I don't own RWBY or Fire Emblem
Hey everyone, so things are coming a bit slow now since school is hitting me hard right now. I would be working on this more but life takes priority. Anyway thanks for all the follows and favorites! I didn't think people would like this that much. This chapter turned out way longer than I thought it would though but there are a lot of introductions and exposition here as well. Oh boy I hope things aren't appearing a little rushed. Now we're getting to the parts I've been looking forward to writing! Anyway as always enjoy and please review, so I know what you guys think. Also I moved it back to the normal RWBY thing for now to get a little more feedback hopefully.
Chapter 8: Revelation
Kamui's POV
"Miss Nikos and Mr. Legacy vs Miss Rose and Miss Schnee!" Professor Goodwitch announced. Kamui was a bit surprised by that matchup but he wasn't opposed to it. He gave Pyrrha a smile and she nodded back to him.
"Oh come on!" Ruby whined followed by a yelp as Weiss elbowed her side. Their group shared a laugh at that but the feeling was understood. Yes everyone had grown in their skills but still, Pyrrha and Kamui were growing as well. Ever since the midterms they started pushing themselves harder than ever, they couldn't afford to lose their edge after all. Alone was bad enough but together? One would shudder at the thought, even Yang.
"Think of it as a more advanced lesson," Kamui offered as he summersaulted into the arena, followed by a few show off calls. What? He just chose the quicker way opposed to the stairs. Pyrrha avoided the stairs as well though she just vaulted as opposed to the dramatic flip he did.
"You always have to give it everything don't you?" Pyrrha asked but she was smiling and he shrugged.
"I need to keep appearances, besides you should too, if you want to catch Jaune's attention," he said the last part quietly and she blushed before she turned her gaze towards their blonde partner who waved at them.
"The dance is coming up…" Kamui added softly. Pyrrha rounded on him and pushed him softly with a small smirk.
"Oh? What about you and Ruby?" she asked and Kamui froze up slightly but he shook his head.
"For your information…I am going to ask her…" Kamui replied followed by Pyrrha giggles. Thankfully at that point Ruby and Weiss had arrived at the arena, accepting their fate. Or rather Ruby looked dejected but Weiss was as determined as always.
"Shall we?" Kamui asked as he drew Yato. Pyrrha drew Akuou and Milo and gave him a nod. They tapped Yato and Milo together by their blades as they turned to face their opponents.
Normally the spars in Professor Goodwitch's class were just duels but since the Vytal Tournament was coming up and the students from the other academies were arriving fast, the curriculum had changed. Now Goodwitch was having them take two on two duels or team vs team matches. In Pyrrha and Kamui's cases they had taken on entire teams alone and won of course. They still hadn't managed to face each other though but working together had been done already. Even if she didn't tell them to, the two had been working together for years already. Kamui wondered if it was Goodwitch's way of disciplining her students. After all she couldn't actively take action against her students, she was a teacher. But she could pit them against someone who would no doubt mop the floor with them. Indeed, every bit as relentless as Kamui was led to believe.
"Are you all ready?" Goodwitch asked. Kamui and Pyrrha both took their stances while Ruby and Weiss did the same. Ruby hefted Crescent Rose with a flourish and Weiss raised Myrtenaster. Kamui narrowed his eyes as he blocked out distractions. His eyes darted from Ruby to Weiss, deciding which one to go after. He shared a small glance with Pyrrha and motioned towards Ruby subtly, which she acknowledged.
"Begin!" Goodwitch announced and they all moved. Ruby charged right for Kamui but Pyrrha intercepted her scythe halfway, surprising her. Pyrrha then grabbed the shaft of her scythe and yanked her forward for a kick but Ruby vaulted over her weapon and delivered a kick to Pyrrha's shield and wrenched herself free, using Akouo as a springboard. Weiss charged Pyrrha's side but Kamui jumped over his Spartan partner and his Yato clashed against Weiss's Myrtenaster.
Kamui pressed hard on Weiss, whose eyes widened slightly as she tried to push back but to no avail. A constant frustration that Kamui always talked with Weiss about was that direct swordsmanship with him was ill advised for her. By direct he meant prolonged sword contact. Weiss was great at parrying and countering, even better than Kamui who prided himself on that, in the finesse and precision sense anyway. After all her blade was more suited for that. Except Kamui had trained in more arts of countering and swordsmanship than just finesse or speed based moves and styles. He also had strength that he could couple with speed, something he had in spades over Weiss.
"Hiya!" Kamui wrenched her blade to the side with his own easily, noting that her strength had increased slightly but so had his. He shoulder tackled her, sending her back before he made a diagonal cleave upwards. Weiss managed to deflect his strike quickly and took a stab at him but he quickly used the momentum on his sword and curved his blade to the side, catching her rapier, pushing it to the side. Weiss used her finesse to her advantage though and quickly pulled away before he could capitalize on her. She jumped back a few feet, leveling her rapier towards him in her usual fencing stance. She held a determined look on her face but her mouth twisted up into the traces of a smile, one that he returned.
"Doing alright?" Pyrrha asked when he felt her presence behind him.
"Pretty well, I suppose. She's gotten better, how's Ruby doing?" Kamui asked as he raised his sword into a pointed position with his two hands.
"Faster of course, think we'll have to break out our Semblances?" Pyrrha asked.
"You talk like you never do…" he threw back. At that point Weiss and Ruby seemed to be tired of waiting. Kamui saw Weiss summon one of her glyphs behind her and she leaned back before she lunged at him, using her glyph as her extra push. Kamui readied his blade but before the moment of no return came he called it, "Switch!"
"Got it!" Pyrrha replied as Kamui ducked and turned around to meet Ruby's scythe, parrying it away before he followed it up with a second slash, catching her arm. She took the strike well though and used to momentum to spin around and slash at him with her scythe. Kamui barely had time to react and moved to the side to dodge it before he slashed at her torso but of course he missed. Ruby used her semblance for a quick getaway, appearing at the end of the arena again. She leveled her strike but she had a smug look on her face. Kamui tilted his head and look to his right arm and saw a small dent on his armor, his eyes widened at the sight, he didn't even feel it. His armor was tough, self-repairing and his aura was built around the idea of being a juggernaut but still, usually he would feel a strike. She must have used her semblance during her strike to get him, that's why he didn't notice it.
"That won't work again…" Kamui thought as he raised his sword. Ruby leveled her scythe and fired a round at him, which Kamui deflected with his sword and during that motion she lunged in with her semblance. Kamui smirked and quickly swung his sword in an overhead arc. Yato and Crescent Rose met, sparks flying from the clash but Kamui pressed on. He followed his arc with two more slashes, both catching Ruby's stomach before he kicked her into the wall of the arena. She gasped as she fell to the ground, holding her gut; he had knocked the wind out of her roughly. A sound of metal hitting metal followed by a grunt of pain came from behind him and he turned to see Pyrrha hit Weiss in the head with her shield while at the same time Weiss managed to kick her in the gut. Pyrrha powered through though jabbed her with Milo in spear form, sending Weiss back. Except Weiss spun the dust revolver on her Myrtenaster and fired a lighting spell at them.
"Move!" Pyrrha shouted and Kamui moved quickly as the lightning hit where they were standing. Then once again like how the match started, Pyrrha and Kamui were on one side while Weiss and Ruby staggered over to their side. Kamui reached up to wipe some sweat away from his face while Ruby and Weiss were gasping for breath.
"I…knew this wasn't going to be easy but come on…" Ruby whined as she raised her scythe.
"S-Shut up you dolt…we could be winning if you had gotten…past Pyrrha…" Weiss panted. Kamui looked up at the screen to see that he and Pyrrha were still in the green while Weiss was in the yellow and Ruby was a little lower than her.
