Authors Note: Since these chapters are a bit shorter than what I usually write, I can get them out faster. Making chapters between 5k and 6k is much easier to manage than 10K+ words.
I would like to thank those who took the time to review last chapter. I was great reading your comments. You made writing last chapter worthwhile, so thank you for that. Like I said, the only reward Fanfiction Authors get is reviews. So, if you want this story to continue, please leave a review. Thank you.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything
Master of Aura
Chapter 2
TEN
Qrow knew he was taking a chance when he invited the adolescent kid on his journey back to vale. Not only did Killua act a bit suspicious, but the way he asked and answered questions were phrased in a way that would not only hide information about himself, but also force Qrow to reveal a lot of information about certain topics.
The older man was actually impressed that this kid had the wisdom to gain information in such a way. But that was also a very dangerous ability. Skills like that should be acquired with extensive experience and over long periods of time, but this boy was only fifteen years old, about the same age as his niece.
Not only that, but his fighting style was frighteningly effective. During their trip back to Vale, Qrow had seen Killua fight more than a few Grimm along the way. His style was quick and to the point, each movement precise and deadly. He never showed off, never did unnecessary movements like flipping or leaping around, and each of his attacks were designed to take the opponent down in an instant.
Again, it was very interesting to watch because each fight would be over within a matter of seconds. There wasn't much time to even observe his fighting style…or if he even had one.
However, despite his fighting style and his strangely mature attitude, the one thing that really caught Qrow's attention was the aura that constantly surrounded the boy.
Qrow had never seen anything quite like it. Sure, people could use Aura to shroud themselves for another layer of protection, but that was only when they fought Grimm or other Hunters. Other than that, Aura was hardly used in everyday life because it would exhaust the Hunter after a few moments. But it seemed that this Kid was able to keep his powerful shroud covering his body constantly. Even when chatting idly, the shroud was still active, meaning that he didn't need much concentration to keep it up, if he needed any concentration at all.
"Old man, you really need to stop doing that." Killua said in annoyance as they continued walking down the road. They had just finished killing off another pack of Beowulf's and Killua was winding up his Yo-Yo.
"What are you talkin' about? And don't call me old!" Qrow snapped.
"I'm talking about the way you're staring at me. It's creeping me out!" Killua responded with a tick mark on his forehead. Seriously, the way Qrow kept staring at him, you'd think Hisoka found his way to this world somehow.
"Can't help it kid. With the way you keep your aura active like that, you're gonna to turn some heads. Can't you relax and turn it off? You're making me look bad."
Killua blinked, remembering that this guy could see Aura. Regular people wouldn't be able to notice it because the Aura nodes in their eyes aren't open.
"…Sure, I guess." Killua said, focusing just a bit more. He wasn't going to turn his Aura off, because that would be stupid. Instead, he was going to apply a technique that he'd learned a while ago.
IN
Qrow's eyebrow rose as he watched Killua's aura disappear. "Much better. Now that your Aura isn't on full display, you won't bring much attention to yourself. Try not to show off too much Kid, it's annoying."
Killua's eyebrow twitched a little, but couldn't help but grin. This guy had no idea what was actually going on. Killua didn't release his shroud. He simply hid it from view using IN. Without using GYO, you would not be able to see his aura anymore.
IN was an ability that Killua had learned in the past, but didn't need to apply it much because there was never that many people who could use Nen in his world, only hunters. But this would be good practice in learning to maintain it constantly. It would seem that people who use Aura around here aren't used to seeing someone constantly using TEN. And not only that, Aura manipulation might be even more common on this world than his.
Not nearly as powerful, but more common it would seem.
Still though, it was interesting that Aura users around here would just shut off their aura when not in a fight. What would happen if someone stuck up on you? You would not be able to defend yourself and someone could easily kill you with a simple injection of Nen.
"Hmmm…I wonder." Killua thought, focusing the aura to his eyes while concealing it using IN.
"GYO"
Instantly, Killua could see Qrow's aura. He didn't currently have his shroud up, but Killua noticed that Aura was still slowly leaking from his body, just like how a regular person's Aura would react. Meaning that Qrow wasn't even containing his Aura at all, he was just releasing his control over the nodes and not protecting himself.
Focusing on his eyes a bit more, Killua squinted at the man. That's when he saw it. Killua's eyes widened just a bit as he continued observing. A person would be able to control Aura if their Aura nodes were opened. They would be able to freely control the flow of Aura through these nodes, which is how people use Nen. Usually a person would be able to learn how to open their aura nodes through mediation and training, or you could forcefully open them all at once and learn the hard way. That's what Killua and Gon did. But as Killua observed Qrow, he noticed a couple things.
