'Thoughts'
"Talking"
Other's thoughts/Skills
[Captions]
Chapter 7 A Faunus' troubles
It has been a week since the Forever Fall incident. Goodwitch has informed the headmaster about this and he has contacted the councils of this event. Raine is still carrying on his small job as the Hooded Vigilante while designing the new weapon to be made for Jaune, the blonde now getting better with his own weapon with the lessons with the swordsman and Pyrrha offered to help him as they uses a similar weapon combo.
Raine's identity as the Hooded Vigilante and a member of the Hunter Clan is still a kept secret from the school community and there has been no signs of anyone ever getting close to finding that out. He was worried that Cardin might spread the word around but he seems to have no signs of even knowing about it, so he just dropped it.
Right now, they are all in the cafeteria during the lunch period just finishing the Dust Studies lesson for the day.
Team RAEM and JNPR sitting one side of the table and RWBY and LIGT in the other, all either eating their own food or talking with their friends and teammates. Raine, on the other hand, is busy scribbling on a large canvas paper with a pencil not paying any attention to any of their conversation.
"Okay, honest question here." Yang stated, "What do you think about Professor Fenier?"
"That puppy Faunus?" Leaf asked, "She's okay, I guess."
"She's a good teacher." Moon stated, "Although, she could get over the… shyness…"
"And clumsy nature." Ember stated.
"That's one the major appeal of her, right?" Gamma asked, the males all looked at him with wide eyes, "What? I thought such females are quite appealing to most males."
"So, you're into the small category?" Ember asked, "I mean, like Weiss category?"
"Hey!" She cried out annoyed, "I'm not that small!"
"She's right." Akai stated, "Fenier's are much bigger."
"Are you calling me flat?!" She cried, "Don't get so smug because yours are bigger!"
"Anything to add, Raine?" Pyrrha asked. The swordsman ignoring her as he carries on with his sketching. The table turn silent as the scribbling on the paper is the only sound that can be heard, "Raine…?"
"…"
"…"
"Surprisingly… he's not talking…" Ember muttered.
"I'm expecting him to crack a sexual joke about the sheer size of Akai's boobs or the lack of Weiss's." Leaf stated.
"What does that supposed to mean?-!" Weiss shouted angrily.
"…" Yang then thought of an idea, "Hey! Akai's top just came loose!"
"REALLY?-!" Raine immediately shot up looking at his partner who swiftly proceed to shoot him, the bullet was dodged by him as it zooms passed the cafeteria and shooting through Russel's hair just avoided by Lloyd making a move straight out of Matrix before hitting the wall.
"Deviant." Akai muttered before holstering the pistol into her sleeves.
"Yeah, what was I thinking…?" Raine muttered as he sat back down and carries on with his sketch.
"Whatcha doing?" Ruby asked leaning over his shoulder.
"Project, Ruby." Raine tells her, "And please get off me. You're still too young to use sex appeal on man, or woman. Although, you do have quite a respective rack."
"Raine!" Moon cried, "Don't talk like that to her!"
"She has Yang as a sister!" Raine cried, "That's plenty enough to justify talking to her like this!"
"What does that mean, huh?" Yang asked rather annoyed.
"That you're an outgoing gal that know a lot about the red light district with an extremely flirty personality, why?" Raine said bluntly, "Do you even see how you dressed?"
"It just shows how much I know about my body~!" Yang said posing sexily for him.
"Yup, an E-cup, right?" Raine asked.
"Come on, BB." She smirked as she took his hand and placed it on her right breast, "Give it squeeze, pretty firm and nicely shaped~"
"Y-Yang!" Ruby cried blushing.
"S-Stop this right now!" Moon cried, "Please keep this to the dorms or in the broom closet!"
"Why a broom closet?-!" Ember cried.
"Well, definitely nice to the touch~ Goldilocks have world class racks alright~" Raine chuckled squeezing it slightly, before Akai smashes his head down onto the table hard with a punch to the back of his skull.
"I believe the topic went out the window…" Leaf muttered.
"Actually, I've been wondering." Ivy spoke up within the major commotion, "Do Raine and Yang know each other? I mean, you both act so close to each other to almost like siblings."
"Oh yeah, we never did told you guys, right?" Raine muttered as he rubbed his sore forehead, "Yang and I are actually cousins."
