Deliverance

by Necramaeus

A split-second decision led to Raven's life crashing down around her. What was to be her fight for self-determination leads the young mother and her daughter at death's door, before an ancient savior comes to their rescue. Remnant screams in pain and anger, a never-ending cycle that must be broken! "You and me, Raven! We're going to fix this shitty world!"

6. Argus Bound

A/N: Ugh, I am so sorry it has taken this long! Life has been SO BUSY as of late. That final exam grind, focusing on a busy new job. There was just no time to properly sit down, been typing this up over the last 30 days.

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

---

"Bag? Check. Headband? Check. Yang? Check!"

The cheery blond man did a roll call on the important things he had, hoisting little Yang at the end who was giggling in his hands. All the while elderly Ren sat by the front counter of her inn, watching the duo with a warm smile. She tried to barter another night out of them but sadly it was no use, they were determined to head off. Of course, she was confused how about 4 people became 2 people. The blonde woman and the scruffy man had disappeared, and Naruto's explanation of 'Ninja Business' did nothing to satisfy her curiosity. Turning back to her with his hands on Yang, Naruto gave her a bright-eyed smile that even the patient Li found a little too bright for this hour of the morning.

"It's been a pleasure knowing ya, Granny. Hopefully we can swing back sometime and meet everyone again!"

"Of course, dearie. My doors are always open to you two. I am grateful you spent time with my grandson's family, they need to lighten up a little more."

The bashful rub across the back of his head and widening smile was all the old woman needed to see to know he enjoyed the night as well. It seemed something flicked across his mind, however, as Naruto's free hang suddenly dug into his coat as he hummed a noise, trying to find something before he dragged his hand back with a grin. A step towards the old woman, Li watched as he placed a square piece of paper down before her.

Her old eyes took in the ink that was painted across it, a solid circle was drawn in the centre of the paper with a thicker spiral that occupied its core. Outside the circle's border was symbols she didn't recognize that seemed to form 9 distinct columns around it. Her hand gingerly picked up the paper and it buzzed her skin, it felt… Strange, almost alive.

Looking up she saw Naruto's face with a confident smile as he placed his hand against his hip, the other still holding little Yang.

"I know it doesn't seem like much, but it's the only way I can pay you and those two back for your kindness. If anything happens to you or them, you grip this paper while pushing your aura into it. I promise you, something really cool will happen."

Granny Li could only furrow her brow as she studied it with her eyes moving back and forth between the man and his gift. It was strange, but the way it pulsed in her hands when she slowly filtered some aura into it told her that his words were genuine. The man just shook his head as he watched her try to activate it.

"Don't worry, no explosions, but it will be quite the surprise!"

The woman just placed it back down with a shrug, she'd give it to An for safe-keeping. She was about to ask him about it before they began hearing someone come down the stairs, the pair starting to turn as Naruto wore a huge grin.

"Well, well, well! Look who decided to wake… up?"

Gracing them with her presence, Raven stood at the base of the stairs. Her hair was a mess, poorly brushed and sticking out all over the place as she had just rolled out of bed. Her eyes were marked with dark bags, her pupils struggling to handle the light of the well-lit ground floor of the inn. Gone was her tattered old outfit that she wore, she had bought some replacement clothes yesterday. A simple pair of long black thermals covered her legs with a thigh-length black skirt that had a crimson-red trim along the edges, shin-high combat boots covering her feet. Around her torso was a white tank-top that was covered with a black half-robe tied across her stomach with a crimson sash. Her clothing was shuffled, her attempts to dress herself had not gone well and even her red cloth that she tied her hair up with was now wrapped around her neck as a warmer. She even sported a stunning bruise across her forehead, courtesy of when she finally passed out face-down on An's table.

The woman looked like she just went 5 rounds with an Ursa and lost.

"Oh hooo! Tough night dear? Naruto my boy, you need to go easier on her."

"Not this again, shut up Granny!"

Nothing came from Raven, eyes struggling to stay awake as her head pounded from the wine hangover. Going bottle-to-bottle with An was not the best idea and Raven was paying for it, her shaky vision barely taking in the bickering pair at the counter. The slow movement of her boot-clad feet was the only sound she made as she walked like a living corpse to the door but managed to stop before the smiling old woman's front desk, turning to look at her. Her hand slowly raised up and held it before Granny Li.

"Thank you for the hospitality." It was barely audible, and it came out completely devoid of emotion, but the old woman just nodded her head and used both hands to accept Raven's in an embrace, looking at her with amused eyes.

"My pleasure, dearie. It's my sincere hope that I can see you three again someday. Don't be a stranger for little old Kuroyuri." She responded as the raven-haired woman just gave her grunt, she wasn't sure if it was a positive or negative one, perhaps more of a neutral grunt. With that, Raven turned and kept marching as Naruto watched her leave with a chuckle. His head turned to face the old woman for the final time, reaching over to tap his hand on the paper that laid before her with the strange symbol.

"Don't forget this, okay! I know old people like you can have a lot of trouble when it comes to memory."

Her hand swiftly tossed the pen she held in a skilled flourish, watching it smack his stupid handsome face and bounce off somewhere onto her floors.

"Get out you mouthy little shi-"

---

Deliverance

---

"Phew! Got a little heated at the end there." Naruto's laughter filled the street as the trio made their way to the main gate, the morning light was still struggling to reach through the vast trees of Mistral as everything bore that cold early-morning hue to it. The blond turned his head to his companion to see her response but as expected, the extremely hungover woman didn't make a single sound as she walked next to him with her eyes peacefully resting shut. His brow dipped for a moment as he took the sight of her in. 'Is she actually sleep-walking right now?' Came his thought as he kept his gaze on her, the answer came when one of Raven's eyes opened and her cranky red orb locked onto his own.

"What?" Came her short, curt response.

Nope. Still awake. Still grumpy.

"Nothing, just making sure you're still awake. Don't worry, I swear on my shinobi honour that I won't bug you on the trip to our next town." He said as a peace offering to stave off the attitude, thankfully she seemed to have accepted it as she closed her eye and held her head forward just a touch, Naruto barely making out the appreciate grunt she gave. Naruto just exhaled and blew the two golden bangs from his face.

'Well, there goes any chance of interesting travel talk.' He thought dryly, wise enough to not poke this Maiden-powered bear when she was in such a state.

His thoughts were cut short as Naruto saw somebody waving at him from the gate, recognizing the purple-haired figure as she put her all into waving at the approaching trio. A grin stretching across his face, Naruto stepped up the pace as he began to make his way to the chipper An Ren who was waiting to see her new friends of.

He figured getting to An before she tried to hug Raven was the best option right now.

"An! Good morning, surprised to see you up and at 'em!" Naruto called out, able to pull a few meters ahead in front of the hungover Branwen who seemed to slow her gait tremendously. He figured she was preparing herself mentally for the two loud people she'd have to endure in her suffering state. He grinned even wider when An punched her fist into his shoulder playfully.

"Of course! I couldn't just let you two go without a goodbye. I think I did last night, but I am not sure how well it went." She said, tapping her chin as Naruto exhaled a little, coughing to clear his throat at the memory of pulling a distraught An back from Raven's blacked-out corpse.

'Nooooo! Sheee wants to shtayyyyy!'

"It was a very... heartfelt goodbye, but I am glad that we can do it again here." Naruto responded with a cheery smile, watching An perk up straight away as she matched his energy. A quick nod before she clapped her hands, her eyes shifting to Raven who finally joined them, coming to a rigid halt before the housewife. To his sincere surprise, Raven actually opened her eyes as she mustered a smile on her face, extending her hand forward as she did for Granny Li.

"Thank you, An." She began, the tired woman continuing once she had the willpower. "It was a fun night. I'm glad this scruffy idiot convinced me to go."

Naruto blinked a little, he wasn't even participating in the conversation and she found a way to get a jab in.

An however, didn't hesitate to step forward and encircle Raven in a hug. Raven clearly stiffened and An wasn't as energetic as she wanted to be, but they managed to make the embrace work. It made him feel some nice fuzzy feelings to see Raven accept a hug, even if her hands were putting in minimum effort to hold An's back.

"You two are welcome back anytime. We'll put you up, I will even fight Granny for that right." Hearing An say those words made the man perk up, remembering the gift he gave the older Ren woman. He didn't have time to make anymore, he had a small amount of chakra-flushed ink left and he had to make it count. At least until he could figure out how to make more.

"I gave something to Granny back at the inn, it's a neat thing. Go talk to her about it and figure out who wants it. It'll protect you when you need it, she'll explain the rest." He said, a weird cryptic response from the man but An just shrugged and nodded, responding with her wide smile.

"Sounds good! Now, you two… Three, sorry! Stay safe!"

The pair walked past the waving An as she stood by the opening gate to the town, watching them slowly cross the threshold as Naruto turned and waved back.

"No promises! You look after yourself An, same with Li and Lie!" He called out with a grin, pointing right at her as the woman only waved harder.

"Same to you! Oh, we can even let little Yang and Lie meet up! Wouldn't they make a cute couple!" Came her distant response, the woman stepping backwards as the doors shifted.

His vision of An Ren vanished as the huge wooden doors to the village swung shut once more as the two warriors and the baby followed the cobblestone pathway from the village and into the forest.

Naruto turned his head to look at Raven, surprised to see her returning his gaze as she watched him with intense eyes. No doubt waiting for her big comfy 'ride' to appear so she could finally drop all pretences and pass out into sweet unconscious bliss.

