- Chapter Nine: Of the Thunder that Struck the Earth. -
地球を襲った雷の。
Two weeks had since passed since the Ookami Megid incident, and Homura seemed to be fortunate enough that the fact that he had transformed into Saber in front of a good amount of people didn't really cause widespread gossip, as he had supposedly anticipated. Getting up groggily, he would yawn, as he would check the clock, seeing that it was still five in the morning, much to his own confusion, "How the hell does this even happen anyways?" And as he would get out of bed, he would wash his own face, as he noticed the rest of his teammates still sleeping.
And quickly washing his face, he would get back into bed, noticing his still-open laptop, as he would scramble towards it, noticing that he had supposedly written some text on it, most of which he wasn't even able to understand at first. However, after shaking his head to lose some of the tiredness he was having at the very moment, and looking again, he found himself to be looking at what seemed to be a very weird mixture of his notes from History classes mixed with his diary. "What the hell was I even doing last night?" Homura asked himself in confusion, as he decided to think of what to do.
And deciding that sorting out whatever the heck he had written the night before was going to be the best idea, Homura would grab a folding table (which was definitely a small one that he had bought a few days after he had entered Beacon, mainly because all of the tables were used by the other teammates), as he got to work, spending the next hour and a half or so getting to work, realizing the sheer amount of notes he had which he had copied from Professor Oobleck's classes. 'Ugh… why did Professor Oobleck have to talk so fast in class anyways? Like, I can catch up, but seriously-'
His train of thought would be interrupted upon hearing a door open from the outside, as Homura decided to get up, still in his pajamas, peeking out of Team RWBY's dorm room, spotting what appeared to be Pyrrha. Very confused, he decided to change into his casual-wear, before slowly sneaking after the Spartan spearwoman. Slowly tiptoeing down the hallways, he would constantly peek past corners, very confused as to why Pyrrha was headed in the directions of the classrooms. 'What is she doing here this early in the morning…?'
And as Pyrrha would enter the classrooms where they usually had Combat Training, Homura would decide to peek in, noticing her bringing along both her weapon and what appeared to be training gear. 'So she trains here early in the morning…? Why the hell didn't I know that…?' He paused for a moment, before he held back the urge to mentally slap himself. 'Then again… I don't stay much at Team JNPR's room, even though I'm their teammate…' Taking a deep breath, he would knock on the door, before pushing it open to reveal a very surprised and caught-off-guard Pyrrha, who would simply ask, "How long have you been there?"
Homura shrugged, entering the almost-empty classroom as he simply replied, "I dunno. I heard the dorm room door open, and I noticed you suddenly walking down the hallways." "So you were basically stalking me?" "…no, not really." There was a chuckle from her end, as she waved his confusion off, stating it was a joke of some kind, much to his utter confusion, as he could only comment, "Yeah, sure, sure. How often do you come here anyways?" "I started coming here more often over the past few days, honestly."
"I see… well, it couldn't hurt to spar for a bit." Homura softly chuckled, as he would step onto the stage, unsheathing the Sword of Raging Flames as he prepared his ground. Pyrrha would do the same, before the two would go at it, trading blows with each other, as Homura found himself occasionally missing some attacks which he predicted would have hit, much to his confusion as he tried to piece things together, stopping for a moment, as he commented, "I'm assuming your Semblance is… polarity?" "Yeah. How could you tell?" "Well, I keep missing attacks, and my blade is made of metal, so I figured… that."
"Well, your blade is certainly one of a kind, Homura. The material is unlike any other…" "Well, given that this is a Holy Blade, I… honestly wouldn't be surprised." He paused for a moment, before he then asked her, "Hey, what classes do we have this morning?" "I think it's double the combat classes today, and that should be it." He chuckled softly, fortunate enough that somebody else knew the timetable, seeing as he'd somehow managed to forget part of it. "Right… it's in like… two hours or so, right?" She would nod, before the two of them continue to spar for what felt like a good ten minutes, before he would finally lay on the floor, chuckling.
