A/N Grab yourself something to drink, make yourself comfortable and enjoy the read :)
The Eternity Forest: Part 1
Terra found herself walking through a damp and cold corridor, the only noise were the clicks of her heels echoing through the musty hall and the excited squeals of rats as they scurried in the shadows. The overhead lights flickered and a few of the bulbs had long since given out, however her Faunus enhanced vision gave her better sight in the murky darkness. "How did you end up in a place like this?" she inwardly thought to herself, despite the disgust for her surroundings a small smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. "Though, we won't have to live like rats for much longer." She finally reached the end of the corridor and briskly pushed open the large double doors. The room she entered was much cleaner than the rest of the abandoned warehouse, not by much but still a noticeable amount. A few fellow members of the White Fang were gathered around tables at the edges of the room. Map, documents and other pieces of information were scattered around the room, the Faunus spoke quietly no doubt discussing plans for their upcoming attack. Terra approached a large make shift table at the far end of the room, a smart dressed man leaned against it, glaring at a map of Vale.
"I hope you're here to give me good news?" the well-dressed man asked in his usual cheery tone, though he glared at her from behind his orange hair which hung over his right eye.
"I am, the attack on the harbour was successful, and we made off with the container, no hassle from the cops either. It was a complete success, Torchwick" Terra informed him, her tone sharp and clear as if addressing a superior officer. The man smiled a wicked grin.
"Good, that's what I like to here." The man beamed pushing up from the table. "Now, let me know when Team Achebe gets back, they were supposed to be back an hour ago." Torchwick commanded resuming his previous posture and glaring at the map once again. Terra stood frozen, her body slightly trembled. Torchwick glared up at her again. "What is it?" he snarled.
"Well, erm, the last message we received was, well, maybe you should see for yourself." Terra opened her scroll and placed it flat on the table, she opened a video file before turning it around so Torchwick could see. The video began; a man clad in the White Fang uniform stood in front of the camera, in the background Torchwick could see the other members moving crates into the back of a van.
"The operation was a success, the warehouse has been stripped clean and we had no trouble with the authorities. Once we're done here we'll…" Torchwick watched as an arrow struck the van in the background, it exploded with a thundering crack, the men were engulfed in the flames and the scroll was sent flying away, the only image now was of the night sky. Torchwick gritted his teeth as the audio continued to play. Sounds of screams and cries rang out, followed by gunfire and the unmistakable sound of sword on flesh, the unsettling audio played for 10 more seconds before the last pained cry rang out followed by silence. Torchwick leaned closer to the video as if it would somehow allow him to hear the audio better. He could hear the sound of footsteps approaching, and then a hand came into view picking up the scroll. Torchwick glared menacingly as the camera showed the face of the man responsible for the attack. Messy brown hair, a few of his bangs hung down his face covering his eyes, his features sharp and rugged and a smile plastered over his face. The wind blew the man's hair exposing his blood red eyes.
"Toooooorchwiiiiick, come out and plaaaaaaaay." Arras mocked in a childish tone, before bursting out laughing. "No, no, no I can do better, wait." Arras lowered the camera before slowly raising it again to show his face. "I don't know who you are, but I will find you, and I will kill you." This time Arras's voice was lower and gruff, but he still burst out laughing. "Okay seriously one more time please." He lowered the camera again and raised it. "I'm sorry but the lackeys you are calling are dead. Please try again later." His tone higher and more chipper. Torchwick slammed his fist into the table as the sound of Arras's laughter rang out through the large room. Everyone had stopped their discussion and listened intently to the message.
"Seriously though Torchprick, I will keep hunting you until I get my prize, if you won't come and face me then your lackeys will have to do. Whatever you're up to I'll put a stop to it." Arras leaned his face into the camera till all you could see was his menacing eyes. "You better sleep with one eye open Torchprick, cause I'm closer than you think." Arras dropped the scroll to the floor before crushing it with his foot. The message ended. Torchwick gritted his teeth, his fists clenched tight.
"Terra, our plans to deal with the students, how soon could we act on it?" his tone was calm and yet surprisingly cheerful for someone who had just been mocked and threatened.
"Our earliest window with the highest success would be three weeks from now." She answered her tone slightly wavering. "Though I'm not sure Cinder would appreciate-"
"She won't care what we do as long as we get results!" Torchwick snapped, interrupting the young woman. "Find out everything you know about this pest." He commanded gesturing to the scroll. "Make sure we deal with him as well." He ordered Terra; she gave a firm nod; quickly picked up her scroll and excited the large room. The discussions amongst the others in the room stirred up the second Torchwick glared at them. He turned and stared out the large pane windows that covered the far wall, moonlight shone through bathing him in its glow.
"Enjoy these last few weeks tormenting me, demon. Good things come to those who wait, and I've waited oh so long for this."
The following morning;
"Blaaaaake, I'm boooored." Yang whined as she lay on the bottom bunk, Blake's bed. Blake herself paced the room as she always did when she was high strung.
"Can you be a little more serious Yang, it's been a week since we almost took down Torchwick and Arras has still turned up nothing. God, why won't he let me go with him?" Blake ceased her pacing, clenching her fists in frustration.
"He told you why, you have studies and training to get on with, you just don't have the time or energy to be out hunting Roman every night, leave it to Arras. Besides you saw how he took down that Bulldog, he's determined at least." Yang's words eased Blake a little; she moved over to the bunk and sat on the floor leaning against the bed. Yang rolled onto her stomach and rested her head on top of Blake's. During the brief moment of silence Yang began to tug at Blake's bow, if it had been anyone else, anyone, they would be nursing a broken wrist right about now. However over the past year Blake and Yang had become incredibly close. Firstly they were partners, paired up during their very first mission. Once someone has been matched with a partner, they must work together during their time at Beacon. Having to rely so heavily on someone for so long forged a bond beyond a mere friendship that others may find. Facing down more life and death situations than even Yang would care to experience only brought the two huntresses closer and closer. Yang had now completely removed the black bow, tossing it aside and was now stroking Blake's velvet cat ears. Blake closed her eyes enjoying the sensation.
"Can I ask you a question Blake-y?" The blonde mused aloud as she carefully stroked the delicate ears. Blake's only response was a satisfied hum. "Why weren't you wearing your bow when we were with Arras?" Blake's eyes snapped open remembering her impromptu surprise for Arras.
"I…well you see…it's not a big deal, just didn't feel like wearing it." Blake blurted out.
"Blake you wear your bow around us, why don't you just admit you did it for Arras?" Yang smiled as she ousted her partner. Blake jumped to her feet stepping away from the bed, leaving a dejected Yang.
"I'm not into him if that's what you're getting at." Blake's tone was annoyed, only telling Yang she was on the right track.
"I wouldn't be surprised is all I'm saying. A mysterious man shows up, good looking, strong and helps you more than we ever could. Maybe you feel like you owe him or something." Yang added with a smirk, getting up from the bed.
"When did you become so wise?" Blake ridiculed, Yang merely shrugged as she placed her arm around Blake's shoulder.
"If there is one thing I know, its men." She responded with a cheesy grin.
"Does that explain why you fawn all over Alex then?" Blake smirked turning the tides on Yang. Yang gave an abashed look.
"I do not fawn!" she complained.
"No, you just throw yourself over him every time he shows up. I see the way you look at him; you can't hide this from me. Sure other guys hit on you and you flirt back for a while, but you always give up after a while."
"That's not true; I had perfectly good reasons to stop talking to them." Yang explained, gesturing with her right hand with her eyes closed.
"What about, Avery?"
"Too snobby."
"Jermaine?"
"Too clingy."
"Zachery?"
"Hey, he stopped talking to me." Yang pointed out holding a finger at Blake.
"Because you ridiculed him!" Blake snapped back.
"I didn't ridicule him; I was trying to have a conversation with him." Yang shot back.
"In the middle of a duel! You're supposed to take them seriously, chatting with him was just you showing off how easy it was to beat him, and when he showed off his Semblance, which by the way, was an incredible Semblance, you pummelled him into the ground!" Blake argued, reminding Yang of her actions. Yang placed a hand on her hip and smugly grinned.
"Well I wasn't going to let him show me up. Besides, my reputation was on the line." Yang informed her partner.
"With Alex though, it's been months and you're still all over him, clearly you're not getting sick of him any time soon." The raven haired girl explained. Yang sat, dejected on the bed.
"Is it really that obvious?" Blake responded with a nod. "I don't know why but I just get excited when I see him, and he's really hot. I know the other guys were cute but they seemed so…innocent." She added, for lack of a better word. "It's like they're all boys but he's a man. They still hold that youthful view of the world, like it's all an adventure with a happy ending." Yang's head was held low, her hair hung over her shoulder and her fringe covered her face, Blake knew better than to interrupt her partner so she stood, silent, and listened. "We know better though, we know that this world is unforgiving. He can see it too; I saw it in his eyes when I first met him. Did you know he saw his parents die right in front of him?"
