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.

18. The Dance

A/N: So here's chapter 18.

This chapter is about a week late from my normal upload schedule. Sorry about that. I was let go from work, so I've been struggling and panicking trying to find a new job. I'm already living paycheck to paycheck, so having this happen right before the holidays isn't ideal. All the stress from that, plus school, really sapped my desire to write, and I fell into a bit of a funk. Luckily I have an amazing support system, so most of my true problems are really only mental (at least until I find some work), but I won't have to worry about defaulting on my bills or getting evicted.

All that being said, most of this chapter was written before I started feeling turbo-bad, but for the last quarter, I had to struggle through it. I really hope it doesn't show in my writing, but if it does, I apologize.

Anyway, I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter; it was, as a whole, a ton of fun to write. And a lot of stuff happened, which I'll discuss more at the end of the chapter.

xXx

"Lucky shot," Cardin Winchester groaned from the stadium floor. The casual dismissal of his opponent's skills was somewhat cheapened as he collapsed moments later.

Naruto grinned as the former bully and his team were reduced to proverbial 'minced meat.' Pyrrha certainly hadn't been kind to them. Perhaps it was her unresolved feelings for their previous treatment of Jaune?

Whatever the case, it served not only as quality entertainment but also as a reminder. A reminder that the shinobi wasn't the only one training. Improving.

'While her technique has certainly gotten sharper, keep in mind the subpar quality of her opponents.'

'Still,' the blond hummed to himself, 'She's improved. Makes me want another go at her. A real go. Not just our usual spars.'

'The result would be the same,' the fox huffed from within his mind.

Eh. Maybe.

"Well done, Miss Nikos," came the soft praise of their combat instructor. Glynda Goodwitch cast a sidelong glance at Cardin, then returned her eyes to the still-standing redhead. "You should have no problem qualifying for the tournament," she finished.

"Thank you, Professor," Pyrrha replied with a gentle smile.

Goodwitch glanced back at her tablet in thought. After a moment, she looked back up. "Alright," she called to the spectating students, "Now I know that's a tough act to follow, but we have time for one more sparring match. Any volunteers?"

Naruto hummed in consideration. Maybe he...

"Miss Belladonna?"

A dull thud sounded from beside the blond, resulting from his black-clad teammate snapping her book shut. Damn. It seemed he wouldn't get a chance to stretch his limbs.

"You've been rather docile for the past few classes," the bespectacled Instructor noted. "Why don't you —"

"— I'll do it," interrupted a dull and somewhat lazy voice.

Naruto frowned. If he knew all he had to do was barge into the conversation, he would have volunteered. Maybe it wasn't too late?

Professor Goodwitch adjusted her glasses and narrowed her eyes at the interruption. "Mercury, is it?" She said somewhat lowly. "Very well. Let's find you an opponent," she said while glancing at her tablet.

Naruto sighed as his building excitement died. It looked like he'd missed his opportunity to volunteer. Again.

"Actually," Mercury called out. "I wanna fight..." the young man trailed off. He squinted as his gaze panned over several students, trailing into the arena and landing on Pyrrha. He lingered for a fraction of a second, then continued his slow gander back into the audience. "Him," the gray-haired teen said definitively.

Naruto blinked slowly as the tip of the other boy's finger was nearly shoved into his face.

Low murmurs broke out across the assembled audience, doing little to dissuade the Haven exchange student. If anything, they seemed to spur him on further, if the glint in his eyes was any indication.

"I see," Glynda said neutrally. "Perhaps it would be better if I found you a more suitable —"

"— it has to be either him," Mercury said with an easygoing shrug. "Or her," he said while pointing to Pyrrha, causing the invincible girl to tilt her head in surprise.

The blonde Instructor's lips became tight, and a small frown marred her beautiful features.

"Mr. Uzumaki, are you —"

"— Absolutely!" The Jinchūriki barked in excitement while rocketing to his feet.

Glynda sighed as she was cut off for the second time. "Very well," she nodded. "If the two of you would please step down, the match will commence."

Naruto grinned as a dull throb of excitement shot up his spine. By now, he'd seen what Beacon's first-year students were capable of. He knew the most difficult challenge he'd face would be Pyrrha or his teammates. So, fighting someone from another school should prove to be rather exciting. His opponent's easygoing nature and his apparent comfort at challenging himself and Pyrrha were hopefully indicative of a talented fighter. Either that, or the guy was way in over his head. Hopefully, it was the former.

"Try to run the clock, will you?" Yang asked just as the Konoha native was about to leap down into the arena.

The shinobi hummed in confusion.

"Don't end it in the first minute," the brawler clarified. "If you do, Goodwitch will insist on another fight, which will probably drag into lunch."

Ah. Right.

"Don't worry, I'll go easy on him," he replied with a smile.

A haughty huff caught their attention, and the two blondes glanced at the team's resident Dust expert. "You two really shouldn't be so flippant," Weiss chastised.

"Don't worry, Weiss," Yang grinned. "We don't even know the meaning of the word."

"Yup," Naruto added as he donned a large smile.

Truthfully, he did, in fact, know the meaning of the word. Dating Weiss was good for his vocabulary, if not his soul. But he couldn't leave Yang out to dry. Blond solidarity and all that.

The heiress sighed to herself. "It means you shouldn't act so disrespectfully." Before Yang could voice her question, Weiss continued, "By treating an opponent so casually, almost dismissively, even, you display a lack of respect. At that point, you're underestimating him and opening yourself up for any number of nasty surprises."

Yang frowned as Naruto fought to contain his smile. Of course, he knew as much. But it was all a part of the act. Upsetting his opponents was one of his new favourite strategies, after all. No, the shinobi had gone his whole life seeing the consequences of underestimating your opponent. All the way from Mizuki to Kaguya. He himself had made that mistake. His battle with Sasuke at the Valley of the End immediately came to mind.

"Weird hearing that from you," Yang mumbled quietly.

Not quietly enough, it seemed, as Weiss immediately flinched in response. "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked indignantly.

The buxom blonde winced at her tone and, with placating hands, attempted to explain. "It's just... you know. You don't have a very good track record when it comes to being, uh, flippant."

Weiss glared in response, which then softened into a frown. "I can grow, can't I?" she muttered.

Naruto blinked at her surprisingly vulnerable tone. "And you have!" He interjected instinctively. "Right?" He added while staring daggers at their team leader.

Ruby, for her part, blinked in realization. "Ah, y-yes!" She chirped. "We're, uh, definitely proud of your growth," she smiled. There was sincerity in her tone.

Weiss, at least, seemed somewhat placated.

"Right," the shinobi grinned to himself. As fun as the banter was, he had a fight to enjoy.

With a leap and a bound, the blond joined his gray-themed opponent in the ring, who had been, up until this point, patiently waiting.

"Nice little dynamic you've got going on with your team," the man, Mercury, stated in amusement.

Hmm. The teen didn't seem bothered by his and Yang's callous banter. He surely heard it; they weren't exactly being subtle.

Naruto shrugged. "I'm sure it's the same with yours," he said with a smile.

Mercury's composure faltered for a moment before he shrugged back. "Maybe," he said somewhat awkwardly.

"You two knuckleheads ready to fight?" Came a suspiciously absent-until-now voice.

Naruto squinted as Amber sauntered between the two teens. A glance to the side revealed Professor Goodwitch had stepped off towards the sidelines.

What the?

"Well," the blond drawled, "Look who decided to show up?" He said with a frown.

Amber grinned shamelessly. "What's with the attitude? I've been here the whole time. You just didn't notice me."

That was a lie. He knew it. She knew it. Even Mercury knew it.

Speaking of the gray-haired teen... he was certainly being obvious with how uncomfortable he was around the brown-haired combat instructor. The boy was, seemingly unconsciously, inching away from the woman, all the while sending her a not-so-inconspicuous glare.

What was his deal? Maybe he just didn't like tardiness?

Hmm.

"You slept in, didn't you?" The blond questioned his auburn-haired friend.

Amber looked surprised at his words. She looked as if she was about to protest, yet before the first words left her mouth, she seemed to reconsider. Instead, she settled for a smile. "Yup. Had a late night yesterday; couldn't afford to skimp on the beauty sleep."

Naruto frowned at the blatant lie. On a normal day, Amber would vehemently deny sleeping in. Given that this was the first week the transfer students would be participating in class, the shinobi assumed his friend/Instructor would want to leave a good impression, especially considering she'd more or less botched her current one among Beacon's students.

Well, maybe 'botched' was being a bit harsh. She was actually incredibly well-liked amongst the student body. But she certainly didn't have a reputation that screamed 'professional.'

...

Seriously, was Mercury ever going to stop glaring at Amber? At this rate, people would talk.

"You okay over there?" Naruto called out to his glowering counterpart.

It seemed to do the trick as Mercury snapped out of whatever daze he was in. Shaking off the proverbial cobwebs, the gray-haired teen's eyes snapped back to his sparring partner. "Sorry about that," he grinned easily. "Got a bit lost in thought."

Right...

"Well," the blond offered, "Best keep your focus; you'll need it if you want to beat me."

The man smirked in response, then raised his fists in a fairly standard combat stance. "I'll keep that in mind," he replied. "So long as you do the same. I'll try not to end things in the first minute," came the teen's snide remark.

Huh. Maybe his comment had struck a nerve. Nice.

xXx

"So you don't think Naruto's going to mop the floor with this guy?" Yang asked skeptically.

"That's not what I said," Weiss replied icily.

"So then you do think he'll mop the floor with him?" Yang fired back almost immediately.

Weiss released a rather unladylike grunt.

"Be honest, Weiss-cream. You're just stressed about what happens after class, aren't you?" The blonde sang cheerfully.

Weiss could feel it again. That ugly, bubbling sensation slowly building in the back of her throat. That thirstful expression that would surely lead to another unimpressed grunt of annoyance. She tried to temper it. Tried to wrangle it before it could seep out. It was, after all, unbecoming of a lady of her stature.

"I would be too," Yang sighed. "I mean, I don't understand how Naruto can be so calm knowing he's going into the lion's den later today. Your sister's pretty scary. If I was you, I would have insisted on being there. I mean —"

Ah, hell.

Weiss released a deep, throaty growl. It was heavy. Wet. Angry. She really did need to get better at ignoring her annoying blonde teammate. Hell, she was dating her other annoying blond teammate. One would think she'd have built up some sort of tolerance by now.

Then again, maybe she had? Maybe that's why she wasn't currently shouting at Yang. Maybe.

"Okay, okay," Ruby interrupted, apparently taking pity on her partner. "There's no need for that, Yang."

It was strange to hear the younger sibling chastise the older one. But then again, the two half-sisters had always left the Schnee heiress wondering who was the more mature. To this day, she still didn't have an answer.

"Weiss," her team leader said, "There's no need to be worried. You said your sister's awesome, right? Naruto's going to be fine."

"I'm not worried," the white-clad girl growled lowly.

She was, in fact, very worried. How could she not be, considering her older sister had practically demanded a one-on-one meeting with her boyfriend? After the incident with Torchwick and Neo had been sorted, that is, once they had been fully placed in Atlesian custody and imprisoned on one of Ironwood's warships, Winter had wasted surprisingly little time scheduling a meeting with Naruto.

How the hell had her sister gotten ahold of Naruto's scroll number? And how absurdly unfortunate was it that the teen's scroll was actually charged? What were the odds?

Weiss shifted uncomfortably as she realized, not for the first time today, that once classes were out, Winter would be by to sequester Naruto away for interrogation. Sure, the Atlesian Specialist could dress it up as much as she wanted. Call it an interview, a wellness check, or whatever. But they all knew what it was.

And yet, Naruto didn't seem all that worried. That in itself was worrying.

The two Schnee sisters had hardly had the chance to catch up, yet Naruto was already being dragged away by her surprisingly protective older sister. Weiss had a pretty good idea of what their upcoming conversation would be about. It was rather obvious, no matter how one looked at it. It was a suitability interview. A 'if you hurt my sister, I'll hurt you' kind of conversation.

Right?

If that was the case, why was Winter so tight-lipped about it? The woman was barely answering her texts. Why was she like this?

And on that note, why was Naruto so nonchalant about it? Weiss had tried to form a game plan with him. Tried to give him advice. Tips. Tricks. Pointers to all things that might help him in an interrogation with Winter. But the damn blond had been so carefree in all his dismissals. So cool. So calm. So collected.

What the hell did he know that she didn't?

"Let's just... watch the fight," Weiss finally muttered.

Yeah. Watching Naruto fight always managed to capture her undivided attention. She didn't know exactly what it was. Maybe it was his confidence? Confidence just barely burgeoning on arrogance, but wholly deserved. Maybe it was the way he moved? How he could effortlessly flow across a battlefield and through his opponent's movements. That, or how he would occasionally meet their strikes head-on, shattering their resolve with his own. Maybe it was his chakra chains? She did find them to be beautiful. Such radiant, pure energy that just screamed 'Naruto.' When she wasn't fighting and instead had the opportunity to observe, it was hard to look away once he brought them out.

Maybe it was just him?

"Huh," Ruby grunted. "They've started."

Indeed, they had.

Weiss watched with rapt attention as gray clashed against yellow. The student from Haven, Mercury, launched himself at the blond, intent on testing his opponent's defences. Evidently, those defences proved quite good, as the blond quickly blocked the teen's first three rapid-fire kicks with his forearms, then grabbed onto his outstretched leg and swung. Hard.

Mercury, eyes wide, was flung back but managed to right himself mid-air and land safely in a crouch. He paused briefly in consideration. Smiling to himself, he charged forward again, delivering several consecutive roundhouse kicks, which were again blocked by the shinobi.

Naruto grinned as the gray-clad teen finished his unsuccessful assault, then responded with several low kicks of his own, weaving in a few formless punches. Just to shake things up, of course.

The kickboxing specialist blocked each strike seamlessly, intercepting the blond's kicks with his shins and slapping aside his punches when he couldn't dodge. Before long, the two developed a short but steady rhythm until, suddenly, the blond's most recent kick stopped short of making contact, causing Mercury to nearly pause in confusion.

Evidently, the student from Haven had gotten a little too comfortable with the flow of battle. Without giving his opponent time to compose himself, Naruto hooked the teen's leg with the crook of his ankle and pulled him off balance. The unorthodox move worked as Mercury stumbled forward. The shinobi took full advantage of this as with a sloppy, if not powerful uppercut, the kickboxer was sent flying back.

Weiss winced at the sound of Mercuty's teeth snapping together.

"Ah, geez," Yang muttered. "That's just rude."

The heiress huffed. It certainly was. Not only was Naruto not taking the fight seriously. Like, at all. He had utterly switched his fighting style to match his opponents. He was essentially saying, 'I'm going to fight you on your terms and win.' What's worse, despite playing to Mercury's strengths, Naruto showed a complete lack of form. He was treating this as a street brawl, not deeming his opponent worthy of using a real martial art style.

Then again, Mercury was moving pretty slowly. Was he pulling his kicks? Underestimating the shinobi?

"Come on," the blond called out to his opponent. "Fight me for real! Keep doing whatever that is, and you'll embarrass yourself further!"

Evidently, Naruto was thinking along the same lines.