The first thing was that over half of Qrow's Aura nodes were still closed.
Qrow's thin and weak shroud wasn't a result of having a low quantity of aura. It was because aura was only escaping through a small portion of his Aura nodes.
"Whoever unlocked his aura didn't have a clue what they were doing." Killua summarized.
The second thing he noticed was a certain aspect of Qrow's Aura that was acting very strange. Killua took a step back from Qrow in order to get a better look around. It was difficult to describe, but it almost looked as if the old man was consistently projecting EN in a decently size radius around them. The Aura was even thinner than Qrow's shroud, making it difficult for Killua to even see it with GYO. In fact, it didn't even look as if Qrow even knew he was projecting his Aura like this.
"Now it's my turn to ask kid, why are you staring at me like that?" Qrow asked, eyeing him with the corner of his eye while taking a sip of his flask.
"…It's nothing." Killua said as he deactivated his GYO, deciding not to worry about it. If it was indeed EN, then he didn't have much to worry about. In fact, it would be impressive it Qrow was able to keep up EN with such a radius.
But it was also curious that Qrow though Killua's Aura was strong.
"Does that mean he has no idea what his own Aura is doing?" Killua thought to himself.
Then there was the fact that Qrow though a simple TEN was something impressive. If this guy was an experienced hunter in this world, then that meant it was normal for people to only use a small portion of their Aura nodes.
And if that was the norm around here, then Killua didn't want to change that quite yet. He still didn't know if he could trust Qrow, which is why he hadn't used any of his more powerful Nen abilities when fighting the Grimm. That would raise way too many questions, Killua was sure of it.
It was a few weeks later that Qrow and Killua found themselves about one day away from Vale. Currently, they were sitting around a campfire, gazing into the dancing flames as the night sky shrouded the area in darkness.
The unfortunate thing about this trip was that Killua and Qrow didn't share many words with each other. They were a lot alike when it came to personality, meaning that small talk was not a strong suit for them. Even though they spent quite a while together, they still didn't know much about each other.
However, Qrow was determined to change that tonight.
"Kid, I've been meaning to ask you something…" Qrow said, trying to start a conversation. He learned early that Killua was a pretty secretive kid. He only answered questions with very vague answers, but somehow the questions were answered to a satisfactory degree, but didn't leave much room for conversation.
"What?"
"I've notice that you're really…accustomed to fighting. Have you always fought the Grimm?"
Killua studied the man for a while. During the few weeks, he spent with the older man, even Killua had to admit this guy was pretty skilled with his blade. If the old man could use the full extent of his aura, then he could be very strong.
But even so, there was something about this guy that was…strange. During the few weeks they traveled to vale, certain things began to be apparent. For one, Killua noticed that he had been…off his game. What should have been instant kills with the Grimm would sometimes take two or three more moves before the Grimm actually died. Sometimes his attack would miss a vital organ by mere inches, giving the Grimm a chance to attack back. And Occasionally, a Grimm would suddenly move for no reason and thwart Killua's attack pattern, forcing the boy to adapt his strategy for the kill.
Killua was a professional Assassin. He did not make those kinds of mistakes.
At first, he just chalked it up as bad luck. But as time went on, things like that kept happening. Thant's when he began to realize that something strange was going on. It was like there was…something constant that was following them around.
It didn't take long before Killua decided that the mysterious EN that Qrow was projecting might be the cause of it. But, in all there time together, not once had Qrow mentioned that anything was off, which was a little unnerving to say the least. It was the main reason that Killua had concealed the majority of his abilities, relying only on his Yo-Yo and Ten when he fought the Grimm.
"I've always been fighting." Killua said, not finding any reason he should withhold that information. "It wasn't always the Grimm though."
"So, you're used to fighting other people huh? Even Hunters?"
"I've fought Hunters before too."
"Damn…" Qrow said as he took a drink from his flask. "It's unfortunate, but there are some Hunters in the world who don't follow the code."
"Why do you ask?"
"Just trying to make conversation." Qrow said. "Were almost to Vale, and I still know next to nothing about you."
"It's not really necessary to know anything about me."
"True, but if we are going to be friends, might as well get to know each other." Qrow commented dryly.
"Friends?" Killua asked, surprise evident in his voice. He was even surprised by the amount of shock in his own voice.
"Yeah, you know what A friend is, right? Considering a dead tree stump has more social skills than you, I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't know." Qrow asked, a grin forming on his face.
