AN: And here we are with the regularly scheduled chapter. A massive chapter at that, longest I've ever done in fact.
Or, if you prefer, only 5k words short of the first three combined in length. So, yeah...this one exploded beyond what I thought it would be. Hope everyone enjoys it.
Ichigo Kurosaki
"Nice Kingy, you managed to lead us into a nest of the damn things."
"Shut up!"
"For once, I do agree with him Ichigo."
"You too?!"
"Face it Kingy, you messed up big time here."
Cursing under his breath, Ichigo Kurosaki ducked under the swing of a powerfully built Beowolf. The Grimm lurched over his head, as he brought Zangetsu's blade up and cut clean through the outstretched arm. Roaring in pain, the monster jumped away, clutching the stump of its arm. Ichigo didn't give it long to deal with the pain however, before he flashed forward, and cut the beast in two with the incredibly sharp blade of his sealed ZanpakutÅ. Spending no more attention on the dissolving body of the Beowolf, the shinigami and hunter in training instead turned towards the veritable swarm of Grimm that had latched onto him. His father had said that Grimm tended to gravitate towards more powerful humans than weaker ones...something about taking out the greater threat.
Well, if the Beowolves and Ursa's surrounding him were any indication, Ichigo was inclined to agree with his old man for once. The Grimm's red eyes- the one true feature that set them apart from the yellow/black eyes of Hollows in appearance -followed his every move. It set him on edge...the darkness was oppressive, even for someone used to a Hollow living in his head. But on top of that...he couldn't predict their movements. Dueling his father, Ichigo could predict the old man's moves to a certain extent...he could feel the soul moving.
The Grimm, lacking a soul, meant he couldn't do the sam...
"Watch out you moron!"
Jumping into the air at that shout, Ichigo watched as an Ursa flew underneath where he had been standing. The bear Grimm shook its head, and growled up at him.
Okay...pay more attention next time...
Holding Zangetsu in front of him, Ichigo flew back towards the ground. The Ursa swung its massive paw at him, an attack that would have sent most hunters flying. Ichigo was not most hunters...as he twisted his body in a way that most couldn't manage. The paw flew past his face, the wind rustling his hair. His blade didn't miss, as it cut deeply into the Grimm's chest.
"Gotcha..."
Rearing back, the Ursa fell in a heap on the ground. Turning away from it, the shinigami gathered energy in his legs and flashed into a series of shunpos. Limbs flew from Grimm, as they fell to the ground in bloody heaps. Moving so fast that the blood didn't touch him, Ichigo grimaced as Zangetsu cut through another Grimm's head. The armor resisted his blade long enough to slow him down. Slow him down enough...
"Ichigo!"
For an old and tall Beowolf, smarter and more wily than its younger counterparts, to notice him struggling to cut through the tough armor of a Grimm, nothing like a Hollow mask. Howling at its younger counterparts, it swung its claws forward as Ichigo finally pulled his blade free. The orangehead's eyes widened, as he lost a bit of hair. If Zangetsu hadn't warned him...
"Damn it! I thought they couldn't see me?"
"Anyone can see a shunpo if they're smart enough you idiot!"
"It's a Grimm! They aren't that smart!"
"Well this one clearly is! Now stop arguing and kill the damn thing!"
Not bothering to dispute the point, Ichigo drew Zangetsu back and charged at the old Grimm. The monster just howled again, backing up as a younger Beowolf jumped forward to take the blow. As the teenager pulled his blade out of the body, a third wolf jumped at his back, claws cutting a gash through one of his shoulders. Lacking an Aura in the traditional sense, Ichigo couldn't avoid getting bloodied in a battle...that was why he focused on speed.
When the speed failed him...
"Crap!"
Gritting his teeth, Ichigo spun around and lopped the head off the Grimm that had been licking its claws. The pain in his shoulder faded somewhat as the enhanced healing he had inherited from his Hollow side sealed the wound...but the very fact he had been hit annoyed him. Ichigo was not the type to get hit. That Grimm was way too smart...he knew they got smarter as they got older, so this one had to be ancient.
"We knew not all Grimm would be easy to fight."
"Yeah..."
It still pissed him off. He hadn't expected to fight a Grimm that could fight with its brain. Every other one he had fought was the dumb normal variety...creatures of instinct that existed entirely to hunt and kill mankind. He had never fought one of the old ones that was actually smart. With that knowledge in mind, Ichigo's eyes began to glow blue, as his blade took on an equally blue glow. Swinging the sword at the old Grimm, Ichigo shouted two simple words...
"Getsuga Tensho!"
The teen had wanted to avoid using his signature attack...it didn't quite work properly without Shikai, and there was the risk of inadvertently hitting another student. But he wanted that Grimm dead. And as the blue energy wave shot forward, the Grimm couldn't do anything but howl as it was cut in two. The Getsuga continued on into the sky, trees falling to the ground around it. With his greatest threat gone, Ichigo turned back to the other Grimm. The remaining Beowolves, now outnumbered by the Ursa, howled angrily at the death of their Alpha Male.
"Great, you made them angry."
"They already wanted to kill me!"
"And now they want to kill ya more. Nice one."
"You are really not helping right now."
Ignoring his unhelpful spirit, Ichigo expected to have to dodge an attack. But they didn't charge him...likely because of the Getsuga. Only he and his father could use an attack like that...and the Grimm clearly didn't know how to react to it. And that worked perfectly fine for him. Ichigo preferred fighting enemies that didn't throw themselves at him.
Zangetsu was much the same, at least the Quincy side. Frankly, he preferred avoiding battles if at all possible. As part of his goal of protecting Ichigo...even from himself, sometimes.
"Remember Ichigo, we need not fight all the Grimm."
"I know that. But we're already here, and if I do this...they can't hurt anyone else."
There was silence for a second, before Zangetsu's Quincy side replied, "Very well. But be careful."
Turning his attention back to the Grimm, Ichigo's scowl deepened slightly as he held his blade by his side. The dark creatures growled at him, flexing powerful muscles that could tear the average human limb from limb with very little difficulty.
"Alright, which one of you is next?"
