A/N: So here's Chapter 13. Thank you, everyone, so damn much for the warm reception of the last chapter. You guys were all super sweet, and every review brought a smile to my face! As for everyone's opinions on chapter length, people seem to be roughly split down the middle. As such, I suppose I'll have to play it by ear and see how I feel as I'm writing future chapters. Regardless, I'll keep you all in the loop.
As you may have noticed, this is the first time I've had 'part 1' in my chapter title. Just trying something out because I wasn't going to have enough time to put out a 24,000-word chapter. Instead, you guys get two 12,000-word chapters.
P.S. I was running out of time because of Baldur's Gate and Starfield. Now I'm poor and have no free time :(
Please enjoy the chapter!
xXx
Naruto lurched forward as a small but powerful grip nearly yanked him off his feet. For someone as tiny as Weiss, the girl sure was strong.
"Look at all this!" The heiress exclaimed. "Isn't it simply wonderful?" She asked while gesturing to their surroundings.
The blond followed her free hand as she gestured around them. Various banners, balloons, and streamers had been set up throughout the city streets. Greens, reds, and yellows served as the forerunners to the world-renowned Vytal Festival.
Due to the nature of his childhood, Naruto wasn't much for festivals. Too many people. And at the time, people didn't care for him much. But glancing at the excited smile of the white-clad woman before him, he couldn't help but reevaluate his preferences.
New world, different festivals, better people. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad? Despite being dragged against his will, having the rest of his team present sent a wave of comfort up his spine. Plus, Weiss was with him. Even if it was her who kept pulling him towards the unknown.
"Maybe you should slow down a bit, Weiss," came the surprisingly level voice of their team leader.
Weiss' nose crinkled in amused annoyance. "That's ironic, coming from you."
Ruby shrugged lazily. "I'm just saying. You're about to pull Naruto's arm out of its socket."
Weiss immediately released the blond's hand, causing his arm to spring back like an elastic band. The shinobi grunted, then began rotating his shoulder until a loud, satisfying pop sounded.
The rest of the team winced at the noise.
Weiss laughed nervously as her left hand cradled her right wrist, traces of embarrassment evident in her ice-blue eyes. "R-Right. Sorry."
Naruto shrugged, producing several smaller but still audible pops throughout his joints. "It's fine. I think it's cute," he said with a smile. "It's not often I get to see Weiss this excitable."
The ashen-haired girl rolled her eyes at his comment. Nevertheless, a light blush bloomed across the bridge of her nose. She mumbled a quiet "dork" under her breath.
After a moment, Blake hummed, then turned to face the blond. "This'll be your first Vytal Festival, won't it, Naruto?"
The question came as somewhat of a surprise; the team's quietest member tended to blend into the background, albeit of her own free will.
Naruto nodded. "I've never even heard of it until I joined Beacon."
"Oh!" Ruby shouted, her eyes wide. "I guess they wouldn't have it back home, would they?" The young scythe-wielder grinned toothily. "You'll love it! There's food, decorations, specialty shops, you name it!"
Yang nodded along with her sister. "And that's not even half of it. Just wait until the colosseum shows up!"
Naruto's brow raised in interest. What was that supposed to mean?
"You a festival guy, Naruto?" Yang asked with a lopsided smile.
Naruto felt the faintest trace of discomfort at the question. The thought had already passed through his mind; it was a resounding no. But looking at the smiling faces of his teammates, he was almost tempted to lie and say yes.
Instead, the blond chose to mix honestly with a bit of ambiguity. He shrugged with an apologetic smile. "Hard to say; I haven't been to very many."
That was mostly true, at least.
"Really?" Weiss asked in surprise. "That's surprising. You're fairly sociable; I imagined you'd fit right in at one. Do they not have many festivals in your homeland?"
Naruto hummed. "Well, the war put a hold on most celebrations," he muttered offhandedly.
Noticing several cringes in response, the blond bit his tongue. How inconsiderate of him. "But before all that, I suppose there was an average amount of festivals?" He answered, his words taking on a questioning lilt. "I don't know what you'd consider to be a lot. Either way, I tended to avoid them. Not a fan of crowds."
That was only partially true. He avoided crowds back home, in Konoha specifically. At least before he saved the village from Pein. Crowds, in general, had never really bothered him much.
The celebration after saving The Land of Waves. The party in Suna after rescuing Gaara. Even the military camps he stayed in during the war. All crowded locations and events, some even celebrating similarly to festivals, and he'd been fine. He'd had fun, even.
Naruto felt a thin hand entwine itself with his own. He looked down toward expressive, pale-blue eyes. The look Weiss shared with him was difficult to describe. Concern? She'd always been mindful of his feelings, but she seemed even more in tune with them, given the state of their relationship.
Huh. Their relationship.
Conflicting emotions warred within the blond's chest. What even was their relationship? Officially, at least?
Sure, they'd been on a couple dates over the last two weeks. But were they dating? According to Weiss, technically, no. She'd mentioned on the day she first asked him out that going on dates was a way to determine a potential couple's compatibility. To see if they were suited for a romantic relationship.
...
Well, they sure felt compatible.
But they hadn't actually talked about the next step of their relationship. They were supposed to, right? Was he supposed to ask her to be his girlfriend? Or was that already assumed?
Naruto held back a sigh. They really should have that conversation.
"Is there even a point?"
Well, look who it was.
'Of course there's a point. It's important to establish boundaries.'
"What boundaries could you possibly be thinking of? Aren't you two already a little too intimate for it to matter? When two people cozy up like you guys do, I don't think —"
Naruto immediately clamped down on their mental link, shunting his partner's flow of words.
'— Okay, that's enough out of you. You've lost talking rights.'
The blond felt pressure in his head before the sound of cracking glass.
"Oh no you don't. I'm not done giving you a hard time!" His tenant hissed.
Great. Looks like the bijū was feeling particularly feisty today.
"Also, I haven't gotten a chance to mention this, but you certainly changed your tune about starting a relationship, didn't you?"
Naruto suppressed a groan.
'Kami, what do you want from me? After that first date, how was I supposed to pretend I didn't want more?'
"That's your problem, kid. You're constantly trying to reason yourself out of a good thing. Trying to lie to yourself. Trying to deny what you really want."
The fox growled. "It really pisses me off!"
Before the Jinchūriki could argue against his tenant, the fox continued. "You're a shit liar. Especially when it comes to yourself. You told yourself you wouldn't get involved with Beacon. You told yourself you wouldn't join a team. You told yourself you wouldn't get close to other people. You told yourself you wouldn't acknowledge your own feelings."
The Kyubi took the mental equivalent of a deep breath.
"And with only a few honeyed words or a minor application of logic, all those plans failed immediately. And you couldn't be happier because of it. Would it really be so difficult to be honest with what you want?"
...
Okay. Wow. Where the hell was this hostility coming from? Regardless, Naruto couldn't help but engage with the fox.
'And what do I want?'
The fox scoffed. "You tell me. Take some time to think about it. Look at what's around you. Who's around you. You could start by telling your team about your past. Your true past. Or, at the very least, Weiss."
Naruto scowled internally. 'Seriously, this shit again?'
"It's not like it'll change anything. It'll probably make you feel better."
'I feel fine. And I disagree. Nothing good will come of revealing everything. They know enough.'
...
"Kami, you're such a shitty liar."
With that, Kurama went silent, leaving the blond alone with his thoughts. Where the hell had that come from? Why did the damn fox feel the need to pick a fight now? He was busy, wasn't he? What a bitch.
"Okay, okay, that's enough, you two!" Yang cried in exasperation. "I thought we already laid the groundwork. PDA is to be kept at a minimum at all times."
Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. Only now did he realize he'd been staring into Weiss' eyes this whole time, likely completely zoned out.
The look of raw concern on the girl's face confirmed as much. The blond sighed. He felt bad for worrying her. She wouldn't push the topic; she was good at respecting his baggage. But she'd likely ask him about it the next time they had some privacy.
Whatever. Time to run damage control.
Naruto rolled his eyes, pulled Weiss into a loose half-hug, and blew a raspberry toward the blonde brawler. Weiss leaned into the embrace instinctively.
"Leave them alone, Yang," Ruby chastised. "They're still in their honeymoon phase," she added teasingly.
Weiss frowned, wiggled her way out of his grip, then took a wide step to the side. Naruto beat back the pang of disappointment. With one last look of concern that only he could see, the white-clad girl steeled her features. She turned and scoffed at the rest of the team.
"Can we please get back on topic?" She asked, annoyance clear in her tone. Despite the act, Naruto could still detect faint traces of concern lingering in her voice. Concern for him. The thought pleased him as much as it made him feel guilty.
At Yang's blank look, Weiss scowled. "The Vytal Festival?" She asked with a shake of her head.
"Oh. Right," Yang nodded. "I don't know about everyone else, but my favourite part is the fights. I can't believe I finally get to participate in them this time around!" The brawler grinned as she fought to contain her battle lust.
Naruto smiled ruefully. Of course Yang was in it for the fight.
Weiss groaned. "You are such a barbarian. You clearly can't even factor in the amount of planning and organization it takes for an event like this to come to fruition!" Pivoting on her foot, the heiress once again began leading the group further into the city. If Naruto remembered correctly, they were heading toward the docks, intent on 'greeting' incoming students from Vacuo, who were slated to arrive sometime today.
"You really know how to pick out the most boring parts of something exciting, don't you?" Yang asked, her voice flat.
Naruto felt a small elbow strike his side. He looked down and was met with silver eyes. "Hey, Naruto," Ruby whispered. The shinobi raised an eyebrow. "Mark that down. Organization gets Weiss hot under the collar. Maybe you can buy her a calendar?"
Naruto bit his tongue to suppress a laugh. Instead, he shook his head as he walked. Although... judging by the heiress' amalgamation of highlighters, sticky notes, and bookmarkers, maybe Ruby was on to something?
"Anyway," Yang spoke up. "Anyone wanna remind me why we're spending our Friday afternoon visiting the stupid docks?"
Ruby pinched the tip of her nose while grunting. "They smell like fish." Naruto frowned. Ruby was right, and the midday heat wasn't doing their noses any favours.
"I've heard that students visiting from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today. And, as a representative of Beacon, I feel as though it is my solum duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom."
Naruto refrained from speaking out. The girl in white had been ranting to him about scoping out the upcoming competition just the other night.
Blake turned to the team's blonde brawler. "She wants to spy on them so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament," she stated dryly.
To give credit where credit was due, Blake certainly was perceptive.
"You can't prove that," Weiss scoffed lowly.
As the five continued to walk, something managed to pull Ruby's attention from their path. She muttered a low 'woah' and stopped in her tracks. Naruto followed her line of sight and noticed the remnants of a storefront that had clearly been burgled. Yellow caution tape cordoned off the area and haphazardly filled in for the shattered windows and fractured doors.
Ruby began approaching the area, towards the two police detectives, if their outfits were any indication. Naruto simply shrugged and followed his team leader. As the group approached, Ruby turned to the nearby detective, an average-sized man wearing black dress pants, a white dress shirt, and grey suspenders. He was scribbling away on a data pad using a stylus, his eyes covered by thick dark sunglasses.
"What happened here?" Ruby asked, her tone a mixture of curiosity and concern.
The detective looked up. After taking a moment to assess them, he answered truthfully, "Robbery. Second Dust shop this week." His tone was indignant, as if the robbery had been a personal insult. As a member of the Kingdom's law enforcement, maybe it was? He began to walk toward his partner. "This place is turning into a jungle," he muttered under his breath.
"That's terrible," Yang sighed.
Naruto refrained from shrugging his shoulders. Sure, theft wasn't great, but businesses had insurance for a reason, right? Did that make him sound callous? Probably.
As the two detectives began conversing with each other, loudly at that, Team RYBWN couldn't help but listen in. Naruto tilted his head. He supposed it was strange for the thieves to leave behind the money, but at the same time, was it really? How much physical currency did businesses carry around nowadays? From what the blond had seen, most stores used digital currency, at least in the kingdom. Credit and debit cards. He doubted there were a lot of stores that carried large quantities of cash. It was probably a lot more lucrative to steal the Dust when compared to the time-consuming task of breaking into whatever safe or vault a store's lien was stored in. Plus, Dust had practical applications. Use value. It could literally be used to fuel further heists.
Weiss released a huff. "The White Fang. What an awful bunch of degenerates," she muttered derisively.
Blake immediately turned to the heiress. "What's your problem?" She asked with a frown.
Weiss seemed surprised at the girl's words. Naruto was as well, as the black-clad girl wasn't usually one to instigate an argument. "My problem?" The ashen-haired girl asked indignantly. "I simply don't care for the criminally insane."
Naruto frowned. Weren't the White Fang technically terrorists? That would hardly put them in the realm of insanity. It meant they were organized. Politically driven. And had something they thought worth dying and killing for. Technically speaking, the citizens from the Land of Waves who had fought for their freedom had been classified as terrorists. Hell, much of what a shinobi was expected to do fell under the umbrella of terror tactics. Thinking further, wasn't Mei Terumī, the current Mizukage, a terrorist? Or at least, she was until she overthrew Kirigakure's previous leader.
"The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths. They're a collection of misguided faunus."
Naruto could freely admit that he didn't know nearly enough about the organization to speak to either claim. The media painted them as terrorists. As bloated and biased as the media could get, earning the reputation of a terror organization wasn't something acquired lightly.
"Misguided?" Weiss repeated.
Naruto winced at her voice. He knew that tone. He stepped beside the white-clad girl and rested a hand on her lower back. He felt the heat radiating through her white bolero. Immediately, Weiss' scowl eased up, and her shoulders slackened. However, as if struck by a bolt of realization, the girl's scowl returned, and she stepped away from the blond. "They want to wipe humanity off the face of the planet!" She added in exasperation.
Blake's eyes narrowed. "So then they're very misguided! Either way, it doesn't explain why they would rob a Dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale."
Ruby hummed. "Blake's got a point."
Naruto nodded. "Yeah. If they're at war with the world order, I doubt they'd want to make a fuss in the heart of one of the kingdoms. Not until they think they're ready to do some damage."
The team remained silent for a moment.
"Besides," Ruby continued. "The police never caught that Torchwick guy I ran into a few months ago. Maybe it was him?"
"You said you interrupted that robbery, right?" Naruto asked. He shrugged at Ruby's small nod. "Honestly, it makes more sense for it to be him than the White Fang. If you deprived him of what he was after, it only makes sense he'd need to try again. Plus, he's already known to pull this kind of shit."
Blake almost seemed grateful for his words. Curious.
Weiss turned her nose up. "That still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum."
Blake's frown returned in full.
Naruto sighed. Weiss had a very good reason to hate the White Fang. As a Schnee, her family was the favoured target for the civil rights group turned terror organization. The Schnee family, their patriarch in particular, was not known for his kindness towards faunus kind. Be it a combination of institutionalized racism or simple predatory practices, Weiss' father had seen to exploiting faunus labour to the fullest. It was a fact Weiss was more than aware of. It was something she hated. Something that had helped drive a wedge between her and her father.
