SAL-U-TATIONS! I've decided to make my deadline 2 weeks instead of one, due to exams coming up in my school. Once summer comes around, I'll bring it back down to a week.
In the mean time, enjoy this chapter!
Ruby Rose
"Haaa!" I yelled, swinging Crescent Rose once again. Just like the last 12 times I had tried to hit Trunks, he dodged effortlessly.
"Dang it!" I yelled in my head. "I can't even touch him!"
Once more I decided to try my luck, this time leaping and attacking my mentor from above. However, despite my best attempts to hit him he easily backflipped out of the way, leaving my sweetheart stuck in the dirt below. Trunks simply stared at me, a serious expression on his face. He didn't speak, but I knew he was telling me to try another shot. After 13 failed attacks though, I knew I had to start to even the odds.
I felt my cloak spin around me as I lept off the ground, dashing towards my mentor. My semblance was my trump card in this fight. If I couldn't hit Trunks normally, I'd have to increase my speed.
Unfortunately, my master plan wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Before I could even so much as swing Crescent Rose, Trunks grabbed his sword that I made him a few days ago, and pulled it out of its sheathe. Almost instantly he blocked my swipe with the blade, and before I could even react he threw a hard boot to my stomach, knocking my weapon and I to the floor.
"Owww..." I groaned as I got to my feet. "Ow. Ow. Ow."
Trunks suddenly got worried. "Sorry!" He cried out. "I didn't hit you too hard, did I?"
I got up and managed a smile. "No, no, I'm fine." I reassured him, even though I was very much NOT fine. "Just got the wind knocked out of me. I'm fine."
He sighed in relief before putting back his sword. He walked up to me and offered his hand. I took it and got to my feet, dragging Crescent Rose with me. I refolded my sweetheart and put it back in its holder.
"So..." I started, hoping I'd be able to get the answer I was looking for. "...can you teach me how to use Ki now?"
Trunks shook his head. "No Ruby, I've told you this already. You need to be at your physical peak before I can teach you how to use Ki. You still can't even land a hit on me."
I pouted. "Oh, come on, please?!"
"I said no, Ruby." Trunks responded sternly.
I sighed. "Okay..." I responded, begrudgingly. "So, why can't I hit you?" I suddenly asked, in an attempt to change the topic.
"Well..." Trunks began to answer. "...you see Ruby, you're pretty fast on your own, and with that semblance of yours you're even faster. However, you've never pushed it past its normal limits."
I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "'Push past its limits?" I asked. "What do you mean?"
"You only know how to move your entire body with your semblance." My mentor explained. "What you need to figure out how to do is to move your separate limbs with your semblance. That's how you can hit faster, and especially how you can hit harder."
That sounded confusing to me, but I got the jist. "That's easy!" I lied, turning my head towards the other end of the path we were walking through. The Forest of Forever Fall worked great as a training place. I took out Crescent Rose and began to swing, trying to activate my semblance on just my arms.
Nothing happened. Unless you count a sudden aching in my arms. Next to me, Trunks tried to hide a snicker.
"It's gonna take some time Ruby, and a lot of practice. But when you manage to get it done, you'll be much stronger than before. Trust me."
I tried to respond, but before I could Trunks took a look at his scroll and almost leaped in shock. "Oh no!" He yelled. "I hadn't been paying attention to the time, you better go to lunch, Ruby!"
"Like this hasn't happened twice before already." I laughed internally, as I began running off towards my quarters so I could change into my school uniform. "Alright, see you tomorrow Trunks!" I yelled, waving as I ran.
He waved back, smiling. "Right, tomorrow Ruby." He responded, a little less loudly.
Trunks Briefs
I watched my student run off. I had eaten not too long ago, so there was no need to run to the cafeteria with her. I had no plans for the evening, so I began to let ideas flow through my mind.
"Perhaps I could fly over and check out one of the other kingdoms." I muttered to myself. I had long since explored every corner of Vale, and with my speed it wouldn't take much more than a minute, if even, to reach Atlas or Mistral. I was considering my idea when I turned around, and suddenly found Professor Ozpin standing behind me.
