Xehanort had expected a number of things after entering the Academy. Ranging from annoying brats who had fantastic dreams that were beyond achievement to educators who seemed to not understand how to do their jobs, considering how Oobleck and Port seem to approach their professions. He was also quite keen for Ozpin to hold up his end of the bargain by the time the school year ended, if the man was a s trustworthy as he claimed to be.
However… this is the last thing he had expected when agreeing to work at Beacon.
"So, How's things with yourself?"
Xehanort calmly and slowly walked down the hallway, a scowl across his face as he was now walking beside who he considered to be the most annoying person in this world. Nevertheless, he did his best not to use a Corridor of Darkness to make his escape from the Maiden.
Shaking off his scowl, he looked back at the woman with a look of curiosity. "As of now, quite surprised to see you here, dressed as a member of staff." He said.
Amber merely shrugged her shoulders. "What can I say? A lot can happen in five years."
"Apparently." Xehanort said, not stopping.
As they walked on, there was soon a silence between the two, which Xehanort preferred, while Amber was trying to think of something to say to break the silence.
"… So… Why'd you decide to work here?" she asked.
"Ozpin offered me a down payment in exchange for my services." He answered.
This peaked Amber's interest. "Oh? What could be so valuable that could have you work in a place like this?" she asked.
"That is none of your concern." Xehanort answered, which caused Amber to slump forward.
"Geez, you still haven't gotten a sense of humor since I last saw you, have you?" the Maiden asked.
"I believe you know the answer already?" he answered. He then turned back towards his former apprentice. "So, how are your parents doing?"
"Oh!" Amber said, surprised that Xehanort would ask that kind of question. "Well, Dad's got a lot more successful with the farm, it helped them live a lot more comfortably. And Mon, well…" she scratched the side of her head before continuing. "Well, she's currently working at her own tailor business… while looking after Garnem."
At that, Xehanort raised an eyebrow. "Who's Garnem?" he asked.
It was then that Amber had a bright look on her face. "My Little brother, if you really want to know."
Xehanort then looked surprised by what he had just heard. He was, admittedly, surprised by this. Considering that, during the time that he spent with the Autumn family, the family seemed a bit too busy to have another child running around.
Then again, he's not above being proven wrong.
Xehanort looked forward before saying "That's interesting. What's the boy like?"
"Well, for a two-year-old, he's really fond of woodwork. We went to a carnival a couple months ago, and we saw a guy selling wooden toys. Instead of liking the toys, Garnem looked more interested in the tools the guy wore on the day." She explained. "Dad got a toy hammer and chisel and saw Garnem try to carve something out of a thick branch he found."
"A natural talent, eh?" Xehanort asked.
"Yeah, well, at least my parents think so." She answered. "I'm just happy he found something he likes doing. Took me up until I was thirteen to find a hobby."
"Indeed." Xehanort agreed, momentarily shocking Amber. "Then again, randomly flirting with people who you haven't seen in years isn't what I would call a hobby."
"Hey!" Amber yelled. "I only did that to mess with you!"
"I would hope so."
"I mean, seriously, I'd sooner French kiss Peter Port than get into a relationship with you."
"…"
As soon as she said that, both herself and Xehanort slowly turned shades of green, the very image making both magic users sick to their stomachs.
"… Why… how could you imagine that?" Xehanort said before clapping a hand over his mouth, trying to keep the bile down.
"I know… not my-" Amber wasn't about to finish as her cheeks suddenly puffed up. Making the effort to fight the bile, she looked back at Xehanort. "I need to go. See you at the entrance ceremony!"
With that, Amber raced off, looking for the nearest restroom to relieve herself of the rising contents of her stomach. Xehanort, on the other hand, simply clicked his fingers and cast 'Esuna', the spell that remedies any ailments and slightly healed any injuries he had. He looked back and, as he saw Amber run, he raised an eyebrow, certain that he had already taught her that spell.
"She must have forgotten." He guessed. With that, he continued on his way.
After a few minutes of walking, he manged to find the staff dorms, seeing the door to his room. He pulled out the key card to his room and placed it against the lock, the door opened, allowing Xehanort to enter the room.
It was spartan in nature, with only a bed and a desk. However, there was the exception of the bookshelves that rested above his desk, many of them holding titles of well-known legends, like the story of the four maidens, the tale of the two brothers, and so on. There were also some encyclopedias as well, explaining things to do with the Grimm and Remnant's history.
He walked over towards his desk, kneeling down and looking at the chest of drawers. He summoned his Keyblade and lightly tapped the drawers. Upon doing this, the drawers were briefly covered in a dark barrier, which soon faded, allowing Xehanort access to the drawers. He opened the top one, in which rested a black notebook and a pen. He took them out and sat down on the bed.
