RWBY is owned by Monty Oum
Updated: 12/Jan/2017
Chapter 4
8 years ago
"Aren't you excited?" asked Lloyd, watching the help carry a cartoonishly large amount of luggage into the mansion.
"Truth be told… no." Drake muttered, slumping over.
"You really need to stop being so grumpy." Lloyd replied, clapping his brother on the back, "Another one of us means all the more fun. We could be like the Three Masters of Symphonia!"
"I just hope he's not like you. One Lloyd's enough." Drake replied, ignoring Lloyd's lecture about negativity and instead watching the servants hustle to move in all the furniture, boxes and storage. "How much stuff does this guy need…? And look and the size of that bed!"
Lloyd had to admit, there was a lot of fancy stuff. He stopped at the sight of a boy about their age with short red hair and blue eyes.
"Looks like he's here. Remember to be nice." Lloyd whispered, as the two went to greet their new arrival. "Greetings." He declared, acting as professional as possible. "Father's not here at the moment, so he asked us to-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah… look, there's still a lot of things outside. So if you would, please do your job and help out."
The boy walked right past the two of them like they were coat hangers. Drake twitched as turned around to smack the kid on the head, only to be locked into a full nelson by Lloyd.
"He just thinks we're part of the service." He said, trying to ease the situation.
"Seriously, this is where I'm gonna stay? It's really old fashioned. Might as well tear it down and build a new one." The new guest remarked, exploring the house without noticing what he had caused.
Lloyd, no longer restraining Drake, stood next to his brother as both their heads were lowered; their eyes hidden behind their hair. "I call dibs on the head." Lloyd said, as both slowly approached their 'guest'.
"Stay with the head. I'll break his legs."
Before either of them could do anything, they were both were stopped by several of the help, insisting that they would let it be.
Yes, without a doubt… this was the start of a beautiful friendship.
Present Time
Drake backflipped, quickly evading a jab that was followed by a shotgun blast and kicking his opponent's chin in the process.
Yang stumbled back, but quickly recovered, flashing him a genuine smile.
"Nice tricks… Mind telling me why you aren't using your weapon?" She asked, as the two blondes circled each other like boxers.
"I just felt like fighting with my fists today." Drake shrugged. "It's been awhile and I don't want to get rusty." But the truth was, 'There is no way in hell I'm using a blade or anything with an edge against her. I've seen what you do to people that touch your hair, but what can I do when IT'S EVERYWHERE? Seriously, when was your last haircut?' He thought before charging forward.
Drake sent a flying roundhouse kick, which Yang anticipated, sidestepping his attack and leaving him open for her to punch. Seeing her attack incoming, Drake grabbed her Ember Celica, forcefully changing the trajectory of the shot and using it to support himself. Once he successfully managed to get over her, Drake successfully managed to deliver a kick to the back of her head.
'Hate to admit it, but that one was from Lloyd's worst ways of getting out of trouble.' He thought.
Yang stumbled on the floor while holding the back of her head. She looked back at Drake, still smirking as her hair started to glow with fire. Jumping back up, Yang fired another shot from her gauntlets as Drake retaliated by using an Azure Fist. The two connected, creating a small explosion.
Using the smokescreen to her advantage, Yang charged through the smoke, catching Drake by surprise. Forced to act at the last minute, he intercepted Yang's fist with his elbow, leaving his chest wide open. Yang took advantage of it by punching him with her other arm. She expected him to go flying back, but his aura shielded him from most of the blast, only making him step back and stagger.
Drake raised his head to reveal that his eyes had changed again as he grabbed both of Yang's arms.
"Uh oh." She muttered.
Smirking, Drake threw Yang into the air before jumping after her. Yang tried keep him at a distance by shooting at him with her gauntlets, but with no luck as he managed to position himself behind her and grab her by the waist. She struggled to get free as Drake dived to the ground and planted her head on the floor, leaving a small crater in the arena.
Drake released his grip on Yang and stood up while her body slumped to the floor like a ragdoll.
'I should have thought that though better.' He thought, rubbing the lump on his head.
"That'll do." Goodwitch said as the arena illuminated with light. "Excellent work, Drake. Although in the future, I'd advise you to take these fights more seriously and use your weapon in the future. Those tricks of yours are not guaranteed to work."
