Coming back to the present, the blond thought about the situation and instantly knew that there was only one thing that could be so consequential that it was causing someone so strong willed to act and look the way the young woman in front of him was, "Blake, don't doubt your teammates. They won't care that you're a Faunus. They may be a little hurt that you kept it from them for so long, but that will pass. Ruby, Yang, and even Weiss are far better people than that."
Taking a breath to steady herself and strengthen her resolve, Blake shook her head, "It's not just that. I know they wouldn't care about that, but...I...Naruto, I used to be a part of the White Fang."
Surprisingly, the blond Uzumaki was quick to respond, "Why'd you leave?"
Shocked at how quick her friend had responded and no doubt having thought that there would be more stunned silence on Naruto's end, Blake inquired, "What do you mean? Don't you care why I joined? What I-"
Cutting the cat girl off, Naruto shook his head, "Not important right now. Why did you leave?"
Looking down at her cup of tea, Blake began rubbing her arm as she remembered the day she had left the Faunus group, "I didn't want to use my skills for such a...disgusting cause. The White Fang used to be a group that strived for Faunus equality, but somewhere along the line that goal was twisted into something unrecognizable. When we started killing innocent people...I just couldn't do it anymore. It wasn't about equality anymore, it was about revenge at any price, even if that price was the lives of good innocent people."
Tensing herself, the young woman prepared herself for the rejection, the accusations. Naruto had more than made it clear how he felt about the White Fang in its current form and he would no doubt be disgusted to know that she had once upon a time been a part of that, assisting in the horrendous crimes that had been committed in the name of "equality". And she wouldn't blame him for that. She was guilty of it all, she was a criminal who had attempted to run away, to start a new life away from all of that, even going so far as to register for Beacon in some vain attempt at redeeming herself.
'Who was I kidding? Life isn't a fairy tale, there is no redemption for someone like me,' Blake berated herself.
"Ok then."
Wide eyed, the now revealed former member of the White Fang stared as her blond companion relaxed into his chair, crossing his arms behind his head in an uncaring manner, seemingly unfazed by what most would consider to be a huge revelation.
"Wh-what do you mean 'Ok then'?" Questioned Blake.
Naruto shrugged, "So you worked for the White Fang, so what? In the end you left, because you knew what they we're doing is wrong. All this means is that you're a good person."
For a moment, Blake was at a loss for what to say and could only stare in shock as the blond captain of team NNPR sat across from her with a small grin on his face.
Slowly a smile formed on her pale face as she softly chuckled at the absurdity of it all. The almost stupidly simple logic Naruto had used to explain why he was wholly unfazed by the news that one of his friends had been apart of what amounted to a terrorist group was just that, stupidly simple. It was almost childlike, and if Blake didn't know any better, she would have called the blond naive.
For the first time in a while, the young Faunus allowed herself to relax completely, to let down the walls she had raised in order to keep herself safe from those around her. It was...refreshing, to not constantly fear or worry over what people thought of you or how'd they react if they found out you were "different". The feeling that she could just be Blake Belladonna, the teenage girl - who just so happened to have cat ears and be going to school to become a Huntress - was something she hadn't felt since she was little, far before she knew about or could even really understand the horrendous gap between Faunus and human.
"We really should get back before Yang and Nora burn down the school or something," Naruto spoke, pulling Blake from her thoughts.
Allowing a smile of true happiness and contentment to slip across her face, the ravenette shook her head, "They'll be fine for a little longer."
In return our displaced shinobi shrugged, just as content as his companion to enjoy the calm and easy going mood that was brought on by the early Saturday morning.
That mood was completely destroyed when the elderly owner of the café made her way to their table and with a huge grin on her face asked, "So can I get anything else for the lovely couple?"
Blake's face instantly lit up with a blush coloring her once pale cheeks while Naruto was completely caught off guard and sputtered in both shock and embarrassment, mostly because what the woman had said caused him to look at his dark haired companion in a different light. He hadn't really paid her that kind of attention, what with being around Pyrrha and Yang. That wasn't to say Blake was any less attractive than them, but his teammate and the outspoken member of team RWBY had features that had caught his eye more, Pyrrha with her crimson locks and gentle nature, and Yang with her..."assets" and bold nature that occasionally mirrored his own brash attitude.
Blake however was different. His red haired teammate was more of the regal and "out of your league" beauty and Yang was that "sexy and I know it" good looking. The dark themed Faunus who sat in front of him was almost refined in her beauty. Being so silent and liking to keep to herself made it easy for one to simply forget how attractive she was with her porcelain skin, piercing amber eyes, and borderline sensual speaking voice.
Remembering the only other girl he had known who was also closely connected to cats, a fellow Jinchūriki at that, Naruto had to wonder, 'Why are all cat girls so hot?'
The wizened woman only laughed at the looks her statement had caused, "Oh to be young again."
"But what if he was kidnapped by spies!? Maybe he's being held hostage by some terrorist group for ransom! Or maybe he was called to go on an epic quest to save a far off kingdom from a fierce dragon!"
"Nora...you need to stop putting so much syrup on your pancakes."
"NEVER!"
:::
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