[Ruby Rose]
I couldn't believe that I get to meet the Boss! He was right in front of me when we were at their office and he just mentioned my team. I admit I was nervous at first and meeting the agency is not that easy for me. I almost couldn't breathe because of so much tension I was feeling.
The boss talked to me as well, welcoming me and he even asked me about Raven Branwen. I was grateful a bit when Yang wasn't there when I got called by the president and I told him my sister's mother is not here with us. He looked rather dismayed but our arrival was never a bother to him, instead, he was very glad. I just got confused about why would he ever be looking for Yang's mother. Even my sister doesn't care about her and will not find her if there is a chance.
Since there are empty rooms at the building, Sir Fukuzawa also offered us a new office where we can stay and regard it as our workplace. Some of us already have jobs. Pyrrha is a tutor from day care while Nora already has her own flower shop. It is up to us four if we should be working with the agency or look for other jobs instead. I didn't know how to thank Boss for his kindness to think he welcomed us and become part of the family or whatever you can call it.
The new office we got is just two doors from the office where the members of ADA are working. I never bother to go in there especially since the bandaged guy who is also there working and it is embarrassing if you just bust in there for no actual reason.
The four of us got to the agency headquarters early in the morning to enrich more of our office. I am relieved when there is no one to bother me today well except for Yang who is chattering with the three of us. When Nora is not here, my sister will think of a topic just to talk with us.
"Ruby, have you heard of bandaged guy yet?" Yang asked, arranging working tables for the four of us.
"Don't even think about it, Yang," I said monotonously.
"Why do you keep calling him 'bandaged guy?" Weiss raised her eyebrow in curiosity.
"Because he is wrapped in bandages?" Yang replied.
"Oh come on! Stop it!" I whined.
"What? You said so yourself."
"Blaaaake!"
Blake already put some things on a shelf that we just brought to the office. She sat on a chair beside the table Yang just placed for her. She is silently reading a book not noticing us and our conversation of the day. I called her name many times to help me let Yang shut her mouth but she just snobbed me.
"Don't get me involved," She muttered, her eyes are moving on the book she is skimming through.
There was a knock on the door after we finished organizing our things inside. I opened the door to see a white-haired boy with a bad haircut. Yang told us about him who she met days ago when we were supposed to be on a mission though it just went wrong for me. The guy in the suspenders and a long, black necktie stared at me and I also got to lock eyes with him too.
"Uhh..." I haven't even got any words to say. Bummer.
"Hey! I'm Atsushi Nakajima, I wasn't here the first you came here. Too busy," he says while rubbing the back of his head.
"I'm Ruby Rose, nice to meet you!" I smiled.
"You're weretiger right?!" Yang interrupted.
Atsushi got astounded when he tilted his head and glanced at Yang. My sister is cheerfully waving at him with a washcloth she is still holding. He waved back at her then smiled shyly. I got to just look at him and he looked so innocent and nice. I was about to say something when Yang approached him beside me and began entertaining him.
"Where have you been? I rarely see you around here," Yang inquired.
"We just got back from another mission after the retirement home incident."
"We?" My turn to ask.
"Yeah, four of us. Dazai-san, Chuuya-kun, and Ryunosuke-kun. Just a two-day mission, it was worth the effort."
Yang and I looked at each other. We heard something fall on the floor and that is when we looked back to see Blake and Weiss's eyes on us. Then we looked at Atsushi again who is confusingly frowning at us but returned his smile in a millisecond.
I gazed down and stood frozen in front of the door for a while. I didn't know what to feel, not even disappointment just a little bit of discouragement that is. It is almost the same thing though.
"Uh, little sis?"
"Oh!" I snapped out.
"Are you okay?" Atsushi asked.
"Yes! Well, why are you here do you need something from us?" I asked him and as usual, it became his habit to look down in coyness when it is his turn to talk.
"Fukuzawa-san wants you to come over to the rooftop. He said you have the training to do," Atsushi stated.
"Training?" Yang questioned.
I remembered back when we were still in Remnant and met the Ace Ops, they were not the ones we were expecting and ended up betraying us. They never cared about other people and sided with the general instead. It could be different here. When Weiss and Blake heard about it too, they never hesitated and just went with us. I just have to agree since it is just training to prove how we are really capable of being hunters. It is always proving to anyone else how reliable you can be for the team not that you can just be who you want to be.
We went with Atsushi just as we have been told to just follow him and we did. He is the nicest guy I have met and I am thankful for that. Yang couldn't seem to stop talking to him even though he is kind of timid when he is replying.
