Author's Note: Hello everyone! I had every intention on posting this a week ago (it was all written and in the final editing phase too) but then life happened. I ended up driving on the road for about a week straight, between a funeral of a family member out in Kansas, and then directly to a wedding in Pittsburgh, before driving back to Ohio. I'm so happy to be off the road and no longer dodging tornadoes, but I seem to have developed some prolonged motion sickness from my travels so staring at a screen for too long has made me feel sick, hence why I am only posting this now. I hope the wait has been worth it. Thank you so much to those who commented on the last chapter! I always love hearing from my readers. As always, please feel free to leave a comment on here or come yell at me at blacklabyrinth07 on tumblr. I always love hearing from my readers. Special thanks to my Beta, mysteriesofthislife, who took the time during their vacation to help me edit this fic. Anyway, please let me know what you think! Enjoy!
Promises to Keep
Yang hummed in happiness as she dug into a platter of eggs, bacon, and toast with a smattering of jam. She was pleased to find that the owner of the hotel had a complimentary breakfast for patrons, which the brawler was all too happy to partake in. Ruby sat across from her eating something that resembled chocolate chip pancakes while downing a cold glass of milk. Blake and Weiss were not in sight as they had wandered into the First District to see if they could find a café that served gourmet coffee and tea so early in the morning.
Ruby groaned loudly as she paused mid-bite to rub at her lower back, the noise being loud enough to make Yang set down her mug of coffee to stare at her younger sister.
"Are you alright, Sis?" Yang asked as she shifted in her seat to give the scythe wielder a once-over with keen lilac eyes.
"I had a rough night and now my back hurts so much." Ruby's groans grew as she twisted in her seat to crack her spine, making her older sister cringe at the organic sound.
Yang took a sip of her coffee, hiding her smirk behind her mug as she carefully chose her next words. "Something wrong with your sleeping arrangements with the Ice Queen?"
"Yang… Don't call her that." Ruby whined at her sister's teasing. "Weiss was freaking out because our room only had one bed, so I slept on the floor last night."
Yang coughed loudly, having inhaled some of her eggs. "She made you sleep on the floor?!"
"I… volunteered, actually." Ruby avoided her sister's stare as a deep blush flooded the scythe user's cheeks.
"Whipped…" Yang whispered, keeping her voice lowered as she watched Ruby dig into her pancakes at a rate that would have made Nora jealous.
After eating her fill, Yang wiped her mouth clean with a napkin and cleared her throat to catch her sister's attention. "Okay Ruby. What's the plan for today?"
The young leader held up her pointer finger for a moment as she finished her milk and licked her dairy mustache clean. "Well now that everyone is rested and healed up, we need to get ready to leave this world and search for JNPR and our families. Weiss and I are going to the First District to get supplies from Cid's accessory shop and then we'll go around and see if anyone has seen people from Remnant."
Yang nodded, tapping her fingers on her thigh in thought. "And how do you plan to do that?"
Ruby smiled and held out her scroll. "With these… Weiss and I figured we could start with photos of friends and family and go from there. Can you use these pictures? Weiss asked for me to give them to you."
"That's a good start." Yang grabbed her scroll and swiped through the images that were glowing on the screen. The first few pictures were of the teams that they were close with, from the different academies. Swiping to the right through the photo album, Yang saw that this included Teams JNPR and CVFY from Beacon, and even Team SSSN from Haven. The next picture was one that Yang also had saved on her phone. It was an older photo when Ruby had been accepted into Signal, the red-tipped brunette smiling widely while hugging her mentor and Uncle, Qrow Branwen. To the right of the unshaven man stood a smirking Taiyang with his arm around a younger Yang who was flashing a peace sign at the camera.
Yang swiped right to reveal the final picture, surprise flashing across her face as she saw a image of Weiss standing next to Winter in their Huntress and military uniforms, respectfully. The photo must have been taken right before Weiss had left for Beacon as the scar over her left eye was still a fresh wound. Weiss was positively beaming at the camera, her joy evident in the photo as she was pressed into the side of Winter. The older Schnee sister had a small, but genuine smile that graced her lips as a gloved hand rested on her sister's shoulder. A heavyset balding man with brown hair and mustache stood off to the side of the two women in an embroidered navy blue butler's uniform. His piercing yellow eyes were evident in the photo as the older gentleman was smiling at girls with pride. Yang wondered who had taken the picture that had depicted such a rare scene between sisters.
Reaching in a pocket for her own scroll, Yang gently tapped her device on top of Ruby's. A quiet beep emitted from the scrolls signifying that the pictures had been successfully transferred onto Yang's scroll. It seemed like the touch-based compatibility transference function was still operational even without the CCT Towers within range.
Yang placed her scroll back into her pocket for safe keeping and jabbed a thumb at her chest as she spoke. "Blake and I will check out District Two and do the same thing. Besides, I was talking to Penny earlier about the town and she told me about a place I want to take Blake, so we'll go there first."
Ruby nodded. "Okay, but be careful. Leon and Yuffie cleared out that district this morning, but there is always a chance Heartless can appear."
"We'll be careful." Yang stated as she ran her fingers through her hair to help comb it out more. "Besides, how can they do that? I saw their weapons last night and Leon and Yuffie don't have Keyblades."
Ruby shrugged as she pushed out of her chair and flipped her cloak so that it settled over her shoulders better. "I'm not sure. I guess that's just something we'll need to ask them later."
Yang grunted as she placed a hand on her chin in thought. "I have a feeling that this world has a lot of secrets."
Ruby hummed in response. "Not to mention the people here too. Keep an eye open, okay Sis?"
"Will do, Ruby." Yang grinned and stretched her arms high above her head. "Let's go find our partners and then we'll hit the town. When we're done, let's meet up back at the safe house and see if everyone's ready to go."
"Sounds good, Yang." Ruby wrapped her older sister in a one armed hug as they made their way out of the hotel and into the sunlight streets below.
[-][-][-]
"So where are we going?" Blake asked as she followed her cheery partner along the upper ring of the plaza in the Second District. The raven-haired girl looked around in wonder as shop signs flashed bright neon even in the early morning light. The glaring lights gave the city a buzzing energy as if it was always busy, even with only a few stragglers walking around in packs to avoid surprise attacks from the creatures of darkness.
Yang gave her partner a brilliant smile as she leisurely walked to their destination. "Patience Blake, it's a surprise."
Blake frown slightly, her bow twitching at Yang's calm demeanor. "But we really should start asking around town about our friends and family."
Yang laughed as she waved off Blake's concern. "And we will, but first there's a place I want to check out. Penny recommended it to me last night and I figured it would be a good place to start our search as any. After all, Penny told me she is quite the talker, which is rich coming from her."
"She? Who are you talking about?" Blake widened her eyes in surprise, picking up the pace to get in step with Yang who had suddenly walked with more purpose and speed towards a lone shop that was tucked away in the alleyway, between a shoe repair shop and a hat store. A painted wooden sign that hung over the entrance of the store read: 'Down the Rabbit Hole'.
Yang flashed her partner a grin. "You'll see. Just a little further."
Within a few steps along the cobbled sidewalk they arrived in front of the small shop. Compared to its neighbors, the storefront display was rather modest with a map of the districts of Traverse Town along with world maps of places they had never seen before. Resting on the window shelves were piles of books of all sizes and languages stacked together in an inviting manner. A brass looking glass and a small pocket watch that was spinning counter-clockwise were sitting to the right of the nearest book stack. The warm low lighting of the store glinted off a small lopsided set of gold-plated scales on top of a pile of old tomes. Blake could feel herself practically vibrate in excitement as she realized where Yang had taken her.
"After you, milady." Yang gave her partner an exaggerated bow causing the dark-haired Faunus to roll her eyes while shooting her partner a small smile. The ringing of small silver bells overhead announced their arrival as the small wooden door closed behind them, shutting them inside the cozy building. The room was filled with rows upon rows of books placed on rickety bookshelves. Stacks of books, maps, and loose parchment lay precariously around the room on low tabletops. There was a small sofa that was placed under the window storefront with a single lamp lit off to the side to provide reading light.