"I hope we can see them again."

The only response Naruto got was an approving grunt from Raven.

---

Deliverance

---

Stepping off the landed VTOL with a twist of her body, a white-cloaked woman turned back to her companion wearing a similar cloak, the late-morning sun hanging in the sky as the other half of team STRQ had just landed in Mistral. Summer turned and looked out across the expansive sea, peering back in the direction of Sanus, from where they started their journey in Vale. The large Mistralian town of Umida was both an aircraft hub and port city, the next step of their journey as they're finally in Mistral.

"Okay! Let's go get something to eat and strategize what we'll need to do! Qrow is MIA and we need to pick out our options. We don't even know where they might be, the Branwen tribe's last position was like, far south-east in those massive forests. Ugh, that's so far away!" Summer called out, hanging her head back enough to let her hood fall back, revealing her red-tinted hair as she looked to Taiyang.

Giving a sigh, the tanned blond just placed his hand atop Summer's head and gave her a reassuring pat.

"Don't worry, oh fearless leader, we'll figure something out. We always do." He smiled down at the shorter girl. Summer's eyes looked into his for a moment before she awkwardly shifted her gaze, pulling her hood back up to hide the heat she was feeling in her cheeks.

"Yeah… You're right." She said to herself, coughing into her hand a little to clear her throat and push down the blush. Spinning back to face him properly, Summer wore the brightest smile as she held out her fist to him. "Thanks Tai."

Team STRQ's brawler just pressed his fist into her own, bumping Summer's outstretched hand. Summer turned back, leading the way as the pair began to make their way down into the airport.

"I'm thinking something like ramen, or maybe pizza! Oooh, so many choices! I wonder what sort of foodchains they have in Mistral." Came her curious voice, Taiyang just shaking his head as the pair slowly entered the main terminal for the town's airport and prepared for the arduous process of checking in.

From the back, Taiyang didn't notice Summer's hand positioned before her, eyes looking down at her scroll that she finished from her pocket and immediately flicked it open to Qrow's address.

It had been a day already and no responses, not a single word back. Her finger scrolled along the vast string of unanswered messages to her wayward team mate.

'Qrow… Please be okay.'

She thought in a silent prayer, placing the scroll back into her pocket as they made it down the winding stairs and walked into the welcome terminal, greeted by an array of staff who were directing people. Thankfully being licensed Huntsman and Huntresses allowed them to skip a few needless check-ups.

Stepping up and wearing her best smile, Summer handed over her identification and Huntress license, putting on the happiest voice she could muster.

"Hello! Summer Rose, Huntress of Vale, Beacon. Here on official business!" Her eyes meet the distant eyes of the uniform-clad man who viewed her identification, seeing his brows raise.

"Oh, Hunters from Vale huh?"

The man raised his hand, and two matching staff from across the foyer immediately stood up from their chairs, looking at the duo from Vale and the checkpoint attendant.

Summer really didn't like how things were progressing in the span of a second.

"Ma'am, if you could step aside with us. We have some questions about your purpose here in Mistral."

"Oh, crap baskets…"

Taiyang watched as Summer turned to him for help as the two staff made their way to Summer, the blond man already seeing a pair of guards coming his way as well for the same issue. 'Seems like old grudges are still alive, even in this day and age.' He thought glumly as he knew this was going to hamper their travelling. Not even 5 minutes in and they were hitting a wall already.

Holding his head back and letting out a sigh, Taiyang could only think that somewhere on this continent… Raven was here. Was she scheming? Was she running?

'Knowing Raven, I am sure she's working on her next plan right now. Plotting something, always one step ahead…'

---

Deliverance

---

"URGGGGHHHHH!"

"That's it, let it all out. You'll feel better."

Hunched over the edge of a rock, positioned over a creek, Raven unloaded her agonized stomach that had been churned into a vomiting fit once they left Kuroyuri, The all-terrain fox ride only made it a thousand times worse. She was enduring one of the worst hangovers in her life, a wine hangover to boot, and her suffering just kept on going. One of Naruto's tails had wrapped around her hair and held it up, making sure it didn't flick forward during her heaves and retching, two other tails patting her along the back in an alternating rhythm as the 3-tail fox-form Naruto just shook his fearsome head, the edges of that massive teeth-filled maw creeping upwards.

"You know, this really takes me back to when I was younger. I remember doing this once for the pervy sage while he was going through the aftermath of a night out. Well, I didn't have the giant fox form obviously!" Naruto was talking, all the while Raven's form hugged the rock, her cheek resting against its cool surface as her stomach bubbled once more. It was clear she wasn't listening to a single word.

Leaning forward, the large muzzle and gleaming slitted eye of the Fox slowly crept into her vision from the side, checking in to see how she was doing once her recent expulsion had settled down. Her face was a mess, bile and worse running down her chin while her tear ducts were joining in on the action, leaking down her cheeks as her eyes looked glassy and unfocused. There was even a lone strand of hair that had somehow caught in her lips.

"Feeling bett- "

"Urrk-HURRRRGGHHH!" Raven's form sharply heaved forward, contractions forcing her to body-slam against the rock as she expelled more of her stomach's meagre contents in the babbling brook below.

"That's a no."

---

Deliverance

---

Pulling on his jacket and shouldering his bag once more, Taiyaing left the side-room that was set up for questioning to spot a grumpy Summer hunched over, rifling through her back to make sure she had everything. It wasn't the best start to their time in Mistral, but a targeted search of their belongings wasn't the worst that could happen. It was just another day that the plucky members of team STRQ took on the chin.

"Come on Summer, you'll feel better after we've eaten."

And like that, Summer's mood flicked back up in an instant, her eyes wide and glassy at the mere mention of food. The motion so fast that her hadn't even settled yet before her mouth hung open.

"W-What? Food? Waffles?!"

Her hands tensed as her previously heavy sack immediately lifted with her arms slipping through the straps, grinning ear to ear. Her hand reached forward and took Taiyang's and yanked. Dragging him towards the large glass entrance doors of the airport as the young Huntress dragged the brawler along. Her previous foul mood cleared as the mere thought of a stacked pair of waffles with syrup was already inspiring her.

The duo sped through the airport as Summer's insistence caused them to pick up continuous speed, the brawler's resistance being the only thing keeping Summer Rose from breaking out into a full sprint.

"S-Summer! I am glad you're chippered up, but can we slow down a bit! I really don't want to rush down the stairs like this!"

"Nonsense Tai! We'll just get to the bottom faster if we trip!"

The pair almost launched out of the entrance of the building as Summer dragged him along, the fresh coastal breeze greeting them as Tai's and Summer's cloak blew back and revealed their faces. Summer didn't bat an eye, her hand wrapped within Tai's as she was grinning ear to ear. Even with his life in peril, Taiyang couldn't stop the smile across his own face as they precariously raced down the large staircase that led down into the layered coastal city, massive native Mistral trees breaking up the unending view of homes and buildings.

His eyes sweeping out across the bay that the town surrounded, all forms of ships coming in and out as a seabirds all flew above. It was a view he could fall in love with, the unending view of the ocean was the main reason he planned to build his home on Patch after all.

Excitement bubbled in his gut at the thought of his own house, the plans he had for this cabin kept him up at night. His grin widening across his face, energy causing his step to really bounce as he began to gain to Summer.

The axe-wielding Huntress turned back, noticing Tai was now almost in-line with her as their hands squeezed together, rushing down the stairs into the bustling port city. A strange excitement filled the pair as they seemed to forget their mission, if only for a few hours, and began to enjoy themselves.

"Ooh Tai! Tai! Right there! I bet there is a bunch of food places down there." Summer declared and Taiyang didn't need to be told twice as the laughing pair made their way into the town proper, racing past the random pedestrians who barely took notice of a pair of laughing weirdos, it was just another regular day in a main trade-hub like Umida.

There were faster ways of public transport down to the harbour but the pair of Beaconites were happy to take the scenic route. A seaside town was always to be enjoyed.

Only half an hour of their time was wasted taking in the sights before the pair found themselves stepping onto a pier stretching into the bay, it had a number of small restaurants lining it on one side. It was a quieter section of the waterfront so hopefully, there would be less chance of a kerfuffle. They kept walking until Summer stopped, her eyes taking in the exact place she wanted. It had those familiar drapes at the entrance, it was a ramen shop!

"This one! Look at it!"

Rushing to the threshold of the open-entrance restaurant, Summer immediately let out a cry of joy as the smell of fresh broth washed across her face. Wasting no time, she yanked Taiyang in as the pair sat themselves down on the available seats before the chef.

The man had huge bushy eyebrows that covered his eyes, stroking his lengthy chin-strap beard that ended with a fine point, he simply nodded to the pair. Summer and Taiyang already picking up the menus as he began to speak.

"Welcome, welcome. How may I hel-"

"I'll have the butter ramen, extra-large! With an extra miso on the side, oh and the deep-fried chicken! And some of this tempura as well! Oh, and also-!"

Taiyang stretched his back with a grin as Summer ordered most of the menu, the chef nodding with each order as his pen furiously scratches on the notepad that seemed to be lengthening as Summer kept speaking. Taiyang reached into his pocket and placed his scroll down, intending to keep his eyes on it for the chance that Qrow contacts them.

