The heat was overbearing. There wasn't a cloud in sight to shield from the sun's rays.
The salty sea breeze hung in the air, the humidity and vapors making the heat unbearable. Seeking shade on deck was all one could do, or head to their bunk to escape the unrelenting sun.
Very few of the ship's passengers were on the deck, seeking the cabins inside for refuge.
A yawn escaped his lips, his eyes hazily gazing upon the horizon while leaning against the railing.
The heat never bothered him anyways.
This was nothing compared to the Suna desert when he wore his jumpsuit...
That was a mistake he never wanted to make again.
With him now heading to a city on the coast of a tropical island?
He was glad for this new outfit, that was for sure! Although the strange card system for the currency they had here was confusing and something he would have to get used to...
The Lien card currency system was complicated with both rechargeable and nonchargeable cards...*
How he missed simple Ryo...
"Well, you'll do fine in Kuo Kuana if you're handling this sweltering heat just fine." Blake's voice snapped him from his thoughts, and he turned his head to the side as she leaned against the railing beside him, gazing upon the sea. "And you dressed light too, expecting heat. I have to wonder what Ruby and Yang were thinking with their outfit choices... Well, mostly Ruby. Yang can shed her jacket."
Glancing down, he did have to agree.
He had a buttoned short-sleeved white collared v-shirt with orange trimming, unbuttoned halfway down for some air ventilation. Loose black pants strapped with an orange belt and tapped at his ankles. He didn't bother with his coat, which he left in the room he shared with Emerald and Mercury. Didn't feel like wearing it in this kind of weather.
Blake was smartly dressed as well, but was to be expected.
She was heading home. She knew what to expect.
A modest black sleeveless crop top with diamond patterned straps. Her weapon was strapped across her chest with a belt. Black fitted pants and white belt.
He did question the thigh-high purple boots with gold lining but figured that was her fashion.
His gaze was drawn to a scar on a cross-shaped scar on her abdomen, displayed due to her midriff being exposed, noting it seemed relatively fresh.
Her bow was gone as well.
While he wasn't taken aback by the cat ears when he saw them, as there was far more drastic and weird appearance where he came from, it was still odd she was covering them up.
He wanted to ask about that and her scar, however...
She was bleeding through her bandages when he found her, so he was curious what it was from. Every scar told a story.
"I'm giving Ruby her space until she's ready to talk. No use trying to force anything until then." Naruto glanced at Blake before flicking the sweat from his brow and sighing. "I get it. I would have been pissed at someone doing the same thing to me in her situation..."
"I actually agree with you." Blake cut Naruto's assumption off, shaking her head. "We've been trying to get her to come out and talk to you about it so she can figure things out herself. She needs to learn the harsh lessons of what it takes to be a leader and how difficult it actually is."
Scrunching his brow, mildly surprised at Blake's stanch, Naruto let out a short laugh. Shaking his head, her turned around and leaned his back against the railing, turning his full attention to her. "Sounds like you are talking from experience there. ...Oh, right. Your father was the leader of the White Fang."
"And is the current Chieftain of Kuo Kuana." Blake's ears flattened on her head before hanging her head. "Which is part of the reason why I came out here to talk to you... There is a lot you will need to be informed of."
"Chieftain? Man can't get a break, can he?" Naruto chuckled, hearing he went from leading an organization to leading a village, but he couldn't help but feel he would do something similar.
Then he frowned, noticing the shift in her voice, embarrassed posture, and scowled. "Wait, what do you mean part of why you came out here? I get needing to know about your culture and all that. Don't know enough about this world. I get that, ya know. What else am I missing?"
"It's Weiss..." Blake fidgeted and rubbed her shoulder under his scrutinizing gaze before sighing. "You don't know this, but the White Fang and the Schnee Dust Company over the years... Have a complex history."
"With her father? No, I don't believe it." Naruto sarcastically responded, catching Blake off guard and causing her to snort with laughter. "Tell me something I couldn't figure out on my own. After hearing what you said to him, I think I might have a bit of a picture..."
"It's a global problem." The smile on Blake's face from her snort faded before she exhaled and glanced over the horizon. "Racism is a rampant problem we have had to deal with over the years... He is one of the faces of the issue for us due to his platform and status. How he treats not only workers... But especially his Faunus workers."
