inconsistencies.

A distant sneeze broke the blond from his musings. He smiled to himself. He really was toeing the line now. It was as if he wanted Weiss to catch him zoning out. Naruto shrugged internally. Really though, the heiress' bite had long since worn out, and they both knew it. Nowadays, he'd found himself getting away with a lot more around the girl. She still liked to chew him out in public, for appearance's sake, of course. But when they were alone together, or at the very least, out of the limelight as they were now, the white-clad girl was content to allow much of his 'annoying habits' slide.

Naruto extended his arms in a stretch. It started with the upper body, then made its way further down, eventually reaching his toes. His muscles buzzed in muted pleasure as several joints in his neck, back, and tailbone popped satisfyingly. He glanced at his right arm, eying the slightly discoloured skin. Aura certainly was incredible. It had been three days since his escapade in the Emerald Forest, and already his injuries had completely healed. Granted, his Uzumaki longevity undoubtedly played a role in his recovery. But still. Three days? His wounds were definitely beyond the scope of three days.

The blond suppressed a groan as he eyed his notebook. Right. The reason they, and several other students, were locked away. A cram session. There was a test in Oobleck's class tomorrow. A big one too. As the end of the semester slowly approached, many students began to feel the pressure of exam week. He scoffed. Exam week. More like exam month. With such a wide variety of classes for the student body to choose from, the only way to not 'overwhelm' some of the upperclassmen was for exams to be interposed throughout the entire month. This supposedly helped prevent double bookings, or at the very least, helped increase the amount of time students had to prepare.

And while not every professor chose to end their semester with a final exam, Oobleck had. Naruto wasn't sure how to feel about that. Between a presentation in Professor Peach's class, a practical exam in Goodwitch's class, and a speech in Professor Port's class, Naruto almost preferred the written exam. Almost. He hated written tests. Too much pressure. While most of his other miscellaneous classes also called for a written exam, Professor Oobleck's would likely be the most difficult. The man was a stickler for details.

This wouldn't be too bad if only Kurama was willing to play ball.

'C'mon, please —'

'Fuck off.'

And that was that. Naruto had been periodically and respectfully requesting assistance from his partner, only to be met with similar responses. There wasn't even a point in arguing; the fox had made it clear he was 'above such petty uses.'

As petty as it was, it felt like a waste for someone with an eidetic memory to not help his brother-in-arms out.

...

Yeah, no response. The fox was decided.

Naruto frowned. It looked like he was doing it the old-fashioned way. He and Weiss had been studying for hours over the past three days. Between this class and all the rest, they and the team's schedules had been relatively packed.

"You know," came a familiar voice, "If I wanted a study partner who only wants to daydream, I would have asked Yang."

Naruto grinned.

"But if I wasn't here, who would you stare longingly at when you thought they weren't paying attention?"

Weiss' eyes widened, and immediately a blush started to form across the bridge of her nose.

Naruto laughed. Sometimes, teasing the girl was too easy. He wasn't blind, after all. Between the teasing from his team, offhanded comments from Kurama, and his own observations, it was apparent the girl held feelings for him. Not to mention, there was that embrace in the Emerald Forest. The full extent of those feelings, however, was still up for debate. Hopefully, they didn't go further than a slight crush. In his eyes, if her feelings ran deeper, it could be problematic, especially considering his own feelings toward the girl. Logically, the best-case scenario would be that the two maintain a platonic, if a somewhat flirty, relationship.

Naruto ignored the traitorous feeling of disappointment which came with that thought.

"Oh, please," Weiss replied. There was a sweet mixture of levity and embarrassment in her tone. "You're not the only attractive blond around."

As Naruto had learned over the past two months, that was Weiss' style of flirting. Weave in a compliment while being dismissive. Though, the shinobi was surprised at the lack of an insult sprinkled in. He supposed he had caught the girl off guard, and not every response could be a hit. Especially with someone as rigid about it as Weiss. But then again, that was part of her charm, wasn't it?

"Oh? So you do want to study with Yang?" Naruto replied humorously. Despite the steadiness of his words, he could feel the tips of his ears begin to burn.

Ultimately, she was still charming.

Weiss' response came as somewhat of a surprise. The blond had expected some stuttering on her end. Maybe some denial or annoyance at the suggestion. Instead, she fixed him with a surprisingly direct stare. It was borderline intense. "Not exactly," she replied evenly.

Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat at her simple answer. That was the other thing; Weiss could be alarmingly confident given the proper motivation.

"So you're saying you want to study with Jaune?" Naruto winced at the tone of his voice. He sounded decidedly more awkward now. Had Weiss seriously flipped the script that quickly? Sometimes he wanted to curse how fast of a learner she was.

Weiss hummed in thought. "No, he's not nearly as pleasant to be around as you are." Naruto could feel the heat in his face begin to spread. "Plus, I don't think Pyrrha would appreciate it if I asked him over."

"No, probably not." The shinobi agreed lamely.

Weiss' gaze remained completely neutral. If Naruto didn't know her better, he'd be worried she was upset. But that wasn't why he was worried.

"Then it looks like I'm stuck with you for now." The ashen-haired beauty replied coolly.

There was just something about the way she was looking at him. The piercing stare. The frostiness of her gaze. The all-around near-emotionless look. But it wasn't emotionless, was it? It was the opposite. It was a look of control. A glimpse of someone restraining their emotions, not being devoid of them. That, combined with her cute blush, made for an undeniably attractive visage.

Good Kami.

Naruto suppressed a growl of frustration. He'd lost this round, and he knew it. Weiss' satisfied smirk let him know that she was also aware of her victory.

He'd been losing to her a lot more lately. Why? Was she just that good now?

'That's not it, kid.'

Naruto rolled his eyes internally. 'I'm guessing you're about to educate me then, right?'

'Of course. Willful ignorance is unbecoming of my partner.'

Great. It didn't take a genius to realize what the fox was about to drone on about.

'The girl has been running circles around you because you have romantic feelings for her. Obviously.'

Naruto frowned.

'Not even going to deny it?'

'I mean, I don't know if I would go as far as to say romantic feelings.'

'I would. And you shouldn't lie to yourself.'

Naruto ignored his partner. 'I do care for her.'

'Of course you do. You also care for the rest of your team. But can you honestly say that what you feel for them even comes close to what you feel for her?'

Naruto remained silent. If he was being honest, he'd prefer not to think about it.

...

Too late for that.

It wasn't like Naruto hadn't entertained the idea. Of a relationship. But really, what the hell did he know about them in the first place? He didn't really have much in the way of positive role models.

Jiraiya, constantly pining after a woman in love with someone else. Drowning himself in cheap drinks and cheaper women to compensate. Tsunade, perpetually stuck in the past. A perfect example of a broken heart unable to move on. Kakashi, more interested in his books than a real relationship. A fine example of a man afraid to deepen his bonds.

Yeah, they were useless role models.

'That's not true. They're not completely useless. They can be used as bad examples.'

True.

Naruto scoffed to himself. Never mind his lack of knowledge of relationships, what the hell did he even know about romantic feelings in general?

The closest he'd ever come to that was his childhood crush on Sakura. At the time, he believed so strongly it was love. Looking back, he now knew it to be infatuation. His feelings towards Weiss felt decidedly different. What was he supposed to make of that?

'Isn't that a good thing?'

Naruto frowned. 'What do you mean?'

'Well, you know you're not infatuated with Weiss, but you still feel something. Sounds to me like a good starting point.'

Naruto pressed his lips together tightly. Maybe. But there was so much else to consider. So much more to worry about. Most pressing was the question: was this really the best place for it? Here, while he was gallivanting around Remnant?

He needed to go home.

Glancing back toward the woman across the table, his eyebrows rose in surprise. She seemed... even more distracted than he was. He could almost see the gears turning.

Is this what other people saw in him when he got lost in thought?

Perhaps sensing eyes on herself, Weiss' gaze sharpened, and she focused on him. Expressive ice-blue eyes met his own cerulean orbs. Her mouth opened slightly as if she wanted to say something. Whatever it might have been, it died in her throat as she seemingly reconsidered.

Naruto's gaze drifted to her swan-like neck. His eyes traced her throat as she swallowed. Almost nervously.

Whatever their feelings were towards each other, they needed to remain as they were. He'd have to hope Weiss was somewhat traditional. If she was, he wouldn't have to worry about her making the first move.

Weiss chose to break the silence with a question. "Did you want to head into the city on Saturday?"

Naruto tilted his head. The question seemed to come out of left field. But he couldn't deny that the suggestion sounded pleasant. A team outing was just what he needed. It would be a good distraction from all these pesky feelings.

"As a date," she added quickly, almost as an afterthought.

...

Ah fuck.

Naruto's thoughts ground to a halt.

'Oh shit, what the hell?'

As his neurons successfully underwent a system reboot, the first thought that came to mind was just how utterly poor of timing Weiss had.

Other than that, Naruto was struggling to think of much else. It seemed they'd both been thinking along the same lines until now.

'Snap out of it. She's waiting for an answer.'

Sure enough, the white-clad girl was patiently staring at him. Her gaze was even. Steady. Focused. Naruto met her eyes, and surprisingly, she didn't look away. Neither did he. Though the steady reddening of her pale features made it clear it took some effort.

Despite his hesitation, Weiss was maintaining her composure remarkably well.

What was he supposed to say? The practical side of his brain wanted to immediately decline. Turn her down gently. He had just been thinking about how a relationship wasn't a good idea. The other part of his brain, the much louder part, was screaming at him to consider the invitation.

Why would he do that?

There were so many reasons why it was a bad idea. Naruto sighed. So why did the prospect of rejecting her feel so wrong as well? Why did his stomach tighten and his chest feel heavy at the idea of saying no?

He didn't need to be a genius to figure it out.

"Weiss..." Naruto began. The young woman interrupted him before he could further vocalize his disorganized thoughts. Probably for the best, he still had no idea what to say.