He knew the man was still kicking. Both he and Raven were hard to put down, training every morning with the pair taught him that. The blond instinctively rubbing his hands at the memory of aching wrists and forearms.

"And that's me! Tai, you're up."

Blinking as Taiyang returned to reality, his eyes flicked to the chef who wore a heavy sweat across his brow, the sheet of paper for Summer's order was more like a royal decree at this point.

"Just an extra-large, extra-spicy miso ramen. Pork added as well, please."

The chef sighed in relief and just nodded, scribbling the man's gracefully small order onto the very top of Summer's sheet as he turned around and immediately got to work, his hands darting around at lightning speed to grab pots and pans, banging them all over the open stove-tops while he worked his culinary magic.

Taiyang turned his head to Summer and saw her looking down at her scroll, both of them unable to stop checking for a sign or sound from their scruffy team member. A moment of silence had settled over the pair, not including the frenzy of chopping and grating that happened before them.

"It's not… Normal for him to be this late on updates, right?" Came Summer's worried voice, her silver eyes looking to Tai's purple in worry.

Shaking his head, Taiyang patted his hand against Summer's shoulder and shook her a little.

"Stop worry. He's fine. Qrow, and Raven for that matter, wouldn't go down without taking half of Remnant with them. Those two are tough as nails." He assured her, Summer watching him for a moment before she gave a nod and turned back to the one-man show happening before them.

"You're right. Sorry. I bet he's just drunk and passed out, too lazy to check in." Summer grumbled as she placed her hands atop her scroll and went to move it before, suddenly, she felt it vibrate in her hands.

Her head tilted down immediately, her eyes widening as a funny little tune began to drift out of her scroll. The picture of a sleeping Qrow hanging upside down from a couch greeted her eyes, realising it was a call! Her hands grabbed the scroll and brought it to her ear, almost smacking herself from the force of her excitement to answer.

"Hello! Qrow! It's you right?! Please tell me that its you!"

Taiyang's attention was on her, turning in his seat to face the woman as she spoke into the scroll. Her eyes looking around in the air vacantly, clearly focused on the words she's hearing.

"Qrow… It's good to hear your voice. Why didn't you report in? You're in big trouble mister!"

Taiyang heard some form of response on the return, and given how quickly it was happening, Qrow was doing his best to explain why he was late without getting on Summer's bad side.

"Geez, you really had us worried! What's the big idea for all this dead air, huh?" Summer asked, leaning against the scroll a little as Taiyaing watched, seeing Summer's eyes react to the words being spoken to her through the device.

"Whoa, really?" She spoke, listening in on her team mate as he hastily filled her in. The conversation went on for another few seconds as Summer nodded, Taiyang watching on the edge of his seat.

"Oh, okay. That's weird..." Another pause as he heard the muffled words from her scroll continue, before Summer responded again. "Actually? The whole thing?" Summer looking pensive as she heard Qrow's side of things. "And then what happened?" She asked, nodding her head as she hummed.

"And it came off… Just like that? You'd think something that big would stick better."

Taiyang blinked, tilting his head as Summer's eyes were clearly filled with interest, taking in the story that her teammate was telling her. Her eyes flicked to Tai's for a moment, lifting her brows up and down to him in a show of interest.

'This better be a good damn story.' The blond thought in annoyance.

"Well clearly, they'll have to go get a bigger boat! It isn't your fault that their nets got caught like that."

Taiyang hung his head back in annoyance. No, their scruffy teammate was just feeding more bullshit again.

"Summer. Give me that." Tai said, his hand grabbing the Scroll from Summer's surprised hands as he placed the device against his head, clearing his throat.

"Qrow, talk to me. Where are you, what's going on?"

For a moment nothing, then came through Qrow's gruff voice.

"What, I was just telling our gracious leader what the situation was. You interrupted me."

"Yes, I am sure the story of the boat is integral. Qrow, where are you?"

Silence came through for a moment, Taiyang narrowing his eyes as he heard Qrow clear his throat for a moment before he then spoke, that rough voice filling his ear.

"…Higanbana. I had to go dark for a day or so due to some nasty activity from the big bad witch. I've been on Raven's ass though. She's nearby, but I don't know how long she'll be around, I believe she's heading to Shion. Able to meet me there?"

Taiyang felt his heart skip a beat. Qrow had a run in… With Salem?

"Yeah, of course. We'll be heading out immedia-"Taiyang felt a burning gaze on him, his eyes flicking to the chef who was in the middle of using half of his stock on Summer's order, the fury burning in his eyes was one that Taiyang wasn't prepared to deal with.

"As soon… As we possibly can, once we've finished business in Umida…" Taiyang finished carefully, the chef nodding as he went back to cooking.

A cough from Qrow was his response, clearing his throat.

"Sounds good to me. I'll make it to Shion and wait for you guys there, let me know how you track."

And then the line went dead, Qrow hung up.

Summer's eyes peered at Taiyang, hungry for information. The blond turned to her, their eyes locking.

"Qrow had a nasty run in, one he had to go to ground for." Summer's eyes widen, there was a few meanings to that, all of them not great for a lone Hunstman out in Mistral.

"Good news, he's fine. Bad news, he's a while away. We're going to meet him at Shion, no idea where that is though."

But to their surprise, the chef turned back to them. His hand holding a massive bowl as he swirled it while boiling water swished about inside to heat the porcelain object.

"Shion? It's North-East of Umida, you can take the train line out to it. Be about 2 to 3 hours, provided no Grimm are nappin' on the rails. It's a bit wild out there though."

The man's words made both members of STRQ lean in, clearly interested.

"Shion is on the cusp of bandit country, so you should be fine. But going closer east, heading to Mistral City, you'll be up to your neck in scum trying to rob you at every point. Mistral has given up trying to patrol or police it, a kind and generous act to all the villages out there." He growled with a sharp spit into the sink, before he followed it up with the boiling water being poured out.

Placing the steaming bowl before Taiyang, the chef then began heaping all the components of his ramen into it, the blood-red stew that visibly sizzled told him all he needed to know about the spice level.

It was how he liked it.

"Thanks, we appreciate that. Never really been to Mistral, so we're wet behind the ears with this stuff."

A nod from the bushy-browed man as he placed the thick helping of noodles into the bowl, his hand deftly topping it up with the extras before two thick, juicy cuts of pork were gingerly placed into the bubbling brew.

"North and West Mistral, you'll be fine. South and East though?" He clicked his tongue, placing the utensils for Taiyang. "That's the shit part of Mistral, pardon my language."

He turned back, his hands flying about as he began assembling the totality of Summer's order for her.

The silver-eyed woman looked at Taiyang, resting her chin against her hands, a sigh escaped her lips while she thought about the distance they'd have to travel.

"We're going to be in Mistral for a while, I just know it." She replied glumly, already missing her tiny apartment in Vale. A bowl of steaming fried chicken was suddenly placed before her.

"Yeah, I know. I got a house that's ready to be built on Patch, I wanted to start it in a few months but damn, who knows when we'll be out of Mistral." Another bowl was then placed before Summer, tempura shrimp.

"Oh yeah, your house on Patch! That sounds nice. I've never been to Patch, but I heard its lovely." Summer said, thinking of how nice it'd be to live on a rural little spot like that. A plate of soft, steaming pork dumplings soon slid to the left of Summer.

"Oh, really? I need to show you. I got some land out in the forests, it's secluded and has a decent population of veteran Hunstman, not many Grimm issues to be had." He said with a positive grin, his vision blocked for a moment as a mountain of rice, heaped in a bowl, was placed between the pair.

"That sounds great! Maybe I might move to Patch as well. Vale isn't really what I thought it'd be when I wanted a city apartment. A big house in the woods, now that sounds dreamy." She said with a happy sigh, a long plate of Takoyaki was slowly placed down between her other bowls.

"Ahh… Summer. Just, uh, just how much food did you get?" Taiyang asked, his eyes looking at the damn feast that was being presented before the girl, the seat next to her had zero room as a few dishes took it up. Summer only blinked as she sat up and realised, she had food before her. A huge bowl was soon placed down right before her, the only room left, as the chef began constructing the ramen she ordered.

"Oh come now! We're both hungry, this is fine!" Summer waved him off as she picked up a pair of chopstick and immediately flicked them into action, unable to decide which food to pick apart first.

"This isn't even half her order." Came the chef's quiet response to Taiyang's previous question.

As Taiyang picked up a great helping of his spicy ramen and pull it into his mouth, he saw the chef scribble something down on a piece of paper and place it before him, sliding it to him.

"By the way, this is the bill. I figured it was a kind courtesy to tell you it now, if you wanted to stop her going for seconds."

His eyes flicked over the number of Lien owed and immediately began coughing, the spice washing over his tongue as noodles almost went down the wrong hole.

"H-How much?!" Taiyang asked aloud, looking at the amount of Lien then back to a smiling, humming Summer as she enjoyed the spread of food. Sighing to himself, Taiyang leaned over and staked his chopstick through a Takoyaki ball and lifted it back, taking a bite.

"Ooh, Tai? You want to try shuume?" Summer asked, her mouth filled with rice and chicken.

"No Summer, just making sure I eat enough so I don't feel robbed when you start pleading to go halves in the bill." Summer was lucky she picked almost everything in the menu, if she stacked nothing but protein like Raven always did, then she'd be handling this monster bill on her own.

"Try this! It's good!"