As we got to the rooftop you would not believe who I am seeing. Atsushi is not joking when they just got back from their mission and they are also actually here. I was flabbergasted, my eyes almost fell out from their sockets and my body felt like it wanted to run swiftly away and never show up again. I don't know what to feel but to just be embarrassed even though I never have done anything humiliating yet.
"Everyone's here?" Blake murmured.
"Yeah, and there is bandaged guy!" Yang added.
I sighed heavily as we are approaching the people on the rooftop. Dazai is waving at me with a friendly smile on his face and of course with Chuuya by his side with his straight face. Not everyone is here, the ladies aren't here especially Nora and Pyrrha who are probably at work.
"So they were the ones you were talking about to me all along."
I glanced at the man who is beside Sir Fukuzawa, both of them are at the same age in their mid-forties. He met my eyes then I got taken aback a bit and immediately gazed away. I didn't mean to stare. His dark purple eyes are a bit ravenous almost as the same gazes as Yang's mother's red ones.
We were face to face with them and to avoid spacing out, I looked around the rooftop and the clear blue sky didn't seem to restrict me from gazing at it and I can see tall buildings further away from here, even the whole heart of the district.
"Huntresses, I'd like you to meet Mori Ogai, the president of the Port Mafia," Sir Fukuzawa said.
"Port Mafia?" Weiss and I murmured at the same time. Both of us glanced at each other with perplexity in our eyes.
"Yes, my organization. I have two members with me, Chuuya and Akutagawa," Sir Mori replied with a smile on his face.
"So, does that mean Dazai and Chuuya aren't in the same-"
"No, but they were. You have silver eyes, by the way. Didn't you notice that Yukichi-san?"
"I already had since the beginning," Sir Fukuzawa responded.
My brows wrinkled in confusion then I looked at my friends, they all looked flabbergasted alright. Like they don't know what is happening except me but I can tell I am more confused than ever just as much as they are. They had all noticed my eyes like it is something special. I bowed my head down and clasped my hands together too discouraged to look back at them. I can't even talk to my team right now, they might have a lot of questions in their minds. I don't want to go back from before, everything was so dark back then.
"What are we going to do here? I'm sorry I had to interrupt," Weiss interfered.
The two bosses returned to their focus on us. Weiss didn't really mean to cut them off, but they aren't bothered by it. We listened to them when they said we have to take an exam. I narrowed my eyes from thinking about it and how we are going to do it. Atsushi told us that we have to train, maybe that is what is all about.
"Are we going to fight with the guys?" Yang casually asked.
"Not yet. I want to see you one of you fight the other one," Sir Ogai suggested.
"You want us to fight each other?" Blake asked looking at each one of us.
"We haven't done that yet," Weiss murmured.
"Then I insist you, ladies, to do it. Just like what our boys had done."
The four of us tilted our heads to see the guys who were just watching us. They just looked so calm while we could almost fight for our lives here. I kept reminding myself that this will just be a training and no one will get hurt not even die. We have been always together and we never thought of holding grudges against one another. I must have become exaggerated when I said no one should have to die in this training.
"Wait, they had fought one another?" Yang asked in surprise.
"They are once rivals to one another too. So that explains it," Sir Fukuzawa replied.
"Who do you want to go first?" Sir Ogai added and smiled at us. He really is enjoying this.
The four of us looked to one another. We kept on thinking about it, so many second thoughts and doubts. I can't do this but what if I refuse? I can't refuse, can I? This is just a challenge we can overcome this, I know we can.
"Ruby and Weiss," Yang yelled.
"Uh-" Blake is almost speechless.
'What?!" Weiss and I shouted at Yang. We looked at her and even she didn't want this to happen. Her face was grimacing in disappointment and scratching her head feeling sorry for us.
"Hey, that's a good one!" Dazai shouted back at us.
"You are going to pay for this, Yang!" Weiss threatened.
"What? You two used to quarrel every single day, you two should train and defeat one another!" Yang replied firmly.
"But, sis! You can't do this!" I exclaimed.
There is a pause for a while. I didn't even know what I sounded like. Yang looked at me astounded, Weiss frowned at me as well as Blake while the rest of the men just stood to where they are, their eyes are all on me.
"I-I can't fight Weiss," I stammered, I can feel my eyes heating up.
"Ruby-chan, it's just a training. It will be alright," I heard Atsushi convinced me. I looked at him and I smiled bitterly, shaking my head.
