The cold ocean breeze blows through Ray's hair as he leans against the railing of the ferry. Seagulls fly over head, squawking occasionally. Ray looks out over the sea as he simply smiles at the endless pool of blue. The rocks ever so slightly as Axel approaches Ray from behind. Axel leans against the rail and simply looks out with Ray.
"Well" Axel starts looking at Ray, who in which tilts his head to listen to his brother. "We should see Shepherd over the horizon soon"
Ray simply nods, he then stands up straight and turns away from the rail. In front of him were several students his age, but they were all Faunus. This would not be a problem normally, except that Ray and Axel are the only humans on the ship. They all seem to give Ray and Axel stares as they walk by, and no one has approached the brothers. The trip consisted of Ray and Axel merely standing at the front of ship hoping that the island with their school will show up eventually.
"Hey" Axel said nudging Ray in the shoulder. Ray turns toward Axel, who in which merely points over the horizon. Ray looks and squints his eyes, for the sun was beginning to descend over the horizon. On the horizon, he sees the outline of a island. Ray smiles and looks at Axel, who simply nods in return. Shepherds Academy is in sight.
They soon reach the island, and they pull into a bay. Shaped like a crescent they approach the inner most curve, and they stop next to a dock. Once the ship stops in the water, a gate is opened on the ship to let the students off. Ray and Axel are the first ones off, they rush onto the dock with big duffle bags over their shoulders and take in the sight in front of them. Letting out a simultaneous 'wow' they look at the school ahead. On top of a hill, lays the foundation of Shepherds Academy. Looking over the bay, it stands as the highest point on the island. It has excellent brick work, that shows off the excellent masonry. Several tall building stand together around a lone clock tower, and the tower was huge. Ray and Axel merely take in their surrounding as a man in a black suit approaches them. He has white curly hair, that forms a natural perm on his head. Walking on the docks toward the students taking in the sight before them. He stops a few meters in front of the group and looks at a tablet he is holding. He slides a page and then looks up at the students with a warm smile.
"Welcome to Shepherds Academy" he says. "I am Professor Baldwin, I am the combat instructor. Now, let's get going, don't want to keep Chancellor Elizabeth waiting"
He then turns and waves for the group of students to follow. They shuffle after the professor as he flips through his tablet. Ray and Axel get close to the professor and look over his shoulder at the scroll. The professor twitches and turns the scroll off, and the brothers boo at him. He merely keeps on walking. Soon they approach a large set of stairs, and all the students look up as the professor takes a step. The students groan and begin following him up the steps. The stairs curve along the hill, to allow access to buildings on the hill, but the building they were going to was at the top of the hill.
Ray groans as he looks up to see several more flights of stairs. Axel laughs and pats him on the back. They soon reach the top of the steps, and students are breathing raggedly. Professor Baldwin looks back and sighs at the students, and he signals them to follow after him.
They walk down a cobblestone path with streetlights off to the side. Walking around the buildings, they eventually come to a wide clearing, in the center is a large statue of a Faunus cutting down an ursa. Ray and Axel stare at the statue for a second, but are soon trying to catch up to the rest of the group. The group of students walk into the building at the base of the clock tower. Inside, they see a large lobby. The lobby consisted of marble flooring, the chandeliers above reflected off the floor. Several columns reach into the air to support the large area. The group walks in between the columns heading for a large double door. Professor Baldwin opens the door, and noise attacks them from inside. The students walk inside the large room to see a grand auditorium. A large stage with blue curtains lays in front of the rows of students. Professor Baldwin leads them down through the auditorium. He stops among many empty seats and gestures for the students to seat down in the immediate area. Ray and Axel squeeze through a few students, and they find two empty seats in the middle column. Once they are seated, they look out over the stage.
A beautiful woman with flowing blond hair is soon seen walking onto center stage, and her long tail flows with the movement of her hips. Her black heels clack against the stage as she moves onto center stage. Wearing black slacks, she steps up behind a pedestal with a microphone attached to it. She pulls a watch out from the pocket of her suit and smiles. She then taps the microphone to make sure it is working.
"Good afternoon" she begins with a sultry voice. "I am Chancellor Elizabeth Goldenmane. Now, first I would like to welcome you all to Shepherd Academy. This fine establishment was constructed not to long ago. In fact, this marks the fiftieth fall semester. With that said, this has been primarily a Faunus only institute. However, this is also the first year that humans will be allowed to attend school here."
