This was almost too easy...
She was so concerned with her perceived outlook that she was leaving her guard down... It was no wonder why her son was even exploiting her. He had learned a little too well from her...
She smirked, picking open the cabinet with ease. She thought her documents were safe with that pitiful excuse of a lock. It was old tech... She was honestly grateful Naruto had picked up the technology of Remnant so easily...
He taught her a few things...
"Let's see what you are hiding," Kushina muttered as she scoured through the open cabinet, pleased at the little resistance she had met so far.
Madame was an idiot. If she paid any attention, it would have been easy to find out exactly who she was. She didn't exactly hide that information. It was public information that she was a Faunus and associated with the White Fang. Yet she was so easily fooled by a simple transformation...
As were many in this world.
Violet eyes flickered through the darkness, carefully scanning through the filings of documents stored. She didn't expect to find much of anything in the official records. All she was looking for was connections.
"Oh, now that's interesting." Violet eyes gleamed before she took a snapshot with her scroll. "The CEO of the Starhead Industrial Company frequents this hotel, now does he? And makes frequent donations? Now, now Madame... That won't do."
"Having a connection to the Silver Bullet Brotherhood is no good... I didn't think you were that much of an anti-Faunus activist."
[ X ]
This was the last place he wanted to be. This establishment... It made him sick.
The prejudice signs and sheer intolerance they paraded in his section of the city. He didn't want to come to this city at all... Sienna affirmed that he should come and experience this place for himself before he made any hasty decisions.
Why wouldn't she simply let him join the White Fang? It was what he wanted. To show...
"Been a while since I've been to this part of town..." His partner spoke, his lone visible eye trailing to her petite figure as she walked alongside him. "Still racially charged as ever... Ugh. Reminds me too much when I had to pretend to fit in to go to school here..."
Narrowing his right eye, repressing the growl building in his throat, Adam glowered as he glanced around the street. "We can go if it bothers you... Ignore his requests..."
"Nah! I'm used to it." Ilia flashed a smile toward him, strolling alongside him. "I want to see just what he's got planned! Plus, getting a chance to mess with those racist bitches? Oh, count me in for that!"
Adam's brow rose inquisitively, glancing down at his shorter partner. "I was not aware of that key detail... I don't think he was either... How do you know?"
"I told you! I went to school here!" Ilia scoffed and placed her hands on her hips. "The moment he said he was staying at the Glass Unicorn, I knew exactly who he was talking about! Ana and Driza were some of the worst when it came to bullying other Faunus! ... If it wasn't for my ability to hide my features..."
Unable to hide his snarl, Adam furrowed his brow, scowling momentarily at his lack of horns. The technique he learned from Master Kushina was helpful, even if he despised hiding his features...
He smirked as they reached the Glass Unicorn. It allowed him to do things like this. And get a little payback on those who actively disparaged their people.
"Well, he said to meet him here since he wasn't sure when exactly he would be finished..." Ilia muttered, opening the door to the Glass Unicorn.
The moment both walked in, Ilia groaned as Adam palmed his face. "Should have seen this coming..."
"Ilia!" One of the various copies of Naruto, likely the original, greeted them as they helped with various chores around the hotel, the two sharing a hug.
And as they did, they were seemingly unaware of a heated amber gaze sent their direction, specifically Ilia. Adam, however...
"Best buddy!" Naruto grinned toothily at Adam. "How's it hanging?"
"Oh, it's hanging!" Ilia chirped, smiling brightly, his chipperness rubbing off immediately onto her as she grinned at him. "Isn't that right, Best Buddy?"
"Hate you... Hate you both." Adam glowered. "Could we just get on with it..."
"I'm already done with this."
[ X ]
So... These were his friends?
Despite her initial hesitancy, while warily eyeing Ilia , Cinder felt somewhat better about the situation. She did recognize her. She was from her orphanage... It was good to see she went to a good home, it seemed...
Better than the one she went to...
Her stomach dropped, and she looked away from Ilia. How things could be so different between them... If the same person took her in... Her life would have been so much different...
"So, what's the plan?" Adam gruffly spoke, drinking the cup of coffee she had brought over for them. She was still technically working...
