Happy Halloween, everyone! So sorry my updates have been slow, I've been EXTREMELY busy as of late, so I haven't been having nearly enough time to actually write. And with my birthday coming up as well... Things are gonna get hectic .-. But if things go my way, Angel in Disguise should be updated sometime this week, so there's that to look forward to. Hopefully.
Anyway, after watching Volume 4, I'm sure many of us are curious about these new characters. And since this story is taking place after Volume 3, there is one question some people have been asking: Will I be adding any of these new characters into the story. And the answer? HA! Nope! Well, not most of them. After all, I don't feel like changing my entire plot line just for the sake of some new characters (yeah, screw you, Watts). However, there is one or two characters I will be adding...
It's Whitley and Klein. Not even gonna apologize XD
ALSO ALLOW ME TO THANK THE THREE PEOPLE WHO GUESSED THE SOUL CALIBUR CHARACTER CORRECTLY OH MY GOD I LOVE YOU!
...
"You've been making so much progress, Jaune... You're an inspiration, you know."
"Heh...No need to lie, Pyrrha."
"What? I'm not lying! You've grown so much, Jaune. Believe me, I couldn't be prouder."
"...Thanks, Pyrrha. I could've never gotten this far within you, I'm glad I got you as a partner."
"You're welcome, Jaune..."
"...Is something wrong?
"I...Nothing, it's nothing."
"Are you sure?"
"Jaune, I just want you to know that you're the kindest, most noble man I've ever met in my life. And I want you to know that I will always be here for you, no matter what. Please, don't ever forget that."
"Pyrrha..."
Nightmare's eyes slowly opened as the memory faded away, a frown forming underneath his dark helmet. He lifted his claw hand, staring at it blankly as he clenched it open and shut. A low growl sounded from his throat, and he sat up from the corner of the ship he had been sleeping him. He reached for Soul Edge, lifting it up and letting the early morning sun reveal its true shine.
The eye flickered open and glanced down at the azure knight. "Does something trouble you?" it asked.
Nightmare shook his head as he lowered his blade. "It's nothing," he hissed. "Just memories."
"Of the boy you once were?" the sword guessed, which Nightmare confirmed with a nod. The sword almost seemed annoyed at its wielder's answer. "Are you truly that weak willed that the boy's mere emotions overpower you?"
Nightmare angrily stood up and thrust the sword the the floor, sticking it in place. "That is not true!" he roared. "I am much more powerful than the weak minded fool! I will succeed where he has failed!" He leaned in close, glaring at the sword. "I will kill Cinder, and rid that boy of his futile attempts to break free. I swear it."
Soul Edge blinked. "Good." it said, before its eye shifted towards the side. "You should probably go check on the crew, make sure they're still working."
Nightmare scoffed. "Those idiots fear me too much to even dare stop," he explained. "They'll work as hard as I want, or they'll die trying. We're almost to Haven, we can't afford to slow down."
"But you still plan to kill them once we reach our destination?"
Nightmare grinned and nodded.
...
"So...let me get this straight," Sun said as he began pacing around the hospital room. "You guys decided to walk all the way to Mistral to catch that woman who led the fall of Beacon, who is apparently infiltrating our school..." He paused, tapping his chin before continuing. "And then, Good guy Jaune happens to stumble upon a sword thought to only exist in fairy tales, and it turned him into the monster that did..." he sadly gestured his tail towards Ruby and Nora, who had both woken up earlier and were now sitting quietly in their beds. "...this. You guys were rescued by Blake, and somehow Jaune killed Ruby's uncle along the way..."
Ruby visibly flinched at the mention of that last part, and the monkey faunus felt a pang of guilt for sounding so insensitive. "Anyway..." he took another breath. "Jaune ended up following you guys, destroying an entire town in the process. You guys were all rescued by Yang's mom, but now Jaune is taking a ship here to Haven in order to kill this Cinder lady and basically everyone else." He blinked. "Right?"
"More or less," Raven replied.
"Then what do we do?" Sun asked.
"I think we must prepare," Ren answered. Everyone looked at him, silently asking him to explain. "There's little we can do to stop Nightmare," he explained. He pointed to himself, then his three travelling companions. "The four of us alone were barely able to survive his assault, and he would've killed Nora and Ruby if it wasn't for Raven's rescue and Nora's quick thinking." He allowed his words to sink in before continuing. "Alone, none of us stand a chance except possibly Raven. But if we could gather all of Haven's students together and prepare, we will have a chance of taking down Nightmare."
"...and stopping Cinder as well," Blake finished. "After all, it's her against all of us and Nightmare."
"I have to admit, it sounds like our best bet," Raven said. She smirked at Ren. "You're a pretty decent strategist, kid. Give it a few years and you'll be one hell of a hunter."
"...but will it be enough...?" Nora whispered to herself, sharing a sad look with Ruby.
"Alright, I'll go back to Haven to help get this plan underway," Sun told his friends. "And I'll also be on the lookout for this Cinder girl, I think I may have seen her around before." He turned to his fellow faunus, offering a hand. "Wanna come, Blake?"
