-Last Time-
"Goodbye kitten, I shall always remember you." She said somberly before standing up and turning towards the inland. "Now however, I need to find out what bratty little Kurama-kun is doing in this world as well." She said before inhaling deeply.
"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAR!"
…
"…Sister is coming…" He said in an empty emotionless voice before the aura dispersed just as quickly as it appeared, and Naruto suddenly passed out.
"I need call Winter, you should contact Nora." Penny said after checking that he was okay while Neo simply nodded in agreement as she stared at Naruto with a look of absolute intrigue.
…
'I should have just led that stupid field trip after all. I bet Oobleck is having a nice relxing time while I deal with this headache.' Glynda thought as she rubbed her forehead as the group loaded up into the special bullhead that would take them to Beacon. All except Winter who stopped to answer her scroll when it started ringing.
…
Meet me at Junior's tonight at midnight, come alone, don't tell anyone.
Along with the neatly written cursive writing was a small picture showing a certain black-haired, red eyed woman, albeit in her teen years, in a simple black dress with a bored look on her face being held by a happy teenage tuxedo wearing Taiyang.
"M-mom?"
-And Now, NNPW dorm-
*Bang* "Where's my Naruto!?" Nora yelled as she burst through the door to her room with an extremely concerned look on her face and her breath coming in rapid gasps as she rapidly looked around, her teammates and team RWBY right behind her.
"Kaa-chan!" Naruto called out happily, waving as a sniffling Professor Peach looked him over with various tools. Winter and Penny were right beside the sickly teacher, doing their best to keep the boy in place. Glynda was leaning against the nearest wall, her usual stoic expression cracked slightly as she stared at the child with concern. Finally, Neo was sitting on Nora's bed fiddling with her scroll while glancing up every few seconds to see how Naruto was doing.
Rushing across the room, Nora crouched at the side of the bed and hugged Naruto tightly. "Oh, I was so worried about you! Are you okay? How are you feeling?"
"Of course I'm fine Kaa-chan, why wouldn't I be?" The whiskered child asked with a tilted head, getting the worrying 'mother' to finally calm down a bit as her worry turned to confusion. Before she could voice it however, Winter spoke up.
"He appears to not remember anything about the event. We're not sure why." She said in a clipped tone. "Not even showing him the video of the event from Penny's optic cameras could jog anything." The Schnee held out her scroll with said video playing on it as added emphasis.
"I look so cool! Don't I Kaa-chan?" Naruto asked Nora excitedly, snuggling into her chest as his tails wagged happily behind him.
"Yeah…" Nora said slowly before clapping her hands over Naruto's ears and pushing him deeper into her bosom. "What the hell is happing to my little boy?" She asked the sick professor worriedly.
"I'm not sure, he seems to be- Achoo! …perfectly fine. It could be an-Achoo! …an unforeseen side-effect of his dust-based diet, but I'd need to- Achoo! …take him to my lab to find out for sure." Professor Peach said between sneezes, idly wiping her nose with a tissue before tossing it into the overflowing trash bin.
'Or it could be a reaction to our recent arrivals.' Winter and Glynda unknowingly thought at the same time, images of a certain infant flashing across their thoughts. The timing of the incident and the extreme similarities being far much to be just a coincidence.
"We'll do that tomorrow Ms. Peach, you're clearly in no state to run the equipment right now. Besides…" Glynda said before pausing. "I do believe it is time to properly inform Ms. Valkyrie of our new guests."
"Ah, then if you'll excuse me I'll make my-Achoo! …leave." Professor Peach said with one last sneeze as she packed up her stuff, hurrying out the door suspiciously fast.
"Uh, what are you talking about? The foreign transfer students?" Nora asked in confusion.
"Eh-hem, yes, you see…"
-In another part of Beacon-
"Not a bad place, bit gaudy but otherwise alright." Tsunade said from a small kitchenette, casually tearing one of the crates she had been carrying open to reveal dozens of Sake bottles that she promptly started shoving into the cupboards.