I almost jumped into the air in surprise. Seeing people suddenly appear behind me wasn't really surprising on it's own. I had seen enough of that on Earth, but I wasn't expecting anyone on Remnant to be that fast. "How...Where...?" I sputtered, confused.
Ozpin simply gave me a small smirk. "Hello, Trunks." He said, ignoring my question entirely.
"Uh..." I responded, calming down. "Hello, I guess?"
Ozpin had the same expression he always had. One that showed an adventurous spirit, but at the same time he always seemed disinterested in everything around him. I could never quite put my finger on how he felt.
"I see Ruby is making some progress." He spoke casually, as if he hadn't just suddenly appeared out of nowhere behind me a few seconds ago. "You had to block that last shot."
"Yeah." I admitted. The girl was a quick learner, and speed already came naturally to her. It's not like her shot would have particularly hurt, but the point of our sparring was for the cloaked girl to land a hit on me. "She's a pretty good student."
"Indeed." Ozpin replied, not even looking at me. He was walking towards the school at a steady pace, not fast enough to get out of my range, but fast enough that he was making some distance. "Trunks, we've been thinking about doing this since you first got here, but without any knowledge about yourself it didn't seem wise to include you."
I raised an eyebrow. "We" could mean the other teachers, but what he was saying seemed odd. Odder than usual, at least.
He turned his head back to me, a far more serious expression on his face. "Now though, we almost universally agree that you should know."
I was certainly confused. "Know...what?" I asked.
He turned around again and began walking towards Beacon Academy once more. "Meet us in my office." He bluntly responded, before leaving.
Meanwhile, I just stood there confused and stunned. After a minute, I finally realized I needed to follow the professor, and began my walk towards the castle-like school.
10 minutes later
The walk to Ozpin's office was long. If I had flown it wouldn't have taken more than a few seconds, but at my casual pace it took quite a while to reach the door that signified the clock tower like room.
I almost let my curiosity get the better of me. I turned the doorknob slightly before my polite nature kicked in, and I knocked on the door.
"Come in." I heard Ozpin say in his usual, disinterested tone.
Permission now obtained, I turned the doorknob and entered the strange office. At the end of the room was Ozpin, as I expected, and Professor Goodwitch. Ozpin had the same expression from before, but Goodwitch looked somewhat concerned. It was odd to see that expression on the female professor. Usually the only emotion she could convey was irritation.
"Hello again Trunks." Goodwitch greeted softly. She spoke the same way she did back when I first showed up at Beacon, almost comforting me. It was a nice change from Ozpin's presence of importance and authority. She almost made the situation seem like something other than an interrogation.
I nodded towards Goodwitch, a little too confused and interested to appropriately greet her. I stared awkwardly at Ozpin. I had contemplated what he was talking about in Forever Fall during my walk to the school, but I hadn't been able to fit anything together. I wasn't sure if I was going to be looking forward to what he had to say.
When I saw him nod towards the chair on the other side of the desk, I took a seat, and took a breath. "So..." I began to ask. "...what did you want from me?"
Leaning back in his chair, Ozpin asked a simple question. "Are you familiar with Remnant's fairy tales?"
Fairy Tales? I did recall a few of them from my time in Beacon's library. The Tale of the Two Brothers and the Shallow Sea were some of the few that stuck in my head. "Somewhat, I suppose." I answered.
"Then are you aware of the Four Maidens?" He asked, still leaning back.
That name didn't quite ring a bell. "No sir." I replied. I wasn't quite sure why I addressed Ozpin as sir. Perhaps it was out of respect for his authority. Maybe I had simply become used to it due to the fact that most people who were still alive in my time required some amount of respect.
Ozpin gave out a small "Hmm..." before leaning towards me. "It is the tale of an old man, one who refuses to leave his own home, being visited by four traveling maidens. The first of the group understands his solitude, and encourages him to use his time alone to reflect and mediate. The second brings him fresh fruits and flowers, taking care of his garden and bringing it back to its former glory. The third maiden manages to warm the cold heart of the old man, convincing him to step outside of his home and see the beauty that surrounds him. Finally, the fourth maiden begs the man to look at all he has and be thankful."
