The A/N is after the story. This is an OC-centric fic, so you have been warned.
*To those that have read this already, this is an edited chapter. So skip the A/N and proceed with the story.
Disclaimer: I do no own RWBY. OR any other series that Roosterteetch or any other company owns. And probably never.
But I do own the OCs in the story.
Chapter 1
A young man adorned in a grey coat and black fitted pants leans on the railings at the bow of a passenger ferry, staring off into the distance without a care in the world. The sun was at least halfway to its peak. The occasional blows of the horn could be heard from the bow of the ship—as if that it would bother him. His ears were covered with the muffs of his headphones, music blaring.
His eyes were closed as he followed through with the rhythm of the music. Black hair dancing with the gentle breeze that wafted through the deck. Despite being almost midday and post-summer, it wasn't hot or warm than it should be.
The smell of the cool ocean permeated through his nose and he loved the smell of it. The ocean reminded him of his sister—always energetic and moving from place to place. But most of all, the gentle smile she always keeps on her face, much like how the ocean was as gentle as it comes.
He stands there idly staring at seagulls, flying over the boat, and the horizon—all the while, listening to his tunes. That was until someone bumped him on the shoulders—or rather punched him, if only lightly, on his shoulders.
"Hey . . . what are you spacing out for?" It was a young woman, already at the age of 18 with her hair staying at the ever vibrant shade of orange.
Other people passed by and look at her with curious gazes. The young man couldn't blame them though; Leona was, after all, a stunning girl. Under those pauldrons, chest plate, vambracers and gauntlets, an auburn dress shirt tucked into a white and orange checkered skirt. White knee socks reached up to her thighs. Steel plated boots clattered on the iron works of the ship, compared to his leathered- combat boots.
"It's nothing, really. I was just wondering why Ozpin sent us out into a mission just before the start of the semester. Though, I doubt it has anything to do with the auditorium last semester, right?" He asked, as he turned to the orange knight. "Do you think he's doing this just to spite us?"
The girl young her head, "No, I don't think so." She yawned a little before recovering quickly. "If he was, Ozpin would've sent us on a more difficult mission. The last one was a breeze . . ." She yawned again but tried to disguise it as a breath. Leona was definitely tired from the looks of it.
"You look tired . . ." He tried.
"I'm not—I'm fine—!" She tried to stifle it again but despite her efforts, it gone through.
"No, you're not. I knew you shouldn't have taken that extra night watch." He said.
"I told you, it's fine. You don't need to do anything about it."
"You're probably even too weak to even fight off against me or our teammates for that matter." Leona was about to argue but he raised his hand to stop her, "How 'bout this? You take your rest back in our room while I'll give the report to Ozpin. Sounds good?" Leona thought about it for a second before nodding along with his ploy.
"Fine, I'll do it—but only because you asked me to, Gray . . ."
"Sweet! I wouldn't be much of a partner if I let you implode now, would I?" He smirked at her to which she returned it.
"And I wouldn't be much of a leader if I took all of our tasks for myself. Besides, it's high time that we finally get show off to our unsuspecting and upcoming juniors for this year." She said while stretching her arms skywards.
Gray huffed and continued to lean against the metal railings. "Yeah, but we can probably try to tone it down a bit. Wouldn't want the freshmen to be terrified of us? They're just starting Beacon after all."
Beacon, ah, how much memories had he gained over the past year? It was starting to feel like Beacon was becoming his home. Ever since, he and his sister were travelling from camp to camp in the Badlands.
How was Ein nowadays?
"Terrified? Of us? More like, be terrified of you! Who wouldn't be afraid of the fastest guy in class?" She said, planting her fists at her hips.
"Uh . . . Goodwitch?" He said, "But I wouldn't call myself the fastest kid in school. Besides, I doubt there'd be anyone that would want to challenge me so soon . . ."
Instead of understanding the fact that he merely wanted a peaceful year, Leona's smug look appeared. "I wouldn't be so sure about that, partner." She said while poking his chest with her finger. "I heard that this batch is an interesting one, if what I had heard from Ozpin was any indication."
"Well, it was Ozpin that said that, we won't know for sure that it'll be as interesting as he says. This is Ozpin we're talking about." He deadpanned.
Leona chuckled nervously, realizing her mistake, "Hehe, Y-you got a point there . . . but still—!"
"Plus, I'd probably be overshadowed by you and our teammates. Just like how Iris would say," He coughed into his hand and tried to imitate a girly voice, "A princess knight of unparalled skills from a distant land, a fox Faunus with more than enough intellect to overthrow a kingdom and an ex-assassin of many talents."
