There was an old city in the kingdoms. It was almost like every other city, shops, homes and people all cluttered together. Though in this city, there was an old man.
The old man was always one to tell a story or tale, no matter where or when you asked him. He always wore a smile, even after everything that had happened in the past. The old man seemed to favour a few stories in particular. It was today that he was telling his favorite story to a traveller, it was a tale that many had heard before.
It was simply called the Tale of Betrayal by the man, quite the story if you could ignore some of his bias; apparently the old man could get pretty… wild with his storytelling. Sounded like he was starting, it was always a rocky start, even if he tried to change it every now and then...
It was sunny over Vale, barely any clouds over the blue sky and the general feeling of happiness in the air. The feeling wasn't alone however, accompanying it was a number of large flying transports. Their destination? Vale's very own Beacon Academy, home to many students and teachers, each and every young teen learning the works for their occupation. Hunting the beastly Grimm, horrors that stalk humanity no matter how far it runs. However, these air buses were not carrying new students to Beacon, they carried a cargo of foreign huntsmen-in-training. Teenagers from other academies coming over for the approaching Vytal Festival, or more specifically, the Vytal Tournament.
Held every two years among the four kingdoms, it celebrates the unity of the people of Remnant. To be truthful, most who will fight in the tournament will only do it for fame. Some might not, alas no one can know just yet. The five transports soon drifted lower till they halted at the docks, opening their doors to the academy grounds. The first of the exchange students that left the bullheads were happy to be on the ground again, some still not used to being away from their homes were a bit teary eyed, but the majority were all in all happy. So when a fight broke out it caught almost the entire group off guard.
"Ow! What was that for?" A fox faunus from Haven asked from the stone path, the boy who shoved her just spat to the side with narrow eyes
"You're a filthy faunus! You don't deserve to be here!" The boy sneered at the faunus, his uniform indicated he was from Atlas. Some noble born no doubt. "I doubt you even have a team! You're just a stowaway!" The boy spat.
Faunus, those who appear human, but hold animalistic traits. Most commonly, animal ears, eyes and claws are found on these people. Rarely, wings or even their skin is their unique trait. Unfortunately, humanity feels the need to fear these souls. Thus, the Great War broke out, a battle between humanity and their faunus foes. When the war ended, there was meant to be equality... that equality was never shared. The Atlesian student raised a fist, prepared to punch the innocent girl. At least that would've happened, if the iron grip around his wrist was released.
"Mate, I ain't gonna lie, you've just done screwed up." A cheerful voice stated, belonging to the teen who stopped the bully. One glare met another.
"Shove off." The Atlas boy retorted, moving his other hand to hit the blonde saviour. Only to find himself on the ground, doubled over from the gut punch he was dealt; thrown with blinding fury. The saviour of the faunus knelt over the bully and locked eyes with him, sneering at him.
"Bullying another student, from another school in a place who are welcoming you as guests? Mate, I'm sure that Atlas taught you better, or maybe your thick head is too stupid to realise that racism is a one way ticket back to your school." He said with a small grin, then he stood up and walked over to the faunus girl and offered her a hand. The other Haven student took it with a bit of hesitation and the boy helped her up.
"T-Thanks." The fox stammered while looking away, trying in vain to hide the slightly red tint to her cheeks.
"It's nothing lass, I just really hate hunters like him." The boy responded with a smile before it faded as the sound of shuffling feet reached his ears. He turned from the faunus to glare at the bully, who was now on his feet with an aggressive stance. "What? Want more, mate?" He asked sarcastically, smirk dancing across his face.
"You have just made a big mistake!" The bully stated as he tried to look taller and more intimidating, but the other boy just laughed and walked away. Giving the bully a little wave as he waltzed off. "H-hey! Come back here coward!" The bully yelled, the crowd silently gaped and turned to see the other boy's reaction.
"The only coward I see is the huntsman who tears down his own, check a mirror eh? You might see him too." The boy spat loudly without turning around, before continuing on his way. The bully huffed before disappearing into the crowd, ignoring the stares and scowls thrown at him.
The saviour wore a smile as he walked towards his team, scruffy hair bobbing as he walked. His pale skin and noticeable muscles were a strange combination, as if all he did was work out in a dark room. An emerald pair of eyes looked around as he walked towards the pair of twins, two of his teammates, both standing in front of the third before a large building.
They stood side by side, both of average height and build. They both wore the same uniform as both himself and the boy leaning against a flagpole next to them. Nearly identical to Haven's, but with a grey and white colour scheme; almost as if it was bleached.
One of the boy's eyes were a dark yellow, while on the right he had a lighter yellow. Though besides that, their features were almost exactly same. Both had the same hair colour, brown, and had sharp, thin faces. One of the twins grinned at the blond, while the other merely nodded silently.
"Hey, Bill." The grinning twin greeted, his voice slightly lighter on the ears.
"Hmph." The other grunted, his voice more deeper and baritone. Bill gave a little salute at the pair, lazily slapping a hand to his brow.
"Alex, Sam." He returned as he stood in front of the trio. "Howdy, Raiko." The third boy nodded. His eyes were slightly clouded a white colour, but they still held a tint of purple. He was blind, Bill had known this from the start. The wind shifted the giant's blonde hair, ever so slightly combed but scruffy like his own. Either way, his apparent ailment didn't stop the boy from standing in Beacon Academy and leaning against his flagpole.
The taller boy's banner was a long, brass pole that had a cross beam near the top, from that hung a proud flag. The banner was a simple long flag that hung down from the cross, though it was wrapped around the beam at the moment. He nodded in Bill's direction, good thing about Raiko, he was very sharp and the tallest out of his team. Like, abnormally so. Seven foot to their sixes. But abnormal is the norm with this squad of misfits.
"So, we're here now. What's next?" Alex grunted and crossed his arms.
"I thought you knew the plan?" Sam exclaimed with a grin, getting a punch to the shoulder in return. "Hey! It has been drilled into our heads."
"To quite an extent, eh mate? Right now, we need to find our dorms and get set in." Bill finished with a grin before leading his team towards Beacon's grand entrance, catching a little whisper from Sam that sounded suspiciously like a jab at his brother before a thud and yelp had it clear Raiko was always one step ahead of him.
"Cheers, Raiko." Bill tossed over his shoulder as they finally and officially entered Beacon.
After waiting around, getting stared at (and promptly staring at said curious students) and listening to the headmaster Ozpin drawl on about how much the students are welcome, the team were finally told where their rooms are. So here they were, walking down a hallway that a random few students pointed them down. Since their host had failed to direct the crowd to their dorms, amusing few.
"So, say if I took just-"
"No."
"Hey, you haven't even heard my-"
"No."