"Dumbass." Killua chuckled. "I can tell you aren't the most social of people either, old man." Killua quickly raised his hand and caught the thrown flask.
"Don't call me that! I'm not old." Qrow growled. "But you make a good point. Never been one to socialize much myself. I've been too busy doing chores for Ozpin at Beacon."
"The Headmaster, right? For the school that trains hunters."
"Oh, so you do listen." Qrow said, an honest look of surprise on his face.
"Of course, I do. You're just not observant enough to notice."
"You little…"
"But I am curious, you keep saying that Beacon is a very difficult school to get into. Why are you willing to pull the strings for me?" Killua asked, his eyes narrowing a little.
"Like I said kid, you perked my inter-"
"I heard what you said, but I want the truth." Killua cut off, casually throwing the flask back at Qrow.
The older man caught it while staring down at Killua's serious expression. The kid was right, there was another reason why he was going to recommend him to Ozpin, but it wasn't just because the boy caught his interest.
"You're way more observant than what I gave you credit for." Qrow said, unscrewing the cap on the flask and attempting to take a sip, only to realize that it was empty. "You're right, there is another reason, but that's something I can't tell you about."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I'm not apologizing for it either." Qrow said, staring at the young boy.
Killua studied him for a few seconds before shrugging, turning back to the fire. "Well, at least you were honest about it."
"That makes one of us."
Killua chuckled as he turned back to the man. "Whatever do you mean?" He asked, an innocent expression on his face. "I've been nothing but honest."
"Vaguely honest. Don't think I haven't noticed how you keep dodging my questions with short answers."
"I tell you what you need to know, nothing more. I have a few secrets of my own, but I'm telling the truth when I say that all of them will mean anything to you."
"…"
Qrow stared down this kid for a while. This was the longest conversation they had since the time they first met. Again, he was impressed this kid could hold a mature conversation with him at his age. Heck, he didn't even feel like he was talking to a kid at all.
Killua gave a sigh as he glanced over at Qrow. "But I'll tell you what, this whole time I've had this nagging feeling that something has been…shadowing us this entire time." Killua said, describing it as best he could. "I know it's coming from you, and I know it's…been affecting me somehow. For some reason, I've been a little off my game since we first left the inn. So, if you are honest and tell me what it is, I will be completely honest with one of your questions."
Qrow blinked in confusion. In all honesty, he didn't have a clue as to what Killua was talking about. What did me mean that something was shrouding them? That Something was affecting him? And what was he talking about when he said he was off his game? The kid was a natural fighter. What was he going on ab…?
Qrow's eyes widened quite a bit as something clicked in his mind. How in the world could someone have figured it out?
"How did you know?" He asked.
"I'm very observant. I usually can tell if something is wrong right away…But this was…kinda difficult to realize. Whatever was happening, it only started when I met you." Killua responded, already making the decision not to mention what he saw with GYO. "It wasn't affecting me that badly, so I didn't…" Killua trailed off, but Qrow seemed to understand the underlying threat. "In fact, I didn't even know you knew about it until right now."
Qrow gave a deep sigh. What kind of monster had he run into? How could someone be so observant that they could sense it?
"…It's my semblance." Qrow said, looking into the fire.
"Semblance? What's that supposed to be? Some kind of Nen ability?" Killua thought to himself.
"What does it do?" He asked, hoping Qrow would slip some more information about a Semblance.
Qrow sighed again. "Your observant enough to see that I'm not the most social of people, and that's because of my semblance. Some people get super strength, or super speed, heck, some people can create something out of nothing, but my Semblance is different. It's the reason why people call me Qrow."
"Hmm…So I'm guessing this so-called Semblance is unique to a person. Is it some kind of Hatsu? Or maybe a Specialist technique." Killua thought.
"My semblance is bad luck. It affects everyone around me, both enemies and allies. I can't control it, and I can't turn it off." Qrow said, wishing he had more to drink.
Killua simply stared at him for a while. He could see that Qrow was not lying at all. That was a very strange ability indeed.
"A specialization ability then. I mean, it's rare, but some people are born with abilities they can't control." Killua thought. "Like how Alluka was born with her Specialist ability, Something. Or maybe…maybe he can't control it because if his messed up Aura nodes?"
"That's interesting. I guess that's why I've been making so many mistakes for the past few weeks."
Qrow shook his head in disbelieve. He couldn't believe what he was listening to. But that wouldn't stop him from asking his question.
"Now it's my turn." He said, getting Killua's attention. The older man paused for a few moments, thinking about what question he wanted a complete answer to. He had so many concerning the kid. Did he want to ask about his past? About his semblance? What did he want to know? After all, the kid already said that his secrets wouldn't affect him in any way, so he didn't want to waste his question asking if Killua was a threat or not.
