Chains of Remnant

Chapter 03

Autonomous

A quick author's note: I don't know what happened but the whole chapter had pieces missing from the Word document.

Things like the apostrophes in contracted words were missing for reasons I don't understand.

I just realized it and went to fix it as much as possible.

I move my wet tongue over my dry lips.

My mind is running every possibility as cold sweat drops run through my head.

Our eyes meet as we face one another from such a close distance.

I opened my mouth to begin the confrontation while preparing my right hand.

"—ock, paper..."

"...Scissors—"

She finished my sentence while stretching her hand towards me.

My tightly closed fist meets her open palm.

The match was decided with my loss.

And I close my eyes in preparation to-

"—Ouch...!"

A brief wave of pain surfaces in my glabella.

When I open my eyes once again, I can see the retreating hand of my opponent.

This is my third loss in a row, how is this even possible...?

Even by pure chance I should have won by now, and besides-

"...How does someone put so much force in a single flick of their fingers?"

"Did you say something?"

At least it seems she didn't hear me mutter in defeat.

Mikasa is standing in front of me while we killed time playing some games.

She is wearing a sleeveless black body armor with silver accents that tightly fit her upper body showing the contexture of her muscles—And other things.

'Remember your training Shirou, don't think about it'

Underneath that, a full-body suit of similar color to the armor that runs through her feet to her neck.

"Do you want a rematch or will you accept when you simply can't win...?"

"You know for someone that wins so much at this, you are quite a bad winner...and of course I won't give up, I'm not stopping until I get at least a single win."

My eyebrows scrunch together while I'm rubbing the spot between my eyes.

You could say that I'm dressed like her, as my torso is covered with a similar piece of armor but with an open red coat over it and a pair of dark pants

The armor was simple to re-make but making bulletproof clothing was just as difficult as the first time.

We look weird but I guess it's a price that we need to pay.

"—Rock, paper...!"

"Scissors—"

At least we aren't exactly out of place in terms of looks.

I look around and young people wearing strange clothing is the norm more than the exception.

We are currently in one of the bullheads heading towards Beacon, accompanied by other future students.

The flick that should have come with my last defeat still hasn't arrived

"Is something wrong-?"

She isn't looking at me nor even paying attention to what I said.

I follow her line of sight towards one of the sides of the ship.

A news report is being projected into one of the wide windows.

"—This morning another dead body was found in the streets of Vale, making it the sixth one in the last thirty days. Like all the other victims, the surroundings showed signs of an intense battle occurring during their murder, and the corpse was left in a brutal state.

Police authorities and council representatives are trying to respond to the increasing anxiety of the city population but the sightings of Grimm in the areas nearby the city are still going up by the day..."

A hand traces the surface of my chest as a phantom pain runs through it.

My teeth grind against each other without my say-so.

The news reporter has already changed topics and is now talking about the Dust robberies and their perpetrator, Roman Torchwick.

My breath resumes even when I hadn't noticed that it had frozen in my lungs.

Complicated expressions appear in both our faces.

Last month, the night of the day when our exams happened.

I was shot from a long distance away by someone who must have been using a sniper rifle.

I was sure that my heart must have been destroyed and my life was over but—

I must have made a mistake regarding where I was shot.

The following day I had woken up in my room with my wound completely healed, suffering only of a headache and...

Mikasa, drenched in my blood and with tear stains on her face.

I couldn't have been shot in the heart.

People die when their heart is destroyed.

"-I don't feel like playing anymore, I'm going for a quick walk around the ship."

Strangely enough, she simply nods and doesn't follow me as she would usually do.

I might be showing quite an unsightly expression right now that even wards her off.

The strange killings happening in Vale for the past months began the day I was shot.

I have been going up and down the entire city whenever I had a piece of free time—

I found nothing but countless muggings or cases of violence with people needing help.

I can't say that I wasted my time since there were a lot of times where I could help people but—

I couldn't prevent a single one of those persons from dying.

Time after time, I missed them happening and I couldn't even find any clue that could help resolve the situation.

"Haa—"

An ally of justice who can't even save those so close to him.

What a failure, had Kiritsugu been here...

I have to look into how freely the students can spend their unoccupied time and how easily can someone take a ship into Vale.

And how to do it all without her noticing as well.

"...The last one might actually be impossible the more I think about it."

During the time from the Beacon exams to now, we both had our hands full dealing with stuff.

So, there were a few opportunities to slip away from her watch from time to time.

