Chapter 7: Enter Forever Falls
Beacon Academy, Hallways.
"Natsu, Is it true that your dad is a Dragon?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah, he was." Natsu replied, However, Ruby rubbed her chin and look straight up, thinking.
"Natsu, He's a dragon, Am I right?" Natsu nodded as an answer. "But, Where are youre real parents? I mean, do know who youre parents were?"
Natsu shook his head. "No, Igneel found me as an abandoned baby in the forest." He said. "He never knew who my real parents were, But ... he's a good father."
"Aye, Igneel taught natsu how to do Dragonslayer magic." Happy added. "However, He left Natsu behind, thus he wanted to become stronger to find igneel."
"That looks sad.." Ruby looked down. "Why did he leave you behind?"
"Not just only me." Natsu replied. "My friends, who are also Dragonslayers named Wendy and Gajeel were also being left behind."
"Oh,...and also, Natsu, What is a "Dragonslayer"? I want to know." Ruby asked him.
"Well, A Dragonslayer has a rare magical ability in our world back in Earthland." Answered Happy. "They have an ability of Inhuman superstrength and able to slay dragons, Wizards can learn those from any Dragon, Like fore example, Natsu is a Fire-Type Dragonslayer and he's high resistance to fire."
"Huh. No wonder that the Deathbringer flame breath doesn't affect him." Ruby said herself. "Natsu, Have you ever slay a Dragon before?"
"Well, Uhh..." Natsu frown upon her question. "Well, I did, yeah, But, since back there during the Tournament, There were a lot of Dragons, I teamed up with my uncle Atlas to beat the Dragons and won!"
"Wow." Said the astonished Ruby.
"Even, They have an ability to eat an element that were the same, Natsu can eat fire." Happy added.
"Oh really? I wonder how fire tastes." Then ruby looked at natsu.
"Well, It depends on how it tastes." Natsu said as he pulled out a red crystal dust. "Anyways, I wish I could eat some of these."
Then he took a bite of the red crystal dust, Ruby went wide eyes.
"Even as I thought, It tastes like strawberry, I like it."
"From where did you get that?" Asked Ruby.
"Oh, I found a luggage simply lying nearby your dorm." he reply. "It has somesort of an Snowflake insignia attached on that luggage, So I opened it filled with red crystals and some sort of red powder in jars, but now, I felt hungry."
"Natsu tought it was a candy." Added Happy.
"So I got hungry, Then eat it."
"Th-That's from Weiss." Ruby flabbergasted. "Oh, I wonder what will happen to Weiss if she found her luggage and-"
"WHO THE HELL STOLE MY RED DUST'S!?" Shouted an angry voice echoed througout the Hallways, Ruby shrugged.
Dorm of Team JNPR
Pyrrha Nikos looks out the window sadly as Lie Ren loads his two weapons known as the Storm Flower and Nora Valkyrie is jumping on her bed in the room for Team JNPR.
"How come Jaune gets home so late?" Nora asked
"He's become rather scarce since he started fraternizing with Cardin." Ren said himself
"That's weird... Doesn't he know we have a field trip tomorrow? We need our rest!" Nora proclaims this while twirling in midair so her back hits the covers.
"I'm sure our leader knows exactly what he's doing." Pyrrha said with a much higher voice, plus an angry expression on her face
Nora and Ren exchange glances, not knowing that Jaune himself is looking in through the crack of the door.
"Mmmm... I guess so."
Hearing this, Jaune hangs his head and closes the door, just as a voice interrupts his thoughts, It was Ruby
"Hey, Jaune!" Ruby startled, Jaune turns around to see her in her pajamas, and she giggles at his reaction "Long time, no see! Did you lock yourself out again?"
"Oh, uh, nope!" Jaune replies andraised his scroll, attempting to laughes "Got it!"
"So! Where have you been lately?" Ruby asked
"I, uh..." Jaune replied as he tries to come up with something, but just sighs and lowers his head. "I messed up. I did something I shouldn't have, and now Cardin has me on a leash, and Pyrrha won't even talk to me, and..." For a moment, he breathes heavily through his nose. "I'm starting to think coming to this school was a bad idea."