"But-"
"You are not going to the armoury to get fire dust to 'help make the lights brighter'!" Bill barked at the twin. "As much as that who amuse him." Sam chuckled before opening his mouth to retort. Luckily, it was then that he bumped into what felt like a suit of armour, his eyes immediately finding it was merely a Beacon uniform worn another brown haired boy, a glare of anger in his eyes.
"Oi, watch it." The boy snapped as he went to shove the twin, only to find his hand was held in the vice-like grip of Raiko. The other twin stepped forwards but Bill shifted in front of him, a smile on his face. It wasn't a friendly smile.
"Sorry bout that, mate. Just a lil on edge, isn't that right Raiko?" He asked his tall teammate, who nodded and released the stranger. With a pat on the other boy's shoulder, the blonde added, "No hard feelings, eh?" The Beacon student scoffed.
"Bugger off, you lot aren't that strong. You probably hide behind Mr. Compensation here in fights." The teen stated, slapping the other boy's hand off. Bill adopted a frown before putting on another smile.
"Say, you wouldn't happen to have an arena around here, would you?" He asked curiously.
"Yeah, we do. Why? You fight? You'll lose, you're the side of a twig." The teen laughed before shaking his head, Bill chuckled with him while Alex crossed his arms and Sam sniggered to himself. Raiko raised an eyebrow at his leader's actions. Rubbing a finger across his nose, the blonde leader stepped closer to the Beacon student
"Give me a time, I'm looking forward to putting you and your team in the ground." Bill demanded coldly, his happy side gone dark, before a kind smile washed over his face, not reaching his eyes in intensity.
The student's eyes widened before he snorted, proudly sneering at him. "The next combat lesson, I doubt you'll even show up. My team will kick your ass."
"I'll be looking forward to seeing you in the arena, mate." Bill said with glee as he lead his team away, leaving both the failed bully and a very curious girl in sunglasses - who had managed to walked past at just the right time - in their wake. Team BRAS entered their room, finding it not too big not too small and began to unpack their gear. Afterwards, Bill left to wander the halls on his own.
The blonde wore a small smile as he walked through the seemingly winding maze of the school, nodding to any students that he passed along the way. One such student bumped into the boy, stumbling back with a shocked expression. Bill latched a hand around the girl's arm to steady her, smiling apologetically before frowning slightly. "I recognise your face, lass, and your eyes."
The dark haired girl narrowed her eyes, eyes that shone like fire. She crossed her arms over her Haven uniform. "But I do not recognise you." The blonde boy raised his eyebrow, noting the silky voice. It was very familiar, then it clicked.
"You were there, on the day of the deal." Bill smirked darkly. "You are one of the Witch's pawns. Cinder, right?" Immediately, the girl's expression snapped to anger.
"Quiet." She hissed and glanced around, checking the hollow halls for any life. Cinder leaned closer. "You were supposed to be here already, where are the others?"
"Around. I thought my part was to simply be here at the right time, lass. You're just here to get the power." Bill snapped, raising his finger. "You just mind your own business, witch. The plan will go to plan, just as planned, eh?" The boy smiled, starting back the way he came. "As long as you stay out of the way, we'll do our job."
"As will I, take care Bill." The woman sneered, watching the teen slowly march down the hall with a cheerful hop in his step. They would be seeing a lot more of each other in the future, even neither wanted to, only time would tell; and time's saying it's bedtime.
Team BRAS walked into the main combat classroom in the early morning, surprising Professor Goodwitch who had entered just seconds before them. The blonde professor was dressed in her usual uniform, a white blouse with a black dress covering her lower half alongside a pair of leggings. A purple cape with pointed curls fluttered as she turned.
"Howdy, Miss." The team's leader greeted with a nod of his head, his team nodding their own greetings. Goodwitch merely returned their greetings with a swift nod before her eyes drifted over to Raiko, gazing over his clouded eyes then to his banner. She narrowed her eyes at the weapon, and its user.
"Excuse me, but you cannot have weapons out during school times, unless you are in the arena. You should already know this." The Professor stated, glaring past her glasses at the silent teen. There was a pause of mute staring before the Professor coughed. "Put it in your locker. Now." She spoke firmly as she kept eye contact with the blind boy.
His fists tightened around the handle, the sound of creaking echoed around the room. Made by either his own hands or the force upon the banner.
"Ah, Miss? Raiko doesn't drop the banner. Never has, never will." Alex said softly as he saw his friend's eyes narrow, the cloudy oceans within not hiding the hatred well.
"Yeah, I'm afraid that I've never actually seen Raiko without his banner." Bill said, putting in his piece. Yet Glynda didn't seem to understand, she merely saw the student as someone who thought himself above the rules. Thus she had to act like the teacher she was.
"Nonsense, now, put down the staff." She ordered, Raiko didn't move an inch. The combat teacher narrowed her eyes as she brought out her riding crop. She aimed it at Raiko, whose teammates moved away from the tall, silent banner man. The Professor waved her weapon in the air before three figures moved in front of her target, his teammates.
"Raiko..." Bill hissed in a low voice. "Can you not try and piss off the teacher, please?" Raiko looked at Bill with an empty stare before nodding once, turning his gaze back to the teacher as Bill raised his hands with a nervous smile. "Sorry bout that, Miss. He's very protective of that banner." Bill apologised for Raiko, well aware of the anger in the woman's eyes. Glynda stared at Raiko for a moment more, quickly turning her attention to Bill.
"I'd appreciate an apology and an explanation as to why he's showing such disrespect from the person in question." Glynda stated coldly, before Bill could explain Raiko's ailment, the boy in question lifted his head and revealed what was under his jaw. It was like an apprentice butcher sliced and diced wildly at his throat. Cuts and scars, gashes and wounds, all spread haphazardly across his neck. Not to even mention the burns and scorched texture, it was truely sickening to witness on a boy of his age.
Professor Goodwitch coughed into her hand, looking back up with a new expression of pity. "I... I don't think I'll ask for that apology, I'll... let you off for your weapon, just for now until I get to the bottom of this with Ozpin." Raiko let a nod from his head and a new expression answer. The Professor turned to address Bill. "So why did you and your team show up, well before the bell to start classes?"
"Now that's a kicker!" The leader declared with a smirk. "We plan to challenge a certain somebody and his team, after all, talking trash is something we love to change. Ain't that right, boys?" Bill asked his team, both twins chuckled darkly and Raiko nodded with a dangerous smirk. Professor Goodwitch's eyebrows rose slightly, her attitude changing about these boys. "But of course, we wanted to ask you if we could take the first match for that." Bill admitted with a smile.
"Well, unfortunately, today we are having single on single fights. Tomorrow we are having team matches." Professor Goodwitch said, already wondering about how Raiko could even fight. Though with the fact of his mere presence in the school, his skill as a huntsman makes up for his disabilities.