"Do you not want to? Go on a date?" The heiress asked.

Naruto noted her tone was far less emotional than he would have expected. If there was concern over rejection, she'd buried it deep. Fortified herself against it.

"That's not it," the blond replied automatically. He almost froze at how quickly and naturally the words came out. That, and because of the naked truth to them.

Weiss tilted her head curiously. "Then what's wrong?"

Naruto wrestled with his words. In the end, he figured being open mattered the most here. Weiss wasn't psychic; she couldn't read his mind. And no matter how uncomfortable it was to vocalize his thoughts and feelings, he owed it to them both to try. If he could avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings, he would. Besides, maybe she'd understand.

"It's just," Naruto began to fidget uncomfortably, "you know I need to get home, right?"

Weiss' eyes widened slightly in surprise. She nodded slowly. "Yes, I'm fully aware of that fact."

Naruto frowned. Didn't she see the problem then?

Weiss frowned at his frown. "I don't understand. Would going on a date somehow impair your ability to get home?"

Naruto paused. What?

"No, but that's not what I'm trying to say," the blond replied. At Weiss' expectant look, he continued. "I don't know if starting a relationship is a good idea when I don't know how or when I'll be going home."

Weiss' look turned flat. "First of all," she started, tone dry. "Bold for you to assume we'd be starting a relationship after just one date. You seem to be very confident in your ability to court me."

Naruto raised a brow. Was she trying to lighten the mood?

"Secondly, even when you find a way home, I don't see how that affects any potential relationships you form."

Naruto's stomach dropped. Of course she wouldn't see how going home would change things. She still didn't know where home truly was. The thought made him uneasy. He knew that he'd have to tell her the complete truth at some point, especially if he wanted any tangible results to turn up.

But wait. What was that part about a date not being the catalyst to a relationship? He shook his head. Ignore that. Surely there were more pressing matters, right?

...

"Can we go back a second?" The blond asked. Weiss nodded slowly, then gestured for him to continue. "If we're going on a date, doesn't that mean we're dating? Hence, a relationship?"

Weiss' eyes widened. And despite the seriousness of their conversation up until now, she failed to entirely suppress her laugh.

Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"No," the white-clad girl answered with an amused smile. "Going on a date is not the same as dating."

Naruto tossed his hands up and frowned. "What? How the hell does that make sense?"

Weiss laughed at his apparent chagrin. "You go on dates with people to determine whether or not you're compatible for dating. Did no one ever teach you this?" She asked in genuine surprise.

Naruto shook his head reluctantly. "No. I didn't have many role models growing up regarding dating." He frowned deeply as he once again thought of his three parental figures.

Still, it was nice to clear up that misunderstanding. He supposed this was the value of open and honest communication.

A thought struck the blond. His inexperience must have been obvious by now. "Do..." he addressed the heiress. "Do you have experience dating?"

Naruto couldn't explain why he chose to go down this rabbit hole.

Weiss' amused smile slowly tightened. "No," she replied honestly. "I know how it works in theory. But until now, I had always assumed dating was a luxury I would never get to enjoy. Arranged marriages are all the rage in Atlesian high society."

Naruto's stomach dropped.

"So you're -"

"- No," Weiss replied definitively. "I'm not engaged. Not that I know of."

The answer caused a flood of relief to pool into Naruto's stomach. Geez. Talk about being all over the place. Did he really have any right to feel this way when he was actively looking for reasons to turn the girl down?

Weiss laughed humorlessly. "I think Winter might actually kill my father if he tried to arrange something like that. But only if I don't kill him first."

Naruto nodded. The two remained silent for several moments. As much as they had discussed, there was still a lot troubling him. Likely sensing this, Weiss' attentiveness began to show as she brought up his earlier sparsely discussed point.

"Look, Naruto," Weiss began. The blond matched her gaze. Anxiety dominated her aura. It was oddly relaxing to see.

"I know you're worried about getting home." Naruto nodded. This was his primary grievance. "But do you want to go on a date with me?" Her tone was curious. Hopeful.

The blond paused. Before he could think of a response, Weiss continued. "Don't think about home. Put it out of your mind. Don't think about school. Don't think about what comes after the date. Is going on a date something you would like?"

When put like that, it didn't seem quite so complicated. Truthfully, a date with Weiss sounded pleasant. Nerve-wracking, sure, but it sounded like fun. He liked her. He enjoyed her company. And they got along well. What was a single date compared to their many evenings spent hanging out together?

Naruto slowly nodded. It took him a moment longer to find his voice. "Yeah. Yeah, a date sounds good."

Only after those words were spoken did the tension in Weiss' shoulders bleed away. Naruto was momentarily surprised. It only now occurred to him that she was taking an incredible risk by asking him out. She'd been so cool and calm about it; it was easy to forget that she was probably just as uncomfortable as he was.

Hmm. Uncomfortable wasn't the right word. Nervous fit better.

"You know, I've got a lot of baggage," Naruto commented idly in an attempt to inject some levity into the situation.

Weiss smiled an affectionate smile. "I'm aware. But I'm already interested in you."

Naruto's breath caught in his throat. How she could say something like that with a straight face was beyond him. But the redness of her cheeks reminded him that it couldn't have been easy.

"So it looks like I'm stuck with you for now," the heiress continued pleasantly.

Naruto felt warmth bloom in his chest.

"But in all seriousness," Weiss spoke. Her tone had shifted to something sterner. "I'd like to think I know better than most about your baggage. And even now, I know it runs deeper."

Naruto nodded hesitantly.

"But I'm not," she swallowed. "I'm not perfect either. No matter how hard that is to believe."

Naruto rolled his eyes at the apparent joke.

"I'm not asking for a commitment. I just want a night out to see how things go. It could be a one-off thing. A pleasant memory for us to look back on fondly."

Naruto frowned. Why did that prospect upset him?

"Or maybe," the ashen-haired girl hesitated. "Maybe it could lead to more. If so, we'll talk about it like we are now."

Naruto nodded wordlessly. He didn't particularly trust his voice right now.

Weiss appeared conflicted. It looked like she wanted to say more. But it had already been a heavy conversation, and she knew it.

Before she could decide on what to do, Naruto took the initiative. "So, Saturday. When and where?" He asked.

Weiss smiled gratefully. "Meet me at the Beacon Bullhead stop. 6:00 pm. Dress nicely, but nothing too over the top."

Naruto nodded in confirmation.

Weiss nodded back somewhat awkwardly. "Okay," she said. "On that note, I'm tired and feeling overwhelmed. I'm going to head back." With those words, she began to pack her belongings away.

Naruto released a long breath. "Right," he breathed.

As Weiss finished packing the last of her belongings, she fixed him with one last affectionate look. "Try not to stay up too late. We still have class tomorrow. And you should still be resting after what happened in the Emerald Forest."

Naruto nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"Goodnight," she replied pleasantly, a pleased grin adorning her face.

With that, Naruto watched as the white-clad girl left their study table and quickly disappeared from the corner of his vision.

For a moment, Naruto didn't blink. He didn't move. He barely breathed.

What the hell had he gotten himself into?

'That's my human!' Kurama growled in approval.

'Well, look who it is. You were rather quiet that whole time, weren't you?'

'Of course I was. The last thing your little monkey brain needed was a distraction.'

Right. Of course.

'Still, I have to say I'm impressed. I know your little girlfriend literally did all the work there, but you managed to not screw it up. Good job.'

Naruto sighed. While the girlfriend comment was irksome, he wouldn't bother arguing over it. Kurama only said it to annoy him.

'Seriously, Naruto. Cheer up. This is a good thing, isn't it? You've had a crush on this girl for a while now. I'd have assumed you'd be in better spirits.'

Naruto thought back. Had he been crushing on Weiss for a while now?It was hard to say.

'No, it's not hard to say. I'm in your head, remember? I knew exactly when your feelings moved past platonic, even if you didn't.'

'Wait, seriously? How does that work exactly?'

The fox scoffed. 'If you must know, it's all chemicals. Dopamine, Serotonin, Oxytocin. Humans are so reliant on chemical reactions to drive their survival instincts. It's weird.'

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

'Anyway, the point is, I know exactly when these chemicals reached an uptake. It was just after your Forever Fall field trip.'

Naruto sighed. While the biology - or was it chemistry? - lesson was appreciated; the news wasn't all that surprising. Their long conversation after their big argument would have also been his guess. So much trust had been placed into Weiss that night. So much comfort had been found in her.

'I think you're missing the problem here, Kurama.'

'No, I understand your concerns. But you would do well to remember Weiss' words.'

Naruto paused, then sighed.

'At the end of the day, I'm going to be leaving Remnant. I have an obligation to the people back home. If Weiss and I start dating, it will only hurt us both when the time comes for me to leave.'

'That's the same logic you used to try and distance yourself from your team. And in the end, it couldn't prevent you from growing close regardless. Now look. You're happy, are you not?'

Another frown made its way onto Naruto's face. He was.

'Plus, long-distance relationships are a thing, you know? Shikamaru and Temari? They live a continent apart.'

'Weiss and I are worlds apart. And we have no way of knowing if we'll be able to stay in contact once I go back.'

'Well, you're not worlds apart right now. And you have no way of knowing if you won't be able to stay in contact.'

Naruto released a deep breath. He supposed he couldn't argue with either of those points.

'It's okay to enjoy what happiness you can find in the moment. Don't miss what's right in front of you because you're constantly looking toward the future.'

That... was surprisingly good advice.

'Also, remember what Weiss said. This date doesn't have to lead to anything more than just a pleasant night out. If either of you aren't feeling it, that can be the end of it.'

That was true.

'On the other hand, maybe it does lead to something more. Don't worry too much about that. Who's to say how you'll feel about things a week or a month from now. Hell, two months ago, you didn't want anything to do with Beacon or anyone involved with it. Now look at you.'

That was... also true.

'Just,' the fox seemed to consider his words. 'Just try to focus more on your happiness. Don't drown yourself in a sense of duty. Especially if it's unnecessary.'