The auditorium is filled with hushed conversations at this announcement. Ray and Axel breath a sigh of relief, they started to think their acceptance and grant money was some sick joke. They look at each other and then high five. They soon are directing their attention back to the stage though.
"This is a decision that I pushed through, for it is to better our relationship with our brothers in the field of combat. After all, grim don't differentiate between a faunus or a human. Now, with that said, allow me to introduce one of our human students attending this fall, who in which is coming on a academic scholarship." Chancellor Elizabeth then gestures towards the right of the stage. A head of long turquoise hair peaks out from the side curtain. The girl then directs her bright pink eyes to Chancellor Elizabeth, who in which smiles and waves her on. The girl steps away from the curtain and meekly shuffles her pink sneakers over towards the pedestal. She is wearing a blue sweater that is a size too big, so her sleeves reach into her palms. The sweater comes down and stops at her mid thigh. Black leggings cover her legs as she moves up to the pedestal. Chancellor Elizabeth steps down and allows the girl to stand at the pedestal. The top of her head is all the crowd can see however, and professor Baldwin walks across the stage with a stepping stool. Placing it in front of The girl, she then thanks him and looks over the auditorium.
"Um...I-I-I'm Ripley Aran..." She said with a meek and nervous voice. Ray and Axel look at the girl with a sense of understanding, after all, being the only other human they have seen. She looks down for a second before looking over the crowd again. "I'm...um...hoping we can all get along. I...uh...look forward to attending school with you all"
She finishes quickly and steps down from the pedestal. She turns to Chancellor Elizabeth, bows slightly and runs off the stage. Elizabeth takes her place at the pedestal again. She then pulls her watch out from her suit and sighs.
"I hope you treat her, and the other two human students with respect." Ray and Axel looked at each other, then all around them. They then bring their attention back to the stage. "They are your comrades in the classroom and on the field. What the rest of today will consist of, is you students meeting your fellow teammates. You will be checked into your dorm, and then you may help yourselves to a meal in the cafeteria."
She then hears students happily conversing over their new teammates and what to eat. Soon laughter fills the auditorium, and all the students stop and look into amber eyes. Chancellor Elizabeth soon stops and looks at the students.
"Tomorrow, is when the fun begins. You all will be tested in your capabilities on the field. It is, an initiation, so to speak. This will decide whether your new team is ready. Some of you are thinking, but I just met these people today! Well, everyone here has the prerequisite requirements to attend this institute. You should all be able to complete this mission; however, I know that not all of you will make it. That's why we're offering you food on this first night, it is for some of you, the last supper." She then giggles sweetly, almost like what she said was not morbid at all. "I have the utmost confidence in my children before me. I expect you all to be at the Ring of Life tomorrow morning. From there, you will receive instructions before departing for your trial. With that said, rest well tonight, you'll need it. Dismissed!"
She then steps down from the pedestal and leaves the stage. The auditorium fills students shuffling past each other and exiting the auditorium. Once outside, Ray and Axel carry their bags off to the side and let the other students pass.
"Hehehe" Ray laughs looking at Axel. Axel smiles in return, then they both say "tomorrow is going to be fun!"
o0o
Vahn and Nazir leave the auditorium together, the lobby only had a few people inside. They lagged behind so that they could speak to Cassidy and Voltaire, whom in which just walked into the lobby.
"Man! That was sure annoying!" Voltaire said walking into the lobby. Cassidy followed closely behind, yawning from being inside the auditorium. They notice Vahn and Nazir leaning against the wall and make their way over to them.
"We'll talk and walk" Vahn said moving towards the exit. The other three soon follow after him. Each one of them had a small duffle bag to carry their necessities in. Vahn stops a professor walking by, who just so happens to be professor Baldwin. "Excuse me, but we were wondering if you knew where the dorms were?"
"You see that building over there?" Professor Baldwin said, while pointing to a building on the other side of the statue in front of the auditorium building. Vahn nods his confirmation, and the other three simply look at the building. "Those are the student dorms. Professor Tesmon is there now giving students their room numbers"
"Thank you, c'mon guys" Vahn thanks the man, then the three of them walk towards the building. They walk past the statue, and walk towards the building behind it. "So, only three human students?"
"It appearssssss so" Cassidy says "I just wonder where those racist brothers are at"
"Racist?" Nazir questions looking at Cassidy. She nods and looks ahead.
