Naruto had to calm his mind. Concentrate.
Ignore the nagging sensation in the back of his mind. The agitation he felt when Weiss had confronted him about taking this profession seriously!
It was all he had done for the majority of his life! The moment he knew what a Huntsman was, he aspired to become the greatest! To be the hero for people in need. And when he learned about the plight of his people, he sought to be a shining example for humanity to take notice.
And for someone to question the work he had put in left him with an unyielding anger.
But as he had done all his life, Naruto had harnessed that anger. Allowed that rage to be a source of fuel for his drive. To train harder and prove that he put in the effort.
However, all of that restlessness at this moment did not help him. He needed his Aura to be calm. He didn't want to draw on Rage's Aura. It always threw his manipulation off balance.
And to practice his new manipulation technique, he needed to control the storm that was known as his Aura. Focus that power before releasing it.
With Naruto's hand outstretched before him, he concentrated on his palm. Wisps of visible blue Aura came forth. At first, they were simple streams that were escaping his control. But slowly, they began to wrap around one another and started to rotate.
And a second stream counter flowed against it as it began to condense. A third followed, adding more of a chaotic swirl to the mix.
Aura Manipulation was common. Everyone could manipulate their Aura to an extent. The most common manipulation was creating a shield around them for self-defense. Anyone who desired to become a Huntsman or Huntress would pick up that technique. Some were so competent in it that they could keep their shield up subconsciously.
However, there was no one capable of manipulating Aura in the way Naruto could. He could use it in ways no other person could.
While others could use their Aura to scale a surface quickly, Naruto could stick to any surface. That was the first thing he learned when he became aware of Control. However, it went deeper than that, and what made his Semblance special.
It was his ability to understand other individuals' Semblances—incorporate them as his own after practicing with them for a long enough period.
Naruto had unconsciously incorporated elements of Ruby's Petal Burst and Yang's Burn into the way he fought. It was likely from spending most of his childhood around them that it was done subconsciously.
Thankfully, it wasn't a direct copy, nor did he want to do that! Their Semblances were what made them unique! His Semblance allowed him to copy elements of Semblances he understood. So he could take more damage and deal out a little more, or accelerate his movements.
And that was far from what it could do. He was able to do some really peculiar things with it.
Infuse it with objects to enhance their strength and durability, or with people to amplify their abilities or accelerate their healing. To project it like he was doing at this current moment...
Trying to form a sphere like he could in his dreams.
If only he could contain it and keep it steady...
"What is that?" Blake's voice came from his right, causing Naruto to relapse and lose control of his Aura, snapping his attention to a grimacing Blake. "Sorry! Didn't mean to startle you!"
"Whoa, I've never seen him that absorbed with his training before." Yang couldn't repress her laughter.
Naruto glowered, turning further to see that Ruby and Yang were present.
"Was that something new you were practicing? I've never seen you do that before." Ruby curiously asked with pursed lips.
"Yeah." Naruto nodded after throwing one last shaded glare at Yang for laughing. "It's kind of weird. In my dreams, I've seen myself create an orb of pure Aura to do some wicked damage. In one, I blew up a meteor with it!"
"That sounds like a... fantastical... dream." Blake lightly frowned at Naruto's delusion.
"Yeah, I know, sounds strange. The thing is, my dreams feel so real... And I feel like I can do anything that I did within them outside of them." Naruto nervously combed his hand through his locks.
"It wouldn't be the first time. It's how you learned how to use your Aura to stick to the surface." Ruby beamed with a light cheerfulness.
"I wouldn't be surprised if it's just your brain creating ideas in your sleep for you to try," Yang added with a roll of her eyes. "Okay, I'm up this early. We gonna do some training?"
"If not, I'm going back to bed!"
[ X ]
It had been unnervingly quiet this morning. Everyone had been downcast since yesterday afternoon...
And Weiss knew it was her fault.
Weiss could barely disguise the black bags under her eyes. She hardly slept last night.
