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Chapter 1: Blue Rose, Red Rose
The Immortal Man, Man or Monster? Of the two accounts that exist of him people wonder which is the true account. Did he exist? Is he some form of Grimm, meant to be feared? Or was he simply a human being, passed into the great fairy tales like the Maidens? Was he a hero, a villain, or something in between? Of the two accounts, there is one theory. He was just a small, honest soul, always in the wrong place at the right time in his story...
And if such a man existed today, Grimm and Man would tremble at his coming every step he took.
-Excerpt from a Research Essay on the Story of "The Girl and the Immortal Man" by Professor Ozpin
Ruby Rose was browsing the Dust Shop 'From Dust to Dawn' for the newest edition to the weapons magazine she subscribed to, wearing her headphones to drown out the noise of other shoppers, getting lost in her own little world. She found one of the older magazines and began to read it, but not before she saw another customer walking in and she tilted her head in curiosity.
He was tall, lean, yet strangely muscular in all the proper places. He had a pale complexion about him. He was wearing black and white clothing topped with a blue jacket that had the petals of a rose on it. And goodness that hair! Thatbrown hair, it was long, about shoulder length, but that floof it had! It made her think of her dog Zwei to compare potential fluffiness. But her eyes trailed to what was on his waist and her eyes widened in slight excitement.
Strapped on his waist was a katana! The scabbard he had looked more like a twelve gauge shotgun, with the barrel at the other end of the scabbard to accommodate the sword's usual spot. "Where done he put the shotgun shells-Eep! He's looking at me!" The fifteen year old ducked frantically back into her magazine as the young man looked at Ruby, wondering if someone was watching him.
"And three cartridges of dust shotgun shells. That'll be 30 Lien. You have a good day now Mr. Azura." The kind old shopkeeper said.
Cain/Casshern P.O.V
Mr. Azura. Cain Azura. That is my name, or at least the name I picked out say, almost seventeen years ago to try and fit in with the current generation. Sure I had to hide for a few years but The last identity I had, Edom Kumatetsu, was "presumed deceased" after a run in with Remus Torchwick. Couldn't really slip into the identity with how I've always done since humans begun to thrive again, almost... Umm, Oh Monty how long was it?
Approximately six thousand years A.R. After the Ruin a cataclysmic event that has long been forgotten by the world's inhabitants. A ruin I, Casshern, had caused. My immortality is a curse and a blessing indeed. A curse because so many have died around me, even those close to me have faded away. But even I cannot tell you how the world, now called Remnant, got to be like this. However, humans are thriving again, and that I am happy on, in some cases.
For my case however, Casshern never existed. However, even though the years seem to blend together nowadays, my story, or at least some part of it, has thrived. So if people found out my real identity, I'd be outed as a monster like the Grimm, or worse.
Hence why I have to swap identities every so often. The perks of being someone other then me are okay. Though I have to be careful. One slip up, one use of my agility or my, "healing factor" as the comic geeks call it, is used publicly, and Casshern would be potentially exposed all over again and I'd be on the run... again.
I smile gently at the old man and give him the money required to pay for the shells of my weapon. I hear a noise near the door and look. Uh oh. Roman Torchwick and his goons. What on Eart-erm... Remnant are they up to?
Normal P.O.V
Several men with weapons came in and roughly pushed Cain aside and started threatening the old man trying to rob the shop of its dust. The katana wielder frowned as the thugs told him to get his hands in the air.
"Go on! Do it!"
"I'm sorry, is this a robbery? Or are you mugging only me?" Cain asked as he slowly brought his hands up. "Because me, I'd understand. I possibly have more lien on me from my odd jobs then anything else." The young man chuckles as his stare suddenly turns into a deadly look. "However, if other innocents are involved, then I'll be forced to fight."
Another thug had the nerve to interrupt The girl near him, who was then alerted to the robbery in front of her. His look thus turned into a vicious glare at the thief and readied his fists.
"Warned ya."
Outside From Dust till Dawn
The sounds of a scuffle inside are heard outside the shop, several of the thieves were thrown out in the process. One of the men landed at the feet of their boss, Roman Torchwick, who had ran outside.
"Best that money can buy..." Roman said sarcastically. "Well, time to go!" With that he made a dash for the rooftops. Roman looked behind him and saw the girl in pursuit, armed with a large red and black scythe. The other person who started threw the first punch was nowhere to be seen, which greatly worried Roman.
"Okay Roman, relax. You can lick the kid easily and run. Gotta just get going!" Thought the thief as he ran. Eventually the pair made it to the rooftops as Roman smiled deviously as he dropped a fire dust crystal and readied to shoot it.
"Well Red, it's been fun, but this is goodbye!" Roman shouted as he aimed his cane at the crystal. The shot fired, but if one saw footage and tried slowing it down, they'd see a black, white, and blue streak tackling Ruby and knocking her out of harm's way of the explosion.
Ruby's eyes widened. "Mr! Are you okay?!" Roman smirked and tried hard not to laugh before looking at the smoke as his mouth drops open, the cigar falling out as well.
"What in the name of dust?!" Roman shouted as the figure walked out, clothes slightly singed, weapon in hand, without even a mark or a second glance at the girl he saved.
"Shooting explosives at teenagers isn't smart Torchwick." The young man said as he drew his sword from it's sheathe and flicked his wrist, con verging the scabbard to a sawed off shotgun. "I'm not a huntsman, but I am a fighter. So as a fighter, I will kill you."
"Okay, fighting The now infamous Roman Torchwick, possible son of Remus Torchwick. Smart. Using my abilities to save a teenager in a red cloak and a large scythe, not smart!" Thought Casshern as he readied to fight in his Cain persona. "I'm probably gonna see a possible Casshern sighting in the news for this!"