"Doesn't matter, Goodwitch, we want to fight those guys." Sam stated and Alex agreed with a grunt, Glynda shot them a harsh glare, wiping the grin of one twin's face and putting a frown on the other.
"Reel it back at bit, guys." Bill warned as he watched Glynda's eyes narrow dangerously. "Save it for the arena, and Sam? Do be a dear and shut up." Bill said and Sam waved his hand at him. "Sorry again, Miss." Bill apologised yet again before leading his team to the stands. Glynda was confused for a moment, then asked with a hidden smile.
"You all do realise that Grimm studies is currently the first class of the day, for all students?" Bill could just hear the smile on her face, so he did what anyone would do.
"Ah fantastic, truely wonderful!" Bill spat at the sky as he tore open the door and sprinted towards their class, his team following close behind. Leaving a failing to scowl Professor Goodwitch, who ever so slightly smiled when Raiko came back to gently shut the door.
Just before the portly Professor Port could add any more to yet another story, team BRAS suddenly kicked down the door with wild eyes. Bill's calm yet friendly face was downcast in exhaustion with the twins' mirroring their leader's state, only Raiko was straight faced as he walked past the breathless teens and towards Peter.
The Grimm studies teacher was more than surprised when he witnessed the burst in, but when the boy with the banner walked right up and gave him a note simply reading 'Late', he just had to explode with laughter. "Oh my boy! It is fine, I was just about to talk about the time I fought one-on-one, hand-to-hand against a Goliath..." Professor Port began his tale but already the team had droned out his voice - already fitting in to the class - and took the open seats near the front.
Bill sat with his hands behind his head and his feet on the desk while Alex calmly sat with his arms crossed and Sam leaned lazily over the table. Raiko just sat back in his chair, his banner laying on the table in front of him with a few fingers tapping on it as he listened to the teacher's far fetched story Though he couldn't ignore the whispers coming from his left, he leaned towards the noise and 'glared' in the general direction of the whispering.
"Uh oh, I think he heard." A little meek voice whispered loudly, it seemed innocent. Strange, innocence around a school that teaches you to kill beasts. It screamed such strangeness to Raiko, since he had only encountered such naivety with children. Who lets a child fight against monsters?
Somebody else sighed loudly. "Obviously you dolt, your whispering could wake up Vale!" A posh voice stated, it sounded familiar. Like a business woman with a stick up her ass. Granted, not many of those were in his home.
Somebody else snickered. "And now he definitely heard you, Ice Queen." Her voice was similar to the first, except more mature. Hiding a hint of... suggestiveness to it. That... was something Raiko would look out for.
Professor Port cleared his throat, ceasing all whispering. Still he could hear soft breathing close by, almost as if he was right next to someone. Clouded eyes quickly widened as he threw himself back off the person he was leaning over and right into Sam, knocking him in turn to bump into Alex who shoved his brother back with his shoulder
"Ah! Damnit Raiko!" Sam swore at his friend, quickly glancing over his shoulder and spotting a blushing rabbit faunus in a Beacon uniform. "Really? A girl already, Raiko?" He teased, the silent giant glared his friend's smile away, twisting back to the faunus and signing out an apology.
"Sorry about that, I was distracted."
Her voice had a strange accent to it, one that made Raiko search his head to remember where he had heard it from. "Oh, it's fine, n-no biggy." The faunus spoke softly. "My name is Velvet, what's yours?" Ah, Vacuo born perhaps. That's what that kingdom was called again, right?
Then, before Raiko could stop himself, he signed his name. "Raiko." Only then did he realise that the teen was actually continuing the conversation, he frowned.
"Raiko sounds like a nice name." Velvet spoke in her quiet voice, the boy's eyebrows rose and the rabbit faunus giggled. "I used to have a deaf friend, had to learn sign language to talk with him." She explained, not noticing his slight frown. Thankfully the bell rang and Professor Port huffed about not finishing his story as the class quickly moved through the door and towards the Combat Class, towards excitement and, to one particular student, fear.
The sea of students sat down in the stands that overlooked the arena, though one made his way over to a team of laid back boys.
"Howdy, mate. Still want to get your shit kicked in?" Bill greeted the brown haired boy, throwing an arm around his shoulders. The other boys wore looks of confusion as they glanced at each other before turning to the blonde.
"Cardin, you know this guy?" One of his friends asked, a mohawk running across his head.
"Sure does, he wants to fight my team. So you still good to go, buddy?" The blonde asked cheerfully, causing Cardin to scoff and shove his arm off.
"Yeah, like I said, we'll kick your asses." He sneered as the Professor started walking towards the arena.
"Of course, mate." With that, Bill walked back to BRAS with a knowing smirk. The teacher stood before the assembled class and slowly shifted her eyes through the faces until she met the cocky grin and eyes of a certain blonde, narrowing her eyes at him before speaking.
"Today's lesson has been adjusted slightly, we will be having a team vs team fight." Professor Goodwitch stated loudly, starting a quiet murmur among the crowd. "This challenge has been issued by team BRAS against CRDL, I have approved this and will count this towards the yearly leaderboards."
"High risk, eh?" Bill smirked and sent a glance over to his opponents, watching them panic amongst themselves.
"The first match will be between Sky Lark and Sam... Fedalus Pectorus?" The teacher raised an eyebrow at the strange name, unaware that more than one student bristled at the mispronounced words.
"It's Fidelis Pectoris, Miss!" Sam barked from the stands, getting up from his seat and making his way towards the locker rooms with a cheeky glint in his eyes. "Come on, Lark. If you don't want to be dragged down, get a move on." He added, watching in amusement as the boy scowled and shoved his way to the changing rooms. While the pair changed, the crowd traded whispers.
"What kind of name is that? Fid-whatever?"
"No clue, must be something from Atlas."
"Nah, that's not Atlesian, maybe Mistral?"
"I wonder what weapon he'll use? It's gotta be something really cool, like a gun-axe hybrid or spring loaded mace!" The muttering died when Sky appeared from his side, decked in his light grey and silver armour, a long halberd in his hands. The teen wore an uneasy expression, framed by an annoyance at his leader's antics forcing him to battle.
"Come on, wipe that frown off your face!" Called a voice across from him. "Put some spirit into your body." Sam walked into view, wearing a set of strange armour. The chestplate and leggings were made of brass, smooth and glistening under the light, while his arms were left covered by a long sleeved tunic and chainmail; gauntlets hugging his hands. With an armet covering his head, it's visor a thin slit across the face with five small vertical slots over the mouth.
Many in the stands were dumbfounded at the use of such material, most huntsmen used steel, iron and sometimes even bronze to craft their armour. Brass was far too brittle to be used in combat, just ever so slightly stronger than the copper used in technology.
