Hey guys! You ready for another chapter of Beacon's Exorcist? I hope you are cause I enjoyed typing up this one. You best be ready for the longest chapter yet!
Disclaimer: Don't own -man or RWBY blah blah blah blah.
Now then!
Chapter 7: A Night On The Town
" Uncle Qrow! " Ruby and Yang yelled in unison, leaning on the exit door was none other than the sisters uncle Qrow. The huntsman was wearing black jeans and a dark purple jacket, hanging from his belt was a giant collapsible scythe. Smiling through his thick stubble Ruby and Yang's uncle walked up to them.
" You guys were amazing out there! " Breaking out of their stupor Yang and Ruby smiled at their uncle, the latter of which ran up and bear hugged the huntsman.
" Thank you for being here uncle! It really means alot, but I thought you hated going to public events like this. " Ruby smiled as she squeezed the life out of Qrow. Gasping slightly, Qrow gently pried his niece off of him and placed her back onto the ground.
" I don't hate the events themselves Ruby, it's the crowds I can't stand. Plus there's no way I'd miss something like this, once I heard my nieces were participating in the tournament, I packed my things and hightailed it to Beacon as fast as I could. " Qrow replied, coughing slightly from the force of Ruby's bear hug. His little niece had grown stronger over these past months, and speaking of stronger. " You've also been put through the ringer Yang, I could almost feel your punches through the screen. " Yang smiled and crossed her arms cockily.
" Yeah, months of training at Beacon University tends to do that. " Qrow smiled at Yang's wit, she hadn't changed at all.
" These people must be your friends and teammates right? " Qrow asked, smiling at the rest of the group.
" Greetings sir, my name is Weiss Schnee and I am honored to make your acquaintance. " Weiss introduced herself politely and held out her hand.
" I'm Blake Belladonna, so your Ruby's uncle huh? " Qrow smiled at the two girls and shook both their hands.
" Pleased to meet you, my nieces didn't cause you any trouble did they? " Weiss and Blake shrugged.
" Both of them can be pretty annoying at times, but you get used to it. " Weiss answered, Blake nodded her head in agreement.
" Well I'm glad they didn't cause much trouble. Now what about you chaps? " Qrow turned to team JNPR and CFVY.
" The name's Pyrrha, this is our leader Jaune and the other two are Ren and Nora. " Pyrrha introduced herself and her teammates, Jaune and Ren nodded to the huntsman while Nora waved at him wildly. Finally Velvet and the rest of team CFVY walked up and introduced themselves to Ruby's and Yang's uncle.
" You've surrounded yourself with a good bunch Ruby. Stick together and I'm sure you'll win the tournament with flying colors. " Ruby smiled at her uncle's words.
" No offense uncle, but we're burning daylight. If we want to properly celebrate we're going to need all the time we can get. " Yang cut in.
" Oh right! We were planning on celebrating today's victory in Vale. Do you want to join us uncle? " Ruby asked, Qrow shook his head.
" Sorry Ruby I'd love to but I can't stand crowds. With the tournament going on and all Vale is going to be packed. " Qrow smiled at his pouting niece.
" Okay but you better be here for the rest of the tournament! I want you to be there when we win. " Ruby's smile returned full-force.
" Wouldn't miss it for the world. " Qrow returned his niece's smile.
" Hey Ruby we better get going if you want Allen to come with us. " Yang said, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder. Qrow looked up in confusion.
" Is this ' Allen ' another friend of yours Ruby? " Qrow asked his niece who was blushing for some reason. Still blushing, Ruby quickly nodded in response to her uncle's question.
" Yeah, he enrolled here quite recently but Allen's already become a close friend of ours. " Ruby squeaked, Qrow raised an eyebrow at his niece's sudden change in attitude.
" Sorry uncle, Ruby's just a bit love-struck. " Yang chided, patting her blushing sister on the back.
" Yang it's not like that! " Ruby yelled with her blush now deepening to a dark rose red. The huntress turned to the rest of the group. " Guys it's not like that right?! " Ruby was met with awkward silence as her friends turned their heads away and whistled. Thrown to the wolves, Ruby crossed her arms and stared at a very interesting crack in the wall. Qrow, who was watching the entire time, was trying his best to hold down a laugh. Taking a deep breath he turned back to Yang, intrigued by Ruby's rumored crush.
" So Ruby has a crush huh? What's he like? "
" Uncle Qrow! " Ruby screamed, flailing her arms between him and Yang. " I told you it's not like that! Allen's just a friend! "
" A friend that you have a crush on? " Qrow teased. Ruby's eyebrow twitched as she stared at her uncle dangerously. " Now, now, I was only joking. " Sweating a bit from his niece's deadly stare, Qrow took a step back towards the exit. Before Ruby tore their uncle a new one Yang quickly stepped in to diffuse the tension.
" Before you kill our uncle Ruby do you think we can at least give him a night's rest? " Qrow nodded his head in agreement.
" I just want to make sure there isn't any misunderstandings. " Ruby turned away and Yang rolled her eyes. Seeing that his life was no longer in danger, Qrow waved to his nieces and friends before making his way to the exit.
" Your leaving uncle? " Ruby said sadly.
" It's not like I don't enjoy our conversation but I really am tired. Ozpin's given me permission to stay on campus so if you ever want to talk I'm staying in room three-four-one. I'll be rooting for you guys, give em' hell. Oh, and Ruby " Qrow turned to his niece " make sure you introduce me to this Allen fellow, he sounds interesting. "
" Sure " Ruby nodded " have a good night uncle. " Qrow smiled and waved to his nieces before exiting the stadium.
" Your uncle's a really nice guy. " Weiss said as she walked up to the two sisters.
" He tries, but we need to hurry up and find Allen. We've wasted to much party time. " Yang said as she made her way towards the exit.
" Agreed, let's go find Ruby's Romeo. " Blake yawned, the mentioned huntress blushed crimson as they walked through the exit.
" I told you! It's not like that! "
Allen Walker
Allen sat, his legs pulled up to his chest, on one of the unoccupied benches near the stadium's exits. His dull and emotionless eyes stared at the ground as the crowd passed him by. The scene of the grimms mass suicide replayed endlessly in his mind, every horrifying detail.
Monster! Son of Satan! Die already you abomination!
Allen's hands shot up to cradle his head in an attempt to stop the voices. Was that what he was? A monster? He didn't want to believe it, but with recent events it was getting harder and harder to reach any other conclusion. With one accidental command he'd drowned himself in hundreds of gallons of blood, blood which didn't even need to be there. With one command he'd stolen what remaining time those creatures had left in this world. Had he become the thing which he had feared and fought against for so many years? The thought terrified him. He needed confirmation from someone, he needed to ask someone what he was, who he was, and there was only one person in the world he could ask.
Neah Allen mumbled in his mind.
Yes Allen? Neah asked with a worried tone.
Am I... am I a monster to you? Please be honest. Neah was taken aback, after all, how could he respond when faced with such a question? Allen was in pain, and his heart was begging him to console his nephew, begging him to make Allen happy and to tell him not to think of such matters ever again. However, one look at his nephew's mental state told him that just wasn't going to cut it. The hole in his heart could only be fixed with the truth, and no amount of lies or sweet talk would be able to change that.
Allen... Neah paused for a moment. Honestly, yes, I do see you as a monster. Neah could feel his nephew's mind begin to shatter. Though that doesn't mean your evil! You are an exorcist, but you also contain the memories of noah. Those two powers were never meant to walk together hand-in-hand, yet here you are. So yes, in our world you may be an abomination, but you are also one of the kindest, most warmhearted people I have met in my life. You may be a monster, but that doesn't mean you aren't human. Color returned to Allen's eyes at his uncle's words, the pain of being a monster was still there, but now maybe the hole in his heart could begin to mend itself. Timcampy, who was flying above, landed and nestled itself in Allen's hair. Now smiling, Allen reached up and rubbed his little companion's head.
Thank you Neah. At his nephew's words Neah breathed a sigh of relief.
I should probably go find Ruby and congratulate her, she and her team worked hard. Taking in a deep breath, Allen stood up and surveyed the crowd.
" Look it's them! "
" What the hell was that?! "
Allen heard yelling over the crowd, turning to the left, he found a gathering of angry denizens surrounding someone in the middle of the courtyard. Raising an eyebrow, Allen curiously walked towards the small mob. As he got closer he began to hear some familiar voices.