"you should've heard some of the things one of them said" Voltaire said angrily. "It's not any different any of the other things humans say, but it still hurts"
Vahn nods as they approach the building. The building had a brick exterior, like everything else at the school. Except this building had two towers sticking up at each side. The towers rivaled the clock tower in height, for they are several stories high. They walk up the front steps leading to double doors. Vahn pushes the door open and steps inside. His feet hit a blue carpet as the others follow him inside. Walking towards a table at the far wall of the door. A burly bearded man is sitting there, once he notices Vahn and his party he grabs a large scroll.
"You must be Professor Tesmon" Vahn said stopping in front of the table. "Can you tell us our rooms?"
"Names" the man said with a rough voice. He has short black hair, and he has round furry ears at the top of his head. He is wearing a white muscle shirt and grey sweatpants. Combat boots tap the carpet impatiently as he looks up, and black eyes look right through Vahn.
"Vahn Girder" he said stepping to the side now.
"Hmm...room 512" Tesmon said looking at his tablet. As he said this, Nazir walks up to stand in front of him.
"Nazir Mandella" Nazir says standing next to Vahn.
"You're in the same room as him" he said pointing over at Vahn. Relief flashes across their faces. Then Cassidy steps toward the table.
"Cassidy Lockheart" she says standing in front of the man. He picks up another tablet and slides through it.
"Room 512" he says. Cassidy smiles, Thinking that they'll all be on the team. "Building B"
"Building B?" Cassidy ask as the others look confused. The man laughs, and points to their left. A set of stairs is seen next to an elevator.
"That's the way up building B" the man said. He then points to their right at an identical set of stairs and elevator, except the elevator is out of order. "This is the stairway to building A"
"So...it's the same floor and room number..." Cassidy begins. "But in different buildings?"
"Yes" Professor Tesmon said while rolling his eyes. Cassidy steps over towards building B waiting for Voltaire. Voltaire steps up nervously, hoping she will be in the same room as Cassidy.
"Voltaire Rakora" she said looking over at Cassidy. Cassidy smiles back at her as Tesmon looked through the tablet.
"Same room as her" he said looking at the tablet. Voltaire sighs in relief and walks towards Cassidy. They all begin to walk towards the stairs. "Wait! Get back here!"
They all stop dead in their tracks. One thing was going through all their minds, 'does he know we're members of the Black Claw?' They all turn back towards the table. They slowly walk back, remaining cautious not sure what the man had planned.
"Ya'll forgot to register your scrolls for your room" Tesmon said motioning to a stand attached to his tablet. They all sigh and walk back towards the table. Vahn and Nazir place their tablets on the stand, while Tesmon presses against the tablet screen. "You two are good to go"
They both grab their scrolls and head for the stairs to building A. Cassidy and Voltaire place their scrolls onto the stand and wait. The man slides through the tablet and presses on the screen a bit. He then nods at the girls signaling they can leave. The girls take their scrolls and head towards the elevator of building B. They press the button and wait for the elevator.
"Hehehe" Voltaire giggles. Cassidy looks at her confused. "The guys have to take the stairs"
She then laughs again as Cassidy shakes her head smiling. The elevator dings, and it opens. Ripley is seen inside, and she smiles up at the two girls. Cassidy and Voltaire step aside to let her through, and she runs out heading for the exit. Cassidy and Voltaire step into the elevator and drop their bags. Voltaire presses floor five, and then the doors close.
Nazir opens a door to the fifth floor and sighs. He steps into the hallway and Vahn approaches from behind. Vahn steps in front of Nazir, and Nazir soon follows in silence. They go past room '507' as walk through the hall.
"I hope that our teammates aren't too loud" Nazir said walking beside Vahn. Vahn nods as they walk past '509'.
"Let's hope that they can at least stay out of trouble too" Vahn added as they walked past '511'. They stepped on front of the door to their room, and stared at it. Vahn brought up his scroll and placed it against the scanner to the right of the door. They heard a clicking sound, Nazir grabbed the door knob. Vahn waited as Nazir turned the knob and pushed it open.
"Dammit Axel!" They heard Ray yell, while Axel had Ray in a headlock. "I want bottom bunk!"
Vahn and Nazir looked at each other, they sighed and proceed inside the room.
o0o
Cassidy and Voltaire open the door to their room. They step inside a walkway, and see closed door to the right. They hear water running and walk past the door into the room. They see two sets of bunk beds, and two desk along each wall by the bunk beds. They see a duffle bag on the set of beds to the right, so they put theirs on the left. Cassidy threw her bag on the top bunk, and Voltaire put hers on the bottom bunk. They turn around and see that each wall adjacent to the walkway has two big closets. They hear a door creak open and see a girl walk out of it. She looks surprised to see Cassidy and Voltaire in the room, she then smiles and walks over to them.
