Sorry this took a while!
Got consumed with another story... Then ideas started rattling off left and right when I kept trying to get back to this chapter!
A little shorter than I wanted, but covers everything I wanted to go down in this chapter.
So let's get to it, shall we?
"Ugh… It's so hot! Why is it so hot?!" Ruby, drenched in sweat, moaned while leaning haphazardly against the railing, almost hanging entirely over it as she melted. "Are we there yet?! I can't take this anymore!"
"You were warned." Blake scowled, her ears curling from Ruby's incessant decrying of the heat even as she had a thin veil of sweat coating her skin.
The heat was almost unbearable… But it was wholly expected since the Fall Solstice was still a few weeks away.
"We're almost there from what the captain said!" Yang, without her jacket and her orange tank top drenched, slapped Ruby on the back with a broad grin. "So we just gotta… Hey, hey, hey! Don't you dip without me! We're not at a beach yet!"
"I wasn't trying!" Ruby wailed as Blake, Yang, and Weiss grabbed and pulled Ruby back over as she nearly careened into the ocean after being knocked off balance.
Helping pull Ruby back over, Weiss blanched and scrunched her face toward Yang. "Is that why you bought a bathing suit? This isn't a vacation…"
"Isn't it?" Yang frowned, placing her hand on her hip. "Sure, we got things that we need to do. I know that. But we're here to stay off the radar for a little while. So we should be staying low unless something happens…"
"Knowing our luck, it will…" Ruby glowered, her silver gaze locking onto a particular duo on the other side of the ship. "I have a gut suspicion it will…"
"They're hardly the issue here. Trust me." Blake sighed, slumping over and gazing toward the faint island in the distance, her stomach knotting. She was almost home… She wasn't sure she was ready for this…
"And we'll be ready for it when it comes up! Don't you worry about it!" Yang chirped before her expression darkened, gazing down at her right hand as she clenched it tightly. "Gotta a bone to pick with that guy myself now… Not gonna make the same mistake twice."
Exhaling, Yang looked back up only to stumble back as three sets of eyes were laser-focused on her, each showing a worried expression, causing her to grimace. "Uh… Did I say that out loud?"
"Yes. Yes, you did." Weiss snarky retorted, her expression softening as she poked fun at her friend before her gaze shifted to Blake. "I think we all now have one…"
"Yeah!" Ruby nodded, her shimmering vibrantly. "You mess with one of us… You have to deal with all of us. Right, Blake? …No more trying to do everything all on your own. We're here to help."
Shrinking under the gaze of her team, her face flushed, and she bit her lip. Even now, after she tried to run as Beacon fell, they still supported her… When she felt she didn't deserve it.
She tried to abandon…
"Ah!" Ruby shouted while the boat rocked, all four stumbling into the railings. "What was that?! A Kaiju?! We're doomed!"
"It's not a movie, dolt!" Weiss decried Ruby with a twitch while desperately scanning the ocean. "The waves shouldn't have done that… It must be a Grimm…"
"There!" Blake pointed as she noticed a foamy rift in the ocean before salty water splashed all around.
A massive serpent Grimm shrieked as it breached, standing in the surf imposingly before the ship's bow.
"A Sea Feilong?!" Yang announced in shock before Ember Celica engaged, and she snarled. "Lovely time for this!"
"Everyone ready!" Ruby called out, swiftly drawing Crescent Rose behind her, and the rest of RWBY followed suit. "Time to shine…"
Her words died on her lips as the boat shook violently once more, as the Sea Feilong slammed back into the ocean, its skull caving in as a lone figure smashed his fist into it. "Today is not the day for this!"
The sea recoiled from the impact, jostling everyone onboard as a massive wake crashed into the boat. Four jaws were left agape as the smoke dissipated from the Sei Feilong as its body dissolved in the ocean.
And then their focus was brought onto a single individual as he landed back on the deck, the blonde wiping the sweat from his brow as he grimaced. "I'm in no mood for this… I thought the desert was bad… This is a different kind of heat…"
"Did Naruto… Just killed a massive Grimm with a single punch?" Weiss blinked incredulously, her eyes drawn to his now completely unbuttoned shirt and how shine glistened from his chest.
