[Don't Forget the Sun] Naruto/Velvet (Patreon)

Summary - The sun was so bright, so comforting and so warm. She never had any of that, left with her abusive father in a kingdom that disposed her she was left trapped. She could never forget. That was until… her sun come along. (Dark themes)(Naruto/Velvet)(One-shot)

Don't Forget the Sun

"YOU STUPID BITCH!" Her father screamed out, as he slammed his fist straight into her face, sending her tumbling onto the bathroom floor. Pools of tears within her eyes forming as she fell onto the hard ground.

"Do you have any idea how much money you cost me with your little stunt?!" He yelled out.

And as she tried to answer, her voice was so quiet that he could only barely hear her.

He seemed to take offense to this, as he reached down to grab her at her collar. Lifting her up by her neck as he brought her up to his eye level.

"What was that, velvet!" He yelled, tightening his grip as he did so.

Velvet found it was hard getting harder and harder to breathe, and it was by some miracle she was able to form words within her mouth.

"No, I don't," she repeated in a hollow voice, louder this time.

Smack!

Her father slapped her across the face, "You should learn to respect your betters, bitch!" He told her.

"No, I don't, sir," she repeated with hollow eyes, that seemed to please her father, as he nodded, loosening her grip as she was harshly dropped on the floor.

"That's better," he told her. "Now I hope you don't think you're going to beacon now, I've decided to enroll you in Atlas. That isn't a problem, is it?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"No, it isn't," Velvet told him, before her father planted a vicious kick into her stomach, a cry of pain erupting from her mouth.

Leaving Velvet clutching her stomach as she curled into a ball on the hard tile floor.

"What was that, slut!?" Her father asked again.

"No, sir," the brunette repeated, this time adding the proper term as she did so. As the tears that had formed within her eyes fell down her face.

"Good, glad you understand," her gray-haired father smirked, as he decided to leave with one final message.

"Oh, and next time you try and kill yourself, try and be successful, it'll be a lot easier on all of us," he told her, peaking his head in from outside the door.

Leaving his daughter crying on the shower room floor.

She somehow managed to help herself upright, using the nearby wall to prop herself up. Velvet could feel a bruise form on the right side of her cheek, as she tenderly touched the other, already knowing that a large red hand print had already formed across it, hissing in pain as she did so.

Looking in the mirror she could see her brown hair was left disheveled, her clothing was torn, and her rabbit-like ears across her head flopped downward towards her head. Not leaving her a pretty sight.

Tears poured out her large brown orbs, and she could do anything to stop them. Not bothering to wipe them from her face, knowing it was a helpless endeavor.

She tried to force herself to move, but her legs gave out once again. Falling down, she somehow managed to clutch the hard countertop to slow her fall. Another bruise formed across her head as it had been slammed onto the porcelain sink.

With wobbling arms and strained legs, she forced herself to stand up straight. Seeing the sight that lay before her within the mirror once again.

Her pathetic figure cast in the reflection in front of her.

She was helpless.

Becoming a huntress only because her father forced her to. Originally, she had planned to go to beacon… That had been before her tired thoughts took over.

But now that she was still alive, she knew that her last plan of escape was gone for good. She would've been able to escape their words, escape them… escape him.

But now she knew she'd be stuck with her father forever, not a moment to herself as he looked over her shoulder for the rest of her life. Punishing her if she ever did something he didn't approve of.

Because if she did anything wrong, anything like the stunt she had just pulled, it would only tarnish his name even further. She had already tarnished it enough, many of his supporters backing away when they found out he had a kid with what they deemed a 'no good filthy faunus woman'. Her mother disappearing not long after, leaving her on her father's doorstep.

She was alone.

Having always been looked down upon because of her Faunus features within the prestigious schools of the high-aristocracy of the kingdom of Atlas.

Beacon had been her only previous escape from this world, and now her rash impulsiveness had ruined it.

She hissed in pain as she felt her injured stomach cry out, her face contorting even more as she felt the slight burning sensation across her face.

Aura wasn't helping, her father already having nearly depleted all of it during his beat down long ago.

Remembering the exacting moment, it broke as she felt the phantom sensations of every single blow he struck at her.

Every word he spoke, every word they spoke, she remembered all of it.

A hollow pit forming within her soul, it hurting far worse than any blow she had ever endured.

She only wishes that she could make the pain stop. Or at least control it somewhat.

If only, if only, if only…

A stray thought struck her mind… realizing there was one way she could control this pain.

Shaking hands reached into her pocket, retrieving a small silver blade she had stolen from her father's dresser within.

She instinctively pressed it close to her wrist, turning away as she did so, not wanting to see her own actions. Biting her lip, she slashed across it.

Blood leaking into the sink, as turned and watched with a tired fascination as it dripped into the sink.

Whether it was because it was some distraction, or some sort of cruel twist of fate. A small smile forming across her pink lips, she felt the pit in her chest lessen slightly

One. Two. Three. Four.

She didn't know how many times the blade sliced her skin, but she did realize that each time she did so the pain had lessened just a little bit.

She felt her Aura breaking, giving her some semblance of relief... only for it to return hours later.

Atlas academy, sometime later.

The months to follow didn't get any better, they actually ended up getting worse.

Her father was one of the main scientists within Atlas academy, and he had not lessened her eternal grip around her neck. No, he had only tightened it.

She had been out on a team with people she despised, the same sorts of people she had grown up with.

She'd tried to avoid them at all costs when at all possible, only seeing them during classes and coming home late at night so she wouldn't have to see them. Unfortunately, on days like today, they had somehow managed to corned her against the wall.

"Oh come on Velvet you should listen a little more," one of her teammates said obnoxiously, a blonde looking female with light blue pupiless eyes.

As another of her teammates griped onto her rabbit-like appanages a little too hard for her liking. She tried to speak up, but her voice was so soft it came out more like a whisper.

"Yeah, I think we can both agree that If you didn't have those filthy ears you would at least be somewhat appealing," her pink haired teammate stated, as she winced.

Nonsense.

She couldn't be like them, Ino, her blond teammate had curves in all the right places. Wearing purple clothing that only accentuated her beauty.

Her other teammate wasn't as developed, but she was fit and well built. Wearing a red top and short Black shorts that accentuated her toned legs and stomach. She was smart too, much smarter than her, and she knew it. As her emerald green eyes held a level of arrogance within them.

She hated them, but she had to admit they were beautiful, far more beautiful than her. They were popular too, she had overheard many of the boys talking about how pretty and desirable they were, as the girls spoke in hushed whispers filled with envy.

"What do you think, Hinata?" Sakura asked, turning to their final teammate.

A lavender-eyed girl with long blue hair and milky white skin. She was clearly the most developed of all of them, even as she hid it within her baggy purple and white jacket and blue pants.

She was also their team leader, although she mostly kept to herself on things besides schoolwork. And out of all of them she was the one she got along with the most, although that was mostly because she had rarely interacted with the girl.

The other two girls likely having dragged her along with them, her following only in fear of not becoming their next target.

The girl in question pushed her fingers together, thinking of the right thing to say.

Turning away she answered, "Well i think that… maybe she could show a little more skin?" Hinata stated, having thought of something that Sakura had previously told her. Not realizing that their current clothes showed off about the similar amount.

Ino put a finger to her chin, observing her outfit as she nodded. "You know what I think you're right."

"She totally right," Sakura affirmed. "What do you think we should do?" She asked.

Ino got close, as Velvet wanted to back up even more, realizing once again that she had been pinned within the corner of the walls.

"Well I was thinking we could lose the black skin suit underneath, that'll really show off her thighs and stomach," she assessed.

"That could be nice," Sakura agreed.

As Ino thought of another idea, "And we could unzip the jacket a little, I'm sure the boys will be all over her."

"Of course they will," Sakura assured, before she got up close as well, "Oh! And we could roll up the sleeves a bit, they are way too long," she said, grabbing onto her arm.

Velvet pulled back, clutching her arm to her chest, not wanting them to touch her there.

Ino seemed to take offense to this, as she forcefully grabbed her arm, pulling it toward her. "It seems she's a little hesitant, maybe we should help her a little bit?" She mocked, as she tried to break free, Sakura holding her in place.

Ino got ready to roll up her sleeves as she squirmed. She couldn't allow them to see it, least they reveal her bandages that lay beneath.

"No, please stop," She pleaded, but it once again came out inconceivable.

Ino fingered her brown sleeve as she smirked, "I'm sorry, what was that? You got to speak up," she patronized, holding her arm tight within her grip she could feel red marks be forming below her clothes.

"I-I" velvet tried to speak, before a voice made itself known, saving her from her troubles.

"What the hell are you guys doing!" A voice shouted.

The girls let go of her, accidentally pushing her to the floor as they tried to hide their previous actions.

"Oh, Naruto-Kun, when did you get here?" Ino asked, giving a nervous laugh as she did so.

"Yeah, we were just having a friendly chat between team mates." Sakura tried to explain.

