An: This is a reupload. After all this time, two years or so maybe, it has only been pointed out to me now that I fucked up my spell check and as a result I used their, they're, and there in the wrong places because I'm a dumbass. I also changed a few things, but it's still the same chapter you read the first time around. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Let's do this shit.
Ruby and I stood inside of the Beacon Academy forge. I would assume that it's here for students to repair any blades that they may have. I was here to try and build my own unique weapon. Well actually, Ruby was here to build my weapon and I was here to tell her what I wanted. I really don't know why I am making this a few weeks into the school year instead of a few days. Oh, well. "So, what do you want?" Ruby asked.
"Nothing too complex." I replied. "I've given it some thought. My idea is to have brass knuckles, that could potentially use dust, and each one has a hidden blade that it can extend to turn them into swords." Ruby's eyes lit up.
"I know how to do that!" she shouted. "I can do it for you if you like."
"That'd be fantastic!" I said. "Thanks, Ruby. You're the best."
"Don't let Yang hear you say that." Ruby snickered. "This project should only take about a day or so. Four days at the most. It would normally take about a week or two, but not only do my weapon crafting smarts allow me to make it faster, the technology here at Beacon is the best in the world."
"Let's get to it then." I said. I watched Ruby make the brass knuckles in fascination. She expertly heated the metal that would be the blade and folded it dozens of times. An hour quickly went by and my blades and brass knuckles were ready.
"The brass knuckles are ready to be used by themselves. I still need to apply the blades the the brass knuckles and add a Dust functionality to them. What kinds of Dust do you want?" Ruby asked as she cooled the heated blade in water.
"I'm thinking fire or lightning." I replied. "Maybe both, if you can swing it."
"Okay. I'll talk to Weiss about getting some Dust crystals." Ruby attached the blades to a compartment hidden in the grip of the brass knuckles. "There. Your new weapon." she declared and held the brass knuckles out to me reverently. "I'll let you know what Weiss says about the Dust. They're okay to use for now. The blades spring out with the press of a button by the way. What are you going to name it?" she asked as I took the brass knuckles and put them in my pockets.
"I'm not sure. I'm sure it will come in time though. Weapon names aren't something that can be rushed." I said. This thing is going to kill so many Grimm. "If you can get a hold of the Dust crystals, I'm thinking about calling them Firestarters, since both cause fires." Yes, fire does in fact cause fires. Ruby grinned and squealed in excitement.
"Ooooooh! That sounds so cool!" she said. She looked at a clock on the wall and gasped. "Oh no! We have to get to class!" she said and grabbed my hand and we ran to class.
XXX
I stood beside Yang as we watched students spar each other. "So," I began as I pulled out my brass knuckles. "I finally have a weapon to use. They're brass knuckles with hidden blades that turn them into swords. It's still a work in progress, though they'll work for now. Ruby helped me make it. Your little sister is awesome." I told her.
We looked at Ruby who was blushing in embarrassment. "I know." Yang said. "Aren't I lucky?"
"Hey look," I said as Cardin and Jaune walked to the front of the room. "Cardin and Jaune are going to spar. This isn't going to end well."
The spar started and Cardin immediately started demolishing Jaune. Soon Jaune was kneeling on the ground with Cardin standing confidently with his mace resting on his shoulder. He laughed as Jaune panted in exhaustion. Jaune stood up and charged at Cardin with a yell, only to have his shield knocked away and then sent flying.
Man, Cardin makes me so mad. Seeing him on the show was bad enough, but actually seeing first hand all the shit he pulls that isn't shown just makes me even more mad.
Jaune held his sword with two hands and swung at Cardin who blocked the strike with the hilt of his mace. "This is the part where you lose." he said as he began to overpower Jaune and push their weapons closer to his face.
"Over my dead bod-" Jaune said but was cut off by a kick to the stomach. I winced in sympathy as Jaune hit the ground and held his stomach. Cardin held his mace high and prepared to bring it down on Jaune but a loud buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the match.
"That's enough." Glynda Goodwitch said. She sounded so much like Tex. It was actually rather creepy. "Students," she said as she walked to the front of the stage. "As you can see, Mr. Arc's aura has now dropped into the red. In a tournament style duel, this would indicate that the individual is no longer fit for battle and the official may call the match. Mr. Arc, it's been weeks now, please remember to refer to your scroll during combat." Jaune pulled out his scroll and looked at it in sadness. "Gauging your aura will help you decide when it is appropriate to attack or when it is time to move to a more defensive strategy. We wouldn't want you to be gobbled up by a Beowulf, now would we?"
"Speak for yourself." Cardin said as he walked off the stage. Oh, that asshole.
I think his actions would make it acceptable for me to kick his ass without bringing dishonor to myself.