"He also watched his team-mates perish as well." Blake added. Yang shook her head.
"Still, he's able to keep himself so well adjusted. When I see those eyes of his, I just want…Urgh I don't know; I'm not really good with this whole thing." Yang blurted out throwing her arms up in exasperation.
"You mean emotions?"
"Yeah, that's it!" Blake sat down on the bed next to her, "None of this matters anyway, I don't want to be with him anyway, not while Arras is there." She admitted.
"I know you don't like him but is that enough a reason to not date Alex?" Blake asked out of curiosity.
"Of course it is, Arras will be there, always watching and listening to everything me and Alex do, there'll be no privacy for us." Yang explained with a sigh.
"It's probably for the best, Alex will be leaving soon." Blake added, Yang sighed with a heavy heart and placed her head in Blake's chest. Blake instinctively began to stroke Yang's head.
"Why is it that the one guy I'm actually interested in, is the one guy I can't have." Yang asked, though she already knew the answer.
"You said yourself, this world is unforgiving." Blake simply answered. The door whooshed open and in jumped an over enthusiastic Ruby with a not so enthusiastic Weiss.
"We got it; we got it, we got it." Ruby chanted as she jumped around the room.
"What is she talking about?" Inquired Blake, Yang pulled away from Blake and stared at Ruby with a confused look.
Weiss held up a scroll, "We got it, our first proper mission. Search and destroy."
Alex darted around the arena landing punches and kicks on the multiple training dummies scattered around the area, he leapt high kicking one in the head, back-flipping clear before landing multiple punches on another. He leapt from dummy to dummy landing blow after blow upon any target within reach. His muscles screamed in agony being pushed beyond their limit, for hours Alex had kept this up, anyone else would have shattered knuckles and fractures in a dozen places, but carefully releasing bursts of his Semblance to heal damaged parts allowed him to turn an hour training session into four hours. He leapt clear of the training dummies, out of the thirty-eight dummies only twenty-three still stood.
"Alright Arras, you're up." Alex panted, releasing control Arras groaned as he took over the exhausted body.
"I've never used this much Semblance in such a short space, I'm not sure if it's even possible." Arras voiced his concern at the new technique he and Alex had talked about.
"Relax Arras, the plan is solid, just rapid burst your Semblance in quick succession. Imagine your Semblance is like a tap, just open and close the tap rapidly, instant speed without burning through your Aura too fast. If it pays off you should land more hits in a shorter amount of time, only downside I see is with only a burst of aura you won't be able to travel very far, maybe a metre or two. Perfect for one target or multiple in close proximity." Alex assured his other half.
Arras took a deep breath; his Aura began to swell within him. A warm sensation that flooded through his body, it began to pulsate within him matching the beat of his heart. The warm sensation soon became a burning one, Arras winced as his Aura grew too intense, and his skin began to scream in agony as if lava was being pumped through his veins. His Semblance became too much to hold back.
"Tempest Shift!" Arras yelled, unleashing his Semblance. To Alex who could merely see what was going on everything became a blur, he could hear the sounds of attacks hitting their targets, the sound of the wooden dummies smashing into pieces and the unmistakable sound of his own voice grunting in effort. As quickly as Arras launched his attack it was over, Arras panted heavily staring back at the carnage before him, the remaining dummies now lay in ruins, some smashed beyond all recognition. He keeled over collapsing to his knees, he stared down at his bare knuckles, they were broken and mangled, blood poured from the open wounds where bones stuck out.
"Oh shit Arras, give me control." Alex tried his best not to scream in agony as he took back the body, he quickly set to work healing his wounds. He watched as the green flames consumed his hands, when they vanished his hands were as good as new, no trace left of the torment they went through.
"Healing and speed, is everyone at Foresight just as weird as you?" A familiar voice came from behind Alex. He just smiled, recognising the voice.
"Would you be surprised if I told you there are far weirder at Foresight?" Alex asked the voice, Jaune sat down next to him.
"Nope, not in the slightest." Jaune leaned back onto his hands. The training Alex had subjected Jaune too had finally started to pay off, Alex focused more on training Jaune in sword play as well as strict training regime to beef him up a little. Gone was the scrawny, timid blonde haired man, now Jaune was a lot more bulkier, his shoulders were broader and his hoody that we was so fond of now had a hard time covering his defined muscular torso. It was a change that few could ignore, his increased talent in fighting landed him his first win in a duel and even though Jaune would deny it, a lot of girls were now staring at him when he walked passed. Alex realised that the key to improve Jaune was his confidence, he doubted himself and his abilities, it wasn't surprising then that when met with defeat in the art of ABBE that Jaune was on the brink of giving up. However with his new found confidence and self-esteem he tackled the training with increased vigour.
Alex slowly dragged himself to the arena wall, leaning against it, Jaune followed suit. "So what? No training today?" Jaune asked, he almost sounded a little pissed off.
"Sorry but I'm kind of beat here, maybe tomorrow." Alex panted.
"Seriously, not only am I finally getting the hang of my Dust blade, but yesterday we unlocked my Semblance and you want me to ignore that?" Jaune's tone was more than a little annoyed now. Alex figured that he'd be excited to test out his Semblance again; he never really got to use it yesterday. The coming days were going to be difficult for both Jaune and Alex. Jaune was no ordinary hunter; in fact he was a very rare breed. Jaune's Semblance was not something he could call on at any moment, in actuality it took a very specific trigger to set it off; this element could be anything, from an environmental effect such as moonlight to a specific emotion. In Jaune's case, it was a desire, specifically preservation, whether it was preservation for him or for other's Alex wasn't entirely sure, only more training would be able to determine that. These hunters were called Elementalists, extremely rare but usually incredibly powerful, fortunately for Jaune, Alex had some experience dealing with such a case. However Alex wasn't qualified to train such a hunter, he did know first-hand of an Elementalists power and what could go wrong. If too much Semblance is used it could cause extreme pain to the users body, as a result the mind naturally recedes back to protect the consciousness, leaving only base emotions in control of the body, the most prevalent one usually being anger, if Jaune wasn't careful he could lose himself to a blind rage. In truth Alex was glad for the excuse not to train, because he was afraid of Jaune.
"Look at me Jaune, I've been going at this for hours, and I'm shattered." Alex whined in defence. Jaune gave Alex a puzzled look.
"What is up with your body?" Jaune queried in a curious voice. Alex looked down at his bare chest, the training had got a bit too much for him so he had stripped off from the waist up in order to help cool him off.
"Get me a bottle of water and I'll tell you." Alex bargained, Jaune merely smiled pulling a bottle out from a brown bag he had brought with him.
"I figured you'd need one so I came prepared." Alex thanked him profusely before chugging half of the cold liquid into his exhausted body; he gave a satisfied gulp before pouring some over his head, drenching his hair.
"They're scars." Alex answered taking another swig from the bottle. Jaune shifted away from Alex to avoid the puddle of water collecting on the floor, he stared at his torso, Alex had a muscular build, but not from heavy training like most subject themselves too, his body was muscular yet sleek, skinny yet toned. His torso however was a battlefield of scars, cuts across his chest, small circular marks perfectly spaced from one another and a large scar stretching around his waist.
"I thought most scars heal, it's rare to see someone with one scar, let alone dozens." Jaune queried as he continued to stare.
"Take a picture, it lasts longer." Alex mocked. "Besides, no one really knows why some scars heal and others don't, my guess, is that on some sub-conscious level we want the scars to remain. Maybe to remind us of a mistake we made or perhaps to remember a friend we lost in battle. Either way, these ones stay, and others don't." Alex finished, taking another swig.
"I take it there's a story behind each one?" Jaune curiously asked. Alex merely stared back.
"Stories for another time, I'm glad you're here by the way, I had a question to ask you."
"Shoot." Jaune replied.
"What's everyone's, you know, deal?" Alex asked the young knight vaguely. Jaune gave him a puzzled look.
"What do you mean?"
"You know, a school full of rowdy teenagers, there's got to be some fooling around going on. What about Ren and Nora?" Alex finally made his question clear.
"Oooh, well they're not, 'together' together. As for couples, I mean, you heard about Ruby and Weiss right?" Alex's eyes widened tenfold, his jaw hung open and he dropped his bottle of water. Jaune tried his best to keep a straight face, however his hysterics got the better of him and he crumpled into a pile of laughter and tears. Alex stared blankly at Jaune as he rolled on the floor laughing.
"You're joking aren't you? God dammit you had me there!" Alex barked punching Jaune in the arm.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I couldn't resist." Jaune spluttered out trying to calm himself down. Jaune composed himself and sat back up. "I take it you want to know about Yang?" Alex looked back at him.
"That obvious huh?"
"Well there's been chatter amongst some friends, a lot of guys have tried for Yang, but none get close. She's different with you though, you guys are cool together, even if you did beat the crap out of one another." Jaune joked smiling to himself.
