Hunting or Bust

by Master Attlon

The paths we find ourselves on. Are they predetermined by fate? Or do we really have the power to change our future? Will we stick to the paths we find ourselves on? Or if a chance presented itself, would you take it? This is a new path. A new chance at life. A...did that kid just spew chunks all over the deck? Yes. Yes he did.

4. The Players Make Their Moves

Hunting or Bust

Dust 4: The Players Make Their Moves

I'm sorry I didn't get into the big action sequence you were all expecting but I needed this chapter to establish the next one.

I haven't updated recently because:

1) Work Load

2) Writer's Block

And most importantly 3) iOS 8 update completely destroyed my writing process, impeding the speed I can write, and hindered everything else I've been working on for the last few weeks. I lost more than a thousand words at a time because my program kept shutting down before I could save.

But anyway...

On with the show!

ZWEI!

((((((((Hunting))))))))

Sasuke sprinted through the forest and maneuvered around the trees while making sure his senses were at the ready for anything and everything. Although now that he thought about it, there really wasn't any reason to try and be aware of his surroundings.

Because anything and everything that would want to hurt him was currently chasing him by his metaphorical tail.

Sasuke looked back to see a group of Beowolves, Boarbatusks, and Ursai for good measure charging after him.

While Sasuke dashed through the woods with the roaring and gurgling of several kinds of creatures of pure destruction chasing behind him, he couldn't help but glare and curse his luck.

It wasn't his fault that he was finding some fun in soaring over the trees, right? How many times do you get flung off a cliff with a catapult? And when you have the skills to land in a situation like that without sustaining injury, it isn't uncommon to try and find some joy in doing so.

But, of course, he had to jump a little further than where he was supposed to land.

And of course he landed directly in the middle of a Grimm nest.

Good lord, Naruto would be having a freakin' field day if he knew he was in this situation.

And if his brother knew he was being careless...

Oh who was he kidding, if his brother was facing him right now then he would have a lot more to say than just how disappointed he was that Sasuke was being careless.

And just as Sasuke's thoughts started to drift, an Ursa popped out from behind a tree and raised its claw to slash at him. But it swiped at thin air as Sasuke ducked under the massive claw before he flipped and placed his feet on the creature's chest.

He pulled the trigger and the shotgun blast blew the Grimm's head off while launching him at the charging stampede of monsters. He pulled his sword out in a quick draw and sliced a Beowolf in half before he skidded across the ground.

The Grimm all turned around before charging again at the sword wielding teenager. He spun the blade in his hand before parrying several strikes from a Beowolf that took the first charge. Sasuke blocked the monster's attack before spinning on his feet, removing his sheathe while cocking it, and aiming it against the Grimm's head before pulling the trigger.

As the Beowolf fell back, an Ursa came charging forward to attack the Uchiha boy but he blocked the strike with his sword. He immediately pushed the blade back before quickly swiping at the large Grimm's body several times with his blade. It met some resistance from the Grimm's naturally hard body and bone-like armor but each of Sasuke's strikes staggered the larger creatures before he kicked it in the chest and sent it flying back through a tree.

Two Boarbatusks came spinning at him while the raven-haired boy jumped over them for safety. They turned around before speeding towards him again. Sasuke gripped his sheathe and held both arms out as his sword and sheathe slipped in between the Grimms' tusks. He pushed down and sent the creatures flying through the trees while they wailed in shock.

He ducked under a Beowolf's swipe and swept its leg out from under it before kicking it into a bush. He smacked another Beowolf in the face with his sheathe before flipping his sword in hand and stabbing behind him into a charging Boarbatusk. He looked up to see a pouncing Ursa come down at him so he rolled out of the way as the monster crashed into the ground.

Sasuke rolled before sitting back up to see that the entire collection of Grimm were covering him on all sides, letting out low growls as they advanced towards him. The young Uchiha narrowed his eyes before flipping his sword in hand and sliding it back into its sheathe. He reached down and cocked the top fore-end before gripping the handle of his sword.

The young man closed his eyes and slowed his breathing while keeping his focus on the Grimm and their movements.

The surrounding Grimm all pounced forward at the crouching boy with the intent to kill.

*Bang*

*Schwip*Schwip*Schwip*Schwip*Schwip*

With the extra power from firing Vollmond Reflexion out of his sheathe, he drew his sword with a quick slash and cut everything around him several times. The Grimm all froze in place with Sasuke's arm outstretched with his sword in hand.

The Grimm all blew apart after getting sliced into pieces and the trees around them fell apart from the power of Sasuke's fast draw.

As his enemies fell to chunks, Sasuke spun his sword in his hand before sheathing it again and standing up. He looked around at all the sliced apart bark, bushes, and Grimm parts before deciding to get back to the exam at hand.

"Grahhhhhhhhh."

Sasuke stopped and looked back to see the Ursa he had kicked earlier had recovered after his strike and was making its way back to him. It stood up on its hind-legs and prepared to fight him again. Sasuke furrowed his eyes and lowered his stance to attack once more.

*Schwip(x57)*

Sasuke blinked in surprise as knives flew around him and littered the Grimm's entire body. There were dozens of knives pierced into the creature's body and they had flew around him so expertly that there was an outline of his body where the Ursa wasn't skewered.

It let out one last growl before falling forward in a dead heap.

Sasuke just stood there in surprise as his last foe was swiftly and utterly defeated by several dozen different types of knives that flew out of nowhere.

"Hey, that was pretty cool right?"

Sasuke turned around to see a young lady with her hair done up in buns.

She smiled and flipped her wrist so a knife appeared between her fingers, "Sorry I didn't come out sooner but it looked like you were handling everything pretty well by yourself. I think that thing you did with your sword was way cooler, but I guess I just wanted to help in the end. You don't have a partner yet, right?"