"Yes…" Ruby's expression shifted from annoyance to utter awe. She still was mad at him, but…
She couldn't deny how awesome that was!
"You can shred meat on those…" A small amount of drool dripped down Blake's chin, her eyes sparkling.
"We need to have a day at the beach as soon as possible." Yang popped Blake's mouth back in place, nodding in confirmation. "I wanna see the whole package."
Two sets of eyes turned to Yang with a mixture of shock and horror, while the third was trained on Naruto for a moment longer before she turned away, flushed. "I want… I don't think any of us have swimsuits…"
"Don't ya worry about that one!" Yang's grin only spread from ear to ear. "I knew everyone would forget to bring one, even though you should always pack one… I took the liberty and bought one for everyone the moment I heard Blake's home was settled on the coast!"
Three gazes were intently focused, questioning her motives. One, in particular, leered at Yang. "How do you know my size?"
"Oh, I pay attention to small details like that, Weiss! You can't hide from these eyes! They know and see all!" Yang chirped, failing to feel the furious intent from two of the three. "You better be thankful I saved you all! Now we can have a day at the beach like we did on that island resort between semesters!"
Rolling her eyes, finding it too hot to get worked up, Blake growled, turning away from her friends. "Don't bring that up ever again…"
"What?! What did I… Oh, right." Yang grimaced as Blake stormed away. "That vacation kind of sucked… Those Silver Bullet freaks ruined everything."
"And I don't feel bad they died in that explosion…" *
Her nerves were frayed. She hadn't been here in so long.
What was she supposed to say? Sorry, I left to join the White Fang against your wishes? How did she expect that to go? She knew her parents were forgiving and would welcome her home and friends with open arms regardless…
But it didn't take away the fact they were right, and she still made that mistake.
And she didn't think they would judge any of her friends too harshly. Her dad might focus his intention on Naruto, but…
He seemed fine as they stepped onto the packed, sandy streets of Kuo Kuana. He appeared at home as barely a single Faunus gave him a second look. Those whisker marks and his scent probably made everyone assume he was a Faunus.
Well, that was a lie… There were plenty of second looks in his direction. All from women.
Why was he still wearing his shirt open to bare his chest? It was distracting! She knew it was hot, but still!
He was too built to be allowed to do that!
Thank Oum, he was blatantly oblivious… Or more focused on what she had told him about and watching for Weiss.
The amount of scornful gazes she had already received bothered her.
Her head hung lowly as her ears laid flat. This trip was not going to be fun…
"Whoa, there are a lot of people here!" Yang bounced ahead with a bright smile, holding her pack in hand as she glanced through the city in awe before looking back at Blake. "Yo, which house is your parents?"
Blake shrunk at the statement, glowering for a moment before sighing. She had failed to explain that this was the largest population of Faunus in all of Remnant and that it would be this crowded.
This was where all Faunus went when they felt the rest of Remnant had failed them.
Grimacing at the question pointed at her, Blake held her hand before her, leading straight ahead and down the main path through the city built within the jungle of palm trees. To the largest, most intricately designed building in town. "It's right there…"
"That palace at the center?!" Yang's eyes flickered, jaw dropped.
"Holy crap. Her family's stacked." Mercury's eyes widened, turning and grinning at her. "And you ran away from home? Ha, that's funny as hell! You had no reason to!"
Blake hissed at Mercury, only making his grin bolder. He knew nothing…
"Mercury, enough," Emerald grunted, rolling her eyes as she stepped beside her partner. "Like we can judge… We know nothing about them, and they know nothing about us."
"Fair." Mercury shrugged and walked forward, heading into Kuo Kuana on their own volition, without them.
Blake winced at the interaction but shot a seething glare at them before her expression faded. Emerald had a valid point… They knew nothing of one another's path. How could one judge the other?
Ignoring them, still amazed by Blake's home, Ruby joined her sister, gawking at the building. Then, before Blake realized it, three heads stared at her, stupefied. Weiss then scrunched her face and glared at Blake. "And you let me pay for everything?"