" I told you already the headmasters decided that we deserved first place. Now can we please go? We have plans tonight. " Allen heard Ruby's voice ring through the air. Following was none other than Lily Wolfsbane.
" I understand that part! My headmaster already informed me of their decision! I just find it a bit convenient that the grimms you were fighting all killed themselves right when you were about to lose. " Through the cracks in the crowd Allen could see Ruby and company's eyes narrow.
" What are you implying? " Yang asked with a dangerous tone.
" Right now nothing, but I do know my charm glowed with an aura greener than envy right before those grimms slit their own throats. "
" Charm? " Ruby raised an eyebrow, Lily smirked and held out her rusted mace.
" Yes, created by my family using numerous dust spells and recent technology. We've managed to create a charm which radiates a faint aura of holy light, said charm glows a faint green hue when grimm are nearby, except this wasn't no faint hue. The glow nearly blinded me and my friends! So, back to my first question. " Lily pointed an accusing finger at Ruby. " What the heck did you guys do?! "
" We don't know! We're just as confused as you are! All we can do is wait for the headmasters to finish their investigation. Then we may all get some much needed answers, but right now we're participating teams in the Four Kingdoms Tournament, and I'd like to spend my free time doing something other than yelling! " Ruby yelled at Lily and her team. The crowd went silent, she was right, all they could do was wait for answers. Plus, they all had more pressing matters to attend to.
" Come on Ruby, let's go find Allen. " Yang said, grabbing her sister's shoulder. Ruby gave one last glare to Lily and her team before walking away.
" We wont go easy tomorrow, I promise that we will defeat you. " Lily said to Ruby, both huntresses backs were turned to one another.
" I don't expect you to, just make sure you bring your A-game. " With that, Ruby and her friends exited the courtyard. The rest of the crowd followed soon after until Allen was the only one left.
That was intense Allen sighed.
Yeah well after what happened it makes sense people would be on edge.
Ruby and the others said they had plans for tonight, any idea what they could be?
Why don't you go and find out for yourself, if you were listening you would have heard them say that they were looking for you.
Really? Allen raised a curious eyebrow.
I swear sometimes you can be the world's biggest idiot. Neah mumbled. Allen wondered what his uncle was mumbling about, shrugging it off, he turned and followed in his friends footsteps. If they were looking for him it would be rude to keep them waiting. After a few minutes of searching the white-haired exorcist finally found the group of hunters and huntresses walking up the steps to the dormitory building. Walking up to them, Allen waved, grabbing the attention of the group and one huntress in particular.
" Hey guys, are you looking for someone? " Allen asked his friends, Ruby, once again, was blushing red.
" Oh! There you are Allen we were looking for you. " Yang said as she stood next to her red sister.
" You guys did great today, you had me at the edge of my seat. " Allen smiled at the group, who, in turn, gave him confused looks. Allen raised an eyebrow.
" Uh, whats wrong? "
" Nothing, thanks by the way, but you seem perfectly fine considering what happened in the tournament. " Jaune muttered, garnering nods from the rest of the group. Allen smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.
" I don't try to focus on things like that, it was a shock what the grimm did and all, but there's not really much we can do about it right? "
" Agreed, right now we have more pressing matters to attend to. Like celebrating our first victory of the tournament in Vale! Right Ruby? " Yang turned to her blushing sister.
" Oh! Um, yeah. " Ruby muttered awkwardly, pressing her pointer fingers together. Her sister, Weiss and Blake all sighed at the blushing Ruby's response. " It's like Yang said, we're celebrating in Vale and we were wondering if you would like to join us? " Ruby squeaked out the last part, causing Allen to once again raise his eyebrow in confusion.
" Me? But I didn't even fight in the tournament. " Allen said.
" So you don't want to come along? " Ruby said, her mood dropping.
" No, I don't mind celebrating with you. I'm just a bit confused is all. " Allen said, frantically waving his arms around. At his words Ruby's mood returned to normal, a large smile surfaced on the young huntress's face and her blush returned at full force.
Why is she getting so emotional about this?
" Well it's simple really, your a close friend so Ruby wants to celebrate with you. Isn't that right Ruby? " Yang said with a large cheshire grin on her face. For some reason Ruby's face flushed rose red at her sisters words.
" Yang I told you it isn't like that! "
" Riiiight~ " At Yang's words Allen's confusion rose, what were the two sisters arguing about? Plus, why was everyone else smiling at Ruby like they knew something. If Allen was paying attention he would have heard the slap of Neah's face palm resonate through the back of his mind.
" At any rate I'm honored that you want me to join you, where did you say we were going Ruby? " Allen asked, under his gaze Ruby began to fidget adorably.
" Uh, Vale! Yes Vale! Though we are going to need to take an airship to get there. " Ruby muttered under her breath. Smiling, Allen walked up to her and the rest of the group and motioned his arm towards the docks.
" Well then, would you be so kind as to lead the way? My sense of direction is horrid. " Allen smiled at Ruby, who was staring at him with dulled eyes. She seemed to be thinking about something. Sighing, Yang reached out and poked her sister on the shoulder.
" Well Ruby, are we going or not? " Snapping back to reality, Ruby blushed and turned towards the path which lead to the docks.
" Yeah sure, come on Allen the docks are this way. " Smiling, Allen walked next to Ruby down the brick path. Unnoticed by the exorcist, Ruby was periodically stealing glances at him, each time her smile seemed to grow a bit wider.
Allen couldn't help but stare out the window as the airship flew over the emerald forest. The red leaves rocketing past below gave the allusion that they were flying over a sea of blood, that, combined with the orange glow of the setting sun painted a macabre picture that he couldn't tear himself away from. Of course he wasn't the only one staring, to the exorcist's left sat his friend Ruby whose eyes were also glued onto something, or rather, someone. Luckily Allen was too engrossed in the sunset to notice her stares, unlike a certain blonde haired huntress who was sitting across from Ruby.
" Enjoying the view? " Yang whispered to her little sister. Noticing that she had been staring, Ruby quickly tore her gaze away from Allen and turned to the evilly grinning Yang.
" That was, uh... but I! " Ruby stuttered, gaining the attention of everyone else in the cabin, except for Allen, who was still watching the passing trees below. Under their gazes Ruby's eyes narrowed " What's everyone staring at!? " Ruby yelled, crossing her arms and turning away to pout adorably.
" No matter how much she denies it, our fearless leader is completely in love with a certain white-haired huntsman. " Weiss said, plopping down next to Yang. With every word Ruby's heart pounded a bit faster in embarrassment. Luckily for the young huntress no further teasing was uttered, as the airship had reached it's destination halting with a slight bump on the steel landing pad. The doors opened and the pilot gave the signal to vacate the airship, one-by-one the group all piled out, their feet meeting the hard ground below. Before the pilot made on his way Pyrrha quickly flagged him down, and asked the man when the next flight would be.
" Any flights back to Beacon will leave at twelve o' clock sharp miss, you all have a good night. " Looking up from his watch, the pilot smiled at the group before turning on the engines and rocketing away into the red sky.
" Hmm, so we have four hours huh? What should we do? " Yang asked her friends.
" That's good, one hour for each of you. " Pyrrha said to team RWBY, causing the four huntresses to raise their eyebrows in confusion. " Well considering you guys are what really won us today's event, I find it fitting that you four choose what we do tonight. "
" I agree with Pyrrha and you guy's deserve it, considering what happened at the end of your match it's only fitting. " Jaune said, walking up to Ruby and her teammates.
" I don't really mind, what about you guys? Any objections? " Ren agreed, turning to team CFVY.
" Do what you want, this is a celebration after all. " Coco mused, leaning on one of the landing pad's railings. Allen simply nodded in agreement as he stared at the vast city before him. The members of team RWBY all smiled at their companions, while their leader, Ruby, was absolutely giddy with excitement. Sighing, Yang took out a coin and turned to her companions and younger sister.
" You guys just want to flip a coin to decide who's first? " Yang asked her teammates, Blake and Weiss nodded while Ruby jumped up and down in joy.
" I call heads! " Ruby shouted in glee.
" Tails " Blake mumbled with a grin adorning her face.