"…How do you keep your Aura constantly activated without it draining you?" Qrow asked suddenly. He instantly wanted to kick himself, thinking he wasted his opportunity to learn more about the kid.
Killua shook his head because he knew that question would spawn even more questions for the old man. But then again, the only reason he didn't mention anything about Aura to Qrow was because of that strange EN that Qrow constantly projected. He didn't trust the old man because of that. But now that Killua knew what it was, and that Qrow didn't mean any harm by it, maybe this guy was worth trusting a little bit more.
"How much do you know about Aura?" Killua asked.
"…Aren't you supposed to answer the question?"
"Yes, but if you are to understand the answer, then I need to know what you know about Aura."
Qrow sighed, wondering if this was just another way for this kid to avoid giving him any substantial information. "Aura is the manifestation of a person's soul. Depending on the person, they can use it to increase their defense, or use it offensively. Our weapons are also conduits for Aura, making an attack even more powerful. Semblance is also equated with Aura and is unique to everyone." Qrow rambled, giving the very high-level explanation of Aura.
"Well…It's close enough. Aura is life force, which can be considered someone's soul. And he said a Semblance is unique to everyone? Does that mean everyone has a unique Semblance? Like a specialist ability" Killua thought to himself as he waited for Qrow to continue.
"…What?"
"Is that it?" Killua asked, a little surprised.
"Pretty much. I'm not about it gets into a deep discussion on Aura with you kid." Qrow responded in annoyance.
Killua shook his head, realizing that this was going to leave the older man really confused.
"You sure you want the question answered then?" Killua asked sincerely.
"Um…Yeah. Why are you asking me?"
"Because if you learn only a part of something, you will end up knowing even less than when you started. Is that something you're willing to risk?" Killua asked, echoing what Wing told him long ago.
Qrow blinked a few times, taking in Killua's words. It did make sense, but the man's curiosity was getting the better of him.
"I'll take my chances. So, spill it already."
Killua gave a sigh as he looked over at Qrow. "To be honest old man, you barely scratched the surface of Aura."
"…Is that right?" Qrow said, putting down his flask and giving Killua his undivided attention. "And why's that? I might've been vague, but I don't think I missed anything when it came to Aura."
"Then let me ask you this, what are the four basic principles of Nen?" Killua asked, gauging the guys reaction.
"Nen?"
Killua shook his head, his thoughts confirmed on the fact that people here didn't even refer to their ability to use Aura as Nen. Which meant that they didn't know what the four basic principles Nen were.
"I refer to my ability to use Aura as Nen." Killua started. "Getting back to your question, the reason I am able to keep up my shroud of Aura is because I'm using the first basic principal of Nen, called TEN."
"…TEN?" Qrow asked, starting to feel a little more lost in this conversation.
Killua nodded his head. "Do you know how your Aura is released?"
"Again with the questions…" Qrow grumbled.
"Just humor me. I'm trying to explain this the best I can, but I need to understand what you know."
"Fine, Fine." Qrow said. Truthfully, this was a little interesting. He had never heard of Nen before, nor did he hear about four basic principles of using Aura. "Aura can be unlocked by another person who uses Aura. After it's unlocked, we can manipulate it."
"Yes…But how does Aura escape the body?" Killua asked, realizing that they probably didn't even know about this.
"I don't…understand your question."
"Then let me rephrase it. How is it possible for one person to use aura, while others cannot? How is someone able to use Aura?"
"…I…don't know." Qrow admitted. "People have been able to use Aura for as long as recorded history. We never questioned how we can control it, only that we can."
"Then congrats old man, you get a freebie answer to another question." Killua said. "It's because we have control over Aura nodes."
"Aura nodes…" Qrow asked. It was another term he wasn't familiar with.
Killua gave a deep sigh. "I didn't expect to have to do an entire lesson on Aura today." He grumbled as he looked at the man. "Aura nodes are specific points all over the body that controls the flow of Aura. The nodes are closed for average people, but when Aura is unlocked, those nodes are opened, allowing the Aura to escape your body…You following me so far?"
"Yeah…" Qrow said, listening intently. He had never heard of these Aura nodes before, so it was a bit difficult to believe what the kid was saying. Not only that, but how did this…Boy know these kinds of things? It didn't seem like he was pulling it out of his ass. This sounded like something a wise old monk would say.
"People who use Aura can control how much Aura escapes out of these nodes. And with enough training, they can even control the nodes themselves. Now, to get back to your question. From what I've seen, you can…sort of shroud your body in aura to protect yourself."