"How do you want us to get rid of them?" Ilia's eyes shot to the hallway where the two sisters disappeared to get ready.
Plan? Where they... Cinder's eyes gleamed, quickly looking back before settling beside them. There was a plan to get rid of them for her date?
She could get behind that! Oh, she wanted to do so much more... But to spend time with him alone... She would do whatever it took!
"What do I need to do?" Cinder's lips quivered with excitement, her eyes gleaming intently.
She waited far too long to extract justice against her sisters. Ah, the day that happened, she would be fulfilled...
If she could only fulfill her fantasy and running them through with pikes... But alas...
This would do.
"Don't worry about a thing! We got this covered..." Naruto glanced at Cinder, his eyes aglow with amusement before he turned to Adam. "But we need to look the part first and play into our roles for a little while... So I need you to play the handsome straight man. Make 'em fall for ya just like you did to little Blake."
"I didn't... Wait, what?" Adam sneered before his head snapped back in surprise. "What do you mean by that? What do you know, Uzumaki?"
"Oh, just play ignorant, would ya." Ilia rolled her eyes and groaned. "She was all over you last night trying to get a dance... She's infatuated with you , you ignorant buffoon... How is Naruto more fluent in these things than you?"
"Is that why?!" Adam hissed before squinting his eyes at Ilia. "Take that back..."
"Nah, I'm pretty good when it comes to the ladies. Got ya beat, hands down." Naruto flashed a grin, causing Adam to gleam angrily toward him.
"Cause you learned from me." Ilia toothily grinned, causing Naruto to sputter. "Wouldn't know how to treat a girl without me! You both are hopeless! Whatever happened to the mute girl in Vale? The one you were so captivated over."
"Never saw her again..." Naruto glowered at Ilia, who triumphantly smirked at her point being proven.
Cinder's eyes narrowed. Her gaze blistered, and she glowered at hearing about this girl. Who was this mute girl? How dare she... Oh, she would rue the day...
"Anyways!" Naruto snapped her attention from her internal seething, seeing two figures exiting the hallway. "It's showtime..."
"Ana, Driza! You ready?"
[ X ]
She no longer wanted to do this. She was done with their presence! They had to go!
Why couldn't he have refused?!
"Oh, let's go over that store!"
"No, that one!"
Cinder gnashed her teeth. Fire flashed in her eyes. Her stomach knotted as she watched her two sisters drape themselves all over him.
If she just had her practice sword... She would...
Her eyes flickered over the red-head and to his waist. If she could just...
"Hands off." Adam snarled, pulling his sword from her reach as her fingers dangled near it. "Don't know what you are planning..."
"How about that one?"
Adam twitched and scornfully muttered under his breath. "But I may be convinced to lend you my sword if it deals with them. "
Cinder's lips twitched and curled into a smile. She liked this friend. She could get along with him just fine.
"We don't have to wait too much longer." Ilia popped between them, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "We're almost at the arena..."
"Things are about to kick off as soon as we get there. I got a plan."
[ X ]
"That is amazing!"
"Whoa, how did he do that?"
Cinder glowered, watching as a four-on-four battle ended decisively with a single member taking several hard shots for his teammates, but the opposition took the same damage he took. It was an interesting Semblance, but it was simple to figure out how it worked. He was focusing on the attack and redirected its energy back toward his opposition through their weapon.
She despised how they didn't bother to care enough, even when he had repeatedly answered their questions. Their ignorance was annoying... They were empty airheads who only cared about beauty, wealth, and power...
"Hardly impressive." Adam scoffed, his single eye gazing down at the worn-out student. "Take a look at him. He's worn out, and his Aura is nearly broken to accomplish such a task... It would be simple to break through it."
"Simply overwhelm and break his Aura with a single attack." Naruto nodded, shaking his head. "Or better yet, avoid being his focus and let something hit him. He took several other hits. His Semblance didn't reflect those... Don't think he knew they were coming."
"He also was using the weapon as a point of connection for his Semblance to work and transfer the reflect into them," Cinder added, carefully studying and analyzing every inch of the fight.
Everything she could learn... She could use it to become better... Escape from this hell hole.
"Ugh," Driza snottily held her nose up, annoyed at Cinder's speaking. "How do you know that?"