She grinned, "I'm Tenten. Looks like we're gonna be working together for a while."

Sasuke just looked at the bun-haired girl for a moment in silence. He looked back at the Ursa with the multitude of knives in its body before looking back at her in confusion, "Where...where do you hide all those knives?"

Tenten smirked, "Trade secret."

((((((((Hunting))))))))

Ruby was silently following behind the older, white-haired girl that silently marched her way through the forest. After they had met up a while back, Weiss had dragged her along by her hood before letting her go and just kept moving. Since then, they hadn't so much as shared a conversation together.

Ruby was nervous because Weiss had a displeased, annoyed scowl spread over her face and she looked like she would go off at any moment.

To be fair, in all of the interactions she had with the heiress, she always seemed to look angry about something. But in her defense every time they met it usually ended in disaster.

Ruby sped up so she was catching up to the rapier user before she asked lightly, "Weiss, are you mad? You seem mad?"

Weiss answered immediately, "Yes. You're right. I am mad."

"Why are you mad?"

"It shouldn't be that hard to figure out why I'm mad."

"B-but I can't think why."

"Well then that's your own fault."

Ruby's expression fell and she sulked, "Geez, why are girls so hard to understand?"

Weiss stopped before looking back at her strangely. She shook her head, "You're a girl too. That...that doesn't make any sense."

Ruby felt sheepish under her glare, "W-well, I didn't have a lot of friends. And I'm more used to straight-forward girls like Yang so-okay, can you please just tell me what's wrong? Otherwise nothing is ever gonna be solved."

"Fine, if you want to know then I'll tell you." Weiss looked at her reluctantly accepted partner, "I'm upset because I don't even get a say in the matter of how much future is planned for me. I wanted a chance to prove myself. To become something worthy of this school's prestigious standard and become a great Huntress. But now...I don't think I'll be able to reach that goal anymore. Weiss rubbed the bridge of her nose but continued speaking, "The reason I'm mad is because I'm with you. An immature, unreliable child that I'm going to have to drag win me for the next four years. Someone I can't put my full trust in."

Ruby stood there silently as Weiss' words slowly started to sink in. Her expression sank and she looked down at her feet, feeling hurt by the way the white-haired girl was so certain she wasn't able to help. The red-tipped girl steeled her features and decided she wasn't going to let those assumptions define her, "I won't be a burden!"

Weiss looked back up, "Excuse me?"

In an instant, Ruby appeared in front of Weiss in a burst of speed, shocking the girl off balance, "I promise I won't be a burden to you Weiss! I can help these next four years! There will be awesomeness. Awesomeness everywhere."

Weiss stumbled back, "H-how did you-"

"Believe me Weiss, I can take care of myself! I'm quick! I can fight! Plus..." Ruby took the large red attachment off her back and extended it into her massive Crescent Rose, "No one will even think about messing with us while I've got this baby!"

Weiss jumped back in fright at the sight of the massive, deadly weapon in her hands. Due to their short history where very bad things happen when Ruby actively did something, Weiss was very apprehensive of her holding such a large...sharp weapon. She raised her hands, "Okay...that is very impressive...just be careful with that thing."

"Don't worry." Ruby started spinning the massive scythe with an expert hand while attempting to reassure the heiress, "I've been studying how to use a weapon like this for a long time. I've got this in the-"

*Bang*

They both flinched when Ruby's sniper accidentally went off and fired a round into the bushes. The girls slowly looked towards the direction the silver-eyed girl had fired and listened as birds and animals started rustling through the grass.

Ruby gulped before looking in the corner of her eyes to see Weiss giving her the most annoyed, incredulous look she could make.

She giggled nervously, "Oops. Sorry."

Before anything else could be said, they heard some low growls and gurgling from the bushes around them.

They turned around and watched as red eyes appeared from out of the shadows. Slowly, large claws of bone and black inky skin started reaching out before Beowolves made themselves noticed. They lurked forward with all of their vicious eyes trained on the red and white girl. And among the many monsters, one of them had a smoking gun wound in its shoulder.

Okay, correction. THAT was the most annoyed look Weiss had ever made while glaring at her.

Weiss shook her head and pulled Myrtenaster from her hip. She spun the Dust revolver and got into a fencing stance, "After this, you don't do anything else for the rest of the exam. And not another word."

Ruby gripped her scythe, "It was an accident-"

"Ah! What did I just say?"

Ruby grumbled before placing her foot back and getting ready to fight, her and Weiss standing besides each other while looking around at their enemies. The Beowolves slowly stalked forward and prepared to attack.

Ruby pulled her slide and cocked her gun before firing forward and launching her self backwards. She spun through the air with her scythe outstretched as she knocked several monsters back before imbedding her massive weapon into the ground to stop.

Weiss followed after her partner's initial strike and spun on her feet before a glyph appeared under her and she thrusted forward. She shot off with amazing speed and struck the center of a Grimm's chest, blowing it backwards into the rest of the group. She spun around and swung her rapier with a swift yet staggering force.

Ruby jumped on the back of her weapon and dislodged it from the ground before spinning it in her hands and slicing off several Beowolves' claws. She twirled it around like a weightless stick before stopping it in one direction and firing off the sniper rifle, blowing off one of the Grimm's heads without any trouble.

Weiss swung her blade out before bringing it back to her shoulder and spinning the revolver to the white Dust chamber. Her blade glowed white before she swung her sword and a glyph appeared in the air, creating several icicles and shooting them in every direction. The icicles impacted against several Beowolves and killed them instantly.