"You're like, really good at fighting with your weapon… how long have you been using yours anyways?" "It's been quite a long while. What about you?" "Well… recently? Sort of." The two would continue to banter for what felt like a while, as they got up, heading back to the dorm room, as she would then comment something that took Homura completely off-guard, "You know… I'm somehow very concerned about Jaune right now… not just because he's our team leader, but I feel like there's something more that I'm missing…"
"Yeah… I've occasionally felt the same issues about him, but I figured it'd go away over time…" Unfortunately, he could only shrug, as they arrived at their dorm rooms, before Homura then stated, "I'll see you later at breakfast, if that's fine with you." "Don't we always meet up at breakfast?" "…fair point." The both of them let out a soft chuckle, as Homura would quickly rush into the dorm room, taking the first chance to use the shower as soon as possible, though he had noticed Weiss and Ruby both had woken up.
—
A few hours later, he found himself in combat class, as duels continued to progress, a few having already been done since the beginning of class. Homura decided not to participate in the duels, instead simply deciding to watch the battle taking place, as he took notes of what each fighter was potentially capable on. Seeing as he was still taking his time to get familiar with most of them, he had an entire document dedicated to each student's fighting style, in a manner that almost made him feel like he were a stalker at times.
Observing the duel taking place between his team leader, Jaune, and the team leader of Team CRDL, Cardin, he would notice the latter with his weapon perched on his shoulder, as Jaune would hold his sword up, though leaning on his weapon with a certain posture that Homura clearly recognized as exhaustion. Jaune would look at Cardin, who would laugh at the former's tiredness, before Jaune would then try to gather up whatever strength he had left to charge forward, desperately swinging his blade, only for Cardin to mockingly jump out of the way.
As Jaune turned around, surprised and in shock, Cardin would send his mace hurling towards Jaune, sending both him and his shield flying backwards, leaving Jaune only armed with his sword. And he would continue and try to attack, but would be blocked in a weapons lock, Cardin forcing himself up and towering over a struggling Jaune. "This is the part where you lose." "Over my dead-" Immediately, Jaune's words were cut short, as Cardin would knee him in the gut, causing Jaune to drop his sword and fall to the ground, clenching his gut in pain. And as Cardin would raise his mace, preparing to slam it down, the buzzer would ring, as Professor Glynda would echo out to Cardin, "Cardin, that's enough!"
As he would scoff, walking off the stage reluctantly, she would press a few buttons on her tablet, the screen above them viewing the Aura gauges of both Cardin, who was in the green, and Jaune, who was in the red, before she would then comment, "Students, as you can see, Mr. Arc's Aura has now dropped into the red. In a tournament-styled duel, this would indicate that Jaune is no longer fit for battle, and that the official may call the match." As Jaune still layed on the floor in defeat, Homura could sense Pyrrha's expressions, as Professor Glynda would turn to Jaune, commenting, "Mr. Arc, it's been weeks now. Please try to refer to your Scroll during combat. Gauging your Aura will help you decide when it's appropriate to attack, or when it is better to move to a more... defensive strategy. We wouldn't want you to be gobbled up by a Beowolf, now, would we?"
Immediately, Homura would raise his hand, as he would then claim, "I would like to have a duel with Cardin Winchester!" Immediately, the rest of Team JNPR and RWBY would then look at him confusedly, as the person in question would then scoff, angrily retorting, "Sure. If you really want to get beat so much." Homura clearly smirked, before grabbing his blade and the Wonder Ride Books, sheathing his weapon and putting his Books on his belt. And stepping onto the stage, the two contestants would stare down each other, as Professor Glynda would then officiate the battle, their Aura gauges displaying a full green.
Immediately, Homura would jump backwards, as Cardin would charge at him, in a manner that almost felt reckless, before the former would take out the Peter Fantasista Wonder Ride Book, scanning it on the tip of his sword, as it glowed an ever-so-slight hue of light blue. Then, he would repeat it twice, charging the sword up to its maximum power, before preparing a finisher.
[PETER FAN! MM-HM! PETER FAN! MM-HM! PETER FAN! NARUHODO, NARUHODO!]