Similar things to helping Mr. Raeburn get a job at Pharos Academy, there were many people who needed assistance settling in the kingdom.

We really weren't of that much help in the grand scheme of things, just giving a hand whenever possible or bowing our heads while asking for favors.

By a weird stroke of good luck, everyone who came with us was done settling a week before the start of school.

Then we needed many different supplies, like the replicas of the armors had left back at the cabin.

"-Ugfh...!"

Without me noticing it, my feet had carried over to a young blond man.

He slowly swayed from one side to the other like a flower being moved by a gentle wind.

Except that one of them would be pleasant to watch and the other would just worry the onlooker.

If the people around us are a good indication, disgust may be the most accurate term.

Taking notice of the sword at his hip and the armor on his chest.

I approach him from behind while his hand covered his mouth.

"—Hey, are you okay over there? Need a hand or maybe a paper bag?"

"..I.M..FI...NE... just motion sic—Blught...!"

A simple opening of his hands, and it was over.

Attacking my only combat-ready coat, a rain of gastric juices strikes me.

My hand moves to the back of the man who had just defiled my over-clothes, and I try to calm him down.

What exactly was one supposed to do when someone vomits? What did dad do when we felt sick—?

" —S...rry...ugh...—Great start of the semester Jaune..."

"Don't mind it, it's something that happens. Try to not open your mouth and breath slowly through your nose, deep breaths. And seriously, do not open your mouth again"

I guess that doing the same that Kiritsugu did and giving him weird medicine isn't exactly a viable option.

I lead the boy towards the center of the bullhead, it's always more stable as he talked through his hand-covered lips.

The strong smell emitting from my now not so quite red coat irritates my nose.

I knew we should have bought baking soda before coming to school.

"…Don't buy that Shirou, she said. Why would we even need that, are you planning to bake a cake when we get there or something, she said..."

"Did-you say-something...?"

"No, nothing at all. Are you better now or do you want me to get you some medicine?"

I'm going to have to ask the kitchen staff if they have some that I can borrow, it should be enough to clean the stains and the smell... I hope.

And next time we are buying supplies, I'm following my gut.

Talking about that, my fellow sword user started vibrating his head in response.

The green shade on his face makes it seems he wants to follow his gut in a different way.

"Anything-for-motion sickness...?"

"Actually, I do have something for that, I have terrible nausea whenever I enter a flying vehicle so I take this little pill and it's gone in less than a second, like magic."

Without even a moment's notice, he shallows the small white pill-shaped object I had taken from my pocket.

I guess I really can't complain but nobody taught him about not taking things from strangers?

His green-tinted face quickly returns to a more humane shade.

—I guess that once one takes care of a tiger faunus everything is easy in comparison.

"—Thank you so much dude, you need to tell me what brand that is, not one of the medicines that I took worked, but that one was totally amazing, it didn't even need a minute to work and it had a great mint flavor too."

"Eh... sure, I don't exactly remember the name right now and I... already threw the package that it came in but I'll be sure to tell you when I remember the brand."

I can't boldly tell him that I just gave him one of Mikasa's mints.

But the placebo effect is quite something, even on people that aren't her, huh.

There was this time that our old tutor had a terrible stomach ache and we had run out of medicine at the cabin.

A simple glass of carbonated water that "had" a new anti-acid and...

—She went on to ask for dessert as nothing happened.

"Please, please don't forget about it, I don't think I can survive another public humiliation like this."

"You're worrying too much, I doubt anyone even saw what happened or even cared about-"

Just as I was finishing my sentence, the words "at least I hope they are better than vomit boy over there" could be heard.

One could even see how the hope that my reassurance was bringing died like it was slashed in half.

I should probably try to cheer him up.

Now, what could I say to him...?

" —They might forget about this in no time at all...?"

"..."

I got nothing else, I really lack training in these kinds of things.

—Would Beacon offer classes on how to cheer up people?

And as much as I would like to keep trying, I need to take off this jacket.

People are watching and more importantly.

"I'm not living this one down, aren't I ?"

"shouldn't that be my line? I'm sure being the puker is much worse than being the puked one in terms of shame."

I ignore his peculiar choice of words as my face burns while looking beyond his shoulders.

A girl with long black hair tied in a high ponytail is holding a hand to her mouth while looking away from us.

I can't believe it.

The last time I actually saw her do that was so long ago.

I guess a bit of shame for a smile like that isn't a bad deal.

The fact that she probably won't forget this anytime soon might be bad.