Her team tried everything to calm her nerves, but nothing seemed to soothe her. Weiss knew she had made a mistake. And as a leader, she knew she could not do that!
Weiss had to be better... Be better than...
She knew she should have held her tongue. She shouldn't have snapped in the way she did. She could have approached it differently.
But Weiss owned up to what she had done. She had grown frustrated with their carefree attitude and the way they acted. It perturbed her so much!
...And she couldn't help but worry her team was gravitating toward them more than they were to her.
Nora got along exceptionally well with all members of Team NBRY. Her outgoing personality blended seamlessly with theirs... Except for Blake, however, even she seemed to enjoy Nora being around.
Ren didn't mind them in the slightest. She swore she saw the slightest of smiles on his expression when they met in the hallways.
And then there was Pyrrha, who she knew was excited by the chance of sparring with Naruto. She was there when they agreed to do it! She was prim and cordial when she spoke with them.
Weiss even swore she had caught Pyrrha watching him outside when he took center stage in the class! She almost felt enamored with him...
Exhaling as she finished applying her makeup, she winced. It was only going to be messed up later today...
"Suppose I should take responsibility," Weiss took one last deep breath before exiting the bathroom to find her team in the midst of the typical morning rituals.
Nora was making pancakes for herself and anyone who wanted to partake. Ren was, once again, studiously reading a textbook, occasionally reaching over and taking a bite from his syrup-lathered pancakes. Pyrrha had finished wrapping her hair into a ponytail before she gave a genuine smile and waved.
"Good morning," Pyrrha beamed, keeping a positive attitude despite Weiss feeling downtrodden.
"I guess," Weiss responded, failing to match her vibe, and grimaced.
The last thing she wanted to do was let the rest in on how disgruntled and nervous she was. Weiss was their leader. She was supposed to take on all their burdens...
"Yesterday still bothering you?" Pyrrha's smile turned into a frown, her gaze turning stern.
"Yeah, can't stop thinking about it." Weiss flinched, unable to lie to Pyrrha.
Pyrrha studied her for what felt like an eternity. Weiss withered under her gaze. What was she thinking...
"Well, this sort of stuff happens." Pyrrha's expression shifted back to a more positive vibe as she modestly smiled.
"We all have our moments." Ren wisely spoke, following Pyrrha's lead, head still in his textbook.
"It's what we do after that that matters! Gotta make the best of what we can!" Nora hummed, flipping the last pancake out of her frying pan and onto a plate stacked full of them.
Weiss recoiled, glancing over the rest of her team. This almost felt rehearsed... Were they talking when she was in the bathroom?
"You're right," Weiss exhaled again, nodding at their assessment as she glanced at the door leading to the hallway. "I know I stepped out of line yesterday. While I know they were wrong too, I have to admit my fault and express that to him... Even if they are carefree dolts that drive me crazy..."
"I agree," Pyrrha held a warm and welcome smile at Weiss's admission before she winced. "However, there may be a small hitch to apologizing... They left a while ago."
"Huh? Seriously?!" Weiss exclaimed, throwing her head back in utter shock.
Typically, they either ran into them as they were both leaving or they arrived at class right as it started. Hearing they had already left didn't seem like them at all.
Weiss refrained from recoiling and instead bit her lips. Did they leave early... To not deal with her?
"From what Yang told me yesterday before... You know... they made a team decision yesterday to join in Naruto's morning training routine at dawn. I think they all went to take showers at the gym instead of waiting on Yang." Nora nodded and explained what she knew, wincing as she mentioned the incident.
"Oh..." Weiss frowned upon receiving this information.
While a portion of her was relieved it wasn't because of her, it was what they were doing that caught her off guard... And the words Naruto rang in her mind, haunting her.
Weiss repressed her urge to shiver as she recalled the edge in Naruto's cerulean gaze. Her words felt so hollow. She could only hope he didn't hold some sort of grudge toward her like those other Faunus did toward her family.
If he did...
[ X ]
Glynda had been carefully observing her students with due diligence all morning. With all the first years, she needed to be more accustomed to how her students acted before students from across Haven, Vacuo, and Atlas arrived for the Vytal Festival, and chaos ensued.