"I just, I don't know what it is, she's just so…"
"I think the word you're looking for is 'terrifying'" the knight mocked. Alex gave him another punch to the arm.
"Ow, same place." Jaune winced rubbing his upper arm. "Anyway, you two are cool; I hope it works out for you." Jaune sounded sincere, and Alex gave him a warm smile.
"Yeah well I haven't had much of an excuse to see her."
"You don't need an excuse, just go see her because you want to, I'm sure she wants to see you. Look, you're getting dating advice from me, that's how obvious this is." Jaune pointed out, mocking himself. Alex gave a short laugh.
"Guess you make a point."
"In any case we just got a mission, I'm sure RWBY got one too, maybe you can lend them a hand." Jaune informed the bare chested hunter.
"What kind of mission?" he queried.
"We're getting sent all across Remnant for search and destroy ops. Big stuff, I and the rest of Juniper are excited. Though it means no training for the next week, we gotta prep for desert ops." Jaune beamed.
"Do you know where RWBY is getting sent to?"
"Ruby said something about a rainforest, Eternity Forest I think she said."
Alex's eyes lit up.
Within moments the floor of the girl's dorm was littered with all manner of texts and books. Weiss was busy laying them out whilst Ruby and Blake perused some of them. Yang still lay on the bed staring at the scene before her begrudgingly. She was snapped back to reality as Weiss thrust a book under her nose.
"Here! Read this." The heiress commanded.
"But books? Why don't you guys read them and you can just fill me in on the important parts?" Yang whined trying to con her way out of studying.
"You need to study just as much as the rest of us, if not for yourself then do it for us, and if that doesn't work do it for Ruby." Weiss stood resolute, the book still held under Yang's nose. Yang swiped the book out of her hand and glared back, she moved from the bed onto the floor and flipped open the book. The four girls quietly read separate books occasionally voicing an important piece of information, all the while Weiss took notes of anything remotely useful to their mission.
The girls were snapped out of their focus by a knock at the door. "I'll get it!" exclaimed Ruby as she bolted upright hopping over Weiss to get to the door first. Ruby stared blankly as she opened the door; a pile of books blocked her view.
"I…can't hold it!" grunted a voice from the other side of the books, without warning the books fell forward crushing the unsuspecting Ruby. The girls stared shocked at Alex who stared back with a look of guilt.
"I didn't do it!" he quickly snapped. A lone hand emerged from the pile of books.
"I'm okay!" a muffled voice called in a cheery tone.
"What are you doing here?" Asked Yang in a confused tone, whilst Weiss freed Ruby from her leatherback tomb. Alex nervously rubbed the back of his neck giving the sheepish grin.
"Someone may have let slip that you were heading into a rainforest for a search and destroy mission, I wanted to help you." He informed them.
"Just to help us?" Weiss asked accusingly.
"And maybe, join you?" Admitted Alex, giving them a boyish grin. The girls all looked between themselves. "Look, my help will be invaluable. When you join Foresight without any training from a combat school you have to go through a brutal three month initiation just to enter. You're abandoned in a deserted location with nothing but the clothes on your back, if you're still there, and alive, when they come to get you at the end of the three months you pass. Any guess where my initiation took place?" Yang's arm immediately shot into the air.
"Oh, oh I know!" she beamed enthusiastically. Weiss rolled her eyes at her teammate.
"You know this isn't a class, you don't need to raise your hand."
"Shut it you!" barked Yang. "It was a rainforest, which explains your love for green clothing; it's homage to your initiation."
"I'm surprised you know what 'homage' means." Weiss mocked. Yang stuck her tongue out at her teammate.
"You nailed it, and the extra bonus is, the Eternity Forest is where my training took place, I doubt there's few that no that place better than me." He informed them as he picked up one of the hefty books from the floor, "And this is the only text you need to survive." He handed it to Weiss.
"Remnant: Beautiful and Deadly by Arthur Pyxis." Weiss raised an eyebrow, "This wasn't in the survivability section of the library." She pointed out.
"Yeah I don't know whose bright idea it was but the book was catalogued under Documentation, never-the-less check out the acknowledgements." Weiss opened the book to the first page, the girls all gathered around her. Weiss quickly skimmed through its many contributors until she spotted one at the bottom.
"And lastly thank you Alexander Cross, may I never see you again?" Weiss asked, confused as to what it meant. Everyone stared at the young hunter, who gave a cheesy grin and shrugged.
"During one of our missions into the rainforest we were set on by Talonflies, large wasp looking creatures. During the chaos one was about to skewer Arthur from behind, reacting on instinct I fired an arrow; however the arrow may have skimmed his ass cheeks on the way passed. Look, I saved his life and healed the damage, except, I couldn't repair the nerve endings. Poor Arthur couldn't sit down properly for a week." Alex finished explaining, the two sisters were trying to stifle their laughs.
"Oh will you two just grow up." Weiss chastised them both.
"I have no doubt you guys can handle yourselves out there, but surely my help couldn't hurt right?" Alex stared at the girls, who shared glances between one another.
After tidying up the mess of books everyone was back down on the floor studying the book Alex had brought for them. "Right, first things first and I imagine this is pretty obvious, but the Grimm in rainforests are unique to their habitat, expect a lot of flying types and those with, many, many legs." Alex gave a shudder as a chill ran down his spine. Yang grinned at him.
"Take it you're not a fan huh?"
"I hate spiders!" he answered through gritted teeth. "Moving on, the flora is just as deadly. A rule of thumb I like to live by is, the more beautiful the plant is the deadlier it is. Whilst most poison our Aura's can deal with there are a few that will kill you in seconds. So, Ruby, no running off and picking up flowers cause they're pretty."
"What! I wouldn't do that!" the young girl protested. Everyone stared at her with blank expressions. Ruby sighed and hung her head. "It's not my fault the flowers are pretty." She whimpered under her breath.
"Needless to say, dangerous flora mean minimum bare flesh showing, so Weiss, Ruby, no combat skirts for you two. Yang you're gonna have to put on some actual pants and sorry Blake but leggings won't cut it."
The next few days went by in a blur as Alex and team RWBY planned their mission into the Eternity Forest. He would have liked to have spent most of his time with Yang but unfortunately had to spend it with Weiss designing the new outfits suitable for the new environment. Weiss informed him numerous times that fabricating the new outfits shouldn't be a problem, being the heiress to the wealthiest company in the world tends to have perks like that. Two days before the mission, Alex and Weiss were alone in team RWBYs dorm late one evening, both were crouched on the floor with the designs drawn on their scrolls passing them between each other as they both made modifications. Alex was tweaking the outfits to show minimum bare flesh and maximum protection; however he also had to take in their different traits and attributes, for example Blake preferred to be light on her feet so he started off with a simple light Kevlar outfit that covered her from neck to toe but was lightweight enough for her to keep agile. Weiss was handling the more finer details of the outfits, pockets, harness', sheathes, all the small subtle things that would be invaluable to them. Between the two of them over the past few days they were almost complete with the final designs, only Ruby's outfit remained. Weiss handed Alex her scroll containing the revised outfit and he noticed a large addition had been made to the outfit, Ruby's signature red cloak was added to the back of it. Alex stared at it for a while, it was hardly a practical add-on, something like could be a hindrance to Ruby especially in a rainforest.
"You do realise that something like this could cause complications, I mean, I don't want to sugar coat this, this could cost her, her life." Alex pointed out.
"Ruby is skilled enough not to let something like that happen." Weiss informed him.
"So her cape has never once put her in danger?" he asked, Weiss went suspiciously silent as her mind wandered to their first encounter with a Nevermore.
"No…besides she wouldn't be happy if she couldn't wear it, she'll love that it's part of the outfit." Weiss explained, her face was bright as if she was excited by the idea of surprising Ruby.
"You care about Ruby don't you?" Alex inquired.
"Of course I do!" snapped Weiss, "She's my friend and her happiness is important to me, the cloak stays." Alex stared at the girl confidently; the lone lamp in the room illuminated her features.
"That sounds like a bit more than friendship to me."
"What are you talking about?" Weiss asked, staring at him.
"I'm just saying, there's nothing wrong if you want to be more than friends." Weiss' face turned several shades of red, her mouth hung wide open.
"I…I…I don't know where you got that idea from!" Weiss snapped, her body visibly trembling.
Alex calmly stared at the girl and raised his scroll, "Really? Cause we finished everyone's outfits hours ago yet here we are, fumbling with Ruby's outfit. It's not even 'we' it's more you with me waiting for you to be done."
"I do not have feelings for her!" yelled Weiss shattering her usual calm and collectiveness, startling Alex.
Suddenly he felt like he may have crossed the line, he quickly raised his hands defensively. "OK, OK, you don't have feelings for her, forget I said anything." They both returned their gaze to the scrolls but now the air between them was too tense. Minutes passed in silence, Alex was beginning to think that maybe he should leave. He was about to get to his feet when Weiss slammed her scroll onto the floor.