But I have done enough embarrassing stuff over the years that one more can't be that bad.

My attention is reclaimed by a voice.

"Ah, that's right, we didn't introduce each other yet! Jaune arc, short, sweet, rolls of the tongue, and the ladies love it."

"—Shirou Emiya."

I nod my head while closing my eyes.

I responded with as much tenacity as I can put into my words.

How else can you reply to someone brave enough to say such a phrase with a face stained with vomit?

Huntsmen-in-training sure have guts beyond the normal person.

"Do you need anything else? , I need to go back to someone I came with, but if you still feel unwell I can stay."

"No, no, no. You already did more than—"

Thud!

As I was preparing to go back and moved the piece of clothing in my hand to the side.

A small transparent box falls to the ground with oval-shaped white mints scattering through the floor.

I can feel the air freeze for a moment.

My eyes lift themselves and they find an expression of confusion that quickly fades into realization.

"—Wait...!"

My words were too late.

A slightly armored figure can be seen running away while semi-solid liquid escapes his mouth.

A girls' boots just suffered the same fate that my clothes did.

And as if on cue, the bullhead started lowering itself to the ground.

I'm left standing there, contaminated piece of clothing in hand.

I stretch my cheeks, that was unfortunate.

The occupants of the ship start leaving on masse while I start looking around.

Steps come from behind me and a figure stands by my right

"Don't say it..."

"—Nice coat you got there..."

I sigh and start moving in the opposite direction of the crowd.

Mikasa doesn't seem bothered by my lack of response and follows me.

It seems that the whole accident might have caught more attention than I thought.

Mostly by girls that point at me and giggle.

"-This wasn't exactly how I thought our stay here would start you know?"

"The day has been going quite well, you haven't managed to get into any danger yet—"

BOOM!

The sound of an explosion coming from outside the ship.

I feel that there is something wrong with the situation but I run out anyways.

I push out of the way some of the stranglers still on the ship.

Outside, the situation is nothing like I expected.

Nothing is going on at all.

A cloud of black smoke is going up into the sky.

A girl in white is arguing with one dressed in black and red.

It must have been an accidental discharge of some kind.

My lips curl by themselves as someone stands in front of me with a relieved look

"—Don't say it..."

"It's okay, I won't mention how worried you looked when you thought you jinxed us."

The only response I get is a glare.

I bravely respond with a retreat into the ship once again.

Now there was no one left in the passenger section.

I make my way into the back and open a small cabinet that was almost hidden into one of the sides.

The cabinet contained various cleaning tools like a bucket and mop.

Stuff... happened last time I rode a bullhead like this to come into Beacon.

The things a girl with a bottle of syrup and a hammer can do, they are beyond my comprehension.

Although, I still don't understand why she was carrying syrup in the first place.

"Do girls usually carry sweeteners with them when they go out?"

"—What are you even talking about? Did you hit your head while I wasn't looking?"

I knew I shouldn't have asked Mikasa about the things teenage girls tend to do.

It would be good if she could get some friends to hang out with while we are at Beacon.

Someone her age shouldn't stay all day busy with things to do and should instead play around when she gets the chance.

I would be content if whatever team we're in has someone she can get along with.

Thankfully, cleaning Jaunes... materialized motion sickness went rather quickly.

And one of the ship's crew took care of cleaning both the buck and the mop.

And it didn't seem like we missed anything by the time we arrived at the amphitheater of Beacon.

The man with white hair who talked to us a month ago, Ozpin the headmaster of this school, stands on the platform in front of all the students.

Our eyes crossed as he scanned the new students from his higher position.

His gaze remained in this direction for a while before going back to his previous task.

Behind him, a tall woman with blond hair and green eyes definitely saw me as well.

And it seems she didn't forget about that month-old kick either.

"—It's not too late yet, we can still outside the kingdom and become farmers."

"I wasn't expecting a joke like that, but you don't need to cheer me up even if a teacher doesn't like me, I doubt she would do anything unprofessional."

It seems my worries showed on my face too much.

If Mikasa of all people tries to make a joke to lift my spirit then I should at the very least raise my morale.

Her features turn strange at my response as if she was...confused.

—That was a joke, right?

A loud sound comes from the speakers around the room.

My attention, along with the rest of the people, is captured by the man on the platform.

He stands next to a microphone and clears his throat before fixing his gaze on something that I can't see.

"All of you who have come here have something in common, you have chosen to do so in one way or another.