He blinked, suddenly seeing a pair of chopsticks approach his lips, Summer's face bearing a huge smile as she as brings him a piece of fried chicken and guides it to him.

"Go on, say ahh!"

Taiyang blinked for a second before he complied, opening his mouth as Summer happily sat the food inside and watching him chew it. Satisfied he enjoyed it, she turned back and began attacking the plate of tempura.

Accepting the chicken with a muffled thanks, Taiyang kept chewing, his eyes taking in the happy form of Summer as she dug into the feast.

'Hmm… Maybe it won't be so bad, just the two of us.'

Came a rogue thought from the man, his chopsticks digging through some rice. Even with everything going on, and all the mess that came from this political shitstorm they were dealing with, he was able to appreciate one thing.

Summer had a cute smile.

---

Deliverance

---

The sun had been steadily raising into the sky as Naruto, shouldering Raven against him while one arm held little sleeping Yang, walked through the threshold of the large lake-side town that his unconscious companion had informed him about while dealing with her deteriorating state. Thankfully the town had a very simple layout, the blond man easily able to see the array of piers down below with multiple ferry-boats of various side all docked up.

His tails hidden and the only signs of his 'special' status are his signature whisker marks across his cheeks, he had to agree with Raven's opinion that running around with all his tails out would only cause trouble and questions.

As much as he loathed to hide them, he still had little idea about how this new world worked.

'Better to blend in with the crowd than parade with all the tails out. Knowing my luck, some 9-tailed Faunus exclusively threw babies into a pit and I'll get put in with him' Naruto thought amusingly to himself, walking with the slumped Raven as they made they way down the descending main road. The large gates closing behind him in the distance, defended just like Kuroyuri was.

Seems like every town in Mistral had high walls and guards at every corner. Was this what the world was now, patches of civilisation while nature ran wild and mean outside the walls? More thoughts for Naruto to grumble on while he supported the comatose woman on his shoulder.

It didn't long before he was approaching was looked like the entrance to the Ferry, the only problem was that there was multiple piers and boats while Naruto had zero clue where they were going. He knew Argus, sure, but did any of these boats go directly to Argus? Was it possible or did he have to get off and walk more?

"Gah! Come on Raven, wakey wakey!" He called out, shaking her as she hung across his shoulder, her groans barely audible as she refused to wake up.

"Nyeeeeghh…!" Came the grunting response from Raven, her body swaying about as he tried to rouse her.

Unknown to the blond, a pair of eyes watched him from a distance. Filled with amusement as the blond man shook the woman on his shoulders while balancing the baby in his arms, an unusual sight for these parts.

"Raven! Damn it, ugh!"

She wasn't going to be any help to him in this situation, he was going to have to go against his own code as a man and ask... For directions.

He looked to his left and then to his right, gazing around the town as people went about their business. Nobody was sparing him a glance, nothing that he could use as a means to hook a conversation to ask for directions. If anything, people were doing their best to avoid eye contact with him!

"This is such a pain…!" Naruto grunted to the heavens.

As he looked around, the man's visible confusion and grumbling eventually bore him fruit as the single viewer who had been watching him with amusement finally began to move, a figure making their way towards the blond gripping his hair with one hand, balancing Raven while his other held Yang. Thudding feet eventually stopping behind Naruto as a deep voice reached his ears.

"Excuse me, are you perhaps lost?"

"You better... Believe... It..."

Turning with a grin, Naruto tried to speak but his eyes were greeted by a robed chest. Blinking, he slowly craned his head up as he looked at the 7ft robe-clad man standing before him, both his olive-toned hands resting by his sides as the smiling face of this unknown figure greeted him.

"…Sweet Kami you're huge…"

Naruto said under his breath, taking in the sight of the dark olive-toned man who stood above Naruto. A smile across his face, bald head cleanly shaved with piercing golden eyes staring at him. The figure was draped entirely in a dark-green robe with just his large hands and kind face being visible but even then, the sheer broadness of the man's shoulders and his controlled stance told Naruto that this guy could throw a serious punch. The unknown man visibly quirked a brow at the speech, tilting his head.

"I can't say I have ever heard of that word before … That's a new one." He began, before his head aligned itself once more as the man's golden eyes took Naruto in warmly. "My offer still stands, stranger, Are you in-need of assistance?" The golden eyes of the stranger took the groaning Raven and sleeping Yang in, but he didn't show any hostility or ill-intent.

"Uhh, yeah… Yeah, I am! I'm looking for the boat that takes me to Argus, or near Argus… Argus-adjacent?" Naruto asked, watching the stranger nod his head and without any hesitation, raised his hand and directed him at one of the larger boats at a pier, the queue wasn't that long.

"That boat will drop you on the far side of this grand body of water, Matsu, at a small town, Mikro. After that, it'll be your own trustworthy feet taking you to Argus, friend." The man said, nodding his head at Naruto as the whiskered blond took the information in. The giant of a man continued. "I will actually be boarding the same vessel, so I don't mind providing assistance with your… Family baggage." He finished, his face grinning at his own wordplay.

"Sounds great to me! I was worried I would have to try and figure out how to buy tickets as well!" Naruto beamed out as he began to shuffle his cargo, wanting to offer his hand to the man but realised it wasn't going to work. One hand still holding Yang, the other holding Raven, he was stuck.

"I'd really want to give you a handshake or a fist bump as a proper greeting, but I am a little stuck. My name is Naruto Uzumaki, I appreciate your assistance!"

The towering man just nodded as held his arm out, gesturing for Naruto start walking before him as the towering darker-toned man smiled.

"Altin." The towering man replied, a curt bow of his head, before continuing. "It has always been my way to offer a helping hand. You are in need, so it is my pleasure to render assistance." Altin finished with another bow, his upper body lowering for a moment in a show of humility before he rose back up.

"Come, let us board. It is still early, but the better cabins may not have all been taken yet." He said, his hand reaching over as he single-handedly relieved Naruto of Raven, hoisting her up before placing the woman across his own shoulder, securing her as he began walking.

Naruto just blinked at the sudden action, but he didn't sense a lick of negativity from the man. His aura was calm and placid, like a tranquil ocean, he felt himself relax a little simply by being near the towering man. Shrugging a little, he adjusted little Yang who was still out of it and walked with the man, the pair of men approaching the pier as they lined up.

The queue wasn't that long, but looks can be deceptive.

"I really hope this doesn't take too long…" Naruto said to himself, looking ahead at the agonizing sight of someone ruffling through their many bags for the ferry ticket. He pulled and tore open one bag, emptying his stuff out, before he moved onto another. The ticket master resting their chin atop their fist, clearly unamused. Naruto felt his patience slip in real-time as they began to search the same bags over and over.

"I swear… The ticket was in here somewhere!"

Naruto's groan filled the air, Altin chuckling at the scene. Slowly, the giant leaned in to whisper with a happy tone.

"Never a dull moment in Mistral."

Naruto's head turned, his eye raised at Altin's innocent comment, the man's face serene as he stood patiently. The blond blinked to himself as he turned his head back to the slow, boring scene of a paper's checking before them.

"Uh, sure. Yeah. I don't know how I will contain my excitement." He said dryly, Altin didn't make a comment, his face still wearing that patient smile, but a low pained groan from Raven slowly exited her exhausted body. Naruto couldn't stop the grin on his face at the sound she made.

"Yeah, I feel the same way Raven, don't worry."

---

Deliverance

---

"Aaaaaaand down we go!"

Naruto's cheerful voice filled the cabin as he hunched forward and rolled Raven onto the bed, her thick black hair covering her face as the woman's groans were the only thanks he got for finally delivering her to a stationary bed.

Rising back up, the whiskered man turned to a smiling Altin, his knees half-bent while he hunched forward to fit through the doorway of the cabin. Yang was in his giant hands, a curious coo sounding out as her little hands tried to pat and feel the huge ones that were keeping her safe.

"Thanks for carrying Raven onboard, once we get some food and water in her I bet she'll make a full recovery. Right Raven?"

"Urrrrrgggh…"

"See, right as rain!"

Altin nodded his head and shook the man off, reaching forward to hang Yang back over to Naruto. He slowly moved down into a squat, his powerful form still filling the doorway as the giant man rested his back from all the hunching.

"Thanks again for your help Altin, you rescued my confused ass back there."

The bald man shook his head, hand resting atop his knee while the other gripped the doorway to steady himself from the boat's natural sway.

"Not a problem at all. I'm grateful for any chance to help someone in need."

Naruto sheepishly rubbed his warming cheek at the blatant admission of selflessness. Is this how people felt when he came in and saved their asses, just for the sake of saving people? He almost felt like he needed to give the towering man something to make up for it.

"Well, tell you what. I'm sure there is food somewhere on this boat, I can at least treat you. I think there is enough money on this thing?"

Naruto asked, waving the Lien credit-chit before his eyes, the unassuming black rectangle just paid for their tickets by tapping. They didn't have anything like this back in the Elemental Nations.

'Miracles of modern progress I guess…' He thought before he turned his attention back to Altin who had raised himself back up, head and torso hunching forward as he smiled earnestly at Naruto.

"I don't want to impose… But a warm meal right now sounds divine. Will your wife be okay to be left alone in this state?"

Naruto coughed from the sudden line from Altin, his eyes bugging for a second. A question of genuine concern but the title sent his mind in for a spin.