He opened the book, revealing several notes on experimental spells that he has been working on. Most were of the dark element, but there were some of several different elements. However, there was one set of notes on a spell in particular. And with serious reason.
'I've been training Amber for five years, and in those times, I had learned two things. She has a drive to protect the people of Remnant, ready to risk life and limb in order to bring down any threat to the lives of this world's people, even more admirable when you consider how she has no discrimination against the Faunus. The second thing… even when she was living with her parents, Amber hated to be tied down. She would always find an excuse to go somewhere. So why would she be working in Beacon? While the atmosphere seems friendly it's unsuitable for someone like her, who wished to travel all across Remnant.'
Xehanort found the notes he was looking for. As he read on, he continued to ponder.
'The only reason I can think of for her being here is that she may be in hiding. I often said that the best place to hide is in plain sight. But she shouldn't feel threatened. Even with her magical prowess, she is well adept in hand to hand combat, and is well skilled in the use of her staff… hang on."
Xehanort clapped the book closed as he came to a conclusion
'Of course. Curse my stupidity. It's because of her power that's she's here. Someone must have discovered her secret, and attempted to take the power for themselves…' a dark glare formed on his face. 'And I can bet good Lien as to who it was.' Remembering the Mother of Grimm ten years ago.
Xehanort got up onto his feet, throwing the notebook into the drawer. The Keyblade Master walked to the window of the room, seeing a view of several mountain ranges. However, he couldn't care less as he was now thinking of this Academy's Headmaster.
"It seems that Ozpin isn't nearly as competent as I believed." Xehanort said out loud, remembering how Ozpin claimed to have had the Maiden's safety at heart.
However, if a threat occurred that forced Amber into hiding, then it only made Xehanort see the man with the spectacles as a fool. After having spent years teaching Amber how to use her power to the maximum, he would be damned if he was going to let the girl die by a group of incompetent fools.
However, now wasn't the time to stew in anger. For now, he was curious to see what the first year students were like, which meant going to the entrance ceremony for the new students. With all of them present, he could get a better grasp of what it was he'd bee teaching. With that, he used his Keyblade to seal the set of drawers and exited the room, briskly making his way over towards the Auditorium.
"Let's see what we have in store."
…..
"Wow!"
After having wretched for what seemed like forever, but was thankfully only a few minutes, Amber had changed her clothes and freshened herself up, made her way to the auditorium to see what it was like. Upon entry, she was happy to see that there were so many different students here.
She could tell that most either came from Vale or Mistral, but she could also pick out a couple of teens who are either from Vacuo or Atlas. Each one of these students were dressed and armed in ways that were both unique and impressive, showing their individual ways to take on the world by storm.
Her eyes had caught sight of three students, a girl with a red cape seeming to have jumped into the arms of a taller, blond haired girl, seeming because another student was yelling at the girl in the cape. Part of her inwardly sighed, having a feeling that things were not going to be easy with those three.
"I bet Xehanort would give them hell if he were around." She said out loud.
Amber's attention was then drawn away from the students, her eyes seeing the Headmaster and Professor Goodwitch walking up on stage. For the last couple of years, she had seen the Headmaster give a speech that was both inspirational, but realistic, so as to get them ready, at least.
A couple of minutes later, Ozpin was now standing in front of the microphone, preparing to give his speech.
"I'll… keep this brief."
All heads turned towards the Headmaster at the sound of his voice. Something that Amber hadn't seen in many schools before coming here.
"You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And, when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your lives to the protection of the people."
Amber gave a nod of approval, liking where he was going with this.
"But I look among you… and all I see is wasted energy."
"… Huh?" Amber said quietly, surprised by the sudden turn of events.
"Wasted energy in search of purpose, direction. You assume that knowledge will free you of this. However, your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far."
Ozpin lowered his head for a brief moment, before slowly raising it, a look of assertiveness sent in the direction of the three students Amber had spotted before.
"It is up to you… to take the first step."
As he walked away from the microphone, Amber was quite shocked to have seen that particular set of words spoken. However, she soon recovered, looking at the crowd again to see looks of doubt and, in some cases, anger. Personally, she couldn't blame them. Did Ozpin really have to say that?
"Well, that was interesting."
Amber didn't react, but her eyes did roll to the side, knowing full well who it was that was standing behind her. She gave a sigh of annoyance as she crossed her arms.
"Why did Ozpin have to say that?" she asked out loud. "All it seemed to do was upset them."
Xehanort stepped up beside Amber as he quickly scanned the crowd. "It's not the worst method, actually. It helps separate those who know full well that they're ready for this, to those who allow doubt to rule them, which in turn can lead to their own demise."