You have chosen to come and seek what you required to become a protector of the light.

You have chosen to dedicate your body and soul to safeguarding the people of this world

And you have chosen the staff of this school to guide you through your journey.

But what I see before me is not those ready to fulfill their destinies but people who aimlessly struggle towards their future without a proper foothold to advance.

If you are to carry through with our teaching, I'm sure that, like the many before you, you will quickly realize the truth of why you have chosen this path among all others.

And by that time, you will be ready to accomplish what you have come to do."

And after saying his unprompted speech he simply leaves.

His words revolve their way into my skull and echo within it.

I can't help but think that there is something weird about what he said.

The woman at his side seemed to share my sentiment, as she seems confused about something.

But that doesn't last more than a few seconds.

"Tonight, you will all spend the night in the ballroom, tomorrow morning the initiation will begin during the morning, your partner and teams will be decided there, you are dismissed."

Having conveyed the information as straightforwardly as she could manage, she too leaves the stage.

The silence that was previously maintained by the new students is suddenly broken.

Conversations and sounds of all kinds are born all the same instant.

The both of us are no exception, as I ask what is on my mind.

"So, we don't have anything to do until tomorrow morning... what are we supposed to do until then?"

"How about we do something about that...?"

She points with one finger towards what I'm holding in my hand.

A stained previously jet red coat.

She is probably right about that one, we should probably do that before going to that ballroom.

Something red catches my eyes for a second but I return them to my companion.

"Now that I think about it, any idea where the ballroom even is? Or anywhere that wasn't where we took those written tests?"

She only shakes her head in response.

So, she is in the same boat as me in that aspect.

Then unless there is a map of this place somewhere around here there is only one thing to do.

"Do you want to explore the academy while we search for something for me to clean this up—?"

"—Hello! I'm sorry but I couldn't help but listen in do you mind if I join you? I also don't know my way around the school."

We are suddenly interrupted by a polite voice.

A girl with red hair and emerald-colored eyes donning brown colored armor.

She smiles at us while waiting for an answer.

Now that I notice, she is the only one close to us as everyone else is watching us from afar.

"Um...sure, it's not a problem." / "—No."

I was thinking that she could be a potential friend of her age for Mikasa so I accepted without thinking too much but...

I wasn't expecting such a brutal rejection.

Mikasa might not be a social person but she wasn't one to reject people like that

The girl seems to be even more surprised than me by the bewildered expression she has.

"Hey, there is no reason not to try to make friends now that we are here, right? I won't say that she has to accompany us if you don't want but what harm could it bring if we go around the building together?

"...We are in the capital now, Shirou. You can't be so trusting of everyone we meet like you always are. Think, why would a scantily clad good-looking girl come to try to befriend us?

Tomorrow morning, we're going to be walking around with her when you suddenly clash against her and she would drop some priceless vase that was in her family for generations, and next thing we know you are going to have to pay her back using your body-"

"S-S-Scantly...?"

"Y-You idiot, what the hell are you saying about someone you don't even know. I don't know what kind of books you have been reading but that scenario is too nonsensical in the first place, and why would someone want me to pay them with my body?!"

The girl's face reddens even more than the color of her hair as she starts squeaking.

My own face is also quite red, I didn't want to think about it but it's quite hard to look at her.

I don't know where to look with how she is dressed, so I just left my eyes on her face-

But that is beside the point, one can't be so rude to someone else for no reason.

"I'm very sorry she tends to be better behaved. We would appreciate it a lot if you still want to come with us."

"No, no, you don't need to apologize, it's fine. I'm sorry for bothering you both"

I bow my head while apologizing, even if it doesn't sound very sincere when Mikasa stands next to me while saying nothing.

I could make her bow as well but it would be kind of meaningless if she doesn't mean it.

Ever since I was shot last month the once overprotective Mikasa stepped up a gear, still-

I haven't seen her go on such a tirade like that ever before...

"Wait, was that a way for us to break the ice with a joke?"

"..."

That silence might most likely mean a no.

But on the other hand, it might mean yes, so I'm going to take it like that.

The girl seemed like she had somewhat calmed from her embarrassment but her calmness from before was all but gone.

"HA—So it was like that, what a bad joke, but it did break the ice so we can't really complain right?"

"Y-yes, the ice has definitely been broken...Ha-Ha-Ha"

I tried to push that narrative to solve the situation and the girl kindly tried to follow me along.

We both failed in a spectacular manner.

Embarrassment runs through my body as I sigh.