"We're not rich!" Blake snapped back, causing Weiss to flinch. "We are well off, yes, but… Our people built our home for my father. To thank him for what he did for us…"
Flinching back, feeling her accusation may have been unwarranted, Weiss hung her head. It just seemed that for all her stances… She did seem to stand out amongst other Faunus in a peculiar way…
"Eh, it's about the same size as the Hokage's residence. It's just wide instead of tall." Naruto pursed his lips before shrugging as he stepped beside Weiss, offering her a hand. "I can carry your bag if you want. This heat is killing us all."
"Yo, what about me, handsome?!"
"Yeah, me too!"
"Huh?" Naruto squinted at Yang and Ruby, both miffed by his offer. "Nah, you both have energy to spare if you're bouncing around like that."
As both glowered, Weiss blinked rapidly. The offer took her aback. Why was he being nice only to her… The heat was killing her, but it was killing them all. So why just…
Flushing in embarrassment, she faintly smiled, gratefully bowing her head. "Oh, thank you. Blake said it would be hot, so I dressed accordingly… But this is a little much."
"No problem!" Naruto beamed,
"That's summertime for you…" Blake sighed, running her hand through her hair. "This is the most inhabitable spot in all of Menagerie… The majority of the continent is desert or jungle. …Don't go out of the city limits either…"
"We have some of the most vicious Grimm known to spawn found only here."
Naruto was genuinely surprised that the guards in front of Blake's home let them by without consequence. He supposed they immediately recognized Blake, and without a word, she was able to convey that everyone was with her.
Either that, or they were extremely lax… Still should have been a check of some kind…
His intent, however, was mainly on Blake and her fidgety form as she knocked on the door. It was apparent for all to see she was nervous about this. He couldn't blame her, as this was quite a contingency of people suddenly dropping on them out of nowhere…
But it felt more charged than that. He wondered if there was something more, but from what little he gleamed just from what Mercury had said… She ran away from home… Likely to join the White Fang.
Naruto refrained from sighing. So much information, and he still felt he knew nothing…
If he could find a way back home… If it was even possible…
"Yes? Who is it?" A gentle voice echoed as the door opened; a woman with skin tan slightly darker than that of Blake's opened the door to greet them, surprised at receiving guests and the amount that was there.
But all of that apprehension was lost as two sets of golden eyes locked with one another.
"Hi… Mom." Blake fidgeted at her mother's wide-eyed stare. "Sorry… I…"
Without another word, Blake froze as her mother wrapped her arms tightly for a deep and passionate embrace. "There is nothing to apologize for, dear… Your home. That's all that matters."
Those words alone shattered Blake. She trembled in her mother's grasp. Tears softly rolled down her cheeks. Everything she had done… None of it mattered…
She was still welcomed home.
Wiping the tears from her daughter's eyes, smiling warmly, Ms. Belladonna's gaze fell onto the rest as she released. "Are these your friends, dear?"
"Yes…" Blake winced as she glanced back at everyone before weakly nodding and hanging her head. "It's a long story… But these are my friends from school."
"We really didn't have anywhere to go after our school and Vale were attacked."
It was almost awkward to watch Blake be greeted in such a warm fashion… Nearly crushed in her father's bearhug.
But that period had long since passed as they sat in what he could only call a study room after her mother, Kali, brought several chairs and a few tatami mats… One of which he had claimed and was appropriately seated on the other side of the mahogany table.
Besides Blake and Kali… Meanwhile, Yang failed miserably to get comfortable on one and just sat regularly on it in frustration.
"I told ya you couldn't…" Ruby whistled in amusement at her sister, seated on the love seat beside Yang's side, with Weiss primly seated beside her.
"Shut up, Rubes!" Yang hissed, shaking her fist at Ruby. "It's not easy…"
"Yes, it is," Weiss commented, causing Yang to glower before huffing and looking away.
Naruto ignored this side conversation, bowing to honor their host. "I thank you for allowing us into your humble home."