When phrased like that, how could he not?

'I'll... Try.'

'Okay. Good.'

Naruto suppressed a yawn. It was getting late. Most of the student body had already moved from the common area. He glanced at his poorly kept notebook and sighed. Was it enough to pass his exam? Probably. Was it enough to keep Weiss off his back? Probably not. He smiled idly at the thought of his teammate.

Shaking his head, the blond began to gather his few belongings.

'Hey Kurama, in terms of studying -'

'- Fuck off.'

Right. Whatever.

xXx

Weiss huffed as her hurried footsteps took her away from the common area she and Naruto had just been in. She stopped only after her near-panicked feet had taken her far enough away to not be spotted should the blond leave immediately after her. The ashen-haired girl took one large gasp of air. Had she really just done that? She had, hadn't she? She'd gone and asked her teammate and friend out on a date. Brothers above, what the hell was she thinking?

...

So what was with this overwhelming sense of joy?

Weiss could feel her emotions run rampant throughout her chest. Happiness, surprise, anxiety. All these and much more had elevated the girl's adrenaline levels. Now that relief had set in, she found that she was already on the verge of crashing. She really should go lie down.

Yeah. She'd earned that much.

Making her way back to her dormitory, the young heiress couldn't help but reflect on her decision today. Asking Naruto out on a date. Why?

Well, the why was obvious. She held a vested romantic interest in the boy, and she had for some time. So why now? Try as she might, she couldn't help but frown at the only answer that came to mind. Naruto's escapade into the Emerald Forest undoubtedly catalyzed her decision. A decision which, while not planned out, had been a long time coming. Was it in poor taste that it took a life-or-death situation for her to ask out the boy she liked?

Yes. Maybe. Who the hell knew?

Weiss chuckled sardonically. She supposed the only thing that could have been even more cliché would have been to ask him out during the emotionally charged Bullhead ride home, where his injuries were still fresh and his mind still hazy.

The white-clad girl sighed as she neared her dorm's entrance. So what if the reason for asking him out was cliché? It didn't really matter. Clichés were called such for a reason. It was because they were common. And they were common because they were successful.

Flowing through the motions of entering her dorm room, Weiss was greeted by three sets of expectant eyes. The young woman paused in mild surprise.

"What?" She snapped at her team.

The three occupants of the room continued to stare at her questioningly. Weiss frowned, rolled her eyes, then bent down to remove her heels. Whatever they were looking for, she wasn't in the mood to entertain them. Unfortunately, despite her attempts, the heiress couldn't help but feel her face heat up.

What in Brothers name did they want? Did they know? Had they been spying on her? Above all, why did she care?

After removing her shoes, the girl quickly ducked into the washroom to begin her nightly routine. Remove make-up. Check. Change into pyjamas. Check. Brush her teeth. Check. Throughout all this, the remainder of Team RYBWN kept suspiciously quiet. It was almost unnerving.

Weiss sighed as she rested her forehead on the bathroom door, bracing herself for the coming awkwardness. While she'd set a leisurely pace during her nightly routine, she was going to have to leave the bathroom now. If those dorks wanted to continue their weird game of silence, far be it from her to stop them. She'd just go to sleep.

...

Yeah, that should work.

Opening the door, she was, as expected, greeted by three sets of prying eyes, only this time they were accompanied by barely-perceptible smiles.

...

"Okay, seriously? What is your guys' problem? You're being weird, and I don't like it," the young Schnee grumbled.

After a moment of silence, it was Yang who answered. Ignoring her question, the blonde instead asked, "So, how was your study date with Naruto?"

Weiss flushed at the mention of the word date. A mistake on her end, as Yang immediately jumped on her lapse of decorum. "Oh-ho, there we go! Look at that blush! That's gotta be one of the fastest ones yet!" The blonde brawler bellowed.

Weiss scowled.

"Come on, Weiss-cream, spill the beans. Did something happen?"

...

Yang released an even louder guffaw at the ashen-haired girl's continued silence. A quick glance toward Blake revealed a somewhat teasing smile. A final look at Ruby uncovered a look of wonder. Weiss narrowed her eyes further as she overheard her team leader whisper, "Oh my gods, it's finally happening."

"Come on, princess, take a seat," Yang indicated to Weiss' empty bunk. "Tell us all about it."

Weiss shook her head. "What makes you think something happened?" Nevertheless, she was already moving toward the vacant mattress.

"Weiss, please," Yang gave her a flat look. "You've been hanging off Naruto's arm since the Emerald Forest. And now you just got back from a five-hour study date. I know Naruto. There's no way you kept him focused on studying for five hours. So," the blonde pointed to the empty bed even harder. "Spill it."

A look of offence briefly passed across Weiss' face as she sat. She hadn't been hanging off Naruto's arm, had she? And it hadn't been five hours, had it?

Whatever juicy details the buxom blonde was imagining, she'd likely be disappointed. Whatever. Weiss shifted into a more comfortable position.

And for the first time, against her better judgment, she looked towards her team... and began to talk about cute boys.

xXx

Heavy fist falls thundered across a sturdy wooden surface. A large crash sounded in response, followed by several muffled cries.

Naruto tapped his foot impatiently while waiting for someone to answer the door. After a few moments of silence, he raised his fist again and sent a new wave of knocks. The blonde frowned. He could hear them on the other side of the door. What was taking so long? Several more moments passed. Just as he was about to raise his fist for a third time, the door in front of him swung open.

"Hey, Naruto!" Came the cheerful reply of Jaune Arc. "Come on in," he gestured to his fellow blond.

The shinobi returned the offered smile and obliged, stepping past his friend into Team JNPR's dorm. In front of him was the rest of Jaune's team. Pyrrha sat cross-legged on her bed and gave him a strained, if not genuine, smile. Nora, strangely, was sitting on the floor, face red and breath slightly hitched. She wore a large toothy grin. Finally, Ren was also sitting on his bed but was perched against the wall. The black-haired teen was completely spaced out, looking significantly more worn out than he ought to on a Friday afternoon.

Naruto paused mid-step. "Is this a bad time?" He gestured to the door with his thumb. "Because I can come back later," he offered.

"No, no!" Jaune assured him from behind. The knight stepped further into the room, pulled a chair from one of the nearby study desks, and sat on his bed. The taller blond gestured to the chair. "Sit! This sounded important."

Naruto raised a brow but otherwise followed the suggestion. It was pretty damn important. Dropping heavily into his chair, he sighed. "Right, thanks," he mumbled.

"Sorry about the delay," Jaune muttered almost bashfully. "We forgot to lock up the syrup after breakfast. Nora got into it after class and... well, you can probably guess."

Naruto nodded sagely. Yeah, he could guess. A look towards Nora revealed a wide unabashed grin. Well, it explained Ren's less-than-ideal condition.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's this about?" Pyrrha asked politely. "Jaune mentioned you wanted to ask us for advice?"

Right. The crux of the matter.

Naruto cupped his chin in thought. Now, how was he supposed to bring this up? After a moment of failing to come up with anything, he sighed. May as well just come out and ask. They could ask their own questions from there, to which he could go into more detail.

"How does going on a date work?" The blond asked plainly.

.

..

...

..

.

"What?" Three voices asked in tandem. For Ren's part, the lazy teen managed to crack open a single pale-pink eye. Despite his exhaustion, his eye conveyed as much surprise as the rest of his team.

More silence passed.

"So you finally asked Weiss out?" Jaune asked with a teasing smile.

Naruto frowned. He didn't particularly like how his friend immediately assumed this had to do with Weiss. Granted, Jaune was correct. But that wasn't the point. It could have been related to any number of things. It could have been a different girl. It could have been for a different couple that Naruto was trying to help. It could have been for simple curiosity's sake.

...

"Actually, she asked me out," he admitted.

"Ha!" Came the loud, obnoxious bark of laughter from Nora. Looking back at the girl, Naruto took note as she wore a triumphant grin. Both hands were spread out, palms facing upward.

What was she —

— Naruto blinked in surprise as both Ren and Pyrrha slid various amounts of lien into the ginger's open palms.

Seriously?

Looking back at Jaune, Naruto noticed the other blond's widened eyes. He caught movement from the corner of his eye as the armoured knight slowly and not-so-discreetly slid his wallet back into his rear pocket.

Naruto settled for a simple glower.

Jaune laughed nervously. "A-Anyway, I'm glad you trust us enough to come to us with something so personal, but, uh," the teen seemed to struggle with his words. "Why ask us?"

Naruto shot his fellow blond a look of confusion. "What? Isn't it obvious?"

The look on Jaune's face – on all of JNPR'S faces – indicated it was not obvious. Really? Just as Naruto was about to state the obvious, he froze.

Oh.

Oh no.

He'd gone and made assumptions, hadn't he? Believed the rumours just because they were plausible. Damn Yang. Damn Coco.

After a moment of silence, Naruto sighed. "You and Pyrrha aren't dating, are you?"

Jaune's jaw dropped at the question. Nora snorted in a very unladylike manner. Ren remained silent. A glance at Pyrrha revealed her once pale face now matched her hair.

"N-No," Jaune choked out. "We're uh, we're not dating."

Naruto nodded in embarrassment. He turned to Ren. "And you and Nora?" He asked tentatively.

The dark-haired teen shook his head. "Together, but not together-together," he said softly, a light dusting of pink on his cheeks.

Naruto nodded again.

"Wait, what!" Nora shouted suddenly. "That's what this was about?" Her tone was incredulous, bordering on displeasing. "You thought me and Ren... and Jaune and Pyrrha..." the ginger-haired girl frowned.

A deafening silence overcame the room.

"I'm sorry, but..." Pyrrha began, "Why would you think that? It seems rather out of the blue."

The shinobi nodded in agreement. Yeah, it kind of was, wasn't it? "You can blame the local rumour mill for that," he muttered.