"Just go with it, Ruby," Weiss said to me when she walked up and leaned on my ear.
She is not serious about this. She didn't even understand what I meant. I found myself breathing raggedly and stuck to where I wasn't supposed to be. What have I gotten myself into?
"Ruby, you have to pull up yourself together," Blake demanded though her voice is soothing and calm to me. She made me appeased alright.
Weiss pulled her silver rapier from the left side of her long sleeve coat and held it with her firm, pale hand. From the distance, I coud see she is in tension and quivering in anticipation. She also didn't like this but none of us has a choice. It is an order though we can't even guess what will happen if we decline it.
I blew a deep breath and balled my hands into fists. They must be curious why I never took Crescent Rose out of nowhere, or they might think that I would use my eyes to just turn Weiss into stone which I dread to do. I will not do anything here, and if Weiss casts ice then so be it.
Bright, white, and round glyphs just summoned by Weiss's rapier everywhere around us. All of us are gazing at it and I am preparing to just sprint away from it and not die from freezing. The glyphs are rotating which I tell it is ready to attack by throwing ice remnants against me. Weiss's eyes were narrowing fiercely as she manipulated her rapier, ready to fire ice from the glyphs.
And I never was wrong. She is the Ice Queen that anyone can never mess with.
I almost scream as I leaped from the air when ice daggers are flying towards me. Then below me, a hill of ice emerged from the ground and I diverted from it when I cloaked myself into my semblance. Red petals surrounded my cape and I felt soaring in utter fleetness that nothing can even catch me from hovering everywhere. Ice hills kept emancipating while Weiss is just standing from the distance and tirelessly casting ice against me. I kept avoiding all of it, running on top of it as it kept on soaring high. I couldn't restrain myself from cursing without realizing I could be heard by the guys who are just watching us in amusement.
"Ruby, fight back!" Yang shouted.
"Stop running and fight me!" Weiss yelled.
"In your dreams, Ice Queen!" I yelled fiercely at her.
I heard Weiss grumbled loudly in annoyance. The ice hills have dissipated so I found myself on the ground once again, heaving deep breaths and holding on for dear life. I held on to both of my knees while breathing so heavily I might have just let my body drop to the ground.
"Ruby!"
I looked up and the last thing I knew was Weiss pointing the rapier towards me as she swiftly made a glide forward with the help of her glyphs she impelled on the ground. It looked like she was about to stab me and so I just stumbled on the ground bottom first until she refrained in front of me, looking down at me angrily and unsatisfied.
"What are you doing? You should have fought me! My life doesn't matter!" Weiss shouted.
"You don't even care if I cut you with my scythe?" I asked and eyed her bitterly.
"Who cares? Pull out your scythe and attack, can't you even do that?"
"Where is this coming from?" I almost raise my voice.
I forgot that we are being watched and the two presidents of the organizations are still here. I really felt so embarrassed. I got nothing to do but to stay there on the ground with my head down low. I sensed Weiss is walking away from me then a hand took a grip on my arm. I was expecting that it should be Blake or Yang but it was a gloved hand. My eyes widened a bit until I got to look up and met Chuuya's serious face while he helped me to stand up.
"Th-thank you, Chuuya-kun," I murmured.
"How rash. Are you hurt, Ruby-chan?"
Dazai approached me as well which I didn't have time to entertain him it is no use. I just shook my head while still eyeing the ground and couldn't help myself but feel my eyes heating. I can't just cry in front of them, I will look like a wimpy kid and I am not a kid for God's sake. Whatever happened to Weiss today? Blake and Yang must have followed her down the building because I never saw them on the rooftop anymore.
"I never expect that to happen. It is my fault to create such a heedless test," Sir Ogai chimed in.
"Don't blame yourself, Boss," Chuuya replied in his deep voice.
"Well, I guess we're done here Mori-san. Please let Ruby-chan take her rest," Dazai added.
I can't explain myself any further. I didn't even do anything to just keep this training running smoothly, she just broke down and I never even knew the reason. I had thought that the two of us are doing okay, then she happened to almost wreck the rooftop or probably it is just me.
"I'm sorry I failed. I will do better next time," I meekly apologized to Mori-san.
Without even taking one gaze at them, I walked with my head bowed down in dismay. I could feel their eyes following me pacing away. I blew a deep breath with my shoulders drooped and a weary emotion. This is just another day that went wrong. When will I ever be just cool with everything else?