" Heads please " Weiss finished. Once her teammates had announced their face, Yang turned the coin on it's side. With a small chime the coin was launched into the air.
" Tails then. " Yang said as the coin landed in her palm.
" Achoo! " Allen began to shiver when a cold breeze wafted it's way through the group, sneezing silently into one of his white sleeves he looked up and continued to follow his friends towards their first destination.
This is why I said you should've held on to your coat.
I didn't know it would be this cold! Allen thought, shivering as another cold breeze flew by. Stupidly he had left his exorcist coat at the school's laundromat before leaving. The black and white uniform hadn't received a proper cleaning since he first landed in Remnant, so he was stuck with just his white dress shirt and vest. Luckily he didn't have to stand in the cold for too long as Blake, the winner of the first coin toss, finally stopped at their first destination. Looking up, Allen's eyes were greeted with a bright red neon sign which read: Tukson's Book Trade. He would be lying if he were to say that the majority of their group was excited about spending an hour at a book shop, the only people besides Blake who didn't have a bored look on their face was Weiss, Pyrrha and him. The two huntresses were both excellent students, and while not as avid as Blake, both did enjoy a good read from time-to-time. While he was quite curious on the history and lore of this world. Opening the door Blake, and the rest of the group, stepped into the shop.
" Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the su- oh! It's my best customer! " Greeted a large burly man who walked out of a backroom carrying a stack of books, he stopped his rehearsed greeting when he saw Blake standing in the doorway.
" Hello Tukson, anything new? " Blake asked the man as she walked up to the counter, Tukson put a finger on his chin in thought.
" Well...one of your favorite author's is releasing a new book, but I don't have any copies of it yet. The next shipment should be arriving sometime in April. " Tukson told Blake, but before the two could continue Tukson noticed the rest of the group piling into his shop. " You brought friends? " Tukson asked Blake.
" Yeah, we're celebrating our first victory in the tournament, and I got to choose where we went first. " Blake said to the nodding Tukson, he knew how much of a book worm Blake was so it didn't surprise him.
" So this is where you get your books huh? " Yang wondered as she walked up next to her teammate.
" You must be Yang right? " Tukson asked the blonde huntress, which caused her to raise an eyebrow.
" You know my name? " Tukson nodded.
" I know all of your names. After all, just a few hours ago that thing wouldn't stop screaming em' " He said, jabbing a thumb towards a small box-shaped T.V " After your fights I doubt there's anyone who doesn't know at least one of you. "
" So we're famous now? " Yang said with a smile growing on her face.
" I wouldn't say famous, more like, your in the public limelight. " Tukson answered as he looked around the shop at the various hunters and huntresses, all of them were participants in the tournament except for one person. Tukson raised an eyebrow as he stared at the odd huntsman, the boy was obviously in his teens except he had snow-white hair. The huntsman also had a strange scar running down his left eye and was dressed way too formally for some regular student. " Whose your friend? " Tukson asked the two at the counter.
" Oh, that's Allen, he enrolled at Beacon quite recently. " Blake answered while skimming over a horror novel. Tukson continued to periodically glance at the student known as Allen, he didn't know why, but for some reason his faunus instincts where silently tapping at the back of his mind to run away as far as possible from the scarred huntsman. He didn't know why though, his best customer and friends all had no trouble accepting Allen as one of their own, but, something was off.
" Hey Allen come look at this! " Any tension in the air was suddenly defused when a young huntress popped out of a pile of books and dragged the aforementioned hunter next to her.
" It's amazing isn't it? Look at all these ancient weapons! Our ancestors were very inventive, look this one has a five headed cog next to the main trigger and battery! This one uses a glass blade instead of metal, it would break easily but would be super light! Oh! This one's my favorite! It has a... " Ruby gabbed on and on to Allen as he stood next to her. The huntress was apparently quite the weapon enthusiast, and once she found an ancient weapons encyclopedia she immediately dragged Allen close to show him the various ancient bits and bobs which made the tools of war function. Ruby and Allen were nearly cheek-to-cheek with each other, as the exorcist could not escape from the huntress's iron grip.
" Um Ruby, do you mind loosening up a bit? " Allen asked her politely, coughing into his hand. At Allen's voice Ruby then noticed their proximity to one another and instantly let go of his vest.
" Oh yes! Of course! Sorry about that Allen, you probably think I'm weird being so interested in weapons. " Ruby mumbled while warm blood began to course into her cheeks. Fearing that he may have accidentally embarrassed her, Allen quickly walked up and apologized to his friend.
" Sorry did I embarrass you? I don't mind that your interested in weapons you were just choking me a little. " Allen placed an apologetic hand on Ruby's shoulder, causing the huntress's blush to deepen and her body to tense. Desperate to get Ruby back to normal Allen quickly picked up the ancient weapons book and presented it to Ruby. " I think you were talking about the first gun-blade weren't you? What does this part do? " Allen asked, pointing to a iron gear next to the weapon's wooden hand grip. Luckily for him, Ruby's body relaxed and a grin resurfaced on her face. Taking the book, the huntress repositioned herself next to Allen, though not as close as before, and began to explain to the exorcist the various workings that went into the gun-musket. Allen was too busy following Ruby's finger to notice that her blush still remained, and that the huntress's eyes were constantly flashing between the book and him.
" Your leader seems to have a fixing for that boy. " Tukson smiled at the two classmates, Blake and Yang, who were also watching, also held a grin on their faces.
" Yeah, but Allen's one of the densest boy's Ive ever met. " Blake said as she loaded a pile of books onto the check out counter.
" Anything else? " Tukson asked as he scanned the back of each book.
" No, not unless you have a book which could help my leader. " Blake smiled as she handed Tukson a handfull of lien.
" Sorry I don't sell books under that genre, you all have a nice night. I wish you luck tomorrow. " Tukson waved at Blake and the rest of the group as they exited his shop. Staring out the window, the store-owner got one last glance of the white-haired hunter known as Allen and narrowed his eyes. " What the hell was that feeling? " He continued to linger behind the front desk for a few seconds before shrugging it off and walking back into the storage room.
" Where to next Yang? " Velvet asked the huntress who had won the first coin toss. At Velvet's question Yang placed a finger on her chin.
" Where to? Where to? " Yang mumbled to herself as she looked over the group. Her eyes fell upon her little sister who was walking next to Allen, Ruby's face was still slightly flushed. Staring for a bit longer Yang snapped her fingers, " I got it! " Yang turned to face the group, " Lets go clothes shopping! " At Yang's declaration Jaune and Ren both slumped over while Coco and Weiss excitedly perked up.
" Fantastic! Clothes shopping is one of my favorite pass-times! " Coco said as she clapped her hands with glee.
" I have to be honest Yang I didn't expect you to choose clothes shopping. " Weiss smiled as she walked up next to her blonde comrade.
" I think you misunderstand my true intentions. " Yang giggled as an evil smile crept upon her face, leaning in close, Yang whispered something into Weiss's ear before pointing towards Blake. Weiss stared at Yang for a few seconds until an equally evil smile erupted onto her face as well, almost skipping, Weiss walked over to Blake and whispered something into her ear. Blake nodded with a small grin and turned to Coco, Pyrrha, and Nora. Waving them to come closer the three huntresses raised an eyebrow and walked up to her. After quietly informing the three, Pyrrha and Coco gave a nod before bursting out into a fit of giggles. Curious to what her friends were giggling about, Ruby raised an eyebrow and walked over to the group.
" What's so funny? " Ruby asked with a smile on her face, the six huntresses only looked at her with creepy smiles before returning to their evil laughter. Raising an eyebrow, Ruby returned to her spot next to Allen.
" What are they laughing at Ruby? " Allen asked.
" I don't know, and they won't tell me either. I hate when people keep secrets from me! " Ruby pouted as she stood next to Allen, to curious to blush. After another few minutes of walking the group arrived at another shop. This one was called: The Styles of Vale, the store was brightly lit and there was quite a few people already inside. Still smiling evilly, Yang walked up and held the door open for the rest of the group. Allen's eyes widened at the extravagant clothing store, the walls were lined with clothing of many different fabrics and styles, creating the allusion that you were standing in the center of a rainbow.