While Weiss continued to swing her rapier and create different elemental attacks, Ruby charged forward and swung her scythe. Crescent Rose cut through the side of the monsters as their swipes bounced off her weapon. She leaned back as one Beowolf swung at her face before the back of her scythe's landed on its shoulder and she pulled the trigger.

*Bang*

Her scythe sliced through the Grimm's chest and she swung through behind her to decapitate another one lurking behind her. She spun it in her hand and held it behind her while looking around at the remaining Beowolves, smirking confidently at her show of skill. These guys stood no chance.

She dashed forward-

"Ruby stop!"

She looked up to see a blast of fire coming at her from Weiss' position and she panicked. Ruby stumbled a little and stopped just before the blast hit her but was still knocked over by the explosion. She tumbled on the ground and rubbed her head before looking up at her partner in confusion, "What are you doing?!"

"You were running all over the field! I can't predict where you are-" Weiss' eyes widened and she pointed behind her, "Watch out!"

Ruby looked behind her to see a Beowolf raising its arm to attack her. It brought its claw down before she could move and she prepared to counter-

Two short blades flew out of the air and pierced the Grimm, one in the forehead and the other in its sternum. An orange and blue blur jumped out of the bushes and spun through the air before landing in a crouch in front of the hooded girl, pulling another two blades off from his back and throwing them at the creatures surrounding them.

Naruto stood up and looked down at Ruby before offering his hand, "Glad to see you're still causing trouble."

She looked up at him before smiling, taking his hand before standing back up. Another group of Beowolves started charging them before they were riddled with bullets and blown apart. They all looked back to see Kiba charging out of the bushes with his tonfa in hand. He emptied the magazines before two more appeared from the latches on his legs and he switched them out, "Less talking! More fighting!"

Ruby and Naruto nodded before the scythe wielding girl charged forward with the extra momentum of her shooting. Naruto reached back and pulled the last six short swords of his back, gripping each one between his knuckles as a Beowolf jumped him. He ducked under its claw before he started stabbing up into its exposed belly several times and kicking it away.

As its body flew through the air dead, two Beowolves came charging at him from different sides. He blocked their long white claws as they scrapped against the metal of his blades. They continued forward and slashed at him as sparks flew when they were parried away.

Naruto spun and ducked under their attacks before placing his palms against their chins. He put pressure on the hilts between his knuckles and three arrows shot through both of the Grimms' heads.

Ruby circled around while creating a perimeter the Beowolves couldn't escape from, leaving a trail of rose petals behind her. She moved so fast she had become nothing more than a red blur, the sounds of slicing flesh and mechanical whirring filling the space around them.

Kiba continued to spread out his arms as he shot every Grimm in his sight. One of them ducked under his bullets and charged at him before attempting to slice off his head. He blocked it with his tonfa before grabbing its arm and pushing his other fist under its jaw. He lifted it up before punching down, triggering a rocket system on the back of his weapon and giving him enough force to crush its skull into the ground, "WRAHHHHH!"

Kiba stood back up as Ruby came running to his side, retracting Crescent Rose back into its gun form and pulling the slide. Kiba changed his tonfa back into their gun mode and the two teenagers were shooting everywhere around them as the Grimm started to thin out.

Naruto pulled on the strings wrapped around his thumbs and dislodged the blades he had thrown earlier. He gave them a fair amount of length and start swinging them around as they started stabbing into the remaining Beowolves. With a mighty pull, he swept them off the ground and sent them flying into the sky where they spun for a moment.

Weiss looked up at the flying target and changed her Dust setting to yellow before swiping her sword at the target. A dozen small yellow projectiles formed from where she swung her blade before they rocketed up and destroyed the last of the Grimm.

The four First Year students stood in the clearing as specks of Dust started snowing down on them. Naruto swiped his hands back and the blades came soaring down and lodged into the dirt by his feet. He took a moment to sheathe them before breathing out in relief, "That was fun. But let's try not to get all the Grimm in the forest angry at us while we're taking the exam, agreed?"

Ruby hunched over and relaxed her arms, "It was an accident. I swear I wasn't trying to provoke them or anything."

"Yeah but you always seem to get in an accident that ruins everything." Naruto pointed out while walking over to the hooded girl and his partner. He smiled, "I'm glad to see you're okay."

"Yeah, you too."

"Well this is a touching reunion and all..." Kiba interrupted while securing his tonfa to his tailbone, "But who are these girls?"

Ruby looked up at the taller, wild looking teenager standing besides her. She brightened up and looked at Naruto before asking excitedly, "Is this your partner?"

"Yep. Ruby, this is Kiba Inuzuka. He seems like a stubborn jerk but...well I don't know, haven't really talked with him much yet." Kiba glared at Naruto as he just grinned at taking the shot, "Kiba, this is Ruby Rose."

Ruby waved at the brown-haired boy with tattoos, "Nice t'meetcha."

He just gave a small smile and waved in return. Ruby bounced on her heels, "This is great! We both got our partners! Hey Weiss, come over here and-"

The white-haired girl had already made her way over with an annoyed glare on her face. She glared at her partner, "What were you thinking?"

Ruby blinked in confusion, "W-what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that you were running around so frantically during the fight!" Weiss said with an annoyed and distressed tone in her voice. She motioned to the battle they just finished, "You were running around without any discussion or cooperation, attacking everything in sight like you're someone out of a Spruce Willis movie!"

"Hey I was just fighting the way I've always fought. It's worked for me so far."

"Well it's a foolish and stupid way to fight!" Naruto and Kiba looked between each other before taking a step back from the girls' inevitable argument. Weiss pointed at her, "I almost hit you with my attack when you were fighting the Grimm! I could have killed you!"

"Hey, you were the one who threw that thing at me in the first place! It's your fault just as much as mine!" She crossed her arms with a huff, "Plus it would take a whole lot more than that to kill me."

