Jaune stared ahead resolutely, even as his breathing came in short, harsh draws, leaning on his sword looking for all the world exhausted as could be.

With a yell and a charge, Jaune raced forward, hoping to land a decisive blow. His sword coming up to finally act as a weapon instead of a crutch.

A downward slash cut the air, hoping to make some kind of mark.

It wasn't meant to be, as his opponent was quick to side step Jaune's slash, spinning like a top and launching his weapon, a large mace, directly into the shield Jaune carried in his other hand.

The blond was sent flying, a roll along the floor leading to him being sprawled on his back. "...ow.." Jaune whispered to himself, taking a few seconds to regain his breathe, then forcing himself to his feet.

The Blond's next charge was one more lead by an over head downward swing, a strike that allowed gravity to assist in putting power into the blow.

It was just as ineffective as the first, stopped cold by the long handle of the mace in his opponents hands, a harsh clang Jaune's only reward.

"This is the part where you lose." The cocky voice of his brunette opponent filled Jaune's ears, causing his eyes to narrow.

"Over my dead-oof!" Jaune was cut off as a harsh knee impacted his core, knocking the wind clear from his sails. The blond fell to the floor, his sword laying uselessly at his side.

His opponent made to capitalize on Jaune's wide open stat, towing over the blond like a titan, mace held aloft as his arms tensed to bring the weapon down with all the strength he could muster.

The lights of the room came to life, a soft monotone voice breaking both fighters from their one track thinking.

"That is enough."

Professor Goodwitch strolled forward and in between the two former combatants, a disappointed look in her eyes, and a soft frown on her face.

"Mr. Arc, it isimperative that you closely monitor your aura during combat sessions. This is why we sync your biometrics to your scroll, for ease of access to the information."

Jaune lowered his head softly, his hand pulling said scroll from his pocket showing his aura gauge blinking red while his opponent's was stilled topped off.

"Mr. Winchester, while you did well, I must say your brash attitude needs to be curbed. Being confident in oneself and one's abilities is fine, being overconfident to the point of arrogance is not."

The youth on the opposite side of Glynda, a tall young man with burnt orange hair and indigo eyes, scoffed in a small display of dismissal, not truly taking the teacher's words to heart.

The blonde simply rolled her eyes at the macho display, before addressing the assembled class standing outside the fighting arena.

"This goes for all of you. The Vytal Festival is mere months away, and any student wishing to compete in the Tournament, must be up to my standards before being allowed. That means knowing your limits, and knowing when you are being presented good advice." As she spoke, Glynda's eyes passed from Jaune to Cardin, a smattering of chuckles leaving the crowd beneath her.

"That's all for today class, dismissed!"

-CATB-

Jaune was no stranger to women and exactly how odd they could be, growing up with seven sisters assured that outcome. Random mood swings, odd taste in food, clothes, and entertainment varieties, a constant nagging feeling of being woefully under skilled when compared to them.

Yes Jaune was quite use to women and their strange ways.

Nothing however, nothing in his relatively short life could have prepared from the vision that sat before him at the moment.

It was like magic, that's all he could reasonably assume. There was no way possible for the universe to allow such flouting of physics and biology.

Burrrrppppp* "...Excuse me." A soft voice, colored in embarrassment wafted over the large cafeteria. Every eye was turned to the diminutive blue haired girl. Most holding shock, a few more holding disgust.

However, one particular set may as well have been hearts.

"That was, by far, the single most attractive thing, I have ever seen in my life." Naruto breathed out with a whisper. Drawing a small portion of the shocked and disgusted eyes to him.

"Well holy shit Naruto, it seems like you really did find the perfect match." Sakura spoke absently. It didn't make sense though! How was that possible!? It had to be the chest! That was the only explanation she as a medical professional could come to!

Sasuke looked a little green, slowly pushing his own bowl of food away from him.

"W-what's everyone looking at?" Hinata asked, her face red as her fingers played together before her, old habits arising in the face of such attention.

She was hungry, okay! It wasn't her fault the cafeteria decided to serve ramen that day!

Naruto let loose a chuckle, his eyes colored in both awe and appreciation. "Well, at least now I'll never have to wonder if my mom will approve of you Hinata-chan."

While they didn't exactly hold the same temperament, Naruto had been noticing more and more the similarities between his mother and Hinata.

Kind.

Caring.

Fierce.

Could kick his ass.

And now, an astonishing love for ramen.

It was as if Kami had decided to put all the best pieces of reality into Hinata and gift wrapped her just for him!

Said Hyuga just dawned a brighter shade of red and cast her eyes to the floor. While she was doing better, when Naruto spoke so openly and affectionately, especially in front of such a large crowd, she couldn't help but burn with both joy and embarrassment.

"That...I don't...but..." Jaune mumbled brokenly. It isn't the first time he had seen a woman do something odd, far from it, but this took the cake.

Twenty-seven. Twenty-seven bowls of ramen.

"Just...how?"

The blond had marveled at his orange themed counterpart on Team Rouge's staggering thirteen bowls, but this blew Naruto's accomplishment clear out of the water!

