Okay, so to those of you who haven't read my other fics, hello I'm WalkmanEXE. I am a big HunterXHunter Fan and I recently decided to make this fic featuring Ruby and the others as they take on the Hunter Exam for various reasons in order to become Huntsmen and Huntresses. It will be a periodical, and we'll soon see some of our beloved characters. I do say some, because I like me some fun times and canon. I'm just kidding, expect to see a bunch of familiar faces! Now begin!
Ch. 1: New Beginnings
"No, absolutely not!" The older man fussed with his fifteen year old daughter. She was short and slender in a grey shirt and black vest/ skirt combo, with small metal guards for her shoulders. She wore a small red cloak and had black leggings with a rose pattered on them and tall black boots with red laces. Ruby Rose, however, would hear none of it.
"I am going to become a Huntress, Yang's going to take the test, and I'm going with her! You're just being an overprotective bossy pants." She huffed as she turned her back to the man who simply rubbed his temples and looked at their corgi Zwei who simply panted and barked back at him.
"No, I'm trying to make sure you don't run out and get yourself killed. I promised Yang if she could defeat the Ursa Major on the Island that she could go, and she did. You're still a child, and I don't want you to run off to get yourself killed." Taiyang lectured, "You mother, and Yang's mother both ran off pursuing this dream with me and now I am the only one standing. The life of a Hunter is difficult and dangerous, and I couldn't bear to lose you or your sister."
"But dad!" She whined as he raised his hand.
"No buts, this is final." He declared.
"Really? Because if I remember correctly, you and Summer were about Ruby's age when you took the test." A man said as he entered on an ornate silver cane.
"Oz, I really don't need you to interfere in this." He said as he scratched his head, "I'm trying to keep my family close so I can protect them."
"And by restricting their growth does that aid them or impair them?" He asked locking eyes with her father for a good while.
"I said no." He commanded.
"And I said yes." Another man added as he walked forward through their door as her father's fist visibly clenched. He had brown shaggy hair with blonde tips that barely showed beneath the hood of his cloak. He had the brim of a hat sticking out, and from what she saw of his clothing, he did a good bit of traveling. He wore a set of simple cloth pants and leather boots, with a shirt and a denim jacket. His eyes however were the most intriguing as they seemed to change color periodically.
"So, you've already made up your mind?" Taiyang asked hesitantly.
"If you want," The man asked revealing a strangely marked dice, as his eyes turned a dark crimson, "We can roll for it." Her father hesitated and he turned to Ruby.
"Gather your things and follow them to the boat. I expect frequent letters once you pass the exam, and if you come back here empty-handed I'm keeping you here, do you understand?" He commanded as Ruby didn't wait to hear the rest as she rushed upstairs to grab her scythe and rushed downstairs to catch the boat out of Patch. She ran down the road excitedly as she extended her arms like wings as she ran down the cobblestone path towards the port at the bottom of the hill. Patch was a small quaint island with green grass, simple cottages, and friendly people.
"Hey, Ruby where are you going in a hurry?" The old lady who tended the produce stand at the market called.
"I'm going to become a Huntress!" She called eagerly as the lady handed her a sack of food.
"Now you and your sister eat well and stay strong, don't cause Taiyang any stress you hear me?" She teased.
"I won't Mrs. White, now keep those fruits and vegetables fresh!" She called as she took off past the old woman into the market district where all the tradesmen had set up their stalls vending merchandise, food, and exotic wares. She looked back to see if the older men had kept up and was surprised they had kept up with her without changing their pace. She rushed towards the docks as the three men followed behind her discussing business. As she arrived, Yang was about to step onboard and she tackled her older sister.
"I got to go too!" She cried as her sister flashed a half-hearted smile.
"Great…" She chuckled as she stood. The older girl wearing boots and cargo shorts with a yellow V-neck and an aviators jacket.
"I thought you'd be happy." Ruby mumbled.
"I am!" Yang cried, "I'm just nervous because he's here." She said pointing to their father who gave disapproving looks. The man in the cloak stepped forward.