"I'm Leona Lunari" The girl said approaching both of them. She holds out both her hands, so Cassidy and Voltaire can shake them at the same time. They both shake her hand and introduce themselves.
"Cassidy Lockheart" Cassidy says smiling at the girl.
"Voltaire Rakori" Voltaire says giggling at Leona. Leona nods and sits on the bottom bunk of the right beds. Cassidy and Voltaire sit down in front of her on the opposite bed.
"Did you guys see Ripley? Well, the human girl?" She asked them both. Cassidy and Voltaire nod looking at her. Leona perks up at hearing that. "Good. She's our other teammate. She said she was starving and went to the cafeteria."
"That explains why she was running towards the exit" Cassidy said. She giggles and Voltaire laughs with her. Leona smiles and stands up.
"Yea" Leona says stretching. "I think I'm going to join her. Do you two wanna come?"
"Well, I'm not going" Voltaire said "I wanna unpack first"
"I wish to do the same" Cassidy said looking at Leona. Leona scratches her cheek as she looks at her duffle bag.
"I guess I should do the same hehe" Leona said grabbing her bag. Cassidy and Voltaire do the same, and they all begin to unpack.
o0o
Vahn and Nazir sigh as they walk behind the two brothers. Ray and Axel laugh as they lead the way out of the building. Vahn and Nazir are soon walking next to the brothers as the brothers slow down to let them catch up.
"So...what do you guys do for fun?" Axel asked looking past Ray at the other two.
"I like to read" Vahn said looking at the brothers and shrugging. Ray smiled up at Vahn while Axel made a look of disgust.
"Hmm...women" Nazir said laughing as they walked by the statue. Axel laughed as Ray scowled. "I'm kidding guys. I like to go outside and do things, like run and stuff. I always used to play catch with my dad and everything."
"That's always fun" Vahn said rubbing the stubble on his chin. "I remember playing outside with my dad all the time"
Ray and Axel listened as the two talked about their parents. Noticing that they were quiet, Vahn and Nazir look at the brothers. "What about you lads?" Vahn asked them.
"Well" Ray started scratching his head. Axel chuckles looking ahead. "We're orphans"
Vahn and Nazir look surprised to hear this. They just assumed they had parents. Ray and Axel shrug as they keep walking towards a building with a lot of faunus entering and exiting. They walk towards that building guessing that the cafeteria is there.
"I'm sorry to hear that lads" Vahn said as Nazir nods. Ray shrugs and Axel laughs.
"It's alright" Axel said "we're used to it"
"Well, if you don't mind me asking?" Vahn said looking at the two brothers. Axel smiles and Ray shrugs again. "How did you two pay to get into school?"
"What do you mean?" Ray asked
"Since you probably don't have a scholarship" Vahn stated "considering you weren't on stage with the Ripley girl, so I'm making an assumption. Also, you don't have parents to cosign for loans. How are you paying for school?"
"We're not paying to come here" Ray said looking at Vahn and Nazir. "The school is paying us to attend as a minority"
Ray and Axel smile at the two as they approach the big building. Several students go in and out laughing amongst themselves. The four boys walk inside and see a plethora of tables strewn about the room. Most were packed with students conversing and laughing with each other. The boys look around embracing the atmosphere as they soon find a round table to themselves. Vahn and Nazir sit down at the table, while Axel and Ray stand next to the table.
"You guys watch the table" Axel said, as Ray turns and walks towards the lunch line. "We'll come back with some food"
"Thanks" Nazir says smirking at Axel. Vahn nods at Axel while he turns around to catch up with Ray. Vahn and Nazir look at each other and sigh.
"We're so unlucky" Vahn says putting his head in his hands. Nazir nods and leans back in his chair.
"Naturally our teammates are Cassidy and Voltaires targets." Nazir says looking at the high ceiling.
"The only humans in the school" Vahn says "and we're teamed up with them"
Ray and Axel are standing in line as everyone around them is giving them funny looks. Ray and Axel converse normally, ignoring the intrusive eyes around. They then grab trays from a rack on the side as they move along the line. An old lady smiles at Ray and Axel as she places a plate with roast beef and mashed potatoes on it.
"Um...I was wondering" Ray says looking at the lady. She stops and looks at Ray now. "If we could get two plates?"
