A blonde shot upright on a small twin bed, he yawned as he stretched his well-built form. He rubbed his head, where his fox ears twitched as his blonde hair clouded their form a little. He yawned, taking a deep breath before getting up.

He looked at the alarm clock, noting that it was four in the morning, stretching and slightly dancing to the music playing on his alarm, he bopped his head as he spun on his feet and grabbed his clothing for the day.

Which were black cargo pants and a red T-shirt with a symbol of a nine-tailed fox on the back. The blonde yawn, exposing unnaturally long canine teeth as he rubbed his head. He reached down toward the bed, grabbing his scroll.

Walking out of the room, he grabbed a few towels he had at the doorstep, he stopped when he came into the living room. It wasn't really a living room, no T.V, but a few easels with completed paintings were in the middle and a couch was facing them.

There was a small shelf, a picture of a woman with red hair and bright blue eyes in the photo of what appeared to be a younger him. He smiled as he walked over toward it, picking it up and rubbing it with a thumb. He kissed the top of it after a few moments of looking at it and put it back down near an urn.

'Morning mom,' the blonde happily greeted mentally and looked at the urn, 'I got to go to class today. I can't be long, because I got finish an appointment to finish with an art dealer named Mirabella Caro after class, then I got the dance lessons you made me get when I was younger.'

Sighing, he stroked the back of his finger on the urn, "catch you later mom."

Quickly he went into the bathroom, getting his toothbrush and began to vigorously scrub his teeth. He got anything he could, all the while humming the song from earlier. Finishing, he spat into the sink and stretched once more.

The blonde took a look at the mirror, rubbing his whisker marks and sighed, it wasn't a Faunus trait so much as a birthmark. From the few photos of his father, a tall blonde haired man, he also had the whiskers. There was always something about the photo, especially since it seemed like his father had been so happy.

Then why did he just walk away?

His mother never really talked to him after that, instead she just cryptically revered to his father as "Baka-Ku" an old slang for idiot nine. He never really knew what it meant, but he didn't really care.

"When I finally return, the things that I learn, carry me back home~" Naruto sang softly into the mirror, listening to his mother's voice in his head as he moved away from the mirror.

He walked out of the bathroom, looking at the bland apartment that he had in Vale City, he'd be graduating Signal Academy in a couple of months and two weeks. He already placed his transcripts into Beacon Academy, with them having high hopes of passing through.

Walking over toward his equipment, he picked up a chokuto, looking at the little charm on the hilt. It was a picture of a small little flame symbol, his mom had put on, and it was originally his father's blade from what little she gave him.

He took it with him toward his room, where he stripped of his clothing and began to change into his new clothing. Like a fox shedding its fur, Naruto tied the scabbard of the blade to his pants inside one of the belt loops.

Removing the blade, he inspected the sword, looking at the indents and chips in the steel. A blade that obviously seen its fair share of combat, practice or otherwise. Sheathing the blade inside the scabbard he checked at the gearing in the scabbard that allowed his weapon to take on its ranged form.

A bow.

The name of the weapon, a name his mother gave to it, was Red Flower.

Sighing, Naruto walks over toward kitchen and gets out an energy drink, 'another day…another sunrise.'

He looked out his apartment's kitchen window, in the faint distance, he could see the Upper-Class District, where the wealthy owned homes near Beacon Academy. The goal of which he has strived for, for the past year.

Bleeding, sweating, crying at every failure and picking himself back up to persevere through it all. Taking in the sights, Naruto just clutched his chest, taking a deep breath as he somehow brought a smile to his face.

Depression and the voices in his head always spoke negativity, but he could try to find positivity if he searched hard enough. With a quick prayer, bowing his head against the window, the blonde Fox Faunus was ready to start his day.

His fox ears stood up, an indication of his upbeat mood, or an attempt at least.

He walked toward his apartment door, only to get a sudden call on his scroll. He looked down at it, "weird…"

'I never expected them to call back so soon,' Naruto swiped the scroll for it to answer the call, "Naruto Namikaze, future greatest Huntsman on Remnant."

"Ah yes, young Namikaze, this is Mirabella Caro. My sources told me you were very much the early bird, anyway, is it okay if I drop by right now while I'm in town to take a look at your artwork?" Mirabella, an elderly woman, spoke over the phone.

"Um, well, mam. It's honestly a bad time, I have to catch the train to Patch at five, and I'm getting ready to head out the door. Aren't you able to come in this evening?" Naruto questioned as he walked toward the door.

"Why yes, of course, I was just looking to clear up my schedule early." She sounded happy to have been in contact if her chipper tone was any indication.

"Know the feeling Mrs. Mirabella, you and your husband are always on call for highly talented artists," Naruto replied as she chuckled over the phone, he seemed to be happier than what he began out as.