"Tricks? That was skill." Drake replied. Goodwitch rolled her eyes and Drake approached his fallen opponent.
"Hey, Yang, you alive?" He asked, noticing how still she was. As he bent down to help, Drake received a kick right the most honest part of his body.
"I didn't… touch… your hair." He gasped, grabbing his crotch and doubling over.
"No, but you got it dirty!" Yang snapped, standing up to reveal that her hair was covered in dust and rubble thanks to his finishing move.
'Screw it! Next time, I'm using my sword.' Drake thought.
Yang stormed off to the locker rooms as she kept fussing over her hair, not noticing that she was walking straight into the light, causing her shadow to expand. Drake felt an evil idea creep into his head as he reached out to his own shadow.
As Yang continued to clean her hair, she felt someone grab her feet, making her fall face first onto the floor. Her eyes turned red, knowing who the culprit was.
"Drake!" She shouted, turning around only to see that he was gone.
"Here's a tip for the future:" someone called down from above, "there's a lot more stuff that demands more attention than your hair, Yang!"
Yang looked up to the bleachers to see Drake standing in the doorway, giving his goodbyes before disappearing.
'He is so dead.' She thought.
After arriving at his room, the first thing Drake did was take a quick shower. It was Friday and classes were over. Even though Drake's father made him promise to put his investigation aside until he got help, he did not say anything against doing bounties.
Drake figured he would eat in the city, knowing that Yang would be waiting for him in the Dining Hall. He wasn't in the mood to for a tie-breaker.
"Where is he?" Yang grumbled, impatiently chewing her food.
"Would you please stop talking with you mouth full?" Weiss hissed, only to be brushed aside by her teammate.
"So… what do you guys have planned for today?" Ruby asked, desperately trying to change the subject. "Since today's Friday, I figured we could visit the city. It's been awhile since our last visit, after all…"
"Oh, my gosh! I completely forgotten about that! We should really get out of here for a change!" Yang exclaimed, completely forgetting about Drake.
"Sounds like a plan." Blake added, looking up from her book as she tuned into their conversation. "I've been meaning to head to the bookstore actually."
"Good! What about you Weiss?" Ruby asked, turning to her partner.
"I really don't see any probl-" Weiss was cut short by a slight ringing from her scroll. "Sorry I have to answer this." She said as she stood up.
"That looked important." Yang remarked as Weiss answered the call. After a brief conversation, Weiss returned to her team with a miffed look.
"So… are we still going to the city?" Ruby asked.
"We're going alright. But I need to pick up someone first." Weiss groaned.
"Look who it is! I thought you were dead, kid." Lee grinned, preparing the arrival a drink.
"I've been busy." Drake shrugged, taking a seat at the counter.
"I can see that. Sorry, but I don't have anything about angels of anything of the sort. Although I did hear an eyewitness report from a mother and her child. They said they were attacked by one."
"I already knew about that. But that's not why I'm here." Drake replied as he finished his drink.
"Anything in particular?" The bartender asked. He raised his arms, pulling a digital screen from the countertop.
"Something decent. Inside the city."
"I suppose you mean 'decent' as in the reward?"
Drake nodded as presented him a screen of various bounties, cases and odd jobs.
Drake's green eyes scanned scrolled down the screen and stopped at one that made him scowl. It wasn't the regular kind of bounty. It was an investigation case; the kind he hated the most.
"So, why are we here again?" Yang asked, sitting on a bench with her arms crossed. "I thought the idea was to hit the city, not loiter around in the airport."
"My father asked me to greet a certain someone from Atlas and show him around Vale." Weiss sighed. The bitterness in her words indicated that she was just as, if not more, displeased about the situation.
"Is this person rich or something?" Ruby asked, scanning the crowd of people who had just arrived in Vale.
"He's a Noble. His family is of very high standing in Atlas."
"Great… another Weiss." Muttered Yang as Blake nodded in agreement.
"Quiet, you!" Weiss snapped, clearly irritated with the comparison. "If you must know, he's not like me at all. His behavior is shameful to anyone of high position."
