Chapter 18 - Sibling Dearest
A few more days later
After helping a settlement with a large Grimm infestation in exchange for some supplies. Naruto and the group continued to make their way towards Haven. Although they couldn't help with how long and tiresome the journey had become. It's been nearly three months and it might take another month at the absolute most before they reach the academy.
Assuming the Grimm, bandits or the terrain does not decide to slow them down. They were lucky enough that Naruto was able to practice with Weiss' semblance to make mounts in the shape of Beowulfs. Not that it helped a lot other than cut down on travelling for a couple of hours.
"Are we lost or something? I feel like we're either lost or we're taking the long way." Jaune said, voicing his insecurities.
"We're not lost, the four kingdoms are huge and it's not like we can borrow a car or get a ride on an airship." Naruto explained.
Assuming they did somehow manage to find a city or settlement that somehow had access to technological resources. It would be pretty risky considering that Ironwood is keeping an eye out for Naruto and Yang. Hijacking one is also out of the question, even if they are far in the wilderness. Mainly because there's the chance they could run out of fuel or get shot down the moment they can't identify themselves upon reaching a legitimate military checkpoint.
"Suck it up. Haven't you gone camping before, Bunny Boy?" Yang asked.
"I have gone camping, thank you very much. I just haven't gone hiking for months without end." Jaune answered, pointing out his frustration. "Besides, sometimes my family's camping trips end pretty quickly." he said.
"Jaune, I swear if you start singing again!" Yang exclaimed.
"Well excuse me for trying to liven the mood!" Jaune replied.
Jaune did like to sing some dumb road trip songs. Which usually annoyed his sisters to no end. Which he had to limit here because unlike his sisters, Yang would punch his head off.
"By the way, what happened to calling me Vomit Boy?" Jaune asked, feeling confused as to why Yang replaced his insulting nickname.
"Because of your hood." Yang said.
"It's a nice hood. I earned it after eating 50 boxes of cereal." Jaune replied.
"There's a giant bunny printed on it." Yang added.
"It's free stuff." Jaune countered.
"Jaune has a point, beggars can't be choosers. You wouldn't believe what it costs to make shirts with the Belmont Crest." Naruto spoke up.
"Shut up, you look great in everything." Yang said as she bumped into his side.
Naruto gently bumped her back and the two played around for a minute before stopping. Nora smiled as she felt like the little playful acts were relatable. As for Jaune, he saw something else.
"You two are like siblings." Jaune said, getting the wrong message.
'Jaune is terrible at reading these kinds of situations.' Ren thought.
He couldn't really be surprised and neither could Nora. Pyrrha did everything but follow Jaune around or throw himself at his feet. Unlike a certain girl in another dimension who followed the Naruto in that dimension. Pyrrha genuinely tried to get close to Jaune with the latter actively chasing after Weiss who rudely dismissed him. Which didn't help as he tried too hard and did awkward things for Weiss' attention.
"Jaune, shouldn't you be practicing guitar?" Ren asked.
Jaune went quiet and let his shoulders slump down in shame. Not just because he embarrassed himself trying to ask Weiss to the ball a few months ago. It was because he shamed the art of music by using it as a weapon rather than learning to find the passion of it.
To express one's self, one must know their own self.
Later that night
After a long walk, the group settled down and began to camp. With JNR setting up tents and sleeping bags while Naruto was setting up the campfire as Yang went to get some food. After a few minutes of waiting, he saw Yang dragging a bag against the ground with her looking victorious.
"I could have helped." Naruto said.
"No way, I'm a natural badass." Yang said with a grin.
"Yeah, the amazing comedian, huntress and overall badass. I pray to the heavens that the amazing Yang Xiao Long came into my life." Naruto said.
Yang snickered as she took a seat. A light shade of red tinting her cheeks as she threw the bag into the center.
"You make it sound like you're in love with me." Yang said as she opened the bag.
'Crap, it didn't come out like that, did it?' Naruto wondered.
Yang snorted as she got the reaction she wanted. She then started taking out some animals she hunted and began to work on getting them ready. Not without some great difficulty, that much was obvious.
Yang was down to one arm and the girl couldn't do a whole lot with that much. She was strong, but she had more limits now.
"Yang, let me help." Naruto said.
"Hey, I got this." Yang said.
"Yang, we can get this done faster together." Naruto said, trying to reason with her.
Yang sighed, "Look, I only need one arm to be a badass." she said.
"Okay Miss Badass, can we get the cooking done faster at the very least?" Naruto asked.
"Fine." Yang relented.
After a few moments of skinning the animals and preparing to cook. The pair noticed how they were both pretty good at this. Yang could not be too surprised given how she knew Naruto and Ruby had to survive alone in the woods as kids. As for Naruto, he didn't really know much about Yang's past other than Qrow saving her at one point. So he wondered if she had to feed herself given how bad of a parent Raven was.
Just meeting her that one time already made him know how his mother felt about her.
"Hey Naruto, did you ever teach Ruby how to cook for herself?" Yang asked, sounding curious.
"I did, she was pretty determined to know this kind of stuff." Naruto answered as Yang nodded.
"I can imagine. I keep telling myself that she's not my shy baby sister anymore, that she's a woman now. Except it's hard to see it." Yang said.
Naruto knew Yang meant no malice. She thought her little sister who she abandoned was dead. That the little girl from all those years ago was doomed due to being so small and incapable of survival.
"You know, it was tough putting up with a kid younger than myself. Not that I loathed Ruby or anything. I loved her and didn't want anything bad to happen to her." Naruto said.
Yang nodded, "I can tell, before my parents disappeared. They left us alone with Uncle Qrow. Then they took too long at Uncle Qrow asked me watch Ruby for a while. I was alone with her for a week and then..." she stopped and felt her hand tremble.
Naruto gently grabbed her hand and Yang gripped his as she found the strength to speak again.
"Naruto, I'm sorry." she said.
"For what?" Naruto asked.
"I attacked you and acted like you took away my sister." Yang answered. "You were her protector. You came all the way to Patch hoping for Sum-, for my mom to take you in and all you found was Ruby all alone. You're a better at being a brother than I was at being a sister." she said as tears welled up in her eyes.
Naruto shook his head and held her close.
"You're not a bad sister. You made your mistakes and you're doing everything to overcome them." Naruto said.
Yang put down the animal skin and buried her face into his sleeve.
"Yang, as I was telling you. Taking care of Ruby was stressful and the worst part was making sure she wasn't scared or wanted to cry." Naruto said as he held her close. "The day I made her cry was the day she wanted to learn how to help gather food. I felt like crap because I accidentally yelled at her. Even after that was patched up, I promised to never make her cry again and teach her how to everything I learned before I met her." he explained.
Yang took that as Naruto's way of saying he was no saint. That he claimed he wasn't a perfect brother figure to Ruby. It felt good in a way, but she felt like he was pitying her.
"Look Yang, growing is not without pain. Life just wants to kick you while you're down and laugh. So while you can't punch back, you just keep moving and then the punches stop hurting." Naruto explained.
"I guess you're right. Still, if life has a face, I am going to punch it." Yang replied as she began to smile
"Good, now let's eat. I don't want to hear Jaune or someone else complain." Naruto said as they continued cooking.
"Speaking of Bunny boy, I started noticing he's been practicing by himself." Yang pointed out.
Naruto sighed, "Yeah, Pyrrha left him a video. He's been slowly opening up about getting help to be stronger, but I think he's going through something else with those videos." he said.
