Chapter 49; The SLNT Journey
In the day time at a forest location, Sora King had his back against a giant bolder while waiting for something. He was now eighteen years old and is now wearing a completely different outfit from what he had six months ago. He was now wearing a yellow t-shirt with black heart outline with a pointed bottom and an X going through it, pitch black pants with silver knee buckles, a blue short sleeved jacket with a black hood and black outlines on the cuffs, down the zipper, around the bottom, and his crown symbol on the back, black fingerless gloves with blue wrists and silver knuckles, blue and black shoes, and his silver crown necklace and blue pearl necklace still around his neck. He also had his earpiece, because that's the only way he can communicate to his team.
Sora tapped his earpiece and asked, "Tsubasa, do see the Geist yet?"
In a different part of the forest
Tsubasa Otori was on a tree branch and keeping a look out on the Geist. Like his partner, Sora, he also looked different than what he looked before Team SLNT left Patch. He was known wearing a purple dress shirt, white pants held by a black belt, a crimson dress jacket with his eagle symbol on the left side of the jacket, black dress shoes, and his yellow pearl earring on his right ear. His outfit wasn't thing that changed in the last six months. Tsubasa's long silver hair was now shortened up to his shoulders.
Tsubasa heard his partner's question in his own earpiece and replied, "No, but they should be here soon."
"Okay." Said Sora. "Let me know if you see anything. I'm gonna check with Lyra now."
In another part of the forest
Lyra Heartstrings was walking around looking for the Geist. Her new outfit consisted of a long red sleeveless sweater that extend around her waist but still revealing her black pants and the waist was held by a black belt. She also wore a mint green sleeveless jacket with pockets on both sides of the front of the jacket and her harp symbol done in black, long white gloves that end at her elbows, mint green shoes with white toes and white soles, her golden bracelet with her green peart around her right wrist, and her golden harp necklace still around her neck. Her hair was also tied in a ponytail with a black band.
"Lyra, do you see the Geist?" Sora asked in Lyra's earpiece.
Lyra then tapped her earpiece and replied, "Nope, and I've been looking everywhere." She then heard her leader sigh.
Sora then asked her, "How's Natsu search going?" Lyra then stopped and looked to her left. She then smiled at what she was looking at. "Lyra? What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Said Lyra. "I just found my boyfriend."
What Lyra was looking at was her partner/boyfriend, Natsu Dragneel, fighting a giant golem with a Grimm mask on it. Like everyone else in Team SLNT, Natsu has also gone through changes with his outfit. He was wearing an orange shirt with his weird symbol done in black, black baggy pants with orange going down the sides which ends with two skulls on it, a brown leather belt, a black jacket with the orange on the shoulders going down the front of the jacket and on the sleeves which also had two skulls on it and a orange skull with two X's for eyes on the back, black boots, his silver bracelet with his red pearl on his left wrist and his white scaly scarf around his neck.
"I'M ALL FIRED UP!" Natsu yelled as he continued to punch the golem with his flaming fists. The golem Grimm then swung one of his giant rock arms and sent Natsu flying into some trees. He then landed on ground and laid their on his back. "Yep. That hurt."
Natsu then say his girlfriend standing above him and shaking her head no at him while smirking at him. Lyra then extended her hand and asked, "You okay, babe?'
Natsu then smiled and said, "Better now that you're here." He then took Lyra's hand which allowed her to help him up. He then looked over and saw his leader running towards him. He then smiled and waved at him while saying, "Hey, Sora."
"DAMN IT, NATSU!" Sora yelled as he did a flying kick to Natsu's face, which surprised Lyra. Natsu then looked up in disbelief at the sight of his angered leader. "You were supposed to contact me when you found the Grimm!"
"Yeah, about that." Natsu said as he pulled out pieces of an earpiece. "I was about to call you, but the thing hit me and broke my earpiece."
Sora then face palmed in annoyance and said, "Natsu, that's the third time this week."
"Um, guys." Lyra said as she point at the Geist/golem Grimm charging at Tsubasa, who was trying to hit it with his Earth Eagle knife. "Don't you guys think we should help him?"