Jaune presses his back to his team's door and slides down to the floor in depression. "I'm a failure."
"Nope!"
"Nope?" Jaune said surprisingly
"Nope! You're a leader now, Jaune. You're not allowed to be a failure." Said Ruby
"But... what if I'm a failure at being a leader?"
Ruby thinks about it for a moment, then gives her answer. "Nope!"
Jaune laughs as she joins him on the floor. "You know, you're not the easiest person to talk to about this kind of stuff."
"Nope!" Ruby leans into the door some more. "Jaune, maybe you were a failure when you were a kid..."
Then Jaune groans and sinks lower to the ground
"... and you might've even been a failure the first day we met!" Ruby told him as Jaungroans and goes lower still. "But, you can't be one now. You know why?"
"Uhhh, because...?"
"Because it's not just about you anymore. You've got a team now, Jaune. We both do! And if we fail, then we'll just be bringing them down with us." Ruby said as she gets up and places her hands on her hips as she speaks. "We have to put our teammates first, and ourselves second. Your team deserves a great leader, Jaune. And I think that can be you."
Then she walks over to her door and opens it as Jaune, now slightly inspired by her words, watches her wave. "Good night, Jaune!"
Thus then, Ruby went inside into her dorm, with new energy, Jaune pushes himself off the ground and faces the door, ready to turn the knob and face his team, but his scroll beeps and he pulls it off of his side to open it, seeing Cardin's contact relaying a message.
"Hey! It's your buddy Cardin! I know you're probably busy with that Dust project I gave you, buuuut I'm gonna need you to go out and get me a bag of Rapier Wasps." Jaune makes a terrified sound in response. "And make sure they've got some really big stingers! It's important, so don't screw this up!"
Jaune closes his scroll just when it begins to beep again. Sighing, he wearily heads down the hallway and away from his room.
Forest of Forever Falls, The Next day
An overhead shot of a forest bustling with red leaves and gray trunks is seen as the camera descends and shows Glynda leading teams RWBY, JNPR, NELG and CRDL through the area.
"Yes, students, the forest of Forever Fall is indeed beautiful." Glynda instructed as she turned to her students. "But we are not here to sight-see. Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest, and I'm here to make sure none of you die while doing so."
The group stops and Jaune, grunting and carrying a large case with six empty glass jars on top, tries to catch up with them and ends up bumping into Cardin. The bully scowls at Jaune, who attempts to feign innocence by whistling tunelessly as Glynda is still instructing her group, holding up a full jar of their objective. "Each of you is to gather one jar's worth of red sap. However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stay by your teammates. We will rendezvous back here by 4 o'clock. Have fun! Oh and don't forget, Natsu Dragneel."
"Yeah?" Natsu raised his eyebrow.
"Please don't do anything to cause fire in this forest." Glynda said. "You understand?"
"Yep." Natsu nodded.
However, While Yang Xiao Long and her sister smile at one another, Jaune attempts to sneak noisily away from Cardin to his team, but the blackmailer sees this and grabs Jaune by the back.
"Come on, buddy - let's go!" Carding said.
Jaune miserably looks up at his team, where Nora and Ren are already walking into the forest's depths and Pyrrha is staring sadly at the scene. Dropping his gaze, Jaune turns and follows CRDL, to the disappointment of a sighing Pyrrha before she continues on.
East side of Forever Falls, Minutes later.
Team CRDL is making themselves as comfortable as possible by leaning on stones, trees, and the ground while Jaune returns to the group with six full jars, setting them down just as he collapses face-down. The surrounding team gets up in response.
"Hey, great work, Jauney boy! Now that wasn't too hard, was it?"
"I think I'm allergic to this stuff..." Jaune said himself, still on the ground, cross-eyed and sounding dizzy.
"Greeeeat, great, great. So, Jaune, I bet you're asking yourself," Cardin told him. "'Why did my buddy Cardin ask me to collect six jars of tree sap when there's only five of us?'"
Jaune nodding, still exhausted. "That is one of the many questions I have asked myself today, yes."
"Well, come with me, and you'll find out." Said Cardin as he stood up.