Naruto frowned, "No, you weren't, you were bullying her," he accused.

"Bullying her?!" Ino parrotted in false shock.

Sakura waived her hands in denial, "no we're weren't, this was clearly just a big misunderstanding." She said.

Imo nodded, "Yeah, we were clearly just trying to help her."

"No, you were, look at her! She's sprawled out on the floor in pain!" The boy said in anger, as he saw Velvet lying upon the floor, clutching her wrist . She was so disoriented that she could barely make out their faces, likely having hit her head during the fall.

"Oh, that, that's cause she fell," ino told him, as waved him off.

"Yeah, she's clearly a major klutz, i mean—" Sakura tried to say, before she was interrupted.

"I don't care!" Naruto shouted as he grit is teeth, barely restraining himseld, "leave now, before I go get the teachers or do something I'll regret," Naruto threatened

It was then that Sakura's face contorted in fear, realizing that she couldn't allow that to happen. "Come on ino, Hinata, let's just go already," she tried to convince her friend.

Ino nodded, "yeah okay let's go," she said, complying with her pink haired friend's request. The quiet blue haired girl following not long after.

"The nerve of some people," Naruto muttered smitefully, watching their retreating figures. Before he turned to the only other occupants, the girl still lying across the floor.

A hand lowered itself towards the brunette girl, and it was only then that Velvet was able to make out the figure.

It was a young man, he had tan skin, blue eyes that were filled with concern, and whisker-like marks, perhaps he was a Faunus? She questioned, unlikely.

But the thing that caught her attention the most was his bright blonde hair. It sprouted in all directions, it was wild and unkempt.

As pearly white teeth that nearly sparkled flashed her the brightest smile she had ever seen. As she felt a warmth like no other.

The sight reminded her of something… it was as if she was gazing upon the sun itself.

She didn't know what compelled her, but she shakily took his hand… and her life would never be the same.

XXX

'No, please stop,' she tried to shout, but her words died in her throat, as a cry of pain left her mouth. The person who had been pulling onto her ears, yanking a little too hard.

"Come on, I know these are fake, they have to be," a boy shouted in frustration, pulling on her ears even harder as if he were trying to rip them off.

'No, please stop, it… it hurts' she tried to say, her voice too low, luckily, her friend managed to speak for her.

"What the hell are you doing!" Naruto shouted, as he pushed the boy away from his friend.

He stumbled back, but righted himself as he falsely tried to explain the situation. "What? She and I were only playing, can't you see we were having fun?"

"Yeah, we'll cut it out," Naruto yelled. "You were hurting her."

The boy only grumbled, leaving as he did so. Naruto turned to her, his eyes filled with concern.

"Are you alright," he asked, and velvet slowly nodded.

Naruto flashed her a smile, as she was once again filled with a warm sensation as bright as the stars. He was always like this, always so warm, as if it threatened to burn her up.

After they met, she tried to run away, thanked him as she carried on. But Naruto persisted, he was insistent on talking to her, on being her friend… her friend?

Yes, she could carefully say that he was her friend. The one person she could rely on in this life, the one semblance of a good thing she was allowed to have.

She... She—

But as much as she wanted to tell him… she knew she would only burn up.

So she had to keep it inside, keep it away from the sun, least she tarnish its image with her troubles. She didn't want that at all, No! She wanted to keep things the way they were, so she continued to keep quiet.

"You shouldn't let yourself get picked one like that," Naruto told her. "I know you're much stronger than you let on," he said, but she didn't believe it.

But Velvet only shook her head, he was wrong, but as she tried to deny it she saw Naruto's frown across his tanned face, she hated it.

"You really shouldn't put yourself down like that, we both know you're better than that," he told her, putting a hand across her shoulder.

She wanted to believe his words, but she knew she couldn't.

What's more, images of the past, of her father plagued her mind, all when his touch laid a hand on her.

Velvet couldn't help it, she pulled back, Naruto seemed to notice. But instead of getting closer, he kept his distance in an effort to make her feel make comfortable.

She silently thanked him, as he flashed her a smile, "hey! Want to go out to dinner with me this Sunday ?" Naruto asked suddenly, surprising his rabbit-like friend.

What? Did he… did he just ask her out on a date?

Velvets face lit up in a bright red blush, "What? I… why do you want to go with me?" Her mind settled in a single question, as Naruto turn away, a little embarrassed.

"Well you see," he paused, trying to find the right words. "My father always has us go out once a month on the weekend, but this time he has something come up. But he already made the reservations, so I asked him if I could use it instead," He explained, giving an excuse that seemed plausible.

"I thought it would be fun if you and I went," he told her, as he scratched his whiskered cheek.

So that was it, she mentally berated herself for thinking it was anything else.

"I-I" Velvet tried to speak, but her voice was too low for him to hear. Thankfully, he helped her, placing a finger upon her lip.

"You don't have to speak, just nod, and we can go," he told her, as she gave him a small smile.

She nodded.

It wasn't what she had thought it was, but it could still be fun. Plus, it had the added benefit of getting away from her team and father for a few hours.

"Great, it'll be fun," Naruto said as he clapped his hands, and she was again blinded by the sun.

As emerald green eyes watch on in jealousy.

XXX

"Where do you think you're going?" One of her teammates asked.

Velvet's hair was slightly more kept, her mood slightly better, her brown eye constantly looking towards the clock. All her actions pointed to the fact that she was waiting for something, or perhaps… someone?

Her teammates seemed to notice this, as Ino spoke up about it.

"Huh? Well she is slightly more dressed up than usual," one of her other teammates asked, Sakura.

"You think she has a date?" Ino questioned.

"Oh please, a quiet girl like her getting an actual date? Don't make me laugh," Sakura stated.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Ino said, before they both erupted into a scorn filled laugh.

Velvet tried to open her mouth, tried to refute them, but she obviously couldn't. She wasn't going on a date, she knew that, so she couldn't prove them wrong.

All she could do is listen to their harsh words as they made fun of her.

Thankfully, it didn't take long for a knock at the door to be heard throughout the room.

Knock. Knock.

Velvet tried to walk to the door, but sadly she was a little too slow, as Ino had rushed to see who it was.

But as she opened the entrance, who she met sorely surprised her.

"Why hello, Naruto-Kun, I didn't expect to see you here, you didn't happen to stop by to see me did you," ino said in a cute voice, completely changed her tune for the sour expression she wore talking with Velvet.

Naruto gave a nervous laugh as he rubbed that back of his head, not entirely sure how to respond to that. "Uh, no," he told her the truth. "I'm actually here to see Velvet," he stated, as Ino was once again shocked.

"Velvet you, say," Ino seethed, inwardly gritting her teeth, although on the outside she was smiling. Before a thought occurred to her, "Oh, I know, why don't I go get her!" She chirped.

Naruto blinked, the room wasn't that big, so there probably wasn't any need to get her. "Well, actually—" he tried to say, before he was interrupted.

Slam!

Yup, Ino had slammed the door. Distinctly changing her tune as she did so, a sour expression forming across her face.

Velvet tried to move around her, but each time Ino had blocked her path.

"I don't know what you've done to Naruto, Faunus, but I'm here to put an end to it," Ino snarled, as she got closer and closer to the rabbit girl, pushing her to the corner of the room.

Starling Velvet as she poked across her chest rather painfully. Phantom pains echoed throughout her mind, but she tried to push past them.

"I-I don't know what you—" Velvet tried to refute, but Ino wasn't having any of it.

"Don't act like you don't know, slut, I've seen you, trying to seduce Naruto!" She spat. "Don't think that you going on one little date with him will change things," Ino told her, as Velvet tried to speak up she was once again interrupted.

"They're not going on a date," someone said, as both of their heads snapped in the voice's direction, spotting a smirking Sakura. "I've overheard their little conversation, he's going with her out of mere convenience more than anything," she revealed, as ino grew a smirk over her face.

"Oh, so the truth comes out," the blonde stated, "aren't you going to try and deny it?" Ino questioned, as velvet looked down.

Could she deny it? She knew she couldn't, Sakura was right, Naruto had said he was going with her just because his father had already made the reservations. Did that mean Naruto was only going because it was convenient? She didn't know.

Sakura had closed in on her too, and she tried to look towards her other teammate for help. But she could see Hinata was just sitting there across her bed, nervously watching the scene play out before her. Velvet knew she wouldn't help, she never did, she was alone here…

Thankfully, as if it were by some divine intervention, a knock once again came from the door.

Knock, knock.

"Hello, I'm still here, Y'know!" Naruto shouted from the other side of the door, his voice carrying over into their room.

"Just a second!" Ino yelled back, before leaning in to whisper in the rabbit faunus's ear.

"Don't forget what we told you, you aren't good enough for Naruto and you never will be," the blonde told her, as she turned to face the door.

"Coming~!" Ino sang, as she pushed Velvet towards the exit while Sakura opened it.

"Sorry it took so long, Girl talk, you know how it is," Ino told him.

