Camp was set up, and night had already fallen. They had gotten farther than they had anticipated. Before noon tomorrow, they would have arrived in Shion and be on the airship to Vale…

Her freedom was slipping from her fingertips…

This mark, like a brand of her captivity, was still emblazoned upon her wrist. Every stolen moment outside his piercing gaze, she had desperately tried to erase it. But it was futile. The mark resisted all her attempts, mocking her with its permanence. Standard methods, such as writing on it or breaking a pen to splatter ink, failed to ruin the seal, which appeared to be made of ink.

She couldn't use more extreme measures without alerting him… She would need an opportunity to use it later. But there was a lingering fear, a nagging uncertainty. What if the mark was resistant, too, considering he took a point-blank shot of magical intent?! It left him mildly agitated! Who knew if the marking had properties similar to his? Anything was possible currently, and that scared her.

He was an enigma. She had heard of Semblances that were capable of spanning great distances. The technique requiring a grounding or anchoring mechanic to function did not throw her since that was grounded in what she knew of similar instances. No, it was just now she saw him use the elements freely to start the campfire!

There was no mechanism on his person. Not one she could recognize as a trigger. There are no visible Dust shards from which to actively pull the energy. No unstable powder to blow and cause such a stream…

Blossom was at a loss. "What was that?"

"A simple technique of my people back home. Something everyone, even civilians, learns back home for campfires." Naruto responded, scrunching up his face as he scrutinized the look Blossom was giving him. "What? Is it that weird?"

Blossom's eyes glistened before they narrowed. Did he say…Controlling a small stream of fire was a simple technique? Every fiber in her being wished to scream at him. She wanted nothing more than to straddle and place her hands on his throat. Without Dust, it would not have been possible to use the elements! Yet he did it without pause!

He was so foreign to her world knowledge that he didn't make sense. The ability to withstand a magical bolt would have stunned most Huntsman and walk it off as if nothing happened! An apparent Semblance that allowed him to transmit across mass amounts of distances to whatever he marked without regard to what the object was or where it was. And something closely resembling the ability to wield the elements without using Dust…

She narrowed her eyes. She didn't like how any of this added up.

Instead of drawing attention to herself, she simply scoffed and turned her head as she sat down. "No…"

She could tell he was glaring a hole in the back of her head, but it didn't matter. What bothered her was how he could use the elements. It shouldn't be possible that someone other than her or another Maiden did… Or possible…

Blossom scowled, her gaze shifting back to him. She hadn't heard anything happening recently… Was it possible? Leo hadn't talked to him in a while, so could something have happened? Was that why the kid was a Huntsman already?

She snarled, snapping her gaze back toward the kid as he began to make what was a rationed meal on the open flame. Where did that even come from? Where was he storing that?! How?

Frustration began to seep in. She was utterly perplexed by him, and seeing these small things that didn't make sense to her bugged her. Yet she knew he would simply ask her to spill what she knew…

And she wasn't ready to talk about that, so it was a stalemate.

Unless he killed that annoying bird and cooked it, then maybe she would talk…

How intriguing this had become. Who was this boy?

He was not who she expected to find. She had thought she would have had to track her… How troublesome she was becoming… What she hadn't expected to see the town in relatively pristine condition.

This was beyond her expectations. She did not care if the people survived. However, given that she knew what was coming for her , how the village survived was inconceivable. The town should have been destroyed, leaving her to search for clues amidst the ruins brimming with negativity to find the woman.

Instead, from what she had learned, he had single-handedly turned the tide against the horde of Grimm. A massive horde. One that would have tested the foundations and defenses of any of the four Kingdoms. One solitary kid stood before the wave and turned the tide.

What was this boy? Who was he? Where did he come from?

A child his age being able to take care of Grimm wasn't unheard of. Many trained to become Huntsman, although few truly reached the mark. But this child was younger than most children entering primary academies for entry exams to see if they were qualified to become Huntsman, and he took down a horde of Grimm capable of swarming an entire town?

She would have scoffed at the claim, and many would, but she knew better. There were tell-tale signs, and every informant was genuine. The negativity in the area was immense. Grimm would be drawn to it for quite some time. Kuroyuri would be paying exuberant funds for protection for quite some time… Perhaps she should get in on the game. Make a quick and easy buck.

The kid was the real deal, and that was the problem. She was with him. And that was interesting.

Their partnership wasn't a willing one. The friction between the two was apparent, and she picked up on it immediately. She was his prisoner. He was taking her in for questioning.

This piqued her curiosity. Either the boy recognized something about the Grimm attack wasn't natural, or she had said something or done something that tipped him off, and he put the two together. Regardless, he wasn't willing to let her walk and wanted answers but was confident enough in his skills to let her walk freely. Bold decision, given she was a Maiden.

What intrigued her was the girl's defeated expression. She was the Maiden she was searching for. She had power. So why did it feel like she was the rabbit pinned down by a fox?