"Well, when you sent the blurry photos, I could tell the pictures spoke of a story, a talent lost on many artists seem to lack in today's age. It would be my pleasure to work with you young man," Mirabella spoke with enthusiasm, ready to take him under her name.

"Well, thank you," Naruto thanks her as he walked in front of his door.

Pacing, waiting to get off the call so he could continue with his day.

"Who taught you?" Mirabella inquired, curious as to know who Naruto's teacher was.

"My mother, she had me be creative since I was a child," Naruto reveals, remembering all the times his mother made him sit down and express himself through art.

"Ah, lovely, can't wait to meet her!" The older woman told Naruto over the scroll, and she looked at him as his face became sour.

"Well, you'll need a time machine, she died about ten years back to a massive aneurysm," Naruto tells Mirabella, sighing as she did.

"Oh dear, very sorry, I hope I didn't offend!" Mirabella sounded concerned, not wanting to push away a prospect.

"You didn't offend me, no, I'm the one who needs to worry about offending you," Naruto replied, rubbing the back of his head, just behind his ears.

Mirabella laughed, "especially with a rather good payday possibly on the way."

He opens the door from his apartment, looking at the large hallway. Slowly closing his door so he didn't catch a noise complaint again from his nosey neighbor, Rogers, he began to walk down the hallway leading to the elevator.

"So, Mr. Namikaze, what does a young artist attempt to do for fun?" She inquires, curious to what one so young does when left to his own devices.

Naruto answered her quickly as he got into the elevator, "Many things, but I have to be going now, I need to catch my train."

"Alright, see you around five?" She questioned him, making sure.

Naruto nodded, and smiles, "That is perfect, thank you!"

Vale City was vast, a large city with skylines with a view of Mt. Glenn from the very tallest buildings. The streets of Vale all converged toward the center, in Upper-Class District, where the seat of government was.

The Council Building was massive, a palace formerly before being divided up into chambers. Chambers for laws, commerce, representatives, and even the political heads of all of Vale. The councilmen and it was also here where Naruto would take The Terra-Neo Express, a subway that was underground and ran underwater in a massive tunnel into Patch Town.

Currently, Naruto was rounding a corner street, passing a nightclub that was shady. He heard police sirens in the distance, sighing, he looked back at the sirens of where they'd be rounding a corner any moment.

'Keep on moving forward, keep moving forward…" Naruto mentally mantras as he walks with grace through the crowd of people, not impacting any of them.

He saw the electric billboards broadcast for a band called Bloody Zoo which would play in a few weeks in Vale, the band was a favorite of Naruto's. He had never been to a concert for them before, and he wanted to go so badly.

His stomach growled, he was hungry, but he didn't have the time to stop as he made his way across the street. Finally getting into the Upper-Class district. He saw a subway entrance and entered it.

Vale's subway system was vast, gigantic even, bullet trains went underground to where Grimm couldn't reach unless it was sabotaged for them to be so. Naruto was going toward Bullet Train: Eight, which would go directly to Patch Island via a twenty-mile underwater tunnel.

He smelled smoke from tobacco and even weed as he entered the train, he looked over at the other seats, finding the source coming from several people in their seats. Naruto didn't mind weed, he never had any, but he had a buddy that worked an instrument shop he got his music lessons every other week. His buddy smoked it like a bad habit and was stoned out of his gourd about every other day.

In fact, this Friday was supposed to be for the Violin, something Naruto had always wanted to try. Truth be told, he was good at more ethnic musical instruments like Guzhengs and Flamingo Guitars from Mistral and Vacuo respectively.

Currently, Naruto was listening to some heavy metal, it was ethnic in the form that the metal band was from Menagerie, and they had a song about depression and overcoming it. Good old fashion Bloody Zoo and he laid against his seat.

He looked down at his hand, frowning at the scar on his wrist.

He has a scar across his right wrist, vertically, a cut meant to kill. A child, the tender age of thirteen. He had been told that his mother was gone and that he had no relatives. Police even tried to find his father, but only to come up empty-handed.

It was also the day he unlocked his aura, cementing his path.

A child stared at the mirror, it was cracked, his fist bloody as he looked at himself in it. The blonde looked down at a small knife on the sink. He took a deep breath, holding out his right wrist, cutting up from the base.

"I can't keep going anymore…I can't…I can't…" He cries as he held the tip of the knife, pressing it into the skin.

Slowly pressing deeper, getting used to the pain, it didn't matter to him…not anymore.

One swift cut at the end, blood spurting out, Naruto fell backward and hit the wall. He breathed slowly, enough to allow the bleeding to flow normally, he just looked at his reflection. He whimpered as it looked back at him.

Lifeless blue eyes, no light, no hope!

