Holy crap, I'm alive!
Sooo, yeah, aside from real life being a bastarding bitch, I have no excuse for my long silence. Still, it's time, futhermuckers. My RWBY fic is getting started. And believe me, I've got PLANS for this thing, lads and lasses. BTW, my character's last name is pronounced Ar-gee-ross. Just so you know.
Well, without further ado, let The Vigil of Remnant...begin!
...
"The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you Lisa."
'Hah! If I have any info on that freakazoid's whereabouts, I'd take him down myself. Lucky for Torchwick that I'm off to Beacon for a while.'
These were the thoughts of a 17 year old young man on an airship to Beacon Academy, Seraph Argyros. He stood at about 6'2", with shoulder-length slightly spiky black hair, and emerald-green eyes. He wore a silver t-shirt tucked into black jeans with a combat belt that held special equipment, like Grimm-strength flashbangs and instant smoke grenades, with a weapon holster on the back of the belt, black combat boots, an open blood-red leather longcoat with black shoulder pauldrons, the inside of which held numerous spare magazines for his weapon, which currently resided in said holster.
He was finally ready to begin his official training at one of the most prestigious academies in Remnant. He'd trained on his own, with his parents and both sets of grandparents for years. He then took the entrance exam, and passed beautifully. Now he was well on his way to beginning his Huntsman Journey.
The news feed that had been speaking of yet another White Fang incident was cut off as a hologram of a woman replaced it.
"Hello, and welcome to Beacon!"
'Thank you, miss...?'
"My name is Glynda Goodwitch."
'There you go.'
"You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." The hologram vanished.
Seraph wouldn't lie, he was totally excited. So was everyone else, evidently, as he noticed them take in the view as they went by. He'd admit, it was nice, but he got to see views like that more often than one would think.
Eventually, the airship touched down on the landing platform. Students began disembarking, even as another guy went for the nearest trash can and vomited. He was a teenage boy, likely Seraph's age, give or take. He had messy blonde hair and dark blue eyes, wearing a black hoodie beneath a white chestplate and shoulder pauldrons, with a sword sheathed at his belt.
Seraph gave the poor bastard a look of sympathy. Motion sickness was a bitch and a half for those who got it.
He continued forward, but slowed to a stop at the sight before him. Beacon Academy. It was beautiful. It looked like Remnant's answer to Hogwarts. The most prominent part of the academy buildings was its large tower, surmounted by some form of signal light or something, likely the 'beacon' for which the place was named. The courtyard also had a large statue featuring two figures, one a male and the other a younger-looking female, standing on a rock outcropping, holding their weapons aloft. Beneath the outcropping was a Beowolf.
Seraph turned back towards the landing pads, beholding the vista beyond. Beacon sat an an impressive cliff's edge, overlooking the city of Vale from across the sound.
"Okay, I can't deny." he said to himself. "That's SOME view."
"What are you doing?!"
Seraph started, and turned back around, toward the source of the shout.
The source was a girl, with long white hair pulled back in an off-center ponytail and ice-blue eyes, her left eye bearing a crooked scar down it. She wore a white and light blue dress/combat skirt, with her weapon, a grey Multi-Action Dust Rapier at her waist. She was standing over a young girl with dark red hair and silver eyes, in a black and red dress/combat skirt and red hood. It seems the red haired girl had stumbled backward into a cart of luggage, scattering the cases. The white haired girl was certainly not amused.
Red got up on her hands.
"Uh, sorry!" She said.
"Sorry?! Do you have any idea of the damage you could have caused?" Said the angry girl.
'Well damn, what side of the bed did she wake up on? Probably UNDERNEATH. Ha.'
Red was holding a case she knocked over. She handed to the girl.
"Uuhhh..."
"Give me that!" She said as she snatched the luggage from Red, opening it to reveal its potentially dangerous contents. Various forms of dust.
"This is Dust. Mined and purified from the Schnee quarry!" Red looked rather nervous at the moment. "Uuummm..."
"What are you, brain-dead?" She said holding out a vial of red Dust and shutting the case.
"Dust! Fire, water, lightning, energy!" White yelled at the poor girl, shaking the vial.
"I... I know..." She said, starting to cough from the Dust pouring into her face.
"Are you even listening to me? Is any of this sinking in? What have you got to say for yourself?!"