"Really? How so?" Blake asked.
The four girls stopped when they heard a barrage of screams coming from the gate. Not the cries of terror or pain. The kind you hear when a celebrity is making a public appearance; the dashing "camera and autograph" kind.
Standing in the midst of a crowd of girls stood a teenaged boy with long red hair that stopped at his shoulders and dark shades covering his eyes. He wore white cargo pants, a sleeveless pink leather jacket over a black long-sleeved silk shirt and a white bandanna wrapped around his forehead.
"That's him?" Ruby asked, making Weiss nod with a sickened frown.
"You were right. He's not like you at all." Yang remarked.
"Ladies, ladies, please! A man's gotta breath." The young man said with a smile. His smile disappeared for a second after catching a glimpse of a familiar girl in white before flashing the girls another smile.
"Sorry, ladies. It's been a pleasure to meet you all, but I'm afraid I have to tend to some unwanted business."
The girls pouted as the young man took his leave.
"Let's get this over with." Weiss sighed, stepping forward to greet the young man.
"Wilder." She said in a monotone voice.
"Schnee. To what do I owe this… flat… surprise?" The young man asked. Yang and Blake were trying their best not to laugh while Ruby tilted her head to the side, not understanding what was so funny.
Weiss flashed her teammates a sharp glare, making them stop and then looked at the man.
"My family found out about your visit to Vale." She replied. "My father thought it would be polite for one of us to show you around since I suppose you are unfamiliar with the city and it's inhabitants. Since I was the closest one, here I am."
The young man chuckled, taking off his shades to reveal a pair of dark blue eyes, staring coldly at Weiss.
"Such arrogance. I'll have you know that this isn't my first time here. I actually lived here for 6 years, Ice Queen, so I know my way around."
Weiss was unfazed. "Whether you do or not, it doesn't matter to me. My father told me specifically not to leave your side and that is exactly what I plan to do."
"You never said anything about that Weiss!" Yang interjected from background.
"Yeah! What about our plans?" Ruby asked, standing between the two Atlesians.
"Sorry, but my father was very clear not to leave his side. You can go without me."
"No way! We're a team! If one us gets stuck in something she does not want to do, then we'll stick it out with them!" Ruby preached while Blake and Yang reluctantly agreed. "So… where do you need to go?" She asked, turning to face their newest acquaintance. The coldness in his eyes was now replaced with amusement.
"Are you serious about following me around?"
All four girls nodded, making the young man smirk and rub his chin.
"Okay… wouldn't be the first time I've had a bunch of ladies following me… where do you ladies want to go?"
"Hold it, cowboy…" Yang said, stepping forward. "We said we'll go where you want to, not the other way around." She stopped when she noticed where he was looking at. "My eyes are up here, sweetheart." She replied.
"Yeah, I know."
Yang was amazed; this guy had no shame.
The visitor then moved his gaze up to her eyes, "Since Ice Queen here is being as stuck up as always…"
"Hey!"
"...I can't let you lovely ladies waste your Friday afternoon following around like stalkers and make me look like the bad one because of her."
The girls blinked. He really wasn't anything like Weiss at all.
"But don't you have important things to do?" Blake asked.
"The only thing that comes to mind is looking for a friend of mine who just so happens to live here. There's also some place I need to be, but I can do that later. Besides, who knows, I might meet with him by sticking with you."
Ruby responded by thanking him repeatedly while giving him an excited hug. "I'm Ruby, by the way." She said, regaining her composure. "And this is my team."
"Zelos Wilder," the young man replied, bowing courteously, "at your service."
"Thanks for this." Weiss said from out of the blue, making Zelos chuckle.
They had visited every store and area of Vale the girls wanted to visit. Zelos simply followed their lead, idely looking around and seeing how little the city had changed since his last visit.
"Don't mention it. Although, you should also thank your leader. She looks like a nice kid." Zelos replied, watching the young leader practically bounce off the walls with excitement at a nearby weapon shop while Yang tried her best to calm her down.
"Yes, she is, although she can be very childish at times." Weiss replied, pausing for a moment before speaking up again. "Can I ask you something?"
Zelos nodded.