Now the attention was moved to the twin's weapon, one similar to the other boy's own. It's head was shaped like a voulge, with a hint of a glaive style, that attached to a long, engraved shaft. The blade itself was decorated with the image of a dragon's maw on both sides, snarling towards the point of the weapon.
"Taken a long enough look? Lets get fighting!" The brown haired boy barked, thudding his polearm on the ground.
"That's enough." Professor Goodwitch said firmly, looking between the pair from the sidelines. "Are both fighters ready?"
"Yup." Sam answered immediately, taking his weapon in both hands and holding it over his head, blunt end aimed at the other teen.
"Yes." Sky muttered and kept his halberd across his body, gaining a snort of amusement from his opponent. They stood in wait as the teacher pulled her hand up into the air, holding it there for a few seconds before dropping it.
"Begin."
Slowly, the twin stomped towards the other boy, even adding an exaggerated shoulder shudder too. Sky simply ran at the twin with his halberd coming over his shoulder, the axehead descending towards Sam's shoulder. The twin countered by bashing the blunt end of his weapon into the blade before smashing the shaft into his face, following with another hit from the flat of the brass blade. Sky stumbled, Aura flashing violently, only to be righted by his opponent's weapon flying off his head and pulled against his neck. With only a second of hesitation, Sam jerked his head back and smashed his forehead against the dark haired boy's own. His opponent's eyes rolled and his Aura shattered instantly, setting off the Aura bell.
The brown haired boy stepped back from his handiwork and twirled his weapon in his gasp, letting it land against his shoulder. "That wasn't enough spirit, Lark. Maybe next time." He grinned before twisting on his heel and walking back to the locker rooms, leaving the dazed teen to struggle to his feet.
"Sam Fidelis Pectoris wins. Next match will be between Dove Bronzewing and Alex Fidelis Pectoris." The Professor calmly called out, peering at her tablet. The narrow eyed boy stood with a cocky grin, turning his gaze over to the other twin.
"I'm gonna win this one, better just give up." He taunted, now the class turned their attention over to the brown haired boy. He slowly rose from his seat and grunted, ignoring the teen and wandering off towards the changing rooms. The lack of answer fueled the bully's confidence, and only a few mutters from the stands.
The arena was empty for a few minutes until Dove waltzed out with a smug expression, tapping his sword against his leg. He tapped his foot and was already opening his mouth to taunt the lack of opponent, then the sounds of quickly approaching clattering shut him up. Alex appeared in a light jog,
He skidded to a stop at the edge of the arena, emitting a light mist from his grated visor. Like his brother's armour, his armour was made from brass plates. Though unlike Sam, they covered his arms and shoulders. With great, deep breaths, his pauldrons shifted like a pontoon in violent waves. Running down the top and back of his helmet was a steep ridge, shaped like a wedged axehead.
Alex hauled his weapon into view from his side, sending a shiver down the once brave Dove. It was a truely massive sword, claymore-like but almost doubled in length. Its blade was plain and instead of slowly moving towards a sharp point it was simply entirely rectangular, designed for a singular purpose. Execution.
Professor Goodwitch stepped forwards and turned an inquisitive eye over the helmeted boy's weapon before looking over to the cocky blonde. "Are both fighters ready?" She asked calmly.
"Yeah." Dove simply said, twirling in his sword in his hands. The twin let out an amused grunt, stomping into the ring and pulling his own blade in front of him.
"Ready." Came Alex's answer in a deep hiss. The teacher nodded, tapped on her tablet and stepped back with a raised hand.
"Then begin!" And so they did, with the twin stomping forth with frightening speed. He swung his blade down with a loud grunt, crashing against Dove's hastily raised guard. The force knocked the boy's upper body down, his sword scraping the floor as Alex raised his massive weapon again.
Dove was smashed into the ground without mercy, the blow shattering his Aura into the yellow. He rolled to the side, eyes wide at the sound and impact of the twin's boot appear right next to his head. The downed boy kicked the other boy's knee and rolled back into a crouch, finding only another kick flying at his face. The crowd let out a wince as the narrow-eyed boy was flung head over heels.
He hit the floor and groaned, looking up into the bright lights that flooded down from the ceiling. Then his vision was filled by shadowy brass and an outstretched gauntlet, one that swiftly wrapped around his arm and hauled him to his feet.
"You're not done yet." Alex stated, releasing his hold and smashing a flat palm against Dove's chest. It seemed to do the trick as the boy moved into a quick thrust and slash against the twin's chest with his weapon, getting a slightly aggravated snort from his opponent. The fight truely started as the pair slashed against each other's guard, trading blows against raised blades. Those in the stands with any ounce of combat experience would've seen the clear signs that Alex was playing with Dove, though whether to prove a point or to exhaust the boy wasn't clear yet.
Suddenly, the twin shook his head with a loud bellow - almost like an angry bull - swinging his sword around his head and lodging it deep into the arena. Alex charged straight at the other boy, arms pumping away as he threw himself towards him. Dove recoiled and raised his blade just a second too late, unable to stop the twin from ramming both hands into the sides of his skull.
The armoured fingers tightened around the struggling boy's head and bought his face close to the visor, blowing a burst of vapour into Dove's panicked eyes. The many eyes in the stands watched in mute curiosity as the boy from CRDL's expression flickered from shock, to anger before turning into something truely unexpected. Fear.
"G-get the hell away from me!" He screamed out, voice muffled but his fists free to wildly bash away at Alex's arms. The twin let out a deep chuckle and raised the boy into the air, ignoring his attempts to free himself, and tossed Dove back. As soon as his feet hit the floor, Dove charged not at the boy, but towards the locker rooms. The ring out bell sounded, giving Alex the win and Goodwitch a headache.
"Alex Fidelis Pectoris wins by knockout, even if he didn't knock Mr. Bronzewing out of the ring." The professor sighed, swiping something on her device before looking at the twin. "Your Semblance is concerning, Mr. Fidelis. Use it wisely." She advised, the boy nodded and yanked his sword from the floor; walking out of the arena with great thundering steps. Those in the stands were already muttering and exchanging their thoughts as they watched him disappear into the locker room.
"Damn, he was pretty brutal."
"Obviously, did you even see what he did to the other guy? Made him bloody panic."
"Then what's his Semblance? Making fear?"
"If it is, then he better not use it outside of a village. Grimm would swarm like flies." There were more than a few in agreement, Alex would be someone to watch out for. Finally, the blonde woman stepped back into the centre of the ring and the boy entered the locker room. Professor Goodwitch took a moment to adjust her glasses before checking her tablet once more.