Weiss shook her head, "Ugh! You are just insufferable!"

"Woah! Woah!" Naruto stood between the two young ladies and tried to mediate the situation, "Okay, let's all calm down. We need to take a deep breath before things get out of hand."

Weiss looked up at the taller blond and felt a twitch in her eyebrow, "Aren't you the one who was trying to instigate the argument last night?"

Naruto looked towards her, "Yeah, but that was for a good laugh. Now, you guys are going at each other's throats in the middle of a war zone. That's never a good idea."

Weiss was reluctant for a moment before she realized that as much as she wanted to reprimand the red-colored girl, this was not the time to do as such. She placed a hand on her hip before looking at the bandana wearing student, "What are you even doing here in the first place?"

Naruto relaxed when he noticed they probably weren't going to argue anymore, "We got lost on the way to the relics and we found you guys along the way. We weren't just gonna leave you guys to fight by yourselves."

"Hey!" They all looked over at an enraged Kiba as he pointed at the blond, "We were not lost and you know it! We were just...taking a detour."

"Oh right, my mistake." Naruto grumbled while throwing a looked back at his touchy partner, "Mr. Wonder Nose over there was sniffing his way to Ms. Goodwitch when he got sidetracked. My reliable partner everyone."

"You sonuva-" Kiba was fuming, "I got mixed up, fine! But my Semblance is useful in a hundred different situations! This forest is full of crap! It's not my fault I got two similar scents confused with these two!"

Ruby tilted her head in confusion, "How did you confuse scents?"

"Because you smell like milk from head-to-toe!" He pointed at Ruby, catching her off guard and making her squeak in fright. He then held his nose while looking at the heiress, "And you, do you bathe in a tub of perfume or something? You reek!"

Weiss covered herself with a flush on her cheeks, "How dare you!"

Kiba defended himself, "Hey, you can take that anyway you want. But my Feral saved your butts before you got hurt."

"We are not some helpless girls that were waiting for you to swoop in!" Weiss defied with a stern edge in her voice, "We didn't ask for help from you or Rag Head over there!"

Naruto held a hand to his bandana and furrowed his eyes. This was a bandana! Not a rag!

Ruby was quiet for a moment while looking between the heated arguers and tried to calm them down, "Weiss, they still helped us. We should at least thank them."

Weiss furrowed her eyes before turning with a huff. Kiba clicked his teeth before taking a few steps back with a uninterested grunt, "We don't need your thanks so don't even bother with it."

Naruto and Ruby shared a glance, feeling concerned about their partners' ill-tempered behavior in the stressful situation. Naruto gave a weak smile, "We should probably keep movin' to the relic site. Someone must've already made it by now. Don't wanna be the last ones there."

Ruby nodded in agreement, "Y-yeah, Naruto's right. We can all get there if we can work together."

Weiss started walking off, "We're going this way."

Kiba stormed off in another direction, "C'mon, I know this is the way!"

Naruto and Ruby looked between the two of them leave in different directions. Ruby looked at her partner indignantly, "Weiss!"

"We are not trying to make a group of friends so we can all talk and have a party together. We're trying to prove to the teachers and everyone else that we are capable of handling any dangers we may face in situations like this." Weiss said while looking back with a solid, unwavering expression, "So we don't have time to waste trying to make friends."

Ruby shrunk down a little as Naruto tried to negotiate, "Wait, hold on. We can still work together just-Kiba, get your ass back here!"

Weiss continued to march her way forward before Ruby started to follow after her. She turned to her whiskered friend and smiled, "We'll see you later Naruto. Good luck with the test."

Weiss and Ruby disappeared in the green and Naruto looked back to see Kiba waiting for him to follow. He just sighed tiredly and ran his face over his hands.

Why were people always so stubborn in situations when they had to prove themselves? Not like he was any better but it was a serious question to think about.

It was important that they prove they were strong in dangerous situations...but wouldn't keeping each other safe mean more in the end than anything else?

((((((((Hunting))))))))

Jaune and Pyrrha were making their way through the thick foliage of the forest while the sound of gunfire of many different kinds echoed through their ears. Jaune stopped and looked at the trees as he gulped, "Was...was that a gun?"

Pyrrha stopped for a moment and listened before nodding, "Yes. It must be one of the other examinees. They must have come across a Grimm." She continued forward, "We must hurry."

"W-wait!" Jaune hesitated for a moment, "Should we-I don't know-help or something?"

Pyrrha looked back at him for a moment before looking around at the trees. She made a complicated expression, "I cannot tell which direction the gunfire came from. I don't think we'll be able to find them just by trying to follow the echo." She saw Jaune look conflicted before she tried to reassure him, "Jaune, there's no reason to be worried. Everyone here has trained for many years to reach this point. I'm sure they can all take care of themselves."

Jaune looked back for a moment and nodded, "Yeah...yeah I guess you're right." He took a few steps forward before scratching the back of his head, "I hope the others are safe."

She looked back at him and seemed interested in his worry, "Are there some friends of yours taking this exam as well?"

"Yeah. Well-I call them my friends but I kinda only met them yesterday."

"But you're worried about them?"

"Of course!" Jaune responded like it was the most natural thing to say, "If they needed help then I would do whatever I could to help!" Jaune stood valiant for a moment before slumping his shoulders, "Although I really don't know how much use I'd actually be but still..."

"Hehehe." Jaune stopped mulling over what he'd do in a situation like that and looked up to see Pyrrha's shoulders shake with her giggle. She turned around and smiled at him, "That is a very admirable decision Jaune, and I'm sure your friends would appreciate having you watch out for them like that."

Jaune chuckled, "Yeah. I bet they'd appreciate it more if I had someone like you by my side to help. I'm sure if you just throw that super spear thing around a little you could scare just about anything off."