Mercury had the decency to scowl as he pulled himself to his feet. In a stereotypical display of machismo, he rolled his neck to 'iron out the kinks' and stepped back into his fighting stance. Fists raised, knees bent, lower centre of gravity, and blanched on the balls of his feet, the stance was slightly more defensive. More alert than the one he'd taken at the beginning. His posture was indicative of a complete attitude change.

In return, Naruto flashed a toothy smile and dropped into a familiar taijutsu stance. "That's more like it," he cooed.

Weiss eyed her boyfriend's stance. Kawazu Kumite. Or Frog Kata, as the blond had dubbed it during their training sessions. A strange name, made stranger by the teen's somewhat outlandish claims. Despite the team's unwavering trust in him, his claims of being trained by sapient, talking toads was... one of the more difficult claims to handle. Why did the concept of a massive, nine-tailed demon fox being sealed inside him seem more plausible than walking, talking toads?

Maybe it was because it was toads in particular? They were just so... innocuous. Hardly synonymous with hand-to-hand combat experts. But neither Weiss nor the rest of the team had it in them to say anything about it after seeing how fondly the blond had spoken of them.

Regardless of its origins, the hand-to-hand fighting style was very real. And very effective. They'd seen the incomplete version of it during his fight with Pyrrha. Hell, Yang had experienced parts of it during her own fight with her fellow blond. When he'd displayed its effectiveness when combined with Sage Mode, there wasn't much to laugh at, questionable origins aside.

So, to see the blond drop into the familiar stance proved interesting. Things were about to get entertaining, or they were about to end.

Determined to see to the former outcome, Mercury beckoned his blond opponent forward, apparently deciding that a change in tactics could prove beneficial. The results were... surprisingly more favourable for him than any of the spectators had expected.

That wasn't to say he held any advantage, nor did it look like he'd score a win anytime soon with his current display. But, apparently, his defence was pretty good.

Naruto surged forward, opening with a flurry of heavy strikes. Even without senjutsu, which was apparently essential for his taijutsu's effectiveness, he was a force to be reckoned with. It was clear that Mercury's strong suit was not in his upper body. Instead, in contrast to their earlier exchange, the gray-clad teen blocked the blond's flurry of strikes with his legs alone.

In a striking display of flexibility and acrobatics, Mercury intercepted the blond's first punch, kicking his leg up and catching it on his shin. Leaping up, he rode his momentum, blocking the shinobi's second, third, and fourth follow-up punches, each strike absorbed by the teen's legs. His arms shot out, preventing an uncontrolled fall he transitioned into an impromptu handstand.

Perhaps sensing danger, Naruto crossed his arms defensively just in time to absorb the brunt of Mercury's counter strike, what was essentially a high-powered donkey kick to the face. Now, it was Naruto's turn to fly back as he absorbed as much of the kick's force as possible.

It worked, as the blond, now a dozen paces away, simply smiled at his opponent. "You've got a lot of force behind those kicks," he commented. "A lot of weight. You wouldn't happen to be wearing training weights, would you?"

Mercury raised a brow, then shook his head.

"Too bad," Naruto shrugged. "I knew a guy who wore some pretty heavy weights. It added a lot of force behind his strikes, but the real kicker was when he took them off. Guy was near impossible to track with the naked eye."

Weiss' brow furrowed at the familiar description. Naruto had told them a lot about his friends in the Elemental Nations. This description sounded familiar. What was the name? It was something distinctive. Rock Lee, right? Taijutsu expert. Fast as hell. Strong as hell. One of the hardest workers the blond ever had the pleasure of knowing. He also had an interesting choice in fashion. Whatever that meant.

Mercury, for his part, simply shook his head. "Okay?" He replied in confusion.

"I'm just saying," the blond grinned. "If you had weights on, now would be the time to take them off. You're going to need to be a lot faster than that," he chuckled.

Mercury scowed, then muttered something in response.

As if answering the Jinchūriki's taunts, the seemingly lazy teen kicked his heels, resulting in a large but controlled explosion to erupt at his feet. The gray-clad teen rocketed forward at speeds unseen, and he engaged his opponent in another flurry of kicks.

Naruto simply laughed in response.

Weiss perked up as an unfamiliar voice spoke from behind her. "Brothers, what the hell is that idiot doing?"

The heiress craned her neck, glancing at a young woman with rich mocha-coloured skin, pretty mint green hair, and striking red eyes. She seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite place the name.

"Come on, Emerald," Ruby grinned. "I think your partner's doing great! Naruto's a tricky opponent."

Right, Weiss nodded to herself. Emerald. She was partners with Mercury, wasn't she?

The girl in question, Emerald, smiled prettily. It was strained. Displeased. It made sense, seeing as how Naruto was clearly toying with her partner. "Thanks, Ruby," she offered softly. "But I'm just annoyed with Mercury. We've, uh, we've tried to train out his temper, but as you can see," the woman gestured to her partner. The boy had just been sent rolling after a heavy sidekick from the blond. "Just a little taunting is enough to make him reckless."

There was something in the way the woman spoke. It was choppy. Lacked fluidity. Like she had been thrown off script. Hmm. Maybe she just wasn't good at speaking in front of unfamiliar people?

Several consecutive explosions sounded from the arena, causing the three girls to glance back down. Emerald practically growled in distaste as multiple glowing orbs of what was undoubtedly Aura-infused Dust began to circle the blond teen.

The first orb shot toward the shinobi, which was easily dodged. The second orb was deflected, or it would have been had it not exploded on contact, sending the blond stumbling back. Naruto simply grinned as he began to circle the arena, keeping ahead of the heat-seeking projectiles.

Emerald whined in irritation.

"Data reconnaissance not going so well, eh?" Yang asked with a sympathetic smile.

The mint-haired girl froze at the words, her eyes widening ever so slightly. "W-What do you mean?" she asked, her wince no doubt originating from her stutter.

"Ah, come on," the blonde brawler waved her off. "It's no secret that your partner challenged Naruto to scope out the competition. Maybe test the waters. Get a read on his fighting style. Figure out his semblance, perhaps?" Came Yang's teasing voice.

Emerald twitched in response.

"It's no sweat," the blonde said, placating the unusually nervous woman. "We did something similar last week when the guys from Vacuo showed up. Well, Weiss did."

"Hey!" the ashen-haired girl said with a frown. Throwing her under the bus wasn't cool.

"Relax," the boxer grinned. "It's probably frustrating to find out you're not getting any useful intel out of this. I mean, Naruto hasn't even taken out his weapons yet."

Emerald sighed deeply. "Right," she said tightly.

"I mean, I'd argue that we're learning more about you guys than you are us," the blonde added as an afterthought.

Emerald's posture was stiff. "That... would seem to be the case, yes," she replied, agitation bubbling under the surface.

"Your partner probably would have been better off getting some information by fighting Pyrrha. Now it looks like he'll get nothing."

Mocha-coloured shoulders sagged as the irritation left her completely. "Thank you, Yang. Everything you've said was correct." Now, the woman simply sounded tired.

Weiss felt bad for her.

"Well, at least it's over," Yang finally settled on.

True to her word, Amber signalled the end of the fight. As if their Aura bars didn't make it obvious enough, the fact that Mercury was currently slumped over made it clear the fight was over.

Huh. They'd missed the last bit.

What surprised Weiss more than anything was the notable chunk of Aura taken out of Naruto's bar. It wasn't much. Mathematically, it was barely consequential, but it spoke to a more significant problem. It was undoubtedly caused by the blond 'playing with his meal.' As the shinobi continued to train his Aura, he'd gotten increasingly confident in his skills and, as a result, reckless. It was a problem she'd need to nip in the bud. And soon.

Fortunately for those spectating, the end of the fight also signalled the end of the class. Weiss rose quickly from her seat as the students began to steadily disperse. Maybe, if she was quick enough, she could grab Naruto before Winter showed up to pull him away. Give her a chance to really beat some advice into the blond.

"Whoa," Yang grunted at her teammate's sudden movement. "Where's the fire Weissicle?"

Turning to face the woman, Weiss frowned. "I need to speak to Naruto before my sister arrives."

"Oh," Yang replied simply. "Oh..." she repeated with a frown. "Sorry to say, but it looks like you're sister's one step ahead of you," she said while pointing at the arena floor.

The younger Schnee spun around, eyes wide, and immediately spotted Naruto. The blond was, sure enough, happily waving to a familiar head of white hair. Weiss groaned as her eyes followed the blond's line of sight. Winter, as regal as ever, stood at the mouth of the tunnel leading out of the arena, her posture perfectly depicting military professionalism.

"Wow," Ruby chimed in. "Looks like Naruto's in for one hell of an interrogation."

"You don't know that," the ashen-haired girl snapped.

"Trust me, Weiss," Yang interrupted. "As an older sister, I can see it in her eyes. Your sister is totally going to grill him," she said with an amused smile.

The white-clad girl growled to herself. "I need to —" She was interrupted as a toned yet feminine arm wrapped around her far shoulder, pulling her away from the arena.

"Nah, don't worry. Naruto's going to be fine," The blonde brawler grinned.

"But —"

"Besides, in case you haven't noticed, Blake just took off. Now's the perfect opportunity for a little team intervention." Yang's tone was decidedly more level this time. The concern in her voice was unmistakable. "I don't like how distracted she's been lately. I think she's relapsing."

"But Naruto —"

"— Is busy!" Ruby chimed in. "He's got his own battle to worry about. We can handle Blake without him, don't worry." In contrast to her sister, Ruby's tone was much more optimistic.

Weiss sighed as she was led out of the classroom. She cast one last glance at the arena floor and felt her anxiety rise as she failed to spot either Naruto or her sister.

She frowned as Ruby's words finally registered. What did she mean by Naruto having his own battle?

xXx

If Naruto had to describe Winter Schnee, there was no way he could do it in just a few measly words. The woman was many things. She was Beautiful. If she was any indication, he had much to look forward to as he and Weiss got older. She was professional. As an Atlesian Specialist, that shouldn't have come off as a surprise. But then again, she wasn't on the clock right now. She was also completely and utterly unflappable. Seriously, the blond had tried several times to converse with the woman but found his efforts to be in vain. Even his brightest smile seemed to have no effect. Maybe she could see through it?

And that was only what he could see in the first 10 minutes of being around her.

She was exactly as he remembered from the previous night. Haughty ice-blue eyes. Pristine, aristocratic features. Gorgeous, snow-white hair tied in a loose bun, one large weft almost covering her right eye, and a cute, if not out-of-place curl hanging from the left side of her head. She was still wearing her white long-sleeved coat, its length running down to her ankles. The sleeves split from shoulder to elbow, exposing pale, creamy skin identical to Weiss'. Her white pleated sleeveless blouse hugged her fit form tightly, and her dark blue waistcoat screamed of high society. Her white trousers and gray thigh boots were decidedly more in theme with her Schnee and Military origins, yet her black forearm-length gloves seemed to circle back to an aura of regality. Yeah, this was like looking at an older, if not more severe, Weiss. The thought was almost comforting. Almost.

At the moment, they were currently en route to Vale, the situation vaguely familiar to when he and Weiss had their earliest outings. Upon the elder Schnee beckoning him to follow her out of the sparring arena, he'd done so with little protest, expecting an explanation along the way. None had come. Strangely enough, they were also seated somewhat comfortably in a public Bullhead. The blond would have expected to take the woman's personal airship, but he supposed she really only ever delegated its use for business. At least, that's what he had assumed since the woman wasn't open to conversation. Initially, the thought of sharing a cabin with several other students had brought him a small amount of comfort, though as it turned out, the older Schnee's scowls went a long way in preventing anyone else from joining them.

Great. Just great.

Now more than ever, the blond lamented that he hadn't taken Weiss' advice. She'd only been trying to help. But he thought it best to handle things on his own. Naturally. Organically. Trying to deceive Winter into believing he was something he wasn't wouldn't be a good foundation for their future relationship.

Damn, he was stupid. He should have tried to deceive the woman. Pull a little sneaky on her. It wasn't like he'd be seeing her 24/7. She didn't need to know all his little quirks.

'Bah. You're way too stressed right now.'

'Of course I am! Do you think I don't know that?'

'Seriously. Relax. This is psychological warfare, and you're losing badly. The woman hasn't even said a word, and you're breaking down.'

Naruto took a deep breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth. He glanced up as he felt eyes on him. Ocean blue met with strikingly familiar ice blue. It took a hell of a lot not to flinch. And even more to hold the woman's gaze. She had Weiss' eyes, only colder. Or, he supposed Weiss had her eyes, only warmer. He wondered if that should be comforting or not.

It wasn't.

After several moments of awkward eye contact, Winter released a low hum of approval. The only reason the shinobi knew he wasn't hearing things was because of the minuscule grin that crept onto the older woman's face. It was gone as quickly as it came, but there was no mistaking it since it was the first real sign of emotion she'd shown.

Like a spell broken or a fishing wire snapped, Naruto dropped eye contact with the woman. He expected a grunt of derision for his defeat, but upon gathering the courage to glance back, he found she was no longer looking at him, her expression thankfully neutral.

Maybe it wasn't such a defeat on his end?

'Sorry, pal, but it's a defeat. This whole interaction has just been one long defeat on your end.'

Naruto bit the inside of his cheek to suppress his burgeoning frown. It wouldn't do well if the woman saw him scowling to himself.

'You know, I kind of like her.'

Tch. The fox would.

Thankfully, the Bullhead ride could only last for so long. With a mechanical whirl of the vehicle's engine, the airship landed peacefully in the middle of downtown Vale's transit hub. The landing was smooth and consisted of little fanfare. Predictably, Winter disembarked first. Wordlessly. She must have expected him to follow, which, naturally, he did.

Again, similar to his and Weiss' early outings, the two stumbled through downtown Vale. Well, this was more of a march, if anything. The day itself was typical of what one might expect. It was after school and, by extension, after work for many of the city's inhabitants, resulting in a fair amount of hustle and bustle. The streets weren't crowded per se, but they certainly weren't quiet.

At some point, the blond wondered why he was going along with this. Why follow Winter around like a lost puppy? Especially when she refused to communicate. A flash of warm, icy-blue eyes passed through his mind. An unmistakable scar, faded as it was, painted a clear image.

Right. He was doing this for Weiss.

This was fine. He could do this. Winter was testing him, obviously. Making sure he had the appropriate spine for her precious younger sister. That didn't mean he had to like it. But, in reality, it meant this kind of interaction was only temporary. Maybe. If he managed to impress the woman, surely she'd treat him much more favourably. Hopefully.

Why did he blow off Weiss' advice again?

As the duo twisted and turned throughout the city, the blond began to wonder exactly what the Specialist had in mind. She probably wasn't leading him away to some back alley just to gut him. That would make Weiss quite cross, he would imagine. And he doubted the elder Schnee was one to intentionally upset her sister. She was, according to said sister, an incredible big sister.

So, a restaurant perhaps? Probably not. Too intimate. A park, maybe? Hmm. Too casual.

As if fate timed his next thought with reality, the two naturally came to a stop in front of a relatively inconspicuous cafe. Glancing around, Naruto couldn't help but notice that he'd been led to a less populated part of the city. It wasn't the quiet suburbs, but it was definitely off the beaten path. It reminded him just a little bit of his and Weiss' first date venue. Just a little busier.

