AN: Salvete omnes!
Quick correction: The Keyblade I partially based Ruby's off of is the property of Essynthesis on Deviantart. Sorry, I found the original page and finished writing the last AN at like... 3 in the morning. The differences are with the direction of the blade facing towards the teeth, the basket around the handle being rose vines instead, two pillars of metal connecting handle and teeth, and the Keychain itself. Sorry, I really should have seen that sooner.
On another avenue, last chapter changed the average of Reviews per Chapter from 5(rounded down) to 6. Thanks guys!
To Gravenimage: Obviously. Yang may not be the normal kind of protective, but that doesn't mean she isn't protective.
To Grimlock987: First, let's go with Lingering Will. Since I assume Terra will regain his body by the end of KH3, the Lingering Will – despite being an awesome character – will probably be gone by the end of the game. Terra might cameo as one of the legends like the others, but not as a living character. As for Genie, I'm not one hundred percent sure yet in that regard. I have a few cameos running around in my head for when Ruby's group is in Atlas, and I'm wondering if Genie is going to be one of them, as well as if Emerald is going to run into him if I do.
To gamelover41592: I chose Nomura for Sora's last name because of Tetsuya Nomura creating him from the start. Seemed like the right family name for Sora.
To warrior of six blades: Raven's Heartless is going to be a problem for everybody, more specifically the group traveling to Atlas. Of course, Heartless have a side effect when they're created, so it won't be the only thing stalking them. As for Oz's story, I plan on revealing it piece by piece as he reveals things to Sora .
To goddragonking: Thanks!
To 7: I agree, and that's going to come into play later. Still, a lot of people would do terrible things for the people they love the most, even if those people would hate them for it.
To sethman610: I originally planned on having Ansem be the Heartless there, but then I remembered that the only reason that Xehanort retained his sense of self as a Heartless was because he purposefully gave up his Heart to become Ansem. In this case, he didn't plan on becoming a Heartless so I assumed it would result in him being different this time around.
To Guest(A): No worries, I get it. Salem in this isn't just another character, though, as we'll see. Since Xehanort's Keyblade is supposed to be the oldest one, I guess you could say she's responsible for everything. As for Ruby, I've been hinting at it and I'll be explaining it more in depth in the next few chapters. Sora's only weak right now because of all the stuff he's learned recently, and how his Keyblade is now in the hands of the enemy. Even his heart has to break sometime, right? I haven't caught up on DBZ or Super yet, but I've heard... mixed things. Gohan's a fair bit weaker from his DBZ days, and it's basically for no reason? I can understand where you'd see parallels, to be fair. Maybe I should have been louder when I was describing the reasons in-story.
To Jidojang: Thanks. I'm happy that everything makes sense in the integrated backstory so far. So, yes, Ozpin in this story was at one point the first Keyblade Master and the man who assigned the five Foretellers their weapons and their new names. I assumed that the First Keyblade Master would have used the Master Keeper(which, according to Google, was what the Master's Defender was once called) passed down to Eraqus and Aqua. Given that Xehanort's Keyblade is so old, looks like a Foreteller Keyblade, and is seen where young Xehanort and Eraqus play chess in the KH3 trailer, it seems like the mysterious sixth student likely inherited the master-ship from that guy. If I'm right at least.
To Guest(B): I'm sorry, but I am not nearly as artistically skilled as I wish I was and I don't know anyone who is. If I could help at all, I would. Would a description of its future Scythe form help at all? It's essentially just a folded up version of what that's going to be.
Chapter 22: Promise?
Signal Academy was a rather impressive campus, with spires of blue topped with crystal that arched upwards to scratch at the clouds far above, the light of the gleaming sun casting not shadows to the ground but blue light that shone through the roofs of the buildings and gave the campus a distinctly ethereal feel. True, the school was not nearly as impressive as its older sibling, Beacon, had been from far away, nor as shining as Haven had been, but it was more than enough for those training within the battle school's halls. Sora even found himself gazing up in wonder at the spires and wondering just what was going on within the towering buildings. Ozpin, however, did not seem to care. He was walking ahead of Sora with his cane held halfway down its length in his right hand. The older man's eyes glanced about, full of caution, as he scanned their surroundings. Sora once would have thought that Ozpin's dedication to worry was mere paranoia, but his own recent dealings with Salem had given him the distinct impression that the woman was much more clever than Sora gave her credit.
Sora sighed and closed his eyes, knowing that if Salem did pop out all of a sudden he wouldn't be much help. Not only did he not have a Keyblade to fight with at the moment, neither did he even have a weapon. Instead, the young man began to enjoy the feeling of the sunlight warming his face. It had only been a couple days since he had woken up, and Ozpin had told him he should wait another day or two before going anywhere, but they did not have the time for that. That worked well for Sora, who had wanted to start doing something – anything – to make up for what he had done under Salem's control. And, if he was being honest, he wanted his usual tan back. Pale didn't work well for him.
After a moment, Ozpin piped up. "We have reached our destination, Sora. The Armorer Tower," the man said, stopping before Sora opened his eyes so that the young man accidentally stumbled into his back. Ozpin received a sheepish grin from the young man when he turned around, but ignored it and continued to speak. "Are you sure you wish to use the hilt of Mister Arc's blade?"
Sora pulled the remains of the weapon from his new belt and examined the notched hilt before nodding. He believed that it felt right to use Jaune's weapon until discovering this Keyblade that Ozpin had described. Sora wanted everyone to know that, even if Jaune was beyond their reach right then, Sora would be holding onto his friend's Heart until they got him back. "I wouldn't have it any other way," Sora said finally, letting his hand fall to his side so he could clip the weapon to his belt once more. "This way I can give it back to Jaune when we get him back." Ozpin considered the young man's words for a moment before nodding almost imperceptibly and turning around to enter the building.