To the right of the entrance was a large oak desk where a short blonde woman stood to greet them. The woman was in her mid-twenties with slightly large front teeth that flashed with her inviting smile. She wore a black t-shirt and dark washed jeans tucked into black combat boots as she stood watching the pair enter the shop. A green wind breaker jacket rested on her shoulders along with a red and black checkered flannel shirt that was tied around her waist. Blue eyes twinkled as she observed the darker-haired girl take a deep breath once entering the bookstore, simply taking in the comforting smells of old books and dried ink.
"Welcome to 'Down the Rabbit Hole: Bookstore and Trading Post of Whimsical Trinkets and Stranger Things'," The girl paused in her speech, her accent thick as she flung her slender arms wide in an open gesture to her shop. "My name is Alice Jones, but I also go by Tilly. How may I help you this fine morning?"
Blake smiled as she watched the owner of the shop trade pleasantries as Yang introduced herself and Blake on her behalf, the Faunus too interested in her surroundings to remember her manners.
"What is this place?"
"It's a bookstore, silly. Although now it acts more like a library." Alice flashed the pair a bright smile as Blake reached out to pick up a book that wasn't written in any language she was familiar with.
Yang smiled as she gestured around at the humble bookstore. "I brought you here Blake, because this is one of the only places in existence that houses books from all across the different worlds."
Blake perked up having caught her attention, her bow standing on end in excitement. "Is that true? You must have quite the collection."
Alice nodded. "That's right. I have a lovely selection of works from every realm you can think of and more. Travelers come and go as they please in my shop. You can take anything you want here with you on your travels; I only ask that you swap out a one book for another so that everyone has a chance to read something new."
"You mean a book exchange?" Blake asked as she moved away from a pile of books by the window to join her partner back at the oak desk counter.
"Right you are, lass." Alice smirked. "Got anything to add to my collection? Of course you can ask for your book back at any time."
Yang raised an eyebrow at her partner, knowing full well that Blake always had one novel or another stuffed on the inside pocket of her black vest. "Well, Blakey, what do you say? You don't have to trade anything here, but I doubt you'll get another opportunity like this again."
Blake glanced away from a stack of unrecognizable maps on the corner of the desk to lock eyes with the blonde book keeper. "I can ask for it back at anytime, right?"
Alice sincerely smiled as she slowly nodded her head. "You have my word, as a daughter of a pirate – you will get your book back."
"Does a pirate's word really mean anything here?" Yang asked as she cocked an eyebrow at the young woman's words.
Alice shrugged, having not stopped smiling. "It does on my world." Blue eyes locked with burning amber as Alice held out her hand expectantly. "What do you say, want to make a deal?"
Blake blinked before slowly reaching into her vest to reveal a battered copy of 'Ninjas of Love, Vol. 1' and gently placed the worn novel into the woman's waiting hand. "Take care of it for me?"
"I will…" Alice smiled as she looked at the new book with a reverence that only a true book lover could muster. "Now as promised, feel free to pick out one book from any of the shelves. Let me know if you need a recommendation."
"What do you have in mind?" Blake asked as she skimmed the shelves at her leisure, occasionally picking up a paperback and turning it over to read the summaries on the back cover before replacing it on the shelf.
"What's your cup of tea, Blake? Romance, folktales, magic, mysteries, fiction?" Alice asked as she moved out from behind her desk to follow the Faunus in her search for the perfect novel.
"How about a little of everything?" Blake asked as she turned to smile at the exuberant store owner.
Alice clapped her hands together while letting out a squeal of glee. "I have just the one!"
Walking with a spring in her step as she disappeared around a row of bookshelves, only to appear moments later with a small book bound with a red spine and purple hard covers. The novel looked well loved, the spine creased from years of use and a quick flipping through the pages showed the corners marked with crease lines from past readers dog-earring their place.
"Here is the first one. I was told there are seven in the series, although because I rely on what is brought to me, I only have the first, third, and sixth books in the series. Although I found that the first one works rather well as a standalone novel."
Yang glanced over Blake's shoulder to read the title that was oriented in flaking silver lettering on the spine.
"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling." Yang read out loud as she turned the book to glance at the back cover, finding it blank. Unable to read its secrets, she shrugged. "I've never heard of it."
"I'd be surprised if you had… I discovered this series on my second world. I never got the chance to read the whole series, but the first one has always been a favorite of mine. Reading it has always been like coming home." Alice ran her fingers over the two-toned colored cover in unbridled adoration, before she handed the novel over to Blake with a grin. "It seems only fair that I trade you a little piece of my home for yours."
Blake's face morphed into a sincere smile, feeling her throat tighten as unshed tears threatened to make themselves known. "Thank you, Alice."
The book keeper smiled brightly, her blue eyes twinkling in the over head light as she noticed the emotions flickering across the dark-haired girl's face. "So… Are you travelers yourselves? You didn't seem particularly shocked by premise of this store."
Blake looked around at the different maps that were pinned to the walls of the shop, before turning to face the intrigued woman. "I guess you can say we're new to this whole world jumping thing. But we have some friends who offered to help us in our travels."
Alice tilted her head in thought. "Let me guess, those kids with the funny looking keys?"
Yang widened her eyes in shock. "How did you know?"
Alice chuckled at the brawler's surprise. "They've been coming to my store for a while now. Those kids have been one of my biggest suppliers of new books. But I'm not surprised since I know that the samurai is one of the few people here that can travel across realms without a gummi ship. Not that those are the only ways to travel between realms, but his powers do help."
Yang and Blake both looked at each other in confusion at the mention of a samurai in Team HART, before they shrugged and let that new information go. The Huntresses assumed Alice was talking about Ryu, as the older boy most matched the look of such a warrior, but they could always ask him about it later.
Yang turned so that she faced the book keeper once more. "You said that there are more ways to jump between realms, or worlds in this case. What did you mean by that?"
Alice chuckled. "I arrived here by rabbit hole. Although I quickly discovered that there aren't many rabbits to chase here."
Blake tilted her head in uncertainty. "Rabbit hole?"
"On my first world, chasing a white rabbit down its hole would often lead you to a portal that would open and lead to other realms." Alice chuckled. "You couldn't control where you would end up, but it always made for a wild adventure."
Yang snapped her fingers in thought, catching the attention of the book lovers. "Wait a minute… I think I read a children's book about something like that before."
Alice scoffed at the brawler's words, picking at a rainbow-colored string bracelet that adorned her wrist. "I assure you it's all bloody wrong."
Before Yang could make a retort to defend her beloved childhood story, Blake cut her off with a question address to Alice. "If you're having trouble finding rabbits here, then couldn't you ask for a ride from Cid to go back to your world? I heard he had a ship of some sort that could make the trip. Or I am sure Ryu could help you if you asked him nicely."
Alice face fell into a frown. "That's a fine plan, but only if you have somewhere to go. You see, I don't have a home to go back to. I arrived here by accident and it was only when I tried to return that I learned the fate of my homes – both worlds I lived in are now gone."
There was a pause as Alice's words hung in the air. Yang shifted her weight onto her other foot as she locked eyes with the book store owner. "Heartless?"
Alice sadly nodded. "Yes, unfortunately. There was no warning for them, so they had no time to evacuate. One minute everything was fine, and the next they were gone. Once you've been here long enough you'll find that everyone in Traverse Town is either lost or separated from their homes and the people they love."
Alice sighed deeply, propping her head up with an elbow on the desk as she leaned on the wooden surface, suddenly looking tired and older beyond her years. "I ask you, what is the greater curse? Not knowing who you or your lover's identities are, but still being able to be with each other? Or to remember your past and their identity, but to be ripped apart once more? This is one curse too many..."
Blake caught her partner's eye, both girls unsure how to address such a question. After a few tense moments of reflection, Yang broke the strained silence.
"Where are you from?"
Alice looked up from the rainbow bracelet to grin up at the Beacon students. "Seattle, Washington..." Receiving only blank looks, Alice carried on. "…Nothing?"
Blake shook her head as her partner shrugged.
