Constipated Genius: Too soon for what?…I am sure I have no idea what you are talking about…xD

Batomys2731: What reference? LOL. Or she'll be the death of them…now that she knows their crippling fear of bad puns instilled in them long ago by their mother. Even if he doesn't realize it himself, Horatio's dedication is ingrained in him…of which now Cinder has video evidence.

Lelouch of Zero: Thank you! It makes sense…Cinder needs someone to fawn over here when he's not around xD. Roland couldn't believe it either…the image alone fried his brains. Poor naïve, silly Horatio, accomplishing so much without even noticing…

And with that, onto the show!

Outside In

Cinder was lying out on a long couch, having finally been convinced to remain still as Horatio worked to capture her beauty as perfectly as possible. He was well into the piece and could relax, a smile ever locked on his lips.

"And just what are you smiling about?" Cinder grinned as subtly as she could so as not to mess up her pose. "See anything you like?"

"Just thinking," he admitted, drawing a frown from her in response to her question. "How lucky I've been this year, joining Beacon, leading my own team…meeting you." He couldn't contain the red of his cheeks, it was utterly adorable and Cinder could not get enough of it. "When did you know…how you felt about me?"

Cinder glanced upward, deep in thought as the memory came back to her.

Not Long Ago…

Cinder sat looking over the dossier she had glimpsed from the computers interfaced after the Breach. Her nefarious scheming was interrupted as the phone rang; Horatio's face appeared on her scroll alerting that he was calling. Cinder pondered how to proceed.

Inside Cinder's Head…

"Horatio is calling again Captain," an even chibier Cinder manning a radio post called out. "Finger and motor functions are asking for instructions."

"Ignore it," the positively evil-looking Cinder wearing a military-style uniform version of her dress commanded. "We have the secret to his power, he means nothing to us."

"I don't know sir," a nearby bespectacled Cinder interjected as she pushed up her glasses and pulled out a clipboard. "Recent polls put his approval rating among the crew at nearly 95%...especially boisterous praise is being given by the teams working the lips and heart…"

"It doesn't matter!" She snapped, drawing the attention of the bridge crew of a dozen or more Cinders. "I am the Captain here and what I say goes. And I say we inform Salem as soon as we can and afterwards will lure him into a trap to kill…"

She hadn't noticed the other Cinders slowly abandoning their posts, tackling her while her head was turned up preparing for a nefarious laugh. The next thing she knew she was being thrown in the brig located in the appendix…it had empty room to spare.

"Alright," the first Cinder announced as she took the command chair, donning the previous Captain's hat. "New plan…finger teams answer that phone, cognitive functions prepare to initiate an intimate encounter…and somebody get me EVERY scrap of information we have on boys!"

Present Day…

"Oh you know," Cinder responded with a nonchalant flick of her wrist. "It just sort of came to me…"

An Electrifying Personality

Roland straightened his vest, slicking back his hair as he made sure the bouquet of yellow flowers in his hands was all set to go. Today was the day he would ask Yang out on a proper official date. Already he could see her about to pass by the tree he was hiding behind, prepared to nonchalantly walk out to ask her as if it were a chance encounter.

"Yang…I…"

Before he could step out, a bolt of lightning struck him from above, frying the bouquet and leaving the young man twitching on the ground. He did not spot a small black bird fly overhead. Yang walked past his hiding spot completely oblivious to his plight.

"Oh wow," Yang muttered to no one in particular as she sniffed the air. "Someone must be having a barbeque!"

Well…Roland mused internally as the love of his life passed by. There's always tomorrow…

Tomorrow…

New bouquet in hand, Roland prepared to ask her again. He had planned out an evening at the arcades after which he could ask her out to dinner. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, he couldn't possibly…

Yang whistled to herself as she meandered past his new hideout, failing to notice the rising cloud of black smoke nearby or the recent bolt from the sky.

The Day After…

Roland was paranoid; glancing every which way he couldn't be certain where the bolt would come from next. Every day that week it seemed like Mother Nature was out to get him. But he wouldn't be deterred…it was succeed or be scorched down to his bones.

High above, a familiar black raven stared down the young man, waiting for the moment to strike and ensure his plan failed. However, unknown to even her, they were not the only couple in the fields that day.

On the opposite side of the park, Horatio was sparring with Olivia and asking advice on the fairer sex…yet even THEY were unaware they were being watched as well by a sinister familiar looking hunter from Salem's realm.