The building itself was warm and personalized. Nothing at all like the mass-produced, cookie-cutter chain restaurants. This one was subtle and quaint. The exterior was a warm honey-brown, with darker wooden panelling framing the door, bulkhead, and signboard. The storefront featured a large ceiling-to-floor window, which was translucent at the bottom — frosted if he remembered the style correctly — and quickly became transparent as it reached the top. There was an abundance of seating on the patio, with smart exterior furniture. And while no customers were sitting outside, the blond could clearly see several, perhaps a dozen, seated inside.

All in all, this wasn't exactly the kind of place he'd expected Winter to take him. He wasn't sure what he expected, but this wasn't it. It felt a little too civilian for the woman.

While his thoughts and observations had taken only a handful of seconds, Winter had utilized the small time frame efficiently. With a flick of her wrist, she captured the attention of one of the servers standing inside, earning her a smile and a nod. Satisfied, the white-clad woman pulled out a nearby chair and neatly seated herself. She indicated to the seat across from her, and in what must have either been a lapse of judgment or an act of mercy, she smiled faintly.

Taking the hint, Naruto quickly scampered into the open seat, shifting awkwardly in the process. For several seconds, the blond's gaze focused on anything but his dining partner. Eventually, he realized he couldn't avoid looking at her forever. When he finally looked up, he was again met by her cold, calculating gaze. Her hands were crossed, resting comfortably on the table. Man, this really felt like a job interview. Maybe it was?

Well, at least now they could finally start talking. This extended silence had been killing him.

...

Yup. Any minute now, and the woman would start the conversation.

...

She was probably just organizing her thoughts. Deciding on where to start.

...

Yup.

...

Oh, who the hell was he kidding? Winter knew precisely what she was doing. She'd probably decided what she was going to say and how she was going to say it the moment Weiss had told her they were dating.

And yet, why the hell was the silent treatment part of her plan? They'd been in each other's company for nearly 30 minutes, and she hadn't so much as spoken a word. As Kurama had said, this was psychological warfare. No, it was worse than that. He'd lost the psychological war. He was a prisoner. A bloody psychological prisoner of war. This was unethical. It had to have been illegal.

What would —

The shinobi's troublesome thoughts were interrupted by a sudden throat clearing. He glanced to the side and was greeted by an unfamiliar face. It was the server from inside, he realized. The one Winter had signalled.

The young man, somewhere between his and Winter's ages, greeted them with a polite smile. "Welcome to the Beanhouse. Can I get you two settled with some menus?"

As the blond opened his mouth to speak, he was surprised to find that Winter had beaten him to the punch.

"No, thank you," she spoke evenly. "We'll take two coffees. Atlesian Wildpine. Medium roast. Bring milk and creme, if you'd please. We'll add it in ourselves."

The waiter swallowed shallowly and nodded. To his credit, the smile on his face remained present, if not a little strained. "Of course," he replied, then quickly turned to fetch their order.

Naruto blinked. That was the first time he'd heard her voice in almost 24 hours. And that wasn't from a lack of opportunity. Also, he didn't like coffee. But, at the very least, Winter had ordered quickly. He understood, partly thanks to Weiss, that some coffee orders could be quite the hassle and that notepads, depending on the order, could be quite necessary.

...

"I take it you've been here before?" The teen ventured a simple question. Aside from the Specialist ordering quickly, she seemed to already know the available blends. Then again, maybe Atlesian Wildpine was just a popular one? He wouldn't know.

Winter blinked once, then hummed. "Truthfully, I don't much care for small talk," she replied dryly.

Naruto swallowed in response. He supposed that was obvious. It seemed like she didn't care much for talking in general.

"So, Mr. Uzumaki," the white-clad woman continued. "What are your intentions towards my sister?"

...

Woah, woah, woah. Really? They were diving in just like that? She'd spoken less than ten words to him in 30 minutes and then decided to throw him into the deep end? Where was the tact? Where was the finesse? Where was the —

The blond's internal tirade ended as the woman across from him, in what could only be annoyance at his lack of response, raised an immaculately sculpted eyebrow, a gentle frown overcoming her beautiful features. Whatever was next on his mind fizzled out, his brain abandoning the bad thoughts. Instead, Naruto paused.

It started small. One rogue neuron rebelling against the stress. That mischievous little bit of neural activity quickly grew. It wasn't long before it took on a cascading effect, and one tricky little neuron became dozens. Then hundreds. Thousands. Millions. Eventually, Naruto started to chuckle. That chuckle evolved into a humorous but, fortunately for him, controlled laugh.

Unbeknownst to the blond, Winter tilted her head in surprised interest, and her frown quickly evaporated.

'Oh no...' Came a legitimately concerned growl from somewhere deep inside. 'She... she won. I can't believe it. She broke you. In thirty minutes and less than two dozen words. She broke you completely.'

'Relax, fuzzball. I'm good.'

His tenant's lack of response was telling.

"I-I'm sorry," he apologized between chuckles. "I'm just not used to something like this," came his half-hearted explanation.

Predictably, it did little to assuage her confusion. Well, if her blank stare and tilted head were any indication.

Naruto shook himself from his stupor. He indicated between the two of them and smiled. "It's just... between you putting on the overprotective sister act and me never having had a girlfriend, and therefore never having been in this kind of situation before... I guess I was just feeling... self-conscious."

Winter hummed in consideration. "And what makes you think this is an act?" She asked with a challenging look.

Naruto shrugged. "Honestly, based on everything Weiss has told me about you, you don't seem the type. If anything, I imagined you to be exactly the right amount of protective. Am I wrong?"

The elder Schnee remained impassive. So much so that the blond struggled to reconcile the woman's stoicism with her sister's comparatively rampant emotional outbursts. He never would have thought he'd find someone who made Weiss Schnee seem overly emotional, let alone that person being her sister of all people.

Eventually, Winter shrugged. "You are not," she said simply.

Naruto nodded to himself. Awesome. Maybe they could make some headway now.

"To answer your question, I suppose my intentions towards your sister are both romantic and cautious." At the woman's raised brow, he continued. "I like your sister a lot. I care about her. And I want to see her happy. But..." he trailed off. "Whenever we're not together, I can't help but feel cautious. I've never been in a relationship before. Neither has she. I don't really know what I'm doing, and I don't want to hurt her because of it."

Winter seemed to settle back, mulling over his words.

"You say you feel cautious when you're 'not together.' Why only then?"

Naruto grinned. "I, uh, don't really think about those kinds of things when we're around each other. Troubles just seem to kind of... become less troublesome, you know?"

Winter simply hummed.

The natural lull in conversation served as the perfect opportunity for the waiter from earlier to deposit their drinks. Had he been waiting? In quick succession, the two coffees were placed down, and two small carafes of milk and cream soon joined them. Naruto nodded in thanks even while Winter seemed uncharacteristically distracted. In a surprising moment of intelligence, the server chose to bow out, making a quick offer of assistance should they need it.

Before the blond could start sampling his drink, the woman across from him leaned back in.

"You understand, I hope," she began. Her words were tense. Heavy. "That my sister is the heiress to the most profitable company Remnant has ever seen or likely ever will see."

At that, Naruto frowned.

"So, naturally, as her older sister, I must wonder why specifically you've chosen to pursue her? There are plenty of other nice, beautiful women on campus." Before the blond could protest, the ashen-haired woman continued. "As I'm sure you can imagine, over the years, many suitors have attempted to court my sister for significantly less... honest reasons."

Naruto nodded at her words. Ho-boy, there was a lot to unpack there. Where to start, where to start? He should try to be succinct. It wouldn't do well to trail on and on about one specific reason just to circle back to start another. He was sure Winter wouldn't appreciate it. After several minutes of mental organization, a soft cough caught his attention.

Winter was gazing at him through unimpressed eyes.

The blond winced instinctively. "Sorry. Just trying to organize my thoughts."

"I would have expected you to try and have your story straight before our meeting. Perhaps pester my sister for pointers on how to appease me."

Naruto laughed nervously. "Well, actually... It was Weiss who wanted to go over everything with me last night. But I, uh, kind of brushed her off. I also made it a point not to think of what questions you'd be asking."

Winter's brow furrowed, and her eyes narrowed. Despite this, she didn't seem particularly angry at his admission.

"And why would that be?"

"Well," Naruto started. "I'm not really a fan of rehearsing my answers. I didn't want to plan them out just to sound as good as possible. I wanted them to be instinctual. Honest. If I flub my words, that's okay. But if I sit on an answer throughout the night and end up changing it to something I think you'd approve of as opposed to the truth, then that kind of defeats the purpose of this meeting, doesn't it?"

Winter's expression was inscrutable.

After a moment, he added with a slight grin. "Either that, or maybe I'm just lazy."

A spark of something passed behind her slate-blue eyes. It was either disapproval or amusement. It was hard to tell. Hopefully, it was the latter.

"I highly doubt my sister would be interested in someone she believed to be lazy."

So, it wasn't disapproval, then?

"Back to your question," the blond sighed. "Why Weiss specifically?" He rolled his tongue around the inside of his mouth, tasting the potential answer he'd come up with. It was a terrible, Kami-awful answer. "There was absolutely no reason in particular why it had to be Weiss."

His answer left a lot to be desired. At least, he felt like it did. Winter, predictably, was unreadable. She was worse than Blake. By a lot.

"I guess it really comes down to circumstance. Weiss was one of the first people I ever met in Vale. I'm not sure if you know this, but our first meeting wasn't exactly on good terms."

At that, Winter seemed surprised. It was the most reaction he'd seen from her.

"I was led to believe that Weiss first encountered you while you were saving a woman from being gang raped in a back alley."

Naruto blinked. Holy shit, this lady didn't mince words. "Ah..." he trailed off. "That's true, technically."

More silence, accompanied by an unasked question.

"I guess Weiss didn't mention that when she arrived, she mistook me for one of the attackers and tried to skewer me with her blade?"

Winter blinked owlishly. Owlishly. She seemed decidedly taken aback. It was almost humorous.

"Is that so? My sister did not, in fact, deign to mention that detail."

Unsurprising, really.

"Right," the blond continued. "Well, I guess the point is, we really hit it off on bad terms. I actually found her to be rather abrasive. She was rude, arrogant, and honestly, kind of a —" he caught himself before he finished the sentence and was wise enough not to glance at Winter. "But despite all that, she insisted on accompanying me to the hospital after she learned of an injury. She was... persistent. But she was being kind in her own way."

The blond began to play with his coffee, swirling it around as he watched the steam wisp upwards.

"When we got placed on a team together, I wasn't sure what to think. I guess... all I knew then was that it was fun to tease her. So that's all it started out as. Eventually, we became friends simply because we were around each other a lot. Talking to her was fun. And, I guess I have a high tolerance for her kind of personality."

The blond paused at the last part of the statement. "Sorry," he added.

Winter simply sighed. "I am aware of how my sister may initially come off," she said neutrally. "A byproduct of a poisonous childhood. Even still, I'm very proud of how far she's come."

Hmm. So was he.

Naruto nodded. "Anyway," he continued. "At some point, she started listening to my problems, and I listened to hers. I'd like to think I helped her through some of her more difficult times. She certainly helped me through mine."

Naruto froze momentarily. "Huh," he muttered. "I really went off-topic, didn't I?" He asked himself more than the woman across from him. "The point is, our relationship really started out as nothing special. It wasn't love at first sight. I didn't save her life, resulting in some strange infatuation. It was just... natural. Something that happened over time. Honestly, I could see myself getting to this stage with any of my teammates if things had been just a little different." He wrung his hands in uncertainty. "With Weiss... we just happened to be in the right place at the right time." He couldn't help but recall Amber's words when he'd asked her for dating advice. "Sometimes, timing is everything, you know?"

He wasn't sure if she did. How could he? And Winter, poised and stoic Winter, was giving nothing away.

"I see."

Did she? Kami, his inability to read her, was starting to get to him. He had no idea if he was even making sense. He couldn't tell if he'd answered her question correctly or not. Didn't know if he conveyed what he wanted to.

Whatever his answer was, it seemed to satisfy the woman as she nodded once.

"And the fact that Weiss holds significant power and influence, which will only increase over time?"

Ah. Right. He hadn't really answered that part. At least the woman was giving him another opportunity. That had to count for something, right?

"Honestly, I see it as a pretty big drawback, but it's not like it's her fault. She was born into it. Judging her based on that would be no worse than if she refused to date me because I lacked prestige."

Winter's eyes widened at his statement, and she seemed speechless for the first time since the conversation started. Her mouth opened as if she were about to chastise him, then snapped shut. She tilted her head, furrowed her brow, opened her mouth again, then closed it.

Naruto resisted the urge to laugh. Given her stoic nature, he hadn't actually expected that reaction. He'd hoped, but he hadn't expected. And while it wasn't exactly what he'd planned to say initially, it wasn't any less true.

"I should explain," he offered.

Winter's brow remained appropriately furrowed.

"The village I grew up in operated heavily on a class-based system. The most prominent of which were those hailing from clans," the blond explained. He wasn't looking to go too deep into his homeland, so hopefully, Winter wouldn't pry. "You had the really prestigious ones, like the founding clans, or those that contributed heavily to the development of the village. Then you've got medium and minor clans. Below those, you have merchant, craftsmen, and artisan families. At the bottom of the barrel are your average Joe's. Shop attendants, restaurant workers, anything not tangibly linked to the advancement of the village."

Naruto paused to consider his words. "That's where I'm from. I grew up an orphan. A real street urchin if there ever was one. I came from nothing. I was nothing."

That wasn't strictly true, but for all intents and purposes, it may as well have been.

"When I enrolled in my village's combat academy, I just happened to be surrounded on all sides by nothing but clan heirs."

It was true. Out of all his graduating classmates, he and Sakura were some of the only students not from either an active clan or a prominent family.

"At first, I hated them. They had everything compared to me. Better equipment, better training, respect. Kami, I was jealous," the blond sighed while rubbing his temples. "But at the same time, I saw how isolating it could be. How lonely. How being put on a pedestal could be so utterly debilitating."

His thoughts flashed to Sasuke. He had everything compared to him. But at the same time, that had been his prison. His shackles.

"The amount of expectations placed on someone in that position. It'll drown you if you let it. To be honest, it sounds terrifying."

He locked eyes with Winter. The woman started back expectantly. There was something there. Just under the surface.

"So, to be perfectly honest, Weiss having that level of wealth, fame, and prestige... It's frightening to me. And for more than just the reasons I listed."

The blond swallowed. It was hard to believe, but he'd never really considered these feelings up until now. Never acknowledged them, let alone explored them. His words were just sort of... falling into place. Wasn't that what he wanted?

"I'm afraid that I won't meet her expectations. I'm afraid I'll make a fool of myself and, by extension, her. I'm afraid the circles she'll operate in won't accept me, and I'll drag her down because of that. Honestly, I'd be happier if she was a nobody like me."

Sure, his ultimate goal was to become Hokage, which, of course, would come with all the things Weiss already had. Fame. Wealth. Recognition. Responsibility. But those would be things he earned through merit. Hard work. Ideally, he'd ease into them over time. I wasn't something he wanted suddenly thrust upon him. It wasn't something he wanted to inherit or be married into.

Winter nodded, accepting his words. "But she's not. And she likely never will be." Surprisingly, the older woman sighed softly. "Are you able to accept that? Are you able to reconcile the fact that Weiss will spend the rest of her life in the upper echelons of society? That, should you choose to continue a relationship with her, you too will have to live your life in such a way?"

The shinobi was nodding before she finished her question. He caught himself, freezing mid-nod. Could he? Could he really?

