Chapter 56
Vacuo's desert was an ever changing landscape. Strong winds and shuffling sand would erase any traces of human, Faunus, or Grimm activity. In theory, one could commit murder, and any potential proof would be swept underneath multiple layers of sand. However, one day, its ability to absorb and enshroud would be challenged.
Somewhere in the desert was an explosion, one bigger than anything the desert had dealt with before. The ][strength of the blast created a perfectly round crater within the ground, more than fifteen meters deep and hundreds of meters wide. Not only that, but the excess heat had scorched the sand, creating a bowl of dirty white glass. If the environment was in-arable before, the explosion had guaranteed that status permanently.
And at the bottom of the crater, ground zero, was a group of people and a monster. The blue mass that once resembled a human's upper body was almost completely destroyed. Only segments of its skeleton remained to protect the humans within. Fortunately, it did its job, and nobody was harmed by the blast despite their proximity.
On the other hand, there was Shukaku, the One Tailed Beast. It appeared to be mostly unharmed, save for a few burns and scratches. However, it was rendered nonetheless unconscious by the explosion and laid on the ground. Even so, its growled as it breathed as if still discontent with the results of their clash.
"And that's that. I was lucky to have been able to finish that without expending too much Chakra. Although, the same will not be applicable when I come across the Nine Tails… the time will come soon enough." Madara thought, dispelling his Susanoo and creating four shadow clones.
Everyone watched as the five Madaras surrounded the beast's massive body, performing the same sealing technique for the fourth time. The blue chains slithered and wrapped around its body. The half of the audience that hadn't seen the process before had their jaws hanging wide open. Their shock only grew as the tanuki's body shrunk and turned red. While absorbing the last of the One Tails into his body, Madara started to feel uneasy. His stomach churned unnaturally, but bearably. As such, he paid little to no mind and allowed his clones to disperse.
Brushing the dust off of his clothes, he looked at the shocked and indifferent faces of the four.
"Did you just eat him?" Luna asked, pointing a weak finger at the Uchiha. She looked to Ruby and Weiss, hoping that one of the two could answer even a yes or no. Unfortunately, all they could do was offer clueless shrugs. Truth be told, they didn't know either. What the boy did and why was known to a very small few. "Lemme rephrase. Did you kill him?"
"No, I didn't." Madara answered, causing Luna to let out a sigh of relief.
"That's something at least." she muttered, looking around at the glassed landscape. "Well, with all that out of the way, it's nice to see you all again. In good health it looks like." Luna smiled approvingly at Ruby and Weiss. "But what brings you three to the deserts of Vacuo? Hardly seem like the type to actually want to come here."
"Well, that's.. Not exactly an easy question" Ruby said shyly, scratching her head. "We're sort of following Madara and looking for giant monsters, things that aren't Grimm. We're also looking for a girl named Jacqueline Hail."
Luna cupped her chin, humming quietly to herself. Although, she glanced up seemingly at the girls. "Hm, dunno anyone by that name. What about you Ana?" she asked. What followed next was done so in complete silence. Ruby, Weiss, and Madara stared at Luna, before turning their heads to Andre. Andre blanked completely, looking at Luna as if he was just betrayed.
"I'm sorry, um, what did she just say?" Ruby asked the embarrassed boy.
"Luna, just to be clear, do you mean Andre?" Weiss asked for confirmation.
"Nope, that's Ana. She can't fool me no matter how much she tries to change how she looks. Here, let me show you." The girl said confidently. She strutted towards "Ana", holding out two fingers on each hand.
"Hey! Luna wai-!" Andre tried to step back in retreat and protest, but it was far too late. Not a single word could be finished before the girl started.
Luna had suddenly thrust her hands at Andre's body. Jabbing at various places in rapid succession. Each thrust carried the strength and speed to shatter stone, yet no more than her fingertips ever made contact. They seemed random at first, but every strike was clearly deliberate and aimed. It was something neither Ruby nor Weiss had ever seen. However, it looked familiar to Madara; something akin to the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist.
Contrasting with the dually offensive and defensive martial art of his old world, what Luna did seemed to be neither. However it still clearly affected Andre, as every time her fingers made contact with his body, some sort of change was made. With a few quick jabs the boys hair, his eyes, and his body changed radically. In less than thirty seconds, he was a completely different person. With brighter hair, blue eyes, a shorter height and thinner frame, "He" wasn't the most appropriate word anymore.
Both Ruby and Weiss were utterly perplexed by what had just transpired, their eyes blinking rapidly as if failing to comprehend. Luna, on the other hand, smiled contently with what she had done. The face of the "boy" named "Andre" bore the same red as Ruby's cloak on its cheeks.
Xiao Long-Rose Family House
Bumblebee, a bright yellow motorcycle belonging to Yang Xiao Long. built for speed and maneuverability, it could easily outpace most race cars. For several months, it sat within a tool shed collecting dust and rust alike. However, its time spent withering away had finally come to an end. Parts were replaced, the rust was removed, and paint was reapplied. After many months, it was in top form once again. It wasn't alone in that regard.