When the White Fang turned violent, there was no shortage of targeted attacks against Weiss and her family. Against their business. It was something that had made her father very angry, not something conducive to a happy childhood.
That violence had planted the seeds of hatred in Weiss' heart. Hatred towards the White Fang.
Fortunately, the tension was cut as a loud cry of, "Hey, stop the faunus!" rang out across the docks. The group of five turned to a nearby docked ship and observed the events unfolding with interest.
The following events in question were... quite something. Naruto grinned as he watched a blond monkey faunus flee from two ship workers. The faunus was about their age, was tall, and had tanned skin. He wore blue jeans, red armoured gauntlets, and a white short-sleeved shirt. The front buttons were left undone, exposing the teen's well-muscled chest. He certainly was confident with his assets.
As the monkey faunus was pursued, the dialogue exchanged between him and the ship workers made it clear he was a stowaway. Naruto had to suppress a laugh as the teen tossed a banana peel onto one of the responding police detective's faces. He had balls, too, that was for sure.
Through a series of acrobatics that indicated him being a huntsman in training, he lept over the detectives with a laugh and began a mad dash into the city proper. As he sprinted past the Beacon team, Naruto burst into laughter as the faunus shot Blake an exaggerated wink, leaving the girl wide-eyed and mouth ajar. The blond dashed into the street and disappeared around the corner, the detectives hot on his proverbial and literal tail.
"Well, Weiss," Yang smiled, "you wanted to see the competition. And there it goes."
Weiss' eyes widened, and she shouted while gesturing to the retreating faunus. "We have to observe him!"
With that, Weiss, Ruby, and Yang took off after the teen. Blake stood rooted to the spot for a moment. Naruto eyed the girl. She'd been surprisingly vocal about the White Fang, to a degree the shinobi hadn't expected. It seemed like there was more to it than that.
"You okay?" Naruto asked the amber-eyed girl. Blake snapped out of whatever daze she was in, startled by his presence. She nodded slowly.
"I know you guys are together, but Weiss is being unreasonably ignorant regarding the White Fang. They're not all bad people."
Naruto smiled ruefully but nodded. "Maybe," he sighed. "But the white Fang has taken a lot from her and her family. She knows what the SDC has done, but even still..." He met Blake's wide eyes. "Similar to how not all faunus in the White Fang are bad, not all people in the SDC are bad."
Blake swallowed heavily. After a moment, she nodded. "W-We should catch up to everyone."
Naruto released a long breath, then nodded. He turned to his black-clad teammate as they began to run after everyone. "You know what I don't get?" At Blake's questioning gaze, he continued. "If this guy's a student from another kingdom, why was he stowing away on this ship? Shouldn't he be with the rest of his class?"
Blake hummed in confusion.
xXx
"Psst. C'mon, do something, Naruto," came the whispered words of Ruby.
Naruto blinked, then shifted awkwardly. "What do you want me to do about it? You're the Team Leader," he hissed back quietly.
"She's your girlfriend," Ruby replied indignantly.
"Well, she's your partner."
...
Ruby frowned. "Psst. Yang, do something, Blake's your partner."
The young reaper's tone was as desperate as it was authoritative.
"What?" Yang whispered harshly. "Naruto's right, you're the team's leader. If anyone has to do something about this, it's you."
With a pathetic whine, Ruby stomped her feet on the metallic interior of the Bullhead.
"You're ignorant!" Blake yelled at the team's white-clad Dust expert. "And honestly," she continued, "a little bit racist!"
"How dare you?" Weiss recoiled. "I am not racist. I have nothing against faunus."
With an unladylike snort, Blake shook her head. "You're talking a lot of shit about them for someone who isn't racist."
"First of all, it's the White Fang I've been talking down about, not faunus as a whole. Second of all, it's not my fault so many faunus flock to that group of violent degenerates. If all those faunus want to be remembered for is their mindless aggression and poor decision-making, they can be with their own kind!" Weiss' sneer was on the cusp of a full-on snarl.
Blake balked at the girl's words. "T-That was definitely racist! You Schnee's are all the same!"
"What the —"
Naruto groaned. How troublesome.
"I think we let them burn a bit longer until they start to cool off," Ruby sighed.
Both blonds nodded absently.
That was probably for the best. Naruto had never seen Blake raise her voice until now. What was bringing about such passion? Did she know someone in the White Fang? It would make sense. Maybe she was close with someone who had fallen in with the wrong crowd, as it were.
And Weiss... he'd definitely never seen her so angry. This was worse than when Ruby was made Team Leader. Worse than all their little squabbles combined and multiplied. It seemed like she didn't enjoy it when people questioned her integrity. Who wouldn't be angry?
On the other hand, she had been pretty damn harsh with her words. Naruto could certainly understand how someone who didn't know the heiress well enough might see her as prejudiced.
But Blake should know Weiss well enough. Which meant the dark-haired girl was taking things personally.
Hmm.
"I'd rather hang out with Penny than listen to this," Naruto mumbled weakly.
Once Blake and Weiss had devolved into their heated argument, things quickly got awkward. Such an intense dispute had surely left the worst impression on their new orange-haired friend. Then again, the oblivious smile on the girl's face as he and Yang all but dragged the rest of the team away left that up for debate.
Yang shot him a strange look. After a moment, the look turned contemplative. "I can't believe it, but I think I agree with you."
"Come on guys, don't be like that," Ruby chastised. "Penny wasn't so bad!"
Both blonds fixed their team leader with a flat stare.
Ruby laughed awkwardly. "Sure, she was a little quirky, but she seemed nice!"
"She seemed," Yang answered, "like she was one compliment away from murdering us and kidnapping you."
Naruto nodded at Ruby's shocked look. The scythe-wielder pouted cutely. "You guys are just being mean. I'm sure she's a nice girl."
Naruto shrugged. "Nice or not, we'll have to apologize to her the next time we see her. Having those two," he gestured to the team's arguing monochromatic duo. "Arguing like that in front of her wasn't very representative of what Beacon has to offer."
Yang appeared downtrodden.
"Yeah," Ruby mumbled. "How embarrassing..."
...
"I don't understand why you're making such a big deal over this! What's your problem?"
"My problem? You're my problem! I'm sick of listening to you talk down to everyone and everything around you! It's insufferable!"
...
Naruto felt Ruby's small frame lean against him. "They'll tire themselves out at some point, right?"
Naruto nodded weakly. "Probably," he mumbled.
xXx
"I still don't understand why this is causing such a problem!" Weiss groaned.
"That is the problem!" Blake belted back.
Naruto, Yang, and Ruby stood awkwardly at the dorm room entrance, feeling far too awkward to properly enter.
"Are you sure you can't fix this? You're good at this kind of stuff." Ruby asked while nudging the blond shinobi on his side.
Naruto shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry to say, no one's that good. I think this really is just something that needs to happen. If we interrupt them, this'll just happen again later down the line."
Yang released a low breath. "I hate that you're probably right. But seriously. It's been hours. It's dark out now..."
Naruto nodded weakly. Surely... surely they'd tire themselves out at some point, right?
Surely.
It got him thinking, though. What was he supposed to say to Weiss after this was over? Was he supposed to take her side? As her sort-of boyfriend, was that something she would expect?
The problem was he didn't really want to take her side. She wasn't wrong per se. About the White Fang, at least. They were terrorists and, at times, had displayed cruelty and bloodthirst.
But Blake had a lot of merit to her argument. And the longer this dispute raged, the more venomous Weiss had become. Sometimes, it was easy for him to forget just how much vitriol the white-clad girl was capable of.
