1k followers, that's… That's just fucking amazing. Thank you all that read this fic aswell as the critics who've helped me improve as a writer thanks to their criticisms, I really don't mind any unless your being a douche im not gonna delete any valid criticisms.
Anyways, I hope y'all enjoy this extremely late chapter.
Shirou was walking throughout Beacon's halls, having just finished a shower to wash off the smell of sweat from his exercises, a routine he's started doing daily since his new body was severely lacking in comparison to his old one.
He was making his ways towards the kitchens, slightly looking forward to cooking some actual food instead of the dry and bland stuff that he was served during the time he stayed here for the initiation.
There were also the words that he said to Weiss last night, and as much as she was bad at mornings, she wouldn't miss on an opportunity at his cooking.
It was peacefully quiet since it was early in the morning; most of the students probably asleep, the only sounds being heard were his footsteps as he walked, turning the corner to see the doorway of what he remembered to be the kitchen before inwardly sighing.
"Aww come on where's the syrup at!?"
"Nora, just check the pantry."
…
"OH! Found it! You're the best, Ren!"
Entering the room, the most eye-catching sight was the girl, Nora Vakyrie practically hugging a rather large bottle of maple syrup, while another student, Lie Ren, stood at one of the many fire-dust stoves while cooking… pancakes, a large amount of batter for two people being on the counter.
"Hm?" the girl noticed his presence, the bottle of syrup still being rubbed on her cheek.
…
"Oh it's the Schnee with the Mistralian name! Uhm…. Shirou!" the girl gave him an odd nickname before remembering his actual name, notifying her partner of Shirou's presence.
Mistral was a kingdom that was essentially this world's version of East Asia, he still didn't know how an Asia somehow formed in this world but he didn't waste any more time thinking about it.
Shirou's name had always been a confusion for most people since he was born in the Schnee family, a lineage that wasn't normally known to name their children with non-Atlesian names, apparently his mother had, 'for some reason', thought of the name right after his birth, the reason probably being Zelretch, and he didn't even mind having a different name and body.
"Nora don't call him that." her partner said, held the glass bowl of pancake batter, pouring some of it on the butter coated pan before turning his head at Shirou.
"Greetings Shirou." Shirou replied in a simple 'hello'.
"So why are you here so early in the morning?'
Lie Ren was in complete disbelief, silent as he watched Shirou Schnee move like lightning around the kitchen, gathering ingredient from ingredient in seconds, only to see them on a sizzling pan in the next, already diced in thin slices,
his partner was probably in a similar state by how she wasn't even bothering the other students like how she would usually do with him, which spoke volumes of how mesmerising the scene was.
Ren could recognise the dish the Schnee was making as he began cooking up a red sauce, Omurice, which surprised him even more since most non-Mistralians didn't know about it, and with the fact his name was actually Mistralian, only made Ren more curious about him.
"Uh… Hey Shirou?" Nora said, the silver-haired student rolled up an omelette on a pan before responding.
"Yes?"
"Are you sure you weren't adopted?"
"Nora!" yelling her name at hearing the over personal question, his partner turned to him and pointed the syrup bottle at the apron wearing student -who was entertaining himself with the entire incident.-
"Did you see how he made that?! I forgot what it was called but the last time I checked, most non-Mistrailians wouldn't know about it! AND he has a Mistralian name, how could he not be one?"
"My father has taken tests with me on over several occasions, and, unfortunately, I am indeed a Schnee." Shirou answered before looking back at his unfinished dish.
"What do you mean by unfortunatel-?…" the boy interrupted himself for some reason, Shirou simply ignored this as he made some finishing touches on his dish.
He decided to cook Omurice, it was something that Weiss had always liked, well, she liked essentially all that he cooked, but omurice was something that seemed to be her favourites from the way she looked whenever he was said to be cooking it.
Putting a fork and spoon on the rims of the plate, he was satisfied at the dish on the counter top, then looking to the side where the two pans of sauce and rice were…
…
…
He cooked too much…
Shirou sighed at his current dilemma, wasting food was something he never liked. The amount of additional rice and sauce were probably enough to feed an entire refugee camp, old habits die hard.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, before looking at the direction Lie Ren was staring at.