With the amount of dust getting in her face, the inevitable happened. She sneezed, which ignited the dust into an explosion of flame, snowflakes, and electricity right onto the angry girl, the dust vial she had been holding flying across the courtyard.
The smoke cleared, revealing the girl now covered in soot, which quickly disappeared. "Unbelievable!" she yelled. "This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!"
'Aaaand, I've had just about enough of THIS bullshit.'
Red, looking apologetic and embarrassed said "I'm really, really sorry!"
"Ugh, you complete dolt! What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon?"
"Well, she certainly looks it." Seraph interrupted, striding up to the girls, who both turned to him
"You know what's funny, Snow Angel?" Seraph began. "You seem to be going on about the volatility of Dust, and yet you seem to be carrying it around in unmarked cases. I'm pretty sure that's a safety violation, right?"
White said nothing, but blinked.
"And for your information, Miss Red here only sneezed an explosion because YOU wouldn't stop shaking that Dust vial in her face. Which is another safety violation, come to think of it. Perhaps you should take more time to properly care for your things, and LESS time scolding a nervous girl on their first day at a new location, no?"
Red seemed to appreciate Seraph standing up for her, as she was silently giggling at his damning words. White, on the other hand, seemed to be trying to glare him to death. In a millisecond, she had pulled her MADR from her hip, and almost shoved it up Seraph's nose. He blinked. Twice.
"You dare suggest that this is my fault?!" she berated. "You think you can just waltz on up and speak to me like that?! I should cut you down where you stand!"
CLICK.
White looked down, seeing Seraph holding his weapon up, aimed at her middle. Its appearance resembled a black Auto 9 with a short katana-like blade running beneath the barrel and slightly out from it. It had a longer grip to hold its large magazines, and a dial on the side near the back. White was mildly surprised, as she hadn't even noticed him draw it.
"Go ahead, princess." Seraph grinned cockily. "Make my day."
But at those words, a soft *ahem* drew the attention of all three. The interrupter this time being a girl with long wavy black-hair, a black bow tied in it. She had amber eyes, and wore a black waistcoat and a white undershirt, and white shorts with black-purple stockings. She also held the runaway Dust vial.
"It's heiress, actually." she stated.
"Eh?" Seraph vocalized his confusion.
"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. One of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."
Weiss was now smiling smugly.
"Finally! Some recognition!"
"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners." Continued the girl.
And just like that, she was angry again as Red chuckled and Seraph simply smirked and said, "Ouch."
"Wha- How dare you- The nerve of... Ugh!"
She got up in the new girl's face, taking the bottle from her and walking off in a huff, her helpers gathering the luggage.
"I promise I'll make this up to you!" Red called to the retreating heiress.
"I guess rough first days are going around..." Seraph commented. "So, what's your..."He then noticed that the other girl had walked off as well. "Never mind."
Red then collapsed to the ground on her back.
"Welcome to Beacon..." she sighed. Seraph then joined her on the ground.
"...enjoy your stay." he said. Red at least smiled a little at that.
They both remained this way until a shadow shortly came over to the two.
"Hey... I'm Jaune." Said the figure. Red took one hand as Seraph took the other.
"Ruby." She said standing up.
"Seraph."
Ruby snickered a bit. "Aren't you the guy that threw up on the ship?"
"All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on!" explained Jaune as the trio walked along a pathway.
"Look, I'm sorry! Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to mind." Said Ruby.
"Oh, yeah? What if I called you Crater Face?"
"I don't think there even WAS a crater." Seraph pointed out
"Yeah, and that explosion was an accident!" Ruby added.
"Well, the name's Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue - ladies love it!"
"Do they?" Ruby and Seraph both asked skeptically.
"They will! Well, I-I hope they will. My mom always says that... Never mind."
Seraph chuckled a bit and Ruby giggled, followed by a short, awkward silence.
"So... I got this thing!" Ruby pulled out her weapon, extending it into scythe mode, and stabbed it into the ground.
"Whoa!" Jaune yelped, jumping back a bit. "I-Is that a scythe?"
"It's also a customizable high-impact sniper rifle!" Said Ruby.
"A-wha...?".
Ruby cocked it, smiling.
"It's also a gun, dude." Seraph said with his own smile. 'Like every other weapon nowadays. I swear, one day, someone's gonna make a bow that's also a gun.'
"Oh. That's cool!" Jaune said.
"So what've you got Jaune?" Seraph asked.