As the older man left, Sora caught sight of himself in one of the Armorer's windows. His old clothes had been destroyed following his turn into the Anti-Form, the pure Darkness that had coated him destroying most of it and his friends' self defense pushing it beyond repair. Again, the only two things to survive were the only two things that still linked him to his long dead past. One, a Wayfinder composed of shells from his island home, the other a small silver necklace in the shape of a crown. Both were the most important gifts from his now dead friends.
Other than those two things, his clothes were completely new but ones he'd felt like it was right to wear. He had a black hoodie with the sleeves rolled up to just below his elbows. Metallic pauldrons sat atop his shoulders and black and red checkerboard was present on the inside of the jacket's collar. Beneath that he wore a tight, gray shirt above two tone pants, the lower legs appearing an almost beige colored gray and the upper part deep black. His shoes were black with yellow straps instead of laces and his hands were covered by fingerless gloves, plain black and made of a warm cloth that came with a good grip – unlike the Keyblade, Crocea Mors' hilt did not have the ability to magically stay in hand despite the smoothness of its hilt. Above only his left wrist was a black and white checkerboard wristband. After a moment of clutching the necklace at his throat, Sora shook his head and followed Ozpin in.
Ozpin was waiting a few stairs up, cane resting on the step. Young warriors, weapons on their backs, gave the dead man odd looks when they passed him. When the warrior caught sight of Sora, he began to walk up the stairs without a word. Sora loped after him, turning his pace into a jog so he could catch up. "So Ruby went here?" Sora asked when he fell in step with Ozpin.
The man looked over at Sora from the corner of his eyes. "Indeed. She was halfway through her studies here before I met her," Ozpin said. He looked forward again. "She impressed me more than almost any student I had met thus far, though I suppose that it is no wonder, given who her mother was. Her intense skill was no doubt also helped by the fact that her uncle and father both taught here prior to the events at the Vytal Festival. She is the product of the best students I have trained on the Remnant."
Sora nodded. He'd met Raven and Qrow, seen them both battle, and even fought the latter. From personal experience, he knew that they were both incredibly dangerous and skilled fighters. He could only assume that it was the same for Taiyang. Ruby said her dad had trained Yang, and she said Yang was something to witness. "What about those people you trained... back then?" Sora asked, and he immediately knew he had struck a nerve.
Ozpin's eyes grew steely and he sped up almost imperceptibly. It was like he was running from his past. "I am sure that I will need to divulge this information soon – quite soon – Mister Nomura," the man said with little more than a cursory glance at the young man. "But it is not a chapter of my life that I like to discuss, and I do not wish for you to see behind the curtain of my past until you understand me as a man. I doubt you have so easily looked past the machine I attempted to use on Miss Nikos, hm?"
Sora glanced at the ground warily. He had forgotten about that, and now that he remembered... it was a Dark thing to accept from a man who was meant to be a mentor to him. Sora shook his head and elicited a smirk from Oz. "Understandable."
Sora decided to change the topic of conversation. "So this Keyblade... I'm not going to have to do what Salem said, right? Shatter someone's Heart?" he asked.
"No. Once the first Keyblade was created, new ones started to appear in the hands of those worthy of them. It was as if the World understood that new warriors were needed to defend the Light from what Salem had created. In the Journal, I believe that I found that your friend Riku formed one from fragments slowly assembled throughout his life. And, besides, the Master Keeper – or Master Defender, depending on whom you ask – already exists. You merely need to understand how to summon it."
"Then why bother making this weapon when I could be learning that?" Sora inquired.
"Learning to summon a Keyblade for the first time is an incredibly trying process," the green clad warrior explained. "You stumbled upon a Keyblade once before, which means teaching you will likely take even more time than usual. You think you already know what to do, but this weapon does not slumber in the same part of your Heart as the Kingdom Key did. Trial and error will constitute most of your training."
Ozpin seemed to answer the next question before Sora even asked it. "Miss Rose crafted her Keyblade through an entirely different method than usual. Her Heart cannot be shattered or fragmented, given its nature as a piece of the χ -blade. Nor would she ever shatter the Heart of another, even on accident," the man explained. Sora raised an eyebrow – how far up this tower did they have to walk? Ozpin stopped suddenly, as if answering yet another of Sora's questions, and gestured at the door to their right: they were at their destination. Sora opened the door and saw that the room he had just entered was incredibly large. There were incredibly large Scrolls attached to the walls around the room, each connected to very different machines. In the center of the room was a machine much larger than any of the others. "But I suppose this explanation will have to wait. There are more immediate matters to deal with."
"What are all of these?" the former Keyblade Wielder asked the Headmaster, walking over to the machine in the center of the room. As he approached, he saw a control Scroll implanted into the side of the machine and lightly tapped the swirling cubes. They stopped moving, and one opened into a menu. Sora read from the list. "'Material, color, transformation..."
Ozpin walked to Sora's side and lightly pushed him away, cycling down the list of options before finally selecting one. The machine in the center of the room slid open soundlessly, revealing an internal piece that looked remarkably like an anvil, save for the bright blue lights that littered its body lights on it lit up suddenly and . "Place the hilt on the anvil and we can begin to craft your weapon," Ozpin said. He gestured with his left hand at the anvil. "Quickly, Mister Nomura."
Sora nodded and pulled the piece of the weapon from his belt. He examined it with both hands and frowned resolutely at the thought of his lost friend. Eventually, he gingerly put it on the anvil. The lights on the machine lit up suddenly, and the anvil lowered slowly back into its main body; the doors slid closed noiselessly. "Now what?"
Ozpin looked around the room, holding his arms out as he did as if to gesture at every machine present. "Usually, I would have you hand craft the individual pieces of your new weapon, in order to give it a personal feel," Ozpin explained before walking to a random machine. This one had a series of blades that extended out from the side in contact with the wall, giving it a sharp look. "But we neither have time for that, nor is it necessary for a weapon you aim to soon replace. You will feed in a design to the Scrolls, and they in turn will build the individual pieces. We will then move each one to the central Forge and assemble the complete weapon. And, of course, match it to your personal style as you desire."