Pyrrha smiled but had a mixed look in her eyes hearing him say that. She shook her head, "There is a stark difference between being strong and being invincible. I might be able to hold out against a strong opponent for some time but I would not want to face it alone. Anyone would prefer having help than to just be alone."

Jaune looked at Pyrrha's back as she continued moving through the forest before he spoke up, "Well, I can help you if you're ever in trouble." She looked back at him before he shrugged his shoulders, "I mean I probably won't be any more help than if you just handled it alone but I promise I'll be by your side if you need me. For as much of a meat shield as I can be."

Pyrrha looked at him in surprise before a delighted smile grew across her face, "Thank you Jaune. It means a lot to know I have you watching my back." Jaune smiled reassuringly as they continued forward, Pyrrha moving a branch out of her way, "But you shouldn't speak so poorly about yourself. I'm sure you would be a great partner to have in a fight."

He scoffed, "Yeah. Just as useful in a fight as-GAH!"

The branch Pyrrha was pushing back snapped forward and struck Jaune directly in the face. The red-haired warrior looked back and covered her mouth, "Oh no! I'm sorry Jaune! I'm so sorry!"

"N-no, I'm all right." He was covering the lower part of his face and his left eye was starting to water, "Just got caught off guard."

Pyrrha kneeled beside him, "Here, let me see." She gently held his wrist and lowered it from his face, "It shouldn't be too-uhhhhhhh."

"What? Is something wrong?" Jaune was a little unnerved by Pyrrha blank and horrified look.

She was staring at where a small twig had lodged itself between his cheek and just below his eye. She paled a little before she made an uncertain but calming smile for the quirky blond, "It's-um-it's all right Jaune. Just...close your eyes...and take a deep breath."

"Oh...okay." Jaune closed his eyes while Pyrrha gently placed a hand against his face, "Why do I need to close my-"

*YANK*

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH-didn't hurt." Jaune lamely whimpered out while some tears started forming in the side of his eyes.

Pyrrha laughed awkwardly while looking at the slightly bloodied twig in her hand. She tossed it to the side before moving closer to Jaune, "Let me take another look."

He was hesitant for a moment but he trusted that Pyrrha would know how to help him. He lowered his hand to reveal a small but bloody gash between his eye and cheek. She examined it for a moment before signing in relief, "I know it might seem callous but I think it must have felt worse than it actually was."

He wiped the involuntary tear forming in his eye and chuckled, "Well I guess there are worse things than having a stick in the face. Still hurt though."

Pyrrha apologized, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault. It was the tree's." He joked before standing back up and rubbed just underneath the wound, "Can't wait to explain this when we get back."

Pyrrha had a small smile on her face while listening to the scraggly blond joke about his injury. She examine the wound she blamed herself for, "I should have warned you about the branch? At least then you could have activated your Aura and lessened the blow."

Jaune raised an eyebrow, "My what?"

"Your Aura."

"Whosea?"

"Jaune, you know what Aura is, right?"

Jaune realized he might have made a mistake and tried to cover for himself, "Oh-Uh-of course I know. Yeah, totally! That 'Orda' thing! I got that! I-I just didn't remember because I'm still a little stunned by the branch thing."

Pyrrha saw his efforts to try and cover his lack of knowledge at the subject and decided not to pry. She looked at him, "Aura is our life force, Jaune. Our very soul that manifests itself to protects us. To guide us. To shelter us from the fear, the uncertainty, and the darkness in the world. As long as you have a soul, you have Aura to guide you. And with proper practice..." Her body slowly started to glow a faint red light and Jaune was surprised at the sight, "It can become as protective and sturdy as any shield."

Jaune was stunned at the sight of the illuminating light. He blinked, "And...everything has Aura?"

"No. Not everything." Pyrrha looked off for a moment, "People and animals can manifest their life force...but the creatures of the Grimm can not." She started walking around while reciting everything she had been taught on the matter, "They lack a soul to begin with. They are only the manifestation of hatred and darkness. We fight them because we must understand that while we all have darkness within us, we are still the light that protects this world. When you can understand that, you can truly begin to make strides in becoming something more."

Jaune mulled over what she said as she saw him in deep thought. She walked up to him and looked into his eyes, "Close your eyes."

Jaune blinked, "Oh no. I don't have another twig in my face, do I?"

She shook her head, "No. But if you want to become a Huntsman, then you will need to find the light within you."

Jaune was confused for a moment before he nodded and closed his eyes. Pyrrha placed her hands on his cheeks and closed her eyes, 'It is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death. I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee.'

Pyrrha body glowed brightly for a split second before her light faded and a white light illuminated from Jaune's body in its place. She stumbled and Jaune opened his eyes in time to grab her arms and keep her standing, "Pyrrha!"

Pyrrha felt a warmth spread along her arms and blinked her eyes back into focus to see Jaune's body glowing white. She shook her head and reassured her partner, "It's all right Jaune, I was just winded from unlocking your Aura. I was expecting a small outburst before it settled but...you have quite a lot for just one person."

Jaune was surprised, "Really?"

"Yes." She smiled and pointed at his face, "And it's working in your favor."

Jaune touched underneath his eye and couldn't feel the wound that once rested there. He laughed, "How did that happen?"

"It's one of the perks of having Aura. While you can use it to protect you, it can also heal minor wounds and injuries. Sometimes only temporarily but it is still an asset to have in battle." Pyrrha smiled at Jaune's cheerful expression while looking over his glowing form, "And now that you've unlocked your Aura, it won't be long before you can find your Semblance."

Jaune looked up from his glowing arms, "My what?"

"Semblance, Jaune. A unique ability every person has that is a manifestation of your inner power. Everyone that has Aura finds that not long after, they are capable of using a power unlike most others."

