Back to the fairytale

Back to the show

Back to the wall

And there's nowhere to go

Hopeless and desperate

All paths adverse

Things lookin' bleak

Yeah, and they're 'bout to get worse

"Ugh!"

This day was upsetting enough for Blake. Having to face her past in the most direct way possible was already a burden, one she relieved and did feel better about, but it was still weighing upon her! And now that woman who attacked Naruto in his own home was living with him and supposedly helping them!

Blake didn't trust her at all. She tried to capture him for someone who felt threatened by him! How could any of them trust her when working for that person?! And why did she have to live in his apartment with him?! Why was he willing to risk working with someone like that?!

"And I thought you were pissed at Cardin earlier…" Yang muttered, leaning back as Blake paced in irritation between their bunks, not daring to attempt to settle her team leader and potentially drawing her wrath. "I didn't think that our teacher having a girlfriend would piss you off so much…"

"That's not what she is!" Blake lividly snapped at Yang, ears pinned back and a snarl building in her throat. They didn't know the truth. She was there when she attacked him… He was just giving her cover, so no one suspected anything! It was just the worst cover possible! Why did he say such a thing?! Ugh, why was he ever giving her cover for?!

Yang jumped in her seat, leaning back as far away from Blake as she could while holding out her hands. "I believe you! Just don't take your anger out on me!"

Weiss, however, was not intimidated by the girl oozing visible negative aura around her. Even as the sisters backed off from the fuming Faunus, she scowled and stood her ground, her arms crossed."If you know better, tell us why you are upset about him having a girlfriend. From where I stand… This just seems like someone's jealous."

Blake stopped from snapping at Weiss. She kept her composure and took a deep breath. She didn't want to take it, regardless of whether she meant it as bait or not. Instead, her face soured as she met Weiss' icy blue gaze. "You can take it as you want. I know they're not going out. Let's leave it at that."

"Not with the way you're acting." Weiss glared, refusing to back down. Blake was acting unreasonably. If she knew something, she could say it! Not be as upset and act like a love-scorned… Taking a breath recognizing why Blake was acting so defensive, Weiss schooled her features. "Look, could you explain why you are upset about this? Otherwise, it appears like you are upset that you aren't his girlfriend."

"I am not!" Blake lost her cool and snapped at Weiss. How dare… She didn't care at all! She only knew him briefly, longer than any of them. He simply gained her trust with his actions and words! Not to mention, he was trying to find his way back home to his world! …It wasn't like a relationship would work between them… It's not like she was looking for one after running into Adam.

She had been jaded enough by her relationship with him anyway…

"Uh… I'm starting to agree with Weiss here." Ruby leaned back just in case Blake snapped at her, too. It felt like she was horribly jealous. "Besides, if something else is afoot, shouldn't we know? I would have to see anything happen to one of our teachers, especially one who greatly helps us. I don't want anything bad to happen, ya know… Did I just copy him?"

"And it was terrible! Stop copying other people's gimmicks!" Yang shot a glare at her sister before grumbling to herself. "First my puns, now his catchphrase… What's next? Ice Princess' callousness?"

"Hey!" Weiss indignantly shouted. She wasn't callous… Was she? Did she come off that way? She didn't mean to… Ugh, why was making friends so hard?!

Blake snarled. The last thing she wanted was for the rest of her team to get involved in his business. He trusted her, and if he told that horrible lie, he likely tried to avoid getting them involved. Especially after the incident where she…

Her face fell. That incident happened because she didn't trust her teammates and put them in danger to prove herself. Because she was afraid that her past had come back to haunt her… If she just trusted them…

"Listen, it's not so simple." Blake exhaled, plopping onto her bed and glancing at the rest of her visible team, knowing Yang was listening from above. "If he told that horrible lie, there is a reason. I don't know why, but he's protecting a criminal. Other staff are protecting this criminal."

"She a what?!" Ruby exclaimed as Weiss recoiled and looked flabbergasted.

"Oh, she's a bold one, you say. Maybe he likes 'em crazy… Okay, I was just saying!" For a brief moment, Yang bravely snickered before squirming under the sheer hatred she felt from below. She could feel her anger directed toward her through the bed. "Geez, take a joke, would ya!"

"Stick to puns." Blake glowered upward through the bed at her partner.

"I'm trying! No one is letting me get away with it!" Yang grunted, shooting a glare at everyone in her room.

Weiss ignored it, focusing on her leader with a calculated gaze. "That's a dangerous claim to make. How do you know she is?"