Sora nodded and moved towards the Scroll, hoping inspiration would hit him. "I understand your trepidation. When I surrendered my Keyblade so long ago, it was difficult to consider the possibility of using another weapon," Ozpin told Sora sympathetically. "Allow me to gift you this advice, young man – what feels right is likely that which is."
Sora glanced at his feet and bit the inside of his cheek thoughtfully. "Okay," he said when he finally came to an idea he found acceptable. The weapon was of this new World, which meant that it should look the part. But it was also his weapon, which meant it should look like his past. Only one thing in his head could follow both of those rules. Sora traced a design into the Scroll interface, a plainly shaped blade with deep grooves running down its length and jagged shapes cut out of the edges. He selected the material of the blade, a tough material good for both heavy two handed strikes and fast one handed attacks. "We're done here," he said over his shoulder as he pressed the 'Send' button.
Ozpin nodded and the two of them walked towards the next machine down the line, this one marked by the visages of different weapon handles – guns, swords, scythes. The one containing the blade of Sora's new weapon began to whir and buzz, machines in the interior taking a chunk of metal and cutting it into shape. They stopped before the next machine and Sora input the shape of the basket as best he could remember it – a trapezoid shape with two cylinders erupting at a 45 degree angle from where the blade connected with the hilt. It was made of the same material as the blade. Sora finished up and went to the third and final machine wordlessly. Ornaments, this one was labeled with more elegant designs.
Sora thought it through for a moment, wondering if he should recreate the Keychain of the weapon as well, but decided against it. As he planned to return to Ozpin and continue their original conversation, he stopped and turned back to the interface. He needed a promise. Sora traced a design into the screen, selecting a mostly clear material that could easily change colors later, then dragged a copy count upward to the number 45. After that, he added in a few other choice shapes. His hands didn't waver for even a moment when he pressed the 'Send' button.
"What did you just make so many of, young man?" Ozpin asked with one eyebrow raised.
"I'll tell you later," Sora explained with a shrug and smile. He walked towards Ozpin, who was now standing beside the central machine as they waited for the other three to finish their jobs. They stood silently for a while before Sora finally asked his question. "So how did Ruby manage to make her Keyblade?"
Ozpin glanced down at the young man with only his eyes, tinting them green through his glasses. "When I first arrived here, the substance known as Dust confused me to no end," Ozpin began, "as it was so different from almost any substance I had found before. It gave off properties remarkably similar to magic, though there was no magic present in the World. Even still I have only theories, though I would like to believe that more than twelve hundred years of life on this Remnant would make my theories very close to the truth."
"So... you don't know?" Sora asked dumbly. "And everyone says you know everything."
Ozpin chuckled at this and nodded. "Indeed. But I believe I am right nonetheless," he responded. He allowed a smile to grace his features. "When I found the Journal, I came to believe in the hypothesis that the Shattering of Kingdom Hearts destroyed more than just the worlds. When the World was fragmented the first time, thousands of Keyblades were left upon a single battlefield -"
"I've been there!" Sora shouted excitedly. "The... Keyblade Graveyard, I think. That's where I fought Xehanort."
"Ah, that would lend more credence to my theory, then," Ozpin muttered. He shook his head and smiled at Sora again. "The Keyblades left there were still fragments of Hearts and thus contained all the power that goes with that. The Shattering of Kingdom Hearts, it would seem, shattered the decaying weapons below. I am quite sure that Dust is all that remains of the different Keyblades left on that battlefield following the War. It certainly explains why you could use Dust to transform yourself so drastically."
"What does this have to do with Ruby, though?" Sora interjected, placing his hands on the back of his head. "Dust is Keyblades?"
"Ruby is a Silver Eyed warrior, beings who have an innate control over the most powerful forms of Dust because they are born with an incredibly high concentrations in their bloodstream." Ozpin tossed his cane into his left hand before continuing. "Combined with the incredible purity of her Heart, this makes the young woman's Holy and Light magic abilities far beyond what even I could have done at my peak. Why her eyes glow each time she uses magic. And it also is why your Keyblade reacted to her with such familiarity – like recognizes like. I believe you can put two and two together from here..."
Sora put one hand on his chin and frowned. "She made it from the Dust in her body, then? She remade the Keyblade from the fragments she was born with." Ozpin nodded and motioned for Sora to continue formulating his own hypothesis. Sora continued by asking a question instead, much to Ozpin's delight. "But why didn't she get it earlier then? She obviously deserved it."
Ozpin smiled, and when he spoke his voice communicated his pride in the young man: "Very good question. From my understanding the ability to use a Keyblade disappeared shortly after the Shattering. As to the reason for this, I am unsure. Salem's Keyblade was with you, hurtling through time after she left it behind. I surrendered my Keyblade shortly after I arrived here. After that, no Keyblade appeared ever again." He placed his hand on Sora's shoulder. "I believe that your appearance changed that. Much as the creation of the first Keyblades brought natural ones into being, your reappearance signaled their return. Keyblades alter Destiny, Mister Nomura, and the Kingdom Key especially is a sign of great change. By spending time around Miss Rose, I believe you awoke her inherent abilities through the mere existence of your own. Similarly for Mister Arc, if Salem's promises are not empty." There was a loud beep as the machines finished their duties. Ozpin looked up and his face slowly became a smirk. "Ah, and just as my explanation ended. My sense of timing has yet to deteriorate."
R W B Y
Twenty-two years prior to the First Great Keyblade War
"... Mff fame cfee-bay -" Salem continued to speak as she stuffed more food in her mouth, much to the amusement of her old friend who sat across from her at the table in an abandoned side square of town – the one where they had met, actually. Ozpin just smiled as she continued to stuff the first food she'd eaten in days down her throat. When she continued to speak, it was through her overly stuffed mouth. "Dere'f fumfin' eff id dere!" She swallowed and began to speak, but she stuffed food into her mouth before she could speak again. "Fumfin' dat ivn't wife!"