"Please…just…let me go…" Naruto murmurs, he sobbed as he held his knees with his good arm, "I can't do this anymore…"

He laid there, a small pool of blood slowly forming just under his wrist, he looked at the reflection a little bit more. 'All the gold in the world couldn't make me…us…feel better.'

"I just want to be done with it," Naruto mumbled at his reflection, "I can't do it anymore…"

Naruto's eyes squeezed shut, tears streamed down them, "I hate the fact I wake up and I don't see mom's smile…just…please…let me stay asleep…"

However, instead of the cold, he felt the warmth. He looked down, seeing the wound slowly closes up, he looked at himself as an orange outline painted his body. He sobbed as he suddenly realized what he truly had done, too caught in the moment earlier to fully experience the gravity of it all.

Remembering her smile, Naruto sobs, remembering the dreams he expressed to her. His aura ignited around him, slowly the wound hisses as it closes, sealing shut, save for the dry blood where the cut used to be.

He almost broke his promise to his mom!

He threw the knife at the tub, it cracked the ceramic from how hard the throw was. The black metal underneath was exposed, Naruto rocked back and forth, sobbing. He didn't know what to do anymore, he wanted to die…but he didn't want to break his promise to his mother.

Day and night, he spent hours upon hours trying to unlock his aura, and here at the last minute, it unleashes itself to save him. He didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse. All this time, all this struggle, all the training.

And, in the end, it came at his weakest moment.

However, while the wound closed, a scar remained to show him that his soul had just saved him itself. He sobbed, clutching his body, rocking back and forth.

He now wore that scar, he wore it openly sometimes, and the people never questioned him about it and assumed it was a battle wound. However, to him, it was a reminder of how close and easy it was to fall into the inner demons that plagued many people.

The demon, Depression, was not some twisted creature.

It was you, the "real" you, constantly making you double check yourself. Constantly, always constantly, doubting your own ability. It pushed, pushed you towards the darker recesses of the mind. To things that you'd never do while in your right mind.

Suicide.

No one, never, in a sober and clear mind wants to put an end to themselves. So, every day he looked at the scar, no matter how faded it got it was a reminder.

A reminder that he was his own demon, that he himself could be the end, but for thirteen reasons he listed for wanting to go away…he always found three more to just stay.

The three reasons were simple.

"You have a promise to be kept!"
"A new sun is just around the darkest moon!"
"There are people that love you!"

It was a struggle, he sometimes fell back into the thought, and the demon would rear its very familiar head to just gloat and welcome him back. It whispered sweet nothings, sweet oblivion in his ear. The end to all thoughts, the end to all pain and suffering. However, what would be waiting for him on the other side?

Would he just…stop, or go somewhere else?

It was constant in its barrage, goading him to be angry at the world, goading him to finish what he started. But the blonde kept his head held high in pride. He had pride in being the son of two Huntsmen, and he wasn't about to let himself die without doing something meaningful with his life.

Even if he felt like he didn't belong.

Because, he knew, that his life would one day be one that saved others! If he died, then a few people, maybe a few dozens, may die because he didn't become a Huntsman. It wasn't a matter of destiny, it was a matter of forging his path.

His blood being the water to cool the tempered steel of his body, his mind is the will and his heart being the flames. He was no different than the sword he wields,

Even still, what if his adoptive sister were to hear that he ended himself? It would devastate her!

Her name echoed in his mind, a brown-skinned girl with spots, brown hair in a long ponytail, the sweetest smile.

Ilia.

Naruto Namikaze had moved from Atlas to Vale just a year ago, mostly keeping to himself, since he was wanting to go to Beacon after he was done with vocational schooling. His previous school, uncreatively, Atlas Introductory Academy, was a far gone past he wished to forget about.

However, to forget about the hard times is to forget about the one person that made life worthwhile for a while. Going from a bad stretch in a foster home and running away, Naruto didn't have much to look forward too.

Despite him passing his entrance exam, he didn't feel like he belongs in Atlas.

Mostly human students save for a few Faunus students, out of those few many were bullied. One of them, an old friend of his in the form of Ilia, snapped from all the bullying and such. She was an upperclassman, very good at her heart.

Until the mine that her parents worked in collapsed, and students laughed about it. They laughed at a tragedy, and what was new? In a day and age when people put tragedies in the form of memes, making jokes out of a suicide or racism.

Dark comedy was okay, but there was the difference between dark comedy and just being a douche bag. A lot of the upperclassmen in Atlas Introductory Academy were raised in "old way," which was human on top…Faunus on the bottom.

It made Naruto's blood boil, and when she left, he admittingly wasn't too far behind.

He wasn't born in Atlas, nor was he raised in the frozen continent and country. He was born in Menagerie, went to grade school in Menagerie before his mom constantly moved due to her job. She had been, ironically, a sale's manager for a Dust Company called Western Remnant Dust and prior to that a Huntress before becoming pregnant with him.

