"You're insufferable."
"I don't know what that word means."
Why did she ever decide to follow this idiot? It was a question that had plagued Weiss every day since she left Atlas. She thought by now she would be used to the blond's antics but every single day he found a new way to get under her skin.
Two days before, the boy had insisted on continuing her rapier training. She protested that there was no use considering his lack of expertise on the weapon but the boy had insisted. Thus she was put through the most inane, exhausting collection of nonsensical exercises she had ever experienced. The training left her tired, dirty and beyond pissed off.
Yesterday, still beyond sore from the insane training, Weiss had been forced to experience the worst humilation of lifetime. Bound by a timeline she had zero say in, Naruto had demanded she be carried once he realized how much she was lagging behind due to her soreness. She, of course, said no to the treatment but arguing with Naruto was like arguing with a steel wall. There was no getting through to him. She was thankful enough that she convinced him that a piggyback ride was much more efficient manner to carry her than the princess style he had offered up in the beginning
That left her at today. Trudging through the snowy forest of Patch, trailing behind the ever optimist blond leading the way. The boy's energy was constant, something Weiss figured she would never grow used to. A scroll which displayed a map sat firmly in his grasp. Of course, she verified the map when she first saw it. Despite how much the boy had opened her eyes to the ongoings of the world, she wasn't going to EVER follow him blindly.
Gods, goddesses, the Grimm … relics capable of mystical powers. It had been a tough pill to swallow when first presented to her. She had called the boy out initially for feeding her false information. But even with all her grievances towards the blond, she knew immediately he wasn't lying. He would never lie to her. Not about something this big. It helped seeing Ironwood and Ozpin's signatures strewn across several of thoe documents. The final nail in the coffin of her suspicion was Winter. While the woman hadn't been privy to all the information, she was able to confirm enough for Weiss to believe it all.
"We're close! I can feel it." Naruto's shouting broke her out of her musings. The former Schnee Heiress, that was a whole other bag of worms, had little time to prepare before she was picked up by the ninja.
"Let me down, you brute!" Weiss shouted as the blond took off running with her in his arms. If she hadn't already experienced travel via Naruto, she would've been astounded by the speed he was moving at. Unfortunately, she was beginning to grow used to boy's oddities.
"You're not even looking at the map!" Weiss screamed as the trees blurred by her.
"Don't need it. I can feel her!"
Taiyang Xiao Long was having a good morning. Shoot, he would even say it was a great one! Both ofhis daughters were back under his roof, begging for combat training. His wayward pseudo-brother-in-law was sober enough to assist with the training and bring a little more life to their cottage home. Zwei sat perched in his lap, for once not running around like a caffeinated demon. And, speaking of caffeine, the particular roast he was sipping on was tasting especially delicious.
"This is what life is all about." The man muttered as he leaned back in his chair. His actions were slow. The last thing he wanted to do was disturb his resting dog. The second-to-last thing he wanted was to spill the delicious cup of coffee he had in hand. He did not want to disturb this moment.
"Slow down, you idiot!"
Taiyang's eyebrow twitched. For a moment, he thought his ears had picked up on what sounded like distant screaming. A brief glance down at the still resting Zwei made him immediately dismiss the idea. Dogs had better hearing than humans, right? If he wasn't reacting, there was no need for him to react.
"Don't let your paranoia ruin this moment." Tai told himself. He took another deep sip from his mug before settling deeper into his chair. The man even allowed himself to close his eyes, allowing the sound of chirping birds to lull him into comfort.
"You're getting twigs in my hair!"
Tai felt his heart drop as Zwei shifted in his lap. The man tried desperately to cling to the sound of the chirping bird as the bitter pill of his perfect morning going to flames settled in his stomach. By now, Zwei's tail was thumping against his stomach.
"Listen to the birds. Listen to the birds. You're overthink-"
"We're almost there!" There was no denying that male-sounding shout. Tai's eyes shot open as his grip on his coffee mug increased to a near-dangerous point. Looking down at Zwei, it was clear that the dog had heard the same thing he did.