The story sounded traditional, as if it was a story my mother told me when the world was still at peace. Before the androids came and killed everyone. The story however, had not concluded. Ozpin continued. "In return for their kindness, the old man grants the maidens incredible powers, so that they may continue to help others all over Remnant. Humbly, the four maidens accept their powers, and promise the man to share their kindness with the world until the end of days."
When I realised that Ozpin had finished, I nodded. Kindly as I could, I asked a question. "What is so important about this fairy tale?" I wondered. "Surely you didn't just bring me up here to tell me a story, right?"
"No, we didn't." Goodwitch replied. "Trunks, you see, the story of the four maidens isn't JUST a fairy tale."
I raised an eyebrow. "So you're telling me it's real?" I asked.
"Exactly." Ozpin confirmed.
"How?" I wondered. "Some sort of special dust?"
"Not dust." Ozpin corrected. "Magic."
This time both of my eyebrows rose. "Excuse me if I find that hard to believe."
Ozpin chuckled, as if my comment was ridiculous. "Is it really any stranger than flight and firing energy blasts out of your hands?"
I shook my head, ready to argue. "Ki is a form of energy. Magic goes against science."
Glynda shook her head. "Not everything can be explained with logic, Trunks. Some things just...are."
Suddenly, Ozpin got out of his chair, walking towards the door I had used to enter the office. "Come." Was his simple directive. Goodwitch followed without question. Though I was still confused, I figured I should do the same.
The trip to the elevator wasn't a long one, but it felt like an eternity to me. The confusion of what they had told me so far, and the almost worried look on their faces...it just made me uncomfortable.
"Where...are we going?" I asked, almost feeling the sweat dropping on my head.
"The vault." Ozpin answered, matter of factly. "...under the school."
I noticed the ki signals that signified the students and other teachers were above me at this point. I could only sense one aura under me, and...
"...what...is...that...?" I announced in my thoughts, my expression surely turning rather strange. I could see the confused gazes of Goodwitch and Ozpin, but they quickly recalled my ability to sense aura.
The aura I felt...it was weak, as if only a little bit was left. Not only that, but it seemed to be bouncing around in the body. It was as if it saw the skin that contained it as some sort of prison, and was desperately trying to escape.
I finally heard the "ding" that meant we'd reached our destination. The doors opened, revealing a long and dark hallway. Torches with green flames lit the room, tinting it as if it was from one of the alien movies my mother watched as a teenager.
Ozpin and Goodwitch exited the elevator without hesitation. I only stepped out because I feared the doors would close on me if I didn't.
"I'm...sensing a strange aura." I told my escorts. "Is that one of the..."
"Yes." Glynda interrupted. "That is one of the Maidens. The Fall Maiden, to be precise."
"I can feel her aura...it's like it's trying to escape her." I responded, explaining what I felt.
Ozpin sighed. "Then it may be exactly as we feared."
I turned my attention to the headmaster. "What?" I asked, confused.
"You see, Trunks..." Glynda began to explain. "The maidens are like the seasons. No two summers are alike. When a Maiden dies, her power transfers to a new host. This ensures that the seasons are never lost, and no individual can hold onto the power forever."
"However..." Ozpin interrupted. "This situation is unlike any we've seen before. Someone attacked the current Fall Maiden, Amber."
"Unfortunately, the attack itself isn't an unlikely occurrence." Goodwitch continued explaining. "The few people who know about the Maidens tend to attack them, in hopes of obtaining their power."
"This however, is unlike the rest." Once again, Ozpin spoke. "Somehow, part of Amber's power was stolen."
My eyebrows raised. "Stolen?" I asked, but my confusion lead to anger when I saw what was in front of us.
In a chamber that looked like some sort of life support system, there was a woman. Her long brown hair and white underwear never came to my mind, I was only looking at her face. Intense scars ran all along it, almost like a spiderweb. Her expression seemed lifeless, as if the machine she was in was barely keeping her alive. Clearly, she was suffering from whatever her attackers did to her.
Before I even knew what I was doing, I felt my aura turn to a burning gold. In my Super Saiyan state, I turned towards Ozpin, fury filling my body.
"Who did it?" I growled. "I'll find them, and I'll make them pay!"