Amber gave Xehanort a deadpanned look. "You're just full of rainbows and sunshine, aren't you?"
"It's best for these children to be aware of the reality of what it is they are doing, rather than deluding them with notions of heroism." Xehanort stated. "A point I ensured to drill into your skull, I believe."
Amber could only sigh at her former mentor's attitude. Knowing that this conversation was only going to go one way, she turned around and began walking away.
"I'm heading to my room, if you're looking for me." She said to him.
"Please Amber." Xehanort started. "You're a grown woman, surely you don't need to tell me about everything you do."
"Okay, NOW you can shut up."
The Keyblade Master gave a dark grin as he saw Amber walking away in irritation. As he did, his peripheral vision allowed him to see the Headmaster about to make his way out of the auditorium. Before he could get too far away, Xehanort warped up behind the Headmaster.
"Quite the speech, old man." He said.
Ozpin turned to Xehanort, seemingly unfazed by Xehanort's warping. "I take it you would've said the same?" he asked with a knowing grin.
"It's important that these children are aware of what's to come." Xehanort stated. "However, our little Maiden seems to think that you were rather harsh with them."
Ozpin nodded in understanding. "Before hand, I had given speeches in which I gave then realism… but hope for success in their time in here and after."
"Oh?" Xehanort said, now slightly interested. "What has you changing your tune this year?"
"…" Ozpin's expression seemed to slowly change, a dark frown of his own that nearly made the Keyblade Master envious. "Dark times are approaching, Xehanort. These children are going to have to be ready for it soon."
"Would these happen to involve Salem?"
"!"
Ozpin turned towards Xehanort so quickly that he could've gotten whiplash. His eyes seemed to widen in horror, as if shocked that someone had found out about her already. At the sight of him, Xehanort let off a small chuckle.
"I've been aware of Salem for the past ten years, old man." Xehanort said, causing the Headmaster's eyes to widen further. "I've been made known of her existence so that I may put an end to her once and for all, myself. The only issue is that I've been having difficulty locating her base of operations."
Ozpin slowly managed recovered from the shock. Just enough, at least, that the was able to respond to what the, now 'Professor', had said.
"Salem will only allow entry to those who have allied themselves with her." Ozpin stated. "She doesn't want the risk of 'uninvited guests' causing havoc there."
"A pity… that I don't give an Ursa's hide as to how she feels." Xehanort said back, wiping some dust from the shoulder of his short.
"She… she doesn't feel."
"…" Xehanort looked back towards Ozpin. The previously stern Headmaster had slowly formed a look of… regret. Remorse, even. As if thinking of someone he…
"How did you know, Salem, Headmas-?" Xehanort asked.
"That is none of your concern!"
Ozpin had replied quite sharply. This only helped to prove a theory that Xehanort had about the Headmaster, which is why he how had a look of grim satisfaction on his face.
"Ahh… I see…" Xehanort said calmly. "Very well… I shall deviate from this topic for now, sir… however."
Xehanort placed a hand on Ozpin's shoulder, pulling the Headmaster in so that his ears were close to the silver-haired professor's face.
"Should I find… that you are incapable of protecting my former apprentice, and that you are just as useless at stopping Salem…" a pink aura formed around his hand as he spoke, as well as his iris' glowing that same shade of pink. "I will personally see to it that Salem is struck down, if not permanently defeated…"
Ozpin looked genuinely by this. He was about to turn his head to Xehanort, before his next words stopped him cold.
"… After I put you down myself."
The pink aura and irises faded, quickly followed by frost quickly forming on Ozpin's shoulder. The headmaster grunted in pain, but it didn't last long, as Xehanort removed his hand, allowing the frost to fade away just as quickly. Clutching his shoulder, Ozpin looked back at Xehanort, who was now staring at him with a perfect blend of ice and steel.
"Consider this your first… and final warning."
With that, Xehanort turned and made his way to the staff dorms, planning to rest up before watching the initiates. As he walked away, Ozpin stared in the direction where the Keyblade Master was walking. Over the years, he had made too many mistakes to count.
And he was beginning to wonder if Xehanort may have been one of them.
…
The next morning, Amber was in the cafeteria, just leaving the selection of food that they had laid out for the staff, looking for a place to sit. As she looked around, she was surprised to see that Xehanort wasn't there yet.
"Huh? That's weird. I figured he'd be here… if only to make my life a living hell." She said, the second half spoken with a sarcastic tone.
"Oh? Who are you waiting on, my dear?"