"It was Yang, wasn't it?" Nora asked. Her confidence betrayed her curiosity. "That girl just never learns," she continued, cracking her knuckles. "Looks like I'll have to teach her wallet another lesson!"

"No more gambling for a while," Ren chastised his childhood friend.

Nora frowned. "Stupid blondes," she mumbled.

Two-fifths of the room's occupants frowned at her in response.

Naruto shook the cobwebs from his mind. "Well, that aside, got any ideas about how dating is supposed to work?" He asked again. Just because none of them were currently in a relationship didn't mean they lacked knowledge.

"No."

"I'm sorry."

"I got nothing."

Damn.

"Well, actually... A few of my sisters liked to talk about it. I may have overheard some... a lot of it."

Four sets of eyes stared at JNPR's leader in surprise. Wow. Go Jaune.

Naruto leaned in. "I'm listening."

"Also," Pyrrha chimed in. "We're more than happy to brainstorm with you," she said while gesturing to Ren and Nora, who both nodded in agreement.

Naruto smiled. Okay, now he was getting somewhere. Hope blossomed in his chest. Hope that he'd get some solid advice on how dates, dating, and relationships worked.

xXx

Just over an hour later, Naruto trudged through one of Beacon's many hallways, mind set on a new destination.

JNPR had been more or less a bust. Naruto didn't have the heart to say it, but Jaune's sisters were nuts. Their idea of dating must have been drastically different from the norm. He hoped.

That, or much of it had been lost in translation to Jaune.

As for the other members of JNPR... bless them for trying. But in the end, all their brainstorming had accomplished was highlighting why they were all single.

Snaking his way through the winding corridors, Naruto eventually found himself in the second-year dormitories. They were much the same as the first year's, the only difference being the unfamiliar faces.

Most of the older students sent him a variety of looks. Some were of interest, others of approval, but most were curious.

Naruto kept his face neutral. He supposed there weren't many first-years wandering the upperclassmen buildings. Too intimidating, he imagined.

Whatever.

The blond followed the necessary room numbers until he found the one he was looking for. This building really was just a clone of the first-years. He assumed it was the same for all the other years as well.

Like before, the shinobi administered three hard knocks to the door. Hopefully, he'd find more success here.

After several seconds, footsteps could be heard on the other side of the door. The sturdy frame creaked as the thick wooden door swung open, revealing a familiar face.

Long, silky brown hair and chocolate brown eyes greeted him cautiously before morphing into a look of joy.

"Naruto!" Came the accented voice of Velvet Scarlatina.

Before the blond could greet the excited faunus, she wrapped him in a brief hug. Naruto froze at the contact, then awkwardly returned the gesture. Even now, he wasn't entirely sure he'd ever get used to random acts of affection. He hadn't exactly been exposed to it throughout his childhood. Folks hadn't wanted so much as to speak with him, let alone touch him.

"Come in, come in," the brown-haired girl insisted.

Naruto followed her direction and crossed the door's threshold. He was then greeted by another, more confident voice.

"And don't look so stiff about it," Barked Velvet's team leader, Coco Adel. "I mean, I appreciate a stiff guy as much as the next girl, but c'mon, you're among friends, right?"

Coco paused at her own words.

Velvet's face twisted into one of disdain.

...

"Too much?" The fashionista grimaced.

Naruto scoffed. She knew just as well as they did. 'Too much,' she asks...

"Yeah," Velvet replied, face red. "Gross."

"I'm still 17, you freak," the blond added. Despite his words, he kept any malice out of his voice. He was just messing with her, after all.

Waving them both off, Coco released her own short scoff. "Oh please, the age of consent is... you know what?" She paused. "Whatever. I am not going there."

Naruto grinned in amusement. Good call.

"Anyway," Velvet pushed the conversation along. "What brings you here, Naruto?"

Naruto hummed in thought. What indeed?

Ever since the blond huntsman-in-training had saved Velvet in the cafeteria and essentially called Cardin out in front of the entire student body, Velvet and the rest of Team CVFY had taken an immediate liking to Naruto and his team. It was a string of unexpected friendships born from the proper conditions. They weren't as close to CVFY as they were with JNPR, but they certainly got along with their upperclassmen. Chatting in the hallways. Sitting with them at lunch. Other small innocuous ways of spending time together.

"We're friends, right? The blond suddenly asked.

"Yes, of course."

"Sure, yeah."

Naruto nodded. "You guys trust me, right?"

A look of confusion sprawled across both girls' features, but regardless, they nodded in tandem.

"Which means I can trust you guys as well, right?"

After a moment of silence, Velvet nodded. "Yes..?"

"Since you're both girls, I think you'll be able to help better than most."

Velvet and Coco shared a look. "Easy there, tiger," the fashionista raised her palms. "What happened to the age gap?"

"Shut up," Naruto mumbled absent-mindedly. "You're worse than Yang."

Coco let out a short bark of laughter. "That's taking things a bit far, don't you —"

"— I need dating advice," the shinobi admitted.

Both girls froze, their mouths forming a small 'o'. Neither said anything for several moments, simply processing what had been said.

Eventually, Coco was the first to recover. A wide, shit-eating grin spread across her face.

Naruto preemptively rolled his eyes, already anticipating what she was about to say. He just knew.

"Got a hot date, hotshot?"

Velvet, for her part, appeared excited. She smiled at the blond, then glanced at Coco expectantly.

"Weiss, I take it?" The glasses-wearing team leader asked.

Naruto nodded wearily.

"When did this happen?" Velvet chimed in.

A strange feeling welled up in Naruto's stomach. It wasn't embarrassment or discomfort. It was just... weird.

"Yesterday..." The blond answered cautiously.

Curiously, both girls wore looks of satisfaction.

"So," Coco began. "Weiss finally asked you out?"

Naruto nodded slowly. Whatever this was, it was about to plateau.

Suddenly, Coco burst into a small cheer, and Velvet's smile became strained.

"Oh, bollocks," the rabbit faunus cursed.

Naruto's jaw dropped as he watched the bunny-eared girl hand over a small stack of lien.

"Cheer up, bunbun. You'll make it back from Fox and Yatsu. They were off by a full month!"

Naruto scowled. Kami damnit. Was everyone betting on his and Weiss' developing relationship?

The blond sighed as he shook his head. "The morality of gambling on your fellow student's interpersonal relationships aside, I have absolutely no idea what to do on a date. Or how dating works in general."

Both upperclassmen snapped back to attention at the shinobi's words.

"Awe, you poor thing," Coco cooed teasingly. "Well, don't worry. You came to the right place!"

Naruto felt a breath of fresh air fill his chest. Was that a glimmer of hope he was feeling?

"Do either of you have dating experience?" The blond asked optimistically.

Both women froze at the question.

"Uh, well..."

"T-That's not what's important, blondie!"

Naruto frowned, and his hope died.

The grin Coco wore was confident, if not a little unsteady. "What matters is that we're two hot young women who know how they'd want to be treated on a date."

Naruto's face screwed up in confusion, and his hope tentatively returned.

Velvet tilted her head at her leader's choice of words, then shrugged. "Well, technically, she's not exactly wrong," the rabbit faunus said. "Now, of course, neither of us can read Weiss' mind, but we should be able to give you some solid pointers on how to go about your date."

"Yeah, exactly!" Coco supplemented. "A stylish girl like Weiss? I bet I could pinpoint exactly what she wants from an evening on the town!"

Naruto smiled a genuine smile of gratitude, and his hope blossomed again.

"You know," the blond began, hand cupping his chin. "You and Weiss do seem similarly high maintenance."

...

Coco laughed humorlessly. "I'm going to do you a personal favour and pretend I didn't hear you say that." Her words became sharper near the end of her sentence.

Naruto smiled in confusion.

"Anyway," The beret-wearing girl huffed. "What's most important for a first date..." As the girl's words trailed off, she looked at her faunus teammate.

"...is getting her out of her comfort zone."

"...is making sure she's comfortable."

Dark brown eyes met lighter brown in surprise.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Coco questioned her teammate.

Subsequently, Velvet quirked her brow in undisguised shock. "What am I talking about? What are you talking about?

Naruto frowned, and he felt his hope crumble.

"Don't listen to this innocent little flower, blondie," Coco scoffed. "If you want to make an impression on your girl, you need to wow her. Shock and awe. Give her a night to remember!"

Naruto tilted his head. That made sense. Wowing Weiss sounded good. But then again, was shock and awe really Snowflake's style? He wasn't sure.

"No, no, no," Velvet cut in. "You and Weiss already care about each other. There's no need to throw your weight around to try and impress her."

Naruto nodded slowly. That also made sense. Because really, what would he, plain old Naruto, be able to do to impress the Weiss Schnee?

Coco quickly waved her hands, catching the blond's attention. "Nah, don't listen to that garbage. Wow her," the brunette stressed. "Take her skydiving, bungee jumping, or white-water rafting."

What? Where would he even —

— The rabbit faunus stomped her foot. "No!" She cried. "Keep it simple and intimate. Have a romantic, candle-lit dinner by the fire." It seemed the girl's accent thickened in conjunction with her ire.

Naruto began to sweat. That sounded pretty stressful. Would he really be able to —

— The two members of Team CVFY began to stare daggers at each other. Naruto groaned. What had he done? From there, the two women entered into a heated debate. The blond shinobi stared blankly at the bickering duo, patiently waiting for them to settle their affairs.

But it never came.

"Take it from me, kid. You best move on from here."

Well, look who it was.

"You've been quiet lately."

"Have I? Don't mind me. I'm just working through some details of your semblance."

The Jinchūriki's brow furrowed.

"When you say it like that, you make it sound like you're custom designing it."

The fox didn't respond.

"Kurama?"

Nothing.

"Seriously?" The blond sighed internally.

Whatever.

"He's going to bore the poor girl to death! Weiss is basically a princess; you seriously think dinner and a movie are going to take her breath away?"

Oh. Right.