"Oh! I, uh..." He unsheathed his blade. "I got this sword!"
"Ooooohh!" Ruby and Seraph said.
"Yeah, and I've got a shield, too!" he got his scabbard, raised his arm and it unfolded into a heater shield.
"So, what do they do?" Ruby asked, poking the shield. Jaune fumbled with the shield as it retracted off his arm, expanded, and retracted again before Seraph caught it, retracted it, and handed it to Jaune, who placed it back on his belt.
"The shield gets smaller, so when I get tired of carrying it, I can just... put it away..."
"Wouldn't it weigh the same?" Ruby wondered.
"Yeah, it does..." Jaune responded dejectedly.
"Yeah, but this way it doesn't take up a lot of space, AND doubles as a handy scabbard for your sword, so you don't have to carry that all the time either." Seraph explained, pointing out more good points for his weapon.
"I guess so." Jaune nodded. "What about you, Seraph?"
Seraph grinned, reaching behind himself, and quickly drawing his gun, holding it up in the air.
"This is Kitsuki, my High Caliber Variable Ammunition Gunblade." Seraph began. "She uses ammunition specially made with a chemically-altered Dust that allows it to take different effects depending on the setting. Concussive, Incendiary, Armor-Piercing, Explosive, you name it. Then when I want to do more close-range fighting..." He morphed Kitsuki into its melee-oriented form, which took the shape of a katana. "She's one hell of a weapon, to be sure."
"Yeah, that's actually really cool." Jaune said.
"Cool? It's totally awesome!" Ruby gushed.
"Heh, thanks. Y'know, I don't think you guys mentioned your weapons' names."
"Oh, well, mine's named Crocea Mors." Jaune responded.
"And this is my Crescent Rose!" Ruby added, hugging her scythe. "I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons, so I guess I did go a little overboard when designing it."
"Wait - you made that?!" Jaune asked.
"Of course! All students at Signal forge their own weapons! Didn't you guys make yours?".
"I did." Seraph said, putting Kitsuki back into gun mode and stowing it. "Though, admittedly, my family helped me out with it."
"Mine's a hand-me-down. My great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the war."
"A family heirloom, huh? I think that gives it character, I like it." Seraph said
"Me too!" Ruby agreed. "Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days." She refolded and holstered her weapon.
Jaune sheathed his sword. "Yeah, the classics..."
They continued to walk further down the path.
"So what brought you to us Jaune?" Ruby asked.
"Eh, why not? My mom always says, strangers are just friends you haven't met yet'."
"Y'know what, I think that's a policy I can get behind." Seraph remarked.
Ruby looked around, "Hey guys, where are we going?"
"Oh, I don't know! I was following you." said Jaune.
"Same here, I was just following you guys." Seraph admitted.
"Y-You think there might be a directory? Maybe a food court? Some kind of recognizable landmark? Is, uh... Is that a 'no'?"
"Heh. That's a 'no'."
The three friends eventually arrived at the audience chamber through the main entrance of the Academy. It was the grand assembly area where meetings of the student body would be held for various purposes. If this place was Remnant Hogwarts, then this was certainly the Great Hall.
"Ruby! Over here! I saved you a spot!" A girl with long curly blonde hair with purple eyes dressed in browns and yellows beckoned to Ruby.
"Hey, guys, I gotta go! I'll see you two after the ceremony!" Ruby said, about to leave.
"Hold up, I'm coming with you." Seraph said. "I'm gonna apply Jaune's mom's methodology here; meet the strangers that are actually friends." Ruby nodded, and the two left Jaune.
"Hey wait!" Jaune sighed. "Great. Where am I supposed to find another nice, quirky girl to talk to?"
As he walked away, he didn't seem to notice the armored redhead who watched him with mild interest.
Ruby and Seraph soon reached the blonde. "Hey, Ruby, who's your friend?" she asked.
"Oh, this is Seraph! He helped me out of a bind earlier."
"Nice to meet you. Seraph Argyros." Seraph said, holding out his hand.
"Yang Xiao Long, Ruby's big sister." Yang responded, shaking the offered hand. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise."
She then turned back to Ruby. "So, how's you're first day going, little sister?"
"You mean when you ditched me and I exploded?" Ruby said in a huff.
"Yikes. Meltdown already?"
"Not from her, anyways." Seraph muttered to himself.
"No, I literally exploded a hole in front of the school! And there was some fire… And, I think some ice…?"