"Whoa whoa whoa! You can't be throwing words of that calibre around like that! What if Raven heard you? I would say more… Comrades-in-arms against the world…?"

Naruto said in a shaky tone, his mind scrambling for a better collection of words to describe his and Raven's 'relationship' at this stage. His eyes went wide for a second, head turning to the little bundle of joy that was laid nearby, happily snoozing.

'Blonde baby… Blond man… Obvious mother…!' Naruto thought briskly, realising how suspicious it would look to be denying this relation over and over, the trio of them looked like a family on the run! Denying such an 'obvious' connection was going to draw way more attention than if he just agreed that they were in a relationship.

He'd have to talk to Raven once she was more approachable, they'd need to come up with a suitable story. Addressing Raven as his 'wife', especially if this was going to be the common assumption by everyone they met, was going to get very old, very fast.

She was a beautiful woman, don't get him wrong, but Naruto Uzumaki just got his freedom! He wasn't ready to be chained down, especially in a fake marriage!

Turning his gaze back, he half-expected Altin to be viewing him with suspicion or humour, but the man's face was simply neutral. A serene smile moved across the bald man's lips once again.

"Ah, that explains it. You both carry yourselves as warriors, it was my mistake to assume you must've been bonded as well."

Without even batting an eye, Altin pushed himself back and up as he tried to fit in the compact hallway, head and chest craned downwards as he began to move, his body lowering to show his calm face in the doorway once again.

"I believe the galley is this way, I hope they have some variety. Bread and rice have been a joy, but I am ready to experiment further."

And with that, Altin moved away from the door as his thudding footsteps collided with the metal flooring of the boat, bouncing off the walls with each towering step as Naruto simply stood there in the cabin, his brain processing how quickly the calm man accepted his lie.

'Huh, maybe I am just overthinking things…' Came the thought, Altin seemed like a solid guy. Maybe these last few days with Raven had been brushing off on him and he viewed everyone with suspicion. A shuffling sound behind him drew his attention and roused him from his thoughts.

Turning back, Naruto grinned down at Raven who was shifting onto her side, those groggy crimson eyes staring at him as she was clearly trying to adjust her vision. He pulled his hand up and formed a fist, raising his thumb up while he began walking back towards the doorway, backstepping with that annoying grin across his face.

"Everything's all good. We're on the ferry and on the right boat, I got some help." He said, seeing her blink slowly. No response, so he kept going. His thumbs up shifted as he deftly flicked his hand and produced the lien card between his index and middle finger. "I'm going to go check out the food situation, want me to bring you back anything?"

Raven slowly leaned back, adjusting herself so that she was laying properly on the bed while she shifted her legs to not disturb the sleeping baby. She was silent for a moment, eyes closed, before her haggard voice came out.

"…Soup."

Already backstepping over the doorway threshold, he reached across and began closing the door, giving her a wink.

"You got it, soup and water for the hung-over Maiden!"

The door closing shut thankfully cut off the oncoming cursing that was travelling out of Raven's exhausted body. Turning away from the door, Naruto began making his way down the hall and towards wherever Altin had gone to. He was certain he'd be able to find the man, given his monolithic height. Sage, he'd probably hear Altin walking around from a floor above or below.

"Ahh, Naruto! Come, our feast awaits."

Sure enough, Altin was waiting patiently in the larger compartment area, arms folded before him as he smiled at his new blond friend exiting the cabins. He turned as Naruto drew closer, extending one of his massive hands to clap it upon his shoulder.

"Great news, I have been told that we are blessed with chicken, fish and pork. I cannot hold my excitement." Came the neutral but simmering voice of the gentle man, an underlying tone of actual excitement made Naruto grin and shake his head as they made their way through the ship, eyes drawn on the eye-catching pair of men.

The whiskered blond just shook his head for a moment before he craned his neck to look Altin in the eyes with amusement.

"Well, its good to know that the easiest way to get your help is to promise a feed." As the words left his mouth, Naruto couldn't help but feel the irony about the situation once again, given how he'd fight a war if it meant unlimited ramen for a month.

Altin took it in stride, his smile widening while his golden eyes gleamed at Naruto with joy.

"I am a simple man, Naruto. Across all the continents on Remnant there is nothing I enjoy more, than a free meal."

Naruto's laughter filled the corridor that walked down, his hand coming up and clapping atop Altin's on his shoulder as a form of solidarity. The idea of a free meal had driven Naruto beyond his limits before, this man was one of his people.

"You know I really can't argue with that logic! Let's go raid this galley dry."

As they drew closer to the promised land of food, the whiskered blond couldn't help but enjoy the sense of tranquillity that fell over him once again. After untold millennia, he was able to enjoy the simple things once again and he would never pass up the chance to spend it with good company. Everything he once took for granted was now that much richer with his newfound freedom.

Within a few minutes, they crossed the threshold into the galley where their eyes were greeted by a wondrous sight. Both men stood still, eyes focused on the buffet table that stretched from wall to wall at the far side of the room, a few people already gingerly filling their plates while behind the spread, one could see into the kitchen where a few chefs continued to prepare refills for the buffet.

Naruto had to blink for a few moments before he turned and slowly walked to a nicely-dressed man in a fine vest and business pants, two horns atop of his head boldly showing his status as a Faunus. His weary eyes looking at Naruto as he approached, unsure if this was going to be another frustrating encounter or not. His eyes focused on the whiskered marks on the blond's cheeks, giving him small hope this wasn't going to be another abusive encounter.

"Yes, may I help you sir?" The Faunus asked cleanly, with an underlying tone of exhausted annoyance.

Naruto turned back to the buffet table but held Qrow's lien chit up with some small confusion, his head swinging back to look at the bull-horned Faunus. Altin slowly making his way behind Naruto, dutifully staying silent and letting his paying benefactor speak.

"Aah… Sorry, I am kinda new to this, but where do I pay for the food?"

The Faunus stared at him in silence for a moment, eyes narrowing just a second before he realised, the blond was being serious.

"Ahh, good sir, you paid with the ticket. This Ferry is one of our more premium vessels in the fleet, there is no a-la-carte ordering."

Naruto blinked at the weird word being thrown at him, a moment of silence before the Faunus cleared this throat to re-iterate.

"It's all you can eat."

Naruto's eyes widened as he slowly, but surely, craned his head to lock eyes with the towering Altin behind him, the man's own golden eyes carrying an intensity as his adjusted his gaze from the Faunus attendant to Naruto.

"H-Hehe…"

Then, a laugh came out of Naruto, followed by Altin, as the pair alternating with their laughs before they pressed against each other and began laughing in earnest, drawing some confused eyes while they kept shoulder bumping each other.

The bull Faunus employee couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine, this wasn't a good sign.

---

Deliverance

---

"Come on Tai! The station is over here, let's get to it!"

Summer's cheery voice rang out over the courtyard as Taiyang slowly made his way after his team leader, hand resting on his stomach from the food he had to force down. His eyes looking in disbelief as Summer was bouncing on the spot, cheering him to be quicker. He had no idea how the hell she could move after eating just as much as he did!

"I'm coming Summer! Just… Give me a minute, please…" He wheezed to himself, arriving at the stairs. He looked up them in horror, ending up on a grinning Summer as she waved at him from the top of the 30-step stairs.

"Oh sweet Oum have mercy…" He moaned as he slowly raised his foot and began the ascent.

"Come on Tai! Qrow is waiting for us, we've only got 45 minutes until the train arrives! Not long until it's at the station!"

"Summer, this IS the station!" Came Taiyaing's manic response, his stomach in agony; almost ready to burst, as he awkwardly shuffled up the stairs to chase after her.

"Let's go! 1-2 1-2 1-2 1-2!"

"Summer!"

Eating that much and still being able to jump and zip around as she did, Summer was not natural. Taiyaing refused to believe anyone could fit that much in them and not be a black-hole in disguise.

---

Deliverance

---

Standing in a loose formation around the galley, natives of Mistral and visitors alike stood watching in awe at the scene taking place at the buffet spread provided by the ferry. One woman lifted her hand over her mouth at the raw carnage being displayed before her.

"Get some of this, its really good!"

"I shall! But first I must insist you taste this duck; the crispy texture is divine!"

Standing around like deities before an altar, as if made entirely for them, Naruto held one of the serving bowls for a fried rice mix. It was the entire serving bowl, meant for the entire boat's worth of customers, but here he was holding it with a single hand below while he deftly swooped with his other hand, chopsticks snagging and abducting any meat or vegetables foolish enough to be in his sight. The feast from the night before had made Naruto realised how deep his hunger for real food had been.

Cup noodles wasn't going to fix this by any measure, not anymore. Each bite and chew he did only deepen his stomach's demands for more, to match the countless decades of hunger he had experienced.

Altin stood beside him, the towering man was drawing more eyes than Naruto as his hand held a similar bowl of plain steamed rice, but his other hand wielded a serving spork like a harpoon as he drove it down and pierced entire section of fried duck before lifting it up, his lips parting to almost engulf the succulent duck in a single bite as he tore the flesh from the crispy skin.

Years of traveling from Vacuo across Remnant, through raging seas and scoring heat, had left the nomadic man with a repressed appetite with years of fasting under his belt. Moderation had always been his virtue, keeping himself calm and collected while never imposing on others, only eating what he needed to make it through the day. It was how he had been raised in the expansive dune seas of Vacuo.