"You're one to talk! Not everyone's an adrenaline junkie looking for cheap thrills! If Weiss is a princess, do you really think she'll enjoy scuba diving, of all things?"

Right. Back to reality.

"Oh, please. What would you suggest, an aquarium?" Coco gibed.

Naruto's eyes widened. That might be a good idea.

Velvet shook her head vehemently. "That's better than whatever you'd suggest. What's next, a haunted house?"

Naruto hummed. Not bad.

...

The blond blinked and shook his head. They may be somewhat decent ideas, but he needed to get out of the room before their argument worsened. Sorry Fox and Yatsuhashi, they could deal with the aftermath of whatever this was. Served them right for betting on his relationship. And losing.

Without a word, Naruto employed the very best of his stealth training and slipped out of the room. He groaned to himself. What the hell was he supposed to do? It'd been half a day, and all he'd come up with so far was to either wow Weiss or settle for something domestic and comfortable. The scope was wide.

He wasn't even going to factor in the crap JNPR had suggested.

The blond sighed for what felt like the tenth time in the last five minutes, then started walking.

Did anyone know a thing about romance around here?

xXx

"How fortunate for you!" Cried the boisterous form of Peter Port. "I happen to be an expert on all things romance!" Behind the man, Professor Goodwitch pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. From beside the blond professor, Amber simply dropped her head into her hands, looked down, and shook her head.

Naruto frowned. That didn't bode well.

"Oh, yes," the portly man continued. "I've been married five – no, six times!"

What?

"But, the true love of my life is hunting Grimm!"

Naruto's eyes narrowed. How the hell had it come to this? Was this his fault? Or was it Ports? Scratch that; this was definitely Amber's fault. Port may have an uncanny ability to connect with his students at first, but it was Amber who had asked Naruto what was bothering him. It didn't matter that the blond must have been walking around with a visible stormcloud over his head. It didn't matter that he'd unloaded his troubles upon her willingly. It didn't matter that Port and Goodwitch had been nearby and within earshot.

Somehow, some way, it was all Amber's fault.

"Yes, perhaps that's why I've been so successful in the hunting grounds of love," the moustachioed man boasted.

The blond teen tilted his head. Were six marriages indicative of being successful in love?

Maybe.

Say what you would about the man; six marriages meant that Port had been successful at least six times when courting women. So long as the Jinchūriki didn't get advice on how to maintain a relationship, maybe hearing out the large man would be worth something?

Suddenly a much more feminine voice spoke up. "Peter, please. This is hardly an appropriate topic to barge in on and give advice," Glynda said tersely.

"But Glynda, my student needs me! Besides, what would you know about giving advice in romantic endeavours? You..."

Both Naruto and Amber physically recoiled at the older man's choice of words. How bold of him.

The look the Deputy Headmistress was shooting the school's Grimm Studies professor could have frozen fire. Interesting. Naruto had never seen her make that face before. Evidently, the rotund man's instincts were sharp enough to sense the danger he'd put himself in.

"R-Right... Perhaps you're correct," he stuttered.

The bespectacled woman scowled. "Of course I am," she snapped.

Yikes.

"Now, come along. Let's leave Amber and Naruto for now. Perhaps someone closer in age would be more suitable to provide advice."

Naruto's eyes widened. Huh.

Without fanfare, the woman passed the two young adults in question and began walking down the hallway. She paused after a few steps, then turned to face her blond student. "Mr. Uzumaki. I wish you luck in your endeavours." With that, the woman marched on, the grey-haired man following from what he believed to be a safe distance. He looked decidedly less enthusiastic to be walking away from prospective eyewitnesses.

Amber released a long breath of air as their footsteps began to fade. "Wow. I've never seen her do that before," she muttered.

"Do what?" asked the blond. "Wish someone luck regarding relationships? Or drag off a colleague to kill and hide the body?"

Ambers paused to consider. "Yes," she answered.

Huh.

"She's really warmed up to you, ya know?" The Fall Maiden commented.

The shinobi nodded in response. Yeah, he did know. It felt weird. Having so many professors genuinely care about his well-being. Back home, Iruka had been the only one. Kakashi and Jiraiya didn't count. They were his squad leader and master, respectively. Of course, they cared. But during his six years at the academy? Iruka had been the only teacher to give a damn about his happiness or success. And even then, it hadn't been that way in the beginning.

Beacon, however? It felt like almost every professor was actively encouraging him to succeed. Port, Ooblek, Goodwitch, and even Ozpin. Naruto glanced at his secondary combat instructor. Amber too.

"Thanks, Amber." The teen's words of gratitude were genuine. Maybe a little vulnerable.

The brown-eyed girl looked at him and smiled. "For what?"

Naruto grinned and shook his head. "Nothing. Everything. I don't know," he mumbled dismissively. This was a little too sappy, even for him, especially with so little context. Amber glanced at him the same way he imagined an older sister would look at their kid sibling. An affectionate, if not slightly exasperated, smile. It provoked a dull ache in his chest.

After a brief moment of reflection, the blond mentally sighed.

"So," he began. "Got any dating or relationship advice for someone like me?"

Amber grinned. "Nope," she answered, popping the 'p.'

Naruto's shoulders sagged. "Seriously?" He asked, incredulity creeping into his voice.

Amber simply laughed. After a moment, she tilted her head in consideration. Her forehead scrunched up, and her eyes darted upward. Classic indicators of someone deep in thought. "Well, I guess I might have something in the way of general relationship advice."

Naruto nodded. He'd take it. Despite how much crap he gave Amber, he trusted the girl implicitly.

"Okay, well, the number one most important thing about a relationship is that you need to communicate. That goes for any type of relationship, really. Friendships, romances, working relationships. People aren't psychic. They won't know what you're thinking unless you tell them. At least when it comes to the big stuff."

Naruto nodded eagerly. This was good stuff. He already knew as much, but the fact that Amber did as well was reassuring. It would help validate anything else she had to say.

"Secondly, you don't have to agree on everything. People are different. We're all raised differently, so we may value different things. You don't have to agree with everything they believe or do, but as long as you're respectful about it and willing to at least listen or try to understand, things'll be fine."

Well, that was definitely applicable here. He and Weiss were vastly different. They definitely valued different things. There was some crossover, but they came from different worlds. Figuratively and literally.

"Finally, also super important. You and your partner are going to have bad days. You might have bad days together, or you might have them separately. In either case, remember that your partner is, well, your partner. You work together to support each other. And support doesn't necessarily mean you're figuring out and solving all their problems. Sometimes it just means you're there to listen. Someone to vent to. Sometimes, they might not want you to solve all their problems."

Naruto frowned. This was new. He'd have to sit on this information. Being who he was, when he saw a problem, he fixed the problem. It just made sense.

Amber chuckled. "I know that look. Listen, sometimes, you'll be presented with a situation that doesn't have an easy or immediate solution. Hurt feelings aren't always going to be fixed with an apology. In those cases, all you can do is be patient. There's nothing wrong with asking your partner what they want. It comes back to communication. Ask them if they just need to vent. Ask them if they're looking for a solution. Ask them if they just need someone to agree with them and say, 'Yeah, that person was a bitch.' Because at the end of the day, you might not always be able to understand someone's feelings. But you don't always have to. Sometimes, you just need to accept them."

...

Good Kami.

...

"So much for not having any relationship advice to give me..." Naruto mumbled in disbelief. "Because that felt like really good advice."

Amber grinned at the praise, and a light dusting of red coated the bridge of her nose. "Trust me," she said. "This is just crap I learned through years of trial and error in the field. In the end, it all comes down to the individuals involved. You could know the secret to immortality, but it won't mean jack if the person is too stubborn to follow the steps."

Yeah, wasn't that the truth.

"Got any advice for what I'm supposed to do for a date with Weiss?"

Amber laughed heartily. "Sorry, man, that I can't help you with. I don't know anything about Weiss' preferences. You'd know much better than I."

Naruto frowned.

"C'mon, don't be such a baby," The Fall Maiden crossed her arms. "It'll be fine. As long as it's with you, I'm sure she'll be more than happy. There's a reason she agreed to go on a date with you, and it's not because you were super convincing when you asked. If you're completely drawing blanks, go ask Ruby. She'd probably know best."

Naruto groaned. "I can't ask anyone else from the team. They all share a room together. The last thing I need is whatever idea I come up with to be spoiled."

Amber shrugged. "I don't know, man. I don't think you're giving your team enough credit. They'll know it's important to you, so I doubt they'd want to spoil the evening. Maybe just ask Ruby to keep things quiet? She's your teammate just as much as she is Weiss'. I'm sure she'd respect your request."

Naruto sighed. That was true.

"Besides," Amber added. "If you don't come up with something, there won't be any plans to be spoiled at all!"

Naruto hung his head.

"Anyway, I need to track down Glynda. We still need to figure out how to deal with some students who need to retake their practicals." The brown-haired girl began slowly walking in the direction Goodwitch and Port had departed.

"Oh, by the way," Naruto called after her. "It was Weiss who asked me out, not the other way around." The blond wasn't sure why he added that. Pride perhaps?

Amber froze at his words. "Is that so? That's even more reason to not worry about your date. She'll definitely be happy with whatever it is you decide on." The older woman's large grin was a little offputting.

"Okay," Naruto acknowledged. "Wat's with the creepy smile?"

Amber blinked, then waved him off. "Ah, nothing to be concerned about. It's just..."

Naruto eyed her expectantly.

"Well, Glynda owes me 50 lien now. I bet it'd be Weiss that asks you out first."

What?

"Man, Ooblek's going to be pissed too," she grinned again.

Amber began walking down the hallway, humming softly as she disappeared around the corner.

Naruto exhaled.

Man, what the fuck?

xXx

Naruto stared blankly across from his team leader. He was currently seated on Blake's bed. His book-loving teammate was, predictably, somewhere in the library. Ruby sat twiddling her thumbs, meeting his eyes evenly. Weiss had actually managed to drag Yang off to the dorm's common area for a study session, leaving the R and N of team RYBWN alone to converse.