"Yes," he whispered. And to his surprise, the word felt comfortable on his tongue. His brow furrowed in confusion, and he tested the word again. "Yes," he said more confidently. "I know we're young. Really just kids in your eyes. And maybe things won't work out in the long run. But it won't be from a lack of trying. And while I still barely know what I'm doing, I want to put in the effort."

He still had to get home. He had responsibilities. There was no avoiding that. And there was no absolute guarantee he'd be able to freely travel between worlds. But right here, right now? He wanted to continue a relationship with Weiss. Whatever happened down the line, they'd figure something out.

The chair across from him creaked lightly. Winter nodded succinctly. "Your answers so far have been acceptable."

Naruto didn't know whether he should smile or frown.

"I have one final line of questions, and then we can move on."

The blond blinked. Move on? Move on to what? To where? What exactly did that mean?

Winter's next question was simple but oh so ever-loaded. It was not appreciated.

"What exactly do you think of my sister? Of her personality, specifically. You mentioned some of her traits earlier, but I wish to hear, from your perspective, the good and the bad."

Oh dear.

Oh, this sucked something fierce. She already knew he could recognize Weiss' faults. And even if he hadn't, he wasn't the kind to lie. Not about this. Not to this person.

After a moment of lamenting his unfortunate position, the Jinchūriki sighed. "Well, when we first met, it was like I said. Weiss was fairly abrasive. She was arrogant, dismissive, and refused to listen," the blond listed off. "That's not to say I was picture-perfect. Once I recognized those traits, I immediately started to poke fun at them just to piss her off. So, I guess I was kind of a little shit about it," he chuckled.

Winter didn't laugh, but she didn't scowl either. She wasn't quite holding her usual aura of stoicism, and if the shinobi had to guess, he'd almost say she was amused. It really was difficult to say. Making that judgment was a lot harder without any visual cues.

"But she showed kindness in her own way. When she realized she'd made a mistake upon first judging me, she... well, she didn't exactly apologize, not right away, but she stuck around to make sure I was okay. As a side note, I'm still not sure whether she liked or disliked the fact that I didn't care about her family name."

Naruto hummed as he recalled the incident. It felt so long ago.

"I'm not sure how much you know about our team formation, but Weiss wasn't particularly receptive to Ruby being made team leader."

Winter nodded in response. "I've known Weiss since the day she was born. I grew up with her and, at times, cared for her. I know exactly how she would have reacted. I can even fill in the blanks from what she didn't already write to me."

Ah. So Weiss had told her.

"Yeah," the blond replied. "We had a long talk about that. And honestly? She was being pretty damn immature about it." It felt strange to speak poorly about his girlfriend in such a way, but it was true, wasn't it?

"It's how she handled herself after that talk that really impressed me. I never thought someone like her could swallow their pride and recover so quickly. I grew up around a lot of prideful people. It's a nasty side effect of being a prestigious clan heir. I've seen people half as prideful as her sink and never recover."

And it was true. Mizuki, though no clan heir, was defeated by pride. Neji, arguably even more narrow-minded, had actually managed to pull himself back from the brink. But it had taken him weeks. Months. Weiss had done so in days. Even Sasuke, perhaps the closest in comparison, still hadn't found equilibrium.

"I think Weiss is special in that regard. It's what's going to make her an excellent leader when she takes over the SDC. Especially when you take into consideration her plans for the company."

Such a simple thing to say. Said really quite casually. Naruto didn't expect the small thud from across the table. He looked up from his hands, wide-eyed as equally wide eyes stared back. Winter maintained her composure so as to not leave her mouth hanging open, which really... The blond didn't know how he would have reacted had he seen it. Even just seeing her wide-eyed and full of naked surprise, the shinobi was almost at a loss.

"Uh..." he managed. Okay, never mind. He was at a loss.

Winter quickly regained her composure. "And what has Weiss told you regarding her plans with the SDC?" Her tone wasn't quite icy. It wasn't quite desperate. But it had a little bit of both mixed with something else.

"She wants to return it to what it was like when your grandfather ran it," he said simply. "She thinks Whitley would be a bad successor because he's too much like your father. She wants to build a legacy that doesn't involve crushing someone under her heel. And while she might not want to run the company explicitly, she feels she can do a lot of good if she does."

That was the gist of it, right?

Winter simply collapsed back into her seat. Collapsed. Eyes wide. Head spinning, if her pinching the bridge of her nose was any indication. Honestly, Naruto had no idea what to say or do. Was he wrong in his assessment? Had he said something he wasn't supposed to?

As a result, he simply waited patiently.

After several minutes of waiting, Winter released a tired sigh. Thank Kami. The woman seemed to be the definition of efficiency. Well, nearly five minutes of silent contemplation didn't seem very efficient. In fact, it really seemed quite out of character from what he'd seen.

The white-clad woman finally deigned to speak. "If my sister trusts you with that information, then her feelings towards you clearly go above simple infatuation." At his confused look, she continued. "That information, while perhaps seemingly innocuous, is not. If word of it reached Father, Weiss would very likely be disowned. Perhaps worse."

Naruto blinked dumbly before his eyes hardened.

"So, for her to tell you this, to speak those words... it shows a very high degree of trust on her end. As far as I'm aware, I'm the only other person who knows this, and even then, it was a sentiment she never felt comfortable speaking aloud," she said in warning. "Though granted, we were both still living at home during the time. And in that house, the walls have ears."

The shinobi swallowed angrily. Not at Winter, but at the circumstance. He hadn't actually considered the controversy of Weiss' views.

They sat in awkward silence for several minutes.

"Well, then," Winter began. "I believe our business is concluded," she said dismissively.

Wait. What?

"With how you view my sister and based on what I know about you from Weiss herself, you seem to be a suitable match for her."

Naruto blinked. "Wait, so you're saying I passed?"

The Specialist tilted her head in confusion. "Passed?" She echoed.

The blond winced. "Never mind. I'm just surprised you're okay with wrapping things up so suddenly," he explained.

Winter nodded. "Yes, well. I'm a busy woman. I only have so much free. Even less now since I allotted so much of it to this conversation. You seem genuine in your words. You're not afraid to say difficult things, and you're not sycophantic enough to grovel for my approval. This means you're either the greatest deceiver on this side of Remnant, or you're being honest. There's nothing more for me to do than to trust my sister to make responsible choices."

Naruto nodded. Trust, but verify. That was the point of this outing.

"That being said, it would be remiss of me not to mention... Should you harm her in any way, shape or form..." she let the threat hang.

Ah. Classic.

The conversation really had been missing something. Though, truthfully, the threat seemed somewhat lacklustre. Then again, now that they'd actually interacted, Winter didn't seem like the kind of woman to put on the theatrics. Instead of front-loading all her intentions in one single grand threat, she'd spaced that intimidation out evenly, if not a little light near the end. It'd almost worked, too.

"Right," the blond replied while rising to stand. "Honestly, I can't promise I won't upset Weiss. We're going to have bad days. We're going to disagree. We're going to argue. I'm going to annoy her, and she's going to annoy me. But I do promise I'll never intentionally hurt her."

Winter blinked in surprise, then hummed thoughtfully. "Indeed," she muttered. "You speak well," she praised as she stood. Huh. Surprising. "That being said," she added while dropping off enough lien to cover the bill. Only now did the blond notice that neither of them had touched their drinks. "If you hurt my sister, intentionally or not, I will pick apart whatever she leaves behind."

Huh. That was... unsurprising.

"Now, I really must be off. Besides," the woman the woman said lightly. "I believe you have company." She indicated to their side.

Before the blond could fully register what she meant, he felt the air leave his lungs as something heavy, solid, and somehow soft impacted him. The force of the impact was enough for his head to snap back. He briefly wondered if it would give him whiplash. The thought was thrown out as a distant yet familiar voice shouted, "Nora, no!"

A much closer and equally familiar voice deafened him as it shouted back, "Nora, yes!" followed by a cacophony of laughter, and then his world turned upside down.

xXx

"Your team seems to be experiencing some difficulties," came a calculating voice.

Weiss sighed as she raised her teacup and sipped politely, exactly as her etiquette lessons had taught her. Winter sat across from her, gently nursing her own drink. As the younger Schnee lowered her cup, she frowned demurely. Winter was back from... whatever her little excursion was with Naruto. Still no word from him on that front...

"I wouldn't say difficulties," she tested.

"The sombre atmosphere would suggest differently," her sister countered. "Your letters would also suggest your team leader to be much more excitable than what she displayed. And you were one member short. Two, if you count your boyfriend."

Right... Blake may or may not have been rather cross with them now. And Naruto was... recovering. Hopefully. Regardless, Weiss took the counterargument in stride. "Yes, well. I apologize that you had to meet Ruby in such a state."

Wait a minute. Was she? Depressed as she was, it was undeniable that young scyth-weilder was significantly calmer. That was a good thing, wasn't it? The young Schnee sighed sadly. No. Because Ruby was upset. So was Yang. So was she. And given Blake's state, it might have been for the best that she wasn't around for when Winter stopped by.

Weiss grunted. "Well, perhaps we are experiencing some trouble," she admitted.

"Would this have anything to do with your young faunus teammate's infatuation with taking down the White Fang?"

The heiress huffed in silent amusement. There was a lot there her sister shouldn't have known about. Leave it to Winter to know those details. She wouldn't even bother wondering how she knew.

"Yes, unfortunately," the petite girl admitted.

Winter frowned. "While your team's objective is admirable, you shouldn't be involved in such matters."

Weiss nodded instinctively. "You're right. I shouldn't. We shouldn't. But regardless of what I say, my team will continue to meddle. The best thing I can do is support them however I can. To keep them safe."

Winter hummed thoughtfully. "Very well," she acquiesced.

The Beacon student blinked in surprise. Truthfully, she'd expected some pushback on that front. Whatever Winter's reasons were for not arguing, they were her own. She wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

"On that note," Winter continued.

Ah. There it was.

"Should you continue your excursions into Vale, you will be more mindful of the civilian population," the Specialist ordered harshly while slamming her teacup on its corresponding saucer.

Weiss suppressed a surprised squeak at the unexpected shift of tone. Before she could ask for clarification, her sister provided it freely.

"You need to understand, Weiss. The world of Huntsmen and civilians do not mix."

The huntress-in-training blinked in confusion.

"I understand that sounds contradictory, considering the responsibilities of the job. It is not. The world of the average civilian is far removed from that of a Huntsman. This is intentional. Do you know why that is?"

Did she? She had a few ideas. The older woman took another sip of her tea, allowing the young Schnee to contemplate her words.

"Because," the heiress said hesitantly. "Huntsmen can be dangerous to the average person."

"Exactly."

Weiss would have smiled proudly at her correct answer if the topic weren't so serious. Something told her smiling right now was not a good idea.

"A trained huntsman, or even a huntsman in training, is stronger, faster, and more used to combat than a civilian. The extent of which is almost too difficult to calculate. It can happen, and there have been cases in which a huntsman will accidentally kill an average person for seemingly mundane reasons."

Weiss paled at her sister's words.

"Be it a drunken argument, a lover's quarrel, or collateral damage." Winter sighed as she measured the look on her sister's face. "The strength we wield due to our Aura, training, and semblances can pose a significant threat to the health and safety of those around us. You might not have noticed it due to spending so much time around your peers, but once in the city, you are a walking hazard for all intents and purposes."

Weiss balked. "I-I would never —"

"— Of course, you wouldn't," Winter interrupted. "Not intentionally. I am referring, of course, to the latter of my examples. Collateral damages."

Weiss' brow furrowed in confusion. Seeing such, Winter began to explain. "You might not have noticed, but during your pursuit of Roman Torchwick, several civilians were injured as he rampaged down the highway. It was only thanks to Mr. Uzumaki that no one was killed."

Weiss' eyes widened at the revelation. So that's what her sister had meant last night. She hadn't had the chance to ask her sunny blond in all the confusion. After a moment, her wide eyes narrowed into a slits.

"But it was Torchwick who was on a rampaging! We were trying to get away from him." Well, Blake and Sun were.

Winter blinked in surprise, then her eyes narrowed to match her sister's. "Oh? Excuse me, then. I'll be sure to notify the families that despite provoking Torchwick, it was ultimately his fault that a chase ensued." Weiss flinched. "Make sure you inform all future civilian casualties that it wasn't your fault they were hurt and that it was the fault of whoever you happened to be in combat with at the time."

"I-I just —"

"— I know what you were thinking," the older Schnee scowled. "But do not insult the both of us by pretending your team's actions did not directly result in a fight."

Weiss looked down as she felt heat burning behind her eyes. Winter's words were harsh, her tone harsher. She wanted to tell the woman it wasn't her fault. That it was she who got the Paladin off the highway. It was Sun and Blake, and... Naruto's fault Torchwick had been provoked.

But in the end, Winter was correct. They had agreed to the plan as a team. They knew — they thought they knew the risks. She wasn't willing to throw Blake under the bus. Certainly not Naruto. And not even Sun.

It took everything the heiress had to not let that traitorous heat reach the point of no return. She wouldn't cry in front of her sister. Not because of a measly few words of criticism. No matter how serious the meaning behind those words was...

And yet, people were directly injured because of her and her team. She didn't know the extent. How many. It could range from a few bruises to several broken bones. Maybe even life-changing injuries. Hernieated disks. Spinal injuries. Head trauma.

That wasn't considering the property damage, too. How many vehicles had been destroyed that night? How many people could no longer go to work because of that? People who depended on their cars to help make ends meet? Could they afford to replace them? Did they have insurance?

Just thinking about it made her nauseous. And no one had even died. But they could have.

"Weiss, look at me," came her sister's surprisingly soft voice.

After a moment, she did.

Winter gazed back, her eyes no longer narrowed, her aura no longer one of venom. "I say this as a warning, not a reprimand."

Hmm. Could have fooled her.

"You need to be mindful of your surroundings. Of what you and your team can do and what the consequences could be. Who could get hurt, and if what you're doing can be done more safely. I impress this upon you more for your sake than anyone else's. It can be a difficult lesson. One I'd rather you not learn through personal experience."

Not trusting her voice, Weiss nodded.

Right. Winter was right.

A huntress protected the people. It was hard to do that if you were the one causing unnecessary danger.

After several minutes of awkward silence, most of which the young Schnee took to compose herself, she finally met her sister's eyes.

"I'm sorry." She took pride in the lack of waver in her voice. "My team and I will accept whatever punishment is deemed necessary."

The Specialist lowered her cup, noting that its contents were now depleted. As she reached for the teapot, she nodded. "There's no need. Due to the circumstances, Roman Torchwick and his accomplice being captured, the council of Vale has decided to overlook the incident."

Weiss released a breath of relief.

"But," Winter added, causing her younger sister's breath to catch. "Do not believe for one second that what we've talked about is any less relevant."

Weiss nodded quickly.

"And," the elder Schnee continued. "Be sure to impress upon your team the same message. If you feel they are not taking to it as well as you have, please inform me."

Eye wide, Weiss nodded slowly.

After filling her small porcelain cup, Winter moved the pot to her sisters, filling it up expertly, earning a slight nod in thanks.

"Now," the Specialist said as she placed the pot down. Her tone was markedly less serious. Of course, no one would be able to tell, save for Weiss herself. "Tell me about your boyfriend."