Jaune was overwhelmed by her explanation and watched as the light around his body faded. He looked over his hands, "Hmmmm...I wonder if this is the same thing Naruto did yesterday with his palm."

Pyrrha titled her head, "What do you mean?"

"Well one of the guys I met yesterday, Naruto, he showed me the same kinda healing thing with a cut he made on his hand." Jaune then gestured to his whole body, "But he didn't do the whole 'glowing' thing I did. Would that be his Semblance or something?"

Pyrrha cupped her chin and thought, "I haven't met anyone that had Regeneration as their Semblance before. If it is a more advanced form than what Aura can do by itself then it is certainly possible."

"Well whatever." Jaune shrugged his shoulder and continued the path, "I'm sure his Semblance thing will help him in the fight. C'mon, we still got a relic to find, right?"

Pyrrha watched Jaune continue forward with a renewed joy in his step. She smiled and giggled to herself as he headed through the foliage. He only just discovered what Aura and Semblance are, and he seemed a little scatter-brained, but Jaune trusted and cared about people wholeheartedly. He was kinder and more aware than he portrayed himself to be at first glance.

"Ah!" Jaune fell over on the ground before raising a hand, "It's okay! I got caught in a bush but it's cool!"

Pyrrha laughed to herself before going over to help her friend out.

((((((((Hunting))))))))

"That's the last of the teams, sir. All of the students have now been paired off with each other." Gylnda spoke aloud while informing the headmaster of Beacon Academy the current status of their First Years. She furrowed her eyes, "Although I don't have much faith in some of these pairings. Conflicting personalities. Different viewpoints and skills. I'm worried this might not have been the best choice of action to make up teams."

"Weathering through any situation and being able to look out not only for yourself but those you walk alongside. This is what our test best exemplifies Glynda." Ozpin looked over his shoulder, "They may seem rough at the moment, but they will come to show themselves when the time is right."

Glynda looked down at her scroll in thought before looking back up at Ozpin's back, "Sir, I have some...reservations about the applicants you accepted this year."

Ozpin didn't turn around but did speak up, "Oh? Why do you say that?"

Gylnda started rolling over her touch screen, "Well you accepted Ms. Rose two years ahead of her determined graduation time. I understand that she showed bravery and unprecedented skill while facing that criminal in the Dust shop but I still think we should have considered it more before accepting her so quickly. And this Jaune boy as well. His transcripts say he is an excellent student but the evidence we've witnessed so far has proven otherwise. I'm worried not only for his safety but for Ms. Nikos' as well."

"Anything else?"

Gylnda lowered her Scroll and fixed her glasses before walking closer to the headmaster's side, "I still cannot believe you decided to take those two young men out of the custody of the police and fly them here to Beacon. As far as we know they could still be dangerous criminals and endanger the safety of the rest of our students."

Ozpin looked over his shoulder, "This wouldn't be the first time we've taken young people with unfavorable pasts into our system. I know we might hold hesitations at first but I always make sure that those I pick to attend are those I believe are worthy. Those two young men might appear bad on paper but as we've witnessed in the test, they are very skilled and work well with others. They are genuinely concerned for their comrades and are not showing any signs that they are just using this chance to escape. I told you...I gave those boys the choice myself and I know they deserve another chance to prove themselves. Believe in me Glynda...I would not have taken this chance if I did not believe it was the right thing to do."

Gylnda was silent and looked off while holding back another complaint building inside her. Ozpin noticed this, "You have other reservations about something?"

Gylnda sighed, "Professor, I question whether it was a rational decision you made when you allowed a boy with history in his name to attend."

Ozpin looked back at her, "I don't believe in judging someone just by what their name has garnered over time. I invited Ms. Schnee not because of the prestige in her name but the volume her skills spoke of. In the end, it is character we must see in a person, not their title."

"I know sir. But I also know that you wish to open your doors to everyone that is willing to accept the task, human and Faunus. But there are some people that can't look past the actions of the past and the scars they've created. I just don't know if many people will be able to look past a name like his and accept the boy beneath the title."

Ozpin looked back over the forest and contemplated the possibility. He swirled his coffee in his mug, "Well...I suppose only time will tell if we can truly move away from the past...and build to a better future."

"I...suppose sir. We will just have to wait until they reach the temple before expecting anything else." Gylnda searched through her Scroll for a moment before something caught her attention, "What did you use for relics this year, sir?"

Ozpin did not answer.

"Sir?"

He continued to look out over the cliff in silence.

"Might it be the reason that the chessboard was clear when I spotted it in your office this morning?"

Ozpin just took a sip of his coffee and continued to wait for his students.

((((((((Hunting))))))))

Yang pushed her way out of a few bushes, a frown on her face from fruitless exploration and multiple leaves and twigs sticking out of her luxurious hair. She ran her hand through her hair before she came out upon a steep hill that ran down into a lower clearing. She looked down before speaking over her shoulder, "Hey, come look at this!"

Following not long after was the black-haired beauty that she had made an acquaintance with last night. Blake stepped up to Yang's side, "What is it?"

They both stood at the top of the hill, just over a large rock formation with several different pillars and pedestals at its ring base.

The two girls stared at it for a moment before the blonde one questioned, "You think this is it?"

"Well considering it's the only man-made formation in the middle of a forest..." Blake gave Yang an uninspired look, "I'd say it's a pretty good guess this is it."

Blake started walking down the hill while Yang pouted, "Well sure, think of it like that and it's obvious." The boxer followed after her bow wearing partner as they made their way down to the abandoned temple.

They stepped on the stone and started walking along the inside of the temple. They were separated as they looked at the objective of their exam. Sitting on top of the pedestals were...