"I'm glad it is to your liking. My staff had to rush a bit to convert this from an old classroom to a suitable living area." Ozpin calmly sipped from his cup by the doorway as he watched the elderly blonde work with Qrow and Karin helping her. Meanwhile, Shizune was in the living room area dealing with the little 'present' Mito had left in her diaper and the two bodyguards slowly moved the multitude of other crates around. "Though I'm sorry to say it may be a bit cramped, we were only expecting three of you."
"It's fine Ozpin-san, we were a bit of a last-minute addition after all." Iruka said before wincing as his tail accidentally slapped into one of the wooden boxes. "Mizuki and I will be fine sleeping on the floor for now. We've had to spend the night in worse places while on mission."
"Alright then, but rest assured that we will have more proper accommodations set up so-"
"WHAAAAAT!?" Ozpin was cut off when a loud feminine outcry of rage rang through the entire school. This was followed shortly by two blasts, one small then one large.
"Waaaaaah!"
"Oh, shhhh shhh, there there little one, it's okay. Your oba-chan is right here." Shizune said softly, rocking the crying baby gently in arms until she settled down. She then handed Mito back over to Karin before turning to Ozpin. "What was that?"
"Probably just one of the students realizing they forgot to study for test or something. Don't worry it happens pretty often around here." 'Or at least now it does,' Ozpin added mentally while taking another sip from his glass.
Eyebrow raised slightly at the casual dismissal, Shizune decided not to question it for the moment. "Alright then, would you mind showing me where I could get dinner for everyone Ozpin-sama? All we have packed is… Sake." She sighed while looking to her master as she opened ANOTHER crate filled with nothing but booze.
"Of course Ms. Kato, the mess hall is just this way."
-NNPW dorm, five minutes before-
"WHAAAAAAT!? You let those people come here?! Are you crazy!?" Nora screamed, Naruto pushed behind her protectively while she pointed Magnhild at Glynda and Winter as she slowly backed for the doorway.
"Ms. Valkyrie, please calm down and let us-" *Bang* "-speak." The buxom blonde professor said, using her semblance to stop the heart imprinted explosive mere inches from her face.
"Say what?! That you just let the ones who branded Naruto as property and put a bounty on his head waltz right in! Cause that is all I'm hearing!" The angry orangette yelled while firing three more rounds that Glynda also halted.
"It is only temporary, a few weeks at most until a proper embassy can be set up in Vale."
"I don't care if it's only for five minutes! I don't want them within ten miles of my boy! Either they go, or we go!"
"She really sees him as her own child, doesn't she?" Ruby murmured in slight awe, peeking out form her hiding spot behind Winter's bed alongside Weiss, Ren, Pyrrha, Weiss, and Blake. Jaune and Neo had made themselves scarce the moment Nora went for her weapon, while Yang had upright vanished when everybody wasn't looking.
"Of course she does, it's Nora we're talking about." Ren said plainly, getting the others to nod in agreement before ducking as a stray shot flew over their heads and out the window.
"How much ammo does she have left?" Weiss asked.
"Two more shots, then we'll really have to worry." Ren stated, getting Pyrrha to gulp nervously while Ruby, Weiss, and Blake looked at him in confusion.
"Why would-" *Bang* *Bang* *Click* Weiss started to ask again, only to get cut off as Nora fired her last shots when Glynda tried to approach her. Hearing the click of an empty chamber, Nora frown before switching her weapon to hammer mode and charging her semblance through it, causing pink electricity to dance across its surface.
With a war cry, she tossed the hammer with all her might, almost managing to finally overwhelm Glynda's telekinesis from the sheer force when the electrical arcs caused the airborne rounds to detonate with a deafening *BOOM!*.
"…That's why." Ren coughed out.
When the smoke cleared, a soot covered and very annoyed looking Professor Goodwitch could be seen holding Nora in the air by the collar as the orangette desperately struggled to get free. At least, she was until Glynda wacked her across the head with her riding crop. "If you are quite finished Ms. Valkyrie, we will continue this conversation civilly."