" Ah, I missed this place! I wonder what the new styles are? " Coco exclaimed in joy taking in a large gulp of air. The men of the group only sighed and sat down on some chairs near the exit door. Oddly though, Yang and the other huntresses did not bolt off to view the store's offerings. Instead all of the huntresses, except for Ruby, were currently huddled together talking in whispers. Ruby, growing impatient at her friends secret, marched up to the group and poked Yang's shoulder.
" Okay Yang what's going on? I know your planning something. " Ruby whined adorably, but instead of responding to her sister's woes Yang, along with the other huntresses, all simply turned to Ruby with their mischievous grins in full blossom.
" Well it's quite simple Ruby, we're just going to help you out. " Yang smiled while placing both of her hands on her little sister's shoulders. Ruby felt a shiver creep up her spine as the air suddenly felt very heavy.
" Help me with what? " Ruby asked fearfully before taking a hesitant step back into Weiss's body, looking around Ruby saw that she was completely surrounded by her fellow huntresses.
" Well to help you get noticed of course! " Weiss said in a similar creepy tone of voice.
" Get noticed? What are you talking about? " Ruby's eyes darted around trying to find a way to escape.
" Oh come on Ruby how do you expect to be noticed by Allen in those clothes! " Coco whispered while draping her arm over Ruby's shoulder, at her words the young huntress's face instantly paled, but before she could escape Yang grabbed both of her arms and started dragging her towards the changing rooms in the back.
" Come on guys this isn't funny! Jokes over now right?! " Ruby said as she struggled in Yang's grasp.
" Don't worry Ruby we are... " Blake grinned while grabbing some clothes off of a nearby rack.
" Just going to make you... " Weiss smiled as Pyrrha giggled next to her.
" Fabulous! " Yang laughed evilly, closing the door behind her as Ruby gave an embarrassed scream. The faint click of the changing room's lock reverberated throughout the air, Allen could hear the muffled sound of laughing and screams as he stood dumbstruck next to Jaune and Ren.
Okay what the hell was that about? Allen wondered, out of nowhere Yang and the other huntresses dragged Ruby into a backroom, he saw Ruby pale when Coco whispered something into her ear but he couldn't catch what she had said exactly. What was even more mind boggling was the fact that the store's owner did not even bat an eye.
" Is this normal? " Allen asked the woman who stood behind the counter.
" More than you can imagine. " The owner said while flipping a page of her magazine. Sighing, Allen stood up and regained his composure. Jaune and Ren were busy staring out the window and the girls were, well he didn't know exactly what they were doing.
Guess I better go kill some time. Allen thought to himself and walked into the closest aisle. Nothing really seemed to catch his eye though, everything was either too modern or too revealing for his tastes. Allen walked around for a few more minutes until something caught his eye, in the back of the store resting upon a sales shelf was a neatly folded dark blue mass. Raising an eyebrow he walked up to the shelf and picked up the blue clothing, lifting it up, Allen allowed the dark blue cloth to unravel itself in front of him and what he saw nearly made him gasp.
This is! Allen couldn't believe his eyes. He was holding an almost exact replica of the Millennium Earl's coat, besides the fact that the jacket was dark blue instead of tan there was no mistaking the resemblance it had to his nemesis's wardrobe. However the jacket was almost calling him to wear it, and with the cold breeze outside a warm coat certainly wouldn't hurt. Refolding the jacket, Allen scooped it up and walked over to the check out counter. Upon noticing Allen's choice the owner of the store's eyes widened.
" You want this dusty old thing? " She asked him with uncertain eyes, when he nodded to her she simply sighed and took the coat from his hands. " That will be fifty lien please. " Luckily Allen still had his winnings from the poker game a few nights ago, taking out his wallet he scooped out the necessary payment and handed the bills to the cashier. The coat was actually quite snug and seemed to fit perfectly onto his body, walking up to a nearby window, Allen stared at his reflection.
Now your starting to look like a true Millennium Earl Neah laughed. However Allen wasn't laughing, he was to busy thinking about what Neah had said.
Like a true Millennium Earl huh? Allen gave a sad smile at his reflection, for that was what he was, he was Remnant's Millennium Earl, the Earl he knew did many horrible things back home, hopefully his path wouldn't lead to those types of outcomes. Smiling, Allen looked down at his left hand. After all, I'm not just the Millennium Earl am I?
" Oh how about this one Ruby? "
" No! I don't want to dress up I'm fine with what I have! "
" But you'd look so cute in it! Yang whats your thought on this skirt? "
" Hmmm, maybe, but we should definitely make her try this. "
" What are you doing with that?! No! Yang! " Allen sighed as his companions muffled yells filled the store, after adjusting his new coat Allen walked over and sat down next to Jaune and Ren. Jaune who was flipping through a magazine, looked up at him as he sat down.
" Nice coat. " He complimented before returning his gaze back to the magazine.
" Thank you " Allen smiled and leaned back into his chair, the girls voices were wafting out of the changing room door and once again the exorcist sighed at their loud laughter and yelling. " Any idea what their up to in their Jaune? " Allen asked the blonde huntsman who sat to his right. Instead of answering him, Jaune just looked up and stared at Allen with bewildered eyes.
" You honestly don't know? " Jaune asked, Allen nodded. " Man, I thought you were just playing hard to get. " At Jaune's words Allen raised a confused eyebrow. Before he could ask him a question though the door to the changing room flew open and out charged the rest of their group, however, Ruby was missing. Yang walked over to the reception desk and placed a folded pile of red and black clothing upon the counter-top. Taking out a wad of lien Yang turned to the cashier and handed her the money. With a confused eyebrow raised, the cashier scanned the counter-top before turning back to Yang.
" Is there a reason you gave me this money if you aren't going to buy anything? "
" Oh, sorry about that, my sister's already wearing it. " Yang smiled cheekily, rolling her eyes, the cashier opened the cash register and placed the lien inside.
" A gift I presume? "
" Yeah, from all of us. "
" All of you? " The cashier politely moved Yang aside and saw the rest of the girls all staring at the open changing-room door with wide smiles. Yang's grin returned in full-force as she joined her companions.
" Well Ruby are you going to come out and show us how beautiful you look? "
" N-no way! Give me back my regular clothes! " Ruby's voice squeaked out from the changing room.
" Why of course, their waiting right here for you little sis, you just have to come and claim them. " Yang smiled and turned around to the three boys sitting in the waiting area, when her eyes landed on a certain white-haired huntsman she smiled evilly. " Oh Allen just the man I was looking for! " Yang said as she yanked Allen out of his seat.
" Ow! Yang what the heck?! " Allen asked Yang with a twitching eyebrow, the girl had a strong grip and Allen was sure he was going to have a bruise to look forward to tomorrow morning.
" Just stand here Allen. " Yang giggled as she positioned her fellow classmate in front of the changing room entrance, before scurrying back to watch with the rest of the girls.
" Yang why did you drag me here? Isn't Ruby changing or something? " Allen asked the blonde-haired huntress.
" She's already changed Allen, all that's left is to draw her out. " At the huntresses giggles Allen raised an eyebrow before turning back to the changing room entrance in front of him. Sighing, Allen walked up and politely knocked on the door.
" Uh, Ruby, I'm not so sure what this is about, but it seems like Yang and the others want you to come out. " Allen scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
" Allen!? W-why are you standing right outside of the door? Did Yang put you up to it? " Ruby asked, her voice muffled behind the door. Before the exorcist could answer though, the mentioned huntress spoke up.
" Ah come on Ruby! You aren't the only one who has a new outfit. Allen got himself something as well. " Yang finished as she glanced at Allen's new coat.
" N-no! Give me back my regular clothes then I'll come out! " Ruby denied, but curiosity was laced in her voice.
" Like we said your clothes are right here, but if you want to stay in there and skip your turn then I guess we can stay here for another hour. " Yang smiled when her sister didn't reply, slowly, the changing room door began to crack open. " Allen, you may want to take a step to the right. Blake, get in position. " At her request Blake nodded before sneaking up to stand next to the cracked-changing room door.
" Why should I move? " Allen asked Yang.
" So I guess you like whiplash? "
" Uh no. " Allen said with a dumbstruck expression.
" Then move, now. " Yang said with her eyes still glued on the cracked door. Shrugging Allen stepped aside, however the second he was out of the way the changing-room door exploded open and out rushed a pink blur.