Blake Belladonna
Ears twitching slightly, Blake Belladonna looked up into the sky. Birds scattered as a massive blue...something...shot into the air. Her amber eyes narrowed, a curious look overcoming her normally emotionless facade. The crescent shaped blue thing flew into the sky, only dissipating after flying higher than the nearby cliff. And she had exactly no idea what that had been. She was a bit of a scholar with all the reading she did, but even so, the dark-haired teenager had never seen anything like that blue thing. Or felt anything like it...because she had felt something when it flew into the air. Something she had never felt, and wasn't sure she wanted to feel again without knowing the source.
Because that was clearly not a flare or something like that. The trees that had fallen with it...and the fact it looked much more like...
"Jeez," Yang broke in, "Someone got angry. Wonder who can pull that type of attack off?"
Turning her head to her new partner, Blake tilted it slightly, "Sure that's an attack?"
"Seemed like it. Trees fell with it, and no flare's doing that."
"But who could it be," the other girl muttered softly.
Yang shrugged, "No idea. Probably Ichigo."
"Hmm?"
"Seems like something he'd do," the blonde shrugged before looking in the distance, "Come on! That temple has to be close by!"
Blake smiled slightly at Yang's endless energy, sparing one last look at the sky before following the other girl. She wasn't sure that whatever that was had been the orange-haired student, but then again, she didn't know him. She had only talked to Ichigo Kurosaki once, and while he seemed nice enough- and understood her desire for peace and quiet -she couldn't say she knew what types of powers he had. Yang would probably know better, having met him earlier.
That being said, the girl couldn't deny that the idea of anyone doing something like that intrigued her.
"Hey Blake," Yang spoke up.
The dark-haired girl turned her head, an eyebrow going up. Yang was looking at her curiously, though her eyes seemed focused on something else. The grin that seemed welded on her face wasn't changing though. The girl was so...chipper...that Blake almost didn't know how to act around her. Stuff like this wasn't something she was used to, by any means. Most people she knew were like her...or so angry at the world they could never smile. Giving a minute shake of her head to clear those depressing thoughts, Blake focused back on her new partner.
"What?"
"Any idea how the teams are going to be formed?"
An eyebrow went higher, as Blake thought over the question. And realized she didn't have a real idea.
"No," she answered shortly.
Yang kicked a rock, shrugging, "Just wondering. I know Ruby wants to be on my team, but I don't know how to make that happen."
"Ruby...your sister, right?" Blake asked.
"Yup," the taller girl shrugged again, "I want her to be happy, and I know she wants on my team."
"And that is why you want her on your team?"
The other girl sighed, "Yeah."
Blake could actually understand that to some extent. She didn't have siblings, but that didn't mean she couldn't understand wanting to keep someone close to you happy. She understood that perfectly well. But she still didn't have an answer for Yang. None of the students knew how the teams were formed.
"Come on," the dark-haired girl said instead, continuing to move through the forest.
"Coming!" Yang shouted back, her normal attitude returning quickly.
Trudging through the dense bush, the two girls lapsed into a comfortable silence. Blake wasn't the talkative sort, so she was perfectly fine with that of course. It was a bit of a relief actually...she didn't want to talk that much with Yang yet. Partners for the rest of their time at Beacon or not...she wasn't the type to trust quickly. The silent walk was giving her time to evaluate the blonde.
And, if she was being honest, Blake liked what she saw. Yang was bubbly to an extreme, which would normally bug her. But the blonde didn't annoy her somehow. She was extremely kind...and that was something that the dark-haired girl wasn't used to. Yang hadn't once complained about who she ended up with, even after she admitted to wanting to find Ruby. She had accepted Blake without complaint, and without question.
I...I don't know how to act...
Naturally, Blake was unused to this. People had never just accepted her without question.
"Think that's it?" Yang's voice broke into her thoughts, dragging Blake's attention back to the blonde.
Sitting in a clearing beneath the hill the pair was standing on, was a ruined building. Stone, weathered by the ages, sat forlornly at the center of the clearing. If the situation were any different, the girl would have written it off as an old ruin, useful only for temporary shelter. Of course, the fact it was a circular construct screamed 'temple' to her. The row of glinting objects on suspiciously intact pedestals might also have something to do with it.
So she just turned to her partner, and cast a short 'what do you think' look at her. Yang just smiled back, shaking her own head slightly.
"Right, stupid question."
The pair of teenage girls walked into the old temple, with easily identifiable 'relics'. So easily identifiable, that Blake felt her eyebrow rise up on its own.
Can't be...that's too simple.
"Chess pieces?" she spoke aloud, looking at the black and gold pieces.
Yang hummed in thought, "Looks like it. Aaaaannnddd looks like we weren't the first ones here."
Mildly annoyed/amused at the way Yang drew out her words or not, Blake did agree with her. Several of the pieces, black most notably, were already missing. That meant the others had already arrived...the question then became, who had already arrived? Ruby and Ichigo? Probably not those two at least...if what Blake had seen of Ruby was any indication, that girl would have stayed around until her sister showed up or she was forced to leave. Ichigo, on the other hand, seemed the type to stick around just to make sure everyone got out safely.
"Well, I guess we should pick one."
"Yup," the blonde replied, with emphasis on the 'p'.
Splitting up, the teens looked at each of the pieces to decide which one would be theirs. Blake looked at the black pieces, trying to decide which one fit...her...well. If she had to pick just one, she wanted it to be a good one...who knew how the Professors were judging the 'relics'. As such, she almost immediately discarded the pawn. The nature of that piece, used to occupy the opponent and hopefully get a hit in before being destroyed, brought up some very unsavory memories. She moved on to the next piece in line...the black king.
She didn't have any time to put thought into it however. Because a cheerful shout from behind her drew the girl's attention back to her new partner. Yang wore a childish and gleeful grin on her face, as she held up the white knight.
"How about a cute little pony?"
The way Yang said that got a smile and eye roll out of Blake. Her partner was childish...but it was nice in a way.
"Sure," Blake replied, walking over to Yang.
"That wasn't that hard," the teen in question said.
Shrugging slightly, her partner didn't dispute the point, "Well, it's not like this place is very hard to find."