"No, the problem is people like you," Weiss snapped.
Uh oh.
"It makes things worse when heartthrobs like you fawn over anyone with the slightest semblance of a good cause!"
The dark-haired girl scowled. "You think it's wrong to sympathize with a good cause?"
"It is if the cause is dead!"
Blake recoiled at the sordid accusation.
"That's the problem with those White Fang scum; just because they're faunus who started out with noble intentions, all other faunus flock towards them, sympathize with them, and allow their cancerous ways to fester! Watching an entire race of people act so idiotically is infuriating!"
Naruto sighed. Weiss was being particularly cruel with her words, and the girl probably didn't even realize it. And frankly, her poor phrasing was doing her no favours. No wonder Blake had called her a racist.
The blond would be in an extremely delicate situation once their argument ended.
If Weiss expected him to take her side, things would get complicated. Hopefully, he could explain to her that as her sort-of boyfriend, it was his responsibility to keep her grounded. In this case, he couldn't afford to be another yes-man for her.
He'd have to disagree with her.
Kami help him.
...
"You realize you're defending an organization that hates humanity, don't you?" Weiss asked, perplexed. "The faunus of the White Fang are pure evil." The ashen-haired girl stated definitively.
Blake stood from her bed. "There's no such thing as pure evil!" She retaliated.
Naruto's jaw clenched. He desperately wanted to disagree with Blake on that but wasn't sure if he could. Madera, Obito, Nagato. In the heat of the moment, labelling them as pure evil was easy. But were they? They had all fought and died for their beliefs. In their own twisted ways, they all thought their actions were made in the name of the greater good. It was their intentions that prevented them from being considered pure evil. At least as far as Naruto was concerned. Hell, even Kaguya boiled down to a woman, mother, and lover scorned. Her actions were deplorable. Irredeemable. But was she pure evil? Hard to say. Maybe. Maybe not.
Although, from what he had heard, Hidan from the Akatsuki was pretty damn close to pure evil. A man thirsty for blood, driven by his lust for murder and a need to satisfy a questionable deity.
Hmm.
The back and forth between Weiss and Blake continued for several minutes. Much to Naruto's surprise, Weiss was willing to divulge the reasons behind her distaste for the White Fang. Circumstances aside, he was almost proud of the girl. She'd even gone into more personal detail than he would have expected. That was good. Providing reasons for why she felt a certain way was a lot better than simply venting her frustrations without reason. While he himself already knew those reasons, he doubted the rest of his team knew. They may have had their suspicions, but they probably didn't know for sure.
Similarly, Blake was doing an admirable job of explaining her motivations and thought processes. The conversation would have likely been a productive bonding experience if the two weren't so heatedly arguing.
Naruto frowned. He was starting to get bad vibes from the argument. It felt like it was approaching a breakpoint. He felt powerless. Glancing at Yang and Ruby, the two sisters also appeared similarly upset.
But as he'd already said, this was an argument that needed to happen between the two. Any interruptions or attempts to prevent further dispute would likely leave both parties with unresolved feelings. And if that happened, resentment would build, and another argument was sure to happen.
Was there a better way to go about this? Probably. Naruto doubted that just sitting and watching the two shout at each other was the best response. But almost all of his experience with conflict resolution involved beating the crap out of someone. That didn't seem all that applicable here. And even if it was, who was he supposed to beat up? Both girls had good and bad points.
And besides, no matter how he looked at it, the blond couldn't help but feel that he'd be biased no matter how hard he tried not to be. That wouldn't be fair to either girl.
No.
It was best to just let them verbally duke it out and then run damage control.
"Well, maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!" Blake shouted with an angry sneer.
All at once, the room's temperature froze, and the air was sucked out of the room. Blake appeared shocked at her slip-up, and Weiss took a step back. Surprise and caution heavy in her body language.
Glancing at those around her, Blake took her own cautious step back, and the tension in her torso seemed to recede and return like ocean waves. She stuttered awkwardly before finally turning and fleeing out of the room.
"Blake, wait!" Ruby cried anxiously. The girl made a half-hearted attempt to follow her, but either through shock or an unconscious understanding that the newly revealed faunus would need time to herself, she did not follow beyond the room's threshold. "Come back!" She shouted desperately.
Yang had taken a seat on a nearby chair, likely too surprised to form any words of her own. Blake being a faunus was surprising on its own, but the fact she is, or was, a member of the White Fang was another thing entirely.
It made sense. For why she was so readily defending the group. Her uncharacteristically positive disposition towards faunus. Even her initial disdain towards Weiss when their team had first formed.
Naruto understood all this. And even as the pieces began fitting together. As all the clues lined up. As all the small looks and passing comments regarding Velvet, Cardin, and news reports on faunus and White Fang activity began to make sense, all Naruto could focus on was Weiss. He was, after all, biased.
The heiress looked less upset than he would have expected. Her jaw was set tight, and her eyes were of hardened steel. Tense shoulders and rigid posture. She was guarded. But Naruto could still tell she was angry. Sad. Who wouldn't be in her situation? She must have felt betrayed.
That wasn't good.
Granted, there was definitely more to the story, which Naruto would do his best to unravel. Hell, he could only imagine what Blake was feeling right now. But for now, he needed to figure out what to do.
He knew he was going to be running damage control, but shit.
That's a lot of damage.
xXx
Naruto sighed while pinching the bridge of his nose. Staring at the roof of his bedroom ceiling, he couldn't help but wonder what the hell he was supposed to do now. Weiss had been... less than receptive to his attempts at conversation. She wasn't mad at him. At least, he knew that logically. But still. The cold shoulder and her brushing off his attempts to console her still stung.
But it was natural, right? Her and Blake's fight had been pretty intense. Surely, Weiss would need more time to process everything.
And then there was Blake. Naruto groaned.
The blond shinobi didn't even know where to start with their faunus teammate. He wasn't as close with her as he was with Weiss. Yet he still felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility regarding her wellbeing. And while it wasn't his job to fix everything, he certainly wanted to. Based on the looks shared between him, Yang, and Ruby, the two sisters felt the same.
Naruto began to count the specks of dust on the ceiling. Little motes of imperfections. It was all he could do now, considering how late it was. It was well past midnight by the time Blake and Weiss' argument had come to its explosive conclusion, which meant there wasn't much time left in the day to fix things. Not like things could simply be fixed with a few honeyed words. This would take a lot more.
So now the blond lay in bed, waiting for sleep's embrace to lead him into the next day, where hopefully they could start picking up the pieces. It was a damn shame sleep was proving so elusive. And why wouldn't it? Too much to think about. Too much to worry about.
Amber was right. As a guy, he had to fight the urge to fix things. But he couldn't fix things. Not now, at least. So where did that leave him? Anxiously twiddling his thumbs, it seemed.
"Shut up. Get some rest. Figure it out in the morning."
Naruto sighed. 'You make it sound so simple.'
"It is. You and your monkey brain just don't realize it."
That neither he nor Kurama would bring up their earlier argument at the docks wasn't unusual. They both had time to sort out their feelings, and for the most part, when it came to minor disagreements such as before, their mental connection was more than enough to get the little messages across to each other.
"You know just as well as I that both of them need time to process things. Picking at the wound now will only make things worse. You'd probably piss them off."
'Yeah, I know. Doesn't make things easier.'
The fox grunted noncommittally.
'Is Blake even going to return? I can't imagine she wants to spend the night in the same room as everyone.'
"She's resourceful. She'll be fine."
'How's Weiss going to get over this? She can be pretty spiteful.'
"I'm sure you'll be able to talk some sense into her. You have that effect."
