Team MEST

Blue burns azure through the night, seeking vengeance for sins of the past...

Prologue 1: Azure Blaze

It was a nightmare.

All the young teen could see is blood, ash, and fire, which seemed to be blue for some reason. He paid no mind to his own pain, as he desperately crawled over to two bodies lying face down. While their faces were indistinguishable, it was established that they were both a man and a woman, presumably in their mid-thirties. The man had messy dark blue hair while the woman had shoulder-length sandy blonde hair. They both had numerous gashes across their backs and limbs, causing large amounts of blood to pour out.

"Mom! Dad!" He cried.

"…" He received no reply. They were both dead.

"N-no….." he muttered, stricken with grief. Tears poured down his face as he pointlessly tried to hold in his sobs.

"It is too late for them, just watch them disappear." A voice coldly replied as the teen was suddenly flung back against the wall hard. As he attempted to pull himself up, he saw the barrel of a hi-tech rifle pressed against his parents' heads. The youth's face paled at what the assailant was doing.

"Don't-!" But he was cut off as a loud screech that originated from the man's weapon, echoing throughout the home.

"NO!" He cried.

He watched helplessly as the man fired high frequency sound waves from his gun, causing both of his parents' corpses to explode due to the molecules vibrating at an accelerated rate, leaving a mess of blood and flesh.

And to pour salt on his wounds, the culprit said "How pathetic, two of the greatest Hunters of this generation died to save a piece of trash like you. In the end, they were nothing but weak fools. It's pathetic that this is all the "Blast Joker" and "Hellfire" were capable of. Guess the Azure clan is as lame as I thought it was."

As he came closer, the youth got a better grasp of his appearance. But it wasn't much. The only feature the young boy could make out were the man's sickly yellow eyes that seemed to bore into his soul.

"You…bastard!" The teen roared as he grabbed his father's weapon and rushed in. However, anger clouded his judgment as the man merely evaded tripped him. The young Azure fell flat on his face as he crashed onto the floor. He rolled on his back in an attempt to jump back up, but the man pressed his foot on the boy's stomach to prevent him from rising.

"Wh-who the hell are you!?" The teen demanded as he made a futile attempt to force himself to stand.

"…You can call me...Nemo." He stated. Using the word meaning 'No One' in Latin. The man then swung his own sword down on the boy. The attack had critically injured him as it cut into his shoulder and across his chest and back; he would've died if he didn't immediately receive medical attention. "You're pathetic. To think the Azure bloodline was weak. Not even worth my time and effort to experiment with…Oh well, then the lineage can just die and end today!" he laughed maniacally as he disappeared.

The young Azure's vision was beginning to blur and sounds became muffled. His consciousness was slowly slipping away, but not before he heard two familiar female voices shout out, "Edan!"

"Gah!" A young man gasped as he immediately sat upright in bed. His breathing was labored, and cold sweat poured down his face. His dark blue hair was matted against his forehead due to the dampness.

"Damn…That dream again…" he muttered as he pressed a hand to his face. He got up from bed and went to the bathroom. He splashed some water on his face in an attempt to snap out of it. After drying himself with a towel, he saw deep blue eyes staring back at him. "Even after 4 years, those memories still haunt me." He mused.

However, his gaze was drawn to the huge diagonal scar which ran across his chest from his shoulder to his mid line. Upon remembering how he received this scar, his neutral expression soon became slightly twisted in calm rage. "That guy…I will find him. He will die by my own hands. I'll show him that the Azure lineage is one of the most powerful. He will pay. That is a promise." As he said this, his eyes briefly light up like a spark of blue fire.

In the World of Hunters, there are many that are well known for their skills and ability. Amongst them, are two of the most renowned for their power and skill. They are the Dust magic and gun user "Blast Joker" Diana Cunningham, and the fire and sword user, "Hellfire" Price Azure. The Azure clan had a special semblance inherited by blood relating to fire dust, being able to change its color into a bright blue and freely manipulate it like a pyrokinetic. The fire is the same color as the flame of Satan and enhances its destructive and incineration abilities. This particular power is activated when a member of this certain clan consumes fire dust, fusing it with their aura. However, they were some exceptions of those few who could activate the flames at will without any assistance.

Ever since that day, Edan had strived to become stronger in order to kill his parents' murderer. He studied for hours, trained every day until his body couldn't handle any more. Needless to say…he took up his own hell training regiment. He worked day and night to perfect his bloodline powers, although he still lacks complete control of it. He ascended through the ranks of Signal Academy, ranking as one of its top students.

Looking at the clock, it had read 12:56pm.

"Well, looks like I'm not going to sleep anytime soon. Good thing I've already graduated at Signal and my enrollment at Beacon isn't for a few more weeks. Might as well take a walk." With that note, he quickly got dressed in his normal attire, consisting of a gray t-shirt, dark jeans, steel-toed combat boots, a short-sleeved blue coat, a pauldron on his left shoulder, and fingerless gloves that had metal plates on the back of the hand.