"If you will please board my boat we can get started." He said in a rush as the man their father called Oz ascended the gang plank quickly, and they quickly rushed onboard. The ship was a well-made brigantine that caught the wind well as they quickly embarked from the small island to the site of the Hunter Exam. "You might want to see the other hopefuls, get a grasp of the competition." The man said as they looked towards the hatch and walked downwards into the darkness. They looked around the lantern lit room to see many heavily muscled people with various weapons of all shapes and sizes as Ruby began to slowly bounce off the floor seeing them. The two out of place figures however, were a scrawny young boy with blonde hair, and an orange hoodie with a black denim jacket and jeans who had a sword and looked like he was about to vomit, and a cloaked figure who sat curled up in the very back away from the others.
"Hahaha, look boys, they sent us some girls to pass the time with!" A man declared as he stood and approached them with a few other men. The cloaked figure stood and joined the men as they laughed, "So the newbie wants in, eh? Well I'm sure there's enough to…" He began before the figure chopped him in the throat with their hand as he fell to the floor gagging and gasping for air. The other men drew their weapons as the boy jumped in to stop them, knocking one of them over the head with his sheath.
"You rang for a handsome hero." He managed to get out before vomiting and being hit in the face by a large man with an axe. The other men focused on the cloaked figure, and Ruby and Yang intercepted them. Ruby flipped around, delivering swift kicks to their faces and torsos while Yang took them all on in a brawl bashing face after face in as she ducked and weaved through them moving faster than they could follow. The man with the axe drew back to chop the stranger who ducked under the blow as their cloak was caught and ripped away, revealing a young woman with a white button down and a black vest with black pants and shoes. She drew back to strike this man in his chest, her fingernails extending like blades.
"ENOUGH!" The captain shouted as an overwhelming force shrouded over all of them, "If you continue to fight on my ship, I will kill all of you." He declared as that last statement seemed to echo, as Ruby fixed on his golden eyes and the room seemed to fade away until only the eyes remained. I have to get out, I have to escape, he will kill me! She thought as the figure became menacing. The feeling passed as she looked around and everyone else had broken into a cold sweat like her, with the sheer presence of the man.
"We've got about a day before we arrive in port at Vale Harbor, this year's exam site is in Beacon City, so I hope you can all make it, because the test starts now." He said to their concern.
Within a few hours a storm picked up as they entered open water, and now there was nowhere to go except forward. The ship rocked and bucked as every man on board groaned and whined as they gripped their stomachs and heads in agony. Ruby and Yang walked around from person to person reassuring them that they would be fine as they handed out some medicine for motion sickness. Ruby was more worried about the boy, but unlike the others, despite his motion sickness he insisted on moving about and helping in any way he could. The girl from earlier sat in the back reading as the candle she had for her reading swayed and slid across the deck. A loud clap of thunder resonated with the ship as the whole lower deck was illuminated from the lightning, and the girl leapt from her position and clung to the beam above her.
"You're afraid of loud noises?" Ruby asked her.
"I-it's a legitimate problem, just like that boy's motion sickness." She fussed as she slowly climbed down from the beam and wrapped herself in her arms as she shook from the sound of thunder.
"All able bodied people report to the captain's cabin!" An older man wearing jeans and a "1-Up" T-shirt with an orange rain coat called to them. The boy rose and stumbled that way as fast as he could while Ruby and her sister followed with their mysterious friend.
Upon reaching the deck, the boy had to support himself on the railing as the deck was slick with water and had a reflective sheen. They entered the captain's room where Oz and the captain stood, "Well Ozpin, I haven't seen a storm this bad since I had 'that woman' on this boat."
"This could prove troublesome," He started before noticing the would be Hunters behind him, "However, it seems help has arrived. Gather round, we'll begin assigning you tasks."
The captain looked at all of them and then turned to his friend, "Why'd you bring the boy?"
"What can I say, he rushed forward when I mentioned that we needed able bodies. I like his determination." The man said with a smile.
"Tyler, your mean streak is awful." The captain said as he approached the boy as he looked him over. The boy flashed a grin and the captain suddenly clapped him in both his ears without warning. The boy fell to the ground suddenly as his eyes almost rolled back in his head, as he panted heavily the stood shakily, and had trouble focusing on anything in the room. The dizziness caused him to vomit, but afterwards he seemed to have a better sense of balance. "Well then, I like your determination as well. That hit should have cleared up your motion sickness if I did it right, that should have corrected your vestibular system."
He stood normally and looked around, his eyes showing a new form of clarity. "Thank you, sir." He said with a smile, "I'll pay you back one once I pass this thing." He finished with a cocky grin.