Was that Ruby? Allen wondered as he staggered backwards. He watched as the pink blur scooped up Ruby's pile of clothes before turning around to rush back to the changing-room.
" Blake now! " Yang yelled, Blake gave a thumbs up and quickly slammed the door shut, causing the pink blur to slam into the door. Allen's eyes widened once he saw who it was, or, more accurately, what she was wearing. The pink blur was none other than Ruby, the huntress was wearing a puffy-pink dress and skirt with a bow tie on her head. The dress was cute, but held an uncanny resemblance to something a certain noah would wear.
" Ow, you know that wasn't necessary Blake. " Ruby whined as she rubbed her throbbing head, Blake smiled and offered her leader a hand, which she took.
" Doesn't it feel good to be out of that room? " Blake asked her with a mischievous smile, upon realizing her surroundings Ruby instantly froze and slowly turned around. When her eyes landed on a certain white-haired huntsman her face flowered into an entirely new shade of scarlet, Ruby felt her heart pounding in her chest as the blood rushed to her head.
" Allen, uh well, about this, uhhhh... " Ruby's mind went blank only to be revitalized when she heard Allen chuckling. At his actions Ruby's mood plummeted into the ground, " It looks ridiculous doesn't it? " Ruby mumbled, slumping over with a depressed aura beginning to surround her. Worried that he may have hurt the young huntress's feelings, Allen quickly waved his hands around and tried to wave away Ruby's sad aura.
" No, no, no! I think you look great! It's just that in that dress you reminded me of someone I know. You look very cute in that dress actually. " Allen said awkwardly scratching the back of his head. At his compliment though Ruby froze and stared at Allen, Crap did I say something wrong? Allen worried.
" You think I look cute? " Ruby whispered in a barely audible tone. The exorcist quickly nodded his head in response.
" Yes, your very pretty Ruby. " At his words Ruby began to shake and lowered her head, casting her eyes in shadow. Raising an eyebrow Allen walked up to the huntress.
" Uh, Ruby, is something wrong? "
" Y-y-you idiot! " Ruby screamed before punching Allen, knocking him into a nearby rack of clothing. Quickly gathering up her regular clothes Ruby ducked back into the changing room, slamming the door behind her. Rubbing his cheek, Allen stood up and walked back to Yang and the others.
" Did I say something wrong? " Allen asked Yang.
" No Allen, in fact, what you said was perfect. " Allen could only raise an eyebrow at that, he still couldn't get why Ruby was acting like that. She must be really sick, at his conclusion Neah slammed his head into an imaginary table.
The hinges creaked as Ruby slammed the door shut behind her. Taking a deep breath the huntress leaned on the back of the door and slid down to sit on the floor.
What is wrong with me? Ruby wondered as she patted her reddened cheeks. Cradling her head Ruby stared down at the tiled floor, the scene of her punching Allen flashed through her mind. Why did I do that? Ruby honestly didn't have an answer. When Allen called her " cute " Ruby's mind just went blank and her heart began to throb, usually this kind of fervor was associated to when she was in the heat of a battle, she needed to release some energy and she did so by accidentally punching Allen. Allen, Ruby stared down at her gloved hands, the white-haired huntsman had been on her mind more and more lately, but she didn't know why. Maybe it was just how unnaturally nice he was and how he constantly denied the spotlight to help put her, and her companions in a better light. Or maybe she was just drawn in by his mysterious aura, honestly she couldn't really tell. Ruby's posture stiffened when she heard Allen's muffled voice from behind the door, for some reason her mind flashed back to Yang and her friends teasing her in front of her uncle that afternoon. Though there is always the possibility that I, no, no that's impossible. Shaking her head Ruby got up and reached for her normal outfit, tossing the dress into a nearby bag. Ruby jumped when someone knocked on the door.
" Hey Ruby, I'm not trying to rush you are anything but your hour is coming up fast. " Ruby heard Allen's voice tell her from the other side of the door.
" Okay, I'm almost done here I just need a few more minutes. " Ruby replied, trying her best to hide the anxiousness in her voice.
" That's fine, I just felt like I should warn you, and Ruby, if I said something to offend you back there I would like to say I'm sorry. " At Allen's apology Ruby felt her face heat up once again as her heart started to pound in her chest.
" No need to apologize Allen! It was my fault actually. " Ruby whispered the last part to herself.
" What? "
" I said there's no need to apologize, I'm sorry that I hit you. "
" Oh, well thank you for forgiving me, and don't worry about the punch I heal up quick. "
" Right, uh, I'll be out soon! " Ruby squeaked out, her heart pounding so hard she was surprised Allen couldn't hear it.
" It's cool, take as long as you like. " With that the changing-room once again went silent, Ruby stared at the door with her hands over her throbbing heart, when she could feel herself begin to cool down the young huntress then glanced down at her hands. Have I really fallen in love?
Like Ruby said a few minutes later the changing-room door opened to reveal Ruby in her regular attire. Allen couldn't help but smile at the glares she was giving towards Yang and the rest.
" So chief where to next? " Yang asked as she playfully hung on her sister's shoulder.
" I'm not talking to any of you. " Ruby pouted and crossed her arms. Everyone gave a grin at Ruby's response, Yang smiled and reached over with her free hand to grab Allen's shoulder.
" Not even to Allen? " Yang smiled at Ruby's fidgeting form as she pulled Allen in front of Ruby. " Allen, if you would be so kind. "
" Not to be rude or anything, but Jaune and Ren should also be excluded from Ruby's shunning. " Allen said with his eyebrow twitching at Yang.
" Aw but that won't be as fun! Now go on. " Yang smiled and removed her arm from her sister's shoulder.
Fun? Allen thought with his eyebrow still twitching, sighing, he turned to Ruby.
" Nice coat. " Ruby whispered to him as she twiddled her pointer-fingers together.
" Thanks, anyway Yang's right, where to Ruby? " Allen asked her, for a second the huntress stopped fidgeting and placed a finger on her chin in thought. If she wasn't wrong one of her favorite dessert joints should still be open.
" Hmmmm, it's about ten right? Oooh! Then that means we can still make the late-night special! Follow me! " Swept up in her delusions of future sweets and desserts Ruby absentmindedly grabbed Allen's hand and began to drag him out the door. At her actions the rest of the group grinned and followed the two from behind.
I've been dragged around a lot tonight haven't I? Allen thought with a blank face as Ruby rushed down the street with him in tow. It was quite amazing how much strength Ruby had for one of her size, the huntress's hand was wrapped tightly around his and didn't seem to have any intention to let go.
" Uh Ruby- " Allen stopped himself. He wanted to tell Ruby he was fine to walk on his own two legs, but when he saw her bright smiling face he just couldn't bring himself to break her out of it, unlike a certain group of huntresses who saw this as an excellent opportunity. Weiss quickly ran up to the pair and poked Ruby on the shoulder.
" Hey Weiss what's up? " Ruby asked her teammate, unaware of the person whose hand she was holding.
" Oh nothing, I was just surprised with how forward you are being. " Weiss smiled at her leader, who in turn raised a confused eyebrow.
" What are you talking about? " Ruby asked, still unaware of whose hand she had clamped in her right.
" I'm just saying you must have gotten braver, or your just growing impatient. " Weiss pointed down at Ruby's side, her eyes followed the Schnee's finger until it landed on her right hand and the person whose left resided within it.
Allen?! Ruby stopped suddenly in her tracks and released her hold of the exorcist, sending him flying into the ground a few feet away.
" Ow, Ruby are you all right? " Allen asked the huntress while rubbing his head, the small leader was currently frozen and staring off into space. It wasn't until he snapped his fingers did Ruby finally come back to reality. Upon realizing what she had been doing Ruby's faced flushed with embarrassment.
" I-I-I'm so sorry! " Ruby squeaked out in a tone Allen hadn't yet heard from her.
What is she so embarrassed about? Allen wondered, deciding to voice his concern the exorcist flicked the flushed huntress's forehead. " What are you so sorry about? " Allen asked her, to his relief she started to calm down.
" Your not angry? " Ruby asked.
" What would I be angry at? " Allen asked, unaware that the rest of the group was watching the two with amused stares. That was when Yang decided to butt-in.