"Yes! She looks as good as new." Yang said, revving the engine as if boasting.
With bags under her eyes, Blake let out an exhausted sigh. "Took two days just replacing things." she commented, looking at her sore hands.
"But it was definitely worth it. This will get us anywhere faster than any car or train. Besides, imagine how long it would have taken if I wasn't a quick healer. That would be a huge pain." Yang replied, smiling proudly.
"You know, it's still hard to believe you've been cleared for going out after less than a month. Most people would still be in bed resting… Not you I guess."
Yang laughed, "You got that right. Now, we have half of our team to look for. She hasn't answered any of my calls, so she probably lost her phone. If what my dad said was right though, then they're headed to Vacuo." she said, putting on a pair of gloves and picking up a bright yellow helmet,
"How are we supposed to find them? Even if they're in Vacuo, it's a big kingdom." Blake countered as she too grabbed a bike helmet. "We're not just going to wait for a disaster to happen and hope they show up, right?"
"Well, there's that option." Yang chuckled, picking up a pair of paper scrolls. "There's also these things. I grabbed a bunch of them from his room. Figured that if I use them, he'll probably come to us. It'll be just like baiting a fish."
Blake stared at her partner with a concerned look. "Are you sure that's safe? Do we even know what those do? Not to mention, isn't he the only person who can use those because of 'Chakra'?" she asked, pointing at the scrolls.
"You'd think, but I found out a little something from Ruby." Yang chuckled excitedly. "Apparently, she and I have a little bit of Chakra. I don't really know why, i think it's because we grew up with Madara, Anyways, i'm not sure what they say exactly, but I have some ideas." she said as she displayed the contents of one of the scrolls. "Like this one. It took a long time, but I figured out a few of what these characters mean. This scroll has something to do with fireworks or a lot of paper bombs. The other one is, I dunno, but it probably does something cool."
"You have Chakra too? Is that why she healed faster, like that Luna girl?" Blake tilted her head, her cat ears twitching with intrigue. "Did… did Ruby say anything about Weiss or me having Chakra?"
"Hmm," Yang hummed, her eyes moving from side to side. "I don't think so. She just sorta mentioned it to me one day… now that I think about it, maybe that's part of the reason I'm back in shape so early." she remarked, looking at her chest curiously. "Not even a tiny scar too. Chakra is broken, but I have it so I'm not complaining."
"Are you sure we shouldn't bring any more than just this?" Blake asked, lifting up two large black duffel bags.
"A lot of water, some long-lasting food, and clothes for each of us… yep. We're good." Yang nodded, confidently. In comparison to the other half of team RWBY, they were much better prepared. At the very least, they had prepared clothing to fit the environments they were sure to traverse, supplies to last on, and money if the need arose.
"You ready to head out?" Yang asked, holding out her arm invitingly.
Blake paused for a second, nodding before tossing one of the bags to her partner. "yeah, I think so."
"Then let's get a move on. Kept them waiting long enough!"
Vacuo
"Uh… what?" Ruby asked, her mouth hanging slightly open.
"Surprised? Yeah, I don't think I ever told you about this, but I can do another neat trick. Some semblances are active, some are passive. The ones that are active, I can deactivate if I hit the right places. They're like pressure points, but they're also are in different places everyone, so it's really hard to do it on someone you don't know all that well. Good thing I've had over a year and done it lots on this one here. I have those points mapped out in my head." Luna grinning innocently, shaking "Andre" playfully.
"I didn't know that was possible." Madara thought, eyeing the two who stood across from them. "Being able to neutralize someone else's semblance; It's similar to the Hyuga's martial art in more than just appearance. Was a Hyuga also transported to this world at some point in time, or is it just a coincidence?"
"So, his-her-Ana's semblance is to look different?" Weiss said, raising an eyebrow.
"Not just look, be different. Ana here can change almost any part of their body, to some degree. Hair color, voice pitch, width." she said, cracking herself up. "And a few other things."
"So he is actually a her." Ruby concluded, gaining a thumbs up from Luna. "I… don't really know what to say."
"Well, how about reintroduction? This is the first time y'all have seen this before right? So you haven't actually seen who she really is."
"No need." Madara stepped forward, looking at Ana the same way he always had. "You said you would take us to our destination. As long as that's fulfilled, there's no problem here." He declared.
Ana had been taken aback, looking at Madara with a different kind of surprise. However, she quickly cleared her throat and regained her composure. "That's right, I told you I'd help you find someone."
"Well then, I'll be heading back." Luna said, removing her arm from Ana's shoulders and walking away.
"Wait, there is something else." Madara spoke again. "Who was it that you learned from, that taught you such techniques?"
Luna lowered her head, mouthing something to herself silently. When she turned her head back to face the four, her smile had waned. "His name… well, I haven't seen him in a very long time, so I guess it doesn't matter. I think his name was Mekah."
