Yo Loric Kane back!
Now before you start I would like to say a few things.
First is the lack of REVIEWS! Come one people! Flames aside, reviews help writers make progress in their writing! Whether it be the quality or the speed it comes out, it helps us out alot. Granted I have like 50 views but still one review can go along way.
Secondly is how long I took to get this chapter out. I blame my procrastination problem. I myself am disappointed in the time I took to get this chapter out. One and a half months for a 8000 word chapter? God I suck. I'm just not that motivated to write. I mean for me writing is like pushing a huge boulder of a cliff. It take a metric f**k-ton of effort to move it of the cliff but once it gets going it doesn't stop. And just so you know, effort is directly associated with motivation which I like to get from reviews (see above).
Any way here you go. Meanwhile I'm going to sleep, I'm exhausted
Chapter II:
There's no place like home
Arashi was never a morning person.
In the past, he used to sleep on the ground, leaving him dreading the moment he wakes up and the terrible back pain that was to follow. Then there was that blinding light people call the sun. Its light was searing to the light sensitive eyes of a Faunus. To make matters worse, he would have to avoid looking at it directly or he would be blinded. How could he not look at the sun? You'd have to be blind to not notice it. Hence Arashi was more of a night person. If he could then he wouldn't sleep at all. But sadly, sleeping is an absolute of life. Right next to food, water, death and taxes. No point in avoiding it.
So it goes to say that when Arashi dubbed this morning to be one of his worst ones yet, he was not happy.
He didn't get enough sleep the night before because of his late apprenticeship. He had to go through all the paperwork and all that official crap before his new apprentice, Ruby, could be accepted into Beacon. Then he had to dismiss his personal crew and assign them to another job. They were over joyed at the prospect of a new job. That didn't help his self-esteem at all. Not that he cared. Then this morning when he had finished packing his stuff away in two large bags, he received a memo from Glynda saying that the last of the transports to Beacon was leaving in five minutes. Arashi was forced to use his powers to get him there in time. And lastly. If the world could not get any more worse, he found out that the transport he was on was the only one, out of the five other transports, that was for the students.
"Are you Ok sir?" Asked a female attendant as Arashi slumped on the seats closest to the door
"I'm fine" Arashi yawned. The attendant frowned. Even with his hat in the way, she could tell Arashi was dead tired.
"You should get some shut eye" She said patting the top of Arashi's hat "Someone as young as you need their sleep"
Under the cover of his hat, Arashi's eye twitched but he didn't say anything.
"Would you like anything sir?"
"No ma'am"
"Well, if you need anything just give me a shout" She winked.
"Yes ma'am" He mumbled, placing his straw over his face. Satisfied the woman walked off to greet the growing crowd of students that began to form.
With a wandering eye, Arashi watched as she walked off. A majority of the attendants that flew on all Beacon airships were actually composed of huntresses and huntsmen that specialise in healing and support Semblance. Ozpin made sure to keep the death rate low at beacon by funneling thousands of dollars into medical care. What Arashi found strange was that he hasn't been recognised by the Attendants yet. It had only been a year since he left Beacon. There were sure to be hundreds of people at beacon, not only here on the transports, which would be able to recognise him.
But Arashi didn't dwell on it.
This apprentice thing was already really stressful on Arashi, and it hasn't even been a whole 24 hours yet. Arashi had to think why he had to take her on as his apprentice. The more he thought about it the more he realised that he really didn't have reason. Even at a young age Arashi had a bad habit of saying yes to things others would say no to. I mean, if no one is going to volunteer then who else but himself. Plus having someone as talented as Ruby was something he wanted for Beacon and for her. Sooner or later she was going to become a huntress and if she needed a master to become one a few years early than who else but himself?
That was what he told himself anyway.
He was not sure he believed himself.
But why the hell did Ozpin want him to do this? Was it to clear his conscious? Arashi was doing just fine in life. He didn't need to socialize. Bludgeoning monsters with their own severed limbs was much more fun. Arashi thought it was an awful idea on Ozpin's part. His apprentice was the same age as him, and she was a girl. Not to mention she had the face of a cute adorable animal. He might not know how to socialise all too well but he knew this pairing would be awkward at best.
On that note, did he even know how to train anyone? He heard that the teachers at Beacon had years of training to be qualified to train the elite Huntress and Huntsmen there. He however, only had one year experience of being a huntsman, is probably younger than most of the students this year, had no team to begin with and had the social skill of a rock. The only good thing about him was perfect mission record. But then again that record didn't really have any value here.
That didn't matter. It was his duty as Ruby's master to guide her though her years at Beacon. It didn't matter that he was the same age as said apprentice nor did the fact the he was still inexperienced and couldn't hold a decent conversation with a brick wall. He had to do this. He had done things a lot harder than teaching, like surviving in the stomach of a monster for a few hours for example. I mean he graduated Beacon in one year and at the age of 14! How hard could this be?