Naruto's brows furrowed, "... Okay," he said, not believing her for a second.

"Yeah," Ino confirmed. "Well, I'm gonna leave you two out here," she told them, as she prepared to shut the door, before she added in one final comment.

"Oh and Naruto, if you ever get bored with her, just remember me and Sakura are here if you ever need us," the blonde girl stated as she parted, closing the door and likely trying to listen in on their conversation on the other side.

Naruto frowned, "That was… odd," he stated, before he turned his attention to his friend.

"Anyways, Velvet, you look great," he complimented, and although he could tell she hadn't had changed her attire much, but he still thought she still looked beautiful nonetheless.

He did notice, however, that the girl did have this faraway look to her eyes, and she was clutching at her chest, right where Ino had laid a finger on.

"Velvet, are you alright? You don't look so good," Naruto asked in concern, as his friend was snapped back into reality.

"Huh? O-Oh, I'm fine," she told him, processing his words. She even planted an ever-so fake smile across her face to reassure Naruto of this.

But even then he still was unconvinced. Deciding to change the subject, he asked, "So, are you ready to go?" To which she nodded.

Velvet would enjoy this moment within the sun, even with the doubts that still lingered.

But even so… the seeds had been planted.

The place Naruto took her was strange, it wasn't overly expensive looking, as a matter of fact it looked rather cheap. But then again it had the feel to it, like it was… homely?

If that was the right word, honestly, she'd never been to a place like this. Usually, her father only took her to high-end restaurants when he needed to save face, parade himself off as the perfect father, leaving nobody ever expecting anything else.

And why would they? If she'd ever given any inclination otherwise, well, he'd…

Pushing those thoughts aside, the smell of delectable food hit her nostrils, and she was still left slightly starstruck at the entire place.

Reading the sign in its entirety, she voiced it aloud, "Ichiraku Ramen," reading the name of the small stand Naruto had taken her to.

Naruto smiled beside her, grasping in the ambience along as well. "Yup, this place is great, why don't you and I go inside?" he offered, as he extended her hand.

Velvet looked at it his tanned palm, she saw the many calluses across his skin, showing how hard he pushed himself. She heard that Naruto was one of the top students, hearing that from one of her teammates if she remembered correctly.

Honestly, she kind of envied him a bit, she only wished her convictions could be that strong. She wasn't anything like her, and she wondered why he kept her around.

Looking up, she was met with his honest cerulean blue eyes, there was no ulterior motive within them, not that she could tell. Truthfully, she was a little stunned by the look he gave her.

And yet he still kept his smile on his face... how could he do that? She questioned.

She reached a trembling hand up towards him, meeting his palm within his own. "I-I would like that," she told him, slightly looking away in embarrassment, gazing upon him becoming too bright for her.

"Okay, come on, let's go!" He shouted, dragging her along inside.

The interior of the restaurant was the same as the outside, it was small, and yet it still had that homely feel to it. And the near-intoxicating smell that enticed her was even more overwhelming; it nearly sending her senses into a frenzy.

She spotted an older man in the back of the counter, one about the same age as her father, if a little older. But this man seemed different, instead of the calm, stoic—and sometimes downright frightening— aura her father gave off, this man seemed kind, welcoming and… caring?

Honestly, she wasn't expecting to see him looking like that, especially when a faunus had just walked into his restaurant.

"Ah, Naruto, lovely to see you today, as expected," he greeted, as he gave them both a joy-filled smile as they entered, something that surprised her.

It was then that he seemed to notice her presence, "Oh, and who's your lady-friend?" He asked, giving them both a slightly teasing smile.

Something which she slightly blushed at, as she tried to hide behind her friend to get away from his gaze.

Naruto just laughed him off, "Oh yeah, old man, this is Velvet," he gestured to his rabbit-like friend. "Velvet, this is Old-man-Teuchi, he's the guy who makes ramen for me," he introduced, and the old man just laughed at his remark.

"Haha, well, you can call me whatever you want with how much you clean me out," Teuchi chuckled.

Naruto waved him off, "Yeah, yeah, speaking of cleaning you out, why don't you get use started already," he asked, sitting down at one of the stool near the counter.

The chef clapped his hands, showing that he was ready to serve them, "Alright; why don't I get you two started with a few drinks, what would you like?" he asked.

"Some green tea, please," Naruto said, as Teuchi nodded, turning his attention to the rabbit-faunus.

Velvet, who had been just staring at their exchange slightly stupefied, blinked, before she processed his words. "Oh, umm… I'll just take a water," she told him.

"Alright, why don't you get seated while I bring that out for you," he told her, as Velvet complied with her request, as the man left to go and get their drinks.

Coming back, as he placed down their drinks at the table, Teuchi noted something."So, take it your father isn't coming today."

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, sadly he had some work come up, but I told him I'd still come here, Y'know," he told him.

"Ah, a shame," Teuchi frowned at his long time customer not coming, before he changed his beat and smiled a little at Naruto's comment. "I guess you two will have to make due by yourselves, you think you two can handle it?" He teased.

As Velvet blushed slightly, as Naruto laughed his comment off as he rubbed the back of his head. "Don't worry about it, I think we'll still manage to eat you out," he told him, before a thought came to him. "Speaking of which, why don't you bring out the food already."

"Yeah, yeah," the chef told his customer, as he looked over to the Faunus-girl, handing her a menu as he did so. "Alright, little-lady, what do you want?" Teuchi asked.

Looking over the menu, Velvet was slightly dumbfounded at all the options, but she decided upon the dish that she wanted. "Umm… I'll take a bowl of the Vegetable Ramen, please?" She asked nervously.

The chef nodded, "Alright, coming right up," he said, as he went off in to the back to prepare her food.

"Ahem, aren't you forgetting something?" Naruto asked, slightly frustrated by the old man's actions. Although, both of them knew he was anything but with the small smile across his face.

"Oh right, I knew I forgot something," the man recalled.

"Yeah, I'll take a miso soup, and get a pork ramen ready while you're at it," Naruto told him, as the chef laughed.

"Alright, coming right up," Teuchi nodded, finally heading to the back of the stand to prepare their food.

Velvet was left staring at the two, watching them converse so seamlessly, like they'd known each other for years, and likely, they had.

Truthfully, She kind of envied him for it, but honestly the situation was so absurd that she couldn't help but find it funny. This man was their waiter, and yet he seemingly 'forgot' one of their order's. If one of the other waiters she had met had done that to her father, she knew she'd be in for a rough night.

But she didn't have time to think about it like that, all she could do was find the entire scene humorous, so much so that laughter filled her lips.

Naruto seemed to be shocked by this, as he stared at her with wide eyes.

"W-What?" She asked in between joyous giggles.

Naruto turned away, scratching his whiskered cheek as he did so. And she almost saw a faint dusting of… pink? Across his cheeks.

No! She knew it was just her imagination, but even so, she knew that even the thought of it excited her.

"It's nothing, I just thought that your laugh was really pretty, that's all," he told her nervously, as Velvet's face was lit in a bright red blush.

Thankfully, Teuchi came back with their meals, giving her some respite to recover.

The chef placed her meal in front of her, as she was met with a constant stream of pleasure that filled her nose with just a smell.

"Alright, little-lady, here's your meal," Teuchi told her, smiling down at her as he did so.

Velvet stared at her meal like how a cat looked at her fish, or in this case, how a rabbit looked towards a carrot.

A loud grumble emanated from her stomach, it was so loud in fact that it surprised the other two occupants in the room. Velvet's head blushed even brighter, so much so that they all thought she was about to pass out.

Honestly, at the moment, she was so embarrassed that she felt like she should crawl in a hole and just die! She could escape from this, there was no way out, all she had to do was—

Naruto nudged her shoulder, "what's the matter, aren't you going to eat?" He asked, as Velvet was seemingly brought back to reality.

"H-Huh? O-Oh, yeah," she realized what he meant, as she thanked the chef on instinct and brought the chopstick up to her meal.

Depositing the food within her mouth, she was hit with something strong...

Flavor! So much so that her eyes nearly widened out of their sockets. It was so delicious that the very smell of it didn't even explain a sliver of the idea of how it tasted, tarnishing it entirely.

Why hadn't she come here before? This was the best thing she'd ever eaten. Velvet devoured that meal in a matter of seconds, something which surprised the other two occupants within the room.

"Well, it looks like someone is enjoying their meal," Teuchi laughed, watching the girl slurp up the last remnants of the soup.

"Yeah, that makes one of us," Naruto told him, reminded the chef that he had 'forgotten' his meal once again.

"Oh, I knew I was forgetting something," Teuchi realized once again, although judging by the smile he had across his face, neither of them could tell he was entirely truthful in his statement.

"I swear, without Ayame-nee, you seem to do that a lot," Naruto muttered, as the man went into the back to bring out his meal. But as Teuchi brought his meal back, he realized something. "Hey! Speaking of Ayame-nee, where is she?" He inquired.