"Why did you come to Vale? It's not normal for a noble to leave their respective kingdoms, especially one who is deemed a successor."
Zelos tensed a little as his look turned bitter, "I got a call from my friend's dad. He said my friend needed help with something he found, something… delicate. After pulling a few strings with my mother, I finally managed to convince her to let me come here and the rest is history."
"What could be so important?"
Both turned around to see Blake sitting on the bench behind them, reading one of the newly purchased books.
"Sorry. It's called 'delicate' for a reason." Zelos replied. His eyes stopped when he saw the girl's bow twitch slightly. "Nice bow, by the way." He commented, earning an uncomfortable "thanks".
"Let me go!"
Everyone turned their attention to see Yang dragging her little sister out the shop by her hood while the youngster struggled to break escape.
"Why did you do that!?" Ruby demanded.
"Because you're 'browsing' nearly tore the shop apart." Yang replied calmly. Clearly this wasn't the first time she had to deal with this.
"So… is that everything you girls needed?" Zelos asked, standing up.
"Yes, I think that's everything we had planned. Any place you want to go?" Weiss asked.
"Now that we're here, I guess it wouldn't kill to grab some ice-cream." The girls nodded in agreement as they made their way through Vale.
"By the way, Zelos, what exactly does a noble do?" Blake asked.
"Nothing important really. We have a good political influence, own some lands, yada yada yada… boring huh?"
"That's not even a complete explanation, you dunce!" Weiss snapped. "Honestly, how you managed to survive your time here is beyond me."
Zelos snorted, not even bothering to face Weiss. "What does one thing have to do with the other? And just so you know, I can kick your ass whenever I want, Ice Queen." Zelos replied, not even bothering to look at her.
"That I would like to see."
"No offense, but you don't really look like the fighting type." Yang commented, joining the conversation.
"Hard words coming from you, my dear." Zelos replied, with an amused smirk. He then froze in his tracks, making the girls stop as well.
"What is it?" Ruby asked noticing that Zelos's eyes had turned cold once again. She followed his gaze to see an ice-cream stand owned by a rabbit Faunus.
"Sorry, it looks like the stand you knew had change of owner." Weiss remarked, thinking the reason for his glare was because of the Faunus. Blake had reached the same conclusion, making her frown.
"No," He replied. "The owner is the same as ever." He then approach to a group of kids playing soccer whilst cracking his knuckles.
"What is he doing?" Blake asked as she noticed a group of injured men interrogating the owner, 'Those look recent.' She thought.
"Where the hell is he, you filth?!" One of the men asked. The owner said nothing, proceeding to give them the bad eye.
"Answer us, you dumb bit-" The man was cut off by an incoming soccer ball that crashed into the side of his head, knocking him off his feet.
"Gentleman!" Everyone turned to see Zelos approach the group with a casual smile while the kids behind him were counting the lien they had in exchange for the ball. "There's no need to harm this young lady. So why not pick on someone who can put up a fight?"
All the men charged at him while the owner looked at him with wide eyes. He simply waved at her, making her smile as the men drew their machetes.
"Quick! We have to help him!" Blake grabbed Ruby's shoulder and pointed out Zelos's body language.
He had his hands in his jacket pockets and walked towards the men without a care in the world.
The first one tried to slash at Zelos, who quickly moved to the side as his body was surrounded by a light blue aura and hit him with his back, knocking the man to the floor.
When the rest charged at him at once, Zelos performed a spin kick that looked like he was drawing a Crescent Moon with his foot, sending his attackers into the air and then delivered a combination of kicks whilst they were airborne. The group fell to the ground in a heap as Zelos performed a dive kick to the remaining ones, taking them out in one blow.
"Get lost. Now." Zelos said, making the men that still were conscious gather the ones that weren't and ran away.
He looked back at Team RWBY to see Weiss with her jaw on the floor while Yang whistled in amazement.
"Looks like he wasn't all talk after all" Blake said, as they watched him getting near the owner.
"Are you alright, Ms. Rise?" He asked. The Faunus simply nodded, impressing Blake with the familiarity Zelos had with her.
"My, my. I really am seeing a blast from the past coming by." She said, making him raise an eyebrow until he realized what she meant.