Amber turned to see non-other than Peter Port and Bartholomew Oobleck themselves, one holding a tray of several fried meats, while the other, a tray of cereal and coffee… scratch that, 'four' coffee mugs.
Amber gave the two a smile as she spoke. "Good morning, sirs." She started. "No, just saw that Xehanort wasn't here yet."
"Ah, yes. Quite the unusual fellow." Oobleck said. "He seems quite fond of books, as indicated from him reading that copy of 'The History of the Faunus' book yesterday evening, but doesn't seem keen on using books to teach." He said.
"Well, perhaps he's found a way to make the classes more engaging in terms of theory." Port suggested. "Such as myself, with my daring deeds of heroism during my time on the field."
"Well, he does know his stuff." Amber noted, walking towards one of the free tables. "I heard he trained one person from scratch in how to fight, and that student ended up being near-unbeatable afterwards." She said.
Granted, she wasn't actually trying to compliment herself, even though it sounded like she was, but she was told not to reveal her training from Xehanort to anyone, lest they end up becoming suspicious of him and her, which in turn could drive them out of the Academy.
"Well, if so, I'd like to meet that person." Port stated. "I wouldn't mind testing my arm against someone like that."
Bartholomew turned around, his eyebrows raising as he saw something behind the group. "Ah! Speak of the devil."
"Oh, has this challenger arrived!?" Peter asked, quickly placing his tray on the table and began flexing his muscles. "Bring him on! I'll show-"
"I was referring to the trainer." Bartholomew corrected, nodding his head towards one of the other tables.
Sitting there was the silver-haired professor himself, sitting alone with a mug of coffee and a plate of eggs and brown bread. He was currently scribbling in a notebook.
"Ho-HO! So that's where he's been hiding." Peter said with an amused grin under his mustache. He then leaned towards Amber. "Not him dead, girl."
"EH!? WHAT!" Amber yelled, nearly causing her to drop her food. She looked towards Bartholomew, who had an equally amused grin on his face. She then looked at them both with a look of pure irritation. "You guys are the worst." She said as she walked off, leaving the two to do their best not to laugh.
Meanwhile, Xehanort was intensely focused on his notebook. Instead of making notes for new spells, however, he was drawing some sketches. One was of a young man in armor wielding a staff, another of a castle, which was surrounded by guards firing flames from the palms of their hands. The drawing he was currently working on was of a young woman, a look of love and sorrow on her face, as if losing a dear loved one.
"Just what do these images mean?" he asked himself.
Yesterday, when he grabbed onto Ozpin's shoulder, he used a spell he formulated that allowed him to discretely view the memories of anyone he touched. The only problem was that it only showed him random images, something that he would need to remedy later on. For now, he was drawing the images to see if he could learn something.
The only thing he was able to find was that Ozpin had, indeed, encountered individuals who could use magic. However, from the looks of the mage he drew, he was dressed in a guard's uniform, and he seemed to have no other weapon other than his magic. Could this have been the same for the other guards, if there were any.
What he found most peculiar was the woman. He looked familiar, but he wasn't able to put his finger on it. In the end, he slammed the book closed, causing the table to vibrate, before picking up a piece of bread to eat.
"Someone seems edgy."
Xehanort looked up with narrowed eyes, seeing the Fall Maiden looking down at him with an amused expression of her own. The Keyblade Master ignored her as he continued to eat.
"Hey! It's rude to ignore a lady, y'know!" she yelled, only she still had her grin on her face, taking a seat opposite him.
Xehanort swallowed a mouthful of bread before speaking. "I've got a lot on my mind, is all." He said.
"Looking forward to seeing how the initiates will do?" Amber asked as she begun to dig into her own food.
"It will be a refreshing experience, seeing so many young people being eaten alive by the creatures they believe themselves capable of slaying." He said.
"… You have no hope for them at all, do you?" she asked.
Xehanort paused for a moment, genuinely thinking about Amber's question. "That's actually an interesting question." He started, genuinely shocking Amber. "To which I have an answer."
He pointed to his right, to which Amber followed. She saw that he was pointing to one of the initiates, more specifically a girl with black hair, yellow eyes and a pair of cat ears on her head. At the sight of her, Amber tilted her head to one side.
"Have we… seen her before?" she asked, clearly confused.
Xehanort gave a small chuckle upon hearing that. "Poor girl." He said to Amber. "You can't even seem to recognize the girl we helped back at the restaurant all those years ago." He added, taking a sip from his mug.
"…" Amber thought about what Xehanort for a moment. However, as the answer slowly dawned on her, her eyes widened at the same rate of speed, followed by a slight nod from Xehanort.