As Velvet's world shook, and had she not already finished her meal, she likely would have choked on it at the spot. Who was this Ayame? We're she and Naruto close? It seemed so, judging by how he spoke about her. Did that mean that he liked her?

She supposed she had gotten her hopes up just a little. Why would Naruto like her, of all people? After all, she wasn't like most girls that guys liked. She wasn't as outgoing as Ino, and she didn't think she was as smart as Sakura was, either. And to be honest, she wasn't nearly as pretty as Hinata was. She was nothing like them, she was…

"Oh, her, yeah, she went off on a date with that guy you introduced her to, figured I would be able to hold up the fort here since she thought it would just be the two of you. What was his name again?" He questioned as he rubbed his chin. "Iruka what's it? Eh, doesn't matter, I've met him, he's a good young man, makes Ayame pretty happy."

Naruto smiled, "That's good, at least something keeps her happy with how much trouble you give her."

Teuchi waved him off, "yeah, yeah, just remember, boy, I've still got your food," he reminded, as the chef clutched the two bowls within his grasp close to his chest. Effectively holding his food hostage.

Naruto saw this and immediately changed his tune, bowing his head low and profusely apologizing. "I'm sorry, please don't take my ramen," he pleaded. "It's the hunger, it makes me say things out of line," he tried to explain.

Teuchi smirked, "Is that so?" He asked, as Naruto nodded his head. "Well, I suppose I can give you your food… this time," He told him, placing the bowls right in front of the blonde.

"Thank you!" He shouted, comical tears within his eyes, as he chowed down on his meal.

Teuchi noticed her empty bowl, "Well I suppose I should get you another bowl, what do you want?" He asked, as he grabbed her emptied dish.

"I-I would like another vegetable ramen, please," she told him, as he went to the back. But velvet stopped him, "W-wait!" She called out.

Teuchi raised an eyebrow, "Oh, is there something else you want?" He asked.

Velvet looked away, "I-I would like one more bowl on top of that," she told him, slightly embarrassed at her request. As the chef went to fulfill her request, she once again stopped him, "W-wait, I would like two, three more on top of the one instead!" She corrected.

As Teuchi smirked, "Coming right up, little-lady."

Naruto looked at her, smirking as he did so, causing her to blush once again, "W-what is it?" She stuttered.

"Oh, it's nothing," he waived her off, but Velvet thought otherwise.

Did she come off too strong? Did she order too much? He probably thought she was a glutton now, didn't he?

Wait! She just ordered four more bowls on top of the other one she'd already eaten. Who was paying for this? Was Naruto paying for this? Is she making him pay for such an expensive meal? He'd probably hate her, no, he definitely hated her.

She didn't want that, not at all. How could she stop that? Should she pay for her meal? She did get some money for expenses from her father. Although it wasn't much, and she'd probably used it all up from just this meal, but that was alright. Yeah, she should—

"Alright, four more vegetables ramens ready to go," Teuchi stated as he brought four more bowls of soup he'd prepared in the back and placed them in front of her.

And then the smell had hit her nose, her enhanced Faunus nose…

She devoured those bowls of ramen so fast that Naruto looked in a mixture of shock and surprise as he watched her eat.

"I think I'm in love," he muttered under his breath, watching her display in its entirety.

"Huh, What was that?" Velvet, who had been so engrossed in eating her 3rd bowl that she didn't hear what he had whispered, asked.

Naruto looked away, his cheeks turning red as he did so, "N-nothing," he stuttered out, hoping she didn't hear what he had stated, as he nervously took a sip of his tea.

Velvet looked down, thinking that he most definitely thought her a glutton.

Teuchi, who had heard what Naruto had said, only smirked, laughing a little as he headed into the back.

"Haha, just like Kushina," the old man stated nearly too fast for his mind to register, as he froze when he realized what he had just said.

Naruto dropped his cup, accidentally spilling his tea onto the table as he heard this comment. Gaining a far away look for a moment, he quickly snapped out of it.

Unfortunately, the tea he had spilled swept itself over the countertop, right onto Velvet's sleeves.

Naruto seemed to realize almost immediately, "Oh my— Velvet, I'm sooo, sorry! I didn't mean too—" he panicked., thankfully his tea had cooled down since he had gotten it, so at least she didn't receive any burns.

Velvet got up, her bangs shadowing her eyes, "don't worry, it's fine," she told him, although her mind was rolling throughout a different number of thoughts.

Thankfully, Teuchi seemed to solve at least one of them with a possible solution, "Oh, dear, seems you spilled something. Don't worry, I'll help clean it up. But miss-Velvet, there's a bathroom upstairs, you get up there through the back, why don't you go clean up there?" He suggested, handing her a set of keys.

"I-I think I would like that," she told him, grabbing the keys, and heading off, leaving both Naruto and Teuchi alone.

The chef turned his attention to the blonde, profusely apologizing for his slip up. "Listen, Naruto, I'm—" he started, before Naruto interrupted him.

"Don't worry, it's fine," the blonde sighed, running a hand through his golden spiked locks as he did so. "It's been ten years, I should be over it by now."

"But you're not, today is the ten-year anniversary since it happened," Teuchi reminded, not that Naruto forgot. "You were only a small child when it happened, it's only natural that such a traumatic event would affect you so much, anyone would understand," he tried to reassure, but Naruto wasn't convinced.

"Maybe," he told him, lost in thought for several minutes. But as he tried to think about it some more, he was thankfully interrupted, as he felt the faint vibrating sensation in his pocket.

Retrieving his scroll, he saw who had called him. Accepting the Video call, he was met with the face of the person he was expecting the least.

"Hey, dad," he greeted.

XXX

(With Velvet)

Her mind was racing.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!

That's what she was, Naruto totally hated her now. She knew he did, ino was right, she shouldn't be with him, she knew that now.

But she couldn't leave, could she? No, she couldn't, it would be even more rude if she did that, wouldn't it? Probably.

She had to stick this out, even if it didn't pay off, she didn't want Naruto to hate her. It was a selfish request, one that she knew there was no obligation over, but she couldn't help it.

Wiping the spilled tea off with a nearby towel, she dried her hands, although it seemed that she had gotten a little wetter than she initially thought.

The liquid staining both her sleeves and the bandages under it. Rolling up her sleeves as she then unwinded the white linen cloth from her arms, a routine she was all too familiar with. She unloaded the bloodied bandages into the nearby trash can, being careful to cover over them as she did so for fear of others finding out about them.

But that was alright, she could always just replace them. She always kept spare bandages in her… bag, the same bag that she had been forced to leave when Ino dragged her off.

Dang it. What was she going to do? She knew she couldn't leave Naruto, that wasn't even an option.

Checking her arms once more, velvet noticed that her self-inflicted wounds seemed to have healed themselves due to her unlocked aura. The cuts only becoming slight white scars, faint enough to not be seen unless one paid attention to them.

She looked at the sky, seeing that it was getting late, which was understandable, given that Naruto had only taken her to dinner.

Resolving herself, she knew that she only had a few hours left, that was little enough time that she doubted she would be found out.

XXX

Heading back downstairs, she couldn't help but overhear and accidentally eavesdrop on Naruto's conversation. He apparently had received a call, one that slightly froze her at his words.

"Hey, Naruto, just calling to once again apologize, work has been rough, and something big happened, I know that's not an excuse to skip out on today; but—" Naruto's father tried to say, before he was interrupted.

"Hey, dad, I already told you, it's fine," the blonde assured, "I'm actually having a lot of fun right now, the person I invited… well she's great," he stated with a relived smile, as he trailed his finger around his freshly refilled cup rather nervously.

Velvet's heart soared at his words, so much so that it nearly felt out of her chest as she nearly tripped on her feet.

"So it's a 'she' huh?" His father teased, as Naruto rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, she's a she, what about it?" Naruto questioned.

"Oh, it's nothing, please continue," his father told him, with an ever increasing smirk across his face.

Naruto thought about it, "Well she's different, not like the other girls who go after me, she's pretty quiet, but that's not so bad. It honestly makes her kind of cute," he commented, as velvet once again fell off of her feet.

"But honestly, she almost reminds me of mom," Naruto told his father, reminiscing about the woman in question. "Don't get me wrong, they look and act nothing alike, but still… there's just something about her, Y'know."

"Yeah, I think I understand," his father nodded. "You must like this girl a lot."

Velvet listened intently to this conversation, her body frozen at their words.

"Maybe?" Naruto shrugged, "But when I saw her eat 4 bowls of ramen in 20 seconds I nearly passed out," he chuckled, as his father remembered Kushina doing the same, laughing just like his father.

… It was at that point that Velvet accidentally fell in her place.

Something which Naruto seemed to hear, as he clamped his mouth shut out of fear that the wrong person heard him.

"Velvet, is that you?" He questioned, as the rabbit girl revealed herself.

"S-sorry, I didn't realize you'd gotten a call," Velvet apologized.

"It's fine… y-you didn't hear anything, did you?" He asked, hoping for the answer he hoped for.