Glynda spoke up from behind me. "Unfortunately Trunks, it's not that simple." She explained. "We aren't even sure who did this. Qrow came in and put an end to the ambush, but the attackers ran off before he could get a good look."
I felt my hair return to normal as my transformation diminished. "Qrow...?" I thought out loud. "That's Ruby's uncle. Why is he...?"
Ozpin suddenly interrupted. "Trunks, we have a lot to fill you in on, but for now THIS is more important. We call tell you the rest when we know you're with us."
I sighed, calming down. "Alright." I nodded. "I'm with you."
Ozpin smiled. It wasn't a smirk like I had seen him do before. No, this felt sincere, comforting even.
Relief filled my body, as I finally relaxed my stance. "So, do we have any leads, or are we completely blind?"
"Well..." Goodwitch began to explain. "With the Vytal Festival approaching, we have good reason to believe Amber's attackers will disguise themselves as students."
I nodded in understanding. Doing that would be the best course of action to get closer to Amber. "So, where do I come in? Is there any way to stop them?"
"Not a guaranteed way, no." Ozpin answered. "However, what we need you to do is to keep an eye on the visiting students. Make sure nothing out of the ordinary comes about."
"The rest of us have teaching duties, and Ozpin must continue to manage Beacon." Glynda continued. "You don't have that burden, allowing you to keep a closer eye on the students."
Once again, Ozpin took over the explanation. "If you can help us with this, Trunks, we'll do our best to get you back to your home."
"I'll do it." I said immediately. Even if they didn't offer to help me get back home, I would have accepted. I never resisted a chance to help others before, and I wasn't planning to start.
"Thank you, Trunks." Glynda had a smile on her face. It was odd. My entire time here at Beacon, I felt uncomfortable around the teachers. Even when I revealed my secret, I still felt like I was doing something wrong when I was with them. Now though, it instantly felt like I was one of them.
"There's no way I could say no to helping someone." I explained, giving a smile of my own.
CRASH!
I had heard louder noises before, but even I flinched slightly when I heard that noise. I had no idea what could have caused it, but the look on Glynda's face told me that she could guess what was going on.
Growling in a more familiar tone of frustration, the blond haired teacher stormed off. Passively, Ozpin followed behind her, chuckling as he walked by me.
"Kids." I heard Ozpin laugh.
And so Season 2 begins. Let's be honest, if you can trust a super powered alien to help you out, you're gonna ask him to help. Anyway, onto Review Replies.
Ryanweston123: Doing a chapter that was half exposition got boring fast. I have tried to keep off the commas now, and well, you helped out on this chapter, so thanks.
TheMAO17: Understandable, but if he was going to continue to keep his heritage a secret, it would only be to Ozpin. Trunks didn't want to keep the secret anymore, hence the assembly.
Gammabeta99: Thanks! I thought the perspective thing would work out well. I haven't gotten a chance to read your story yet, no, but I'm interested and it looks like it's pretty good.
Wolfenheart: As stated before, if Trunks was going to continue hiding his secret, RWBY wouldn't be in the few that know. They're still students. Also, just wait till "Painting the Town". Trunks'll get his "WTF that's my thing moment" too.
Jack Hopper: The sword Ruby made is just a plain sword, with a purple hilt since that's the color she associated with him.
Peanut Butter Rainbow: Awesomesauce, the best kind of sauce. Glad you enjoyed it.
Jack Redhawke: The games call it finish buster, never heard of your name. Yeah, I misspelled a thing or two, I didn't think to check.
Gravenimage: You hit the nail right on the head. However, I am not shipping Trunks with anyone.
Guest 1: That fight wasn't very long. All of that happened in a minute, and Trunks wasn't even really trying.
Guest 2: Yes. It is just a sword. It's only really special to Trunks, cause it's a gift.
Nexus the 13th: Trunks being strong isn't what makes him cool to me. I picked him because of his personality and what it could do in the RWBYverse. I GET why people are angry, but here's the thing, it's my story. I'm writing it, and I'm trying to tell a certain narrative. If someone isn't a fan, they can feel free to write their own story. The more work in this section the better.