I doubt a more sorry excuse for social interaction could be happening in the entire building.

"But I'm serious, it would be nice if the three of us could go around together, I'm Shirou and she is Mikasa, it's a pleasure meeting you."

"Ah I wouldn't want to cause an inconvenience, Pyrrha Nikos the pleasure is all mine...?"

"I already said you aren't one so don't worry too much... Is something wrong?"

"No...?"

How weird.

She had gone back to her earlier smile but she quickly replaced it with a look of confusion.

Did I say something weird?

My nose twitches and I'm suddenly reminded.

"I need to go find a place to clean this or the stain is going to set, so let's all go without worrying too much about what just happened, okay?"

"Are you sure that I won't be a nuisance?"

This time she is answered by a reluctant Mikasa who nods her head at her.

I don't want to force things and try to make them get along against her will if I can help it.

But if we don't end up in the same team she needs someone else to be able to talk to her.

I'm sure that she can manage fine by herself even without anyone but—

It would be best if she doesn't need to.

I just remembered why I never made lunch before going to work even if it was cheaper

If I did such a thing as a boy, not only would I get funny looks from people my age.

But they would also come asking for a bite and always leave me with barely anything else.

Strange thing is, that never happened with Mikasa's.

"—Maybe stealing food from a girl looks worse…?"

"Man that was great, even my mother's cooking isn't as good.

—Has anyone told you that if the whole huntsmen thing doesn't work out you could open a restaurant?"

"…Actually somebody's said something remarkably similar to that once, Jaune"

I'm carrying multiple trays in my hands.

It's been a couple of hours since we began exploring the school.

Somehow we managed to cover the changing rooms, gym, various classrooms, the locker rooms, the ballroom, and even more places.

All of that without finding a laundry room or the kitchen.

I was honestly starting to consider giving up and asking someone for directions.

Fortunately, we did find the kitchen before that.

Unfortunately, at the time, a hostage situation was taking place by an armed assailant.

Thankfully, the criminal of small stature easily surrender after I offered to make her a snack.

Many pancakes later, I finally managed to clean my coat.

It should be dry by tomorrow night with any luck.

But after dealing with that, we found out that since the semester technically starts in two days the cafeteria was understaffed.

I ended up helping in the kitchen to prepare dinner.

And as a reward for helping, I got to make a personalized dinner for me, Mikasa, and Pyrrha since she still was with us.

"Thanks for the help Shirou, we will deal with the cleaning by ourselves. It would look bad having a student doing too much for us after all."

"I did nothing special in the end if you need anything else just ask, Miss "

After leaving the trays that were left in the cafeteria by students who didn't return theirs.

Jaune and I start going back to the table I ate in.

Sometime in the middle of dinner time, people started noticing that we had a more homemade dinner and started asking for a taste.

Jaune was the same, but when he saw me taking trays to the kitchen he decided to support me.

"I appreciate the help Jaune, but you didn't need to come to give me moral support. You really didn't—"

"Don't worry pal, what are friends for if they don't support each othe….I have something to do, see you later!"

Without catching my meaning, the blond starts running away after seeing someone leave.

For some reason, he also started saying something about a snow angel?

The cafeteria is slowly emptying of the last remaining students.

After a short walk, I get to my table.

"~Hello again Shirou, sorry for not helping you out with the cleaning."

"I did say that I wanted to take care of it by myself so I can't complain."

I'm greeted by the redhead who was sitting next to Mikasa.

While helping with the clean-up would have been nice.

I preferred if the two of them could stay together and warm up to each other.

While we talked somewhat while we explored the facilities, we didn't do much more than have some small talk.

"—Without noticing it's gotten quite late already."

The sight of the moon hanging in the sky outside the windows catches my attention.

We got into the school around six of the afternoon, so with everything that went on it should be at least nine o'clock already.

If I went to sleep now I would have around eight hours of rest and time to do my mornings exercises as usual.

But I have never been good at sleeping early in any capacity.

Silence surrounds the table, what might be a comfortable atmosphere with just me and Mikasa turns awkward when we are with someone we don't really know.

I try to think of a topic to discuss and there is something that I wanted to ask since earlier.

But I don't think asking her that would make the situation any more comfortable for anyone

"Did you like cooking since you were younger Shirou? I don't know if there is anyone as good as you at our age."

"Eh... I don't like cooking in particular, it's just something that I started doing since I was a little kid, since dad wasn't too proficient at it himself.