"Ah, yes. 'Fumfin' dat ivn't wife.' I see exactly what you mean," the young man half mocked, leaning back in his seat. His olive green jacket crinkled lightly and fell open over his black shirt. Of course, his scarf and broach were still beneath his chin, though he'd taken to roping it more tightly around his throat so it wouldn't dangle. A fight he'd gotten in helping Salem deliver a book had almost ended poorly when his opponent had grabbed the loose tail of the accessory and nearly strangled him with it. He'd only been saved when Salem, who he'd since been teaching how to fight, slammed the heavy tome she was carrying into the back of their attacker's head. "You certainly have a beautiful way with words, Salem."
The young woman swallowed her food and scowled at him, crossing her arms over her chest. For the past few months, she had forgone her robes for the more economic – albeit still brightly colored – clothes that would be useful in a fight. A brown satchel was hanging from the edge of her seat. "Ha ha. Can you understand me now, Oz?" she asked.
Ozpin scowled for a moment. "How many times do I have to ask you to not call me Oz? It's been two years of this, Salem!" His protests fell on deaf ears and were gifted a smirk in reply. He sighed and picked up a biscuit he had brought off of the table, stuffing it into his mouth. When Salem just continued to smirk at him, Ozpin just motioned for her to continue.
"You should understand your place a little better," Salem said jokingly. Ozpin's scowl deepened and she laughed again. "Fine, fine. So, like I was saying, I was chosen to study the χ -blade when it appeared. Now, I can't tell you where it is, but... I think I've found something out! Something no one at the academy even believes me when I talk about it!"
"You see what impressive things I could congratulate you for if you ever decided to speak without food in your mouth?" Ozpin asked after swallowing his food. He threw his arms up and shook his head. "How could someone so small have such a big stomach that she can't wait ten seconds without eating?"
"Can we concentrate on the important thing here? The χ -blade is real. And I have touched it," Salem said proudly, beaming over at her best friend. Her red and black eyes were filled with joy and perceived superiority. Her ponytail was swaying slightly – she was dancing subconsciously. "This is big – huge! I've researched it, read about it, and looked at every drawing of it from one end of town to the other, but now I've actually examined it! So can I please tell you what I want to tell you or should I go look for another one of my friends?"
"Which one? Face it – you and me are all we've got for real friends," Ozpin responded with a dry grin. "Everyone else is... work buddies."
Salem frowned. "You really know how to make a girl feel special, Oz," she muttered angrily. Ozpin only shrugged, earning an angry head shake from Salem. "Whatever. The big thing isn't that I've touched the χ -blade though, it's that I think that there's something in there. Something that isn't Light!"
"I don't understand the language you're speaking," Ozpin said, mock confusion overtaking his features. Then, as if a lightbulb had flashed above his head, he leaned forward and smiled an open mouthed grin. "Wait, do you mean 'Fumfin dat ivn't wife?'"
"Jerk."
"You know you love me." Ozpin grinned while leaning back. Salem blushed and her pupils drifted into the left lower corner of her eyes. "Aw, it's written all over your face."
"Jerk," Salem repeated.
Ozpin appreciated the silence for a while, smiling at his friend's intense blush. Eventually, he decided that it wasn't worth her getting all angry just for a laugh. "Okay, if it isn't Light, what is it? The thing protects Kingdom Hearts, right, and that's all Light. What else could there be?"
"That's just it, I don't know!" Salem said, suddenly animated all over again. Her eyes were filled with a fire which rarely graced them. "It's... so different! It has nothing in common with Light. Whatever it is, it's cold and angry and... powerful." The look in Salem's eyes became one of hunger. "I want to know more about it. Maybe it could..."
"What's the World coming to?" Ozpin asked the air with a frown. He looked back down at Salem, his face now soaked with worry for his friend. "Look, whatever it is, you be careful. For all we know, this stuff that you found might be connected to why things are getting so bad. I don't want you getting hurt by something we don't understand. Like I said, I have no other friends, Salem."
"Oh, that's so unscientific," the girl muttered dismissively. She glared at her friend like he was an idiot. "I mean, really? This is why people are acting so bad now? Something I just discovered?"
"I worry," Ozpin responded forcefully. He leaned forward and gazed right into Salem's eyes. "Sorry that I care what happens to you. But, if you really want, I can stop. I'd certainly have to worry less, given I'd no longer have to hang around a virtual trouble magnet." Ozpin appreciated the dry glare of his friend. "Okay. Fine. But I've done more than my share of tests on things before, Salem. It's scientific to be cautious, and to recognize coincidences don't usually happen."
"I get it. You love me," Salem taunted, turning the tables on her friend and sniggering at the deepening blush in his cheeks.
"Shut it," Ozpin growled, annoyed.
"You looooove -"
"Shush!" Ozpin snapped, standing up and grabbing Salem's face. He was glancing at the ground, concentrating hard as if he was trying to hear something very quiet.
"Let go of me," Salem hissed when she tore his hand from her mouth. She glared at him and crossed her arms. "Oz, if you wanted me to stop you could have said... Oh, I guess you did. Never mind."
"Sh!" Ozpin hissed, covering her mouth again. His eyes widened behind his sunglasses and he ran away from the woman as quickly as he could, sprinting down one alleyway and picking up a metal rod that was leaning against one wall. He disappeared from Salem's line of sight a few moments later.
"Where are you goi – And he's gone," Salem muttered to herself. She sighed and picked up another biscuit, stuffing it into her mouth before chasing her friend down. "Oz! Oz, what are you doing!?" She received no response, aside from the continuing pattering of her friend's feet against the cobblestone streets. "Oz, what's -" She slid to a stop with wide eyes and chuckled nervously. Oz was holding the metal pipe out in front of him like a sword, clearly issuing a challenge to the two other grown men in the alleyway.