"Even if I did have those kinds of feelings for her, which I don't, what would I even say?" she asked, her focus still on the scroll, her snow white fringe shielding her eyes. Alex blinked in dis-belief at the outburst, but his confusion soon turned to a warm smile. It was obvious the feelings were there; he didn't miss the mark by a mile but was dead on. His smile soon turned to a frown; he felt a great deal of sadness for the girl. Her protesting to her feelings before told him that she was having trouble dealing with them, maybe she's never told anyone, seems unlikely she has. How long has she been like this, alone with these confusing emotions and no-one to talk to.
"Tell her the truth." He finally answered. Weiss scoffed, her fringe swayed as she did.
"Easier said than done."
"Weiss, I guessed that there was something between the two of you and I've only been here for a little more than a month, if I pegged you like Ruby in such a short amount of time, then Ruby surely knows herself."
"If she knows then why hasn't she done anything?" she countered.
"Done anything?" Alex asked in dis-belief, "Weiss she follows you everywhere you go, It's a miracle she's even given us this long alone. I wouldn't be surprised if she's been waiting patiently outside the door. I'm gonna be an ass here but you can be hard to tolerate sometimes, but Ruby? She stays by your side no matter what. Also what if she's having the same problems admitting the truth like you are? One of you might need to take that leap to get the ball rolling." Weiss had now got to her feet and was stood by the window looking out into the clear night.
"It's never as simple as that, especially with someone like me." Weiss' voice was small, almost like she was speaking her thoughts aloud rather than addressing Alex. He got to his feet and stood across the room from her leaning against the wall.
"You like her, she likes you, and I'm not seeing the issue here." Weiss let out a long sigh. She straightened her back and spun perfectly on her heel, her posture was perfect, a clear sign of her station in life.
"Who am I?" she asked simply. Alex gave her a hard stare, before straightening himself.
"You are Weiss Schnee, daughter of Nicolas Schnee and second in line to the Schnee Dust Company, the largest producers and exporters of Dust in all of Remnant." He answered.
"And what do you think the media will say when they learn that I have a lesbian lover?" Alex stared blankly for a moment.
"Is that really what the issue is here? You're worried what people might think?" he snapped, angry that she would care about such a trivial thing.
"My father has tried to control every aspect of my life; he had my entire life planned out for me before I was the age of eight. In that plan I was to marry a wealthy business man's son, he wanted a grandchild to carry on the Schnee name, if I do this I won't be able to give him what he wants. If he learned of this he would…" Weiss trailed off, "He would never allow this, my father is very…controlling, I could not, will not, put Ruby through such a thing."
Alex leaned back on the wall, "That bad huh?"
"He wanted me to work for the company like my sister, naturally I refused, I refused to live a life that was no longer in my control. So I told him I wanted to become a huntress. Of course, that plan backfired; turns out he was happy with my decision, something about an accomplished huntress being good publicity for the name. I was to join Foresight at his request; angry, I lashed out and opted for Beacon instead. He wasn't happy about that which only solidified my decision." Weiss' fists were clenched tight; she let a small nervous chuckle escape her lips. "And that's why I'm here, just to get back at my father." She shook her head.
"It already sounds like you don't care much of what he thinks, so why care now?"
"I'm not concerned about what he'll think, I'm afraid of what he'll do when he finds out." Weiss explained. Alex nodded his understanding, though he was unsure of the prejudice behind homosexuality. If a lesbian daughter was frowned upon by the media then that would cause problems for the company, a fact her father would not abide by.
"How far would he go?" he asked bluntly.
"Extortion, blackmail, bribe, murder, the list goes on." She answered nonchalantly as if she'd seen it happen before.
"You'd think he'd go so far as to murder Ruby?" Alex asked in dis-belief.
"Not him personally but someone else would do the deed."
Alex rubbed his eyes, "Geez, listen to yourself Weiss, do you know how ridiculous this sounds?"
"It only sounds that way because you don't know my father. Every time someone claimed they had information of my father's questionable business practices that evidence would mysteriously vanish, along with whoever held it." She pointed out. Alex sighed in resignation, before giving her a nod.
"So what if there was a way to make him accept it?" those words caused Weiss to stare at him in shock.
"You really think you could convince my father?" she asked, not quite believing what she was hearing.
"Of course, the answer is exceptionally simple. Your dad's a businessman, so we approach this as a business deal. We give him something he wants and in return he lets you date Ruby."
Weiss shook her head. "I can't believe I told you I had feelings for her, please don't tell anyone." She asked of him, Alex gave her a knowing grin.
"You could always order me not to tell anyone." He explained.
Weiss stamped her foot, "I would never do that!"
"So you know of Foresight's mandate when it comes to Schnee family members?" Weiss responded with a nod. "You know a lot more about Foresight than you let on. I'm surprised you haven't told the others what you know."
"What's the point, it makes no difference if they knew or not. Besides I don't need them knowing of another perk of the family name. It's bad enough as it is with what they already know. Look, are you gonna tell me this plan of yours or not?" Weiss asked, growing impatient.
"I was but now I'm confused. The plan was for you to go to Foresight, which is what he wants. In return you get to date Ruby. But if I remember correctly you asked to become a candidate for Foresight, you already planned on joining." He pointed out; Weiss nodded and stared back out of the window.
"I always wanted to join Foresight, but I never wanted to go there on my father's wishes. I know it sounds childish, my plan was to graduate from here then attend Foresight." She explained.
"Looks like you'll have to bump your plans forward if you plan on making this deal work."
"Your deal sounds counterproductive though." She turned to face Alex as she spoke, "Joining Foresight means leaving Ruby behind, that's not what I want."
"Then bring Ruby with you, hell, bring the entire team!" Alex' face burst into a wide grin as he was overcome with excitement, "That would be so awesome if you guys did, we could go on joint ops together and you guys could meet my team. Watch out for Zinear though, he can be a bit of a womanizer, but you'll love Raz and Ash!"
Weiss held up her hands, "Slow down there, we're not even passed the first hurdle. Besides even if my father does go for this deal we still have another big problem." She informed him.
Alex scoffed. "A bigger problem than your dodgy psycho dad?" Alex mocked in a sarcastic tone.
"Yang."
Alex's face became serious, "Oh, yeah, right, Yang's gonna flip if she finds out you're dating Ruby."
"I see a funeral very soon in my future if she does." Weiss spoke in a serious tone, Alex couldn't tell if she was joking or not.
"Maybe she'll take it better than we think. Especially if Ruby talks to her, maybe we should just have faith in that." Weiss wasn't entirely convinced, but if Ruby really did feel the same way then she was sure Ruby could convince Yang not to at least murder her. Alex burst into laughter, causing Weiss to jump.
"What? What's so funny?" she snapped, she assumed that Alex was laughing at her.
"Sorry, it's just, most couples worry about whether it will work out or plans for the future. You're worries involve your father killing Ruby and Yang killing you. You guys got it rough, no doubt about that." Alex finished with an added chuckle.
"That's it, I'm done!" Weiss snapped as she sat on her bed and removed her scroll.
"What are you doing?" Alex asked, confused.
"We've finished the outfits; I'm calling the engineering department to get them manufactured."
Alex stared at his own scroll that was strapped to his wrist, "At this time, are you sure it wouldn't be better to wait till the morning?" Weiss waved him off.
"The engineering department runs twenty-four hours a day and they'll always make time for a Schnee." Her voice couldn't help but have the slightest tone of smugness.
Alex sighed, "Then I'll leave you to It." he made his way over to the door, he was about to swipe his card but froze. "Weiss?" the pale girl looked up at him from her scroll, Alex stared at the door, "One day you will die, I know it's a harrowing thought but it's one we all must accept. If you're lucky enough to have a few moments to look back on your life before you leave this world there are two things you will think on, the times you loved and the times you regret. If you did date Ruby, would you love it, or regret it?" before the young girl had time to respond Alex swiped his card and left the room.
The pale girl stared at the door; she gave a warm smile, "Thank you, Alex."
Once on the other side of the door Alex gave out a long sigh, "It feels good to do something nice." He spoke aloud at the emptiness of the corridor.
"You know, until Weiss' father kills Ruby then Yang offs Weiss." Arras chastised his partner.
"Can you not let me have this moment, why you gotta be such a downer?" Alex retorted as he began to make his way back to his room.
"Alex!" a voice called from behind, he turned to see Ruby running over to him.
"Sup Red?" he greeted as she got close. She stopped and gave him a quizzical look.
"Red? Please don't call me that."
"Alright fine, that's the last time I try and act cool." Alex joked, "So what's up?"
"I take it you're heading back to your room?" Alex nodded his answer, "So I take it that means the outfits are done?" Alex held up his hands, clearly knowing where the line of thought was going.