ピーターファン！うーんうーん！ピーターファン！うーんうーん！ピーターファン！なるほど、なるほど！
As the runes would begin to flicker, the light blue hue becoming an even stronger level of light blue, as the blade would then spit into segments, each segment clinging onto the previous and next ones through what appeared to be a blue material of some kind, as Cardin would send down his mace on the untransformed Rider. However, Homura would then use the cross-guard to barely block the other's attack, as the emblem would glow, spewing toxic flames at the opponent, as he confusedly ran around the arena, trying to extinguish. Immediately, Homura would then hum to himself, "Kaen~ Awatatekizan. (Flaming Whisking Slash.)"
[SHUTOKU SANSEN!]
習得三閃！
As the hue would dissipate, the flames attacking Cardin too would dissipate, as he would almost roar in anger, rushing towards Homura, as the red blade would then flicker with runes resembling the Japanese characters of, '火炎泡立て器斬', as the elongated whip-blade would then be sent flying out towards Cardin, as Homura would then attack with the whip, being able to bypass the mace, as Cardin wildly swung it around, hoping to avoid taking any damage from the attack. However, Homura would then rush towards Cardin, sending a flying kick, sending him backwards, as Cardin's aura gauge would then enter the yellow.
Homura would grin, before the red blade would then return to normal, as he would then rush Cardin, attacking the mace-wielder relentless with a flurry of attacks that could only be described in a state of tranquil fury, as Cardin would then manage to land in a surprise hit on the swordsman of fire, much to the latter's surprise, as he was sent flying by the sheer power of the blow, landing on the ground with a groan. Gritting his teeth, he would mutter to himself, "Finishers really are the way to go in this regard, isn't it…?"
And he would take out the Brave Dragon and the Lamp do Alangina Wonder Ride Books, he would then run around the arena, trying his very best to parry and dodge whatever attack the mace-wielder had for him, as he would constantly send his weapon down, slamming it into the ground where Homura once stood. And he would then scan each of the three Wonder Ride Books, preparing a second finisher which he had hoped would turn the yellow on the gauge into red.
[DRAGON! MM-HM! PETER FAN! MM-HM! ALANGINA! NARUHODO, NARUHODO!]
ドラゴン！うーんうーん！ピーターファン！うーんうーん！アランジーナ！なるほど、なるほど！
The blade would then glow a variety of different colours, rapidly switching between red, blue and yellow, as lightning and flames would emanate from the blade, the Kaenken Rekka channeling the elements, before Homura would grit his teeth, humming to himself softly, "Kaen~ Mazeruzan. (Flaming Mixing Slash)" Immediately, Homura would then pull the trigger on the blade, as the weapon would then echo, the hue forming around the blade dissipating as the blade would then flicker with runes resembling the Japanese characters of, '火炎混ぜる斬'.
[SHUTOKU SANSEN!]
習得三閃！
Immediately, he would send out a flurry of elemental attacks, particularly fire, water and lightning, sending the mace-wielder flying, his Aura gauge entering the red, as Homura's would enter the yellow, as he would gasp for air, the sheer power of executing two three-book finishers weighing a toll on him, considering it was something he was not used to at all. As Professor Glynda would announce Homura's victory, as the two combatants headed to their respective seats, Cardin glaring ominously at Homura in the meanwhile. And as the rest of the students prepared to head to lunch, they seemed to have excited expressions; from Yang's punching the air in anticipation, to Weiss' excited smile, and Ruby's enthusiastic squals.
Professor Glynda would then comment, "Remember, everyone, the Vytal Festival is only a few months away! It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing! Those who choose to compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale!" And the bell would then ring, as the students began leaving, as Pyrrha and Homura could only stare at Jaune, the Spartan warrior frowning sadly as Team JNPR's leader would hang his head in shame.
—
Later, during lunch, Homura would find himself idly looking at his phone, browsing the latest news while eating his food, as he would overhear Nora telling what appeared to be an unbelievable story. Well, obviously it was to both Homura and Ren, as Nora would then state, "So! There we were, in the middle of the night…" Ren would then chirp in, retorting, "It was day." "We were surrounded by Ursai…" "They were Beowolves." "Dozens of them!" "Two of 'em." "But they were no match… and in the end, Ren and I took them down and made a boatload of Lien selling Ursa skin rugs!" "She's been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now."