'Will I? What if there's no sense to be had? What if Blake's still an active member? What if she actually just hates Weiss' guts? How's the team going to recover?'
"Stop jumping to conclusions. You don't even know what Blake's situation is. I can still sense negative emotions; Blake doesn't hate Weiss."
Naruto sighed as he forced his eyes shut. What a pain. It was true what they said. The only easy day was yesterday.
'You're right, you're right.'
The bijū scoffed. "Of course I am, as usual."
After a long pause, Naruto opened his eyes. 'Thanks, Kurama. For helping.'
Another derisive snort. "Whatever. I don't know why I bother."
Naruto did. He smiled because of it. The fox would never admit it, but this was his way of apologizing for earlier. At least, that's what Naruto wholeheartedly chose to believe. The fox's lack of retort was more than enough confirmation, considering he had access to most of Naruto's surface-level thoughts.
Right. Tomorrow, he'd talk to Weiss. From there, they could get the ball rolling when it came to fixing things. Things would be okay.
xXx
Things were not okay.
It had been two days since Blake and Weiss' fight, and they were no closer to reconciliation than the day shit hit the proverbial fan. All weekend, the remaining members of RYBWN waited on bated breaths for something, anything, to happen. Yet nothing did.
Hell, Blake hadn't even returned to the school.
And Weiss...
Naruto scowled. He understood she needed space, but seriously. Things were getting ridiculous. The white-clad girl had done nothing but blow the team off and mutter weak excuses whenever they tried to broach the topic. And if they ever pushed it, she would turn her ire upon whoever had the misfortune of being closest to her. It was frustrating.
Something needed to be done. A heavier hand, as it were.
This was why Naruto was currently staring down the cold, angry eyes of his sort-of girlfriend.
"Move," the ashen-haired girl ordered coldly.
Naruto pursed his lips, then shook his head. This was going to suck.
"Did Ruby put you up to this?" Weiss asked tersely.
Once again, Naruto shook his head. "This was a group decision," he stated calmly. As calm as he could, at least. There was no doubt he was invested in this. He'd need to keep his composure, no matter how frustrating the following conversation went. Kami, he was already dreading it.
Naruto had been given what was deemed the most challenging task. Handling Weiss. It made the most sense, given their relationship. Yang and Ruby, on the other hand, had taken the much easier job of hunting down Blake. One person in a city of several million. Unfortunately for the shinobi, there was no sarcasm in the previous statement. Weiss would likely be the most difficult 'task.' Perhaps not the most time-consuming, but difficult for several other reasons.
"Sit," the blond instructed.
Weiss shook her head in exasperation, then tried to shoulder past him. It didn't work, as Naruto wouldn't budge. Planting her feet, the heiress increased her force, attempting to break past his bulwark defence. She released a frustrated grunt upon realizing that she wouldn't be able to escape the dorm room.
Gently leading her by the arm, the shinobi guided her to her bed. The fact she didn't struggle was a good sign, he supposed. Weiss dropped down in a huff as Naruto sat beside her, ensuring he put himself between her and the door. Just in case she wanted to try her luck. She probably wasn't a flight risk, but still. Better safe than sorry.
They sat in silence for several minutes, neither willing to be the first to speak.
Naruto shifted uncomfortably. How the hell was he supposed to start things off? He'd gone over it in his head a thousand times already. But now? Now, all those rehearsals felt useless. He couldn't just accuse her of being wrong. She wasn't. Well, she was, but not entirely. He couldn't coddle her. It wasn't his style, and she'd probably hate it anyway.
Taking a deep breath, Naruto asked the first question that came to mind. "How are you feeling?" He breathed.
The blond waited with bated breath as the petite girl mulled over her answer. He had asked the same question several times following the initial argument. Each time, he'd been met with a nasty glare, a snarky reply, or simple silence. But it was different this time.
Hopefully.
When Ruby had made it clear they were going to search for Blake, not even Weiss could justify refusing to do so. Their faunus teammate had been gone all weekend. And while she was resourceful, they were getting antsy waiting for her. Naruto supposed that Weiss agreeing to come along was a good sign and, in reality, was one of the main reasons he was even bothering with this conversation.
Maybe she was finally ready to talk?
"I'm still angry," She answered quietly. Whatever fires once burned were now gone. Her anger had transformed into something cold. Brittle. Measured.
Naruto nodded wordlessly. Yeah. That made sense. He kept his hands at his side, his posture slightly stiff. He knew she wasn't angry at him. He knew. And yet...
Was he just being sensitive? Probably. This wasn't even about him...
Perhaps sensing his discomfort, Weiss laid her small hand on top of his own, lightly caressing his fingers. "Not at you," She followed up. Her tone was terse. Conflicted. "Or Ruby or Yang. I know you guys were only trying to help. I know I've been pretty moody lately." Naruto snorted reflexively, earring him a light pinch on the back of his hand. "So thank you. For tolerating me. For not getting angry at me. I'm just still so angry at..."
"Blake?" He asked, the answer obvious.
Weiss growled. "Yes." After a moment's pause and a slight shake of her head, "No." She corrected. The girl frowned. "I don't know. Both," she finished with a confused groan.
Oh? Interesting.
Naruto remained silent, afraid that any interruption would cause the white-clad girl to abandon her surprising, but not unwelcome, train of thought.
"At first, I was afraid," Weiss admitted uncomfortably. "Blake. A member of the White Fang?" Weiss swallowed heavily. "If she's White Fang, then it means she's my enemy. So why do I feel so betrayed?"
Naruto hummed. "Betrayal never comes from an enemy," he muttered.
Weiss made a soft sound of curiosity.
"It means you see her as a friend. You trusted her. That's why it feels like a betrayal," Naruto clarified.
Weiss growled softly. "Is she really my friend? What if I'm just her mark? What if this is just another White Fang assassination attempt?"
The saddest thing about that question was that it wasn't unrealistic. Of course, Naruto knew this wasn't the case. Hopefully, Weiss did as well.
"If that were true, you'd be long dead, don't you think?"
Weiss' expression didn't change. It was still that same frown. "Yes. Most likely."
Naruto nodded. Good. She was being reasonable. Blake would have had every opportunity up until now. Weiss seemed to understand as well.
...
Naruto's eyes widened as he felt movement on the bed. The shuffling of clothes preceded a new weight settling on his lap. Looking down, he was met with a head of snow-white hair. Weiss was on her side, resting her head in his lap, facing away from him.
What the hell? Wasn't she supposed to be angry?
Right. She wasn't angry at him. The shinobi felt the tension in his shoulders lessen. It was like a weight was lifted, even as his cheeks pinked.
To be honest, she didn't seem all that angry in general.
"How the hell am I supposed to trust someone like her?" Weiss asked hotly.
Nevermind.
"Blake lied to me. She lied to all of us! I wouldn't have cared if she was a faunus. Really, I wouldn't have. But White Fang? Seriously? She's a terrorist!"
"I think," Naruto said carefully, "there's a lot we don't know right now. We don't know if she's still a member. We don't know her past. We don't know what her feelings and intentions are. For all we know, she could have stopped being a member the moment they became violent."
"I think we know enough to be wary of her," the heiress scowled. "She ran and hasn't come back. Isn't that an admission of guilt itself? She is or was White Fang. And since I'm a Schnee, she hates my guts. It's practically an obligation for her. She might have been part of a terror organization. Assault and murder are their bread and butter."
Naruto began to run his fingers through the girl's hair, eliciting a sigh. It contrasted strangely with her scornful mood. "You don't know if she hates you. That's just conjecture. And keep in mind, I'm guilty of assault and murder as well."