She would struggle to keep track of them once they began to arrive. Some already had.
And it wouldn't be long until he arrived, and if Glynda knew him as well as she thought she did... It would be with his entire fleet.
...Which would be a headache in and of itself...
Glynda shook her head, glancing at the tablet monitor as she took a bite from her sandwich. They would deal with that when the time came.
Luckily, everyone and everything was in order today. No one was causing mischief, surprisingly, and was enjoying their lunch.
...It would only be a matter of time until they did.
And it wasn't just her prankster of a son and friends she would have to worry about... It always surprised her how many of the older students played pranks on everyone and tried to initiate the first years.
Glynda snorted as she saw the medical reports on several older students patched up by Professor Peach. This was an exceptionally talented first-year class. She wouldn't doubt that most of the teams that made it past the elimination brackets would be comprised of first- and second-year students.
Three teams stood out in particular after a single week—the second-year team of CFVY and two first-year teams, WPNR and NBRY.
Glynda shook her head. She knew that any team her son had ended up on would have been an immediate candidate, and the same applied to Ms. Nikos. They were beyond exceptional for their age group...
And she had a feeling everyone was about to see why this afternoon.
Glynda frowned, took another bite of her sandwich, and then tapped and changed the feed on her tablet to the cafeteria, bringing up the image of both teams. A tick developed on her temple upon seeing where Naruto and his team were...
Glynda exhaled. As long as they made it to class on time.
"At least now, they can air out any grievances and come to an understanding," Glynda exhaled before sitting straight in her chair as her Scroll vibrated.
Withdrawing her Scroll, she sharpened her gaze. It was from Qrow. A simple message was written on it.
Keep an eye on Naruto. Call it a hunch, but I think they're interested in him...
And that means their next move is to infiltrate Beacon.
Ugh!
[ X ]
Weiss couldn't express her frustration. She had desperately tried to find the time to talk to Naruto all day! But every time, something interrupted her!
After the first class, before Weiss could approach him, one of the idiot's teammates had to mouth off, and Naruto proceeded to trap them and string them up on the chandelier! Cardin and his goons deserved it for how they sought out other students to try to bully, but Weiss was more in awe at how he set up the trap so quickly!
Or how he seemed to manipulate the wires attached to his fingers in ways that should not have been possible! What was his Semblance?!
So, after that debacle, Weiss tried to catch him after Grimm Studies and before lunch. And much to her chagrin, an older team met with him, and they went out for lunch off campus!
This was the worst day!
Weiss wanted to right her wrong from yesterday before she was forced to face him in combat! To let him know she didn't harbor any ill will toward him and was only ticked off by how loud they were being and how abrasive he could be!
...Which didn't help matters due to him being a Faunus... She already didn't trust Faunus...
Weiss glowered. She should have just taken her team out for lunch and followed them. She could have afforded it with Father's card...
"Is everything okay?" Pyrrha's voice broke Weiss from her lamenting, snapping her sulking demeanor from blankly staring at her trey and toward a concerned Pyrrha. "Are you nervous?"
"What? No! ...I..." Weiss fumbled her words and grimaced. Pyrrha could read her like an open book. She really was good at...
"Huh? What are you watching?" Weiss's gaze sharpened, noticing Pyrrha had brought out her scroll, and footage was playing.
"Nothing!" Pyrrha rapidly tucked her scroll away with an alarmed expression before covering it with a pleasant smile. "I was watching some of my old footage to find any mistakes I made!"
"Sure..." Weiss's frown deepened as Pyrrha nervously chuckled.
That was not footage of any of Pyrrha's fights. She recognized the two individuals who were on the screen before Pyrrha closed her Scroll.
It was Naruto. And the other figure was the girl who invited his team out for dinner. It had to be one of Naruto's recorded fights from the Vale Regional.
Why was Pyrrha watching that? If anyone should be taking notes, it was her! Weiss was about to go up against him!