As Ghira looked surprised at the gesture, Kali's eyes gleamed toward him before she turned to a flustered Blake. "I like this one. He knows our customs."
"Mom…" Blake whined, shooting a glare at Naruto before elbowing him in the side. "You're embarrassing me…"
"Huh?" Naruto frowned as he sat back up. "Is that not proper etiquette? I mean, this is what Granny has been showing me over the last year, saying I would need to know…"
"Oh?… It can be taught. There's hope for you yet." A thin grin graced Weiss' lips as she glanced at a fuming Yang as Ruby giggled uncontrollably in her seat.
"Eat me." Yang turned her nose up from Ruby and Weiss as they laughed at her expense.
"Whoever your grandmother was, she taught you well." Ghira chuckled, amused at the whole situation. "But enough formality. You are welcome to speak freely here as friends of my daughter… I only just heard what befell Beacon. I had no idea you had gone to school there, but I am happy to hear you are safe and sound."
"You heard about what happened?" Blake's eyes flickered in surprise before glowering. "From who? The Vale CTT is down. We're in its range, so without it, how did you hear about it?"
"Officials from the White Fang filled me in," Ghira responded with a frown, noting the shared looks between Blake's friends. "It was only a few days after it occurred, and we had lost communication, that they came and told me the issue. It is a shame what happened. Something I would never wish on anyone. The Grimm are enemies to us all, and our relationship with Vale over the years has been mostly positive…"
"Father," Blake interrupted her father in the middle of his diatribe, her face scrunched in worry. "What exactly did they tell you."
"I think they omitted some key information." Yang glowered, her eyes narrowing the more Ghira talked. "Like how they were fighting alongside the Grimm and attacking the people attending the Vytal Festival… Led by the bull-headed…"
"Adam?" Kali recognized who Yang identified immediately, her eyes wide in fear. "No… I know the White Fang has taken a more drastic stance since we left, but to do such a thing…"
"They definitely took part, whatever the case was." Naruto sighed, withdrawing several masks he had taken from members he had caught. "I kept a few of these from those I knocked out during the attack for proof… Never know when that becomes handy."
Ghira's gaze squinted at the objects, easily identifiable objects, causing him to growl for a moment and clench his fists. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he exhaled before he gave a wistful gaze at the children. "I do not wish to refuse what you are saying… You have been through enough."
"But if you come to ask me to do anything, I cannot." Ghira's form depressed. "I know my position still allows me to directly oppose the White Fang as many still follow and believe in me. But as unfortunate as these circumstances are, this isn't enough. Even if I believe you are telling me the truth…"
A light thud on the coffee table drew everyone's attention as a scroll lay in the middle. Leaning back in the loveseat she was leaning in, Emerald's crimson gaze callously gazed into Ghira's. "Here's your proof… A recording of the entirety of the events that happened at Beacon… I filmed what happened at my former boss' behest. The White Fang is caught in what I captured, so you can't use that as an excuse."
"And you'll see the exact horror she wrought, and none of us are safe from what is to come."
"We have a problem…"
"Yes, I've seen it, brother."
"What are we going to do? If she has returned… Former High Leader Belladonna still has massive influence! It could bring ruin once he hears…"
"I have a plan… But first, we need to contact him. This will accelerate our plans far quicker than I foresaw…"
"Shall we keep an eye on their group as well… Perhaps…"
"Yes. Have her keep watch on them for now. We will have to wait for reinforcements to arrive before we can do anything else… But yes…"
"Elimination of any opposition may be the only choice we have."
* - Events from the light novel, RWBY: The Session (not canon material, but thought it was something to note). Also another note, the more common designs of swimsuits I see RWBY in seemed based on what they had on in this!
I do hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Sometimes it gets a little difficult to find the motivation to keep writing when the engagement is a little lower than expected (not saying this about this story, but in general).
But regardless, I appreciate everyone that has followed this story up until this point and you will be reward soon.
Smut will be coming shortly! (Just hope my quality has improve compared to eons ago...)
But for now, I hope this chapter brought a smile to someone and made their day.
Until next time my friends,
Peace.