BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: So as you guys know, this is a writing contest entry. I'm proud to say that I got 3rd place, and it is mostly in part to the reviews. I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to read this story, especially after what happened to the first story.
I don't have much to say, but I like to think this is interaction between me and those that read this story. How are you guys? Read any good stories lately? I'm genuinely curious. If you enjoyed, write a review. I like reading those. If you see something that can be improved upon, write a review.
"Thank you for coming, Mr. Emiya." Ozpin greeted Shirou the moment he had approached from the elevator. The young Magus glanced around, this was the first time he'd come into the Headmaster's office.
The Headmaster's office was tinted in a pale translucent pine green glass that seemed to cover every surface, from his desk to the floors. Another thing Shirou noticed was the surplus of rotating gears that lay beneath the colored glass. "I like your motif of gears." Shirou commented. "Very...steampunk." he was sure he'd used that term incorrectly.
"You look at them with a sense of familiarity." Said Ozpin. Shirou supposed he did, Archer's inner world had massive gears floating in the smog filled sky. A representation of his helplessness, how he saw himself as a machine-a slave to his fate as a guardian.
"You wear the uniform well." Glynda sent a comment his way, the blonde professor seemed to eye him from head to toe. "I'm glad to see that it fits."
"Truth be told it feels rather much." Shirou replied, looking at the black suit he wore that made up his uniform. "The uniforms at my previous school were simpler."
Ozpin raised a brow at this, something that Shirou did not let escape him. He mentally scolded himself, he'd said a little too much. He and Rin acknowledged that the Headmaster knew more than he was letting on, and while not necessarily dangerous. Shirou knew better as a Magus to not trust anyone fully, Rin was the only exception as were Fuji-nee and Sakura. He'd need to watch himself when conversing with the Headmaster.
"I see." Ozpin did not miss a beat with his reply, making sure that there was no suspicious lull in the conversation. "Mr. Emiya, let's move on to the heart of the matter at hand." He continued, motioning for Shirou to take a seat. "It is regarding your current position at Beacon."
"I thought I was a student of the Academy?" Shirou asked, slowly sitting down.
"You are." The Headmaster confirmed. "However you are a special case. In all of Beacon's-the Academies' history, no one has come out of an Academy's Initiation without a team, and allowed to continue as a student."
So what did this mean for him? "Am I to expect some added lessons?" Shirou asked.
"You're not far off." Shirou really didn't like the smile that formed on the Headmaster's face. "To begin certain privileges have been barred from you." That made sense, if Shirou was being allowed to become a student despite his situation then there had to be limitations placed on him that didn't exist on other students.
"Glynda if you would." The Headmaster motioned for the blonde professor, who seemed to smirk as she stepped forward. Her riding crop shimmering once as a stack of papers, about three inches in thickness landed on his lap. Shirou's eyes bulged at the heft of the stack, he was about to speak but Glynda had beat him to it.
"Now Mr. Emiya, let's discuss your new responsibility as a T.A." she said, not glancing up from her hard light tablet.
"A wha-?"
"In every class you are to attend, excluding electives." Glynda ignored. "You are to serve as a Teaching Assistant to the Professor in charge of the class, while simultaneously attending the class as a student."
"Wait!" Shirou interjected. "If I'm supposed to be assisting the Professor with whatever, how am I supposed to-"
"Not to worry, you are simply to assist in demonstrations if need be and to serve as logistics for materials that are needed in class." Ah. Shirou understood, in other words he was their gopher. He supposed he could do that, after all he was only supposed to act on it during classes which would usually last between an hour and a half to two hours.
"That seems easy enough." Shirou commented.
Glynda smirked. "I'm glad you think so." With a flick of her riding crop the paper at the top of the stack had floated away and revealed the next wall of text printed on the next piece of paper. "Next we'll be talking about your grades."
Shirou couldn't help but gape.
From his desk, the Headmaster offered Shirou a silent apology. He had tried to save Shirou, but Glynda was insistent on being the one to write the terms that would bind Shirou as a student of Beacon. Though Ozpin supposed he should be impressed….
The last time he'd seen that stack of papers, they were the height of two of his mugs.
A sharp high-pitched sound cut through the serene visage of a sleeping Rin Tohsaka. The white haired heiress jumped out of bed, and onto the awaiting floor with a thud.
"Good morning Team RWBY!" Exclaimed the team's namesake. Ruby Rose proudly stood, her fist held up high as she radiated enthusiasm all throughout the dorm room.
Rin was still on the floor, she had laid herself out with a sigh. She was never much of a morning person, and not even hoping in between worlds could change that. "Why're you all up so early?" Rin groaned.
"Duh, cause we have official team business to attend to!" Ruby beamed.
"Like what?"
"Decorating!" Yang added.
"We still have to unpack." Blake added, a suitcase firmly locked in her grip. However, the locks that kept the suitcase closed weren't as secure, and the team could only watch as its contents tumbled out and scattered onto the floor. "...and clean."
Rin wanted to sob, her mornings were ruined. She'd wake up everyday to whistles, and enthusiastic greetings. "Why is everyone I meet a morning person?" she groaned.
"Alright!" Ruby began. " Weiss, Blake, Yang, and their fearless leader Ruby have begun their first mission. Banzai!" As Yang and Blake joined their leader to cheer, Rin tried to fight off the confused look that was forming on her face. Just how was it that they knew the word "Banzai"? Japan didn't exist here, and to her knowledge everyone here spoke English. Yang had a Chinese name and didn't have any Asian features, so how was-?!
"It's too early for this." Rin muttered to herself, and scooped her person off the hardwood floor. Then proceeded to head for the dorm's bathroom.
Rin after taking a rather lengthy shower, stepped out of the bathroom dressed in the standard Beacon Academy uniform. She honestly liked the uniform's design, though she would've preferred to wear thigh highs with how short the skirt was.
However more pressing matters came first.
"What have you all done to the room?!" Rin exclaimed. It was as if a tornado had come through the dorm room and tried to decorate in the process, books lined every shelf, a pair of long desks and chairs were pressed up against the walls, posters of boy bands, a curtain that had been cleaved in two, and to finish it all off the beds were hastily stacked in the center of the room.
"How in the f-" Rin bit her tongue, fighting back the urge to swear at due to the sheer absurdity of the scene before her. "This...isn't going to work."
"It is a bit cramped." Blake added. A bit?!
"Maybe we should ditch some of our stuff?" Yang asked. Rin discreetly shook her head, she wasn't getting rid of any of her belongings. Thankfully she had the foresight to hand Shirou any Magecraft related thing she had brought with her from Atlas, and only brought her clothes and Myrtenaster's holding case to the dorm.
"Or we could ditch the beds?" Ruby suggested. Rin really didn't like where this was going. "And replace them with bunk beds!"
