DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TEKKEN/RWBY.
Note: Advanced apologies for OOC's. This is AU.
Again, this is in collaboration with TownofSalem Yeah, a very lazy partner but a writer nonetheless. Originally we planned to reedit the first chapter but the heck with the level of laziness creeping in... and so a Chapter 2 is written instead.
CHAPTER TWO
"Thanks for coming with us Uncle Qrow!" Ruby said happily. After a long debate since last night, there was no winner or a loser, everyone just came to the conclusion to let Ruby go on the journey to find the Lost City of Atlantis with the strangers they met the other day. But her condition is to report to them every night of everything that happened to her. No one will go with her but they WILL take her to the docks to say their goodbyes.
"Ah, it's nothing one bottle of liquor can't pay."
Yang lightly punches him in the arm and he raised his hands in surrender. "I guess this is it Ruby."
"I am NOT dying Yang! I'm just going on a long trip!" Ruby shouts and Yang dropped the fake sad face and hugged her younger sister tightly. "Take care!"
"If... -m -till al...v.. to -nter the -hip..." Ruby struggled to say from her sister's tight grip. When Yang released her, she was finally able to breathe again. "I'll be fine Yang. I mean, meeting that girl Asuka reminds me of you. Kind of..."
"What? Don't start comparing me with her!"
While Qrow was watching them bid their goodbyes, they heard a loud screaming from the deck of the ship. The three will look up and a woman wearing a purple army suit falls from the deck. Smell of mixed fruits was all over her like it was a scented perfume, her eyes were squeezed shut. The men who tried to catch her only yelled warnings to those who were down below.
"Look out!"
When the blonde woman opened her eyes after finally wiping off the juices that entered her eyes, she blinked when she saw Qrow's face. Then she looked around and sees two other unfamiliar faces; Yang and Ruby. But what she later realized is that the man whose face she sees, was carrying her like a bride.
"You okay?"
In reflex, she slaps him and he drops her. She expected that so she landed back on her feet and glared at him.
"Thanks but no thanks..." she says. And Qrow turns to Yang and Ruby, wondering what he did wrong.
"She reminds me of Cinder..." Ruby whispered to Yang.
"Her hips definitely shake like Cinder's but I don't think Uncle Qrow would catch her if she gives off a Cinder-vibe." Yang whispered back and Ruby nodded in agreement.
"Yep, just her hips."
Then they looked up when they heard a familiar voices shout from there.
"Is everyone alright?!" Asuka asked with a worried expression. Her eyes met with Yang's for a moment then she quickly diverted her attention to Ruby to keep her anger in control. "Ruby! I see you arrived!"
"Yeah, we're all okay! No one got hurt!" Ruby replied and Qrow cleared his throat. "Well... maybe Uncle Qrow was a casualty."
Asuka laughed and ran to the entrance to give them a warm welcome. Ruby and Yang ran to meet her at the front while Qrow remained to where he stood. Nina, the woman earlier, walked behind Ruby and Yang.
"Sorry about your uncle." Asuka said and turns to Nina. "That would've caused our researcher to quit!"
"I didn't know." was all she said.
"An apology would do." Asuka tells her.
"Nah I think he'd appreciate a wine offering instead." Yang teased and Nina rolled her eyes as she entered the ship, walking passed them. "He'll be waiting for sure!" she shouted. "Wow she's not so friendly, is she?"
"She works for grandfather. She's a kickass assassin for more than 20 years!" Asuka introduced.
"Twenty years? How old is she exactly?"
"42. But long story short she's physically not 42 due to some chronic sleep." Yang and Ruby did an 'oooooh' and nodded. Yeah the short story was better to hear than a novel. Or maybe they can hear the full story along the way. "By the way, there are two more slots if you want to take someone with you."
"Really?!"
"Yep! Lars and Jin's mom would be staying so you can take their slots instead." Asuka explained.
Ruby and Yang began to scream loudly and jumped excitedly. Looks like Yang was coming after all. "It's okay for Yang to come right?" Ruby asked, still aware of the running competition between her and Ruby's sister. It took a while for Asuka to reply but she nodded in the end. "YES!"
"As for the other slot, we're definitely taking Uncle Qrow with us." Yang declared.
"I don't think he'd come even if there was a slot..." Ruby said, worried.
"No worries, we've got stocks of liquor here. If your uncle loves drinking, then he and gramps will get along!" Asuka offered and the two girls grinned. They will definitely drag their uncle to come along.
Later, Asuka gave them a tour around the ship and led them to their rooms.
"We have separate rooms?!" Ruby asked in panic.
"Calm down. Since it was someone else's slot, the reserved room for Lars and Jun will be given to Yang and your uncle. While you get to stay in a room reserved for you. The rooms are not far from each other too, so you can relax."
"Yeah, chill down Rubles." Yang comforted.
Asuka leads them first to Yang's room. Asuka opens the door and there, Jin was half-naked, just got out of the shower. His towel helped cover up his below but still he panicked when the door suddenly opens and three girls were looking at him with wide eyes.
Yang whistled, Ruby's face went red as she covered her eyes and Asuka grinning at him.
"ASUKA!"
"Sorry, wanted to tell Yang this would be her room!"
"What? What happened to Lars?!" Jin shouted and then he glanced over at Yang who winked at him. " I am NOT going to stay in one room with her! It's wrong! She's a girl and I'm a guy!"
"Is it literally just the two of them there?" Qrow asked.
"No, there's a third person, Alisa. But she's somewhere around the ship for now." Asuka says and Qrow shrugged.
"Wait, you guys are agreeing?!"