"Well, Iris was exaggerating about that one. And there's you—the swordsman of unknown origin with skills that grows beyond the comprehension of a professional huntsman. Surely, you're not forgetting about yourself." A cheeky grin was plastered on her face. Though, he couldn't help but adopt one of his own.
"You're getting ahead of yourself again."
"Hmph, I'm your partner, it's a given."
The horns of the ferry shot again. When they looked ahead the Vale docks were already in sight. "Better get to the others, we're almost there." He said, making Leona nod. The both of them headed to their lodgings in the ferry down in the middle section of the ship. It was at least worth two days of travelling by boat from Vale to another settlement located at an island far off into the sea and another two days, vice versa.
They arrived shortly to the entrance of their cabin, "You think they're okay?" He asked.
"They'll be fine!" She said, assuring him. But he didn't feel assured at all.
"Last time we took a boat, Iris nearly emptied her stomach on our luggage." Gray muttered to himself as he shook his head and opened the door. When they got in, they were shocked. "What the hell . . . happened?" He managed to let out.
"Uh . . ." A blue-cropped-haired girl was bowled over a trash bin. She wore a short blue and black hoodie that extended up to her waist and a dark-blue short tube that exposed her abdomen. The black pants that she wore were too short even by perverted standards. Lastly, riding boots and knee socks with her right—black and left—blue. What stood out from her, however, was the blue fox tail that she had, swaying left to right.
She was the more positive and outgoing girl in the team.
"Um, Iris is having a hard time. It would be best if we leave her be for now . . ." Another girl was seated on a bed near the girl over the trash bin. "I moved the luggage over there to provide some space for Iris, and in case, she decides to flood the luggage in vomit." She spoke again in a neutral tone.
"Thanks, you're a lifesaver, Maive." The girl with long straight purple hair nodded and turned her attention back to the book at her hands. She has a violet sleeveless turtleneck sweater with a black skirt. Leathered knee-high boots were adorned with silver trinkets.
Maive was the aloof and cool girl in the whole year.
Leona moved closer to Iris but not too close, in fear that vomit will get to her shoes. "We need to prepare for departure. The docks are near and Ozpin will want that report as soon as we land." He said to the group.
"Y-yeah . . ." Iris said, "There's at least 30 minutes left before docking. We should—!" She vomited again into the bin. Apparently, his teammate has sea sickness, to their dismay. The only reason why they used the ferry was because all bullheads that Beacon uses were under maintenance for at least a week. That meant using the ferry to and fro.
Maive put down her book on her bed and turned to him, "I'll prepare our bags and Iris', while you and Leona take care of transportation. The Beacon bullheads should be operating by now."
Gray nodded, "I think I'll do it alone. Leona needs a rest after everything that had happened." Maive looked at her leader and probably noticed the bags under her eyes. She turned back to him and nodded.
"I understand. I will keep watch over them."
"That would be for the best. I'll be back before the ferry docks but you can find me at the deck if there're any problems." Maive nodded again while Leona and Iris were oblivious to their agreement. He quietly opened the door to their room and went out.
On the deck, he pulled out his scroll and sent a quick message to the Beacon staff for transportation to be directed to the Vale docks. After he was done, he stayed there, leaning on the railings once again.
For some reason, he wanted to be alone for a while. Being the only male member of the team was really getting to him—too much oestrogen in one place. But the guys back in Beacon were merely sending him jealous looks from his predicament.
'Too bad though. They'll understand soon enough just how terrifying these girls were.' He thought, 'On that note, a little me time wouldn't hurt.' His mind wandered again, idly thinking of different things at the same time. Multitasking as he would like to phrase. But a specific thought flashed by.
'So, we're finally second years and with a new batch of huntsmen and huntresses-in-training, I'm starting to think that the new school year would be anything but dull. Dull is good. Dull means there's nothing to worry about, except some homework and combat class, but it also means no one dying.'
The captain of the ship began to give orders at the men on the deck. The passengers were ready to disembark with a few staying behind as they try to pack their things. He just hoped that his teammates were prepared as well, knowing them . . . they probably are.
After briskly walking past other passengers, he made to walk back to their cabin when he saw his team walk out with their bags in tow. He'll have to apologize for not being there sooner.
Leona was carrying one of his teammates, with an arm slung over Leona's shoulder. The other one hang back like she expected to be vomited on by the girl that was being carried. Iris had a pale expression on her face and a hand covering her mouth if ever vomit was threatening to rise up to her throat.
Her short hair stuck to her face like glue. Her sweaty gloved hands held onto Leona's shoulders with a vice grip. Every unexpected movement from Leona did that.