And I don't think I'm exactly that good, anyone with as much experience as me should be as good or better than me."

"—The one time neither Shirou nor I cooked, Kiritsugu managed to serve a chicken both raw and burnt at the same time..."

It seemed that dad's meager cooking skills degraded after not cooking for years after I took charge of the kitchen.

That day was the first time we ate out in the town.

And also, the first day that I remember having a stomach ache.

"Oh I'm sorry, are you two actually siblings? You don't look too much like each other."

"...We aren't. Shirou picked me up once and we lived together since then."

This is a topic that we have gone through probably hundreds of times already.

Her expression never changes but it can't be easy for her to remember what happened that day.

The death of your parents, who you loved.

That is something that will hurt no matter what or who you are.

"Uh...I'm sorry for bringing it up"

"—There is nothing for you to be sorry about."

And silence fell on the table once more.

I can see how Pyrrha is thinking that she wants the earth to swallow her.

It's not like Mikasa got mad at her or anything but I guess she might think she is.

Time to change the topic

"Pyrrha, do you mind if I ask you something that I wanted to do for a while?"

"Sure, I don't mind."

"Why did you ask us to go around the school with instead of anyone else? Unless puked coats and dark armor became a hit, I don't really understand why you chose us"

Her eyes widen for a moment before a bitter smile appears on her lips.

She takes her time to answer, moving her gaze from me to the table.

After a few moments she lifts her gaze and starts.

"I'm sorry but it was in fact for the vomit that I approached you. Nobody was coming close to you two and as you must already know I'm famous—"

"You are famous—?"

"Yes...? Aren't I?"

I don't know how to answer that question.

I look at the black hair girl to the side.

She just shrugs her shoulders.

Pyrrha just looks at me and then at Mikasa in a loop while tilting her head.

"The Mistral regional tournaments ring any bells...?

"Um...No? I'm sorry but we aren't very familiar with many things from society, we lived in a secluded place. I hope we didn't offend you—"

"NO!, it's great actually!"

It is...?

Her smile right now makes it hard to believe otherwise.

Mikasa and I exchange looks once again.

It seems that she didn't get it either.

"I think we should be able to get a shower before changing and going to the ballroom. It's better to go now that people should be already done with theirs."

Pyrrha leads us away with a strange tone of voice.

Since there isn't much else to do until tomorrow we follow after.

I haven't thought about it so far but—

Exactly how are we going to be sleeping?

I fidget in my place as blood rushes to my face.

There might be some cultural differences going on right now.

I'm sitting on a sleeping bag in the corner of the ballroom next to Mikasa.

We are both using old t-shirts and shorts as pajamas.

I could ignore the clothes that people were wearing earlier as I had mentally prepared myself beforehand.

Knowing that I would have to stare at the tight outfight of the person next to me I prepared and managed not to embarrass myself.

But now, countless girls of my age wearing sleepwear to go to sleep in front of me

And I'm supposed to go to sleep like this?

"Haa—"

At least they are not as brazen as the boys, shirtless and flexing their muscles.

It's embarrassing and worrying to watch.

Do these people think that just because they have Aura, they won't catch a cold?

Aren't they worried abo—

"Hey Shirou, good night!"

My mind freezes for a moment as it fails to understand reality.

Jaune waves at me as he walks around in...

—An overgrown baby blue onesie?

You know, maybe sleeping topless isn't that bad now that I think about it.

As expected of someone training to be a Huntsman.

To wear such a thing in public requires courage heard only in legends.

With my peripheral vision, I know Mikasa saw it too, so I didn't imagine it.

I open my mouth but her hand quickly covers it.

"Don't."

That's probably for the best.

I realize that I will need to thank Jaune later.

The nervousness of sleeping in the same room as this many girls disappeared with a single glance.

"…Have you thought about what to do about the teams and partners?

"I'll be your partner no matter what, I can't let you go on your own and get killed."

Her tone is resolute and firm as it usually is.

There is nothing I can say in response to that, at least not that I haven't done so already.

I cannot stop her no matter how much I want to.

Still, there should be one thing I never put into words so far.

"Then, I'll be your partner as well, and I will make sure to protect you no matter what. I don't like the idea of you getting hurt at all, so I will do my best to protect you.

I know that you are much stronger than me and if there is something that you can't deal with it's doubtful that I could but I'll still do my best for you not to be hurt."

For her to be a huntress means she will eventually get hurt, that is unavoidable.

The image itself is enough to sink my heart and make me want to vomit.