"NO WAY! SHE-"
*CLAP*
Xehanort shot his hand over the table and quickly covered Amber's mouth. He then held a finger over his mouth, signalling her to stay quiet. He didn't like the idea of upsetting the girl by having any attention drawn onto her by them. Amber had raised an eyebrow in confusion over his actions.
"It seems you have yet to learn to keep your thoughts to yourself, eh?" he said with a smirk.
As Xehanort lowered his hand, Amber looked to be pouting, as if annoyed at Xehanort for acting the way he did. Although, truth be told, she was more annoyed at how she couldn't hold her tongue like she should've been able to. After gritting her teeth, she sat back down, resting her head on her hand and looking rather disgruntled.
Seeing her expression, Xehanort shook his head at her. "Haven't I already told you?" he started, gaining the Maiden's attention. "Don't let your emotions get in the way of anything. It will only impair your judgement."
At that, Amber tilted her head to one side. "I thought you just meant that in a battle context."
"Any context can be referred to in a battle context, you fool." He stated. He looked back at Amber with narrowed eyes, which worked to put her at ill-ease. "Whatever your fight is, whether it be an argument or a life and death duel, if you don't learn to put aside your emotions when intended, you will lose focus, and you will fail at your endeavor. So no matter the risk-"
He harshly tapped the table with his index finger, making everything on it shake.
"Always keep your mind free of distractions, else you face nothing but failure."
Amber gave her former mentor a knowing grin. "Sounds like you've had a lot of experience in that area.
"…"
At the sound of what Amber said, Xehanort suddenly became quiet. Her words suddenly bringing to mind the younger Keyblade wielders who brought his downfall. The images of those who, despite all the odds, despite Xehanort holding all the cards, he was brought down.
Xehanort stood up from his stable, taking his notebook from his table and turned away, walking out of the cafeteria.
"I will see you at the cliff-side. Be sure to look professional." He said to her.
As he walked away, Amber just stared at him as he walked off. In the years that she had been trained under him, never before had she gotten under his skin like that. Normally, he'd give a sarcastic comment or an annoyed glare. This… this was something differently.
"What's up with him?" she asked out loud, continuing to eat her breakfast.
….
A couple of hours later, the first years were standing at the edge of a cliff that stood tall over the Emerald Forest. Each student had been motioned to stand on a metallic platform each. As they stood, Ozpin walked out, once again holding a mug of Cocoa. Beside him was Professor Goodwitch, readying the cameras to monitor the student.
Also present was Amber, now dressed in a sleeveless black jacket, gey tank top, jeans and sandals. This wasn't what she was planning on wearing, but she was late getting up this morning and threw on what she had found, which was why her hair was a slight mess and she was struggling to keep her eyes open. She gave a small yawn, only to receive a smack in the back of the head from the blond professor.
"Don't act like that in front of the students." She said quickly, causing Amber to stand up straight.
Ozpin looked around, noticing that Xehanort hadn't made himself present. Part of him wasn't sure if he was simply disinterested or had another agenda for today. Either way, he was slightly disappointed that he wasn't here. Despite his threat, Ozpin still valued the young man's opinion. Considering the combat ability he had seen first hand all those years ago, it would've been helpful to see what Xehanort thought, what he believed the students' strengths and weaknesses were.
Plus, he could tell that his threat was mainly out of concern for the current Fall Maiden. The Headmaster found it oddly amusing that Xehanort would have such levels of concern for someone else like that.
Nevertheless, he knew that he had to continue on with the initiation. He turned to address the students.
"For years, you have trained to become warriors. And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."
Professor Goodwitch spoke on from there. "Now I'm sure that many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams." She started, adjusting her glasses at the same time. "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates… today."
"Oh…" the girl in the red cape whispered to herself, not unnoticed by Amber.
Ozpin spoke again. "Your teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired up with someone with whom you can work well with." He stated. "That being said… the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner… for the next four years."
"… WHAT!?" the same girl screamed again.
Amber herself winced at the thought, not liking the idea of being paired up by such a random method.
Ignoring the girl's reaction, he continued with his induction. "After you've landed in the Emerald forest, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy anything in your path…"
He narrowed his eyes before finishing. "Or you will die."
At the sound of that, a blond haired boy in white armour gulped and laughed nervously. Amber couldn't blame him, but compared to the training that she was put through to make her as strong as she is, she guessed that it was kind of a cake walk… but then again, this was her now, and some of the students might not be ready.
As she thought this, she turned her head from side to side, wondering herself where the Keyblade Master had vanished to.
"You will be monitered and graded for the duration of your initiation. Our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff." Ozpin explained. "We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and your grade, appropriately."
He raised an eyebrow at the initiates. "Are there any questions?"