Gray ignored the fact that Leona was giving him a pleading look and how her face seemed to wince every time the girl beside her would strengthen her grip. What does she think he'll do? He does not want to go in that area. He'd rather fight Grimm than have vomit all over him. Maive also had the same idea as him.
She was pinching her nose while her other hand was holding one of her bags. Her face seemingly drawing up a neutral expression. Nonetheless, he approached them and held open his hands.
Maive gave him his weapon—an odachi with an ornamented black scabbard called Rosaletta—and his bags. But he didn't stop there. He carried their bags, including Maive's for them. Leona gave a silent thanks for the gesture and continued to carry Iris around.
"D-don't worry about me, Leona . . . I . . . I'll be fine." Her voice was shaky and there was no trace of the energetic girl within her.
"Nope! You're too weak to even walk on your own." Iris merely whined about it but tried not to struggle too much, "Maive, lead the way."
"As per the usual, Leona. Let's move." And they all walked off towards the Valean airstrip.
. . .
"So, tell me again why Ms. Solaris couldn't come here?" The white haired man sat at his reclining chair with his hands knitted together in front of him. The enigmatic man in front of Gray was as unnerving as before but he knew that was just the curiousness of the man has with him.
"It was nothing. I just thought that she needs some rest and that I will only temporarily take her place to report the necessary details of the mission. I think she deserves it after all she has done for the team." He said with confidence. The man in green merely nodded at his words and turned to face his rather large window, which oversaw all of Beacon.
'Damn this annoying gears, I swear these were only here to rile up all the students that come here. Not to mention the fact that I only went up here once because of the auditorium incident.' He thought as he looked around the office of the headmaster of Beacon. He couldn't care less at the things that were here but he would like it if there was some company with him now. 'Damn traitorous Maive, damn sickly Iris, and damn tired Leona.'
A few more moments passed and it seems it became awkward for Gray to continue on with the details.
"Um . . . Professor?" He asked.
"Hm . . . oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Licorice. It seems that I have strayed from our earlier topic. Please proceed with the details concerning your mission." He said so nonchalantly.
Gray could feel his eye brow twitch in annoyance, 'But we didn't even talk long!'
Nonetheless, he continued with what had occurred with their mission being only a Grimm extermination mission. Gray only stated how everything was going according to plan, the Grimm eliminated and that there were no casualties in the village. He finished his report before asking for his leave but the headmaster stopped him from doing so.
Gray could only look on with confusion at what would the headmaster want.
"Now, I know you are wondering why I would stop you from leaving but I would like to clear up the confusion on why Team SLVR was sent on a mission before the start of the semester of the new school year. You might have some questions before you were sent on this mission, so let me clarify a few things." The headmaster stood up from his chair to head towards the coffee maker.
"First, let me say that you have my thanks for accepting the mission with no prior knowledge of the details itself."
"It's nothing, Professor Ozpin. Besides, it wasn't my decision to make but my partner's and we have enough trust in her for her to make the decisions for us."
"Yes, I supposed you are right. But I would give my gratitude regardless. Coffee?" After pouring himself a cup, he gestured to another one.
"No, thanks, one coffee lover in my year is enough, Professor." Gray swore he heard Ozpin snort.
"Well, I just hope that Ms. Adel won't cause the cafeteria to add more funds for the beverages."
"Yeah, I'll tell her, though she probably won't listen to that and she'd think that the school is going against her. We wouldn't want another food fight for that one."
"No, no, we don't. Regardless, everything that you and your teammates have done to save that village was worth the sacrifice of a few weeks of vacation. I'm sorry for that, though, I do not regret the decision of sending your team to that village. If we had not done so, then I'm afraid that the end will come sooner than later." Ozpin said.
"What do you mean, Professor?" He asked with suspicion gnawing at him. But Ozpin didn't utter a word after that exchange, instead he chose to take a sip at his coffee before setting it down on the table before him. He took up his thinking pose, which was the knitting of his hands together and having the look of thought on his face. This only seemed to rile him up more.
"Professor?"
"Tell me, Mr. Licorice, do you believe in fairy tales?" He asked before giving Gray a curious look.
The young man could only frown at how Ozpin seems to redirect the flow of the conversation from the mission to fairy tales, then again Ozpin was as enigmatic as ever. So, he couldn't understand what Ozpin is thinking about. What else was he supposed to say in this situations?
"No, Professor. But I do know a few." That seem have a reaction from the headmaster, even though it was just the raised eye brows that he received as one. It was enough for him.
"Oh . . . do tell a few that you seem to know."