Clearly, that was the truth. They weren't the first to arrive after all. It probably wouldn't take long for the others to find it honestly. Yang had launched herself farther into the forest than anyone else- and had been lucky Blake noticed her when she did -and they had still found it fairly fast after all. Honestly, Blake didn't think it would be any more than a handful of minutes before the rest arrived. Including whoever had used that attack, because it had been pointed in the direction of the temple. As she was about to mention that to Yang, the girl's highly sensitive ears picked up on something. The sound of...a really big bird.
Yang, on the other hand, picked up on something rather easier to hear.
"Some girls in trouble!" the blonde shouted, as a very feminine shriek cut through the forest, "Blake, did you hear that?!"
Oh, she had heard it. But Blake was rather distracted, as she looked up into the sky. The sky, where a massive Grimm was flying overhead. A Grimm with two specks hanging onto its talons...one red and black, the other pure white. Specks that could only be two things...Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee. Why in the name of God they were hanging onto a Nevermore was beyond her however. All Blake could do was stare in shock, zoning out to what Yang was saying.
"Blake, what are we going to do?"
All the girl could do in reply to Yang's question, was point up at the sky as the red speck fell away from the Nevermore...
Yang Xiao Long
Thing had been going so well, Yang reflected. Perhaps too well...nothing had gone wrong from the moment she was launched. She nailed her landing, despite launching herself further than was needed. Sure, she had run into a couple of Ursa. But they hadn't been even the slightest threat, though she was still smarting over the one that cut her hair, regardless of the fact she punched it into a smoldering pulp, taking a dozen trees with it. Blake was a good partner, if a bit quiet. And the two of them had quite easily found the temple, without any backtracking or getting lost. Sure they hadn't been the first and that bugged Yang's competitive side. But she and Blake had still gotten here before most people, if the number of pieces left was any indication. Thus, the blonde was confident in saying her day had been a good one.
Until now.
"Blake, what are we going to do?" Yang asked, turning to her partner as the screams in the distance continued.
All the dark-haired girl did was look up and point up though. Following her finger, Yang felt her eyes widen.
"Heeeeaddddsss uppppp!" Ruby screamed, falling from the sky.
Ruby...what? How?
Feeling shock set in, the older girl watched as her sister fell towards the ground. Her already pale complexion was ghost-white with fear, as her eyes widened to what would be- in any other situation -comical proportions. Yang didn't even know how to react...but she was ready to jump to her sister's rescue if she need to. But before she could, a black and orange blur jumped from the forest, and caught Ruby.
The blur landed next to the two partners, who were rapidly blinking their eyes- totally missing Jaune go flying into a tree in the process -as it coalesced into Ichigo, Ruby safely in his arms.
"Next time, try not jumping from so high," the orangehead said dryly, as he set a furiously blushing Ruby on the ground.
As amusing as the situation could have been, Yang just ran up to her sister.
"Ruby!"
"Yang?"
Both of the sisters pulled the other into a hug, one of relief more than anything. At least in Yang's case. She didn't show it, but she had been worried when Ruby was falling from the sky like that. It was a relief to have her okay and on the ground now, a big relief. As such, she turned to Ichigo to thank him for plucking Ruby from her fall. Only for her eyebrow to go up, when she noticed the torn outfit he was sporting. There were clearly cuts on his back, which meant he had gotten in a fight.
Maybe that blue thing had been him?
"Thanks for that Ichigo," Yang shook her head to clear her thoughts as she spoke.
"Eh, no big deal. Couldn't let her hit the ground could I?"
"I would have landed..." Ruby complained.
Shaking her head in amusement now, the blonde ruffled her sisters short hair. The shorter girl complained and swatted at her sisters hand, but all that did was bring a smirk to Yang's face.
"Be more careful next time sis. I don't want Ichigo here to have to save you again!"
The teen in question shrugged, "I'd do it again."
Ruby's face just went redder, "Yang! I can handle myself!"
"So says the person who decided sky-diving without a landing strategy was a good idea," Yang dryly replied.
Before the pair could really get into a play argument, Blake coughed lightly. The dark-haired girl pointed at the forest, where trees were falling to the ground. An Ursa came stomping through the falling foliage, growling all the way. Yang cocked her Ember Celica, as Ichigo placed a hand on his blade's hilt. The pair sent nods at the other, ready to kill the hell out of that Grimm.
...only for a pink explosion to appear behind its head. The Ursa let out a whimper, toppling forward. A girl with red, almost dark orange, hair appeared on top of it, falling forward off the Grimm's back. Yang dropped her arms, and her jaw. She wasn't sure how to react...to the fact that girl had evidently ridden an Ursa to the Temple.
"Aww, it's broken," the mystery girl complained, like the massive monster was a toy.
A panting male stumbled out from behind the Ursa at that point, holding his side as he leaned against the slowly fading Grimm, "Nora...don't ever do that again..."
Yang didn't pay him any more attention after he said that however. Because 'Nora' had just moved like she had Ruby's Semblance- shocking even the girl in question -and was currently staring at a gold chess piece. Trying to process how the girl had gone from the Ursa to the temple so quickly, Yang was beginning to be overwhelmed by everything going on. She hadn't even had time to process the first girly scream, leave alone everything that happened since.
Can everyone please calm down?!
Fate didn't want to go easy on the blonde, however.
"I'm queen of the castle, I'm queen of the castle!" Nora started singing next to Yang, balancing her chosen chess piece on random parts of her body.
"Nora!" the man shouted, clearly just as frustrated as Yang was with the spastic girl.
Who merely dropped the piece off her head and started moving back to her friend, "Coming Ren!"
"Did she just ride in on an Ursa?" Blake asked, sounding like she was trying to make sense of the madness.
"I think so..." Ichigo agreed, sounding dumbfounded by the situation.
Unfortunately, all the 'trying to make sense of things' did was start Yang's temper up. She could feel the volcano of fire building, as she tried to make sense of things herself. Ruby falling from the sky. A girl riding an Ursa. And now a Deathstalker chasing Pyrrha Nikos out of the forest. It just never ended! What was she supposed to do about this madness?!
"Jaune!" the redhead in question shouted.