"The third match will be between Russel Thrush and Raiko…" She fell silent and tapped away with a concerned expression, finding little in her strange bout of confusion. The teacher pushed her glasses up again and looked up. "Please enter the area." Like clockwork, Raiko stood up with a rigid stance and marched through the crowd; banner still held high. The mohawked boy next to his leader wore an uneasy expression, unsure how he should feel.
On one side, he was fighting a blind guy. On the other, his team has so far wiped the floor with Dove and Sky. Cardin smacked his shoulder, giving him a fierce grin. "You're gonna win thin one, he's blind!" The boy hissed, Russel nodded a few times and finally stood up. It took the thin boy only a minute or two to gear up, wearing a sleeveless shirt, single pauldron with simple pants and wielding a pair of daggers. Thankfully, it took only another minute for the blind teen to appear in a quiet walk.
Raiko wore a grey, padded tunic with a pair of simple trousers, only a single shoulder plate bearing the engraving of a ring protected him other than Aura. His hands were locked around his banner, raised high and gently waving with each step. Russel glanced up his foe's clouded eyes, trying to find anything them. Only cold, furious disgust dwelled within those eyes. He shivered and took a step back, just an inch over the arena's edge.
"Enter the arena, Mr. Thrush." Professor Goodwitch advised, sending the boy a narrow eyed glare from over her tablet. He hesitantly stepped forth, raising his daggers slightly in a ready stance. Raiko continued to stare down at Russel with his hateful stare. "Are both fighters ready?" Came the familiar question from the woman, though she only got a pair of nods for an answer. "Then begin."
Raiko remained steadfast in his place as Russel rushed towards him, one dagger held at his side and the other in front of his chest. The smaller boy jumped at the blind teen with a warcry, bringing both daggers across his body to slash down Raiko's face and chest.
The mohawked teen stumbled as his target sidestepped and let the boy fly past. Russel scowled and leapt again, swinging past the giant's form as he moved aside. His daggers slashed and sliced furiously at the taller teen, whose stare never wavering and banner held firmly in the air; brandishing the flagpole at the head of an attack that would never come.
"Come on! Hit him, Russel!" Cardin shouted from the stands, not helping in the slightest. His shouts only angering the dagger wielding teen, who started to desperately overextending himself to get just a single hit on Raiko. It was after Russel threw a wild punch that another voice called from the stands, much lighter and cheerful on the ear.
"Raiko better give him a spark of life, yeah? He's looking pretty low on energy." Sam cheered, leaning over the rail with a cheeky smirk. Finally, Raiko switched his gaze from the smaller teen up to his friend. Russel paused for a moment, feeling a strange sense of relief before being flooded with dread.
The blind boy planted his banner with a thunderous thud at his side and rolled his shoulders, flexing the digits on his free hand. The mohawked boy didn't hesitate to charge again, rolling into a human-cannonball midair as he flew at the guardless teen; the boy's hand rising above his head. It took barely a second and Russel was launched across the arena floor and out of bounds, his Aura sparking with orange lightning. Bolts dancing over the boy's skin as he twitched wildly.
"Raiko wins by knockout!" The blonde boy slowly brought his outstretched arm back to grip his flagpole, fingers still lightly sparking with burning lightning. Raiko tapped his banner against the floor and marched across the ring, ignoring the struggling boy along the way to the locker room. Silence reigned the stands, not a single whisper or murmur at the show of such power. "This last round will be between Cardin Winchester and Bill Joveenus?" Professor Goodwitch raised another eyebrow at the unknown name, glancing over her glasses at the boy in the stands.
"It's pronounced Juvenis, Miss." The leader of BRAS said with a grin, standing up and wiping her hands on his shirt. "Come along now, Cardin. Don't be shy, big guy." He sneered at the bully, getting a grunt from him.
"Shut up, I'll kick your ass." He snapped, igniting a booming laugh in Bill.
"Right, keep telling yourself that, lad." With that, both boys entered the arena's locker rooms for the last round. For once, the member from BRAS appeared first. With a confident stride, Bill walked out with open arms, bathing in the light. A great, yet battleworn, cape hung from his shoulders. Its blood red colour mesmerizing a similarly cloaked girl in the stands, her eyes wide with what seemed like admiration and respect of a good cape.
Besides the gloriously lengthy cloak, he wore the same suit of shining plate armour as his teammates with a couple of differences. Like his chainmail covered arms, rolled up to the elbow, and his bare hands. An orange sash was draped around his waist, hanging under his left hand. Then came his helmet.
It was a strange thing, with a pair of curved neck guards under the cheeks, a thick, solid brass crown wrapping around the head and the shaped face that was the entire faceplate of the helm. Wearing the expression of a scowling warrior, it was a daunting sight for a few in the crowd. Of course, when Cardin strode out with his combat attire and mace, Bill threw a jab his way.
"Huh, colour me surprised, ladies and gentlemen. Our friend actually grew a pair." The blonde mocked with a chuckle, voice echoing from within his helmet. His opponent sneered, dropping his mace's head into his free hand.
"Yeah, keep up that attitude. I'll knock it out of you."
"Sure mate, and I'll wipe the floor with you without my weapons. That's a promise, lad." Bill stated proudly, throwing his arms out in a taunting fashion. The professor made a sharp cough and glared at the pair.
"That'll be enough, are both fighters ready?" Thankfully, this would be the last time she would ask that question for today.
"Of course, Miss." The blonde teen answered and raised his fists.
"Yeah." The brown haired bully grunted, raising his weapon with narrow eyes.
"Begin." With Professor Goodwitch's falling hand, the pair charged with fury in their eyes. Cardin swung low and started to bring his mace up towards his enemy's face, only to have a brass boot kick it out of its arc. Bill's hand tore through the air and grasped the bully's shoulder, throwing his head forward and bashing stars into his eyes.
Both boys recoiled away from each other, with Cardin holding his head and the blonde starting to turn on his heel, fist already raised for a brutal punch. Unfortunately, the brown haired boy recovered and stepped back to let the attack fly into nothing, allowing a smile to bloom over his face. Then he was promptly thrown off balance, a flash of red appearing in his vision before disappearing. The bully shook his head and snapped his eyes to the offending blur: Bill's billowing cloak of red.
"Ah, that'll be the cloak minus the dagger, mate." The other boy barked with a hidden grin, rolling his shoulders to ease the cape from the air. "Let's dance." Suddenly, Cardin felt something bash his chin and send him stumbling. Bill stepped closer to swing his already extended fist back into the boy's chin, moving his cape along with his arm in a dazzling backhand.
"Damnit." The stunned teen swore, stepping forwards and moved his weapon to strike the smug blonde. Once again, he was countered by a fist to his unarmoured face and another punch to his jaw. "Fucking-"
"Watch that tongue, lad." Bill chirped and smashed two open palms against the sides of Cardin's head, forcing a harsh ringing sound into his ears. Not yet done, his cloak joined his hands and slapped against the boy's Aura. Now, the stands were murmuring again. With what seemed like a piece of fabric, the Haven student had dropped Cardin's Aura into the orange.