"Well, there's 'The Story of the Two Brothers', also 'The Girl in the Tower' and lastly, 'The Story of the Seasons'." Gray could've sworn he saw a smile grace his lips before dying down.
"Please do tell 'The Story of the Seasons' then"
Growing more confused than ever, he found himself telling the story to the headmaster where he would usually tell this story to his little sister countless of times since this was her favourite.
"U-um . . . where do I start?"
". . . At the very beginning of the story, Mr. Licorice."
"Let's see, an old hermit lives alone in the mountains. He was visited by four sisters, who were all unique in both personality and appearance. Each sister showed kindness to the old hermit. Winter, the eldest showed kindness by encouraging him to meditate and reflect; the second, Spring, brings him fruit and flowers and revitalises his garden; the third, Summer, convinces him to step outside and embrace the world; and the youngest, Fall, urges him to be thankful for what he has." He stopped for a moment but Ozpin wishes for him to continue.
"U-uh, t-the old man asked the four sisters why they were so kind to him, they responded to him that they were merely showing their kindness to everyone. The hermit was moved, of course, and he revealed that he was a wizard with great powers. He gave powers to them in return for the kindness that he was given. The powers that the sisters inherited corresponded with the four seasons which they received accordingly. The sisters then went through Remnant spreading their gifts. To show their gratitude, the Maidens promised to visit the old man once every year." When he finished, Gray took in a deep breath and exhaled outwards. Feeling slightly exhausted from the story telling, he leant back on the back rest and stared at the ceiling, if he could call it that. He could see the headmaster nodding along with how he told the story.
"Very accurate and precise, if I may say, Mr. Licorice. Mind if I ask, do you often tell this story to others?" The headmaster asked.
"I have a little sister, Professor. When we were little, I would often tell this story to her before she sleeps . . . that was after our parents were killed."
"You have my condolence."
"Don't worry about it, Professor. I've long gotten over it. But what does this have to do with our mission?" Ozpin took out a scroll and sled it across the table between them. Gray took it hesitantly and scanned the contents of the scroll. It showed girl in a capsule. Her tanned skin were scarred with burnt marks running across her face. It seems that the girl was in a coma and that the capsule was the only thing that was keeping her alive.
Gray expected some answers from this picture that he was shown but all he got were more questions about the details of the mission they had gotten a few weeks before.
"Professor, I don't see how this will help with the questions that I have."
"I was getting to that, Mr. Licorice. Now, what if I told you that the fairy tale about the seasons was real?"
"Then, I would say that you're insane, Professor. There is no chance that a bedtime story would be true in the first place. Well, there may be the off chance that some proofs could be found but there were nothing to provide this, thus making your theory a bit one sided, Professor." He first went in with evidence and logic to shut down any more reasons for the headmaster to counter with.
"That may be true, but know this, Mr. Licorice, that all stories are based on truths. All legends are. For example, dust and aura. In the earlier age, we believed that their existence is too good to be true. Even if we deny the existence of Dust and Aura, we cannot, for we already have the proof that it exists. No matter what other people think of it, they cannot deny it. And the woman in the picture is one of the living proof of what was supposedly a legend, or as you call it, a fairy tale."
". . . A living Maiden . . . ?" In the peripheral of his vision, he saw Ozpin nod.
Gray opened his mouth to argue but he cannot find the words that he was looking for. He was completely defeated by what Ozpin had said. Finally, he did.
"Then . . . why're you telling me this? Since I'm only a replacement for Leona at the moment, you were probably intending to tell this to her? But why include me in all this at all?" He asked nonstop, curious for all the answers that he needs.
"I've been keeping my eyes on you, Mr. Licorice, ever since you left the home that took you and your sister in. You may have thought that dropping off the radar means that people will not be able to truly find where you are. But I know, for you are very peculiar and that taking my eyes off you means losing a potential ally." Gray could only frown at the words uttered. But for some reason, he felt flattered than insulted. A man, who was as mysterious as Remnant itself, managed to track him down ever since he went ghost. A skill that Gray was very adept at.
"Well, 5 years in the badlands can do that to you, Professor. Especially if you have someone to look after. But that still doesn't explain why include me at all." He didn't know if telling Ozpin the truth would come back to bite him in the ass. But he felt . . . no, he knew that he can trust this man in green.
"You have the most potential from all of your peers. It would have been a waste for that potential if it did not have a certain path to walk on. As for your other question, no. I would not have told Ms. Solaris about the Maidens since she has too much burden after all. Being the next head for the ownership of the most prominent weapons production and development group in all of Remnant brings a heavy weight on her shoulders." Ozpin gave Gray an apologetic smile.