Sighing, he stopped her pacing and glanced outside momentarily. Reaching into her pouch, she withdrew her scroll, and with a few quick flicks of her thumbs, she drew up the files. "I researched her several weeks ago after she attacked Naruto and me when I first visited his apartment after the first practice session he held, and I called him out on his test."

"I remember that day." Yang frowned, recalling having followed Blake and Ruby, initially not wanting to participate. She now looked on that as foolish given all the excellent training advice and sessions he had given, but at the time… She was salty.

However, her attention was focused on the scroll, and from above, she saw a girl with features, and her shape was similar to the girl they saw in his apartment. The eye color and hair were different… But that didn't matter. Those were easy to change and disguise. "Yeah, that's her, alright. Damn, she's a major player in the criminal ring here! What's going on?"

"Him!" Ruby's eyes flickered, snapping the phone away from Blake. "She's involved with him?"

"You know him?" Blake's eyes sharpened at this revelation. She knew Ruby had been invited early because she proved herself by fighting a criminal in an event Naruto was there for…

"Yeah, this is the guy that robbed the Dust store I was at when I first met Naruto!" Ruby proclaimed, showing Roman on the phone. "If she's involved with him… Why is our teacher involved with protecting a criminal?"

Blake sighed, her ears folded on her head. She didn't have the answer. She didn't quite understand why…

"Okay, you convinced me. Something's going on here." Gold eyes met icy blue as the scroll was passed to Weiss. She placed her hand on her hips, examining the photos in the article for a little longer before her gaze focused firmly on Blake's. "Something smells fishy here, and we should get to the bottom of it."

"So what's the plan, leader?"

"Achoo!" Naruto let out a hellacious sneeze, unsettling him in his chair and away from the scroll he was studying. Squinting as he rarely ever sneezed, Naruto scowled. He seldom ever got sick… He did remember the last time it happened, and it was because he was poisoned!

"Mah, someone's talking about me behind my back." Naruto glowered. His face contorted momentarily as a thought came to him, and he exhaled.

Blake did seem very upset when he panicked and called Neo his girlfriend. He didn't want them to question why she was there, although they had a few other awkward questions he had to face afterward, and she seemed to revel in making him squirm. Especially Blake… She was pissed, and he didn't understand why! Yes, she knew Neo was a criminal, but he didn't want the rest of her team to know! He had agreed to protect her and help get to the bottom of this issue…

If that woman he dealt with on the rooftops was involved, he had much more to clean up than he thought!

Not to mention, they had histories of getting involved in things they shouldn't! Well, so did he, but that was different! He had run into Ruby because she engaged them on the rooftops! He had read into Yang's file, and she seemed to be going around town looking for trouble! He still hadn't asked her what that was about! She felt so much like him it wasn't funny! If she had a tragic background, too… Weiss was the calm one of the group with no history, but she was becoming just as impulsive as the rest of her team.

And Blake… She would dive head first into this with her sense of justice and if she had an inkling that her former friends in the White Fang were being held under someone else's thumb! He had to keep all of this quiet!

He groaned and flicked his hand through his hair. This was going to be annoying… Was this what Kakashi felt like when he had to withhold information from him and Sakura? It was horrible! He just wanted to come out and say it but knew better than to do so!

A sound caught his attention. One that made his eyes narrow momentarily. Was that a broom sweeping? What the…

Naruto gagged on his spit, and his face turned crimson. There was Neo, in an even more pronounced maid outfit than the one she had on before, purposely pushing her rear out as she swept… In his direction. He could almost see her…

"Eh, what the hell?" Naruto choked on his spit, wiping his nose before glowering. "No, better yet! When did you change outfits? You've been here the entire time and haven't had the time to change! …And why are you wearing it?!"

Neo stopped sweeping with a satisfied and smug grin and stood up straight. Oh, he finally noticed, did he? Her grin only increased, noticing his twitching and nervous features as he leaned away from her as she turned around to face him. Oh, someone was looking, were they? She silently at his reaction. Should have never called me your girlfriend, sweetie. You gave me too much to work with! This is going to be too much fun!

But he did have the right to know what she was doing. Flicking her hand through her hair, glass shards formed around Neo. Soon, the outfit around her dispersed, and her new hairstyle changed back to their old one. Something she was relatively glad for. That hairstyle was too reminiscent of how her parents made her wear her hair when she was younger… It just happened to be her go-to when she needed a disguise.

Neo haughtily laughed, her heterochromatic eyes shimmering at seeing his bewildered expression… Oh, that was blood wiped from his nose! Glorious! He was a… Wait, why did he seem more composed? Hey! Don't ignore me!