Velvet blushed, remembering what exactly Naruto had said. "N-no, nothing at all," she lied.

Naruto seemed to take her word for it, thankful at her answer. Although he didn't seem to notice her reddened cheeks, probably because his mind forced himself to ignore it.

"That's good," he nodded, before quickly changing the subject.

"H-hey, Velvet, why don't I introduce you to someone?" He asked, gesturing to his phone. "Velvet, this is my father, father, this is Velvet," Naruto introduced her to the man on his screen, and once again Velvet was left shocked.

He was a fairly well-built man with midnight black hair and eyes. His skin was pale, unlike his son's. He wore a pale white coat over a dark blue shirt with a red tie. They were wearing a military outfit, she realized. But she also realized something even more surprising.

"Y-you're headmaster Ironwood," she squealed, not realizing who he was at first.

"That I am," he greeted.

She looked towards the man, and then at Naruto. And then she looked at the man again, and then Naruto, again and again, back and forth.

"But that means…" she trailed off.

"Yeah, he's my dad," Naruto told her as he rubbed the back of his head. "It's honestly pretty common knowledge, not sure how you didn't know it."

"But you don't have the same last name," she argued.

Naruto looked away slightly. "Well, that's because I decided to take on my mother's last name," he explained. "Nothing more to it."

"I see…" Velvet told him, not understanding at all, the looked nothing alike.

The rest of the dinner was better, much better than how she could ever have thought it would be.

Apparently, headmaster-ironwood had reserved the small restaurant all to himself and Naruto. That had explained why they were the only ones within the restaurant. And now that she remembered, she had seen that the shop had a pretty big closed sign at the front of it.

Ironwood had also paid for their meal in its entirety, which did help ease her mind a bit. As she and Naruto had ordered about a dozen more bowls after that, each, something which Teuchi was more than happy to oblige with.

It had gotten dark, as they walked the streets of Atlas to get back to the academy. They were only first-years, and first-years had a curfew to get back to. Even though she was sure Mr. Ironwood would cover for them, she didn't want to take any chances, lest her father get involved.

But even so, she and Naruto walked slowly to the drop-ship station, conversing as they did so.

"That was great!" Naruto commented. "I mean, you ate so many bowls that I thought dad would go bankrupt," he teased.

Velvet turned away in embarrassment, "P-please don't make fun of me like that," she asked.

"Okay," Naruto obliged, although he still held that teasing smile across his face. "But you seemed to be enjoying yourself a lot, it was nice," he told her, as Velvet noticed that she gained a small smile across her face as well.

Naruto then realized something, "Hey!" He spoke up.

"Hmm?" His brown-haired friend questioned.

"I just realized," he started. "You and I don't really know about each other that much."

It was then that he lent close to her, so close in fact that velvet could feel his warm breath against her neck, as her face lit up like a storm.

"So, what do you like?" He asked.

'Close!' Was her only thought as she backed away. It was only then that she processed his words.

What did she enjoy doing? Well there was one thing that she .really liked…

"I-I like taking photographs," she squeaked, still embarrassed at their close proximity.

"Really?" Naruto questioned in surprise, ecstatic at learning something new about her. "That's great! Do you have anything you can show me?" He asked, wanting to know more about what she was interested in.

"W-well, I have a few on my scroll…" she trailed off , before retrieving the object from within her pocket, showing some of the photos she'd take.

"Oh wow, these are great," he commented, scrolling through a few of them.

There was a mix of everything, from the beautiful landscapes within atlas, to people he had seen from atlas academy. But she seemed to have a particular interest in taking pictures of weapons… perhaps she was a weapons nut as well?

He pushed that thought to the side as he saw a particular photo.

"Huh, what's this?" He questioned, as it appeared to be a photo of some sort of blueprints.

Velvet realized what he was looking at, "o-oh, that's umm… a project I'm working on, nothing special," she told him nervously.

"No, no, this looks amazing," Naruto told her. It looking to be some sort of new age tech in the form of a camera, one that was capable of forming weapons all on its own.

"Honestly, I could never create something like this," the blonde stated. "You're amazing," he complimented.

Velvet blushed, "No, it's nothing," she tried to play it off.

Unfortunately, it was at that moment she had lost her footing, accidentally tripping on a stone in the road.

Luckily, Naruto had saw this, and he was close and fast enough, so he could grasp a hold of her flailing arm. Interlocking her hand with his own, as he helped pull her upright.

"O-oh, ummmm… t-thank you," she stuttered, her cheeks red from embarrassment.

Naruto smiled, "Don't worry about it, I like holding you like this," he told her, and it was at that moment that Velvet realized exactly what position they were in.

She had unconsciously gripped on to Naruto's shoulder to steady herself. As Naruto had his other hand wrapped around her torso. But both of their hands were still interlocked, Naruto felt Velvet's soft palms across his rough skin.

He saw her face, her cheeks were reddened to the point where he'd almost suspected she'd suffered a hemorrhage. She was Beautiful, at least that's what he thought of her.

It was on pure instinct, but he felt his head inch ever closer to Velvet's own, nearly interlocking his own lips with her own.

"Velvet…" he whispered out, as she felt his warm breath across her milky white skin.

Velvet's mind was in a frenzy; was he about to?… should she? She didn't know, but Naruto was getting closer!

Velvet felt like this was a happy dream, one she would never want to wake up from. She didn't want this to end, if she had it her way she would stay like this forever, forever close to the sun.

Unfortunately, it was at that moment, Naruto realized something. It seemed she had flown a little too high, crashing down into the deep abyss.

Naruto stopped, "Velvet?…" he questioned, his hair shadowing his eyes.

"Y-yes," Velvet stuttered, too engrossed in their current position. She was too late to stop what came after.

"What's this?!" He demanded, as he unhooked his hand from her grip, forcefully unrolling her sleeve to real her scars.

Velvet's mind rebooted almost immediately.

No, no, no, no, no!

Pulling back, she covered her arm with her sleeve, holding it close to her chest to once again hide it from the world.

But she knew Naruto had already seen them. Feeling the slight fine indent within her scarred skin, as he recognizing it almost immediately.

"Huh? Velvet, answer me!" He shouted, as velvet recoiled in fear, expecting a blow to follow, thankfully no pain came.

"I-I don't know what you—" she tried to lie, but Naruto saw right through her.

"Velvet, don't lie to me!" the blonde demanded, before he realized his tone and tried to calm himself. "… please," he pleaded, he sounded so hurt, so heart broken.

"Why?" Naruto asked, in a much softer tone, nearly too quiet for velvet to understand.

"W-what?" She asked.

"Why!" Naruto nearly yelled, reigning in his emotions once again.

"I-I don't know…" Velvet said as she turned away, incapable of looking into his hurt blue eyes. "I guess it helps me control the pain, what I feel in…" she trailed off, trying to reason that it helped numb the hollow pain within her chest.

"How long?" Naruto asked.

"I-I" velvet stuttered out.

"How long have you been cutting your wrists?!" Naruto demanded.

"I don't know… a little while," she told him, not really knowing the answer. Velvet wanted to run away, to never see him again. But she knew she couldn't, and her body kept herself in place.

"I see…" Naruto said in thought, his hair once again shadowing his eyes.

Velvet felt like she waited an eternity, but it likely had only been a few minutes.

"Promise me?" Naruto told her, shocking his head upward.

"What?" Velvet asked, not understanding what he meant.

Naruto resolved himself, "Promise me you want ever cut yourself ever again!" He demanded of her.

Velvet thought about it, could she do that? Could she stop herself from numbing the pain? She didn't know. But the only other option was to lose him forever.

Tears welled up in her eyes, her bangs shadowed her brown-chocolate eyes, droplets fell down her face. "O-okay, I promise," she told him, as Naruto nodded.

"Good," Naruto stated, as they once again made their way to the station, this time in complete silence. It was getting late, as the moon hung brightly over them

XXX

The trip back to the academy was a quiet one, not a word was spoken. Naruto seemed to be deep in thought, recalling certain events. Meanwhile, Velvet was silent for a different reason, her throat had grown hard, incapable of any speech whatsoever once again, as guilt racked her to her very core.

Eventually they made their way to their dorms, Naruto having been kind enough to escort her to her room.

"Hey, um… velvet?" Naruto spoke up rather nervously, breaking through the silence after they both reached her dorm room.

"Hmm?" Velvet hummed, not sure why he was speaking to her, although she was glad he did so.

"I'd like to apologize if I startled you." He told her. "I'm sorry, it's just…" the blonde trailed off.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto continued. "I really care about you." He told her, as Velvet's eyes nearly widened out of their sockets, as her heart soared out of her chest.

Her mind shut down, as she was left unable to speak.

She was left only able to say the one thing that was revolving around her mind. "Y-you do?" Velvet squeaked, blushing as she did so.

"Yeah…" Naruto told her, as the rabbit-girl's face was nearly ignited in a blazing red hue.