Blake nodded, taking his hand and heading towards the door. "We'll give you a status update when we can," she called over her shoulder. She then turned her attention to Ruby, calling out her name.
The scythe wielder glanced up, and Blake reassuringly said, "I know it's hard, Ruby. I've lost close people too." She gave a sympathetic smile. "If you need to talk about anything, I'm always here for you."
Ruby nodded. "Thanks, Blake..." she mumbled, attempting to return the smile. It quickly faltered when Blake left and closed the door behind her.
Ruby sighed, then tensed up when she felt two arms wrap around her. She looked up and was surprised to see that it was Raven who hugged her from behind. Ruby was about to say something, but stopped when the older woman began stroking her hair.
"I was a mother once, you know," she explained. "I may have been gone for a long time, but I still know a thing or two." She rested her chin atop Ruby's head. "I know he was important to you," she said. "Qrow was important to me too. Even though we disagreed on many things, he was still my brother." She paused, as if considering her words. "But unfortunately, Qrow isn't coming back. Sometimes bad things just happen, Ruby. And sadly, there's nothing you can do about it."
Ruby bit her lip. "That's just what Yang said before I left," she muttered.
Raven nodded. "She's my daughter, after all," she joked, before returning to the serious matter. "The best we can do is move on and become stronger, Ruby. Don't let the news of Qrow's death drag you down. Instead, use it to push yourself. Become stronger, wiser, just like Qrow would want you to be."
Ruby nodded slowly. Raven was right, she decided. Tears weren't going to bring her uncle back, nothing would. That's why... That's why she was going to become stronger! She was going to stop Cinder and Nightmare, she's going to set thing right again!
Raven must have sensed this, because she let out a low chuckle. "Atta, girl."
Nora smiled at the admittedly heartwarming scene as Ren sat down next to her. "How are you holding up?" he asked.
The viking girl stopped smiling and shook her head. "I just..." She sighed. "I just wish I was stronger. Ruby and I nearly died, we only survived due to Crocea Ex Machina, and I just can't help but think..." She bit her lip and glanced away. "I can't help but think of Nightmare as Jaune. That's what hurt the most. That thing that should've killed us was Jaune. My leader, my teammate..." Her eyes began to water. "My friend."
Ren frowned, not liking this Nora. He missed the happy, quirky Nora. The one whose only worry in the world was whether or not they had pancakes. This was a different Nora, one who had to witness her best friend fall into darkness.
He pulled his childhood friend in a hug, rubbing her back softly. "I promise you, Nora," he murmured. "We'll get Jaune back. I don't care what it takes, but this journey isn't over until we have our leader back."
"I hope so, Ren..." Nora mumbled. "I really, really hope so."
'...but what if it's all for nothing?' a voice in the back of her head wondered.
...
"Now that I think about it, the headmaster probably won't believe our story," Sun muttered as he and Blake stepped out of the hospital. "I mean, it does sound kinda crazy when you think about it."
"Well believe it or not, it's what happened," countered Blake. "I don't think it matters whether or not everyone believes us, as long as we can assemble a strong enough fighting force, we stand a chance."
Sun tapped his chin thoughtfully before shrugging. "Well, I know my team will believe you," he told her. "Neptune and Sage have been itching for some action and the tale of Soul Edge is Scarlet's favorite childhood story. I think Team ABRN may also believe you."
"We may need more than that," Blake said. "Anyone else who may believe us?"
"Um... Team BBLE, Team IYCE, Team SMWK, and maybe Team ORNG?"
...Blake wasn't sure how she felt about those names...
She nodded. "Then we have a fair chance," she decided. "We should probably get a ride back to Haven. Do you know when the next bullhead will arrive?"
Her fellow faunus nodded. "Yeah, should be here in about five minutes," he told her.
"Good."
"Hey...Blake?"
Blake hummed, turning to her friend.
Sun had a slight blush on his face, glancing away briefly before chuckling awkwardly. "It's really great to see you again," he admitted. "I...I really missed you, y'know." The tailed faunus scratched the back of his neck awkwardly as he gave his crush a charming smile.
Blake felt her cheeks heat up slightly before she smiled as well. "I missed you too, Sun," she replied honestly. "It's nice to see you again."
The two faunus stared at each other for a few moments, before Sun slowly began to lean in. Blake gulped, eyes widening before she too began leaning closer, amber eyes slowly closing...
Suddenly, the two were driven apart as someone forced through them in a rush, nearly knocking the two over. The person, a diminutive sized teenager themed in all black. The girl spared a glance at them, her green eyes unreadable, before she suddenly sprinted away, seemingly vanishing from view, much to the confusion of the two hunters.
"Well...That was a bit rude," Sun coughed after a few more moments of silence.
Blake nodded in agreement. "She could have at least apologized," she muttered, before turning back to the monkey faunus. "We should probably get to the bullhead," she suggested, her voice laced with disappointment of their stolen moment.