"You know what! I'll get us some soothing tea to calm our nerves! How's that sound?" Pyrrha continued to try to cover up her anxiety.
"...That sounds lovely. Thank you," Weiss nodded, allowing Pyrrha to cover up her tracks and leave to collect some tea.
However, as Pyrrha left, Weiss's attention was focused solely on her, ignoring the slumbering Nora, loudly snoring, and Ren savoring his meal. She knew Pyrrha was plotting something. The question was...
What was she going to do?
[ X ]
It was time.
Weiss was anxious and couldn't settle in as Glynda strode forward to start class. Her legs wouldn't stop trembling. Without a moment to try and apologize for her actions, she could only hope Naruto wasn't harboring any ill intent toward her. She didn't expect he would, given who his mother was, but there was always a chance...
Her father had treated the Faunus people as lessers for many years until the Atlas council cracked down and mandated better and appropriate wages for everyone.
She hesitantly glanced in Naruto's direction. She really hoped there was no resentment for her because of his actions.
"Good, everyone is on time. I expect this sort of promptness every time we meet." Glyda stated as she retrieved her tablet, pulling the list of students and their records ranked on the big screen above.
A hush followed as Weiss gazed upon the screen to see the rankings. She grimaced for a while, as she, along with the rest of her team, was at the top of the board for none of them had lost; she definitely struggled in a few of her bouts. She hadn't even faced anyone from Team RBRY, and they were undefeated in all of their matches.
Something had to give eventually...
And as expected, at the top of the list, there was Pyrrha... With Naruto directly below.
Their victories had been dominant. Pyrrha had been untouchable. The way she moved in battle proved she had a level of competency beyond what Weiss had in battle.
It almost made her feel inadequate by comparison. She was confident when she arrived; however, after seeing a few of Pyrrha's matches... Her confidence dwindled substantially.
And then there was her opponent today... Naruto.
While she wouldn't say his victories were as elegant, he crushed everyone who came before him. She swore he was purposely taking hits just to get a better shot to knock out his opponent!
Had to be a trait for his team. Yang did that quite often now that she thought about it.
"Before we begin, I wish to express this to everyone wondering about competing in the Vytal Festival this year." A hush followed the murmur as students looked at their records, all attention returning to Glynda as she spoke. "First years rarely ever make the cut; however, exceptional students and their teams are allowed the chance to compete. While these are spars in which we are taking and learning from, every victory you obtain for your team puts you one step closer to competing before the masses."
"Let us begin," Glynda tapped her tablet, and the participants were announced on the screen. "Naruto Goodwitch. Weiss Schnee. Take your places."
Weiss bit her lip and took a deep breath, putting on her calm and stern facade. She could do this.
Sliding her chair, she prepared...
"Professor Goodwitch! I wish to substitute in place of Weiss!" Pyrrha suddenly rose, much to Weiss's horror.
"Pyrrha! What are you doing?!" Weiss jumped to her feet and furiously whispered to Pyrrha.
"Standing up for what I believe in," Pyrrha softly smiled, rooting Weiss in place with her words. Leaving her unable to say anything as Pyrrha spoke out. "Weiss has been feeling off all day, and I don't wish for her to compete when she isn't one hundred percent. I wish to take her place for this duel instead."
"Is that so?" Glynda raised her brow incredulously. Her gaze temporarily shifted toward a cowering Weiss before she raised her nose and scoffed. "I will allow it. Sit back down, Ms. Schnee. Ms. Nikos, you may take her place."
Weiss stood frozen, shaken by what Pyrrha had done. She... She took her place!
...Was Pyrrha that in tune with Weiss's feeling that Pyrrha understood her apprehension?
"Pyrrha, I..." Weiss choked out.
"It's okay. This is what partners do. We look after each other." Pyrrha smiled one last time as she retrieved her sword and shield and made her way into the arena.
Weiss's heart skipped a beat before it raced as she watched Pyrrha face Naruto.
She did this... For her?