Since she told me she would follow me into this kind of life I knew her suffering would be my fault.

And I don't have the right to ask her not to do it after she asked me the same so many times.

Her eyes go wide and her face turns red.

It seems she wants to cover her face with her scarf but she doesn't use it to sleep.

And unusual expression for her, and I don't get it.

Didn't she already know this?

"...You will— protect me...?"

"You can laugh if you want, the guy who you beat up so many times before saying that he will protect you when he can't win a simple spar. But it doesn't matter to me. I will do it anyway,"

I scratch my cheeks and turn myself to the side.

Saying something like that with so many people around us...

She doesn't respond and I don't turn back.

My gaze wanders into the people in their sleepwear.

A good-looking girl catches my eyes.

And my blood solidifies in a single breath.

My body feels both heavy and hot.

A familiar face that is too different to actually be the same I saw that time.

She must have realized that I was watching her.

She turns towards me and looks me up and down.

For some reason, she nods to herself and winks at me playfully.

And she returns to talk to the girl next to her.

As if the spell was broken, my body returns to normal.

I turn to the side to confirm that I wasn't hallucinating.

Mikasa's face is twisted into an angry scowl as she starts lifting herself from the sleeping bag.

I quickly grab her by the shoulder.

"If it wasn't her... they look similar but that's all there is to it. I can tell you with certainty she didn't recognize me.

Besides what do you want to do, if you try to start something here the only thing you will manage is getting people caught in the crossfire."

"But—!"

"I know how you feel but nothing good will happen even if we did something like that."

I didn't say anything she didn't know already.

She probably just got too heated in the moment.

Not that I blame her for it, it's only natural.

The faces of everyone that I failed that day on Strumbella still appear in my dreams every day.

"...What would you do if we ever find her somewhere out there? "

What would I do?

I still remember the scorching anger I felt that day.

How meaningless it was for those who died, the pain of those who survived, and the crimes that I had to commit once again.

I don't wish for revenge but—

"If she is still doing the same things, I will stop her myself. It doesn't matter how strong she is."

She doesn't say anything else.

Her eyes wander to the figure from earlier but after a moment she turns around and lays on her bag.

I follow her example after taking one last look.

The back of her waist-long blond hair is the only thing I can see from this position.

I sigh and lay back down in the sleeping bag.

My arms crossed behind my head.

I close my eyes and try to sleep.

Times flows as usual but—

I can't sleep.

My mind is speeding up instead of doing what it's supposed to.

The lights have been turned off already.

Everyone is sleeping already.

Or at the very least, they appear to be trying to do so.

The room is only being brightened by the moonlight.

The girl next to me is showing a peaceful face.

It's not the first time that I have seen it.

The last few months when we traveled across the continent I had plenty of chances to see it.

It's quite different from what I can see during most of the day.

Worry-free and...

"What the hell am I doing—?"

I lift myself making as little noise as I can.

Guided by the rays of light coming from the windows.

I step across the empty spaces between the sleeping students.

To the side of the ballroom, a door leading to a balcony can be seen.

A cold gust of air welcomes me as I leave.

I lean against the rail that goes around the edges.

I look up and the shattered moon is still there.

If I wasn't here right now, at Beacon, would I be doing the same thing?

"Looking up to the sky while doing nothing...?"

I know that this is reality.

People in the world, in the deserts of Vacuo or the gelid mountains of Atlas.

There are those who die, those who suffer, and those who are left behind all alone.

Exactly like the people of Vale who were killed last month.

"—Saving those I can see...means not saving those I can't see."

The only thing Shirou Emiya can do.

The only thing Shirou Emiya wishes to do.

That hasn't changed, not now that I'm here.

My hands tighten around the rail.

"….Then, why does this situation bother me so much?"

The sound of a door opening behind me stops my thoughts.

A girl with black hair and the same height as me comes from the ballroom.

A black bow is tied on top of her head.

Her bright yellow eyes focus on me when she sees me at a corner of the balcony.

"…I was curious about what you were doing this late, and I have to say that brooding in the moonlight isn't a good look for you."

"Um…I wasn't brooding, just thinking while looking up the moon."

" It's even a worse look than last time, and that is saying something about a guy who came out with an apron and his hands full of soap water.

But whatever you say, you can continue to totally not brood by yourself, I'm going back to sleep."

"What just happened….?"

The strange girl just said whatever she wanted and left before I could say anything.

And what she said about looking worse than before, when did she mean?