"How is he doing that?"
"It's gotta be weighted, otherwise we aren't seeing something."
"That cape is so cool!" A voice squealed, getting a laugh out of the brass armoured blonde. Bill bowed towards the stands, ducking under the mace that was flying at his face. Cardin snarled and brought his other hand to grip his weapon before raising it above his head, leaving his entire body exposed.
The bully felt a kick slam into his knee, causing the teen to hunch over to deal with the pain. Another hand landed on his weapon, though it was the flat handed punch that disarmed him of his mace. As Cardin stumbled back, he looked up with wide eyes, finding his opponent pulling his arm back.
"Catch." With that, Bill hurled the heavy mace directly into the brown haired teen's face, throwing both clear out of the ring; sounding both the low Aura bell and the ring out bell. The blonde's hands removed his stoic helm and revealed his wide smile. "That's all folks!" While the a fair few in the stands did clap, the teacher gave the boy both a glare and a concerned look.
"Mr. Juvenis, while you did win this round, using another hunter's weapon to fight them is frowned upon. While not against academy rules, it is a sign of disrespect in many schools. Please keep this in mind." Professor Goodwitch informed the still grinning boy, who simply gave a salute.
"Will do, Miss. Apologies." Bill said and slowly walked out of the arena, leaving his opponent to pull himself off the ground - only to promptly fall flat after three steps.
While the blonde redressed himself into Haven's uniform, the rest of Bill's team was climbing up the steps into the stands. The students looked at them in a mixture of respect, fear and awe. They couldn't care less as the trio sat down, unknowingly next to team RWBY and JNPR. It was Raiko that heard and felt someone slide closer to him, causing his cloudy eyes narrow.
"Hey there good lookin'." It was the mature, suggestive one. Fantastic. Raiko nodded and tried to listen to Professor Goodwitch's comments about how his team completely smashed CRDL. Going over mostly how taunting an opponent either in or out of the arena brings many consequences, like getting your ass handed to you. But alas the girl wasn't deterred and pressed her... assets against him. "You know it's rude to ignore someone." She whispered in his ear, quite a bit too close for comfort.
The giant rolled his eyes and pulled out a bit of paper from his pocket, passing it to her.
"Already giving me a number, eh? Well let's see what-" The girl shut up, thanks to the contents of the note: You must be desperate to flirt with a blind guy.
"Yang! Stop being weird with strangers!" Ruby cried loudly, catching everyone's attention which was immediately brought to the blonde pressing up against Raiko. The silent member of BRAS looked around before shrugging, causing many students to giggle as Yang began to blush at the surprise attention.
"Ms Xiao Long, could you please refrain from your 'weirdness' and remove yourself from the other students?" The teacher called out, causing more laughter and sending Yang to blur away from the boy. After the laughter died down, Bill returned and watched as Cardin was dragged off to the infirmary by a shaky Dove. The bell finally rung as the pair disappeared through the doors.. "Alright everyone, remember what you saw and how not to challenge the unknown." Professor Goodwitch said as the class dispersed through the hallways, BRAS was almost out the door when the woman called out. "Raiko, come here for a moment."
The blind boy turned on his heel and marched to the edge of the stands, standing before the teacher
"My file on you isn't complete, which within itself is strange, but more so when it is to do with your name." Professor Goodwitch told him sternly, swiping on her tablet and sighing. "While it isn't uncommon to have delays on the information, I require a last name. Otherwise you, and your team, may be removed from Beacon and this year's Vytal Festival." She looked up to find Raiko holding a piece of paper out towards her, slightly smiling.
The boy watched the woman take the note and read over the single word upon its crumpled surface, noting the frown on her face.
"Ulton-us?" She tried to pronounce, only to get a soft shake of the head. "Oltio-nus?" Once again a shake. "Ultionis?" Glynda finally tried and got a wide smile, in turn making her share a small smile . "Thank you, Mr. Ultionis. Now if you don't mind me asking, where did you-" Her voice trailed off as she looked up from her tablet, finding Raiko gone from the room. Like a ghost.
"Hello" Raiko signed as he appeared next to Velvet, who let out an 'eep'. Adorable.
"H-hi, Raiko." The faunus stammered, clearly blushing even to the blind teen. "You a-and your t-team f-fought pretty well against C-Cardin." It was the way Velvet said Cardin that made him stop for a moment, turning to her.
"You sound... scared of Cardin." Raiko signed hesitantly, he heard the girl sigh.
"He... bullied me for awhile, but it's fine!" She added quickly, too quickly. The blind teen stopped and stared into her eyes, causing Velvet started to stammer in a bad attempt to make an excuse. He shook his head and started to sign.
"Of course only a fool would bully a girl, you could drop him without dropping a sweat." The boy signed and marched away, leaving Velvet to grow a small smile and hop away happily to find and talk with her teammates.
As the boy marched down the hall, he was yanked into a side hallway by a shadowy hand. His face was a snarl as he came face to face with the kidnapper. It was a girl in a black beret and wearing sunglasses which was the only thing Raiko was bothering to look at as he frowned at the close contact, and the possible mugging.
"I saw you with my friend back there, you try anything funny, we'll have a problem. Got it?" The girl snapped harshly, expecting to scare the taller student into submission. All she got was the boy lowering his prepared backhand before he swiftly moving closer to let out a low growl, rumbling from deep within his chest. Raiko stepped back and out into the hall, continuing on his way with heavy footsteps.
While the beret wearing girl glared after the boy, Velvet walked past. Just like with the giant, the student grabbed her and pulled the faunus into the hallway. Velvet's eyes were wide and her hands were up, then she realised it was just her friend and frowned. Her ears twitching.
"Coco, did you need to do that?" Velvet asked and Coco laughed.
"Yes I did hun, because I just found your little friend." Coco stated and the other girl immediately frowned, then blushed in realisation. "I must say, I'm liking what I'm seeing." That was a lie, she didn't trust that guy. She couldn't name the feeling, but it was just… wrong. Though his bravery at walking away from her was noted.
"S-shut up!" The faunus yelled, her hands now covering her face to hide the massive blush. "We're j-just classmates!" As the girl ran off, Coco began to think with a smirk. Oh the possibilities of teasing, endless in her hands.
Before long Raiko found his friends in the cafeteria, luckily Alex pulled him to their table when he found the blonde boy standing and glaring at everyone from the entrance. The noise was deafening to the pair but at least they have familiar faces around to sit with, as soon as he sat down Sam pushed a plate of food over to him.