"Mekah… very well then. That's all I had to ask." Madara said, allowing the girl to continue her departure. He watched as the silver haired girl climbed her way out of the glassed crater. He suddenly felt anger, an anger that was self-directed, a bothersome feeling. Nevertheless, it was something he had to stomach. He turned back towards Ruby, Weiss, and Ana. "Now then. Let's continue."
"Hey, just a moment." Ana said, crossing her arms firmly. "How are you so calm about this, about me looking different?" she asked, glancing at Ruby and Weiss. "They didn't exactly take it in stride, what's keeping you so calm?"
Promptly, all three of the girls looked at Madara with the same face. They all wanted an answer, if it even existed, from the only person that could. In line with their perplexion, Madara himself was confused by the looks they gave. To him, the answer was very simple: In the world he came from it wasn't anything special. Transformation techniques were abundant enough that everyone he knew was capable of changing their forms. Even animals like dogs or cats could appear human-like if trained properly.
However, he also had to remember the world he lived in now. Nobody had Chakra to perform those techniques, and most likely didn't have Semblances to replicate them. Therefore, to both comply with their demands and waste as little time as possible, he had one option. Upon thinking for a short time about a way to present himself, Madara raised a single hand, and his body was suddenly enveloped in a cloud of smoke.
"No… you can't be serious." Ruby muttered, waiting in disbelief for the smoke to clear.
"Is he for real?" Ana asked desperately.
"I have a bad feeling about whatever we're going to see." Weiss remarked, smiling wryly as if she was about to scream.
The white cloud thinned, revealing what the three vaguely and reluctantly expected. The fact that his hair actually shortened had put the three off initially. However as their eyes continued downwards, that disoriented start took a quick and unfortunate turn. The three could only describe his appearance as female, among some more envious adjectives, yet in an instant another puff of white smoke evaporated the illusion.
"So he can do that too… I'll be honest, that wasn't as bad as I thought." Weiss said, the other girls nodding as if she represented them.
"Enough of that. Time to continue." Madara said, turning and walking towards the edge of the glass bowl.
The girls followed closely behind Madara, as if they were an entourage. Together, the four soon reached the edge of the bowl and were back on their way. Thanks to Shukaku no longer being present, the sandstorm had dissipated completely. No longer did the four need to wear goggles or masks, much to Ruby's and Weiss's relief. Additionally, the compass resumed functionality, and the map was once again visible. Although more impressive than that was the fact that Madara needed neither in order to walk in the correct direction.
"How many more of those giant things are out there?" Ruby whispered to her partner.
"I don't know, maybe five or six? I can't think of a creature with more than nine tails on his back." Weiss said, looking at Ruby with as if she expected to be proven wrong. "Actually, now that I think about it, Luna has one of those in her as well. It had four tails, right?"
"Y...yes. I think so" Ruby said cautiously. It had been a long time since they had seen her lose control and transform into that red creature.
"What do you think would happen if he absorbed, or whatever he does, one that's already inside another person?" Weiss asked, cupping her chin.
"Um, well, i don't think he'll ever do that. Luna has hers under control, so I'm sure if anyone else has one inside them then they'll be fine as well." She said with a hopeful smile. "By the way, that huge ice barrier you made was pretty cool. It was better than the ice you've made before." Ruby complimented, holding up her hand and waiting for a high-five. However, that gesture was never returned, causing Ruby to tilt her head. "What?"
"That's just it…" Weiss muttered, wearing a puzzled face. "That pure blue, that's the color of the strongest kind of ice. I've gotten bits and pieces of mine to be close to that, but never full blue. I don't even remember concentrating long enough to make anything like that. Was it really me who made that?"
"Well, nobody else uses Ice; not me, Ana, and I've never seen Madara do it. Maybe you just did it on instinct? Like in those cartoons, where people unleash their real power without thinking about it." She suggested.
Weiss looked away, briefly humming to herself. "Maybe, I'm not sure. If that is the case, I hope I can figure out how to do it on command. That would certainly be nice." she said, smiling discontentedly.
"My name." Ana muttered, catching the attention of the three momentarily. "My full name, is Anastasia Kalt."
"We're glad to finally have you, Ana." Ruby quickly replied, grinning and patting the girl on the back as if they were old friends. Weiss seemed perturbed by the gesture, looking at Ruby as if offended or hurt, much to Ana's amusement. With the day still young and the sun sitting high in the sky, they marched onwards, not stopping until they reached their destination: Vacuo. Somewhere within the kingdom they were going to find Jacqueline Hail, the Winter Maiden and key to the Relic of Creation.
Although, there was an odd about their predicament. According to Ozpin, the maiden had ventured out to investigate the source. Yet not once had they encountered anyone that appeared to be even looking for anything. They still had no idea what the maiden looked like or what they may act like. Things were soon to become more troublesome.
END