Yang leaned towards Ruby, a broad smile on her face.
"Are you being sarcastic?" Yang seemed to be playing dumb, like she knew that Ruby was hiding something. Ruby scoffed.
"I wish! I tripped over some crabby girl's luggage, then she yelled at me. And then I sneezed, then I exploded, and I felt really bad, but Seraph helped me out, giving the crabby girl some lecture about Dust safety, and I just wanted her to stop yelling-"
"You!" Yelled Weiss, who had approached from the side.
Ruby leapt into Seraph's arms out of fear and said rapidly, "Oh god, it's happening again!"
"You're lucky we didn't get blown off the side of the cliff!"
"Oh my god, you really exploded." Yang said in surprise.
Ruby got out of Seraph's arms and stood on the ground again.
"It was an accident!" she pleaded.
Weiss instead took out a pamphlet out of her sleeve and put it in front of Ruby's face.
'"Dust for Dummies and Other Inadequate Individuals". Seriously?' thought Seraph
"The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any injuries or damages sustained while operating a Schnee Dust Company product. AlthoughnotmandatorytheSchneeFamilyhighlyencouragescustomerstoreadandfamiliarizethemselveswiththiseasytofollowguidetoDustapplicationsandpracticesinthefield."
Ruby blinked twice, clearly not understanding her somehow rapid words. Seraph got the notion to snatch the pamphlet out of her hands, rip it up, then start to eat it, just to make a point. He quickly dismissed the notion as a minor bout of madness.
"You really want to start making things up to me?"
"Absolutely." Ruby assured.
Weiss then handed the pamphlet to Ruby.
"Then read this and don't ever speak to me again."
"Look, for the umpteenth time, it was an accident!" Seraph countered. "One that, need I remind you, was caused by YOU, princess."
Weiss turned to Seraph, trying to glare a hole in him yet again. Seraph stood his ground, returning the gaze.
"Look, maybe you guys just got off on the wrong foot." Yang said, attempting to play mediator. "Why don't you start over?"
"Great idea, sis! I'll go first." Ruby offered her hand to Weiss.
"Hello, Weiss. I'm Ruby. Wanna hang out? We could go shopping for school supplies?"
Weiss immediately changed her look of fury, to one of girlish excitement.
"Yeah! And we can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys, like tall, blonde and… scraggly over there!" She offered, pointing her thumb towards Jaune, who perked up at his mention. She then switched her thumb to Seraph. "Ooh! Or maybe tall, dark and..." She paused, seeming to reappraise Seraph. "...reasonably handsome right here!"
Seraph raised an eyebrow. 'Reasonably handsome? Well, it's better than nothing.'
"Wow, really?!" Ruby's face seemed to light up as the sarcasm went over her head. Weiss, however, now had a grim look on her face, still pointing at Seraph.
"NO."
Seraph was going to retort again, but the four were distracted by a microphone being tapped over a speaker. Professor Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon, had taken the stage, and he looked as enigmatic as ever. Adjusting his glasses, he began to speak to everyone.
"I'll... keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge - to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction."
Everyone began whispering amidst themselves, perplexed by the Headmaster's words. They had expected a warm welcome, maybe even some kind of "Congratulations", instead they got...whatever this was.
"You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."
And with that, Ozpin stepped off of the stage. The woman behind him, Glynda Goodwitch, took the microphone.
"You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." Goodwitch told us. Then she disappeared after Ozpin, taking the microphone with her. As other students began to talk about what had been said, others began to leave to explore the area.
"And the Emmy for 'Motivational Speech of the Year' goes to..." Seraph deadpanned. This got a giggle out of Ruby and Yang, even Weiss smiled slightly despite herself..
"He seemed a little… off." Yang commented. Ruby nodded in agreement.
"It's almost like he wasn't even there." She added. Suddenly, Jaune had sidled in next to Seraph and Weiss.
"I'm a natural blonde, you know."
Weiss and Seraph simultaneously facepalmed at Jaune's attempt at 'charming' Weiss.
It was night time. Everyone was gathered in the ballroom either sleeping or making preparations to sleep. Ruby was tasking away at something in her book. For nighttime, she wore a black top, pink pajamas with pink roses and a sleeping mask with sharp red eyes on the front.
"It's like a big slumber party!" Yang exclaimed as she fell on her sleeping bag next to Ruby. She wore a yellow top with her symbol on it with plain green pajamas.