"Pyrrha!" a male voice shouted, reminding Yang of another thing. Namely, the blonde vomit-boy currently hanging from a tree.
Blake didn't help matters, "Did she just run here with a Deathstalker on her tail?"
Ruby nodded, "Yeah...whoa..."
Ichigo, at least, seemed to notice Yang's rising temper. He slowly backed away from the blonde, who felt the fire rising faster than she could control it. Growling, she opened her eyes, now blood red instead of soothing lilac. Fire flashed around her, as her hair started glowing. Ruby jumped away, well-experienced with Yang's explosive temper. Ichigo backed further away, wincing slightly. Yang didn't notice the wince of course...she was seeing red, figuratively and literally.
"I can't take it anymore!" the blonde shouted, as fire flew from her body, "Could everyone just chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again?!"
"Geez..." Ichigo muttered as Yang slowly calmed down, panting heavily, "Remind me not to get you angry."
"Yang always was like that," Ruby said with a chuckle, before looking up at the sky and frowning, "Umm...Yang?"
Slumping her shoulders, Yang didn't even bother looking up. She was just tired now, and didn't even care. Of course, the shout from above meant she couldn't completely ignore it. Or rather, ignore her. Since high in the air, Weiss Schnee still held onto one of the talons of the truly massive Nevermore. The fact she hadn't fallen yet was a miracle.
"How could you leave me?!" her voice faintly reached the ground, as the speck started slipping.
Blake looked at the speck, a hint of amusement in her voice, "She's going to fall."
"She'll be fine," Ruby countered.
"She's falling," Ren didn't even try to hide his amusement at the situation.
For her part, Yang just slumped her shoulders and shook her head. She saw Ichigo crouch down out of the corner of her eye, however, and turned to look at the other teen.
Is he...going to jump? What is he, a bunny?
He didn't get the chance though. As Ichigo readied himself to jump- or so Yang assumed anyway -Jaune flew out of nowhere and caught Weiss quite gently for how clumsy he usually was. Of course, he had forgotten one little detail in that plan. Strongly tempted to place her palm in her face like she had seen Ichigo do, Yang sighed softly. Right as Jaune and Weiss seemed to realize that his little save hadn't actually stopped them from falling. Cue screams, as the two fell the remaining distance to the ground. The blonde boy landed first, flat on his face.
Weiss landed second, right on top of Jaune's back, as Pyrrha continued to run from the large Grimm in the background. In any other situation, it would have been all sorts of amusing.
"My back..." Jaune pitifully moaned.
"My hero," Weiss said, casually picking at her nails.
As the pair had their moment of comedy, Pyrrha was finally caught by the Deathstalker. And promptly catapulted towards the others, landing in a heap next to Ichigo. Who looked down, clearly unsure if he should stick a hand out or not.
"Eh...you okay down there?" he asked warily.
The girl just moved slightly, showing she was still conscious at least. That didn't solve the roaming Grimm issue in the slightest however.
"Great, the gangs all here," Yang spoke up, her sarcastic side coming out with her frustration at the situation, "Now we can all die together."
Unfortunately, for all that Ruby knew her sister well, she wasn't the best at detecting sarcasm. Before Yang knew what was happening, her sister had unfurled Crescent Rose, and was staring at the rapidly approaching scorpion with an eager gleam in her silver eyes. Her elder sister knew very well what that look meant. And she felt a cold chill quench the fire of her annoyance, as she knew exactly what Ruby was about to do. And there wasn't a damn thing she could do to stop it, as the younger girl started sprinting towards the Deathstalker.
"Yaaaahhh!" Ruby shouted, firing her weapon to increase her speed even further.
"Ruby, wait!" Yang shouted back, eyes widening in a mix of shock and fear for her sister.
She didn't slow down in the slightest however. In fact, Ruby raised Crescent Rose in a way that she was ready to strike, blade pointed at the Deathstalker...while still able to shoot and use that boost for her Semblance. What the younger girl hadn't anticipated, couldn't have anticipated, was that the Grimm was not slow for its size. As Ruby brought her scythe down on its head, the Deathstalker swung one of its claws out. Ruby barely got her blade up in time to take the hit, and was still sent flying a fair distance from the impact. Stumbling to her feet, the girl looked over at her sister and friends. A smile was on her face, like she hadn't just been flung like a toy by a massive Grimm.
"Don't worry, totally fine!"
Even as she said that though, Ruby turned around and saw the Deathstalker rapidly approaching. Realizing the situation she was in, the girl fired Crescent Rose at the scorpions face. And promptly started running away, as the bullet merely bounced off its tough armor.
Yang felt a rush of fear run down her spine, as she started running towards her sister herself, "Ruby!"
The sisters ran towards each other, as both of the massive Grimm in the area focused on the younger one. Yang pushed her legs harder than she could remember ever pushing them, wanting nothing more than to reach Ruby and protect her. But as she ran, the Nevermore folded its wings in front of its massive body, and began flinging its equally massive feathers like missiles.
No!
Forced to a halt by the feathers, Yang could only watch as one of them caught Ruby's hood. The younger girl was forced to a halt, as she struggled to pull herself free. Yang crawled forward, pushing through the web of feathers.
"Ruby! Get out of there!"
"I'm trying!"
Even as Ruby said that, Yang knew she couldn't escape. Her hood was pierced to the ground, and the Deathstalker was already swinging its stinger down.
Ruby! Nononononononononono...Ruby!
The blonde had only felt this fear once before. The fear of losing her sister...and knowing there was nothing she could do about it. Yang reached her hand out, desperately reaching for her sibling. The ice in her heart grew as the stinger descended...there was nothing...she was going to lose her sister. It felt like the stinger was hitting her.
"Ruby!"
Screaming her sister's name, Yang resisted every impulse to shut her eyes. Even as two bursts of wind flew past her, ruffling her long hair. Black and white blurs...that even her fear-soaked mind could recognize as Ichigo and Weiss.
"I gotcha," Ichigo's surprisingly soft and comforting voice suddenly spoke up beside Yang.