Yang was confused until she realized what Naruto meant. She wasn't a genius, but at some point, she noticed that Pyrrha liked the wimp. She didn't think much of it other than her being really friendly, but started to get the message. Romance aside, Pyrrha was pretty much Jaune's closest friend and maybe even his cheerleader. Yang herself is hurt that Blake just ran away, but she can imagine Jaune is more hurt by knowing his teammate died.
So much so that there isn't anything to bury in a casket.
"I'll let up on the teasing." Yang said.
"That's nice." Naruto said, noticing Yang leaning closer to him.
However, a few minutes after dinner began. Naruto suddenly stood up with wide eyes and threw a hatchet far into the forest. Causing a bird with black feathers to fly away quickly.
"Hey, are you okay!?" Nora asked, looking the most startled.
Naruto narrowed his eyes as he saw the black bird flying away. Only to feel confused as he saw it circle for a moment only to enter a farther part of the forest.
"Naruto, I know you have a sixth sense, but I don't think birds are our enemies." Jaune said, sounding concerned.
"Tell it to the seagulls when you have food." Nora said.
Naruto shook his head, "Sorry, I thought I sensed up something." he said.
Everyone wondered if Naruto was feeling paranoid despite having senses. They knew he could sense emotions but they didn't know the whole truth. Even if they did, they wouldn't know what he sensed.
As for the bird that flew farther away, a familiar red eyed man with a cape took cover and panted.
"I can see how well he took care of Ruby if his reflexes are that fast." Qrow said as he took a minute to compose himself.
Nearby, another bird with black feathers had crashed into a tree and turned into a red eyed woman. She glared at the camping spot and cursed herself at almost getting hit.
"Kushina, your brat is just like you." Raven muttered.
She then picked herself up and started walking away with some negative thoughts.
"And suddenly my daughter thinks she's a survivor. Only one arm and she's acting tough." Raven said with a scoff. "Where was that bravado when she was crying and begging?" she asked, remembering how she "raised" Yang.
The next day, with Squall's group
Squall's right eye was twitching irritably and it wasn't because of his scar or because he suddenly felt his allergies. He expected this but still felt really annoyed by what was happening.
"Hey, why are they looking at you that way?" Sun asked in a whisper.
"I'm not a faunus." Squall answered.
"Yeah, I know you're not a... oh right." Sun said, remembering where he is.
Menagerie, an island basically given away to the Faunus to have as their own. Essentially, it's a reservation and now the faunus who accept the place as their home with some limit of absolute freedom from discrimination cannot help but look annoyed. Their target was not Adam despite quite a few people recognizing him and a few looking more pissed at the sight of him.
No, it was the fact that Squall didn't have a tail or cat ears or even exotic skin features. To everyone, he was just some human that trespassed onto their land.
"They won't do anything to us, right?" Adam asked.
"I showed them my passport and citizenship. They can't legally do anything to us." Squall answered.
"Oh, that's nice. That means they can't..."
"It means we have to look over our shoulder." Adam interrupted.
Sun realized that it meant that Squall was going to get a lot dirty looks. He only realized it a few seconds after hearing some passive aggressive comments.
"Why is he upset? We're not walking into his home."
"Maybe he took a wrong turn on the way to the zoo."
"A new face, but the same trash."
Squall groaned as he started moving forward.
"Let's go already." he said as Sun and Adam followed him.
"Hey, isn't that masked guy in the White Fang?" a random local asked.
"I think I need to buy a hood." Adam said as he tried keeping his head down.
Sun looked around and couldn't help but feel awkward. Although his optimism kept him from thinking about the worst case scenarios. However, Blake wasn't helping as she was being extra quiet again.
"I'm sure this will all blow over once we get to Blake's place." Sun said.
Blake's eyes suddenly widened as she remembered something.
"We might need to ask Adam to wait outside or to give him a disguise." she suggested.
Adam sighed, expecting some hostilility from Ghira and Kali. He couldn't really imagine how they would react to him but it would be worse than he could imagine.
"Look, just speak clearly, don't interrupt and try to be civil if you get threatened. Uncle Ghira is reasonable but his patience is limited." Squall said.
Adam nodded, "Right, I can do civil." he said.
"...I was talking to Sun." Squall said.
"Right... hey!" Sun exclaimed.
Blake just tuned out the banter while thinking about how to speak to her parents. When she saw them last time, she called her father a coward and left to join Adam and the other members of the new White Fang. Not regretting anything until it occured to Blake that not all humans could be blamed for the mistreatment of faunus. That not all of them are bad people and her teammates are the perfect example of that.
There's also the fact the White Fang were okay with letting civilians get harmed along with Seiryu being a psychopath. So, it just told Blake that people are evil regardless of their race and origins.
However, even after Blake left and up to the moments when she started attending Beacon. She didn't try reaching out and could only imagine the worst reaction.
"We're here, Sun don't say anything stupid and Adam... just be careful." Squall said.
From the looks that Squall didn't receive, he could tell Adam was well known. He knew Ghira and Kali were good people and still loved Blake despite abandoning them. However, he could only hope it doesn't escalate to where Ghira doesn't try to maim Adam. The man may have preferred peace but was ready to rip someone apart if it came to it.
Squall's next thought was towards Blake herself who looked sad. He took a deep breath and exhaled in order to calm himself down. He pushed away his bitter feelings and thought about Kali and Ghira one more time. They were his godparents and good people and Blake just needed to face her mistakes if she actually wanted to grow. Regardless as to whether or not she followed him and Adam, Blake needed to see her parents and not just speak through the phone.
"Blake, deep breathes and all that." Squall said.
"Real nice advice." Sun said lamely.
Blake took a few deep breaths and reached for the ring pull on her front door. She gripped it tightly and pulled it back but found herself hesitating for a moment. That is until Squall stepped in hand helped grab it.
"You're not the only one feeling uncomfortable." Squall said.
A small smile started to creep onto Blake's face as they knocked on the door. Which created a loud sound that made the other boys feel tense.
"I'm going to die, aren't I?" Adam asked.
"I think Blake's parents might want to invest in a doorbell." Sun suggested.
Seconds later, a dark haired woman with gold eyes and cat ears like Blake opened the door. At the very least, this woman didn't give Adam and Sun threatening vibes but they decided to wait it out.
"Yes?" the woman asked, not recognizing Squall right away.
"Hi aunt Kali." Squall greeted.
Kali looked at Squall suspiciously for a moment. She lowered her guard when Squall gently grabbed Blake's hand and brought her to the door.
"I brought Blake home." he said.
Kali's eyes widened as she saw her daughter for the first time in years. She could see Blake looked ashamed of herself as she tried to meet Kali's gaze.
"Hi mom, I'm home. Squall took care of me." Blake said.
Kali's eyes welled up as she looked at Squall again. For a moment, Kali could see the little boy that played with her daughter. The happy child that Laguna brought onto this world some time after he had arrived. However, Kali's distorted vision ended when she saw the grown man he was and could see that Squall himself struggled to open his heart.
Kali shook her head and hugged the both of them tightly. Blake looked surprised to see that her mother accepted her but then realized that a true parent never stops loving their child. Squall felt something similar, he never thought he would feel the same warmth a mother could give after Sienna had abandoned him.
"Mom, I'm so sorry." Blake apologized.
"Blake, I'm just happy to see you again." Kali said before pulling away and looking at the two. "And with Squall no less. I knew you two went to the same academy. That makes more grateful after the news I heard." she said.
The pair then realized that news must have spread quickly regarding the fall of Beacon. Squall suddenly felt bad for Kali now, he almost forgot that Kali knew where Blake was after he connected the mother and daughter again. Kali had just spoke to her daughter for the first time in years and was probably panicked to hear that the Grimm destroyed the school where her daughter was.