"I don't think dad would approve of all the boys though." Ruby said, still writing.
"I know I do! Raawwwrrr!" She said.
Yang then stared off into the crowds of boys that were either head locking each other or flexing shirtless. Likely to impress the girls who hadn't gone to sleep yet. It seemed to be working. Somewhat. Then Jaune walked by in his full blue onesie pajama with bunny slippers. Jaune stopped as he saw Yang. She only shivered as she turned her gaze from him.
"What's that?" She asked Ruby.
"A letter back to the gang at Signal. I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going."
"Awwww! That's so cute!" Yang said jokingly.
"Shut up!" Ruby said, tossing a pillow at Yang's face, which she caught...with her face.
"It sucks not being able to have my old friends here with me and its weird not knowing anyone here."
"What about Jaune? He's...nice. And Seraph! He's an even nicer guy and better friend! He's pretty hot, too!" She glanced over to where the aforementioned Seraph had lain his sleeping bag, close by. He was shirtless, and in a comfortable pair of silver pajama pants. He was currently stretching out, which ended up showing his not-overly-but-still-well-defined muscles. She noted that a few girls who hadn't gone to sleep yet were staring at him too. "See! There you go! That's a two hundred percent increase!"
"Pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend."
"There's no such thing as negative friends! You just made two friends and one enemy."
Ruby threw another pillow at Yang, which her face also caught.
She finished writing and sat on her sleeping bag, head on her pillow, arms behind her head.
"Look, it's been only one day. Trust me, you've got friends all around you. You just haven't meet all of them yet."
Ruby then got up and looked. She saw the girl with black hair from earlier. She wore some sort of black robe pajamas, and was reading a book with a unique blue color scheme.
"That girl..."
"You know her?"
"Not really. She saw what happened this morning but left before I could say anything."
"Well, now's your chance!"
Yang grabbed Ruby's arm and was pulling her towards the girl with long black hair and bow.
Meanwhile, Seraph had finished stretching, and laid down on his bag. He wondered what tomorrow's initiation test would bring. His parents wouldn't tell him squat when he asked, not even a hint. Whatever it was, he knew he'd just have to deal with it.
"Hello!" he heard Yang say over yonder. He looked and saw she and Ruby had approached a black-haired girl, the same girl from this morning who walked off. The sisters were attempting to introduce themselves and make small talk.
It became evident they were failing. Miserably.
'Okay, time to intervene.' thought Seraph. 'First thing to do is find some common ground. Some common-'
He stopped when he noticed the blue book she was holding. And the title...
'Well, hellooo, common ground.' he thought happily, as he got up.
"I like your bow!" Yang remarked
"Thanks." Blake said
"It goes great with your...pajamas!"
"Right."
Ruby and Yang nervously laughed.
"Excuse me." Seraph said as he approached, catching the three girls' attention. "I couldn't help but overhear your...conversation, then noticed the book you've got. That wouldn't happen to be 'Doctor Who: The War of 96', would it? The novel where The 10th Doctor helps Earth fight back against the ancient Harvesters?"
"Yes, yes it is." Blake said, slightly surprised.
"It's one of my favorites." Seraph said, sitting down. "What part are you at, by the way?"
"I just finished the part where the President's wife passed away from her injuries, which were left too long for The Doctor to help her. He told his daughter that her mother was sleeping. Then as The Doctor looks on, he mutters-"
"No more." Seraph finished, grinning. "That part gave me chills." Blake smiled back.
"I love books." Ruby stepped in. "Yang used to read me every night before bed. Stories of heroes, monsters...they're one of the reasons I want to be a Huntress."
"Why is that?" Blake asked. "Hoping you'll live happily ever after?"
"I hope we all do. As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books. As someone who fought for what was right and who protected people who couldn't protect themselves."
"That's very ambitious for a child. Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale."
"Well, that's why we're here. To make it better."
"Damn right." Seraph affirmed
"Oh I am so proud of my baby sister!" Yang said as she hugged Ruby with her infamous bear hug.
"Cut it out!"
There was a small struggle between the two for a short amount of time.
"I apologize for the interruption. For all of us." Seraph said apologetically. "Seraph Argyros" He offered his hand.
"Blake Belladonna." She said, shaking it.
"Nice to see a fellow Whovian, and book fanatic, here at Beacon."
