"I will." Willow said as the book appeared in her lap making her smile as she opened to start the next chapter. "Chapter 7: A little bird told me" She read, frowning along with Summer as they narrowed their eyes at the title.
"Stop blowing holes in my shop!"
In hindsight, perhaps it was too much to hope Willow and Summer wouldn't argue.
Naruto ducked, caught a vial of dust as it whistled past his head, and set it down on the table with a withering glower. Both women subsided and sank into their seats. His sole solace in this was the seclusion of his shop; in that he'd somehow managed to get both of them inside -and the wine out!- before all hell broke loose.
But really, could one blame them for fighting? Willow got to see him nearly every week -and Naruto suspected that would soon become a daily occurrence now that Jacques had been outed- while Summer only just reconciled with him. She'd stumbled back into his life by pure chance. One had nothing to prove. The other, fifteen years to make up for. And yet for all that, they were, each of them, mothers.
Wars had been started over less.
"Very true." Kushina muttered with a smirk. She was liking these two more and more and she was excited to see them in action. She wondered how good they were.
Willow and Summer had embarrassing blushes on their faces even if they were hardly noticeable, it didn't stop others from seeing them still. This was embarrassing to remember this.
"I was first!"
Summer's hands slammed down on the table, rattling the glasses he'd laid out for them. Fora a moment, her silver eyes almost seemed to flicker with inner flame before she brought herself back under control. Her smile was sweet, but her voice promised murder in its purest form. Even a jinchuuriki knew better than to interfere in a conflict like this.
Best to let them have it out and be done with it.
"So you were." Willow offered a languid smile as she raised a flute of wine to her lips. She took a long moment to savor it. Only then did she continue. "But you let him slip through your fingers and shatter." her head tilted a fraction of an inch, strands of white hair concealing her left eye. "It fell to me to pick up the pieces. Didn't it, dear?"
Naruto looked away and coughed into a fist. "Leave me out of this."
"Smart decision kid." Jiraiya said with a chuckle as Minato and Kakashi nodded in agreement with the Toad Sage.
Tsunade, Anko, and Kushina had smirks on their faces. Winter was listening and groaning hearing her mother and aunt fight over their father. She remembered hearing about it, but now she gets to see it happen, that wasn't something she was looking forward too.
Summer flinched. "I made a mistake...
"Yes, you did." Willow granted her a nod. "A mistake of your own making."
Kurama whistled in the background. "Gonna need some healing chakra for that burn...
"How long was it?" Willow's anger had ever been a cold sort; she didn't burn bright like Summer, her ire, when roused, was a frigid thing indeed. "Oh, yes. Fifteen years. Not a call, not a text, nothing." she raised a hand and conjured a glyph to her fingers, then made a show of inspecting it. "You shut him out. And for what?" a twist of her wrist warped it yet further, conjuring a pair of ghostly white figures in the palm of said hand. One vanished, leaving the other alone. "Your precious worldview, for your belief in black and white. When her fingers moved, they danced to her tune. "He gave you his heart. And you...
Her fist closed, emitting a crackling noise.
...shattered it."
"Yikes, you sure know how to make someone feel like shit." Anko whistled in awe of the woman.
"Such crass language, it reminds me too much of Qrow as he constantly was drunk." Winter said with her face scrunching up at the mention of the man.
"And who's Qrow?" Anko asked, finding herself curious being compared to someone who apparently was like her.
"A drunk that's always drinking and doesn't listen when someone in authority is speaking with him. He just doesn't care." Winter said with a frown as Anko was very interested in this individual, maybe she'd get to see what he was like in the book.
Summer shook with every word. Willow showed no mercy. "He cried. Did you know that?"
Summer made a wounded noise and rounded on him. "You did...?"
"Once." Naruto injected a kernel of truth into her diatribe. "I was drunk at the time...
"Regardless, she could not live with her own failure." Willow tutted. "Where did that bring her? Back to you."
Wintry blue eyes met hers until she looked away. "That still doesn't give you the right to bully her like this. Apologize."
"I will, once I've said my peace." She huffed. "You're hardly to blame." her eyes slid back to Summer, eliciting a squeak from the slight huntress. "You hurt him so very badly. Is it any wonder he'd seek out someone who knew the same pain? Someone who would never, ever betray him?"
Summer's hands bit into the table. "We're together now."
"I don't doubt that." Willow allowed. "He always was soft. But how am I to know you won't leave him again?"
"Oh shit." Kakashi swore with wide eyes at the guts this woman has to say all this without fear of getting pulverized.
Willow just tittered behind her hand at the comment from her husband's teacher as she saw the white haired man nod in agreement.
Kushina was impressed, but worried that things weren't going to end well for her or Summer. She sent the white cloaked Huntress a concerned look who gave her a reassuring smile in response telling her that she was fine.
"You aren't holding back at all with her aren't you?" Tsunade asked Winter's mother who didn't respond to the question, but nodded.