Jaune moans and gulps in worry, Now perched on a hilltop overlooking the other students, team CRDL, plus Jaune, squeezed between Cardin andRussel Thrush, peak their heads over the crest and watch as everyone is retrieving their samples of sap. Ren, kneeling to collect it from a tree, passes a full jar to Nora, who "Mmmm!"s at the gift as Ren trades it for the other jar in her care. He turns back to the tree and starts filling it up while several licking sounds are heard off-screen until the camera pans back to Nora, now with an embarrassed smile covered in red and an empty jar in her hands.
"Cardin, wh-what's going on?" jaune asked him to his right-side
"Payback." Cardin smirked as they looked on Pyrrha.
"Pyrrha...?" Jaune widened his eyes and watches her gather more sap from a tree. "Wh-what are you-?"
Thus then, then bully pounds his fist on the ground.
"That's the girl. Red-haired know-it-all, thinks she's so smart. Alright, boys..." Snarled Cardin as he pulls out a buzzing cardboard box with a large "W" written on its sides. "Last night, old Jaune here managed to round up an entire box of Rapier Wasps, and now, we're gonna put him to work."
Russel grabs Jaune by the shoulder, who barely laughs in nervousness.
"Now, according to one of the essays you wrote for me last week, these nasty things loooove sweets." he instructed him as Pyrrha is seen finishing her sap collection. "I'm thinking it's time we teach her a thing or two."
The members of CRDL get up from the ground, Cardin offers his hand to Jaune, only to painfully yank him up on his feet and shove the jar into his grasp.
"And you're gonna do it."
"Do what?"
"Hit her with the sap!" Cardin leans in close to Jaune's fact.l "Either that, or I'll have a chat with Goodwitch, and you'll be on the first airship out of Beacon."
Jaune looks down at the jar of sap in his hands and then up at the four grinning teammates waiting to see what happens. Jaune turns towards the group and aims his throw at an oblivious and smiling Pyrrha, trying to steel his nerves and shaking hand to do the deed, but ultimately steels himself for what he's about to do.
"No." Jaune answered.
"What did you say?"
"I said... NO!" Jaune gritted his teeth while grippin the jar.
He turns and throws the jar at Cardin, instantly recoiling his hands to himself as he looks at Cardin's breastplate covered in sap. The other team leader, however, just looks at himself and laughs darkly.
"Oh, you've done it now..."
Jaune humorously laughs to himself once more with his hands still raised in an attempt for defense as Dove Bronzewing and Sky Lark grab Jaune's shoulders and pull him in so his terrified eyes, moments later, Jaune Arc was getting pushed to the ground, groaning as he looks up and sees a sap-covered Cardin looming over him. The bigger warrior picks Jaune up by his front and grins while punching him back to the ground.
"You know that wasn't very smart, Jauney boy." Cardin picks up a bruised Jaune again while the rest of Team CRDL watches. "I'm gonna make sure they send you back to mommy in teeny tiny pieces."
"I don't care what you do to me..." Jaune's head began to hang back and looks at Cardin with fury. "... but you are not messing with my team."
"What? You think talk like that makes you tough?" Cardin looked at him, momentary schocked. "You think you're a big strong man now?"
Jaune smiles in defiance. An enraged Cardin roars and raises his fist again, but just as the hit connects, a bright light shines from Jaune, and when the white fades from the screen, Cardin is crying out in pain as he holds his hand. Jaune, now back on the ground but completely healed, looks confusedly at his hands as they faintly glow white. While he stares, though, Sky Lark kicks Jaune in the back and gets him on his stomach, but he looks up and glares at the approaching Cardin.
"Let's see how much of a man you really are..."
Just as he says this, a low growl is heard, and a surprised Team CRDL turns around and sees a large paw crash onto the scene, belonging to a huge Ursa Major with dozens of jagged spikes sticking out from its wide back. It leaps forward and stands over the terrified students, lifting its head in the air to smell the sap on Cardin's breastplate. It lands back on its forelegs and roars at Cardin while his teammates heroically flee.