Alice titled her head, resting her elbows on the desk as she leaned forward in her interrogation. "How about the Enchanted Forest...? Yeah, I didn't think so. Popycock! Fat chance the lot of you knowing about those places, looking the way you do."
Blake felt her body stiffen as she glanced away from the eccentric booklover. "What do you mean by that?"
Alice rolled her eyes as if the answer was so obvious it didn't need saying. "The cat ears!"
Blake felt Yang move so that her body was blocking Alice's line of sight to her partner. The Faunus almost jumped in surprise as she felt Yang reach back and lace her fingers with Blake's own in reassurance. Blake refused to make eye contact with Alice as she crossed her arms over her midriff. "I… I don't know what you're talking about."
Alice snorted at Blake's affronted face. "Honestly… And I thought I was mad." The book keeper arched an eyebrow at the girl's nervous behavior before pointing at the top of her own head. "Sweetheart, your ribbon moves. Have to be ears under there, so I recon you aren't from around here. Or at least where I come from."
"You're taking this surprisingly well…" Blake trailed off as she watched Alice let out a peel of laughter.
"Believe me when I say that you are not even remotely close to the weirdest looking people that I have met in my travels." Alice winked as she watched Blake finally let herself smile at their situation. Alice's laughter died down until she tilted her head at her customers. "You aren't staying here in Traverse Town, are you?"
Yang crossed her arms over her chest as she shook her head. "No, we need to go find our friends and save our home. And we have the power and tools to be able to do it. Nothing can stop us if we put our minds and heart into this."
Alice smiled brightly. "Spoken like a true adventurer. While you're out there, can you do me a favor? I'm looking for someone." She reached into a pocket of her green wind breaker to remove a small device that looked similar to their scrolls. On the lock screen of the glowing device was a picture of two girls. On closer inspection they recognized one of the girls as Alice who was kissing the cheek of a taller girl with light brown hair tied in a loose braid, with large round wire-rimmed glasses framing kind green eyes. The other girl was smiling widely at the camera, an arm draped around Alice's waist and a long bow clutched loosely in her other hand.
"She goes by Robin or Margot Mills. There are not a lot of rabbits on this world that I can use to realm jump. So if you find her, please bring her back to me." Alice sighed wistfully as she glanced at the photo of the two of them one more time before shoving the scroll-like device back into her jacket.
Yang reached out to lightly squeeze Alice shoulder before pulling away with a reassuring smile. "We'll keep a look out for her… Speaking of missing people, does anyone from these pictures look familiar?" Yang pulled out her scroll from her pocket and handed the device over to Alice to swipe through the photos of their loved ones.
Following Yang's lead, Blake reached for her scroll from a hidden pocket inside her vest and pulled up a saved photo hidden deep within her files. "Or anyone from this?"
Having not seen the picture on Blake's scroll before, Yang glanced at the picture to notice what looked like a family portrait was glowing on screen. Dressed in deep purple, black, and white three Faunus stood proudly, each member smiling at the camera. A tall dark-haired man with broad shoulders and light yellow eyes stood next to a much smaller woman with large pointed ears and slanted golden amber eyes. Between the adults and barely reaching up to their elbows stood a small Faunus girl, feline ears on display with a cheeky grin plastered on her face.
'Is that Blake's family? She's never mentioned them before. I didn't even know they were still alive…' Yang frowned briefly as she looked away from Blake's scroll, the brawler feeling like she had accidentally invaded on a private moment for her partner.
Alice took her time as she analyzed every person's features shown on all the photos. But after several tense minutes the blonde booklover slowly shook her head and sighed. "I'm sorry, but I don't know anyone from those photos. But if I do, I'll let you know."
"Thank you, Alice." Blake answered, her bow twitching in her sincerity.
"No, thank you and enjoy your book!" Alice waved to the two girls as Blake tucked her new novel into her jacket and exited the cozy bookstore with the tell-tale sound of silver bells wishing them farewell.
The black and yellow duo spent the rest of their morning traveling around to the different shops and apartments located within the district, asking townies and travelers alike for any information on their missing friends. Unfortunately for the Huntresses in training, they had no success in their numerous inquiries and thus they leisurely made their trek back to the safe house.
Blake sighed as she was turned down by yet another patron wandering the shopping district. "It's just so sad... seeing everyone separated from their loved ones. I mean, we can't help everyone." Blake gestured to the people who mingled at the edges of the higher section of the plaza.
Yang shook her head slowly, her golden mane shining in the sunlight. "No we can't. But that doesn't mean we can't try…" The brawler brought down a fist into her open palm in a gesture of passion.
Blake hummed at her partner's enthusiastic response, the Faunus lost in her own thoughts as they strolled down the cobbled street.
Yang cleared her throat to gain back her companion's attention, the brawler fidgeting as she walked showing her apprehension. Yang sighed at the sideways look shot by her partner, knowing that if she didn't speak soon, Blake would force out whatever was bothering her in time. "Blake… Who were the people in your picture?"
Blake paused in her gait, forcing the blonde to stumble at her partner's abrupt stop. The dark-haired Faunus looked down at her feet, her voice quiet and almost lost amongst the sounds of the town when she finally responded in hushed tones. "…They are my parents."
Yang stared at her with wide eyes, her eyebrows disappearing into her bangs at her surprise. "Your parents are alive?!"
Blake nodded, still refusing to look her partner in the eyes. "Yes, although I haven't seen them in years. We haven't spoken since I stayed with Adam in the White Fang. And now…" Blake paused to look up into the cloudless sky, her eyes becoming misty as anguish laced her voice. "I'd give anything to see them again, just say how sorry I am. For everything."
Yang reached out to envelope her partner in a one-armed hug, the Faunus sniffling slightly into the other girl's brown jacket. "You'll see them again, I promise. And when we save Remnant, the first thing we'll do is find them so that you can be reunited with your family."
Blake looked up from where she had buried her face into her partner's neck, amber eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Will you come with me? I'd rather not see them alone."
Yang gave Blake a tender smile that she only reserved for the dark-haired beauty. "Of course I will. I'm your partner."
Deep amber eyes met soft lilac as each girl stood motionless in the middle of the sidewalk, simply taking in the comfort of each other's presence.
After a few seconds of intense staring, Yang glanced away and stretched her arms behind her head as she started walking again. "Besides, I'm sure if you ask Ruby and Weiss they would be happy to come too. I never thought I'd get the chance to meet your parents."
Blake matched the blonde's steady gait before nodding. "I'm sure they'll love you. And thank you, Yang."
"Of course, Blake. Anything for you…" Yang murmured as they continued on their walk.
They continued on their search, Yang whistling a tune Blake thought she recognized as a song Weiss had once sung in the shower when she thought their dorm room was empty. They slowed their walk to a crawl as they passed a store that sold weapons and tools, knowing full well that they would be useless against the threat of Heartless.
Yang's eyes lingered on a long sword, the polished blade gleaming in the neon lights of the storefront. She glanced over at her partner who seemed lost in thought as the more introverted Huntress admired a small dagger in the window's display. "So… Are you going to name your Keyblade?"
Blake tore her attention away from the display to shrug her shoulders. "Well every good weapon needs a name, right?"
"Yeah…" Yang hummed in agreement before closing her eyes and concentrating on her outstretched palm, just as she had seen her sister do the night before to summon her Keyblade. Yang felt her skin tingle as she focused her Aura into her right hand and smiled widely when a few seconds later her own Keyblade appeared in a small flash of light. "I think I'll call her Burning Heart."
Blake tilted her head as she examined the golden weapon that gleamed in her partner's grip. "Isn't that a bit too on the nose?" She pointed to the yellow metal keychain that hung from the blade, the burning heart symbol that belonged to the brawler dangled from a silver chain.
Yang shrugged as she awkwardly swung her Keyblade in the air before watching the weapon unintentionally disappear from her grasp. "Well what about you? What are you going with?"
Blake held out her hand as she summoned her own Keyblade, her eye twitching in annoyance as she noticed that it took her a few more seconds than her partner to make the black Keyblade appear. Holding the Keyblade in her right hand, she reached out with her left to thumb the stylized black metal flower that hung from a delicate silver chain. "Did you know that Belladonna is a plant found in Menagerie?"