One was tall and skinny with long pink locks of hair running down his back. He didn't look much older than Oz or Salem, if at all. He held in his right hand what looked like a farming sickle, though Salem heavily doubted that he had ever used it for something as mundane as farming. The man was staring at the two of them with a condescending sneer. The other was a shorter, stockier man with black hair that dangled into his feral yellow eyes. His hands together held a single hammer that looked heavy enough to take someone's head off with a single clean hit.
In between the two of them was a single young boy maybe fifteen or sixteen years younger than Salem or Oz. He was staring up at the two of them defiantly, his blue eyes not betraying any fear that they may have contained. The child had spiky brown hair matted down with dirt and blood, though it didn't seem to deter him from wanting to pick a fight. His hands were curled up into small, angry fists. "I do not expect that it would take two armed men to face down a single child. He must be very special to scare the two of you like that," Ozpin mocked. His makeshift weapon didn't even quiver in front of him as the two criminals growled and took a half step towards him.
"I wouldn't do that," Salem warned, coming up beside him and trying to look as fearsome as she could. She raised her arms in a battle stance and set her feet like Oz had told her to.
"What the hell are you?" the pink haired one asked, his weapon slowly rising so the rounded blade was pointed at Salem. Her red-black eyes and bone pale skin tended to have that effect on people, cowing both of the thugs and causing them to raise their weapons at her in fear. "Freak."
"I feel like I should be insulted," Salem muttered quietly. She shook her head and grinned. "Boo!" She raised her hands and made a scary face. Both of the men jumped away in fear, squealing as the flinched. "Ha ha ha! Wow, they must have jumped three feet. What do you think, Oz, a new record?"
"Now is not the time," Ozpin said, growing serious. He always got this way when he was in a fight. The young man was busy examining their opponents, calculating what moves he would make, how they would respond, and vice versa. Even two years earlier, when they had met, he'd basically lost any ability to emote until his fight with the thugs threatening Salem had been finished.
"You know, we're gonna kill your friend, and then we'll take you and the kid. I never been with a freak before," the stocky one said, a lecherous grin stretching across his face while he said this. Everything about it made Salem's skin crawl.
"Don't ignore me!" Ozpin shouted, moving before he was ready upon hearing what the hammer wielding idiot had said. He slapped out at the pink haired member of the duo, who was still staring with fear filled eyes at Salem.
"Mar!" the brute snapped, forcing his partner out of his stupor. The blade lowered and Ozpin's attack clanged uselessly against the flat of the weapon, ricocheting away when Mar pushed back. The brute's evil grin grew even creepier and he lashed out with the head of his weapon at Salem's legs, aiming to ensure she couldn't escape.
Salem was not the same scared little girl she'd been before, however. She raised her front foot and slammed it down onto the top of the hammer, causing the head to crash into the ground and shatter the stone. From there, she jumped off of the hammer, further causing her opponent to stumble, and delivered a sharp kick to his face.
The brute stumbled backwards, but recovered after a few moments. It seemed that his thick skull was indeed good for something, after all. Salem snarled in annoyance as the man hefted his hammer again and rushed right at her. "Do you idiots ever quit?" she asked, jumping to the side to avoid the incoming attack, landing lightly on her feet and slamming her open palm into his nose. There was a loud crack somewhere in his face, and bright red began streaming from his face. Salem slammed her knee into the man's groin before he could recover, and the blood drained from his face. He collapsed onto the ground and quickly fell unconscious. Salem grinned and turned around to see how her partner was doing.
Ozpin was performing spectacularly, the metal rod in his hand moving almost through the guard of his opponent to deliver fast, repeated strikes to the man's arms and legs. Already large, purple and yellow bruises were blooming on the pink haired man's visible wrists and a few on his face.
Ozpin sidestepped a wild slash from the man and grabbed his enemy's wrist, twisting until the blade slipped from his opponent's hand and a vicious snap was heard. Ozpin grabbed the blade before it hit the ground, then spun in place and smacked the back of his opponent's neck with the metal bar. The man's body spasmed from the sudden and temporary interruption of his nervous system and he fell to his knees. A moment later, the sharp edge of his own weapon was looped around his neck by Ozpin.
"Are you okay?" Ozpin asked, turning his gaze towards the young boy nearby. The kid was just staring with wide eyes at one of the two people who had saved his life – Salem.
"Um, yeah," he responded before looking over at Salem again. "Do I know you, Lady?"
Salem looked the child up and down, examining the boy's rough, red clothing that contrasted his bright blue eyes. He was wearing yellow shoes three sizes too big for him. "You don't," she replied simply.
Ozpin watched this and wondered what the young boy could mean, but decided it wasn't important yet. "Why were you attacking this child?" he asked, bringing the blade in his hand closer to the pink haired man's throat. Blood began to seep from a thin line beneath the blade.
"Cause he's seen it," the criminal replied, voice low. "That's all I know, now let me go!"
"Seen what? Who sent you to find this boy!?" Ozpin asked, bringing the blade in for an even closer shave. Salem raised her eyebrow at the cold rage her friend was exhibiting, but said nothing to dissuade him. For some reason it appeared... familiar to her.
"The big key sword thing. X-blade. They tried asking me and this other kid about it, but I got them to let him go. They're kind of stupid," the kid responded when it became clear the pink haired man wasn't going to answer. Ozpin and Salem exchanged a look before Ozpin slammed the pommel of the sickle into the thug's temple, forcing him to go down into the depths of sleep like his partner.
"You've seen the χ -blade?" Salem asked with wide eyes. "How... when?"
"I dunno," the kid responded, no trace of fear in his eyes. A spark of recognition passed through his pupils a moment later and he grinned while leveling his finger at the pale woman. "Wait... you were there!"
"I didn't see you there, though..." Salem's eyes flared up in anger. "Unless you broke in!" Salem shouted, grabbing the kid by his ear. She looked over at Ozpin and sighed. "I have to report this to the academy. They don't let anyone save those Chosen by the χ -blade see it."