How convenient.

"Seriously?" he questioned his black and red-haired teammate.

Wide innocent eyes blinked back in curiosity. "Yeah, of course. She asked you out, remember? That makes it her job to plan the date."

Naruto blinked dumbly.

"Did you... not know that?" The small scythe-wielder asked tentatively.

Naruto shook his head. "No, Ruby. I did not know that."

"Huh. I thought everyone knew that."

Apparently, not a lot of people knew that.

"So you're saying she's already got something planned?" The blond asked lamely.

Ruby grinned. "Of course. This is Weiss we're talking about!"

Naruto nodded. Right. He was just checking. "Can you give me any hints?"

Ruby's grin widened into a full-blown smile. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? But no, I can't just spoil the details of your date. This is important!"

Naruto nodded ruefully to himself. Right. Ruby wouldn't do something like that. Of course.

"Well," the blond rose from his seat, dusting off imaginary dirt from his pants. "I better get going. I'd like to lay down for the night."

That was that. A whole day wasted running around. Listening to bad ideas, arguments, and otherwise crappy relationship advice. All for nothing.

That wasn't true. Amber had been extremely helpful. It was a shame she was one of the last people he'd spoken to.

Silver eyes blinked owlishly. "You sure? It's still pretty early. Maybe we could go a few rounds in Street Brawler IV?"

Naruto slowly made his way to the door. "No thanks, Ruby. I'm beat." The shinobi's tone was flat, bordering on monotonous. Almost robotic. He paused briefly. "Hey, by the way. Did you, Yang, and Blake have some sort of betting pool for how, if, or when Weiss and I went out on a date?"

Ruby tilted her head in surprise. "Of course not," she said with a smile.

Oh, that was nice.

"Yang and Blake did, but I'm not a very good gambler."

Oh.

"I can't remember what their bets were, but I think we both know who won. I'm pretty sure my crappy gambling skills are hereditary."

Oh, that was nice.

"Yeah, okay," Naruto mumbled as he reached for the door. Swinging open the wooden barrier revealed the surprised faces of Yang and Weiss. The latter of which smiled softly at his unexpected presence.

"Hey Yang, hey Weiss," Naruto mumbled tiredly, brushing past the two. "I'll see you tomorrow, snowflake; looking forward to our date."

Weiss blinked in confusion. "Uhm, yes. See you... tomorrow?"

Naruto vaguely felt eyes on his back. Before entering his room down the hall, he faintly heard Yang mutter a low, "What's his deal?" while entering her own room.

Naruto closed the door to his single-bed dorm.

"Wow. So all that for nothing, huh?"

"Did you know?"

"Know what?"

"That the person who asks someone on a date is responsible for planning the date?"

There was a pause. A suspicious pause.

"Kid, I'm a millennia-old chakra construct. How the hell am I supposed to know human mating rituals?"

Naruto grunted. He supposed that made sense. Before dropping the topic, the blond had a last-minute thought strike.

"Weren't you with my mother throughout her life? Weren't you there while my dad courted her over the years?"

Kami, wasn't that an awkward thought?

...

"Kurama?"

...

"Kurama!"

...

That rotten bastard.

xXx

Naruto groaned as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He glared balefully at the wooden door in front of him.

It was just a single slab of wood. Two inches of flimsy Oak. He'd broken through more formidable obstacles by accident, so why did this feel so much more challenging?

He rolled his eyes as the answer he already knew crept through his thoughts.

It felt different because of what came after. Once he crossed the door's threshold, he was in unfamiliar territory.

Naruto swallowed heavily as he reached for the doorknob. Kami, what if he was too awkward to —

'Oh, for the love of – it's just one date. A single evening. Time spent with someone who's already into you and is someone you know quite well. Would you quit being such a baby?'

'That's the problem! What if things are awkward because we're already good friends? We already know each other. What are we supposed to talk about?'

...

'I'll say this once; then I'm fucking off until your date's over. This doesn't have to be some monumental, life-changing event where you fall head-over-heels in love with each other because of a profoundly deep conversation.'

Naruto nodded minutely.

'This is just two kids who have acknowledged their feelings and are going into town to spend time together. The only difference between this outing and one of your regular hangouts is that you're both being a little more honest with each other. That's it.'

Naruto took a deep breath, then let his shoulders sag. Right. Of course. He could do this.

'Thanks, buddy.'

He had managed a pseudo-date with Sakura; he could handle this. Plus, he wasn't even the one planning the evening. That responsibility fell upon Weiss' shoulders. Maybe she was just as nervous as him?

'Hey, you think Weiss is just as anxious?'

No reply.

Huh. The fox really had just gone and fucked off.

That was fine.

Naruto glanced at the clock on the wall.

5:45 p.m.

Weiss was likely already waiting for him. She was prudent like that. The walk to the Bullhead stop would only take him 10 minutes. Five if he moved quickly.

He decided to move quickly. It was better that way; keeping a lady waiting probably wasn't a good idea. Pushing through the door, the blond absently noted that it wasn't nearly as difficult as he feared it would be.

The walk to their designated meeting ground was spent in absent-minded silence. Naruto made a focused point not to let his mind wander. Such a thing would do him no favours. Instead, he focused on his breathing. In for four seconds. Hold for four seconds. Exhale for four seconds. That focused breathing had gotten him through the worst of his physical training. So too, would it see him through the upcoming emotional battlefield.

Before the shinobi knew it, he was already wandering into Beacon's Bullhead loop; a transportation hub that consisted of 8 Bullhead stops set to depart into different parts of Vale at varying times. He'd been through the hub a few times when venturing into the city with his team, but he'd mostly followed their lead each time.

Maybe it would be worth actually learning how the system worked.

As he scanned the various stops, Naruto's eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of white and blue. Lo and behold, there stood Weiss next to a parked Bullhead. She was glancing down at her scroll, attention entirely consumed by the device.

Naruto smiled instinctively. As he approached the heiress, he took her image in fully. The blond noticed, with no small amount of appreciation, that her long white hair was down, billowing past her lower back and stopping at the top of her legs. Her pale, aristocratic face was complemented by her layered hair, which framed it prettily.

Eyeing the girl's ensemble, he hummed. Black and white low-top sneakers, pale blue jeans — the same articles of clothing from poker night — and a loose navy blue short-sleeve with a single open shoulder. It was a pretty, if simple, outfit. It looked great on her.

Naruto eyed the ashen-haired girl as he continued to close the distance. While she was clearly distracted by whatever was on her scroll, he took a moment to examine her face. The girl was bathed in an aura of neutrality. The blond shinobi suppressed his grin. He would never admit it to anyone, least of all his date, but she certainly had what one would call a 'resting bitch face.'

He liked that about her. It made seeing her face light up with emotion all the more special. Like now, Naruto noted. Her face melted into a warm smile as his electric blue eyes met her frosty gaze. Just like that.

The blond raised his hand in an aloof greeting.

A sense of comfort washed over him. He hadn't known what to expect when he saw her. A come to Kami moment where all the stars aligned? Birds chirping in the background as that one ray of sunshine illuminated the pale beauty across from him? All of his senses becoming muted in order to focus on the woman before him, revealing her to be the one true love of his life?

He chuckled audibly to himself.

Luckily, nothing quite so dramatic happened. Instead, he found himself face-to-face with Weiss Schnee. His close friend, trusted teammate, and his date for tonight.

It really was that simple. Maybe Kurama had a point.

The young Schnee tilted her head as his shallow chuckles faded.

"Something funny?" She asked with a lopsided smile of her own. Her tone was loose. Unguarded.

Naruto shook his head in response. So what if his breathing was a little skewed. Maybe his resting heart rate was a bit higher than usual. And it was possible his hands were somewhat sweaty. Judging from the rosiness of Weiss' cheeks, the barely noticeable tension in her arms, and the fading sweat marks on her pants that resembled hand prints, the girl was just as nervous as he was.

It was as endearing as it was validating.

"Nah," the shinobi answered with a shrug of his shoulders. "Just filtering out some silly thoughts."

Weiss nodded slowly and, in a posh voice, added, "Careful now, else you may not have a single thought left."

Her tone was teasing and carried an air of levity that left the Jinchūriki grinning. "Yeah," Naruto breathed in amusement. "That's me. No thoughts, head empty."

Weiss released a noise halfway between a grunt and a giggle. Her smile burned a little brighter.

Yeah. This date would be a piece of cake.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Naruto attempted to push the conversation along. "So," he began. "I heard you've got quite the night planned."

Weiss' smile faltered slightly. "What?" She asked in confusion. "Me plan? Everyone knows the man is supposed to plan the date." Her words were simple and honest, spoken like a child would to a foreigner unfamiliar with the land's customs.

Shit.

He shuddered as he felt a sense of dread crawled up his spine.

xXx

"It wasn't that funny," Naruto sighed as he rolled his eyes.

Musical notes filled his ears as Weiss released another measured string of laughter. "Maybe not to you, but you couldn't see the look on your face."

The two were sitting side by side in the Bullhead, currently en route to Vale's city center.

The blond grunted.

In a rare twist of fate, Weiss had actually managed to pull one over on him. And she was savouring the moment.

"I should've known," the blond sighed. "Ruby literally said you had the evening planned out."

Naruto felt a comforting warmth as the white-haired girl's leg pressed against his.

"And yet you floundered spectacularly," Weiss teased.

Naruto lightly pressed his leg back into his date as a form of acknowledgement. Despite the Bullhead being only half-full, the two saw no need to make use of the available space.

"What can I say? Pretty girl like you putting me on the spot? Floundering was the least I could do."

Weiss reddened at his words, then smiled as she shook her head. "You are so..." she hesitated while finding the right word. "Lame." The affection in her tone belied her feelings.

Naruto shrugged noncommittally. In his opinion, he thought it was pretty smooth.

