Love In the Moon Tide Forest

Hello my fellow readers and welcome back! It's been a few weeks since I've managed to get one of these posted, so let's see what I managed to crank out (hopefully something that ain't gonna need a huge retcon). And of course a quick shout out to all my fellow readers who have requested and added their input on this and my other stories. And to DCDGojira, hope you like what I came up with in this one. Now then, onto the story!

On the Outer Edges of Vale

This fight was turning out to be somewhat tough. Though given their opponent, perhaps it was understandable. After all, it wasn't every day a team took on a Wyvern Grimm of any size. It was even rarer for said team to be mismatched with members from two separate teams. Unless, they were all on vacation at the same time.

"So, what woke this big bastard up?!" Asked Jen as she managed to dig her claws into the wyvern's back before punching part of its wing. She was rewarded with the sound of the Grimm screeching in mild agony as it twisted in the air a bit.

"Apparently they were trying to open a new tunnel for the nearby mine," answered Raven through gritted teeth as she held onto her sword which was dug into the wyvern's body a few feet behind Jen, "one of the blasts must've been stronger than they thought, because this thing came bursting out of the mountain right afterwards!"

"And we were just on our way to a vacation spot too," grumbled Jen as she dug her claws into the Grimm's flesh even further and released a powerful burst of her paralysis paw into the monster's hide. She was rewarded with the sound of more agonized roars before the flying beast turned around and seemed to be aiming for the nearby tree line. The two huntresses cursed as they realized their foe's intentions as it rolled in midair until it was upside down with its back heading straight for the trees.

"Shit, hang on!" Said Raven as she managed to pull her sword out of the Grimm's hide mere seconds before it tore through a section of the forest in its attempt to literally shake off its pursuers. The wyvern roared triumphantly as it managed to soar back up into the air, now free of its unwanted passengers. Not far away, a portal opened near the tree line as both Jen and Raven came flying out of it, their momentum being preserved due to falling through the portal the latter had made.

Thankfully, the two women were stopped from running into anything as each one was caught by a male figure. "And you said you got rid of the portal for me," quipped Taiyang as he sat Raven down while his friend, Tobias, did likewise with Jen. The main difference being that Jen pecked Tobias on the lips while Tai had to give his sword master girlfriend puppy dog eyes to get the same.

"Given that the Grimm is still up and flying, I take it you weren't able to damage its wings quite as much as you hoped," questioned Tobias.

"It's just too big for my semblance to fully paralyze," said Jen, "so the quick and easy way to get it to the ground is out of the question."

"Upside to that," Tai pointed out, "now we get to do the more fun approach."

"You're only saying that because you're not the one who gets sent flying," Tobias pointed out as they noted the Wyvern coming towards them. Even if Jen and Raven didn't accomplish bringing it down to the ground, they did at least manage to piss it off enough to come after them.

"Your semblance makes the most sense for wearing it down," Raven pointed out, "and I'll be able to get up there too if the need arises as long as you can stay on it, so there's no need to fear." Taiyang whispered something in Raven's ear then, getting a sideways look from his girlfriend. "I'd hardly call that an appropriate tactic, but we shall see."

"Alright then!" Exclaimed Taiyang as he and Jen took up position behind Tobias while he sighed and readied his weapons. The Wyvern was bearing down on them now and they would have to do this carefully as setting up another shot would take a minute if they missed.

"Just try not to overshoot me please," said Tobias as he leapt back and planted his feet against the palms of his girlfriend and friend's hands.

"Less talking and more wyvern torching," said Jen as she and Tai threw the tomahawk wielder with all their might, "now fly!" And if one didn't see how he took off, they might've assumed Tobias was flying as he shot through the air at incredible speed, thanking his companions for managing to shoot him over the Grimm's large mouth before he landed on its back and summoned up his aura shadow. He knew he didn't have much time and raced towards the Wyvern's wings, jumping up to one before bouncing off of it and onto the other before moving back again. He also managed to get a few cuts in before the Grimm inevitably began to roll its body in midair once more in an attempt to throw him off.