"I was trying to make a point back then." Willow told the female Hokage who nodded in understanding.
"But did you have to point these things out like you did so bluntly?" Summer asked with a pout and a flinch at the memories.
Willow gave her an apologetic smile, but nodded her head saying she did.
"Yes, it was so you could understand why I was worried for you to be with him again at the time." Willow said, as Summer agreed, as it would worry her if the same thing happened if someone else had done what she did in her place.
It was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Naruto saw it a moment before it happened and managed to rescue the glasses before she did something rash. "Summer, don't-
Too late. The cloaked huntress surged out of her seat with a snarl, grabbed the table separating her from Willow, and flung it away as though it weighed no more than a pack of matchsticks. It struck the door and bounced off, shredding itself apart as it skittered across the floor. Blast it. He'd like that table.
"Oho?" for her part, Willow remained seated, lips quirked into a small smile. "You're coming closer? After his warning?"
Summer cracked her knuckles. "I can't kick your ass without getting closer.
Willow spread her arms wide. "Then come as close as you like."
"Do you even know how to fight, you drunken-
A glyph swept Summer upright and upended her onto the floor. Willow hadn't budged an inch. "Care to repeat yourself?"
"Yeah," Naruto shrugged. "She's pretty much the definition of a white mage."
"White mage,huh? That's quite the title that he's given you there." Anko whistled at the cool name she had to admit.
"What's a glyph?" Kushina asked, seeing something that sent Summer to the floor like that.
"It's our family's semblance. It allows us to do a number of things with them that involve ice." WInter did a brief explanation with a smirk at seeing her grandmother's awed expression.
"When we're done, we could tell you and your husband more about them since they're now part of your family if you like?" Willow offered much to their happiness and excitement as they nodded their heads.
The phone rang, shattering the moment.
He all but dove on it.
"Sparks and 'Splosions," he plastered a smile to his face as he drawled into the receiver, "How can I help ya."
...hello again, old friend." a low Mistralian purr answered. "You seem to be in better spirits today.
His smile died an ugly death. "Again, Malachite? You already called me to express your condolences. Whaddya want?"
Willow arched a demure brow.
Summer's head hit her hands, anger momentarily forgotten. "Not another one...!"
"She isn't!" he bit out before returning his attention to the call. "Why are you calling again?"
"Come now, don't be so cold." Little Miss sounded far too pleased for her own good, which usually boded poorly for him. "I'm simply repaying a favor, from one friend to another. My girls told me a fascinating story just last night." There was a hint of something in her tone that had him bridling. "Melanie saw this fascinating bird, roosting down by the northern docks. Isn't that remarkable?"
He physically felt Summer stiffen behind him.
Summer growled, knowing who Malachite was talking about and Willow wasn't feeling much better either since she wasn't a fan of the bandit queen.
The shinobi's all gave them curious and questioning looks, but were waved off and that they'd learn about it later.
Wasn't hard to see through the double speak. Qrow? Not likely. Didn't sound like his usual dive. Which meant something altogether unpleasant.
His blood turned to ice...then superheated plasma. "It certainly is. And what would the name of this bashful bird be?"
"No need to beat around the bush. I know you've been looking for her. She's got a bounty on her head."
Her? Definitely not Qrow!
...I have, and she does is," he allowed. "She's being difficult."
"And whose fault is that? Maybe you taught her to hide a little too well."
He'd made many mistakes. Teaching her had been one of them. She'd been willing at the time, but she'd learned a little too well.
"So he taught whoever this "bird" is referring too? Why is he looking for her?" Tsunade asked them.
"Let's just say that she owed us and she's hiding from Naruto since she knows that she'd get her ass handed to her by him if he ever found her." Summer said as Willow and Winter both agreed with the white cloaked huntress.
"I never imagined that Naruto would teach someone, it just doesn't seem like he'd have the patience to do it." Kakashi said with slight surprise.
"And he did a good job based on what we're learning if this woman can hide even from him." Anko was impressed with her brother's skill.
"Yes he did a little too good of a job." Summer growled, then sighed to calm herself down.
He had also learned Little Miss didn't give her information freely.
"What do I owe you for this?"
"Not a thing." she sounded like the cat who caught the canary and slaughtered its entire family. "Your little stunt with Junior weakened his gang and gave my Spiders a chance for a little...aggressive expansion down in South Vale. Do be nicer to your nieces next time though, won't you? They're quite cross with you for knocking them around like that.
He fought down a wince. "It was that or kill them."
...fair enough. I'll be in touch."
Naruto hung up with a heavy heart.
One mistake. One slip, and his past came crawling out of the woodwork to torment him. Damn Roman. If he didn't hate him before, he did now.
A harsh crack behind him told him Summer and Willow had resumed their hostilities with a vengeance.
"This is just not my day...
(.0.0.0.)