…He just screwed himself over didn't he?
God damn Murphy's law
Arashi cracked his eyes open as he noticed the Airship had taken off. Good. The sooner they get too Beacon the sooner he could get some decent sleep…
"Hey! It's you again!" Arashi's eyes shot open. He knew that childlike voice anywhere.
Ruby emerged from the crowd and ran up to the half-asleep boy with a light bounce in her steps. Arashi noted that she wore the same clothing she wore the night before. It consisted of a black blouse with what looked to be a corset around her midsection with crisscross back strings which contrasted with the red fabric behind it. She also wore what Arashi could only assume was a combat skirt with red trimmings. He always wondered how women managed to fight in those things without them getting in the way. Although he could say anything, as he wore a white monk robe. Anyway, Ruby also wore black stockings and black boots reached to just below her knees. Attaching the cloak to her body were two silver crosses on her shoulder. And strapped to her back, with belt full of large bullets to go with it was Ruby's folding scythe he learnt was called Crescent rose.
"Good morning Ruby" Arashi yawned
"Morning" She chirped "I wanted to talk to you yesterday, but you ran off before I could"
"I had to do your paperwork" He winced at the phantom wrist pain "So what do you want to talk about?"
"Oh, ah" Ruby started to rub the back of her head in embarrassment "Well I wanted to say thank you. For accepting me as an apprentice. I mean you're the famous Arashi Nii. A prodigy and one of the best Huntsman of our time. What luck is that?"
"You're welcome…I guess"
"Uh…um" Ruby stuttered
"You're still here?"
"Well, I was hoping to introduce each other and uh…"
Arashi raised an eyebrow "Your name is Ruby Rose. And you just made it clear that you know who I am"
"That's not the same thing" Ruby asserted
"It's not?" he was legitimately curious about this. It was not his brightest moment when he admitted that he was clueless to the current social rituals of his own society. Not at all. "Show me then Ruby"
"Eh?" Ruby squeaked, slightly confused "Well, I am Ruby Rose. Nice to meet you!"
"That's it?" Arashi deadpanned
"That's it" Ruby grinned "Now it's your turn"
Arashi leaned back in surprise "Uh…I'm Arashi Nii"
"And?" Ruby pressed on
"And?"
"You forgot to say nice to meet you" She explained
"Why?"
"What do you mean why?"
"What's the use of telling a lie?"
"EH?" Ruby's eyes filled up with fake tears "That's mean! Think about other people's feeling before you speak!"
"Oh!" Arashi realised "Ah, I'm sorry"
Ruby sniffled, looking at Arashi who was writing franticly on a small brown note book he got from god knows where "What are you doing?"
"Writing notes" Arashi mumbled "People have feelings too. Be wary"
Ruby sweat dropped before realising something "This is awesome. First day and I have a new friend"
"Friend?" Arashi looked around "Are you taking about me?"
"Yea. We saved each other's lives didn't we? That makes us friends" She grinned
Arashi looked down "…Friends huh?..."
Ruby smiled. She thought Ozpin was kidding when he said her mentor had the social skill of a brick wall. It wasn't like he was hard to speak to. It was more like Arashi had trouble fitting in. She wondered what might have caused Arashi to be like this. She had a feeling it was not his training like Ozpin implied. She thought that it might have happened before that.
But still, out of all people, she wouldn't have expected the Legendary Arashi Nii to have this problem. The name Arashi Nii was widely known though out the world as one of the youngest prodigies of this generation. Almost everyone knew his name. But very few knew his face. This was because of the efforts of the administrators of Beacon academy saying that if people knew of him then they will obstruct his work as a huntsman. That did not stop the media from digging through other sources to find out who is Arashi Nii. This made Ruby feel all the more lucky that the elusive legend picked her as an apprentice.
"Oh and Ruby?"
"Yes?"
Arashi's eyes narrowed and his aura spiked so high it became visible as a blue hue around his form "If you tell anyone what happened that night, I swear to god that they won't find enough pieces to bury you"
Ruby's head tilted in confusion "Tell what?"
"My ears"
"Your ears? Why?"
"Why?!" Arashi whispered harshly "Do you know what would happen if they find out I was a Faunus?"
"Eh?"
"…You seriously don't know about the tension between my kind and humans?" Ruby shook her head. Arashi stared at Ruby for a moment "…I'll explain it to you later. For now don't say anything. Bad things will happen if you do"
"Ruby!"