"Cheers" The towering boy signed as he gently leaning his banner against the table and dug in, keeping a foot against the pole as listened to the conversation that the other members of BRAS were in.
"They all need proper training, it might work against Grimm but it's useless against thinking targets." Alex commented as he raised an apple to his mouth, only to have his brother smack it out of his hand. He turned a deadpan stare to his chuckling sibling. "Really?"
"Sorry, you looked too much like an asshole eating that apple." His brother explained with a cheeky grin, causing Bill to burst into laughter awhile their blind friend let a small smile grow across his face.
"Aye, those guys were a lousy lot. Hell, anyone from home would've kicked them down a notch." Bill said absentmindedly, not noticing a certain blond appear behind him. Suddenly he found himself embraced by strong arms and two mounds he knew weren't hands... he never said he was complaining.
"Well hello there-" Yang started but the leader just shook his head.
"Not interested, back off." Bill warned and the girl appropriately backed off before appeared on Alex's lap.
"How about you, hot stuff?" She purred.
"Leave." Was all she got, with a frown she appeared leaning on Sam.
"I have a boyfriend." Yang looked shocked at the smirking boy. "I'm kidding, still no." the boy chuckled as the girl turned to Raiko, who was still silently eating and ignoring the advances. Her face broke into a wolfish grin as she sauntered around the table towards him, ignoring the looks of hatred burning into the back of her head… Yang already had a pickup line and she would not be deterred, she just needed to get close to him. So she moved her hand towards his banner.
There was a deafening slam then ringing noise that silenced the chatter for a moment, picking up again to leave the girl staring with a frozen smile at the fork that was mere inches from her fingers. Raiko's fist was shaking as he slowly turned from his food, his clouded eyes almost reflecting a hint of her purple eyes within. Immediately, the girl disappeared back to her table.
"Damn, it's always her type." Sam started, only to have an upstruck voice interrupt him.
"Hey! You need to apologise right now!" Raiko's head slammed onto the table then returned to where it was held, clearly the blind teen wasn't in the mood. But alas, Ruby and Weiss weren't going be shrugged off that easily. They both stared at the boys, though it was Weiss who frowned expectantly as they resumed their chatting with each other.
"Hey! Are you even listening, you just threatened our teammate. She deserves an apology!" The heiress demanded, frowning with an upturned nose. All she got was silence. "Excuse me-"
"You don't need an apology." Alex grunted, leaning on the table with a scowl.
"We won't be saying sorry for Raiko, you're big girls, get over it." His brother added, raising an eyebrow at the apparent childish attitude in the two teens. Weiss stuttered with a shocked expression.
"B-but what-?" BIll openly laughed at the white haired teen.
"Lass, it's very easy to understand. There wasn't any harm done to your friend, why do we need to say sorry?" He asked, frowning at the stunned teen. Finally, the red cloaked girl saved the day.
"Hey, um. Why didn't you use your weapon when you fought Cardin?" The question flipped the stunned expression onto Bill, the blonde blinking in confusion.
"I ah, wanted to destroy his ego. That, and I hadn't sharpened my blades yet." Came his answer, filled with even more confusion. Ruby's eyes brightened.
"Blades? What kind of weapons do you use? Pistols with knives on the barrels? Swords that turn into spears that shoot fire? Or-or maybe-" The gun nut was interrupted by Bill raising his hand.
"Lass, it's just a pair of swords. No tricks, just simple blade, pommel and hilt." He said with a warm smile, getting a disappointed frown from the girl. She looked at the rest of his team with a hopeful expression.
"Nope, my weapon is just like Bill's, no transforming bits and pieces." Sam quickly answered the silently growing question. His brother grunted in agreement.
"And it was passed down by Father."
"Yup, and all you was that beast of a sword." Sam laughed and shoved his twin's shoulder, only to be thrown out of his seat by Alex's punch.
"What about you?" Weiss spoke up, her arms crossed and eyes on the blind boy still eating. "Does your weapon do anything special?" Raiko glanced up and nodded slowly, returning to his food. The girl huffed at the lack of a vocal answer. "You know, it's very rude to ignore someone-"
"He's mute, princess." Sam snapped at the girl, staring at her with a disgusted scowl. Weiss was struck with a stunned silence, her expression falling.
"O-oh, I'm s-" The girl started, only to be interrupted by Raiko's finger flying from the table in a simple order. Shut up. With that, the boy stood up and grabbed his banner before leaving the conversation. Almost immediately, the twins joined their friend as he made his way towards the exit. Bill let out an awkward chuckle.
"He doesn't take pity well, lass. I'm pretty sure he finds it insulting." He stated, rubbing the back of his head. "I would too, with his past." Ruby cocked her head slightly.
"What happened?" She asked quietly, getting another confused look from the blonde.
"It's not my business to talk about the past with you, sorry lass. If you want to know, you could try and ask Raiko nicely." The boy smirked and stood up, flipping a two fingered salute to the pair. "Catch you two later, eh?"
The leader jogged away from the chatter and down the hall, finding his team marching with quite a bit of anger in their stride.
"Come on, lads. She was just curious." Bill started, throwing his arm back the way they came, causing his blind teammate turned his cold gaze towards him.
"Remember this, Bill. I do not take kindly to that attitude, especially coming from her." Raiko signed with furious gestures.
"Understandable, but we gotta keep a level head around here-" Sam snorted. "-so that we can actually get to the tournament. That's our plan, yeah? So let's not fuck everything up before then, eh lads?"
"There's a problem there." Alex noted with a grunt, the shorter blonde sighed and nodded.
"Yeah. We all know that." He snapped. "The problem is everywhere at the moment, so I don't need you to tell me again." The blonde was spun around, coming face to face with the towering Raiko.
"Watch your tone, we are all together in this place. We are alone." The blind boy signed with an unbreaking stare, Bill tried to match it but quickly turned away.
"You're right, we shouldn't be fighting. Come along, lads, we got a few minutes till the next class." He finally said and jerked his head up the hall, leading the way towards a certain green haired professor's classroom. They opened the door and were immediately greeted by a lanky man in glasses, his clothing was ruffled as if he had just been thrown in a wind tunnel.
"Good morning students! My name is Doctor Oobleck. You are all early, but please come in." Prof- Doctor Oobleck all but threw his words at the group before disappearing in a blur to his desk to take a hearty swig of his thermos. Bill patted his hair back down and muttered about the green haired man's speed, leading his team to the first row of seats.
It was barely a second after the blind giant sat down and the Doctor was in front of them again, though this time leaning over the desk and looking deep into Raiko's eyes. Unlike his leader, the boy didn't bother to adjust his hair.