"It made me really mad when I found out about 'them' and I didn't know what to do," he explained, not looking him in her eyes. "I know that's no excuse, but…"

Taking another deep breath, he finished his statement, "I was really happy, when you made that promise."

"Y-you were?" Velvet questioned, to which Naruto nodded.

"I see…" Velvet said as she looked down, the silence once again engrossing them. It was so encompassing that eventually she decided to go into her dorm.

But as she tried to enter her room, Naruto did something unexpected. He pulled her into a hug, one that Velvet hadn't expected, as she stiffened in place. But soon she melted at his touch, feeling his warmth once again.

"Thank you, and please… remember your promise," Naruto pleaded as he whispered into her ear. And Velvet almost felt a small wetness on her shoulder, could that mean? No… she doubted it. Naruto was always so strong, he couldn't be crying right now.

But as he pulled away, he covered his face from her view as he silently left.

Quietly opening her door, she could tell that either her teammates were asleep, or weren't there, as the lights were completely off and it was silent. All the better for her, as she'd rather not have to deal with them now.

Going into the bathroom to change into a new set of clothes as she got ready for bed. Crawling into her bed, it was at that moment she noticed something.

A small smile was plastered across her face, one that was genuine in nature.

Maybe things would be so bad after all?… oh how little she knew.

The next day was brighter than it had been in a long time. She woke up early, earlier than any of her teammates, thankfully.

Wearing a small smile across her face, Velvet walked the halls of the Atlas academy.

She'd felt a lot better after the day before. And even with how things turned out, she'd had a good time. And judging by the conversation they'd last had, she had a sliver of hope that things could be better.

Getting to her classroom, she could see that not many of the students had arrived, that was to be expected, considering she was so early.

What she didn't expect was for a voice to make its presence known, as a figure snuck up behind her.

"Well, well, well, you seem to be in a happy mood," it spoke. As Velvet turned her head, she was met face to face with her teammates. Ino and Sakura appeared to be as haughty as ever, and Hinata trailed not far behind the two.

Deciding to try not to deal with them at the moment, she answered them honestly, "Y-yes, well… I had a good time last night," Velvet told them, reasoning that they wouldn't try anything in such a public place.

"Well isn't that nice," Ino smiled, something which truthfully set Velvet on edge.

But as the blonde girl leaned in close, she whispered, "Don't think just because you went to one little dinner with Naruto you've won him over," she told her. "There's already hundreds of girls pinning after him, why would he choose you of all people?" Ino questioned, as velvet's eyes widened.

"You mean you don't know?" Ino questioned, before she gave a big hearty laugh, so much so that she wasn't able to speak anymore.

Sakura explained it to her, "Naruto's mother died when he was pretty young, rumor has it he's still hurt over it. Which means his heart's broken, and that givens many of the girls the opportunity to win him over. Plus, he's the top student in the entire academy. I mean, he's like a prince with that and who his father is," she told her, as her blonde friend then stopped laughing.

"That's not all… do you want to know how exactly she died? Just why exactly you stand no chance with him," the blonde questioned. Velvet paid immense attention to her words, even if it was unintentional, she felt as if she couldn't not hear it.

Ino leaned in close, close enough to whisper in her ear as she held a menacing smile across his face. "His mother comminuted suicide, he was the one to find her body, too. And now anything that reminds him of her nearly freaks him out. That's why… Naruto will never love such a pathetic little depressed girl like you" Velvet froze, as ino smirked.

Was that why Naruto seemed to get so angry when he saw her scars? Kushina, that was her name, wasn't it! The same name that Teuchi muttered.

Wait, there was something else ino had said, something that shook her to her core as her eyes widened.

The blonde girl seemed to take notice of this. "Did you really think I didn't know? Oh, please? I find it hilarious each time you head into the bathroom late at night," Ino laughed. "I wish you would take it a bit further, to be honest."

"I-Ino, d-don't you think you're being a little too harsh?" Hinata stuttered out, as her blonde teammate got angry.

"Shut it Hinata!" Ino roared, as the girl in question backed off. This is the only way to lower the competition.

"Hey everyone!" Ino yelled out, gaining all the nearby students' attention. "This lowly rabbit girl thinks she actually has a chance with Naruto Uzumaki!" She told them.

And it took the classroom nearly a minute for them to process her words, but as they did, it seemed like they all erupted in an uproar of laughter.

Even some of the Faunus students were laughing, and the ones that weren't had decided to keep quiet. Even the professor seemed to not stop them, only letting the students continue on with how they were acting before class had even started.

Velvet's bangs shadowed her eyes. Tears fell from her eyes in remembrance. It was always like this, what did she know, thinking today would have been any different?

She left the classroom without a trace, as Ino held a victorious smirk across his face.

XXX

Velvet walked with unconscious legs as they carried her to her destination, where she was going she didn't know. But she found that she ended up back in her dorm room, in the nearby bathroom inside.

It was at that point she looked within the mirror, as faces surrounded her. She heard all their comments, everything they said to her, everything they did to her

"That's the dirty Faunus girl" "so that's her!" "Why is she here?" "She should just die!" "Nobody wants her." "Nobody will ever love her" "nobody" "nobody…" that's what they all said, that's what she heard.

As the phantom sensations of all the blows she'd taken littering her figure. It hurt, it hurt so much.

She couldn't take it, she wanted it to end, if only she could, if only…

Her brown eyes widened in realization, as she took out her pocket knife.

Velvet paused… could she really break a promise that soon, she questioned within her mind, as the loud echoes plagued her mind.

Ino was right, Naruto wouldn't want a friend like this. A constant reminder of his beloved mother. Why would he want her?

She was weak, she was pathetic, she was incapable of being anything else.

Soon… blood started to leak from the top of her palms onto the bottom of the hard tile floors.

But it was then that she realized something… the pain wasn't numbing. As many times she tried, it just wasn't working.

One. Two. Three. Four.

The constant pain was still there. No, as a matter of fact it only amplified itself, becoming so great that she couldn't even think.

How could she stop this pain?… only one answer came to mind.

As soon, she was plunged into darkness.

(With Naruto)

Oblivious to events elsewhere, Naruto sat in a classroom on the other side of the school with the rest of his teammates, laughing all the while as they laughed and chatted about something inconsequential.

"Shut it, teme, you know I'll kick your ass any day of the week!" Naruto told his partner, as the pale youth with black hair and eyes smirked

"Oh really, Dobe, why don't you put your money where your mouth is?" Sasuke goaded.

Naruto glared within the arrogant Uchiha's eyes, as electricity shot between them. That was until Naruto felt the faint buzzing sensation in his pocket, as his attention was drawn to it.

"Huh?" He questioned as he pulled out his scroll from inside his pocket. He read out aloud who it was from, "oh, it's from velvet," he smiled.

This piqued Sasuke's interest, as he had heard of this girl from his friend. "Hn, is that the girl you've been stalking?" He asked, as Naruto punched him lightly in the arm.

"Oi! I haven't been stalking her, I just—" Naruto stopped in his sentence as he read the message, freezing in place as he did so.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked, as he looked over the blonde's shoulder and read over the message along with him.

It read; 'I love you with my body, heart and soul to death.'

"Hn, isn't that good?" Sasuke asked, as Naruto was still frozen in shock. A large pit in Naruto's stomach formed as his eyes widened in realization.

It only took a second before his mind rebooted, and he ran out of the room as fast as he could, leaving a confused Sasuke in his wake.

XXX

The pit in his stomach only grew, he hoped he was wrong. As he spirited through the halls of atlas academy to reach what he knew to be Velvet's current classroom, reaching it just moments later.

He rushed into the lecture hall, slamming the door open as he did so. Quickly observing the occupants in the room, he could tell that his rabbit-like friend was nowhere to be seen. Her seat left empty as a proud smirk was left across her teammate's faces.

Storming up to them, uncaring of the professor's adamant callings as he questioned why the blonde was there. Naruto demanded the group to tell him the truth about where his friend was.

"Where is she?!" He spat at the blonde one angrily.

Ino seemed to just look confused, "Naruto, I'm not sure what you—" she was interrupted.

"I don't care!" Naruto yelled out. "Where is she?!" He demanded.

And yet Ino still denied his accusations, "Naruto, I don't know what you mean. Why would you even want to talk to a dirty Faunus like her, she's obviously not worth your time."

Naruto got close to her, so much so that she was pinned to the wall, gripping onto her shirt's collar he did so, his eyes filled with fury. "Ino, just tell me what you did to Velvet right now or so help me I will—!"

"Mister Uzumaki, what is the meaning of this!" The professor demanded, but Naruto ignored him.

One person, did however, speak up on the manner. "I-Ino said some terrible things, Velvet looked pretty bad after it… I think she went to our dorm to cool off," some told him, as he nodded.

"Thanks, Hinata," he said, as he let go of the blonde girl, rushing off in their dorm's direction.

Leaving ino on the floor, panting and dry-heaving for breath.

XXX

The pit in his chest grew to gigantic proportions, so much so that it hurt to breathe, but even still his body continued onward, rushing down the halls of Atlas Academy.