"Illusionary constructs? Huh, neat." Naruto calmed down, analyzing what he had seen with pursed lips. He nodded and turned his attention from a now frustrated Neo, annoyed at this change.

She stomped her foot animatedly and glowered, crossing her arms over her chest. She was sure he was embarrassed by how uncomfortable she made him! How did he recover so quickly just by seeing her Semblance? And now he had returned to that stupid paper without a quam about what she did? What was he?!

"Never seen illusions that were physical before. That's kind of a neat and handy skill to have." Naruto mused, running his hand through the seals on the scroll he was studying, getting a feel for them. Shaking his head, for they were harder to understand than he would have liked, Naruto turned back to Neo. "I'm not the best with stealth or disguises… Kakashi always called me out on my loudness and my lack of ability to blend in, and he wasn't wrong… I just don't need to blend in if I can usually handle the problem! I suppose that's gonna make this tougher, as I guess I have to learn."

Neo scrunched her eyes at Naruto. Why was he so open about his faults? What if she was planning on betraying him? He was giving her all she needed willingly…

Her face fell. Remembering what he had said when the headmaster was still here, she queerly tilted her head at him. Was that how he really felt? …He was an odd one… She kind of liked that. If this was how he acted… He really wouldn't fit in with the rest of society…

Just like her.

She frowned and shook her head. No need to drag up the past… Intently focusing on the dumb paper he was studying, she walked over, placed one hand on her hips, and then pointed at the scroll. Since I showed you something, tell me what this is!

"This?" Naruto frowned, glancing at the scroll of seals he was studying. "Ah, it was something my master didn't quite get to teach me, so I left these scrolls for me to try and learn his trade and my father's trade on my own."

Neo had to repress a smile as he turned to the paper scroll. It might have been direct and to the point, but she was sincerely grateful she didn't have to use her scroll to communicate, and he simply understood what she meant.

She scrunched her face, however. Sending a confused glance at him, she tilted her head. Trade? What trade would use all these strange symbols? What were they?!

"Oh, you want a demonstration?" Naruto pursed his lips. He grabbed one of the bands on his desk and slid it over to her. "Put that on, and I'll show you one of the many things they can do!"

Neo squinted further. That was the most drab cloth she had ever witnessed! Disgusting! Ugh, he expected her to put that on? Glaring at him momentarily, she looked at the scrappy piece of cloth. On it, she noticed similar scribbles to what he was looking at on his paper. She rolled her eyes and slid the thing onto her wrist. Fine, I'm curious… What the hell?!

At first, she felt a strange sensation travel throughout her arm. It grew heavy, and she silently screamed as she hunched toward the right. But the heavy sensation washed all over her body. It felt like something was trying to crush her. She shot a nasty glare at Naruto as she kept her balance, standing tall as she felt twice as heavy. What was this?

"That is just one of the many seals that can be made." Naruto grinned as Neo's glare sharpened, and she silently spat in his direction. The sensation lessened until her presence returned to normal. "What I did with those wristbands was put a gravity manipulation seal on them and increased that person's gravity by double! Depending on the chakra I use, the greater the effect can be! It's great for short bursts of training, but nothing more than that. It can cause terrible damage to someone if kept on for too long."

Neo's eyes went wide. He could control someone's gravity if they just slipped this on? Her eyes then narrowed to a slit as she slid off the wristband, not wanting to feel that sensation again. Wait, one of many things these scribbles can do? Not many Semblances could do this… And he was being taught to learn it from paper?

Squinting at Naruto, Neo now understood the obsession Cinder had for him. With a strange ability like this and his power… This could work. He really might have a chance against her… She had an opportunity for freedom once more. And it felt glorious.

It didn't hurt that the brats around him could be entertaining. Especially the Faunus girl. Now, why was the girl upset when he called her girlfriend… Oh, this could be fun.

Neo grinned—Time to cause some chaos.

"You think our plan is going to work?"

Shushing Ruby as they sat in the arena together, Blake kept her focus on Naruto. He had exceptional hearing, and his now Faunus traits only amplified that. She had learned that the hard way. What the power of his world was… It just amplified his senses! That wasn't fair!

She shook her head. She couldn't get distracted and had to find a way to keep him occupied and prevent him from noticing that Yang was gone. Whatever class should be enough, but on the off chance…

Feeling the vibration of her scroll, Blake frowned. Who could it be… was it Yang?! Had something happened?

"It's me. Answer it." Weiss whispered, discreetly glancing at Blake after watching Naruto casually stroll before the class. As oblivious as he seemed to be… He was also keenly observant despite his obliviousness.