Bunk beds...Rin gave it some thought, that could work. A bed was a bed no matter how she looked at it, anything that could let her get the sweet sleep she so desired at the end of the day. "Yang, hand me the rope! I'm gonna hang my bed above Weiss'!" Ruby exclaimed.
Oh by the Tohsaka's great name. "I refuse." Rin interjected, she was not sleeping underneath a bed suspended by rope. That was just a deathtrap waiting to be sprung. "I'll have Shirou look into making us bunk beds."
Ruby raised a brow. "Shirou can build bunk beds?"
Rin nodded, she wasn't necessarily sure that Shirou could build bunk beds. However, how hard could it be? She'd heard tales of his skills as a handyman back in Homuhara, he could fix anything from bows to heaters.
The other members of team RWBY seemed to have been placated, and calmed down. Rin smiled, good she would live another day. "By the way, what time is it?"
Ruby fished out her Scroll from her jacket pocket, and scanned the device. "Its...like 8:55?"
"Ah I see, excuse me." Said Rin, walking over to the door and opening it. She stood in the doorway as she noticed the room opposite theirs opened as well. Team JNPR looked at the white haired girl in intrigue, she offered them a soft "Good Morning" before a strong gust of wind slapped their features.
Then she was gone.
"D-Did Weiss just bolt down the hall?" Jaune asked, he peered into the RWBY dorm and saw the remaining members of the team with equally confused looks on their features.
Weiss Schnee was later seen sitting in the front row of the classroom, not a hair out of place.
After a rather close call at being marked tardy on her first day, Ruby Rose sat beside her partner Weiss Schnee. The snow haired girl had already set up her stationery, and had already copied the notes that were on the board by the time Ruby had managed to sit down.
Their Professor was a portly man who was graying, his mustache was nice though. Ruby nodded, that mustache was definitely a work of art all in its own.
The man, who introduced himself as Professor Port, let out a hearty laugh as he began his class. Grimm Studies, an interesting subject all on its own, however Ruby mentally agreed with herself that she could afford to goof off within the first few lessons. She'd had Grimm Studies classes in the past, and all of them started off the same.
The local Grimm population would always be discussed first, if the species on the board wasn't any indication.
"Psst, hey Weiss." Ruby began.
Weiss raised a brow, her attention not leaving as Professor Port spoke about someone smelling of cabbages. Ruby didn't know she'd tuned out the man's rambling a few minutes into the class. "I'm bored." she whispered.
"And?"
"Can you talk to me?" Ruby asked.
"Ruby, this seems important." Weiss replied. "I'll talk to you all you want after class." Ruby seemed to deflate at that, and sighed. However, her attention immediately went to Weiss' hand. Her pen was spinning, it would spin then come to a stop. It would loop around her thumb before she caught it, then repeating the process.
Ruby tugged at the girl's sleeve. "Weiss, teach me how to do that."
Weiss sighed, and presented her hand to Ruby. "You hold the pen as if you're writing." Ruby did her best to emulate the position of the pen in her partner's hand. "Then with your middle finger push the pen so that it loops around your thumb." Then just as she had said, with a twitch of her finger Weiss spun the pen around her thumb before catching it. "There, now you know."
Weiss returned to her previous position, pen spinning without missing a beat. Ruby glanced down at her own hand, recounting the steps Weiss had taught her and began her first attempt.
The pen clattered to the floor much to her annoyance.
Another attempt, only to achieve the same result. Ruby looked over to Weiss who continued to spin her pen as if it was as natural as breathing. Maybe I'm not spinning it hard enough. Thought Ruby, and proceeded to flick her pen. It worked, managing a full rotation around her thumb before launching itself forward.
Ruby looked from side to side, hoping no one noticed the flying writing apparatus. She seemed to be in the clear, so she let out a sigh of re- "I saw that." Weiss spoke, she didn't move one muscle aside from her mouth. "You better hope that Professor Port doesn't-" A shrill shriek from the portly Professor later, Ruby watched as the man stepped on her pen and fell on his behind.
Ruby wanted to shrink, and hide underneath her desk. Yang flashed a thumbs up from behind Weiss, while Blake didn't seem to care too much. She could hear various snickers from her classmates.
She watched as Professor Port got up, a hand on his backside. Ruby expected a reprimand, but her savior came through the door of the classroom in the shape of a growling tarp.
"A growling tarp?" Ruby tilted her head, hearing those words come out of her mouth was stranger than thinking it.
"Ah, my test subject!" The Professor called out. "I'm glad to see you've made it Mr. Emiya!" Shirou vaulted over the cubed tarp, and offered a shallow bow.
"Sorry Professor, I got lost." Shirou chuckled. "Plus the cage was kinda heavy."
Ruby waved to Shirou who returned it with one of his own, the male turned back to the tarped cage and pulled. The screeching of the cage on the stone floor made the whole class cringe, Shirou included who released his hold on the object and scratched the back of his head.
"Uh…" Shirou turned to the portly Professor who let out a hearty laugh.
"It's fine Mr. Emiya, take your seat." He instructed. "I'll make do from here." Shirou jogged over to the spot beside Ruby, she and the rest of Team RWBY had moved one seat over.
"You're late." Weiss had commented, finally tearing her gaze away from the lesson. Shirou let out a sheepish chuckle, calling Weiss by the nickname he often called her as he tried to play off his tardiness. Ruby felt awkward, should she move? She was literally sitting in between Weiss and Shirou, the former seemed to be intent on giving him an earful.
"Students!" Professor Port called out, getting the class' attention. "Pardon the interruption of my riveting tale, but I believe it's time to apply the knowledge I was trying to impart to you. Call it a pop quiz."
As if the cage hadn't gotten the room's attention already. Ruby sat up straighter, her palms sweating slightly. Why am I nervous?! Ruby had fought Grimm in classes before, they had live exercises like these in Signal. They were actually pretty common, but this was the first Grimm studies class she attended that made her fight. It was usually book reports, and the combat was saved for actual Combat Classes.
Ruby wracked her brain, trying to figure out what kind of Grimm was in that cage. She hasn't been paying attention at all.
"What's in it Emiya?" Weiss had asked Shirou, she looked forward. She was eyeing the cage, inspecting how it moved every now and then.
"A Grimm, it looked like a wild boar."
"A Boarbatusk." Ruby added. "Those are really common on the outskirts of the Kingdom." Weiss fell silent, then glanced back to Shirou.
"It's about the size of a large dog." Said Shirou. "I can't tell you much more."
Weiss seemed to be content at the information she had just gotten, and turned to face the front of the class once more. Professor Port had gone and retrieved his weapon, a blunderbuss with axe blades attached to its stock. "Students, I am aware that you're all skilled." Professor Port spoke. "Your actions in the Emerald Forest have shown me that you're all capable of fighting off the creatures of Grimm."
Ruby watched as the portly man unveiled the cage that Shirou had dragged into the classroom, the cage was about the same height of the Professor. Its thick bars not allowing its captive to see whatever lay beyond its prison, it made Ruby wonder if the Grimm inside was aware of where it was now.