"Well, we're alive. That much is obvious." Squall said, accidentally coming off as blunt.
Kali just snickered as she wiped her eyes. Moments later, another voice spoke over her.
"Kali, who is that?" asked a gruff voice.
"I think this is the part where we should feel scared." Sun whispered to Adam.
"Sun, I can't feel any amount of familiarity but I do recognize danger." Adam whispered back.
Back to Blake, she peeked inside and saw her father who was still big and imposing.
"Hi dad... Squall brought me home." Blake said, trying to hide her anxiety.
Ghira's eyes widened as he saw his daughter. He quickly walked up to her and hugged her tightly.
"Blake... I... it's been too long." is all Ghira could say.
"I'm sorry." Blake apologized again.
Ghira just hugged his daughter more tightly. Feeling happy that his daughter returned home rather than angry she left. Although maybe he did feel a tid bit bitter but now wasn't the time for that.
But then Ghira remembered what his daughter just said.
"Wait, Squall?" he asked.
He looked out the door and didn't recognize Squall for a moment. He looked at the young man and didn't see the little boy that used to follow close behind Laguna. Ghira blinked twice as he saw Squall who looked unsure of how to react.
For a moment, Ghira saw Laguna standing there and greeting him like in the old days. Then seeing Squall poke his head from behind his father's legs.
"Squall... you've grown. I didn't recognize you." he said as he approached the boy.
"Time changes everyone." is all Squall could say.
Ghira just smiled and patted his shoulder.
"Thank you for bringing my daughter home. I hope she wasn't too much trouble." he said.
Deciding to be nice and not try to test the patience of his godparents. Squall decided to say the nicest thing he could say with his usual cold demeanor. Which in itself almost felt like an impossible task.
"She's a free spirit." Squall said.
Now Squall felt stupid with what he just said. It sounded like he was letting her off easy by saying that he can't predict Blake's movements. When his intentions were to say that Blake does whatever she wants and is hard to keep in one place for too long.
But in the nicest way possible.
"That she is." Ghira said as he looked at Blake who lowered her ears.
Ghira then noticed Sun who waved like he was ready to make a first impression. One that would probably test Ghira's patience and give him a negative impression.
"I see you brought a friend as w-"
Ghira stopped as his eyes stopped on Adam. His eyes narrowed and the man was an inch away from extending his claws. Ghira brushed past Squall who could sense a lot of hostility from Ghira as he walked up to Adam who was trying to hide his fear.
"You have some nerve showing up here!" Ghira yelled.
'Is there anyone I didn't make enemies with in the past?' Adam wondered.
Like Squall, Adam had a hard time thinking of what to say without coming off as offensive. Thinking about it now, perhaps he should have gone somewhere else and waited for Squall. Seeing as how Blake treated him like he was her mortal enemy, it made sense that her dad didn't like Adam either.
"Sir, this may come off as a pathetic excuse but please hear me out." Adam said, trying to sound civil.
Ghira's glare didn't go away and it bought Adam a few more seconds. As well as buying Sun some time to put on a tie that he had stuffed into his pocket for whatever reason.
"As of a couple months ago. I... have been unable to recall most of the events in my life." Adam said.
"Are you telling me that you're an amnesiac? Is that your excuse?" Ghira asked, clearly not accepting the excuse.
Adam raised up one finger knowing the truth was going to sound like a lie. Before he could try and defend himself, Sun squeezed himself in between Adam and Ghira.
"Sir, as difficult as it is to believe. My client does indeed have amnesia. We verified through evidence that we cannot present." Sun said.
Squall facepalmed and let out a sigh, 'Idiot.' he thought.
"Squall, who is this boy and why did you bring Adam Taurus of all people here?" Ghira asked, sounding more annoyed by the second.
Sun gently jabbed Adam with his elbow, "Don't worry, if anything. I can get you a plea deal that makes you get community service done." he whispered.
Adam sighed, "This isn't a courtroom." he whispered back.
Meanwhile, Squall was going to try and have to explain things inside.
"It's a long and stressful story." he began to say.
A few minutes later
Adam and Sun were trapped inside of what looked like a dungeon. However it was just a basement with metal bars that looked out towards the living room.
"Well, I suppose this is better than nothing." Adam said.
"I'm surprised you're not stressed out." Sun said.
"I am stressed, but Naruto was always on about positive thoughts." Adam replied.
"Seriously? Now that I think about it, I've barely ever interacted with Squall's partner. He sounds like a cool guy." Sun said.
"He is, although the positive mentality is for the sake of handling stressful situations." Adam added.
Sun nodded, "I can get behind that wisdom." he said.
Adam could see a friendship between Naruto and Sun working, despite the fact that Sun tends to hang out with people like Squall and Blake who have opposite personalities. Sun is a fun and open person who would get along with most. Naruto is more or less the same albeit being better at reading the room and knowing when to take things seriously.
"And assuming we aren't stuck here forever. Then maybe you can meet him." Adam said.
Sun nodded and tried giving himself some mental pep talks in order to not freak out in the situation. However, basic needs and his sudden anxiety aren't helping as he reached for the bars.
"I'm hungry." he muttered.
A few seconds later, Blake appeared and put down a paper plate with two tacos near the bars.
"Blake, when are they going to let us out?" Sun asked.
"It might be a while. My dad may be a reasonable guy, but Adam didn't exactly leave a good note with the rest of the White Fang after we left the island." Blake explained.
Adam sighed, "I came here in hopes of finding answers. All I found, were people who hate me." he said before taking a taco.
"Cheer up Adam, sure you screwed doing whatever it is you did but you can redeem yourself. Whatever negativity you got, it's gone. You can start clean again." Sun said as he started eating.
"I guess that makes me feel better." Adam replied.
Blake just stared at her ex and couldn't help but feel lost herself. Deep down she was angry as she saw this young man as the man she followed. The person she worked with in order to fight for equal rights. Only to be lost in their own hubris with Adam slowly becoming more of a psychopath who doesn't accept it when others disagree with the new cause.
Now he's just some lost guy doing his absolute best to not lose his mind. Not that Blake was ready to forgive him despite his amnesia.
"Just hang in there. Squall and I will see what we can do." Blake said before leaving.
"Hurry back and don't skip out on the salsa." Sun said.
Adam just sighed as he found a made a seat with a nearby box.
Meanwhile, with Ruby
During the past few days, the presence of the Atlas military reduced greatly. Just enough to where the soldiers can focus more on defending the town and the outskirts. With a few light patrols keeping an eye out on Beacon due to the Grimm presence which was still being contained.
Luckily for Ruby, or unluckily depending on how she looked at it, she could try some physical training again. The good being that she can retrain her body and make it fit to handle traveling again. The bad being that she still has to put up with Esdeath who she might as well label as a stalker by this point. Then again, Ruby didn't really have a way to call Esdeath a stalker since she's been more of a secondary guardian this whole time.
"I know you're supposed to make sure no one sees me but do you need to see everything I do?" Ruby asked, sounding irate.
Esdeath scoffed, "You need discipline. Just because you can run around and hit things doesn't mean you're ready to traverse into the wild again." she said.
"Says you." Ruby retorted.
"Little girl, from what I understand. While you did brave the wilderness and all the things that want to end your life. As well as learning how to function on your own, you're still lacking in one area." Esdeath said.
"And what's that? Are you going to say I'm immature or something?" Ruby asked.
Esdeath may be a competent military leader and not a fascist or some idiot that takes the credit of others. Yet Ruby felt like Esdeath was going to say something dumb about Ruby needing some random detail like independence or strategy.