"What in the world is going on here?!" Shouted an angry Weiss as she approached the group. She wore a light blue sleeping gown. "Don't you people know some of us are trying to sleep?!"
"Oh, not you again!" Weiss and Yang spat in stereo.
"Sh! Guys! She's right! People are trying to sleep." Ruby warned
"Oh, now you're on my side?" Weiss asked crossly
"I was always on your side!"
"Yeah! What's your problem with my sister?"
Blake closed her book as she grabbed the candle she was using to read.
"She's only trying to be nice!" Said Yang.
"She's a hazard to my health!"
"SILENCE!" Seraph yelled. All three girls stopped their bickering, and thankfully, he hadn't interrupted anyone's sleep. Yet. "Look, arguing right now is pointless, let's all just get to bed. We've got a long day ahead. Can we all agree on THAT MUCH?"
The three girls nodded, and Weiss walked back to her own sleeping bag.
"Well, goodnight, guys." Ruby said.
There was a variation of 'goodnight' from Yang, Seraph and Blake, as Blake blew out her reading candle, and the other three retired to their respective sleeping bags.
As Seraph laid down, however, he was unsure if his night was going to be 'good' or not. It was always a lottery with...'him'.
Seraph looked around. He appeared to be in the courtyard of Beacon Academy, except it was heavily shrouded in creeping shadowy darkness.
'I knew it. Here we go again.' he thought. 'At least it's a change from the usual shrouded Vale Plaza.'
'Fufufufu." he heard echoing behind him. Seraph sighed. Here he comes.
"Back again, asshole?" he said, turning around. "Been a while since last time."
A figure took shape in the dark shroud. A tall man in a black coat, his face mostly covered by the shroud, only his lower face, with a smug evil smirk, was visible.
"Hello to you too, Seraph." the figure said in a smooth voice. "Enjoying your life, I take it?" Seraph rolled his eyes.
"I'm gonna go ahead and stop you there." he said. "We go through this every time. Your evil threats and such have been repeated ad nauseum for so long, that it's honestly just annoying at this point." Seraph smiled mockingly. "Some evil-alter-ego you turned out to be."
"Indeed. I suppose like every great artist, I need new material. But something has happened recently, something that will go a long way in helping me."
"Eh?"
The figure smirked wider at him. "You've met such...interesting people today, Seraph. Very interesting indeed."
Seraph's eyes widened, then grew hard. "Don't even think about it." he warned harshly. The figure strode forward, the shroud following him.
"You know, everyone always says that to others, and it's pointless either because it's too late and they already thought about it, or they think about it immediately after. Me, well, I'm FAR past thinking about it." He began to pace around Seraph in a circle.
"All of these new faces...the adorable red-hooded Ruby...her precious big sister Yang...the nice Whovian girl Blake...the hapless blonde Jaune...even that crabby Schnee Heiress. You all care for them to some degree, if only a little..."
As the figure listed each name, a scream of agony from the person in question loudly echoed in the shrouded courtyard. Each one grating on Seraph's very soul.
"Shut up." Seraph muttered.
"Because of how you care...It'll make it all the more satisfying when I tear them from you. Preferably limb by limb."
"Just shut UP."
"You ALWAYS ask me to shut up, and do I ever listen? No." He stopped behind Seraph, leaning in towards him. "One of these days, I'll be free again. And I'll take away all that you cherish. So...let me ask you...who should I kill first?" You could hear the evil grin in his voice.
"I SAID SHUT UP!" Seraph screamed, turning to batter the figure with his arm. Only to hit nothing, as he was no longer behind him. "You are NEVER getting out again! I'll endure nightmares for the rest of my life, as long as it keeps you here in my head, where you belong, away from everyone!"
"Fufufufufufu." the figure chuckled, his voice echoing everywhere. "Oh, Seraph, you poor bastard. You really believe your foolish naivety will last forever, don't you? Just you wait. One day, you'll see. One day, your heart will become as dark and as black as MINE!" Seraph turned just in time to watch the figure plunge his hand into Seraph's chest, right into his heart.
Seraph sat bolt upright, clutching at his heart and breathing heavily. Looking around, he saw he was still in the ballroom, and everyone was still lying down, clearly asleep.
"God DAMMIT." Seraph swore. Since he was totally awake now, he decided some fresh air would do him some good.
