A good chunk of this story is inspired and is a What-If scenario based on A Roman Holiday novel.
Anyone that has read it will start to see some influences, and some settings will be used in this chapter.
That being said, those enjoying the story.
I appreciate your support.
This will be the last quick update, as in within a couple of days of each other.
For I've got two chapters in a backlog,
And we're going to go for a weekly update starting today, every Sunday.
With the lighter chapters, I think this is a reasonable goal, especially with more coming.
Hope you enjoy this chapter.
Response to iiNeo: Learned from experience on my last Naruto/RWBY venture. Not the best approach. Also, younger Naruto is more reckless and prone to flipping out and bolting, especially when he couldn't understand anything being said, so it was a perfect storm. Hopefully, these next few chapters will be to your liking.
As for summoning, well, I would like to go into that, but...
That, unfortunately, touches on another subject, and that is how Naruto is the RWBY world. The question of whether or not he can use Summoning would be based on if he was in the Naruto world, as the contract wouldn't have the power to pull from another dimension. So if I were to answer...
It would give away if this was an Isekai or World Fusion.
But fear not. That answer is coming sooner rather than later.
She detested this. Every time it happened.
It was miserable. All the noise downstairs. So many people being so jovial and enjoying themselves over food and drinks. Talking and telling mindless stories to one another. Or something of that nature, she wasn't sure honestly what they did.
She was never invited.
She was always here. Always locked in her room during the festivities. She never understood why. Sure, other children weren't here, but why was she continually shielded from the sight of other people like she was?
Why? Did her father feel ashamed of her? Why did her mother allow this to occur if that was the truth? She convinced him of so many things, but why not this?
What did she not understand?
Everything was so cold, too, thanks to her rage towards Neo earlier. A draft still seeped in despite the servants coming in and putting up some shielding over the window. She was forced to wear her adventure outfit as at least her brown blazer brought her substantial warmth while it hung over her white tank top and brown pants.
And her shoes!
Kicking her feet back and forth so she could admire them while sitting on her bed, Trivia giggled. She loved the adorable pink hearts adorning her white sneakers! Pink just made everything she wore pop!
She loved pink! It was so tranquil and warm that she could get lost in it. But so vivid and made her want to pop up, play and cause mischief!
A knock? Who could that be?
Breaking her attention from her shoes, her eyes shimmered in surprise as she heard her lock being fiddled with before the door was slowly pushed open.
And as it slowly swung open, the grinning form of Neo was revealed.
Friend? How? But I saw what happened…
You shattered! I thought you were gone…
Neo shook her head as she skipped over happily toward Trivia, smiling the entire time, stopping inches from her. She then reached out and gently cupped her hand over her chest, right over her heart, and tilted her head.
And her smile brightened vividly before she suddenly turned and began to trot to the open door, beckoning Trivia to follow.
Trivia bounced out of bed and rejoiced at the reunion, but now she had many more questions. She didn't understand much about her pink-haired friend and wanted to learn more.
But Neo was in no mood to answer, it seemed. Her eyes glimmered when she stepped out of the room, ensuring it was locked behind them. There could be no trace of them outside after all. She then started to hop down the hall toward her parents' room.
Game time? Trivia recognized Neo was setting the rules of the game as she watched her movements as she bounced down the hall. She was jumping on a specific pattern on the carpet. It was three by three-foot diagonal squares, each changing colors from red velvet to vanilla white. A Neo was purposely staying to the white squares, hopping one leg and switching her leg every hop and successfully making it to another diamond.
All without losing her balance and without making a sound.
A mix of hopscotch and the floor was lava? But why head towards her parents' room? That was risky. There almost invariably was a maid or butler stationed…
Except during big extravagant parties like the one they were throwing.
Grinning as she hopped after Neo, Trivia felt exhilarated! She had not had this kind of fun for such a long time! A rush filled her with how loud it was downstairs and how many people there must be at the festivities below. Oh, what if someone noticed? Someone her father didn't want to know she existed! Oh, that just made the thrill of the game so much more exciting!
She didn't want to be found as the trouble she would be in would be exponential, but…
Neo clapped as she reached the end of the tiles in front of her parents' room. Her friend was proud of her accomplishment! She struggled at the end and lost her balance on some of those jumps. She grinned in return.
It felt so rewarding to be lauded for her triumph!
Neo, what are you doing?
No, why are you sneaking into their bedroom? I'll be in trouble if they find out I was in here…
A sly grin crossed her face. So what? She would be in trouble if they discovered she was out of her room, regardless. What was the harm in crossing that other boundary?
Following Neo as she danced and spun through the room, Trivia's eyes brilliantly glowed, and they silently giggled with one another. This was so daring and fun! To defy her father's will and rules! To make her statement and say, here she was! Dancing in your room!