'No, no, no, no!' He repeated in his head as a mantra, praying to all the deities, that his suspicions were indeed wrong.

Reaching into his pocket, he took out his scroll. Calling the person he'd selected, as the man answered.

"Naruto, I'm working right now, what do you—?" Ironwood, his father questioned, before he was cut off.

"Not now dad, I need you to do something for me," Naruto pleaded, as his father noticed the seriousness and fear in his son's tone.

"What is it?" Ironwood asked his son in full seriousness.

"It's velvet, she…" the blonde hesitated. "She's like mom!" He shouted grimly, his father understanding what he meant.

"I need you to send over the best doctors you have to her dorm room, before it's too late," Naruto requested.

As his father had a grim expression across his face, remembering his late wife, he nonetheless understood what his son meant. "Okay—" he was cut off as Naruto hung up.

His heart beat so fast that it nearly exploded out of his chest.

It didn't take long for him to reach Velvet's room. Naruto noticed the door was unlocked, as he rushed inside. He then heard the familiar sound of water running, as he turned his attention to the bathroom.

What he saw shook him to his very core, as if he were struck by a large boulder—no, an avalanche itself, as he saw what was in front of him.

Velvet was on the ground, lying in a pool of her own blood.

"Velvet!" He shouted in surprise, but her body didn't move.

Rushing to her side, it was on pure instinct what he did next, his mind running on cloud nine not knowing what to do even now.

He stepped inside the bathroom, right over the large pool of blood as he did so, the place resembling that of a murder scene. Naruto checked her pulse, finding out that it was practically slowed into non-existence. Her skin was pale, a ghastly white from the amount of blood she had lost.

He put her arm up on his shoulder as he tried to lean her back up onto the nearby bathtub.

"Velvet! Velvet!" Naruto shouted, pushing on her chest in a feeble attempt to try and wake her up from her still form.

He was met with no response.

Her heart wasn't beating, at least not enough for her body to be any at all healthy, and she had lost too much blood. His blue eyes looked to her arms once again, seeing the many freshly open wounds that littered her scarred arms.

"Velvet! Velvet!" He pleaded once again, but there was still no at. Her eyes just seemed to move slightly, drifting in and out of consciousness.

'Why couldn't she just keep her promise?' He questioned, as tears pooled within his eyes, falling down as they filled the red puddles that lay on the hard tile floor.

Clutching onto her limp body in an embrace, he prayed to the gods for any miracle they could.

Why didn't her aura heal her? He didn't know.

Feeling a wide range of emotions, red-hot anger coursed through his veins. Who had led her onto this?

No, he couldn't think like that, he knew that this was his fault.

He should have tried more, he should have done something, told someone. But he didn't… and now she ended up just like his mother.

Lying lifeless on the bathroom floor as he was covered in pools of her crimson liquid.

"Please, anyone, help her!" He screamed, and nobody answered, as he sobbed right into her shoulder. It was as if he could feel her body cool just by his touch, her soul drifting away.

Her skin was pale, near a grim white. He held his hand into her long brown locks as he collapsed into a mess.

Soon, paramedics came, rushing inside in an effort to help her…

The pit in his chest only grew, to the point where it pained him.

The pain didn't stop, even as they rushed her in and the doctors called an emergency.

She had lost too much blood, much more than thought safe. She needed a transfusion, and there had only been one donor willing to do so.

Even now, they didn't know if she would recover or not.

His world was cracked, not able to recover. And he hadn't spoken a word since it broke.

He didn't know how long he sat by her side, even as the nurses asked him to leave, he only continued to sit at her bedside. The staff choose to ignore him lest they suffer his father's wrath.

Had he looked in a mirror he would see that his eyes were dark, as large bags hung under them. He probably smelled too, and the only reason why he didn't have velvet's blood still on his clothes was because his father had come over with a spare change, forcing him to leave her side for only a minute.

His thoughts went back to his mother many times.

When he said Velvet was just like Kushina he wasn't lying. Although his mother was always so headstrong and confident, unlike his rabbit-like friend. His mother always had a darker side, one he didn't notice until it was too late.

They both always held their feelings inside, bottling them up until those thoughts suddenly tipped over… and he always found them spilled over on the ground.

He caressed her hand worriedly. He wished things could be different, he wished he could have done something else, he should have done something else.

Why did things have to turn out like this? Why? Why…

His thoughts were slightly broken as the door broke open. As a Middle-aged gray haired man entered the room, not noticing the still figure that sat by her bedside within the unlit room.

Was this her father? But why would he only visit now, of all times? And why would he enter with the lights off? Not wanting to turn the on as he entered.

Deciding to watch him and keep his mouth shut, he watched the man with a sharp indifference.

He looked at the girl with a sneer, "damn bitch, she couldn't even do this right, again," Naruto heard him mutter to himself, sending his blood to a boiling point.

"There's got to be something to get the job done," her father whispered, as he looked around his Faunus daughter, observing what she was hooked up to.

A respirator, that would probably do it, as he went to unplug it.

"What the hell are you doing!" Naruto roared, the first thing he had spoken in some time.

As the man turned to face him in surprise, not knowing that was there. "What? Who are you!" He demanded, completely hiding his previous actions.

"You were trying to hurt her, weren't you?!" Naruto asked, as he grabbed a hold of the cowardly man's shirt collar.

"I did no such thing!" The man denied. "What is the meaning of this!"

Naruto pressed the man against the wall almost hard enough that it shook in its place. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't beat you into the ground right now," Naruto threatened, his cold blue eyes gazing into the man's fear filled ones.

"I can give you one," a voice said, turning on the light as he was stationed next to the door.

The cowardly scientist moved his head towards the new figure, and soon his eyes lit up in joy. " , thank goodness! This boy is— He's clearly gone mad, please take him away!" He pleaded, as Naruto only tightened his grip.

"I will do no such thing to my son," Ironwood told him, as the scientist's eyes widened in surprise.

"S-Son," he stuttered out, before he once again tried to beg to be saved. "But even still, h-he's attacking me for no reason."

"Oh, I have a reason," Naruto told him with a glare, as the man cowered.

"Put him down, Naruto," his father ordered.

As Naruto's eyes widened. "But—" he tried to protest, but his father wasn't having it.

"Now," his father told him, as Naruto reluctantly complied.

The man smirked, happy with how things turned out. "G-good, I'm glad you listened to reason, at least someone is sane here," he remarked.

"I wasn't finished," Ironwood told them, as two soldiers walked to his side. "As I was saying, Dr. Arnim Scarlatina, you are under arrest for the charges of Child abuse, negligence, and domestic violence," he told him, surprising the two.

"W-What, you have no proof—" the man was interrupted.

"Quite the contrary," Naruto's father told him. "We have done a thorough investigation on you, we gathered enough evidence for you to be locked up for a long time."

"I-I, you…" the scientist was trying to think of a way to weasel himself out of this, but none came, as he tried to run through them.

"You can't do that! Who cares about that bitch anyways, she was always a nuisance, always—" Ironwood sent a hard punch straight through his solar plexus, as the man collapsed to the ground in a heap, not able to finish his words.

"Take him away," Ironwood ordered his men, as they lifted the criminal off of the ground, carrying him like a rag doll.

"Daaaadddd—!" Naruto winned. "I wanted to do that!" He complained.

Ironwood smirked, "And let you have all the fun, not a chance. You'll have to graduate before you get the opportunity," he told his son.

As Naruto held a small smile, it was sorely drowned out once he thought of his friend.

His father saw his frown, as he placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, I have the best doctors doing all they can to help her, she will make it through this," he promised, although he didn't know if there was any validity within his words.

"Yeah... sure," Naruto stated, but he wasn't quite sure about it.

XXX

Bleary chocolate brown eyes opened for the first time in a while.

She should be dead, that was the only thing that came to her mind. But for some reason she wasn't…

She didn't know why she was alive, didn't know how she'd survived another time. It was like the gods were punishing her.

Where was she?

Spotting the familiar white ceilings, she could only reason that she was once again in a hospital room.

"Velvet!" Someone shouted, as they enveloped her in a warm hug. It took her a minute to register just who it was, but seeing such bright blond hair, only one name came to the forefront of her mind…

"N-Naruto?" She asked aloud, her voice raspy as she spoke.

Naruto pulled back, showing his whiskered face, his cheeks contorting in a bright smile.

"Hey, I'm… I'm so glad you're awake," he told her, utter joy seeping into his speech.

She was tears freely flowing from his cerulean-blue eyes, something that surprised her.

What? Why was he crying? Why? Why…

"Why?" She whispered, voicing her question aloud, although Naruto didn't hear her.

Velvet removed the respirator from her mouth, something which Naruto slightly protested to, she repeated her statement, as tears filled her eyes.

"Why do...you care so much? Why!" The rabbit girl asked, before her voice faltered. "I'm just... some stupid faunus girl." She stated, remembering the many people who had called her such.