The blond knight raised his hand. "Uh, yes sir, I have a quest-"
"Good." Ozpin interrupted. "Now, take your positions."
With that, the students readied themselves, prepared for what might happen. One by one, they would be suddenly launched into the air from the metallic platforms they stood on. Amber stood with her jaw dropped. Even after seeing this a couple of times before, part of her was still bewildered that Ozpin would do something so bizarre.
Amber pointed to the blond knight, opting to answer his question herself. "Hey, didn't you have a question?"
"Oh." The boy said, thankful that someone noticed him. "Uh, well, I was just wondering, are you going to be dropping us into the forest, or-"
Jaune was interrupted by the sound of a student being flung into the air.
"No… you're going to be falling in yourself." Amber answered, rubbing the back of her head.
As students were launched one by one, the boy asked another question. "So, um, were we given parachutes, or something?"
Amber shook her head. "Sorry, you've got to use your own landing strategy." She answered, now worried for the boy.
Amber saw the red caped girl fly into the air, looking enthusiastic about going in. Although, judging by her reactions to Ozpin and Glynda's talk, Amber reckoned that it was more to do with slaying Grimm than the team forming.
"Okay." The boy said, a little more assured, but still confused. "So, what is a landing stratagYYYYYYYY-HE-HE-HEEEEEE…"
The Headmaster and the Professors present all watched as the boy flailed around helplessly through the air. Amber raised an eyebrow at the boy, genuinely surprised. She hadn't seen anyone like him attend the school before.
"How do you think he'll do?" she asked Glynda.
"… We'll wait and see." Glynda answered.
Ozpin, meanwhile, kept his gaze focused on the sight of the forest, a part of him looking forward to seeing what the students had to offer.
…..
Back in the Academy, Xehanort was in his room, working on his teaching plan for the year. He had decided that he was going to take a different approach to how Goodwitch was going to teach. For her, the classes involved full combat, helping the students to sharpen their skills and learn new ways of dealing with different forms of opponents.
Xehanort, however, decided that his year of teaching would be another experiment. During his first couple of years, he studied a little on Aura and Semblances, so he would be able to defeat his opponents efficiently and be left with fewer surprises. Admittedly, that seemed to be harder than he thought, as many different opponents he faced that had Aura all had unique abilities, many of which surprised him. To this day, he could still remember the bandit who could control trees to the point of making them walk out of the ground and fight for him.
After the fight, Xehanort considered that such an ability would be better used to grow more trees. He had a slight fondness for nature, and such an ability would certainly help to restore what had been lost to humanity's so-called 'development'.
During his study, he learned that if the Semblance of that individual is used often enough and pushed to the limit, it can not only make the Semblance stronger, but evolve it into something better. This had only caught Xehanort's interest for a second, but it wasn't forgotten. Now that he was here, he could see if he could make these students stronger, make them ready for what may come.
After all… if he was right, then his target will go to any lengths to see him and Ozpin dead, so now, more than ever, is the time to turn the tides… no, to Rise above them, to show all what they are capable of.
As he was finishing, he got an alert from his scroll. He pulled it out, revealing footage of the first year initiation. He formed a grin, making a mental note to thank Professor Peach, the laziest educator in the whole establishment, for linking the cameras to his scroll.
"Let's see how everyone's doing." He said out loud.
He switched from camera to camera, checking if there was anything of interest. He then came to a stop, seeing the young rose girl with… Weiss Schnee. Xehanort couldn't help but chuckle at the irony. The silver eyed girl seemed full of light and life, while the Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company seemed to be the very definition of… a certain word.
'I'll have to keep a close eye on those two.' Xehanort thought. 'I'd be more fearful of them tearing each other apart before the Grimm do.'
He switched to a different camera, this time widening his eyes slightly upon seeing the girl in monochrome clothing. The ends of his lips slightly rose, a sense of intrigue upon him as he saw how the girl walked with confidence, but not arrogance, keeping an eye out for her enemies. He feline ears ready in case there was any danger nearby.
However, the girl she was with, the blond he saw from yesterday morning, seemed more interested in making conversation with her, apparent, partner. Xehanort had been informed of how the system earlier today, so he wasn't surprised that such an odd pairing was made.
Admittedly, he was curious as to what the Belladonna girl was like now, so he decided to switch on the sound.
"So… think we'll come across any more of those Ursas?" the blond asked.
"Can't say." Blake replied to her, followed by turning her head to the blond. "Why do you ask?"
"Because you took that last one from me, that's why." Blond answered with a grin, which caused Blake to grin and shake her head slightly. "Hey, I'm serious, I could've taken him."
Blake shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not saying you couldn't but what's wrong with lending a hand to someone?"