Neo, what are you doing? Adventure? You want to play outside? Now? Well, yes, I'm dressed for the occasion, but…
Seeing her friend grin as she walked over to her father's side of the bed and to his dresser, Trivia's eyes widened. She opened it! What was…
Dad's Lien Card! He left his wallet here! We shouldn't! We mustn't! He'll know! His bank accountant…
Is here.
She knew it was wrong, but a smirk crept onto her lips. After all those diatribes. All those empty promises. Every time he broke her heart!
Trivia could make up for lost time! They wanted her out of the way. Then she would get out of their way by leaving the house!
And she would need to have some money for that, of course.
Nodding, she pocketed the card from Neo in her brown adventure pants. Oh, this would be so much fun! All the sights and amazing things outside she would get to see! She couldn't wait!
Following Neo, as they proceeded back down the hallway and towards the stairs, Trivia's amusement grew. Now it was time to make their escape! With all those people downstairs, it would be so difficult not to be seen! How were they planning to do it?
She didn't think it was possible!
Neo held out her finger as she grinned. A game? Now? What game?
Watching her friend carefully descend the stairs, wondering what she was planning, Trivia watched her hide at specific intervals. And she finally reached the door and was still in her direct eyesight, staring directly at her.
And then she covered her eyes with her hands.
Red light, green light! Of course! Her friend would keep an eye out as she would come down and cover her!
Brilliant!
Paying complete attention to her friend's face as she carefully traced her steps down the stairs, Trivia made her way down. So far, so good. Her eyes were still closed as she beckoned her forward. Oh, she opened her eyes and motioned for her to stop!
Oh, she was behind one of the garish stands with one of the priceless vases her father loved to collect. She was thankful for her short stature. Due to her small stature, she could conveniently crouch and hide behind the stand without being noticed. Her father would not be pleased…
He never was.
Seeing Neo close her eyes and beckon her forward once more, Trivia skipped down the rest of the stairs and joined her friend, grinning. Success! She had made it down too! Now it was time to take her leave and embrace this new journey.
Opening the door as silently as she could, her eyes gleamed at the thought of the adventure she was about to embark on.
Oh, what fun this was to be!
What was this place?
What were these strange wheeled contraptions that emitted horrid smells driving across these slab streets? Why were they so noisy? Were these like some mini-train hybrid that didn't need a track? Now that he thought about it, he thought he saw something like this owned by the Fire Daimyo, but it was far less sophisticated or mobile…
What did Sakura call that? An automobutt? Mobile! An automobile! Why were there so many of these things that were so much more advanced here?
He had so many questions about that! And they had strange lights and road systems, but that was something he would save for later!
It was cold, and the hospital garb didn't do anything for warmth! It was winter, and unfortunately, his clothes were torn to shreds and were not in any shape to provide him with enough in the way of heat. It was still better, but he needed more. He started to see snowflakes in the air, which was the last thing he needed.
His body was stiff and throbbed incessantly against every movement. The cold wouldn't help his injuries and only made them worse.
"Gah, stupid place. Really could use a place to rest up here!" Naruto muttered in annoyance as he limped painfully and winced at each breath he took.
Unfortunately, he left Gama-chan at home as he was on a rescue mission and didn't think he would need his wallet! Nor did he believe his Ryo would be helpful here as he couldn't read any of the signs he encountered. It was a hunch, but he felt it was a wise one considering everyone so far didn't seem to speak his language.
Which made finding anything here difficult! He had no clue what anything was! He didn't know how to get out of wherever he was, much less locate a clothes shop to try and stay warm! He found the docks and what he suspected to be the ocean, and that didn't help matters!
Where was he heading?
What were those flying things in the sky? What? Why were there big metal things flying in the sky? How? Why was that a thing?
What cartoon world did he step into?! What was next? Giant mechs like old favorite Saturday morning cartoons he liked to watch when he had time?!
If that was a thing…
"Shut up, bird!" Naruto roared at a caw above him, noting a mocking crow sitting on a light post, plucking at its feathers with a single wing held up. "Mock me, will you? I'll come up there and kick your feathery butt!"
A tick mark developed and grew on his temple as another deriding caw bellowed from the bird. He was ready to chuck a shuriken at the abomination of nature, but his eyes happened to follow where the wing was pointing.
Funnily enough, Naruto tilted his head.
Was that a clothing store?
Did the annoying bird just accidentally help him?
"Whatever! You live this day, Mockingjay!" Naruto flipped his hand at the bird and gave it a rude gesture before crossing the street.
Avoiding the odd contraptions with ease, as he had enough space to avoid the weird motorized vehicles, he stationed himself at the front of the store. Taking a peek through the window so he could get a proper layout of the store and get his bearings, Naruto started to formulate a plan. "All right, just have to do this like in the old days before shop owners would sell me clothes properly…"
"Stupid jerks. Old man had to set them straight." Naruto's face fell briefly from his irritation before softening. He hung his head and faintly sighed. "Rest in peace, Jiji..."