"Remember everyone," Glynda Goodwitch said. "The Vytal Festival is only a few months away." Yang jabbed at the space in front of her, Ruby did a little dance, Weiss shook her fists in excitement, and Blake...disappeared apparently. "It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing. Those that compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale." The bell rang and students began filing out of the room. I noticed Pyrrha looking at Jaune with a sad look on her face. "I think he needs a friend right now." I said. "Preferably one from his own team. I think he is feeling a little down." I jogged over to Yang and walked beside her as we left to go to our next class.
XXX
"So! There we were in the middle of the night." Nora said dramatically. Everyone was gathered to hear her tell them a story. We were all gathered in the cafeteria for breakfast. I only half, maybe a quarter, listened to Nora's story while I occupied myself with shoving food into my mouth. I would occasionally shoot concerned glances at Jaune, who sat on the other side of the table and pushed his food around. Yang sat on my left and held her face in her hands as she listened attentively. Blake sat on my right and read one of her books. Weiss sat on Yang's left and filed her nails. Ruby sat on Weiss's left and listened just as attentively as Yang. On the other side of the table was, as previously mentioned, Jaune. On Jaunes left was Pyrrha who was also listening to Nora's story. Next to Pyrrha was Lie Ren and Nora sat next to him.
"It was day." Lie Ren said, telling everyone the actual events and not the fabricated ones like Nora.
"We were surrounded by Ursai." Nora said.
"They were Beowolves." Lie Ren clarified and took a sip from his mug.
"Dozens of them!" Nora cried and stood up.
"There were two of 'em." Lie Ren said.
"But they were no match. And in the end, Ren and I took. Them. Down. And made a boatload of Lien selling Ursai as skinned rugs." Nora said triumphantly and sat down with her arms crossed.
Lie Ren sighed. "She's been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now." he said.
"Well, dreams mean something." I said. "Perhaps, Nora wants to make money by killing Beowolves and selling their pelts."
"Maybe." Lie Ren said. "But when the Grimm die, their bodies dissolve."
"Oh yeah. I forgot about that little detail." I said. "Well, then I got nothing for you."
"Jaune," Pyrrha asked. "are you okay?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah." Jaune said. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. "Why?"
"It's just that you seem a little, not okay." Ruby replied.
"Guys," Jaune said reassuringly. "I'm fine, seriously, look." He gave everyone a thumbs up.
"Don't lie to us, Jaune." I said in a non threatening tone.
"I'm not! You guys are my friends. I wouldn't lie to my friends." Jaune said. The sound of laughter caught everyone's attention. They all looked over to see Team CRDL picking on a rabbit faunus.
"That son of a bitch." I growled.
"Jaune, Cardin has been picking on you since the first day week of school." Pyrrha said.
"Who Cardin Winchester?" Jaune asked. "Naw, he just likes to mess around you know. Practical jokes."
"He's a bully." Ruby said.
"Oh, please. Name one time he's bullied me?" Jaune asked with finger quotes around 'bullied'. Everyone stared blankly at Jaune and began listing all of the times that Cardin Winchester had in fact bullied Jaune.
"I didn't land far from the school." Jaune said defensively after being reminded of being shoved into his locker and launched to a location set by Cardin.
"Jaune, you know if you ever need help, just ask." Pyrrha said.
"Oh! We'll break his legs!" Nora declared and stood in an aggressive stance.
"Guys, really, it's fine." Jaune said and stood up. I looked over and saw Team CRDL still picking on the rabbit faunus, Velvet. "It's not like he's only a jerk to me, he's a jerk to everyone."
"Ow, that hurts!" Velvet cried as Cardin pulled on one of her ears, making Team CRDL laugh harder. "Please stop."
"I told you it was real." Cardin said. "What a freak." Velvet sadly walked away after Cardin released her ear.
"Atrocious." Pyrrha said. "I can't stand people like him."
"He's not the only one." Blake said.
"It must be hard to be a faunus." Yang said sadly. I sent a look towards Blake that went unnoticed by all except for Blake herself. Jaune walked away from the table in sadness.
XXX
"Yes. Yes. Well prior to the Faunus Rights, more popularly known as the Faunus War, humankind was quite, like, adamant about centralizing the Faunus population in Menagerie." Professor Oobleck said as he zoomed around room. All of the students followed him with their heads. Geez, imagine what Caboose would be like if he was like Professor Oobleck. That'd be bad for everyone. "Now, while this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events. Why the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day." Professor Oobleck took a, much unneeded, sip from his coffee before continuing. "Now, have any among you been subjugated or discriminated because of your faunus heritage?" he asked. I forced myself not to look at Blake. Velvet nervously raised her hand. "Dreadful! Simply dreadful." Professor Oobleck said quickly. "Remember students, it is precisely this kind of behavior that brings violence." Professor Oobleck took a long sip from his coffee. "I mean, I mean, just look at what happened to the White Fang. Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorists believe to be the turning point in the third year in the war." Oh fuck. Please don't call on me. I don't know the history of Remnant. Weiss raised her hand.