"It's not for us" Axel says before the lady could answer. She looks at Axel now while he explains. He points at Vahn and Nazir sitting at a table behind them. "They're for our teammates sitting over there"
The lady nods, and hands them each another plate. They both say thanks and move down the line. They grab four paper cups at the end, they also grab some plastic forks and knives. They then walk to a beverage station, and fill their cups with ice and water.
"Man we're lucky" Ray says looking at his cup filling with water. Axel glances at Ray as he fills the second cup. "We have two cool guys on our team, and they look strong too!"
"Yea, at least they aren't racist like everyone else seems to be" Axel said taking note of the way most of the other students glared at them. He grabs four lids for the cups, while Ray grabs four straws. They then cover the cups with lids and walk back to Vahn and Nazir. "I'm glad they at least seem friendly"
They weave through tables and students alike as they make their way over to Vahn and Nazir. They place their trays in the center of the table, and take their seats across from Vahn and Nazir. They all grab their food and begin to eat. Ray takes a sip of his water as he looks at Vahn and Nazir quietly eating across from him. He then turns to look at Axel, but Axel is looking right at his food. Ray sighs, as he sees no chance to start a conversation. These guys must be the eat first, converse later type. Ray takes a bite of some roast beef as he looks around the cafeteria. He spots Ripley a few tables to his right, and she is with a group of guys. The guys seem to be surrounding her as she squirms trying to shake them off. The guys seem to be pulling at her sweater as she politely tells them to stop.
Ray puts his fork and knife down, and gets up out of his seat. Vahn and Nazir look up to see Ray looking at a table to their left. They see Ripley getting harassed by a group of guys. They soon recognize the guy pulling at her sweater, and Vahn shoots up out of his chair and rushes in front of Ray. Axel looks up and sees Vahn standing in front of Ray, he raises an eyebrow and looks at Nazir. Nazir simply shrugs and watches Vahn.
"You don't wanna mess with them laddie" Vahn says looking at Ray. Ray looks from the group of guys to look at Vahn. Vahn then points to a taller guy standing next to Ripley. He had his blond hair styled in a Brit pop crop. A red sleeved arm pulls Ripley closer as he sits down next to her. He crosses his skinny Jean's covered legs and taps his sneakers against the floor. "That man there, is the Prince of this country, Portgas Robespierre III"
"Is he now?" Ray asked looking over at the guys. Axel looks past Vahn and Ray to see what was going on. Axel places his plastic ware on the table and stands up from his chair. "Well, no man should treat a lady like that"
Ray pushes past Vahn as Axel slowly walks behind him. Axel decided to hang back, he knew Ray could probably handle this peacefully. Axel puts his hands on his pockets and sighs while watching Ray rush over. Ray stops a few feet away from their table and looks directly at Ripley. Ripley looks up at him with surprise in her eyes, he also notices that those eyes are filled with tears threatening to fall. The guys do not even notice as they continue laughing and harassing Ripley.
"Hey" Ray said trying to get their attention. The guys kept laughing and talking, and Axel stops a few feet behind Ray. Vahn and Nazir stand over by the table watching them. Ray then yells and slams his fist on their table. This gets everyone's attention in the cafeteria. "HEY!"
Portgas and his friends stop laughing and look up at Ray. Ray lifts his hand from the table and looks at the guys sitting in front of him. They soon stand up and step in front of the table towards Ray. Portgas merely raises his hand, and the guys stop. Portgas then looks Ray in the eyes, gold meets Amber as they look at each other. Portgas twitches the ears above his head smiles and Ray.
"Well" The one in front of Portgas began. He had black hair in a crew cut, and eyes green like a tree leaf in the middle of summer. He crosses his arms in front of his blue blazer, looks Ray up and down. He then smirks and chuckles a bit while stepping back over to Portgas. Black slack covered legs carry him back to Portgas. Black loafers pad against the ground, he then leans against the table. "I am Neal Regalie, Portgas' personal body guard. Speak what you will then leave, lice bag"
"No one insults Ray like that!" Axel said angrily rushing toward Neal. He pulls his fist back and throws it aiming for his face. Neal remains still, not evening recognizing the fist. Then a dark skinned hand grabs the fist and stops it a few inches in front of Neals face. Axel looks at the interloper angrily, and silver met orange as they glared at each other. His orange ears twitches above his wild black hair, and he has orange highlights. He was wearing a red open vest with nothing underneath, revealing his toned body to the world. He was also wearing white cotton pants that went into his brown grieves. Axel pulled his fist away and stared at the man.