It was only thanks to his gathered momentum that Tobias was able to stay on the back of the Grimm as he continued to race down its body before leaping off of its tail, free falling back towards the earth below while igniting both of his weapons. 'I really hope this is a good enough signal,' thought Tobias as he tried not to think about how quickly the ground was coming up towards him. His answer came in the form of a red portal suddenly opening in front of him as he was met with a forest clearing on the other side of it. The huntsman quickly flipped in midair and planted his feet in the ground, using his aura shadow enhanced strength to slow his momentum as he dug into the soil for a few feet. "And now behold, the true power of Cerulean Blaze!"

He clicked his teeth together, making a couple of blue sparks light up in his mouth as if he was striking a flint. At the same time, the airborne Grimm roared in agony as a small inferno erupted on its back and wings. It bent and twisted in the air in a vain attempt to extinguish the black and blue flames as the flesh on its wings began to develop holes, far too many for it to remain airborne as the wyvern was forced to land hard in the trees below. The remaining huntsman and the two huntresses charged forward then with Jen's eyes glowing red, a sign of her recently mastered rage mode.

Raven herself led the charge as she sprinted underneath the roaring monster, carving a long cut across its stomach as she went. Jen and Tai followed up with two powerful blows to its left leg, causing it to collapse somewhat before it roared in anger and countered by sweeping its tail at the group. All of them managed to dodge out of the way before being forced back by the beast's snapping jaws. Tobias showed up then, using Azure Ignition to fire six flaming bullets at the Grimm's eye while keeping his aura shadow going.

It succeeded in covering the wyvern's eye with some more flames, causing it to thrash around even more, tearing up the surrounding forest and tossing trees and dirt in every which direction. Raven narrowly avoided its wing while Jen and Tai avoided its tail. Tobias himself attempted to slide underneath the creature before being forced back out due to its stomping feet. "Tobias," said Raven as she sheathed her sword before pulling it back out, its red blade replaced with a glowing blue blade now as she continued to run and evade the movements of the Grimm.

The Cerulean Blaze wielder understood her intentions immediately as he holstered his right weapon and held out his hand, igniting her blade with blue flame as she passed by. Tai and Jen picked up on the tactic as well with the blond putting out both of his hands for Raven to step on before flinging her into the air. Tobias did likewise for Jen on the other side of the Grimm before readying to jump himself. The Bear Faunus brawler and Red-eyed swordswoman met in midair as Jen grabbed Raven's arm and spun before throwing her straight towards the wyvern's head.

She slammed her flaming blade right into the area where the Grimm's spinal column would be, the force of her impact enough to cause the creature to stumble and land with a rumble on the ground. At about the same time, Tobias and Tai had also leapt into the air with the former grabbing his girlfriend's hand, igniting her gauntlets while spinning and throwing her down towards the Grimm. Tai repeated the motion and granted Jen even more momentum as her fist slammed into the top of Raven's sword, her and Tobias's semblance pouring through the blade and into the Grimm as the resounding force of the attack blasted a hole that nearly decapitated the monster.

With one final, anguished roar, the Wyvern collapsed to the ground with a resounding crash as the remaining huntsmen landed next to the two huntresses, all of them panting to one degree or another. "Well," said Jen breathlessly after a moment, "this is a fine way to start a vacation."

"I'm just glad it didn't happen at the little rendezvous we all had planned," commented Tobias as he reloaded his weapons, keeping a cautious eye on the Grimm until he was sure that it was definitely dissolving.

"About that," said Raven as she inspected her sword, noting that all of the blood had been burnt off thanks to her friend's semblance before sheathing it, "are you ever going to enlighten us on what's so special about the place?"

"It's supposed to be a great picnic area is what I've heard," said Tai as he rubbed the back of his head with an awkward smile on his face. Raven gave him a bit of an annoyed glance before sighing.

"Alright, don't tell us," she said, "whatever it is I imagine it won't be all that mind blowing."

"Mind blowing or not, it was a vacation spot we all agreed to visit," said Jen, "so no point in making a fuss about it. Besides, it's been forever since we've had an official picnic that wasn't part of a mission."