"What is there to discuss, I already gave you my options." Nora said with a huff.
"Young lady, you are acting like a child. How do you honestly expect to be entrusted with the care and safety of a child if you cannot act your age?" Winter asked rhetorically, sighing when all she got in response was a stuck out tongue and pulled down eyelid.
"Uh, speaking of which," Ruby suddenly cut in, cringing slightly when the three women turned their attention on her. "Where is Naruto?" She asked meekly causing everyone to freeze before snapping their heads towards the now vacant spot the boy had been occupying then to the busted door that was swaying ominously.
"…"
"...Naruto!?"
-Halls of Beacon-
"Ow! Ouchie! Owie! Ow! Ow!" Naruto cried out as he skipped along the hallway like a stone over a lake. Unlike Nora, he hadn't been expecting the explosion that happened so hadn't properly braced himself, and was thus blown back by the sudden concussive force.
"Time for some target prac-Oof!"
The impromptu trip halted just as suddenly as it started as the boy flew into a surprised Coco's stomach just as the fashionista huntress had stepped into an elevator and hit the button, sending them both careening to the ground as the door closed right as Nora and Glynda burst into the hallway. When they arrived at their next destination, they both laid on the ground for several moments in silence before Coco finally spoke. "What the hell just happened?"
Instead of getting an answer though, all the teen heard was a soft sniffling whimper coming from the weight on her stomach. Sitting up, the chocolate themed girl couldn't help but hiss in sympathy as she saw Naruto curled up in a ball, his eyes tearing up as he hugged eight of his tails. The ninth tail, the gravity tail specifically, was laid out haphazardly behind him either broken or dislocated if the two unnaturally sharp bends in it were to mean anything.
'Oh, that has to hurt. Especially if it's as sensitive as Velvet's ears.' Coco thought while slowly moving Naruto with extreme care, wincing each time he yelped or cried more, until she had him in her arms with his injured tail resting on her shoulders. "Let's get you to the medical wing, hopefully someone is there still." She said, muttering the last part to herself as she stepped out of the elevator.
The walk was a long and tedious one, since Coco had to be careful not to jostle Naruto too much. So instead of the normal five minutes it took to get across the campus, it took almost half an hour for the beret girl just to get three fourths of the way there with every minute dragging by at a snail's pace. Just as she was passing by the mess hall though, a particular voice called out to her causing Coco to freeze mid-step. "And just where would you happen to be going with young Naruto Ms. Adel?"
Spinning on the ball of her foot, Coco sweated lightly as she found herself under the calm yet piercing gaze of the headmaster of Beacon, not even noticing the unknown faunus woman standing next to him with a cart laden with food gapping at Naruto. "Hey Professor Ozpin. We're just heading to the medical wing, little guy hurt one of his tails pretty badly and needs it looked at." She said quickly, not wanting to be in the middle of a potentially very bad misunderstanding.
"Hmm, then it would seem you're in luck." Coco blinked in surprise at the unexpected response. "My associate here was just telling me about her extensive medical knowledge and could most likely be of some assistance. Isn't that right Ms. Kato?" Ozpin asked the woman next to him, finally knocking her out of her daze.
"Huh? Oh! Um… yes, yes of course," She said awkwardly, quickly stepping away from the food cart and approaching the duo. "My name is Shizune, it's a pleasure to meet you." She said with a small bow before getting to work.
"Eh, Coco, and the squirt is Naruto." Naturally reluctant to just let some chick she literally just met thirty seconds ago close to 'the squirt' in her arms, Coco had to visibly restrain her urge to jump back as the woman gingerly felt around the crooked appendage. "Be careful around the tip, those tend to be a bit-" "EEEK!" *Fwoosh* *Crunch* "…volatile." She finished weakly while the two women stared at the squashed-up ball of metal, plastic, and wood that used to be a chair.
"No kidding."