Esdeath just shook her head at Ruby's question.
"No, maturity is just a title used by those who hate thinking outside the box." she said.
Ruby felt some slight surprise hearing that. Then again, it just proved that maturity wasn't this golden rule in life.
"No, your issue is being alone." Esdeath told her.
"I'm not scared." Ruby said.
"That's not what I meant." Esdeath began to say. "You are more than competent to ruff it on your own; I admit that much. Despite having independent skills, you have never had to travel alone for an extended period, have you?" she asked.
Ruby scoffed, "No, but I can handle it." she said.
Before Esdeath tried to say something else Ruby threw a spear straight through a tree. Esdeath raised a brow and looked for the target knowing Ruby wasn't throwing a fit. It took the woman a minute to find the ursa that was impaled into the tree.
Esdeath crossed her arms, "Your reaction and aim is on point, but not effective." she said.
Ruby groaned before throwing another spear that killed the ursa for good.
"Did that feel good?" Esdeath asked.
"No." Ruby answered.
"That's fine." Esdeath said.
Before Ruby said anything else, Esdeath quickly dashed in one direction. In the next moment, she slashed through a pair of beowolves that were heading their way. Esdeath then turned on her heel and avoided a heavy claw aimed for her head. She then got behind the large Grimm and thrusted her sword into its back before kicking it away. Esdeath then side stepped quickly to avoid another claw attack.
However this time, Esdeath dealt with an alpha beowolf that tried a more aggressive yet cautious approach. Ruby noticed that the beowolf was moving different from its packmates, instantly remembering what Oobleck said about Grimm learning with time. However, it wasn't enough as the Grimm was just a giant clumsy beast in Esdeath's eyes as she quickly slashed at one of the paws before stabbing it under the chin and letting it dissolve.
Ruby couldn't help but shake off this shiver she felt from watching the quick fight. Esdeath didn't look excited when fighting the Grimm but just doubled down on getting rid of them as if they were an obstacle.
"Did that feel good?" Ruby asked, repeating Esdeath's question.
"No, I'm not remotely satisfied. I killed a bunch of vermin." she answered.
"Vermin?" Ruby asked.
"Imagine being surrounded by cockroaches. Disgusting and quite annoying, don't you think?" Esdeath asked.
Ruby recoiled at the thought. Sure, she's dealt with having to live without luxuries like fresh food and clean laundry. Except the thought still felt very disgusting to think about. The look on her face only supported Esdeath's next statement.
"You would want to get rid of those cockroaches if they existed, wouldn't you?" Esdeath asked.
Ruby nodded.
"Then you can see that the Grimm are no different to me than cockroaches are to you." Esdeath said while sheathing her sword. "You are told the stories of these endless amount of horrific savage creatures. Ones that looked like they belonged to the unknown creatures slain by ordinary man, making them sound like heroes." she said.
Ruby had to admit, huntsmen sounded a lot more badass with how the Grimm are depicted. Nearly every fairy tale follows someone on a quest and running into ferocious monsters that no ordinary person could defeat. Yet according to the look on Esdeath's face, they weren't these big bad creatures to her.
"So fighting the Grimm isn't satisfying for you?" she asked.
"These things are a nuisance. A bunch of pests." Esdeath answered, her voice sounding icey.
Ruby winced at the tone as it sounded like a lot of pent up aggression.
"Then what is satisfying for you?" she asked innocently.
Esdeath suddenly smiled, or rather grinned, at Ruby. Looking at the younger girl as if Ruby had removed all the stress in her life. That alone pretty much said that Ruby stumbled into a situation made things more uncomfortable.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but what satisfies me is you." Esdeath said.
Ruby was already taking it the wrong way.
"Oh don't look at me like that. You know what I mean, you have so much to offer but lack the training needed to be more." Esdeath explained
"And what makes me special? Because of my power?" Ruby asked, sounding defensive.
"In the eyes of someone else. That's all you're good for." Esdeath answered bluntly. "Yet it doesn't matter to me." she added.
Ruby raised an eyebrow, wondering what else Esdeath meant.
"Tell me, even without your alien-like ability. Would your development been any different?" she asked.
Ruby thought about it, her power was beyond anything in this world besides her cousins. Naruto claimed that at her full potential, he probably wouldn't defeat Ruby in Titan form. Both she and Naruto tested each other's strange powers and pushed each other to their limits.
However, Ruby would not have been as special without the Titan's power but she wouldn't have too different. Naruto would have still let her learn how to fight with her fists and utilize multiple other weapons. She would have just been physically weaker and less durable had she never been fallen down that tree. Then again, she would be dead but had she survived, things would be the same with her conditioning.
"You're more frail without your powers, yet you're drive is still the same." Esdeath noted.
Even Esdeath was impressed and marveled by the immense power. Except she didn't care much for it as she remembered her first encounter with Ruby as well as how she battled Pyrrha in that video. Her style would have been adjusted but that fighting spirit is what gets Esdeath excited as it's rare.
Ruby shook her head as she ignored the praise or analysis or whatever it was that Esdeath gave her.
"Say whatever you want, but I'm still going to kick your ass." she said bluntly.
There was still some deep rooted anger Ruby felt towards Esdeath. In some movies, there's that annoying mentor who is either bad at explaining their training methods or have annoying quirks like being drunk. When it came to Esdeath, it just made Ruby really hate sadists. It didn't help that Esdeath was practically egging her on by practically demanding her to kick her ass.
"I want you to back up your words with your strength." Esdeath said, her smile never leaving her face. "Don't disappoint me by proving me wrong." she said.
Ruby scoffed, "You won't be, but remind me again. What was my graduation requirement again? Giving you a black eye?" she asked.
Esdeath's mind slipped on the exact detail but just shrugged after she thought about it.
"We'll worry about it later. For now, I hope you built up an appetite." she said.
Ruby picked up her loose weapons before watching Esdeath walk deeper into the woods. The girl was confused by the fact that Esdeath was going in the opposite direction of the infirmary.
"Goodwitch said you're strong enough to eat solid foods. I hope you are not squeamish." Esdeath said, almost taunting her.
"You call grocery shopping scary?" Ruby asked, scoffing again.
Esdeath chuckled, "There's not grocery store in the wild." she replied.
"The wild is a produce section." Ruby replied.
Now Esdeath was feeling a bit more impressed. She was not entirely sure if Naruto taught her to cook her own meals in the wild. That just made the next lesson plan easier but more boring.
She had less ammo to tease Ruby with.
'When was the last time I felt this entertained?' Esdeath wondered.
Meanwhile, in Atlas
After being dragged back and essentially being told that she's important to her father's image. Weiss finally found some freedom to move around Atlas again.
While some would have assumed that Weiss' limited freedom stemmed from a father's overprotectiveness. Weiss would have been ecstatic to actually have parents who were actively worried about her. Instead, one of them was an alcoholic who gave up on being a parent and the other was a corporate tyrant. The latter being her father who wanted to keep Weiss under his thumb and in his control ever since Winter left.
Perhaps her younger brother, Whitley, wasn't ready yet or wasn't good enough to be used to use as a puppet in the future.
Regardless, Weiss was happy enough to be able to move around Atlas again without her father trying to scold her or have guards surround her. Not that Weiss would always casually explore Atlas like it was some small town. This was possibly the most corrupt kingdom in terms of internal crime.
It wasn't like some random person was getting killed or mugged every couple of hours. Yet that didn't stop certain individuals in the justice system from turning a blind eye in certain cases or unfair business practices that lead to harm or poor financial compensation from a long day of labor. Weiss wasn't aware of all this but knew despite how big and flashy Atlas was, it wasn't exactly the most perfect place on Remnant. Which is why she steered clear from certain areas in hopes of avoiding any unwanted attention.