"Don't even try it Red, Weiss told me not to tell you anything, you're gonna have to wait like everyone else." He scorned her like a strict parent. Ruby naturally pouted.
"Way to be a buzzkill, and didn't I tell you to stop calling me Red!" she cried.
"I'm cool goddammit and I'm keeping the nickname!" he argued, crossing his arms across his chest. Ruby stamped her foot on the ground.
"Fine, then I'm just gonna call you Green from now on!"
"Fine!" he snapped.
"Fine!" she yelled back. The pair leaned in closer glaring at each other.
"Shouldn't you go bother Weiss?" he countered.
"What, you mean like how you've been bothering her these past few days?" Ruby shot back satisfied with her come-back.
"Ha, someone's jealous that I got Weiss all to myself." He countered with a smug smile on his face.
Ruby's face blushed, "Wha…why would I be jealous?"
"Cause you have feelings for her of course." Alex answered calmly, as if he was commenting on the weather. Ruby's face when several shades of red as she stood there gobsmacked.
"I…I…I" the young girl stuttered.
"Oh please it's obvious as hell, why don't you go in there in tell her how you feel." Alex leaned in close, "Or I'll go in there and do it for you." He threatened. Ruby's face grew serious.
"I don't know what's gotten into you Green, but don't you dare tell her, besides," her features grew soft and she looked away almost embarrassed, "She doesn't feel the same way."
Alex gently grabbed her chin and turned her head to face him, their silver eyes pierced each other, "Doesn't she?" before Ruby had a chance to respond Alex straightened himself and walked down the corridor, turning the corner and vanishing from sight.
"What's that supposed to mean!" she yelled after him, "It's not cool to just leave a loaded question like that?" she sighed in frustration.
Alex smugly strolled down the brightly lit corridors; a few students passed him chattering away. "I said it before and I'll say it again, damn it feels good to do something nice."
"This whole 'get the last word in then leave before they have a chance to respond' isn't gonna become a habit is it? Cause if so it's gonna get real tiring, real fast." Arras mocked.
"Shut it you!" snapped Alex.
"Yes Sir!" replied Arras, sarcastically.
Ruby stood at the dorms door, her eyes glued to the card scanner and Alex's final words to her ringing in her mind.
"He wouldn't joke about something like that would he?" she mused aloud. "No, of course not. He knows that this is serious stuff. Maybe…maybe Weiss said something to him?" at that thought her eyes lit up. "Of course, the time they've spent together, I bet Alex pegged her with the same accusations as he did me. So then that means…" without a second thought Ruby swiped her card and she quickly stepped into the room. Weiss was stood by the window, she closed her scroll, just finishing her phone call and turned to face Ruby. The young red haired girl had entered the room with such confidence but the mere sight of Weiss had sapped it away and her legs turned to jelly beneath her.
"You're back early." Weiss mused as she glanced at her scroll, "I wasn't expecting you or the others back for another hour, did you finish your revision?"
"I…don't know." Ruby answered hesitantly.
"You don't know, if you have finished your revision or not?" Weiss sighed, "You can be such a dunc-"
"I spoke to Alex!" Ruby blurted out. This caught Weiss off guard who immediately blushed; her face became a mix of shock and fear.
"What…did he say to you?" the heiress asked, fearing the answer but needing to know. Ruby's nerves got the better of her and she bit her tongue.
"He told me you had finished the outfits." Ruby answered, not quite having the courage to tell her everything just yet. Weiss sighed in relief.
"That's right, in fact I just placed the order, if a Schnee name holds as much weight as it should, the outfits should be here within two day, if not sooner." She added with a small smile. That small smile overwhelmed Ruby with emotions. To her Weiss was perfect, she was completely head over heels for her. Weiss could be cold, but she was also smart, graceful and incredibly talented. Ruby wasn't afraid of what other people thought, she didn't care if they judged her, or them as a couple. All she feared was Weiss rejecting her and losing her friendship.
"It's a shame she doesn't feel the same way." Ruby sadly thought inwardly.
"Doesn't she?" Rang a familiar voice. Ruby's eyes perked up, she took a confident step forward, almost startling Weiss.
"He also said something about you." Ruby admitted, Weiss' face became crimson.
"He…did?" she stammered.
Ruby nodded confidently, "Is there something you want to tell me?" Ruby asked, she wanted to hear it, hear it from her beautiful lips. Ruby's eyes danced with excitement and Weiss could clearly tell that she knew.
Weiss stamped her foot, "God damn that moron!" she bellowed scaring Ruby; "He couldn't leave well enough alone could he! Alright fine, I do have something to say to you. I can't stand you, you're reckless and headstrong. You're clumsy and childish." Ruby's heart almost stopped in her chest, it suddenly became harder to breathe and though she tried to will herself not to she couldn't stop her eyes from watering. She was expecting a declaration of love; her hopes were so high to just have them crushed. Of course there was no happy ending for her. This was a sick joke played on her by Alex, she was sure he was probably laughing at her right now. How could she be so stupid?
"…and you're immature. But…" that last word caught Ruby's attention; she stared up at Weiss through watery eyes. "I can't stop thinking about you. When we go to class I make sure to be sat next to you. When I'm in bed and you're up late I can't sleep till I know you're back in the dorm safe, even then my final thoughts are of you, I dream of you and when I wake you're the first thing I think about. Why do I feel this way, why does a brat like you drive me crazy in love?" Weiss stamped furiously, "Damnit Ruby just don't stand there, say something, anything!" she pleaded. Ruby stared, awe-struck by Weiss; everything she dreamed about was coming true. She just witnessed the girl she loved secretly for over a year; admit she felt the same way. Words could not express the overwhelming happiness and euphoria that flooded through the young leaders veins.
"Do something you idiot!" her mind snapped. Without thinking, without over-analysing the situation Ruby took a step forward. Weiss stepped back hesitantly, she felt herself get pinned against the windowsill as Ruby continued to advance.
"Wha…what are you doing?" she hesitantly asked the young girl, her voice wavered. Without a word Ruby gently placed her hands either side of Weiss' face and pulled her lips towards hers.
Alex stared at the bulldog that was idle on one of Beacons numerous landing pads. The blistering heat of the morning sun beat down on him, even the breeze was warm and the air humid. Today was the day of the mission, in twenty minutes he and the members of team RWBY would be boarding that very Bulldog and set off across continents to the Eternity Forest.
"Of course we would be taking an airship, how did I not see this coming?" he ridiculed himself.
"Well only morons would cross continents by land and sea." Arras pointed out, "Kinda like us." He added.
He stared at the scroll attached to his left forearm, "They're taking their sweet time." He complained aloud, looking around the campus. He stood alone on the far edge of Beacons grounds. "Then again I imagine they're faffing around with the new outfits. Here's hoping they've arrived." Weiss was furious when the outfits never came yesterday, Alex would have stayed and listened to her rant, however he spent most of his final day studying in the library, whilst the girls crammed in whatever studying or training they could squeeze in.
"Looks like they're here, I'm sensing four Auras approaching us." Arras informed him. Alex spun on his heels to spot the four girls strolling up to him. Alex gave a wide grin; even from this distance the outfits looked incredible. Ruby's crimson cape blew gently in the wind, with the red hood pulled up shielding her from the rays. Her torso was covered with a tight-fitting, black jacket with dark brown armour pads covering her elbows, shoulders and chest. A small utility belt was strapped around her waist. Even though Alex warned them about combat skirts Weiss somehow managed to keep them in the design. Ruby wore a black skirt with red trimming; she wore tight black leggings that were made of a special weave to protect her. She wore heavy duty black boots with red frills at the top and black fingerless gloves.
Weiss wore a looser fitting white jacket though it was held in place by a dark blue combat vest which covered most of her torso; she also had elbow pads of similar colour and the fingerless gloves. Her legs were covered in thick white trousers with dark blue knee pads and heavy duty boots. Though it absolutely wasn't necessary she also wore a white skirt for no other reason than 'because she wanted to'.
Blake's outfit was the most revealing of the four. She wore a dark grey jacket; the sleeves though had been rolled up passed the elbow, her forearms wrapped in her trademark black ribbon. Her midriff was covered by armour which housed dozens of small pockets and pouches. She also wore a black scarf and fingerless gloves. Her lower region was covered with dark grey shorts and her legs by her familiar black and purple leggings, though these were made of the same material as Ruby's, along with black knee pads and the black boots.
Surprisingly Yang's outfit was the most covered. She wore a dark orange jacket with dark brown armour pads covering her forearms, elbows, biceps and chest. Her emblem was embroided onto her left breast. She wore the obvious fingerless gloves which Alex gave to everyone as well as her orange scarf and aviator shades. While her jacket was tucked in at the front it flowed down to her knees at the back as well as her white under layer she always has. Her legs were covered in dark orange combat trousers along with the armour knee pads and black boots. She also had a small black scarf tied around her left leg.