Weiss' eyes widened as she nearly dropped her drink. This is what she'd expected the meeting to be about, but those expectations had been dashed around the point her sister started reprimanding her.

"I-I would expect you to know more about him than I after your interrogation," the younger Schnee muttered.

"Dear sister," Winter smiled. Uh oh. "Surely you jest. It was no interrogation. Simply a friendly chat."

Weiss frowned skeptically. She always became conflicted whenever her sister donned that fake smile of hers. Even to her, it was creepy. And while Winter shifting into a more 'playful' mood was always a good thing in her book, the thought of her interrogating Naruto was not a good thing.

"Why?" The elder Schnee asked sharply. "Did your boyfriend say otherwise?"

Weiss gulped at the tone. Gulped. She checked her scroll, unlocking it to find it still on her messenger app. The person she was in contact with? Naruto. Several unanswered texts and missed calls on her end indicated the boy was either dead or he had forgotten to charge his scroll again. She gave it a 50/50.

"O-Of course not," She smiled a pained smile.

"Good!" Her sister brightened. "So, have the two of you..."

Weiss sighed as her sister delved into territory she had no right to delve into. Who would have ever thought that her prim, proper, and overly stoic sister was capable of girl talk?

xXx

When Naruto finally regained his senses, Winter was already long gone. It took several moments of quiet contemplation before he was able to pry Nora from his prone form. After all, he needed to ensure he could still move his toes.

After extricating himself from the excitable redhead, he raised himself to his feet, beating back the shakiness he felt. How he was continuously being caught off guard, he still didn't know. Maybe his senses were getting dull? Perhaps he was just a little too comfortable around these parts?

"Nora!" Chastised an unusually vocal Ren, who was, surprisingly, jogging up to them from not too far away. "How many times have I told you not to dive tackle people? Especially when they can't see you coming?"

The girl in question, Nora, grinned widely as she climbed to her feet. Her smile, laced with sheepishness but drowning in insincerity, spoke of a girl who was well and truly past caring.

"But we haven't seen Naruto in forever!" She argued, small traces of frustration in her tone.

"We saw him the other day in the library. You might not remember since you were asleep," the Mistrali boy countered.

"That doesn't count," The ginger challenged. "It was a Library!"

Hmm.

"Hey, Naruto," came a familiar, calmer voice. Further past the blond stood another teen, his messy blond hair familiar yet different.

The shinobi offered a friendly smile. "Hey, Jaune," he greeted. Beside the taller man was an equally tall woman, her crimson hair held tight in her signature high ponytail. "Hey, Pyrrha," he waved.

"Hello!" the spartan returned his greeting with a bright smile.

The blond felt something soft tightly glomp his arm. He looked down and was met with two bright turquoise eyes. "Hi, Nora," he smiled. Say what you would about the little Viking; she was equal parts strong and soft. Must come with being a huntress. "Ren," the blond nodded as a simple greeting to the dark-haired teen.

Ren dipped his head in return. "Sorry about Nora," he apologized.

"No problem," the shinobi replied. "I have a feeling she just saved me from a difficult situation."

As three members of team JNPR took in the sight before them, their eyes roamed over the overturned table and chair, then moved to the broken tableware and spilled drinks. Finally, they landed on the startled but no less angry server, his mouth pinched tightly in irritation.

Nora simply beamed in satisfaction.

xXx

"So, what brings you into Vale?"

Naruto sighed at Jaune's innocent question. They'd abandoned the small cafe, Ren quickly, though no less hesitantly, leaving enough lien to cover the small pile of destruction.

"Had an interrogation with Weiss' sister," the blond grimaced. In reality, the results weren't all that bad. They were actually quite good. But the process in which they happened...

"Huh," the blond knight nodded. "I thought Weiss was looking pretty mature all of a sudden. Taller, too," he added.

"Interrogation?" Pyrrha asked with a raised eyebrow.

"May as well have been," the shinobi scoffed. "It was one of those 'big siblings sits the boyfriend down for a talk' kind of things. Do you guys have any idea what that's like?" Before any of them could answer, he continued. "It's exactly like the cartoons and movies! It sucks!"

"I'm sure it couldn't have been that bad," Pyrrha said in an attempt to pacify him. "I'm sure Weiss' sister was just trying to look out for her."

That wasn't the right thing to say.

"Not that bad?" Naruto echoed incredulously. "Oh, it was that bad!" He replied, voice raised. "You have no idea what that woman is like. Weiss clearly looks at her through rose-tinted glass!"

"Really?" Jaune asked skeptically. "Weiss isn't really the type to exaggerate. She's usually pretty accurate in her assessments."

Tch. Usually.

Then again, Winter was probably just playing it up. Trying to come off as extra intimidating, both for Weiss' sake and her own amusement. He supposed he couldn't really fault the woman. It was basically a prank. Hopefully.

Huh. When put like that, it suddenly didn't seem so bad.

"Whatever," the blond waved them off. "You sit down with an Atlesian Specialist who's basically a clone of Weiss, only cranked to 11, and has a chip on her shoulder, then you tell me she wasn't that bad."

Nora's entire body shivered at his words. "W-Woah," she stuttered. "That just gave me the willies."

Ren raised a finger to chastise the girl but dropped it a moment later. No words escaped his mouth.

"What about you guys?" The shinobi turned to his sister team. "What are you doing in Vale? I haven't seen you guys for a hot minute. Except you, Pyrrha." He added, then returned the redhead's smile. They'd maintained their weekly spars for the most part.

"We're going shopping!" Nora answered with a wide grin.

"Nora, you hate shopping," Ren sighed.

The girl blinked. Then made a soft sound of realization. "Oh. Right." After a moment, she frowned. "We're going shopping," she said morosely.

Naruto craned his neck to JNPR's leader. The teen shrugged in return. "None of us have formal wear for the dance," he explained.

Blue eyes widened in realization.

"Do... do you not have the proper attire either?" Questioned Pyrrha, her emerald eyes twinkling in mirth.

Naruto frowned, then shook his head.

"That's great!" Nora exclaimed, seemingly having bounced back from her sudden gloomyness. "You should come with us! We can all shop together!"

Ren briefly cleared his throat, catching the bubbly girl's attention, and her smile quickly disappeared. "I mean, if we have to suffer, so should you," came her sullen correction.

Naruto blinked in confusion. Was she excited to shop or not? To his understanding, girls liked shopping. Then again, this was Nora. She danced to the beat of her own drum.

Jaune chuckled while shaking his head. "You're more than welcome to tag along. We can help you find something nice that Weiss will like."

After receiving three nods in agreement, Naruto really had no other choice. The dance was in just a few days, and he had nothing to wear. He supposed it didn't really matter what he got so long as he didn't show up in his casual attire. As long as he put in some effort, Weiss would be pleased. Sure, she'd pretend to be unimpressed. But really, she wouldn't be.

"Alright," the shinobi nodded. "It'll be nice to hang out with you three again. It has been a while," he said while indicating to Jaune, Nora, and Ren. "Pyrrha doesn't count," he said before the three teens could voice their confusion. "We train every week," he laughed.

The tournament fighter pouted in return. "But when was the last time we spent time together that wasn't in the ring?"

Naruto shrugged while smiling.

Well, it had been a while.

xXx

"Get us something good!" Nora shouted happily. "We'll wait outside so we don't crowd the shop!"

Naruto blinked in surprise at the little redhead's words. She'd been acting strange all afternoon. She and Ren had been shooting looks at each other throughout the city, some unknown form of communication passing between them. It was so obvious that even Jaune had noticed. Jaune. What was with them? It almost seemed like the two were plotting something. Sure, they were childhood friends and, therefore, close — it came with the territory. But Ren wasn't usually one to go along with one of Nora's plots.

Unless... it was Ren's idea?

"M'kay," Jaune agreed, brow raised. He and Pyrrha then entered the ice cream store.

Before the shinobi could follow them inside, a firm hand gripped his forearm and spun him around. His back hit the brick wall beside the double glass doors, and the air was briefly expelled from his lungs. While one hand held him against the building, another firmly planted itself beside his head.

Did the brick beside him just crack?

Oh Kami. He'd seen the movies. He was either going to be mugged or kissed. The fact that it was Nora pinning him against the wall made it all the more terrifying. And really, he wasn't sure which option was more likely to occur.

"Listen, buster," she said lowly.

Oh Kami. She called him buster. First Winter, now this?

"You weren't supposed to be here today, but it looks like the Brothers themselves are smiling on us," she said with a gruff snarl.

What? What was going on? He asked the girl as much.

"What's going on?" She parroted. "What's going on is we're getting Jaune to ask Pyrrha to the dance. So buck up, boy, because you're going to help us." The glint in her eye brokered no room for argument. Not that he'd dare.

Naruto's eyes widened. "You mean they aren't already?" He whispered harshly, cognizant of the couple's relatively close proximity. That was ridiculous. Pyrrha was into Jaune. Badly. Had the bumbling blond still not noticed?

Nora shook her head. "Oh, they're going to the dance together. As. Partners," came her shaky voice. Naruto knew that shakiness. It was rage.

"So," Nora continued. "You, me, and Renny are going to correct that injustice."

The blond glanced at the aforementioned Renny. His face was blank. "I am a willing participant in this," came his neutral reply. Try as the normally composed teen might, he couldn't hide the crack in his voice.

Naruto looked back to Nora. There was a fire in her eye. Pure, burning passion. She wouldn't take no for an answer. Not that she'd asked in the first place. She was only informing him of his new role as a professional courtesy.

"R-Right," the terrified blond suttered. Damn. From the corner of his eye, he could have sworn he saw moisture building in Ren's eye. The dark-haired teen turned away before Naruto could confirm it. And none too soon as the soft jingle of a door chime announced the return of the group's two missing members.

Naruto blinked as he realized Nora was already gone, happily bouncing around the pair and reaching for one of the extra ice cream cones. The only evidence of the exchange was a dull ache in his wrist and thin spiderweb cracks on the brick next to his head.

Jaune's bright smile flickered as his gaze snapped between Ren and his fellow blond. "Is something wrong?" the knight asked.

Naruto's eyes remained locked on his counterpart. He sure as hell didn't dare look beside the boy. He could feel her gaze on him.

"N-No," he stuttered. "Everything's fine."

'Holy fucking shit...'

xXx

"So why aren't you and Pyrrha dating yet?"

Naruto Uzumaki was many things, but subtle was never really one of them.

"Who the heck starts a conversation like that?" Jaune squeaked. "I just sat down!"

From beside the blond huntsman in training, Ren stared aghast, eyes wide, and not so subtly mouthing the words, 'What the hell?'

The three young men were seated in a dress store's waiting area. A Dress store. It was just another amongst a long list of previously visited shops. And why there specifically? Because the three boys had long since found their needed dance attire. Emphasis on 'long since.'

Who would have thought women needed so much time to pick out a dress? Hopefully, Weiss, being who she was, already had an abundance of dresses and wouldn't feel the need to bring him along. Then again, perhaps that was even more indicative that she would drag him along to go shopping...

"It seemed like as good a conversation starter as any."

Jaune pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "What brought this on?"

The shinobi hummed in consideration. He hadn't really thought of a plan for how to tackle their problem. Truthfully, he'd rather not get involved at all. But he had to admit that it was surprising Jaune and Pyrrha weren't official yet, and a small part of him wondered why that was. He could understand why Nora was being driven crazy. The sexual tension alone must have made their dorm room positively viscous.

"Just surprised, I guess," he answered honestly.

After a moment, Jaune cocked his head to the side. "Why? Did she say something to you? During one of your spars?"

Oh? Was that interest he detected? It might be. There was something in the taller blond's eyes as he asked. Something foreign yet familiar. Yearning mixed with caution, maybe? Unfortunately, the answer was no, she hadn't. Pyrrha was as tight-lipped about it as ever.

"She might have." It was a lie for the greater good. And not just his own good but all of Team JNPR's. Oddly enough, Jaune sighed, dropping his shoulders. That wasn't a very encouraging response. "Is that a bad thing?"

Jaune balked at the question. "I-Is that a bad —" he paused as he adjusted his volume. "Of course, it's a bad thing!" He whispered harshly.

Naruto frowned at the response. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Ren visibly recoil as if his own safety was on the line. It was, wasn't it?

"Yeesh. I didn't realize dating someone like Pyrrha was so detestable." The statement, while unkind, was made more to gauge the knight's feelings towards the redhead than to insult anyone. And Jaune didn't disappoint. Naruto grunted as his friend dug his elbow into his side.

"I-It's not... She's not..." Jaune sighed tiredly. "Pyrrha's great. Amazing, really."

Oh? Maybe not all was lost? At the very least, Ren didn't look like he was about to faint anymore.

"So do you just not feel anything more than friendship, or?" Letting the question hang, Naruto watched his fellow blond's face closely. It was an interesting watch. A myriad of emotions seemed to pass over the teen's features, ranging from happiness to fear to looking like he'd swallowed a lemon. That he didn't take the easy way out by immediately agreeing spoke of something. He wasn't sure what, but something.

"Pyrrha's a great friend. One of the best I've ever had. She's always looking out for me. Always willing to help me without question." He leaned back, "And... I'm not blind. I know how she looks at me."

...

Naruto slowly reached across his fellow blond to push Ren's jaw back into place. Leaning back, he blinked in surprise as the raven-haired teen did the same for him.

After gathering his bearings, the Jinchūriki shook his head. "You know?" He whispered harshly.

"Kind of hard not to."

Yes. It was, wasn't it?

"Okay, so you know Pyrrha's into you. But you still haven't clarified your own feelings on the matter."

At that, the leader of Team JNPR remained silent. He wasn't ignoring the question. Not even close if the strain on his face was any indication. Naruto knew that look. It was the look of someone struggling to find the right words.

The three sat in an uncomfortable silence for several tense minutes. The only distraction came from the two female members of Team JNPR, who could be vaguely heard chatting amongst themselves from the direction of the changing rooms.

Eventually, Jaune released another long, tired sigh.

"You know you're not getting out of answering, right?"

The clumsy knight nodded in acceptance. "I figured."

"So?"

"So..." he parroted. "If I'm being honest, I don't know why someone like Pyrrha is interested in someone like me. She's smart, beautiful, friendly, extremely talented, and famous worldwide," he listed. "And I'm just... me."

Naruto blinked.

Ren blinked.

Looking past the self-deprecating teen, Naruto cocked a brow. "Maybe we're going about this the wrong way? Maybe we need to get Pyrrha to ask him out?"

They'd thought him oblivious, but if the issue was confidence...

Ren cupped his chin in thought. "The thought had crossed our minds. But Nora was adamant that it had to be Jaune to make the first move."

"How's that fair?"

"It isn't"

Naruto nodded. Well, so long as they agreed on that.

"Hold on, are the three of you plotting?" He asked in alarm.

The shinobi rested his head in his hand. "Yes, Jaune. Please keep up."

"What did you think this was?" Ren asked skeptically.

"I-I thought this was just guy talk! You know, just a couple of guys being dudes..."

"It is!" Naruto grinned while clapping his friend on the back. "It just so happens that Nora's forcing this to happen." There was a pregnant pause at that. "Don't read into it."

"Okay..."

"Look, Jaune," the blond placed his hand on the teen's shoulder. "Remember when you told me about your dad's advice? All you need is confidence?"