A small, very new company, promising cheap and available Dust to many customers. Based out in Vacuo, Naruto spent his later child until he was ten years old in Vacuo. Where, unfortunately, his mother died to her massive aneurysm.

It was instant, no pain, which was weird because she was still a young woman of thirty-two at the time. However, he came home after a day playing with other kids, she was laying on the couch. She looked like she was a sleeping, but a small trickle of blood was at her mouth and nose.

That day, however, a boy learned that life could throw the hardest curveballs.

He wasn't rich, even now, his mother left him a good inheritance. It mostly paid apartments that he'd come to live in. Airfare tickets, clothing, and food. It almost got stolen from him once, but he managed to get it back, thankfully.

His whole dream, his whole ambition was to become a Huntsman, it had been his dream as a kid and a dream his mother encouraged!

Though, his mother worried about his obsession with that dream, the nights he would set up a fake dummy made of pillows to punch. Even sneaking one of his father's books, a manual he had written. It was funny at first, until Naruto tried picking fights with older kids, and got his face pummeled as a result.

He learned a valuable lesson, never pick a fight you can't win, and never instigate.

However, ever since his junior year in Atlas's more militaristic version of Signal, Naruto got his transfers approved by someone he'd never thought would come through. But, as the old saying went, beggars could not be choosers.

He came into Vale midyear, just after the start of the senior year in Signal Academy. With it, his transfers had all gotten approved, marked down by Taiyang Xiao-Long, one of the academy's longtime instructors, and a very well-mannered man.

However, Naruto wasn't exactly into making friends.

He stayed to himself, he didn't speak much unless it was to an instructor, and he just made sure to do the work and get out. It wasn't that he didn't have anything against anyone, he didn't, but his last few years of life had revolved around his friends in Atlas.

Flynt, Neon, Ilia, and a cute little ginger named Penny.

Flynt Coal, Virtuoso, was the musical genius of the little group of wayward souls, his father had lost the business to Schnee Company rivals, and currently, he was keeping his family afloat by playing at lavish parties held by…ironically, The Schnee Dust Company.

Neon Katt, Party Girl, she had taken Naruto a few times to parties. Never really amounted to much, she did hand him his first try at alcohol, which he and she discovered that he was too much of lightweight to even amount to a drinker. She came from a tough home and was solely in Atlas Academy to impress her military officer of a father.

Ilia Amitola, Naruto's best friend, he was one of the few that knew her true nature as a Faunus. She also hid Naruto more or less, though she never really liked The White Fang, after the death of her parents she ran away to join them.

She was the only person that Naruto found sisterly, and not to mention she trusted him with another massive secret that only he and she knew.

That she was a lesbian.

Penny Polendina, a strange girl with a sister that traveled with her, Ciel. Naruto liked Penny, despite the few times they had been able to hang out.

It hurt him to leave them behind in the endless winter, but after seeing the true nature of Atlas, he felt disgusted to ever think of himself representing that place. So, what if his life became a little harder, his moral code still was the center of his existence.

And, his morality painted Atlas as not worth representing.

Naruto leaned back, closing his eyes.

Naruto ran down the cold hallways as he followed a girl, time seems to fall into a slow movement as he neared her. He finally passes her, cutting her off, holding his arms out with tears in his eyes. He looked at the girl, a frown on his face.

She had brown skin normally, but it was blue as she looked at Naruto, with red spots. Naruto knew that it meant she was sad and angry, probably sad that she was running away, while Naruto stood in her way.

The blonde looked at her, he wore a heavy coat and sweatpants, their eyes met. "I can't let you do this to yourself, without knowing, is this really what you want?"

"Naruto, don't play stupid, you want to leave too!" Ilia yelled at him, accusing him of being a hypocrite.

"So," Naruto replied and kept his arms held out, "I care enough to damn well question you!"

"You're not even my blood!" The Chameleon Faunus screamed at him.

He screamed back at her, his voice filled with hurt and passion. "No, but you're my sister, and I can't just let you walk away from something…without…"

Looking to the side, Naruto sighs, "saying…goodbye…"

His face was scrunched up as he looked right at her, he then slowly started to sob, "you're my closest friend Ilia. I didn't open up to the others like I opened up to you, I love you sis, and I just wanted to know if you really want this?"

"There's no going back from it," Naruto blocked her when she tried to run forward past him, "just please listen!"

"Then come with me!" Ilia yelled, "come with me and join up."

"You know I can't," Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "I can't break a promise that I can keep."

"Naruto," Ilia looked at her best friend, "you know no matter what you do…"

"I know she can't come back, goddamn it!" Naruto screamed at her, "and it is not about mom…its for me…to prove them wrong!"