Taking a breath and closing his eyes to calm his nerves after thinking of the old Hokage, Naruto opened his eyes. They resonated and shone with a clear resolution on what he had to do as he tossed a scroll onto the roof before he slid into the door.
There was a gentle ring when he opened it. Annoying but manageable. He also noted the strange machinations at the front of the store the moment he walked in. Something about them screamed that they were for anti-theft measures, so he would have to work around them.
No issues there. They were stationary. He was not. He also wondered if they could detect what he was about to do…
But he didn't want to risk it.
There were three clerks on hand. One at the register. Another was in the back, near the shoes. The last was in the women's section.
Shoes would be an issue. Much as he adored his tabi, and while they were in decent condition compared to the rest of his clothing…
It was snowing. Closed-toed shoes were a requirement even with chakra regulation to keep warm. Kakashi drilled those basic survival skills into his head before they traveled to the Land of Snow. So he would need something to distract that lady.
He could do that relatively effortlessly.
Smirking, he formed his classic seal as he secluded himself in a section of a store he wouldn't be noticed so readily. A clone popped into existence and grinned at him. It quickly disguised itself as his teacher, and he sent it off to distract the woman as he made his rounds.
A warm long-sleeve shirt, preferably in a color he liked. Dark blue was good enough. Thankfully he had a few empty scrolls on him. One of the few things he learned when he was out with Jiraiya when they went looking for Tsunade was how to seal things away—a handy skill to have at this moment.
Pants were next, and he was annoyed by the lack of orange. He settled on some thick blue cargo pants that were a similar shade to the shirt he picked out. To maintain his color scheme, he used an orange belt found on a rack.
Then he saw it!
Yes! A vivid orange jacket with some blue streaks running up the sleeves! It wasn't quite his shade and a bit brighter than he liked, but it was good enough!
It was his favorite color, and he wanted it!
So that was inserted into the scroll.
Good, his clone somehow convinced the woman to leave the shoe section without words. Man, Kakashi's dashing looks were good for something, at least. He never understood why his sensei was single and read that stuff…
Or was there something that he didn't understand? Maybe he wasn't ready or something like that…
Shoes weren't an issue as he took the first thing that looked like it was his size and matched his color scheme. He didn't plan on using them for long anyway, just enough to get back home.
However, the rest of the clothes could become an occasional look for him if he liked what he saw…
Placing the last of his items in the scroll, he focused on the scroll he had tossed on the roof as he went through the necessary seals. With a quick poof, they replaced one another, and he pocketed his scroll. And with that, he walked out of the building, and the machinations didn't make a noise.
Everything proceeded according to plan.
Hopping up onto the roof just out of sight of the windows, Naruto sat on top and grinned as he pulled the clothes out. "Well, at least I'm not going to freeze my butt off while I try to figure out where I am."
"Now to the bigger…"
"SHUT UP, STUPID BIRD!" Naruto screamed as the blackbird circled overhead, and he twitched at it. "I'm trying to think here, you flying monstrosity!"
"Gah! Can't think with your incessant…" Naruto suddenly stopped his rant mid-sentence and brought his hand to his chin to ponder a thought. "Is that the right word? I think it is. It's what Sakura calls me all the time." Then his eyes immediately lit on fire once more as he raised his fist at the bird. "Squawking!"
"That's it! I'm putting my stuff on and leaving!" Naruto roared at hearing another caw from the bird and quickly got dressed. "Not dealing with this!"
"I'll figure out how to get home! Hope you die in a fire, flying rat with wings!"
Oh, what a wondrous day!
She had never felt such thrills before!
It started off rough, explaining to the bus driver through her scroll that she could only pay by card. However, once they were off, it was a brilliant trip! And quite scary!
It was the first time Trivia rode public transportation! All those strange, creepy people weirded her out somewhat! She also didn't know where Neo ran off to, but her friend got her out of the house, so she was thankful for that!
She knew she would see her again soon. She always showed up right when she needed her to.
And occasionally, when she didn't…
There were so many things to do in Vale! It wasn't easy to figure out what she wanted to do!
The arcades were fun! She got to flex her gaming muscles for a while and took down a few kids in those fighting games for good measure!
Never cross Trivia Vanille! Master of Arcadia Fighters! She practiced on her scroll daily as it was one of the few games her parents let her have! She couldn't wait for the game console to come out she saw on the feed…
If she could convince her mother to bribe her father to buy it for her…
Oh, maybe it was out now? Perhaps she could just buy it instead?
Bookshops! Oh, what marvelous tales were told within those walls? Oh, how she wanted to buy some more books? But how would she hide them when she came back? Or the console if that was out?