"Really?" Ember asked, looking at his leader, then the blonde, then back to Raine, "You both don't even looked alike…"
"My mother is her father's younger sister." Raine stated, "I used to live next-doors to her and Ruby until ten years ago."
"Wait, then why didn't Ruby recognise you during enrolment day?" Jaune asked.
"Ruby was a toddler when Raine and his family moved." Yang explained, "And then… THAT happened…"
"That?" Blake asked, Jaune then realized what she meant.
"It's nothing." Raine assured her, "It's the past now, and I'm way over it."
"I see…"
"Wow, that's a surprise." Pyrrha said looking at him intensively, "Anything else you wish to tell us?"
"Well, besides having an older brother studying here and my twin sister is a blacksmith, nothing much." Raine stated as he carries on sketching on his paper.
Jaune leaned over to Raine, "Raine, is this…?" He whispers to him.
"Yeah, still thinking how to maximise your force shield ability and not drain your aura." He whispers back, "And still having trouble designing the sword to go with it. Something that could make use of the same ability as well."
"Oh, make it as fancy as possible!"
"That's a bad idea, especially for something you wish to bring to combat." Raine stated.
"I have to agree with Raine for that one." Pyrrha said slouching over on Raine's other side, "You need something simple yet elegant. Maybe a transforming weapon like mine?"
"No, we need it to be as simple as possible." He stated, "The Lunae won't respond if its vessel is too complex."
"Oh! Make the shield and sword a singular weapon that can become a sword and shield when separated." Jaune suggested.
"That… Could work…" Raine muttered as he carries on sketching, "Speaking of complex weaponry, is Milo still working properly?"
"The transformations between the three forms are smooth so far." Pyrrha stated, "But the rifle form's trigger seems to jam a few times during practice."
"I'll take a look at it when I have time." He tells her, "At the meantime…" He took out his scroll and starts tapping on it for a while before the red head's scroll ringed, "I've send the blueprints to your scroll. You can use it to check it's functionality."
"Raine, only you can understand the blueprints!" Pyrrha cried, "I'm not a mechanic!"
"Then tighten or loosen the screw for the trigger." He tells her, "If that don't work, leave it outside my dorm. I'll handle it."
"You talk like you created it." Blake stated.
"Since when you're a weaponry expert?" Weiss asked, "Oh wait, let me guess, it is one of the many skills that you just made up on the spot."
"Not exactly." Raine stated, "I didn't have my hand in making it per say, but Pyrrha's sword is designed by yours truly."
"Yeah right." The heiress scoffed, "You're just making stuff up to act cocky."
"Oh really?" He smirked, "Myrtenaster, Multi Action Dust Rapier. Equipped with a five slot Dust revolver cylinder made for SDC's Dust cartridges that expel the dust on the thin blade when the trigger is pulled. Top break revolver cylinder loading system, AND, is considered the prototype of the Dust Burst weaponry system. Cost roughly… 150 000 Lien to make excluding the metalworking."
"Wha- How do you know so much?-!" Weiss cried.
"Oh! And it is designed by the underworld weapon designer goes by the anagram RAE."
"RAE?-!" Ruby squealed with her eyes shining in interest, "Oh my gawd, oh my gawd~! My partner's weapon is made by the legendary RAE~! That's SOOOO AWESOME!-!"
"What's so famous about RAE?" Gamma asked.
"He, or she, is a famous freelance weapon designer all over Remnant and on the net." Leaf explained, "His work are often regarded as an art, and a blueprint of one of his many designs are worth almost a million Lien alone."
"What's so good about his design?" Ember asked.
"They are practical, and cool-looking at the same time!" Ruby shouted, "Each weapon he designed is custom made to the client's fighting style, no one else, even if someone else uses the same fighting style! He only tells the client and the client alone on how to wield the weapon he design, no one else! Not only that, his designs are impossible to replicate just from the weapon alone!"
"And Weiss manages to get one." Ivy stated, "Kind of fishy."
"Yeah! How do you even find that guy?-!" Torque cried.
"I'm quite curious, myself." Blake stated.
"My dad manages to track him down and paid him an enormous sum just to forge that weapon for me." She stated.
"Five hundred, twenty-nine thousand, nine hundred and seventy five point ninety dollars." Raine stated, "That including the shipping cost and the GST percentage."
"How do you know so much?-!" Weiss cried, "Have you been… stalking me…?"