"That is a very unique banner you have there, I've only read of another of such make in stories. May I see it for a moment?" Oobleck asked in a rush of words. Raiko clenched his fingers around the leaning flagpole and slowly shook his head, glaring at the teacher with a hidden fury. "A shame, but no matter! You will be learning more than me in this lesson." With another burst of speed, Doctor Oobleck was behind his desk and taking another sip of his mysterious drink.
Soon the rest of the class was dribbling into the room, among them were the white, red and blonde haired girls that had approached them during lunch; joined by another girl with black hair. Raiko's attention switched to the noise behind him, a gentle presence.
"Hello Raiko." The rabbit faunus whispered over his shoulder, he turned and smiled at Velvet. "W-would I be able to t-talk to you after class?" Raiko gave a small nod and turned back to the front, just in time for the Doctor to finish writing on the blackboard and for team CRDL to walk in.
The head of the group was holding his head, an ugly purple bruise covering his forehead. Russel was struggling with the aftershocks of his defeat, he jumped as another zapped over his arm. Dove was looking around wildly with his arms hugging his chest fiercely, once cocky now a scared bird. Lastly was Sky, who simply blinked and gripped his head. The class watched the team walk towards them, until the narrow eyed teen suddenly froze in his tracks.
"I- I can't." Was all he said before swiftly making his way towards the door, leaving his puzzled team. After a moment of silence, Alex let out a low chuckle and the teacher sped after the runaway boy.
"Bugger, looks like we might have a free period, eh?" Bill joked, leaning back and resting against the desk behind him. Though he was jesting, neither boy nor teacher had appeared as quickly as many expected. Another ten minutes and nothing. It was nearing fifteen minutes when Raiko sighed silently and glanced over to one of the twins.
"I want to see if this place has a music hall." The blind teen signed at Alex, who gave a grunt and looked at the clock hanging on the wall.
"I honestly doubt this place has one." He noted, looking back to the taller boy.
"Then let's hope I'm not too disappointed." Came the silent reply before Raiko stood and started towards the door, then a voice called out behind him.
"You can't leave yet! We still have class." It was the same annoying pitch that was becoming all too familiar, the heiress. Bill stood up with a groan.
"Princess, there's no teacher to teach a class. Right now, we're sitting here in an empty room for no reason." The blonde boy stressed the last part, though it seemed that she wasn't in the listening mood.
"You still have no right to leave yet." Weiss snapped.
"Eh, Raiko doesn't care for rights." Bill chuckled, throwing his hand at the empty space that the silent giant once stood in. Though it seemed that he wasn't alone in his disappearing act, as a certain beret wearing teen glanced around in search of her faunus friend.
Down the hall, a tall figure marched with banner hand. His clouded eyes searching for the room, his ears trying to pinpoint any musical sound in the air. Alas, Raiko saw the door long before he heard any instruments, he entered and looked around. Dust choked every surface, the once shining brass of trumpets were now dull and that wasn't the worst offence. His eyes trailed over the great King of Instruments, the proudest and most demanding instrument, and now it was reduced to being covered by a raggedy blanket.
The tall blonde marched with anger in his stride and tore the covering off the giant pipe organ, a sneer of disgust on his face as he tossed the thing aside. Raiko slowly calmed himself with a few breaths before gently placing his flagpole aside and taking the stool from under the twin keyboards, seating himself and softly rubbing his fingers across the keys.
They were an ivory colour, like most keys, with a strange addition of golden designs along the black keys. Raiko frowned at the unnecessary details, picking at the golden curls on a particular note. He sighed, shook his head, raised his hands and closed his eyes.
The bellow of the organ echoed through the empty halls, just for a moment. The sound stunned the students, literally in some cases as faunus teens clutched their head in pain. It came again, blasting through the school with a roaring note. Another and another, soon even the foundations shook under the weight of the song.
Raiko moved in a hypnotic dance as his fingers danced and hopped across the keys of the organ. His upper body leaning to the left as he slowly brought the pitch up, taking the rumbling beast and turning it into a gentle hummingbird. He let the highest note hang for a second before slamming back down and summoning an angry stream of music, forcing hearts to drum in tune with its presence. His eyes squeezed shut and his mouth became a snarl as the song neared its end, mixing the deep, thundering sounds with the lighter, gentle ones.
The blonde boy's fingers held the last keys for another long drawn out sound before releasing it, leaning back on the stool and rubbing his fingers together; trying to get some feeling back into them from the surprisingly harsh playing. Another sound, besides the ringing, entered his ears. It was clapping. Raiko spun around with wide eyes and locked onto the brown haired girl behind him.
"T-that was p-pretty good." The rabbit faunus said shyly, both of her long ears plastered to her head. No doubt ringing from such close proximity to the pipe organ's roar. "Q-quite loud." Raiko winced.
"I didn't mean to get so loud, I'm very sorry." He signed with a apologetic smile, only to have Velvet shake her hands in the air.
"It's fine! I m-mean… it was r-really beautiful." She admitted with a blush, stunning the taller boy.
"Beautiful?" He repeated, wearing a look of amazement on his face. It wasn't common for people call his playing beautiful, granted he doesn't play as much now. His musings were interrupted by the door crashing open, with a not so happy looking blonde standing in the entrance.
"Mr. Ultionis, what on a Remnant was that?!" Professor Goodwitch barked at the boy. "I heard in from my office, that was very… impressive. Inappropriate, but impressive." The woman remarked, nodding at the blind teen. Her gaze trailed over the other instruments in the room, all covered and clogged with dust. "It is a pity that nobody has the same interest in learning the arts, all of this and not one student comes in."
The blonde turned and looked at Raiko. "While I won't ban you from using this room, I will suggest you avoid that instrument for the time being; and to come in your free time, not the time spent learning." With that last warning, the strict woman left. Both teens exchanged a glance, then the faunus let out a loud exhale and the boy grinned.
"That went a l-lot better than I expected." Velvet said with a nervous giggle, becoming a blank stare when the taller blonde signed out something.
"You said you wanted to talk after class?" She slapped her forehead.
"Woops, I forgot about t-that. I, uh, was going to, ask, um… there's a-a dance c-coming up and I, um. W-wondering if y-you'd want to g-go w-with m-me?" She squeaked out, trying to cover the blush on her face. Raiko blinked, blinked again, then moved onto his feet. His clouded eyes shifted in a surprised manner, not truly seeing anything. The blind boy stepped forwards and stood in front of the girl, still covering her face with her floppy ears. He swallowed and finally answered.
"Yes." Velvet froze, her blush disappearing to be replaced by shook. She looked up and found the blonde retrieving his banner, his head low. The girl watched the boy leave in a hurry, his eyes locked with the ground and kept far from hers.
"Y-you can talk?" She whispered as Raiko reached the door, halting him in his tracks. The blonde gave a single nod before throwing the door open, leaving an extremely lost faunus alone with dusty instruments and more questions than she expected.