"So consider this." The Professor began once more. "Your first true taste of what Huntsmen and Huntresses go through on a daily basis."
The class began to murmur, Ruby glanced at Weiss and Shirou who didn't seem to share in the worry the class seemed to emanate. "So who'd like to demonstrate to the class their fighting style?" Asked the Professor, he glanced around the room. Ruby could feel his eyes pass over her, was he going to call out to a student since no one was volunteering?
"I'd like to try my hand." Weiss had called out, her hand raised. The Professor smiled at this development and let out a hearty laugh. Weiss had glanced over to her, and offered her a smile as well. "You worry too much." Weiss commented. "You won't be able to act if you think too hard."
As Weiss squeezed herself past herself and Shirou, Ruby watched as she headed to the locker room. Shirou had leaned back in his seat, sitting as properly as he could. "Don't worry about her." Shirou assured. "She just wants to show off."
As Rin Tohsaka stepped onto the space that had been allotted for combat, Shirou keenly watched her. She was dressed in the standard clothes she wore, the white ensemble he'd first seen her in. It was odd not seeing Rin wearing any red on her person, he'd always thought that red was her color.
Judging her wardrobe aside, Shirou's eyes landed on the blade that hung at her hip. The Reality Marble already finished analyzing everything that had to do with its construction and history, his eyes narrowed. "Myrtenaster." he muttered.
"Did you say anything Shirou?" Ruby asked.
"Oh, nothing." He replied. "Just remembering the name of Rin's weapon." Ruby nodded, tapping her fingers on the desk as she waited for the bout to start. "Ruby."
The girl in question offered a slight hum in response. "You were with Rin in the forest right?" Shirou asked, to which Ruby nodded. "How would you describe her fighting style? Her skill with her weapon."
Ruby placed a hand on her chin, falling deep into thought. "Well…" she shrugged. "I can't tell you much, I only saw her deal with one Grimm before she got her weapon knocked out of her hands. Next thing I knew, she was blowing holes through Grimm with her Semblance."
Shirou assumed this Semblance, Ruby was referring to were the Finn shots Rin favored. He watched as Rin armed herself with Myrtenaster and nodded to the Professor. The portly man smiled, and swung his weapon at the lock that kept the cage closed.
The Grimm came charging out, or rolling out. Rin struck, her blade bouncing off the Boarbatusk's armored hide. He became more critical of how she moved, he noted where Rin kept her weight, how she held her weapon, her posture. It was all wrong. He'd used his fair share of rapiers during his travels and he became familiar with the forms used in combat, however the form Rin used did not resemble any of them.
"Hya!" Rin struck once again, after narrowly avoiding being gored by the Grimm. He noticed another thing, the motions Rin used to attack were next to perfect. He was confused, how could her fundamentals be nonexistent but-
"Weiss go for its belly!" Ruby exclaimed. "There's no armor there!"
Rin didn't look in her direction, and instead dropped her weapon. Shirou could hear the gasps in from the room, but he already knew what she was planning. This fight was practically over already. "I need to have a talk with her after this." Shirou spoke.
"After this?" Ruby asked.
"Just watch." He instructed.
As the Boarbatusk roared, Rin had straightened out and tried to straighten out the wrinkles on her attire with her hand. She extended her hand, then a finger. Ruby already knew what this was, the red and black pulsating ball of energy that was about the size of an acorn. When Rin had loosed the spell, the Boarbatusk collapsed. Its legs giving out from underneath it, before it vanished from existence in black ash.
Shirou wasn't even surprised, Rin's Finn shots were strong enough to blast through concrete. Poor Grimm, it never stood a chance.
"Hoho!" Port exclaimed, seeing the result of the skirmish. "It seems that Miss Schnee has quite the capable head on her shoulders."
Oh if he only knew. Shirou smirked, as the sound of the bell rang out signalling the class' end. Rin looked to him after she retrieved Myrtenaster. He offered a nod, a sign that he thought she had done a good job.
~/~/~/~/~
Upon the dismissal of the class, allowing the room to empty out Shirou waited for Rin outside the classroom. When they'd met once again, Rin was once again in her Beacon Academy uniform.
"So, how'd you like my fight Emiya?" She asked.
"You did good, but you were lacking." He knew exactly how to get the point across to Rin, however it carried the risk of bodily harm. Rin Tohsaka did not really respond well to being told that she was lacking in any way. After preemptively reinforcing his ribs, Shirou decided to continue listing off the faults he had spotted during the skirmish. "Rin, your swordplay is atrocious." he plainly said, holding in a breath in preparation for Rin lashing out.
"Well I'm sorry, that my swordplay isn't up to your standards." She huffed.
"Rin, why do you use Myrtenaster?" he asked. "It's obvious that you could get by with just your Magecraft, but the way you held Myrtenaster in your hands. It was tender, loving, almost like you've spent your whole life with it. Nevermind how flimsy your form was, I want to know why you look and touch that weapon with such familiarity."
Rin beckoned to Shirou with her finger, a signal for him to walk with her. They did still have a second class before lunch. "I won't lie Shirou, I don't own this weapon." Rin began. "I know nothing about its construction, nor how to fight with it." Rin shook her head. "It just feels right to have it, to reach for it...it's instinctive to me."
That explained it, Rin was doing something similar to him when he would trace weapons. Whenever Shirou would trace a weapon, all the experiences that accompanied the weapon up until a certain point would be recorded and pass through him. In short he would learn the skills and techniques that came with the weapon. Myrtenaster had a connection to its original wielder, and despite Rin not being Weiss, Rin was technically Weiss to some extent.
"Well then, I think we should polish those instincts then." Shirou suggested, Rin raised a brow at the suggestion. "I mean, if you want Myrtenaster to be usable instead of just an ornament. I suggest you learn how to use it."
"Why do I feel a sudden unease." Rin narrowed her eyes, Shirou chuckled at her antics. She was right to feel that way, Rin may have been an amazing Mage but swords and swordplay were his domain. He'd teach Rin the only way he knew, hard repetition.
"I'm sure you're imagining things, Tohsaka." Shirou chuckled. 'C'mon let's get to class."
After another two hours of sitting and listening in a class headed by one Professor Thumbelina Peach, the group of teens finally managed to have a chance at respite. Shirou Emiya glanced down at the contents of his tray, an apple, a sandwich, a slice of pie, and a glass of water were all he had gotten from the lunch selection.
"Not hungry?" Pyrrha asked, the red haired girl tilted her head as she took a quick bite of her own apple.
"I never really ate much." Shirou responded. "I like simple meals."
"Yet somehow you can cook an amazing Beef Wellington." Rin smirked.
Ruby had forcefully swallowed the contents of her mouth, and turned to the pair. "Yeah Shirou!" she smiled. "I can't get over that thing you made for me and dad." Shirou could tell the younger girl was doing her best to try and not salivate at the memory. "That...Okinamimaki." she slowly said, looking to Shirou for approval.