"What do you mean "Sort of"?" Qrow asked, feeling a little insulted.
"What I mean is that the first principal of Nen is called TEN. It's the simple manipulation of Aura to shroud your body and keep it contained within a few centimeters of your skin." Killua explained. "The difference between you TEN and mine is that you don't really contain yours that well…or at all. You simply shroud your body and let the Aura seep away. You don't do anything to contain it."
Qrow narrowed his eyes, trying to comprehend what Killua was saying. From the look on the boy's face, he wasn't lying about his words either. Even as he watched Killua sit there next to the fire, his Aura was firmly contained a few centimeters of his body, exactly how Killua described it.
"I…Guess that makes sense. So, the way you can keep Aura surrounding your body like that for so long is…because you don't let the Aura slip away."
Killua gave a condescending clap of approval, which irritated Qrow immensely. "Very good. When you use Aura, you constantly let it expel and then it drains you much faster. I don't let it escape, so I can keep it up constantly."
"…But you don't keep it up constantly. There are times when you turn it off." Qrow pointed out.
Killua grinned as he suddenly enabled IN, making his Aura vanish from plain view. A second later, he disabled IN and his Aura returned instantly. "I always have TEN active. I can just hide it from you."
Qrow's jaw dropped as he watched Killua's aura fade in and out of view a few times. Even extremely skilled Hunters couldn't flicker their Aura like that.
"H-How do you hide it like that?"
"Hey, I fully answered your question. Too bad for you, Old man." Killua smirked.
"You little…" Qrow growled. This conversation really peaked his interest. For one, Aura was used by every hunter, but it's usage was basic at best. There were no advanced classes for controlling Aura, especially not to the degree in which Killua just explained it to him. There were so many questions bouncing around through his head that he wanted nothing more than for this conversation to continue.
"But…I think I can tell you one more thing." Killua said. "You've helped me a lot by taking me to Vale and pulling some strings, so I guess I can return the favor."
Qrow peaked an eyebrow, interest clear on his face.
"I told you about Aura nodes, and how people who use Aura have their nodes open…" Killua paused, making sure Qrow was listening. "I couldn't help but notice that over half of your Aura nodes are still closed."
Qrow cocked his head. "What?"
"Like I said, Aura nodes are how Aura escapes the body. If only a small portion of your nodes are open, then you are really limiting yourself when it comes to Aura."
"…You don't say." Qrow said. "And I'm guessing that All of your…nodes are open?"
"That's right." Killua said nonchalantly.
"…" there was a long and awkward pause between the two for a few unbearable minuets.
"Everything you've said…you telling the truth kid?" Qrow asked.
"I haven't lied about any of it."
"…I've never heard of Aura nodes before today. And you're saying that most of them are still closed? What does that mean?"
Killua gave a small grin, realizing that Qrow's interest was getting the better of him. "It means that you won't be able to use the full extent of your Aura. Whoever unlocked your Aura, I don't think they knew what they were doing."
"How can you say that kid? Baring semblance, everyone uses Aura the same way…except for a few who are a bit more proficient than others. Even I'm one of the best, so how can you tell me that my Aura is limited?"
"You don't have to believe me." Killua said. "I'm just letting you know."
"…Why?"
"Because I want to know if you're interested in having the rest of your Aura nodes unlocked." Killua responded. Truthfully, he didn't think it would come this far. But he was curious if someone on this world could even use all of their Aura nodes, or was it engrained in their nature to be stuck only using a fraction of their full potential.
"…would you be able to do it?" Qrow asked slowly.
"I could…but do you trust me enough?"
"What do you mean?"
Killua chuckled darkly. "Your TEN is very underdeveloped. It could probably protect you from some physical damage as well as weak Aura based attacks. But…" Killua said, reaching to his right and placing his palm on a nearby tree. "If you can't use your Aura to block stronger Aura attacks…then…"
Killua released just a small portion of aura out of his hand. Instantly, the tree broke, large cracks crawled across the trunk. The entire tree groaned under its own weight before the trunk snapped and shattered. Not a word was said as the tree smashed into the ground, kicking dirt into the air.
Qrow swallowed nervously as he turned to Killua, who was looking at him with cold eyes.
"You'll die."
"W-W…"
"I'm telling you this because the way I would open the rest of your Aura nodes would be to force a portion of my Aura into you. Of course, I would be much gentler, but now that you've seen what I can do with my Aura, are you willing to trust me with unlocking your nodes? I could be an enemy and I could kill you now that Vale is just around the corner."