…
Well there's my solution…
At the doorway, the figure of Weiss Schnee and Ruby Rose could be seen, the former looking at the dish with an air of nostalgia while the other could virtually be imagined having her mouth watering by the way she looked at the plate.
Shirou could only widen his eyes at the scene before calming himself down,
"Don't you think you're eating too much?" The orange haired girl just inhaled another pancake before finally stopping for a moment.
"Well since aura is made by eating, I see no wrong in what I'm doing." She took another pancake and stuffed her mouth, he grimaced at the amount of syrup she was using, ignoring the ramifications of weight problems, it was probably enough to give a normal person some form of diabetes; the only reason she wouldn't get both was because of a certain part of how aura works.
Aura did indeed keep its production by using up more of one's food intake and calories, a considerable increased amount than a regular person, one of the main reasons as to why this world doesn't try to activate every citizen's aura; having to feed the entire population tenfold of what was normal would just cripple every food distributor.
"She's always like this, sorry." Lie Ren said with a sigh added on the end,
"-but I just have to say Shirou, how did you learn to cook such a dish? And with such masterfulness." he gestured to his half finished plate of an omelette on a mound of rice; most of the other students with them also getting their interests piqued while his sister only narrowed her eyes at the question.
"Through practice."
Weiss could be heard groaning at the answer,
"You do realize that ever since I've known you my entire life, you have always been able to cook this." She was monotone the entire time while saying the statement, having been used to responding with that to his answer that she always receives whenever she asks the question.
"Oh a mysterious type of guy huh? I can get on top of that." Yang Xiao Long stated as Shirou tried his very best at not spittaking at the 17 year old's words.
"Excuse me!?" Weiss voiced her opinions with a less subtle approach. The other students seemed to share their opinions of dumbfoundment at the rather intrepid words, most deadpanning while the others blushed. Nora was simply enjoying her pancakes while ignoring the oncoming chaos.
"Yang! Stop that!" Ruby Rose yelled, lightly punching her shoulders with a red face.
her sister simply chuckled, "Hey I was just jokin, I swear not to take your catch." Yang added to the fire as she did a wink directed to her sister.
From some of the words spoken last night by the blonde, Shirou had suspected something, but now,
it was clear to him,
Yang Xiao long was one of those women.
-but he put off that thought in favour of addressing the girl next to him that was probably about to explode and give an earful even unparalleled by RIn Tohsaka.
"I would rather you all not cause any more noise, or would you prefer that I would stop cooking." Ruby Rose stopped lightly punching her sister and slowly turned to him.
…
"-Wait, does that mean you're gonna keep cooking this for us?" She gestured to her plate.
"That and more dishes." Shirou truly didn't mind, cooking had always been one of the things he actually enjoyed in partaking, and as much as he denies it, even more so was seeing others enjoy his dishes.
"Using that is just unfair. " Weiss could be heard mumbling while he just shrugged.
…
It was successful as the students simply looked down on their plates and continued eating.
"I still don't understand why Shirou let you people join." his sister spoke up with a furrow on her eyebrows, looking towards her six other student's direction, specifically Ruby Rose.
"Well you led us here." the crimson-headed girl shrugged, her spoon and fork being raised to her shoulders, her partner deadpanning.
"You people followed me." Weiss narrowed her eyes at her 'leader's' ignorance of what actually transpired.
They did indeed follow her, being curious as to where she was rushing to at 7 in the morning, Ruby catching up first thanks to her semblance.
Only to discover the amazing smell of her brother's cooking, not being able to stop gawking at it before Shirou, for some reason, allowed them to join. Then stating that 'he had apparently cooked too much for two' so decided to not waste food that way, there were still some left even with Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie joining, but that was solved by the arrival of the rest of team JNPR; Pyrrha having finished her long workout routine and Jaune from waking up.
"Yeah Weiss! now it's your fault we can't finish unpacking our stuff!" Yang Xiao Long teased the girl, now frustrated screaming began in the Schnee's head, while being outwardly speechless at the two sister's antics.
"Y-You…"
"Now I appreciate you all enjoying my food but please be reminded that classes are starting in 4 minutes." Shirou hastily changed the subject, knowing how badly Weiss's rage tangents can go, especially on one's eardrums.
"WHAT!?" most of the students yelled, the more calmer ones even widening their eyes in surprise of the time before all of them simultaneously began quickly finishing their dishes, not willing to waste such a delicacy.