A comfortable silence settled between the two, both simply enjoying each other's presence. Despite this, Naruto figured some small talk couldn't hurt.

"So, how did studying with Yang go the other night?"

Weiss twitched, then released a derisive scoff. "She may very well be the worst study partner I've ever had."

Naruto nodded. "Really? That bad?"

Instead of answering immediately, the heiress released a long breath. After a moment, she sighed. "No, not really." Her tone was more exasperated than anything. "So long as the girl remains interested, she's actually quite meticulous in her study habits. The problem is keeping her interested."

Naruto nodded. Say what you would about Yang. About anyone at the acedemy. Getting into Beacon was a feat in itself. No one got in on one aspect alone. So it made sense that the girl had at least some academic potential.

"I had to jump through hoops just to figure out interesting ways to explain the most mundane concepts!" Weiss continued.

Naruto leaned his shoulder into the girl, momentarily breaking her from her retelling. "Wait, wait. Did you just admit that you find some topics boring?" He ended his question with a short laugh.

Weiss simply rolled her eyes. "Of course I find some topics boring. What do you take me for?"

Naruto pounced on the opening before the girl could take back her words. He hummed in mock consideration. "A dork? A nerd? A —"

He was interrupted by a soft elbow to the ribs. Weiss was scowling, though the glint in her eyes made it clear she wasn't upset.

"Why is it always the imbeciles who mock their intellectual superiors?" The ashen-haired beauty asked in mock disappointment. "Since when was being intelligent uncool?"

"It might have something to do with you using the word 'imbecile' unironically," Naruto jeered with a grin. "Besides," he added. "Little do you know, I'm actually a genius in disguise."

Perfectly sculpted eyebrows disappeared into their hairline. "Oh? Pray tell, a genius of what? I've seen your grades."

Naruto shrugged. "Maybe I'm purposely bombing everything to squeeze out some extra study time with you?"

Pale cheeks pinked at his words.

"Maybe I'm a genius of hard work."

The shinobi paused at his words. He hadn't been planning them; they just slipped out. It caused him to think. To reminisce. Of a terrible bowl cut, way too bushy eyebrows, and an atrocious green leotard.

After a moment, a warm, soft hand grabbed the bare skin of his forearm, shaking him from the sudden onset of memories. He looked down and met curious ice-blue eyes.

"Thinking of home?" Weiss asked, head tilted but tone even. She always seemed to know. She also knew how much he'd come to enjoy talking of his homeland, despite his lingering caution when broaching the subject.

Naruto nodded.

Weiss nodded back. "So, a genius of hard work? The concept seems obvious enough. I like it."

Naruto smiled broadly. "Then you'll love one of my friends from back home."

Maybe.

Weiss smiled at his words. She always seemed to enjoy listening about his past as much as he enjoyed telling her.

"Have I ever mentioned a guy named Rock Lee?"

Weiss' nose crinkled cutely as she shook her head. "I don't believe so." She said slowly. "Interesting name," she added.

Naruto released a single bark of laughter. "Interesting guy," he said quickly.

The heiress shrugged. "Really? Because with a name like that..."

"I don't know," the Jinchūriki smiled. "I think his name... rocks."

Weiss' smile became strained. Without a word, she stood, sidestepped to the open seat next to her, then sat down.

Naruto laughed and followed her immediately, plopping down in her old seat. "You loved that. Anyways, Lee was a real genius of hard work."

Weiss allowed a subtle smile. She remained seated and did not get up.

"I mean it," Naruto exclaimed. "If you've got natural-born prodigies, then Lee was born talentless. Yet he could match anyone in a fight." He felt his teammate lean into him as he spoke, like a cat would when finding its comfy spot. He felt his chest lighten as he continued to speak about his old friend.

xXx

The remainder of the Bullhead ride went about as well as Naruto could have hoped, the conversation spilling over into their walk through Vale. Weiss had remained engaged throughout, apparently finding the concept of a hand-to-hand expert who was worlds ahead of Yang to be intriguing.

Naruto found himself reflecting on the short date up until now. It was an amalgamation of moments of familiarity and comfort combined with splashes of uncertainty and awkwardness.

The conversation was familiar and warm, whereas...

Naruto swallowed heavily as he awkwardly fumbled for Weiss' small hand while they walked. Holding hands was standard date protocol, right? He suppressed the urge to visibly cringe at his inexperience. Inconceivably, as soon as his fingers brushed against Weiss', the girl paused for a fraction of a second, then latched onto his hand. She hummed, perhaps subconsciously, then continued speaking.

"— but Winter can't sing. At all. It's actually rather humorous."

Naruto smiled as he fought to push down the heat creeping up his neck. Weiss always seemed to shine brightest whenever she spoke about her older sister. Given what he knew about the mysterious elder Schnee, he was excited to meet the woman. A Specialist in the Atlesian military would suggest a professional, stern, possibly 'hard-ass' individual. But Weiss always spoke so fondly of her sister. It may have been a case of rose-tinted glass, but the Schnee heiress was usually reasonably honest about what she thought of people. Especially when it came to the rest of her family.

Winter was probably a pretty cool person. Pun intended.

Besides, older siblings tended to be much more chill than their younger counterparts. Hinata to Hanabi, Hana to Kiba, Kankuro to Gaara. Hell, even Yang to Ruby.

Surely the same applied to Winter.

"What about you?" The white-clad girl asked. "Are you much of a singer?"

Naruto laughed deeply at the prospect. Him? A singer? Not on his life. "If you count shower karaoke, then sure. I'm my bathroom's most talented vocalist."

That might not actually be true. Weiss had used his dorm's bathroom several times throughout their various days hanging out, and Naruto was sure he'd heard the girl humming a tune at least once while coming out.

Weiss laughed freely at his response. It was light. It was relaxed. It contrasted with her sweaty hand and the elevated pulse he could feel through her fingers.

"Perhaps I'll drag you out to proper karaoke one day."

Naruto shrugged. "It's your funeral."

His comment earned him another lighthearted laugh.

They continued to walk through Vale's commercial district in high spirits. Eventually, the blond realized he had no idea where they were headed.

Just as he was about to ask, Weiss spoke first. "I'm surprised you haven't asked anything about what we're doing tonight. I'm impressed with your patience."

Naruto suppressed a chuckle. Instead, he rolled with it. "Oh, you know me. I just trust your ability to plan a date."

Smooth.

"As you should," Weiss nodded. "But as it happens, we're at our first stop."

Sure enough, the couple had stopped walking, something the Konoha native had only just noticed. Huh.

In front of the pair was a humble-looking restaurant. It was a single-floor building built into a long series of other storefronts, which stretched for several blocks. On the other side of the street was a medium-sized park, along with several residential buildings. In fact, it looked oddly familiar...

"It's the same neighbourhood we found ourselves in after the Forever Fall field trip," Weiss explained helpfully.

Naruto nodded. Sure enough, further down the line of stores, he could vaguely make out the dust shop that had caused the young Schnee to open up about her own past and ideologies.

Weiss released her grip on his hand and pulled away gently. She crossed her arms, gripping her upper arms firmly. Almost bashfully. The look seemed strange on the girl.

"I figured a simple dinner and walk through the park would be ideal."

Naruto raised a brow at her uncharacteristic timidness. How very out of character.

Or was it?

He supposed that, at the end of the day, Weiss was an inexperienced teenager, bordering on that of a young adult.

The same as him.

No matter her confidence, no matter their pre-existing relationship, she was going to be anxious. Uncertain. But willing to try.

The same as him.

Realizing she was expecting him to say something, Naruto smiled and tilted his head.

"Simple sounds nice," came his appreciative response. Weiss seemed to relax at his words, and a small smile wormed its way onto her face.

"I thought so," she breathed, possibly in relief. "You mentioned you grew up with very little. I figured an over-the-top five-star restaurant would be a bit too much."

If possible, Naruto's smile became even warmer. She was right on the money with that. Fancy schmancy restaurants were not his style. Too much decorum he was never taught growing up. Too many uptight suits who would judge him for it. Too stuffy an atmosphere.

Naruto glanced at his surroundings. The restaurant's patio was half-filled with various couples and families. The ambient noise of conversation flowed freely from inside the building into the warm summer night. Across the street, children chased each other through the park; their distant shrieks of delight were an aching reminder of home. He nodded to his teammate.

Yeah, she definitely nailed it. It's funny how such a simple date could mean so much, as long as one puts in just a little consideration for their partner.

Weiss smiled back, her eyes lacking their previous nervousness. "Plus," she added. "The portions at those restaurants are much too small."

Naruto chuckled at her words. He'd never actually dined at one, so he'd take her at her word. The blond grabbed his date by the hand and led her inside the building.

xXx

Dinner itself had been good. Great, even. The food was well portioned and was of a quality consistent with the restaurant's homey atmosphere. Then again, that was so often the case, wasn't it? Mom-and-pop shops, hole-in-the-walls, and other small-scale local eateries always hit so much differently than the larger, more successful franchises. The concept was similar to Ichiraku's.

Naruto loved it.

Weiss also seemed to enjoy the food, if her appetite was any indication. It was a surprise how much she'd managed to eat and stood as a stark difference between the dainty eater from Beacon and the unabashed eater she was now. It was definitely endearing. Naruto had seen glimpses of her appetite before, whenever they were alone and went to scrounge for late-night snacks.

The blond figured that the heiress had an image to maintain when in public areas, such as the cafeteria or the courtyard. It was undoubtedly a holdover habit from her time spent growing up in Atlesian high society. While they may have been in a public place, they weren't surrounded by people they knew. It felt good knowing Weiss was comfortable with dropping those inhibitions around him.

Regardless, it was best he didn't mention anything.

As for the conversation?

"Really?" Weiss asked incredulously. "An argument? Over what they thought an ideal first date was?"

Naruto drummed his fingers over the side of the bench they now sat at. After their meal, the two had moved across the street to the park, taking some time to settle their stomachs.

"That's what you're taking away from the story?" The blond replied with a question of his own.