Weiss seemed to freeze. "T-That's different. You were fighting a war."
Naruto shrugged. "By your own admission, so is the White Fang. You said they've been at war with your family for years, right?"
Weiss shook her head. "It's different," she repeated quietly.
"No, it's not."
Weiss had no retort.
...
"That still doesn't explain why she ran and hasn't returned," the Schnee heiress pointed out.
Once again, Naruto shrugged. "Maybe she was afraid?"
"Afraid of what!" Weiss shouted. She must have surprised herself with her own volume as she continued in a quieter, though no less incredulous tone, "I'm the one who should be afraid," she hissed.
Naruto continued unperturbed. "Maybe she was afraid we'd all turn on her without giving her a chance to explain herself?"
After a moment, Weiss sighed.
"So what? We hunt her down and demand an explanation? What if she doesn't have anything good to say? What if she's everything I feared and worse?"
Entwining his fingers through her hair, Naruto hummed. "No, we track her down and give her the opportunity to talk." After a moment, he added, "What if it turns out you have nothing to fear from her? What if this is a big misunderstanding, and she's every bit the friend you know she is?"
Several long moments passed until Weiss replied, "I don't know if I can take that chance."
To Naruto's shock, he felt added heat on his legs, followed by an unmistakable wetness. A poorly disguised sniffle from Weiss made it clear what that heat was.
Naruto felt panic seize his heart. Weiss was crying. She wasn't bawling her eyes out. She wasn't a blubbering, hiccuping mess. In fact, her tears were silent. Almost calm. But they were more than enough to set him on edge. He'd never thought the girl was capable of tears. She always seemed so strong. So fortified. So in control.
But then again, many of his friends from back home would likely think the same about him, albeit for different reasons. Too cheerful. He himself wasn't immune to tears. Jiraiya's death. Meeting his father. Meeting his mother. Tearful occasions, all of them.
After all, they were only 17. Emotions were a bitch at their age, or so the last generation liked to say.
"I can't," Weiss whispered. "I can't trust someone who wants to kill me."
Naruto gripped the bed sheets tightly with his free hand.
...
Well, Kurama was constantly encouraging him to open up more about his past...
"Did you know that some of my most precious people started out as enemies who tried to kill me?"
Weiss remained quiet. Her head was tilted away from him, obscuring whatever look she must have been wearing.
"What?"
xXx
"So, this is where you've been," Naruto grinned in satisfaction.
Blake nearly jumped out of her seat at the sound of his voice. Surprise, confusion, and just a little bit of fear could be seen in her wide amber eyes.
The unnamed monkey faunus from the docks, who was seated across from her, was similarly startled. At least, if his hand tightly gripping his weapon under the table was any indication.
"N-Naruto?" Blake questioned. The stutter in her voice made it clear she wasn't expecting, nor was she ready, for his appearance anytime soon.
After a moment of awkwardness, the silence was broken.
"You were with Blake down at the docks, weren't you?" The unknown faunus asked. Before Naruto could answer, the faunus nodded to himself. "I guess that makes you her teammate, huh?"
Naruto nodded, then hummed in agreement. Upon noticing movement from his peripherals, he focused on his wayward teammate as her eyes darted around the patio.
Was she looking for an escape route? Seriously?
"E-Easy Blake, just relax," the blond said diplomatically.
Naruto's eyes widened as his teammate's focus settled on the patio ledge.
"Blake, seriously, we're on the second story. What are you going to do, jump?"
Surely not, right? Since they were in the middle of downtown Vale, the act would bring a lot of attention to herself, and Naruto doubted that was something she wanted. It quickly became clear that the faunus in disguise was genuinely considering it.
"Blake, no!" Naruto shouted. His tone was half exasperated, half amused. "Do you have any idea how long we've been looking for you?"
The girl hesitated briefly. Perfect.
"You left without any explanation, and we couldn't get in contact with you. Do you have any idea how worried we were?"
Naruto released a silent sigh at the black-clad girl's reaction. The tension was still there, but now it was less directed at fleeing the area and more focused on what he had to say next.
That was good.
The blond was worried he'd come on a little strong when approaching her. Blake's reaction was more intense than expected, but luckily, she was still reasonable. If she had fled, unless he wanted to create a scene in the middle of the city, it meant even more shadow clones would need to be sent to discreetly locate her.
Naruto took several tentative steps toward the table. When he was reasonably sure she wouldn't try to bolt past him, he pulled over a nearby chair and sat down.
Blake's eyes were downcast as if she'd been caught by a parent doing something wrong. The unnamed faunus appeared awkward. Whoever he was, he —
"— I'm Sun, by the way," the faunus awkwardly offered his hand.
Naruto accepted the handshake firmly. "Naruto," he replied. He received a nod in return.
Well, that solved one thing. Sun. It beat the hell out of 'monkey faunus.'
The three sat in silence for several long minutes. Naruto observed his teammate throughout, and it quickly became apparent she was struggling to find her words. She hadn't said anything aside from his name until now, but she was clearly trying to get something out.
Naruto himself was nervous. While he would undoubtedly remain positive and only assume the best, the shinobi would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't worried about what he might hear. That was the problem about being kept in the dark. Maybe he should start things off?
"We're not angry at you, you know?"
Intense amber eyes peered at him through the fringe of her hairline. That got her attention. "Weiss seemed pretty angry," the ravenette muttered.
Naruto snorted. "Weiss is always angry."
Blake displayed no outward reaction.
Hmm. Tough crowd.
"She's not so much angry as she is afraid," Naruto said in an attempt to pacify his teammate. While he wasn't entirely sure about that claim, it was the blond's best guess. The original him was technically in the process of finding out right now.
"Afraid?" Blake echoed with a raised brow.
Naruto nodded. "Yeah. Afraid. You dropped a bombshell on us and then left without explaining anything. Weiss is a Schnee. What would you do if you found out someone you were close with admitted to being a member of a group at war with your family?"
Naruto winced slightly at Sun's quizzical look. Perhaps he should have chosen his words better. He didn't know what the blond foreigner knew, and he felt uneasy at the prospect of exposing Blake's secret further.
"Hold on," Sun interrupted. "You're teammates with a Schnee?" he asked incredulously. He continued after his rhetorical question. "Damn. Talk about irony."
Sun awkwardly glanced at Blake's neatly tied bow, then looked to his fellow blond. The bow concealed Blake's faunus features if Naruto had to guess. Unless she had a tail wrapped around her waist, she likely had a pair of animal ears atop her head.
It seemed obvious, given the context. He really should have been able to put two and two together, but as they say, hindsight and all that.
It also occurred to Naruto that all three of them were essentially walking on eggshells around each other. No one knew who knew what. Naruto didn't know if Sun was aware of Blake's White Fang situation. Sun didn't know if Naruto was aware of Blake's faunus status. Blake didn't know if she could trust either of them.
Perhaps sensing the problem, Blake released a deep sigh. "You wanna know more about me?" She asked while glancing at Sun. The boy's eyes widened as he nodded dumbly. Blake glanced at Naruto. "You wanted clarification?"
Naruto pursed his lips, nodded, and leaned in. Truth be told, he wasn't satisfied with the offer. All of Team RYBWN needed clarification, Weiss most of all. But he'd take what he could get. Perhaps this would serve as a stepping stone for Blake so that she could tell the rest of the team.
Baby steps.
"So," Blake began. "The White Fang..."
xXx
"... And now he's your friend?" Weiss asked incredulously.
Well, she certainly sounded better now. More lively, at least.
Naruto smiled sadly. "He's one of the most important people in my life. It's hard to describe, but even after everything he did, after all the people he killed, I could still identify with him."