Before the man could rise out of his seat, two figures burst from the tree-line surrounding his home. Tai's eyes shot up in shock as he recognized very clearly who these two figures were.
Weis Schnee was a very recognizable figure. Her snow-white hair, though currently covered in an abundance of twigs and ruffage, was a dead give away. He had known of her before she joined his daughter's team. Having Yang and Ruby back in the house had only given him a treasure trove of information to back up his image of the illustrious Schnee heiress.
The other figure, that was the one that sent Taiyang into shock. Staring at the older man was the same young boy responsible for saving a multitude of Beacon's staff and students. The same boy who had shown enough abilities to make a cartoon character blush. The same boy who should've been under the care of James Ironwood back in Atlas. That same boy was now in HIS clearing, carrying an irate Schnee over his shoulder.
"I told you I knew which way to go." The boy spoke while letting the distraught girl off his shoulder. As soon as her feet touched ground, the Schnee began to wail into the boy's arm with a combination of slaps and punches.
"Don't you ever touch me like that again. I swear I will skewer you if you even THINK about doing something as stupid as that again. You brute!" Weiss screamed as she laid into the boy's shoulder. If the hits were having any effect on the boy, he didn't show it. The same grin he had flashed at Tai was still proudly displayed on his face.
"Don't be like that, Weiss. I got us here, right?" The boy's question was met with another punch. In any other situation, Tai would've been pretty amused by the scene. Unfortunately, the still-warm corpse of his perfect morning would not allow him to see the humor in the duo.
"I didn't know the girls were expecting guests." Tai spoke for the first time. By now, Zwei had vacated his spot on the man's lap and was circling the teenage duo. At his words, both of their attentions shifted over to the older man who was doing a subpar job of hiding his annoyance.
"It's probably because we didn't tell anyone we were coming." Naruto's words earned him a sharp elbow to the ribs from Weiss. Meanwhile, Tai's eyes narrowed as his focus settled solely on Naruto.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Xiao Long. If this idiot had given me a chance, I would have sent a message ahead of time. I…" Weiss trailed off when she noticed that the man was not paying any attention to her. His gaze was completely locked onto Naruto.
With a sharp whistle, Taiyang summoned Zwei back to his side. With his trusty guard dog under control, the man made his way towards them. The trajectory of his movement makes it clear that he was specifically aiming for Naruto. Weiss felt her stomach drop as conversations between the members of Team RWBY flashed through her brain. Conversations surrounding parents, over-protective dads and their reactions to boys…
"This idiot is going to get himself killed." Weiss thought while sneaking a glance at her male companion. The carefree look stretched across his face made her sigh.
This idiot didn't stand a chance.
"What is your name, young man?" Tai settled a mere two feet away from the duo. Weiss took note that the coffee mug still remained in his grasp. Naruto seemed completely clueless as the smile on his face remained constant.
"Naruto Uzumaki, at your service." Naruto raised his hand with his response. When Weiss saw that the boy had his arm extended in a 'fist bump' gesture, she nearly died on the spot.
Taiyang glanced down at the extended fist, his face an unreadable, stern mask. Several beats of silence enveloped the trio as Naruto's fist remained extended. As the silence carried on, it became clear to Weiss that now it was a battle of wills. Naruto seemed content to keep his arm extended, waiting for a fist bump that would never come. Tai's stern mask remained strong. His eyes bore into the younger blond.
By the two minute mark, Weiss had descended into the deepest depths of awkwardness. Naruto's arm hadn't swayed an inch from its original position. In any other situation, the Schnee would've been impressed by how still the boy had remained. After all their time in Atlas, she sort of assumed being still was just something he wasn't capable of.
Meanwhile, the tension was starting to wear on Tai. As a trained Hunter, he did a decent job of hiding it but Weiss could see through him. All her time surrounded by two-faced politicians and aristocrats made it easy for her to read people. She could spot the slight tremor in the hand he was using to hold his coffee mug. His stance had widened ever so slightly over the past two minutes. His unbreakable mask was slowly beginning to fall apart as his right eye had a nearly imperceptible twitch to it.