"Stalk the ironing board? No thank you." He said, "It just I happened to know the very person that designed that rapier."
"You know who RAE is?-!" Ruby cried in shock and excitement, "Who is it?-! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!"
"Sorry, sworn to secrecy by him." Raine stated, Pyrrha giggled at that.
"Come on! Maybe a little hint? Please~!"
"Come on Ruby." Yang tells her sister as she pulls her back onto her seat, "Stop bothering BB. You can wring it out of him when it's nightfall. I'll teach you the proper technique for it!"
"Goldilocks, don't." Raine tells the blonde, "Or I'll tell uncle Qrow."
"She has to learn sooner or later."
"I'm surprised you're against it." Akai stated, "I thought you would love for her to know."
"I may be an open pervert, but even I have moral standards." He tells his partner, "I'm too young to be jailed for accidental sex with a minor, no matter how mature her body looks."
"And you're open to sexual harassment?" She asked.
"Just to girls I know." Raine chuckled, "I have plenty of material here. And I have plenty to tease about! For example, do you know Pyrrha was a C-cup in our third year in Sanctum?"
"Really?-!" Ivy cried.
"Yeah, and it kept on growing!" He laughed, dodging a punch from the red head, "It doesn't look that big because of the muscles she build up."
"How would you know?" Weiss asked sceptical, before looking at him dangerously, "Did you… touch them?"
"God no!" Raine cried, "I'm no sexual deviant!"
"You tried to peep on Akai sleeping." Ember stated deadpanned.
"I only look at sexy woman, I never tried to violate one." He stated, "Besides, aren't you the one with that Faunus porno mag in your hammock."
"No! They were cosplayers!"
"So you ADMIT you have porno mag."
"Raine, please stop before this goes out of hand…" Pyrrha sighed, before noticing Jaune bending forward slightly, "You okay, Jaune?"
"Yeah! No problem!" He stated strained.
"Looks like someone's 'little brother' has woken up~!" Raine chuckled, "What, just fantasied about Pyrrha naked?"
"Raine!" The red head shouted.
"This conversation has definitely gone way too far…" Leaf sighed. Ivy nodded in agreement.
Another week has passed, and their days just flew passed like nothing. Nothing major happened, just the same regular routine of school. Raine is still working on the design for Jaune's new weapon that he often worked on during Grimm Studies lessons when Professor Port starts to monologue about his younger days.
It is the weekend today, so Raine decides to take a stroll in the city with his team following him.
Vale isn't bustling now since it is close to the afternoon and there has been a series of shop robberies all around, mostly Dust shops so there have been sights of police wandering around.
"Who steals Dust and not the money?" Moon wonders.
"Someone who needs a lot of them?" Raine asked.
"Who needs that much Dust?" Akai asked.
Ember looked around, noticing the decorations hanging all over the place, "Come to think of it, it is almost the Vytal Festival, right?" He stated.
"Yup, one of the greatest festivals of the Four Kingdoms!" Moon said happily, "I've always wanted to go, but my dad is so overprotective of me that he wouldn't let me leave Atlas at all, even with a bodyguard."
"You're the heiress of one of the major weapons manufacturer of Remnant." Akai reminded, "That makes you a major target. I have receive many requests to kill you and their rewards are rather promising."
"I'll say." Raine stated.
"Although, seeing the decorations hung up makes you think that the Dust shop robberies are just an act to get people pumped up." Ember stated.
"I still don't understand, who or what needs so much Dust?" Moon muttered.
"Considering the number of shops that was robbed, somewhere enough to supply an entire private army." Akai stated, "And we do know one group that would benefit from that."
"The White Fang, isn't it?" Raine asked, his partner nodding, "Again, the White Fang sure has gone downhill. What happened to the peaceful revolutionaries they originally represents?"
"Yeah, what indeed…" Ember muttered.
It was Akai was knocked over by a blonde haired teen, a Faunus with a monkey tail wearing a white shirt left opened showing his bare chest and blue jeans with black and yellow sneakers. "Ow!" She cried.
"Oh, sorry!" The teen cried out before noticing her, "Akai?"
"Huh?" She looked over at the blonde Faunus, "Sun?"
"Get back here, you!" From afar, they can hear shouts from around the corner. "Oops! Gotta run!" He cried as he starts running, "Nice to see you, Akai! Smell you later!"