"Quick Weiss! Ice Prison!" Ruby ordered. Kamui tensed as the two sprung up into the air, using Weiss's glyphs as ground. Ruby started firing at them with her sniper rounds and Kamui cursed as he and Pyrrha were forced to dodge. They found their way back in the middle of the arena again, back to back so that they could defend against attacks from any angle. But that's when things started turning interesting. At that point Kamui saw Weiss start forming her glyphs on Ruby's gun, similar to their Ice Flower maneuver. Ruby fired but the ice rounds were not aimed at them.
"What?" Pyrrha asked and Kamui was confused too. The ice rounds were hitting around them but that was it, they were just wasting aura with that. Except Kamui knew that Ruby could hit them if she wanted to easily. He looked at the ice forming on the ground, they were completely surrounded by it but that was it. Then his eyes widened when the ice formed together into a wall. It was a trap!
"Move!" Kamui commanded but it was too late. The ice quickly formed a sort of dome around them into an icy prison. Kamui sighed in annoyance as Pyrrha thrust her spear into one of the walls but it repelled her attack.
"Interesting…the walls are made from dust ice but they're enchanted repel our attacks in here," Pyrrha commented as she touched the wall. Kamui sighed and looked at his scroll and his eyes widened when he saw his aura and Pyrrha's slowly depleting. Those sneaky girls.
"It's draining our aura, we have to get out!" Kamui shouted.
"I think it's time you unveil what your sword can do then, Kamui," Pyrrha said with a small smirk. Kamui sighed but he smiled and held Yato out. Below the writing on the blade there were four spheres that ran to the guard. He concentrated for a few moments and then he tapped the two bottom spheres and they began glowing red.
"Emerge, Shadow Yato!" Kamui commanded and his blade began giving off a red glow as it grew to the size of a greatsword. He raised the sword and then it started to give off flames. He nodded to Pyrrha who ducked down as he swung his sword around in a circle, sending the flames out in a circling arc around them. The ice melted on impact, the prison melted down after a few moments, freeing them from its grasp as the flames ran through the arena, leaving black scorch marks everywhere. Kamui looked up at Ruby and Weiss who both had shocked looks on their faces.
"Shall we end this?" Pyrrha asked and Kamui nodded. He twirled his flaming sword around a few times before it rested on his shoulder. Then he gripped the hilt with both hands and swung towards the duo, sending a flaming arc towards them. Weiss brought up a glyph to block it but it shattered, along with the glyph they were standing on.
"I got this!" Pyrrha charged towards the falling duo and jumped towards them. Ruby recovered and fired Crescent Rose to get away from Pyrrha but the Spartan threw her shield like a disc at her. Ruby blocked the shield but it threw her guard off and then Pyrrha threw Milo at her in spear form, catching Ruby right in the gut, sending her into the wall with a slam. Then Pyrrha tackled Weiss in midair after dodging her slower thrust and then she used her like a springboard and pushed off of her, sending her into the ground, hard as she landed on her feet in a perfect crouch, right where Milo and Akouo landed.
"And finished, Miss Rose and Miss Schnee are defeated. Miss Nikos and Mr. Legacy are the victors," Goodwitch called, followed by cheering from the entire room. Kamui smiled softly as he approached his partner and they butted their wrists together with a small clank from their armor hitting each other.
"Excellently done, Pyrrha," Kamui complimented as he allowed his sword to return to normal before he sheathed it.
"And you as well, Kamui. I guess it is true that together we make quite the dangerous pair," Pyrrha said. At that point Ruby and Weiss had managed to pull themselves out of the craters they made and wobble over to them.
"Did you have to hit me so hard?" Ruby asked, using Crescent Rose as a walking stick as she rubbed her stomach.
"It was a valuable training exercise, ow," Weiss tried to say properly but she had to rub her back.
"Sorry…" Kamui and Pyrrha both said, embarrassed.
"Excellent work all four of you. All of you have shown vast improvement in your skills and tactics. Mr. Legacy and Miss Nikos please try to show some restraint next time. Against lesser opponents you might have seriously hurt them," Goodwitch said but Kamui saw the traces of a smile on her face.
"It's a good thing we weren't facing lesser opponents then," Kamui added, followed by a sigh from his professor. Still he saw Weiss and Ruby beam from the praise.
"Indeed, very well then. I expect all four of you to make it far in the tournament when it comes," Goodwitch said.
"Yes ma'am," the four all said.
"I would call for another matchup but the arena has been damaged a bit, so I am ending class early today, be prepared for more rigorous training next time though! Remember the dance is this weekend and your first missions are on Monday!" Goodwitch announced to the entire class. Everyone gave a small cheer or a groan depending on the person. Kamui saw Yang wave them towards the door, they would meet them outside.
"Let's go, shall we?" Kamui asked as he wrapped an arm around Ruby for support. Ruby beamed at him and jumped onto his back, much to his amusement.
"Since you hurt me, you carry me!" Ruby commanded and he sighed but relented, she was light and he didn't really mind. Weiss huffed at them before she walked off, though she had a small limp that she was obviously trying to hide. They all made their way outside with no incident. Of course Kamui and Ruby got a few awws from the position they were in.
"You guys never take it easy do you?" Jaune asked followed by Yang patting him on the back a little too hard.
"Of course not!" she boasted.
"Quite the show, I can see why everyone says you're the best your year has to offer," a rather nonchalant voice cut in. Kamui turned to see three students approaching them, Haven students by their uniforms. One was a guy with silver hair and grey eyes, he walked with a confidence that wasn't uncommon in a lot of the boys around their age, what Yang might call a lady killer. Next to him was a girl with short mint green hair and red eyes; she seemed friendly enough as opposed to her companions and it went without saying that she was pretty.
It was their third member that made Kamui uneasy for some reason. She was a girl with long raven black hair that she had drape around her shoulder. Like the girl with the mint hair she was pretty or beautiful might have been more accurate perhaps. It was the way she smiled though that just caused Kamui's instincts to scream at him. Her eyes reminded Kamui of fire but instead of a smoldering orange her eyes were dark amber.
"Hey Emerald, hey Mercury!" Ruby waved from his back. The guy now named Mercury waved and Kamui assumed the girl with the mint colored hair was Emerald.
"We saw your match, quite a show," Mercury said casually.
"Yes, your skills were very impressive I could barely keep my eyes on you most of the time," Emerald complimented and Kamui felt Ruby bury her head into his shoulder, she was blushing no doubt. At that point though their third companion stepped forward, right to Kamui.
"Kamui, yes? I'm Cinder; I was very impressed by your performance today. We've been hearing about the young Rider of War's skills and leadership. Of course we hear about the young Reaper Prodigy too. You and your friends are causing quite the stir, it's said the other academies are tearing their hair out to bring something to challenge all of you," Cinder said kindly.
"Well met, I'd shake but I have my hands full," Kamui half-joked as he readjusted Ruby on his back, said girl slapped his shoulder even though she hit metal.
"Of course they would, Beacon only brings the best," Weiss affirmed.
"They talk about me too?" Jaune asked more himself than her.
"Indeed, well we should be getting to class now, hopefully we'll meet again," Cinder said as she walked by them, her two companions following after her and giving them small waves. Kamui narrowed his eyes at their backs as they left, something didn't feel right, Flora and Kaze always trained him to trust his instincts and they were screaming at him. His instincts never failed him before as much as it might infuriate those around him.
"That was a thing…" Yang commented. Everyone seemed to share the sentiment except for the more naïve ones but they dropped it.
"So did you guys go in there with the intent of blowing everything up?" Yang asked.
"We weren't trying to destroy the arena, unlike you, you barbarian. It's not our fault the arena was poorly made," Weiss said strictly. Everyone stared at her but she didn't falter at all.
"That arena was made to handle a bombing from several bullheads or warships…" Ren deadpanned.
"Yeah but you guys were all like woosh! Bam! Fire! And Weiss and Ruby were like Ahhh! No!" Nora exclaimed until Ren covered her mouth.
"We only made a few craters…from when Weiss and I got thrown into the wall or the ground…" Ruby offered as she hugged Kamui's back harder like she was trying to hide.