Sun awkwardly shuffled his feet. "Y-Yeah," he agreed. "Let's get going."
Hoping to put that near romantic moment behind them, the two teens quickly hurried to the bullhead that had just landed. However, the thought of what could have been still remained, as much as Blake wanted to forget about it. As much as she liked Sun, she wasn't sure she could be with him. Not yet, at least. No... There were still bigger fish to fry, namely Nightmare and Cinder.
But maybe, once it was all over... They could try to make it work.
...
Neo silently cursed as she reappeared inside the dorm room she shared with Mercury and the others. She recognized that faunus girl... Blake Belladonna, former member of Team RWBY, one of the strongest and most dangerous teams in Beacon Academy.
What was left of it, anyway.
But if Blake Belladonna was here, did that mean Red was here too? Neo felt herself grow angry at the mention of the bitch that killed Roman, and she punched the wall next to her out of frustration. Goddammit! If Red was here, then the plan was in danger! Hell, Neo wasn't even sure what the plan was, but she sure as hell knew the little brat could ruin it!
'Don't worry about them, she says,' Neo thought bitterly as she remembered Cinder's words. 'They're no longer a threat, she says!'
What if their covers were blown? Then what? If word got out about them, all of Remnant would know their names, and there wouldn't be a single place they could hide. Well, Neo was fairly sure she could hide, but Mercury wasn't exactly known for his sneaking skills. Good God, Neo seriously wanted to punch Cinder in the face right now! The ice cream themed girl knew hiding in Haven would be a bad idea, but no one ever listened to her! Was it because she never talked?
...probably.
Neo heard the door open, and she whipped around with her parasol ready for combat. However, it was just Mercury, who was looking her up and down with a bored expression. The short villain sighed and lowered her weapon, before pulling out her scroll and typing a message into it.
We have a problem.
Mercury raised an eyebrow. "We?" he asked. "Or you?"
Neo gave him a dirty look, and Mercury gulped.
"I mean...What's the problem?"
Neo's fingers moved at blurring speed as she typed her response. She then flipped the scroll around and let her fellow criminal read it.
I just saw Blake Belladonna of Team RWBY here.
Mercury's eyebrows furrowed. "Well damn," he mumbled. "But is that really it? I mean, if it's just her..."
There is that chance, but I'm willing to guess that Red is here too. And if that's true, then our entire plan can be ruined.
Mercury groaned and collapsed on his bed. "Well that's just great," he sarcastically hissed. "I guess we ought to tell Cinder, right?"
Neo nodded, then bit her lip. Probably. Although...
Mercury sighed as he read the message. "Although what, Neo?"
I can't help but feel like this is all connected to all the dreams we've been having. About that guy with the scary sword.
Mercury shook his head. "How'd you even come to that conclusion?" he wondered. "And besides...Aren't they just dreams?"
Neo shrugged. It's just a thought. she typed. And are they? We've both been having them for several nights now, both are completely identical too. If you ask me, that doesn't sound like ordinary dreaming to me.
"I guess that's true..."
Didn't you say you'd try to do research on them? Didn't you find anything?
The assassin shrugged. "I didn't find much," he explained. "Just some old junk about a silly fairy tale."
A harsh cuff over the head made him yelp. "What was that for?!" he demanded, glaring at his roommate.
Idiot! Neo typed. The whole seasonal maidens deal was a silly fairy tale too until you went after that Amber girl, right? All legends have some layer of truth, so who is to say this fairy tale is just silly?
...damn, Mercury really hated it when Neo was right.
The silver boy sighed, and grumbled something before nodding. "Apparently there was this sword called Soul Edge..."
...
Maaaaaster... He neeeeears...
He comes closer, cloooooooserrrr...by...boAt?
BOaT...yesssss... He approaches soooooon...
I must set out... I mmmmmust find MAaaasTER!
Soon...WE SHAll bE reunited... Master...and seeeervant...
Sssssssooooouuuulllll...Edgeeeeeeeeee...
It's been... ToO LoNG..!
A chilling cackle, one that sounded muffled and like it came from out of the throat, echoed throughout the darkness of the cave. Slowly, a horrid creature slithered out, its pale body moving in disorienting and sexual ways. Sightless eyes gazed up towards the sky, adjusting to the sudden light after spending decades hiding away in the cave. Finally, it let out a throaty cheer, before it fell to all fours, crawling away while wriggling its exposed rear.
The time has come for it to return to the world of men. It would reunite with the Soul Edge, no matter what.
It was destined to serve that cursed blade...
...and it wouldn't have it any other way.
...
Aaaand that's a wrap! It's really fucking late right now and I have school in the morning, so I should probably get some sleep. Anyway, what did you think? Love it? Hate it? Let me know in the reviews! And remember, stay wykkyd!
Also sorry for the shortness, this chapter (along with others) mostly acts as build up, 'cause we're gonna get wild soon! But we gotta get through the boring stuff before that can happen :( (Well, at least I don't find it boring...)