The four girls reached Alex and Weiss held out her hands gesturing to the team. "Well what do you think?" she asked, obviously pleased with the work.
"Do you want my friendly answer or my serious answer?" he countered, the girls looked at each other.
"Friendly answer." Weiss responded. Alex threw his arms into the air over enthusiastically.
"Why I just love them, they are incredible!" the girls groaned at Alex's obvious sarcastic response.
"Alright no need to be an ass about it, what's the serious answer?" asked Weiss.
"Why leggings and not actual combat trousers?" he gesture to both Blake and Ruby. "You're skirt looks ridiculous," he added to Weiss, "And what the hell is this?" he asked as he grabbed a hold of Ruby's cape, "I know you said Ruby would love it but I didn't think you'd actually keep it in the plan?" Yang strode forward and threw an arm around Alex's shoulders.
"Did you notice he never complained about my outfit?" she asked rhetorically in a smug tone. Alex stared down at her jacket, the first few buttons were undone exposing her cleavage. He stuck his index finger into the opening and tugged on the jacket.
"What's this then, you planning on seducing the Grimm?" he asked, mockingly.
"There's no amount of clothes that could contain these bad boys." She responded, slapping Alex's hand away.
"A fact we are all painfully aware of." Joked Blake, Yang shot a tongue out at her partner before turning to Ruby.
"So are you gonna give it to him already?" asked Yang impatiently. Alex looked between the two girls with a confused look. Ruby stepped forward. Alex had only just noticed now that Ruby's hands had not moved from behind her back, as she withdrew them she handed Alex an item of clothing. He took it hesitantly, Ruby removed her hands and the jacket unfurled. It was a green, long-sleeved, leather trench coat, with a large overhang that looked like it would come down to the back of his knees. Weiss took the jacket from his hands.
"Go on, try it on." She ordered. Not needing telling twice Alex unclipped the black harness around his shoulders and removed his swords and quivers. Taking the jacket back, he slid it on. It was a snug fit and Alex couldn't help but smile at how well it went with the rest of his outfit. It had a single clasp at the front, tightening it around his chest, the coat pulled back at his lower half. He picked up his harness and fitted the weapons back onto his back. He reached over his head to grab the blades and gave a satisfied grunt, however when he reached around to grab an arrow he gave a look of frustration.
"Something wrong?" asked Weiss concernedly.
"The jacket is a bit tight around the under-arm, I'm fine reaching for my blades but I have trouble getting the arrows." He answered as he tried one more time to reach them. Weiss looked so embarrassed, she couldn't believe she made an error on Alex' gift, her face went bright red. Alex took one look at her and his hands shot up.
"No, no it's fine, I have an idea." He spoke as he released the clasp on the harness; the quivers fell to the floor with a soft thud. Alex retrieved them and hooked the top of each to his belt, his regular arrows nestled against his right leg while his custom arrows were against his left, the coat pulled back around the quivers. "There!" he announced as he looked down at his new look. He quickly removed his blades, attached them to become a staff and drew an arrow all in a flash. "Better yet, I think it might be easier for me to have the quivers down here, easier to reach."
"Oh thank god." Weiss sighed in relief.
"What's the occasion?" he inquired.
"A small thank you for your advice the other day." She added with a warm smile. Yang looked between them confused.
"What advice?"
"Alright!" bellowed the red haired leader, quickly changing the subject, "Everyone on board!" The team marched towards the Bulldog, well, everyone except Alex who sheathed his weapons and stared at the aerial contraption.
"The thing doesn't even have any windows." He complained.
"Just get on the damn thing before everyone finds out how much of a pussy you are!" snapped Arras, clearly sick of Alex' attitude. Alex scoffed before begrudgingly boarding the jet; he immediately sat down next to the side door, but mumbled something under his breath when the door sealed close trapping him inside. The pilot yelled something but Alex tightly sealed his eyes closed and tried to pretend he was somewhere else. The twin engines roared into life, shaking the fuselage as the jet roared into the air and off towards their destination. A few minutes passed, or at least Alex hoped a few minutes passed when someone gently shook his shoulder, his eyes snapped open to find the team standing, holding onto the hand rails on the ceiling, staring at him.
"Hey, I asked you if you spoke to Ozpin about joining us." Yang repeated as she and the team stared at Alex with a look of concern.
"What…oh yeah I did." He quickly answered. The steel walls looked confining, with the partition between them and the cockpit sealed they may as well have been in a steel box of death.
"What did he say about you tagging along?" added Ruby.
"Well he wasn't gonna budge for a while, but I am here to look for new Foresight members, so observing candidates during a mission will be invaluable." He answered, he found the conversation to be distracting and so he eased up a little.
"Well, that's fair enough, but none of us are candidates." Ruby pointed out, a smile on her face, as if Alex had said something silly. Alex gave the briefest of glances towards Weiss before returning the smile.
"Maybe I secretly want you all to come to Foresight, see the sights and meet my team." He added in a cheery tone.
"Meet three other unbearable guys, no thanks." Mocked Yang with a devilish grin.
"So you think I'm unbearable, wait till you meet Zinear, you'll change your tune then." Alex added smugly.
"Who would I like the most?" added Ruby enthusiastically.
"Hmm, probably Ashton, you remind me a lot of him, small, hyper, he has a thing for cakes too, goes nuts over them."
"Like I do with cookies!" Ruby bellowed excitedly.
"I pray those two never meet." Added Weiss grudgingly.
"Well Ozpin was not without his warning, if I interfere with your mission in any way he'll ship me back to Foresight and you'll never see me again." He added glumly. The girls gave a worried look.
"Well don't worry, just sit back and enjoy the show." Beamed Ruby clenching her fist.
"Yeah, this mission is as good as done." Added Yang, inspired by Ruby's positive outlook, he gave them both a warm smile.
"Any idea how long it will take to get there?" his question seemed innocent, though Alex hid the fact that his fear was starting to creep back and knowing just how long he'd have to endure it might help. Ruby gave a shrug at his question and knocked on the partition between them and the pilot. It opened suddenly and the pilot, dressed in bright white pilots garb and a helmet that covered their face, peered in and gave one look at Ruby.
"No, we are not stopping for a toilet break, you should have gone before we left." Snapped the pilot, it was a distinct female voice and already Alex didn't like her attitude.
"Erm, no, that's not what I wanted to ask, we were just curious as to how long we'll be?" she asked timidly, clearly being put off by the pilot's remark.
"Well if your baby bladder holds out, no longer than half an hour."
"HALF AN HOUR!" bellowed Alex startling everyone; he stared at everyone in shock.
"What is that too long?" asked Yang.
"What, no. That's amazing; I thought it'd be hours." He admitted his tone still full of surprise.
"Well you see we're in this amazing thing called and airship; it has the ability to fly in a straight line." Mocked the pilot from her seat.
Blake gave Alex a confused look, "Why are you surprised, clearly you know how long it should take seeing as you came to Beacon from Foresight by airship."
Alex fumbled slightly avoiding eye contact, "You did take an airship, didn't you?" Yang pried, leaning into his view so that he was forced to look at her.
"The truth is…I didn't." there was a stunned silence. "I travelled mostly on foot, the occasional car or bus and one boat."
"Why not take an airship and save yourself all the hassle." Weiss asked, her tone was agitated.
"Because I was afraid." Admitted the young hunter, ashamed of himself.
"Afraid of flying?" inquired Blake.
"No, I have no trouble with heights or falling. I'm…I'm afraid of airships." The airship erupted in laughter, everyone glared at the pilot who was laughing hysterically. Alex gritted his teeth. "Shut your damn mouth before I shut it for you!" he threatened rising from his seat, his anger momentarily causing him to forget his fear.
"I'm sorry, well, no I'm not sorry but, really, a fear of airships? You're a hunter, you fight Grimm and risk your life every day, yet you cower at an airship, it sounds so pathetic." The pilot bellowed between fits of laughter.
"You're right, I do risk my life every day. If I was a true coward I would have chosen another profession, like being a pilot." That shut the pilot up, she glared back at him.
"How about you come up here and say that to my face." She retorted in anger, Alex clearly got under her skin.
"Fine, open the door before I do then." His come-back caused the pilot to tilt her head questioningly "So that way once I cut your throat I can bail from this jet before it hits the ground." He finished with a smug grin.
"Fine," the pilot spoke, a small grin of her own crept across her lips, the door swung open and everyone braced themselves as a huge surge of air blasted into the fuselage, the team stared out of the door, below them for miles around was nothing but ocean. "Go ahead and jump, we'll see how long you last out there." The pilot yelled over the wind, clearly smug that she had got the last jab in. Alex glared at the watery blue below, he moved back over to his seat and sat down.
"Maybe another time." He spat, folding his arms across his chest.