As soon as the blonde Faunus left, RWBY came running in with Weiss in the lead, "Did you guys see a blonde monkey run passed here?" She asked, getting an annoyed look from Ember and Blake.
"A blonde what?" Raine asked, "Sorry, but no monkey has blonde fur."
"That's not- Damn it, we lost him!" She groaned.
"What did you call me?" An orange haired girl with green eyes popped out from nowhere, startling everyone. "Whoa, where did she come from?-!" He cried.
"Oh, I'm really sorry! I definitely didn't think you would heard me!" Yang cried out.
"A friend of yours?" Ember asked.
"We just bump to each other on the street!" Weiss cried.
"No, not you." The girl stated as she walked up to Ruby, "You!"
"M-Me? I-I don't know." She muttered, "I, what I, um, uh…"
"You called me, friend!" She stated, "Am I really your friend?"
"Um…" She looked over to her teammates, they all shook their heads, "Y-Yeah, s-sure! Why not?" They all comically falls over at that.
"Sen-sational!" The girl cried, "We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk cute boys! Like those two over there!"
"Huh?" Ember and Raine looked at each other comically.
"Was this what it was like when you met me…?" Ruby asked Weiss.
"No… she seems FAR more coordinated." She stated.
"So… what are you doing in Vale?" Yang asked.
"I'm here to fight in the Tournament." She stated.
"Wait, YOU are fighting in the Tournament?" Weiss asked.
The girl gave a salute, "I'm combat ready!"
"Forgive me, but you hardly look the part." She stated.
"Says the girl in a dress." Ember stated.
"It's a combat skirt!" Weiss stated, Ruby sliding next to her, "Yeah!" And they did a low-five.
"Well then, it's a pleasure to meet you!" Moon greeted walking up to the girl, "I'm Moon!"
"Akai."
"Ember."
"I'm Raine. Hunter Extreme!"
"I'm Penny! It's a pleasure to meet you!" She greeted, "And you too, Hunter Extreme!"
"No, my name is Raine." He tells her, "Hunter Extreme is just a nickname."
"Wait a minute! If you're here for the tournament, does that mean you know that monkey-tailed rapscallion?" Weiss asked grabbing Penny by the shoulders.
"The who?"
"The filthy Faunus from the boat!"
"Shut up, Weiss!" Ember shouted, "And stop calling him that! Faunus are people too!"
"Oh, I'm sorry." Weiss stated releasing the orange haired girl, "Would you like me stop referring to the trash can as a trash can? Or this lamppost as a lamppost?"
"Stop it!" Blake cried.
"Stop what?-! He clearly broken the law." Weiss stated, "Give him time; he'll probably join up with those other Faunus in the White Fang!"
"Sun would never do that!" Akai shouted, getting a surprise look from them. "Look, he maybe a troublemaker, but he has a good heart."
"So you know that degenerate?" Weiss asked.
"There you go again!" Ember shouted angrily, "If you say another racist comment, I'll-"
"Ember calm down!" Raine cried.
"How can I be calm?-!" The fox Faunus shouted angrily, "I've heard many racist comments from people, but from someone of a respective family is making such a comment is something I can't stand at all!"
"I'm just telling you calm down, not to get emotional!" His leader shouted.
"No, I WILL get emotional!" He shouted, "I've been holding back against her for the past weeks, but I'm sick and tired of that ignorant little brat sprouting racist comments just because she can!"
"What in the world makes you say that?-!" Weiss cried.
"The mere fact that you would sort that Faunus boy with a terrorist group solely based on his species makes you just as much of a scoundrel as you believe him to be!" Blake cried.
"Yeah… we should go now…" Raine stated as he starts to push Ember away before he could start mauling at the heiress.
Night has fallen, Raine opening the door to RWBY's dorm to hear the ever so arguing people inside, Yang and Ruby standing at one side watching the argument going back and forth with no signs of stopping, "Still arguing?"
"Yeah." Yang nodded.
He handed her a book, "Tell Blake I've returned her book."
"Noted."
The arguing ended up being some speech by Weiss, saying how her father treated her badly because of the constant attacks by the White Fang on their company, which Raine rolled his eyes over, 'That's kind of your fault considering your use of Faunus slave labour…'
"You want to know why I despise the White Fang? It's because they're a bunch of liars, thieves, and murderers!" Weiss cried.
"Well maybe WE are just tired of being pushed around!"