Eh, better not now that she thought about it. Much as she loved reading, it was too much of a hassle to try and figure out the logistics of sneaking them back into her home.
Maybe if Neo was still around…
What fascinating smell was that?
Trivia skipped as she followed her nose, swaying her hips back and forth as her eyes gleamed at the sight. Food trucks! So many different extraordinary scents! She didn't know where to start!
Oh, sorry! Didn't see you there! Why were you sneaking around, blonde boy? Why is that bird in the sky cawing so much? Go away, crow! Shoo! Human food, not bird food!
Blinking at the bird cawing on the light post, Trivia frowned, placed her hands together, and bowed compassionately to the boy she bumped into that was trying to hide out of sight. It was the only way she could apologize, and she hoped he got the message. It was curious why he was trying to use it for cover while looking at the food trucks…
A loud, rumbling roar resonated and shook her. The blonde boy flushed and looked embarrassed as he scratched the back of his neck, muttering incomprehensible words she did not understand. Did he have some sort of disorder too? She couldn't understand a word he said. It was bizarre-sounding. Kind of like gibberish...
Maybe he knew Sign?
Motioning toward him to get his attention, Trivia thought briefly as it had been a while since she used Sign to speak. It took a moment, but she managed to point to him and sign properly, taking her time with it. She finished with her hand in the shape of a C, swiping down from her throat to her stomach, smiling to signify she had no ill intent.
She grimaced when she noticed that the boy seemed confused. Oh, he didn't seem to know Sign either. She knew she should have used her scroll and…
Was that a sign? Was he bobbing his fist back and forth for yes?
He knew Sign!
Come, blonde boy! Celebrate! Let's get some food together! Oh, so many choices! She didn't know where to start! Maybe the boy had an idea?
Showing the blonde teen she was pulling her father's card, Trivia grinned before pointing at several different carts. She then motioned that she wasn't sure where to start. There were so many options!
The boy tilted his head at her in an odd manner. He seemed perplexed and indecisive. But again, his stomach rumbled yet again, and he sighed and gazed at the carts around, pointing at the closest one.
The ice cream stand! There wasn't a line since it was rather cold, but she had a craving for a milkshake! A chocolate vanilla shake sounds terrific! Boy, what flavor do you want? Um, maybe he didn't understand that sign. That's fine. I'll get two!
Trivia happily bound toward the ice cream stand, grinning ear to ear. Today was the best day of her life. She left the house, got to play games, and met someone who could converse with her in Sign, at least a bit, by accident!
Using her scroll to ask for two large chocolate vanilla shakes, Trivia handed the man running the cart her card to run it. She giddily bounced in place after he returned it to her. This day couldn't be looking any better! Nodding her head in thanks at the man as she took the two milkshakes as he handed them to her, she grinned happily as she turned back to the blonde boy.
Oh, she probably should get something warm to balance out the cold dishes! Something to keep their core temperatures up with this bitter cold beginning to seep around them!
What was he paying attention to? Some kind of noodle dish! Let's go, blonde boy! Let's try it!
Handing him his milkshake, Trivia happily proceeded to drag the boy to the stand he was staring at. A ramen stand! She had never heard of such a dish! This must be something incredible if the boy was so fixated on it! Yes, she wanted to try it! One bowl each!
Popping a seat and placing her card on the counter, Trivia grinned brightly as she held up two fingers to the man that looked upon them before she pointed at herself and the blonde boy. The boy had a gobstopped look, and his jaw was agape. It was a hilarious expression! She beamed at him, patted the stool beside her, and beckoned him to join her.
Was this what it felt like to be Neo? It was fun being the leader! She wanted to do it more often! Oh, her sweet treat. Mustn't let that go to waste!
Sighing out in bliss as she suckled some of the shake from the straw, Trivia's eyes shimmered. It was amazing. It tasted so much sweeter than anything she had ever had before. Maybe that was because of the thrill of the circumstances, but she couldn't care less. They didn't want her to be around…
So she wasn't around!
Ah, blonde boy joined her! Come, taste! It's divine! You'll…
"What is wrong with your eye?"
Her world froze. Someone was speaking directly to her. She knew it.
Turning her attention directly behind the blonde boy, there stood three older girls, menacingly staring directly at her.
Trivia knew her day suddenly took a turn for the worse.
Chapter 4 Preview:
"And what is she wearing?" Another one of the girls sweetly resonated in a singsong voice. "Oh, look at those shoes!"
"They are so cute. I'm going to throw up!"
Trivia felt her face warm, and she trembled. She threw shaded daggers with her eyes toward the girl as she felt her throat burn, words wanting to come forth. She wanted to speak and tell her off.
"No one asked you, Heather." The last spoke, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "Better than your sense of taste when we picked you up off the streets."
"Eat a bag of dicks, Mags!"