Who was this kid? Why did it feel like she needed to continue observing before moving? She shook her head. No, it was reasonable. After everything she heard. He was an unknown quantity with a high skill ceiling. She may be confident in her abilities, but underestimating him would be folly.

She would have to pick her battle carefully if she wanted the Maiden, and he wasn't willing to part with her. A window of opportunity could be necessary.

He knew someone was watching them.

All day, he felt someone lurking about. They thought they were being clever. And they were. It took him a split second to recognize who was observing them. It was something his father had prepared him for but told him was very unlikely to suspect here. Droids, bots, or Semblances that masked one's appearance or presence or allowed one to see from a distance were the spying tools of choice, so he would have to account for those.

A transformation was not what he had predicted.

So when he was sure Blossom was asleep, albeit in fitful rest, he took action. He was done being on the defensive. It was time to go on the offense and see their intent.

He had purposely been lulling them into a false sense of security. He lowered his guard while prepping them camp and setting it up as if he were heading to bed. If this person had any knowledge, they would notice this. But if they were on guard, they would expect the attack… If their target were confident in their ability to hide, perhaps they would not suspect their target would be aware of their presence…

It was time to put that theory to the test.

With a flick of his wrist, a kunai flashed to the trees and struck true. It would have cut the obnoxious bird agitating Blossom throughout their journey. But their reflexes were excellent. Her face read that she didn't expect the attack, but as she landed and knelt on the swampy grass beside the path, she spun the kunai in his grasp and clutched its handle, examining the blade. "Interesting. Three prongs? Never seen that one before."

Observing her as she stood up, Naruto's posture notably relaxed. Yet his eyes remained sharp as he stared into her crimson gaze. "Why have you been following us all day?"

Her lips quivered, and her eyes glistened in amusement. Naruto scowled as she playfully strolled around the edge of his camp, where he kept a weary and guarded gaze on her. She wanted something. If he could just determine what it was she wanted…

"You have come across something that interests me. I've come to collect it." The dark-haired woman flipped the curious knife in her hand, occasionally observing it with one eye while keeping her other firmly locked onto him. "By any means, if necessary."

Naruto's eyes narrowed dangerously. Was she attempting to intimidate him? Her aura and the glint in her eyes suggested that was the case. But his father had taught him well and… Well…

The man could be cold-blooded. It still sent shivers down Naruto's spine when he was intently serious…

Nevertheless, he was completely comfortable in this woman's presence as his gaze levely met hers. But he wanted information. So he just needed to keep her talking. "Can't say I know what you are talking about. The only unusual thing I have encountered was the attack on Kuroyuri, and I'm still searching for answers for why that happened."

"Trying to keep me talking, hm? Looking for information?" The crimson-eyed woman looked amused and flicked the kunai again. Naruto refrained from growling in his throat. But much to his chagrin, his fennec-fox ears curled, and his tail swished. He possessed more of his mother's temper than his father's relaxed demeanor, so when he got annoyed, he visibly showed it, and the woman could read him more easily despite his calm facial expressions. However, this reaction seemed to please the woman as she stepped toward him and into the camp. "Sure, I'll play along. Let's start with names, shall we? You can call me Raven. I am the chieftain of the Branwen tribe."

Naruto's eyes dilated. This woman was the chieftain of the renegade bandits that plagued the swamps here in Mistral? The trouble those bandits caused, to see such a leader around his father's age, probably a handful of years younger, wasn't surprising. But to see her so confidently approach someone she had to know was a Huntsman if she had been observing them all day… That wasn't the tribe's modus operandi. They avoided Huntsman like the plague.

"You can call me Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto frankly responded as the woman entered his campsite, standing before him.

"Well then, now that pleasantries are out of the way, allow me to explain why I have been following you. I am here for her." Raven's lips curled sadistically. Her eyes shifted to the other person in the camp momentarily. Her body stiffened, causing Naruto to recognize that she had faked going to sleep. He had been so concentrated on the intruder he had dropped his guard on her…

"What?" Naruto's eyes fell upon Blossom momentarily before jumping back toward Raven. So that is what she meant when she came across something interesting. What she did when he went to capture her was unique, and how she was acting was quite strange… Now that he pieced it together…

It was as if she was acting as if someone was after her.

"Allow me to explain. Last night didn't just happen by coincidence. There is a reason for it. She is the one behind it; that is all you need to know. It's best not to get further involved in the situation for your own sake. Trust me, kid. It will save you a lot of trouble in the long run." Raven stared firmly into Naruto's eyes, who scowled back at her. She scoffed before her gaze fell upon Blossom, who curled into herself. She snarled at her pathetic display before solemnly sighing. "A mighty responsibility was thrust upon your shoulders. You were given the power to change the world… Yet you run… I understand, but I have come to offer you a solution to this problem…"

"And that is where I'm going to have to intervene." Naruto put himself between Blossom and Raven. "Don't really care why you are here for her or what you want with her. What I want is the answers to why last night happened. But if that means giving her to you, nah. I'll get them later. You can get out of here. I'll deal with you and your tribe of bandits soon enough."