Even so, Weiss' current problem wasn't getting fresh air while avoiding running into crime. It was her concern over her friends who she was forced to abandon in Beacon. With how desperate the Schnee heiress was, she could only rely on one person who always seemed to be on top of things.
Unfortunately, that one person couldn't always be there for her to lend an ear.
"Hello, you've reached the renowned sophisticated author, Jiraiya Schnee." said the voice on the other line. "I'm currently on a mission and I'm sorry I couldn't answer your call right now. Please leave a message and I'll get back to you soon."
The message ended with the beep and Weiss took a deep breath and spoke.
"Jiraiya, it's Weiss, I know you're busy but... I miss you." Weiss began to say. "You probably have so much on your plate given the circumstances but I'm worried about my friend, Ruby. Please tell me if you know anything. Any detail or news and I would be really grateful." she said before hanging up.
Weiss then began to slump and sighed about what she did. Her brother may have acted like an immature fool but that was just one aspect of himself. Weiss may have hardly initiating their calls and despite her cold exterior. Weiss really did love her older brother and knew him to be a man of honor despite his faults. With that, she knew Jiraiya was the type to stay connected with whatever is going on.
At the very least, Weiss hoped Jiraiya had some chance of finding about Ruby. She didn't have the chance to say goodbye given how she was forced to leave Beacon. Leaving Weiss unaware that her best friend was still under Glynda's care. However, with her second transformation making the news, it would be better for Ruby to not be found in the public eye given how Ironwood is looking for her.
'That dolt! She just had to use that power!' Weiss thought as her hands started to shake. 'You can save a lot of people but those powers can't help you protect yourself, can they?' she wondered.
Similar to how she felt about Jiraiya. Weiss saw Ruby as a girl with a goofy personality but knew that was one of many aspects. Ruby was just a girl in a harsh world trying to stay optimistic despite needing to be strong.
'I should have gotten Naruto's number. Then I would... no, even if he was on the move again. Atlas could track him or better yet, he's probably moving off the grid if he's with Ruby.' Weiss thought as she shook her head.
Just as Weiss tried to clear her mind. She couldn't help but have her thoughts invaded by the sound of jeering and name calling. It annoyed her and while it would be something Weiss would have avoided. The Schnee heiress found herself being drawn to it like someone who can't mind their own business.
What was worse is the fact that Weiss didn't have Myrtenaster with her. However, she wasn't completely helpless if she did stumble into trouble.
'Somehow, you're still by my side.' Weiss thought as she reached into her jacket.
Weiss didn't have a matching t-shirt or bracelet to remember Ruby by. However, she did have a literal piece of Ruby in the form of a dagger she discarded.
As Weiss was ready to arm herself, she saw some annoying teenagers pestering some purple haired woman. There were about three of them who appeared taller than her but didn't seem too tough individually. Just as Weiss found herself almost stepping in, she was surprised to see some level of aggression.
"You think you can mess with me?" the woman asked.
A second later, the closest teenager was suddenly slammed into a wall. The amount of force caused a cracking noise that made Weiss wince. For a second, Weiss' mind flashed back to Yang whenever she got into a fight with someone.
Weiss then watched as the woman stood there, expecting a reaction from the thugs. Instead, she saw the injured teen get up and curse her before running away with his friends. Their jeers instantly turned into fear as they sprinted away from the now scary looking woman.
Weiss kept a hand hovering where her dagger was as she came closer.
"Are you okay, miss?" she asked tentatively.
The woman turned towards Weiss and her fiery gaze was replaced with a sweet smile.
"Oh, I'm okay. Thanks for asking." she said, her harsh voice replaced with a mellow one. "I appreciate your concern, though."
Weiss couldn't help be surprised by both the woman's ability to snap from anger to outgoing quickly. Along with how she was able to handle those thugs on her own without any issue. Not that they appeared to be something dangerous worth calling more than a patrolman for.
"You handled them quite well." Weiss complimented while dropping her guard. "I'm Weiss by the way."
"Well, a lady has to learn how to handle herself." Tomoko said before offering her hand. "I'm Tomoko Higashikita."
Weiss shook it and felt a sense of warmth and strength in the grip. However, the feelings she had were instantly replaced by surprise as she thought she misheard Tomoko's family name.
"Higashikita? Are you related to Josuke, by some chance?" she suddenly asked, sounding a bit hesitant.
Tomoko raised a brow before smiling, "Oh, you know my son." she said warmly. "He's spoken a lot about his friends from Beacon. I was quite surprised to see how much he learned about friendship and leadership. He was a bit thick headed back in the day but I see I was worried over nothing."
Weiss smiled as her thoughts went back to Josuke. At first, she didn't see him as more than just another nameless person in the background. One with really weird hair, but given her time with Yang, Weiss knew better than to mock someone's hairstyle. It was only after her bad meeting with Winter did she find comfort with someone who was genuinely friendly.
Of course, Weiss almost gave Josuke a hard time and it wasn't entirely her fault. Jaune spent the previous days bothering her to no end without trying to consider giving her some space or going easy. However, Josuke wasn't trying to flirt with her and lended her an ear those days. Albeit Weiss' angry attitude didn't help as Josuke offered her ways to learn how to relax. Luckily the boy was patient enough to help her learn to get over all the pressure and anxieties she was feeling.
"Is he okay? I haven't heard from him or his team since..." Weiss trailed off, thinking about the Fall of Beacon.
Tomoko was quick to pick up on this. Given how her neighborhood was instantly put on lockdown with the news of an attack. The woman was horrified and immediately started worrying for her son's safety. Tomoko couldn't be any more grateful that she didn't have to bury a son after that disastrous day.
"Don't worry, he's okay. He's been as busy as a bee lately." Tomoko said.
Weiss smiled and nodded, grateful to hear that he was fine.
"Is it okay if I meet him?" she asked.
"Sure, that's perfectly fine. Today is his day off and I can make some tea for us." Tomoko happily answered. "It's not everyday my son brings anyone home and I'm sure he would be happy to see you."
Weiss couldn't help but feel some excitement build up. The prospect of seeing someone from Beacon again gave her some hope and helped her mood a bit. Possibly someone who can share some news of her friends or friends of a friend. She couldn't be any more grateful that she met Tomoko today.
A while later, Higashikata residence
Weiss look at the medium sized house where Tomoko stayed at. Thanks to the new position offered to Josuke, his mother was given a new home that was paid for. Still, it wasn't as special compared to Weiss' mansion but at least it didn't feel like the girl was trapped in a cold empty labyrinth. At least the limited space made her feel welcomed.
"Josuke, I'm home and I brought a guest." Tomoko said as she entered the house.
Just as Weiss and Tomoko hung up their coats. They instantly found the teenage boy still in uniform and giving the entirety of his attention to the television screen. Leaving Tomoko to just stand there and call out to him.
"Josuke, did you hear me?" she asked.
"Hi mom, glad to see you made it back okay." Josuke said half heartedly, his gaze still fixed on the game.
Weiss was about to say something but noticed Tomoko's friendly demeanor was replaced with an annoyed one. Seeing how Willow turned to the bottle to live her life everyday. It's been a while since Weiss has seen a happy parent and a ticked off parent. An angry one like Jacques is a common thing but one that just looked slightly irked was new to Weiss.
At first, Weiss thought Tomoko was about to hit her son or yell at him. Instead, she just saw Tomoko shaking Josuke and even gently push her foot against his back which ruined his gameplay experience.