The young Arc's shoulders tensed. "I-It's not about confidence," he moaned. "Someone like me shouldn't be with someone like Pyrrha. I'm not good for her! I mean, she's a public figure, for brother's sake. What if I make a fool of myself and tarnish her reputation? Can you imagine someone like me in front of cameras? What I'd be like at social events and galas?"

Hmm. Now, why did that sound familiar?

"That's hardly something to worry about," the inter-dimensional traveller said casually. At Jaune's confused stare, he elaborated. "Do you really think someone like Pyrrha would care about any of that?"

"I —"

"— Shut up," the shinobi cut him off. "First of all, do you think Pyrrha's an idiot? Do you think she hasn't taken any of that into consideration? I'd put money down that she couldn't give less of a shit. If anything, she'd probably keep you out of the spotlight for nothing other than your own well-being."

Jaune blinked in response.

"If the reason you don't want to be with her is because you don't care for her romantically, then that's one thing. But not wanting to be shoved into the limelight? There are a dozen different solutions to that. The most obvious would be to have her make a public statement saying that you value your privacy. Alternatively, you could keep your relationship a secret from the public. Hell, you could simply train the awkwardness out of yourself."

"I don't know if any of that's a good idea," the knight frowned.

Naruto disagreed. He made sure to convey the sentiment with a scowl. "You know," he sighed, blinking rapidly to dispel his annoyance. "We're not so different in that regard. You think I haven't had those worries with Weiss?"

"That's different! You're... you. And I'm... me."

"Look, Jaune, the self-deprecating outlook isn't really appreciated. And that sounded an awful lot like a confidence issue. Pyrrha likes you because you're you. What, do you think she's lacking options? Out of every guy in our age group, you've got something they don't."

Jaune tilted his head. "And what is it I have that they don't?"

"Hell, if I know! I'm not the one fawning over you! Maybe you can ask Pyrrha?"

Jaune raised his hands in exasperation. "What am I supposed to say? 'Hey, Pyrrha, I've got feelings for you, but I'm too afraid I'm going to mess up your career with how awkward I am. Also, what is it you see in me that indicates a good romantic partner? Maybe we could talk about things before I ask you out? Just to make sure we're both on the same page?' That's not exactly a great pick-up line, Naruto!"

"So you admit you have feelings for her?"

Jaune's face quickly coloured in embarrassment. Seemingly not trusting his voice, he looked down to avoid eye contact.

.

..

...

..

.

"I thought it was a pretty good pickup line," came a soft, shaky voice.

Jaune's face drained of colour. The three boys looked to their left to find Nora and Pyrrha standing awkwardly; the latter's face a deep scarlet, almost as dark as her hair. Large bundles of clothing were draped over each of their arms, and receipts were clutched in their free hands.

"You planned this... didn't you." The knight's voice was weak. Lethargic.

No. No, he hadn't. But Kami above had it ever turned out perfectly. Obviously, having that conversation ran the risk of being overheard, but he hadn't expected the discussion to drag on as long as it did. He'd only been trying to get a read on his friend.

"You bet I did."

"I-If you'd like to have that conversation, I wouldn't be opposed," Pyrrha choked out.

"I —"

"— Think that's a great idea," Naruto interrupted.

Quickly standing, the blond shinobi reached across, grabbing Ren by the cuff of his sleeve. With a lurch and startled cry from the quiet teen, the two made for the door, snatching Nora along the way, who, while not blushing, was staring wide-eyed at her two teammates.

While Nora's head was glued to the scene being left behind, twisting almost like an owl's, Naruto didn't look back. He had a feeling he was going to be in a lot of shit with his friend. But in a way, he was paying back the favour he owed Jaune for distracting Neptune when the boy started hitting on Weiss. Even if Jaune didn't see it that way now. He would in time. Probably.

A door chime signalled their departure. The three teens took several steps before stopping and leaning against a wall. They stood in stunned silence for several more minutes.

Eventually, Nora turned to him. "That wasn't what I had in mind, buster," she growled.

Naruto's blood ran cold.

'Kid... You need to run.'

'She knows where I sleep at night.'

'Oh, Kami...'

"It was Ren's idea!" He blurted out. "I just did all the talking!" He didn't know why he said what he said. At least the last part was genuine. Ren had said what? A dozen words?

'Nice, kid!'

Was it? Was it nice?

Ren, poor, quiet Ren, froze like a deer in headlights.

"Is that true, Renny?" Nora glared.

Behind those wide, terror-struck eyes, Naruto could see a man stuck in his car, a serial killer slowly approaching from outside. The man was trying to start his car, but the ignition wouldn't fire. Instead, the engine that was Ren's mind released a forlorn click-click-clunk, punctuated by a hesitant whirr, unable to muster the triumphant vroom it longed to unleash.

"I-It's true!" Naruto smiled shakily. "I wasn't sure it was a good idea, but you can't argue with results!" Why was he doing this to Ren? Why was he the way that he was? Was he a coward?

'No, my friend. Every tactician needs to know when to sacrifice. So long as you're not wasting the lives of those around you.'

The reassurance brought him little comfort.

"You should leave, Naruto," came Nora's eerie warning. "I'll see you back at Beacon."

I? Not we?

This wasn't right. He couldn't do this to Ren. He was better than this. He was faster than Nora. Stronger. He could take her. At the very least, he could grab Ren and run.

...

"Okay. I'll... see you later, I guess."

With a heavy heart, Naruto steeled himself for what needed to be done. He wanted to say goodbye. Something simple. 'Goodbye, my friend. I hardly knew you.' Which, to be fair, was true. Ren didn't talk all that much.

Instead, the blond said nothing. And with one last surge of willpower, he turned on his heel and quickly left.

'The hardest choices require the strongest wills.'

Maybe they did. Maybe they did...

xXx

Weiss sighed as Yang stamped her foot in protest. Doilies or a fog machine? Who said it had to be one or the other?

"Just what do you have against doilies?" She asked her partner's sister with an exaggerated eye roll.

"They're too pompous! This isn't that kind of dance!"

"It's a school function," the heiress stated with a frown. "It is much more likely to be a doily dance than a fog machine dance. And there's nothing pompous about a doily. It's essentially an ornamental placemat. Why are you so opposed to nice things?"

"There's nothing nice about..." Yang scowled as she snatched the fabric from Weiss' hand. "About this!" She shouted while tossing the article behind her.

"Seriously? You insufferable barbarian! Just because it doesn't make a silly noice or flash a bright light for you to clap and drool over doesn't mean it's boring!" She withheld a wince as she remembered they were talking about doilies. The statement itself was still valid, though.

They were here to help set up the auditorium for the school dance. That they, as first years, were entrusted with such an important task was already quite a surprise. However, given that they were already coming to blows over the details, she suspected that their selection for the task had less to do with being trustworthy and more with the fact that they were the only ones who volunteered.

Before either of their tempers could flair brighter, the argument was interrupted by the door to the room deeply creaking; it was a low and slow sound that echoed through the space. A dull thud capped off the intrusion. Truthfully, Weiss was glad for the distraction. Fighting over doilies and fog machines was pretty low on her list of priorities right now.

"You guys, uh, you guys done fighting?" Came a tentative question.

Weiss watched as Sun and Neptune awkwardly inched into the room. Had she and Yang not been in an argument, imagining them with a much more confident gait would have been easy. The application of finger guns would have probably been involved. She scowled harshly as she noticed Neptune eyeing her up and down. Afraid but clearly still interested.

Great. Just great.

First, her sister abducted her boyfriend — returning without him, no less. Didn't she know she was supposed to bring back the thing she borrowed? Then Blake decided to fly off the handle about the White Fang. Again. Which in turn caused Ruby to power down like an empty battery. The heiress would have been grateful were it not for her partner's distressed sighs and mopey pouts. They were on good terms now, dare she say, friends. So she didn't want to see the girl miserable. After that, her sister chose to sit her down, reprimand her for one thing, then tease her for another. As much as she loved the woman, she wasn't in the mood for it. And now Yang, of all people, decided to challenge her interior decorating skills. Yang.

Now this? She was so not in the mood for whatever the hell this was.

She distributed her glower evenly between the two Havenites. Neptune, predictably, refused to take the hint. Sun, on the other hand, seemed to understand. Huh. Before the monkey faunus could say anything to his friend, another wooden thud announced the presence of a third visitor.

She swore to the brothers themselves if this was another...

Luckily, it wasn't another... whatever the hell her mess of annoyances could be categorized as. In fact, it looked like one of her earlier troubles was coming to resolve itself. A soft smile threatened to split the heiress' face as she spied a familiar head of messy blond hair.

That smile was quickly smothered as she noticed the lethargy in which the blond teen carried himself. Was Winter responsible for this?

"Hey guys," Naruto called out to them.

Each of them, in turn, greeted him back. Even Ruby mustered the strength to raise her head and wave, as lacklustre as it was.

Weiss ran her eyes over his form, which drew out a barely concealed frown. She couldn't help but notice just how... tired he looked. It wasn't a pronounced tiredness. His eyes weren't bloodshot and lacked the dark, heavy bags one might associate with exhaustion. His hair seemed no more dishevelled than it usually would be. And his smile was still warm and comfortable. But it was in the small things. The near-imperceptible sag of his shoulders. The tone of his greeting. Just his aura in general, if the white-clad girl had to explain it.

Instead of a traditional greeting, Weiss decided on something a little more quaint. Slowly approaching her dimensional traveller, and without speaking, Weiss held her hands out, palms upwards. It took him a second to realize what she wanted, but when he did, he smiled softly. He placed his hands in hers, earning him a winning smile. She stepped forward silently and leaned up, planting her lips gently on his.

The kiss was sweet and chaste, lasting no longer than a second. She could tell he wanted more. After all, so did she. But so as to not incense Yang, the heiress pulled back. She failed to suppress a pleased smile as she noticed just a little more life in his tired blue eyes. He smiled at her smile.

Apparently, staring into each other's eyes and smiling wasn't the right call, as Yang released an annoyed groan.

"Seriously, you guys? Is no place safe from your PDA?" The blonde griped.

Before Weiss could tell their teammate off, Ruby beat her to it. "Oh, relax, Yang. I think it's cute."

Meh. Cute was better than bitching and moaning.

"It's creepy to see Weiss all lovey-dovey, but cute."

Weiss frowned.

"Well," Sun interrupted, likely staving off another argument, "It looks like you guys have everything down pat, but I couldn't help but notice you're missing someone."

At the faunus' words, Weiss, Ruby, and Yang released sighs of frustration. The heiress immediately noticed her boyfriend perk up and glance around the room. He frowned when he realized Blake wasn't hiding in the corner reading a book.

"Where's Blake?" He sighed.

It was Ruby who answered first. "Blake's being..." she growled softly as she failed to think of a suitable adjective.

"Blakey?" Sun filled in for her.

"Yeah. Blakey."

It wasn't a word. But no one could claim they didn't understand what it meant if they knew Blake even a little. Naruto released a tired sigh. Much more tired than Weiss had been expecting.

"What'd I miss?" The blond asked.

Weiss hesitated. Was telling him really worth the burden it would bring? Surely, he'd try to do something. Sit down with their elusive teammate. Offer advice. Offer solutions. And given Blake's nature, it wouldn't be a simple affair.

"What do you think?" Ruby asked sarcastically. Uncharacteristically. "Blake's stressing over the White Fang. Again."

"Seriously?" Sun asked with a frown. "Didn't we just deal with them? It's been what? Two or three days since Torchwick? Give 'em some time to pry some information out of him."

"You're preaching to the choir," Weiss interjected. "She's in one of her moods right now. Too focused. She hasn't outright said as much, but it's pretty clear she's not planning on going to the dance tomorrow night."

Naruto sighed. "Maybe I should —"

"— Relax, lover-boy," Yang grinned. "No, seriously. Go relax. Lay down. I've got Blake."

"Are you —"

"— I'm sure."

Naruto frowned. "I could always —"

"—Don't make me flip Weiss' switch to 'attack mode.' You look exhausted. I doubt Specialist Schnee was gentle with you, and you're here a lot later than any of us were expecting, which makes me think you've been busy for most of the day on top of your interrogation session."

While crude, the white-clad girl agreed with her teammate. Also, she was always in attack mode. The shinobi's mouth slowly closed, not a word of protest spilling out. Weiss met his eyes, conveying her silent support for the blond brawler's suggestion.

"I —"

"She's my teammate, remember?" Yang smiled toothily. "Everyone appreciates what you did for her when she ran away, but I also know how to handle her. You're not the only one who has a degree in Blakology."

"They do spend a lot of time together," Weiss admitted. "More than you and Blake do by quite a bit. At this point, if anyone can get through to her, it'll be Yang."

"Plus, I've got a plan," the brawler added proudly.

"Which is?" Naruto asked.

"Not important for anyone else to know."

So, it was something personal.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Yang's right." It took a lot of willpower not to physically cringe at those words. "You look terrible. Go to your room and lie down. Get some rest. We're mostly done here anyway. Yang can take care of Blake."

"I can make it an official order," Ruby added with a small smile.

Weiss maintained her stern look despite the strong urge to smile. With her partner on their side, there was no way Naruto would be able to refuse.

Perhaps understanding the futility of arguing further, the blond simply nodded. He stared into her eyes, then quickly, almost imperceptibly, flicked his gaze to Neptune. The boy was standing to the side, observing the interaction with a gaze of neutrality.

"I'll be fine," she breathed quietly.

It was kind of him to worry. Jealousy could be endearing if handled in moderation. And so far, he'd done well to maintain his composure. All without her having to say anything. Maturity sure could be an attractive quality. Who'd have thought?

Besides, he had nothing to worry about. She had Ruby and Yang with her. Even Sun. She doubted Neptune would cause her too much trouble. Especially considering what she was about to do.

On that note, Weiss reached for his hands, which had slipped out of her grip as the previous discussion unfolded. She threaded her fingers with his own and squeezed lightly. "You know," she said, smiling as he blinked in interest. "No one's asked me to the dance yet."

Her smile was coy but grew to full-on teasing when she noticed his panic set in.

"I-I just... I..."

She could have interrupted him like Yang had been doing all too frequently. Could have saved him the discomfort. But she didn't. She liked his reaction. Liked the way the adrenaline shot through his system, spiking his heartrate and making his hands sweaty.

"... I figured since we were kind of going out, we'd be going to the dance together."

"That's a risky assumption. What would you have done if some unscrupulous interloper made to ask me before you?"

"I suppose I'd have to fight for your hand then, wouldn't I?"

She knew what he meant. Still, without context, his words could be misconstrued. But they pleased her nonetheless. They sent a jolt of excitement up her spine, and she smiled pleasantly even as her heart rate quickened, and a burning heat began to radiate from her chest.

"That being said," he drawled. Now, it was him who was being coy. "Would you like to go to the dance with me tomorrow night?"

Despite all but telling him to ask, she fought hard not to blush. Maybe she was successful? She rolled her eyes at the corniness of it all. He was technically correct, after all. Even she'd assumed they'd be each other's dates. But she wanted to tease him a little.

While she'd be lying if she said his not asking had annoyed her, an annoyed Weiss wasn't what any of them needed. This small back-and-forth was an excellent way to move past those all-but-dead feelings of annoyance.

"I suppose I could spare you the time. Perhaps a dance or two."

...

"Okay, that's enough!" Ruby called out. "That's a bit much, even for me."