Weiss remained tight-lipped. She could tell the mood was low. And boy, was it ever low.
Naruto had spent the past hour speaking of all the people who'd once tried to kill him but later became close friends. It wasn't a particularly long list, but there was so much to say about the people on it.
Sasuke. Neji. Gaara.
And those were just people Naruto considered his friends. That wasn't including those who had become important to him for other reasons.
Haku. Zabuza. Nagato. Obito.
Tragic outcomes, all of them. Was it any wonder why he was feeling down? Not only was he thinking of home, but he was also thinking of some of the most influential people of his life and their subsequent fates.
Well, granted, Sasuke had still been alive the last time Naruto saw him, but things didn't look good based on the path he'd been walking.
The only shining light in his story was Gaara. It's why he'd saved talking about him for last. Even still, it only reminded Naruto of how much he missed his fellow Jinchūriki. Former Jinchūriki. Whatever.
...
"You have an uncanny ability to befriend dangerous people. The number of people who tried to kill you but you still think of in a positive light is ridiculous," Weiss muttered despondently.
Naruto managed a genuine smile. "Yeah, it's definitely more than one."
"You understand it's weird, right?" At the blonde's nod, Weiss continued, "Are you sure your semblance isn't talking related? Some sort of emotional manipulation technique?"
Naruto snorted. "Pretty sure that's not it. If it was, I'd make you be nicer to me."
A small pale hand reached up and caressed his cheek. Naruto's breathing hitched, and he froze.
Weiss brushed her thumb over his whisker marks in a sudden display of affection. Her look was smouldering. Intimate. Possessive.
"Am I not nice enough for you?" She asked softly.
Heat blossomed up the blond's neck and into his face. So powerful was his blush he almost felt dizzy.
At least she seemed to be in a better mood than earlier...
Weiss's look shifted, and she smiled beautifully. All her stress, all her fear, and all her anger at the situation evaporated. For a brief moment, she was unburdened. She quickly took control of her emotions, and Naruto spotted the telltale signs of repressed laughter.
The shinobi attempted to cover up how off guard he felt by rolling his eyes. Despite this, his blush painted a much more honest picture.
"You're plenty nice," Naruto grumbled. After pausing, he added, "For me, at least."
Weiss hummed. "Just checking," she said.
...
"So what's he like now?" Weiss asked curiously.
Naruto hummed in question.
"Gaara. What's he like now? I assume he's not a bloodthirsty murderer anymore? That doesn't seem like the type of company you enjoy."
Weiss' mispronunciation of his friend's name made him smile. Cute.
"What's he like, huh?" Scratching at his chin, Naruto paused to think. After a few seconds, he smiled. "He's quiet. Calculating. Has difficulty expressing himself. But he treasures his friends and family."
Weiss nodded. "He sounds a bit like me, then."
Naruto chuckled awkwardly. "Nah, like I said, you kind of remind me of Sasuke."
The blond wisely ignored all implications such a statement could mean.
Weiss frowned. "I don't know if I like that comparison. From what you've told me, your old teammate sounds like an asshole."
Naruto blinked. It wasn't often Weiss swore. It was as startling as it was refreshing. Glancing at the girl's expectant look, he quickly realized he needed to consider his words carefully. "I wouldn't say he's an asshole... more like," the blond paused. "More like he's a little rough around the edges."
That was a lie. Sasuke was a massive asshole. But apparently, he was comparing Weiss to him. Why'd he go and do that?
Weiss' faux annoyance, mixed with her obvious amusement, made his following words justifiable. At least in his eyes.
"Besides," he grinned. "You're more bitchy than you are assholey."
The heiress' eyes widened, and her mouth dropped slightly. After a moment, her expression blended amusement with mischief. "Bitchy, am I? Would you like to find out how bitchy I can be?"
A short bark of laughter erupted from Naruto's throat. "I-It's not a bad thing!" His voice pitched high as he felt her slender hand pinch the side of his ribs. Weiss' grip remained firm as a challenge entered her eyes.
"Please, do explain to me how me being a bitch isn't a bad thing."
Kami, how could he have ever been so foolish as to allow Weiss to discover how ticklish he was?
"Y-Your bitchiness keeps other guys away from you, so I don't have to worry about competition!"
Weiss hummed. "I do hate jealousy..." She shook her head. "Not good enough. There wasn't anything positive about me in your reasoning. Only that it benefits you. Try again." Her fingers dug into his ribs. Not enough to hurt, but certainly enough to tickle.
Kami he was weak to tickling.
"O-Okay, okay! The real reason." Weiss eased her grip. "The real reason is because you remind me of a chihuahua," Naruto chuckled. "A tiny dog with a vicious bark. It's fun to see you snap at people sometimes, so long as the damage isn't too severe."
Weiss froze. After several seconds, she released a deep sigh while shaking her head. "And to think," her tone was morose. "I had such high hopes for you." Naruto could feel the pressure build on his side once again. It formed a causal relationship with his need to burst out laughing. "But you could not have chosen worse words!" Weiss snapped playfully.
Clearly, the girl had never met an Inuzuka chihuahua.
The next several minutes consisted of a brutal beatdown that came in the form of a tickle fight.
Perhaps 'fight' was generous. As it turned out, Weiss wasn't ticklish. At all. How was that fair? Whatever. The joy in Weiss' eyes was well worth the loss. It was nice to hear her laugh like that. Genuine laughter.
...
After several minutes, the two had settled for the time being. "I don't like that you just compared me to a dog, and you're now stroking my hair."
Sure enough, it was, as Weiss said. The two were still on the bed, though both now lay prone. Weiss rested her head on the blond's chest as he lazily played with her snow-white tresses. Naruto was trying his best to maintain his breathing. Damn, did his sides ache.
"You can tell me to stop any time," the shinobi said evenly.
...
"What's the difference, by the way? Between Sasuke and Gaara. They sound fairly similar."
Weiss' ability to change the topic truly was as impressive as it was smooth. Regardless...
Naruto couldn't help but agree. "Their backgrounds are different, but yeah, I know where you're coming from. I can't help but feel that if things were different, those two would have become good friends. As it stands, they never really had much interaction with each other." Naruto's brows furrowed. "Aside from the time Sasuke tried to assassinate Gaara."
Weiss sat up abruptly. "Wait, seriously?"
Naruto nodded.
Weiss shook her head. "We really are from different worlds, aren't we?" She muttered to herself.
Naruto's stomach clenched, and his heart stopped. What?
"To be able to speak so easily about your friend's assassination attempt..." Weiss' tone was dispassionate. "We're from two completely different worlds, don't you think? I don't envy yours," she said softly. Mounrnfully.
Oh. Right.
After a moment, Weiss shook her head again. "And you're friends with both Sasuke and Gaara?"
Naruto quickly banished the last vestiges of panic.
Recover. Quickly.
He chuckled weakly. "Gaara, you bet. Sasuke? Well, he's still like a brother to me, if a bit estranged."
That was putting it mildly. It was a good thing Weiss didn't know the gory details of how far Sasuke had taken their fights. Hell, just knowing that they'd had a fight to the death had been enough to make her blood boil the first time around.
Weiss shook her head. "Dare I ask why Sasuke wanted to assassinate Gaara?"
Naruto shrugged. "Gaara was the Kazekage."
Weiss frowned. "I don't know what that means."
Oh. Right.
"He was the leader of one of our nation's allies."
...
"I don't even know what to say about that."
Naruto chuckled. "At the end of the day, he's still Gaara. My friend."
The ashen-haired girl pinched the bridge of her nose. "Do you make a habit of cozying up with powerful people?"