Turning her head so fast she almost hurt it, the blonde felt her eyes widen. She hadn't seen him move...but once again, Ichigo had saved her sister. He was gently setting Ruby on the ground, the short girl's eyes squeezed shut in her own fear.
"Huh..." Ruby muttered, slowly opening her eyes, "Ichigo?"
The other teen nodded, "Yep. Didn't I just tell you to be more careful?"
While Yang could admire the fact that the orangehead could make a joke out of even this situation, it didn't stop her from pushing him aside and pulling her sister into a bone-crushing hug. Ruby sputtered, flailing her arms wildly as her sibling squeezed her tightly. Yang didn't care though...what mattered to her, was that Ruby was okay. The pain of not being able to do anything still lingered in her heart, and if hugging Ruby like she might vanish made it better...then hug her sister she would.
"I was so worried!"
"Can't...breathe..."
As her sister's face turned progressively redder- and not from embarrassment this time -Yang finally realized that she might have been holding on a bit too tightly.
"I think she got the point."
Ichigo's typical dry delivery helped too.
"Sorry!" Yang released her sister, leading to Ruby sucking in deep breaths of air.
Coughing slightly, the girl looked at her sister, "I'm fine Yang!"
"Heh..." scratching her head slightly, the blonde felt a flush coming to her cheeks now.
"Oh come on!" Weiss' voice interrupted the moment.
The white haired girl was standing next to the Deathstalker, ice radiating out from where she had stabbed her blade into the ground. The stinger of the massive Grimm was caught in the ice, positioned just high enough it wouldn't have struck Ruby. Despite all the dislike Yang had seen between her sister and the heiress...Weiss would have saved her if Ichigo hadn't been there.
Looks like she'd have to thank Weiss later. At the moment though, there wasn't really time for that. While the girl's ice attack was impressive, it wouldn't hold such a large Grimm for long. And that Nevermore was still circling above them. Staying near the temple wasn't a good idea.
"Weiss?" Ruby was more interested in what the other girl had done, of course.
Stomping over to the little group, the white-haired girl huffed, "I had a speech all ready before orange saved you."
Ichigo scowled, "You're welcome."
Completely ignoring the taller teen, Weiss launched into the speech anyway, "You're childish...hyperactive, dimwitted, and don't even get me started on your fighting style."
"Is this really the time for this?" Ichigo broke in, just getting a glare in return.
"And I suppose I can be a bit...difficult. But if we're going to be partners, we're going to have to work together," the heiress took a breath, before finishing, "So if you stop trying to show off, I'll be...nicer."
With her piece said, Weiss walked back to the temple. Ichigo, Ruby and Yang just looked at each other, then at Weiss, and then back at each other. Not one of them knew how to react to that one. Yang especially, who had expected Weiss to be angry or annoyed at having to save Ruby- leaving aside Ichigo doing it for her. Instead...she had seemed...more worried than anything, hence the rant.
Very odd.
"Guys!" Jaune broke in this time, pointing at the sky, "That thing is circling back around! What do we do?"
"I say we get out of here," Ichigo shrugged.
"I agree!" Ruby pumped her fist slightly.
Yang's eyebrow went up, "You don't want to fight sis? Who are you, and what did you do with Ruby?"
Jokes aside, Weiss scoffed slightly, "Clearly, fighting these is a bad idea. Look, all we have to do is get a relic and return to the cliffs."
"Yeah! That's what I meant," the youngest girl smiled at her sister, "There isn't any point fighting these things."
"Run and live?" Jaune mused, "I can work with that."
As Ruby went to grab her and Weiss' piece- a pony too! -Yang felt a smirk tugging at her lips. It had taken something that would quite likely give her nightmares...but her sister was becoming a leader. Jaune and the others...they had no problem following her. There was no hesitation whatsoever...and it brought a warm feeling back to Yang's heart. A feeling completely unlike the fire of her anger too.
"She's a good leader," Ichigo said, standing beside the blonde.
"Yeah," Yang agreed softly.
Patting his friend on the shoulder, the teenager nodded slightly, "Bet you're proud. And I guess I should pick a piece too. What'd you get?"
The elder sister didn't dispute the 'proud' bit, as she dug around in her ammo pouch and held up the Knight...the pony, "A cute little pony."
"Knight...it fits."
With those words, Ichigo walked past Yang and grabbed a golden Knight himself. As he was the last one to pick his piece, the group gathered together again...right as ominous cracking noises came from the ice encased Deathstalker. Weiss' ice began to shatter from the center where it held the stinger. The muscles in the monsters tail showed visible strain, as it tugged its body to the side. The prison wasn't going to last much longer...
"It's time we go," Ren spoke what everyone was thinking.
"Come on!" Ruby waved, charging up the hill with everyone following her.
Everyone but Yang, who just watched her go with her proud smirk growing. The rest of the teens ran past her, following Ruby who only looked back long enough to wave a hand before she continued past her sister's sight. Blake and Ichigo stopped next to Yang, instead of running right away though. The latter just had a knowing look on his face, as he nodded once before moving on himself.
Blake, by contrast, looked at her partner, "Something up?"
"No, nothing," Yang just smiled again, before going after her sister.
She didn't notice Blake smiling in the background, as the other girl left the temple empty behind her.
Ichigo Kurosaki
As the group ran for the cliff, the Nevermore circling above them, Ichigo ran through various plans in his head. The others may not have realized it, but it was clear that the massive bird was very determined to kill them. They had gotten its attention, and Grimm were nothing if not persistent. There was not a chance in hell they were reaching the cliff with it alive...something would have to be done to kill it. Quite likely the same was true for the Deathstalker...that ice wasn't going to hold it forever. Frankly, knowing his luck, Ichigo assumed it had already broken. And if it had, the massive scorpion was going to be close behind. Hence, the reason they would have to find a plan that killed two Grimm with one stone. It was just unfortunate that said Grimm were the largest he had ever seen in person.
Actually killing them was going to take a creative plan. And as he ducked behind a pillar with the sisters, Ichigo acknowledged he didn't have the slightest idea. The area they were in wasn't helping matters. It was nothing but a long cobbled path with ruined pillars on either side, and a massive ruined structure in front of the cliff. It looked more like a temple than the temple they had left...but it didn't help fight the Grimm. There wasn't anywhere to set an ambush, or anything like that. Just wide-open territory.