Naruto scrunched his brow and repressed a scowl. That melancholic tone as she spoke reminded him way too much of his youth, and he hated it...
If he was stuck here for a length of time until he could find a way home, one way or another...
...If there was a way back...
...Perhaps he could do something to help combat this rampant hatred?
If there was one thing he was good at...
"So, back onto the topic of Weiss..." Blake turned her attention and focused directly on Naruto. "The White Fang has a considerable presence on Menagerie. My father may be the Chieftain there, but their sway is second to none..."
"Think she'll be targeted?" Naruto crossed his arms, a deep scowl adorning his features.
"I know she'll be. I know how he operates. " Blake repressed a hiss, taking a moment to calm herself, and breathed. "I have a history with one of the high-ranking members of the White Fang, one I'm not proud of... Don't know when he was promoted... "
"Former operative?" Naruto genuinely asked, gauging her reaction. "With your sense of justice, I wouldn't blame ya given the context of what I know..."
"Yes, unfortunately..." Blake admitted, looking away shamefully, wincing as she briefly traced her recent scar before shaking her head. "Given who she is, it would already be an issue. Humans, while welcomed in Menagerie, are often ostracized and looked down upon... She'll be in more trouble because of who she is. Everyone's going to recognize her because of her features."
"They're that recognizable?" Naruto tilted his head curiously, getting the vibe that this felt like a clan. "I could tell she and her father had resemblance to one another..."
"Which is worse because he married into the Schnee family. By right, he should have no say in their affairs, yet he has all the power somehow..." Naruto swallowed his spit as Blake snarled, her golden eyes vividly glistening with fury. "What the hell was Nicholas thinking when he handed over the company to him... I can only guess he thought his daughter was happy and his company was doing well..."
Naruto's eyes flickered in horror at what Blake said. That man wasn't even a part of the Schnee heritage!
Yet he shared distinct features with his daughter, who apparently inherited them from her mother instead of him yet shared some resemblances with him...
If this world had inter-clan relations as well...
"So, we shouldn't let Weiss go on her own very often while in Menagerie, is what I'm hearing." Naruto recovered as smoothly as he could before his eyes glinted at Blake. "Or you, for that matter. If you have issues with one of the higher-ups, that sounds like it could be a problem... Who, if I had to guess, is the one that gave you that scar when I picked you up?"
"I gave that away just now, didn't I?" Blake shrunk, tracing her scar once more, cursing herself for giving any tells, before straightening and nodding with Naruto's assessment. "But I agree. I don't think any of us should be alone. It will make this trip hectic, especially with the odd numbers, but we should always be paired up with someone at all times. ...Just Weiss in particular..."
A sliver of a smile crept on his lips. Despite her aloof and distant attitude, he understood her quite well.
She was trying to do right by her friends...
And was haunted by the ghosts of her past.
In a way, she kind of reminded him in a way of someone...
A far gentler version of that someone.
One still on the road to her recovery, though...
Like all of them.
Naruto flicked his hand through his locks, a sigh escaping.
He hadn't solved his issues, yet he was attempting to solve other peoples'...
Well, he wouldn't be himself if he wasn't...
"Funny enough, I think you might be the only one to get away with being alone." Blake giggled, puckering her lips as she crossed her arms. "When I first saw you, I thought you were a Faunus. Those whisker marks confused me and your scent... Well, I, uh..."
Naruto scoffed. His birthmarks helping blend in the Faunus culture, or at least being misidentified, would be a mixed blessing. He was sure of it. However, it was still something he couldn't harp too much about...
"You okay?" Naruto blinked, noticing Blake's face went flush, and her eyes darted away. "You went beet red... Hold on. What is this about my scent?! ...Wait. KURAMA! Explain!"
Oh, my dear boy... You've always had it. It just never came up before. Let's just say that, together, we RADIATE DOMINATE ENERGY. And she, on an instinctual level...
"DAMMIT!" Naruto cursed, palming his brow and dragging his hand down his face. "Oh, fantastic! Thanks for the late as-usual info!"
You didn't ask, therefore you shant receive!
Blake said nothing, ignoring the strange looks they received from onlookers, tucking her head. She knew who he was talking to, embarrassed of what she had just let slip...
She didn't mean that! There was just a natural pull like any...
"No, no, no!" A boisterous voice echoed, drawing their attention to it.
