AN: Chapter seven is here. I won't hold anyone off any longer Let's get this thing started.
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Nothing Stays the Same
"Mistress."
"Yes, Tyrian?" said Salem, looking out over the Grimm covered landscape of the Land of Darkness.
"Preparations are complete. Shall I deliver the message?"
"Yes… Arthur will know what to do from there. Oh, and Tyrian?"
"Yes, My lady?"
Salem turned to glance at him, her eyes sharp. "Bring Cinder here."
Though Salem could not see it because Tyrian was bowing deeply, he was grinning from ear to ear.
"Of course, Mistress."
Weiss turned the shower off with a content sigh. Stepping out, she grabbed a towel and began to dry herself. Today's training had been no less taxing than any other day; in fact, it was worse. Yang had finally gotten fed up with just watching over her interactions with Naruto and finally asked him to train her alongside Weiss. He had agreed.
Yang had been ecstatic at the news and flashed her a victorious smirk that had done little more than earn an eyeroll from Weiss herself. Contrary to Yang's beliefs, Weiss did not care if Yang joined their training. Naruto was her crush, not Weiss's. She was more than happy to let the girl hang off him so long as it didn't interfere with her own progress as a huntress. Besides, this can only make Yang stronger. Naruto should have much more to teach her than me. Weiss thought initially.
Her musings then turned out to be spot on. In the two weeks that had followed Yang's inclusion in their training, Weiss had born witness to her friend incorporate some of Naruto's own style into her typical CQC. The results were going to be… terrifying. Adapting Naruto's movements to her own body had thus far proven slow going, but Weiss could see her gradually getting a grasp on things. When all was said and done, sparring with Yang would prove to be even more painful than it already was.
Wrapping the towel around her torso, Weiss proceeded to dry her hair, her mind wandering to their next training session. She already knew it would prove to be eventful and the very prospect of what was going to happen tomorrow frazzled her. Winter was going to come observe her training with Naruto. Weiss didn't think she'd been more nervous in her entire life. And how bizarre was that? She snorted as she dried her hair. The only thing to make her more anxious than meeting a deity was the prospect of introducing said deity to her sister.
"Why are all the people I've met since coming to Beacon so weird…?"
When she was finished, Weiss stepped over to the door and let herself out of the restroom. Still towel-clad, she walked into the empty room and went for her drawer. Typically, she wouldn't dare leave the restroom before getting dressed, but she knew no one would be around right now. Ruby was off in the city with her father and Penny. Blake had merely said she would be back late, and Yang? Yang was currently in Naruto's room.
Humming to herself quietly, Weiss got herself dressed and prepared to start on her homework when she heard a knock on the door. Sighing, she walked over and opened it.
In walked Yang with one of the largest smiles on her face that Weiss had ever seen.
"Why would you need me to open the door for you?" Weiss asked.
"Uh… scroll. I uh… I left it," Yang giggled. Weiss rose a single brow.
"You seem happy. More so than normal, that is." Weiss remarked. Yang merely giggled again and flopped onto her bed.
"I have every reason to be."
"Oh? Do you now? Why might that be?" Weiss inquired, stepping over to Yang's bed and sitting down next to her. Her nose scrunched. "You haven't showered yet. Hadn't you bullied Naruto into letting us shower in his room a week ago? I still don't understand how you managed that, by the way. How do you convince a deity of anything?"
"I really don't think they're deities. Not anymore. They're beyond everyone else on Remnant for sure… but they're just… too human. How do you think I convinced him? I just made him uncomfortable and took advantage of it so I wouldn't have to try and fight over the shower with you. I don't think a deity would be uncomfortable over some humans and their advances."
Weiss blinked. "I suppose you're right… I don't understand why Naruto is so bashful. He and Sasuke are admittedly attractive. You'd think he'd have more experience with women."
Yang lifted her head up from her pillow. "Naruto didn't have any friends when he was younger. Not really… He wasn't that popular with the ladies." Yang sat up fully and stretched before getting to her feet and walking over to her drawer, grabbing some clothes.
"When did he tell you this?"