Somehow, Gray could understand . . . and not understand at the same time. The thought of a fairy tale being true is too much for him to bear. He always believed them to be nothing more than bedtime stories that was told to kids when they go to sleep. But now that the man in front is saying those thing to him, how can he not doubt the credibility of it. Whatever it is, it is starting to give him a little headache.
Steeling his nerves, he asked the one thing that he thought that he will never ask when he was coming here. 'Damn manipulative Ozpin.'
"What am I supposed to do, Professor?" Now, Gray can see the smile forming on the headmaster's lips and he didn't even need to hide his irritation.
"I'm surprised you would ask, Mr. Licorice."
. . .
"Thanks for the help there, Gray."
"It's no problem, Iris. Besides, you look like you could've used a 'little' help." A chuckle made its way out of his lips from his joke but died down when he saw the glare she was giving to him. The joke was a low blow at best because of Iris' short stature. She looks a lot better than yesterday at least.
He shuffled under the weight of the boxes on his hands while Iris didn't seem to have any trouble with the weight. She was the powerhouse of the team that he was on. She's the strongest in terms of pure strength. But when it comes to skill and technique, he comes first.
"Where do these go anyway? Weren't you going to Prof. Peach's classroom like 5 minutes ago?"
"Yeah, but Port saw me and asked for my help, said he had a meeting with the other professors. He said to take this to his classroom. The man hadn't changed at all ever since we left. What were you doing walking in the halls anyway? Usually, you would be in the dorm sleeping or playing games on your scroll. What changed to make my badass teammate to actually take a walk!?" Gray rolled his eyes at the chipper mood that Iris displayed, though what she said was true.
"Hey, I'm not that lazy, if that's what you're getting on. Besides, the first years are coming in a few more minutes before the headmaster gives his boring speech again. Let's just hope that this year; there will be no crazy vigilantes, explosions, insane fights, or just plain craziness. But with you around, I doubt it."
"Surely, that would be an understatement, foolish Gray! This year there will be more explosions, car chases and more crazy fights from now on!" She cackled loudly and maniacally, eventually dying down and staring with the same manic grin at him. Gray didn't even have the time to actually react to what she said before giving a laugh himself.
After a few more small talk, they reached Professor Port's classroom. They parted ways soon after. One was headed for their dorm room and the other to the landing pads.
Gray took a few detours to get there and thought of a few things needed for his personal needs. Though he couldn't help but think back to the discussion that he had with Professor Ozpin. The headmaster could've asked anyone, but for some reasons, which Ozpin explained with detail, he was chosen for helping him.
'How the hell can Professor Ozpin ask such a thing?' But there was no longer any need to dwell on it anymore. He already accepted to help Ozpin in his quest to find this mysterious Queen. Although, he wasn't so sure if he can be any help at all. His inner thoughts were disrupted when the sound a Bullhead sounded throughout the courtyard.
There were two reasons why he wanted to see the first years despite the upper classes having no need in the ceremony to welcome the first years. But his curiosity got the better of him. The first reason would be that he wants to satiate said curiosity by seeing the younger guys that will be their juniors for the rest of their stay here in Beacon Academy.
The other would be to see if there was going to be any competition among these years batch. To assess them, if he was going to have a say in it.
Gray arrived at the courtyard just in time for the airship to land and the students to file out of it. There were a lot of them. But he wasn't going to have to look at each and every one of them, just the ones that seem to stand out from the sea of people. There were a few second years that he saw among the crowd. Others, he couldn't recognize but one he knew far too well.
"Velvet!" He waved his hand as he called out. The girl seemed to perk up at her name being called. She looked around and saw Gray waving at her. A familiar face immediately made her feel relax, especially since the person was one of few she cared to call a friend. Velvet made her way to Gray as she seemed to have a bit of trouble navigating through the mass of people.
Velvet was a Faunus with bunny ears on top of her head. She's on a different team than Gray was. That much was obvious since she's a proud member of Team CFVY. She's the quiet and shy girl of the team, if not then the whole second year.
"Hey, there, Gray. What're you doing here?" She asked with a timid voice, as though making sure that she doesn't come off as too shy.
"Nothing unusual. Just to see the fresh meat that'll be here with us, in case you forgot. If anything, I'm here to see if there's anyone who can actually fight me, toe-to-toe." The ever-lying confidence was present in his voice. Velvet could sense it, a false bravado. But she knew that he can do more than just that. She laugh a little on the poor attempt for a joke.
"You know, there might be someone who can do that . . . if you actually hold back a little." He seemed to like the idea but equally dismissing it.