Naruto sat up and quickly pressed his lips into the white-clad girl's cheek.
"Only you, snowflake."
As his lips lingered, Weiss abruptly turned her head and quickly pressed her lips to his. The kiss was short and sweet, but no less meaningful. Afterwards, she pushed him away lightly.
"Smooth talking will get you nowhere," the heiress grinned. There was a look in her eyes that forced Naruto to suppress a shudder.
They hadn't been together long, and this was the first time Naruto had seen her this... playful. He mentally berated himself. The girl was cycling through a lot of different emotions. A lot of conflicting emotions. And she was looking for an escape. An excuse.
They could continue this later when she was of sounder mind. If she was still inclined. Naruto certainly would be. But for now...
"Feeling better?" The blond asked while donning a more professional face.
Weiss blinked in confusion. "Ah. Y-Yes. I am." Her response was confused. Choppy. "I feel a lot better, actually."
Naruto could detract surprise in her words. It earned him a small swell of warmth and pride.
"Ready to go find Blake?"
Weiss' brows furrowed, and her lips pursed. "Almost," She replied. "Not quite yet. I wanted to ask you something."
With a dip of his head, Naruto indicated for the girl to ask.
"This is a pretty hard pivot from the current topic, but this has bothered me over the last few days. I've been too distracted to bring it up, but you speaking of your past reminded me."
Naruto suppressed a frown. That wasn't what he expected. He wasn't sure he liked where this was going.
"I've been in contact with Wolfgang," Weiss began.
Naruto's lips twitched at the mention of the man. Kami, what a cool name.
"He's... hit a bit of a problem," came her tentative words.
This time, Naruto wasn't able to suppress his frown.
"He's running out of leads, so I was wondering if there was anything more you could tell me? Anything at all that may pinpoint a location. Anything from climate or weather, flora or fauna... even geologic activity or rock composition may help."
Naruto remained silent as he searched for something to say. He knew something like this would happen eventually. But now of all times?
Truth be told, he'd been dragging his feet when it came to finding a way to steer the man's investigation into more esoteric means of travel. Why was that? He was eager to get home, wasn't he? Then again, how was he supposed to suggest interdimensional travel? Mobility semblances were one thing, but what was he supposed to say? Find someone who can tear open the fabric of space and time? Find someone who can open a portal to another world?
How the hell was that going to fly?
"Honestly," Weiss began, "after hearing so much about your home and the people you know, it really does sound like you're from another world sometimes."
Naruto's stomach churned uncomfortably.
"So many colourful people. So much political intrigue. Brothers, multi-nation full-scale war. And not just a few skirmishes, from what you've told me. Total war," Weiss shook her head in exasperation.
Naruto's head hurt, and his mouth felt dry. Why was this feeling oddly, unpleasantly, familiar?
"It's so hard to believe that somewhere in the world, this is happening. Remnant must be much larger than we anticipated."
Naruto swallowed with a small amount of difficulty. Oh, right. This felt like that one time in the library. When he had that panic attack. Weiss wasn't even looking at him at this point. She had begun to pace the room; all the while, she wore a small smile mixed with splashes of frustration. It was as if she was trying to solve a complex puzzle.
Naruto didn't particularly enjoy the look on her face. Maybe he should just give her the answer she sought?
The rising guilt didn't help. Guilt for lying. Guilt for wasting her resources. Guilt for delaying everything.
"Sorry. I don't mean to ramble," Weiss added. "A lot of this is what Wolfgang has been speculating. Though I will admit, the mystery is quite enticing. Once we —"
— Weiss froze upon noticing the look on his face. Her eyes widened. "Are you okay?" She asked in surprised hurriedness. Quickly crossing the length of the room, she sat back down on the bed, leaning into him and cupping his whiskered cheek.
"You don't look good. What happened? What's wrong?"
Naruto's eyes traced her face. He followed the contours of her thin jawline. Of her petite nose. Of the worried creases surrounding her mouth and eyes. He settled on those eyes. Cold, ice-blue orbs that were filled with concern and affection.
He didn't want to have a repeat of what happened in the library. He couldn't. Hadn't he learned his lesson from before? That bottling up so much worry and fear would take its toll on him? Not just on him but on his team. On Weiss.
Last time this had happened, it had led to a nasty fight between them and served to place a wedge between him and his team. He couldn't do that again. Not while Blake was still missing. He was supposed to help solve these kinds of problems, not create more.
And besides, it had felt so damn good to get things off his chest. And it had ultimately resulted in him and Weiss becoming closer than ever. Arguably, it had led to their current relationship.
Would it feel just as good to get everything off his chest? Kurama seemed to think so. His instincts seemed to think so. But this was different, wasn't it?
"Whatever's bothering you, I'm here, okay?" Weiss' words were followed by a tight hug.
Naruto released a pained breath. He supposed the answer was no. This wasn't all that different.
Kami, things were progressing fast.
...
"Would it be bad if I was from another world?" Naruto tested carefully.
Weiss slowly pulled back and fixed him with an odd look. Confusion. Concern. But also curiosity. Also affection. There was no anger. No disbelief. No mocking look. It was 2,000 years ago, and she was asking him why the planet was round. She wasn't laughing at him and telling him the planet was flat as everyone else believed it was.
"I guess Blake wasn't the only one sitting on something big," Naruto muttered weakly.
"Just to clarify," Weiss began, her voice slightly stiff. "You're saying you're from another world entirely?" She released a puff of air mixed with a laugh, then leaned her head on his chest. "I knew there was a lot wrong with your story. That there was more to it. I didn't think it would be something like this," she muttered.
"You believe me?" Naruto asked curiously.
After a few seconds of silence, Naruto could feel the girl's shoulder shrug. "Are you lying?"
"N-No," he replied instinctively.
"Then I believe you," the ashen-haired girl replied. "I also believe you're going to explain things in detail."
Naruto nodded, dragging his chin across the top of her head.
"And I'm hoping you have some sort of way to verify your claim?"
The shinobi mulled it over. "I could show you some of my chakra techniques?"
...
"I don't know what that is, but if you think it'll serve as adequate proof that you're not from around here, I'd like to see it."
Already, Naruto could feel the nausea dissipating. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad? Kurama could never know how right he was. He'd have to bury these memories somewhere the fox couldn't get to."
"Too late, asshole."
Damn. The fox already sounded too smug for his liking.
...
"I think it's best to just give you the sparknotes for now. We were supposed to have met up with Ruby and Yang 30 minutes ago."
Weiss hummed. "And here I thought you were vibrating so much because you were excited to cuddle."
Naruto shook his head. He knew he should have silenced his scroll before starting this long conversation. "Don't flatter yourself, snowflake."
After a moment of gathering his bearings, Naruto spoke. "Almost everything I've told you is true. The only details that are different are that..."
xXx
A/N: There it is, Chapter 13. I hope it was palatable. I expanded a tiny bit on the aftermath of Weiss and Blakes's argument. At least for Weiss' side. Don't hate me for cutting out the meeting between Penny and RYBWN. There's only so much of an episode I want to transcribe shot for shot with small sections of Naruto's thoughts, and I already did that for a lot of the chapter. As an FYI, I do love Penny's character.
I added in some fluff between Naruto and Weiss because, duh. Also, I took out Weiss' blatant racism. Those scenes did not age well... As for the chapter's ending, it was a last-minute change to the draft that came about in the last week. There'll be so much more in the next chapter, so try not to worry. I just wanted to leave you guys with a low-stress cliffhanger. Something to be excited about and not stress over.
That's pretty much it from me. See you guys next chapter!
Cheers!