"Hm, didn't notice that." Adam's lip pursed momentarily, studying Cinder with his lone eye before smirking. "Good eye. Most would have missed that. I didn't even see that. Means he is susceptible to ranged weapons and attacks as long as they don't make contact with him."
"Yeah, I wouldn't have recognized it unless I was actually in a fight with 'em." Naruto grinned in her direction, causing the already growing blush to deepen. "Ha, you know your stuff! You learn that through study or through training?"
Cinder's face flushed as red as a tomato. She wasn't used to such compliments!
And how did he know she trained? Did he figure that out from her fluid movement when dancing despite never having danced with someone before? It was just easy to pick up and learn... It was a lot like the motions she used while practicing with Rhodes...
Silently staring at Cinder for a moment, the two sisters scrunched their faces and glanced at one another before silently scoffing, standing up together. "Excuse us..."
"We need to use the lady's room."
"Oh, ah... Sure?" Naruto frowned, seeing their look and wondering what it was about. "Um, want me to escort ya or..."
"No need." Driza shook her head, a faux smile gracing her lips.
"We'll be back shortly." Ana bowed gratefully before the two sisters drifted toward the stairs to the tunnel.
"Mah, don't like that..." Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Think it may be time to accelerate the plan..."
"Already on it." Ilia's body shimmered as she followed after them.
As she reached the tunnel, Cinder's eyes flickered, caught off guard as her skin and her clothes matched the surrounding matte gray of the arena. Pursing her lips, Cinder looked back at Naruto with curiosity. "Is that her Semblance?"
"Semblance. Hardly." Adam scoffed, causing Naruto to grimace and quickly shoot a glare at him, one he ignored or did not care. "No, that is her Faunus trait. She hasn't discovered what her Semblance is as of yet."
"Faunus trait?" Cinder's head shot up, caught off guard by what she heard.
"You didn't tell her?" Adam scoffed before standing up himself. "Well, then I will leave you to explain yourself... Fox."
"Let your deception bite you in the ass for once."
Naruto grimaced and cursed to himself as Adam strolled away. "Dammit... Should have known better than that... You hated hiding our features in public the most..."
Cinder's entire body went rigid, catching Naruto's mumble. He was... A Faunus.
No... That couldn't be true... If that was true... Madame would... Her friends... If they found out a Faunus was staying at her establishment...
"Wait... What you just said..." Cinder's eyes flickered, shock and a slight dread filling her. "You're... You are... You're a Faunus?"
Cursing under his breath, Naruto exhaled. Her tone shifted, and the fearful shimmer in her gaze informed him everything he needed to know. Should have expected as much... Atlas was not a very accepting place...
Ilia's stories were horrific of what she had to deal with... Adam's stories of living in Mantle and how his eye was damaged... It was no wonder Ilia and his bud had such vitriol toward humanity.
They had the right to feel such hatred... All he could do was help his friends and try to show that not everyone was like that...
"Shit! I said too much..." Naruto grimaced underneath her stunned stare, glancing away and tucking his hands into his pockets. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything... It's just... Didn't want it to be an issue, ya know? I... Sorry... I'll go. "
Freezing at those words and seeing him turn away from her, Cinder's stomach leapt into her throat. Why was he... Did he think she would...
Turning her thoughts to her, she felt a pit in her stomach, seeing him stand up. Was he interpreting her fear as in that she was afraid of...
"Don't go..." Cinder reached out and grasped Naruto's wrist, stopping him from leaving her and pulling him back into his seat.
Turning to her with an awkward head tilt, his expression read confusion. Her head hung for a moment before she lifted, her expression sullen at first before she forced a faux smile. "It's not what you think... I don't care. I just... Madame... She'll..."
A faint smile graced Naruto's features as Cinder stuttered over her words, trying to find the right thing to say. With an amused but light chuckle to himself, he shook his head. "Ah, my bad. I misread that... It's just I'm used to people having issues with... Well, ya know... It's why I hide my features a lot in public."
Cinder flinched, her thoughts fading to her treatment by the Madame and her sisters, along with many of the frequent customers of the Glass Unicorn... She couldn't compare it, but... She felt she understood being hated for no reason...