By minute three, it would've been clear to anyone the amount of frustration boiling within Tai. Drops of coffee spilled down the surface of his mug, escaping the porcelain container due to Tai's shaking. His once unreadable mask now was legible for all.
To put it frankly, the man was pissed.
"Didn't your parents teach you that a fist bump isn't an appropriate way to greet someone you've just met?" Taiyang said through grit teeth. Internally, Weiss let out a sigh of relief. She was beyond thankful that the silence had been broken.
"Never had parents to really teach me, y'know?" Naruto tilted his head as he spoke, his smile still present. Weiss watched as the boy's words slammed into the man, breaking through his mask of frustration. The man tried to cling on to the remains of his anger but it was clear that Naruto's words were having an effect on him.
"Though, a nice guy I met told me that fist bumps were a good way to get to know a person." For the first time in minutes, Naruto moved, pushing his extended fist toward Taiyang. For the first time in their interaction, Tai was forced to really consider the boy's gesture. With all his anger gone, the man looked like he was actually contemplating returning the fist bump.
"Dad? WEISS?" Just as Taiyang was beginning to raise his arm, a shout rang through the clearing. The unlikely trio's attention was turned to the cottage's entrance where a pajama-covered Ruby Rose was staring at them with wide-eyes.
"I'm here too!" Naruto waved at the girl. His words were promptly ignored as the huntress shot over towards Weiss. Before the Schnee could realize what was happening, she was embraced by her teammate and twister of roses.
"I've missed you so much. You haven't been responding to any of my messages! How did you get here? Why are you-"
"Ruby." Weiss' words stopped the girl in her tracks. "Please breathe."
Red erupted in the girl's cheeks at her partner's words. At that moment, the realization of her situation hit her. Covered only by her pajamas, embracing her teammate in front of her dad and boy…
Ruby jumped away from Weiss, her whole body a sea of red. A lame attempt at speaking left her sputtering which only added to her embarrassment. The girl's attention quickly diverted to the ground below.
"Breathe, Ruby." Weiss' repeated words snapped the girl out of her self-induced trance. The red from her cheeks slowly retreated as she fully managed to make eye-contact with the trio.
"Why are you guys here?" Ruby managed to force out after a few moments. The near-constipated look that Weiss gave her filled the young huntress with a sense of unease. The heiress' eyes cut over to her blond companion for a brief second before returning to her teammate.
"There's a lot we need to talk ab-"
"We came here because of you." Weiss swore she was going to strangle the boy next to her. His statement re-escalated all the previously gone tension as all eyes landed on him.
"I found out some stuff about your eyes-" A fist careening towards his head forced Naruto to close his mouth. The boy ducked the punch, allowing it to fly harmlessly over his head. The uppercut that followed had to be blocked. The quick cross-armed guard that the ninja threw up absorbed most of the punch. Yet, the power behind the blow still lifted the boy off his feet and sent him back several feet.
"Dad!" Ruby's shout made it very clear the identity of his attacker. Though, considering the man had instantly made his way back into Naruto's guard, the boy didn't think he needed the extra help.
The man led with an elbow that was quickly swallowed by Naruto's open palm. Taiyang used the block as leverage, twisting his body to send a strike at the boy's unprotected midsection. Naruto's free arm snaked across his midsection in a flash, catching the man's wrist before his strike could land.
Taiyang nearly yelped when his opponent's unexpected strength wrenched his arm down. His lack of balance was exacerbated when the boy's leg crashed into his ankle. His face met the ground shortly after.
The older male did not stay down. Using both his arms as leverage, Taiyang forced his lower body up into the air. Using all the core strength he could muster, the man began to spin on his palms, turning his outstretched legs into a spinning twister of pain. A grin stretched across the man's face when he felt one of his legs hit something solid. The grin suffered a quick death when he felt something grip onto his ankle.
"Dad." Taiyang looked up into the violet eyes of his oldest daughter. The stern expression on the usually wild girl's face was enough to send a shiver down the man's spine.