That was until he was provided a buffet, provided by lien he had earned and paid with. There was no sense of imposing or guilt he felt, not when he was able to taste crispy duck and then reach a few inches across for the spiced pork belly. To share it with a new friend only enriched the meal in Altin's eyes.

As spiced pork vanished into his chewing mouth, the man staked the serving spork into a sizeable piece of duck and then placed it atop Naruto's bowl, all the while the blond did the same as he swooped for some seared chicken and placed Altin's serving rice bowl. They didn't even need to speak at this point, both men on the same wavelength as they gifted each other with food they recommended to try.

A few meters away stood the attendant, his arms folded behind his back as he watched the two men demolish the buffet table, his eyes slowly moving across to see the sweating chefs firing everything on all cylinders, flicking woks of rice and placing entire trays of meat onto the grill. They were being put through their paces for once.

His eyes scanned back across the customers who were watching in a mix of awe and horror at the display before them. Technically, these men weren't doing anything wrong.

"Nowhere in the charter does it state that they couldn't take the plates off the table, and they aren't exactly blocking people from reaching the entire table…"

He said, watching the brave few step up and work around the duo, who seemed to pull back and let the other people snag a piece or two before descending back down upon the helpless food. He should really step in to help, lighten the workload on the kitchen and all that.

But then he remembered the head chef and his words about his Faunus traits, so he happily shrugged his shoulders and just watched the duo force those assholes in the kitchen to earn their paycheck.

"I'll give them 10 more minutes."

Thankfully the raging duo eventually calmed down as they loaded up their bowls, with an additional few now in-hand, as they walked across and took a seat at a vacant table. As if a red light had gone to green, the rest of the customers soon swarmed into the devastated table. It was like watching scavengers around a carcass once the apex predators had claimed their fill.

Taking a seat, Naruto staked his chopsticks through some duck and lifted them up, eating the meat from the tip of his wooden utensil. Altin was also using a smaller utensil now, piercing more of the pork along a chopstick to make himself a kebab-like meal as he began pulling the meat off that.

The men chewed and enjoyed their meal in relative silence for the moment, their eyes happily taking each other in as the initial ravenous demands of their stomachs had settled down, leaving both to slow their intake while Naruto raised some water up and drank it, washing the mass of fried rice and duck down.

"You were right. That duck is really good. So was the pork, and the fish… And the chicken." He said dreamily, Naruto resting his chin against his fist while his hand kept bringing variations of rice and meat up to his lips.

"Of course! Any meal is excellent when shared with good company." Came the jovial reply from the bald-headed nomad, his mouth being filled with another helping of food while his eyes watched on as Naruto pulled another bowl aside and began pilling meat and rice into it, making sure he had a healthy spread between the two.

"One for later?" He asked curiously as Naruto shook his head, placing a new pair of chopstick over the bowl.

"Not for me, for Raven. If I don't bring her back anything, she might just hang me out behind the ship and drag me along the seabed." It was then followed by Naruto's chuckle as he kept piling food, looking back to the bald man. "Honestly, I am thankful she stayed to rest up. I'm always worried she'll start a fight at a moment's notice."

The taller man's eyes widened at that, giving a nod to the whiskered blond. He had no idea that the crimson-eyed woman was such a demon.

"I shall endeavour to stay on her good side then, I had no idea she had a furious temper."

Naruto blinked, realising how bad a light he just painted his saviour. He began to back-track, his hand raising up as a means to reason with Altin before the impression had set in for good.

"Well, no. She's not like that. I mean, yeah, she's got a temper and can get really grumpy, she's a bit dismissive at times and she has threatened to maim me a couple times for doing things she doesn't expect… B-but I swear she's got a good side, like that one time where I went to save a band of refugees, and she tried to stop me…" His voice slowly went quiet as Altin just gazed at him, silence settled in between the pair as the moshpit back at the buffet fought on behind them, providing a nice background sound of chaos for the two men.

In hindsight, most of their interactions hadn't been too heart-warming.

"I… See. She sounds… Interesting." Altin spoke, slowly bringing his food back up as he went back to eat, his voice bouncing in tone as he processed what he had to imagine was some form of hostage/kidnapper syndrome settling in.

"No wait, Altin, she has a good heart, I promise! Please don't tell her I said any of this! The story has a happy ending, I swear!"

He didn't respond, just continuing to eat while he averted his eyes from an increasingly desperate Naruto, his movement clear that he was about leave. The whiskered man in-question pushed up from the table and leaned across, his worried face zooming close while his hands grabbed onto the olive-toned man.

"Altin! Promise me you won't repeat anything I said! Say something!"

Altin then rose up, taking his food with him as he coughed down his meal, looking at Naruto for a moment with amused eyes before they clicked back into his usual reserved state. His movement quick as he took his share of the bounty with him on one stacked bowl. His voice came out neutral, but it was clearly amused.

"Best be quick now, I am sure your comrade-in-arms is waiting for her meal."

"Altin! Get back here! Don't run away, please!"

The last thing he saw of Altin was his bald head turning to flash him a teasing smile before the giant vanished through a doorway, his whole damn body lowering down as he lumbered through with his bounty of food.

Naruto leaned back and rested against the chair, his head turning to see the bull-horned Faunus slowly stepping over and began to tidy the plates and bowls on their table, his red eyes turning to Naruto as he nodded and smiled.

"Sounds like your... Companion, is quite the task master."

Naruto just sighed a little and brushed a hand through his hair, grinning at the Faunus as he tried his best to dispel yet another misunderstanding.

"Oh, I was exaggerating. She can be a little... Okay, very rough around the edges, but she means well." Naruto said, raising his water up for another drink.

"Don't worry, it won't be long now, people like us won't have to deal with these human like that one day. If you need help, I know some people who can assist."

Naruto's brow quirked at the words being spoken to him while setting the water back down, a few seconds rolled by as Naruto sat up in his cheer as he tried to process the words dumped onto his lap.

"I'm… Sorry, help with what? What are we talking about?" The blue-eyed man asked, the Faunus' eyes flicked around in a conspiratorial manner before he leaned in.

"Friends, Faunus like us. Who are sick of the treatment." The man said, his tone genuine as he spoke to Naruto, leaning in that little closer so nobody could hear these next words. "You're that woman's slave, from the sound of it. Do you want us to end her and break you free? Join us, brother."

Blue eyes stared confusedly into the red pair gazing right at him, the look in his eyes showed genuine concern and a fire that Naruto wasn't sure if he liked or not.

"Uhh… No, I am her… Comrade-in-arms. I don't need any liberating…" He said with an unsure voice, his tone showing bewilderment at the situation happening fresh after his fun feast with Altin. The bull-horned Faunus widened his eyes for a moment before they flicked around, as if taking in the surroundings with a new eye.

His head turned back, nodding at Naruto.

"Of course… Slaves aren't legal. I wouldn't dream of accusing a human of having one of our kind in any form of indentured servitude…" He said, raising back up, his hand clapping Naruto's shoulder for a squeeze." Don't worry brother, I understand." The Faunus then winked at Naruto, a clear one that showed he 'understood' what Naruto was telling him before he walked off, resuming his job as the attendant in the galley.

"Uhh, sorry. I don't think you do! Oi, get back here!"

With that, the Faunus walked into the kitchen, seemingly ignoring Naruto's plea for him to come back. Turning back to his table, Naruto just slumped forward and banged his head against the table, the plates and bowls bouncing a little as he did so.

Two bouts of miscommunication in the span of 5 minutes. That has to be a new record for him.

"Oh, that isn't good at all. I should get back to Raven." His hand reached forward, grabbing the stacked bowl he made for Raven before his hand also snagged a water jug, walking off with it as his coat waved behind him with each step. He crossed the threshold back into the corridors of the ferry, leaving the galley behind him as he grumbled all the way.

"It's just every day in this world, every day I open my mouth and something bad happens!"

Rounding a corner, he marched his way back to the cabin where he would be staying with Raven, his mind racing with the outcome of that lunch. Not only did Altin think Raven was a slave master, but now a random Faunus thought so to! A frustrated sigh left his lips, shaking his head out of it.

Last thing he needed was a damn militia group trying to break down their cabin door to 'liberate' him or something!

Arriving at the door, Naruto kicked his foot into the door while he leaned in.

"Oi, open the door. Hands are full." He barked out, before a moment of silence passed. He heard movement but it stopped, nothing was happening behind the door.

"Uggh. Please open the door." And with that, the lock clicked and the door opened up, revealing an amused Raven as she stood there, her outfit properly straightened and her hair looking better than the state he last saw her in.

"That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Raven said, her eyes lowering to see the bowl stacked with food. Without waiting a moment to ask, her hands zoomed below and hoisted the bowl from Naruto's single hand, stepping back to give him room to enter.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. No need to thank me for the food." He said in annoyance as he swayed back in, flicking the door shut behind him before placing the jug of water down on the provided study-desk in the cabin, pulling the seat out to throw himself back against it.

"This isn't soup." Came Raven's teasing response as she held the warm bowl of food. She wanted soup or broth, but a stacked bowl of rice and protein was just as good in her books.

"Oh, sorry. Next time I'll make sure to book in advance for your preferred meal." Came Naruto's irritated response as he flicked his hand through his golden hair, exhaling another annoyed sigh.

Raven had quirked her brows, it was the first time seeing Naruto in a grumpy state like this.