"Yeah." Both Sora and Natsu said in unison as Sora summoned his Rainfell keyblade and him and the rest of Team SLNT went to help Tsubasa. Natsu engulfed his hands in flames again while Lyra revealed her new weapon. The blade of her spear that broke six months ago was attached to another blade which was gold and black, making it a double bladed lance.
Sora, Lyra, and Tsubasa used their blades to hit the Grimm while Natsu threw fireballs at it. But despite how many attacks they used on it, the Geist/golem Grimm was unfazed by the attacks. The Grimm then pushed them
"God Damn it." Lyra said in frustration.
Tsubasa then turned to his partner and said, "Sora, our blades aren't working on him."
"Yeah." Yelled Natsu. "And my flames aren't doing much either."
"Then I'm calling a friend." Sora said as he cut his hand with his blade and summon Behemoth from the yellow summoning cycle he created. Behemoth then charged at the Grimm and the two beasts battled each other. Behemoth manage to grab the Grimm's right arm and completely destroy it.
"Nice!" Yelled Natsu.
Tsubasa then said, "It's not over yet, my friend." He then pointed to what he was talking about. The Grimm created a red cycle out of where its arm was destroyed and a pitch black arm with white claws came out. The arm then went into a rotting tree and pulled it out of the ground, making its new arm.
"It has a tree arm now!?" Lyra asked as Team SLNT ran away from the Grimm. Behemoth was still trying to fight off the rock beast.
Natsu then used clapped his hands together and threw a giant fire ball at the Grimm, but all it ended up doing was making its tree arm a deadly fire weapon. He then said, "Well, that didn't work. Any plans, Sora?"
Sora then looked at Behemoth and saw that every time his creature attack the Geist/golem Grimm, the Grimm would protect its mask. He then came up an idea and told his team, "Guy's the Grimm is protecting its face, it doesn't care about its limbs. If we destroy the limbs, we'll have a clear shot at its face."
Lyra then asked, "And how are we supposed to do that exactly?"
"That depends." Sora said as he smirked, making Lyra confused. "Do you feel like using you powers?"
When she heard that question, Lyra grinned and said, "Okay. Let's do it."
Sora then nodded and looked at his partner. "Tsubasa, go left."
"Got it." Tsubasa said as he extended his knife into its sword mode. He then jumped into the air and struck the Grimm from the left.
Sora then said, "Natsu, you distract him from the right."
"Sure thing, buddy." Natsu said with a grin as he charged at the Grimm from the right. He punched the Grimm a couple time and threw fireballs when he was pushed back.
Sora then used his keyblade and fired energy shots at the Grimm while Lyra was charging her new Fall Maiden powers. Six months ago, she had no idea how to use her new found power. But after training with her friends and fighting some Grimms on their way to Haven, she's gotten used to it.
Then, Lyra's eyes started to glow orange and she was surrounded by wind and lightning. She then yelled, "I'm ready!" Sora looked over at her and nodded.
"Natsu!" Sora yelled, making the pink haired boy looked at him. "It's time for the new combo…Dragon Maiden!"
Natsu then smiled and went over to Lyra and puffed out his cheeks. Tsubasa noticed that they were getting ready to attack and got out of the way.
Natsu then used his fire breath attack while used her Fall Maiden attack. The two attacks then mixed and hit the Geist/Golem Grimm, completely obliterating its limbs, leaving a bolder with its face on it. The Geist Grimm then got out of the bolder and started to fly away.
Sora then looked over at his partner and said, "I think you can take it out." Tsubasa nodded and smiled as he threw his Earth Eagle knife backwards. The Geist then turned its head and the knife pierced it, killing it instantly.
At a small village
"I can't thank you enough, Team SLNT." Said a man wearing a red monk outfit while shaking Sora's hand. "That Geist Grimm has been terrorizing us for a long time. If it wasn't for you, I don't know what we would have done."
Sora then said, "You don't thank us. We were just doing what we were taught to do."
Lyra then asked, "Sir, why not move away from this place?"
"Yeah, you came with us to Mistral." Said Natsu.
The monk then said, "As much as that would help, we are used to our way of life here. We can't just abandon it."
"We understand." Tsubasa said as Team SLNT bowed at the monk.