"That's what I thought." The door to the jet sealed shut and they continued towards their destination. Minutes passed in silence and once again Alex's fear battered at his mind desperate to overwhelm him. "Hey, check it out." Called the pilot as she opened the door, another rush of air surged in and the team stood grasping onto the rails. After a moment the wind died down and the five of them gawped at the scene before them. Forest stretched for miles and miles reaching into the horizon, the beautiful green foliage of the Eternity Forest beckoned Alex like a beacon in the night, a thin lair of fog lay over the foliage like a plastic film.
"No wonder they call it the Eternity Forest." Yang spoke in dis-belief. "Finding our way through it is going to be next to impossible, we'll get lost for sure."
"Just remember your studies and everyone will be fine." Alex affirmed as he stared out across the green tree tops.
"We're approaching our first drop point, Ruby Rose you're up!" bellowed the pilot from her cockpit. The ships engines rotated allowing it to hover in place. Ruby turned to the group, "Well looks like I'm up." She spoke as she removed Crescent Rose from her back.
"You'll do great, I'll see you down there!" cheered Yang as she hugged her goodbye.
"Stay safe." Spoke Weiss as she in turn gave her a hug.
"See you soon." Blake too hugged her goodbye.
"Dear god, she's jumping into a forest not a volcano." The pilot sneered. They ignored her comment; Alex moved forward and merely tapped her on the shoulder, giving her a smile and a nod.
"Be careful, Red."
"Don't worry about me, Green." With the goodbyes said Ruby dashed forward out of the jet and plummeted down towards the earth below, her crimson cape billowing behind her as she vanished through the canopy. The jet rocketed off across miles of endless trees, eventually stopping minutes later. "Second drop, Weiss Schnee. And for the love of god make it quick." Weiss withdrew Myrtenaster and stepped to the edge of the opening; she spun and faced the group.
"I'll make my way to Ruby as soon as I hit the ground." She informed them.
"Try not to get eaten." Joked Yang, sticking her tongue out at her. Weiss gave her a sarcastic smile; Alex patted her on the shoulder, giving her a warm smile.
"Thank you for the jacket by the way." He added.
"Thank you for the advice." She returned. With that she quickly cast a glyph on her feet and launched herself clear of the jet. She leapt from glyph to glyph as she made her way down to the forest, they watched till she was beneath the treeline. Once again the ship accelerated, Alex figured there was a set amount of miles between each drop point. In a few minutes the Bulldog took up a hovering position.
"Third drop, Blake Belladonna." Came the pilot's voice. Blake withdrew Gambol Shroud, before giving Yang a hug.
"You'll come and find me right?" Blake asked as they released from their embrace, Yang gave her a wink.
"It'll be the first thing I do, promise." Assured Yang as Blake made her way to the edge.
"Thank you for all the help you gave us." She added to Alex as she stood on the edge. Yang noticed Alex's hand making small gestures, before he raised it and patted Blake on the back.
"Thank me when you come back alive and well." Blake nodded her agreement before steeping out and falling towards the ground, they both watched as the raven haired girl vanished from sight and the ship flew off once more.
"I know what you're doing." Admitted Yang as the last two hunters waited for the final drop.
"I don't know what you're talked about." He answered, feigning ignorance.
"You're placing glyphs on us, what does it do, is it a protection glyph, increased speed?" she pried, prodding Alex in the ribs desperate to hear the answer. The Bulldog began to hover.
"Fourth drop, Yang Xa…Xo…hmm, Yang you're up." Came the pilots call. Yang rolled her eyes.
"It's pronounced 'shou'" she yelled back.
"I don't care, get out of my plane!"
Yang walked to the edge of the ship, with a swift jolt of her arms, her dual ranged shot gauntlets opened up covering her forearms. She spun and faced Alex. "So, you gonna tell me what the glyph does?" this time Alex didn't try and hide his hand motions, he cast the glyph in front of her before placing his hand on her chest, with slight force he nudged her over the edge. Yang fell backwards from the jet, grinning all the way. "You're gonna have to show me what the glyph does one day!" Yang bellowed as she fell further and further away, she twisted her body in mid-air, firing Ember Celica to extend her flight, whooping and cheering as she did. Alex leaned out and watched her all the way.
"I pray I never have to." He quietly whispered to himself.
"Alright, so I was supposed to drop off four hunters, I wasn't told what to do with the extra baggage. What do you want to do?" the pilot called back to Alex.
"I'm just here for observation, I'm not part of this mission." He replied, his eyes still glued to the spot where Yang had vanished beneath the trees.
"That's cool, except I asked you what you want to do, not what are you doing." She ridiculed.
"What I'm doing is taking crap from a half arsed pilot." He shot back, turning to look at her.
"Ooh, I would be insulted if I cared what you think."
"Just treat me like a fifth member and act accordingly." He ordered in an agitated tone. The pilot whispered something but it was too quiet for Alex to make it out. The jet flew off once again to the final drop. Alex spent the few minutes staring out of the aircraft at the expansive forest below. A few memories tugged at his mind, time he spent there during his initiation. Times he fought, bled, cried, laughed, cheered, and cowered. Anyone would think that returning to such a place would make Alex's heart shiver with fear, instead his heart pumped faster and adrenaline surged through his veins. The wind roared past blowing the bottom of his jacket. He looked down at it, and fiddled with the clasp. He was told to merely observe but Alex desperately wanted to put his boots on the ground, for months he had been cooped up at Beacon, new faces and friends entertained him for a while but the thought of being able to cut loose, to forget everything he knew about a civilised world and lose himself to the chaos of survival, at any cost, was too much temptation to ignore.
"We're here." Called the pilot, as the jets engines rotated allowing the Bulldog to hover. Alex strode into the cockpit.
"You gonna stick around in case we need pulling out?" he asked out of concern, if one of the team members gets seriously injured a quick evac could mean the difference between life and death.
"Hell no, I'm going back to bed." She quipped. Alex glared at her; his patience for her jokes was starting to wane. "Chill, I'll be back in twenty-four hours, team RWBY has until then to complete all objectives." Alex smirked before walking to the open hatch; the pilot removed her helmet, placed the goggles on top of her head and leaned out to watch Alex.
"Hey." She called out; Alex turned and for a moment was thrown off by her features. The girl was youthful, not much older than himself. She had medium length red hair that was tied back into a pony tail, the googles sat at the top of her head with her fringe brushed to her left. Her eyes were a beautiful mix of violet and black, with dozens of silver dots around the pupil, they reminded Alex of miniature galaxies. Her ears were pierced as well as her lip and her features were soft and delicate and like almost every other girl in Beacon, incredibly beautiful. "You can always call me if you get too scared and need little old me to save your ass."
"You think you can throw me off by revealing how hot you are?" he added as he stood on the edge.
"You just said I was hot."
"No I didn't."
The pilot blushed slightly and tried to hide her smile "My name's Amelia by the way." Alex stared at the girl blankly. "This is the part where you tell me your name." Alex smirked at her, before raising his clenched fist and extending his middle finger. Amelia grinned and shook her head; Alex leaned back and fell from the ship towards the forest below. "God damn it, I think he's starting to grow on me." She whispered to herself, before setting off back to Beacon.
Alex plummeted head first towards the ground; the burning sun lit the horizon on fire as Alex passed through the clouds, with eyes closed he enjoyed the rush of wind passed his ears and the sound of his new jacket rippling in the wind.
"We should do it."
"We're not doing it."
"We should do it."
"We're not doing it!"
"I'll do it."
"You'll just waste your Aura."
"But it'll look so cool."
"Cool for whom?"
"For us, and we are all that matter."
Alex squinted his eyes open, the green foliage of the trees was approaching fast, and he had seconds to decide. He let out a sigh and in a moment Arras took control. Arras extended his body to catch as much wind as possible to slow his decent before pulling his knees up to his chest and extending his right hand to the fast approaching ground. He began to force his aura to his palm, his aura swelled up within him, flowing and ebbing through his veins towards a single point, the aura became so intense that it began to shimmer in the air, almost like a visible barrier beneath his feet. Arras slammed through the trees and branches as his aura absorbed the blows, and with a thundering crack, Arras himself slammed into the ground. His impact shattered the ground beneath him and the shockwave tore the ground and trees apart, blasting everything into shreds. Arras slowly got to his feet, his aura completely negating a 9,000 foot drop. Arras began to snigger at the destruction he caused.
"We're back bitches." He quipped as he stood amidst the carnage, and with that Alex took back the body.
"What you really meant to say was, I just wasted two thirds of my aura unnecessarily." He pointed out angrily, quickly checking his scrolls aura indicator before it changed to show his aura, rising back up into the green.
"Worth it." Alex began his journey through the overgrown forest. As he walked he admired his surroundings. The forest was full of life; birds chirped high above, streams of light broke through the mile high trees illuminating the area in a beautiful orange and green glow, the sound of running water could be heard nearby. Alex pushed through the thick brush. "I can't believe we're really back here after all these years." Added Arras as Alex swatted at a mosquito.