"-then there was that time where I fought an Ursa barehanded! That was a truly difficult battle but I-"
This person is a horrible teacher
Was all that Shirou could think about him, the Grimm Studies teacher itself, Peter Port was a fairly known huntsman, but as a teacher, he was horrid; the man kept going on and on about random and rather questionable stories from his past, only talking about the Grimm itself when it had a correlation to his story.
The other students seemed to agree by how they were lethargic, most were escaping their boredom by putting their attention on something else, except for Weiss Schnee who was completely focused, her act of hastily making notes made that clear.
Although she kept momentarily glancing at Ruby Rose with an annoyed look, the red headed girl putting up a badly drawn caricature of the teacher to her two other giggling teammates, Yang and Blake. Shirou couldn't blame them on being bored but their current actions were just… plain childish.
"-who among you believes themselves to be worthy to be a true huntsman?" The professor asked, the students seeming to perk their ears at the something the man said that wasn't just a random story.
"I do sir!" Weiss straightens her hand up in a quick motion, becoming the center of attention in the room as the teacher responded in an 'Oho'.
"Well then, I suppose a small Boarbatusk wouldn't trouble you?" the man pointed his over-encumbered battle axe at the small cage that was rattling during the entire class,
Shirou already knew what it contained with a quick use of Structural Analysis, a small boarlike Grimm that had white bone covering it in a way that drastically reduced its weight but still covered most of its body, an understanble choice since it was most known for its speed.
Weiss nodded and made her way to the front of the study hall, Peter Port standing next to the cage in preparation of cutting the chain keeping it closed.
"Three… Two… One!"
The chain was swiftly shattered with the axe, the boar-like Grimm charging out, not noticing the professors' presence in place of rushing at the girl in the center of its view.
Calmy putting up her rapier, Weiss prepared a glyph summon, most probably an elemental glyph, Shirou would think that the most efficient way of handling the battle would be to summon some type of glyph under the Grimm,
His thinking only became confirmed once Weiss shifted one of the Dust containers so that an ice blue compartment was visible, Ice Dust: which when combined with her semblance, it would produce a human sized icicles.
"You can do it Weiss!"
"Represent Team RWBY!"
Her team were cheering her on, most would usually be motivated by this, but Weiss seemed to just furrow her eyebrows, a gesture that showed her annoyance, she glared at the group, most specifically at Ruby Rose before looking back at the thing that was sprinting towards her in a murderous haste.
Looking back to the Grimm, Weiss clicked her tongue at the apparent distance it has closed in the time she was distracted, cancelling the formation of the glyph and simply deciding to pierce the exposed skin under its neck.
Pulling her weapon back, the girl began running, the rapier being aimed up in preparation.
"Go for under the belly Weiss! It doesn't have any armor there!"
"Shut up you brat!"
Perhaps I've used that word too much in front of her.
As Shirou was partly blaming himself for his sister's rather harsh word use, Weiss's rapier, Myrtenaster made a whistling sound as it began piercing through the air, Weiss's left foot being put down to increase the force of her attack. The Borarbatusk jumped in the air, the type of attack it's known to do, the view of its underbelly being clear to the pointed end of her weapon.
…
…
"Excellent Work!" The students began clapping,
"-For a student!" most of the ones clapping then sounded a 'huh?' "-most huntsmen would have accomplished slaying that weakling of a Grimm in a fraction of the time Weiss Schnee took up." The teacher said while facing the students, meanwhile Shirou's sister only glared at her partner once she heard the professor's statement.
"But I suppose it is to be expected since you are all still young and inexperienced! Which is our jobs as teachers to train you a-" Peter Port was interrupted by a beeping sound from his wrist, then glancing at it and raising both of his eyebrows in surprise.
"Oh! Now it would appear I may have lost track of our time, very well! I shall continue my story on how I defeated that Beringel tomorrow, students."
"The Headmaster made a mistake in making you the leader" Weiss stated in a way that it was like a fact to her, which just hurt Ruby more, her partner now turning her back after a rough altercation.
Ruby tried to reach out for her partner but stopped, realizing that her partner really did mean those words, was she really fit to be the leader of a team? From the things Weiss said, things that Ruby believed to be completely true, she wasn't.