Naruto's eyes widened in realization. "No you're not!" He shouted, nearly to the heavens.

Velvet's eyes widened even as her friend smiled softly. "You're smart, you're amazing, you're beautiful, you're everything a guy could ask for and more, it's why…" he told her, hesitating just a bit. Before he resolved himself, tightening his fists, he promised he would say this if he ever got the chance.

"It's the reason I fell in love with you," he told her, awaiting her reaction.

Velvet's pale cheeks light up in a bright red blush, before another emotion overcame her.

Looking down, clutching at her sheets, she whispered. "I'm so...sorry..." the rabbit-girl told him, tears falling down her face.

Naruto frowned, but he didn't falter. "Don't apologize," he told her.

"You were in pain, and I should've seen the signs that you were hurting. I'm the one that should be apologizing."before he took a deep breath and continued, even with the guilt racking his mind.

"Don't worry about that too much, take deep breaths. You're lucky I found you, one liter more, and I'd be on a bed myself." He explained, as he unrolled his sleeve, showing him his bandaged wound.

Before the boy smiled brightly at her, "No matter what, Velvet... I'll never leave your side, never again." He promised.

Velvet still held her gaze toward the floor. "But… but I broke my promise..." she argued, but Naruto clutched her hand with his own. Cupping it in between both of his to give her some measure of warmth as she looked up, seeing his bright blue eyes that gave her both warmth and comfort.

"Then try again, the only failure is to stop trying. I'll never stop fighting with you, because you can't do this alone... I can do this alone," Naruto admitted, as he caressed the back of her hand hand softly.

"It all starts with this, tell me...right here and now Velvet Scarlatina...do you want to live?" He asked.

And she thought about it. "I-I… she stuttered out.

Did she want to live? Did she want to spend her life with this boy, the person that she loved... loved?

Yes, she knew she loved him, and he loved her! even if she knew she didn't deserve it.

Only one thought came to her mind…

Her chest aching, her body quivering, memories forming as ghosts loomed around her.

"I just want the pain to go away," she told him, as she nestled her head onto his chest.

"And it will, I promise. Bit by bit, little by little, you just have to stay with me," Naruto told her, as he rubbed her backside, comforting her.

"I... I want to live, I want to grow old, I want kids, I want to be somebody!" She declared somewhat loudly at the end, and then blushed a little bit, color returning to her face. "I...want you." Velvet told him, tears falling down her face as she tried to hide her face, not capable of meeting him in his eyes.

"I love you," she admitted.

"Then do me a favor, and fight for me." Naruto replied before kissing her forehead. "You'll be put into a facility for a few weeks, they'll try to help you, but don't worry... I'll visit you every day," He promised.

She suddenly grew fearful at that, remembering something. "bu-but my dad has to sign off...and...and..."

"Dad and I took care of that, he'll never hurt you again!" Naruto stated loudly, feeling a slight amount anger rising in his chest at the thought of the man. "That's something that I should've saw the signs about too... I promise you, he'll never hurt you again..."

"You didn't...kill him...did you?" She asked.

"What, no, I'm not smart, but I'm not stupid. Let's just say that I caught wind of the abuse after a stunt he pulled. He didn't see me, exposed himself for who he was, and I nearly decked him across the floor. Dad showed up to arrest him," Naruto stated matter-of-factly, and then stroked her hair. "Don't worry about all of that, though...you just focus on you."

He kisses her forehead, "and I'll be right here waiting for you."

"You'll never have to cut ever again," he told her, smiling as bright as the sun…

Yes, he was her sun.

(5 Years Later)

Fear racked her brain, even after all this time those thoughts still lingered.

Even after all they've been through.

After that night in the hospital, all those years ago, things had finally gotten better.

She had been transferred to a different team after a short investigation, her having been placed on a team with Naruto of all people! Although she suspected had played a part in that.

They had graduated, became huntsmen. But then she had chosen to become a scientist, using her acquired skills to help build technology that would help save lives and fight the Grimm.

Her semblance played a part in it, the ability to remember everything was extraordinary… when it wasn't a burden on her.

Naruto became a active huntsman, one of the Ace Ops in fact, and although she was worried each and every day he left she always knew he would come back to her.

But even still she was slightly worried at the next turn of events.

Should she tell him? She had too, of course, she knew she did.

But the worries still continued. What if… no! She knew he wouldn't abandon her, just like her mother abandoned her father.

Velvet pushed that thought aside, she still didn't know how to feel about 'that' man. Even when she knew he was locked within a cell never to escape he still haunted her, Naruto having helped bring her to blissful sleep in the many restless nights she had.

"Velvet, I'm home!" A voice shouted cheerfully throughout their shared home.

As Naruto walked inside. Not much having changed with his appearance, his hair having been cut shorter, and he had changed his attire to suit the more white militaristic uniforms of the Atlas government.

He, however, noticed his girlfriend's worried expression almost instantaneously, and he immediately became concerned.

"Velvet?" he asked, "What's wrong?"

"I-I…" The brunette took a deep breath, figuring this was as good of a time as any to tell him.

"I'm pregnant," she told him anxiously, worried about his reaction.

"I see…" Naruto said, holding a neutral tone, only fueling Velvet's inner fears. It took Naruto's mind nearly a full 5 minutes for his brain to process her words.

Before he laughed. "I'm going to be a father!" Naruto said in sudden realization, rushing towards his long-time girlfriend and engulfing her in big hug.

"I'm going to be a father," he repeated ecstatically, spinning them both around around as he moved her in a gentle twirl.

It was then that Velvet's worries melted away, as joyous tears spilled from her eyes. "I'm going to be a mother," she told him with a bright smile, as happy as her boyfriend was.

"Yeah," Naruto nodded, before he stopped them in place. "Oh my gods, we're going to be parents!" He said in joyous realization.

As Velvet grew slightly confused as Naruto continued to stare off into space. "What do you— mmpft!"she tried to say, before Naruto interrupted her with a chaste kiss to her lips.

"Marry me!" He stated, as his girlfriend blushed as red as a tomato.

"W-What?" She squeaked, blushing bright red at his statement.

Naruto gave her another kiss to the lips, "Marry me!" He stated once again.

"What? Aren't you supposed to purpose with a ring? I… You— Yes!" She shouted, her mind finally resolving herself with an answer.

"Great!" Naruto shouted, twirling her around with a laugh, laughing all the while, as she gave a few giggles as he did so.

She wouldn't give this life up for the world.

(Five years after that)

"Mommy, What are those?" A young girl asked her mother, as the woman worked within the kitchen.

"Huh?" Her mother asked, as she was preparing dinner, as her daughter pointed to her scared arms. "Oh, those," she realized what her daughter meant.

Leaning down towards the girl of five years old, she could see that her daughter was almost a carbon copy of herself. Her hair was long, brunette in color, and she even had long rabbit-like ears atop her head.

But the distinctive thing that was different about the two were her eye. Practically the brightest pools of ocean-cerulean blue eyes she had ever seen, sans the man she inherited them from, stared up at her.

"Well sweety," she paused, thinking of the right words to say, although she didn't ever want to shy away from the subject. "Those are scars, dearie, ones that I got when a lot of monsters haunted my life," she told her daughter.

"M-monsters!" Her daughter squeaked in horror, having been at that age when she still believed monsters lived under her bed.

Her mother nodded, "Yeah, big scary monsters that'll gobbleyouup!" She told her, tickling daughter's stomach as she did so, the young girl giggling at her mother's touch.

"S-stop," she pleaded, as he mother lessened her assault just a bit. Before her daughter took a deep breath.

"Will the monsters gobble up little Minato-Chan too?" She asked in fright, pointing to the sleeping baby in a nearby cradle. A near carbon copy of his father, with whiskered cheeks, spiked blonde hair. However the boy had inherited his mother's chocolate brown eyes, not that they could see them.

Her mother sadly nodded, "Unfortunately they might," she told her daughter, as she gained a worried expression. "But hey! Your father was the one to save me from my monster," she said.

"He was?" She asked in surprise.

Her mother smiled reminiscently, "Yeah, he was, and that mean you have to be there for your little brother too if he ever gets hurt by monsters," she explained. "Can you do that?" She questioned.

Her daughter nodded finding some courage in her mother's words. "Yup, you can leave it to me!" She assured.

"Good," her mother stated, as a voice made itself known.

"I'm home!" A man shouted as he entered through their house's front door.

"Daddy!" The young girl shouted, as she rushed towards her father and engulfed his legs in a big hug.

Naruto stared down at his daughter, "Woah there, little Kushina, you almost knocked me over," he told her, as she smiled.

"You saved mommy from her monsters!" Kushina stated, confusing Naruto.

"I did?" He asked, not understanding what she meant.

Velvet walked up to them, "He did," she affirmed.

"Oh, okay," Naruto stated, still not knowing what they were talking about.

As Velvet leaned over to give her husband a kiss, "He will always be there to save me from my monster."

"Always," Naruto told her, kissing her back.

The End.