He stepped out of his sleeping bag and stood up, silently making his way to the door, taking care not to step on any sleeping students. As he reached the door, he opened and passed through it, finding himself on a balcony of some sort overlooking Vale. He shut the door, strode to the railing, and took a breath of fresh, cool air.
The Other Guy. He'd been plaguing Seraph's mind for years now. He was some sort of twisted, psychotic evil personality living in Seraph's head, always saying how he'd take over and do horrifying things to everyone he cared about, and beyond.
"That little bitch is gonna make me snap, I swear to God." he growled.
"Is Weiss really that bad?"
Seraph jumped, then turned around. He saw someone standing in shadow. The person stepped out into the moonlight to reveal...Jaune in his bunny slippers onesie.
"Jaune!" Seraph exclaimed. "Please don't do that."
"Sorry." he apologized, joining Seraph on the railing. "But seriously, Weiss isn't THAT bad, right?"
Seraph took a minute, then remembered what he'd said a moment ago. "Oh, no. Not Weiss. I just...had a really bad nightmare is all. I don't really want to talk about it, thanks."
"Alright."
Seraph searched for a change in topic, and came up with a decent one.
"Hey, Jaune." he started. "What's your family like? Like your parents and all?"
Jaune looked up at him, then breathed deeply.
"My dad was a Huntsman a long time ago. He's been retired since he lost his leg, but he can still handle himself pretty well. Mom, well...eh, she's a little overbearing. She'd flip out over almost any minor injury I'd get. She wouldn't even let me pick up a weapon until I was fifteen."
"Hah, yeah. Mothers. I get that." Seraph said. "Any siblings to speak of?"
"Ehehe, yeah." he chuckled nervously. "Sisters...seven of them."
Seraph's eyes widened. "YIKES. That had to be a hassle growing up."
Jaune sighed. "You have NO idea." He turned back to Seraph. "What about you, man?"
Seraph smiled a bit. "I'm a Third Generation Huntsman. My parents were Huntsman and Huntress, and both of their parents were as well. Mom and Dad sometimes go out on solo or duo missions, but my grandparents are retired, of course. They all opened up a specialty Dust weaponry shop together. You may have heard of it, Gotei Arms? It's where I get my ammo for Kitsuki and my specialty gear."
"Oh yeah, I think I have." Jaune nodded. "You have any siblings?"
Seraph's smile faltered a bit. "Yeah. I've got my twin sister, Lily. She's really awesome. She used to want to be a Huntress as bad as Ruby did, but..."
"But what?"
Seraph's smile faded completely as he hesitated. "We had an older brother, Rayleigh. We lost him some time ago."
"Oh. Is it alright to ask what happened, or should I...?"
"Nah, it's fine. Rayleigh was, like, the coolest big brother ever. He was the inspiration for Lily and I to follow in his footsteps, to become heroes like him. But years ago, an incident went down in Vale. The panic and fear naturally drew in the Grimm. There was a really bad one, that threatened to cause a lot of damage. Rayleigh pushed it out of Vale, and drew it further away on his own. By the time anyone could go looking for him, they couldn't find a trace of him anywhere. It's like he up and vanished. He was declared MIA, presumed dead."
"Geez. I-I'm really sorry."
"Thanks. He was posthumously celebrated for his sacrifice. Lily was traumatized by what happened, and stopped wanting to be a Huntress. She still trains with the family, mostly to make sure she can defend herself, and in case she changes her mind. She has been coming around to the idea lately, but there's no guarantee."
"But where her resolve was broken...mine was hardened. I had to become a Huntsman, I wasn't going to let fear compromise my dream. I had to keep moving forward...for him." Seraph's eyes now held a look of grim determination.
Jaune nodded. "Yeah."
As a slightly awkward silence fell, they heard the door open. they turned to see a pair of golden eyes glinting in the darkness. They moved forward, revealing Blake stepping out from the shadows.
"Seraph? Jaune?" She asked. They nodded, wordlessly asking what was up. She motioned back to the door.
"Ruby's having problems. Yang needs you two to help her calm down." She said quickly. The boys shared a look, then, nodding simultaneously, dashed back through the door, seeing Yang attempting to restrain a thrashing Ruby. They rushed over, trying not to wake anyone else. Yang turned to the boys, her face a mask of worry.
"What's wrong?" Jaune asked.
"Ruby has night terrors sometimes. Normally, they're not bad, but I can't keep her under control this time." She whispered, a fearful undertone in her voice.