" Yeah Ruby what could Allen possibly be angry at? " Yang cackled to her sister, who in response froze like a stone.
" Uh nothing! That's right nothing! Now enough of this! Come on if we don't hurry we might miss the sale! " Ruby then darted off further down the road, leaving Allen standing in her dust trying to put together a puzzle with missing pieces.
" Cheer up sport you'll find out eventually, but if you keep standing still like that we're going to lose her. " Yang grinned and began to run towards her sister's fading image along with the rest of the group. After his frazzled mind computed what the blonde huntress said Allen darted off towards her.
" What the hell are you talking about?! What don't I get?! " Allen yelled frustrated, what the heck was he missing? Much to his chagrin though he only got chuckles as a response. After running after Ruby for what seemed like forever the young huntress finally stopped for a breather.
" Good thing you stopped here Ruby or I would've collapsed. " Yang huffed in a hoarse voice as she leaned against a lamp post. Everyone else also seemed to be a bit loss for breath as the group of warriors all gulped down buckets of air. The only ones who didn't look like they were about to die were Ruby, thanks to her semblance no doubt, and Allen, who was sitting down on a nearby bench looking perfectly normal.
" Do you mind sharing your training regiment with us poor souls Allen? Cause it seems to have done you wonders. " Allen only tilted his head and smiled at Yang's question. " What, you can't hear or something? "
" No, it's just that my senses are being dulled by something. Maybe it's the pain from my burning arm which you seem to love yanking around. " Allen's eyebrow twitched, there was definitely a bruise on his arm, no doubt thanks to the buxom-huntress which stood in front of him. All that running didn't help much either, what with his heart pumping more blood into the injury.
" Time heals all wounds. " Yang smiled at him before turning to her sister. " Hey sis, how much further is this place? " At her question Ruby just got up and began to walk through a large gate which was bordered by trees.
" We're already here Yang, welcome to Hunters Square. " Allen's eyes widened a bit at the beautiful square, the borders were lined with many food, weapons, and dust shops of all kinds. But what really set it apart was the odd arena-like hole in the center of the vibrant square. Ruby's embarrassment seemed to disappear for a moment too, as the huntress was happily explaining to Weiss and those who'd never visited the square what made it so special. " Before I transferred to Beacon I spent lots of my free time here, the dessert shops are the best and the training arena in the center also made for great fun against my fellow students. "
" I'm guessing there is a reason that you brought us to this magical place. " Weiss said, Ruby nodded her head in response.
" Yep, look, right over there, the third store to the left is one of my favorite dessert shops. Every day they have a late night sale from eight to twelve, and we've arrived just in time for the new batch! " Ruby squealed in delight and took a sniff of the air, Allen couldn't deny that the smell was heavenly, but Ruby took loving sweets to a whole new level. A level very similar to Road when it came to candy. The door opened with a ring as the group stepped inside. Behind the counter was the store's owner, a plump, jolly looking man with a barber mustache.
" Hello Winston, did you miss me? " Ruby asked as she skipped up to the counter.
" Well if it isn't Ruby, you here for the sale right? " Ruby nodded energetically and the man named Winston chuckled. Looking over the huntress's head his eyes landed on the other three teams and a white-haired teenager. " You've brought friends, you celebrating something Ruby? " At his question the man received bewildered stares from the rest of the group. Noticing her friends confusion Ruby decided to clear it up.
" Winston doesn't own a T.V. " Ruby was right after all, the store was actually barren of most modern technology you'd expect to see walking into a shop. It was very old fashioned and in the back you could see a wood furnace which cooked the batter. Turning back to the owner Ruby stated her order.
" I would like a dozen chocolate-chip cookies please! " Ruby asked with a gushing smile. Causing Allen and the others to sweat-drop.
She must really like cookies. Allen wondered while the rest of the group made there order.
" Hey son, you want anything? " Winston asked him. Pulling away from his thoughts Allen looked back up at the jolly store-owner.
" What do you recommend? " Allen asked as he scanned over the menu.
" Honestly I'd take the peanut butter cookies, the chocolate-chip ones are better but I'd doubt you'd get to eat any of them considering you are sitting with Ruby. " Winston said, chuckling a bit at the small huntress's love for the dessert.
" Then I'll have a batch of the peanut butter ones then, thanks for warning me. " Allen ordered his cookies and walked into the dining area, instead of chairs there were fluffy couches lining each table, Ruby and the rest were sat near the back in front of a massive window. A few of the customers who recognized the group of hunters and huntresses were giving them glances every once in a while. Walking over to their table Allen raised an eyebrow at the odd setup, Ruby, who was sat next to Yang. Had a open seat to her left, but that made no sense for the huntress sat in the center of the group. Honestly it looked like they cleared that spot specifically for him, but that was impossible. " This is a nice place Ruby. " Allen said as he took his seat next to the young leader, again Ruby's face went red for reasons he couldn't understand. Actually, now that he thought about it, now was the perfect time to ask questions. " Hey Ruby " Allen turned to his blushing friend.
" Yes Allen? "
" Why did you stop so suddenly when we were walking to the square after we left that clothing store? I'm not trying to be rude or anything but a person can only be so excited for dessert. " After all, he knew he had plenty of experience with the feeling.
" Um, well...you see, I uh. " Instead of answering his question Ruby instead started mumbling to herself while twiddling her thumbs together. Luckily for the huntress though waiters soon arrived with their order. Much to her sister's surprise however, Ruby didn't instantly tear into her chocolaty treats.
" Wow, I've never seen a full plate of cookies in front of Ruby before. She usually downs them all before I finish my first bite. Did you do anything to her Allen? " Yang asked, she had a guess, but it never hurt to be sure.
" I just asked her why she suddenly bolted off on the way here. "
" Oh, that explains it then. " Yang smiled and turned to her own dessert. Much to the exorcist's dismay, who still didn't have an answer, Ruby seemed to finally notice the treats lying in front of her and began to wolf them down. Allen shrugged, he could always ask at a later time when they weren't eating.
" You guys thinking up any new strategies for tomorrow? " Pyrrha asked them, Ruby and Coco both nodded to the red-haired warrior.
" I'm planning on using a pincer-plan to get rid of the leader first, cut off the head and you kill the snake right? " Coco said as she took a bite of her cake.
" If we can I would like to do a rendition of the strategy we used today, getting the high-ground is a necessity, especially since good old crescent rose is part sniper rifle. "
" Do you guys have anything to fall back on if those strategies fail? In my experience things hardly ever go to plan. " Allen asked the girls it was always good to have a plan b, especially when fighting. But instead of an answer all Allen got were wondering stares. " Um, what's wrong? " Allen asked his friends while taking a bite out of one of his cookies.
" Nothing, you just sounded like a veteran for a second there. Anyway to answer your question yes, we do have a contingency plan. If one of us is taken out we'll probably stick to long range and hold the enemy team back while the third flanks from the rear. " Allen nodded at Pyrrha and turned back to his food.
" Speaking of the tournament, Allen, your taking this unrealistically well. " Blake said to her white-haired classmate.
" Whatever do you mean? "
" Well, out of all of us you are the only one here not participating. I don't think you'd be jealous or anything, you don't strike me as that type of person. I'm just surprised at how not bored you are, after all you're a warrior just like us. If I just got to sit on the sidelines and watch other people fight I'd be pulling my hair out. " At this everyone turned to Allen, after all Blake did have a point.
" I'll be honest, it was quite a struggle just sitting there doing nothing. But in a way it's also kind of relaxing not having to fight. " Allen answered, thinking of all the times he wished he didn't have to fight in the past.
" God you sound like my grandfather, life's not worth living if you just watch-on from the sidelines " Weiss sighed.
" Plus I wouldn't mind seeing what you can do, after all, the only times we saw you in the ring was during your initiation and once in professor Port's class. " Yang mumbled through her dessert.
" You know there is a training ground in the center of the square, if Allen's up to it we could have ourselves a little sparring match. "
" That won't be necessary, " Allen tried to wave off the proposal but was shot down by Yang.
" Ah come on it'll be fun! It's just a little friendly sparring, plus, I know someone here is also quite curious to how you do battle on the field, and in the sheets. " Yang whispered the final part in Ruby's ear, causing her to blush a rainbow of many different shades of red.