"And Kamui scorched the place…" Blake added tiredly, Kamui frowned when he saw that the Faunus had the beginnings of dark circles under her eyes.
"So you are awake!" Yang said joyfully as she wrapped an arm around her partner who looked quite annoyed.
"Hey Blake!" the group turned to see their friend, Sun Wukong with his usual grin. Kamui huffed slightly since he wasn't even subtle in his obvious attraction. He heard Ruby let out a sigh as well from his back. Kamui noted that Neptune and the rest of Sun's team were a little ways back, rooting for him no doubt. They were on a bit of a thin ice since while they were fighting a robot they were having noodles.
"Sun?" Blake asked tiredly as she wormed out of Yang's hold.
"Hey Blake, so I was wondering if you want to go to the dance with me this weekend?" Sun asked, nervously.
"What?" Blake asked like he insulted her. This wasn't going to end well for the poor monkey Faunus.
"I want you to go to the dance with me, only if you want to of course," Sun said kindly.
"I…I don't have time for a stupid dance, Sun. I thought you would understand me well enough to know that!" Blake snapped as she turned sharply and stormed off.
"Ouch…" Ruby whispered into his ear and Kamui nodded. Sun looked dejected, his shoulders slumping as he turned and sulked off, towards his team who started consoling him. Speaking of dance proposals, Kamui had to ask Ruby and soon.
"Oh boy…she really needs to go to the dance now," Yang sighed.
"Well first you'll have to convince her to," Ruby said as she hopped down from Kamui's back. Before they could talk more though the bell signaling one hour until class came through. Now that might have been a lot of time but their group was different.
"Scheme later, class now. I don't want to get in trouble again," Weiss pressed.
"Whatever I'll see you guys at lunch!" Yang waved off as she went off nonchalantly after Blake. Ren said a simple goodbye with a nod before he dragged a still gagged Nora off towards their class.
"We'll see you guys at lunch also," Pyrrha said with a smile as she ran after Ren and Nora.
"We're supposed to have battle tactics and history with Professor Goodwitch right?" Jaune asked as he started leading them towards their class.
"Yeah, all leaders have to take a tactics class, I don't know why it has to be mixed with history though…" Ruby sighed.
"Because there were many tactical geniuses and idiots in history. Like Grandmaster Robin of the Shepherds eons ago. He's still renowned for his tactical genius to this day for having such advanced tactics, which we incorporate today still," Weiss chided, followed by a groan from Ruby.
"Why do you have to make the one guy I remember, sound boring. Only you would volunteer for that class, Weiss," Ruby complained.
"You have to plan as well to become a great warrior, Little Reaper…especially because you're a leader," Kamui teased and he saw Ruby's cheeks flush.
"I prefer to let my beloved do the thinking but I know…the teachers make it sound so boring though…" Ruby sighed as she leaned on him, even though she was clearly not hurting anymore.
"Speaking of planning, how did you two make up that Ice Prison move?" Jaune asked, interested.
"It's a step up from our Ice Flower move. As you saw we trap our opponents with Ruby's shots, but the aura I pump into her bullets is like a seed with a small timer. It lulls the enemy into a false sense of security, chalking it off, thinking that Ruby has poor aim. Then the seed of aura I placed in the ice explodes making it form into that dome you saw. In that dome it starts to drain your aura and it can shield attacks from the inside!" Weiss said proudly.
"How long did it take you guys to perfect that?" Jaune asked. Kamui and Ruby shared a smile, it was good to see Jaune and Weiss on speaking terms at least. Jaune still had a hopeless crush but at least he stopped trying to flirt with her at every moment, Kamui hoped it was because he was starting to fall for Pyrrha. Weiss seemed to stop berating him as well, his combat ability was still a work in progress but his work in class rivaled her own. He was the only one out of the group whose test scores were on par with Weiss, Kamui and Pyrrha. Ruby claimed that Weiss still had a fantasy team, which the heiress never refuted until the reaper started crying.
"Shorter than you might think but it was definitely difficult to figure out how to make my aura react like that," Weiss said then she rounded on Kamui.
"Speaking of which, how did you create those flames? I don't recall your sword having dust in it and it changed shape," Weiss asked.
"My Yato has special properties that I never explained before. In it's normal state it is just a longsword. What you saw was it's shadow form, in that form it gives off the red glow you saw and it grows into more of a greatsword. It can also turn into a katana if I wish, which is my preferred form out of the two transformations since it is closer to it's normal state than the great sword. Except the shadow form allows further reach for my flames. It has other properties too but I can't share those with you yet," Kamui explained. These three were his partners, he could trust them. He believed he could anyway, Pyrrha had been advising him to talk to these three since they were his partners, Ruby especially.
"But how did you call those flames? Dust?" Weiss pressed and Ruby elbowed her side. Kamui chuckled at the heiress's embarrassment before he cleared his throat and led them along a certain path to a place he knew they could talk. He took them to the courtyard outside of the building their class was in, no one used it since there was no social media anything and it was out of the way since the building was on the edge of the campus, just grass, tress and a few benches. When he was sure they were alone he turned to them.
"I am going to tell you three a secret that I don't want anyone else finding out about without my consent, got it?" Kamui asked seriously. His three partners seemed a bit confused by his sudden change but they took it in stride.
"I promise and an Arc never breaks their promise," Jaune said loyally.
"I promise too!" Ruby added joyfully. Kamui smiled, Ruby had been waiting for him to open up to her a little more for awhile hadn't she?
"A Schnee never goes back on a contract…or a promise," Weiss said with a small smile.
"You can't even tell the others, except for Pyrrha, she knows already. The reason I'm going to share this with you three is because well, you're my partners, by technicality or not," Kamui added the last part for Weiss. It surprised him how easily she seemed to accept him as a partner. Technically through Ruby they were partners too. The same could be said for Pyrrha but they've been partners for years already. Perhaps Ruby had gotten to Weiss or maybe it was because she was still trying to live some sort of fantasy of having the strongest teammates. By technicality also that made Pyrrha her partner also, aristocrats loved technicalities after all.
"Thank you…" Weiss said softly in appreciation.
"Alright then, as long as you share with them too," Jaune said supportively.
"Yeah! You can count on us!" Ruby added joyfully as she grabbed his arm again, but she didn't seem to notice.
"Um…before you say anything…I want to tell you something Kamui…" Weiss said guiltily.
"Yes?" Kamui asked.
"My…father instructed me recently to inform him of any secrets you're holding…he wants the secrets of your family," Weiss said nervously. Kamui sighed, how typical though it was certainly something to be expected.
"Of course…everyone wants the secrets my family has…" Kamui said bitterly. There was a reason why all of the four didn't live in one place since they were children. Why they also have so many silent protectors who shadow them.
"Secrets?" Ruby asked.
"The Schnee's think that we have some new form of dust or a new way to refine it, we don't," Kamui sighed.
"Kamui, I won't sell you out, I promise! I won't betray a partner and a friend!" Weiss said quickly. Kamui looked at her for a few moments and smiled when he didn't see any indication of deceit.
"I mean it though…I don't want anyone to know about this without my consent…I shouldn't even be telling you anything at all either…" Kamui pressed again. They all steeled themselves and nodded before he sighed. He never thought he was going to do this but oh well.
"Those flames…as far as everyone is concerned it's dust, clear?" Kamui asked. They all nodded in understanding.
"Good…now those flames are my…semblance…" Kamui said softly. That certainly got everyone confused, Ruby looked like her brain was having a meltdown and Weiss was trying to see the logic there.
"So you have two?" Jaune asked innocently.
"No, nothing quite like that exactly…though I guess you could call it that to make it easier…" Kamui laughed.
"Then what was that space manipulation thing?" Weiss asked.
"That's the important part, space manipulation is something of a family trait that we all possesses in my family. It's real name is…dragon vein," Kamui said lowly.
"Dragon vein?" Ruby asked.
"It's an ancient ability that allows one to sort of…manipulate the world. It's very draining though, which is why I hate using it. It's not very useful in a duel except for short bursts," Kamui explained.