He pointed toward the dorm hall, his aura flared around him, he looked right at Ilia. "I hate them as much as you do, but not every human is racist and not every Faunus has the best interests of you in mind…which is why…if we must go this way…"

Naruto held his hand out, "I don't want to say goodbye…"

Ilia looked at him, she was younger than him, by a year or so, and he still held the young brother spot in her eyes. She reached out with her hand, grasping his until their fingers interlocked. She then grabbed him suddenly, pulling him into a hug before kissing the top of his head.

She smiled, "then I'll see you later."

They broke apart, Naruto took a deep breath as he held back his tears as he stepped out of the way of Ilia. She ran past him, stopping and then turning to him, she had a sad smile on her face. However, she suddenly gave him a thumb's up.

"You go," she orders him, "and show them that you're Naruto Namikaze…the little badass that could."

Naruto couldn't help it, he chuckled, "and you don't lose yourself Ilia…please."

She nodded, starting her running again.

Naruto held his head low, he watched as she rounded a corner before walking away. However, his walk turned into a stumble until he slumped against a wall and slid down it. Slowly he brought his knees up to his face, sobbing as he felt alone.

"Now arriving at Station: One, Patch Town."

Naruto's eyes snapped open, briefly turning red as he fluttered them to focus. When he got up they slowly turned back into their normal blue, it was a common effect he had when he felt emotional. His eyes would just go red when he felt upset, and he was.

He really missed Ilia!

Departing the train, Naruto stretched as he got into the station and looked up the steps.

Today was going to be a very active day!

He climbed up the steps, quickly going in between people. The train had arrived a little bit early, meaning as soon as he poked his head up from the underground staircase the blonde could see the sun rising from just behind Patch's mountain.

Uncreatively called Mt. Patchy.

Patch Town itself was like a mini Vale, scaled down to mini building that at most reached four stories into the air. Not impressive compared to the skyscrapers of the city, but Patch Town was bustling with activity.

Trade, eateries, people playing street games. Patch Town was wholesome in the sense that there wasn't as much crime in this small town. Unlike Vale, if you were in the poorer district, you had a one in twenty chance of being robbed that very night.

He quickly made his way over to fast food restaurant, McBurger and quickly went inside. Quickly ordering a coffee and a couple of hash browns, Naruto ran out of the restaurant after giving them the money owed by scanning his scroll on the scanner.

Looking at the hustle and bustle of the town around him, Naruto watches as a man in a bowler hat was sitting at an outside restaurant table talking to a girl with mixed hair and eyes that made her look like the famous Neapolitan ice cream.

They didn't pay any attention him, nor did he to them, they were probably father and daughter enjoying a day out in Patch. His ears stood straight up as he made his way into the outer parts of the town, moving toward a large three-story building.

Signal Academy.

The blonde quickly made his way inside by scanning his scroll against the door's scanner. Security in the school was laxed, but it required your scroll to get in to keep people from simply walking inside. Naruto made his way through the halls, going upstairs to where his locker was.

He opened the locker, locker ten-ten, and put his miscellanies stuff inside of it. He yawns, closing the locker and looked over at several girls as they walked by. One had green hair, the others were all blonde. The leader of the group had lilac eyes, she seemed to be talking about boys.

Typical teenage girl stuff.

The blonde made his way into class, going back down a flight of stairs to do so onto the first floor. The Faunus entered, yawning as he took his seat. His first class of the day was history, followed by mathematics.

Naruto was asleep, on the desk, his history class was boring!

Then again, he never really got much sleep at home, but he had a secret weapon going to make sure he never fell behind. Something he revealed to Mr. Xiao-Long after being put in detention for supposedly cheating.

He had his scroll set to record mode, recording everything in the background, but he had managed to set it to pick up on Xiao-Long's voice specifically to be louder. Occasionally, humorously, a small snore could be heard on each of the recordings.

The blonde's movement varied from small little twitches to sudden hand jerks at some points. Until the sound of a bell sounded, his head suddenly shot straight up, he watched as other students got up and got ready to leave.

"You know," Naruto looked at a blonde haired man with a small stubble. "It's kind of creepy on how you get up exactly as the bell goes off."

"I grew up on alarms," Naruto got and stretched.

Mr. Xiao-Long was slightly taller than the blonde young man in front of him, he looked at the kid and smirked. "You know we got a test coming up."

"Yeah~" Naruto drawls as he rolled his eyes, "just remember our deal."

"Yeah-yeah," Taiyang Xiao-Long held up a ticket and made Naruto's eyes wide, "Bloody-Zoo, front row."

The teen just chuckled, he nodded and rubbed the back of his head, "guess I'll ace that test then."

"You know," Naruto stopped what he was doing, "you look like you're not eating much kid…you alright?"