"The other day after training. I was trying to see if he had a girlfriend and just hadn't told us. He didn't… though it sounds like he could have before he ended up here. Glad I went ahead and made my move." Yang replied as she closed her drawer and walked towards the bathroom. "I'm gonna shower, Weisscream. We can talk more after I'm out."
"Alright… and that is not my name." Weiss huffed after the girl, the bathroom door closing a moment later. Weiss just sat on the bed thinking for all of two seconds before her eyes widened and she looked to the door.
"Wait! What did you just say? Yang?" Laughter as the shower turned on was the only response Weiss received. "Yang!"
Sasuke stepped into the room he shared with Naruto, his thoughts going over the conversation he'd just had with Cinder. The news was not bothersome to him at all. Emerald and Mercury had seemed less pleased, but to Sasuke this was an opportunity he felt no reason to pass up. Stepping further into the room, his thoughts of Cinder's news ceased as his eyes fell upon his teammate.
"Why are you just staring at the wall like an idiot?" Sasuke grunted, walking toward the blonde. Naruto ducked his head, but he proceeded to fidget and bring a finger up to scratch at his cheek, chuckling weakly. Sasuke noted that his cheeks were redder than normal. Naruto did not get colds.
"Which one of them made a move?" Sasuke asked. Naruto flinched terribly. Sasuke snorted.
"Wha—Uh… why would you think anything happened between me and them?" Naruto stuttered. Sasuke rolled his eyes and sat down on the edge of his bed.
"Naruto. I've known from the moment you healed her up that Xiao Long had some sort of interest in you. Everyone did. I'm certain even you did. Schnee isn't exactly easy to read, but if nothing else it's clear that there's something up with her when it comes to you. So, which one of them made a move? Because I know you didn't."
Naruto frowned. "Why so sure?"
"Because we're in a different dimension and we plan to go back home. We've got unfinished business that we clearly can't put to rest here. You're an idiot, but even you're not stupid enough to actually initiate a relationship here." Sasuke scoffed, crossing his arms and staring Naruto in the eyes. Eyes that were now narrowing on him.
"Yeah. You're right. So why would it matter, even if one of them did?"
"I said you weren't stupid enough to initiate. You're still foolish enough to reciprocate." Was Sasuke's deadpan reply. "Now stop stalling. We both know something happened. Fess up."
Naruto looked away from his teammate, his frown deepening into a scowl.
"Yang kissed me." Naruto grunted. Sasuke just stared at him for a moment longer before he sighed.
"You're dating her now, aren't you?" Sasuke watched his teammate for a few seconds, but the fact he hadn't responded yet was answer enough.
"Yes…" Naruto's one word response was a drawn-out hiss.
"Why are you such a fucking imbecile, Naruto!?" Sasuke snapped. "What good is making connections with these people when we're going to leave? Unless you don't want to go back anymore. Hm? That it? You give up on your big dream to become Hokage?"
"Of course not!" Naruto shouted back, standing to his feet. Sasuke stood now as well, stepping into the blonde's personal space and getting into his face.
"Then why!? What's the point? You're never going to see them again once we go!"
"I mean… maybe we'll be able to make visiting easier once we figure it all out…"
"Oh, I'm sure I can. But you'll be dead. Even if I could make traveling back and forth a possibility, you won't be living long enough to see that day. But I can bring your corpse here if you'd like." Sasuke spat. Naruto's face contorted into something ugly and snarling in less than a second.
"I'm going to break your jaw for that."
"I'd like to see you try."
The two of them stared one another down, their breath coming quick and shallow. They'd gotten all riled up just from that small argument. Right now, Naruto wanted nothing more than to put Sasuke into a coma, but he fought off the intense need to indent the other man's face as best he could. Which meant he was just barely restraining himself.
"So aside from your bullshit, what do you really have against me dating Yang? Last I saw, you're getting mighty cozy with Cinder." Naruto grunted. Sasuke's nostrils flared for the briefest of moments. It was the only thing Naruto could get out of him, but it was something at least.