"I know what you mean. The amount of emotions I'm going through right now isn't even funny. It's like, I'm that scared little kid again, but then, I'm a pissed of warrior. I don't know, it's confusing." He withdrew a blade and cut through some overgrowth.
"I say we go find some fun."
"Remember why we're here, to observe the mission." Alex reminded his other half.
Arras sighed, "Fine, Yang dropped the closest to us, let's see if we can't find her." He suggested reluctantly, Alex grunted his agreement and broke into a jog, "But please, try and find us some fun when you get there."
Yang made her way cautiously through the forest. This humidity is not good for my hair. As soon as she landed she began to backtrack towards Blake's position. Here's hoping she hasn't strayed too far. As she pushed through a particularly thick overgrowth she heard something move behind some bushes to her left. Yang moved over and pulled the shrubbery apart, "Blake?" the creature behind it growled at Yang, "Wrong kitty!" she quipped as the creature lunged at her, Yang cartwheeled to the side and spun to face the creature that was now behind her. It was black and sleek, almost like a tiger yet it was the size of a car. It was all black except the bone like mask covering its eyes. It had a wide snout and long triangular ears. It bared its massive white fangs she also noticed its large white claws and it thudded its tail on the ground, which had a mass of muscle at the end like a wrecking ball. Let's try and not get hit by that.
"You wouldn't have seen a tall, black haired, Faunus girl, about yay high with a pair of great legs?" the creature responded with a terrifying roar. "You could have just said no." Yang braced herself for another attack, except the creature just stood and waited, roaring and snarling at her. What is it doing? Alright Yang focus, I've never seen any Grimm like this, and it definitely wasn't in that book Alex made us read, which could only mean that this is a new type of Grimm or it's not native to the rainforest. Alright, probe attacks first, let's see what this thing is capable of. Yang rolled forward and launched three rounds from her gauntlets; the Grimm darted to the side dodging them, and then dashed forward for a counter attack. Yang braced for another charge, except the creature halted a meter from the huntress and spun its body, Yang rolled to the side at the last second as the massive tail crashed into the spot she was standing not a second ago. Yang dashed forwards and slammed a fist into the side of its head, the creature made a bite for her arm but she dropped the elbow of her other arm onto its head before upper-cutting the creature into the air. She launched herself up after it and smashed both fists over the creatures head, sending it crashing back to the ground. Yang landed perfectly and stared at the beaten Grimm, Time to finish you off I think. Just as the creature was getting back onto its feet, Yang fired her gauntlets backwards launching herself through the air, aiming straight for the monsters face. The Grimm saw the attack coming and crouched low causing Yang to sail overhead, as she did though hundreds of razor spines extended from the creatures back cutting into Yang's skin and tearing at her clothing. Yang lost her balance and skidded into the ground slamming into a tree.
The huntress got back to her feet and stared at her wounds, her aura was already at work healing the dozens of small cuts that littered her face and cleavage, her clothing actually held up pretty well, and only a few scraps were cut loose, nothing major. Yang made a mental note to thank Alex and Weiss when she got out of here. Yang glared at the creature from behind her blonde bangs and watched as it shot forward pressing its advantage. It made a bite for her head, its lethal fangs snapped at the air as she stepped back, it slashed at her midriff and she bent her body forward sucking her stomach in, a swipe for her arm and she twisted her body, it spun swinging its wrecking ball of a tail, Yang dropped low performing the splits as the tail sailed overhead. The creature made attempt after attempt to land a hit, Yang merely twisted her body and avoided each one, and every attack dodged only caused the creature to become more reckless and desperate to land a connecting blow. Until Yang saw her moment, she leapt up driving her fist into the creatures chin before spinning and driving another fist into the creature's ribs causing it to skid across the ground. The Grimm swung its tail out in a desperate attempt to put some distance between it and the ferocious huntress. Yang spun and caught the tail in her hands, digging her feet into the ground to brace her against the force. Her Semblance was beginning to peak as golden flames began to weave between her golden locks. Demonstrating her incredible strength she lifted the massive creature up over her head and smashed it into the ground, the monster was now on its back exposing its soft under belly. Now was her chance, Yang leapt high into the air and pulling back her fist, fired Ember Celica launching her towards the creature, the killing blow was all but assured. A massive force connected with Yang's side, she screamed in pain as she was blown into the trunk of a massive tree, smashing through it and crashing into the ground. She slowly picked herself up from the ground as the tree groaned and creaked as it began to timber, with a thundering crack it crashed to the ground. Yang, her eyes now turned bright crimson, glared at what knocked her off course. A second creature now stood between her and the injured one. Its body was much sleeker and slimmer than the other and had an almost distinctive female appearance.
"Trying to protect your boyfriend huh? Well I don't care if there are two of you, or two hundred. I'LL CRUSH YOU ALL!" she screamed as she slammed her fists together. Her hair billowed behind her as golden flames dance around her. With a single step the ground beneath her caved as she shot towards them at a blistering speed. The Grimm tensed and braced for the assault but was caught off guard as Yang stopped suddenly and slammed her fist into the ground. Her speed transferred into her punch and the ground shattered beneath the blow, a fissure cracked the ground apart straight towards the Grimm. The feminine monster lost its footing but before it had a chance to react Yang was on top of it. A blow to the side of its skull cracked the mask and sent the creature smashing through a dozen trees, each one came crashing down as earth and dust was flung into the air. She turned her attention to the other, wounded creature.
Her eyes widened to find it was gone she spun only to be blindsided by the surprise assault, its massive tail connected with her head, smashing her face into the ground, the sheer force of the blow was enough to crush anyone's skull into pulp, the fact that Yang was still conscious was a miracle. Though with what she saw next a quick death wouldn't have been so bad. The female Grimm that she blew away moments before was stood over her crumpled body, unscathed. Yang glared up at it through blurry eyes. "But I…" she spoke in dis-belief as the monster crushed Yang's left leg between its razor teeth. Her aura flashed to protect her but gave out from the sheer pressure. Yang howled in agony as the teeth sunk through the clothing and into her flesh, crimson blood soaked through her clothing as it stained the monsters mouth. It tore clothing and flesh apart as it violently shook its head. Yang's mind swam in pain as her conscious threatened to leave her. She pulled her right arm back but before she could strike the second creature sunk its teeth into her arm. Fresh pain flooded her systems as she screamed so loud her voice gave out. Both creature's pulled and tore at her flesh like some sick tug of war where Yang was the rope. Tears began to glaze her eyes as it was becoming too much to bear, she willed her other limbs to move but they dis-obeyed her, her entire body was becoming numb as blood flowed from both wounds. She watched as her leg was stripped bare, she could see the bones in her leg as the monsters ripped her body to shreds. Fear of death became all too real and adrenaline flooded her veins, her free leg twitched when she willed it to move. She couldn't feel it but she could see it move when she commanded it, raising her good leg she brought her boot down on the Grimm's face again and again, it refused to let go of her leg as Yang continued to batter its face with her boot. The cracked mask splintered even more and it released what was left of her limb, as it recoiled in pain. Her momentary hope that she could escape was snuffed out as the creature on here arm shook her like a rag doll and tossed her aside slamming her into a hillock of dirt, she slumped against it, unable to scream as her voice was gone, both the pain and adrenaline ebbed away as so did her life. She could hear her heartbeat begin to slow and she began to feel tired. Her eyelids began to feel like lead weights, but she refused to let them fall. Tears slipped from her eyes down her muddy cheeks as she began to sob. The two monsters watched patiently from afar as if savoring the moment before a kill. Yang stared down at her mangled limbs, flesh and muscle were ripped apart and the bone was visible in a dozen places. The tears began to flow heavier.
"I don't want to die, not here, not like this." She sobbed aloud. She wasn't afraid to die, the life of a huntress never usually ended happily ever after and she knew that. What she was afraid of was lost moments, things she'd never get to experience, and leaving everyone behind. Blake, her loyal partner and the very best friend she could ever ask for. Her baby sister, a team leader at fifteen, she was so proud of her. The thought of leaving her behind, like her mother and father before her, Ruby would be all alone now. Even Weiss, Yang would give anything to be scorned by that Ice queen. These thoughts only caused Yang to sob harder as fresh tears ran down her face. One of the creatures dragged its paw across the ground, Yang watched helplessly as it bounded towards her.
She squeezed her eyes closed, and prayed that her end would be quick and painless…
A/N I always prefer stories where no-one is safe, that at any moment your favourite character could die. I guess that's why I'm drawn to stories like Attack on Titan or Game of Thrones.
Anyway N7Christopher and ManxMG will be uploading their stories about the other members of team AZRA soon, so be sure to keep an eye out for them. They. Are. Amazing.
Also be sure to let me know what you thought about the chapter, any feedback would be hugely appreciated, and I may just have something incredible to show you next chapter :)