They didn't listen to Jin's complaint and closed the door so Asuka can lead them to Qrow's room next. Ruby kept her eyes covered to erase the sight she just saw while Yang was still laughing at what just happened.
"Why are you so scared?" Asuka asked, also laughing.
"I'm not scared! It's just... he's buff!" Ruby replied, still with red cheeks.
"Tell me about it." Yang added.
"Well, he works out." Asuka commented and then touched the doorknob of the room where Qrow would stay. "So this is where you'll stay sir." When she opens the door, Qrow and Nina's eyes met. Nina was about to leave the room when the door suddenly opened.
"Oh great..." Qrow muttered, "what misfortune..."
"Why is he here? I know he's not the researcher." Nina asked Asuka and the brunette smiled at Nina.
"He'll be taking your roommate's slot."
"Is it just the two of us?" Qrow asked before they decide in haste. When Asuka's grin grew wide, he didn't have to wait for her answer. "Yang and I should swap places."
"No way, I'm satisfied with my room!"
"How about we check my room next and let's see who my roommates are?" Ruby suggested. They agreed to keep quiet until they see which room was worse.
Asuka leads them to Ruby's room to see the final judgment.
"Hello!" Alisa greets them. Asuka was in shock. "Are you all going to be my roommates? My name is Alisa! Please take care of me!"
When they heard Alisa's name, they turned to Asuka who was still processing in her head why Alisa was there. "Alisa, why are you here? I thought you were with Jin and Lars!" she shouts.
"Steve's mother talked to me about staying with boys in one room so I switched places with Steve!" Alisa explained.
"Does Steve also work out? Because i'm still fine with staying with them." Yang asked jokingly but Qrow gave her a look of disapproval. "It was a joke!"
"Please stop shouting! I'm trying to get some sleep here!" a voice from the corner arose.
They all looked over at the person sleeping in a double deck, she was at the bottom, she rolls off the bed wearing her nightgown and her eyes widened when she saw familiar faces.
"Weiss?"
"RUBY!"
"WEISS!"
Ruby and Weiss ran towards each other for a long hug. Asuka scratched the back of her head as she watched the two begin their incoherent babbling. Yang took small steps to stand beside Asuka with her arms crossed. "She's a friend." She explained.
"Yeah, what a small world." Asuka says. "But this'll result with no one wanting to switch places with your uncle."
When Asuka brought the matter up, Qrow remembered his dilemma. "I'm not coming. This isn't worth the trip." he says.
"Oh come on! Don't be scared of some woman who didn't like you at first glance! She was just surprised to see you close-up!" Yang encouraged and Qrow sighed in defeat. Either way the ship had already began its travel, he's not going anywhere.
That evening, they were gathered in the main room.
Heihachi Mishima was standing in the center, his arms crossed, his face serious and yet with a big smile. "Welcome, everyone who are gathered here today to join me in my quest to find the lost City of Atlantis. My name is Heihachi Mishima, and my company, Mishima Zaibatsu, is sponsoring this quest. Now I've gathered all the people that can help me in this trouble except the most important person. The researcher...""
While Ruby was listening, she felt inspired. She was an important person in this mission. It felt good that she was important, that she was needed.
She clapped when everyone else does and she'd laugh when everyone else would. She liked it here. She felt like joining this mission was the right decision. And that right now her mother was proud of her.
"He's going to brag all night." Weiss muttered, her face obviously showing she was bored.
"You know, I never got the chance to ask why you're here, Weiss." Ruby says.
"You make it sound like it's a bad thing." Weiss shot back at her and she shook her head.
"No I'm just wondering. I mean, I'm the researcher, Yang and uncle Qrow are here to look after me... and..." Ruby trailed off, not knowing how to word it well that won't offend her friend.
"The Schnee Dust Company provides the dust they will use in this journey. Mishima Zaibatsu offered a partnership in return of our cooperation but my father wants to know how they operate first so they told me to come in this mission of theirs." Weiss explained.
"Oh."
"Don't just 'oh' me, you sounded disappointed!"
"I thought there was more to it than that, turns out I was expecting too much." Ruby stated and Weiss glared at her.
"What do you mean by that?!"
"Guys, shh! This is the best part!" Yang hushed them and both Weiss and Ruby looks back at Heihachi.
"Our researcher, Ruby Rose, is the daughter of the well-renowned researcher in the world. Summer Rose. They said she took on her mother's legacy but who can prove it but the daughter herself, right?" Heihachi said and the crowd laughs, excluding Ruby. She does not like where this was going. "In fact, it was pure luck that led my grandson and his cousin to meet her. Such odd circumstances to meet this researcher. But here we are, finally voyaging out on a journey to find the unknown!"
Ruby began to sweat in anxiety. Earlier she liked the attention, the way she was special-mentioned repeatedly but now she's not very happy about it.
"Ruby Rose!" he called out.
Ruby's heart skipped a beat as she was cold, she stood there frozen, her legs unable to move, her eyes locked on Heihachi, her mind unable to process what she was supposed to do know. Should she flee? Should she faint? Pretend to be sick?
Weiss and Yang also turned to her with a smile. What was she supposed to do?
"Why won't you give us a little something about yourself?"
"A- about- m- myself? I- I-"
"Yes. You can talk about your mother or even your works!"
He wants me to talk about MY WORKS! THIS IS A DREAM COME TRUE! But why can't I move?!
"But most of all, surprise us with your knowledge of Atlantis... come on here!"
Ruby slowly took a step forward, every step would take a minute, everyone was looking and staring at her... she was nervous... very nervous... my heart was in a frenzy as well and it wasn't a good thing.
"I... I- I- I'm Ru-"
BOOM!