" Well if you guys really want to...I have gotten a bit rusty. " Allen scratched his cheek and polished off the last of his cookies, he wanted more but he didn't want to eat Winston out of his store. A few minutes later the rest finished their own sugary treats and got up to leave.
" We got twenty minutes before it's Weiss's turn, anyone want to volunteer? " Blake asked everyone as they exited the store.
" I wouldn't mind fighting him, " Ren spoke up over Nora's yells of excitement.
" This will be an interesting match, I didn't get to see Allen's initiation so I'm quite curious. " Fox said as he walked next to Ren. Sadly though, the group would have to change their plans as the sparring arena seemed to already be occupied.
" Aw man! Who would be using the arena at this hour? " Coco whined, she was looking forward to seeing Allen fight a fellow hunter. As the group went closer they realized that all of the people surrounding the training grounds were wearing similar uniforms, uniforms that Yang and Ruby recognized instantly.
" They're students from my old school, " Ruby exclaimed as they walked up to the group of students, looking down into the fighting pit everyone saw what they were looking at. It seemed they weren't the only ones who wanted to train tonight, as these students were currently having their own little fighting circuit. Down below you could see the sparks fly as two opposing teams fighting one another. After a few minutes a bell rang, signifying the victory of one of the teams. Once they cleared the field a brunette huntsman in glasses walked out, apparently acting as the referee.
" Does anyone else want to fight? " He called up to the group, none of the students seemed to notice the three teams from Beacon behind them as they conversed with one another. Weiss gave a shrug and began to walk through the group of students.
" Hey Weiss what are you doing? " Ruby asked her. Weiss ignored her leader and pushed to the front of the students, gaining the attention of most of them.
" Do you think we can have a go? " Weiss asked the student in glasses with her friends walking up behind her, once the boy realized who they were his eyes bulged out of his head, along with every other one of his classmates. After all it made sense, right now there was probably no hunter in training who didn't know at least one of their names, they were the representatives of the prestigious Beacon academy in the Four Kingdoms Tournament.
" You're! Why are hunters like you here? " One of the students asked them.
" What? We can't enjoy a nice night on the town after a victory? " Yang said while leaning over a fence that bordered the pit's edges.
" Well, no, that dose make sense. Is there anything you guys want? " The brunette asked.
" Now that you ask we were planning on a little bit of sparring, but you beat us to the training arena so we won't push. "
" Wait, how about we both fight? After all most of us have only arrived at Beacon quite recently, so we shouldn't be that different in terms of skill right? " Ruby suggested, joining her sister on the railing. Much to their collective disappointment however, the referee and the majority of the students shook their heads.
" Why I'm sure some of us would be honored to fight Beacon's participating teams we'll have to decline. After all the gap between our skills is just too wide. " The referee said with a sad look in his eye, Ruby gave a confused nod and asked him to elaborate.
" Well you were all chosen by you're headmaster, if you think about it that means you're among the strongest in Beacon. I'm sorry but none of us can compete with that just yet. " All of the students agreed with the brunette, and as much as it was to Ruby's distaste they had no right to interrupt their training and steam roll them in their battles. That wouldn't give the students an accurate sense of their capabilities. But before Ruby and friends could pack their bags and leave Yang spoke up.
" If you won't fight us what about our friend here? " Yang asked the students as she pushed Allen front-and-center.
" Yang what are you doing?! " Allen yelled as he was almost thrown over the side into the ring. The referee and his fellow students all raised an eyebrow at the odd-looking boy.
" Who is he? "
" Honestly we just want to get this guy some action, his name's Allen and he just got enrolled. Do you guy's have any objections to letting him fight? " Allen glared at Yang but before he could say anything the blonde huntress booted him over the edge.
" Ow! You mind warning me before you do something like that Yang! " Allen yelled at Ruby's cheshire-grinning sister. The students only stared on at the friends interaction with their jaws on the floor, shaking his head, the referee looked back up at Yang.
" He only just joined correct? " Yang, along with Blake and Weiss all nodded at the boy. Scrunching his brow the brunette clinched the bridge of his nose in thought for a few seconds before finally giving in.
" Well if he only just enrolled it should be fine. Again, I'm sorry for not letting you guys fight, we need our training if we want to become great hunters as well, and fighting people way above our level just won't get us anywhere. "
" We understand perfectly, just give our friend a good workout! " Yang yelled down at him. Why she was sure Allen was strong, what with him single-handedly taking down a death-stalker, she was sure fighting a group of huntsman would be a challenge, even for him. It seemed the rest of the group shared her thoughts as no-one spoke out, not even Ruby, everyone was just staring down at Allen with curious and calculating gazes. Especially since this would be their first time seeing the huntsman fight so close up. Sighing once again, Allen pushed himself off of the hard concrete floor and stood up facing the brunette referee.
" Okay, now that that's over, who want's to fight? " The referee's call was answered by a group of students all jumping down into the arena. They were all male, the apparent leader of the group was a faunus with what looked like a pair of small antelope horns sticking out of his forehead.
" You better make this interesting kid, I've always wanted to spar against a hunter from Beacon. " The leader growled happily in a gruff voice.
" This will be easy! You may have been accepted to Beacon early but we have more experience! " A blonde teen to the left of the antelope faunus yelled, and he was right, all of the boys looked at-least one year older than he was.
Well I shouldn't be surprised, Yang and the others are all seventeen and are freshmen. These guys must be all seniors, but why do they have to be so weak? Allen groaned in his head, why he was sure the four students in front of him were quite strong. They weren't enough to satisfy his inner noah's boredom, Allen wasn't even paying attention and even placed his hands into his new coat's pockets. He didn't even notice the referee start the match, or his friends yells as the four seniors started to rush towards him. The leader swung a massive broad axe towards his chest, but Allen side-stepped it easily. Maybe it was because he was used to fighting demons which could punch through walls, but he just couldn't bring himself to care about this sparring match.
" Damn-it stop moving! " One of the hunters yelled as Allen dodged a slash from a katana-like gun blade. The worst part about it was that he couldn't even use his powers, he didn't want to kill them, nor did he want to expose that side of himself to Ruby and the rest. Speaking of Ruby...
" Hey Ruby! " Allen yelled up as he ducked under a second sword swipe.
" Uh yes? " Ruby responded, to confused by what was happening in the ring to be embarrassed.
" Could you give me the address to that dessert shop later? I wouldn't mind coming here again. " Allen asked her as he side-stepped a kick aimed at his ribs.
" S-sure, " Ruby mumbled to the exorcist. Allen smiled at that, for those pumpkin cookies really were heavenly. Too busy thinking about sweets Allen accidentally took a punch to his gut.
" Great! I got em' guys, while he's disoriented knock him out! " The hunter who had punched him yelled to his teammates. Allen sighed again, that punch was no-where near an akuma's, or even Yang's strength. Looking up, Allen stared at the clock which watched over the square. He had about three more minutes before it was Weiss's turn. Taking in a breath of air, Allen stood up and cracked his knuckles.
" Sorry guys but I'm going to have to finish up here. Let me tell you, you guys are going places, but your gonna have to work on your punches. " The four huntsman all raised confused eyebrows at Allen's declaration. But before any of them could even say a word, the exorcist ran up to their leader and gave him a light chop to the back of the neck, effectively knocking the faunus out. The other three didn't even know what hit them until they felt Allen's hand land on the back of their necks. Allen stretched as he stared down at the four unconscious bodies before him, leaning over Allen gently picked each of them up and carried the huntsmen back to their friends. " Give them my thanks, they're excellent fighters. " Allen ignored the students stares and walked back to his own friends, giving a wave to the referee Allen climbed out of the arena. Looking up Allen was met with many surprised faces as Ruby and the rest all stared at him.
" Allen...that was... " Pyrrha mumbled, apparently lost for words.
" That was amazing Allen! You've got to tell me where you learned those moves! That knock out chop you used on them made you look like a super-hero straight out-of the comics! " Ruby squealed as she ran over and hugged the exorcist. For once no-one spoke up about Ruby's actions and just gave supporting smiles.
" I have to admit that was quite impressive, especially for someone fighting on their own. If I had to guess, I'd say your already at sophomore level, " Coco complimented.