Black and Gold figures.

Blake raised an eyebrow, "The relics are...chess pieces? Are they trying to be symbolic about something or were they just lazy and grabbed the first thing they spotted?"

"Meh, probably a little bit of both." Yang turned around with a smile, "As a fellow procrastinator, I can relate about finding useful stuff at the last minute." Blake gave her a dry look before Yang looked over the pedestals again and noticed some were empty, "A few of the pieces are missing."

"Well there were a lot of other people taking this test." Blake mentioned before walking over to Yang, "It shouldn't be a surprise that other people got here first."

"I'm surprised more of them haven't made it yet." Yang mused before she shrugged her shoulders, "Screw it. They'll get here when they get here. Let's pick one!" She looked over the gold pieces before the horse grabbed her attention and she smiled, "Hey, how about this little horsey?"

"That's a Knight."

"Why's the Knight a horse?"

Blake was silent for a moment before she shrugged in return. They smiled at their triumph at passing the test before they heard some rustling in the bushes away from them. The two girls shared a look before facing the noise and slowly inching towards their weapons...

"You were right! There was something beyond the trees!" A girl with her hair up in buns emerged from the bushes with a huff before looking up at the temple. She then noticed the two girls standing in the middle of the structure and deflated, "Aw man, I thought we'd make it first. Dang it."

Yang and Blake looked between each other before the outgoing blonde smiled and waved her golden chess pieces, "Sorry, but if it makes you feel any better we just got here a moment ago."

"Well I guess that's better than nothing." Tenten looked behind her, "Sasuke, you were right! This was definitely the place we were supposed to go!"

Sasuke came walking out of the forest while dusting himself off, "That's a relief."

"Sasuke! You made it!" Yang waved to her new friend while bringing attention to her chess piece, "The relics are chess pieces! We got the horsey!"

"Knight."

"What she said!"

Sasuke and Tenten made it over to the temple while the raven-haired boy looked around for the excitable young girl in a red hood. He couldn't see her anywhere and looked at the curvaceous blonde, "I guess you couldn't find Ruby in the end?"

"Nah. But she's strong. I'm sure she'll be all right. And maybe she teamed up with Naruto so that'd be a plus." Yang smiled again and gestured to the black clad girl besides her, "Anyway, I got someone else to tie me down! Sasuke, this is Blake! Say hi Blake!"

Blake and Sasuke looked at each other for a moment, feeling the same sense of trepidation and anxiousness they felt when they walked past each other yesterday afternoon. Blake narrowed her eyes but still gave the raven-haired boy a slight nod before walking to look over the remaining chess pieces.

Yang stood there in confusion as her partner walked off before waving the action off as another trait of the black-haired girl, "Oh don't mind her. I'm pretty sure that's how she acts towards everyone she meets."

Sasuke concealed some worry and nodded his head, "Yeah. You're probably right."

"Sasuke!" The sword user turned around and caught a gold Bishop piece tossed into his hand. He looked up to see Tenten grinning, "We passed!"

Sasuke looked down at the piece in his hand before examining it and speaking out loud, "I guess this means not everybody has made it yet, doesn't it?"

Yang showed some concern, "Yeah, guess not."

Blake reassured them, "They must've gotten lost on the way here. It's probably not the best idea to assume the worst just yet."

Tenten walked over to them and smiled in agreement, "Yeah. I'm sure they're fine."

((((((((Hunting))))))))

"WHY-"

*Slash*

"-DID YOU-"

*Schwip*

"-PISS THEM OFF MORE?!"

Naruto slashed through the head of a Beowolf while shooting another in the back with an arrow. He turned his head, "They were following us! I tried to scare them off! I didn't know they'd get angrier!"

"It's how a pack works! They look out for their own!" Kiba punched one in the head before grabbing its legs and spinning around before throwing it into another group, "And when one idiots kills one of their own, they get angry!"

"Well sorry I didn't think about how they felt when they wanted to kill us! We wouldn't be in this situation if that super nose of yours could actually work!"

"S-shut up!" Kiba defended himself, "This forest is full of animals that have marked their territory and dead Grimm! I can't get a clear trail on-"

"No! No excuses! From now on, we're trusting my gut!" Naruto argued before jumping back from a slash at his head and stood back-to-back with Kiba.

The tattooed student looked around and gripped his tonfa, "Okay. And what does your gut say about this?"

Naruto looked around before stabbing Stormer by his feet. He reached back and pulled more of his short blades out as well as some wire. He gave a confident smirk, "Decimate 'em."

"Grrrrrrrrr-yip!"

The Beowolves all started to retreat and run away with a frightful yip. Naruto watched all of the Grimm run away from him with a confused and surprised look before he smiled. He gloated, "Yeah! That's right! Don't mess with Naruto Uzumaki! Learn that and you might just live to see another day!"

Kiba tapped his shoulder.

"Not now man. And another thing-"

Kiba grabbed his shoulder and shook him.

"What? What is it?"

Kiba had a horrified look on his face as he pointed forward. Naruto looked in the same direction and his eyes slowly started to widen in shock. A massive, hunched shadow started to descend over them and a monstrous, guttural growl reached their ears.

"Uh oh."

((((((((Hunting))))))))

Pyrrha stopped following Jaune in the cramped cave space they currently found themselves in and looked behind her. Her instincts were flaring up for a moment and she wondered why. She looked back forward at her partner, "Do you really think this is the place Professor Ozpin told us to come to?

Jaune turned around while still illuminating the path in front of them with the torch in his hand, "Well this seems like just as good a place as any to hide a relic. Maybe some ancient weapon used in the war? Or some food? I'm pretty hungry."