"You don't know who this is?" A fourth man steps forward chuckling at the two. He throws his long silver hair behind his shoulders and approaches them both. Eyes slitted and playful with a unique shade of blue look over Axel. He puts his hands into the sleeves of his sea green haori, underneath a emerald green kimono is seen. Black hakama pants carry him in front of the two. His white zori clack against the floor when he stops in front of them both. "This is Cyrus Bahadur, the Astol champion"
"Who?" Axel asked looking at Ray. Ray shrugged and looked at the man.
"He's the number one seed from our school!" The silver haired man said gesturing towards Cyrus. "He's predicted to win the vytal festival for our school!"
"Never heard of him" Ray said simply. Axel nods and crosses his arms in front of his chest in front of his chest looking unimpressed.
"HE'S THE GUY ON EVERY BOTTLE OF FIZZY PEAKS!" He yelled at them both. Their eyes widen tremendously and their mouths hang open in shock.
"That's you!?" They ask looking at Cyrus. Cyrus rolls his eyes and turns toward the silver haired man.
"Don't even bother with these idiots Seiji" Cyrus said to the silver haired man. "They're both simple humans"
"Now" Ray and Axel look towards Portgas as he speaks. He puts his hand on Ripleys hip and pulls her onto his lap. "I'll give you a few moments of my time, lice bag"
"The girl is obviously uncomfortable" Ray states ignoring the insult. He looks at Ripley and sees her squirming away from Portgas. Portgas pulls her back and looks at Ray. "Let her be, you shouldn't treat a lady like that"
"You creatures are anything but men and women" Portgas says looking right into Ray's eyes. He then runs a hand up Ripleys side, and she shudders in disgust. "You humans are simply toys for us to play with"
"We're all people here" Ray says trying to calm himself down. He grits his teeth trying to stay calm. He looks to his left and sees Axel seething with rage. "Now let her go"
"Hehehe" Portgas laughs as he lets go of Ripley and stands up. Ripley attempts to leave, only to be tugged back by Portgas like some sort of doll. He pulls her and licks her face as she yells in disgust as tears start to fall down her face. "This toy is-"
Ray cuts him off by rushing forward and punching him in the face. Ripley starts to fall, because Portgas was holding onto her. Ray wraps his arm around her back and keeps her on her feet. Portgas falls on the ground as his friends stand at the table looking shocked. In fact, everyone except for Axel looks shocked. Portgas sits up and looks at Ray, he then rubs his cheek as he glares at Ray.
"Do you know who I am!?" Portgas says as he stands up and stalks over to Ray. Ray merely glares up at the man as he stands a head taller than Ray. "I am Prince Portgas Robespierre III. My father is the king of this country! He is a man you wouldn't want to be against"
Everyone in the cafeteria looks at the two glaring at each other. Ray then gently nudges Ripley behind him as he glances at Axel. Axel is now standing behind Cyrus as he looks at Ray. Ray brings his attention back to Portgas, who was still glaring down at him. Ray then smirks as he looks at Portgas, and Portgas looks slightly confused. Fast as lightning, speed that only comes from experience, Ray brings his right fist up and hooks Portgas in the face. Portgas' body becomes parallel to the ground, and the blow leveled him. his face bounces off the ground as it was the first part of his body to make contact. Everyone in the cafeteria is stunned at the strength of the punch.
"I don't care if he's the damn queen!" Ray yelled with anger in his eyes. "I won't let you treat a lady like a piece of meat!"
Portgas' friends then begin to rush towards Ray. But, Axel grabs Cyrus by the waist before he could take one step. He then leans back and gives the man a suplex. Cyrus slams into the ground, and Axel stands up. He rushes towards Ray as Neal and Seiji attack Ray. Ripley stands at the side stunned at what just happened.
'No ones ever defended me before' she thinks as she looks at Ray fight two guys at once. Axel soon tackles Neal as Ray punches Seiji in the stomach. Portgas gets up on shaky feet and rushes at Ray from behind. "Look out!"