"Then why not use your flames?" Weiss asked.
"I was…but I had to use Dragon Vein when I saved Ruby from the Nevermore and I couldn't afford to have her asking too many questions if I used my flames later. Besides I always prefer my sword over my semblance. The other thing is that I can teach it to other people," Kamui said.
"So…that's neat…is that it? Because that's kind of easy to keep secret," Jaune said before Weiss slapped him.
"You dolt! Do you understand what he's saying?! He just said the ability could be taught! DO you know what would happen if people found that out?" Weiss demanded. Jaune just rubbed his head and stepped away from her.
"That's why I called you three here actually…I want to teach you three to use it," Kamui said softly with a smile. They all seemed rather surprised by that. Weiss looked like she just won the lottery, Jaune looked well…he was lost in his thoughts again and Ruby was the first one to jump in.
"Really?!" she asked, excited. Kamui chuckled at his crush's attitude before he reached into his belt to pull out three vials. They were simple vials with corks but it was the content that was important. The liquid inside of the vials was pitch black.
"Is that it? I thought you had to teach us?" Ruby asked, deflated.
"Well I do have to teach you three how to harness it, yes. This will allow you three to access it at all. I won't bother telling you what it is otherwise it'll be harder for you to drink it. Quickly now," Kamui held the vials out to them and they all took one.
"Ok!" Ruby was the first one to drink the contents of the vial without hesitation. She winced at the taste but she choked it down. Weiss and Jaune stared at her for a few moments but nothing happened. Jaune looked at Kamui but he held his hand up, telling him to wait.
"Wh-Whoa…" Ruby began to wobble a bit and Kamui caught her quickly. Her red aura began glowing around her and then after a few moments her aura faded and she bounced back up onto her feet.
"I feel great!" Ruby exclaimed, full of energy as always as she bounced around as if she was in a weapon gallery. Kamui chuckled slightly, there was another effect of the "potion" it also gave them power, not too much but just enough to be noticeable.
"Here goes nothing then…" Jaune uncorked his vial and Weiss did as well. They both nodded and drank theirs at the same time. Jaune almost coughed his up and even Weiss seemed to have trouble swallowing it. It wasn't the most…tasty thing in the world especially since they were chugging it.
"Oh boy…" Jaune groaned as he started swaying but he managed to stay standing. Weiss didn't make any sound aside from groans as she held one of her hands to her head. Weiss's icy blue aura began to show itself and Jaune's pure white aura showed as well. After a few moments their auras stopped glowing and they popped up like Ruby did.
"What was in that?" Jaune asked as he stared at his hands, no doubt he felt like he could wrestle an Ursa with his bare hands.
"Indeed…I feel…stronger…" Weiss said slowly. Kamui's eyes trailed up to the warships above, hoping to dear Oum they weren't listening in, no Ozpin wouldn't let them. Besides they were too far away to be listening in.
"Yeah, it does have an extra kick doesn't it? That serum you took is also a bit of a pick up, you'll find yourselves a little bit stronger now," Kamui explained.
"So…how do we use dragon vein?" Jaune asked.
"You have to concentrate first, you have to feel a pull, think of it like using your aura to take control of the space around you as if it was your body," Kamui explained. All three of them closed their eyes and focused, Jaune was the first one to show results. His white aura flared and the world around them changed, as it became his space. Unlike Kamui's, everything in his space was white and black. Except as soon as it came it receded and Jaune fell down to his knees. Kamui's eyes widened slightly in surprise, perhaps he was growing faster than he originally thought.
"That…was incredible…for a moment I thought everything was at my fingertips…wow you weren't kidding when you said it was draining…" Jaune panted as he stood up, shakily. Kamui smiled at him, as he looked at the other two, who hadn't broken concentration the whole time.
"You have to relax too, don't try to force it," Kamui spoke. Ruby seemed to hear him and she visibly relaxed her body and after a few moments her aura flared and her space was created. Her space was black and red and Kamui felt the pull of the gravity on him. Ruby opened her eyes to look at the space in wonder. Except after a few moments the space receded and she fell to her knees like Jaune.
"Oh…I feel sleepy now…" Ruby yawned. Kamui and Jaune shared a smile before Kamui went over and helped her up. He let her lean on him as he turned to Weiss who seemed quite frustrated. She was as stiff as a tree and she her expression was of sheer frustration or rage.
"Weiss! Don't force it too much! You have to relax, it's not the same as flowing your aura into your sword. Space is much harder to subjugate, you have to go about it differently, more like if it was your arm or leg," Kamui chided. Weiss heard him for sure, she relaxed sort of and her expression softened. She took a deep breath and then after at least a minute her aura flared just like Ruby and Jaune's. Her space warped the area around them like the others in a snowy white and blue area.
"Incredible…" Weiss said as she walked forward and spun around to look at the space around her.
"Wow…" Ruby sighed as she looked around, it certainty was a sight to behold, like they were standing in snow. Kamui timed it and a minute passed before everything receded and Weiss almost collapsed. She managed to hold herself standing by placing her hands on her knees, gasping for breath.
"Impressive, you were able to make it last a minute," Kamui complimented.
"It's an incredible ability, I don't see how it couldn't change a fight!" Weiss exclaimed. Kamui smiled softly at her resolve, he thought that too at first. He made sure Ruby could stand on her own before he moved so he was in front of them again.
"Yes, but look at yourselves…you're spent now. What if you couldn't deal enough damage, what if you had to fight more than one person? What if someone knew how to resist your pull?" Kamui asked.
Dragon Vein was a truly powerful technique but it was also a great weakness at the same time. The only reason he could use it with little affect was because he'd trained for years and even so he could only maintain it for five minutes at most, at normal power. His friends didn't have years to train before the tournament so he would dash those ideas now. At least he would make sure they wouldn't rely on it. He made the very same mistake at first, his brothers smacked that out of him though. He smiled at the idea that Ryoma would be proud that he was passing on the same teaching but it was tempered by the fact that he would be mad that he gave Dragon Vein to people out of their circle.
"It can be resisted?" Weiss asked, surprised.
"Yes, as powerful as it is, it would be easy to not notice it but there is one and I am not talking about how it drains you. You see it is possible to resist the ability if you coat yourself in your aura, similar to what Yang does with her semblance. Of course it's not a total counter because you're still affected and they would be draining themselves as well. The bottom line is that it comes down to aura reserves and aura control, the first one who falters loses. Still I would advise not using Dragon Vein in actual combat unless it's absolutely necessary or if you have your teams to back you up," Kamui explained. They all took what he said to heart and he nodded before he cleared his throat.
"Now then, Jaune you were able to activate it first but you used to much of your aura even though you have more aura than any of us here. Learn proper aura control and you can make it last longer. Ruby your call was fast enough and it lasted longer than Jaune's but it felt like you were having trouble controlling the space effectively, I felt the gravity shift in there. You need to learn how to control your space more effectively and work from there. Weiss your control was superb as always, your control of your space was flawless and it even lasted quite some time. However you struggled the most to call upon it, too long, your opponent will have already struck you if you take that long. Weiss, you have to learn to call upon the power more quickly otherwise your control is meaningless," Kamui critiqued.
"Of course! I'll make sure I master this new power next time you ask!" Weiss proclaimed, being the diligent warrior she always is.
"Hey! If I get stronger from this, do you think you'll say yes to a date, Weiss? Oh I know! How about if you accompany me to the dance?" Jaune asked and Kamui resisted the urge to smack him. Weiss did it for him, slapping the back of the poor blonde's head with a loud clap.
"You dunce…I already said no…thank you Kamui, I won't misuse your trust," Weiss said as she checked her scroll, she sighed softly before she put it away.
"I should get to class, I'll hold our seats as usual, I need to prepare for my partner," Weiss said as she glanced at Ruby who gave off a small "Hey!". Weiss actually smiled a little before she gave Kamui a small bow.