"Nice moves, playboy. Looks like you were right after all." Yang said, getting their attention.
"Why would you call me that?" Zelos replied, feigning offense. "I haven't even hit on you yet." Yang shrugged.
"Friends of yours?" Rise asked.
He nodded, "Give them what they want, it's on me." Rise nodded before asking for the girls' orders. "So what was that about?" Zelos asked as Rise gave Ruby a cone with cookie chips much to her delight.
"Well, it all started early in the afternoon when D came by to visit. He asked some questions about recent abductions in the area. I gave him a tip and he headed out before I could offer him a cone."
"Is this 'D' the friend you came to help?" Weiss asked after giving Rise her order. Zelos nodded.
"Then these men showed up and starting asking for him, giving me the impression that he was the one responsible for their condition." Rise replied while asking Blake her flavor. "By the way, what's up with him? When I asked about why none of you came by after so long, he said a lot of things happened, and when I asked about you and Lloyd he looked depressed. Have you three been fighting again?"
Zelos grimaced and shook his head, something that didn't go unnoticed by Yang as she gave Rise her order. "Anything else?" he asked.
"Yeah. Since when does he ask for a combination of vanilla and lemon?"
"That sounds like a terrible combination." Yang remarked. Rise nodded in agreement.
"He asked for that flavor?" asked Zelos.
"Yes. I was about to give it to him, but as soon as I told him what he wanted, he ran off and said he would come back for it later. It's been a good time now, so he should be back soon."
Zelos nodded and looked at the girls who were enjoying their ice-cream, including Weiss.
"You girls can go now, I can wait for him here." Zelos said, leaning against the counter.
"We still have some time before the next airship heads to beacon." Ruby replied before asking for another ice-cream.
"Besides," Yang added, "do you really think you can get rid of Weiss that easily?" Everyone laughed except for Weiss, who sighed in frustration, trying her best to find a center.
Zelos stopped laughing when he saw Rise hand him a strawberry cone, making him remember the first time he visited the city.
(8 YEARS AGO)
Zelos was alone in the city, currently admiring every structure around him since he was forbidden to go out back at Atlas.
It has been a week since he came to Vale and he had been training hard with his master's sons.
The older one tried to be nice with him, despite making an attempt on his life shortly after they met.
The other one, however, was a different story. He wanted nothing to do with Zelos, constantly giving him the cold shoulder and calling him a spoiled brat, not even bothering to address him by name, only to be silenced by his older brother. The relationship Drake had with Lloyd was definitely a puzzling one. The two shared absolutely no similarities in regards to their looks or attitudes, yet they were practically inseparable.
But they were the same in Zelos's eyes-just people wanting something from him and seeing nothing but his title-he learned that a long time ago.
'Trust no one but your family and yourself.' He thought repeatedly, as he kept exploring the city.
His master had given them one free day to explore the city. Drake was reluctant as usual, but Lloyd once again convinced him to come.
Their attitude was intolerable. Drake and Lloyd argued about the most trivial things. As the two engaged in another one of their disputes, Zelos decided to slip away and explore the city on his own. After exploring the city for a bit, he came upon a stand that read, 'Midnight Rabbit Ice Cream.'
'Ice cream?' Zelos thought, oblivious to what it was.
Whatever it was, the long line meant whatever the stand was selling must be good. Intrigued, the young boy got in line and patiently waited his turn.
All of a sudden, a group of men dressed in white uniforms approached the stand, pushing everyone aside, Zelos included.
"What the hell do you think you are doing, you filth!?" Their leader shouted, as the crowd began to disperse.
Zelos looked at who the man was reprimanding to see she was a young woman, no older than 18. What caught his attention more, was a pair of rabbit ears on the top of her head. 'A Faunus?'
"What does it look like?" The woman replied, "Doing my business." Even though she was firm and stood her ground, there was fear in her eyes.
"You really think someone like you can open a stand and steal most of my clients?" The man scoffed, folding his arms. "What do you put in your ice cream? Something illegal I'll bet."
The woman shivered, but still had the guts to argue back.
"How dare you! I make this ice cream myself every day using only natural ingredients, unlike that chemical piss you use!"