Yang lifted a hand to stroke her chin in thought. "I think I remember reading that in Professor Peach's class… Why do ask?"
Blake stared at the metal symbol, her fingers tracing the curved edges of the black trinket. "There's a reason my family name and crest is based off the flower. The plant is as deadly as it is beautiful; the black berries that draw the eye to the alluring plant are so toxic that it can kill a small child if they eat too much of it. Because of this, the Belladonna plant is also known as on the island as 'Deadly Nightshade'."
The Faunus paused in her gentle movements to hold her blade up to the sky, watching the neon lights and sunlight reflect off the pitch black metal of the Keyblade. The polished violet cross guard and white leather grip stood out drastically from the dark motif of the blade. "Beautiful and deadly – is that not how a Huntress views their weapon?"
Yang whistled appreciatively as the Faunus spun her blade so that it flashed in the light before disappearing in a whirl of blackened steel. "So… Nightshade?" Yang glanced over the dark-haired beauty, giving her partner a once-over look of admiration. "Seems appropriate. I like it."
Blake shot her partner a small grin. "I'm glad you approve."
After finishing their rounds at the last few shops in the Second District with limited success, the yellow and black duo made their way back to the safe house.
About a few shops away from their destination, Blake turned to face her partner. "Yang?"
"Yes, Blakey?" Yang replied, eyeing the way her partner's bow twitched on her head.
"Thank you for taking me to the bookstore." Blake shot her partner a warm smile, a rare sight only to be seen by the overly affectionate partner. Blake felt her breath catch in her throat as the brawler reached out and laced her fingers with her partner, giving her hand a light squeeze.
"You're welcome." Yang spoke softly as together they made their way back to the safe house, Blake's hand clutched tightly in her own.
Blake smiled to herself, basking in the warm glow that always seemed to emit from her partner. Blake closed her eyes as she felt herself squeeze Yang's hand in response, the Faunus flooding with a sense of calm reassurance at the physical reminder that whatever the future held, they would face it together.
[-][-][-]
"Almost there… And, yes! I've got it." Penny smiled with glee as she continued to type her way at the keyboard that lay before a massive monitor. Team RWBY stood off to the side in the room as they watched their friend work her magic as the ginger typed away frantically at the glowing screen.
"What are we looking at, kid?" Cid asked, his eyes squinting at a blinking red light that flashed on the monitor. The image itself was a three-dimensional green and black grid that reminded Ruby of a sonar image with multiple orbs in various positions that floated in place on the mapped out area. One particular glowing sphere had a red beacon that pulsated from its surface. Since Penny had long ago zoomed up on that particular image on the grid, Ruby assumed that the flashing orb indicated a different world then Traverse Town. Ruby couldn't help but laugh at the fact that their current position on screen was marked by a cartoonish image of Penny's smiling face that was located a little to the left of the glowing red orb.
"According to our calculations, there is a massive spike of Heartless activity on one of the nearby worlds." Penny typed away at the computer, her fingers becoming a blur as she moved them so quickly over the keyboard that only the constant chatter of the clicking keys informed the others that Penny had not simply become one with the computer.
"Let me see if I can get any specific reading about the world before we send you off." Penny explained as she rapidly typed and clicked on various lines of information and code that flashed on screen. "Looks like the life forms are humanoid, the locals seem to be non-hostile, but with a love for fighting for sport. Let me see if I can zoom up on the main location where the Heartless are spawning…"
Cid hunched over his android companion to squint at the screen. "Wait a minute… HART does this place look familiar to you?"
The experienced engineer twisted his body to face the small group of Keyblade users who had been following their progression next to the Beacon students. Haruka stepped forward until she was inches away from the main monitor that took up almost most of the wall.
"That's the coliseum…" Haruka pointed to an image on the screen of an older building built from white marble with large stone pillars, and two imposing statues in bronze that guarded the entrance. "We've been there before. But you said they're having issues with Heartless?"
"I don't understand… We sealed away the Keyhole last time we were there." Titus shook his head in confusion.
Ryu spoke, his thickly accented voice gruff. "Titus is right. There should not be any issues with Heartless without a catalyst."
Penny nodded. "According to my algorithm there is a dramatic growth in Heartless sightings and it is only increasing. As to the cause… It could be anything. This place isn't exactly the most peaceful of words and it seems to attract a lot of fighters." Penny pointed to the monitor while cocking her head as she read the program that flashed on screen.
"We've been asking around town, and several people mentioned rumors that have sprung up across the worlds of a red-headed champion in the games. Could that be one of your friends?" Yuffie asked as she gestured to the group of Huntresses.
Yang looked at her friends before nodding. "It could be Pyrrha or Nora. Either way, it's worth checking out."
"Keep in mind that they are not the only ginger-haired fighters across the worlds." Ryu spoke, his tone soft, but firm as he regarded the room with his words. "These rumors may not be referring to your friends."
"Very true, Ryu. But any lead at this point is worth checking out. Besides, if they are having an issue with Heartless then we need to check the Keyhole." Haruka spoke, her eyes not leaving the glowing screen. Nodding to herself, she turned to face the other leader in the room. "If it is alright with your team, then this world should be our first destination."
"Sounds like a plan." Ruby agreed as she nodded her head at her teammates.
The older leader clapped her hands in finality. "Well then, shall we retire to the living room for our final preparations? It's a bit cramped in here." Haruka gestured around the small room that housed Cid's supercomputer. While the room served well as a communications center for the world jumpers, it wasn't built for standing room for more than three people max.
Together Cid, Penny, Leon, and Yuffie, as well as members from both teams made their way through the hallway of the safe house until they entered the larger entrance room where they were greeted by a friendly face.
"Aloy! It's good to see you up and about!" Titus exclaimed as he ran forward to tackle the taller girl in a bone crushing hug.
"Whoa, careful there Munchkin." Aloy chuckled as she ruffled his hair before he ducked away from her palm and swiped at her offending hand.
Aloy was wearing her crisp white pants tucked into tall black buckled boots. Instead of her more elaborate outfit, she wore only a simple sleeveless navy blue tunic over a white undershirt. Thick bandages could be seen wrapped up both arms and down onto her torso, but otherwise the older woman looked to be in better health.
"Sod off, Aloy! Let me go!" As Titus shouted his voice slipped into an accent that Blake realized also belonged to Alice, although the bookkeeper's accent was definitely more pronounced then the younger Keyblade user.
Weiss smiled having never seen the duel Keyblade wielder so relaxed as the silver-haired girl play-fought with the younger boy, before they broke away after receiving disapproving looks from their teammates.
"I wanted to see you off…" Aloy turned to face her teammates with a large grin, her clothing a bit disheveled from her roughhousing with Titus. She turned to face Ryu who had been watching everything off to the side with a gleam of mirth in his eyes. "…And to ask you a favor."
"What can I do for you, my friend?" Ryu's voice rumbled in his slower articulate accent as he spoke.
"While I am unfit to travel with you, I do wish to help in any way that I can – that includes speaking to the King."
Ryu cocked his head as he thought over her words. "And you need my gateway to do it? Why not borrow Cid's gummi ship?"
"I would, but that would take too much time, something we don't have the luxury of sparing. Your gateways are the fastest way for me to get the answers we need."
"Which are?" Yang asked, cocking a hip as she as gestured to the rest of the room in question.
"We need to know what happened to the doors leading to Kingdom Hearts." Haruka answered for her partner. "Aloy's ability allows her access to the doors, but last time they were seen they were sealed away by the King himself. If the doors have been tampered with, or if someone was planning on opening Kingdom Hearts, the King would know what to do."
"Who is this… King?" Weiss asked, attempting to follow along in the leader's explanation. Her thoughts traveled to a memory of a flash of gold that had adorned Aloy's combat gear, the tri-rounded circlet that had first caught her attention at the start of their match.
"King Mickey, ruler of Magic Kingdom." Aloy answered as she reached across her chest with her left hand, only to fall to her side once her fingers failed to feel her cross-body belt of keychains that normally was worn by the blue-steel eyed warrior.