He then grabbed a couple of objects from his closet. One of them was a fold-able gun blade; the other was his father's weapon: a MVS or Maser Vibration Sword. It was a double-edged sword and that is colored a sleek light gray. There is a red diamond shaped gem in the center of the guard, which is bent towards the back and colored blue. It also had a black handle and pointed pommel, also colored blue. The entire sword appeared to be mechanical, with multiple lines and parts that hints at its ability to change form. It was given the name "Eternal Flare".(A/N 1).

His other weapon was one he had forged himself back at Signal Academy. It was a mechanical sword whose blade is able to fold back in, and allow a section of the guard to extend and fold in the other direction to form the gun barrel. The entire weapon was colored silver for the main guard and blade, with blue around the trigger and black on the handle's grip(A/N 2). The main ammo for this weapon is energy bullets from a dust crystal, each one good for 50 rounds. In short, this weapon is a gunblade known by the name Azure Requiem.

He slung the MVS sword over his shoulder into its sheath and changed Azure Requiem into its gun form and placed it in its holster at his side. He then grabbed a vial of fire Dust sitting on his bedside counter and attached it to his belt.

After making sure he had everything, he quietly crept past the room that was across from his so he wouldn't wake up who slept there. But he did leave a note saying where he was in case she woke up. As soon as he reached downstairs, he locked the door of his home and left.

He was strolling down the street of a line of stores that were a few blocks away. It also held one of his favorite Dust Stores: Dust to Dust. This store obviously sold Dust, but it also sold books, DVDs, and magazines of various kinds. There was even a coffee shop inside. And it was also open for 24 hours. It was one of the places he and his friends went to hang out. Deciding he could take his mind off things here, he walked inside the building.

After spending some time reading various magazines about Dust and weapons, and some manga, he decided to purchase a cup of coffee to go.

As he was walking, his cup of coffee was suddenly shot out of his hand as he was just about to take a sip. He quickly gazed around his surroundings to distinguish who made the shot, but saw no one. Nothing except for the steaming coffee staining the asphalt.

'A sniper? From which direction?' He got his answer a moment later as he felt another bullet chip the concrete a few centimeters from his foot. In the exact moment, he noticed a brief flash and soft sound of a gunshot further away from the same direction the bullet came from, signifying the sniper's location. He raised Azure Requiem and shifted it into its gun form. With a keen eye he took aim from where the sound originated from and fired.

From several meters away a single bullet, out of nowhere, was quickly incoming towards the sniper's position much to his surprise, and his face became horrified as it continued into the barrel of the rifle.

Boom.

A small explosion from far away already signaled Edan that the shot made its mark. Then again, it was not really much of a surprise. Edan's aim was deadly accurate, whether it came to firearms or the vital spots of his target.

Just as soon as he thought he was in the clear, a group of thugs wearing black suits, black fedoras, and strangely, pairs of red sunglasses. The one up front, presumably the leader, was dressed in a similar fashion; except his sleeves were rolled up and he had a handlebar mustache. "Okay, are the sunglasses really necessary? It's like, two in the morning." Edan said.

"Shut up! Just be a good boy and die so we can get our money." The mustache guy said as the men behind him pulled out their weapons ranging from guns to swords to clubs. The leader took out what appeared to be a mechanical bat.

"So…you are threatening to kill me?"

"Yes!"

"Okay just checking. Now I won't feel bad taking you guys out." Edan stated as he whipped out Azure Requiem. A few of the thugs rushed in, swinging their serrated swords in an attempt to behead him. Edan simply ducked and rolled under each attack smoothly without any wasted movement. He then jumped back and took aim. He shot a few rounds, each bullet made its mark as they knocked their weapons out of their hands. The others charged in, and Edan immediately switched his weapon's form into its sword mode and ran towards them.

Just as one was aiming for a punch to the face, Edan sidestepped, grabbed the man's arm and flung him over his shoulder, crashing into two of them. He saw another attempting to swing his sword down to cleave him in half, but Edan simply shot out a side kick knocking the mercenary to the ground as his weapon skidded across the asphalt away from him. He back flipped away and swung a sweep kick to One of them brought up a knife to stab him, but Edan caught his arm in mid swing, twisted it getting a cry of pain from the man as he dropped the weapon and elbowed him in the face.

Click.

The bluenette turned around to see three of his attackers loading their machine guns. He didn't even seem perturbed that it was going to rain bullets. Instead, when the guns began firing, he ran straight in. Usually, no sane man would run into a line of fire, but Edan was able to detect the position of each projectile and where they were going to hit. So he used this knowledge to evade a number of them, but used the flat of Azure Requiem to ricochet the rest. As soon as he got in close enough, he punched one of the shooters in the face while he used the pommel of Azure Requiem to knock another one out. He finally shot out a spinning hook kick right at the last shooter's throat, causing him to suffocate. All three marksmen fell to the ground unconscious.