"I didn't break in!" the kid protested between exclamations of pain. "I just... followed the voice. It told me which doors were open and – someone in there let me in!"
"Wait," Ozpin said, dropping the weapons he had been holding and walking purposefully up to the boy. He crouched and grabbed the young man's shoulders, easing him down until Salem – rolling her eyes and sighing exasperatedly – let go of the kid's ear. "It seems we forgot to introduce ourselves. I'm Ozpin. Grumpy over there is Salem. Don't mind her, a good day was just ruined by these two." He gestured at the unconscious bodies around them. "What's your name?"
The kid smiled. "I like you," he said simply, giving the laughing Ozpin a high five. "Okay. I'm Skye."
"Skye. It is good to meet you," Ozpin said, earning another smile from the kid. "Tell me... what do you mean you followed the voice?"
"I just... felt like I was being called. Why? Am I in trouble?" Skye inquired, his eyes free of any kind of deception.
"I felt the same way," Ozpin muttered, his gaze falling to the ground between him and Skye. He frowned and added on, "Back when I was led there."
"You've broken in there, too!?" Salem snapped at her friend. She threw her hands up and turned from him, kicking at the rubble on the ground as she did. Some of it bounced off of the unconscious brute's head, giving the woman a small level of satisfaction. She had survived her first real fight and even emerged victorious. "This lessens the honor of being chosen if random people can just break in at any moment."
"No, it doesn't. It just means that people are chosen for different reasons than the academy believes," Ozpin responded quietly. He stood up and looked over at Salem, one hand still on the young child's shoulder. "It means there's a reason we're friends." Ozpin let that sink in and looked back at the child. "Where are your parents?"
"Um..."
Ozpin nodded. "I see. Well, Skye, do you mind if we talk with you for a while? I don't think I've ever met anyone else besides Salem that the χ -blade told to come and see it. I'll tell you what – I think we were supposed to meet each other, don't you?" The kid nodded, his face showing that he had already assumed that such was obvious.
"You think a weapon helped the two of you break in to see it... just so it could tell you that you were supposed to meet this kid?" Salem asked incredulously. She laughed dryly and shook her head at the insanity of it all. "It's a weapon, it can't do anything like that."
"And yet it chooses who is allowed to see it. Interesting, isn't it?" Ozpin said without looking back at her. He smiled down at Skye kindly and offered his hand. "Would you like some food, Skye?"
"I'm not paying!" Salem said pointedly.
"My treat, then," Ozpin said when Skye took his hand. The young man smiled over at Salem and shook his head. "Besides, he's just a kid, Salem. How much could he eat?"
Skye grinned and his stomach let loose a monstrous gurgle. Ozpin's face nearly became the same color as that of his best friend. "Heh... split it?" he asked the woman, putting on the best begging face he could.
"We'll see, Oz. We'll see," she said, passing them.
"Oz? I like that! I'm gonna call you Oz, too!" Skye shouted excitedly, bouncing up and down as he walked. He soon slipped his hand from Ozpin's hand and sprinted away, past both Salem and Ozpin and making whooshing noises like he was flying.
"You see what you've done? Now it's what everyone's going to call me," Ozpin muttered sadly, letting his chest fall so his head and arms dangled morosely. "Oz, the Great and Powerful doesn't have nearly the same ring to it as Ozpin, the Great and Powerful, now does it?"
"You're an idiot," Salem groaned, cutting off her friend's spiral and slapping the back of his head.
R W B Y
It had been days before Cinder had fully recovered from her use of the Aura Transfer glove, and even more time before she had been able to successfully summon up the willpower necessary to control the energy that she had since taken from the form of the now dead Summer Maiden. Salem had used the months since to slowly train the young Jaune Arc in the use of the Keyblade gifted to him. Thus far, he was not a clear natural with the weapon, but that was easily made up for by the tireless work ethic of the young man. It would seem that he was willing to work without sleep for many days if it meant speeding up the time table on the resurrection of his beloved. "No, use the Darkness in your Heart. Fix it to a point, a scalpel you can use to cut your Keyblade into a new form," she snapped when the young man had failed to alter the nature of the weapon for the twelfth time, though the aura of Darkness around the Keyblade showed he was making very steady progress.
"I'm trying!" Jaune snapped back at his teacher, gripping the ancient weapon in both hands once more. The deep blue eye at the tip of the blade seemed to bleed Darkness while the young man struggled to alter its form.
"Salem, we must speak."
The woman groaned and turned away from her student to look at the speaker. "What do you want, Cinder?" she asked, glaring at the young Dual Maiden with bored eyes. The woman who had once been her favorite servant was quickly becoming a chore to deal with, incessantly asking when and what and how the plans were going to unfold. The woman was necessary, and played a truly large part in Salem's plans, but everything she did seemed truly mundane in comparison to the Keyblade Wielder that she now had in her grasp.
The Maiden's eyes darkened for a moment as she recognized what was in Salem's eyes, but the flicker disappeared after a moment. "When are you going to send us out?This book you say you need, the other two Maidens. They wait for us, but you keep us here so you can train... this boy."
"I could kill you if I wanted to," Jaune snapped, marching up to the Maiden and raising his weapon into her face.
"If you believe that, you are as stupid as that girl I killed at Beacon," Cinder snapped back, huge burning flames erupting at her fingertips. Salem smiled and appreciated the image, watching the two enemies flirt with the edge of murdering one another despite the fact that both knew it would never be allowed.
"Blondie look scarier to you?" Mercury asked his partner quietly. The two of them were standing sufficiently far away from the scene of the possibly brewing battle, knowing that interfering would probably end badly for anyone caught in the crossfire.
"He's been given us murderous looks for months," Emerald agreed. She shivered next to Mercury. "How long until he follows through?"