With this fueling his anger, he rushed out at Roman and swung at him with his katana, using one hand to grip the sword to block the cane.
"Got a name then Blue, so I can mount 'here lies an idiot?' On your tombstone?!"
Casshern narrowed his eyes. "Call me Cain." he said in reply before he saw a stream of fire coming at him as he jumped back, before seeing a tall blonde woman with a riding crop take over the battle.
Casshern only chuckled to himself. "First time in a big fight in a long while. Luna's tears, I haven't missed it." He muttered to himself.
50 minutes later
"Correction; I do miss fighting since back when I did fight, it was more for the preservation of myself and my loved ones, now you get in trouble for even a scuffle in this 'modern' era." Thought Casshern bitterly as he sat with the girl in question, Ruby Rose he learned her name was on the way there.
"If it were up to me, you'd both be sent home, with a pat on the back, and a slap on the wrist!" Stated the woman in front of them. She slapped the riding crop down on the table to emphasize her point.
"In my defense, I was more trying to get her out of there then go on fighting." Casshern said, keeping a calm emotionless tone. "Seeing Torchwick trying to blow her to kingdom come, however, made me change my mind."
"You hush. I was talking more to Miss Rose then you. Someone wants to talk to both of you. Separately." Stated the woman as she motioned for Casshern to leave the room.
Slowly he got up and walked out the door to wait outside, seeing a man in green clothing with a cup of coffee in one hand and a plate of cookies in the other, walk into the room, both men making eye contact with each other.
"He's looking right at me.." Casshern thought. "Is he studying me? Or is he suspicious. I should make plans to leave."
But he didn't, something told him to stay put. Was this what was called a gut feeling? He wouldn't know, Casshern was not a human, or a robot. All he ever knew he was what he wasn't. Made for a certain purpose then turned into a weapon by them.
Casshern's train of thought ended when he saw Ruby skip out with a huge grin on her face that made the Neo-Human's eyes widen. It made him think on a certain little girl he knew so long ago. The blonde woman followed after her, and nodded for Casshern to walk back into the room, and sit across from the Man.
"Cain Azura, correct? It's funny, no official records are ever stated of you." The old man stated, "Care to explain?"
"I live a solitary life Mr...?" Casshern began to ask before The man placed a packet in front of him.
"Ozpin. Professor Ozpin will do, I'm the headmaster of Beacon Academy here in Vale. When I first started out my career as both scholar and huntsman, I wrote an essa"y on my favorite fairy tale." Ozpin gestured to the packet whilst speaking, "This is that essay. I'd assume the man mentioned in the subject would be flattered."
"I doubt that..." Casshern trailed off with a frown to see the words 'immortal man', and felt like he knew where this was going. "I should run, run now."
"I arranged for your miraculous survival from that explosion to be stricken from the footage. Your welcome, Casshern."
"Thank you Profes-wait. You know?!" Casshern's eyes widened in alarm as he nearly jumped out of his seat to start running.
"Like I said. You were my favorite tale growing up. Though as an older man, I nearly thought you never existed. Before you panic and run, will you hear me out?"
Casshern slowly gave a calculated glare, and slowly settled back into his seat. "What do you want to know in exchange for this silence?"
"I will not ask for your true account Mr. Casshern." Ozpin stated calmly.
"Azura please. Cain Azura."
"I believe we are past that point already. However, for all intents and purposes, I can arrange for both names to be officially yours, and would keep your true self a secret." Ozpin continued through Casshern's interruption, taking a sip of his coffee. "What I want, is to offer you a chance to truly feel alive for the first time in however long you've last felt it."
Casshern's eyes, even though they widened and narrowed, held no emotions for most of this speech. But his eyes then held surprise when he heard the word 'alive'. He was immortal, in most intents and purposes he couldn't 'die'. Was he ever alive to begin with though? "What do you exactly mean?" He asked tentatively.
"Simple. I enroll you in Beacon. You become a huntsman. Unless of course, you want to end up being exposed as the Immortal Man another way." Ozpin said, laying his metaphorical cards on the table.
Casshern's eyes narrowed once more. "I can't let myself get exposed. If I did those Atlas quacks will want to experiment on me and make their... 'Paladin' robots better. That's not gonna happen."
"It seems I have no choice do I?" Casshern asked in a tone that slowly betrayed the small growing smile on his face. "I'll give it a try then. One week of your first semester. I'll decide whether or not I'm comfortable living..amongst people again."
"Splendid. First day is tomorrow. Don't miss the the shuttle first thing tomorrow. Pack your things. All your things." Ozpin stated cryptically. Casshern slowly nodded at what he meant. Something told him he'd be donning his old armor suit again.
In times of peace we are left to wonder if we are truly safe from all threats. In ancient times, we had guardians to keep the peace. After them, the Hunters and Huntresses. But if this immortal man exists, be it man or monster, I believed he was put on the world to simply watch and intervene when necessary. When not needed, he just simply fades away until he is almost all but forgotten.
I pray for the day that doesn't happen. Any threat might face Ruin, as do we. But maybe, just maybe, Ruin is the Salvation of Man.
-Excerpt of the Private Observations of Prof. Ozpin.
Hello All! BlackXII here. So in between wrestling with writer's block for my other stories, and juggling real life and then watching one of my favorite anime shows of all time, Casshern Sins, then watching Volume 3, this started to come together.
The concept is Casshern, who has after The series lives a solitary life, and humans eventually surviving the Ruin, only to have a few more sets of problems down the road to recovery, which eventually is the Grimm. Rest is history and RWBY's story takes over and Casshern has to react to living in it.
Anyhow, like it? Hate it? Let me know! I may continue this if it gains some attention. If I do, then I gotta start planning pairings... Fun times indeed.
Remember to review!