Blake scowled for a moment. She had thought Yang had already found something or was in trouble! However, given their setting, Weiss was on the right path. Using their scrolls for messaging to stay silent was the correct approach. And his ability to use tech, while having improved, he would overlook it. Carefully sliding her scroll out of her blouse, she glanced at the message and frowned.

Do you think he won't notice or see through our excuse? He is oddly observant. And despite our reasoning, Yang's absence is easily noticeable.

Blake grimaced. Weiss was right. Despite what they had told her, Yang just had an aura where she was easily noticeable. Yet she missed too many classes, and she was supposed to set an example as a team leader. Weiss, outside maybe Pyrrha, was the most recognizable person on campus and Ruby was the young prodigy who entered Beacon several years early. Yang was the correct choice.

I know. We just have to hope he'll believe our excuse and we can distract him long enough.

With a twitch of her lips, Weiss nodded. She agreed, however, she had a bad feeling about…

"Team BRYS." Naruto's voice echoed from down below, causing all three to flinch. They glanced down and saw his gaze was focused directly on them. Had he already caught on? Did he notice Yang this morning? "Where is Ms. Xiao Long? …Wait, don't tell me she's skipping! Ugh, this mirror is getting too real!"

"Mirror?" Ruby raised her head curiously. "Professor, did you skip class when you went to school?"

"All the time!" Naruto huffed, his right eye twitching before he grumbled to himself. "So this is what you meant by you'll learn, huh Iruka-sensei? …Alright then! Gonna go get her then!"

"What?!" Team BRYS shouted in unison. This was not going to plan at all!

Attempting to salvage the situation, Blake spoke out. "Out, Professor Uzumaki, she's just not feeling well…"

"Like that would stop her! That girl loves a good fight, and she wouldn't want to miss our team fights I got scheduled for today!" Naruto frowned, making a cross-shaped hand sign with his hand. With a plume of smoke, a clone of himself emerged, and Naruto directed him. "Go find her!"

"Tell her she's missing her team's match against team CFVY! She won't want to miss that!"

Why was she the one that was voted to keep eyes on her?

Yang sulked. She had been staking out the teacher's apartments all morning. Waiting to see if she would leave his apartment. Why was it a unanimous decision to elect her? It didn't make sense!

Blake was the best scout, and she wanted to know more about what was going on than everyone. So why was it her? Yang exhaled. Weiss had a valid point when she voted for her. It would have been too suspicious if Blake was out keeping her eye on her movements. She agreed with that. Considering how much time she had already spent with their teacher, it made sense. It would begin to look like she was stalking him…

But it made it feel like she was the one doing the stalking for her friend!

Yang exhaled. Blake also made a valid point. They would trade off daily until they got to the bottom of the mystery so the Professors, especially Naruto, wouldn't suspect as much at first. They all had missed some classes, but Blake had a little more attention on her since she was the team leader and had missed quite a few more. Ruby's addition about being one of the youngest to attend would stand out when she wasn't in class. And Weiss, being the Schnee heiress… Well, she just stood out and was always noticed.

Yang was the most expendable. She could miss a day and not really be noticed. She hated that that was true.

So, using the cover of the building and the greenery around, she exhaled as her target finally left his apartment. Yeah, that was her, alright. She didn't have the pink and brown hair she had in the photos and was back into the black maid-like outfit she wore last night with those pigtails.

But something noteworthy was that she held the parasol she did in all other photos of her. She and her partner made sure they were well known. Every crime had at least a calling card with their names, sometimes with her lipstick on it… When they were caught on camera during the incident!

"What is with here?" Yang muttered, watching the strange girl strut across the campus like she owned the place. "All the videos and pictures with her… She always just lavishes the attention of the moment?"

"Can you say anything different?" A familiar voice echoed behind her. Yang froze. No, no, no, no. He was supposed to be in class… Wait, his clones?! Suddenly, something tightly coiled around her; Yang found herself on Naruto's shoulders, ropes wrapped around her chest, arms pinned within. "I've looked into your history. You do the same! You're just like me, and this mirror needs to stop!"

"What does that mean?!" Yang roared, squirming on the clone's shoulders. Her face flushed as she realized the way he was carrying her made this situation more awkward. If she was brought to class like this…

"Ah, this is not necessary! Put me down!"

Today was such a lovely day!

The fresh, crisp morning air felt so cool. She skipped to her beat, taking in the sights of the campus. Until a few weeks ago, she had never been here before! This place wasn't half bad! Honestly, this wouldn't have been a bad place to live… If it wasn't for all the Huntsman and the wannabee Huntsman that wandered the campus.