The white-clad girl shrugged, adjusting her hair in the process. "Velvet's so soft spoken, and Coco dotes on the girl constantly. They're just so... warm towards each other. I didn't think they were capable of arguing."

"So it wasn't the fact that everyone was making bets on our relationship? Or that no one knows anything about dating?"

"Honestly," Weiss answered, a smile in her voice. "Considering how much bad advice you received, it's impressive that you haven't blundered the night away." She then frowned slightly at the thought of people betting on their date. "And yes, well." The girl gripped her hands, wringing them together. "Admittedly, betting on us is rather disdainful."

Naruto blinked. That's it? Just disdainful?

Weiss shifted awkwardly.

"You knew, didn't you?" The shinobi questioned flatly.

She sent him an apologetic smile. "Ruby is terrible at gambling. She asked me to help her cheat."

"By asking me out?"

"Yes, but no. She asked me, and I refused. I was unaware of what their specific bets were."

Naruto nodded. It explained why their team leader said she didn't have money in the pot. Weiss had refused to play ball with her.

How long ago had this been? How long was Weiss actually planning to ask him out?

"I suppose knowing about Yang and Blake's wager served as an exposure to the idea. At some point, I just assumed JNPR had their own bet going. Especially with all the teasing."

Naruto sighed in amusement. "And CVFY?" He asked.

Weiss scoffed. "Unexpected, but at the same time not. Does that make sense?"

Naruto shrugged. Kind of. "What about the staff?" He asked further.

Weiss scowled at that. "Terribly unprofessional."

Naruto nodded. "And super weird, right?"

The ashen-haired girl nodded softly. "Yes, it is rather odd."

"So weird..." the blond mumbled.

...

They remained seated for the next several minutes in another comfortable silence. That was the great thing about being comfortable around someone, the ability to simply sit, relax, and not feel compelled to constantly talk.

Eventually, Naruto felt a slight nudge to his side. Glancing at his date, she gestured downward with a flick of her head to their laps. The blond's eyes widened slightly as he spied her open hand, palm facing up. He looked back at her, and she smiled sheepishly.

Ha. Cute. He'd seen her cute side before, but the girl seemed intent on letting it out uninterrupted.

With a featherlight touch, the shinobi slowly traced the underside of her forearm, causing the girl to hum in approval. Goosebumps formed up her slender limb, and her hand twitched involuntarily. She was looking down at their physical contact, so she remained unaware as the blond simply admired her soft smile.

Naruto could feel heat rising to his cheeks. He felt awkward yet strangely comfortable. The dichotomy of opposite emotions combined into something new. Something exciting.

It was strange.

Physical affection was not a well-known experience for the blond. The first 12 years of his life, he'd been utterly deprived of it. The next few years, he'd been uncertain of it. The odd pat on the head from Kakashi or Iruka. Every now and again, a hug from Tsunade. It had only been the last couple of years that he'd been exposed to physical affection in a meaningful way. When he'd finally been acknowledged by the village. When he became a symbol of hope for the Allied Shinobi Forces.

Perhaps it was the rush of emotions or the flood of endorphins, serotonin, and oxy-whatever. But now more than ever, he really wanted to see where things went with Weiss.

To think, he'd almost said no to tonight.

"So," the young woman beside him started. "What do you think so far?"

Naruto hummed at her question.

"The date. Or dates in general, I suppose," came her clarification. "Not so scary, right?"

He laughed while shaking his head. "With the right person? No, not so scary."

Weiss smiled honestly at his words, despite the embarrassment she surely felt, if the redness in her ears was any indication.

He meant those words, yet when he really stopped to think of his situation, a single shred of doubt began to nestle in his gut. Well, perhaps doubt was a bit of an exaggeration.

"I've been wondering, though."

Weiss had been incredibly straight and narrow with him so far. He figured simply addressing his uncertainty would be the best course of action.

"We get along well. Have for a while."

Weiss nodded.

"Tonight's been great, but it hasn't been that different from all the other times we've hung out."

The heiress nodded again, the beginnings of understanding starting to show.

"How do we know..." the blond shrugged with his words. How was he supposed to phrase it? "How are we supposed to know whether tonight working out is because of a strong friendship or because of something more?"

Did that make sense? He wasn't sure.

Regardless, Weiss seemed to understand the gist of what he was asking.

Were they better suited to be close friends? Or was a romantic relationship within reach? How were they supposed to determine that?

Several minutes passed. Several torturous minutes. Naruto began to feel his doubt spread. Had he asked the wrong question? Was it inappropriate for a date?

Eventually... Finally, Weiss looked up after staring into her lap in deep contemplation.

"I don't have a perfect answer," she said, voice soothingly calm. "This topic isn't objective in nature. What I do know..." The white-haired girl latched onto his land, entwining their fingers. "... is that I like doing this."

She squeezed his hand.

"And I don't think this is something friends do."

Naruto took a shuddering breath. No, friends usually didn't hold hands when walking around town. And he had to agree with Weiss. He certainly enjoyed what little physical contact they had shared thus far. He rubbed the pad of his thumb over the back of her hand.

"And..." Weiss continued.

Naruto observed her as she struggled with whatever thought was on her mind. Her face was red. Redder than it had been throughout the night.

"If that's not enough..."

Her small hand was sweating now. Or was that his? She seemed nervous. He certainly was.

"I know friends don't do this."

She leaned in as she spoke, face tilting upward. Naruto fought the urge to freeze. He knew what this was. Holy shit. He'd seen too many crappy romance flicks in this world not to know. Wasn't this going a little too fast? What was it? Third date rule? Shit, no, that was for sex, wasn't it?

At some point, the blond had subconsciously leaned down to meet his partner halfway.

Her lips stopped a fraction of an inch before meeting his as a final chance for him to reconsider. It was funny, wasn't that something he was supposed to do? Weren't their gender roles somewhat flipped?

Fuck it. Whatever. Who cared?

Naruto closed the distance between them. All concepts of hesitation, worry or stress evaporated from his mind as he pressed his lips to hers.

The kiss was light, almost chaste, but he felt Weiss' lips curl into a smile. It was clumsy. It was awkward. He didn't know which way to tilt his head or where to point his nose.

Kisses always seemed so much more visceral in the media. Was he supposed to deepen it?

The problem was solved as Weiss herself ended the kiss. In the half-second she pulled away, he already missed the contact. She solved that problem as well by leaning back in and kissing him again.

Naruto awkwardly rested a hand against her far shoulder. Whether to steady her or himself, he didn't know. Probably her, as she leaned in and deepened the kiss.

Contrary to popular media, there were no sparks of electricity, no orchestral music in the background. Instead, there was warmth. There was comfort. There was a thundering trill of heartbeats, loud enough to nearly deafen him.

When they pulled away for the final time, there were no desperate gasps for air, no tremors in their shoulders. Instead, there were just two awkward, smiling teenagers with flushed faces and reassured minds.

"Yeah," Naruto breathed. "Friends don't really do that."

Naruto wasn't sure where they would end up, but he had a better idea of where they now stood.

"Wanna grab some ice cream and go people-watch?"

The night was still young.

Weiss laughed airily, then nodded with a happy glint in her eye.

xXx

A/N: There is it, Chapter 12. I'm sure a lot of you were waiting for this. I'm sure a lot of you think it came up suddenly. Maybe it did, maybe it didn't. The point is, I wrote it, and I liked writing it.

You might have noticed a bit of inconsistency between Naruto's thoughts at the beginning of the chapter to his thoughts by the end. That's intentional. It's becoming somewhat of a theme within this story. There's always a difference between what he wants and what he knows is the logical choice. He's not always completely decided on what he will do, and his decision can change in the moment or when new experiences and feelings come into play.

Writing dates is actually kind of hard. Instead of writing it frame by frame from start to finish, I decided to show bits and pieces. The highlights, as it were.

After this, we're back to RWBY's main plot with the end of Vol. 1, which I'm excited to get into. Vol. 2 should progress faster, especially since that's where a lot of my altered plot will come in.

Also, Amber's advice is based on my own personal experience with relationships. Don't take it as real relationship advice. Or do, if you think it'll help you. I can't stop you.

As for the input I need from you guys. I'm starting a new job soon, so I'm about to get swamped for about 3 weeks due to training. After that, I'm going back to school part-time.

I AM STILL GOING TO BE WRITING THIS STORY.

I don't want ya'll assuming I'm going to abandon it or go on hiatus. Writing this has become somewhat of a stress reliever. I'll need it more than ever now... But. I won't have as much time to write. That's where your guy's input will come in. So far, the average chapter length of this story is about 16,000 to 17,000 words. Although that's a bit skewed because some chapters are only 10,000 while some are 20,000+. The point is, I've always aimed for at least 10,000 words a chapter.

Now, my question is, what do you guys think about me putting out shorter chapters? It wouldn't affect the story. I'm not going to cut any plot out. It'd just be a way to get out chapters a bit faster. As it is, the longest I've taken to put out a chapter is 3 weeks. Once work and school pick up, it'll probably be over a month per chapter. Maybe. If I shorten the chapters, I could probably maintain the update rate I have now.

As for the proposed chapter length? I was thinking no less than 5,000 words. Now, of course, that doesn't mean every chapter will be 5,000 words. Some will absolutely be longer. In fact, most will be longer. Super in fact, I doubt any will be shorter than 6,000. Just like how currently chapters range from 10K to 23K, the proposed chapter lengths could range from 5k to 10K. It all depends on how the flow goes. I'm sure any writers reading this will understand how difficult it is to keep a strict word count per chapter. Knowing me, I wouldn't be surprised if I have to cut my chapters off at 10,000 -_-

Anyways, I just wanted your opinions. For now, I'll keep things business as usual until things get too much with work and school, then I'll revisit the topic.

I know this is pretty god damn ironic given the last chapter's author's note, huh? This stuff kind of came to a head only recently. Sorry for springing this on you.

Cheers!