"Did you greet my guest yet?" she asked.
"Mom! Can it wait!? You're messing me up again!" Josuke complained.
"You can pause the game and for crying out loud, you haven't changed out of your uniform." Tomoko said, continuing to apply pressure to his back. "Can't yous top and say hello?"
Weiss continued to watch the interaction and was ready to laugh at the strange dynamic between mother and son. Weiss felt a bit of envy seeing this, wishing that Willow at least put this much attention on her and her siblings.
"MOM! You got me killed!" Josuke suddenly shouted, startling Weiss.
"You're going to die alone if you don't socialize!" Tomoko replied.
Josuke groaned and got up before turning towards the door. Where his vision adjusted to the sight of Weiss. It was then that he started rubbing his eyes, wondering if the video games have ruined his vision.
"Weiss? W-What are you doing here?" he asked, sounding like he was caught missing his pants.
"Weiss here, wanted to see you. Now go be a good host and entertain her while I make tea." Tomoko said.
Josuke quickly rubbed his face and composed himself, feeling shocked that Weiss was in his house. Despite their few interactions, he wasn't sure if he would see her anymore. Even though he lived in Atlas now, he thought the chances of seeing his friend's sister's teammate again was going to be impossible.
"So uh... Weiss. I didn't see you there." he said.
"Great pick up line." Tomoko said sarcastically.
Josuke shot his mom a glare as she went into the kitchen to make some tea.
As the two began to catch up on recent events and everything following afterwards. Tomoko started grabbing some cups and a box filled with tea bags. Her mind more concerned with Weiss' wellbeing.
The woman may be new to Atlas and still adjusting in the past month and a half. However, she wasn't stupid enough to not recognize who Weiss is. Tomoko always paid close attention to here son's stories which included Weiss on a couple of occasions.
'Willow, we need to have a talk.' Tomoko thought as her expression darkened for a moment.
With Naruto's group
A few days later, the group was reaching Oniyuri with most of them feeling exhausted by the long trip.
"How long has it been?" Jaune asked, wiping some sweat off of his forehead.
"I don't know, more than a month I think." Naruto said, looking less exhausted.
"So what? Five? Six weeks maybe?" Yang asked, looking a bit frustrated.
"Why is Haven so far?" Nora whined.
Ren just stayed silent, despite Nora having traveled with him since their childhood. He was more composed and a bit more understanding of how far certain places are on foot. However, despite the circumstances, he did wonder if they were making good progress.
"Look, we're on the right path." Naruto said. "We took all the shortcuts we could and didn't have to worry about patrols or too many of the Grimm."
"Then if you don't mind me asking. Where are we?" Yang asked.
Naruto sighed and gestured for Jaune to hand him the map. When he did, he scanned their trail and pointed towards the route they were on. However, they stopped once they realized they reached a village that was destroyed and empty of life.
"Oniyuri." Ren said.
"Wealth?" Naruto asked, translating the name.
Ren looked contemplative which earned the attention of Jaune and Yang.
"What? Do you know this place?" Yang asked.
"Not really, but my parents lived there for a while but it was destroyed." Ren explained.
"By what? The Grimm?" Jaune asked.
Ren sighed, "A single one." he said.
Jaune started asking more questions but wasn't able to get Ren to say anything. All the while Naruto started having flashbacks to a certain woman. Forcing him to hold himself back from snarling like an angry animal.
He didn't realize it, but Ren and Nora were actually able to relate to him in a regard.
"It must have been a big nasty one." Yang said, whistling at the sight of the damage.
Ren nodded before feeling Nora giving him a comforting hand.
Soon after, Naruto couldn't hold back the snarl as his senses detected immense hostility.
"Ah, down boy?" Yang asked as Naruto started looking around.
The source of the hostility he felt revealed itself once the wall of an abandoned building collapsed.
Everyone quickly armed themselves expecting a big Grimm similar to what Ren mentioned. Instead, only to discover something disturbing that was in the body o man. However, it was man who caused this figure to look so threatening.
"Which one of you is Belmont?" the figure asked.
Naruto held back a snarl as he sensed someone ready to kill whoever got in his way. A long time ago, his parents frequently taught him to judge someone's character, not their appearance. However, given the fact that Naruto could sense someone's intentions, his mental radar was able to tell him who the bad guy was.
The figure in question had to be eight feet or higher, able to walk like a human but was more beastly than any faunus. With thick green scales and claws that made the man look like a giant crocodile. Wearing only a worn out wife beater and a pair of slacks that looked worn out by now. Not that the monstrous man looked like he cared for his appearance.
"What the hell are you?" Yang asked, subtly shielding Naruto.
"I want Belmont. He's the only one I can't rip apart." the man said, ignoring the question.
"If you want Naruto, you're not getting him without a big fat lump on your head and broken legs!" Nora said, coming to Naruto's defense.
Despite looking like a monstrous brute with no ability to think about anything but violence. The man was able to get a good idea on who was his target by noticing the change in positions. Then again, he wasn't told how healthy he needed to keep the last Belmont.
"I'll sort you all out later." the man said before charging at them.
Ren and Yang immediately started shooting at the monstrous man but he shrugged off their fire. Even being being able to tank some of Nora's grenades but only faltering once Naruto slammed his palms onto the ground.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!" he shouted.
The man still managed to shatter the thick earth wall but staggered in his charge and lost sight of his targets. Only to turn around and see Nora trying to hit him with Magnhild.
"Nice try!" the man shouted before hitting her with his tail.
This prompted Ren to come out of his hiding spot and shoot at the man's thick hide again. Making him growl as he chased after Ren who began running along the rooftops of the buildings. As Ren led him along, another wall of earth appeared in front of the man and made him stagger. But what came next is what made him slow down.
"Earth Style: Headhunter!" Naruto shouted.
Seconds later, the man was pulled underground and left stuck with nothing but his head and shoulders sticking out. He violently thrashed around as he tried to dig himself out as the young huntsmen approached. Followed by being hit on the head by Nora's hammer.
"You're lucky I can't hit your knees, Freaky Lizard Guy!" Nora exclaimed as she prepared to hit him again.
The man snarled, "I'm not a lizard. I'm the Killer Croc!" he yelled.
Then with all of his strength, Killer Croc dragged himself out of the hole and charged at the group. He waved his tail around and slammed it into Nora and Ren before grabbing Naruto by the waist and slamming him into the ground. Before he could continue, Croc watched as Naruto exploded into smoke.
He then looked over his shoulder and saw five clones of Naruto right above him and charging up a sphere of chakra in their palms.
"Take this, Gator!" the clones yelled.
Croc snarled as he grabbed some nearby debris and threw it at the clones. Causing a large explosion from collision that sent the lizard-like man skidding across the ground.
'These brats are getting on my nerves.' Croc thought angrily.
As Croc slowly got up, he was met with a fist to the face by Yang who made him stagger a bit. Despite having her handicap, Yang tried her best to use a new style that only used her single arm. Which included dodging more and applying more kicks.
"You picked the wrong group to mess with, Scale Breath!" Yang yelled before delivering a kick to Croc's face.
Croc glared at Yang before having had enough and catching her single arm. He gripped Yang's arm as he raised her to meet him at eye level before noticing her missing arm.
"I see someone tenderized you first." Croc said.
Yang glared as she tried to kick him in the face but Croc grabbed feet. Then began to pull her limbs apart slowly, causing Yang to cry out in pain.
"Hang on Yang!" Jaune yelled.
A second later, Croc felt Jaune deliver a heavy downward slash to his arm. It barely made him wince, but started to annoy him as Jaune repeatedly slashed at his arm.