Ray hears Ripley and turns around to see a fist flying into his face. Ray falls on the ground as Portgas jumps on top of him. Portgas punches Ray in the face, as Cyrus gets up and rushes at Axel. He kicks Axel in the side and Axel rolls off of Neal and crashes against a table. The students sitting there jump up and they back away from the table. Portgas pulls back to punch Ray again, but a boot connects with his face sending him sprawling on the ground. Vahn then punchs Seiji in the face as Nazir sucker punches Cyrus. Nazir helps Axel up, while Vahn helps Ray. Neil helps Portgas up. Seiji and Cyrus stand up, and the two groups then glare at each other. All the students are quiet and the cafeteria is watching intently at the eight men. Ray and Portgas step forward at the same time and rush at each other.
"STOP!" Came a yell from the entrance. Everyone in the cafeteria stopped in their tracks. They all stood completely still, almost as if the words demanded obedience. Professor Baldwin and Chancellor Elizabeth just walked through the entrance to the cafeteria. Chancellor Elizabeth storms over to the group of men. "What is going on here!?"
The boys glare at each other as they stand frozen. They soon are able to move, and everyone else in the cafeteria is also. Portgas steps toward Elizabeth as do his friends.
"We were enjoying our meal" Portgas began looking at Elizabeth. He then turns to Ray and points at him. "Until that man there started a fight with us. He came up and punched me in the face!"
"What!? That's not what happened!" Ray defended looking at Portgas. He then looks at Elizabeth. "I mean, it kind of is, but that's not all that happened!"
"Well" Elizabeth began. "Since you seem to have instigated the fight, and Mr. Robespierre and his team were defending themselves. I'm sorry, but the school rules state that your team will be suspended for a week. While suspended, you cannot partake in school events either, so you four will be unable to attend initiation tomorrow."
"But" Axel said eyes widening looking up at the chancellor "I thought you needed to do the initiation to get into the school?"
"Exactly" Elizabeth said looking downcast. "Since you four now can not participate, you will be removed from the school."
"You're expelling us!?" Nazir yelled growing angry and stepping toward the chancellor "for just a simple fight!?"
"Yes" Elizabeth said reluctantly "that unfortunately is the case"
Ray looked down, he couldn't believe he was expelled in less than a day. It felt like the whole world was sitting on his chest. Axel closes his eyes and grits his teeth. Nazir scowls as he glares at Portgas. Vahn sighs and puts his hands in his pockets. Portgas and his team smirk at the four men. Ray looks up at him and glares daggers at the man. He then looks around and sees that most of the students around appear happy. He looks at his feet as his eyes tear up. Just then, a hand pulls at Chancellor Elizabeths sleeve. She looks down and sees Ripley looking up at her.
"Yes, child?" Elizabeth said addressing Ripley. "What is it?"
"Um...he was protecting me" Ripley said pointing and looking at Ray. Ray looked up at her with tears still in his eyes. Ripley blushed and looked back at Elizabeth. She then points at Portgas and his teammates "Those guys over there were harassing me"
"Is that so?" Portgas scowled at the girls back, as Elizabeth looked at the group. She pulls out her pocket watch and frowns. Elizabeth then pats Ripley on the head, she sighs and turns toward Ray. "It seems you did something noble. I will delve deeper into the matter at a later date. Mr. Robespierre, please escort your team back to the dorm room, for I will not tolerate harassment. Even if your father is this country's King"
She then stares at Portgas and his team as they walk in between her and Ray. Portgas glares at Ray while he walks past, Ray scowls up at him and watches him go. Elizabeth follows after them and glances at Ray while she leaves. While they leave the building, coming inside is Cassidy, Voltaire, and Leona. Vahn and Nazir look up at them as they walk inside. Axel recognizes Leona and looks surprised.
"Um...excuse me" Ripley taps Ray on the shoulder and he directs his attention to her. Standing a head shorter than him, she looks up at him and blushes, she then looks down again. Ray smiles at the girl and waits for her to speak. Ripley shuffles her feet against the ground and looks up at him again. "Thank you...for helping me when no one else would"
"Hehehe" Ray chuckles looking at Ripley. "It's alright, I just can't sit idle while a girl is being treated like that."
"Ripley!" A woman's voice yells from behind. They turn and see Leona heading towards them. She walks up to Ripley and smiles down at the girl. She then notices Ripley being close to Ray and sends a sly smirk to Ripley. "Who's your friend Ripley?"
"So...what happened here?" Cassidy asked as her and Voltaire stood next to Vahn and Nazir. Vahn sighs and Nazir slaps his forehead.
"Dumb and dumber over there" Nazir said pointing at Ray and Axel. "Picked a fight with the prince, because he was harassing that girl there"
"Is that so?" Cassidy asked looking at Ray converse with Ripley. Leona then walks over and joins them. "That girl is our other teammate I suppose"
"Yea?" Vahn questioned. Cassidy and Voltaire nodded looking at Vahn. "We found are teammates too"
"Oh really?" Voltaire asked "who are they?"