"Yeah, fine, just a rough month," Naruto tells Taiyang, he continued to stretch and yawn.

The man looked at Naruto, "if you want, I can invite you over for dinner."

"Sorry," Naruto shakes his head and apologizes, "I can't because I have a previous engagement later on today."

"Oh…" Tai watched as the blonde picked up his satchel that he always put in his locker before leaving.

The older blonde watched as the younger left his classroom, "you better be taking care of yourself, I read the file."

Lunch came by, Naruto was sitting a table by himself, sketching in a notepad as he ate his food. It was instant noodles that he got from the small snack bar, he was currently doodling pictures inside of the notepad.

Various people, various places, finding inspiration for his next art pieces if the current ones he was going to sell to a dealer proved fortuitously lucrative.

Naruto chewed a hard noodle that failed to boil, he grimaces at the cracking, sighing at the fact the dumb microwave once again gave out too early on the noodles. Something about the water vapor made it stop, perhaps it was just bad luck.

His current drawing was that of himself, but there was another him standing just behind him, mirrored. Unlike normal him, this one had demonic features and an evil smile. It seemed to be leaning toward Naruto's ear.

Whispering.

"You cannot weather me…" he imagines it would say, "I always come to collect."

Naruto took a deep breath, and he'd always reply ever since cementing his resolve, "I am the bird that falls and rises."

Taking a deep breath, the blonde finished a sketch just as the bell rang. He looked at it, strangely, he had been influenced in some way to draw the character of Demon Naruto with the shading one would associate red hair and eyes.

Demon Naruto, the name he gave to his depression when it first appeared in physical form in dreams after his failed suicide, was an absolute coldhearted bastard piece of Naruto that he'd love to one day bury.

It made fun of everything, even itself, and even made comments on how Ilia would just be better off dead Naruto's hands if they two should ever meet again.

Perhaps Demon Naruto was not only his depression, but the repressed rage of years with self-abuse, racism, and abandonment Naruto had also faced?

The Darkness within The Light.

Then again, perhaps, Naruto was just crazy?

He got up, leaving last out of the cafeteria, heading toward Range Class, and to the latter part of the day. Walking down the hallways, Naruto saw a girl with silver eyes talking to the lilac eyed girl from earlier, laughing at something they watched on their scroll.

Suddenly he could hear yelling, watching as a smaller teen was pushed against his locker by a rusty-haired teen. The teen was much taller than the smaller teen, who winced as the older teen demanded his lunch money.

A classic bully who needs his nose busted across his face.

Time moved slower in the latter part of the day for him, it was the time he truly focused on honing his craft as a Huntsman in training. The blonde Fox Faunus grabs his satchel, placing it into his locker. He looked at an old sepia photograph he kept in his locker, one of his mom and him.

He had carried that photograph around since he was a little kid, it was a good luck charm if anything. Closing the locker with a heavy sigh, he took a look at the clock, it didn't matter if he showed up late to the next class or not, there was no lesson to be learned there, just take aim and shoot until you feel you got it down.

Getting himself situated the blonde walks down the hall, going out into the back of the school where the range was. He could see where some people shot fully automatic weapons, one even had two daggers that were built with a revolver base. Firing rounds, while his mohawk waved in the wind.

It was windy today, not good for people who used physical bolts from crossbow weapons, or arrows from normal archery weapons. However, Naruto didn't have to worry about that. He unclipped Red Flower from his belt line, pressing a button on her hilt that made it contort and the sheath morph into a bowlike shape where a string-enhanced with gravity dust poke itself out from the hilt of his blade.

The rest of the emerged from the blade, allowing him to grip it and test the draw. He saw everything was in working order and then walked towards the range. He took a position, stumping his foot down on the fifty-yard button, making several dummies pop.

He pulled back on the bowstring while channeling aura into it, focusing lenses popped out of the scabbard just in front of where an arrowlike shape was slowly forming. His eyes blazed with light as he focused his aura, then lets it fly.

A loud snap occurring as it flew.

The aura arrow made a high pitched noise as it soared, taking the dummy's head off, Naruto took a deep breath as he formed another arrow with aura and aimed for the midsection as he overdrew the string once more.

Naruto took a deep breath, imagining the target as a Grimm, he then loosed another arrow and heard it whistle and hit the target hard enough to splinter the midsection of the dummy. He looked at where he was standing, the school had markers, an indication of the distance from the target.

Saw he moved his foot over, to make the dummies get taken back.

At the one hundred fifty meter mark, a normal longbow would be nearing its effective range. Naruto took a deep breath as he looked right at the next dummy being loaded further down the range. Two hundred meters.

Naruto took aim, and for the umpteenth time this week, he didn't imagine a dummy as a Grimm.

He imagined his father, the one who abandoned him and his mother.