"And what's chewing up your tails?" Asked the Huntress as she took a seat on the bed's edge, Yang still resting behind her after being freshly changed and fed. The girl's eyes still looking around as she was laid on her back. The sight of the curious little bub was enough to make Naruto grin a little, shaking his head while he flicked his spikey hair.

"Just… Misunderstandings everywhere. Some Faunus are going to try and jailbreak me, I think." He said, enjoying the sight of Raven's brows twisting inwards to show her confusion, even while she kept shovelling meat and rice into her mouth. She chewed down a particularly big bite before swallowing, following up his statement.

"Why, what did you say? Jailbreak from what?" Her question came, leaving Naruto to cough a little bit as he averted his eyes, daring to not look at Raven. He pushed his hand out and waved it a little, his mind scrambling for a reason that wouldn't get him prodded or flicked by the woman.

Why did he say it off the bat like that, he hadn't even thought of an excuse!

"Eeeerrrrrrrr… From this… Uh, whole system. Like, life. It's a prison. Wake up, work and then sleep. How can anyone stand it?" He managed to get out, rubbing his neck a little before moving his eyes back to Raven's form.

Raven just stared blankly at him, her jaw slowly chewing as she gazed at him with her unamused red eyes. The silence was deafening as she swallowed her mouthful, chopsticks stirring her bowl of food while she did so.

"Oh yeah? That grind just too much for you, is it?" Asked the messy-haired woman as she kept eating, clearly not believing a single word he was saying. "The lien loan from the bank just breaking your spirit, no doubt. It's all worth it though, that city apartment was always your dream." She followed up, bringing more food to her mouth as she flicked her eyes back up from the bowl to Naruto.

"Y-yeah! That it was… Ahahaha…" Naruto awkwardly laughed out, Raven just rolling her eyes as she kept mowing through the food. Swallowing her fill, she cleared her throat.

It was clear to the Branwen that this avenue of conversation wasn't going to go anywhere useful.

"Well, if you're done lying to me, I had something I wanted to ask, actually." Raven said, watching Naruto perk up as a lifeline out of a potential tail-pulling was thrown. "I figured this subject is more interesting than hearing you flounder."

Naruto felt some form of relief sweep through him as he nodded, adjusting himself in the seat while he sat back and plated his shoes into the ground. Drumming his hands against the armrest, he smiled at her.

"Sure thing, what did you have in mind?"

Raven finished chewing as she set the bowl against her lap, her legs folded while adjusting her seating to get comfortable. After she was done, she softly inhaled as she did her best to remember what it was, her eyes flicking for a second before they settled back on Naruto.

"Back in the diner at Kuroyuri, you said 3 words that I didn't understand. 2 of them, I can deduce were something like titles, ranks or a position. You said your brother was one, while you wanted to be the other." Raven said, Naruto's eyes widening just a touch at the direction this conversation was heading. He hadn't expected a talk about his past so soon.

"But the 3rd word you said, I have no clue. So what was it, what was this… Aka-tak-sooki? Was it?" Raven asked, Naruto snorting at the butchering of the word. Her eyes narrowed at him, already feeling her temper swell a little before Naruto straightened up.

"The Akatsuki, red clouds of Daybreak, that's what you want to talk about?" To which Raven nodded with a shrug, her hand lifting more food, her eyes alight with genuine interest.

"Yeah, they are… Were, a big deal back in my age. You could call them a mercenary group, a political party and a terrorist organisation in one breath." He said, Raven nodding at his words as she cleared her mouth to speak.

"They were a military group who ruled something, probably a country, I'm guessing. Took it over, peacefully or violently. Am I close?" Raven asked him, the whiskered man giving her a nod back as he licked his lips.

"Yeah, you could say you're close… They were a group whose ultimate goal was peace across the Shinobi world, across my home. They started from a war-torn country that got ravaged often, it wasn't a great place. It only hardened them, made them into something that threatened the whole world." Naruto said, Raven's brow furrowed at that, tilting her head.

"They wanted ultimate peace, by threatening the world?" She asked with an unsure tone, Naruto giving her a sombre smile and nodding. He leaned back into the chair a little, before continuing.

"Yeah, they had some radical ideas. One of which was capturing all the Tailed Beasts and using them as weapons." He started, watching Raven's eyes shoot open at the declaration. She went to open her mouth, but Naruto cut her off. "It was before I became one, I was a container at the time. I held the first 9-tailed Fox, a big furball called Kurama…" Naruto said, his eyes moving away and breaking eye contact as the Uzumaki recalled that big orange asshole who made a good three-quarters of his life a living hell. Always so angry, grumpy and trying to take over his body.

Of course, he still missed that grumpy fuzzy bastard to bits.

He didn't realise the look on Raven's face, her eyes wide as her mind tried to process the sudden information dropped onto her lap.

"Wait so… There was a… You were… And then you…?" Raven tried to talk but Naruto looked back, adjusting himself as he bowed his head. His tails made their appearance as all nine of them pushed outwards, finally able to stretch them as he shifted in his seat.

"Sorry, I would rather not talk about that part. Akatsuki we can talk, but the other subject is best left for another time. I don't... Like where it goes." He said, watching Raven pull her words back as she wanted to keep talking but in a curious show, she adjusted herself and calmed down. Nodding at him, she gave him the sign to keep going with his original story.

"Thank you, I appreciate it." He said, before clearing his throat and going on.

"So, Akatsuki. They wanted to capture all 9 of us containers, drag the Beasts out, and then use them as instant super-weapons to wipe out whole countries. They were good at it as well, it was a group of 10 shinobi who had all been banished or gone rogue from their villages. And let me tell ya, these guys, and one lady, were all certified monsters on the battlefield." He said, remembering back on the duos that he helped face and the ones he heard about from others. He felt a genuine respect for how strong they were.

"They worked in pairs that complimented their abilities, like there was one who was an unparalleled master at Genjutsu." He said, noticing Raven's eyes furrow in confusion. "Sorry… Uh, illusions basically? Trickery and misdirection, only he could put you into a coma without much effort. He'd make you see your own family all die by your teammate's hand, and then make you re-watch it repeatedly for days at a time. But in reality, it all happens in your head in about, say, 5 seconds?"

Raven felt a chill down her spine. She had battled a few illusion-based Huntsman and Huntresses before, but nothing was on that radical level of strength.

"The worst part about it, as well, is that he wasn't a slouch in combat either. Man, he was a legend, mastery over fire techniques and could spit fireballs that'd level buildings. Itachi was as scary as I am making him out to be." Naruto said, his mind thinking back on the neutral-faced Itachi Uchiha and all the times he ever saw him, not once did his face change. Raven brought him out of his thoughts though, she was leaning forward as her face was etched with interest over this subject.

"Wait, but you said they worked in pairs? What was his partner like, how could anyone compliment that?" She said, her mind racing at how you could even have someone stand next to a man who can fry people's brains with illusions.

Naruto leaned back, both of his hands moving back to lace behind his head and grip. A huge grin moved across his lips as he remembered Itachi's partner.

"By giving him a partner whose an absolute monster in close combat, a genuine battering ram of unstoppable power and might. Kisame was… Man, he was a walking killing machine. He had this massive sword wrapped in bandages, right? It was about as long as you, huge damn weapon, but it wasn't meant to cut. It was designed to shave and like… Shear your flesh off! The entire weapon was made out of this crazy-awesome shark skin!" He said with an animated hand as he tried to demonstrate how wicked this weapon is, Raven's eyes looking at him in disbelief over such a weird weapon. "That's not all, it also drained your chakra, so even if you somehow didn't get sliced or torn, you were always being drained by fighting him."

"The idea was that, you couldn't focus on Itachi, because you had to focus on Kisame that was charging in to kill you and your whole team in seconds!" Naruto said, sounding weirdly excited about talking about this organisation that, from what Raven had heard, was going to kill Naruto and take over the world. "They were legends, really. Nobody wanted to fight them, it was a death sentence."

Naruto leaned back into his seat, calming down a little as he looked back to Raven. His energy calming down as he began to recall the other duos of the Aktasuki.

"They were all in pairs, most of them very interesting and weird, but one will always stick with me." Naruto said, his eyes looking at Raven but in his mind, he could still see those searing purple eyes and orange hair glaring down at him, his hands twitching at the phantom pain memory of those buzzing chakra rods between his palms. Slowly, Naruto's eyes moved bac k to Raven's as he spoke.

"He managed to wipe out my entire village with just him and his partner, turned it into a massive crater." Raven's eyes widened, leaning at the edge of the bed, totally enveloped by tales of the old world.

"Two people just… Wiped out a whole village, you said it was the size of a city?" She said, her voice full of disbelief but she wasn't doubting him. She was shaken by the idea of such strength. Salem was bad enough, her power was unmatched when it came to slaughter, but to think that Naruto's age just had… Multiples of these people walking around, wiping out villages and waging war on entire countries? The very thought had Raven in silence after that, just dwelling on her thoughts as she looked down.

"Yeah… They were the leaders of the Akatsuki. Nagato and Konan… Nagato used this scary ability that allowed him to control 6 bodies at once. All of them could use these horrifying abilities that regular shinobi stood no chance against. It was terrifying to watch them all in-action at once." He said, before his mind thought on the partner, the blue-haired woman gazing at him with such serious eyes in his mind.