"You're annoying!" Croc yelled, swinging his tail at Jaune.
Jaune barely ducked out of the way and thrusted Crocean Mors into Croc's elbow, making him loosen his grip on Yang.
"I'm a lot of things and... at least I go to a dentist!" Jaune said, trying to come up with a comeback.
Croc just huffed and prepared to swing his tail when he felt a great pain on his knee. He dropped Yang and stumbled backwards as Nora revealed herself.
"I don't break my promises!" she yelled as she hit his knee again with her hammer.
Croc snarled and punched the ground where she stood and missed before getting hit in the face. He then raised his hand and caught Magnhild before it struck him again before throwing her into Jaune who raised his shield but got sent crashing through a wall. After that, he focused back on Yang who started shooting at him again as she stumbled back.
"Some friend, that Belmont brat must have turned tucked his tail and ran." Croc said.
"You don't know the first thing about him." Yang said with a glare.
After one more shot, Yang ran out of ammunition. Leaving the girl to try and stand before backing up again. When Croc was about to hit her again, Naruto suddenly burst out of the ground and slammed his chakra orb under Croc's chin, sending him flying into the air before crashing into a nearby building.
"Sorry about that, Ren and I were getting a trap ready." he told her.
Yang shook her head, "Don't you know to never keep a lady waiting?"
Naruto smiled, "Sorry, I owe you."
Before Yang said something else, she briefly noticed that Naruto's eyes were flashing red with the sclera turning black. Her mind flashed as she briefly remembered Naruto doing the same when she attacked him in their first week of the academy. She was about to question it when she heard Croc snarl and come back charging at them.
"This guy is annoying." Yang said.
"We can take him together. Just like we practiced." Naruto said as Yang nodded.
Just as the two prepared to strike, a couple of wooden beams collapsed on top of Croc.
"Was that the trap you mentioned?" Yang asked.
"What? No." Naruto answered.
"Stay away from my niece!" a familiar voice yelled.
Yang looked up and saw Qrow standing on top a building.
"Uncle Qrow!" Yang called out.
Qrow then pointed his sword at Croc as he bursted out of the debris, barely looking winded.
"And the same goes for my niece's boyfriend!" Qrow added.
Yang blushed as she glared at her uncle.
"H-Hey! S-Stop making up stupid things! T-This isn't the time!" Yang shouted, sounding embarrassed.
Suddenly, Jaune got up and looked out of the broken building.
"Aw man! Does that mean I'm a fifth wheel!?" he asked.
Nora began to blush while Ren stayed hidden in his own spot. The two were still in denial and despite how oblivious Jaune was. He now felt like a fifth wheel if both sets of his friends were dating.
As for Croc, he didn't give a damn about relationships and prepared to attack when the building under Qrow gave out.
"Aw crap!" he cursed.
"Uncle Qrow!" Yang yelled.
Croc snarled as he returned to charging at Yang and Naruto.
At the same time, with Ruby
After another day of training, Ruby fell into a deep sleep but found herself in a dream again. Unlike the last couple of times when she looked at old memories through her perspective as a baby. Ruby found herself in Beacon and she was approaching Summer who looked like she was depressed.
'Mom? What's wrong? Why is she crying?' Ruby wondered as she felt sad for her mother.
"Summer." a new voice called out. "You okay?"
Summer looked in Ruby's direction, "Hey Kushina, just thinking."
Ruby was surprised, she was viewing a memory that belonged to Kushina. She thought it was a lucid memory but the following conversation felt too real and detailed.
Summer took a deep breath before speaking, "It's not just the mission, Kushina. It's... it's about Taiyang."
"What about him?" Kushina asked, her voice a mix of concern and curiosity.
Summer let out a sigh, her gaze dropping to her intertwined fingers. "I... I think I might have feelings for him," she confessed, her cheeks tinting a soft pink. "But he seems to only have eyes for Raven."
Ruby instantly growled at the name and could actually feel Kushina feeling the same.
"Raven?" she spat out the name like a bitter pill. "So Tai has bad taste in women. She's nothing but trouble."
Summer flinched at the harshness in Kushina's voice. "It's not like that," she said defensively. "Raven's had a tough life. She's just misunderstood."
"Misunderstood? She's a selfish bitch, Summer. She's only out for herself." Kushina said
Summer's eyes flashed with a rare anger. "You don't know her like I do," she said firmly. "Raven and Qrow has had to fight for everything they ever had. She's just trying to survive in a world that doesn't care about her."
"Look, I don't want to argue," Kushina said, her voice even. "But I've seen the way she acts. The way she looks at people, it's like she's...calculating, always planning something."
Summer's gaze softened, and she reached out to take Kushina's hand in hers. "I know you're worried, and I appreciate that," she said gently. "But you have to understand, Raven's not like that. She's just...complicated. She's had a rough upbringing. She's just trying to find her place in the world."
Ruby wanted to scream out and tell her mother that her aunt was right. Her personal feelings aside, Ruby had first hand experience with the woman. Yet her own mother was too stubborn to realize the truth and was too busy seeing the good in people.
Namely the wrong people.
"I know you see the good in her, but all I see is the potential for disaster. What if she leads us into trouble?" Kushina asked, her voice filled with genuine concern.
Summer looked at Kushina with a gentle expression, understanding the protective instincts that fueled her skepticism. "I trust her, Kushina. I know she's not perfect, but she's not all bad either," she said calmly. "And if she's with us, that means she's going to help us. We're all we've got."
"I just don't get it," Kushina murmured. "Qrow, yes. He's got a heart of gold. But Raven... she's so... cold."
Summer's grip on her hand tightened. "Sometimes, people hide their true selves behind walls, Kushina," she said with a knowing look. "Raven's just built hers out of ice. But underneath, she's just as warm as the rest of us."
"I just hope that in the future you won't regret it, Summer." Kushina said genuinely.
Summer looked at her with a sad smile. "I know you mean well, Kushina," she said. "But you have to trust me on this one. Raven's not the enemy here."
Ruby watched as the two sat in silence and felt nothing but the sounds of urban nature. All the while the girl wanted to argue with her mother again as she could sense Kushina's concerns but like Kushina. Ruby didn't want to hurt her mother's feelings because being open minded and thoughtful is what made Summer an amazing person. At the same time, Ruby thought about Weiss who started off as a bitch given her own complexes and desire to reach perfection.
Ruby smiled at the thought of her best friend. Wondering if Weiss has thought about her at least once during her coma.
"I need to go. Thanks for listening." Summer said before got up and left.
"Anytime, Cousin." Kushina said.
Ruby wanted to reach out to her mother again and felt helpless being unable to do so. But then her anxiety was raised as she felt a presence.
"I know you're there." Kushina said.
Ruby then watched as Kushina turned her head and saw Raven Branwen step out of the shadows. If Ruby noticed any difference between Raven now versus when she saw her the last time. It was that Raven had an unreadable expression instead of that smug look on her face. Even then, Ruby just wanted to pummel Yang's incubator where she stood.
"I heard you, Kushina. Your opinion of me hasn't changed, I see." she said, her voice sounding cool and composed
"Why would it?" Kushina retorted, standing up to face Raven. "Everything I've seen of you screams 'trouble'."
Raven's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of amusement playing on her lips. "You're quite the judge, aren't you?" she said, crossing her arms. "You think you know me so well?"
"I know enough to be wary," Kushina replied firmly. "And if you hurt Summer, I'll make sure you regret it."
Raven's amusement faded, replaced by a hint of annoyance. "Your cousin is more than capable of making her own decisions," she said, her voice taking on a sharper edge. "I don't need your approval or your threats."