At Night
The village that Team SLNT was helping just so happens to be Natsu's home town and they were offered by his mother to stay with them until they were ready to leave. Inside a wooden cabin, where the Dragneel family lived at, the jackets of Team SLNT were on the coat rack in front of the door and Tsubasa was reading a book on one of the chairs.
"Natsu, stop." Lyra said as she giggled while being hugged by her boyfriend from behind.
"Come on, I can't congratulate my girlfriend for using an awesome move." Natsu said as he lifted Lyra up, making her laugh even more.
Lyra then said, "Okay, you win." Natsu then put down his girlfriend, making her turn around and kiss him. Tsubasa looked over and was happy at the fact Natsu and Lyra are still together after six months of travelling.
Then Natsu's mother walked into the room and watched as her son continued to kiss Lyra. She then smiled and said, "Oh, my little trouble maker is all grown up."
Natsu then blushed with embarrassment and said, "Mom, don't embarrass me in front of Lyra."
"He's right, Melina." Said an old Faunus man coming out of the kitchen, who turns out to be Natsu's grandfather, Igneel. "I mean, how else is your son gonna be a man and get it on with his girl if you don't leave him alone."
"GRANDPA!" Natsu yelled as his face went completely red and Lyra started laughing. As that was going on, Tsubasa looked outside and saw his partner outside.
Sora was sitting on the bench outside of the Dragneel house and looked at the stars and moon. Then looked down at the picture of both Team SLNT and Team RWBY from their first encounter with the White Fang. He then moved that picture to the back to reveal more pictures. Like a picture of him, Natsu, Yang, and Diana pranking a couple people in Beacon, Team SLNT and Team PRFT just hanging out, and finally, a picture of him and Yang at the hospital the day they became a couple. That picture made him sad because he started to remember how depressed Yang was when he left.
"Are you okay, my friend?" Said a voice, making Sora turn around to see Tsubasa with a concerned look on his face.
Sora then said, "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just…*sigh*…I miss Yang."
"I know the feeling." Tsubasa said as he sat down next to Sora. "I miss Weiss."
Sora then sighed and said, "It's just that, ever since the Fall of Beacon, it impacted everybody. Roxas and Sarah lost their teammates. We haven't heard anything from Team PGON or Team CFVY. Ruby fell into a coma. Weiss was forced to go back to Atlas. Blake ran away for some reason. And Yang lost her arm, which was all my fault."
Tsubasa then said, "That was not your fault, Sora. It was that bastard's fault. He was the one that cut off her arm, not you."
"But if I haven't sent her to find Blake in the first place, she would still have her arm and she wouldn't depressed." Said Sora.
Tsubasa then put his hand on Sora's shoulder, making him turn to his partner. He then smiled and said, "She bounce back. She always does."
Sora then smiled and said, "Yeah, you're right." The two partners then looked up at the night sky.
The next morning
Team SLNT was ready to continue their journey to Mistral. Melina hugged her son and said, "Please, be careful, Natsu."
"I promise." Natsu said as he let go of his mother and started walking to his team.
Igneel then asked, "Are you kids sure you don't want to stay a little longer? You've been real good to this town."
"Thanks, but we've got a mission to do." Said Sora.
Lyra then said, "Make it to Haven Academy, no matter what."
Tsubasa then said, "We heard that the next town over has a working airship."
Igneel then sighed and said, "Hard to say. With the communications down, we don't know if they're alright. Be careful out there."
"Sure thing, grandpa." Natsu said as Team SLNT started to make their way to the next town. He continued to wave at his mother and grandfather, feeling kind of sad that he was leaving them again.
Lyra then held Natsu's hand and said, "You'll see them again." Natsu then smiled at her when she said that. Team SLNT was now on their journey, hoping to find answer about the enemies they were about to face.
The chapter is done. I hope you guys enjoy and I really hope you like the new designs I gave Team SLNT.
While Natsu's is in his Tartaros arc outfit, with a shirt and replaced the yellow with orange, and Tsubasa has his Beyblade Shogun Steel design, just looking eighteen and having slight color changes, Sora and Lyra have completely different outfits that I decided to give them.
I also made their symbols little more out there because I felt like I didn't do a good job of it before.
The next chapter will be about Ruby, Roxas, and Sarah (Fluttershy). And yes, they are going to be a three people team…for now.