"Konan could use paper, and I know what you're thinking. How does paper match up to using 6 bodies with overpowered abilities to overwhelm people, right?" He asked, Raven unknowingly nodding slowly as she waited on his every word.

"We had all sorts of paper seals and tags you could use, some could store stuff and others could do basic sealing, hampering illusions or disrupting the ability to use elemental jutsus. There were also explosive tags, that allowed someone to channel their chakra into the tag and it would explode, quite a large one at that." Naruto said, watching Raven's eyes go wide at the implication.

"Yes, it was as bad as you think it is. I heard people mention that when the village was under attack before I got there, she had just… Laid waste to entire neighbourhoods, scorched earth in a matter of seconds." He said, his voice low as he recalled the stories he heard second-hand from his revived Leaf comrades once he saved the village. "She could just keep generating them, endlessly from what I heard, and overwhelm people with such an obscene level of firepower."

Naruto went silent for a moment as he thought back on those days, where the biggest thing he had to worry about was getting Sasuke back and the overarching, faceless presence of the Akatsuki who were going to come for him.

"You sound like you admired them." Naruto's eyes widened as he was roused from his thoughts, Raven having leaned forward a bit, her head lowered as she wished to keep it going.

She was hearing the most interesting things she'd ever heard, and none of it had to do with Ozpin or Salem. Two immortals that seemingly had their hand in every issue on Remnant, it was like there was no escape from them.

"Yeah, I guess you can say I did. Some of them were psychos but a few of them were… Noble. Their plan for peace was insane, and it would only breed unimaginable levels of pain by using the Beasts as instant country-destroying weapons… But I can still see where they came to this eventual path." Naruto said, his hand rubbing across is chin as he his eyes seemed to focus down on the floor, his mind racing back to the leaf village crater as words he'll never forget play once more in his head.

'Everyone feels the same pain when losing something dear… You and I have both experienced that pain.'

Naruto felt his throat tighten as the man's deep voice replayed in his head, unknowingly clenching his jaw. He was unable to stop as his brain kept going, already remembering the next words.

'You strive for your justice… And I strive for mine.'

Naruto lost himself to his thoughts, the words from that fateful day filling his head. An uncomfortable feeling settled in his gut as he recalled his own words to the Akatsuki leader, about bringing peace to the ninja world.

'A world that's gone, turn to ash...' Naruto thought to himself, his eyes zoning out but focusing all at once, sharpening as his mind pooled over everything. Justice, that's what he believed in, wasn't it? But that was from a Naruto so long ago, a boy who hadn't lost everything dear to him. It left the Nine-tailed Uzumaki with a startling question that filled his mind, drowning out all other thoughts.

'What is my justice now...? Can I even claim to be the same Naruto from back then?' He thought, unaware of the movement before him.

"Naruto?"

Blinking suddenly, the man looked up at as Raven had moved onto her feet, looking at him with concern. Her own eyes widened as crimson met crimson, gazing into the slitter pair of the Nine Tailed Fox as he sat before her. Naruto felt the sting in his eyes, the baleful chakra flowing through, immediately cutting the connection as he closed his eyes and blinked them away.

His slitted red eyes quickly flushed back into their usual bright blue as he looked at Raven's face. He felt his feet relax, releasing the tight pressing his toes had been doing into the surface of his wooden shoes.

"Sorry. I'm fine, I just lost myself in a memory." He said, his face smiling back at her as Raven nodded, slowly stepping back as she resumed her seat on the edge of the bed. Her eyes remaining on him, as if waiting to see for any slip up with his reassurance.

Steadying his breathing, Naruto calmed himself. It wasn't the time to lose himself into pity or agony, he had to be strong.

"Anyway, where was I… Oh, I forgot." Naruto said, his mind unable to recall, tapping his hand against his lips before he shrugged and just kept going. His mind flicked back onto the general subject once more, the infamous band of criminals. Clearing his throat, he continued once more.

"Back to the Akatsuki, there isn't much more I can say about them now beyond why they came about. It was a reaction, a product of the cycle of pain." Naruto said as Raven nodded, once again catching her interest. She heard him say that thing before, that cycle.

"At the end of the day, the Akatsuki was formed by a group of people who had been burned and hurt by the uncaring nature of the world we, the shinobi, had lived in. I can't fault them for it, I really can't. To have your home sacked and destroyed time and time again, denied any semblance of justice or peace?" Naruto asked aloud, unsure if it was for him or Raven, as neither of them spoke and thought on the words presented. Raven herself thought on his words, the woman seemingly deep in thought as her eyes slowly moved across the ground, Naruto could only guess what she was thinking about.

"I guess, all I can say is that something like the Akatsuki could happen anywhere. All it takes is for people to suffer and experience enough pain, to lose faith in the word itself, and you'll find a new red dawn happening once again. People who'd be willing to wage war against the world itself for peace and justice."

He said, settling back in his seat. His words weighing heavy on himself, but Raven looked at him with intense eyes.

"You're correct. It's happened here on Remnant a few times already. Civil insurrections, the Faunus riots, even the destabilizing coups after the Great War. People pushed too far that they rise up, nothing to that extent though. None of them could even come close to that scale you are describing" She said, slowly leaning back as she hears a precious warble from Yang, the little girl stirring once more as Raven pulls the girl into her arms and lays down, her eyes on Yang as she pampers the little girl before she flicks them back to Naruto.

His face deep in-thought, a pensive expression. She really didn't like that look. Raven was of the opinion that Naruto looked better with that stupid smile across his face.

"Is there anyone else from that group that were interesting, or amazing?" She asked with amusement on her last word, watching Naruto perk up a bit. He regained his bearings, eyes moving onto the mother and daughter as he realised what she had asked.

"Anyone you want to gush and hero-worship over?" She asked with a teasing smile, watching his face light back up.

"Uhh, of the Akatsuki? I guess… Oh wait, yeah! There was this one crazy guy. He had 5 hearts and he was all stitched together, he could detach his limbs and control them separately. It was so gross but so cool! He could detach everything at once and look like this giant, disgusting starfish thing!"

Raven's eyes widened at the outrageous claim.

"Sorry, I will believe the 6 puppet bodies at once, but 5 hearts? Detachable limbs connected by tentacles? How could anything like that be real?" She asked, her voice skeptical, but it didn't deter Naruto.

"No I am serious! He had these like, blackish, grey threads that filled his body like tentacles, and he could explode them all out like this!" He said, leaping up from his chair as his tails all coiled around him, all hugging his throat before spreading out in various directions like a 6-sided star, two of his tails wrapping around his arms as he tried to mimic the way Kakuzu would sway in that gross form of his, with the last tail tip hanging below his chin like some fuzzy tongue.

"Naruto, what am I even looking at right now?"

Yang giggled immediately as her big purple eyes took in the sight, her happy voice filling the cabin as she waved her little hands out at the big fuzzy man. Raven grinned as she turned her attention to her daughter, leaning down and kissing Yang against the belly.

"I know, doesn't he look silly Yang? Thinking something like that could exist."

"He did exist! I killed him as well, with my awesome new technique!"

"Oh sure, sure. Big hero deals the final blow? Making it about yourself again, huh?"

"I'm serious! You believe me, right Yang?!"

The baby's giggles only got louder as the mother kept laughing, Naruto continuing with his story. The cabin was a nice reprieve from the outside world, the ferry traveling quietly across the vast inland sea as it made its way across. The wholesome conversation and laughter continued, all the while a figure stood outside the door. His hand had been raised to knock, but he stayed his arm once he heard that infectious laughter.

"As to expected of Naruto's words, she does have a good heart." The bald-man spoke to himself, hearing Raven's genuine laughter mix with Naruto's as their voices seemed to play back-and-forth. It had been a while since he heard such a pure expression.

"Ah. A joyous sound. Best not interrupt…" His boot pressed against the metal, Altin slowly walking away, his body still hunched down to fit in the tight corridor. There was always later in the day to talk to his new friend. After all, the ferry ride wouldn't be arriving at their destination until tomorrow morning.

"Perhaps some fresh air will do, it's been a while since I got to experience calm seas such as this."

Altin mumbled to himself, gaining distance from the cabin of his new friend and acquaintances. He knew there would always be another time, another chance to meet. Fate had always guided him before and he felt there was something different about these people, this duo and child, it called out to him when he spotted them in the middle of the street. An energetic extrovert holding a baby and a hungover Huntress.

He had always been a drifted, never intending to stay in one spot for too long. This left him with difficulties to connect with people, but something felt different. He felt drawn to the whiskered man and his grinning face, a warmth that lured him in.

This Naruto Uzumaki was a mystery to be sure. His curiosity really would be the death of him, one of these days, but Altin wasn't one to shy away. Seeking the truth came above all, no matter how much it hurt.

---

A/N: Fun fact, I originally wanted to reach Argus in this single chapter, but the more I kept typing, the further I realised that if I kept to that plan then this baby would be about 30K words on its own! That would be a monster chapter, someone might die trying to read it all.

Anyway, introducing Altin! The first OC who will be progressively appearing in this story as it goes along. I hope his description is quite easy to remember for you people who like to visualize. But, if you require further aid to conjure him? You could say... He's known to be a 'Bearer of the Word'.

Thankfully because it has been so busy, I really have been able to layout where I want to take this story and work on the OCs who I want to develop. I am quite excited to put my time into this story.

The downside? Oh sweet Kami I am realising how many chapters this story is going to be.

Hope you enjoyed it, peace out!