I checked around the corner as I made my way to Artimai's room, I scratched at my black mask, I had bought the poor girl a box of chocolates as well as some take out. 'Torchwick, I swear you have to take care of her.' I unlocked the door and stepped inside.
"Mister Twice... is that you?" She asked from the dark corner. Her back to the door.
"No it's not. Yes it is. Starve. I have brought you some food." I sat down on the bed as she came over to sit next to me.
"Thank you." she said. I looked at her small frame, me and big sis Magne we're the only ones to help her. Shigaraki and Torchwick had said this was a necessary evil. That we couldn't let the young silver eyed Maiden out of the building.
"I had that dream again." She carefully ate her noodles blowing on them to cool them down, "The one with the golden man."
"Were you scared this time? Be terrified." I asked her.
"He said I have to find my counter part, the demon girl." I knew who she was talking about.
"Artimai, you know we can't let you do that." I frowned behind my mask, would Stain approve of how we were treating this child?
"I know..." she wiped a tear from her eye. I got up to leave, but she grabbed my sleeve, "Please, don't go."
Chapter 14: A lack Luster Debut
I rolled around in my bed, I hadn't been able to sneak my way into Kiri's room last night having been caught by Dark Shadow who was stealing food from the communal fridge. I looked at the clock on my night stand, it read one in the morning. I sat up and opened my minifridge, and pulled out a cartoon of milk, I sat down at my desk and just sat there. I no longer needed sleep, I never felt tired anymore as I adjusted to being... well what I am now. I looked at my scroll, a picture of me and Penny at a café, smiling and laughing. "I miss you friend." I picked up the scroll looking at me, still human.
I set it down as I opened my laptop, and brought up the footage of me facing down my grandfather All For One, the volume was off but I knew every word that was said, I looked like a demon... I am a demon. I took a sip of my milk as the video played. "I wonder how things could have been different?" I asked myself, "If I hadn't come to Earth?"
I combed my hair back with my fingers, now long and tangled, I had redone my highlights, now a mix of red and purple streaks that contrasted my dark hair. I leaned back in my chair as I thought of what was to happen next. 'Work studies, I'll get my self one.' I thought as I set down the empty carton. I stood up and fell back into bed, my eyes slowly closing as drifted into my dreamless sleep.
I woke up to the sound of my alarm, I sat up and got my stuff to shower. I got up before everyone else a lot of the time but not today, we we're back in classes today. I turned on the water as Momo walked in. "Good morning Ruby, how did you sleep?" She brushed her long hair out as I washed up.
"Like a Beowulf in her den." I rinsed off, dried up and stepped out, towel wrapped around me. I looked at her expertly brush her hair. I grabbed my comb and detangled my hair. "You?" I asked as I pulled the knots out.
"Rather well." She smiled. "You don't seem to be as tired as you used to be in the morning. Why is that?"
"Well as I accept that I'm no longer fully human, I've become more like a grimm everyday, I've even started to feed off of negative emotions. Anger tastes like fried chicken wings for some reason." I said as I leaned back, my back popping loudly, much to Momo's surprise. "I think I won't be as overwhelmed as I used to, I just don't know if I can live off of emotions alone. And that is something I'm not willing to test just yet."
"I see. Also did you here? Midoriya and Bakugo got into a fight last night." She said as I walked to the door.
"Oh, so that was the emotional spike I felt around... 10 last night." I said as left the room to get changed. I closed my door and set about getting changed. Once I was dressed I got my breakfast and looked on my phone for any hero news.
"So today is you're debut." Nezu said as I pulled on my cape. "I do hope you make quite the first impression Qrow." I looked down at the little White animal in suit.
"Yeah, I have to pay my bills somehow. Thanks again for helping me set up my own Hero Agency." flipped through the stack of business cards for 'Qrow Hero Agency'.
"Of course, and as you are acting as a unofficial teacher here for our students with auras, I do hope that you'll consider taking some on as work studies." he smiled.
"You know I can't do that because of my semblance." I stood up, "Well, time to be a hero."
I soon found myself wandering the streets, not really having anything to do. I was stopped by a few police officers because of my bandana. "Oh, you just went Pro?" One asked as we sat down for a cup of coffee.