Before she could say another word, the man hit her with a metal pole while the others started to trash her stand. The crowd, including Zelos, just watched; some of them murmuring things like, "She probably deserved it."
Zelos balled his fists at that comment. 'Just because she's a Faunus!?' He thought. He may criticize a lot of people, but he would never do something like this. The fact that some people did made him angry.
The man was about to hit the woman again, only to be stopped by a sudden blue projectile that hit him and knocked him off his feet.
Everyone looked to where it came from, only to see a young boy with red hair standing tall with blue aura wrapped around his fist raised.
Zelos hadn't realized what he was doing until it was too late; he attacked the man out of instinct, not thought. Even though he wasn't as experienced as Lloyd or Drake, Zelos charged at the rest of the men.
The boy was quick to land an airborne kick to one man's face, using it as a launching pad to jump and kick another one.
"Looks like we a have an animal lover here." One of the men said, catching Zelos in the air and throwing him to the ground. Zelos looked up to see the rest of the mob raise their weapons to hit him. Terrified, the boy clamped his eyes shut, waiting for what was to come next. Instead, he heard a pair of familiar shouts. The men looked in the direction of the cries, only for two of them receive a drop kick in the face, knocking them into each other.
Zelos's eyes widened as he saw Drake and Lloyd standing in front of him, both in their battle stances.
"Get up, Zelos." Drake said, calling him by name for the very first time, and shooting the men a cold glare.
"Why are you helping me?" Zelos asked.
"It was pretty clear what you were trying to do; something we both respect." Lloyd replied, pointing at the wrecked stand and the woman looking at them. "Besides we're friends, aren't we?" Zelos`s eyes widened as Lloyd offered his hand, a gesture that Zelos was quick to accept. "Now then, shall we?" Lloyd turned his attention back at the men
"Yes, lets." Zelos replied. Before the three charged at the men, Zelos saw Drake look at him for a brief instance and give him a small smile.
"I still don't get why you broke his arm!?" Lloyd shouted at Drake.
"Because he deserved it, that's why." Drake replied, crossing his arms. Zelossighed, watching the two brothers resume their bickering.
The authorities arrived soon after the three ended their fight, and thanks to a few witnesses, the men were taken into custody and the boys were released without so much as a warning. Now they were standing in front of the stand from earlier, as Zelos was forced to listen to their debate regarding Drake's brutality in combat.
Zelos had to admit, fighting side by side with them, it felt good. They had his back the whole time and he had theirs.
"Now now…" Someone said. The two stopped arguing to see the young faunus they helped earlier. "Why don't you two relax and tell me your favorite flavors? It's on the house."
"Lemon/Vanilla" Drake and Lloyd said simultaneously. Zelos felt his sweat drop at the sudden change of topic.
'Huh… maybe those two idiots aren't as bad as I thought.' Zelos thought. He then stopped when he saw Drake offer him a strawberry cone.
"Why pink?" Zelos asked tasting it and taking an immediately liking.
"Because you look like a girl." He replied, making Lloyd and the owner burst out laughing as Zelos's eye twitched.
Nope, he hated these guys.
Zelos looked fondly at the cone, remembering the start of what it was his first official friendship. It might not have been the best, but it was real.
He raised his arms to take the cone, only to feel something hit him in the head, knocking him off his feet. The girls and the owner watched as the soccer ball from earlier hit Zelos in the head.
"Are you alright?" Ruby asked, hurrying to his side and helping him back to his feet. Zelos looked towards the entrance before breaking into a big smile.
"Bud!" He shouted happily, completely ignoring the lump on his head. Team RWBY looked towards the entrance with wide eyes.
"Drake?!" They exclaimed, seeing the familiar blonde.
"How many times do I have tell you not to call me that." Drake groaned.
Zelos chuckled, standing up and putting his arm around Drake's shoulder. "Hey, that's no way to treat your best friend." He replied.
"If you're my best friend, I seriously need to raise my standards."
The girls said nothing, silently observing the 'friendship' between Zelos and Drake; it was clearly not a normal one. Even though his face was partially obscured by his scarf, Ruby could tell Drake was smiling.
"So Drake was 'D'...?" Blake asked, watching Drake struggle to break free from Zelos's grip.