Shirou merely chuckled. "Sorry Ruby, Okinamiyaki."
Ruby snapped her fingers in frustration. "Aww...I was so close." Her gaze returned to Shirou. "I'll probably figure out how to say it, if I taste it again."
Her logic wasn't sound, not in the slightest. Shirou found himself cracking a small smile as the table continued to banter on. That was until Nora's hand shot up as if she were still in class. "Yes, Nora?" Shirou asked.
She took a deep breath. "You never told us about what you did yesterday!" She pouted. "You promised to tell us later, but you just up and vanished!" Everyone else at the table seemed to have suddenly remembered.
"Yeah." Jaune added. "You were amazing during initiation…" he faltered. "Tell us how you did it, we're dying to know."
He and Rin shared a subtle glance. Tell them? He had asked.
Lie. Her gaze instructed.
"It was-" he began.
"Wait!" Nora exclaimed. "I change my mind, tell us your origin story Shirou!"
"My what?"
"Tell us how you got so strong!" Her enthusiasm was growing ever higher. "Was it caused by a radioactive sword? You gotta tell us!" He turned to Rin with a pleading gaze, however she thought it would be funny if she ignored him in his time of need. Shirou fought a twitch in his eye, and then turned to Nora and the others.
"What would you like to know?" He asked, hoping he could find a starting point for this tale he was going to spin.
"Well…" Ruby thought for a moment. "Tell us about your family?"
"Oh, I'm an orphan." Ren and Nora seemed to listen more closely at that tidbit of information. "My adoptive father, Kiritsugu. Found me in the rubble of what used to be my home, I think." Those at the table seemed to pale at Shirou's introduction. He'd told this tale so many times, and dreamt about it so many times that he could dredge up the memories without so much as showing discomfort.
"You...think?" Yang asked.
"I'm the survivor of a fire that killed over a thousand people." Shirou said stoically. "The sole survivor." Shirou let the thought settle in the minds of the group before he continued on. "Kiritsugu rescued me, and adopted me." Shirou scoffed, his eyes narrowed in reminiscence. "Kiritsugu tried his best to make me forget what I saw, to give me a home."
"What...did you see?" Pyrrha reluctantly asked.
Shirou looked into the emerald eyes that reminded him of his Servant. "I saw hell." That single phrase was enough to silence the table, and plunge it into an uncomfortable silence. Shirou supposed it was an appropriate reaction, his tale wasn't a pleasant one nor did it have a happy ending at least if Archer was to be believed.
"Hey no need to get to glum." Yang beamed. "Shirou's alive and well." he was thankful for Yang's enthusiasm, or perhaps she just couldn't stand awkward silences.
"He almost wasn't." Pyrrha added with a mutter, it was loud enough however for those around her to hear. Ruby and Yang's faces fell. Pyrrha was right, he almost died during the initiation. It was a miracle that he was even alive, speaking of which how was he alive?
"What happened during the initiation?" Shirou asked. "When I was unconscious."
"You lost a lot of blood." Rin was the one to answer, lazily picking at her food. "You lost consciousness, when I found you Pyrrha was barely keeping you alive." Shirou looked to Pyrrha who turned away, there was something unreadable in her expression. Confusion, fear, was his body mangled when he was injured?
"I've been meaning to ask." Pyrrha began. "Shirou, the wound you suffered. I saw it close up, it didn't heal with Aura." Pyrrha was choosing her words carefully. "I...I'm just so confused, I saw you on the brink of death. The next thing I know is that you had suddenly gotten up, and made it rain swords."
Shirou sighed, and turned to Rin. She nodded to go ahead, but her gaze told him to lie; withhold the truth enough that it wouldn't seem too outlandish.
"Do you know what an Origin is?" Rin remained silent as he asked the table, their silence was telling that they did in fact not know. "An Origin is the defining point of your existence, a concept that makes you who you are."
Ren seemed to nod in understanding. "You're referring to the belief that a person if modeled after their Semblance or vice versa."
Shirou nodded, this concept wasn't entirely too foreign to them. He was thankful. "Right, but where I'm from we believe in something called an Origin. The Origin is the focal point of who you are, according to some." He side eyed Rin. "My Origin is Sword."
"You lost me." Yang added.
"I am a sword." Shirou continued. "Everything that I am is a sword, and it relates to my abilities." He said no more, hoping that Pyrrha would make sense of what she saw in her own time. He'd step in if necessary, as would Rin. Pyrrha didn't seem like the type of person to make irrational decisions.
"That doesn't explain the exploding sword." Nora deadpanned.
"Exploding sword?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah, Shirou took out the Nevermore with an exploding sword." Nora replied. "He shot it out of the sky with a bow!"
"Now you're just messing with us." Yang chuckled, but the serious looks of Rin and Team JNPR hushed her rather quickly. "This just gets crazier and crazier. You were the one who shot the Nevermore out of the sky?" Yang's expression of disbelief embodied the majority of what team RWBY was feeling. "You're not normal, Shirou."
"Stick with Shirou long enough, and this seems normal." Rin chimed in. Shirou scoffed, but couldn't help but agree. Before the War, normal to him was his training routine and helping out wherever he could, but after the War normal became things wanting to end him in increasingly horrific ways.
"That's so cool!" Ruby exclaimed. "So Shirou, do you have a special exploding sword?"
Nervousness suddenly welled up within Shirou, as the hooded girl before him enthusiastically asked. Shirou scratched the back of his head, unsure of how to tell her that it was her sword he had used, or of what became of her sword after he'd used it as a makeshift Broken Phantasm. He only prayed that class would resume soon, and spare him from breaking the younger girl's heart.
As the first day of classes continued on, Rin found herself growing bored. It was inevitable now that she thought about it, one could only listen for so long about a topic that didn't interest her much.
The current class was about Team Combat and Survival Strategies, being headed by Professor Brutus Geel. A fact that Rin found ironic, a man named after one of her world's most famous traitors was teaching a class about fighting and cooperating as a unit.
Professor Geel was an older man, who was probably in his late thirties to his early forties. Had a large frame that let the uniform he wore fill properly, his graying head of hair was cut into a caesar cut (another irony), but his most defining feature was the scar that ran down the side of his mouth to his throat stopping short before his Adam's apple. According to his introduction at the start of the class he was a soldier turned huntsman, he experienced his fair share of death from the haunted look his eyes had, something that she had seen prior.
Rin sent a quick glance at Shirou who sat beside her, the auburn haired male taking notes as the Professor spoke. "Arc." the Professor called out.
Jaune was already standing at attention.
"Tell me your plan of action with regards to the situation I just spoke about." The Professor pointed to the board, where he'd scribbled a crude illustration. If she remembered right, the situation was a group of Huntsmen teams were surrounded from all sides. The scenario was about a small village that had settled in at the base of a cliff, Grimm were beginning to funnel into the village from their only way out. The cliff face that protected the village had now become their cage.