If Ruby appeared strained, Yang was being pushed to her absolute limit. The blonde was red in both face and eyes and was being not-so-subtly held back by her younger sister. Weiss fought to restrain herself from laughing out loud. She had an image to maintain. Thankfully, their fiery teammate was either too annoyed to say anything or, more than likely, was already mentally committed to physically tearing the couple apart.

"Right," the heiress sighed, stepping back from her boyfriend. "As I said before, go lie down for the night. You need the rest."

Naruto simply shook his head in amusement. "As you wish," he said while dipping his head in acceptance. As the blond began to backpedal, a thought seemed to strike him. "By the way," he added with a sheepish smile. "I have no idea how to dance."

Of course, he didn't.

"I hope that's not some sort of poor excuse to try and get out of it," Weiss replied with a raised brow.

The shinobi raised his hands in surrender. "No, no. I'll give it a shot, but you might want to wear your steel-toe heels."

"Those aren't a thing," she huffed. "It'll be fine. So long as you're willing. I will teach you. It's not so dissimilar from combat.

It felt strange that the information wasn't more upsetting. Or upsetting at all, for that matter. It might have been different if it was a fundraiser or a ball. Maybe. But this was a simple school dance. She doubted half the attendees would know how to dance. Teaching her boyfriend how to dance might actually serve as an outlet for entertainment. She wasn't a good teacher. Not at all. To pushy. Too demanding. Or so it had been explained to her. But with him, it should be fun. Amusing at the very least. He could handle her being too pushy. He could handle her being too demanding. He did so regularly. And with him, she was willing to try to be less of those things.

With one last smile and wave, the blond departed, garnering a tired wave from Ruby, a scowl from Yang, a wide grin from Sun, and, amusingly enough, a reproachful nod from Neptune.

xXx

Cute. Weiss was cute.

Naruto grinned boyishly to himself as he returned to his dorm. His girlfriend could be unexpectedly adorable when the mood struck her. Part of him worried she'd be mad at him for forgetting to ask her to the dance. Well, not so much forgetting, but assuming they already were.

But as fortune would have it, the heiress had been particularly spirited tonight. The fact that she exercised her positive mood in front of Neptune and Yang made it all the better. If the former's reaction was any indication, he wouldn't have any problems going forward. As for the latter...

Yang had always teased him and Weiss whenever they were around each other, especially before they started dating. Unfortunately for the brawler, when the two finally did become a couple, the teasing lost almost all effect. Weiss had moved past that, apparently. Perhaps it shouldn't have come as such a surprise. The heiress was used to getting what she wanted. Taking it, if need be. And she'd never been shy about doing so. And while she hadn't worn her emotions on her sleeve back home, the same could not be said for while she was at Beacon, surrounded by friends and those she trusted.

Yang's surprisingly adverse reaction to public displays of affection might have also had something to do with it. When the heiress discovered that simply kissing her boyfriend was leagues more effective than any verbal reprimand she could give, it was deemed that Yang had lost their little war.

Worked for him.

He suppressed a yawn as he navigated the hallways of the school. Rest sounded good right about now. Sure, he was worried about Blake. But Yang seemed confident that she could bring her out of her funk. He hoped she could, if for no other reason than to restore Ruby to her former self. Seeing the reaper so genuinely gloomy had been a strange sight. An unwelcome sight. Ruby wasn't gloomy. That wasn't Ruby.

Just a few more turns, and he'd be back in his room. Maybe a shower would do him some good. He could always —

"You're Naruto Uzumaki, are you not?"

The question nearly caused him to trip. Instead, he simply stopped in place and turned to face the voice's origin. A dozen feet away, at the junction of an adjacent hallway, stood a woman. One he recognized.

Long, unruly black hair, burning amber eyes, and a cocksure smile that screamed trouble. She was the woman he often saw with Emerald and Mercury. Their team leader, if he remembered correctly. He realized he didn't actually know her name. Perhaps sensing his dilemma, the woman placed her hand on her chest as if indicating to herself.

"I'm Cinder," she smiled sensually. Her tone was low and smokey and entirely too friendly.

He nearly strained himself as he offered her a kind smile. No matter the woman's vibes, she didn't seem hostile. Unless, of course, she was upset at the thrashing he'd given her teammate earlier today and was hiding the fact. Even still, what could she even do if she was harbouring a grudge? They were in the middle of the school dormitories. There were dozens of students around them, separated by only a few inches of drywall.

"Nice to meet you," he settled with.

As the woman closed the distance, she offered her hand in greeting. The blond suppressed a wince but reached out regardless. He didn't really want to. Surely, a woman like this had no shortage of men who'd like to shake her hand. Maybe plant a soft kiss on the back of it if they were the characters in one of Blake's books.

Yeah, not for him. Not only was he still exhausted after a long day of emotional pinball, but he couldn't think of many reasons behind her approach. Any positive reasons, that was. He really just wanted to lie down.

"I just wanted to introduce myself to the one who so thoroughly defeated Mercury. Perhaps you wouldn't be able to tell, but he's actually quite the talented fighter."

Actually, he could tell. Mercury was talented. But he had an easily exploitable temper. Also, he still couldn't tell if Cinder was upset. Her tone was too playful. Too lilting. It could have just as easily been passive aggressiveness as it was amusement.

"I'm not angry if that's what you're wondering," she smiled mischievously.

Hmm. He wasn't entirely sure if that was the truth. There was something there. An edge to her tone.

"Truthfully, it was rather amusing to see Mercury so readily humbled. It's not often his skills fail to make up for his arrogance."

Now he knew she was lying about not being upset. Because, in comparison, this statement came off as much more honest.

"Well, I might have gone a bit overboard. If he's still angry, let him know I apologize."

The women stifled a laugh. "I'll be sure to do so."

Great. That was... great.

...

He'd felt it before, but this woman made him uncomfortable. She just seemed the type to hold an agenda. He knew a schemer when he saw one.

"You know, you're a rather interesting individual. Has anyone ever told you that?"

Ah. There it was.

"Nope. Can't say they have," he replied lamely. "I'm just someone who enjoys a good fight."

She ran a critical eye up and down his form. Measuring him. Appraising him. "Is that so? And yet, there's so little information about you out there. Almost nothing compared to the rest of the students."

The shinobi swallowed uncomfortably. "You've been... looking into me?" Hmm. Was his mouth always this dry?

"Again, no more than any of the other competition."

That was a lie. She wasn't even trying to hide it.

"No academic transcripts. No apprenticeship documentation. No tournament wins. It's not often someone of your skill level drops out of nowhere."

He really didn't like this. "I'm a private person."

It was his turn to blatantly lie. She seemed to know as much if her playful smirk was any indication. Suddenly, the raven-haired beauty stepped into his personal space, cocking her head to the side in curiosity.

Naruto stiffened in surprise.

She hummed lowly, the sound almost reminiscent of a pur, then released a deep breath. He idly noted that she smelled of cinnamon. With wide eyes, he couldn't help but notice that the woman's crimson-red dress hugged her features perfectly. Nor how her smokey eye shadow contrasted beautifully with her bright amber eyes. As she reached out to touch his chest, he hastily backpedalled, earning him an amused chuckle.

"I-I'm sorry," he apologized. Why was he the one apologizing? "But you're a little too close."

She shot him a knowing look. Was that the legendary smoulder he'd heard so much about?

"I'm sorry," she said elegantly. "The last thing I want is to make you uncomfortable."

She was flirting, wasn't she? Is that what this was?

"I-It's okay. It's just that I have a girlfriend." Maybe that would put an end to her behaviour.

Cinder smiled in response. Her eyes were half-lidded. "I'm well aware of your relationship status."

Or maybe not.

"Really?" He asked in confusion, his voice thankfully steady. "Then why are you —"

"— so forward with you? So flirtatious?"

Well, he wouldn't have phrased it like that.

...

Bullshit. Yes, he would have. That Cinder said it first brought a strange sense of comfort to him. Maybe because it meant there would be no misunderstandings.

"I'm interested in you. Plain and simple. It's not often someone comes around that I think could handle me."

Naruto shifted uncomfortably. "B-But... girlfriend..." he mumbled weakly.

"Perhaps that's exactly it," the seductress purred to herself. As he shot her a look of confusion, she grinned in response. Yeesh. Had she ever produced a smile that didn't promise trouble? "Maybe I like wanting things from people who don't want to give them to me. Maybe I enjoy taking those things away."

...

It's funny. Ask any guy what he wanted from a girl, and odds are, 'being forward with their intentions' would be within the top three.

But not like this.

This girl was trouble.

"R-Right," he muttered. What was he supposed to say to that? What could he say? "I-I really think I should go. It's clear we want different things."

For the faintest fraction of a second, he swore he saw surprise flash through her brilliant eyes. It was gone as fast as it appeared, leaving him to wonder. She seemed like a woman who wasn't used to not getting what she wanted.

"Of course," Cinder nodded. "Don't allow me to keep you."

Right...

"I shall see you at the dance tomorrow."

That wasn't even a question, he noted. With a surge of effort, he forced his legs to move, quickly skirting around the woman and heading towards his room. He forced himself not to look back.

Kami, he was tired.

xXx

The dance was... pleasant. Truthfully, Naruto didn't have much to compare it to. He'd never really been to a formal event such as this. Sure, he'd seen the festivals. Been around for them. But he'd never really participated for obvious reasons. Birthdays and small celebrations after missions didn't even come close to this. This was a lot more formal than he'd expected.

Yang had made it seem like this would be a little more casual. It was hard to imagine the flashing lights and fog machines she'd promised earlier. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, at least. Jagged movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention, revealing Ruby, who had just managed to catch herself from falling over.

Well, almost everyone.

Yang had been all smiles when they arrived, her surprisingly simple white dress complimenting her form nicely. It wasn't provocative. Not by a long shot. But it wasn't conservative either. It balanced that fine line between forcing an observer to use their imagination and showing just enough to satisfy even the most unimaginative of people.

Ruby, on the other hand, contrasted sharply with her sister. If Yang was sunshine and rainbows, then Ruby was clouds and thunderstorms. It was cute in a way. Despite her lack of experience in heels, she hadn't fallen once. And her outfit suited her well, her protests aside. Like a little ladybug. Despite being the youngest student at Beacon, the blond noticed several discreet looks of appreciation sent her way. Hmm. He'd have to keep an eye on that.

Blake hadn't arrived just yet. Worrisome at first, though if Yang was to be believed, she would be coming. Also, apparently, she would look stunning. It wasn't all that surprising. Their faunus teammate had that mysterious yet equally attractive vibe to her. Sasuke had the same, or so he had been informed. He never really saw what everyone else did, but perhaps the boy's arrogance detracted from it. Blake, in contrast, was one of the least arrogant people he knew. So, with that in perspective, yeah. He could appreciate the mysterious allure she commanded.

Finally, Weiss. Hoo boy. Weiss was...

He smiled as he felt a soft touch on his elbow. Immediately, the tightness in his upper body slackened, and a thin but toned arm gently wove its way under his own. It blazed a trail down the underside of his forearm, searching for his hand. He imagined it would have tickled if he wasn't wearing long sleeves. Eventually, a tiny, cold hand encapsulated his own, squeezing tightly and demanding the same in return. He obliged readily, gripping the hand in return.

He looked to his left.

Frosty-blue eyes, filled with uncharacteristic warmth, gazed back. "Sorry about that," his girlfriend apologized.

"It's fine," came his honest reply.

She sighed in turn. "Even half a world away, in a foreign nation, maintaining connections is essential."

Apparently so.

"I'm surprised. We've been here a whole semester, and I've never seen you interact with any of those people before."

"That's because I haven't. There was no need." Upon his questioning glance, Weiss elaborated. "Beacon is a prestigious school. Naturally, there are several important individuals attending in the upper years. Heirs and heiresses like myself. Children of prominent families in both government and military." She looked around as if expecting someone to be listening in. "Would you like to know the world's worst-kept secret?"

He had a feeling she was going to tell him anyway. Not that he would say no.

"It's not like you would say no," she smirked to herself. "The secret is, it's all a game. A poor one at that. No one actually cares about how the other is doing. We're simply expected to maintain friendly interactions. I could have the worst day of my life, but I would still be expected to smile and tell them I'm doing wonderful. And the same would be expected of them."

Naruto shifted on his feet. "So why bother?"

"Because it's not about how we're doing. It's about how we appear to be doing. It's about our public image. And in the business world, one's public image is the most important thing.

"I thought that'd be the business?"

"They're the same."

Huh.

"Sounds exhausting."

"Oh, it is. I hate sycophants; you know this. And every interaction with these people reminds me exactly why I hate them. Worse yet, I myself have to become one," she sighed.

The blond squeezed her hand in support, earning him a satisfied hum. "At the very least," she continued. "The Schnee name holds considerable influence, so I'm not expected to care about them as much. But still. I feel like a hypocrite."

Naruto hummed. Weiss had tried to explain it to him in the past. Given her most recent explanation, he felt he might be starting to understand. None of the social elite actually liked each other, yet more often than not, they were expected to break bread, shake hands, and overall put on a nice public image.

It sounded a lot like politics. But politics and business had nothing to do with each other, right?

...

Yeah, Weiss had almost laughed herself to death when he vocalized that one. Apparently, his ignorance had been so outrageous that Weiss couldn't logically comprehend it as being anything other than a joke. A good one at that. Meh. He ran with it at the time.

"So, are you done socializing with those clowns for the night?"

He felt her frown more than he saw it.

"If only," she sighed, shoulders sagging. "But it'll be a while before I'm expected to check in again."

There came a pregnant pause after that, neither knowing what to say. Weiss hadn't wanted to break off from him so soon after they arrived. Especially to go talk with a bunch of people she hated. He'd assured her it was fine. And it was. But now that she was back, she must have been feeling guilty. He needed an icebreaker.

"Your hands are freezing, by the way."

She grunted. Unladylike, sure, but when had he ever cared? The important thing was that there was genuine amusement in her tone.

"I am very small," she muttered. Kami, was she ever. "It's hard to circulate blood for someone my size."

Hmm. A likely excuse.

"I'll bet dancing is a great way to circulate blood." It wasn't particularly smooth. At least, he didn't think it was. But she hummed in contentment all the same. She seemed pleased enough with the segue. She took him by the lead, and he smiled at the sparkle in her eye. "I still don't know how to dance, you know."

"Oh, I'm well aware of that," she replied, pulling him towards the dance floor. "Just follow my lead. We'll go slow."

He did as instructed. Before long, the two were slowly swaying to the music. It was strangely cathartic.

"This isn't so hard," he muttered into her hair.

"Darling, we haven't even started moving our feet yet."

"So?"

She released a low laugh. It was soft and musical. "Moving one's feet is half the point."

Naruto hummed.

"Here, like this," she began to move a little faster. "Match your feet to mine." He did as instructed. "But don't step on me." He hesitated. "Don't hesitate." He frowned. "Keep your stance a little wider." He spread his feet apart. "Too wide." He shuffled his feet inwards. "Better. Don't be flat-footed; it'll delay your next step."

Hmm. Maybe this was harder than he thought. As the dance progressed, he slowly began to adapt. He wasn't perfect. Not by a long shot. But, for the most part, he avoided stepping on her toes.

The ashen-haired beauty grunted as his foot fell on hers.

Nope. Definitely not perfect.

"Sorry," he winced.