"Thank you, Kamui," she said as she hurriedly left. Kamui checked his scroll and saw that they still had half an hour left, maybe she just wanted to get away from Jaune? Probably.
"I'm going to head off too, I promised Professor Goodwitch I would get there early to help her out with some…paperwork…thanks again for the help, Kamui. I'll be sure to practice, I promise. Pyrrha will be in for a surprise!" Jaune said proudly as he walked off after Weiss. Kamui chuckled softly since Jaune hadn't figured out that Pyrrha not only knew how to resist Dragon Vein, she held it too.
"We still have half an hour till we have to be in class and I don't remember Jaune saying anything about helping Goodwitch do you?" Ruby asked. Kamui shrugged but his scroll buzzed and he looked at it to see a message from both Weiss and Jaune. He opened the messages and he blushed when he read them. They both said "Ask Ruby to the dance!". He groaned in annoyance but he looked around the area to see it completely empty still, wait a moment…
For just a moment he saw something move in the edge of his vision, he caught the sight of green hair and he chuckled slightly. Kaze was around, which meant Selkie and Velouria were around too…his sister must be around then. Kaze and the others wouldn't be spying on him and no doubt directing people away from him if she wasn't. Well at least not in this manner. Camilla was always obsessed with getting him a girlfriend after all…Kamui silently praised Kaze for being about to handle his sister's…overbearing yet formidable attitude. Still this time he appreciated the security…
"Hey um…Ruby…so the dance is coming up this weekend…" Kamui said awkwardly as he faced her. Ruby seemed to catch on to what was going on since she blushed and started fumbling with her hood. Her cute response was not helping him find his nerves.
"Come on…you've faced Grimm, monsters and madmen without flinching but you can't just tell her how you feel?!" Kamui cursed out. He sighed as he gathered himself together.
The past months had been the best he could ask for, he got friends and respect through his actions not because of his family name. Ruby was the one that came higher than the rest, she was there for him whenever he needed her. She was the only one who could really keep up with his training regiment as well, thanks to her semblance. Except their bond had only grown since he shared his pictures with her, especially the one he found of her mother holding her. He could always share his troubles with her, even about his siblings, which he didn't share with anyone else besides Pyrrha yet still. He told her about how he and his siblings cared for each other but their ideals clashed a lot. Yes he could trust her with his secret, just her for now to sooth his heart, she accepted Blake and Penny without much issue after all, this should be the same.
"Well I want you to go to the dance with me…as your…date…" Kamui asked cautiously. Ruby stiffened at his question and he felt his heart start to crack a little, did he say something wrong?
"YES!" Ruby cried as she glomped him. Kamui grunted as she crashed against him in a tight hug but he quickly wrapped his around her and spun her around in the air, he was too happy to care about little else!
"I would be happy to let you take me to the dance! Does this mean we're dating now?" Ruby cried as she hugged him tightly even after Kamui set her down, well not really, she was kind of hanging on him with her arms around his neck. Kamui was content to hug her till the world ended and he would have said yes to her last question but still…there was something else he had to tell her…
"Ruby…can you let go, I have to tell you something first…" Kamui said nervously. Ruby released him from her hug and he placed her down on the ground gently but she held his hands in her own as she stared up at him with worried eyes.
"Is something wrong? Do you not want me to be your girlfriend?" Ruby asked, her eyes starting to water.
"No! That's not it Ruby! I would love to be your boyfriend…I'm sorry I've never done this before…that's not the issue though…" Kamui said quickly. Ruby's tears didn't fall thankfully but she looked even more worried now. He couldn't talk though, he didn't know how to say it. Plus his brothers would get on his case like he started the plague if he told her. Ruby sensed his distress though and reached up to place one of her hands on his cheek.
"Kamui…these past few months have been like a fairy tale to me…I never thought I would be able to make any friends besides my sister, much less lead my own team. But I have done both of those things and I had the honor of meeting you. You were like a prince out of a storybook…but you turned out to be more than that. I can see that you are really trying to make a difference and well…I want to help you. I want to be able to help you through everything like you've tried to help me, I don't care what secret you're hiding unless you're secretly planning to destroy all cookies in the world…" Ruby said lovingly. Kamui actually laughed at the last part of her speech but he was very touched by what she said.
"I really do like you, Kamui…and I know you like me too…" Ruby said cutely as she gazed at him lovingly. Kamui couldn't resist, he had to tell her the truth, consequences be damned. He trusted this girl with his life, she deserved the truth from him especially when she poured her heart out to him.
"Ruby…I…tell me what do you know of the Nephilim?" Kamui asked cautiously. Ruby paused at that and it took a few moments for her to collect herself.
"I don't hear much about them really…only fairy tales really, some of my favorite ones actually. They were said to be the guardians of Remnant, they were heroes said to be descendant from angels and humans. They got all the pros of their parents and very few of the cons. They were supposed to be the ones who raised humanity and the Faunus up to new heights. My favorite story is the story of the Great Exalt who defeated the Fell Dragon Grima," Ruby said thoughtfully and Kamui winced slightly. So it was as bad as he had feared, the knowledge was all but gone to the rest of the world. Well…no use holding it off now…
"What…if I told you that all those fairy tales were true, at least their main ideas were? And that the Nephilim were not just real but they're still alive today?" Kamui asked cautiously. Ruby's eyes widened at his declaration but she looked more in awe than scared or worse, disbelief.
"Well…the logical side of my mind wants to say that you're lying and that Nephilim were just made up heroes for children…but to be honest after meeting Penny and Nyx I don't find it impossible. Plus…one of the few things I remember of my mother was that she...said they were real also…" Ruby said softly. Kamui felt his heart warm up instantly, she was taking it relatively well or at least he thought so, no he couldn't think about the negative now!
"I can see that actually, especially since they said dragons weren't real but you have one as a partner…so…what? Do you know a Nephilim? What are they like? Are they super cool? Are they really seven feet tall and super strong? Do they have wings?" Ruby started talking faster towards the end as her excitement picked up.
"Yes I know a few…but it's more than that too…I…I…I am Nephilim, Ruby," Kamui said nervously. There his big secret was out now, the biggest secret the Legacies held dear to their hearts for eons. Kamui could just hear Takumi yelling at him already about how reckless his decision was, too bad it was overshadowed by his fear of how Ruby would react.
"That's…That's…SO COOL!" Ruby exclaimed as she held his hands tighter and hopped up an down a bit like someone just gave her cookies with extra sugar. Kamui blushed at her obvious enthusiasm and the way she held his hands, she was looking at him like he was some kind of gem, something that never happened before. Her eyes were full of stars like he just showed her a scythe that could turn into a car.
"You…you're taking this well…" Kamui said, dumbfounded. Ruby calmed down finally before she composed herself but the stars in her eyes didn't leave.
"How could I not? Who else can claim that her boyfriend is an angel?" Ruby asked lovingly as she hugged him warmly. Kamui blushed, hard from the way she spoke to him, the words were so affectionate and wait…
"Angel?" Kamui asked, confused.
"Yeah! Aren't you part angel?" Ruby asked.
"Um…well you know the Nephilim are from fallen angels right? Or in other terms…demons…" Kamui muttered a little shamefully. Ruby looked confused and she reached up to touch his cheek again.
"Fallen or not, they're still angels to me…I mean they gave me you…" Ruby said lovingly and Kamui felt his face heat up even more if that was possible. He smiled at her though and pulled her tighter against him. Yes, he found someone he could trust definitely. He pulled her away from him though, which made her whine a little in protest but he held her back.
"Sorry…one more thing…" he said softly. Ruby pouted but she didn't try to hug him when he let her go. He took a few steps away from her and checked their surroundings again. He didn't sense anyone around and he was sure Kaze and the others would have kicked them out anyway. He looked up at the Atlas ship and smiled when he didn't see any ships above them now, he could do it.