"Fine," Salem told Cinder. She moved forward and broke up the fight with a skin crawling smile, the spark of lucidity brighter in her eyes than was usual. "You wish to make yourself useful, Cinder, you can. There is a book in Vale: bring it here." The witch turned to grasp Jaune's shoulder and smiled. "After your training is completed, you will be sent to bring the other Maidens here."
The young man's face fell, discomfort flashing across his features. "Is that really necessary?" he asked, hoping Salem would say no.
Before Salem could respond, however, Cinder cut in. "He cannot do what needs to be done! You would send a coward to collect what is mine?!"
"Yours?" Cinder asked angrily, her gaze still locked on the uncomfortable Jaune. Her hand on his shoulder began to dig in to his flesh. After a few moments, her grip loosened and she smiled sweetly. "You wish to hunt down the other two Maidens and claim what is yours?" She released Jaune and turned her livid smile on Cinder, causing the woman to flinch and retreat slightly. Salem walked away from Jaune. The young man let an angry smile grow across his face, enjoying the idea that Cinder could be punished. That hope turned to ashes in his mouth when the woman waved her hand and two white gloves appeared in her palm. "If you believe I am holding you back from what is yours, take it." Her hand extended and waited for the young woman to take what it held.
Cinder watched Salem closely, as if expecting this opportunity to disappear at any moment, and did not reach for the gloves. "Take it," Salem commanded, face souring yet again. She slammed her open palm into Cinder's chest and let the gloves fall when she backed away. Cinder just continued to stare at Salem with wide, scared eyes; no move was made to collect the two gloves now on the ground. Black Dust tainted their once pure white surfaces, revealing the Darkness beneath the surface. Salem shook her head in disgust. The gloves melted away into the Black Dust at Cinder's feet, which hadn't moved since she had locked eyes with the enraged Salem. "Then first you will bring individuals of note to me. Your Faunus, I have use for him. The Mute too."
"They will not come with us. He despises us since we have abandoned him, and she only served Torchwick," Cinder finally piped up when the other woman had turned away.
"Then offer them something they want," Cinder snapped over her shoulder. She swept her arm to the side. "Now leave. I have no desire to look at something that is disappointing me." Salem looked over at Jaune. "You will retrieve the book as your final test, when you are ready."
"So that's why Cindy talks to us like that," Mercury said, feigning excitement. This only served in earning a slap in the arm from Emerald, whose anger was only skin deep. She was currently holding in a smile at what her partner had said. "Ouch! Sorry, Teacher's Pet!"
When Emerald rolled her eyes and walked away, Mercury cast a distrustful look at Salem's back. This woman didn't seem to have any interest in keeping them alive, or even in them at all. Her time was consumed with her new pet, Jaune. This of course meant that her previous... what had Xehanort called Cinder... ah, her fanatic was only going to put them more and more in danger to try and become top dog again. Overall, things had been getting worse since Xehanort had been killed.
But what could Mercury do except follow Cinder – and by extension Salem? Sure, he'd liked Xehanort and definitely more than he liked Salem, but she'd taken out Xehanort and Keyboy and Red. He'd rather not be added onto that list himself.
R W B Y
"How long has he been over there?" Neptune asked, fidgeting nervously as he and everyone else watched Sora sit alone on the beach of Patch Harbor. The former Keyblade Wielder was busy doing something with his hands and he focused intently on whatever he was doing.
Every time the waves crashed against the shore, Neptune nearly had a heart attack. Only that he'd be seeing his 'Snow Angel' soon was able to cheer him up, though Sun tried to even ruin that. "To make up for the time I'm losing," the Faunus had tried to explain.
Ruby didn't answer at first, instead staring worriedly at Sora. The normally loud and smiling boy hadn't been the same since he'd woken up, and Ruby was worried he was never going to snap out of it. "He and Professor Ozpin got here before us," she explained. She had gone ahead with Taiyang and Yang to say their goodbyes to their father, and had seen Sora there after eating with Tai. "He's been doing this since before any of us were here."
"Your boyfriend's boring," Yang told her sister, glaring at the young man and shaking her head. "That's what you get meeting people from TV. He was the bee's knees on TV!"
"He's not boring," Ruby protested without looking at her sister. "He is the bees knees!"
"Well, you're the bee's knees, too. You seem to think he's fun, so I guess I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, " Yang huffed, sounding jealous of her younger sister for having seen 'Fun Sora.' "When I get my arm, though, I'm beating him up. For fun! Yeah!"
"Miss Rose," Ozpin said, walking up to the group with Qrow at his side. He smiled. "We have booked transport for you and the others to go to Atlas. As it leaves in a few minutes, I would suggest -" he glanced over his shoulder at Sora and smiled warmly "- that you say your farewells."
Ozpin looked back down at Ruby and motioned with his head for the young woman to go. "Thank you, Headmaster," Ruby muttered before running off towards Sora.
"And so you know, Miss Xiao Long, Sora is quite the interesting young man. Next you meet, perhaps you will find him to be too much fun," Ozpin supplied, his smile growing wider as he watched the young woman approach his new student. "Yes, even for you."
"Sora!" Ruby shouted, waving her hand above her head when he looked over at her. A big smile erupted across his face and he motioned for her to sit beside him, though he continued to work on whatever was in his hands. She slid to her knees beside him and smiled worriedly at him. "Sora, are you okay? You've been ignoring us."
Sora grinned sheepishly. "Whoops! Sorry, I was just... well, I wanted to finish them all before you guys got here."
"Finish all of what?" Ruby asked, grabbing his arm and leaning against his shoulder. He didn't answer right away, instead placing whatever was in his hands in the pile of items on his right side. "We're leaving. Come and say goodbye with me?"
"Really? Then I finished just in time!" Sora shouted excitedly. He turned from Ruby and collected the pile before turning to her. "What do you think?"