"Yeah, spent the last decade and a half behind a desk, decided to make a name for myself finally. Starting from the bottom." I sighed, not a lie, I had spent quite a long time teaching at Signal.
"Got any family?" One asked, his cat tongue lapping at the drink.
"Two nieces, their at UA, the older one just transferred there. Well niece and step niece." I said.
"What's their names?" the other ate her donut.
"Yang Xiao long, and Ruby Rose." They froze.
"You're the uncle of Ruby Rose, the grand daughter of the villain that nearly beat All Might?" one asked.
"Yeah, taught her everything she knows about fighting. Little squirt is better then I was at her age." I smiled at them as I stood up, "Well I have to get back to my patrol."
"Sure thing, Branwen." They bowed as I paid for my drink.
The day passed without incident, I continued my walk around the city at night. "I know you're following me." I said as I turned around to see a man with green and yellow hair, he wore a white suit and had his hands in his pockets.
"You're not who you say you are Qrow. I am Sir Nighteye, and I have never heard of you before Bandit Hero." He narrowed his eyes.
"Well, now why is a problem?" I asked.
"I know that White Huntress never went to a hero school, I know that her daughter has no records of existing before the sludge villain incident. And now you just appear with All Might on a flying machine out of no where, unlike any designed before. I don't know what your family is hiding, but if you plan any harm to innocent people, I will stop you."
"Let's find somewhere private, I'd rather not draw a crowd." I sighed as I walked past him, "I think your office will be fine." We turned a few streets until we came to a white building with large pane windows, he unlocked the door and we walked in silence to his office. I sat on a chair in front of his desk, his office was decorated with more All Might stuff then the green haired kid's dorm room. "What do you want to know?" I asked.
"Where did you, White Huntress, Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long, Menzro, Corinthia, Weiss Schnee, Ilia Amitola and Blake Belladonna come from? There is no record of any of you." He stood up his hands gripping the edge of the desk.
"That... is a long story. And one I'm not willing to share just yet." I pulled out my flask and took a sip. "At least not without your word that none of this leaves this room, I'm not stupid enough to believe that you brought me here to face me alone. Kid get out of the wall." A blonde teenager Yang's age stepped out from the wall, he wore a white and yellow hero costume, and bright red cape draped down from his shoulders.
"How did you know?" They asked.
"I've been doing this kind of stuff for years. Now is a high schooler your only back up?" At that a blue skinned woman stepped out from behind the bookcase.
"You two leave, it seems I underestimated him." they walked out the door and I kept my gaze on the man in front of me. "So, Mr. Bran..."
"Just call me Qrow." I cut him off.
"Qrow, what is your story?" He asked.
"I can only give you the basics, because of a promise I made to a old friend, I hope you understand, but we aren't from Earth." I watched him for a second before continuing. "We are from the world of Remnant, we don't have heroes, our defenders are the Huntsmen and Huntresses. They trained at four schools in the four kingdoms of Atlas, Vale, Vacuo and Mistral. I meet Summer and Tai at Beacon, when me and my sister were assigned to their team."
"Why did you go to Beacon to be a Huntsmen?" He asked as he crossed his arms.
"Our father wanted us to get stronger, not just because of the grimm threat, but because we had to learn how to kill other Hunters." His eyes widened in surprise, "I was born to the chieftain of the Branwen bandit tribe. My sister leads them now, and I chose the path of a Huntsman."
"Okay, now what is a Grimm?" He asked.
I pulled out my scroll and pulled up the image of a Beowulf, Ursai and King Taigitsu. "Creatures of darkness that hunt humanity. They have existed longer then we have on our world."
"They have the same markings as..." He said.
"Yeah, I know. Right now Summer and Tai are back on Remnant, they will decide weather Remnant opens up fully to Earth with the kingdom's councils." I stood up "We managed to revert Summer, but Ruby's... condition is a lot more complicated."
"These Grimm have been seen on earth before, the Hosu incident, Ruby was there, she turned to dust with a silver flash, as impossible as it sounds... it explains everything but how you got here. But I believe I've pried enough." He stepped around the desk. "What kind of missions did you take as a Huntsman?"
"Intelligence, as well as search and destroy to cull the Grimm." I said.
"I have a job for you."
And this chapter is completed