" Thanks everyone, but it was nothing, after all your the ones fighting in the tournament. " Allen smiled as Ruby let go of him, again seemingly unaware of what she had just did. Before they could continue though the loud chime of the square's clock rang through the courtyard, signifying the end of Ruby's hour.
" Looks like your up Weiss, " Allen said with a smile. With that they all exited the square and gave their goodbyes to their underclassmen.
" Got any plans for how we are going to end this night of ours Weiss? " Ruby asked as she walked next to Allen. The Schnee thought for a moment before suddenly stopping to stare at something in the distance. Yang was about to ask her what she was staring at before Weiss spoke out.
" Look at what the theater is preforming! ' A Waltz Through Midnight '! it's one of my favorite plays! You guys just have to see it, wait here why I go get tickets! " No one even had a chance to say anything before Weiss skipped off towards the theater. A few seconds after she'd left Yang had an idea pop in her head, glancing over at her sister who was currently staring at Allen she giggled before running off towards Weiss. Allen and those who saw her run off raised an eyebrow at her actions. After a few minutes Weiss returned with Yang behind her holding their tickets, Allen thanked her before taking his and held the door open for his friends. When Allen stepped inside his eyes widened.
" Wow, it's very...subtle. " Allen mumbled sarcastically as the inside of the theater was positively bubbling with life, along the walls were multiple large statues, five massive chandeliers hung above twinkling in the light, and to top it off were multiple hologram figures floating above their heads glowing a rainbow of colors. Allen wasn't the only one mesmerized, as nearly every single person except Weiss had the exact same reaction.
" Wow it's so pretty~ " Ruby said, her eyes glued to the dance of light above.
" As much as I'd love to stare at the wonderful architecture the play starts in just a few minutes, I suggest you go find your seats. " Weiss told them before walking through a pair of double doors into the main part of the theater. Soon the rest followed, everyone going in different directions trying to find their seats.
" Seat 2AB huh? " Allen mumbled to himself as he climbed up the stairs. Apparently he would be watching the play from a balcony. Finally he found his seat and sat down, leaning back into the velvet-lined chair Allen stared out over the many rows of seats below. After a few seconds of searching Allen's eyes landed upon some familiar faces, but something wasn't right. Below he could see Weiss, Yang, Blake and everyone else all sharing the same row. The only one missing was Ruby but that wasn't the problem, the problem was that there were obviously enough seats for him to sit with his friends, enough that the only way he would've gotten the balcony would be if Weiss specifically asked for it. Allen continued to rack his mind searching for an answer until he heard a small squeak come from behind him, turning his head Allen found no-one other than Ruby standing in the balcony doorway.
" Allen?! You're also in the balcony? " Ruby asked, blushing furiously for some reason.
" Uh yeah, and so are you. " Allen said, still confused on why Weiss would purposefully ask for him and Ruby to share balcony seats, surely she would've saved those seats for herself if she could choose them. After a few moments Ruby was still standing frozen in the doorway, raising an eyebrow Allen politely pulled out her seat. " Are you going to sit down? " Allen asked her gently, he didn't want to be rude, maybe Ruby just had a fear of heights and was just scared of being on the balcony.
" Oh y-yes of course I'll sit down, " Ruby mumbled as she rushed over to take her seat next to Allen. Gazing over into the crowd Ruby saw Yang and Weiss grinning evilly up at her. Immediately, she realized what was going on and sent both of her teammates the scariest glare she could muster, said glare was more adorable then scary as both her sister and Weiss just waved nonchalantly at her. Ruby then pouted for a few moments before she felt a finger pressed against her shoulder. Said finger belonged to Allen who was currently staring at her with a concerned expression. " Eep! Why are you staring at me? " Ruby screamed in a high-voice, said exorcist could only wonder what brought such a reaction about in his friend.
" I'm just worried, you suddenly started staring at something with a very angry expression. Is something wrong? "
" No! Nothing's wrong at all, if anything everything is perfect. " Ruby whispered the last part to herself. Before Allen could respond though the lights began to dim. Turning his attention to the stage Allen watched as a man wearing a tuxedo danced out onto the stage. Following him were many more actors all wearing their own exotic outfits, the curtains drew up to reveal the massive wooden set and the play began. With his eyes glued to the stage Allen didn't notice Ruby as she constantly stole glances to his side. Sighing, Ruby turned her attention back to the stage and watched as the first act began to unfold.
Allen watched as an actress wearing a masquerade mask finished singing her ballad, the play was an oddity if he had to describe it. The entire focus was on a warrior who saved the life of an angel, however it turned out that the angel was actually the devil in disguise and the enemy of the world. Though as much hatred surrounded the devil it turned out that he was actually a kind and gentle soul. But in the end he was slain by the huntress who saved him. For she swore to destroy the darkness and as much as she didn't want to, ended up killing her friend in his final moments, he withered away under the moonlight, unknown to the world and forgotten by the pages of history.
Let's hope this isn't foreshadowing your future, Neah said, Allen nodded. The play was nearing it's end now, all the actors and actresses were out on stage giving their all for the final act. Though one person was not nearly as enthralled in the dancing as he was, next to him Ruby was struggling to keep her eyes open. The chair was just too comfy and warm, and with the slow song that was ringing through her ears Ruby was finding it harder and harder to stay awake. Her head bobbed and Ruby pulled up a hand to her mouth and yawned into it.
Aw well, a few minutes never hurt anybody. Ruby thought to herself, finally, the young huntress's head sagged and she drifted off into dreamland. A minute later the song ended and the crowd erupted into applause, the balcony must've had some sort of sound-proofing because Allen could barely hear the thunderous clapping and whistles from below. He was about to bring his own hands together when he felt a weight shift onto his shoulders, looking to his right Allen saw that Ruby had fallen asleep. She seemed oddly peaceful as her head lay upon his shoulder, Allen couldn't help but smile at the adorable sight.
It's nice knowing that someone here isn't a stranger to sleep. Allen thought, and it was, the fact that at his age he had grown used to not getting much sleep was kinda sad. So it was reassuring to remember that not everyone had to trudge through what he had to trudge through. The lights began to turn on one-by-one and Allen watched as the people below began to get up and leave. Not wanting to wake Ruby, Allen gently scooped the huntress up and carried her downstairs piggy-back style. Once he was in the lobby he met up with Yang and the rest of his friends. They all seemed to be talking about the play, but once they saw Allen carrying the sleeping Ruby none of them could keep a straight face, it was just too cute!
" Hey Allen, looks like your carrying some extra baggage, " Yang smiled at her sister's form.
" Yeah she fell asleep near the end. " Allen whispered, trying not to wake the girl he was carrying.
" Well we should be heading back soon, the airship back to Beacon is quite close so we should get going. " Weiss interjected, said huntress also couldn't help from smiling at her leader sleeping in Allen's arms.
" Should I hand her off to one of you? I don't know where your dorm room is. " Allen whispered, instead everyone just walked out the door leaving him to follow.
" Nah, I think she looks pretty comfortable where she is. " Yang smiled, and for once it wasn't a teasing smile.
" Ruby has the right idea, we have a big day tomorrow so everybody make sure to get plenty of shut eye. " Pyrrha suggested with her hand to her mouth. " Oh by the way Allen sometime you and me have got to spar. " Allen nodded at her request, fighting Pyrrha would be interesting.
" Of course, but first we have to get back to Beacon. " Allen finished, now focusing on keeping Ruby as comfortable as possible, everyone smiled at the boy's care for their young friend. Stretching into a yawn herself, Yang turned to her two awake teammates and smiled.
" So what do you think my sister's dreaming about? " At her question Blake and Weiss both smiled and looked up into the starry night sky.
" I'm not sure, but I bet it has something to do with someone who has white hair and is wearing a blue coat, " Weiss giggled.
" Weiss your forgetting something, " Blake said.
" What? "
" Someone who has white hair, a blue coat, and whose name is Allen Walker. " At this the three girls all giggled silently into the night, it was truly a great way to unwind before the tournament really started heating up, and boy were they ready for it.
Welp here I am with chapter seven, sorry for the lack of action. This ark is going to be more focused on building the relationships between Allen and team RWBY and friends, I promise there will be a TON of action next ark. But until next time you all have an awesome day and I hope to see you here in chapter 8 of: Beacon's Exorcist.
R and R please! ( I feed on your input! )