Jaune was silent, shuffling uncomfortably as he tried to think of an answer.
Pyrrha's hand had shot up. "Sir, I think-"
"I don't recall asking for your answers Miss Nikos." The Professor cut her off. "I was asking your Leader." Pyrrha backed down, sitting back in her seat as the older man's eyes overlooked Jaune. "Word of advice." He said to no one in particular. "If you cannot provide an answer to a question yourself, regardless if it is correct or not." he shook his head. "Then how can you be relied on to do something out in the field."
"Sit down." He instructed Jaune, who obliged. His eyes scanned the room searching for his next target. "Rose."
Ruby yelped as her surname was mentioned. "Y-Yes."
"Same question." Said the Professor. "What would you do? What is your plan of action?"
"I'd fight." Ruby answered.
"Why of course." The Professor took a few steps in Ruby's direction. "I suppose you'll just die then when the Grimm come and overwhelm the village." he shook his head. "No, that's not right. I'm sure someone will manage to survive, after all you fought for them." the sarcasm was practically dripping from that sentence. "You are as young as you look, so I don't blame you for your naivete."
"I don't under-" Ruby stuttered.
Rin raised her hand slowly, making eye contact with the Professor and not yielding an inch to his intense gaze. "Miss Schnee, come to save your leader?"
"Yes, when the leader is incapable of functioning then it is up to the teammates to rectify this." Rin replied, her tone of voice was neutral. "I'd like to give my solution."
"By all means."
"Ruby's solution is not entirely incorrect." Rin began. "It just lacked the specifics." The Professor seemed to be somewhat intrigued at the answer she had given. "Instead of fighting to save the village, the plan would be to fight to escape. Clearing out whatever Grimm is hindering the escape, plus I refuse to believe a well established village wouldn't consider their present scenario. There has to be a way out."
The Professor scoffed. "You're nearly as optimistic as your Leader." was his reply, Rin narrowed her eyes. "While I must agree that fighting to escape is a viable strategy, but how would you escape? This second exit of yours is mere conjecture, if there was one wouldn't the villagers have used it to escape long ago?"
Rin cursed internally, so he was this type of teacher.
"Fine then." The Professor sighed. "I'll accept answers from anyone in the class." his eyes scanned the room, no one dared raise a hand in an attempt to answer. "I'm somewhat disappointed that no one can give me an answer."
"That's because there is none." The silence that had settled had gone out the window, the Professor now had a new target. Shirou Emiya had called out to the man, and stood up from his seated position.
"Elaborate." Professor Geel asked. "Mr…"
"Emiya."
"Ah, my little helper." He nodded. "Well then, elaborate your answer. What do you mean by there is none?"
"It means what it means, sir." Shirou began. "There's no way to escape this situation, the village only has one way in and one way out. To try and cull the Grimm is just suicide, fighting to escape isn't a viable option since it would defeat the purpose of trying to save the village. If the Huntsmen carve a path through the Grimm then the villagers will die, but they'll escape." Shirou continued to explain. Professor Geel was silent, but kept his eye trained on Shirou.
"If the reverse were to be attempted." Said Shirou. "Namely the Huntsmen leading all the Grimm to where they are so the villagers have a window to escape, then they'd die in the wilderness. The grimm would pick them off, because the Huntsmen stayed behind to fight and die."
Shirou continued to list off potential solutions he had formed, such as scaling the cliff which would be impossible since there were most likely elderly and children. Plus, he was sure that not everyone in the village could climb. The whole room fell into a stunned silence as Shirou basically explained that there was no feasible way to save the village, save a miracle or an airstrike which might have been the same thing at that point.
Applause followed Shirou's explanation, Professor Geel cracking a small smile at Shirou. "Very good." He began. "I'm glad you figured it out Mr. Emiya." He faced the rest of the class. "Welcome to your first lesson, or perhaps I shouldn't call this a lesson per say. This is an example of the worst case scenario, a situation wherein no plan or solution can change the outcome."
The Professor's eyes scanned the uneasy looks the class had formed. "Your job as part of a team of Huntsmen is to make sure that you do not fall into one of these situations." He shook his head. "I'm sure all of you are competent fighters, but brute force will not save you during every encounter. You'll need to be smart, be able to adapt on the fly to any and all challenges you face, and make sure that you come home alive.
The sound of the electronic bell sounding off was a godsend to most of the class.
Professor Geel merely turned on his heel, and headed for his desk. Picking up the only things he had brought into class, a piece of chalk, and a worn journal. "You're all dismissed, as far as I'm concerned Emiya is leagues ahead the rest of you." his eyes landed on Rin. "Schnee is above mediocre, and the rest of you need a dose of reality."
As the older man headed for the door, and partly opened it, he spoke. "To the Leaders in this class, word of advice. Indecisiveness and idealism are just more ways for you to get you and your team killed. I suggest you better yourselves, or you'll just be dragging down the people who are supposed to rely on you." Then left.
The students quickly vacated the classroom, not wanting to linger on the fact that they had probably found the teacher they disliked a day into the semester. Rin looked over to Shirou who nervously rubbed the back of his head.
"I gotta go." He began. "I gotta help Glynda set things up at her class." Rin nodded in understanding, and watched as Shirou jogged down the hall in the direction of their next class.
Team JNPR and the remaining members of Team RWBY stepped out into the hallway, all of them having varying degrees of what she could only describe as being sucked dry of joy. "I am not looking forward to Professor Grouch's classes." Yang announced.
"Join the club." Jaune dejectedly replied.
"Alright everyone." Pyrrha clapped. "Let's get to our next class with Professor Goodwitch, we wouldn't want to be late."
"Ugh, great." Yang groaned. "Another grouchy teacher."
Rin merely ignored the group of groaning teens, and began to head off by herself. "Hey Weiss." Yang called out once again. "Where you going?"
"Class." she replied.
"We just got out of class." Yang replied. "Let's take a breather, I don't think Miss Goodwitch is going to chew us out that badly for being late to class." Rin paused for a moment, she saw a few in their little group consider the blonde's suggestion.
Rin's eyes passed over Ruby and Jaune. "Are the Leaders really considering this suggestion? If so then the two of you really need help."
"Huh?" Jaune asked.
"Weiss, it's just a harmless suggestion." Ruby defended.
"Have a little bit of discipline." Rin added. "You're really considering going to another class late, when you're perfectly capable of coming in early." She shook her head. "Ruby, you're our leader. I suggest you start acting like it, preferably before these "harmless suggestions" start becoming harmful."
"What makes you think you can say that to my sister?" Yang asked with a snarl. "Who do you think you are?!"
"I thought someone should step up." Rin scoffed. "Considering that our leader might as well be a child, and her supposed elder sister is encouraging bad behaviour. I think I'm well within my right to say something." Rin rolled her eyes, she wasn't going to get through to people like these. "I'll be heading to class now."