Clenching her fists and gnashing her teeth, Weiss trembled as she slowly took her seat, as conflicting emotions raged within. A seething anger for believing she couldn't handle this moment...
And a tender gratefulness that someone was willing to step in for her when she needed help.
[ X ]
Naruto blinked repeatedly as Pyrrha stepped into the arena.
Had she really just...
A sliver of a smirk quirked on Naruto's lips as Pyrrha stood before him—his respect for her rose several notches.
Now it was time to see if The Invincible Girl lived up to her name.
"Mah, couldn't wait, could ya?" Naruto grinned at Pyrrha.
"I will admit, I've been waiting for this opportunity," Pyrrha nodded, her beaming expression shifting to a deadly serious one as she drew her sword in her right and held her shield before her with her left. "And when destiny calls, we are but slaves to its whims. I couldn't help but answer its call."
"Destiny is a load of crap." Naruto scowled, crossed his arms, and stood steadily in a relaxed but prepared position before Pyrrha. "We forge our own paths. That is what I believe in."
"Then I suppose that is something we disagree on," Pyrrha responded, her gaze sharpening further, preparing for battle.
"When you are ready, you may begin," Glynda spoke aloud, standing patiently at the edge of the arena, hands behind her back.
Naruto and Pyrrha nod, staring into each other's gaze to gauge the other's readiness.
With their answers sought, Naruto struck first. Reaching into his pouch, he released several shuriken scattered toward Pyrrha, aiming a specific few for center mass while scattering the rest to control her positioning.
Pyrrha's gaze narrowed as she held her shield before her to block the first volley, but it widened upon seeing Naruto had closed the gap and had jumped her.
She lifted her shield to absorb the oncoming blow, but Pyrrha snarled as she felt all of Naruto's weight land on it and use it as a springboard to flip over her. On instinctual reflex, she lifted her sword arm and shielded her back with a turn, deflecting a bo strike that would have hit the nape of her neck.
And with a rapid spin to her right, Pyrrha thrusted her shield arm forward and into Naruto. He absorbed the blow with a thrust of his left forearm and did not budge.
Their gazes met, and Naruto grinned as his eyes sparkled. "Almost had ya."
Pyrrha's eyes shone with the same intense excitement. With a flick of her shield arm, Pyrrha re-engaged with a sword swing.
Blade met Bo. Shield met Bo. Combustion cartridge met shield.
Their rapid movements blistered as they danced around one another, unable to land a blow on the other. Any time Naruto thought he outflanked her, she was able to react and meet his attack with a counter of her own, ready to strike.
She was faster than most, but nothing the fastest Naruto had faced. She was more powerful than most, and her strikes were precise, but she wasn't the strongest he had ever encountered. Her accuracy, however...
Was frightening.
Pyrrha's struck with terrifying accuracy. If he did not counter her sword swings, she would strike critical areas. Naruto was confident his Aura could absorb those strikes, but his honed instinct told him to avoid unnecessary damage against an opponent as formidable as Pyrrha.
But the more they tangoed, the more Naruto recognized something was off. His strikes weren't hitting where he intended to strike. They felt slower than he was accustomed to and always found her sword or shield.
Naruto narrowed his eyes. He had watched Pyrrha's fights before and never noticed anything off about them, but now that he recalled, no one had ever struck her before...
Something was off.
Using the moment of his flank, Naruto accelerated with a burst of speed Pyrrha had not anticipated. He landed in a crouch, throwing several kunai toward Pyrrha and scattering across the arena, thin reflective lines tracing back to his fingers.
This time, Naruto aimed for the legs for a test. Would they fly straight or...
As they bounced off her shield, held before her, Naruto's lips quivered into a smirk. "That's what's going on... Well, let's make this inconvenient for you!"
With a pull of his arms, the wires tied to his other displaced kunai tightened around Pyrrha. Her eyes shimmered with surprise, but she cut through them without issues.
However, that lone moment where Pyrrha lost attention on him, Naruto struck, throwing Sol at her face and Luna into her torso as he closed the distance.