"…"
"…"
"Huh?" Raine blinked in surprise, "What did you…?"
"I…I…" Blake muttered before zooming out of the room despite the cries from her teammates.
"Blake, wait!" Raine crying out zooming after her in a blue blur. He manages to stop her in the middle of the hallway by grabbing on her wrist, "Blake! Hold on! What do you-?" He then saw the look in her eyes: fear. He let go as he watch her run off.
Walking back into the room, the rest of his team looked at him worried, "You guys heard?" He asked, they all nodded.
"So… that's why she looked so familiar…" Ember muttered.
"Ember?" Moon asked worriedly.
"It's nothing." He tells her, looking out at the window at the night sky.
"So, Blake is part of the White Fang, huh?" Akai muttered, "That would explain why I couldn't get information on her when I check the school's database."
"You mean, hacked in, right?" Raine stated.
"But, but… she doesn't looked like one of the White Fang…" Moon muttered.
"Looks can be deceiving." Ember tells her, "I've seen White Fang supporters playing the victim only to stab the kind people in the back when their guard is down. If she is indeed one of them, all those things she did is all an act."
"No, she's not." Raine stated firmly, "Her eyes isn't one like that. She is scared."
"Of getting found out." Ember stated firmly.
"No, at me!" Raine cried, "She's terrified of me, of humans! I've seen many White Fang supporters and she doesn't have that look in her!"
"A mask, all of it."
"What's you deal, anyway?-!" He shouted at the Fox Faunus, "Even IF she is part of the White Fang, I doubt she is now! She's not a murderer! A terrorist!"
"And you? Why are you defending her so much?" He asked his leader angrily, "She is just another Faunus, anyway. It's not like you have any personal attachment to her."
"No, I don't." Raine stated, "But I won't stand by and see someone getting accused of something she hasn't done, or being part of in the past!"
"Playing the hero?" Ember muttered annoyed, "Grow up, Raine! You're being naïve! The world doesn't have room for hero-wannabe like you!"
"I'm not trying to be a hero! I'm just protecting someone that needs my help!" Raine cried, "Won't you? She is a Faunus, just like you! You of all people should have such a connection with her! So what if she used to be part of the White Fang, she's still one of our friends!"
Ember growled, "Someone who used to be part of that organization is not my friend."
Raine roared out as he punches the Fox Faunus in the face, knocking him down onto the ground hard, "Ember!" Moon cried as she ran to him, just as her leader headed for the door. "Wait, where're you going?-!"
"To find Blake!" Raine shouted angrily, "If you won't try and help her, then I will!" He left the room, slamming the door after him. The rest of his team all looked at the door in shock, Ember rubbed the cheek he was punched on before getting up into his hammock. The two girls looked at him, before Moon walked over to the door, "I-I'll go get him back!" She cried as she ran out of the room.
"Moon, wait!" Akai cried, before sighing when she out of sight. She looked over at the hammock angrily, "You happy now, Ember? Now BOTH our partners are gone!"
"Hmph."
"Grr…" She growled before leaping into her hammock and pulling the curtains. Ember turned on his side in his hammock, pulling out a red pendant from inside his shirt. It is a red gemstone with gold casing surrounding its edges connected around his neck by a golden chain. He looked at it, before clenching it close to his chest in front of his heart.
Moon panted as she ran through the streets of Vale, looking for her leader. They were dark, despite having streetlamps which makes it even more ominous. "Where are you…Raine…?" She muttered worriedly. She then noticed the night streets, the eerily quiet streets. "Okay… this is creepy…?"
A shadow zooms behind her.
"Huh?-! W-Who's there?-!" She cried, unfolding out her bow/gauntlet, "I-I'm warning you! I-I'm armed!"
It zooms by another angle beside her, "KYA!" She fires an arrow out in fright, hitting and denting a lamppost, "O-Oh…"
The shadow flashes behind her, placing its hand on her shoulder. She turned around, and the only thing can be heard is her scream.
…
To be continued…
There, end it on a cliffhanger, huh…? Well
this chapter has been fun and somewhat
awkward to write but I'm getting to the
nice parts of my fanfiction now!
I've got a review on how I should show
team BLAZ more often as he or she has
no idea of their personalities so… maybe
an omake sometime. I'll see, it depends
on what I can come up with.
With that, I thank you for reading this!