"The battle at Fort Castle." Weiss answered. Fort Castle? Really? Damn, the lack of creativity of whoever named that place is astonishing. That was probably Monty.
"Precisely." Professor Oobleck said. "And, who can tell me the advantage the faunus had over General Lagoon's forces?"
"Hey!" Jaune said. What? Did something happen, Jaune? The fucking fuck?
"Mr. Arc! Finally contributing to class. This is excellent! Excellent!" Professor Oobleck said animatedly. "What is the answer?"
"Uh, the answer," Jaune said. "the advantage, uh, the faunus had over that guy's stuff." Pyrrha made hand gestures around her eyes to try and help Jaune. Wasn't going to work though, sorry Pyrrha. "Uh, binoculars!" Jaune said. People laughed at his answer. Nice try, Jaune. I think it was night vision though. I'm sure the guy and his buddies had binoculars too.
"Very funny, Mr. Arc. Cardin, perhaps you would like to share your thoughts on the subject." Professor Oobleck said. Professor, I think the answer is that Cardin is an idiot and has a small penis. His tiny phallus is the reason that the faunus had an advantage over the General's army.
"Well," Cardin said. "I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier."
"You're not the most open minded of individuals are you, Cardin?" Pyrrha asked.
"No, he isn't." I said. "But, he does have the most open asshole from all of the cock he takes." I said. Yang burst out laughing as did most of the other students.
"What!" Cardin growled. "You got a problem?"
"No." Pyrrha said. "I have the answer."
"I don't have a problem either." I said. "As long as you don't try to proposition me, I'm good. I'm straight." The class laughed at my statement and Cardin growled some more. Yang and I fistbumped.
"Please, Mr. Minamoto, don't call out of turn without raising your hand. And only if it's relevant to the topic at hand please." Professor Oobleck chastised me. I saw his lips twitching though, so I don't think he was too upset with me.
"The answer is night vision." Pyrrha said. "Many faunus are known to have nearly perfect sight in the dark."
"General Lagoon was inexperienced and made the mistake of trying to crush the faunus in their sleep." Blake added. "His massive army was outmatched and the General was captured. Perhaps, if he had payed attention in class, he wouldn't have been such a failure."
"Oh ho!" I cried. "Shots fired!"
Cardin stood up angrily. "Mr. Winchester," Professor Oobleck said. "please take your seat." Jaune chuckled. "You and Mr. Arc can both see me after class for additional readings."
"Ooh!" Jaune moaned.
"Now, moving on!" Professor Oobleck said.
XXX
Yang and I walked side by side to our dorm with Weiss, Ruby, and Blake. I sent unnoticed looks of concern at Blake as we walked. I hope she wasn't too affected by the things that Cardin or anyone said in class today. "Hey, Weiss?" Ruby asked.
"Yes, Ruby?" Weiss replied.
"I've been making a weapon for Yoshi and he wants to use Dust crystals to add more power to his attacks. Do you think you could get us some?" Ruby questioned.
"I don't know, Ruby. I'll try though. I can't promise anything." Weiss answered.
"That's fine." I said. "Their practically done. The Dust would just be a little something extra."
"What kind of Dust are you thinking of?" Weiss asked.
"Fire and lightning." I replied.
"Okay." Weiss said, jotting a note down in her scroll. "I'll see what I can do."
"Great." I grinned as I pulled open the door to our room. "Thanks, Weiss."
"You're welcome, Yoshio." Weiss smiled back.
I took a seat on the window sill and looked out of the city of Vale. I still haven't gone down there to get new clothes. The next time we are available, I'm taking Yang with me. I heard Yang roll over in her bed. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Yoshi, come to bed. It's late." she said with a yawn.
"Alright. Be right there." I said and stripped out of my uniform and into my shorts and t-shirt before climbing into bed next her. She lay down with her back facing me. I pulled the covers over us and put my back to hers.
"Remember," she said. "No hanky panky while I'm sleeping." I rolled my eyes.
"I promise." I said and chuckled softly. "Good night."
"Good night." she replied. We were asleep in seconds.
An: Well, this chapter is now done. It's been several weeks since he joined Beacon Academy and Yoshio is just now getting his weapon. Also, I don't know why he still hasn't gotten new clothes yet. Well, I'd probably do the same. Procrastination makes perfect after all. I began yawning as I wrote Yang yawning. I just yawned multiple times while writing this sentence. Alright, well i'm done writing this chapter. Don't forget to favorite the story, review the story and follow to see chapters similar to this one. See ya.