Arashi blinked as he saw a flash of yellow. He tilted his head in confusion when he saw a tall blond squeezing Ruby like a pillow. He immediately thought she was a student here since only they are allowed on this airship. She wore a dark tan jacket with black armbands over a yellow shirt that showed off her cleavage and midriff. She had short black bike shorts and over that was a dark tan belt with pouches and a matching back skirt with a white one underneath. The blond had two orange socks, with the left one reaching higher than the right sock. On her feet were a pair brown boots with a blue bandana hanging above her left boot. On her hands was a pair of black fingerless gloves that reached to the middle of her forearm and above two mechanical looking bracelets. Looks aside, the important thing was who is she? To be so familiar with Ruby…
"I can't believe my little sister is coming to Beacon with me!" She giggled happily
"Interesting" Arashi mumbled as he wrote something in his notebook
"Who's this Ruby?" The blond turned to Arashi
"I uh..." Arashi flipped though his note book before smiling broadly to the blond "I'm Arashi Nii, nice to meet you"
"I'm Yang Xiao Long, Ruby's older sister" Now named Yang greeted "You can call me Yang"
Ruby grinned giving the thumbs up to Arashi. She was so proud! Sadly the blond noticed Ruby's change in mood
"I'm so proud of you Ruby!" Yang sighed "First day and my little sister already has a boyfriend"
"Yang!" Ruby went red in the face "He's not my boyfriend!"
"I'm not?" Arashi tilted his head in confusion "I thought you said we're friends?"
"We are"
"But you just said-"
"I know what I said" Ruby pouted "Friend and boyfriend are completely different. You're my friend who's a boy"
"I….see" Arashi said scribbling something in his note book
"You sure picked up a weird one Ruby" The blond whispered
"He's not my boyfriend!"
As Yang playfully teased Ruby, Arashi watched them in confusion. He couldn't help but notice that their relationship was different from the people around him. They seemed more…closer than them. How was that? Arashi didn't know anything about this. Well Yang did say something about being Ruby's sister. Was that it? Was it because they were…family?
He felt thump in his heart. Family. He heard that family is something that lasts forever. Something that pulled through in times of need. Someone to comfort, laugh and to care for. The last two points were true, the first one however... Arashi couldn't help but feel envy towards the people around him. Or maybe it was anger. He always told himself that having no family made him stronger because he learned to rely on himself for everything. But that didn't stop the painful feeling in his heart.
"Wow! Look at the view!" Ruby awed looking out the window "I can see Signal from here!"
"Now that a sight to see" Yang laughed. She didn't really concentrate on the view because Yang couldn't help but wonder how the name Arashi Nii was so familiar.
As the behemoth of an Airship came to dock, it shook hard enough to wake Arashi up. Following the student outside Arashi had to admit Beacon was always a sight to behold, even to him after a year home coming. It almost seemed like the buildings were taken out of a fairy tale. Like a castle, it had three grand brick towers towering over everything below. Neatly trimmed green trees and organised strips of grass surrounded the streams of crystal clear water. Nature and man could live peacefully here. And it was beautiful. Even though he was not particularly fond of returning to beacon, deep down he knew he missed it.
Fixing his straw hat in place Arashi stepped of the transport, hardly acknowledging the people around him, including a blond boy who had trouble with his bowels. The atmosphere Beacon had been what he missed the most. Unlike the mechanical, synthetic and slightly metallic smell the towns had, Beacon smelt of freshly cut grass, fresh spring water and the sweet smell of glucose. It was a mystery how it managed to smell so clean when its students specialise in steel, gunpowder and Dust but he guessed it wasn't something he needed to know
"Wow!" The two girls awed. Arashi looked to his side and saw Ruby and Yang beside him.
"It's amazing!" Yang exclaimed
"Are you following me?" He asked but it went unheard as it was drowned out by a high pitched squeal coming from Ruby herself
"L-L-Look! He has a collapsible staff! And she has a flaming swords a-and she has a-"
"Does she do this all the time?" Arashi whispered to Yang as Ruby started to hyperventilate.
"Most of the time" Yang rolled, holding up her arm which had a yellow contraption on her wrist "You should have seen what she was like when I got this"
"What do we do?" He asked watching Ruby drifting way
"Leave it to me"
"Ow ow ow" Arashi sweat dropped as Yang dragged Ruby by her hood "Yang!"
"Hold on there, Ruby" Her sister scold "Don't go wandering off because you see a weapon"
"Ok" Ruby pouted
"What's the big deal?" Arashi asked "They are just weapons"
Arashi subconsciously took a step back in self-preservation as Ruby grew a dark aura, and her once kind silver eyes were shadowed by her bangs. Behind the scenes Yang was praying her younger sister doesn't make a scene "How could you say that?! They are an extension of ourselves. They each have different personalities and different abilities. It's like meeting new people! And they are so cool!"
Arashi was about to say something about how her last point was irrelevant before he saw Yang's look which even he would know was saying 'don't push it'. Glynda gave him that same look many a times. It still didn't change the fact that he didn't agree with Ruby. Arashi mentally sighed, somehow knowing Ruby was going to be a big handful this year. Oh how right he was.