"What?" Pyrrha let out a gasp of surprise as she was forced to shield her face to stop Sol from colliding with her, obscuring her view, before grimacing as Luna connected with her stomach.
For the first time, Pyrrha Nikos recoiled and stumbled from a blow.
Naruto capitalized.
"Ah!" Pyrrha grunted, feeling Naruto grasp her shield, attempting to yank it from her.
He was far from the first person to try such a maneuver. Many had tried and failed. However, Pyrrha had to admit Naruto was far stronger than anyone else who had done it before.
She felt her grasp slipping, and she had to react! With one good swing...
Pyrrha's eyes quivered, and her face expressed horror as Naruto caught his sword in his left hand. No, not caught. It clearly struck and would have sliced through if it wasn't for his Aura...
But his Aura completely absorbed the blow and allowed him to catch her blade without consequence! And now he controlled both of her arms!
Pyrrha couldn't stop the heavy boot that landed into her midsection, which separated her sword and shield from her and launched her several feet away into a heap. She recovered quickly, only to see Naruto throw her sword and shield away, on opposite sides of the arena, embedding them into the wall.
He had figured out her Semblance.
"Alright, let's do this the old-fashioned way!" Naruto cried, diving in toward her without regard now that she was without her primary weapons.
Pyrrha grimaced as she scrambled back to her feet. That kick hurt. Her Aura absorbed most of it, but she still felt the recoil. She couldn't take many hits like that.
And now she faced someone who obviously preferred hand-to-hand combat.
Pyrrha was far from a slouch, but she preferred fighting with a sword or javelin with her shield in hand. She was competent, but Naruto outshone her in this aspect.
All she could do was hold up a guard and reflect his punches and kicks from hitting center mass. Evade when she could and try to get off a blow of her own, like a knee to his stomach...
Which he took like it was nothing to strike her chin with an uppercut!
He took that shot on purpose!
Pyrrha snarled, rubbing her jaw and wiping a smudge from her mouth. She couldn't beat him on a even playing ground. That was apparent now. Naruto was physically more gifted than she was.
However, beyond her Semblance, where she held the edge was in technique and her use of weapons. But with Pyrrha's attention focused on melee and her Aura dwindling, she had to choose between taking her sword or shield.
There was only one answer as she put on the back foot once more.
Sometimes, the best offense was a good defense.
As Naruto approached, he heard the crackle of rocks and the whirring noise buzzing behind him. Ducking, Pyrrha's shield returned to her grasp as she rushed toward him, catching it mid swing...
And would have popped Naruto in the nose with her shield if he hadn't brought both of his arms up to guard.
Still stung.
But he had to press the advantage. Without her sword, she couldn't inflict damage that his Aura couldn't absorb. Her shield blows might sting, but without her controlling Sol and Luna's paths, he was able to land more direct blows on her, even if she came back with a devastating counter with her shield. He took it and inflicted more damage back.
With a low kick to her Achilles tendon, Pyrrha buckled to her knees. It was over. Naruto went in for the...
Kill?!
His eyes shimmered fearfully as Pyrrha caught her sword in her right hand as he approached and with a swift flick of her wrist, she nearly caught his throat with it.
With an accelerated burst away from Pyrrha, Naruto panted. He was far from his last legs, but he knew Pyrrha was. He just needed to get in. Oh, he wanted to use his damn weapons, but she controlled where they hit! They were pointless!
And that shield was challenging to navigate around. The last thing he wanted to do was target her sword hand and get cut up! Possible cut in half if she swung hard enough!
He needed one devastating blow to end this fight now!
Naruto's lips twitched as he held his right hand to his side.
"Well, here goes nothing..." Naruto's eyes twinkled as Aura rapidly developed in his palm, rotating into a violent swirl.
Brilliantly shining as it condensed into a perfect sphere.
"See if you can stop this!" Naruto bellowed, charging straight for her, orb held at his side.
Pyrrha stood firm, readying her shield to defend and her sword arm for the counter.
There was no room for error. This had to work.