Edan then turned his attention to the remaining foes, which numbered to five.

However, one of them had managed shoot his shoulder. Edan let out a grunt of pain as he clutched his arm, then one of the thugs landed a punch to the face, disorienting him. While he was temporarily immobilized, the other mercenaries proceeded to lay the beat down as one slammed him onto the concrete. Another kicked him in the stomach while he was down. Another stomped on him. One of them picked him up and the leader swung his bat at Edan. The teen was knocked back into the enclosed alleyway where he was shrouded by the darkness.

Seeing that their target was cornered, the thugs began closing in for the kill. However, something small slowly rolled from out of the darkness. Wondering what it was, one of the men picked it up. "An empty Dust vial?" he questioned out loud. Almost immediately, flames erupted from the alleyway. However what freaked the thugs out even more then the fact there was fire coming right towards them…was that this fire was raging in a violent cobalt.

Slowly, Edan walked out from the shadows, his aura flaring up brightly as it healed the wounds he received earlier and the blue flames danced on his body, without showing any sign of burning him. This sight had frozen all of the mercenaries in fear.

"Wh-wh-what the hell are you!?" The leader cried, as he shook like a leaf in terror. The man's subordinates also looked scared enough that they may soon piss their pants.

"Your executor." As Edan raised his hand, a torrent of blue fire rushed towards the foes. The azure blaze engulfed a majority of them, reducing them to a pile of ash.

"G-g-get a-away from me!" The leader stammered and he attempted to crawl away, but Edan grabbed him be the collar of his shirt and lifted him up to where he was dangling in his grip.

"Who hired you to kill me?" Edan questioned, the deathly calmness in his gaze not faltering for even a moment.

"H-he just said to call him Nemo!" The thug leader stammered in fear.

This single name sparked utter fury from within Edan. "WHERE IS HE!?" He roared.

"I-I-I-I don't know! All he did was hire us to do this assignment and left! P-please don't kill me!" He screamed fearfully.

"Then you are useless to me. Atone for your sins in this flame." Edan coldly proclaimed, his bangs overshadowing the upper half of his face, leaving his cold sapphire eyes eerily glowing. He threw the leader into the inferno; the man's screams were soon silenced as the flames swallowed his existence, leaving only a pile of ash.

"Dammit! Just when I thought I had a lead, it was all for nothing!" Edan yelled out in frustration, extinguishing his flames. However as soon as he did, he began to stagger from exhaustion. He pressed a hand against his mouth as it appeared he was about to vomit, "Guagh! Blergh!" But instead of bile, blood seeped through his fingers.

"...Man, guess I haven't fully mastered this power, if the rebound is still this severe." He coughed as he looked at the crimson soaked hand.

"I must admit, that is impressive skill you have displayed." someone proclaimed. Recognizing the voice, Edan whipped around to see a middle aged man He had white hair hazel eyes that were behind a pair of glasses. He was also wearing a black suit and green scarf while he held a mug of coffee in his right hand. "You have improved since the last time I have seen you, Edan."

"Uncle Ozpin." Edan smiled, seeing his pseudo uncle again. "Long time no see."

"Indeed. I see you are doing well. It appears you are taking good care of that weapon, am I correct?" He gestured to the "Eternal Flare" strapped to his back.

"Yeah, even though I carry it wherever I go, I won't use it in battle unless it is truly necessary, or when I'm pushed to the edge."

"Carrying your father's memory I see."

"Yes."

"Although, based on the carnage you have shown in the fight, you are still seeking vengeance for your parents, correct?"

Edan's once smiling face was now replaced with a frown. "Of course. There is no way I'm ever going to walk away from this. I will find Cain. And when I do, I will make him pay for his crimes."

"…I thought it would be like this. Edan, your father was a good friend of mine, and I am sure he would not want you to follow this path for their sake." He sighed.

"I know, but I just can't rest knowing that Cain is still at large, doing whatever he pleases as he uses people with lineages like mine for his own gain."

"That is an admirable goal, just don't lose sight of what is right. I wouldn't want you to make mistakes like I have done." Ozpin frowned, as he briefly remembered his past deeds.

"I won't." Edan replied with conviction. Seeing at the mood was getting off course, Ozpin decided to change the subject.

"Now then, I see that you are planning to enroll at Beacon."

"Yes. I will follow in my parents' footsteps."

"That is good to hear," Ozpin smiled. "Is your friend Sherry Cerulean also joining?"

"Yes, she is coming along with me. Her goal is also to become a great Huntress like her mother."

"Well, I am looking forward to your two joining." he said as he had begun to walk away. But he stopped to say one last thing.

"By the way, I believe your friend Mary Knight is also enrolling in Beacon."

"Cool…Wait, Mary?" He realized with slight anxiety.

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes:

(A/N 1): Yes, it is the same Maser Vibration sword from Code Geass.

(A/N 2): I made Azure Requiem to be like Lightning's gunblade from FFXIII in case I wasn't clear.