"Those two" Nazir said pointing at Ray and Axel. Cassidy and Voltaires eyes bulged out of their heads at this.
"Um...this is..." Ripley started looking at Ray. Axel is simply watching in amusement as Leona did not notice him standing to the side. Ripley then looks down at her feet. "I actually don't know his name"
"My names Ray" Ray said sticking out both his hands to the girls. Leona laughs and puts her left hand in his left, and Ripley places her right in his right. "Ray Relian"
"I'm Leona Lunari" Leona stated looking at Ray and smiling. They all pulled their hands away, while Axel walks over towards them.
"I'm Axel Alexanderson" Axel said wrapping an arm around Ray and startling Leona. Ripley looked up at the man and smiled. Axel smiles down at her and sticks out his hand for her to shake. They shake hands and then Axel pulls Ray into a headlock and rubs his fist against Ray's head. "And this guy is my little brother!"
"You're the guy from yesterday!" Leona says pointing at Axel. Ray and Ripley look confused, as they look at her then Axel. Axel laughs and nods his head.
"He helped me fight off some thugs yesterday." Leona said wagging her tail as she looked at Axel. Ray and Ripley hold back their laughs as they see her tail go crazy. "But how do you know these two, Rips?"
"Well" Ripley said meekly looking at Ray and blushing. Axel notices and grins at the girl. Leona giggles at the girl and ruffles her hair. Ray looks at Ripley waiting for the girl to speak. Ripley looks at her feet and shuffles them against the ground. "He pro-protected me from these guys harassing me"
"Oh I see" Leona said smiling at Ray. Then the words process in her head as she looks down at Ripley in concern. "Wait what!? Who!?"
"The prince of this country" Vahn said walking over to them with Nazir, Cassidy and Voltaire following behind him. "Prince Portgas is the one who was harassing Ripley here."
"The prince!? What the hell!?" Leona said surprised. Ray then walks over to Vahn and Nazir.
"These are our teammates" Ray said gesturing toward Vahn and Nazir. Ripley giggles thinking that Ray sounded like a pirate. Leona looks at the two while Cassidy and Voltaire walk toward Leona.
"I'm Vahn Girder" Vahn said bowing slightly. "A pleasure to meet you"
"Haha" Ray smiles at Vahns introduction, he then gestures toward Nazir. Nazir steps forward and yawns. "This is..."
"Nazir Mandella" Nazir says putting his hands behind his head as his panther ears stand up. Smirking at Cassidy and Voltaire. "Nice to meet you girls"
"It's nice to meet you guys too" Leona says smiling at all of them. She then looks and sees Cassidy and Voltaire next to her. Her ears twitch as she gets a look of remembrance. "Oh! I forgot to introduce my teammates!"
"Allow me" Cassidy said stepping in front of the girls. She then does a little curtsy. "I am Cassidy Lockheart, a pleasure to make your acquaintance"
"Hehehe" Voltaire giggles at Cassidy's introduction. She then steps up next to Cassidy and smiles at the guys. "I'm Voltaire Rakori, nice to meet you!"
Vahn and Nazir chuckle to themselves as Cassidy and Voltaire smirk at them. Ray and Axel laugh at the group, as Leona laughs with them. Ripley stands slightly behind Leona smiling at everyone.
"Man I'm starving" Leona says, rubbing her stomach. Cassidy and Voltaire agree with Leona. Leona then looks at Ripley. "I know you already ate, but care to stay and chat with us?"
"Um...sure. I-I didn't really get a chance to eat anyway" Ripley says looking at Leona. She then looks over at Ray and Axel, she smiles at Ray and blushes. "I guess w-we'll see you guys later?"
"Yea" Ray said turning towards the exit with Axel. Vahn and Nazir are already walking toward the exit, as Axel and Ray stay back for a second. "We'll see you guys tomorrow during initiation."
Ray and Axel then follow behind Vahn and Nazir. Axel looks back and winks at Leona, who then blushes and wags her tail. Axel chuckles and continues out of the cafeteria with Ray. Leona then turns and looks at Cassidy and Voltaire. They are already sitting at a table conversing with each other, laughing occasionally and having a good time. Leona then looks at Ripley and smiles as they both walk to the table with Cassidy and Voltaire.