"He's a mouse… But don't tell him that. It's rude." Titus chuckled as he lowered his voice as if the boy was sharing some deep secret.
"Right…" Blake felt her feline ears twitch as she drawled out the last syllable. While her team had taken her Faunus heritage well, she was unsure how this new group of people would take to her cat-like appendages.
Blake narrowed her eyes as she observed the young boy dressed in green and brown leather armor before her. Then again, perhaps her fears were unfounded since they had traveled to other worlds and have claimed to have seen rather unusual people – Dust, even Titus' ears appeared to be slightly too pointed to be entirely human. Blake shifted her weight to her other foot as she considered the implication that while the Keyblade wielders had certainly helped them in the past, they were still strangers to the students of Beacon. The Faunus' train of thought was interrupted by the intrusion of Aloy's voice.
"What we need is information and I happen to be in the perfect position to make this trip." She gestured to her injured body. "Until I am well enough to help you, I can travel separately for the more mundane tasks that need to be done. That and I can help keep an eye out for unusual Heartless activity across the different worlds."
"And how do you plan on doing that while you're here?" Yang asked as she gestured to the safe house's walls.
Aloy smirked. "Simply, by doing this!"
The young woman held out her right hand where Yearning Heart appeared in her grasp in a burst of light. The curved hooked blade flashed in the room's light as she spun the Keyblade so that the tip of the blade rested on hard wood floors. Gingerly getting on one knee, Aloy bowed her head as she flicked her wrist, the Damascus steel Keyblade turning at a forty-five degree angle. Suddenly the air within the room stirred until Aloy's short black-rooted silver hair whipped around in the created wind as she was cast in a rainbow of light. A kaleidoscope of colors emitted from the base of the Keyblade, the colored lights forming a revolving circular mosaic of stained glass.
A burst of dark mist erupted at the point where Yearning Heart touched the floor, the darkness growing in size and solidifying into a singular Heartless. The small Shadow's yellow beady eyes were its only distinguishing feature on its face as the Heartless stood in a low crouch, the small tendrils on its head swayed with its movement as its eyes locked onto it's summoner.
The Beacon students held their breath, knowing what would happen to the Keyblade user once a Heartless was summoned. But to their surprise the Heartless bounded up to the tall girl and instead of slicing her hand, it grabbed onto her leg and nuzzled its dark face into the side of her leg.
"Hello little one, did you miss me?" Aloy chuckled to herself at the Heartless' eager behavior as the Shadow tackled her until she was knocked off balance and fell to the floor. The Heartless jumped excitedly around Aloy's legs, as the Keyblade user sat up to rub at the Shadow's ear tendrils in an affectionate manner. The silver-haired woman lowered her voice as she whispered to the creature of darkness murmured words of care.
"Are Heartless normally this… cuddly?" Weiss asked as she watched the strange sight before her. The Shadow's behavior reminded her of the excitement of a puppy greeting its owner.
"No. And neither are most of Aloy's summons." Haruka explained as she watched her partner interact with the exuberant Shadow that was now running circles around the seated woman. "While Aloy's Heartless are more tamed then the ones we fight, this one has always been the exception to the rule. He is the only one that refuses to harm her." Haruka nodded at the scene before her as the Shadow had jumped up so that its sharp fingers clung to Aloy's tunic, allowing the woman to push herself into a standing position.
Ruby failed to stifle a giggle as the older woman looked rather ridiculous with the small Heartless clinging to her front, the creature vibrating in excitement as Aloy adjusted her grip to hold the Shadow and used her other hand to pet its quivering ear tendrils.
Aloy laughed at the Heartless' excitement. "His name is Diaval. He'll be my eyes and ears across the worlds and will report back to me." The silver-haired woman placed the Shadow on the ground and knelt down so that her head was level with its own. "You know what to do."
The Heartless' ears twitched as it leaned forward to touch foreheads with the summoner, before the Shadow jumped into a spin and disappeared in a burst of black mist.
"So… You can talk with that thing?" Yang asked as she looked skeptically at the spot where the Heartless had disappeared from.
"I wouldn't say that I can 'talk' to Diaval, exactly. But I have been able to establish some form of communication that I've always been able to figure out what he means – It's hard to explain."
Weiss shrugged, turning to the taller blonde. "I actually have a similar bond with my own summons."
"I'm not surprised," Haruka interrupted. "From what I've gathered during my travels, summoners and wizards alike tend to form a special bond with their summons or familiars."
"Wait, wizards?" Weiss shifted her eyes over the people in the room, her teammates giving her looks of confusion. "But, there's no such thing as magic..?"
"Oh, magic exists all right…" Titus smiled as if he was thinking over an inside joke.
"While my young friend is right, now is not the time to go into depth about the mystical arts. We are on a time constraint, after all…" Aloy stood up and dusted off her crisp white pants before turning to face teammates. "Ryu, before you and the others head out, would you mind doing me a favor."
The dark-haired boy nodded. Slowly drawing Wayward Wind from the belts resting on his back, he quickly slashed the Keyblade through the empty space beside him. The graceful movement forced the air to ripple until a door appeared in the middle of the sitting room as if it had been there all along.
The gateway was a large set of mahogany double doors, each door inscribed with the mouse head insignia that the Beacon students now knew belonged to the King. The doors were framed with gold leaf trim that formed a matching red emblem that rested at the crest of the gateway. It was an impressive structure, one that spoke of the importance and supposed wealth of the King's castle it belonged to.
"As promised… Direct access to King Mickey himself at Disney Castle." Ryu spoke as he gestured to the materialized gateway.
Aloy smiled in her gratitude. "Thank you, Ryu. I'll go to speak with him as soon as you and the gang leave. I don't want to depart from the party too soon, after all." She flashed everyone her brilliant smile.
"So… Not to be the bad guy here, but we need to talk about your weaponry." Cid gestured to the Beacon students as they shifted their gazes to their precious weapons.
"What about them?" Blake asked, taking the time to draw Gambol Shroud from where it rested on her back.
"You won't be able to take them with you." Cid explained, gesturing to their weapons with an unlit cigarette that was held between his fingers.
"There's no way I'm leaving Ember Celica behind!" Yang shouted as she cocked the bracelets into their shotgun formation.
Cid sighed. "And what are you going to do if you end up in a world that hasn't invented shotguns, let alone gunpowder?"
Yang looked down at the brightly painted yellow gauntlets. Even in the low lighting of the main sitting room, the weapon's iconic paint seemed to glow to an almost neon brightness.
"Yeah, you might be able to hide those guns of yours, but I don't think your sister there will be able to conceal the giant scythe, let alone a sniper rifle if you find yourself in on a more primitive world." Cid continued as he waved a hand at Crescent Rose, which even in its compact form still drew the wandering eye with its distinctive coloring and metallic shine.
"Besides, it's not like you'll be left defenseless." Haruka explained. "Keyblades can still perform just as well as any melee weapon. For the sword users on your team, the switch to this weapon should be relatively easy."
Ryu nodded at his leader's words. "One of the mystical abilities of a Keyblade is that you do not need to physically have it attached to your person at all times. When you need it most, it will heed your call. And over time, you will be able to summon your weapon at will."
Titus shrugged at his partner's logic. "Besides, displaying your weapons at all times might work on Remnant… I mean, from what I gathered, it's kind of your thing as Huntsman and Huntresses. But to anyone else, having even just a rapier at your side can be seen as a huge threat." Titus pointed to the elegant blade that rested at Weiss' waist.
"Come on guys, I know it sucks but they have a point. We'll already stick out no matter where we end up, but if we can make it even a little bit easier on our team by trying to blend in I say we go for it." Weiss drew Myrtenaster so that the rapier gleamed in the low lighting, before she held out her blade, handle first, to the nearest person that wouldn't be traveling with her and her team.
With only a moment of hesitation, Aloy stepped forward to take the expertly crafted weapon, being careful to avoid touching the Dust chambers as she rested the blade between her bandaged hands.
"Keep an eye on that for me, please?" Weiss asked, as she lifted an eyebrow at the taller woman. "I expect it to be in pristine condition when I return."