"You're being way too overprotective again." With that, the girl released her father's ankle, causing him to fall flat on his face. Zwei was immediately by his side, finding the perfect opportunity to lick away at the man's face.
"This guy saved Blake and I." Yang spoke as her dad forced himself up to his feet. The stern expression on her face faded as she looked over at Weiss.
"Plus if he convinced Weiss to come with him, he can be trusted." At her teammate's words, the Schnee released a small huff. That huff quickly turned to a squeal when Yang rushed over to the girl. Within moments, the Schnee was lifted into a hug by the blonde.
"I missed you, princess." Whatever irritation Weiss may have felt faded away at her teammate's words. The Schnee returned the hug, enjoying the warmth and comfort that came from their reunion.
"Is it hug time?" Weiss and Yang only had a moment to process those words before they were crashed into by their other teammate. The three girls went tumbling to the ground in a heap of limbs and groans.
"Ruby, get off of me!"
"Watch your hands, Yang!
"I've missed you guys so much!"
Naruto felt a genuine smile spread across his face at the sight of the girl's reunion. In all the time he had spent with Weiss over the past weeks, he hadn't seen her as happy as she was now. Even as she struggled to move her teammates off of her, the girl couldn't hide the joy in her eyes.
"Watch where you're looking." Naruto's admiration was cut short by Taiyang's words. The older man had settled next to the boy. His cross-armed stance and side-eye made it very clear that the tension from before wasn't completely gone between the two.
"You seem like a good dad." For the second time today, Taiyang was disarmed by the boy's words. He turned to look at the boy who still had his full attention on the trio of girls.
"I don't blame you for attacking me." Naruto shot a brief side-eye at the man. "Weiss tells me all the time that I have an amazing ability to make people want to punch me."
A chuckle slipped out of the older blond's mouth. That sounded just like something a Schnee he knew would say to a certain alcoholic.
"I've learned a lot when I was in Atlas. Probably a lot more than Ironwood would have wanted me to find out." Naruto offered up a shrug at his own words. James had been on the friendlier end of the spectrum of people that wanted to take advantage of his alleged ignorance. Yet, like all others, he had underestimated the boy. The general had allowed him a level of access that most would kill for. To cut the general some slack, it hadn't been purposeful. It was all because he believed him to be too childish or stupid to do anything with it.
"I know about Salem." Taiyang tensed at his words. "I know about the relics, the gods, all of it. Even the silver-eyes."
"Is that why you brought Weiss? Trying to butter up Ruby and Yang so they yes to whatever you-"
"I brought Weiss because her family is full of assholes and she missed her teammates." For the first time in their conversation, Naruto directed his full attention onto the man. A rare frown had settled onto the boy's face.
"When I was eight, I found out a group of terrorists was hunting me for something out of my control." The frown slipped from Naruto's face. Tai saw a thousand memories pass over the boy's face in an instant.
"They killed innocents, my own teammates, my parents …" It was slight but Taiyang heard the boy's voice ever so slightly crack as he spoke.
"They turned my village into a crater. Thousands died. All because they wanted me." This time the crack of his voice was much easier to hear. Tears filled the boy's eyes as the boy forced his attention down to the ground.
"I don't want that for Ruby." Naruto's voice was low but Taiyang heard every bit of it. A knot had formed in the man's throat as the boy's words hung over him.
"She needs all the help she can get, y'know? Me, her teammates, her dad…" With those words, Naruto turned his attention back to Taiyang. The boy did little to hide the tears threatening to spill from his eyes. Yet, despite his clear sadness, a smile was once again present on his face.
"So, willing to hear me out?" Once again, the boy extended his arm and fist out.
This time, the boy didn't have to suffer through another tense bout of silence for Taiyang's response. The man's hesitation was brief but very real. Concern for his daughters, concern about Naruto, about the future of Remnant, all it flashed in the older man's eyes. Despite all that, the man's fist met the boy's.
"I'm definitely willing to."
AN: Tai is a good dad. I'm unemployed now! Y'all know what that means. Also, fuck AI. I put my blood, sweat and tears to release a chapter every 18 months! Don't steal my glory.