"You probably shouldn't have eaten so much Hinata-chan." Sakura half drawled, her own appetite utterly destroyed in the face of such an awe inspiring and frankly disgusting display of gluttony.

Jaune just say there, his eyes locked in the middle distance.

Mad, all of them. The whole team was utterly mad. They had made a habit of showing off one odd habit or another in the last four days, and it didn't seem as if they would be letting up anytime soon.

Frankly it was giving Jaune a complex of some kind.

We learn to just accept these things Jaune.

A sharp gasp of pain broke the band of misfits from their gaping, all eyes turning to one side of the cafeteria.

"Stop it! That hurts!" A brunette cried, her hands sitting atop her head were two large rabbit ears protruded. Standing above her, a cruel smirk on his face was Cardin, tugging on the animal appendage.

"See man! I told you they were real!" He almost laughed out, giving the ears another tug. Three other males surrounded the girl each holding varying levels of amusement.

Said amusement was put to a swift, and frankly violent end.

Cardin wasn't sure what happened. One minute he was making fun of some animal, the next, he was end over end implanted into a wall!

The rabbit faunus looked up as the pain in her ear halted and a crash resounded throughout the room, shock coursing through her system as a curtain of dark blue fluttered behind her saviors back, the light framing the female in some ethereal glow from her elevated position as the rabbit faunus was now on her knees.

A terse voice cut over the resounding silence with a "Are you okay?" The owners eyes never leaving her target.

Hinata was not one for violence in most situations. A social wallflower at the best of times, but in her time on this plane, she had learned some very shocking, frankly sickening facts.

Things that she would not sit idle by during the act of if she could help it.

"Why you bi-" started a member of Cardin's team, a teen male with a mohawk, his daggers leaping to his hands only to freeze as a hand landed on his shoulder. "Easy there buddy...You night just insult my girlfriend." Russell's eyes rolled to the side to sneer at the interloper only to realize the predicament he and his teammates found themselves in.

Each memeber of Team Rouge has moved in on the team. Sasuke holding a kunai to Dove Brozesing's neck, Sakura using one foot to keep Sky Lark on the floor.

And the grin on Naruto's face, backed by the ocean of Killing Intent leaving the blond, really made Russell re-evaluate his actions.

The faunus girl looked around her in shock, it wasn't every day someone stepped up for a faunus, much less a TEAM of humans. It just didn't happen!

"Miss...are you okay?" The voice asked her again, this time much softer and full of concern. The faunus looked back forward and came face to face with Hinata, stunned silent.

Hinata let concern color her face as she slowly checked the other girl for any injuries. She knew she reacted hastily, honestly shocking herself, but she couldn't sit by while the poor girl was being bullied!

"T-thank you.." the girl spoke softly, causing Hinata to smile a little.

"Well damn. I guess I'll have some competition if you go saving damsels in distress like that Hina-chan." Naruto's voice cut in, almost laughing.

Both girls turned cherry at that, Hinata sputtering denials, or attempting to anyway.

"But! It wasn't! I-but you!" She tried to force out, embarrassment at an all time high as she waved her hands to and fro, only to be rewarded with laughter from the teasing blond, swiftly followed by a light kiss to the forehead.

"Ahhh never change Hinata!" Naruto crouched down before the rabbit faunus, a foxy grin stretching his face. "These jerks didn't hurt you did they?" The blond asked, tossing a thumb over his shoulder at the remaining memebers of Team CRDL.

"Ah...n-no...but thank you! For helping I mean.." the girl proceeded to poke her fingers together as her blush from before seemed to intensify. He had really pretty eyes..

"Well good, here, let's help you up." Naruto stood and offered a hand to the girl, something she took hesitantly. "I'm Naruto, this is my girlfriend Hinata, and our teammates Sauske."

"Hm."

"And Sakura."

"Hiya." The pinkette cherpped as she dusted off her hands, a rope tightened around three of the four CRDL.

"I-I'm Velvet..Velvet Scarlatina." A bow accompanied her greeting, "thank you for y-your help."

"Don't think us. Hinata-chan moves first." Naruto replied with a smile, pushing the bluenette forward.

And here she was hoping Naruto would take the spot light off her.

"It...it was nothing. I know how people can be and I just...didn't want to see someone else deal with it all." Hinata muttered softly, her face darkening as the situation caught up with her fully.

She had just knocked someone out! On purpose! Outside of a spar or fight! Oh god she was mortified!

A hand wrapped around her waist, the warmth Naruto exuded rolling into her and causing her to relax.

"All the same...thank you Hinata." Velvet replied, a smile gracing her features.

"Why don't you come sit with us, we got plenty of room!" Sakura proposed, already making her way back to her seat with Sasuke.

The last Uchiha simply nodded, knowing his hand in this mess was all but done.

"Thank you, but I was just heading out when Cardin...stopped me. I have to meet my team!" The rabbit girl spoke, a small turn signifying her plans for departure.