"I don't feel anything for her. Just because she enjoys throwing herself at me in some twisted sense of revenge for crushing her in battle doesn't mean I reciprocate anything. And do you know why I don't? Because even if it was possible for me to feel anything for her, we're not coming back here, Naruto. We don't belong here. We can barely even train without drawing in Grimm. There's clearly something these people don't understand about them, because they seem drawn to our chakra. Our very existence upsets the balance of this world! And you want to make visits? Are you insane?"
"I'm sure we cou—"
"No! No we can't! The real question here is why would you want to start anything with anyone on this rock full of weaklings!? Are you just that fucking desperate to be loved?"
"That's low… even for you." Naruto grumbled after a moment of silence.
"I can do worse." Sasuke replied without missing a beat. "Now answer the question."
Naruto sighed and ran a hand through his hair, looking away from Sasuke. "You know… I met my mom." Sasuke blinked. He didn't know what to say to that. "In the seal. It was before the war. I was fighting Kurama, trying to gain control of his chakra. I was losing… and then there she was. My dad had left a portion of their chakras in the seal… like a failsafe to make sure I didn't break the seal before I was ready or fail to take on Kurama when I did.
"We talked… and it was amazing. I'd wondered for a long time if my parents ever loved me. Meeting dad and finding out for sure was one of the best days of my life… and I was a Hokage's son of all things… can you believe that?" Naruto's voice dropped to a whisper as he trailed off, taking a moment to exhale loudly. He tried to keep his emotions in check as memories from that day flooded him. Sasuke let him. If nothing else, he could understand this kind of pain. Before today he might have said Naruto couldn't ever comprehend him; that he would never realize how much losing your family hurt.
He gets it, Sasuke thought, I can see it in his eyes. He knows.
And really, how could he not? He'd had the opportunity to meet his parents only for them to be ripped away. How he could actually work alongside the Kyuubi wasn't something Sasuke could fathom; not really. His situation with Itachi had been… different.
"But being able to actually hug my mom—my mom, Sasuke—I can never forget that. I can still remember the way her hair felt against my fingers. The way she smelled. Her voice and her laugh. It was… I can hardly describe the experience. Actually feeling how much she loved me… and then our time together was nearing its end. She told me all sorts of things. Eat properly, take care of myself… find a girl like her… Yang's—she reminds me of my mom. Fiery. A radiant personality. Loving…"
It physically pained Sasuke to admit that he could understand. "And so you didn't refuse her." He received a weak chuckle in response.
"How could I? You know, Sasuke, I'm not stupid or delusional. I know we won't be able to come back… but when it comes to feelings—especially between two people—I think it's better to appreciate what you can have in the moment than to never give something a chance just because you're afraid of the loss that can follow."
"And she means that much to you? She's worth the inevitable pain?" Sasuke asked. Naruto just shook his head.
"I don't know. I don't know Yang that well. I have no idea whether we're very compatible. It's not like I love her or anything, Sasuke. But isn't that what dating is for? It's not a declaration of undying love. It's just two people attracted to one another getting to know each other, right?"
"When did you grow a brain?"
Naruto snorted. "I guess this is thanks to Hinata. She's loved me for years and I never knew. Even when she confessed to me, I didn't do anything about it… and now I may never see her again to resolve that. There was time between Pain's attack and the war where I could have established some sort of understanding with her, and I didn't. Maybe it wouldn't have went anywhere, but I think I should have done something, I don't know. You get what I mean?"
Blake, Ruby, and Pyrrha rushed into team RWBY's room and let the door shut behind them. Weiss looked up from her book, startled, as Yang opened the door of the restroom.
"Is everything alright?" Weiss asked.
"You're dating Naruto!?" Ruby blurted rushing over to her sister with a smile and nigh retrainable energy. She was practically buzzing, jumping in place. Yang smiled down at her as Weiss's brows rose, threatening to vanish into her bangs.
"I am. Sealed it with a kiss." Yang grinned, giggling again at the thought of it.
"Yeah… we heard." Pyrrha said, not sounding nearly as excited as Ruby. Yang looked around her little sister to see a frown upon the red head's face.
"What do you mean by that?" Yang inquired.