Aloy cracked a smile at the Heiress, noticing how the girl's eyes seem to shimmer with the barest trace of unshed tears. "Don't worry, Schnee. I'll even give it a nice coat of polish once I get back from speaking to the King."
Weiss stiffly nodded before she stepped back to join her friends. With only a few words of encouragement from the Ice Queen, Blake and Yang gave their weapons to Leon and Yuffie, the latter promising to keep their gear in a weapons safe located deeper in the house.
Ruby detached Crescent Rose from her back, her vision blurring as she felt her tears fall silently down her cheeks. The former scythe user looked around the room trying to catch the eye of one of the more experienced world jumpers.
"Is there really nothing you can do?" Ruby hated how her voice cracked on the last syllable.
Ryu caught the eye of his young partner, the hazel eyed boy sighing deeply while he shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't help you with this."
Ruby's silver eyes shot up to meet Titus' own, her face flashing with confusion among deep sadness.
"Ruby, you asked us yesterday about our Semblances…" Titus ran a hand over his short shaggy blonde hair. "Well, Ryu has his gateways, and Aloy has her Dive ritual into the Awakening. But I… I have manipulation magic."
"WHAT?!" A chorus of shock rang out as each Huntress yelled in unison.
Titus held his hands out in front of his chest defensively. "Well, magic might not be the right word for it, but it's essentially the same in practice. I have the power to change the physical form of anything I touch and can bend it to my will."
Haruka waved a free hand to capture the attention of the shocked Huntresses in training. "What he means is that he can manipulate matter on a molecular level. Even a simple brush of his fingers can completely transform the laws of nature and physics to his will. To an untrained eye, it appears as if by magic."
Titus shrugged as he smiled. "I can basically create anything out of nothing."
Yang snapped her fingers in thought. "That's how you've been able to blend in while on different worlds, right?"
Titus' smile widened, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement. "Exactly! We tend to stick out, mostly because of our clothing choices, so I just change our appearances to match theirs. You need cotton robes or a full set of armor?! No problem." Titus shrugged as he picked at the sleeve of his green zippered jacket. "Non-living things are easier to manipulate, but I can change our anatomy, biology, and even our chemistry make-up to help us survive out there."
Blake's bow twitched as she took in all of this information. "So if you can change anything to your will, then can you make our weapons able to destroy Heartless?"
"Ah… yes. You see, that's where things can be difficult." Titus fidgeted on his feet. "While I can change things, the effects are only temporary. So… Yes. I can change your weapons to kill Heartless, but it wouldn't be permanent. Even if I could, I wouldn't do it for the four of you. There are some properties of the Keyblades that even I can't replicate."
Yuffie jumped from where she was leaning against a wall. "Titus helped Leon, Penny, and I so that we can use our weapons to clear out Heartless from the other districts. It sure helps a lot to keep their numbers controlled, but it doesn't even compare to what a Keyblade can do."
"So if you can change our weapons to defeat the Heartless, then why did you not help us when Beacon fell?" Ruby's eyes were trained on her feet as she spoke, failing to keep a hint of accusation out of her voice. She shot her eyes upward to glare at Titus, the silver eyes turning into steel as they glinted in the light with her anger. "Why did you leave us to fend for ourselves, knowing we couldn't hurt them?!"
Titus cleared his throat, waiting for the girl to calm down before he spoke. "I was helping… Not with your team, but with the other one that was helping us."
"JNPR?" Ruby asked, tilting her head as she thought back to the battle. Now that she looked back on it, she had lost track of the youngest Keyblade wielder as they jumped into the arena.
Titus nodded. "Yes, as soon as we separated from your teammates, I ran to the other fighters to change their weapons to affect the Heartless. You and your team were holding your own with Ryu, but your friends were on their own while Haruka looked for the Keyhole. I changed their weapons before running to help in her search. By the time I had made my way back to you, it was too late."
"Well it's good to know that JNPR can hold their own against any Heartless until we find them." Yang exclaimed as she grabbed the back of her neck.
"All the more reason to use my algorithm to search for Heartless activity." Penny pointed out. "Fighters from our world are sure to catch their attention and draw in their numbers."
The students from Beacon murmured their agreement. However, Ruby remained silent as she listened to everyone.
"We understand the sacrifice we ask of you, Ruby." Ryu spoke softly as he walked to stand directly in front of the silent Huntress, his hands outstretched to relieve the young leader of her burden. "A warrior never wants to be separated from their weapon. But to hold onto yours could cost you the safety of your friends if on the wrong world. And in some cases, we have no idea what awaits us on the other side of my gateways."
Amber slanted eyes met bright silver as the boy slowly grasped Crescent Rose, letting the weapon hover between the two fighters. "Place your trust in us, Ruby… We promise you will be united with your beloved weapon once more."
Taking a shaky deep breath, Ruby nodded. "Its name is Crescent Rose…"
Ryu allowed a hint of a smile to flash on his face. "A great name for a mighty weapon."
He rested a callused palm gently on top of the young warrior's hand. "I too had to leave my sword behind… It held the name of Honjo Masamune, and a part of my soul still lies with it wherever it may be. But I have never forgotten about my beloved weapon."
Ryu closed his eyes, lost in distant memory, before he looked at the young warrior with an unwavering gaze. "Your weapon will always be a part of you, Ruby. But for now, you need to trust us and let it go."
"Goodbye, old friend…" Ruby took a deep breath and let go of Crescent Rose, causing tears to fall as she released her precious weapon into the custody of the older boy. Penny walked over to join them so that she could take the red and black scythe from the Keyblade user, no doubt to place it into the weapons safe along with the others.
"Don't cry, Ruby. I'll take care of your weapon while you're away." Penny smiled as she held Crescent Rose in her arms with care.
Ruby glanced at her friend, a surprised smile flashed across her face. "Are you not coming with us, Penny?"
Penny shook her head. "I am needed here. You need a way to find the Heartless and communicate with everyone, services I can provide." Penny prodded at a section of her chest, the gesture opening a hidden compartment in her chest plate, exposing the colored wires and rows of microcontrollers that lay nestled inside. After a moment of searching and an exclamation of victory, Penny withdrew a small microchip barely the size of her smallest fingernail.
"Titus, can you give me a hand?" Penny asked as she held out the chip to the young boy, the small piece of metal and plastic emitted a soft green pulsating glow in her palm.
"Sure thing, Penny. Just as we discussed earlier?" Titus asked as he rested his palm over the glowing microchip.
Penny shot him a wide smile. "Yes please, I believe Cid and I were able to extend the range over to the next universe if needed."
After Titus removed his palm from the chip, Penny reached out for Ruby. "May I see your scroll?"
"Uh… Yeah, sure. But I think the battery's low." Ruby said as she removed her scroll from her pocket.
"Titus can provide a charge for you, just remember to ask him to do it repeatedly." Penny explained as she removed a small SIM card from the side and replaced it with her own glowing chip. "That should do it! Now it should be able to make or receive calls no matter what world you are on as I created a direct link to my hard drive."
"Thanks, Penny." Ruby glanced at her scroll, as Titus reached over her hand to tap the screen causing the battery reader to flash until it reached full capacity.
"Yup, defiantly magic." Yang muttered under breath to her partner as she watched Titus' powers in action. "The dude's a walking battery pack. Ouch!" She yelped as Blake elbowed her hard in her ribs.
Ruby locked eyes with her android friend. "Are you and the others safe here? What if the Heartless overrun the other districts and try to attack you? What if there are too many Heartless?"
Penny waved off her friend's worries with a cheery smile. "Don't worry Ruby, I am combat ready!" She snapped herself into attention, her hand coming up in a perfect military salute.
Penny relaxed her stance upon seeing her friend chuckle at her theatrics. "Besides, I want to help Team Fantasy to clear the other sections of Heartless. With their help and my talents, I am confident that we can hold our own."
Ruby cocked her head to the side, her nose scrunching in confusion. "Team Fantasy?"
Penny gestured around to the other occupants of the room. "Cid, Leon, and Yuffie! I couldn't mesh their names to give them a more traditional team name, so they helped me by supplying their own."