"Well don't be a stranger." Naruto tossed a hand in fairwell, Hinata coping in a more restrained manner, as the two moved back to their seats as well. "That was awesome Hinata."

Said Hyuga just blushed, a pleased smile crossing her face. It's moments like this that made her want to be a kunoichi after all.

"Guys that was awesome!" Ruby praises as a small applause was started at the table JNPR, RWBY, and Team Rouge were sharing. "I barely even saw you guys move before it was over!"

"Yes well, we are quite fast." Sakura replies easily, a pleased glow coming from her. She loved putting jackasses like that in their place.

Sasuke just gave a non-commital grunt, not caring one way or another, but having moved for his friend's sake.

"You should see Hinata when she's mad! Oh man the way Toneri paled!" Naruto replied with a laugh, he didn't know someone so pale could get even lighter!

"Naruto-kun!" The Hyuga cried in aghast embarrassment. He wasn't suppose to tell people about that kind of stuff!

The group evenetually pushed the incident out of their minds as lunch came to an end.

-CATB-

"Alright team! What do we got!" Naruto spoke as the team gathered around the center of their dorm room, a round table holding various books and scrolls.

"Well, as far as information goes, we have a lot. What should we start with?" Sakura asked, her eyes never leaving the medical book in front of her. This selfhealing aura stuff sounded amazong, and she was currently trying to find a way to incorporate it into her own Strength of One Hundred seal.

"Hm...the Dobe should go first. He has been researching this world's biggest threat after all." Sasuke chimed in from his seated position on the floor, eyes closed in boredom.

"Tch bastard." Naruto mumbled.

"Go ahead Naruto-kun." Hinata insisted, a kind smile turning the blond's heart to putty.

"Fine fine! Right, so Grimm! From what I understand about this world so far, they are seen as the amalgamation of Nature's wrath. Kind of like white blood cells and humanity is their target." The blond dove in head first. The texts surrounding Grimm were every where and easy to access, all kinds of theories, but no one clear answer. "They seem to target anything human related. Structures, vehicles, man, woman, child, even faunus. They thrive to destroy anything related to mankind."

The others were a little taken aback by that, unsure of what to make of what the blond was saying.

"Basically, it's like miniature, less powerful versions of the tentails. All the rage, none of the actual bite. Well for us anyway. They seems to be drawn to negitive emotions. Fear, angry, despair. They congregate to the source of it." The blond spoke solemnly. These things were the real deal, and he hadn't even dropped the biggest bomb he had discovered yet!

"Hmm that could be an issue. If these things can be amassed and form something like the Juubi..." Sakura spoke softly, her mind racing.

"We don't have to worry about that. From what I've read, they don't combine like that. People here believe they are born from some ancient god of destruction, set about to smother the god of lights creation." Naruto replied.

"Hn. Well that's one plus. If they stay in the forms they are, they act as little more than cannon fodder." Sauske spoke, his eyes gazing at his teammates.

"For us maybe. But the people here aren't like us Sasuke. These things are a real, legitamite threat." Naruto shook his head.

"Anything else? Do you know why they have Nature chakra?" Hinata asked, her curiously truly peaked. These creatures did seem dangerous.

"They don't." Naruto replied firmly.

"But you said-" "I said they felt familiar, similar even. And now I know why."

None of the three liked the tone the blond was using.

"I found something, in one the older texts I was reading. Something that...well look." The blond opened a well worn book to a marked page. The words were faded but legible, but what caught he rooms occupants attention was the symbol depicted on the page.

A dark circle with a black star in the middle, several other stars in white playing the background.

Sakura was confused, something clear on her face.

However Hinata and Sasuke both grimaced.

"Are you sure about this?" Sasuke asked, his own travels revealing such emblems before.

"This isn't the only book with this symbol in it. According to the texts, this is the mark of the God of Destruction." Naruto spoke with a firm nod.

Hinata took a calming breathe. They could deal with this. They all had in some way or another. They were together! They would be fine!

"I don't understand, what is this?" Sakura asked, it looked familiar enough, but not enough to make everyone else seem so grave.

"Ōtsutsuki. This is the market of the Ōtsutsuki clan." Sasuke replied, making Sakura's eyes widen.

"You mean like Kaguya and that douche that took Hinata!"

Naruto looked at each of his friends, carving the looks they shared into his memory. He didn't want to make it worse...but...

"That's not it. This book eluded to a...creator. A controller of the Grimm. Someone with the power to breathe life into them and order them like foot soldiers. This isn't just like Kaguya. This is basically what her whole strategy for our home was. If any of this is true...we aren't here by accident, and to make matters worse, someone is out there pulling the strings."

No one spoke for a beat, before Hinata surmised their current feelings quite astutely.

"Fuck."

A.N. Don't hate me! I have been settling in at a new job and it has been kicking my ass! I am so sorry for how long this took!

Anyway, yeah I just did that. I mean come on! It works so well how could I not!

Plot is coming into its own now, originally I had planned for this to be nothing but crack, but inspiration hit me like a train so I ran with it. It's still gonna be mostly crack, but with a touch of drama and intrigue.

Let me know what you think!