This caused the blond to go silent for a moment, trying to think of a rebuttal. In the end, though, she shrugged her shoulders as well. "Meh, guess not. Thanks, by the way."
Xehanort watched on for a couple more seconds, glad to see that the young woman has finally grown to become a stronger person. He can remember clearly how fragile Blake had been back then. She had been close, too close, on giving up entirely. It was why Xehanort had to shatter those fragile foundations himself, and allow the girl to rebuild herself into what she was meant to be.
Xehanort decided to stop listening when the blond asked if she could feel Blake's feline ears, which caused the girl in monochrome clothing to quickly walk away, only for the blond to continue chasing after her. Xehanort switched off the footage together and decided to lie back on the bed, looking at the ceiling. After a couple of seconds, he began to wonder how the progress with her Keyblade was going.
Whether or not she would be able to wield it was ultimately up to her. There were some people who were given the chance and failed to wield the power in the end, just as many were able to wield the Keyblade, in fact. For some of those that succeeded, it took them many years before the Keyblade had accepted them.
Xehanort formed a grin, that last thought bringing up the memory of one Keyblade wielder, a boy originally having fallen to the darkness, only to consume it and rain it back down on his foes. One of the few to have essentially conquered the darkness…
Something Xehanort, as much as he hated to admit it, failed to do miserably.
He sat up again, wanting to get back to finishing the lesson plan. Before he could reach is desk, however, he heard a knock on the door. Curious, he walked over and opened the door to his room, only to find that no one was there.
"… Strange…" he said. He was about to close the door, when his peripheral vision caught sight of something.
At his feet was a small, cardboard box, with a sticky note attached that read 'Open Me'.
Xehanort knelt down, waving his hand over the box. As he did, the outline of whatever was hiding within glowed. The Keyblade master raised an eyebrow, as he seemed to be seeing the outline of a crystal and a piece of paper. He opened the box and, true to his magic, saw that there was a yellow dust crystal inside, along with another note. He ignored the crystal,picking up the note and read what was on it.
It was then he furrowed his eyebrows. Something about what was written rang a distant bell with him. He looked back at the dust crystal. Upon the second glance, it certainly seemed… paler. It was also shaped differently compared to other…
"!"
A thought occurred to Xehanort. He looked back at the note and, in his now building rage, crushed the paper in his hand before slamming his fist into the floor, creating a large set of spiderweb cracks. He quickly got up from the ground and clicked his fingers, summoning a Corridor of Darkness. Briskly walking through, he let the note slip through his finger, allowing it to rest on the ground. After the corridor faded, there was nothing to obstruct what was written on the paper.
'My work shall never die'
…
Back at the cliff-side, Ozpin, Goodwitch and Amber were all impressed by what they had seen so far. A Nevermore and a Deathstalker had both made an appearance to the students, making both Amber and Goodwitch worry for their safety. However, their worries were soon alleviated when they saw how the initiates turned the tides against them.
Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren all took on the Deathstalker, with Jaune Arc making keen observations that allowed the team to make a thorough counter that won them the fight. Goodwitch had been doubtful of the Arc boy's ability, considering how much difficulty he was having compared to the others. However, seeing how he managed to come up with such an effective strategy and gain the trust of the others so quickly… maybe there was hope for him after all.
Amber, meanwhile, was filled with wide-eyed amazement as she saw the girl in the red cape, otherwise known as Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long all work together to trap the Nevermore and create a slingshot, which was used to fire Ruby at the Nevermore like a missile, hook her scythe around its neck and run up to the top of the cliff before beheading the creature in a single motion.
"… Oh. My. GOD!" Amber yelled, unable to hold back the excitement she felt brewing. "That was incredible! I didn't even think that-"
"Miss Autumn!" Goodwitch snapped.
At that, Amber regained her composure and had to act formal again. She coughed a couple of times before saying "Quite the impressive display of skill, wouldn't you say?"
Ozpin let out a small chuckle before turning to Goodwitch. "No need for the elocution lessons, Glynda. Miss Amber was just showing her amazement towards the ability shown here today." He said before looking back at the monitor. "And quite frankly I'm inclined to agree with her."
"I'm afraid celebrations will have to come later."
All three professors turned to see the Keyblade Master quickly walking out of the Corridor of Darkness, a look of seriousness formed firmly on his face.
"Xehanort! Where were you!?" Amber asked. "You just missed-"
"You need to evacuate the students."
This caught the three professors off guard. Having known what he was like, they would've expected him to have the students stay and show their ability.
"Well, they've just collected the items needed and are on their way back." Goodwitch said. "They will arrive soon."
Xehanort narrowed his eyes. "I suspect that they won't have that long."