As if any of them could handle her! She cockily grinned. How many Huntsman and Huntresses had she embarrassed in the past three years? Ah, it was glorious to see them put in their place!

It was so good to be able to walk freely again! To stretch her legs and enjoy the scenery without worrying about what others thought!

Neo scowled, the parasol on her shoulder stopped spinning. No. She was far from free… Not until she was taken care of. Until Roman was safe.

She wanted to act now. She was ready to move and didn't like this slow-paced plan he and the stupid headmaster had devised to draw them out! She wanted this over with! To show him where they ran their operations to find her, even if it meant giving away their hideouts and giving away the thing they spent so long building. They had already lost it…

But they could build their empire again after she was out of the way. Maybe in Atlas… She never visited Atlas before! Oh, she wanted to go! Finally, leave this place… Leave the memories behind.

"Ah! This is not necessary! Put me down!"

Neo twirled around at the shout. Who was shouting at this time of day? It couldn't be any of the students! They were in class! Better yet, how did she not notice them?!

Her eyes sharpened. There he was, walking out of the bushes nearby… With the blonde teammate of the cat ear girl on his shoulders. Ropes tied tightly around her as he carried her away, right past her with a wave. "Yo, see ya later!"

Neo absently waved, keeping her eyes sharply focused on them as he marched past them, easily keeping her contained. Her lips quivered. At least she wasn't the only one easily outmatched by him. It seemed everyone was!

"You can at least let me walk to class! This is embarrassing!" Yang squirmed, eyes wide as he carried her on his shoulder.

"Nope!" Naruto chirped, shaking his head. "This is your punishment for skipping class! Gonna have to break you of this!"

"Not like this! Let me have some dignity!" Yang pleaded, squirming on his shoulders as he dragged her toward class. "I was just doing what I was told… Don't give me that look!"

"Yeah, I don't buy it! You're up to no good! But I'll get to the bottom of that later! Now, come on! Class is gonna be fun today! We got team sparring matches! You are matched up with team CFVY," Naruto responded nonchalantly before finishing with a chirp.

"Huh? I was gonna miss that! Dammit girls… Couldn't have waited a day!" Yang grumbled, slumping on Naruto's shoulders, finally giving up.

Neo's eyes narrowed. What did she mean, wait a day? Glancing back at where Naruto found the voluptuous blonde, she placed her hand on her hip and scrutinized the details. She was in the bushes outside the apartments, by herself… Almost like a stalker. All the Professors had left, so she was the only one in the building.

Oh, she spying on her? Neo grinned as she turned back and watched the blonde be carried away to class. Her grin stretched from ear to ear. The blonde didn't seem bothered yesterday, so why would she be the one out here? She expected… Oh. Was the Faunus girl that jealous she was using her team to spy on her?

Cracking her knuckles, her eyes shone brilliantly. Well, two play this game.

He had been dreading this for a few nights. Ever since he saw her at the docks a few days ago. As much of a friend he was… He was the last person he thought needed to be aware of his Professor."

"Ah, good morning, James." Ozpin put on a false smile, drinking his morning cocoa as the elevator opened to reveal the General and Headmaster of Atlas. Pouring a cup for his friend, he knew this would be a while. "You've arrived at Vale earlier than I anticipated. What can I do for you, my friend."

"And if it is about my newest professor, no. You will have to earn his trust yourself."

She had never been so nervous in all of her life. He rarely ever invited people back to his home. The memories of this place must have haunted him so…

Hinata twitched as she walked through the streets where the Uchiha once roamed. Her eyes fell upon Sasuke as he walked beside her. So why did he request for her to stay at his side? What was the purpose of this? Nothing was said about this in their meeting…

"Hinata." Sasuke's voice was low, his eyes shifting around his surroundings to ensure they were alone before they focused on her. "I know we don't know each other well, but I must ask you to trust and believe in me. I'm trying to protect you and act in Naruto's place to protect everyone."

"You are in danger, and I need you to stay at my side."

Sorry this chapter has taken for too long to come out. Finally got the right motivation to get back to the story and my work schedule is supposed to be settling down and not changing all the time.

Like always, if you enjoy the chapter, I would love to hear back from ya! There has been a ton of bugs on FFN (it only seems to be getting worse before it ever gets better) and I'm not sure how many people will even see this, so every last comment is appreciate. If you are struggling to find if I updated or the story is not found, just head over to Ao3 (Archive of Our Own). I post there first here secondarily.

Until next time my friends, Peace!