Again, Qrow swallowed as he glanced at the splintered trunk of the tree. He looked back at Killua's unsettling gaze and closed his eyes.
"Ha Ha."
Killua's eyebrow rose as he stared at Qrow. The man was chuckling at first, but then it turned into loud laughter.
"You're a scary kid, you know that?" Qrow said with a grin. "I never thought I would be taught something like this from a scrawny brat like you. But if what you said is true, then I'm really missing out on something."
"Humph, this scrawny brat could kick your ass." Killua fired back. The tense atmosphere was pretty much gone now. Killua really underestimated Qrow's guts if he could just laugh off a situation like this. Even Killua was a bit nervous when he had his Aura unlocked by Wing.
"I doubt that, but you are different, I'll give you that." Qrow said as he stood up. "But since we've been traveling together and you have yet to do anything that would kill me, I think I will trust you with opening the rest of my…Aura nodes. That is, if you're not full of hot air."
Another Tick mark formed on Killua's head, but grinned and stood up. Qrow wasn't half bad after all. "This will make us even, old man. For both getting me to vale, and possibly enrolling me into Beacon."
"Quit Calling me old. Now, what do I have to do?"
"First, take off your shirt and turn your back to me."
"…Um…What?"
"Just do it!" Killua barked.
"…" That was an odd request, but Qrow decided to humor the kid. He placed his sword on the ground, took off his shirt, and turned away from the boy.
"Now get ready." Killua said, extending his hand to the middle of Qrow's back.
Qrow simply shook his head. In all honestly, he had a huge doubts. This could all be an elaborate prank by the boy. He wouldn't put it past him because even though he might be good at fighting, Killua was still a kid. It would be for a good laugh.
However, the second Qrow felt the boy's hand just inches away from is back, all doubt vanished. His arms began to shake as he felt the immense heat pour from Killua's palm and spread over his body like he just walked into a sauna. His heart started hammering against his chest, remembering what Killua had done to that tree by just touching it.
"Here we go." Killua said, activating GYO. He then injected a bit of his own aura into Qrow's body.
Qrow clenched his teeth as he felt his entire body suddenly surrounded by the foreign energy. His body was on fire as the energy surrounded him, completely encasing his entire being in a blanket of Aura. However, that feeling was quickly gone and was replaced by something completely different.
Instantly, the first thing that Qrow noticed was that his body was emitting white vapors. It almost looked as if steam was pouring out of his body. He stared at his hands before turning to Killua.
"What's going on?"
"You're Aura nodes are open, old man." Killua said, confirming it with GYO. "Feels kinda like hot steam, doesn't it?
Qrow nodded, continuing to watch the Aura seep from his body. "It feels like my own Aura, but…It's much more powerful...isn't this dangerous?"
"If you keep letting your Aura pour out like that, then yes. It is your life energy after all."
Qrow looked a little worried. "Um…How do I stop it from coming out?"
Killua laughed softly as memories of the first time he and Gon had their Aura unlocked by Wing. He was much in the same position as Qrow was now. He could only hope that the old man would be able to master TEN before his Aura depleted.
"Alright, now I'm going to teach you how to contain it, so listen carefully." Killua said, getting Qrow's attention. Killua closed his eyes and tried to remember the advice he got from Wing. "You have to concentrate on keeping the Aura within your body."
"How?" Qrow asked, getting a little impatient.
"Close your eyes."
"What?"
"Just do it!"
Qrow slowly closed his eyes.
"Use any stance that makes you feel comfortable and helps you focus." Killua instructed, watching Qrow take a casual stance. Killua grinned a little, realizing that Qrow was doing nearly the same thing as he and Gon did. "Now visualize your Aura flowing like blood through your body. Concentrate the flow from the top of your head, to your right shoulder. Then to your hands, before passing through your legs, finishing through the left side of your body."
Killua's watched as concentration crossed Qrow's face. The older man took a deep breath and relaxed his stance even more. The wispy Aura was already beginning to condense and surround his body, yet it wasn't quite there.
"Good. Now visualize that flow beginning to hover around your body, as if you are wearing a light pair of cloths."
Qrow took another deep breath as he continued to visualize what Killua was describing.
Giving a small whistle, Killua couldn't help but be impressed when the Aura suddenly settled down, a thin layer of stable Aura surrounded Qrow's body.
"Wing mentioned that Gon and I mastered this very quickly because of our talent. Qrow must be talented as well if he mastered this so quickly…That, or maybe his previous experience with Aura made it much easier." Killua thought.