The captain smiled, "I'll be waiting. Now, I need to know your names if we're going to coordinate our way through this. And as another part of the exam I want to know why you're here."
"I'm Jaune Arc." The boy said, "And I'm here to become a Hunter like my father before me."
"I'm Blake Belladonna." The girl spoke, "I'm going to become a Hunter to put an end to injustice."
Ruby and Yang looked at one another, "I'm Ruby Rose."
"And I'm Yang Xiao-Long."
"And we're here to find our mothers who are powerful Hunters!" They said in unison.
The captain smiled and finally removed his hood, he had a bit of a rounded face with a stubble beard and a ratty baseball cap with the Hunter Organization Logo on it. His hair poked out of the many holes in his hat, as they saw it was chestnut brown with bright blonde tips. "Well then, I am the examiner of the Pre-Examination and Transportation Phase. Now, I'm going to let Tyler and Ozpin assign you your tasks while we try to ride out this storm. Dismissed!"
Ruby and her accomplices spent the next hour running around tying knots and making sure that the rigging was secure as the boat was tossed about by the waves. "Ruby, that line is about to come lose, run over and tie it down!" Tyler yelled as he and Jaune were trying to keep the sail open so it would catch the wind as the rain and wind made the sail dance like a piece of paper in the wind. Ozpin and the captain watched from the cabin as they all ran about, Yang taking it upon herself to work the sails near the bow of the ship while Blake ran about tying down all the knots once the ropes were in place. Ruby looked about and saw Yang having difficulty with one rope and rushed over to help her older sister get it into place as Blake rushed over to help them tie it off. They looked about satisfied when they heard the roaring in the distance as a large wave approached them at great speed.
"So um, what now?" Jaune asked Tyler.
The Pro Hunter grinned at the oncoming wave, "Pray." Jaune gulped and looked to the others who were all stricken with fear.
"What will you do now?" The captain muttered to himself as he watched them stand in fear of the coming wave. He grinned as he saw that Ruby was the first to act, climbing into the rigging at lightning speed without a word and began adjusting the sails to take on more wind and the others followed her lead as they secured the deck and took up positions on deck and in the rigging to make adjustments as they went. The captain took the wave head on and they rocketed over the wave and outward towards the open sea.
"Woohoo!" Yang shouted as Jaune screamed and Ruby and Blake laughed with the pro Hunters as the shot through the water like a bullet. Within the next few hours they arrived in port, where the captain let them off, as Ozpin was approached by a car and drove off without them.
"Well," The captain started, "Congratulations on passing, Tyler and I will take these hopefuls back to their home to try again next year. Blake, your sense of honor and duty is worthy of making you a Hunter. Yang, your strength and combat talent alone are admirable, so hone your other skills on this ordeal and you will blossom into a fine huntress. Jaune, your determination and courage in the face of overwhelming opposition is indeed impressive, but you need more skill in combat; the trials before you will be tough, and I hope you're up for the task. And finally Ruby, your ingenuity and ability to act and lead in a time of crisis is astounding, if you keep that level head I'm sure this will be easy for you. Now, your goal is to reach Beacon City from here, so I'd suggest taking a path through Forever Fall forest, there you will meet someone who will guide you to the exam site."
"Thank you captain!" Ruby said as she ran off to follow the others, "Wait, what is your name?"
"Me? Huh, no one ever seems to ask or care. I'm Walker, Walker Hembree." He said with a smile. "Now go on or you'll miss your window."
"Ah, you're right!" She declared as she took off at a breakneck pace to catch up with the rest.
"A lot of good rookies this year huh?" Tyler asked.
"Yeah, too bad they have no idea what they're getting into." Walker replied grimly.
Ruby's trials had only begun, but with her friends by her side and directions from the Hunter Walker Hembree, she was one step closer to becoming a Hunter and finding her mother, Summer Rose.
Yeah, so I wrote myself into the story...oh come on, it's not like I'm going to make him a Gary Sue; I'm not that fucking shallow. Besides I actually took a test to see which Nen type I'd be as well as really think about myself as a person. So this guy will be as close to me as you can get. And some of my friends will be in here as themselves as well, but regardless. We shall see how Ruby and her friends handle the Hunter Exam and how they will manage under stressful situations. Read, review, favorite and follow my lovelies!