"I'll get him this time," Tyrian grumbled as he took aim. This time he was sure to take out the interloper, having affixed a slab of lightning dust to the warhead. It HAD to work.

"So you know the basics," Olivia talked her teammate through the steps. "Holding doors open, pulling her chair out for her…but the advanced course requires you to think up romantic conversation on the spot."

"Uh huh, uh huh," Horatio was memorizing every word she said as they sparred, about to move on the throwing moves.

"Get her to spar with you on a date and you're in," she giggled as she grabbed his arm unexpectedly, lifting her team leader off his feet.

It was in that moment Tyrian opened fire.

The rocket flew towards them, however as Olivia lifted him in the air for a throw, his legs struck the missile, his semblance knocking it away like a baseball bat. The dust-warhead careened far into the distance.

"Well," Tyrian giggled to himself. "At least it didn't get ME this time…"

"You'll wish it had…" Came a terrifying fire-wreathed silhouette approaching behind him. Tyrian didn't return to Salem's keep for a week…refusing to speak of what occurred.

On the other side of the park, Roland was waiting when a tremendous explosion sent him flying from his perch. From the look of it the tree above exploded for no reason and threw him right into the waiting arms of a particular blonde brawler.

"Wow, exploding trees," Yang remarked. "Either my sister is somewhere around here or we need to get to the ROOT of the problem. Are those for me?"

Roland opened his eyes, realizing his situation, with the goofiest grin he had he handed her the bouquet.

Not the way I pictured…but I'll take it.

As the couple walked off towards the arcades, Roland still being carried, neither one noticed a scorched black raven twitching on the ground obscured by the black smoke rising from its burnt feathers as jolts of electricity ran through it.

A Multiplying Personality

Olivia stepped out of Tukson's Book Trade currently flipping through the pages of a Psychology 101 book. She was so enthralled with what she may learn she didn't notice someone coming from the opposite direction until it was too late.

The two ran into each other, knocking the other to the ground. The young huntress dusted herself off, noticing the short, slightly heavyset man with a fluffy mustache she had collided with. Unknown to her, it was the butler to the Schnee family Klein out to run errands at Weiss' request.

"I am so sorry!" Olivia helped him up. "I didn't see…"

"Oh no, quite alright miss," he replied cordially. "I am sure I wasn't paying attention…a…achoo!"

The man's light brown eyes rotated to pink and he suddenly shirked back as if horribly embarrassed.

"I…I mean it was probably all my fault…I I shouldn't have rounded that corner s-so fast."

"Well…I was reading a book while walking, I shouldn't…"

With another deafening sneeze, the eyes rotated to light blue then to red.

"Darn right you shouldn't have missy! Hasn't anyone ever told you not to read and walk? You should be ashamed!"

Something snapped in Olivia as her hair flipped to platinum silver, her eye abruptly switching to jet black.

"MY fault!? The boss was enjoying a fascinating read, what is YOUR excuse? Can't see over that forest you got beneath your nose?"

"I WAS contemplating how to surprise the young lady of the house when I return and was caught up in thought, don't you take that tone with me!"

"I'll take whatever tone I want! Do you know how often the boss was meek and polite and 'reasonable," she performed air quotes. "I am putting my foot down."

"Best be careful you don't hurt anyone with those clown shoes."

"Well I need SOMETHING to ground me against the gravitational orbit you're generating!"

"You want to take this outside?" he demanded despite the fact they were already outside. "I've got six other personalities to put you in your place!"

"The boss has only got me, but I know how to kill you eight different ways!"

"What is going on here?"

The arguing parties froze, turning to the side they spotted Weiss and Ray fast approaching. They didn't seem to have heard their words but noticed their expressions. In an instant, Klein's eyes switched back to light brown while Olivia's returned to normal along with her hair.

"Oh, just a misunderstanding," Klein explained. "Come Ms. Schnee, we MUST prepare the tea party back at your dorm."

"That sounds delightful; the whole team will be there!" The two walked off, Klein's eye switching to red for half a heartbeat, sticking his tongue out at Olivia before returning to normal.

"Geez, can you believe that guy?" Olivia asked Ray who held up a sign reading 'shameful.' "Sorry you had to see that, it must have been weird, you have no idea what it's like to have a different side of yourself."

Ray only shook her head innocently from side to side. In a bit of inspiration she pointed out a nearby ice cream parlor. The two started skipping along to take part in the delicious frozen treat…

Only a few weeks to Volume 6, I am quite excited and cannot wait to see how it goes. As always, Read and Review…but most of all Enjoy! :D