"And what if she makes the wrong one?" Kushina asked. "What if she gets hurt because she's too busy seeing the good in everyone?"
Raven's gaze was unwavering. "Then she'll learn," she said simply. "Just like we all do."
Ruby glared, 'Some people learn too late.' she thought.
"I really feel sorry for Qrow for growing up with someone like you being his sister." The Red head said.
Raven's face remained stoic, but there was a flicker of something in her eyes that Kushina couldn't quite read. "You know nothing about my family," she said, her voice low and dangerously calm.
"I know enough," Kushina said. "I know that you and Qrow have a complicated history. And between Qrow and you, I think Qrow is the only one who deserves Taiyang's and Summer's trust."
Raven's jaw clenched, but she remained silent. The tension between them was palpable, thick enough to cut with a knife. Kushina could see the anger simmering beneath the surface, but she wasn't about to back down.
"I don't trust you," Kushina repeated, her voice firm. "But maybe, just maybe, I'm wrong. Maybe Summer sees something in you that I can't."
Ruby then watched as Kushina quickly turned on her heel and left. Likely leaving before Kushina herself feels the desire to beat up Raven where she stands.
As she went, she threw over her shoulder, "I don't trust you, Raven. But I love Summer, and if she thinks you're worth it, then I'll give you a chance." It was a reluctant admission, one that tasted bitter on her tongue.
Raven's eyes followed Kushina as she walked away, the ghost of a smile playing on her lips. "I'll take that as a compliment," she murmured to herself, her voice carrying just enough to reach Kushina's ears.
Kushina stiffened, her hands curling into fists at her sides. She wanted to spin around and lay into Raven, but she knew it wouldn't solve anything. Instead, she clenched her teeth and kept walking.
"If I'm wrong and in the end you prove yourself to be the trash that I see you to be," Kushina called out, her voice carrying back to Raven, "then sooner or later you will pay for your actions. Whether it's at my hands or at someone else's, one day karma will catch up with you, Raven."
Ruby felt only more angry than satisfied as this dream ended.
'Aunt Kushina, you were more right than you realized. I just wished Mom knew sooner.' Ruby thought bitterly. 'But I'm still waiting on that Karma to arrive.'
Ruby had a new sense of respect for her aunt. Only regretting that she can never meet her again. She could hope that she would ask Naruto to let her visit Kushina's grave in the ruins of the Belmont home. So long as Naruto feels comfortable seeing the place again.
TO BE CONTINUED...
RWBY CHIBI
#1 - Ruby The Time Traveler
Summer flinched at the harshness in Kushina's voice. "It's not like that," she said defensively. "Raven's had a tough life. She's just misunderstood."
"Misunderstood? She's a selfish bitch, Summer. She's only out for herself." Kushina said
Summer's eyes flashed with a rare anger. "You don't know her like I do," she said firmly. "Raven and Qrow has had to fight for everything they ever had. She's just trying to survive in a world that doesn't care about her."
Ruby growled as she wailed around in her dream or wherever she was.
"Look, I don't want to argue," Kushina said, her voice even. "But I've seen the way she acts. The way she looks at people, it's like she's...calculating, always planning something."
Summer's gaze softened, and she reached out to take Kushina's hand in hers. "I know you're worried, and I appreciate that," she said gently. "But you have to understand, Raven's not like that. She's just...complicated. She's had a rough upbringing. She's just trying to find her place in the world."
That was the last straw and Ruby got so angry, she ripped a hole in the space time continuum.
"Raven's not misunderstood! She's an evil bitch!" she screamed.
Summer screamed in fright as she fell of the bench while Kushina drew her sword.
"Who are you!?" Kushina asked.
"I'm Ruby Rose and I'm from the future!" Ruby exclaimed before pointing at Summer. "And I'm her daughter and I can tell you that Raven is literally anything but a victim!"
Kushina sweat dropped while Summer was beyond confused.
"What? How? Who?" Summer asked.
"I see Kushina is not the only one who hates me." said a familiar voice.
Ruby turned around and snarled as she saw teen Raven.
"You bitch!" she yelled.
Raven drew her sword and arrogantly challenged Ruby to come at her. Which became her folly as Ruby bit her hand and turned into a Titan. Which made Raven drop her sword in shock at what she saw.
"What the h..."
Ruby proceeded to stomp on Raven. Doing so several times until she looked like roadkill. Which didn't go unnoticed as Taiyang and Qrow arrived.
"What the hell is that!?" Qrow asked.
"She says she's my daughter from the future." Summer answered.
"I guess my sister never fixed her attitude. She's so bad, she's got people from the future coming here to get their pound of flesh." Qrow said.
"Qrow, that's your own sister! Besides, I'm sure this is all some sort of strange misunderstanding." Summer said.
"I doubt it." Kushina said as Ruby reverted back.
Ruby then spat at Raven's broken body.
"That's for abandoning my dad and leaving Yang at birth!" she said.
"Either Tai is a bad husband or my sister failed as a parent." Qrow said.
"Wait, we're probably missing some context." Summer said.
Ruby the kicked Raven in the head, making her whimper.
"And that's for gaslighting Yang and leaving me in the woods to die!" she yelled.
"Summer, I don't wanna be rude and..."
"Okay, maybe Raven is aware of her actions. But what if we can-"
Ruby suddenly found a dump truck filled with manure and dropped it on Raven who screamed under the pile of crap.
"And that is for rigging the Oscars!" she added.
Summer began to cry, "Forget it, I was wrong!" she cried out. "Just give Raven the death penalty already!"
Taiyang sweat dropped, "That was quick."
Kushina just laughed, "Aw, I have such an amazing niece. I'm going to cherish her when she's born."
Ruby then began to flicker as time seemed to change. She then looked at everyone and waved at them.
"Bye Mom! Bye Aunt Kushina! Bye Uncle Qrow! Bye Dad!" she said.
"Wait, I'm her dad!?" Taiyang asked.
Kushina grinned as she brought her two friends together but then heard Ruby cry out.
"Oh crap! I just undid Yang's birth! NOOOOO!" Ruby screamed as she disappeared.
"Who's Yang?" Kushina asked.
In the Present
Naruto and the group were setting up dinner when Yang's face shape changed and as did the style of her hair.
"Yang, why do you look like Ruby with blonde hair?" Naruto asked.
"Huh!?" Yang asked.
Yang looked at her reflection in the lake and instantly became scared. She didn't find Summer or Ruby to be ugly but she wondered where the mutation came from.
As for Naruto, he got weirded out. Deep down, he started having feelings for Yang but didn't like the idea of kissing someone who looked like Ruby with a blonde wig. Especially now that Yang is his biological cousin and that would become a weird thing now.
'Life is unfair.' he thought.
"What the heck even happened?" Nora asked.
Chibi R0tatcid then appeared, "I can tell you what happened: Time Travel! Now here's a freebie, it's called a World of Remnant Secret!" he explained.
"Well sir, you explained nothing but we're happy to hear your secret." Jaune said as everyone listened closely.
Secret: Despite being a vastly different person compared to Raven. Weiss does share a certain trait with the woman. Like Raven, Weiss never wants to visit the baths or hot springs with her partner because she feels like her body is inferior. Only in Weiss' case, she's in an all girls team and is as flat as an ironing board.
Yang and Nora bursted out laughing hearing that. The latter only stopped and wondered where she got big boobs from if her own mother was secretly a flat chest like Weiss.
R0tatcid also chuckled, "Well, I hope everyone enjoyed that laugh and was patient enough for today's adventure. Next Time! Chapter 19: Trust!"