He imagined the shock of his own father's face if his son ever had the chance, especially if the meeting prior went way south, perhaps it would look like a face of man who long expected his death coming from his own child.

A face that bore no emotion, fit for an emotionless and cruel bastard!

Naruto set loose the aura arrow, it screamed from the extra overdraw, it took off the head of the dummy before slamming it in a tree nearby. Just a few meters past the two hundred meter mark dummy.

If Demon Naruto was to have any freedom, it was against Grimm, and it would most certainly be against his father if the two should ever meet up!

Naruto watched as the target was moved back to the two hundred and fifteen meters, he took aim and focused. He fired the arrow, but it soared just shy of the dummies head, he growled slightly as he looked at the dummy.

He didn't bother firing another shot, he knew, two hundred and five meters was the mass range he could hit accurately. Unless the target was big, but each shot from the bow was a drawback if he missed constantly.

Missing once was a waste of single percent of his aura, it may sound small, but after ten shots…fifteen? The numbers added up over time.

He could start a fight, one hundred percent, but if he had gotten hit by a big attack and lost fifty percent of his aura shield in one go? That ten extra and fifteen extra may come back to bite him in his ass.

That was the flaw of aura weapons, they ate away at your natural aura shield, which is why they were not exceedingly expensive to make. A few thousand Liens, but compared to some other weapons? That was cheap.

Naruto reformed Red Flower back to her sword form, attaching the scabbard to his hip. He looked at the target, his hands clenching as it took the image of a dead man lying on the ground.

The blonde had no ill will against anyone, but his father, there was no amount of forgiveness that could ever make him able to keep from attacking let alone letting the man live.

Perhaps this was the wrong thing, nursing the rage inside.

Taking a deep breath, he walked away.

Naruto swiftly dodged a slash from an instructor, he backed up while shuffling his feet and moving about as if he was dancing. The blonde brought his blade up, blocking the much larger sword of Qrow Brawen, Mr. Brawen as he referred to in the classroom.

He had been made to participate, and so far, he was shining!

He swiftly dodged another slash, parrying a thrust while rolling his body to gain a better distance away from Mr. Brawen, the blonde took a deep breath as he leaned back and dodged another slash. He went onto his hands, flipping backward but then tried to kick the instructor.

Naruto managed to get a clean hit on Qrow's shoulder, moving back to dodge a slash as he spun on his heel to go to Qrow's side. It was like a dance; his feet went closer together when he went to spin to add speed to it. Slashing Qrow, Naruto found that his slash didn't make contact save for cutting a piece of fabric off the man's cloak.

Qrow dodges a thrust by Naruto as the blonde stepped into it, moving back when the man tried to counter-thrust. Taking deep breaths in his movements, Naruto's eyes read through Qrow's movements, finding an opening he leaps up and spun on his side while slashing his sword out.

The instructor backstepped, slapping the blonde away with the flat end of his blade, but Naruto easily caught himself from hitting the ground and hopped up on his feet. Standing there, holding his sword directly at Qrow.

Both circled each other a few times before both charged, he knew the instructor wasn't taking him seriously. Naruto charged, stopping and thrusting his sword just as Qrow moved back, leaning back on one foot while thrusting his large blade as well.

Naruto tucked his ears behind his head, the blade barely missing them, but there he saw his opening hopped up in time to kick at Qrow.

"Good, good!" Qrow praises as he blocked the kick, having no other choice, "see class, this is called using your full body. Always be aware that the best weapon is the six inches of space between your ears!"

A few people chuckled, making Qrow stop the spar, not minding that Naruto got off the stage quickly afterward. He looked at the few that were chuckling, puckering his underlip a little as he nodded and waved his arms out.

"Alright," Qrow speaks with a humorous undertone, "we all know whose dead!"

A chorus of laughs came from the students, Qrow then looked at them, "as you know the final days as your last year is nearing. Many of you have applied yourself, conducted yourself, and did everything you were supposed to do."

"However, this doesn't mean you must stop doing what you've done here. You very well have a life ahead of you few dreams of, and fewer still have the balls to take." Mr. Brawen stated with a proud smile at some of the students.

He then looked at them all, "you will be the future of the world, bear the fruit and move forward, class dismissed!"

"Yes, sir!" A chorus of yells echoed in the stage room.

Qrow watched as most of the students left, instead of Naruto, who was just seated in a lotus as he held his sketchbook. He looked up at Qrow, seemingly sketching the man, he stopped and yawned as he got up.

The experienced Huntsman looked at Naruto, "you got something to say Vulpine?"

Naruto looked at the man, shaking his head, "not really."

"You know, kid, just saying, you could with making friends these last two months. Hell, you may end up with my niece on your team, and she loves to start a fight." The man laughed and walked over toward a mini fridge, "beer?"