And as he overheard Nora's story, he would find himself fidgeting with the Lamp do Alangina Wonder Ride Book, while mulling over what everyone else was doing. Blake was paying no attention whatsoever, obviously because she was lost in her book; Yang was just listening to the story with full glee; Ruby and Pyrrha were doing something similarly, except much more politely; Weiss was ignoring Nora and filing her nails… and Jaune was messing with his food, feeling very distant. Looking at the Wonder Ride Book, he would then chirp in, asking the leader of his second team, "Jaune. Are you okay?", to which he would retort, snapping out of his daze, "Huh? Oh, yeah! Why?"
Ruby would then state, "It's just that you seem a little… not okay," Almost instantly, everyone would drop their distractions, staring at the blonde swordsman, as he would raise his arms in protest, trying to pass off any of the allegations that were now being thrown at him, "Guys! I'm fine! Seriously! Look!" He would laugh nervously, as Homura's attention was then suddenly focused on a now-appearing Team CRDL, who would surround what appeared to be a girl with brown rabbit ears jutting from her hair, as two of the members would laugh at her, making mocking interpretations of her unusual features.
[ALANGINA! MM-HM!]
アランジーナ！うーんうーん！
"Give me a minute," Homura intercepted, as he got up, unsheathing his blade, "I need to do just one thing real quick." Scoffing, he would use the Lamp do Alangina Wonder Ride Book he had been holding, scanning it on the tip of the sword, before charging it up with yellow electricity, much to the surprise of Nora, who looked at it with a very hyper gaze, as he would then chant in his mind, 'Kaen~ Bakufuuzan. (Lightning Blasting Slash.)" Immediately, the blade's runes would glow with yellow runes resembling the Japanese characters for, '雷爆風斬', before yellow lightning would be sent flying at the members of Team CRDL, shocking them as they fell to the ground.
Homura would then get up, his blade still glowing an ever-bright yellow, as Cardin would stare at him angrily, retorting, "And what the hell is your business?" "My duty is simple. I see somebody getting bullied, I will shock the fuck out of you. I don't care who the fuck you are." One of Cardin's team members, somebody Homura name-recognized as Russel Thrush, would angrily charge at him. Homura would then hold the blade in his hand, before slashing Russel, the lightning being drained off the weapon and attacking him, sending him flying, as the four members would scram, dragging along their now-unconscious teammate.
From the table, Pyrrha could only comment about Cardin, stating angrily, "Atrocious. I can't stand people like him." Blake would chime in, as she stared daggers at the bullies, replying, "He's not the only one…" And as Homura would scoff at their fleeing, he would offer a hand to the rabbit girl, commenting, "You're Velvet, right?" She would seem to recognize him, as she then commented, "Ah, Homura! It's been a while!" Homura would softly chuckle, as she would get up, her head in a bowing position as she tried to hide her face. "It's been a while, huh? I forgot to mention… thanks for showing me around a few days before the registration…"
Velvet could only smile softly, and a little embarrassed, as they turned their attention back to Jaune, seeing as the rabbit girl was now in safe hands. And as Pyrrha trailed back to the earlier topic, she would then state, "Jaune, Cardin's been picking on you since the first week of school!" "Who? Cardin? Nah… he just likes to mess around! You know, practical jokes!" Ruby chimed in, retorting, "He's a bully." "Oh, please! Name one time he's bullied me." And the others went silent, whilst Homura would help escort Velvet out of the cafeteria, to the infirmary.
And Jaune could only freeze in silence, almost as if unable to take in that the rest of Team RWBY and NPR were staring almost like daggers at him. Pyrrha then stated, "Jaune… you kinow if you ever need help, you can just ask." Nora then chirped in, with a not-entirely sane grin. "Oooh! We'll break his legs!" And her grin turned slightly insane, as she then continued, in almost a supervillain-esque tone, "Both of it." Jaune would try to wave it off, stating, "Guys, really, it's fine! Besides, it's not like he's only a jerk to me; he's a jerk to everyone."
All of them could only sigh, as they then turned their attention back to Homura, who had disappeared, as Jaune got up from the table, sighing to himself before moving on with his tray table.