No more words were spoken as Rin Tohsaka walked away with her head held high, they may have been her teammates but that didn't necessarily mean she needed to play nice with them outside of missions.
Standing off to the side as Glynda Goodwitch surveyed the fighting arena she'd use for the class, Shirou Emiya let out a breath. He'd been trying to figure out how the arena itself functioned. Glynda had powered on the arena's features earlier, several spotlights quickly illuminated the arena while the lights outside the arena's bounds powered off, then walls of blue shimmering light rose up around the arena.
"Are you still trying to figure out how the arena works?" Glynda asked.
Shirou nodded. "I was, am I that obvious?"
"Blatantly so." Glynda replied. "I assume you're not used to seeing Hard Light Dust? I suppose I shouldn't blame you, this type of Dust is somewhat rare."
Shirou merely nodded, Dust as a concept was not lost on him. Rin had explained to him that they were minerals full of elemental energies. She had likened them to her jewels, however she was quick to point out that Dust was far inferior to a jewel full of stockpiled power. They'd considered, well...Rin considered using them in favor of actual jewels. Since Dust was more readily available, and already had a bit of power within them.
"I'm not really well versed in Dust." Said Shirou. "Weiss is the one who usually handles it better."
"I suppose that's only natural." Glynda said, tapping away at her tablet. "Being the Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, it should be natural she'd be well versed in her product."
Weiss Schnee was an Heiress? That was news to him, he was aware that Weiss was a fairly famous individual but he never knew to what extent. Seems that Rin had been omitting some details from him. Oh well, he'd been doing similar things so who was he to be upset?
As if on cue, the person in his mind stepped into the room. Rin walked in, head slightly tilted up, her lips tightly pressed into a thin line. He'd seen that expression more times than he'd like to admit, even if the face she had was not her own. Rin would often wear it whenever she would have an exchange with Luvia. It was a clear indicator that someone had gotten under her skin, but she wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her snap.
"Excuse me Professor." Shirou bowed, and then headed off to where Rin had sat herself down. "Something happen?"
"I'm starting to think that: I envy your position of being teamless." Rin sighed, taking out her stationery set and placing it atop her desk.
Shirou shook his head. "Alright, who said what this time?"
"I don't think I enjoy you insinuating that I started an argument." Rin glared. "However, you're right in this case." Rin sighed, and propped her head on her hand while the other one twirled a pen around her thumb. "My teammates got the idea that arriving to class late was a valid idea."
"And let me guess, you tore into them about it?" Shirou asked, the white haired girl's decision to continue twirling her pen instead of giving him a reply was enough. "Rin, you really need to relax about these things. They're barely older than us when we got sucked into the Grail War, they haven't been tempered in combat like we have. Let them enjoy themselves."
Rin gave an indignant huff as she turned away. "I just want them to take this seriously."
"They will, but I find it that people respond to you better when you're nicer about it." Shirou placed a hand atop her head, being careful not to make a mess of her hair. "I know I did."
The door creaked open once more as Team JNPR and what remained of Team RWBY came into view. Shirou gave them a light wave as they entered, Blake sat next to Rin followed by Yang and Ruby. The latter nervously peering occasionally at the miffed heiress.
After a moment the clicking of heels caught Shirou's attention. Glynda had come up from behind him, and instructed him to take his seat.
Taking a seat next to Rin, Shirou looked forward. He'd talk to her when he knew Glynda wasn't looking, he was sure the blonde Professor wasn't very lenient; especially in her classes. "Good afternoon everyone." She greeted. "I'm sure you're quite exhausted, however just because you had three other classes before mine means I'll allow you to rest." She glanced over to Shirou. "Mr. Emiya, why don't you tell your peers what class this is."
Shirou stood up, and faced his classmates. "This is Applied Combat."
"Very good." Said Glynda. "In this class, you will all be pitting your best against your peers. Everything you've learned in your previous classes you use here. There will be one on one duels, Team battles, and even handicap matches." Glynda produced her tablet before the class, and with a few taps on the screen a cerulean hologram appeared above the arena Shirou had seen earlier. "However, for today we will have friendly spars."
Glynda proceeded to tap the tablet a few more times, and on the screen portraits of each of the students in class were displayed. "We will now begin." with another tap of her tablet, the portraits quickly began to shuffle into one another before one flashed on screen. "Miss Xiao Long, please prepare for your bout."
Yang flashed a thumbs up as she stood up. "Who would you like your opponent to be?" Glynda asked.
Yang's eyes had a hint of mischief to them, passing over Rin. 'Surely she's not that petty, right?' "I choose We-"
"I volunteer!" Shirou quickly interjected, thrusting his hand upward as fast as he could. Glynda blinked for a few moments, before nodding.
"I-I see." Glynda continued, coughing into her hand and looking at both teens. "Both of you, prepare for your match and return here in under five minutes."
Returning to the classroom that held their class, Shirou stepped onto the arena. He'd gotten a few strange glances as he entered, perhaps it was because of his attire. It was just his everyday clothes, he didn't really have any special pieces of armor like Pyrrha and Jaune so this was all he had to work with.
"Hey." Yang called out to him from the other side of the ring, she was busy stretching. "You must really want this rematch, eh Shirou?"
"I wanted you to calm down." He replied. "Picking a fight with someone while you're upset with them doesn't seem like a wise choice, especially if the one you're fighting is Rin."
Yang quirked a brow at this. "What's that supposed to mean Red?"
"You'd end up in the infirmary." Shirou decided to be direct, but Yang didn't seem like the person to be dissuaded with the threat of injury. So Shirou had taken it upon himself to be the one Yang would vent her frustrations on.
"Shirou, you seem like a nice guy." Yang began. "But she needs to learn that we're not the help, we're her teammates and we deserve to be spoken with respect. Ruby especially."
Shirou shook his head. "Rin is a bit insensitive, but she means well. She'll call out your faults and tell you to improve them without fail, though whether or not people decide to take her advice is a different story." Shirou allowed his magical energy to course through his circuits, a little check before the bout wouldn't hurt.
"Are both combatants ready?" Glynda asked from outside the ring.
Yang got into her stance. "We've done this dance before Shirou." Yang said. "It didn't go too well for you last time."
Shirou held out an open palm behind him. "Trace on." A bright flash of teal formed from behind Shirou, extending into a sharp point. He felt the heft of the weapon in his hand, he felt the wood of its shaft. Shirou swung the weapon into an upright position as it formed.
"This will be a standard tournament style bout." Glynda announced. "Both combatants will duel and will continue to do so until their aura is at a low enough level, or until one is knocked out of the ring. Any questions?"
Yang shook her head, as did Shirou. The weapon he'd made had finally finished projecting, he'd taken his time with its projection. He was testing whether or not there would be any negative feedback when he traced the weapon. The weapon was a spear, and it wasn't anything special, but the technique that would crystalize into a Noble Phantasm was in the A-Rank. He let out a sigh of relief, so far so good.