"Nah, I'm just curious. That's all. I'm not really into fighting that much anyway. Ask Iris and Leona for that." Velvet nodded in understanding. She knew why Gray doesn't even put his 100% in every fight that he was given. It was just his nature for him to do so. Like a . . . pacifist.
But before the two of them could get on more, an explosion rung out on the grounds!
"What was that!?" She shouted.
Gray reflexively got into his combat stance with his right hand resting on the handle of his sword, while his left was on his scabbard. A form that can only be seen as a quick draw style of fighting. They saw the people walk away from a specific direction. At least, it wasn't anything too drastic. Because if it was some kind of attack, then . . . they chose the wrong time and place to do it.
He could only sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose. 'I hope this isn't a common occurrence. 'Cause I already have enough of that with Iris and Coco around.'
Before long, he adopted his usual pose and started to walk towards the direction of the explosion.
With a sigh, he said, "Velvet, I'll take care of this. Coco's probably in the cafeteria with Leona and the others right now." He sighed again, this time, rubbing the temples of his head.
"O-oh, o-okay, I guess, I'll see you around?" She asked.
"Yeah, I'll catch up." He nonchalantly waved at her, gesturing for her to go.
The incident happened at one of the walkways towards the main entrance of Beacon, where there was even a crater on it.
Gray saw a red cloaked girl clad in black talking with a girl in white. He saw a few boxes scattered on the ground with a few men trying to gather what remaining cases that were spared from the explosion.
Was the explosion caused by some semblance or something? He thought that maybe it was caused by Refined Dust being recklessly thrown in the air and then someone sneezing into it that would cause the explosion. But the thought immediately vanished, thinking that the idea was so stupid.
White seemed to be yelling something about 'Dust' and 'dunces'. Red was apparently yelling back until another girl in black made her appearance. He didn't hear what she said but she probably did something to insult the white one. White stomped off looking more irritated than before.
While Gray was watching White, he heard a thump from what he could only assume to be from where Red was supposed to be. When he did look, he saw the girl lying on the crater that had a rather sad look on her face. Dare he say it; she was adorable in that state. She reminded him of his sister sulking about why her brother won't play with her. Before he could offer his help, another person gave the young girl a hand.
A smile was immediately on his face when he saw the young man in white chest armor. The face was familiar to him. He might even recognize him from a mile away. With that, he started to walk towards the two though his steps were reserved. The two of them seem to be in some deep debate.
"—ort, sweet, rolls, off the tongue. Ladies love it!" The guy was blonde, a bit unruly and unkempt though. The girl looked a bit younger than the blonde was. Probably two, three years younger, give or take. He wasn't worried about that, but he was worried about the poor attempt of the blonde to look suave in front of a girl, who was like fourteen or fifteen.
"Do they though?" The girl had a smile this time, though so that was good. The girl reminded him a lot about his sister, which was probably why his brotherly instincts kicked in.
"T-they will! I h-hope they will . . ." The blonde frantically countered, earning a giggle from the short girl.
"Don't worry about it, Jaune. I'm sure there will be tons of girls who would love to meet you. Just . . . stop it with the advice given by your father." The two of them turned to the newcomer to their talk. Gray just stood there with his arms crossed and a smile.
". . . Gray? Is that you?" Jaune's eyes widened when he saw Gray nod. What Gray didn't expect was for to give him a not-so-manly hug, which lasted for a few moments. A little too long for comfort.
"U-um, Jaune? Could you let go? It's starting to get a 'little' awkward." Jaune lets go instantly before having an awkward look. He returned to his usual demeanour, before the girl spoke.
". . . Jaune? Do you know him?" Her tone was a bit more on the curious side, seeing as how she seemed to look at Gray with narrowed eyes.
"Know him? Ruby, this is Gray Licorice. The guy who trained me for a year!" Ruby seemed to draw the connection but . . . doesn't. Was he Jaune's brother? Or, cousin? Why she asked that was because she had her own sister who had different appearances as her. Also, their names are different! . . . This was also the same for her sister, now that she thought of it. A chuckle brought her out of her stupor.
"We're not related, if that's what you're thinking about, kid."
"Hey! I am not a kid! I'll have you know that I take my daily dosage for milk!" That response only seemed to amuse Gray even more, his smile growing wider and has a hint of fondness in them.
"Hmph, you're just like my little sister, you know? She's very conscious about her own height. She compares her growth to mine which was pretty ridiculous, if I say so myself. Anyway, my name's Gray. Gray Licorice." He held out his hand, with Ruby slowly taking and shaking it. Her mind seems to be running at full speed, as she tried to recognize this person before her.