"We were walking through the halls. When we were passing by their room I overheard Naruto and Sasuke in a pretty heated argument. I was worried, obviously… the two of them fighting isn't good for anyone. I think they were so focused on one another that they didn't even notice us outside of their room. I wasn't right up against the door or anything mind you… but they've proven they can detect people from further away." Blake responded.
"And they were arguing about Yang?" Weiss asked. Blake nodded. "Why?"
"Sasuke was very upset with Naruto for dating her. Because Naruto knows there's no way their relationship can last."
"What? Why not?" Yang demanded, her previous cheer vanishing from her voice.
"Yang. They aren't from Remnant. And they're actively trying to get back home. It stands to reason that they won't be coming back." Weiss replied, quickly connecting the dots. At least, there could be no other explanation in her mind. Blake's nod was all the confirmation Weiss needed.
"But… if they make it back, wouldn't they know how to come visit at least?" Yang asked, tremulously.
"Naruto seemed to think they would, but Sasuke shot him down. He said Naruto knew there was no way they could come back. Apparently, Grimm are drawn to their chakra and they can hardly do any sort of training here without dealing with them. Sasuke thinks that making frequent trips between their world and ours would ultimately be disastrous."
"Why… would he accept my confession then?" Yang asked. Pyrrha couldn't really bring herself to look at Yang. The woman's voice sounded near lifeless.
Blake sighed. "What I'm about to say doesn't leave this room. To be perfectly honest, overhearing this felt… dirty."
Blake told them about Naruto's mother and Hinata. When she was done, Yang flopped onto her bed.
Cinder sat in Beacon's courtyard, turning a page in her book. Reading was somewhat of a weird hobby of hers now. As Amber she remembered enjoying a book every so often, but Cinder herself didn't read for leisure. Every work she consumed was food for the mind; information she'd felt necessary. Now as two blended souls, she had acquired a love for fantasy stories.
She was of the mind that nothing was more fantastical than real life. Despite this, however, she couldn't stop from immersing herself in the wonderful worlds laid out before her eyes in her books. Reading was one of the rare things Cinder and Amber had had in common. Sure, they didn't enjoy the same types of literature, but that mattered little now.
Very little soothed her these days quite like cracking open a good book with the sounds of nature about her; the sun caressing her skin and the wind billowing her hair. It was like this that Sasuke and Naruto found her.
"Fall." Cinder took note of the page she was on and closed her book, looking up to Sasuke afterwards.
"Sasuke."
"Sasuke was telling me you got a message from a past colleague." Naruto said.
"Yes, that is the case. His name is Tyrian Callows. He's nothing more than a mad dog on a leash, but his loyalty to Salem is unquestionable… which is part of the issue. He is supposed to be coming to retrieve me in the coming days and has decided to… warn me. Salem, despite her vast power by Remnant's standards, has apparently come under… new management."
"So there is someone strong enough to bring her under their thumb here?" Naruto questioned. Cinder shook her head.
"Put a leash on Salem? Someone from Remnant? That is an impossibility. No. Nothing short of a god could bring her to heel. Tyrian, despite how little he cares for anyone aside from Salem, told me of these beings at her urging. She felt that losing any of her pawns to them would be an overall loss. From what I understand they do not share the same goals as her and she plans to continue business as usual once they have what they want. In that sense, my death would hamper her plans going forward."
"Optimistic of her." Sasuke replied.
"I find myself agreeing, but her ambitions are not easily shaken. Even in the face of gods. That much is clear from her past." Cinder replied, almost casually. Naruto folded his arms over his chest and sighed.
"Right… do we have a name for these people over Salem?" Cinder nodded.
"Tyrian has informed me that they called themselves Otsutsuki's."
Sasuke and Naruto felt goosebumps upon their skin. Their time here was getting more and more complicated by the day.
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That's the chapter. This is a bit of a shorter one. Sorry for that I suppose, but this is more of an interlude really. An important one I suppose, but still. It's here mainly for set up for future plot points and conflicts. I'd say that, with this, the first arc of the story is complete. I'm hoping that the future direction of the story will be exciting. If there are any questions you all have, feel free to leave a review. If you want some sort of more in depth discussion, then go ahead join the discord. Peace out.