Ruby examined the shapes in his hands, a group of nine differently colored stars joined together by string and different insignias. One was of a fiery heart, another of a hammer and lightning bolt, one of an eye made up of gears and feathers. In fact, each one was graced with a different emblem of the group. Two of them were gold and silver, with a rising sun insignia set at the center in white. The one that stood out the most was a red and black one with a silver rose at its heart. They all looked very familiar to the young woman, and she quickly understood why. "You made us Wayfinders? Why?"
"They're promises. Remember?" Sora asked, casting a laughing grin at the young novice Keyblade Wielder. "Come on, do you need a hint?"
Ruby smiled at the thought. "Our Destinies are all connected. I like the idea," Ruby said, reaching down to grab the one that was graced with her personal Scatter insignia.
"Ah!" Sora shouted, pulling the Wayfinder's back. "That one's mine. Sorry."
"Sora you already -" she stopped speaking when Sora suddenly held out the white star he had been carrying around since before they met. She looked between Sora's Wayfinder and his offeratory smile. "I can't take this, Sora. It's all you've got from your home. It's yours!"
"Then I guess you're going to have to promise to bring it back to me," Sora suggested honestly. He grabbed her hand with his and placed the Wayfinder softly into her palm. He laughed anxiously and scratched at the back of his head. "It may not have worked when I made the promise to come back, but I think you're gonna do better than I did. I mean, what are the chances you'll travel a thousand years into the future, too?"
Ruby laughed once and closed her hand. "Fine. This one's mine," she agreed. She stood up and held her hand out for Sora to get up. He collected the rest of the Wayfinders and pocketed them, save for the one with Ruby's symbol that he clipped to his belt. Then he reached out and let her pull him to his feet. He stumbled forward and crashed into her. "Oops! I'm still not used to my new strength..."
"Don't worry about it. It takes a while to get used to," Sora said, grabbing her shoulders to steady himself.
"If he kisses you, I'm killing him!" three voices called from beyond the beach. Sora and Ruby both looked over to see Qrow, Yang, and Taiyang all aiming their weapons threateningly right at the young man. Sora frowned and took a half step backwards – he was nowhere near as durable as he had been with his Keyblade, and he didn't want to see what all three of them could do if they all attacked him at the same time.
"Um... So I've got this," Sora supplied, grabbing something from his belt. It was a trapezoidal hilt with the top slightly curved. The handle itself was blue, and the sides of the basket were a bright purple. Five black dots adorned the central part of the crossguard and two cylinders shot out from it in opposite direction at 45 degree angles from the crossguard. Sora glanced down at it and grimaced, trying to get it to work. "Um... let me just... No, not that. This? No... Oh!" A blade shot out, unfolding from the crossguard. It had deep grooves and jagged edges. "Um... tada!"
"Wow, it looks like -" Unbidden, Ruby's Keyblade appeared in a flash of light in her left hand. "Um... Like that," she said, shaking her hand violently until the weapon disappeared. She sighed and glanced at the ground. She was ashamed at her lack of control over the weapon. "Oops..."
Sora laughed. "Yeah, it does that from time to time," Sora supplied to try and alleviate the young woman's embarrassment. He held up the weapon again. "This one's... it's based off of a Keychain I had once, I got it helping a friend fight his Darkness. It felt like the right one to choose."
"What's its name?" Ruby asked, holding her hand out to ask if she could see it. Sora noded and handed it over, at which point Ruby twirled the weapon and examined the grooves. "The jagged edges will be useful for catching your enemies' weapons and breaking them. The balance is good, but it's a little heavy. I mean compared to -" the Keyblade appeared unbidden in her left hand again and she sighed in defeat.
"It's called Fenrir. It's a little of back then, a little of now," Sora said. He looked down at the other weapon Ruby was holding. "And that one? What do you call it?"
Ruby handed Sora her Keyblade and his smile faltered for a moment. It disappeared before he could even wrap his fingers around it. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to -"
"It happens. You're still new at this," Sora responded, his voice barely tinged with any bitterness. He shrugged it off. "What's its name?"
"Crescent Rose. I know, I know. Yang's already told me it's not original at all, but I always liked the name. And it looks like my baby, too," Ruby said, already deflecting his criticism.
"I like it," Sora cut her off. He reached into his pocket and held out the rest of the Wayfinders for Ruby to hold onto – one that was obviously for Qrow, another for Yang, one for Neptune, and another one. "Will you take this one, too? I made two for Jaune, in case either of our groups runs into him. I bet if we give 'em one of these he'll remember who he really is. You think so, too?"
Ruby smiled at Sora and traded his weapon for the Wayfinders. It was a really nice sentiment, to try and hold onto Jaune like that. "You bet," Ruby responded, smiling as she pocketed the Wayfinders for her friends. She glanced at the ground and smiled, dragging the toe of her right boot in circles in the sand. "So, I guess this is see you later?"
"Promise," Sora said, both a response to what she had said and a question for Ruby.
Ruby looked up at him suddenly and grabbed the open chest of his jacket, pulling him close for a quick kiss on the lips. He was taken aback by warm he felt despite the chilly wind, and how – even though her touch was foreign – it felt like everything was exactly where it was supposed to be. She backed away after a couple moments to leave a dazed Sora standing in the sand. "Promise," she said while she smiled mischievously.
"I'M KILLING HIM!"
Ruby hugged the stunned young man tight. "You'd probably better run. I'll tell Qrow, Yang, and Neptune you said bye," she said, voice full of laughter, and then she turned around to defend Sora and his blank eyed grin.
"She's not angry," Sora said, finally understanding that. He snapped out of his stupor when an explosive ball of fire turned the sand at his feet to glass. He looked up to see that his three attackers were not going to stop. He turned on his heel and began to sprint away, terrified by the destructive wall of Ruby's family that was coming towards him. "Ozpin, maybe we should leave?!"
"Why? I'm enjoying myself right here," the man responded, a coffee mug appearing suddenly in his hand. He took a quick drink and laughed. "Lesson one – know when to run away from a fight. Even a Keyblade Master can't win every battle! And it's good cardio!"