"Now, open your eyes, but keep concentration on the flow of energy."
Qrow opened his eyes as he looked down at his hands. They were coated in Aura. It was much the same as what he saw Killua do. Truthfully, it felt incredible.
"So, what do you think?"
"It feels…like I have an extra layer of skin." Qrow said breathlessly as he looked up at Killua. "Kid, who taught you to do something like this? How come it's not common knowledge?"
Killua simply shrugged. "Beats me. I just showed you because you helped me. Now we're even and I don't have to answer any more of your questions."
Again, Qrow looked down at his glowing hands. This was the last thing he expected to happen when he first met this young boy. He didn't expect to feel like a student again, especially not to some kid he met in the forest.
"Keep practicing and you'll eventually be able to keep your TEN up even while you sleep." Killua finished as he sat back down on the log.
There were so many more questions that Qrow wanted to ask, but the look on Killua's face clearly told him he was done talking. Curiosity burned in his mind and he could barely stop the questions from erupting from his mouth.
In the space of one night, he had learned something so powerful. And it was clear that Killua knew so much more.
But alas, it seemed that he would get nothing more out of him tonight. So Qrow opted for sitting down on the log and concentrating on his newfound ability. Who knows, maybe if he continued to practice with it, Killua might be willing to teach him something more in the future.
Silence between Qrow and Killua remained for the rest of the night. Qrow continued practicing his TEN by turning it off and on, experimenting with this new avenue he'd been shown. Quite frankly, this was far more powerful that just releasing Aura and letting it escape. He was creating an actual barrier and keeping it there consistently.
On the way to Vale the next day, Qrow continued practicing and experimenting with TEN. First it was simply summoning the aura and containing it. Then he tried to do the same thing while walking, which proved to be a little more difficult because his focus would occasionally slip, which resulted in him accidently expelling some Aura.
True to his word, Killua hadn't answered any more questions regarding Aura, no matter how much Qrow tried to ask. The main reason Killua even opened the rest of Qrow's Aura nodes was because he was simply curious if people on this world could use Aura the way he did. Now that he had the answer to that question, he didn't see a reason to teach more considering he still didn't know that much about Qrow. Aura was dangerous and he didn't want his knowledge to fall in the wrong hands.
Eventually, Killua and Qrow made it into the city and the young boy couldn't help but stare in wonder at the massive buildings, flying machines, and bustling streets. If he were to be honest, this place's technology seemed to be even more advanced than in his own world.
"First time coming to Vale?" Qrow asked, taking note of Killua's reaction.
"Yeah…" Killua responded. He continued gazing around in interest. While the buildings were pretty tall, his world still had some that were taller. But again, technology seemed a bit more advanced, not by a whole lot though. As he stared around, Killua began to realize something that would be a massive headache for him in the future.
He couldn't read the language.
That was going to be an annoyance for a while until he got the chance to learn how to read and write.
"Well, we need to get to Beacon and talk with the Ozpin…If we leave now, we can catch the next plane and be there in a few hours."
"Actually, I think I'll stick around here for now." Killua said, knowing that if the headmaster caught wind that he didn't know how to read or write, then there was no chance he would be accepted to the school.
"What? Why?"
"Because I want to explore the city a bit. Besides, do you really need me?"
"Do you always make things difficult kid?" Qrow asked with a twitching eyebrow.
"Do you always as stupid questions?" Killua responded as he began to walk down the street.
Qrow growled in annoyance. "Do you at least have a scroll?" Qrow asked as he watched Killua walk away. "How am I going to contact you!"
"You don't need to worry about that. I'll know when you return." Killua said, raising one hand in the air to bid farewell.
"…That's a really strange kid." Qrow murmured to himself.
The only thing Killua wanted to do was find a bookstore or a library as fast as possible. He considered himself a genius when it came to learning, but learning to read and write a new language was still difficult. He needed some kind of reference, or it would nearly be impossible to learn to read the language, especially in the time he had before he started at Beacon.
It was a little difficult to locate a book store though because he couldn't read any of the signs. He had to gaze into the windows inconspicuously before moving to the next store.
Eventually, he found a simple store that was filled with books. So, without hesitation, he walked right in. The first thing he saw was a burly man with dark hair and massive chops, standing behind the counter with a stack of books in his hands. He turned to the door when he noticed Killua and gave him a friendly smile.
"Welcome to Tukson's book trade. Home to every book under the sun."
There was a tense atmosphere as Qrow stood in front of the headmaster of Beacon. Qrow was drinking from his freshly filled flask again before his eyes met the calculating gaze of Ozpin.