So maybe... To earn his trust...
"Could I..." Cinder flushed, tucking her head in embarrassment momentarily before her amber eyes pierced into his.
"Could I see your true self?"
[ X ]
"Ugh, why are Huntsman so hard to relate to!" Ana cursed, splashing water on her face. "And why hasn't he bought us anything besides refreshments? He bought her an entire dress! How is that fair?"
"And why does he favor her!" Driza blanched, holding her tongue out in disgust. "Does he like rough and dirty girls? Uck! Why do most guys prefer those types?"
"Because we're willing to do whatever it takes to get what we want." A voice echoed from above the stalls, causing both to freeze.
They had come into the bathroom alone. There was no one else in here when they entered either. They had made sure of that...
"Guys are simple creatures." The voice hissed, and a heavy thunk echoed as if something had jumped down from above. "Yes, they are often awestruck by beauty. Aren't we all? But as fickle as that part of them is, the moment they realize that is all there is behind the veil... They don't care any longer."
"And that's why you fail. You don't care." They felt something slither behind them, whispering into their eyes. "They want their partner to show genuine interest. A willingness to show care and commitment to the things they like and show interest in, even if we don't like all that much... Just like we all do ."
"Who do you think you..." The sisters simultaneously turned around to confront the voice before stumbling back, seeing a figure walking toward them, her entire figure shaded in the same gray of the stadium.
"A... A... A... Ghost!" Ana screamed, her eyes widening in horror as the figure approached them. Driza's lips opened, but no sound came from them.
"Oh, you don't know how much of a ghost I am." Ilia hissed, deepening her voice so they didn't recognize who she was. "A ghost of your past crimes!"
"W-w-what do you mean?" Driza stumbled against the sink, looking in terror as the figure stood mere feet before them.
"Don't you recognize me?" Ilia seethed, her eyes glistening as she spat before them. "Let me set the scene for you... Five years ago, at our school, there was a little Faunus girl who disguised herself to go to school and learn... And when it was discovered what she was because she couldn't control her emotions and she started changing colors, you decided to rile everyone up by picking on and degrading her for who she was?"
"On the day her parents died! " Ilia seethed, throwing a punch past them.
The mirror shattered as they screamed and fell onto their knees, attempting to crawl away. Only to freeze as they felt her eyes waver onto them. "And that both of you managed to escape justice that day, and only your friends' faces were rearranged instead of yours."
"We're sorry!" Ana sobbed, crawling on all fours, attempting to get away.
"We were young and stupid... We didn't mean it!" Driza cried, desperately hoping someone would hear them and come to save them from this predicament.
"Yes, you did." Ilia snarled, and with a plume of smoke, a large can and bag appeared in her hands before she pried open the can and tossed the liquid onto them. "Don't think you're getting away from your crimes against me..."
"This is your just desserts!"
[ X ]
"Ah!"
The simultaneous screams were too much to ignore. Even if it was only humans, he couldn't help but check out what was happening. If someone was in danger...
"Dammit... He's getting to me..." Adam bitterly spat, his lone eye glinting with annoyance. "I would rather watch them burn... What the?"
Before his eyes, a crowd of people gathered in panic. At first, he felt like he was walking up to a crime scene after the screams he just heard. That was a real possibility, but his lips twitched in amusement, and he had to repress his desire to laugh.
The two girls that had been aggravating him and attached to Naruto's hip since they left the Glass Unicorn were strung up to the ceiling, dangling on a wire... Caked in a sticky substance with feathers coating every inch of their body.
They were strung up like chickens.
"Heh, maybe they'll learn their lesson." Adam whistled, pocketing his hands, watching them scream as they dangled above.
"Right?" Ilia stepped beside him, her smirk spreading ear to ear. "Gotta agree with Naruto on this one... It is far more satisfying than beating their faces in."
"Huh, might have to give it a go." Adam's eye glinted as he suppressed his laughter.
Only to hear full-blown laughter behind them, causing him and Ilia to turn...
And see Cinder standing beside Naruto, holding her stomach as she bellowed at the sight before her
"Alright..." Adam rolled his eyes and looked away from a grinning Naruto before scoffing. "You are right..."
"There are some tolerable humans."