A blonde bombshell panted as she sprinted from the underdeck, looking at them, eyes wide in horror, panting exaggeratedly. "I'm too late! Blake no! But I wanted... To have fun with... Him... But... You... This isn't how I want this to happen!"
"What are you going on about?" Blake narrowed, her lips pursed as she followed the broken fragments of her partner's words.
And her eyes flickered lividly at what she heard.
"You what?!" Blake spat, causing Yang to stumble from Blake's snarl. "Is that what this is about? I wasn't even out here... You were trying to... Both? Yang Xiao Long!"
Damn! She's ambitious! I like her! But the fire in the cat girl...
Ignoring the inner monologue of Kurama watching the events, Naruto stood dumbfounded. He knew Yang had been hitting on him. He would have to be blind not to notice it.
While he still had doubts in his life, and he felt love for Hinata, Kurama brought up many valid points he had been feeling. Then there was the nagging pit in his stomach and the what if...
Of if this was permanent...
So, he had purposely ignored her apparent attempts. Yet, here she was, admitting out straight forth...
To her friend while admitting she had feelings for her friend as well?
How was she expecting this to go down?
There was no way this would end well!
And the look in Blake's eyes...
"Naruto..." Blake slowly turned her attention, her golden eyes glistening with indignant fury. "When we arrive in Kuo Kuana, I want to show you around the town at night. Give you a first-hand account of my people's culture. Then, maybe stop and have a nice dinner?"
Naruto turned his head awkwardly, forcing himself not to lean back when she closed her eyes, and a sickeningly sweet smile crossed her expression.
She was being spiteful!
Yet...
He did want to know more about her and her people.
And Yang really brought this onto herself.
"So, is this a date then?" Naruto stiffly chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.
"Yes." Blake nodded, holding her hands behind her back as Yang watched on, distraught at the events unfolding before her.
"A date sounds lovely."
[ X ]
"Leave me alone... I don't want to hear it, Yang. I just don't."
Groaning, rolling her eyes at the figure buried face-first in her pillow, ignoring the rest of the world around her, Yang let out an exhausted sigh. Her eyes glistened with a gentle glint before rubbing her sister's left shoulder before turning around. "Okay then... I'll be here for you when you want to talk."
"Thanks..." Ruby's muffled voice resonated, her face further buried into the pillow, refusing to glance in her sister's direction, her cheek flushed.
She didn't want to continue harboring these feelings...
She simply...
Slowly trotting away, swaying her hand through her hair lackadaisically, Yang stopped momentarily in front of the mirror in their cabin.
She grinned, planting her hand on her hip, admiring her new outfit. Her multi-color tan jacket looked so good over her orange crop top! And the black shoulders matched well with her fitted black pants!
Oh, and the tailcoat...
"And I thought I was obsessed with my look."
"Oh, you are just jealous, Weiss!" Yang swatted at the air, smirking as she turned her attention to her friend and returned to the path she was taking, making her way to a small table within their cabin. "I get all the attention with my style, and you know it!"
Weiss scoffed, her eyes rolling, adjusting her grayish blue bolero around her neck toward the rest of her dress of the same color, still adjusting to the new outfit.
They needed a new look, if nothing else, to change their appearance slightly. But she had more reason to need the change of clothing for a bit of white now...
She had grown! Her sizes were all slightly off!
That was why everything felt out of sorts in her old outfits!
She had to get re-measured so she could get the correct sizes, and that was so embarrassing!
Weiss was so glad Blake was there to help her...
She, however, smirked at her friend's over-bloated confidence. Her eyes glimmered with amusement. "Oh, if you only knew..."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Yang scowled, crossing her arms over her ample chest, scrunching her brow, and glaring at Weiss.
Weiss flicked her hand through her ponytail and smiled coyly, annoying her friend further.
She then sighed, her gaze falling upon the third member in the room, her face buried in her pillow as she lay motionless in her bed. "I know Ruby's upset about the situation..."
"Can't say I blame her." Yang scoffed, her eyes flickered softly over to her sister squirming in bed at hearing their conversation. "It's awkward. Didn't know those guys were fighting against us during all that. Now that I do, yeah, I'm with Ruby on this one. Doesn't feel right to turn them loose after the damage they did..."