"Which brings up the other bit of good news," said Tobias as he fished some supplies out from under some fallen trees. They'd stashed them before engaging the Wyvern. "It looks like everything's here and accounted for." Including a couple of certain items he discreetly slipped into his pocket when no one was looking.

"Then we'd best get moving," said Raven as she grabbed her own bag of supplies, "It's best that we reach our destination and get set up before dark." With that, she began walking back towards the trail with Jen following soon after.

"The whole point of this thing was to get there right at nightfall," said Tai as he turned to Tobias, "you still think this is a good idea?"

"I just said it was worth a shot," whispered Tobias as he discreetly passed something to Tai, "whether or not it'll work out is a whole different matter."

"That doesn't exactly calm my nerves," said Tai, "as things are now I'd just as soon fight a wyvern that was much older and stronger than this one."

"So, you gonna back out then?" Questioned Tobias, mildly surprised at his usually bold friend.

"Heh, remember who you're talking too," said Tai, "I might be nervous, but you know I ain't the type to back down easy. Now let's go make some magic happen." Tobias smirked at that as the two turned and headed off after Jen and Raven.

A Few Hours Later: Cliffside Camp

The trek itself had only taken another hour with a little extra time devoted to finding the exact spot Tobias and Tai had picked out on the map. Afterwards, they set up two tents a number of feet away from each other, built a fire and set up some logs around it. Prepping and cooking dinner for everyone took the remainder of their time as playful conversation and banter were thrown back and forth throughout. All things considered, it wasn't a bad way to end a day that had started off a little rocky with a giant Grimm.

And now the four of them sat around the fire with Jen leaning her head against Tobias's shoulder while Raven and Tai sat across from them, holding each other's hand. "So I want you to be honest with me," said Tai, "whose idea was it really to replace my bottle of shampoo with hair dye? Raven fessed up to it at the time, but I know someone else gave her the idea."

"Are you insinuating I couldn't have come up with it on my own," said Raven as she gave Tai a sideways look.

"You would've come up with something a bit more painful," Tai pointed out, "like putting in aftershave or earth dust or, I don't know, needles."

"I hid a needle in your pants one time," Raven pointed out, "It's not my fault you didn't notice it until one of your balls was nearly punctured."

"I honestly thought it was hilarious," said Jen, "especially the way you leapt up and started dancing around."

"Yeah yeah, fun time," said Tai, "but you still haven't fessed up."

"It was me, Tai," said Tobias, "I passed the idea off to Raven but I never actually thought she'd do it and give us the unforgettable sight of rusty-haired Tai."

"I had planned on something more painful," said Raven, "but Tobias's idea was more reasonable. And looking back on it, I'm glad I didn't do you any permanent damage."

"What can I say," Tai responded with a shrug, "I have a tendency to grow on people, especially the ones who chase me around with a sword on the first day."

"Our first day at Beacon is one of my fonder memories," admitted Jen.

"Hopefully this trip will provide even more fond memories," said Tobias, "after all, it might be best if we started thinking about the future a little more." Jen was about to ask what he meant by that when something caught her eye. Glancing over at the cliff, she noted that a blue and silver glow was coming from below.

"What in the world is happening down there," said Raven as she and Jen both got up and approached the cliff, gazing at the sight before them. The source of the glow, was the trees? Yes, several of the trees were glowing in response to something, creating an astonishing effect that resembled the flowing tides of the ocean.

"Wow, the place really does glow on full moon nights," noted Tai as they walked up behind their respective girlfriends.

"You two knew about this?" Questioned Jen as she glanced back at Tobias.

"It's one of the lesser known attractions around the area," explained Tobias, "mostly due to things like that wyvern we ran into. The long and short of it, is this spot is said to have a surprising amount of energy dust in the soil."

"And all of that wound up mixing in with the trees and other foliage," continued Tai, "whenever the moonlight shines on any of them, they glow."