Jaune was fine for her. They have the same awkward and peculiar personalities that it wasn't even funny, at all. This guy, however, was different. He was different than the other first years that she saw.
"Ruby Rose! Hey, mind if I ask you something?" Said in a chipper mood before taking in a tone of curiosity.
"Sure, what is it?"
"Are you the same year as us?" The question didn't seem to put off Gray, though.
"Hahaha, no. I'm not. I'm actually a second year." That didn't even surprise Jaune and Ruby that much, since Ruby had already figured it out.
"Oh, I guess that explains the vibe you were giving. Like a trained hunter! Just like how my dad and uncle would give when greeting new people. Well, when the people weren't someone that was introduced by my big sis . . ." Gray only smiled at the implications but wasn't flattered. It was more from his circumstances that he has been through and he would hate it if he would have to go through with it again.
"I should ask the same thing to you as well, Ruby. You look like you've been moved up to two to three years." From Ruby's reaction, she seemed to be very embarrassed by it. It was evident by the fact that she even started to fidget with her fore fingers, "But don't let that bother you, you're here now. That's what matters. Don't let anyone think otherwise." Ruby was surprised, not because of how he ruffled her hair, but because of how he seems to have some value of respect for her when others would've looked down on her. It was . . . welcoming.
"Thanks . . ." She muttered silently, a tone that Gray seemed to hear.
"Anyways, I hope you find Beacon to your liking. It might be too much at first but you can get used to it, I hope. Speaking of Beacon, why didn't you tell me you were coming here, Jaune?" He didn't even receive so much as a message or a letter. A phone call would've been nice.
"S-so, you didn't get the memo, huh?"
"Pretty much. I didn't expect you to be here at Beacon. Your . . . father did try to deny you some training. How did he react to this? You coming to Beacon, I mean."
"He . . . doesn't know. Mom did and said that she will support me from the side lines. She's the one who made sure that I got accepted and had the necessary training. I got better! Though, the amount of training that I did was pretty brutal. Dad still doesn't appreciate you training me though. Said that this line of work was too dangerous for me. So, I trained in secret after you left, so that was good."
That was decent . . . in a sense. Gray admits that Jaune has more potential than most of his peers. His father just didn't tap into it that much. There was only one reason why he thought that Jaune's father didn't want Jaune to be trained.
He doesn't want his son to suffer like he did. The pain of losing someone close was unbearable. He'd bear through it. But a man can only take his feet so far before finally collapsing.
That was why he retired from being a huntsman. Too tired from all the pain and regret that lingered with the job. But Jaune's father didn't mention this to his son. It was far too aching to destroy the dream of his only son. It was just the same as trying to deny him that dream.
Gray could understand that. That's why he didn't train his sister. The gruesome training and bloody battles would be too much for her physique and mental state. She was fragile like that.
"I think that's great. Now, you get to be the huntsman you always wanted to be. How was Ein when you last saw her?" A hint of longing presented itself in his eyes before quickly disappearing.
"Your sister?" There was a pause, before Jaune smiled albeit a bit sad, "She misses you, you know?"
"There will come a time when she'll stop clinging to me. Ein will grow up. We all do. She doesn't need to be so attached to me." With the way he worded it, it was like he was trying to get rid of her. But with the look of concern on his face, that was probably less likely.
"You practically raised her yourself. Of course, she would be attached to you." Gray could only sigh, with Jaune's positive nature.
"U-um, guys?" The girl in red spoke up. Jaune and Gray looked down to Ruby with questioning looks, "Sorry to interrupt, but . . . ?" A pause, "Where is everyone?"
. . .
If only Gray had been carful enough about the time, then maybe they wouldn't be in this situation. But he wasn't necessarily needed at the ceremony, so why bother at all by coming late? He wasn't expected.
But apparently, it was going to be his fault for making Jaune and Ruby late at the ceremony. They were socially awkward, but good-hearted. So, he doesn't want to ruin their time here in Beacon.
That was why they rushed towards the auditorium. The double doors at the front were open where they can see the headmaster making his way to the microphone for his speech. They can't believe that they were almost late for the welcoming ceremony. Not much time should've passed but that was not the case.
"I blame you for this, Gray!"
"Me!? But it was Ms. Little Red Riding Hood over here that kept going in the wrong direction!"
"What!? You were the one who said the auditorium was that way!"
"Now, you guys are ganging up on me!? Yeah, blame the one who's responsible for the both of you! Damn it! I won't hear the end of this, if Leona caught word of this mess!"
"Wha—! Curse word!"
"Oh! Please, grow up!"
After a moment or so, they arrived in a fashionable manner. By fashionable, meaning tumbling down on the ground with all three of them on top of each other. The unluckiest, Gray, was at the bottom.