"Aaayyyaaahhh!" Naruto thrusted the orb ahead and directly into Pyrrha's shield swing.
She defiantly tried to deflect the blow to open for her counter. However, Pyrrha felt her shield and arm slam into her chest and was forced back, stumbling on her feet. Unable to muster the strength to swing, she dropped her blade and brought both hands to her shield as she regained her footing and planted them to withstand the pressure.
To Pyrrha's abject horror, the sound of metal being chipped and rent asunder rang in her ears. And a bright blue light shone through her shield.
It was piercing right through!
"Uuuggghhh!" Pyrrha's cry resonated throughout the arena as the orb ruptured into her, violently throwing her back.
Pyrrha skipped across the arena floor several times before she smashed into and through the front row of the classroom, scattering the students from their desk. Her Aura shimmered and crackled before fading around her.
She did not stand back up. Pyrrha simply lay behind the desk, heavily breathing, staring up at Naruto.
"Match, Naruto Goodwitch," Glynda announced as she withdrew her riding crop, and with a flick of her wrist and a glow of Semblance, the damages inflicted on the arena were mended as if the fight had never happened.
"Yeah! I knew you'd win!" Ruby cheered triumphantly, dashing in with Petal Burst to glomp Naruto with her embrace.
"Was there ever a doubt?" Yang beamed as she leapt down the stairs and offered a high five.
Naruto accepted it with a grin.
"Only for a short while," Blake chimed in with a mischievous smirk.
"Yeah, there were a few moments there I thought the same," Naruto chuckled, admitting the truth.
His gaze, however, shifted upon seeing Weiss be the first of her team to arrive at Pyrrha's side, shortly followed by Nora and Ren. With a deep breath, he approached.
"That was fun." Naruto approached, leaping over the mended table, looking down onto Pyrrha. Kneeling, he offered her a hand and a faint smile. "I look forward to our rematch."
Emerald met cerulean, and with a low chuckle, Pyrrha accepted Naruto's hand with a smile as he assisted her to her feet. "As do I."
Naruto and Pyrrha held each other's gaze for an uncomfortably long time, for Ruby, before he finally broke eye contact and faced a concerned Weiss. "Mah, I'm sorry about yesterday. I know we were loud and distracting; I can definitely see why you thought we were goofing off. That's my fault, and I own up to it and figure out how not to disturb you guys as much."
Weiss recoiled, her eyes growing momentarily before her typically sharp demeanor was replaced by a more gentle, subdued demeanor. "I was wrong as well. I shouldn't have said anything like that or called you out in that matter..."
"Water under the bridge!" Naruto smiled and waved off Weiss's concern, and much to her surprise, held out his hand toward her. "Fresh start?"
Weiss looked at Naruto, dumbfounded for a few seconds, before her lips quivered. Her confident demeanor returned as she met Naruto's gaze, and she shook his head. "Fresh start. ...Just know that after today, we're going to work even harder so we don't drop a match to any of you."
Naruto's grin only widened as he let out a spirited laugh.
"Now you are speaking my language! Bring it on!"
[ X ]
It was so good to be back. She had been away for far too long. Far longer than she would have liked.
That horrible witch had sent her out to distract that damn Huntsman! How she despised being away from Roman's side!
Clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth, Neopolitan strutted through the warehouse Roman had procured. She silently whistled, seeing all the containers of Dust and Weapons.
He had indeed been busy while she was away.
Neo scowled. That woman better not have been overworking him! She wasn't sure what she could do against that fiery demon.
"Took your time, didn't you?" A voice Neo did not want to hear resonated.
She rolled her eyes and turned to face the amber-eyed devil with resigned fatigue. Could whatever she wanted wait? All she wanted to do was see Roman!
Have some time with him...
"He'll be here soon. I swear I'm not keeping him from you. You can see him in a moment." Cinder rasped as she strolled and stopped before Neo. "However, after that, there is something I need you to do. I've heard you got quite a few connections here in Vale. I was wondering if you could pull some of them and find someone for me."
"And if need be, go under cover to collect him for me."