"And with the right wind conditions like we have right now, it creates a sort of cascading effect that gives the area its name," said Tobias, "The Moon Tide Forest."

"So we trekked all the way out here to get a look at some trees glowing in the moon light," said Raven as her crimson eyes scanned the sight before her, "what a surprisingly, genius, idea given who came up with it."

"Well I hope it's earned enough approval for the next part," said Tai as he and Tobias both took a knee and pulled out the small boxes they'd been hiding the whole trip, "after all, seeing the sights wasn't the only plan we had."

"Are you two-," Jen let the question hang in the air as the two huntsmen opened their respective boxes to reveal the rings inside. Tai's was silver with a red gem that was contained inside the metal which was shaped like a raven's head, while Tobias's was gold with a blue gem that had a bear paw decoration imprinted on it.

"We are," said Tobias to Jen, "after all, you and I have fought through thick and thin together. Training, Grimm, tournaments, bandits, schoolwork, we've faced so much of that fighting alongside one another. I know it took me a while to realize how I really felt, thinking I had to look beyond our hometown to find happiness. But not long ago it hit me, that the one thing, the one person I'd been looking for my entire life, had been right there with me the whole time."

"And as for me," said Tai as he spoke to Raven, "I know I always act like the cool guy, the tough guy, the guy that never lets anything get him down. But the fact of the matter is, I probably wouldn't have made it out of Beacon without you. I lost count of the number of times you saved me with that sword of yours and I probably shouldn't start now. But you're more than just that sword, I've seen it in the subtle ways you've cared for me and your other teammates and the sometimes unorthodox ways you want to look out for those that mean something too you. That's what really drew me too you, the beautiful, caring woman underneath the badass the rest of the world sees."

"And I know you might not think I'm good enough, but I'm willing to give it my all to make you happy. So, Raven Branwen."

"Jen Ursario," said Tobias before both spoke at the same time, "will you marry me?" A tense silence followed then as both woman looked like they could hardly believe what was unfolding in front of them. Then, after another few moments passed, the two women pounced. Tai and Tobias were both caught off-guard as they wound up on the ground, pinned beneath their respective girlfriends who fixed them both with a hard stare.

"You planned all of this just to propose," said Jen, "do you realize what you just ruined?"

"R-Ruined?" Said Tobias with a confused look on his face.

"Yes, ruined," said Raven, "if we'd known you were both planning this, we never would've agreed! How did we not see this coming Jen?"

"But, um, is that a-," Tai started to say before being cut off by Jen.

"You ruined our proposal!" exclaimed Jen as she took the ring from Tobias and held it in front of his face, "we were going to do the same thing in the morning!"

"Wait," said Tobias, "You wanted to propose to us?"

"Of course we did," said Raven as her normally fierce but neutral features relaxed, revealing a rare soft gaze from the woman, "It was Jen's idea and I decided to go along with it, because you're right about me Tai. I always played it off as an inconvenience whenever I had to save you, but the truth of the matter was I'd gotten fond of you. Even though I told you what I was, a bandit tribe girl, you didn't even bat an eye and kept being the cool, loveable idiot. Before I knew it you'd won me over and actually helped me believe someone with my past could do some good for others."

"And you supported me just as much as I supported you," said Jen, "you and your family welcomed mine when we migrated from Atlas all the way to Blue Forge, helped me out on the things I wasn't so good at, fought like an absolute beast in my defense and even now you're putting me and others before yourself. So that's why I'm asking you, Tobias De Wolfe."

"And I'm asking you, Taiyang Xiaolong," said Raven as they both spoke then, "will you marry me?" This time, the silence was far less tense as they all stared at one another. Then, they burst out laughing at the absurdity of it all. The four of them had all had a plan for their own little proposal and now here they were, all their fears and doubts dispelled as the two men slid the rings on their now fiancé's fingers. That night, would be the start of many wonderful memories to come.

And there you have it folks, the first day of the rest of their lives! Hopefully you all enjoyed this little short story and of course, if you have any other requests, feel free to let me know in your comments and reviews as well as what you think of the stories themselves. 'Til next time everyone!