"That's a big Ursa!" Russel yelled in freight
Cardin is rooted to the spot when the Grimm swings its claws and knocks him sideways, revealing Jaune cowering behind him. The Ursa continues to sniff, uninterested in Jaune and following its nose to Cardin. He watches at it towers over Cardin, who gets his wits and pulls out his mace weapon only for the monster to swipe it away to Jaune's feet. He looks conflicted, wondering whether to fight or run away.
Meanwhile, the roar of the giant Ursa was heard by the members of Teams RWBY, NELG and JNPR, still collecting sap on the other side of the forest.
"Did you guys hear that?" Ruby asked to her team as she was getting concerned.
"Huh?"
"I heard a roar.." Gray said.
Suddenly, the remaining members of Team CRDL are seen running the other way from the Ursa through the other students.
"Ursa! Ursa!" Russel yelled as looking back, however, he runs into Yang accidentally.
"What?!" Yang demanded, completely unfazed by his collision, she picks him up by the front of his shirt. "Where?"
Russel struggled and still running in air, but points back from where they came."Back there! It got Cardin!"
"Jaune!" Pyrrha gasped as she dropped a jar of sap. "He's in Trouble!"
"Oh no!" Lucy gasped.
"Yang! You and Blake, go get Professor Goodwitch!" Ruby ordered, Then her older sister dropped Russel on the ground and began to run away, Yang and Blake nod before following the orders.
Pyrrha turned to Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie as she and Ruby activate their weapons. "You two, go with them! There could be more!"
"Hold on, We're going too." Erza said as she unsheated her sword, Ren nodded. "Gray youre coming with us."
"Alright." Grey nodded.
"Hey guys." said Natsu over the remaining group. "We've better hurry!"
Moments later, they ran off to search Jaune and Cardin.
Meanwhile, On the other side of the Forest.
Cardin is attempting to run from the following Ursa, but it leaps over its prey and claws him away. He tries to get up and crawl away.
"Crap! Crap, crap!" Cardin cursed himself
"Oh, no!" Pyrrha gasped as Ruby, Weiss, Natsu, Happy and Lucy came.
They watch as the Ursa leans over the helpless victim, raising its paw and swiping it down... only to be blocked by Jaune's shield. He struggles to defend a stunned Cardin from its attempts to lean on him, but Weiss lifts Myrtenasteras she prepares to go help.
"Wait!" Pyrrha halted her.
Jaune takes the shield out from the Ursa's paw and slashes at its stomach, causing it to lash out and try to crush him. He rolls out of the way and jumps over its swipe at his feet, but he is unprepared for when it launches a claw at him in midair. He lands far away, yet is immediately back on his feet and passing Cardin as he charges again. The Ursa knocks Jaune behind it when he tries for a leaping attack, and he looks at the scroll in his shield to find out that his Aura level is in the red. He grows angry again and starts to run at the Ursa as it also begins to dash towards him, As they are just about to clash in slow-motion, Pyrrha sees that Jaune has left himself completely open to the Ursa's attack, and lifts her hand out to him, gathering dark red energy in her arm. Just as the Ursa is about to hit him, the glow surrounds Jaune's shield and makes it lift up to block the swipe. Jaune uses the surprise defensive move to lean on the ground, push his shield back up, and swing his blade right through the Ursa's neck. The head falls to the ground as the body slams onto the ground.
"Woah!" Natsu said in surprisement. "Ha! I knew Jaune could do it."
"Uhhh... What?" Ruby turned to Pyrrha, smiling after the glow on her hand faded.
"How did you...?" Weiss asked to her, Equally amazed
"Well, Ruby has her speed, you have your glyphs. My Semblance is polarity." Pyrrha replied.
"Whoa, you can control poles..." Said Ruby
"No, you dunce! It means she has control over magnetism!"
"Semblance?" Asked Lucy. "Is that some kind of Aura's ability."
"Yes." Pyrrha replied. "However, You, Natsu and the rest of youre Teammates have youre Magic, apperantly different from us."
"Magnets are cool, too..." Ruby whispered to Weiss.
However, Weiss noticed her, Leaving. "Wait, where are you going?"
"Yeah!" Ruby cheered. "We've better tell them what happened!"
"Of course!" Added Natsu. "You can't believe how he kicked that monster's butt!"