"Looks like it." Weiss replied, wondering what was so important that required the services of one of the most well-known nobles come to Vale as Drake smacked Zelos across the head.
"It's so good to see that you two are still such good friends." Rise said, separating the boys from their folly and handing each a cone, the strawberry one for Zelos and the one with lemon and vanilla for Drake, who eyed the vanilla part for a second before he started eating after pulling down his scarf.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" Rise asked.
"Yeah. Thanks." Drake replied as Zelos and the girls quirked a collective eyebrow, wondering what that was about.
"THERE HE IS!"
Everyone turned to see the same group of men from before, only in bigger numbers.
"Where the hell is the boss, you punk?!" One demanded, pointing his weapon at Drake who casually ate his ice cream.
"Rotting in a cell." He replied calmly, and he and Zelos flexed their hands while the girls prepared their weapons only to be stopped by Rise, who stood in front of them and raised her hand.
"Don't worry about them," she said, "just watch."
"You think this could kill them?" Zelos, who was still eating his ice cream, asked.
"Honestly… who cares." Drake replied, as all the men charged at them. The two threw a punch with their free hands, each creating a familiar blue projectile that merged into a bigger one that knocked all the men off the ground and knocking them out.
"You're an artes user!?" Weiss exclaimed, earning a smug look from Zelos.
"They'll be out for a while. Call the police and take this as thanks for your help." Drake said, handing Rise a substantial amount of Lien while Zelos paid for the ice creams. Drake then stopped, finally realizing team RWBY was there. "How long have you guys been here?"
"The whole time!" Shouted all four of them, almost offended he hadn't noticed them sooner.
"So… care to explain what that was all about?" Zelos asked as six of them departed from Rise's stand.
"I'll tell you later," Drake replied, "So, where are you crashing?"
"With you of course."
Drake froze mid-stride on the spot. "Say what now?" He asked, as a feeling of dread start breathing on his neck.
"That's right. I'm attending Beacon with you, buddy! Aren't you happy?"
Drake said nothing, standing paralyzed.
"Is he ok?" Asked Yang, waving her hand in front of his face and not getting any reaction.
"Yeah." Zelos replied with a grin as Drake's right eye started twitching. "He's just so happy, he doesn't know how to express himself."
"I hate you." Drake groaned, turning pale in the face as he and the others rode the airship to Beacon. Next to him say Zelos and Yang, both smirking mischievously.
"I'm gonna remember your thing with flying next time you make me fall or mess with my hair." Yang remarked. Drake groaned, shooting Zelos a dirty look. "So how do you guys know each other?"
"I came to beacon 8 years ago to learn an artes style, since according to some teachers I had the aptitudes to learn them, that is when my mother used called an old friend of hers to help me out."
"And that person was Drake`s father?" asked Weiss now wanting to know who this man was.
"Yep. That's when I met this bastard over here." Zelos grinned, grabbing Drake's shoulder and giving it a good shake, clearly making him feel worse.
"I'll kill you for this." He slurred.
"No, you won't. So tell me, what was that about?"
Drake shifted uncomfortably in his seat, trying his best to keep whatever he had for breakfast down. "I took an investigation contract, about the sudden disappearances of girls around our age in commercial areas whose bodies were found several months later. The only lead I had was they all happened on Fridays. So, I went to Rise's and showed her some of the photos of the missing victims… she recognized half of them. She pointed me towards their home saying all of them were to a certain part of the district." Drake took a deep breath before he continued while everyone minus Ruby knew what that meant. "I followed her lead and after a little investigating, found where the girls were being held. I beat the guys that were there, caught the boss and handed him over to the police. The rest is history."
While he certainly said plenty to answer that question, it brought up another question to mind among Team RWBY: why was he taking contracts?
"Is this related to what you said about helping him with something personal?" Blake asked, piquing Ruby and Yang's interest. Drake stopped as his look turned from a dirty look, to murderous, making Zelos turn pale.
"Drake? Is something wrong?" Ruby asked.
"Nothing you have to worry about." Drake replied, waving her off and keeping his glare fixed on Zelos.
"How was I supposed to know you knew them?!" Zelos exclaimed, only to receive another smack to the head. making them wonder what was so important.