"There are always two sides to a story. We don't know theirs." Weiss calmly responded, taking a sip of ice-cold cola from her glass to help combat the sweltering heat, taking her attention away from the novel she was reading. "Yes, they committed horrible acts. That was taken into account..."
"And forgiven?" Yang exclaimed incredulously, crossing her arms and scrutinizing her friend. "How can you be in favor of that?"
"I'm in favor of them being held accountable while their talents are being put to use for us . Not against us." Weiss set her glass down, her eyes sharply taking in Yang's. "Do I have personal issues with the decision? Yes. Do I question him for making it? No. It was something that needed to be made abruptly, and he did it without hesitation... Willing to shoulder all responsibilities for his actions."
"Like a true leader..." A muffled voice came from a pillow before further burying themselves within.
"Is that why you are still so upset?!" Yang rounded out of her chair and bellowed at her bedridden sister, shaking her fist wildly. "That he stepped up when you were supposed to! I swear, I'm gonna come over there and flip you out of that bed this instant if you don't get up right now and deal with it!"
"No! It's not just that!" Ruby sat up frantically, waving her arms, her face flushed crimson before hanging her head solemnly away. "It's so much more than that... I'm still mad at him... And I don't know what to say or do... I just feel lost and unsure of myself."
Relaxing her posture, Yang's expression warmed. A soft chuckle escaped her lips as she planted a hand on her hip. "Then you are like the rest of us."
"Huh?" Ruby snapped her head up, her eyes flickering with confusion.
"What? Did you think any of us know what the right answer is?" Yang flashed a confident grin as she strutted back over to her sister's bed, flopping down next to her. "Sometimes there are just decisions that suck, ya? You got to make the best of them..."
"That is precisely what he did." Weiss followed, standing from her seat, picking up her novel as she strode toward the sisters. "You can't hold what he did personally or as a slight, Ruby. It wasn't aimed to hurt you in any way. ...I think you may need to reread this."
Feeling the novel dropped in her lap, Ruby scowled, recognizing it immediately. "His fairy tale? I've read it so many times when I was younger..."
"Have you read it recently?" Weiss crossed her arms, her fingers tapping along her forearms. "Either of you?"
"Nah." Yang shook her head, frowning as she glanced at the book. "Last time I remember hearing it was when Dad read it to us. I know Rubes read it several times after, but that was before she was accepted into Signal."
Ruby flushed, hanging her head.
She hadn't read it since then, either...
"Then you both might want to read it for yourself," Weiss stated, causing Yang to frown at the thought of mandatorily reading something while Ruby curiously tilted her head in confusion. "Perhaps you'll have a different view if you reread it. Gain a new appreciation of who he really is now that you are older and your views have changed."
An inquisitive expression crossed Ruby's face, her gaze panning toward the book and back to Weiss.
It had been a while...
"You just read the book because you're interested in him," Yang exclaimed, broadly smiling, leaning back and bracing herself on the bed. "Can't say I blame you. Good looking. Well built..."
"No, you dolt! That has nothing to do with it!" Weiss shrieked, her pale face flushed a vivid cherry. "I wanted to learn more about him, obviously! While it wasn't the most informal story I read, it painted his character well enough. And from what I've seen of him, everything he has done makes far more sense."
"Uh-huh. If you say so." Yang grinned victoriously upon seeing her friend's uncharacteristic breakdown, hardly paying attention to Weiss' attempt to reason.
She had other plans.
"So," Yang drew out the word, making Weiss glare daggers toward her while even Ruby lifted her head worriedly, knowing the game her sister was playing. "If it doesn't bother you... You don't mind if I ask him out."
"Yang..." Ruby groaned in exasperation. "You are aware he's supposed to be engaged, right? That's kind of..."
"So! He's also in another world with no way home! Why not have some fun?" Yang responded unflinchingly, unfazed by the glares she received in return. "Yeah, I know he's looking for a way home to get back and stuff. I would, too. We all would in his situation. But, and I know this is rattling around in his mind, for it would be bouncing in my mind too... What if there was no way back? What if..."
"We were stuck in a world that wasn't ours." Ruby bit her lip, closing her eyes as she turned away, afraid to show her expression as the guilt weld within her.
The ever-pervasive thought of having trapped him here with her powers, even by accident, weighed heavily upon her.
Silence prevailed. Drowning Ruby further in her thoughts...
If there was only something she could do...