"…Right" Arashi dragged out.
"So what now?" Yang asked.
"If I remember correctly, we have about an hour to explore the school before we meet at the amphitheatre" Arashi mused "Until then we have nothing to do"
"That's great!" Yang cheered "Ruby, you can go make new friends"
"Why do I need new friends when I have you?" Ruby asked
"Well because my friends are here now. Bye!" Arashi watched as the blond and her friends…danced way? Spinning Ruby around like a bottle cap as they did.
"Be careful" Arashi said to the dizzy girl "You might fall"
"It's ok" Ruby slurred "I'm fine" That was proven wrong when grabbed on to the nearest thing she could get hands on. That being a luggage trolley used in rich hotels and mansions. The wheels of the trolley moved under her weight sending Ruby crashing into the pile of luggage it carried. "Ow" She groaned.
"Are you always this clumsy?" Arashi asked as a small beep sounded from his pocket "Ah, I almost forget. Excuse me Ruby I have to go do something"
"Hey wait!" Ruby reached out to grab Arashi only for him to disappear in a flash of lightning "I don't know what I'm doing…"
"Hey you" Ruby looked behind her and saw a girl clad in white glaring at her "Do you realise what you are doing?"
That was Ruby's first and worst day at Beacon.
In one of the tallest towers of beacon, Glynda Goodwitch waited silently. Glynda was always the quiet type. Sure she talked with friends and family like any other normal person would, other than that she preferred to remain professional at all times. Especially with Ozpin and his crazy shenanigans. Seriously. There was no guarantee that his apprentice would even think of taking on an apprentice of his own, who is by the way the same age as him. Who knows what Beacon would be like if Ozpin didn't have someone to keep him in line.
Speaking of dear Arashi, Glynda smiled faintly at the thought of him. He was a unique boy. When he was young, his talent was unbelievable. So much that everyone is reminded almost constantly about how talented he is even to this day. But it was because of his talent he was very lonely. When she and Ozpin found him, he was all alone. No one wanted anything to do with him and avoided him like a plague.
At first they were confused at his treatment. While he was a Faunus, they shouldn't fear him that much, right? She and Ozpin found out the hard way why they were scared.
Since a young age Arashi had an Aura that was rare even at Beacon. He had the power to convert his Aura, the manifestation of his soul, into pure, untamed lightning. It was frightening. Aura was a Huntsman's first line of defence. To convert it into lightning was unnatural. Although simple and linear lightning that was nearly unmatched in destructive power. Along with that, Arashi had a massive reserve of Aura condensed in his small frame. At the age of thirteen, he could do things that even she would be hard pressed to do with just his Aura alone.
But he couldn't control it. When he was young, his Aura would harm anyone that came into close contact with him. Glynda rubbed her arm as she remembered the nasty shock she received that day. She realised that it was fear that kept people away from the poor boy. Fear for something that he could not control. It was their job to take care of him. But even with her experiences with Ozpin even she did not expect him to take him under his wing.
After that, it only took a year for Arashi absorb everything Beacon had to offer. It was amazing how well he did at the school. He stayed back after classes and asked all of his teachers for extra lessons and aced all of them. Almost all of them. Teams were huge focus at Beacon and Arashi never had a one. But even so, he didn't let his handicap slow him down and took on the same missions and challenges that his fellow class mates take as teams. For a year Glynda watched as the small boy become a legend among their ranks.
A man who controls the very sky themselves.
A mortal who was rumoured to reach near godly powers.
A boy who was never human to begin with, in more ways than one.
"Glynda?"
She turned around and saw Arashi casually walking down the hallway. At the same time he was looking around the hall, looking at the paintings and the artefacts that hung. Glynda knew that look in his eyes as he got closer. It was the look of a man who had left home many years ago. And now that man was looking around, musing about how much his home has changed. Beacon must have had a bigger impact on Arashi than she initially thought.
"Glynda? What are we doing here?" Arashi asked
"Finding your room" She answered
"My room? Isn't this this is the teachers dorms?"
"You have an apprentice now. You are responsible for the growth of your student and as such will be given the same privileges as the teachers of Beacon. Is that a problem?"
"No" Arashi said immediately "It's just that I never would have imagined that I would be back here as a teacher"
"Come. I'll lead you to your room. You luggage should be there by now" Arashi tilted his head in confusion as Glynda turned and walked away. He didn't know if it was just a trick of the light but he swore that there was a faint smile on Glynda's lips. What was that about? He shook his head and followed her. Who knows? This is the silent Glynda he was talking about. Whatever she was thinking, he was never going to find out.
"Arashi?" Glynda asked "Do you know why so little people take on apprentices?"
"Why?"