"Begin!" Glynda exclaimed.
A buzzer sounded off, and Yang had blasted forward and for her troubles had gotten smacked across the face by the spear's long wooden handle.
"Hey! That was-!" Yang didn't have a chance to finish her sentence, the spear tip had come within inches of her face. Shirou had unleashed an onslaught of jabs and swings with the spear. He wasn't even putting any effort into it, all his attacks would be done by moving the arm that was positioned farther down the spear's length, while the other hand was used to keep it steady.
Another thrust, and Yang had barely managed to lift up the Ember Celica to guard against it. The tip of the spear slid across her weapons, an ear piercing screeched echoed out as metal ground against metal.
She staggered back, as Shirou put the spear upright against his shoulder once again. "I think." He smirked. "You'll find that I'm nothing like I was last time. Sorry, but if I want you to calm down then I realize that I may need to beat you."
Pyrrha Nikos was rarely amazed, after competing in tournament after tournament she'd faced all manner of skilled combatants. However she found herself entranced by Shirou's movements, her fellow redhead had such skill with the spear.
There were no movements wasted. "How?" Pyrrha found herself asking aloud, how could Shirou move like that? As someone who utilized a spear as a transformation in her weapon, she was fluent in how to do battle with the weapon. However, the form Shirou was using was foreign to her, but even she could tell that he was leagues beyond her.
"Wow, he actually put some thought into it." Weiss had offhandedly commented, Pyrrha leaned forward hoping that the white haired girl would notice her.
"What do you mean by that?" Pyrrha asked.
"Shirou deciding how to deal with Yang." She replied. "Yang obviously fights in close range, so Shirou decided to fight her using a spear. A weapon with great reach." Weiss smirked. "It doesn't matter how strong you are, if you can't hit your opponent then you're out of luck."
"I never knew Shirou was so proficient with a spear." Pyrrha added. "I've never seen anyone fight like that, perhaps Shirou would introduce me to his teacher."
Weiss scoffed. "Good luck with that, the guy's dead."
Pyrrha felt herself deflate somewhat at that revelation, then looked back to where Shirou stood. Yang was still having trouble approaching. Pyrrha saw Shirou's foot shift, then suddenly Yang was launched backwards. The blonde rolled on the floor before she had managed to stop herself, a look of shock plastered across her face.
"H-He just threw Yang…" Ruby muttered, indeed it was a shock. Pyrrha hadn't known Yang for very long, but from her performance in the Emerald Forest during initiation. Yang had made something of a name for herself as a physically strong combatant, capable of hitting both hard and fast, and Shirou had just launched her back with a thrust of his spear.
Weiss wore a content smirk on her face as she watched the scene unfold, Shirou remained stationary. The only evidence that he had moved was the way his legs were positioned, a wide stance that was low to the ground. "I'm not surprised considering who's spear he's using." she commented, that raised a few brows.
""Who's spear"? What do you mean by that?" Pyrrha repeated. "Are you saying that weapon isn't his?"
"That's right!" said Ruby, realization overtaking her features. "Shirou can make weapons, he even tried to make Crescent Rose the night we met." Ruby smacked herself on the forehead. "I can't believe I didn't think about it sooner, Shirou never told me he could only make his weapons."
"You catch on quick." Weiss' smile grew wider. "Shirou made a weapon that was once wielded by a man named Li Shuwen."
Li Shuwen. The name wasn't familiar to Pyrrha, it sounded Mistralian but she'd never heard of anyone by that name before. "Weiss, who is this Li Shuwen?" Pyrrha asked.
Weiss glanced at her, Pyrrha had seen those types of glances many times before during her matches in the many tournaments she had participated in. The gaze was analytical, it was of someone who was trying to figure out a solution in order to best her. Why was Weiss looking at her in such a way? Then-
"Li Shuwen was a warrior, a man who had reached the pinnacle of his strength." Weiss explained. "His strength was so great that he'd only need a single strike to finish duels." Weiss pushed away a strand of white hair that had gotten in her face. "They called him "God Spear Li"."
Returning her gaze to the match, Shirou had begun to advance forward. Each step was accompanied by a thrust, Yang could only keep her guard up. "Shirou has her on the ropes." Blake observed.
Pyrrha's eyes moved to the display that showed their Aura levels. Yang's was dwindling fast, while Shirou maintained his high level of Aura.
"If this keeps up Shirou's going to win without taking any hits." Jaune added from beside her.
"No." Ruby had replied without any hint of hesitation. Pyrrha quickly returned her gaze to the match, just in time for Shirou to thrust his spear at Yang once more. "It isn't."
Yang had dropped her guard, her hand shooting up grabbing the spear tip with her hand. Yellow Aura flashing around the hand she had just to grab the weapon, as she let out a roar and threw the weapon across the ring; accompanied by Shirou who refused to let it go.
As Shirou landed on his back after being tossed aside by Yang for the second time since coming to this world, he immediately got to his feet.
Yang glared at him, eyes red and blonde hair aglow. I may have miscalculated. He admitted, his original plan was to just prod and poke Yang until she calmed down. Then he'd forfeit the match, he didn't have any qualms with losing a sparring match.
"I'm going to break that stick of yours." Yang growled.
If there was anything Shirou was thankful for, it was the fact that he didn't let go of his spear when he was thrown. There was no time to rest, Yang had propelled herself at him. He struck once again, but Yang merely brushed off his attack and continued forward.
He couldn't just bully her from a distance anymore, Shirou rolled out of the way as she swung down. Yang's fist connecting to the arena floor and cracking its pristine exterior. She was stronger, stronger than he remembered.
Shirou jumped, and struck the ground. The force of his strike launching himself back. He skidded back, and stared Yang down. He had to use the technique the spear had on Yang. No hesitation, he lowered himself down. His weight resting on his back foot, the spear resting on his hip.
Yang thrust her hands back, launching herself forward with an enraged yell.
Shirou's eyes narrowed, he took a sharp inhale. "Shen Qiang." He muttered.
"Wu Er Da!" Within the blink of an eye, Shirou had lunged forward a single step. Meeting Yang, the tip of the spear digging into her abdomen.
The blonde was launched back, skidding across the ground as sparks of yellow flashes with each impact. When Yang had come to a stop, and did not jump back to her feet Shirou was finally able to let out a sigh of relief.
As the buzzer sounded off, Shirou dismissed the weapon. Then it came, exhaustion and waves of nausea that hit Shirou like a punch in the groin. It floored him, made him drop to his knees as he dry heaved. A feeling of numbness washed over Shirou as he felt the stinging of what he could only describe as needles across his whole body. Flashes of silver ran over his body. "What?!" He asked, confused. "I-"
"Shirou." He flinched, feeling a hand on his shoulder. Rin stood behind him, concern washing over her pristine features. "Are you okay?"