"Any ideas Zangetsu?"
"Shikai Getsuga to the face?" the Hollow, unsurprisingly, went for the brute-force option.
"That would not work," the Quincy countered.
"Why?"
"Yeah, why?!"
Inwardly amused at agreeing with his Hollow aside, Ichigo didn't know why that plan wouldn't work. Surely these Grimm couldn't survive that attack?
"The Nevermore is far too agile. It would not be hit by a Getsuga easily. In addition, the Deathstalker armor is tough, perhaps tough enough to survive."
Ichigo could acknowledge his blade's points. He didn't agree, but he could acknowledge them. There wasn't time to argue however, as the Nevermore landed atop the building in the distance and screeched at an almost earsplitting level.
"Great, now what?" Yang complained, peaking her head out of cover.
"We kil..." Ichigo began, before the sound of snapping trees drew attention away from the bird.
And towards the Deathstalker, thoroughly anger and eager to kill the humans who had dared to disturb it. The scorpion smashed a tree aside, and charged at the students. Who had quickly found themselves boxed in between two massive Grimm, both quite eager to kill them. Just like Ichigo had expected to happen. Expecting it and being happy about it were two entirely different things of course. Scowling in frustration now, he drew Zangetsu and turned towards the Deathstalker.
"Oh man! We need to get out of here!" Jaune shouted, as the orangehead prepared to fight.
'Get out of there' proved to be popular. Everyone made a break for the bridge and ruin, except for Ichigo who moved to cover the retreat. He was aware of the Nevermore screeching behind him and taking flight, but all the teen's attention was focused on the scorpion. That seemed to have recognized him as the greatest threat, if the way it was charging the teen was any indication.
"Nora! Distract it!" Ren's voice shouted from behind Ichigo, followed by the sound of feathers impacting the ground and grenades exploding.
The teenager didn't bother turning his head however. He just brought Zangetsu in front of his body...and flashed at the Grimm. The Deathstalker raised its claws to impale the foolish human attacking it...but Ichigo was nothing if not agile. Twisting his body as he had done against the Ursa earlier, he brought Zangetsu down on the tough Hollow-like armor of the Grimm. The bright blade clashed against the dull-white carapace, sparks flying at first. Gritting his teeth, and ignoring the roar of pain from the Grimm, Ichigo put more strength into his arms.
Zangetsu's blade made a screeching noise...as it cleaved through the Grimm's armor. Dragging his blade across the face of the Deathstalker, Ichigo popped one of its eyes before he was forced to jump back to avoid its stinger.
"Nice one Kingy!"
"That armor is tough..."
"Ichigo!" Yang's voice broke into the mental discussion, forcing the teen to look over his head. Whereupon he realized that the rest of the group was rapidly approaching the bridge.
While he could have airwalked to the other side if needed, Ichigo didn't want to get separated from the group. So he flashed towards the other students, as Weiss grabbed Nora while Blake and Ren kept the Deathstalker, roaring in pain and shaking its head, busy. Rushing across the bridge, the orangehead angled for Yang, who was waving him on...
"Ichigo!"
Only for the Nevermore to swoop out of nowhere, taking out the bridge. Ichigo grit his teeth, as he crossed the remaining distance in a Shunpo...leaving Blake, Pyrrha and Ren on the other side with the now very angry Deathstalker. The other students were showing their own skill, with Ren and Pyrrha accurately targeting the gaping wound in its head with their guns...but the small rounds didn't do anything near enough damage. All they did was make it even angrier- if that was even possible -leading to Blake getting sent head-over-heels into the chasm that was the ruined bridge.
"Blake!" Ichigo shouted, ready to jump off the edge himself...only for a clunk to echo from behind him.
Turning his head, he saw the dark-haired girl flipping up to the bridge, a black cord attached to her gun-sword. She sent him a dry look, clearly saying 'don't worry about me'. Allowing his scowl to morph into a small smile, Ichigo nodded and turned his attention back to the Deathstalker as Ruby's gunfire drove the Nevermore off for the moment.
"We have to get over there!" Jaune ran up next to the orangehead, with Nora right next to him.
"Let's do this!" the girl shouted eagerly.
Jaune looked down, "Umm...yeah, but I can't make that jump."
"Kingy...that grin is freaking me out..."
Taking his blade's words to heart, Ichigo looked over at Nora. Who indeed had a scary grin on her face. Acting almost on instinct, Ichigo jumped into the air...right as Nora swept her grenade launcher out, knocking Jaune on his ass. Whereupon she promptly transformed the weapon into a hammer, and spun around.
She wouldn't...
Flipping back further towards where Ruby continued to fire on the Nevermore, Ichigo winced as Nora brought her hammer onto the ruined bridge, shattering it further. And, coincidentally, shooting Jaune head-over-heels towards the Deathstalker. Nora just used her hammer as a rocket, shooting into position to bring it down on the creature's head, cracking its armor further.
Turning away from the roar of pain, Ichigo scowled as the Nevermore circled back around.
"If we take higher ground, it will be easier to dodge it," the Quincy portion of his blade suggested.
"Good point."
It seemed like the others realized the same, as the girls had moved to the circular ring of the central ruin. All of them had their weapons drawn and pointed at the rapidly approaching Grimm, ready to attack.
"Let's hit it with everything we've got!" Yang shouted, a hint of eagerness working its way into her voice.
Everything we've got...
Ichigo knew Yang didn't know about his Shikai. But if he was going to give this fight more than the bare minimum...it was time to break that out. So as Ruby unfurled Crescent Rose next to him, Ichigo held Zangetsu in front of his body, the blade pointing out at the Nevermore. Blue energy began to roar around his body, getting wide eyed looks from Ruby and Yang, while Blake and Weiss focused on the Grimm.
"What the hell Ichigo! Control your Aura before you blind us more than your sunny hair!" Yang protested, even as she prepared to shoot at the Nevermore.
The teen didn't respond, however, as he opened his eyes, the brown orbs glowing equally blue.