"My…outbursts are more than just growth of my powers. It's the beginning of my maturity as I become more in sync with my…true self…It will be much easier to show you what I mean though…" Kamui said softly as he took a deep breath. The stone around his neck began glowing as his black aura became visible and started swirling around him like a vortex. He saw Ruby take a step back in surprise before his aura blocked his vision. The transformation stung slightly as his body changed but he didn't even wince as his body adjusted itself. He felt the weight of the armor around him settle. It was almost effortless to call upon it now, with his stone's help of course. When his aura veil faded and he was revealed to her fully her eyes widened in shock.
"This is my…true state as a Nephilim," Kamui spoke in his morphed voice, it didn't leave a bad taste in his mouth anymore. He was a lot taller than Ruby now in this form, he had to look down towards her more noticeably now. Thankfully his transformation only made him go a bit above Jaune's height otherwise it would be awkward. Still he was still growing after all. He was Rider of War, he was supposed to be big. He hoped Ruby would grow at some point, otherwise it would be really awkward.
"You look…cool…" Ruby said slowly as she reached out towards him. He didn't back away and let her hand run along his armored form. He watched her face carefully to see if she would grow disgusted but she didn't. She still looked enamored like she was looking at something out of a story, well it probably helped that she knew it was him.
"Here…my…face doesn't quite look the same..." Kamui spoke softly as he reached up to undo his helmet. Ruby watched him as he carefully undid the straps to his helmet and he pulled it off slowly, revealing his face to her.
Ruby's POV
"Oh…" Ruby stared in wonder at her new boyfriend. His face was definitely the same at least base wise but she understood what he meant the moment she saw him. His skin had turned a very deathly pale and some of the veins in his face she could see through his skin and they were a black color, they weren't poking through the skin they were showing through his skin like they were glowing almost, if black could glow. His eyes were the most beckoning trait though. His smoldering irises actually looked like they were smoldering now and his sclera had turned to a black color as well. Certainly he would be scary if he was angry but Ruby didn't see that, she saw a boy who was nervous about how she perceived him.
Ruby felt a little angry at the thought of how people would no doubt ostracize Kamui if they saw him like this. It made sense to her now why he would be so protective of this secret, why he always ran off whenever he had an outburst. Why he was so adamant at not letting anyone see him when he did. Ruby felt sad for him, it was similar to how Blake and Penny had been. Afraid of what would happen if the secret about them were found out. Ruby decided right there that she would be the one to open his heart, especially if she was to be his girlfriend. Ruby shuddered at the thought of how her sister would squeal but she shook it off. She reached up towards Kamui's face and touched it, a little surprised by how cold he was.
"You look like a hero…" she whispered. Then she leaned up on her tiptoes towards him and he leaned down to meet her halfway. Ruby leaned in cautiously as she wrapped her other arm around his neck. Then delicately her lips met his in a gentle kiss.
Later
"Oh my god! So cute! Little Ruby has her first boyfriend!" Yang gushed as she swung Ruby around like a ragdoll. Ruby was blushing as red as her hood as she fought her sister to let her go.
"Let me go!" Ruby shouted as she jabbed her fingers into her sister's side. The action made her sister drop her and she quickly sped over to her new boyfriend and hid behind him. They were at the cafeteria now, their time at tactics class went by with little to no incident besides the looks they got from Weiss and Jaune. The little sneaks must have planned it. Their time together at their next class, weapon mechanics went by without incident too since it was just the two of them. They enjoyed their new found affection for each other in relative private. Except now they were at the end of the day, getting dinner where everyone had gathered together…which meant Yang saw them walk in holding hands.
"Protect me! She's trying to suffocate me!" Ruby demanded and Kamui chuckled slightly but he stopped when the sound of Ember Celica cocking. Ruby peeked out to see that Yang had one of her gauntlets raised at Kamui's face. He was tense as usual but he didn't flinch. Ruby went to her sister and wrenched on her arm though.
"Sis!" Ruby chided but Yang shook her off.
"You, better not hurt her am I understood, Kamui?" Yang said icily as her eyes flickered red. Kamui's eyes narrowed slightly as he pushed her gauntlet out of his face.
"I wouldn't dream of it…" Kamui said sincerely. Yang seemed to accept that since she let her gauntlets turn back to her bracelets before she pulled them both into a hug.
"Great! Welcome to the family, Kamui! Oh so um my Bumblebee is in need of an upgrade and I kind of don't have the lien to cover it yet so could you um…help me out?" Yang asked innocently. Kamui gave her an amused look but Ruby quickly pushed her away from them and held his arm protectively.
"Yang! Don't scare him off!" Ruby pleaded. That just produced another laugh from Kamui though. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against him and she felt her face heat up so much she felt like she would faint.
"Don't worry, with my family I think I am used to this, besides I've known her for months now," Kamui sighed. Ruby didn't care how embarrassed she was or the fact that Yang and the others were snapping pictures of them. Well maybe she did care but that wasn't the point. She just liked being held by him, it felt even better now that they were together, they were together right? Of course they were, how did relationships even work?
"Kamui, you are taking my sister to the dance right?" Yang asked, Ruby couldn't tell if she was trying to sound threatening or excited.
"Of course, I am, why wouldn't I?" Kamui asked, surprised. Yang squealed again and Weiss brightened up. Ruby paled, her sister only did that when…
"That means we have to go shopping! We need to get her a dress!" Yang gushed.
"What?! Why can't I just go with this?" Ruby asked as she motioned towards her current attire. Yang yanked her away from her spot with Kamui and hugged her again.
"Oh sweet Ruby, you poor innocent soul. Don't worry, I'll be sure to find you something that'll make Kamui's blood run! Then you'll know what I mean!" Yang proclaimed and Ruby blushed. She wasn't that innocent!
"Weiss, Blake! We have to take my sister on a shopping trip!" Yang proclaimed.
"Wonderful! I've been waiting to go find some new shows and I'll make sure I find Ruby the shoes she needs!" Weiss promised and Ruby paled, no not high heels!
"Kamui, what color will you be wearing?" Yang asked.
"I'll be wearing a black suit with white detailing or red if you want," Kamui said and Ruby wanted to yell at him not to encourage them.
"Oh go with the white detailing! Ruby we're going to find you a dress if it kill you!" Yang shouted. Ruby noticed that Blake had walked off though during their talk, Ruby wanted to go after her since she knew she was running herself dry but well she had other issues, like trying not to be stuck with high heels! She'd die in embarrassment if she stepped on her date's toes!
"Speaking of dates, did the rest of you guys get dates?" Weiss asked.
"Nah, no guy could handle me anyway," Yang said offhanded, Ruby felt a little better, she could rub it in her sister's face that she got a date while she didn't.
"Blake…well I'll go talk with her about it later. She'll be going to the dance though don't worry," Yang said.
"Renny and I are going together!" Nora exclaimed and Ren quickly muffled her, looking embarrassed. Jaune held up a rose, offering it to Weiss but she promptly turned her head from him sharply, slapping his face with her ponytail. The blonde's shoulders slumped in defeat and Pyrrha placed a hand on his shoulder supportively. When would that boy take the hint already? Also where was everyone? The entire cafeteria was empty…was everyone still scared of them because of the food fight incident?
"Great so I'll go talk to Blake and then we're off to go shop! Kamui, you're going to have a ton of new pictures for your book I hope you have space!" Yang cut in. Ruby groaned in defeat since she was going to be dragged along kicking and screaming despite what she said, Yang would do it too. Except before anything else could happen there was a loud crash as the doors to the cafeteria were thrown open.
"Where's my favorite little brother!" a feminine voice exclaimed voice dripping with affection, the overbearing kind. Ruby saw Kamui flinch slightly and he groaned. Their eyes all went towards the door and Ruby's eyes widened, she was pretty sure everyone else was in a similar state as well.