Ruby glanced at the other fighters in the room, taking in their appearance and weapons that seemed not all too unfamiliar to those styles found on Remnant. "It fits them well."
Penny smiled. "So it would seem."
Ruby fiddled with her fingers in thought, before surprising the android by launching herself into her friend's arms. "I just don't want to leave you alone."
Penny returned the hug before gently prying the girl away out to arm's reach, not yet letting go of her shoulders. "But I am not alone. I am with Team Fantasy. But more importantly, I am always with you, friend." She pointed to her chest before she reached out to point at the scroll that was still being held in the former scythe wielder's palm.
"Thanks again, Penny." Ruby used her free hand to wipe a stray tear away with her black sleeve.
"Any time, friend!" Penny exclaimed as she squeezed Ruby's shoulders once before she left go of her companion.
"I hate to interrupt, but we are on a strict schedule and I believe that covers all our bases." Haruka spoke up gaining the attention of everyone in the room. "Are we all ready to head out?"
"I got supplies covered!" Titus exclaimed as he clapped his leather gloved hands together.
Aloy rolled her eyes at her youngest teammate. "That's because you can turn a leaf into a tent if you wanted to."
"Again, that's why I call packing!" Titus shouted as he reached out to lightly punch the silver-haired woman on the arm, ignoring her slight wince of pain. "Well… everything except food and water, they never seem to take."
"All the power of creation at his fingertips and he can't even make a pizza." Aloy continued to explain as she caught the eyes of the students from Beacon, giving them a small wink.
Haruka shook her head and sighed. "Ryu and I will carry the rest. Ruby, are you and your teammates ready?"
Ruby was about to nod in the affirmative when she noticed the hesitant look that had crept across her partner's face. "Weiss, what is it?"
Weiss bit her lip before she turned to face her friend. "It's just, back at Beacon we usually had days to prepare for our missions. My team is my family. I just don't want anyone to get hurt because we were unprepared."
Ruby nodded in understanding, remembering how the Heiress had spent her free time in the days before their missions looking up everything from the types of Grimm they might encounter in the field, to the land's topography and water content. Weiss was prepared for every possible factor that might affect their mission, allowing for her and Ruby to bond over late night hours of discussing plans for the mission that lay ahead. Stepping into the unknown like this, both figuratively speaking and otherwise, must be causing Weiss to be nervous at the lack of preparation on her end.
Ruby reached out to lace her fingers with the Weiss' own, giving the slender digits a light squeeze of reassurance. "We'll be alright because we have each other's backs. No matter what happens, we'll take care of each other. Besides, since most of Team HART will be joining us, we can always ask them about their experiences."
Weiss took a deep breath. "You're right, Ruby. We'll be okay as long as we have each other."
"Awww!" Ruby squealed as her eyes seemed to glitter in affection. "See, you are my BFF!"
"No!" Weiss ripped her hand away with a loud sniff and thrust her chin up in the air in a feigned act of indifference.
"Yes…" Ruby turned to wink at her sister who was watching them with a shit-eating grin.
The young leader seemed to remember herself as she heard someone clear their throat loudly to regain her attention. "Right, sorry. Haruka, looks like my team is good to go if you are."
"Emotional goodbye time?" Titus asked, slipping into his subtle accent as he bounded up to wrap Aloy into a strong hug.
The older girl got the wind knocked out of her by the action, but quickly recovered. She reached out to ruffle his blonde hair, chuckling as the boy didn't seem to mind her display of affection for once. "Yeah, be careful out there Titus. And try not to get into trouble, you don't have Zyun or I to help you get out of it so easily anymore."
Titus rolled his eyes, but managed to let go of the taller girl. "No promises, Aloy."
After shaking hands with the Traverse Town residents in the room, Ryu stepped forward to grasp forearms with the blue tunic clad fighter. "I'll look after him."
"You always do." Aloy smiled in her thanks. "I will miss you, my friend."
"And I, you." Ryu replied, neither warrior willing to let go first as they locked eyes. After a few seconds of silence, Ryu nodded his head once, seeming to understand whatever silent conversation that was held between them. He let go of the steely eyed woman, his serious expression slipping into a rare smile.
Both Ryu and Titus stepped back to give their leader room as the women stood only a foot apart. The keys and chains on Haruka's half-cape rattled as she reached up to lay her palm on Aloy's cheek. "It pains me greatly to leave you behind."
Aloy reached out to wrap her arms around her partner's waist, effective drawing them together in a tight embrace. Closing her eyes, Aloy gently pushed forward until their breaths mingled in the same air, their foreheads lightly touching. "Not as much as it hurts me to see you go."
Haruka closed her eyes and smiled wistfully at the soft embrace. The shorter brunette lifted her free hand so that she tenderly cupped Aloy's face.
When Aloy next spoke, her whispered voice was so low it could barely be heard by those nearest to the embracing women. "Come back to me."
"Always." Haruka replied in the same lowered tones.
Ruby and her friends glanced away from the tender scene before them, feeling rude to pry into such an intimate moment between partners. The young leader felt a faint blush bloom up her neck and across her cheeks as she realized her fingertips were slightly bushing up against her own partner's, the grazing digits having wandered on their own accord. She quickly snatched her hand away so as to not cause a scene with the Heiress.
Having their moment to themselves, Haruka finally pulled away from her partner and turned to face the Traverse Town residents. "Alright then, goodbye everyone. Please remember to keep in touch if you learn anything important. We'll do the same for you if we learn anything new."
She turned to face her tallest friend, gesturing to the empty space that rested beside the double mahogany doors that led to Disney Castle. "Ryu, if you would do the honors."
The young man nodded as he withdrew his Keyblade once more and sliced at the chosen space before him. The air seemed to shimmer and become distorted as giant golden double doors reaching up to almost the ceiling appeared, flanked by two marble pillars. Ruby could make out the etching of matching mirrored lightning bolts on each golden surface, before Ryu held the doors open.
A brilliant bright light shone through the other side, Ruby having to cover her eyes from the sunlight that emitted through the gateway. One-by-one the young leader watched the Keybalde users enter the doorway into the light quickly followed by her friends, leaving only Ryu and herself to make up the rear to their party. After feeling a gentle pressure on her back from Ryu's steady hand to steer her towards the others, Ruby was ushered through the open gateway and into the unknown.
[-][-][-]
Five people stood huddled around a circular table, each person cast in shadows. Their features were barely distinguishable in the eerie red and yellow light that emitted from the Grimm that floated on the center of the table before them.
The creature was one that they recognized on their world as a Seer, the orbed shaped Grimm having long tentacle-like limbs that ended in sharp points that twitched and writhed where it stood floating before them. Unlike the usual depictions of this type of Grimm, this Seer had the symbol of the Heartless on its side.
A woman with long black hair and sharp amber eyes scanned the image that could be seen glowing from within the Heartless' orbed depths. The four young girls seen reflected within the creature were known to the members around the table by many names – but the most important of these were Team RWBY.
The raven-haired woman's attention was drawn away from the Seer Heartless by a tall man in a brilliant white long-coat, his bright ginger hair covered by a black and red bowler hat.
"Looks like Little Red and her friends have access to the Keyblades. That certainly throws a wrench into our plans." The man took a deep drag on a lit cigar, before snuffing the tobacco out on the black walnut table's surface.
The amber-eyed woman felt her eyebrow twitch in annoyance at the man's lack of manners. "I would not worry that pretty little head of yours, Torchwick. Their call to the light was not unforeseen."
The man known as Torchwick waved off the woman's words with a mocking gesture. "Yeah, yeah, yeah… This was all foretold by the Seeker, or some bullshit. You're placing a lot of trust in the word of an enemy, Cinder dearest."
Cinder's eyes narrowed at the term of endearment. "Silence, you idiot. And calm down your little pet-project, I don't want the girl to get her panties in a twist."
"Don't talk to Neo like that!" Torchwick spat, his grip tightening on his signature cane. "At least I brought my partner with me. I see you left the baddie wannabees behind. Or did they not make the trip out of Beacon?"
Cinder waved off the man's anger. "My disciples shall serve their purpose when they are needed."