"Cast off your fear and cleave the heavens," he spoke firmly, "Zangetsu!"
Flashing around him in a barely restrained pillar of light, Ichigo felt his power skyrocketing as it was released from the bonds that sealing his blade left it in. It felt...good.
"Damn right! Let's show that bird what happens when he messes with us!" the Hollow agreed wholeheartedly.
As the smoke cleared, Ichigo could feel the shocked eyes of the girls on him. It was easy to understand. Where before he had held a long daito, unique in Remnant to his knowledge but still fairly normal looking, he now held two blades. Pitch black weapons, one a trench knife, the other a massive khyber knife...though to the girls, it looked like a slim meat cleaver, with a hollowed out portion near the hilt.
For his part, Ichigo didn't even bother looking at his blades. He was as familiar with his Shikai as he was his own arms and legs.
"What...is that..." even Blake had confusion in her voice, as she looked at the weapon.
"I'll explain later," Ichigo replied, "Kill Grimm now, explain my weapon later."
Shaking their heads, the girls didn't dispute the point. Though Ichigo could still feel Ruby's eyes on his swords, well aware that only the Nevermore was keeping her from jumping him and asking a million questions about Zangetsu.
"He has a point," Weiss agreed.
All of them began firing attacks at the Nevermore, blue energy from Weiss, orange-red shells from Yang, purple tracers from Blake and Ruby's colorless rifle fire. For his part...Ichigo raised his larger blade, blue energy once more gathering along it. Then Nevermore shrugged off the concentrated fire from the girls, but Ichigo wasn't going to let it just shrug off his attack. As the energy became almost blinding, he brought Zangetsu down in a sharp swing, saying the same words he had earlier.
"Getsuga Tensho!"
Unlike the unstable attack he had used on the Beowolf, this Getsuga was fully and properly formed. The massive crescent of blue energy arced right at the Nevermore, joining the attacks from his partners. The Grimm, while not as smart as the one earlier, was smart enough to recognize the Getsuga as a threat however. It turned its massive bulk faster than should have been possible, leaving Ichigo's attack carving into its flank, instead of its face...just as Zangetsu had said.
Even with that, it managed to do enough damage to send the Nevermore crashing through the ruin, with a screech of pain as blood flew into the air.
"Nice shot!" Yang complimented, before the group felt the ruin shifting beneath them, "Oh shi..."
Before any more could be said, the old stone fell towards the ground, forcing the team to make a run for it. Ichigo lost track of the others in the commotion, as he jumped from stone to stone, using more shunpos than he had in a long time- including his earlier battle.
"That should have killed it!"
"Not the time!"
Ichigo may have agreed with his blade. But as he jumped onto another portion of the ruin, he suddenly had another issue to deal with. Namely a very angry Grimm that now had a grudge against him. The Nevermore, rising from the canyon, was bleeding heavily from the Getsuga wound. But it wasn't dead...and it screeched louder than ever, as it dove on Ichigo.
Who attempted to pull another Getsuga out, only for the ruins he was standing on to collapse as the bird moved faster than he thought it was capable of. Forced back into the air, Ichigo quickly realized one thing...
That thing is after me!
And indeed, the Nevermore was ignoring everything but Ichigo, filled with a single-minded determination to kill the human that had wounded it so grievously. It didn't even react to Yang pumping fire into its flanks. Every bit of the Grimm's attention was focused on killing Ichigo. And it was making it extremely difficult for him to get any hits on it.
"Attack its flank," Zangetsu suggested.
Not bothering to reply this time, Ichigo pushed his energy into his legs once more, flashing around a lunge from the Grimm. The bird wasn't able to react in time, before he brought his twin blades down on its already injured flank, Getsugas held in the blades to do more damage. The blue coated blades cut through the Grimm's tough skin, carving a cross-shaped gash into its side, wounding it even further.
The bird screeched in pain, bringing its wing down to force Ichigo to back off. Flipping back, Ichigo scowled as the Nevermore stated moving slower. He hadn't killed it, but it was clearly hurt bad.
"One more hit should do it," he muttered, preparing to run forward again.
"Ichigo!" only for Ruby's voice to distract him.
Sparing a moment to turn his head, Ichigo's eyes widened. His new friend was standing atop Crescent Rose, with the rope from Blake's weapon holding her and the scythe up. Weiss had one of her glyph things behind Ruby, and the two teens were aiming right at him.
Or, rather, right at the Nevermore behind him.
"Distract it!" Ruby continued.
Shaking his head, the orangehead didn't know how to react other than shouting, "You're crazy!"
"We know!" Weiss agreed.
Crazy plan or not, Ichigo would do his part. If he would have to work with a team, now was as good a time to start as any. So with scowl firmly welded onto his face, he fired another Getsuga at the Nevermore, clipping its wing as the bird was too wounded and tired to dodge fully anymore. It screeched at him, moving as fast as it was still able in an attempt to kill him once and for all.
Come on...follow me...
Ichigo proceeded to use the way it focused its attention on him to draw it towards the cliff. He didn't know exactly what the girls were planning...beyond apparently launching Ruby like a cannonball...but they were aiming in that direction. And so, he continued to launch attacks at the Nevermore, keeping its attention on him and not on the girls. It worked wonderfully, as the bird ran into the cliff when he shunpoed out of the way.
"Yaaahhh!"
And was promptly hit by a flying red rose. Ruby's scythe was large enough that she was able to hook it around the Nevermore's neck, the bird screeching in rage and pain. As Ichigo flashed down next to the girls, a Getsuga still held in his blades if he needed it, Weiss created a row of glyphs along the cliff-face...giving Ruby enough of a boost to charge up the rock with the Nevermore held firmly in her scythe's blade. Casting a quick look at Weiss as the girl fell to her knees from overusing her semblance, Ichigo turned back to Ruby.
Just in time to see her reach the top of the cliff...sending the Nevermore's head flying off its body. The massive bird collapsed to the canyon floor, dissolving with rose petals floating around the cliff. Ruby walked to the edge of the cliff, a grin on her face as she waved down on the other students. Ichigo couldn't help the small smile that crossed his face either...they had taken down two massive Grimm- he had vaguely noticed Nora impale the Deathstalker with Pyrrha's spear through the wound he had created and the others had expanded -all on their own. He had the right to feel proud.