Seraph immediately clutched Ruby's wrist, trying to stop her from hurting someone. Her spasms were stronger than expected, and his grip failed. Jaune moved forward to help, and got a foot to the nose for his trouble.
Seraph managed to grip Ruby's hand again, pinning it to the ground. She unconsciously resisted, but he wasn't about to let his friend continue to suffer. Yang leapt onto her, shaking Ruby by the shoulders, while she sobbed something almost unintelligible.
"Mom…please...don't…leave…help…"
Seraph froze up. This was not the first time he'd dealt with someone having night terrors, just the first with someone stronger than normal. At those words, for a moment, Ruby vanished, and in her place was Lily Argyros.
"Ruby! Ruby, wake up! Please!" Yang begged quietly, tears ready to fall. Ruby just moaned, and threw her off like she weighed nothing.
Seraph snapped out of it, remembering what he had to do. He grabbed Ruby, and held her tightly in a sitting hug. She struggled, but he was just strong enough to stop her. Then...he began to sing softly.
"Let it all out, let it all out
You don't have to think your heart is made of steel
Come away now, from your own doubt
Like a flower of hope that's growing in a field, you will heal"
It seemed to be working, as Ruby's struggles were begining to lessen.
"Although the road has changed you
And the world has often failed you
You've gotta carry on and show them you're strong, You've gotta bury what is past and gone
Some days will be worse than others
But you've gotta find another way-ay-ay
Through pain and fear, or rain and tears,
We will hold on to the light
We'll chase the dawn that waits for us beyond the darkest sky. Keep following that distant star
Never walk away from who you are
Never forget that your future's waiting up ahead"
By now, her thrashing had weakened to where she was just twitching. Seraph, happy that he'd managed to calm Ruby down, finished his song.
"As seasons change and rearrange
And the sands of time descend
As all your hope starts vanishing you'll always have a friend. In brightest day or darkest night
Even if we have to say goodbye
You'll be alright
I will always and forever be by your side"
As he finished, Seraph looked down to Ruby, her face buried in his chest. Slowly, her head rolled back, and silver eyes blearily opened, locking with Seraph's green.
"Yang? Is that you?" She asked sleepily, tears still streaming down her face. Seraph smiled and shook his head.
"Guess again, Red Reaper. It's Seraph. Relax, you were having a night terror." he soothed, stroking her hair. He gently lowered her back onto her bed roll. Yang knelt beside her, stroking her forehead.
"You're okay, Ruby. Just don't think about it. Go back to sleep." Yang smiled, cheeks glistening with tears. Ruby nodded.
"Seraph...was that you singing?" she asked.
"Yep."
"It was nice." she smiled, and shut her eyes, returning to sleep. Yang looked at Seraph, smiling gratefully.
"Seraph, thank you so much. She doesn't usually get that bad. I have to ask, though, how'd you know that'd work?"
"My sister, Lily. She had night terrors for a long time due to...certain events. Mom would sing that to her when she could, and I did when she couldn't. Figured it would work here too."
Yang nodded happily, then turned and went back to sleep herself. Seraph turned to the other person still awake.
"Jaune, you alright?" he asked. "It looked like she got you good."
"...ow." came the eloquent response.
From what he could tell, there wasn't any lasting damage done to his nose that wouldn't be gone by morning.
"You'll be alright after some rest. G'night, Jaune." Seraph assured, returning to his own spot.
"Yep. Night."
Seraph got resettled into his sleeping bag, content with how the situation was resolved. He drifted off to sleep, nightmares no longer giving him trouble.
However, in another spot in the room, an awake Weiss had seen the entire thing, and was contemplating to herself.
'Maybe he's not such a bad guy after all.' she concluded. She then turned over, and went back to sleep.
...
The song Seraph sang to Ruby was 'Let it Out' by Fukuhara Miho (English Translated by Mikutan) look it up on Youtube.
There's a secret to why I named Seraph's HCVA Gunblade Kitsuki. If you find it out, tell me. Also, If you need another reference to Kitsuki's appearance, check Mark Zhang's 'Charcoal Trailer'. The character's weapon, Magnum Opus, is close to what I'm going for.
Also, shoutout to Andy2396, for helping me get the ball rolling on this story. Stay awesome, you beautiful SOB. And remember, everyone...
You just lost The Game.
LLaP