"Because not everyone can do it" she said "An apprentice is expected to be the best of the best. They take the same classes as everyone else and they do everything they are expected to do at Beacon but because they have a master, they are expected to do better"
"That doesn't seem bad" Arashi commented
"No it's not" Glynda nodded "But remember what I said. Apprentices do everything they are expected to in Beacon. That means they have the chance to become a part of a team of four like everyone else. Then the work load quadruples for the master. Unless the team is composed with the most talented students of this generation, then their master would work arguably harder than any other teacher in the school. Sometimes it could be too much for normal Huntsmen to handle. The last time someone took on an apprentice at this school was when Ozpin took you on as one"
"Quadruples?" Arashi repeated to himself "But I wasn't a part of a team"
"That's because Ozpin decided to withdraw you from the team selection. A master has the option to do that. Ozpin thought that being in a team would be a bad idea. You were still…difficult to be around back then. But with everyone else, they would need to be part of a team" Glynda stopped in front of a door which Arash noted that was ladled with his name and the numbers 602 "Though you may not understand this, people are social by nature and therefore stronger together. I think this is the reason Ozpin felt regret for you. You are so strong Arashi but you could have been so much more"
Arashi didn't comment on that. No, it was more like he couldn't. Glynda stayed silent as she opened the door
"Please Arashi" She said "I'm going to announce the team selections soon…I know you prefer working alone but please understand that Ruby isn't like you"
Then she was gone, leaving Arashi to unpack as her last words ate away at him.
'Not like me huh?' Arashi thought 'I'd be scared if she was…'
Ruby looked down at the small piece of paper in her hand. On it was a crudely drawn map of the teacher's dorms with arrows pointing which directions to go. It looked like a five year old drew it with worn out crayons. She was confused when during her exploration of the school, the piece of paper floated down from the sky. It had her name on the back of it so she flipped it over and the note read:
Dear Ruby
Get here ASAP
Arashi
At first she giggled at Arashi's drawing. Her amusement wore off quickly as it took her god knows how long to reach what she assumed was Arashi's room. This door she was standing in front of had the name Arashi on it so it had to be his. If it's not then…well, lets just say that she won't be responsible for her actions. She looked out the window opposite the door and grimaced at the setting sun. It was barely noon when she received the map.
"Arashi?" Ruby opened the door and was greeted with the sight of Arashi sleeping soundly on a single bed with his hat covering his face. She sighed. Finally she found him but it turns out he's asleep. Her patience was warring thin after this long day.
Having nothing better to do Ruby looked around Arashi's room. The room looked exactly like the rectangular dorm rooms that were supposed to be used for the students. She ran into plenty of those on her way here. The only difference was that this room lacked a window. To the left was Arashi's single bed and a night stand with its owner sleeping soundly on it. To the right was the door to the bathroom and a simple desk next to it, filled to the brim with files and a computer resting at the centre. In the centre wall of the room was a large map of Vale. But that was not the lack of furniture that caught her attention. No. In a very Ruby way, she awed at the mounted sheathed swords that hung from the otherwise plain white walls.
Her eyes sparkled in glee as they roamed the walls, looking at every single detail of each and every sword.
Arashi must have a deep obsession with swords because there were way too many swords to claim otherwise. Being a girl who can appreciate a good weapon when she saw one, Ruby's fingers traced the nearest sword she could get her hands on. This sheath alone showed how the sword looked different from knight sword Jaune Arc owned. It was curved slightly, not straight like traditional swords. The sheath had a pattern of a deep green snake slithering across it, emerging from its mouth was the hilt of the sword. Gripping the handle lightly she brought the blade out slightly. It was clean, elegant and simple. The blade was a white metal with only one side being bladed. It was a katana for sure. By its design Ruby instantly knew that this sword was made for one thing in mind. For cutting, slicing and dicing. The sword felt so…exotic to her.
"It doesn't have a name"
"EEP!" Slamming the sword shut in the sheath, Ruby twirled around finding Arashi sitting on the edge of his bed, his ears out for all to see.
"That sword" Arashi continued talking undeterred, like he was in a trance "It doesn't have a name. As a katana each is supposed to be unique to each wielder. And as such I have no right to name it. The person who owned that sword…gave it to me years ago" Arashi waved his hand at all the swords that hung from the walls "The same goes for all these swords. They were all given to me by different people"
Ruby looked at the blade in her hands.
"It's so clean" Ruby said as she traced the snake like design of the sheath "How often do use this one"
"I don't use them" Arashi shrugged
"What?!" Ruby stepped back in shock "How could you not use them?"
"Because I never need to" He answered "Each sword here was design specifically for a single situation. Hence if I bring one sword with me then I'll become ill equipped in every other situation. It's too impractical. That sword is the sharpest sword I have in my possession, so sharp that it feels as though you are cutting grass. But it's also extremely fragile. The most fragile in fact. It is not made for fighting or duelling, but for killing"
"Who gave this to you?"