"So...that was a thing," Yang proved to be a master of understatement.
Ichigo just nodded, "Yeah...it was."
Ruby Rose
"Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark. The four of you who retrieved the black bishop pieces shall be known from this day forward as team CRDL, lead by Cardin Winchester."
As Professor Ozpin went through the team assignments, Ruby Rose found herself getting progressively more nervous- and excited oddly. She stood next to Weiss, watching as the others went for their assignments. She was nervous, because all the attention was going to be on her soon enough. Sure, Ichigo and the others had helped, but it had been her who killed a Giant Nevermore. Rumors spread like wildfire...everyone was going to want to see the girl who pulled that feat off.
On the other hand, she was very excited too. Now that it had become apparent that teams were assigned based on what pieces were picked, Ruby knew she was on Yang's team. They had both picked Knights, so they would both be on the same team. And that was quite the load off her shoulders, to put things mildly. But, as she looked away from Ozpin, Ruby frowned slightly. Ichigo was standing next to Blake, but they didn't know exactly where he would end up. He had picked a gold pony himself, but the teams were only four people...
Ichigo...
Ozpin's voice forced Ruby's attention away from her new friend and back to the stage however.
"Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie," the grey-haired man said, as the teens in question walked to the stage, "You retrieved the white rook pieces. From now on, you are team JNPR."
Nora jumped onto Ren at that, getting the man to smile slightly at his hyper friend. Ruby was happy for her own friend on the stage...Jaune seemed to get along with his team.
"Lead by...Jaune Arc."
There was silence for a second, before Jaune looked at Ozpin like he had misheard, "Wait...what?"
The Professor just smiled, "Congratulations young man."
"Go Jaune!" Ruby shouted herself, a wide grin crossing her face. And a giggle leaving her body, when Pyrrha gave Jaune a playful shove...and promptly knocked him to the ground.
Her giggle came to a quick end however, when Ozpin began calling her team up to the stage. She could have sworn his eyes focused on her again...what was it about her that got his interest? He did the same thing with Ichigo. And Ruby didn't have the slightest clue why. At least Ichigo had that awesome weapon of his to get attention. She was just...Ruby...nothing more.
"Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Yang Xiao Long," here Ozpin paused, before continuing, "and Ichigo Kurosaki. You retrieved the white knight pieces. Ordinarily, the teams would only be four students each. However, this semester we have had a surprise- and odd number of students, due to Mr. Kurosaki's unique skills. As such, you will be known as team RWBIY, our first five student team."
Ruby blinked, and looked at Ichigo, who for his part, looked just as shocked as she was. He hadn't known about this? But if he got into Beacon in a special way like she had...wouldn't he have expected this? Unluckily for Ruby's question-filled mind, the Professor wasn't finished laying shocks on her either. As she walked up with the rest of the team, Ozpin looked directly at it's youngest member. The black-red haired girl blinked her silver eyes, wondering why he was.
"And you will be lead by...Ruby Rose."
Feeling her mouth drop open, Ruby didn't know how to react to that.
I'm the leader? But I'm new! I can't...
Shaking her head, the girl pushed those depressing thoughts from it. Instead, she felt a small squee leave her mouth. Fear aside, she was soooo excited! She was a team leader!
For their parts, her team had drastically differing reactions. Weiss looked shocked and a bit annoyed- nothing new there. Blake just smiled slightly. Ichigo looked much the same as Blake, though he nodded slightly, his eyes carrying a 'you deserve it' look. Yang...
"I'm so proud of you!"
Well, Yang predictably grabbed her sister into a tight hug. Ruby returned the hug, the excitement starting to overwhelm the shock and nervousness.
I'm a leader! This is so awesome!
As Ruby began to embrace the joy and honest excitement she felt, Ozpin smiled in the background.
"I have the feeling this is going to be an interesting year..."
AN: There we go. It was the Yang part that really contributed...that part exploded out of control. Fun to write, but a lot longer than intended at the same time. As for the battles...inexperience is hurting me here. I'm not satisfied with them, but there wasn't much more I could do.
The Nevermore fight was something I went back and forth on several times. Do I keep it similar and have everyone get the licks in despite Ichigo being there? Do I have him oneshot the thing since he probably could? In the end, I went for a more balanced approach...team RWB(I)Y still got their moment of awesome teamwork, but Ichigo was enough of a threat the bird focused on him most of the time.
I wasn't able to show the Deathstalker bit because of my focus on one character though. Will work on that.
Reviews:
Drake93, The Digger92, duskrider, hollowichigo12, Friaku, liberty86, Single Silver Eye, HollowMugetsu, xbox432, IchiFell, Guest1, Cf96: Thanks for the reviews!
yiggdrasill: Yeah, it was like a punch in the gut. In all fairness to Monty though, he was the creator and head animator...but not the head writer. If RT wants to pull through, they have enough notes to manage continuing.
P-and-P: In order of questions:
Yes.
Every Friday, barring something coming up- like Monty passing.
RWB(I)Y
No OCs if I can avoid it, honestly.
That's a plot point that will come up later...much later
Similar maybe, but not the same.
PersonaQeminod1: As mentioned in the last review segment...no Bleach characters any time soon.
Assault Godzilla: Good to have you here! And yeah, it wasn't easy to hear about. All I can hope is that RT honors his memory by keeping RWBY going.
blackdeath34: As previously mentioned, no harem.
Bl4ze77: See above on harems. No lemons either for much the same reason...not comfortable writing it.
firegodvargas: Kenpachi? What did RWBY-verse do to deserve that? In all seriousness though, as above, no Bleach people beyond the Kurosakis will pop up anytime soon.
humbertorojo96: I have plans on how Ichigo's abilities effect people around him, yes. As for Zangetsu...well, that was a mistake on his part. Hence Ichigo himself saying 'I should have managed it without jabbing you in a tree'.
Dark-heika: Yep.
Also: Heh, Grimm/jow.
Guest2: Kisuke will pop up in a flash back...much further into the story.
AN: Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!