A soft but playful hum. "Careful. How would you like it if I stepped on you?"

He grinned mischievously into the crown of her head. Either she felt his smile, or she realized the error of her words as she stiffened in realization.

"Don't answer —"

"— Yes, please."

The two nearly paused as they spoke at the same time.

"You're an uncouth degenerate."

Naruto nodded with a laugh. Without any further words, they continued their dance.

...

"You're not a hypocrite, you know?"

Weiss remained silent at that.

"Seriously. I know it's not ideal to play nice with those people, but you're doing it for a noble purpose. You can't fix the company if you don't inherit it. And you can't inherit it if you go burning bridges and piss off your father."

He felt a slight nod.

"I know. But sometimes, I wonder if it's even worth all the trouble."

"Having second thoughts?"

She pulled away from him. For a moment, he feared she was upset. The feeling passed as she simply twirled around, then pressed in close again. Huh. Good thing she was leading because he had no idea how to replicate that.

"Yes," she sighed. "N-No. I don't know." She released a frustrated groan. "Sometimes, when I'm forced to interact with all the sycophants in the upper echelons of society, I just want to walk away from it all. Other times, I look at those like Blake or Velvet, and my motivation returns tenfold. I really don't know what to do."

"Do you want a solution?"

His dance partner hesitated. "No. Not really."

"Thank Kami," he smiled. "Because I've got nothing."

She released his hand to playfully strike him on the chest, then sighed. "Logically, I understand I'm the only one who can decide. But still.." she trailed off.

Another dozen steps. Were they moving faster? Was he getting better?

"Whatever you choose to do," he nearly stumbled to avoid stepping on her again. "I'll be around for it. There's no wrong choice when it comes to me, so whenever you decide, I've got your back."

She stopped moving, throwing him off his admittedly poor rhythm. Before he could ask, she released his hands and wrapped him in a tight hug. "Thank you," she whispered into his chest. He wrapped her in his arms. He didn't really know what to say, which was probably a good thing. Now didn't really seem like a words kind of moment.

"Need a break?" He asked instead.

Looking up at him, the white-clad girl smiled. "I should be asking you that. Are your feet not sore from stumbling around?"

Yeah. They were.

"Nope."

"Of course," she rolled her eyes.

Regardless, the two slowly moved away from the dance floor. Spying a familiar flash of red and black, Naruto diverted them towards an individual loitering by the punch bowl.

"Hey guys," Ruby greeted them with a melancholy smile, which they returned with supportive ones of their own. At least, his was supportive. Weiss' looked oddly calculative.

"Is the punch that good?" The blond asked while gesturing to the cup she held.

Ruby shrugged. "It's okay," she answered lamely.

...

"Still refusing to dance?"

"Yup," the scythe-wielder replied, popping the 'p.' "Hard to dance when you can barely walk."

True.

"How the heck do you fight in these things, by the way?" The black and red-themed girl asked her partner with a frown.

"Practice and experience," the heiress replied tightly.

Ruby didn't seem satisfied with the answer but chose not to comment.

"As I'm sure you can imagine, the beginning is by far the most difficult. But you get used to it after a while."

Naruto glanced between the two girls, an idea slowly forming. "You know," he said, smiling between them. "I'm sure Weiss would be more than happy to help you out."

"She would?"

"I would?"

Naruto nodded to the white-clad girl. "You would," he grinned. He leaned down to whisper to the girl. "Come on, don't let me be the reason you neglect your partner."

Weiss hummed thoughtfully.

"I-I don't know about this," the team's speedster stuttered. "I'm more than happy to stand here and people-watch."

"Nonsense!" He snapped back immediately, causing her to flinch. "Everyone should have a chance to dance. And you two are partners. Just look at Yang and Blake," he pointed to the duo.

Sure enough, the two women were happily dancing together, wide-smiled and loose-limbed. Naruto had to hand it to Yang. She wasn't wrong about Blake looking stunning.

Ruby's eyes widened as she realized Weiss had failed to protest the idea. "W-Weiss, we don't have to — woah." The awkward teen nearly squealed as her partner almost pulled her off balance.

"If for no other reason so as not to embarrass me, I'll teach you how to move in heels."

"N-No!" Ruby cried. "I don't wanna!"

Naruto simply laughed at the look of betrayal the girl sported. He watched the two move, smiling as Weiss attempted to keep her partner on her feet, nearly being bowled over in the process.

Only now could he really find the opportunity to observe his snowflake. Funnily enough, her dress was similar to Yang's. White as snow, like the girl herself, and a frilled skirt that cut off just above her knees. They even wore near-identical heels. The only difference between their outfits was that Weiss' dress had a dark, see-through fabric that started at the top of her chest and wrapped around her neck. In contrast, Yang's dress was simpler; the white fabric of the body extended into two fitting shoulder straps.

Blue eyes tracked his girlfriend. She was saying something to Ruby. Chastising her, most likely. Yet even from a distance, he could see no vitriol in her words. There was a subtle lightness to her movements. Her body language. It was nice to see the two getting along.

Naruto's gaze panned across the room, scanning those within it. In the far corner, he could see Professors Port and Oobleck chattering away, the former laughing at something that was said. In the corner, Ozpin stood watch over the room, eyes surveying the student body similar to his own. The blond caught the eye of Amber, who, while clearly not intending to dance if her lack of formal wear was any indication, was mingling with several other professors. She locked eyes with him, nodded and raised her glass of punch. Naruto nodded back amicably.

The dance floor was another thing altogether. Aside from Weiss and Ruby, he spied Blake, now dancing with Sun, broad smiles on both their faces. Team CFVY was mixed in as well. It was good to see they returned from their mission in time. The towering form of Yatsuhashi juxtaposed with Velvet was a comical sight. Even with her ears standing erect, there was over a foot of difference between her and her massive teammate. Ren and Nora were dancing together. Not together-together, he assumed. But together, nevertheless. Now, where were Jaune and Pyrrha? Did their plan work? Did they come together as more than partners? He really should have asked Nora this morning. Or Ren...

Naruto blinked as Professor Goodwitch flittered past him, hand in hand with a broad-shouldered man, his uniform clearly marking him as Atlesian. Huh. What the hell?

"Quite the evening, wouldn't you say?"

Naruto froze at the new voice approaching from behind. Ah, hell.

"Hey, Cinder," he greeted the woman without looking.

"You seem surprised," the woman cooed. "I told you last night we'd be seeing each other."

"You did say that, yes," he muttered under his breath. He could almost feel the woman's devilish grin.

"I actually came to apologize," she said, her tone strangely devoid of its usually seductive drawl.

Naruto blinked in surprise, then glanced to his side. She stood beside him, arms crossed. Dark hair. Bright eyes. Despite his opinion of the woman, she was quite beautiful. He couldn't argue that if he tried.

"Yeah?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "I believe I might have come off a little strong last night. I meant what I said that I didn't mean to scare you away."

She began to measure him with her gaze. Like a butcher at a meat shop. Or a hunter stalking a deer.

Great.

They stood in an uneasy silence for several minutes, simply watching the crowd. Eventually, the blond began to fidget. She was feeling awkward, too, right? A quick glance revealed the answer to be no. She didn't look particularly awkward. Was it just him? How was that fair?

In an effort to smother the silence, the shinobi bit the proverbial bullet. "So," he started, catching her attention. "I haven't seen your fourth teammate around. Are they sick?"

The seductress let loose an annoyed sigh in what he assumed to be a rare flash of emotion. "Yes, you could say that. Unfortunately, they had to return to Mistral, so you likely won't see them at all."

Huh.

"How does that affect your role in the Vytal Festival?"

Cinder hummed. "We'll be at a disadvantage. But only in the first round."

"That's a pretty big round."

"Perhaps," the woman smiled. "But I'm sure we'll be fine."

Interesting. She seemed confident. Curiosity suddenly bubbled in his chest, and he suddenly wanted to see what brought about that confidence.

Or maybe he didn't, given her disposition towards him...

"You know," the woman began anew. "I can't help but notice you're without a dance partner. And considering your girlfriend is occupied, I thought we might —"

Yeah, no fucking way.

"— Actually, I was just about to go track down a friend of mine. To make sure he's doing okay, ya know?"

She hummed knowingly.

Damn. What was it with her and that unflappable attitude? She was so forward. So confident. Did she have no shame?

"Well then, don't let me keep you," she purred. "Perhaps I'll come find you later."

Hopefully not.

Taking his cue, the blond awkwardly staggered away. He didn't really have a plan. He only said what he did to get away from her. That said, it might be a good segue for him to search for Jaune. Or Pyrrha. Whoever he came across first, really. They were the only two he hadn't seen out there for far, and he was starting to worry. Maybe things really hadn't worked out? Then again, he doubted Nora would be so carefree if that were the case. He could always ask Ren or Nora, but the two were still dancing. And he wasn't stupid enough to separate them.

Yeah, he'd just go look for them himself. What was the worst that could happen?

...

The balcony, of course!

It was always in the last place you looked, wasn't it? Naruto gaped as he stared at the mess before him. Red hair. Blond hair. Dishevelled outfits. He never realized the term 'sucking face' could be so literal. Is that what he and Weiss looked like to the casual observer? Surely not. They kept that kind of kissing behind closed doors. It was only polite.

Speaking of politeness...

What was he supposed to do here? Interrupted them? No. No. Not that. He had to back away. Pretend like he hadn't seen what he'd seen. Maybe go tell Nora while he was at it. One thing was for sure. Jaune and Pyrrha were not attending the dance as partners. Nope. No siree. Not Beacon's version of partners, anyway. Unless this was something partners did nowadays?

Also, was this where they'd been all evening? He hadn't seen them come in; did that mean they'd been out here since before he and Weiss arrived?

Jaune the absolute dog.

Naruto's eyes widened as Pyrrha pushed the blond knight against the balcony railing, doubling the intensity of their kiss.

Or was it Pyrrha who deserved the recognition?

It didn't matter. He needed to leave. Now.

As he made to turn, the shinobi's foot caught on the ground, producing the quietest of scraping noises. He didn't trip. He didn't stumble. Barely made a sound, really. But to a well-trained fighter such as Pyrrha? Barely was more than enough.

"N-Naruto!" Pyrrha called out in alarm. She'd spun around faster than he ever thought possible.

"Naruto?" Jaune echoed her, unsure and more than a little dazed.

The Jinchūriki froze. He shouldn't have frozen. He should have kept moving. Should have pretended to not have seen it. Or ignored them. Or played dumb. But he did none of that. Instead, he froze like an amateur. What was worse, after a second of processing, he turned to face them. Why? Why was he doing this to himself? To them?

"H-Hey guys!" He chirped, voice just a little too high. "Fancy seeing you out here."

'You already said that.'

"Y-Yes," Pyrrha stuttered.

Jaune simply released a noise as if he'd just disembarked from a ride at the fair. Maybe he had?

"Fancy meeting you here," the whiskered teen stuttered.

'What are you doing?'

'I don't know!'

"Yes, indeed," Pyrrha smiled uncomfortably. "How long have you been standing there?"

"A few minutes," he replied automatically.

'Dude, what the fuck?'

'I don't know!'

"I-I see," Pyrrha winced. "So, you saw us..."

"Sure did. I actually heard you before I saw you."

'Why are you saying the things you're saying?'

'I don't know!'

"Ah. I-I apologize," the redhead looked down in shame.

"It's fine," the shinobi replied. "I'm going to head inside. Maybe talk to Nora."

Both Pyrrha and Jaune's eyes widened.

'Just stop!'

'I am physically unable to stop making things worse!'

"Naruto, wait!" the Mistrali fighter cried. "You can't —"

Before she could finish her sentence, he'd already dashed back inside. He froze, somewhat expecting to be tackled by half the members of JNPR. But after a full minute of no impact, he relaxed.

'You're a moron.'

He sighed to himself. 'I know.'

Kami, he really needed to find Weiss. Wash away that memory.

...

"Are you alright?" Came a voice from directly in front of him.

"I just got here! I didn't see anything!" The blond shouted reflexively. He looked down and met the confused stare of the very woman he'd been thinking of. Weiss blinked owlishly at him, then tilted her head.

"You don't seem alright," she muttered. "Have you been drinking enough water? If you've only been drinking the sugary slop they're calling punch, there's a chance your blood sugar is spiking..." She reached for his hand, placing two fingers on his wrist. "Your pulse is high. Maybe it's too warm in here. We could always step outside if —"

"— No!" he cried. He gripped her hand and swung her around back to the dance floor. "No need for that," he laughed awkwardly.

"You're acting strangely," she eyed him suspiciously.

...

"So where's Ruby? How'd she do?"

Weiss deadpanned at his blatant attempt to ignore her comment. "You're not even going to try to be subtle at changing the topic?"

"No."

...

"Ruby did surprisingly well. She went outside to get some air."

Panic flooded his veins. Weiss anchored down on him the second his muscles twitched to move back the way they came.

"She went that way," the heiress said while pointing in the opposite direction.

Naruto relaxed immediately.

"Just what is with you?"

He couldn't tell her. He had to spare her the pain. The discomfort.

"I saw Jaune and Pyrrha making out outside. Hard."

'!'

Naruto blinked.

Weiss blinked.

What had he done?

"I see..." she muttered thoughtfully. "Want to find a secluded corner and do the same?"

xXx

A/N: Yeah. A little bit of action with Mercury. I didn't want to go too into the fight between them since I tried telling it from an outsider's perspective. It was a weird little experiment. I don't think I'll be doing that again, but it was fun to try writing regardless. I know Mercury isn't depicted as an overly proud or arrogant fighter in the series (he's definitely a proud and arrogant person, but as for a fighter, he doesn't seem to have a problem forfeiting/taking the fall in front of a crowd once he gets what he wants).

Little bit of fun, emotional explanations with Winter. Not too much to say about this scene. It was fun and, I think, somewhat in character?

A little bit of messing with Team JNPR. It occurred to me that I haven't really included them lately, so I wanted to rectify that. Don't worry. They play a much larger part in the story later. And yeah, Juane and Pyrrha. Duh. Love em. I'd like to think they would have (somewhat) naturally gotten together if Jaune was never interested in Weiss like he is in my story. Funnily enough, all the reasons he lists for liking Weiss can also be applied to Pyrrha. So, yeah.

A tiny little heart-to-heart between Winter and Weiss. A few of you seemed to like that I included Naruto saving civilians in the last chapter, so I decided to expand on it a tiny bit. I didn't plan on doing so, so this was kind of an improvised scene. But you guys asked... :)

Then there was the dance. What a headache of a scene to write. I won't lie and pretend that I didn't cut it short. It was about here that IRL headaches sapped my will to write. I could have included a huge variety of other scenes. But I didn't want it to be an overly dramatic display. The story doesn't diverge massively here. That comes later. As such, this scene is much more in line with a slice-of-life piece. Little changes here and there, told from the perspective of Naruto. If you're wondering whether Cinder still infiltrated the CCT, assume anything I didn't explicitly change happens the same as it does in canon. So yes, she still got in. She and Ruby still duked it out. Naruto wasn't involved because he didn't see Cinder sneak off. He was too busy living life. Remember, a school dance infiltration was the last thing anyone expected, and Naruto's no different.

Also, Jaune and Pyrrha. They SMOOCH.

I'll try to fully get my shit together and update normally. On the bright side, my drive to write is coming back, so here's hoping.

See ya'll next chapter.