Pyrrha continued to look around at the barely visible cave drawings lined along the rocks. She continued a few more feet before speaking up, "Jaune, we should probably go back outside. If we haven't found anything yet then this might not be the right place."

"Pyrrha..." Jaune looked back at her with a pained expression before motioning to the torch in his hand, "I made a torch. A torch! This is-like-the most useful I've been in the whole test! Just let me enjoy it a little longer and we can-"

Jaune stumbled and dropped the torch in a murky puddle, instantly extinguishing the flame.

Everything was pitch black.

Pyrrha: "Do you feel that?"

Jaune: "Soul crushing humiliation and regret? Yeah...been feeling that a lot lately."

Pyrrha: "No, not that. I feel something...something...warm..."

A giant yellow glow brightened the pitch black space, making the two students-in-training squint their eyes. They looked forward and saw a strange oblong orb as the source of the light.

Jaune and Pyrrha stepped forward while examining the anomaly.

Pyrrha tilted her head, "What is it?"

"Maybe the relic? It's...pretty."

"Beautiful."

"I feel warm. And happy."

"It's calming."

Jaune reached up to touch it but the light flinched back at his touch. He smiled a little, "Oh, I'm gonna getcha! I'm gonna getcha! I-got it!" Jaune jumped forward and wrapped his arms around the strange light source.

But then he was slowly lifted off his feet and several feet into the air. Jaune hung there, still attached to the light, before eight beady, menacing red eyes opened in front of him.

He shrunk, "Good feeling's gone."

((((((((Hunting))))))))

The white-haired heiress stood still for a moment while looking at the directions they could take. She started weighing her options, "We should...go this way!"

Ruby sighed from her spot on the ground, "We already went that way."

"Right. I knew that." She stepped back to her original spot and looked around again, "That way!"

"Already did."

"Okay! Give me a minute!" Weiss rubbed her temple and tried to figure out a way for them to find the site as quickly as possible.

Ruby stood back up and dusted off her combat skirt, "Weiss, I think we're lost."

"We're not lost! We're just...I know we can find our way out of here if I can think for a moment."

Ruby tried to reassure her partner, "It's okay to admit it Weiss. Just let me help you and I bet we can work this out."

"I don't need your help." Weiss argued while trying to concentrate on finding their way back, "Lord knows it wasn't any help when you were just running around without a care in the world earlier."

Ruby scrunched her face in annoyance, "Look, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you what I was doing while fighting, but you can't keep holding that against me! It's not fair!"

"Life isn't fair! And if you want to make it out of this then you need to stop acting like a rowdy little child!"

Ruby fumed, "Well then you need to stop acting like a prissy-up bossy pants!"

"How dare you! I am not a prissy-up bossy pants!"

"You so are!"

"I am not!"

"Are too!"

"Ah!" Weiss threw her hands up in the air in exasperation, "You're such a brat! Why did you even come to this school?!"

Ruby stood there for a moment and showed a slightly hurt expression before shaking her head. She steeled her eyes, "Y'know, I didn't ask to be brought here early. Do you know how scared I am coming to the school of my dreams and feeling like I'm not wanted? I'm terrified. I feel like I'm gonna throw up. But...even if you hate me and we can't get along, I'm not gonna stop trying to be your partner. Because I promised myself no matter what happens, I'd become a Huntress and pass Beacon."

Weiss looked at Ruby as the hooded girl walked over to a large tree and clapped her hands, "If you don't wanna work with me then that's fine. I'll figure a way out of here." She jumped on the base of the tree and started to shimmy her way up to the top.

Weiss watched in surprise as the red clad girl made her way up the tree. She looked around and tried to figure a better way to find their destination before looking back at her determined partner. She sighed before running up to the tree and started making her way up, "Hold on! Don't do this by yourself!"

The two mismatched girls continued climbing up to the top of the tree. Weiss struggled, "C-can you hold on for a moment! I'm not as fast at climbing these as you!"

Ruby yelled down, "What?! Haven't you ever climbed a tree before?!"

"No! As a matter of fact I haven't!"

"Well it's easy! Deep breath! One foot in front of the other! Oh, and don't look down! You fall if you look down!"

Weiss panicked and held herself even closer to the tree.

The two students made their way to a more concentrated, bushier top of the tree. Ruby looked around in every direction to try and spot a difference, "I don't see anything!"

Weiss shook her head, "I'm having second thoughts about this!"

"Don't worry! You'll be fine!" Ruby squinted her eyes, "Hey! There aren't so many trees over there! Let's try that spot!"

Weiss clung to the prickly pines even tighter, "This was a bad idea! Why did we have to climb to the very top?!"

"We can see everything from up here! And the pine tree is easy to hold on to!"

"But why is the top of this tree a pine tree?! None of the other trees have anything else like this?!"

Ruby thought for a moment, "Um...I don't know! That's a good question!"

"And the pines are black!"

"And feathery!"

"And warm!"

Ruby gulped for a moment before looking down, "Weiss, maybe we should climb down?! Before anything...Weiss?"

Ruby looked down to see the white-haired heiress looking up at her with stark white, horrified eyes. She slowly pointed up and Ruby followed her gaze. She looked up just in time to catch the gaze of two slitted, menacing red eyes along a white beak.

The girls froze in fear as the giant Nevermore they were clinging to started to unfurl its wings. The Grimm spread out to its full wingspan and started gathering a gust to lift itself.

"Birdie no."

((((((((Hunting))))))))

Done

In case I didn't convey it clearly or it wasn't obvious yet, Naruto's weapons incorporate swords and wires as strings. Making his fighting style elaborate and cool but a pain to write. Oh well, I still think it's cool. When he holds his blades between his knuckles, just imagine it like Masamune from the Sengoku Basara series.

Or Wolverine. Whichever is clearer.

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