"I-I don't know." He muttered, glancing over his hands once more. The flashes were gone, as was the nausea but the exhaustion remained. "Rin, I can't get up. Can you help?"
Rin smirked. "You're asking for help? I suppose miracles can happen."
Shirou chuckled. "What's that supposed to mean?" Sharing a chuckle, Rin helped the male to his feet. Glancing over to Yang who had just gotten to her feet, Glynda stood beside her probably asking questions that made sure she didn't have any injury.
"You seriously used a Noble Phantasm on her." Rin scolded, helping Shirou walk back to the seats.
"Hey, I held back." Shirou chuckled. "That technique is supposed to send the target into Circulatory Shock, I had to water it down a bit." That was an understatement, the technique that would crystalize into Li Shuwen's Noble Phantasm was a deadly one, it showed his mastery over his craft and his skill as a warrior. If Li Shuwen himself were to witness Shirou's take on it, he'd probably use it on him. "I underestimated how much she could take."
"You can say that again." Rin rolled her eyes, and continued for the stands.
However…
Rin had come to a stop, her eyes locking with Yang's lilac orbs. The pair were staring each other down, most likely due to their exchange of words from before.
"Yang!" Ruby had rushed down to her sister, then stopping as she realized the two women were still glaring at each other.
"It doesn't take a genius to figure out that you wanted to fight me." Rin began. "You got Shirou instead, and lost for all your troubles."
"Rin." Shirou groaned.
The heiress sighed, and then looked to her teammates. "I'm not sorry for what I said, in fact I stand by it. However, instead of yelling at all of you to get your acts together, I should be helping you do just that." Rin bowed her head. "And I'm sorry I didn't realize that sooner."
"Was that supposed to be an apology?" Yang scoffed.
"Someone suggested I take a tamer approach to correcting these bad behaviours of yours." Rin smirked. "However, if you don't like it then you're welcome to not accept it."
"An apology with a lecture is the best you're going to get." Shirou chuckled. "Trust me."
Rin glanced at Ruby who seemed to flinch at the brief eye contact. "Ruby, as your partner I will compensate for your weaknesses." Rin had leaned Shirou up against a nearby desk, and approached the hooded Huntress in training. "You're team leader, and I'll help you be the best you can be."
Ruby sent her a forlorn glance. "Weiss, I...I think you're wasting your time." Ruby began. "I thought about what you said earlier, and...I think you're right. I haven't been acting like a leader, and…" she sighed. "I think I'll go talk to Professor Ozpin once the day is over, and ask him if you can be leader."
"What?!" Yang exclaimed.
"Ruby I don't think that's wise." Shirou added.
"Guys, I've given it some thought." Said Ruby. "Maybe Professor Ozpin made a mistake."
"I sincerely hope not." A voice called out, the class fell silent as a familiar cane carrying, gray haired Headmaster made his way to the front of the room. "I was just making my rounds, and happened to see Mr. Emiya and Miss Xiao Long's match. It was quite riveting might I add."
Ruby approached. "Professor Ozpin I-"
He held up a hand. "Miss Rose, don't be so hard on yourself."
"Professor, I'm sorry but I can't help but think you made a mistake in choosing me." Ruby continued. "You should make Weiss the leader."
Ozpin raised a brow. "Oh?" He asked. "And what makes you say that?"
"I've never done this before Professor." Said Ruby. "I've never been in a position even remotely close to this, and compared to Yang, Blake, and Weiss; I don't have the experience they have."
"And you think because of that you aren't fit to be a leader?" Ozpin asked, Ruby simply nodded and looked to the Headmaster for his decision. "Tell me Miss Rose, what do you think being a leader is?"
"I…" Ruby fell silent, it was clear she didn't know.
"Being a leader is not about being the strongest, nor is it about being the wisest." Ozpin began. "Being a leader is about being able to move forward, regardless of the mistakes you may make along the way."
"But...what if I make a big one?" Ruby asked.
"You're only human Ruby." Shirou added. "No one expects you to be perfect, to be human is to make mistakes." Shirou knew he'd made his fair share. "Everyone makes mistakes."
"Really?" She asked, prompting Shirou to nod. "Even you?" She once again asked, turning her attention to the silver haired Headmaster.
"Miss Rose, I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet." Ozpin wistfully said. "I know you can do better, and I know that making you a leader is not one of my mistakes." Ozpin chuckled for a moment. "I seem to recall having a similar conversation with your mother many years ago."
Ruby's eyes widened. "My mom was a leader too?"
"Yes." Ozpin chuckled. "She had her doubts as well, and chastised herself for every mistake." He sighed. "If I had a Lien for every time your mother doubted herself, then Beacon would have a second cafeteria."
Ruby looked to the Headmaster, who smiled at her. Shirou offered a smile of his own.
"You'll improve Ruby." To the aforementioned girl's surprise, the one who had chimed in was Rin. A small smile was displayed on her face. "It's only been a day, you'll improve. I'll make sure you improve, I will hold myself responsible to make you the best you can be."
"O-Okay." Ruby beamed, glancing to the supportive features of her sister and her partner. The silver haired headmaster sent Shirou a glance and a nod, then took a sip of his beverage.
One stern clearing of the throat later, and all those that surrounded the Headmaster were met with the glaring visage of Glynda Goodwitch. Ozpin chuckled, and took a cautionary step back. "Run along everyone, I think I've interrupted Glynda's class for long enough."
"Yes, you have." She narrowed her eyes. The Headmaster quickly made himself scarce, Shirou was sure the silver haired Professor could feel Glynda's gaze burning a hole into the back of his head as he left the classroom. "Now everyone, back to your seats."
After a difficult few feet of Rin carrying Shirou back to his seat, the heiress noticed a shuffling of their seating positions. Ruby now sat next to her, the hooded Huntress in training enthusiastically listening to Glynda talk about the previous match.
Shirou and Rin however…
"Did you catch what he said?" Rin whispered.
Shirou nodded his head. "Of course. "I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, or child, on this planet." something tells me that it wasn't just hyperbole." Shirou gave her a sidelong glance. "What do you think?"
"I can think of a few likely reasons." said Rin. "All of which are beginning to grow more and more unlikely, he just doesn't fit any of the things that come to mind." Rin shook her head. "We'll discuss it later, after all he doesn't seem to be an immediate threat."
"I suppose." Shirou replied, grunting slightly as he adjusted himself in his seat. "After all, we still have to teach you how to handle Myrtensaster."
"O-Oh? Was that starting today?" Rin chuckled.
"Of course." Shirou smiled, he made sure to smile as sweetly as he could. "I'm going to enjoy teaching you Tohsaka." Rin's reply devolved to a groan, followed by her head meeting the wooden desk.
Shirou chuckled, as far as the first day of classes went. He considered today a success, and couldn't wait to see what else the rest of the school year had in store for him and Rin.