"I hate when you have a point yet so crassly express it. Show some tact, would you please?" Weiss grumbled, finally breaking the silence before expressing her exacerbation with a groan and a flippant wave. "Whatever. It doesn't bother me if you go and try and get a date. Good luck, though..."
"Thanks!" Yang chirped, sitting up with a grin before it slowly dissipated as she stood up, her eyes dilating. "Wait... That sounded sarcastic. ...What do you know, princess?"
"What are you talking..." Weiss retorted before a delighted gleam sparkled within her eyes, and a sly grin crept on the corner of her mouth, motioning a hand to the table, a specific chair with a white tailcoat draped over it. "I thought you already noticed? After all... Someone is missing, aren't they?"
"Blake! You better not!" Yang roared, ripping out of the room, the cabin door nearly coming off its hinges. "I thought I knew you better! I thought you were an ab girl! I've been working on mine!"
"So I was right..." Weiss smirked at the revelation, a devious plan coming together in her mind before she scowled. "And she's one to talk! You don't get things both ways! We all want her! That's just not fair!"
"Um, Weiss?" Ruby's voice drew Weiss' attention, her expression fading as she noticed her perplexed face. "I know Blake did leave to talk to Naruto... But wasn't that about explaining to him about her home? Since he doesn't know anything about the culture or anything... Not that we are much better..."
"Yang doesn't know that." Weiss smiled, placing her hand on her hip.
"Huh?" Ruby blinked, further bewildered, before realization dawned on her, and she began to giggle uncontrollably. "Oh..."
"Want to follow and go watch?"
"You know it..."
"No, no, no! That is not what we discussed, Mr. Schnee! You can go fuck yourself if you think you are seeing your daughter any time soon with an attitude like that! We are done talking! Good day, you cock stain!" A loud voice echoed before Mercury stepped through their open door, taking his scroll from his ear, walking across the rest of the room, opening one of the cabin windows, and pitching it outside.
As Ruby nastily scowled at him and Weiss stared at the silver-haired intruder incredulously, Mercury rounded on Weiss with scathing intent. "Oum, did anyone ever tell you your father is an asshole?!"
Hanging her head, Weiss turned and sighed.
"More often than you could possibly know..."
[ X ]
Everything was so strange here...
The people...
Could she even call them that?
They were the strangest assortment of individuals she had ever come across.
And she had met her fair share of bizarre individuals!
Now in this peculiar shop that this cat wanted to take her to in this town with a talking caterpillar...
Butterfly?
Human-thing?
Hybrid amalgamation!
She didn't know if she could hold onto her sanity much longer.
Neo was about to lose it.
She grinned at that thought. From what she could tell, this place liked to give out names...
Would she get a cool nickname if she went mad and went on a rampage?
Something like the Seething Hatter?
Oh, the Beautiful and Trumphiet Goddess of Glass!
"You aren't one for words, I see..." The strange abomination before her spoke, seeming very agitated with her presence.
She rolled her eyes. Flapping her lips while mocking it with her hand mimicking talking, she bore a hole into its head with her stare.
No shit!
"She cannot. She is broken, I'm afraid." The cat spoke, his tail swishing behind him as it glanced at the amalgamation, his grin never leaving its face, not even once during their travel here. "I brought her here as I feel there is a symptom behind it... I think you could do wonders for her, my friend."
"I see," The Butterfly returned his attention to Neo, who stared irately at him. "But she is still lost... I can see it within her eyes. Is that why you brought her to me?
Tensing, Neo's eyes shimmered.
This thing could tell that with a look into her eyes.
It knew her life had no meaning without him?
That she was just a husk!
That her purpose was all but pointless without him...
All she had left was his thoughts and the anger she felt towards those who took him away...
And the words she just heard from him...
But were those even real?
Her eyes widened as a vapor filled the room all around her. Filled her lungs before she could realize what was happening.
She was too lost in her thoughts to recognize what was happening.
Her eyes glowed, glass formed around her...
But she stood confused, standing in a damp cave.
Her eyes shimmer at two identical figures that were more petite than herself, outstretching their tiny arms toward her.
One with long pink hair.
The other with brown.
Neo trembled at the sight of the two children standing before her, wanting to play, not understanding...
Why was she staring at Trivia Vanille and her doppelganger... The person who she always envisioned she wanted to be...
Her imaginary friend crafted with her powers...
Neo.