"No," Naruto replied as he packed his stuff up.

Qrow shrugs, "suit yourself, so tell me…why did you refuse the dinner?"

"I have dealer coming to look at my art," Naruto told him as he finished packing up, "plus I don't want to go where I feel like people will ask questions about my daily life."

The man shrugs, "fair enough…do you even know who I was talking about?"

"Nope." Naruto replied, and he looked at Qrow, "you know, you're actually kind of cool for a teacher."

"Shit," Qrow laughs at Naruto, "and here I was expecting a snarky remark."

"I can be a smartass if you like," Naruto got a water from the mini fridge, chugging it down with a big gulps.

The blonde finishes it before throwing it into the trashcan, "three points!"

Qrow rolls his eyes, "so, you've been improving."

"Not good enough, I don't think I can take you in a serious fight." Naruto comments, rubbing his arm.

"Want that beer then?" Qrow held a small can out, "fuck man, c'mon it is just one."

"Isn't there a law about this," Naruto reluctantly got ahold of the can, "about forcing alcohol on students?"

"And, you're a goddamn man in two months. Look, I'm not giving you sympathy. If you turned out to be some gangbanger, I'd take you out like any other trash…but…you made something of yourself." Qrow patted Naruto's shoulder, "and you should be proud of that."

The blonde nodded, "I am, just wish my mother was here to see it…"

"You never mentioned an old man," Qrow looked at the blonde and smiled while taking a drink, "I'd be fucking stoked to have you as a kid."

"Why didn't you go and have kids, I mean you have the swagger to get any woman you wanted. I mean, really, you exude confidence and swagger, I think even the coldest of women would swoon over you." Naruto compliments Qrow while the man drank.

The instructor rolls his eyes, "trust me when I say I tried my hand at that a long time ago."

"Yet," Naruto rolled his eyes before finding himself smirking, "you go after the innkeepers."

"What, what can I say, short skirts and maid outfits are my weakness." Qrow admitted as he chuckled, "especially the uniforms that perk up the assets."

Naruto took a deep breath, rolling his eyes as he popped the lid of the beer open and sipped it. "It is not that bad of a fetish…"

"You got a fetish, kid?" Qrow inquired with a chuckle.

Naruto blushed, taking a deep breath, "not really…"

"Bullshit," Qrow points at Naruto as he looked at the blue eyes of the blonde, "and you know it."

"Well," Naruto sipped the beer some more and sighed, "you're not wrong."

Naruto took a deep breath, finishing the beer and tossing it in the recycling trash bin. He looked at Qrow, sighing as he looked at the man, giving him a small smile.

"Hey, Mr. Brawen, thanks…" Naruto smiled and gave him a thumb's up as he walked out of the class.

"Shit kid, like I said you're about to be a goddamn man, call me Qrow. Or, if you hate my guts, call me what usually people call me. Drunk Bastard, or fucker, the formality shit is stupid with me. You're an open book to me, I'm an open book to you," Qrow told Naruto while punching the blonde in the arm with a laugh.

"Right," Naruto rubs the back of his head. "Thanks again Mr.…err…Qrow."

"Don't mention it, catch you on the flipside, now go make yourself some of that mullah, and make sure you give me a cut!" Qrow glares at Naruto playfully.

Naruto rolled his eyes and started walking out of the classroom.

Qrow shrugs, he then finished his bottle and looked at where Naruto left. 'You need to eat more kid…'

Naruto was on his scroll, he looked at the account balance, it was reading zero as he took a deep breath and sighed. "Goddamn thieves man never wants to stop kicking a person that's already down."

He was bound to get the ten thousand back they had stolen out of his account, a group of hackers had bridged Vale's Banking & Trust company, stealing hundreds of thousands of Liens. This included Naruto's, which he made sure to add to the shit list.

If he ever found them.

Taking a moment, looking at the other teens being greeted by their parents, he just sighed and began his walk back toward the train station. They were right, he needed to eat more, if it wasn't for the free lunches then he wouldn't have eaten today.

His money had gotten stolen a couple weeks ago, last he heard, the bank was dragging on Faunus clients.

It wasn't blatant, it was just under the skin, and it made Naruto's blood boil!

Taking another few steps, his stomach growled, he then looked toward the bright blue sky. How come the sky was so bright, yet he felt so lost in an endless night?

The blonde took a moment and looked at his scroll and saw that it was three o'clock in the afternoon. Meaning he had a couple of hours before he had to meet with the art dealer, he hoped she bought all three of the paintings!

Boarding the train, the blonde took a few steps before taking a seat. He put his headphones in, taking moment to relax and let music pour into his ears. The heavy metal music from Bloody-Zoo began to play in his mind.

He just hopes things would start to look up soon.