At the door was four people. Three of them Ruby recognized as the three people she met at the docks. It was the fourth that everyone was drawn to though. She was a woman who looked to be in her late teens or early twenties, aura immortality had been nice to her obviously or maybe not. She was tall, like around Jaune's height. She had long purple hair combed down in a style that covered one of her eyes slightly. Her eyes were a lovely purple that complimented her greatly, the other thing was that she was very endowed, even more than Yang, which Ruby thought was impossible. She was dressed up in black armor over what must have been a skimpy dress since she still showed a lot cleavage; at least everything below the waist was covered adequately. She had an axe on her back that looked very wicked, the blade was black and the edge was red like it was permanently coated in blood. She was gorgeous and dangerous to put it lightly. She was beaming at them or Kamui to be exact.
"Kami!" she exclaimed joyfully as she ran up to them. Ruby scrambled out of the way with her sister and the rest of their friends. Kamui sighed but he held his arms out to her.
"Camilla!" Kamui greeted with a resigned smile. Camilla immediately pulled him into a full hug, smothering him against her chest. Ruby winced, she never thought she would meet someone more overbearing than her sister. So that's what he meant when he said that. Though he did manage to take it better than Ruby would since he actually lifted her off the ground as they hugged.
"It's so good to see you! Felica never tells me anything about you! She only says that you're doing fine! Is she treating you well, you didn't get scraped or anything did you?! I haven't heard about you in months!" Camilla exclaimed as she held her brother out as she looked him over as if he was hiding some kind of an injury from her. Kamui looked annoyed but he did actually look very happy. Ruby remembered him telling her that as siblings they were fine but as people of the world they were at conflict.
"Camilla! Felica hasn't been watching me for months now, I've been at Beacon for those months remember? You should be bugging Professor Goodwitch or Ozpin for details," Kamui chuckled as he batted her hands away.
"Oh I'm so sorry, Kami, it's just that you're growing up too fast!" Camilla gushed as she hugged him again. If she wasn't his sister Ruby would probably be jealous.
"Milady, you're embarrassing his Lordship again," Kaze commented as he and the two girls following him approached. Camilla let go of Kamui and went over to Kaze and pressed herself against his arm. The calm and refined man blushed slightly at the gesture and his two companions giggled slightly.
"Aww…you're still calling me Milady. I told you lover that you don't have to call me that, you're my husband after all…" Camilla said kindly as she pressed her face into his shoulder. Kaze looked rather uncomfortable now but also pleased at the same time.
"Hello again Kaze, thank you by the way. Selkie, Velouria its good to see you too," Kamui said and the two girls immediately glomped him like he was a teddy bear. Ok now Ruby was feeling jealous, her eyes narrowed at the two who were being a little too familiar with Kamui.
"It's so good to see you again, Kamui!" Velouria greeted, though she at least let go of Kamui after her hug, Selkie seemed intent to keep hugging him. Ruby wondered if steam was coming out of her ears. Kamui wasn't even trying to separate himself from her! It didn't help that Selkie was the girl who threatened her either. That wouldn't do at all!
"Hmph!" Ruby stormed over and practically yanked her away from Kamui and then she attached herself to his arm. She didn't care if Yang and Weiss made awing sounds and faces.
"Heh…right…Selkie, Velouria this is Ruby Rose, she's one of my partners…and my uh girlfriend…" Kamui explained shyly. The two girls looked like they were more in shock than anything. Then they started smiling and Ruby suddenly felt like she just unleashed some kind of beast. Except it wasn't the one she thought it would be.
"So cute! Why didn't you tell me about her Kami!" Camilla was suddenly in front of them again. Ruby clutched onto her boyfriend tightly, in fear so she wouldn't be wrenched from him again.
"Camilla! Don't scare her!" Kamui chided. Camilla pouted but then her eyes narrowed at Ruby. She crossed her arms and leaned down towards her so her face was at her level.
"Hm…so you're the one that has taken my brother's heart…I trust you will not abuse the trust he has placed in you…am I clear…" Camilla asked. Ruby paled a little since she really did understand. She must know that Kamui shared his secret about what he is with her.
"Of course I won't…" Ruby said and Kamui actually placed his hand on Camilla's shoulder and pushed her back slightly.
"I trust her, Camilla," Kamui said softly. Camilla gave Ruby another look and then Ruby thought she saw recognition in her eyes before she sighed.
"If only you could have just gotten with Azura like we wanted…then we wouldn't have this problem…oh well, I'm not one to question one's heart," Camilla sighed. Ruby felt Kamui tense at the mention of that name. Wait wasn't Azura the name of that famous songstress from Mistral? And did Camilla just say they were trying to get them together? Ruby tightened her hold on Kamui's arm at that thought.
"Azura…has other suitors…now is anyone else around that I should know about so I know to be more on alert?" Kamui asked. Ruby let her hand dip to hold his and he squeezed her hand back.
"Azura is around, though she couldn't come to see you unfortunately since she has to practice for the dance. Flora, Jakob and Felica are coming around later. Inigo and Soleil are in the town. I think Sophie, Odin, Nina and Ophelia are running theatrics somewhere. Everyone else is probably going to pop out somewhere before the tournament. Oh the kids are around too, I brought them here!" Camilla explained.
"Uh…where?" Kamui asked and Ruby heard a certain angry edge in his tone. Camilla looked around then she chuckled in an embarrassed manner like she did something wrong.
"Uh…they're probably with…Ophelia…uh now then introduce us to your other friends!" Camilla pressed. Ruby looked up at Kamui who looked like he was getting a giant headache. He sighed and went over to his friends, Ruby didn't release him from her hold though. He motioned to JNPR with a sigh.
"Right…fine…You all already know Pyrrha. The blonde knight is Jaune Arc, he's her partner as well as my own. Then these two here are Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie, they're Team JNPR and Jaune is the leader," Kamui introduced. Then he motioned towards the rest of Ruby's team.
"These three are part of Ruby's team. I'm pretty sure you guys recognize Weiss Schnee, she's Ruby's partner. The blonde is Yang Xiao Long, she's Ruby's sister and the silent girl is Blake Belladonna, Yang's partner," Kamui introduced.
"Pyrrha, it's wonderful to see you again darling, I'm so sorry I didn't notice you sooner!" Camilla gushed as she gave Pyrrha a hug similar to the one she gave Kamui.
"It's good to see you too Lady Camilla…" Pyrrha gasped when she was released from her hug. Kamui chuckled slightly before he held a hand out to his sister and her companions.
"This beautiful lady is my older sister, Shira or Camilla if she lets you. You guys probably remember Kaze, Velouria and Selkie. Oh and Kaze is Camilla's husband," Kamui summarized. Then he smacked Jaune who was staring agape at his sister.
"Greetings…" Kaze just nodded to them though Ruby saw him glaring slightly at Jaune.
"It's nice to meet all of you!" Selkie gave them a small bow and Yang's eyes flickered red.
"Hey…weren't you the girl that threatened my sister?" Yang asked. Selkie looked like she was thinking for a moment before she chuckled nervously.
"She was never in danger, she was just trying to protect Lord Kamui and all of you as well," Velouria intervened quickly as she got in front of Yang before she walked up to Selkie.
"Yeah? Well how would I know? It's hard to tell when your sister is being threatened…" Yang growled.
"I was never going to hurt her, Yang was it? Surely Lord Kamui has explained this to you already?" Selkie asked though she seemed to be getting a little defensive. Yang looked like she was going to retort but Blake and Weiss pulled her back. Wait when did Blake come back? Ruby blinked since she didn't realize that Blake had walked back in during their introductions.
"It's nice to meet you! Um we were just going to uh leave…we were going shopping!" Weiss cut in as she and Blake forced Yang back towards the door. No doubt they wanted to get the hell away, she sounded crazy!
"Oh really? That sounds grand! I'll go with you! I still need a dress for the dance anyway!" Camilla said. Ruby's eyes widened as she was wrenched from Kamui's side by his sister. She looked towards Kamui pleadingly but he just shrugged in an embarrassed manner as she was dragged off by Camilla after her team.