"That's unimportant" He said taking the sword off her hands "What is important is what I wanted to discuss with you about" Arashi looked at the digital clock on his bedside table "four hours ago"
"It's not my fault!" She denied shoving Arashi's crude map into his face "I couldn't understand the map you drawn for me"
"No excuse!" Arashi huffed "Do you expect that in a real mission that information given by your superiors will be exact. No!"
"But-"
"But that doesn't matter now" He interrupted "What's done is done and I was able to take a quick nap well you were frolicking about"
"But-"
"Anyway, back to the matter at hand" Arashi waved off
"Wait-"
"You might want to sit down. I have some explaining to do"
Ruby pouted slightly before taking a seat at Arashi's desk chair
"So" He began "As your master, your progress has become my responsibility. It is my job to get you from where you are now to the top of the class. It is my job to make you the best god damn huntress of your generation. It is my job to make sure you don't die"
In an instant Arashi's mood darkened somehow, making Ruby feel extremely uncomfortable "I have recently been told that if you are place in a team then I will have to teach them as well" He said "My attention will be split between four people. But there is a way around this. As your master I am in charge of your education here at Beacon. And the first thing I can choose to do is whether you will take part in the team placement tomorrow. That way I can focus all my attention to you and make you the best"
Ruby looked down in thought, fiddling with the hem of her skirt to calm her nerves "Why are you telling me this Arashi?"
Arashi paused "...I don't know"
In truth, Arashi wanted to know how Ruby will react to this information. From what he gathered Ruby was the complete opposite of him. Granted that most of his experience with her was Ruby trying to act polite to him but he knew from the way she talked and the way she held her self that they were completely different. Ruby was energetic, happy and most of all innocent. All things that he was not. That will change very soon, he was sure.
Still, the question is that if someone like him, someone who is heartless and professional, prefers to be alone then what would Ruby prefer? The answer is obvious…but what matters most to Arashi was the question, 'why?'.
"Do you have something to say, Ruby?" Arashi pressed
"Are you asking me to choose?" Ruby asked, finally mustering up the strength to look him in the eye
"I'm not asking you to choose anything" Arashi said, walking across the room and placed the sword in his hands on the wall, leaving his hat on the bed and his ears uncovered "I'm just telling you the facts"
"Do I even get a say in this?"
"Normally? No" He shrugged
"What do you mean normally?"
"What it comes down to is my choice"
"That's not fair!"
"Life is not fair"
Each cold answer Ruby got from Arashi only made her lose more and more hope
"…Can I have a team?" Her blunt answer made the air thick in tension. The room felt like it dropped a few dozen degrees and it felt difficult for Ruby to even move her body. It was as if the room was filled with ice cold water, thick and harmlessly painful. Ruby tried to fight back the feeling but the hard, cold look Arashi had gave Ruby the answer she needed well Ruby look of disappointment game Arashi what he needed to know.
"Can I ask you something, Ruby?" He asked, as he knelt and started shuffling through his desk draws "Why do you want a team? Alone I can make you strong. Stronger than those students out there who look down at you because of your age. So strong that you won't need anyone. That's your dream isn't it? To become the best Huntress you can be? Then why do you want a team"
"No one looks down on me" She defended
"Don't dodge the question Ruby" Arashi said sternly looking up at her
"Well, one reason is that I don't want to get special treatment" Ruby said "I know I'm a little young and the only reason I'm here is because of you but I don't want special attention or to be treated differently because of that. I just want people to see me as a normal girl"
"Is that it?"
"No" She said immediately "If I'm going to become a Huntress, then I would want some friends to walk beside me every step of the way"
Arashi paused as he opened the top draw "…Friends are important to you aren't they Ruby"
"They are" She smiled slightly. Arashi sighed in disappointment and in slight frustration that was noticed by Ruby. He reached into the desk and pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen and placed it in front of Ruby. She looked down at it and her eyes were drawn to the big bold words on the top that read 'Team placement forms'. She looked up at Arashi with wide eyes "What's this?"
"You know what it is" Arashi grunted, his bad mood becoming clear in his voice "Just leave it there when you are done with it. I'll take care of the rest"
It took a mare moment for a full blown smile to form on her face "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Before he could react Ruby lunged in happiness and caught the surprised Arashi in a bone-crushing hug.
"Wha-! Get of me!" Arashi yelled trying desperately to get Ruby out of his personal bubble by pushing at her head.
"Sorry" Ruby giggled as she jumped back "You don't know how much this means to me"
"I really don't" He retorted "Just sign the damn thing. I'm going back to sleep"
Arashi yawned before he jumped onto his bed head first. Ruby either ignored his attitude or didn't notice, he didn't know. Even with his head smothered in his pillow he could hear Ruby happily jotting down her information on the form with a happy hum. A small click could be heard
"I guess I should be going now" He heard.