Raven's gaze sharpened. Dropping the formalities as kunai clattered on the dirt path at her feet, her hand thumbed the trigger on the handle of her sword. "I made my intentions clear from the start. Do you think it is wise to incite me, boy? I am not like the rest of my tribe. I've learned how to combat Huntsman as I trained with them. I am a Huntress."

"Then your license should be revoked." Naruto countered, withdrawing another kunai he and his father forged together. "I am giving you your one and only warning. Leave, or I am taking you in with me."

Scoffing, crimson eyes dulled. Staring directly into his, Raven sighed. "You leave me no choice in the matter. It didn't have to come to this…"

"Please stop!" Blossom screamed as she didn't want a fight to start because of her presence. She detested violence in all forms. It was why she ran. She didn't want to partake in this war. She was begrudgingly given this power and was forced into a fight she wanted nothing to do with!

Now, this kid who had no idea of the situation around her suspected something about her was caught up in it and just wanted to know what happened! This was her fault! She should just…

Her eyes flickered as she was forced to cover her face as red pieces of metal and Dust shrapnel scattered the campsite. The fight was over in a second. She had never seen a battle between two highly skilled combatants end so quickly and violently… But it was over.

The trigger flicked on Raven's sword, and the fiery blade activated. A red flaming streak flickered toward Naruto, but a flash of gold light interrupted her swing, and the woman stumbled forward, blood streaking from her shoulder blades. She attempted to counterswing the attack, but another flash of light struck, and a flash of blue was the response.

Turning back, she saw Raven kneeling before Naruto, withdrawing his kunai from her chest. Her aura shattered as she clutched her bleeding and wounded chest. Her eyes flickered as she dropped the hilt of her broken sword and glanced into his eyes in utter shock and fear. "Please… I…"

"Enough." Naruto spat, roughly tossing her to the dusty path, pulling her arms back like had done to her previously, and tying Raven's arms behind her back. She gasped as her blood stained the dirt and then was painfully lifted onto her knees and drug toward the tent and tossed inside.

Catching Blossom's horrified expression, Naruto sighed. That was the last thing he needed. Glaring at the injured corvid in his tent, who shared a similar expression, although it was far more earned in her case, Naruto rolled his eyes. She would eventually be okay with Aura's regenerative abilities, but considering he just broke it with his diffused Rasengan, the wound would stagnate, and an infection could result from the shrapnel. And the worried expression on Blossom's face…

So he needed to do this.

"Don't move." Naruto filtered his chakra before he knelt and placed his hand on Raven's chest, seeing the woman squirm at his touch. "Dammit, I said don't move! It's not what you think! I'm healing your wound."

At those words, Raven and Blossom's eyes flickered. Raven stilled, and she felt the wounds inflicted upon her just moments prior close, and the shrapnel of her sword was pushed out of her body. Blossom's eyes glimmered, unsure of what she was witnessing. What they both understood needed to be clarified.

They saw what he had done, and there was one certainty. No one person had access to all those abilities.

"What are you?" Blossom narrowed her eyes, trying to fathom everything she had witnessed so far as Raven looked up at Naruto questionably.

"I am just me," Naruto responded, stepping away from Raven before throwing her a shaded glare. "Do not think of this as mercy. I simply don't want you to slow me down until I can turn you in."

"You're a fool, kid." Raven heaved, out of breath after their quick scuffle. "With me crippled, you had me under control. The moment I have a chance, don't think I won't be able to escape…"

"Just like her, I have you marked. There isn't anywhere you can go that I can't immediately follow." Naruto retorted, causing Raven to pale involuntarily. He clicked his tongue and looked at Blossom before waving his hand and lying on his side. "Just like her. So make yourself comfortable. Try and run if you want. I'll track you down. I'm calling it a night."

"Are you serious right now?" Raven snarled, squinting at the kid who lackadaisically flaunted his superiority. Did he think he had such control of the situation that he could get away with this?

"Yeah." Naruto coldly answered with a yawn and a shake of his head. "I'm a light sleeper. I'll notice if you try anything… Besides… I am not the only set of eyes currently watching you."

With those final words sending shivers down Raven and Blossom's spine, their eyes darting around the camp, Naruto exhaled. While they were befuddled by that meaning and the mystery he was giving them, he could work on the problem they were giving him. Why was this so exhausting? All he sought was answers. But now he had a clearer picture.

There was something in particular about Blossom that the Grimm was drawn toward. Something about her power that she didn't possess before… So it was gifted to her? There were so many more questions now, which was frustrating, but at least he had something answered. She was pivotal and taking her with him was the correct decision.

And now, with both Blossom and Raven… Perhaps… One of them could explain that strange Grimm that led the attack against Kuroyuri.

Hopefully.

R & R. Follow on Ao3 for more consistent updates.