"We could... Or perhaps we could keep it our little secret?" Pyrrha said as she walks away again as Ruby and Weiss smile to each other in understanding and a bruised Jaune sheathes his weapon before going over to Cardin.
Cardin, still covered in sap, looks up at Jaune as his savior offers a hand. Cardin smiles as he takes it and is lifted back up on his feet.
"Holy crap, Jaune!"
"Don't ever mess with my team - my friends - ever again." Jaune said as he stares Cardin dead in the eye. "Got it?"
Cardin looks intimidated, possibly even apologetic. With his order spoken, Jaune turns and walks away from a frozen Cardin behind, However, Natsu came behind.
"Hey." He gave him a cold glare, Cardin shrieks and ran away from the Dragonslayer, Natsu laughed, Suddenly another large Ursa came behind him.
"Natsu look out!" Ruby warned him. "It's another-"
However, Just as before Ruby would finish her sentence as goes for the Ursa would manage to kill him, Natsu turned and used a swift uppercut against the Ursa and flew backwards
"..One.." Ruby finished.
The large Ursa roared at the Dragonslayer, But then, Natsu dashed towards the Ursa, raising his fist.
"Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu roared as his flaming fist send an Ursa to the sky. "Whew...He weights a ton, Right Happy?"
"Aye Sir!" Happy agrees.
"... Who the hell is this guy!?" Weiss demanded an answer from Ruby as a sweatdrop breaking on Little red riding hood's forehead. "He is completely insane to be running into an enemy without warning!"
"Well Weiss." Ruby replied with a sigh. "I don't know either, Guess you should not mess up with that guy."
Beacon Academy
Later that night, on top of the dorm building, a uniformed Jaune stands on the edge and looks into the distance at the green lights of Beacon.
"No Cardin tonight?" Pyrrha walks to his side. "I thought you two were best buds?"
"Pyrrha... I'm sorry." Jaune turned to her "I was a jerk! You were only trying to be nice, and... I had all this stupid macho stuff in my head-"
"Jaune! It's okay!" Pyrrha said as they smile at one another. "Your team really misses their leader, you know." Then Pyrrhabegins to walk to the exit "You should come down! Ren made pancakes! No syrup, though - you can thank Nora for that!"
Jaune smiles, but holds out his hand and calls out.
"Wait!" Then Pyrrha turns around, and Jaune looks sheepish. "I know I don't deserve it after all that happened, but... would you still be willing to help me... to help me become a better fighter?"
Pyrrha turns around so a worried Jaune won't see her satisfied smile. She goes up to Jaune and suddenly pushes her leader to the ground.
"Hey!" Jaune whined
Pyrrha stands over him with her arms on her hips and an evaluating tone. "Your stance is all wrong. You need to be wider and lower to the ground." Then she offers him her hand, which he graciously accepts, and they continue to hold on to and grin at each other. "Let's try that again."
Meanwhile, Natsu and Happy looked over the two from the other balcony.
"Look Happy, Jaune is training with her to be stronger." Natsu grinned towards Happy.
"Aye Natsu." The cat agrees, Suddenly, a grumble from their stomachs were heard. "I guess I need some fish to eat now."
"Yeah me too.." Natsu sighted, however, an imaginary lightbulb popped on his head."Luckily, I got this!"
Natsu pulled out a red crystal dust.
"Wha-?! Did you steal that from her again?!"
"Huh? Well, Her luggage stood oustide nearby our dorm, I don't know why, maybe she forgot it."
"Well-" Just as before Happy will finish his sentence, someone screamed in fury.
"RUBY! SOMEONE STOLE MY RED DUST'S AGAIN!" Echoed Weiss's voice throughout the academy, Happy and Natsu shrugged.
"Let's Get out from here."
"Aye."
Moments later, they ran quickly into their dorms.
Chapter end
To be Continued.
A/N: Okay, I was questioned by another author to make One Piece or Full Metal Alchemist crossover with RWBY, I say, Why should I? Well if you had an idea just write it down, but sorry guys, I have lots of stuff to do. ;)
Note: Explosive/Fire Element were stored inside the Red Crystal Dust.