"Yea yea" came Arashi's muffled voice. Arashi heard Ruby's boots lightly thump across the room before the creak of the door hinges told him the door had been open
"Thank you again Arashi" Came Ruby's sweet voice "…And goodnight"
When the door closed, Arashi's wolf like ears twitched at the silence, finally having time to rest after a long day. Arashi groaned as he turned his head to the side and eyed the document Ruby had just signed. He could tell that it was going to give him a major migraine in the future. He wondered if he could even handle four apprentices. It was like lumping a murderer with four children. Already he was thinking if he could somehow convince Ruby to reconsider.
Or I could just burn it He thought
Then again, Arashi was never one to turn down a challenge.
"I wonder if he is mad at me" Ruby sighed. The walk to the ball room was long. The teachers' rooms were all in one whole building, separated from the rest of the school by a large cobble stone courtyard, framed with flowers and complete with a now docile circular water fountain. So Ruby had plenty of time to think about her discussion with her master.
Looking up at the sky Ruby saw the now barely visible red hue of the suns light, and the naked white moon hanging above in all its glory. Without the blight lights of the urban cities interrupting them, thousands upon thousands of stars became visible scattered across the night sky as if some god threw a barrel of glitter into the heavens. There were so many stars that, with the space dust around them they formed large clusters that looked like translucent neon and orange clouds. If she wasn't deep in thought then she would have thought it be beautiful.
The young woman sluggishly walked to the water fountain that has by now given up spraying water for the public to see. Sitting down by the edge she looked down at the completely still water. Like a mirror it reflected the night sky giving it the look of a portal to another world. And in the water, Ruby saw her reflection.
She had been told that she had gotten her face from her mother while her personality came from her dad and his family. She couldn't argue with them. Especially on the personality part. Her red tipped black hair was a trade mark of her mothers, something Ruby took pride in. But ever since that day, ever since she lost her mother, her hair served as a constant reminder of her. And her own reflection became her bane, one that would send her into a state of temporary depression if she allowed it. But she would never trade her hair for the world.
It feels lonely here She thought I left all my friends at Signal. Other than Yang, I don't know anyone here. Jaune is kind but I don't think Weiss likes me at all. Then there is Arashi…
Her shoulders slumped at the thought of Arashi.
Years ago when word reached out of a young prodigy at Beacon, Ruby's attention was drawn to the name Arashi. Like how a pop star is to a woman, and the best player on the national sports team is to a man, Arashi was an idol to any upcoming Huntsmen or Huntress. He was living proof that noting is impossible. Ruby herself was guilty of admiring the Arashi portrayed in the many articles and rumours. That was the reason his opinion of her mattered to her so much. It was not because she was self-conscious or because she was the perfect main character in a TV series/fanfic. It was because Arashi was what she wanted to become. What she was to aiming for.
"Ahem"
Ruby jumped at the sudden noise and would have fallen into the fountain if not for a firm hand gripping her shoulders. Looking up from the fountain she saw Ozpin smiling down at her, holding a steaming hot drink in his other hand.
"Professor?" Ruby said more to herself then to Ozpin
"Hello Ruby" Ozpin greeted, taking his hand of her shoulder
"What are you doing here?" She asked
"I just came from the kitchen after getting some more hot chocolate" He said, taking a sip of his drink
"That's hot chocolate?"
"Did you think it was coffee?" Ruby nodded. He chuckled "Hmm considering how much I drink, I think I would have some major heart problems if it were coffee" Ruby didn't laugh, she only looked down at her lap as Ozpin sat down right next to her "But I wonder, what are you doing out here Ruby?" he said "Shouldn't you be at the ball room?"
"Arashi wanted to talk to me" She said "He wanted to talk about the team selections"
"Ah" Ozpin realised "He wanted to ask you whether you wanted a team?"
"I…I don't know what he wanted. I didn't think he wanted me to have a team. He said he could make me stronger that way. But when I said I wanted a team, he let me. And now I think he is mad at me. Why would he let me go through the team selections then?"
"Hmm" Ozpin thought "I've known Arashi for only two years Ruby. And in those two years I watched him grow in skill and in strength. But he didn't change one single bit. Even now he is still stubborn, prideful and believes whole heartedly that strength comes from the effort of oneself…among other things" Ruby nodded as she listened to Ozpin talk but stayed silent. Opzin smiled as he sipped from his cup
"You're lonely aren't you?" Ruby looked up at Ozpin in surprise who only chuckled "I've lived long enough as a teacher to understand how young people think these days. But you are lonely, aren't you? Beacon right now seems hostile and alien to you. Other than your sister, there is no one you can trust your heart and your problems too. What you are experiencing is completely normal and has become sort of an unnamed ritual of every teenager and Arashi is no different. He is going through the same thing as you at this very moment and I believe that is the reason way he did what he did"
"You are both growing up"
"Growing up?" Ruby muttered
Ozpin nodded "Everyone grows up at some point. And everyone grows up in different ways. But at the end, you come out a changed person. Sometimes, we aren't prepared for it. Sometimes we wake up one day realising we already have. Either way, it is hard to leave what you were behind"
"And Arashi is still growing up too?"