"Now then, we'll be getting to know each other very well on this little trip won't we? Oh and I'll be getting to know your team very well too! I have to make sure none of you are taking advance of my sweet little brother," Camilla said sweetly with a fake smile that Ruby would learn to dread. Now she understood one thing, she now understood the wrath of a protective older sister. She would never downplay Yang's actions again.
Jaune's POV
Jaune grunted as he locked blades with Pyrrha again. His eyes locked on her green ones, which held great amusement in them. He returned it as he pulled back from their lock and made an overhead slash towards her head. She moved to block it but at the last moment he twirled his sword to strike her other side. Of course she deflected the feint easily. Then she tried to catch his side but he twisted to the side, dodging it as he brought his sword to bear towards her leg. Of course it didn't work though. She stopped his strike with her own sword but before he could move she grabbed his wrist and tugged him forward and then he felt the tip of her sword hit his aura against his neck.
"Sorry Jaune…" Pyrrha said slyly, she had a bright smile on her face though. Jaune blushed slightly since their faces were not very far apart. Jaune's gaze averted itself as he felt his heartbeat pick up. He'd been feeling this way around Pyrrha a lot ever since their mission in Vale. His heartbeat always picked up and he would always feel embarrassed, more than usual anyway. He also found himself growing more and more fed up with Weiss's treatment of him lately. Especially after she refuted him not twice but three times that day! He even tried to serenade her and she just slammed a door in his face!
"Yeah…yeah…" Jaune grumbled as he freed himself from her hold. He lasted at least five seconds longer that time.
"Sorry, I have to push you a little harder now. The tournament is coming up and Kamui asked me to push you as if he was here. It was either this or help him try to track down his nieces and nephews and believe me, I don't want to know what kind of trouble they got into or hear Kamui shout. Going shopping with Lady Camilla and the others would be even worse, poor Ruby," Pyrrha expressed. Jaune sighed softly, of course…she treated this more like a chore than her actually wanting to do it. She just didn't want to have a leader who was worthless…
"Hey, don't take it like that! I love spending time with you!" Pyrrha appeased quickly. Jaune smiled at her words, of course what was he thinking, Pyrrha was above feeling like that.
"Let's try one more then," Jaune said as he lifted his sword into both his hands. He took a deep breath as he lifted his sword, calling on his aura to flow into his hands and feet.
"Very well…" Pyrrha said with a smile as she lifted her own sword. She held it out towards him as she stepped closer to him, slowly. Jaune's eyes narrowed as she closed in, she usually went for bait when she did this. He had his own plan to deal with this though, thanks to Kamui. He just hoped it would last long enough for him to get something in. If he was correct, then Pyrrha would know how to counter it with her aura, he just had to hope he would catch her by surprise.
Jaune brought his sword up and slashed her blade away and she took a step back and used the momentum to bring her sword back for a thrust. Jaune stepped to the side and slashed down at her sword, knocking it down. Then he closed in on her for a slash but she easily brought her sword back up for the block. He pushed his sword in though and caught her blade on his guard and tugged it away so he could drive in for a thrust of his own but Pyrrha just twisted out of the way. He caught her smile though as he did. She slashed at his flank and he barely moved his sword to block it. Unfortunately the force of the strike staggered him and sent his sword away from him. Then Pyrrha drove her sword home towards his chest.
"Now!" Jaune called upon the feeling he felt when he used Dragon Vein earlier, taking advantage of the fact that he could draw it fast. It did not disappoint, his aura flared as his space was created. He saw Pyrrha's eyes widen as she was caught in the move. Jaune reacted quickly and forced gravity down on her and she almost buckled. Then he kicked her in the chest sending her back. He would apologize later, he got a hit though! He moved in quickly to finish it but before he could he saw her red aura flare and then she was just gone. His eyes widened as he now felt a pressure on his aura like someone was trying to wrench control away from him!
"Nice try Jaune…" no sooner than those words were uttered Jaune was knocked onto his stomach. His space faded when he hit the ground as it now turned from black and white to red and gold. Then he felt a small pressure on his back and a point touch the back of his neck.
"I didn't expect that…" Pyrrha said as everything faded away. Jaune groaned as he rolled onto his back to stare up at a slightly winded Pyrrha. She had a bright smile on her face though as she gazed down at him.
"I didn't think Kamui would open that up to you so soon. He must care for you more than I thought," Pyrrha said as she offered him her hand. Jaune took her hand gratefully as he stood up tiredly. Boy was Kamui not kidding when he said that it took a lot out of you. He felt like he could fall asleep standing if he wanted to.
"Yeah…Oum he wasn't kidding about the draining part of it though…" Jaune groaned as he stretched his limbs. Pyrrha gave off a joyful laugh and Jaune blushed a little at the sound of her laugh.
"Why do you think he dislikes using it? The only reason he can use it so long is because he's been using it for years, we don't really have that time though," Pyrrha sighed.
"I had a feeling that you would have it too," Jaune said with a tired laugh.
"I haven't had it for that long really. I've only had it for a year actually, Kamui got in a lot of trouble for that too. I imagine he shared it with Ruby and Weiss as well?" Pyrrha asked. Jaune just nodded and Pyrrha seemed to smile more.
"That's good, he's learning to trust you guys more then," Pyrrha beamed as she hugged him. Jaune practically froze up at that gesture even though it only lasted a few seconds and if he was paying attention he would have seen that she was blushing worse than he was.
"I think he trusts Ruby a lot more though," Jaune noted and they both ended up laughing.
"Indeed…yes, it's good that he has. I'm also glad that Ruby proved to be as good as I hoped, they'll be cute at the dance," Pyrrha said softly. She seemed down about it though, Jaune knew that Pyrrha and Kamui were basically like brother and sister so it couldn't be that she was jealous was she?
"Speaking of the dance, did anyone ask you yet? I bet hundreds of boys and some girls asked you," Jaune half-joked. He actually felt a little sad about that since his luck in that department practically…well it sucked. Everyone else had a date or could have easily gotten one. Yang probably got asked out as much as Pyrrha did. Blake had Sun even if she refuted him, Jaune heard that Yang convinced her to accept him. Jaune felt happy for them, Blake needed happiness in her life and Sun was definitely one who could deliver it. Kamui and Ruby were going together and they were dating now too, the cutest couple he had ever seen. Weiss had asked out Neptune no doubt as much as it broke Jaune's heart he couldn't compete with Neptune…he was too cool. Then of course Ren and Nora were going together, even if it was just as friends.
"Oh well…no one actually asked me…" Pyrrha said sadly. Jaune's eyes widened at her, it couldn't be true right? She was Pyrrha Nikos for crying out loud! He saw Yang getting asked out at every corner, how did Pyrrha never get any of that?!
"What?! You're Pyrrha Nikos! How could no one ask you out? You're amazing!" Jaune exclaimed, if no one thought she was pretty he would go kick the hell out of them. He didn't care if he got his butt kicked, he would try!
"That's exactly why I didn't get asked…everyone thinks I'm too good for them, no one has the courage to ask me. Kamui might have asked me to go with him as a friend but well…he has Ruby to take, bless her heart she wasn't afraid of his name," Pyrrha said sadly.
"I…didn't think about it like that Pyrrha…I guess I was too busy dealing with my dance problems…Weiss refused me three times and well…I guess I just never saw that you were having problems too…" Jaune said pathetically. He placed his hand on her shoulder and she leaned into him a little. He didn't shy away from her touch though.
"I know…Weiss doesn't know what she's missing out on. There are plenty of fish out in the sea though, Jaune so don't forget that," Pyrrha said as she parted from him. Jaune watched her go sadly.
"Since we both expended much of our energy we'll have to save it for tomorrow," Pyrrha called back as she made her way to the stairs. She looked so sad though that Jaune had to do something.
"Wait Pyrrha!" Jaune called as he staggered after her. She turned to him in surprise as he took on of her hands. He smiled at her, he wouldn't let her be alone at the dance. He wasn't sure of what he was feeling but he knew that he couldn't let her suffer.
"Would you like to accompany me to the dance?"