"So, Mr. Wilder, your things have already arrived at Beacon and moved into the same room as Drake's. I have a recommendation from the council of Atlas to absolve you of your initiation." Ozpin said, taking a sip from his mug. "Without further delay, welcome to Beacon Academy."
"Thanks, Prof." Zelos replied.
"I'll make sure to forward a copy of your schedule to you scroll." Goodwitch added making Zelos nod.
"Is there anything else?" He asked.
"As a matter of fact, there is. Did you come here to aid Drake in his revenge?" Ozpin asked. He and Goodwitch both raised eyebrows as they saw Zelos's blue eyes turn slit and faintly glow, much like Drake's.
"You're touching a very sensitive topic, Professor." Zelos replied, clearly disturbed by Ozpin's query. "But, no; I'm just here to help find something that was stolen several years ago. If Drake decides that the person responsible has to die, I won't try to stop him"
"One more thing: In all the years you've known Drake, have you seen any significant change in him?"
Zelos frowned, as he turned and left the room. "I'm not going to answer that. But I will say that making new acquaintances here is definitely an improvement."
"Why do you refer to them as acquaintances and not friends?" Ozpin continued, "What makes you so special that he calls you his friend?" He was certain to solve the metaphorical puzzle with that answer.
"Because I'm one of the few who really understand him, and the same goes for him." Replied Zelos, leaving the room.
'And the only ones he shows his true self to.'
"I'm surprised you didn't destroyed my bed like the last time." Zelos said, lying back on his bed. "Sorry if I said something I shouldn't have."
"Don't worry. You didn't know." Drake replied, lying on his own bed. "We start investigating tomorrow. Thanks to the info you brought, we can finally start this."
Zelos nodded in agreement as his partner turned off the lights. With a brief goodnight, the two crawled under their covers. "His scarf really suits you, by the way." Zelos added, before closing his eyes.
Zelos ran, quickly navigating through the burning debris of the mansion, wielding a green, axed-blade and a purple glowing shield.
He called out his friends names as he burst into a large room, only to hear nothing. He kept running until he stumbled upon a puddle of blood. Following its trail, he soon came across something horrible.
Lying in the giant pool of blood were white feathers stained with the red liquid. On the edge of the pool, knelt Drake, slowly shaking a lifeless body while calling his name over and over again, like a broken record.
"Lloyd… Lloyd… Lloyd… Lloyd… Lloyd… Lloyd… Lloyd…"
Zelos rushed to his friend's side, dropping his weapons as the clattered on the ground while bursting into tears.
Lying in front of the two, was Lloyd's lifeless body. His eyes were wide open, void of everything and his clothes were stained with blood. The most horrifying sight were two gaping holes in his chest and head. Drake continued to call out his name with increasing volume. His eyes were dilated and leaking with tears. Drake paid absolutely no mind to the burning room around him, or the wound in his neck.
Drake, the person Zelos acknowledged as one of the most strongest willed people, was broken.
Zelos's eyes opened quickly, bolting upright in his bed, the memory still fresh in his mind. He looked at Drake who was still sleeping, mumbling something incoherent.
Zelos turned to face his night-table, placing a framed photo on top.
It was a photo of him, Drake and Lloyd on Lloyd`s 16th birthday; the same day he was killed.
He looked back at Drake.
'I'm not here for revenge, but I will make sure justice is met when the moment comes. That's a promise.'
Arts used:
Crescent Moon: The user does a back-flip kick that launches the enemy into the air. The image of a crescent moon appears that traces the arc of his foot as he flips through the air.
Azure Fist (Invented): The very same as Azure Edge, except that the projectile is shot from the fist.
Heaven`s Charge: The user phases through their target and rams them from behind. This arte is based on the Monk class's implementation of Falling Leaf, adding a powerful strike after moving behind the enemy's defenses.
Shallow Kick: the user attacks with a flying kick, sending the opponent into the air.
Eagle Dive: The arte enables the user to jump above the enemy before rapidly shooting into the ground with powerful force, usually with the knee or foot first. This creates a short-range shock wave in the air, while setting the user up to continue the combo with a ground-based arte.
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