"I find it rather interesting that a man of your caliber would recommend an adolescent boy to my school." Ozpin said, taking a drink from his coffee mug.
"Then you know that my judgement is sound on this. That Kid is something else. Besides, I know you accepted my little Niece to your school two years early, so it's not above you to make exceptions."
"True, but Mrs. Rose has some experience and has attended Signal academy. Her recent demonstration shows that she has the qualities of a true huntress. I have not seen nor even heard of this boy of whom which you speak. What makes him exceptional enough that I would risk my reputation and accept him to my school?"
Qrow closed his eyes as he gave a sigh. This was why he wanted Killua to be here, so the boy could explain it. Heck, Qrow barely understood what Killua was talking about, so there was no way he could explain it to Ozpin. He could hardly recall everything Killua talked about, but not to a degree where he could rehearse it coherently.
Instead, he would do the next best thing.
Qrow closed his eyes and focused on the control of his Aura.
The professor of Beacon was a man of great reputation. He ran one of the most prestigious schools for hunters and rarely made expectations when accepting students. Seeing one of his old-time friend recommend a kid was very unusual.
However, Ozpin's eyebrows raised when he watched Qrow stand there in a neutral stance with his eyes closed. What could he possibly do in order to convince him to make yet another exception this year besides Mrs. Rose.
His answer came when Qrow's Aura suddenly spiked. The old professor watched in disbelief as Aura shrouded Qrow's body like a second layer of skin. But that wasn't the best part. Qrow was actually containing the Aura, maintaining it around his body without letting it disperse into the air. Not only that, it was much more powerful than it used to be.
"Qrow…What is this?"
"This…Is what that kid taught me." Qrow said, opening his eyes and raising his hand to stare at the cloak of Aura. "He taught ME something Ozpin. I'm telling you, that kid is exceptional. He taught me to do this in the span of a single night. I thought I should be the one teaching people things."
"He taught you this?" Ozpin asked, wonder clear in his voice. "But this is beyond advanced Aura control. Not even our best can contain their Aura like this."
"I know…" Qrow said, letting the Aura vanish. "Unfortunately, the kid has a complicated way of explaining it and I would sound like an idiot if I even tried."
"Where is he now?"
"He insisted on exploring Vale. He is stubborn, I'll say that much." Qrow grumbled, taking another swig of his flask.
"Hmm…This is interesting." Ozpin said, resting his chin on his entertained fingers.
"Ozpin, with what's coming, we need all the help we can get." Qrow said.
"…I know…But can he be trusted? We know nothing about him." Ozpin responded.
Qrow scratched the back of his head. "True, but I'm willing to chance it. There's a real sense of maturity that he has, far beyond what it should be. And besides, if he can teach me something like this…" Qrow said, summoning his TEN again. "Then I would be interesting in having him stick around."
"Hmm…You make a solid argument." Ozpin murmured, taking another sip from his mug. "Alright then. You are my friend and I've trusted your judgement so far. I shall do so once again, though I hope my faith in you is not misplaced."
"Trust me…" Qrow said with a grin. "It won't be."
Authors note: Hello everyone. I would like to thank those who actually took time to review the first chapter. Like I said, it really is the only reward we get for writing Fanfiction. So, if would you be so kind as to leave a review, I would greatly appreciate it.
Just a fair warning, I will be stretching logic and pulling away from cannon here and there. But I hope this is not a problem. I mean after all, it's fanfiction. Not everything is going to be the same. I had Killua unlock the rest of Qrow's aura nodes because I wanted to explain my crossover idea to you guys. Again, some things will follow Rwby logic, but others will be different because…fanfiction.
However, I am torn between two option for the future. The first option is to give Killua a team of his own with three other OC's I would create. The second option is to go a different route and have Killua be a solo team support person, meaning he will be backup for different teams at beacon. There will be no teams with 5 members, nor will Killua replace any of the main characters.
Both these options have pros and cons. The pros of the first is that we wouldn't be doing the same exact thing as most fanfiction by having Killua be on team Rwby. But the con is that he would have much less interaction with the cast and focus more on the development with his new team.
The pros for the other option is that he will have more interaction with the cast, but the con is that it would follow cannon more closely. Now I wouldn't have it exactly the same as cannon because I don't want Killua to just tag along for the ride. I want him to actually affect the story.
So, what do you guys think? Please leave a review with your preference and why you chose that preference. It would be most helpful of you have an explaining for your view instead of just choosing one side or another. Thank you and I will see you next time.
(Oh, and for those who want another chapter of Blank slate, I am working on it and that chapter will be juicy. Until then!)