"Why did you gather us all here anyway, besides wasting our time?" The question was asked by a slender boy with spiked auburn hair with streaks of light brown strands jutting out around small bent horns. He adjusted the glowing white face mask that rested over his eyes, marking him as one of the members of the notorious terrorist Faunus organization, the White Fang.
Cinder raised a hand to pacify the angered young man. "I didn't gather you here, Adam Taurus. You were all chosen by the very essence of darkness itself."
Torchwick scoffed, spinning his cane in annoyance. "Oh really?! You don't say? I had no idea… I thought we had all suddenly gotten matching friendship tattoos." Torchwick's voice was laced with sarcasm as he gestured to the glowing red and black Heartless symbols that had appeared across everyone's chests that stood at the round table. All, with the exception of Neo, who was inexplicably not marked by the tell-tale symbol of darkness.
"I would not scoff at the blessings She has chosen to befall on us. While there are those out across the worlds that have been blessed with these gifts, we alone outnumber them all if we work together. Fate has led us to the demise of Remnant, and we have been chosen to use our gifted powers to usher in a new world of our own making." Cinder explained as she gestured around her with a flourish.
"Well, I find this whole thing entirely barbaric." Announced another older man, his face hidden in shadow, but there was no mistaking the snow white groomed hair and mustache with piercing cold blue eyes that made his name known to all.
Cinder smiled in spite of the man's annoyance. "Jacques… Surely you can see why this endeavor can appeal to you? You are one of the most powerful, cutthroat businessmen of all of Remnant. And while our world may be no more, you are now placed with one of the best business deals of all – the power to change everything to what you want. The possibility to create a universe, where your name will be known across all the worlds." Cinder clutched her hand as her eyes gleamed with a manic glint. "True power."
The older man narrowed his eyes in anger at the woman's madness. "A world which you help single-highhandedly destroy. All my hard work… My company, my status, all that power gone. And for what?! A few tricks of dark magic and petty revenge?"
The blood red sleeves of Cinder's dress glowed bright orange before a long obsidian blade formed in her palm. The black glass weapon shone in the dim glow of the Grimm's light that was still floating on the center of the table. "Remember your place, Schnee. The only reason you're here to begin with is that you've been chosen as a successor for the new age – one of the many masters of Heartless."
Cinder lowered the black dagger so that it rested next to her hand while still keeping the obsidian blade within eyesight. She glanced away from the lethal weapon to address her cohort, deep amber eyes burning as they flashed with a malicious glint. "It is important not to lose sight of what drives us."
"Love."
Adam seemed to ignore Cinder as he removed Wilt from its sheath and wiped the red blade with a scrap of black cloth. The slow menstruation of his labored work caused the polished blood red metal to shine even in the darkness.
"Justice."
Torchwick lazily spun his black bowler hat on one gloved finger, flashing a charming grin at his silent partner in crime. Neo shared in his smirk as she turned back to face Cinder in her monologue.
"Reverence."
Jacques looked away from Cinder as she spoke, his cold blue eyes trained on the silver snowflake cufflinks his fingers adjusted until they were once again symmetrical on his white dress suit.
Cinder narrowed her eyes as her voice laced with authority, the change in tone catching the attention of everyone in the room. "But let me be clear… The moment you put your desires before Her own, they will be lost to you. This isn't a threat. This is simply the truth. Do I make myself clear, Schnee?"
Jacques shifted his eyes around the room, refusing to meet the other woman's burning gaze. "Yes, of course."
Cinder relaxed her position as she gestured with a hand towards the former CEO of the Schnee Dust Company. "But more importantly, you have a direct link to one of the chosen four."
Jacques met Cinder's stare at last with a scoff. "I don't think that will make any difference. My youngest daughter has recently become… Well, more defiant than before. I'm not sure if this influence is due to her time at Beacon or because of her sister, Winter. But the change has indeed started."
Cinder narrowed her eyes as she listened to the scorned father of the ivory-haired Huntress. "What matters is that there is darkness in her heart, and if we can exploit that, then all the better for us."
Torchwick moved his feathered hat back to rest upon his brow. The wanted criminal frowned deeply as he glanced at his frantically gesturing partner. "Neo's right… The Ice Queen has been chosen by the Keyblade, surely it's too late?"
"A Keyblade only reflects the light or darkness in their master's heart. If the host is corrupted, the Keyblade will be too – thus allowing us to have control over one of the Keyblades. For our plan to succeed, everyone will have to do their part." Cinder explained as she laced her fingers together, her eyes training on the white and red haired duo.
Adam sheathed his sword and placed the polishing cloth back into a pocket sown on the inside his black jacket. "I don't care what you have to say, I am not working with a Schnee!"
Jacques rolled his eyes at the Faunus' outburst. "Why should I care about what you think, you filthy Faunus peasant!"
Adam gripped the hilt of Wilt, the blade glinting in the low lighting as it was partially pulled from its sheath. "I will cut out your pompous tongue, slave owner!"
"Quiet, you fools!" Cinder yelled, gesturing with her hand at the arguing men. As if heeding her command, the Seer Heartless attacked Adam and Jacques with its flailing limbs, the grotesque tentacles wrapping around their throats. Both men began spluttering and wheezing for air as the Heartless Grimm silently choked them until Cinder released the Heartless with a lazy flick of her hand.
"That's much better…" Cinder smirked as both men grabbed at their bruised throats, gasping for breath; the older man having been forced to his knees from the assault. "Gentlemen, lady – We are entering a new era, one that will decide the fate of all the worlds. I don't know about you, but I would rather be the ones to rule the worlds then to be lost to history. In order to assure our victory, we will need to work together… Then you can go back to hating each other. But not until we can claim destiny as our own."
Torchwick shot the dark-haired woman an exasperated look. "And how do we do that?"
Cinder grinned. "Make them fall apart from the inside. Turn them against each other; make them question who to trust. And then take out their most valuable players. The duel Keyblade wielder is already out of the way, she won't be a nuance anymore. With the Seeker in our possession, only the Seer provides an issue."
"What about the new girls – Team RWBY?" Jacques asked, straightening his suit jacket, the man finally having risen from the ground after gaining his breath.
Torchwick gestured at the former CEO. "Like I said, Little Red and her merry band of friends have already placed a damper on the situation."
Cinder waved off their concerns. "Together they pose a serious threat, but divided they can fall. And fall they will."
"The Belladonna girl is mine." Adam stated as he reached out with a clutched fist, as if asking for a challenger to his claim.
Cinder nodded to the White Fang member. "Then I'll leave her fate to you. Do not disappoint me. I'll send my disciples to take out the rest of the original Keyblade users. Jacques, I'll leave the Heiress to you." Cinder took the small obsidian blade that lay resting on the wooden table and spun the weapon between her slender fingers. "Your daughter has a quite the prominent role to play yet. She may be of use to us if we play our cards right."
"And if my daughter continues to be an issue?" Jacques asked as he adjusted a bright red silk handkerchief that rested in his jacket breast pocket until it was perfectly fussed.
Cinder smirked at the superfluous question. "Then you will do what is necessary to eliminate the threat. Whatever it takes."
Torchwick rubbed his gloved hands together in glee as he glanced at the stern, but accepting expression worn by the withered CEO. "Looks like the Ice Queen is in for a nasty surprise. That will be sure to throw Little Red and her friends for a spin. As for us, Neo here says that she wants to take a crack at Blondie again, if the opportunity presents itself."
Cinder smirked at the organized criminal's enthusiasm. "Patience, the two of you. You will have the stage all to yourself for such a task… Our fate has yet to be written in stone, if we work together then Her plans will come to light."
"And where does that leave you?" Jacques inquired as he raised a hand toward the undisputed leader.
Cinder continued to spin her blade between her fingers as her eyes narrowed on the image of Ruby's smiling face found in the depths of the Seer's orbed translucent surface. With a flick of her wrist, the obsidian dagger was thrown to a quivering stop in the table's wooden surface. The blade rested directly in front of the Seer's image of Ruby Rose's eyes, shining with a glint of happiness that had not yet been crushed from her more innocent soul.
"I get the pleasure of killing the Silver-Eyed Warrior."