Today was definitely her day!
Ruby skipped down the street, smiling fit to burst.
"And we're back with Ruby now." Minato said with a smile and by the way the book describe her she was happy about something.
"Oh, every time she's mentioned, she makes things so exciting, I love it!" Kushina squealed in happiness with a bright smile as she brought Summer into a bone-crushing hug that made her grunt.
"Urk." She grunted as she felt her bones start cracking. "Huh, so this is what it feels like when I hug people like this. It hurts quite a bit." She thought with a sweatdrop.
"And usually comes trouble since she tends to get into situations without even trying." Winter said with a sigh of exasperation.
All the Shinobi looked over at Kushina who saw their stares at her and grinned sheepishly.
"I'm not that bad." She said in defense of herself, but got flat stares in response as she grunted and pouted.
She'd done it! She'd finally done it! It had taken no small part of begging cajoling, -even outright bribery on Blake's part!- to get her Team down here, but here they were. She could see the Shop in the distance, less than a block away. A few more steps now! Just a little more! Then she'd finally accomplish her mission. Even if meant Yang giving her the stink eye.
"You're doing it again."
She hummed a little. "Doing what?"
Weiss absolutely hissed. "That! Stop smiling!"
Ruby bounded forward, laughing as a glyph hurtled by.
Blake saw the chance for what it was and took it.
She frowned at her."You're up to something."
Ruby only hummed. "Nope!"
She certainly was.
"She certainly has your mischievous side as well as Naruto's, but she's just so adorable." Willow tittered as she giggled behind her hand while Winter nodded in total agreement with her mother.
"That's a frightening thought." Jiraiya said, with everyone save for Summer agreed with. The mentioned woman just pouted and tried telling everyone that she wasn't that bad, but was ignored.
(.0.0.0.)
"Are ya done?"
Naruto danged Willow and Summer in the air by the back of their necks, holding them as one might a pair of naughty kittens. That, or two grown women covered in dust and dirt. They didn't look much pleased with him at the moment. Fitting, because he was none too happy with them himself.
"Hahahahaha!" Anko cackled at seeing the two women that had been fighting and were now being treated like little kids. Everyone else started laughing at the obscure scene except for Winter who was appalled at her mother acting like that, Willow, and Summer were too embarrassed to say anything. They were blushing in embarrassment.
"Mother!" Winter stood on her feet in shock at what she was seeing. She hadn't known about what happened when they caught up, but now she knew why.
"I think you're done." he snarled. "I just cleaned this place up and now you've-
The bell above the door chimed, heralding a new arrival.
He rounded on with a snarl. "We're closed!
In the same moment, someone spoke.
"I'd like a full magazine of dust, please."
"Oh boy, Ruby just had to get there at that time." Tsunade sighed in exasperation, but still let out a chuckle at the absurd scene that was happening.
"What's her plan though?" Kakashi asked, having been trying to figure out what she's up to, but nothing was coming to mind.
"You'll find out in a moment. That's definitely my daughter though." Summer sighed in embarrassment since she was dirty and her daughter walked in at the worst time.
"Oi! I just said we were...!" Naruto looked up, and froze. "I already heard ya Blake...wait."
Now that he looked at Blake, really looked at her without anyone in the way, he noticed something. She looked just like Kali had when she was younger. Paler perhaps, without an impish gleam in her eye but...No. No, there was just no bloody way. He had all of half a second to see a shock of blond hair behind her before the door opened again as Weiss charged in behind her.
"Kali?"
"Excuse me?" young Belladona frowned and the image in his mind's eye shattered at once. "Why do you know my mother's name?"
She saw Willow danging from his fist. Froze, looked like she'd bitten into a lemon. "Mother? What's the meaning of this?!"
"And she still acts like nothing is wrong even if she's being held up like that." Anko had calmed down a lot, but let out a giggle every now and than still.
Willow just smiled, not even bothered anymore by it, but could agree that it did look funny from another's perspective.
Willow offered a demure smile. "Hello, dear. You really do have impeccable timing."
Ruby poked her head around Weiss with a happy chirrup.
"Sooo? Do I have the best timing or what?"
Everyone exhaled as one.
"Ruby, why...?"
"Well, she's definitely Naruto's daughter. This is something that Naruto would do, but also you would do as well, Summer." Willow said with a smirk towards her sister wife whose response was to blush in embarrassment in being put on the spot like that, but also because it was true.
"Who wants to read next?" Willow asked as she looked around.
"I will." Winter said as she took the book from her mother and was finding this whole thing to being strange, but was enjoying it too.
They were about to start the next chapter when a flash of light blinded everyone, alerting that someone was being brought in.
And that's the chapter, hope you guys enjoyed it even if it was on the shorter side. How'd I do, did I capture Willow's and Winter's reactions accurately to certain things and keep them regal and poise like their characters are? Stay safe though everyone, Killerssg out!