Amber was about to ask what he was talking about. That is, until a loud, ear-shattering roar rang through the air. Amber clamped her hands over her years, Goodwitch closed and squinted her eyes, While Ozpin and Xehanort instantly turned their heads to where they heard the sound originate.
Goodwitch tapped on her scroll, checking to see what it was that caused the roar. After a couple of seconds, Goodwitch gasped and widened her eyes.
"Glynda? Are you okay?"
"…" It took Glynda a moment to recover from the shock. She then looked up at Ozpin, Amber and Xehanort, showing them the image on the scroll. Upon seeing it, Both Ozpin and Amber seemed to pale, while Xehanort stood in confusion… although the image had a sense of familiarity to them.
"NO WAY!" Amber cried. "That's a FRICKIN HYDRA!"
"That it is." Ozpin said, his eyes narrowing with an assertiveness and fury that nearly rivaled Xehanort's.
"I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that type of Grimm." Xehanort admitted.
Amber decided to explain it to him. "It's a Grimm as rare as the Wyvern, capable of growing two heads if one of them has been cut off, and it's got scales that are stronger and more durable than any form of armor."
"It's not as powerful as a Wyvern, but it is naturally more intelligent, and is said to be the deadliest hunter compared to the rest of the Grimm." Goodwitch added.
Xehanort squinted his eyes as he tried to focus on an aspect of the Grimm he suspected to be present. Upon finding what he was looking for, he pulled back and walked to the edge of the cliff. "I have a theory that this one in particular could contain more power than any Wyvern." He said, followed by summoning another Corridor of Darkness.
"Xehanort!"
The Keyblade Master turned at the sound of Ozpin's voice.
"… Bring them back safe." He asked of him, a look of concern on his face.
Xehanort paused for a moment, before giving a slow nod of acknowledgement. He then turned to see Amber, nodding at him. With that, Xehanort passed through the corridor. As the wisps of darkness flowed past his face, his eyes hardened with a dark but calm wrath.
"Time to see how your new project fares… Merlot." He thought, before fully passing through the corridor, which faded away into the air.
So, how'd you all find that?
And for those of you who are thinking it, yes, Merlot's work is still going strong. As for if whether or not he himself is alive... well, you'll find out in later chapters.
But, for the time being, just wanted to announce two things.
1: New Story
I've decided to start another story. This one is going to be a crossover between RWBY and Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow, but there's going to be another crossover aspect to it, bringing in one of my OCs from one of my other stories. Like RWBY: Dark Storm, it's an idea that i've been thinking about for a while, so i've decided that, when i get the opportunity, i'd put it on paper... or 'screen', at least.
2: Challenge
I've had another idea for a story that i've been wanting to put into action, but before i put it into action (which may be a while knowing myself), i figured that it's an idea that someone else might like to give a go as well.
Basically, it's a crossover between Infinite Stratos and Undefeated Bahamut, in which the wielder of Bahamut (whether it's Lux, a different character or an OC is up to yourselves,), is brought into the IS world, and is discovered by Chifuyu. She brings him in as a combat instructor, much to the surprise of the other students, as one can imagine, while she works with him to uncover a plot involving IS enhancement via Ragnarok.
How you want the story to go is up to yourselves. If anyone's interested, let me know on the PM, if not... well, at least i put it out there.
Right, that's all from me. And, before i forget-
Wrath of Vajra: To answer your question, i reckon Xehanort's voice in this would be a little closer to Xehanort's heartless, only slightly lighter.
Matt the Hedgehog Android: Ask and yee shall receive... eventually. Glad you like it.
Metacllica: You have no idea, trust me.
Guest Isa: Thanks very much for the input, and i'll be sure to keep up the work.
GuestWithIdeas: Thanks for making that point with Amber. I'll admit, i haven't made any pairing plans yet, but i'll be sure to mind my writing. Also, there will be some slight changes to some of the characters alright, but there won't be many changes to Ruby, as i may be one of the few people who actually like her character. One thing for certain at least, she'll still be armed with Crescent Rose.
Guest: Glad you like the story so much, and thanks for the kind words.
Mr Nail: Xehanort's teaching will be something to look forward to, i promise you that.
Guest: No problem.
The Baz: To be honest, The Baz, i haven't the foggiest clue. Perhaps in her late thirties, if i had to guess.
Vigriff: More than a few.
Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: Thanks very much, and don't worry, i will.
nightmaster000: Certainly so. Speaking of Cinder, you can look forward to seeing how her ambush attempt went with the new and improved Amber.
Right, that's all that i have to say. hope everyone has a good day, ad i hope that you'll look forward to the Hydra battle. See you later.