"Oh? and what makes you say that?"
The two girls widened their eyes once they both simultaneously looked behind, seeing the figure of Shirou Schnee.
"W-What?" The both of them unknowingly said simultaneously, both of their eyes flickered.
"Aside from being quite childish in class, I don't recall her doing anything that denoted she didn't deserve to be a leader."
"Exactly! She hasn't done anything to actually deserve being one" Weiss repeated the same point she had said earlier, Shirou merely shrugged.
"It's only been a day since the initiation, what can you expect a student to accomplish in just a single day?"
"-I.." Weiss looked troubled, silent as she tried and failed to come up with any actual valid counter arguments to the rhetorical question.
"And wasn't she the one that came up with the same plan that let us kill that Nevermore?" Shirou kept calm, slowly but sure deteriorating his sister's argument as he added another detail.
"…" a scowl appeared on her face as she started to be proven wrong.
"Weiss, if you truly were concerned for your team if it had an incompetent leader, I would advise you not to judge her," Shirou gestured to Ruby, "-as one when it's only been a day."
"…"
"Otherwise, you're just using it as an excuse for your desire to be in a place of power."
Those words were the zenith of his argument, a sort of ultimatum that made her choose either to accept that she had been wrong or that she was acting like her greedy snob of a father, the same father whose caused the suffering of thousands of faunus, turned her own mother into an alcoholic, and sent her brother to another continent.
…
"Fine," Weiss huffed after a moment in thought, "I'll try to think about it like that." she turned around and went out of view from the two remaning students, a calm Shirou Schnee and an utterly dumbfounded Ruby Rose.
…
…
…
"Thanks." was all that Ruby could muster up, having been stupefied by the altercation of the two siblings.
"Indeed little Rose, I am quite grateful that you agree with my decision, Shirou Schnee." A new voice joined in, Ozpin, surprising Ruby as she did a little high pitched squeel and hastily turned to face him.
Shirou simply sighed, already having sensed the presence of the man ever since Weiss started berating the other girl.
"-Even so, I can't say I think the same about some of your other decisions."
"Oh? Like what?"
"I'm sure you already know about my thoughts on your system of making teams," Those hidden cameras in the Emerald Forest were easy to ascertain.
"-and there are many more problems I have," an example would be allowing almost the entirety of Cardin Winchester's team to even step into Beacon, the reason being the team's inexperience.
"-but my main issue is how you made Jaune Arc lead a team of huntsmen, a team he will have for his entire huntsman career, or atleast during his entire stay at Beacon." he stated with complete honesty, the Headmaster simply hummed.
"Oh? Aren't you being a little hypocritical? As you just said to Weiss Schnee, you can't judge a boy's skill solely on the few days you've known them." The man had a smirk on his face,
"-That boy nearly died three times in the short time of the initiation, I think I've seen enough to deem him an incompetent brat." He said in a matter-of-fact way, but the Headmaster remained calm, excluding the small reaction when he said that snide remark at those last few words.
"Do you really think that combat capability is the only thing that matters in a leader? I am aware that little Arc may be a little… unskilled in that area, but there are also a few other factors in determining a great leader: Inteligence, Strategic ability, Moral Support, and I could go on. So, in the few days you have known him, are you really certain he isn't fit to be a leader?"
Shirou narrowed his eyes at the man's reasoning, as much as he disliked it, the man wasn't wrong.
…
"Now I suppose it's time for you two to go, you won't be able to spend your lunchtime with the amount of time we've been talking." Ozpin spoke up after a few seconds of silence, having allowed the interesting young man to think over his words: Shirou only made the same face as Weiss in the fact that he lost an argument, which deeply disturbed him.
Ruby stood there in silence the entire time, watching Shirou Schnee having a disagreement with Ozpin, The Headmaster without any hesitation.
"I know I've already said it, - but, Thanks for talking to Weiss about me," She said with a small smile on her face
She was quite hurt at her partners' words, what Weiss said was quite harsh, the thing hurting her even more was that she believed them since they were still partly true. only realizing how stupid that was once Shirou stepped in, his words having a greater truth to it once she thought about it.
"It really helped."
The chapter was originally 4.2k words but I didn't want to finish The Badge and the Burden Arc in just one chapter.