Gray was trying to untangle to mess of limbs before getting up leaving Jaune and Ruby on the ground while they were still trying to disorient themselves. He saw Ozpin giving them an amused stare.
"We are glad to have your presence and participation in the ceremony, Mr. Licorice." Great, now he gets a special mention from the headmaster himself. He inwardly sighed. Showing weakness to these guys meant being weaker than them. As a senior, that won't do. So, he stood straight with a very convincing blank look on his face.
"I'm glad to be here, Professor."
"Good, now could you kindly help Mr. Arc and Ms. Rose stand? They seem to be rather dizzy from the accident just now." Once he confirmed that Ozpin had the same smile as before, he felt his eye twitch.
'I want to punch him on his face until I remove that goddamn smile of his!'
"Yes, Professor." After helping the two of them up, they went their separate ways, the red one stood beside a buxom blonde while Jaune decided to just stand beside Gray for the rest of the speech. Ozpin nodded in appreciation to no one in particular before going up to the microphone.
"Now, where was I? . . . Oh, yes. I will keep this brief. You have travelled 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. 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."
'It's as creepy as ever. Can't really do anything about that.'
"What was that?"
"What was what?"
"That! You seriously think that he can't be any more mysterious than that, right? Now, he expects us to decipher something from that ominous . . . message of his!? I expected a more encouraging and refreshing speech. I don't get any of this . . ." Jaune muttered under his breath before bringing his hands to his face. Gray could understand him a bit . . . understand may be a bit much, probably sympathise with him? Yeah, that was the word he was looking for.
"Don't worry, Jaune. I'm sure you'll understand it someday. Preferably, when your hair turns white from old age."
"I hate you . . ." Any people would've been insulted, but not Gray. He just laughed it off. This was just some normal bantering between the two of them.
"Love you too, buddy." He said patting his back.
"YOU!" The two of them flinched back. The volume of the voice that could've literally torn someone's eardrums. They saw the same girl in white yelling at Ruby—said girl was being carried by the taller blonde. The two of them could barely hear their conversation among the crowd but it seems that they only got the last part of it.
"Yeah! And we can paint our nails and try out clothes and talk about cute boys like tall, blond and . . . scraggly over there." . . . where the last part seemed to be directed at Jaune . . . who was like ten meters away from them . . .
'Oh, crap . . .' Why Gray would even think about it was beyond reasoning. But the last time some girl tried to insult him because of his hair being blonde, he took it as a compliment. And any form of compliment to Jaune, be it insult or flattery, he will consider it to be some kind of flirting addressed to him. And did that bring a lot of memories to Gray. A lot of awful and awkward memories.
That was why he couldn't stop himself from hitting his own face with his palm. It hurt for him. But nothing will hurt more than trying to see Jaune pick up ladies with cheesy and suave pick-up lines.
'Good luck, Jaune. You're gonna need it.'
A/N: Hellooooo, this is BloodyCow and welcome to a fic that will probably not be recognized as original or popularity. I'm new here. But I'm a very active reader since 3 years ago. I did make a story before, but I removed it. It had no plot nor did it have any purpose (Probably just to satiate my self satisfaction).
It's cliche, I know. But it was tempting. No amount of daydreaming got me to actually relieve myself from this story. It was already constructed in my mind and there was nothing to get it out of my head. But to actually write a story about it.
Yes, I know. Team SLVR? That was used even before Vol. 2 of RWBY came out! But for once, I don't regret having written a story about an OC Team in RWBY.
But before any hate would come to me, let's discuss the one of the reasons of why I wrote this.
It's to develop my skills in writing a story. I'm not trying to become a professional writer. But just good enough so that I can do something with this hobby of mine. There's also a story that I wrote not based on the universe of RWBY but my original one. This fic is only here to serve as a trial run if I have what it takes to become a writer that doesn't suck so bad. Hence, the reason this story is here at all.
Then, there we go. Another Team SLVR fanfic. It's because I'm very conscious about it about how someone else already had an idea about this team name (I just hope it's not copyright because . . . you know). But I'm more worried about what you guys think! If you don't like it, then just tell me it sucks. Or point out some flaws in the story. Or if my grammar is leaning on the wrong side. I could use some constructive criticism here so it's welcomed. Not many people do that at all though.
Buuuuut, if you liked it, then fear not for there will be more. Or something like that. I'm not really hoping that much but I take what I can and make the best out of it. Fanfiction is free after all.
Sooooo, follow it? Fave it? Or maybe leave a review? That's up to you! BloodyCow, out!