Meanwhile Ozpin was watching all this going on without a single visible reaction as he continued to drink from his favorite mug. He would have likely remained this way as well if it wasn't for his scroll suddenly going off in his pocket. Pulling the device out and hitting the answer button, not even flinching as the ensuing chaos on the other end spilled through.
[Professor! I need your help! This is an emergency! Naruto's missing and we can't find him ANYWHERE!] Nora yelled, her face full of worry and fear as various crashes, ripping noises, and indignat yells could be heard behind her.
"Mh-hmm…" Casually strolling over to Coco and Shizune, Ozpin promptly handed the scroll to the former and said in a completely straight voice. "I believe it's for you."
-Meanwhile, Junior's Club-
Yang strutted through the automatic doors, not even pausing as she decked a pair of lanky suit wearing goons straight across the room when they tried to stop her from entering, making a beeline for the bar section as soon as she caught sight of it. She didn't even flinch as the loud music that had been playing all around her came to a screeching halt and several more grunts started to pull their weapons.
They stopped however when the bartender at said bar frantically signaled them down while staying as far as he possibly could from the only customer he currently had, a certain raven-haired sword wielder. Upon reaching the bar, Yang took a seat next to woman, quietly accepting the strawberry sunrise that slid to a stop in front of her as she did.
A tense silence settled over the pair as they calmly sipped at their drinks, seeming to just take in each-other's presence passively. On the inside however, Yang was a turmoil of emotions and thoughts as she struggled to collect herself. She had so many things she wanted to know, hundreds of questions she wanted to ask but couldn't decide on which. She had been honestly so focused on finding her woman she was sitting next to in the first place that she was only now realizing she hadn't actually thought on what to do afterwards.
In the end, she finally decided on the most basic yet all-encompassing question she could think of. "Why?"
Raven didn't speak at first, opting to drain the last few mouthfuls of liquor from her glass in one swig before responding. "Why what?"
Eyebrow twitching at the dismissive tone in the woman's voice, Yang grit her teeth slightly. "Why did you leave dad? Why did you abandon me? Why couldn't I find you anywhere? Why does Uncle Qrow refuse to talk about you? …And why are you here now?"
"Hmph, straight to the point. Good, I've always hated useless chit-chat." Raven flagged over the bartender with her glass held high, getting him to rush over, refill her glass, then get right back to his spot on the opposite side of the bar. "To answer most of your questions, I had responsibilities to handle, ones entrusted to me and my brother as the soon-to-be leaders of our tribe. Qrow betrayed those responsibilities when he turned his back on us, and you never would have survived if I took you with me."
"What?" Yang was completely blown away by the answer she had gotten, the sheer casualness and certainty of that statement leaving her baffled.
In response to her confusion, Raven flicked her hand out in front of her, causing a small black portal with red edges to appear before her. Within said portal, Yang could make out various images playing out like a very distorted movie, with all of them being of her. "My semblance works in two ways, the first is it allows me to teleport to those who I have bonded with instantly, and the second is it allows me to briefly glimpse into both mine and those people's futures with the predictions almost always being right… until recently that is."
Swiping her hand, the portal dissipated, and Raven drained half her glass. "The day after you were born, I checked what would happen if I brought you with me. In every single scenario, you died before the age of three." Not once did Raven's voice waiver, strain, or give away any sign that she was upset with the possibility of her daughter's demise. She was acting like she was talking about the weather or something. "As for why I'm here, I'm certain you know the answer to that question already."
Yang nodded slowly, having put it together shortly before she arrived. "Naruto. Why?" She asked while discreetly preparing to activate Ember Celica. Raven may have given birth to her, but at the moment Yang saw Naruto more as family than this woman.
"Simple, to preserve what remains of my tribe." And yet again she was thrown for a loop. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed. The long messy hair, the red eyes, the rounded cheeks. Take away the tails and whiskers and what do you have left?"
Mentally picturing everything that was described, Yang froze up.
"You get it now, don't you?"
"He's… He's…"
"He's a Branwen, just like me and you."
-End Chapter-