"Yes. When he was first here, I didn't allow him to grow up. I didn't make any effort in getting Arashi to make any friends. He had one friend once upon a time, but that didn't work out so well… He didn't change you see. He is still very much a child even though he may not seem like it. Then he left before I could correct my mistakes" He looked at Ruby in the eyes
"Then you came along with Arashi following not far behind you. I don't think it is a coincidence that Arashi was there that night. And I defiantly don't think it was a coincidence that you were a talented Huntress. Talented enough to catch Arashi's attention. He could have left at any point. But instead he took you as an apprentice, with a gentle nudge in the right direction by me. Even I can tell that he is curious about you for some reason. Does that answer your question?"
"Eh? I didn't understand a thing you just said"
"Sleep on it. You'll understand soon" Ozpin grinned before yawning "Well, it's getting late. I'm going to bed, and you should as well. You got a big day ahead of you"
"Ok…Goodnight then" Ruby awkwardly lifted a hand in farewell as she watched Ozpin stand up and leave towards the teachers dorms she had come from.
"Oh and Ruby?" Ozpin called from over his shoulders "My advice to you is to let things just happen. Go with the flow"
At the corner of her eyes she saw the lamp posts flicker on with a dim artificial fire, just enough to light up the path ways and leave the skies untouched by light pollution. Realising how late it was, Ruby decided it was time to go. It took no less than five minutes for Ruby to reach the large dark wood double doors that separated the ball room from the rest of the building. It was clear that, like the rest of the school, the doors were given a fairy tale like design of twisting tree branches and leaves.
Ruby looked to the side and saw a reflection of herself in the window just opposite of the door
"Just let things happen" She mumbled
Then she opened the door
In a dark room, a sickly laugh could be heard. Like a cackle of a witch, it could strike fear into the hearts on men and children alike. A sound of metal slick across metal sounded accompanied by the smell of powdered steel, like a blade was being sharpened by a butcher before the hacking. One could say that that was about to happen.
A small opening in the room allowed a sliver of white light to flow in revealing a formerly white blade now turned crimson and a haunting grin all too similar to that of a ghostly Jack o lantern. The blade tilted slightly, reflecting a dim red light to a thin chest that resembled a hunk of meat that was rammed through a shredder. Dozens of long drawn out cuts were scattered across the chest but paled in comparison to the impossible number of scars that came along with it. So many scars that any more would make the chest look like that of an old man.
Then the blade dropped, digging through the wrist of the wielder spraying blood like a hose. The wielder released a sign of orgasmic glee as the knife travelled across the wrist upwards to end of the forearm.
"That was wonderful" A heavy deep voice spoke, as the knife was lifted away "I almost saw the other side"
Again
"Yes, again. I want to see more" The voice said, watching in disappointment as the new cut started to stitch itself back together. A hand was laid down on the table knife was lifted again. And down it came again, this time going straight through the hand, nailing it down to the wood underneath. More soul stirring laughter was heard before the knife was yanked out again and was thrust into the abdomen.
Again
"Yes"
The shoulder.
Again
"Yes!"
The thigh.
Again. And let us bathe in that wonderful colour
"YES!"
And then his world turned ruby red.
Ah crap. I forgot about the second author's note at the bottom.
But still, I bet you didn't see that coming huh? You probably did but...meh this chapter is about character development for Ruby and Arashi (but mostly Arashi). Yip, a writers worst nightmare.
You see the reasons I did, especially at the end, is to show that Arashi IS NOT NORMAL. And by not normal I mean he is flippin INSANE. I just wiki'd insane and basically copied what I saw onto the end. We got hallucinations, a wacky mind and a little something I added to spice things up. Why is he ike that? Well I plan for it to be a hidden plot point for now before getting a big reveal in the near (or far) future.
So to round it up I'm just gonna tell you everything I intended to show you listed in no particular order:
-Arashi is insane
-Arashi has a fetish for near death experiences/self injury/pain (I made him F**ked up right?!)
-Ruby experiencing the process of growing up
-How famous/well knows Arashi is
-A bit about Arashi's mindset (Just note that you can't predict the mind of insane people)
-A touch about how Glynda feels towards Arashi
And thats about it. I might have missed some or unintentionally added some but meh.
Anyway please! this time review. I especially want want to know how you found my little surprise at the end. Was it detailed enough for you? Did it creep you out?
Ok now I should get some sleep. Here in New Zealand it's like midnight
Until next time
Ja ne!