I'm sure I have never seen her before.

And thinking back to the whole day…

"—is there any huntsmen-in-training in this school that's actually normal?"

I sigh and move a hand through my hair.

There is one thing that I got to admit.

She was right about what she said.

Standing around doing nothing doesn't suit me.

"I guess I should do something useful since I can't sleep"

I leave using a stone stair that comes to the side of the balcony.

There should be an empty place around here that I could use without bothering anyone.

After walking for a while, I take a weapon from within me.

I start training, swing after swing

.

"Haa—"

Sweat drops in front of my eyes.

The weapon I was previously holding disappears before a new one takes its place

I had lost count of how many times it happened since I started.

Many hours have passed since then.

"You sure have an interesting strategy for initiation, Mr. Emiya."

"What—"

My head swirls back.

Ozpin, the headmaster stands in the dark of the night.

Cane and mug in hand, as if they were an inseparable part of him.

He sips what can I only could assume is coffee.

"I would never complain about a student being passionate about their training but I don't think its wise to spend hours doing so before doing something that will require you to be at full capacity"

"Ah, you are right sir. I just couldn't sleep and wanted something to do."

He stares at me while having yet another sip.

I don't know why but it's unnerving having him watch me like that.

It's like what he is watching isn't me but something or someone else.

"It's already four in the morning, where are you planning to keep going until the initiation began?"

"Um... I was honestly just going to do another hour before stopping."

I still need to do a couple of things.

Running, having a shower, and seeing if the kitchen staff needs a hand.

I also have to make time to do Mikasa hair now that I remember.

I don't think that her having wild bed hair on our first day is a good idea.

"I should be telling you about the benefits of good sleep does to a growing boy but I won't, those your age don't tend to respond well to being asked to go to bed.

But you should also know that as one grows older, sleeping peacefully grows more difficult. I wouldn't be up otherwise."

And he remarks his sentence with another sip.

while I can guess what he wants to say-

"Maybe all that caffeine doesn't help professor? "

"...Well, you aren't wrong but I might be too old to stop now"

He made a strange expression when I made that comment.

I might have been too rude, but the comment just escaped by itself.

His strange look continued before putting his mug to his lips once more.

"Why are you here Shirou Emiya?"

His tone didn't change but the atmosphere transformed with just his words.

The air thickened and there was an intangible seriousness to the question.

He isn't asking why I'm training so late, or why I didn't go to one of the gyms to do so.

And I doubt that a simple answer like "I want to be a huntsman" would satisfy him.

"—There is something I need to do no matter what. I've been doing everything I can by myself but it's still not enough, graduating this school should get me closer to reaching it."

"I see, then you are similar to him like that. There is something you need to do, and doing so is the most important to you."

He closes his eyes and turns around.

Similar to him?

Who is he talking about?

He continues talking while walking away

"—Then, Shirou what would you do if that you needed to do the most was impossible. Not because it cannot be done but because somebody has already done it for you before you ever had the chance?"

"—What...?"

His words make no sense.

I don't know who he was reminded of.

He must have misinterpreted what I wanted to do.

I don't know what goal he thinks I might have but it must be completely unrelated to me.

Being an ally of justice can't be impossible.

The only way for it to be impossible would be if somebody had already saved everyone in the world.

Before he is completely gone, I somehow heard his voice.

As if it was coming directly next to my ears.

"Both of you should take a rest, it would be unfortunate if you got injured tomorrow because you were too sleepy, don't you think?"

The bright light of the morning sun hits my eyes.

The sound of the wind striking against the cliff underneath my feet.

To both my sides, new students stand on metal pads while being lined up.

In front of us, professors Ozpin and Goodwitch.

"This is the moment that years of training will be put to the test. You will be dropped into the Emerald forest and your mission will be to retrieve a relic hidden somewhere north from your general positions.

You will encounter all kinds of enemies that seek to destroy you there, you only have one thing you can do, kill them first.

The forest is heavily monitored but no help will be given by the staff unless foul play is detected, so this will be the last time you are given this choice. If you wish to live, give up, step down and go home."

He says such things with an uninterested tone.

As if the possible death of those in front of him is nothing new.

What Kiritsugu taught me, all those years ago.

To be a huntsman like him is to live next to death at every moment.

After a moment passed and no one left their place, the blond woman began.

"This is when both your teammates and partners will be decided, they will be who accompany you for the next four years of your education. The method of the selection of the teams will not be revealed before the finalization of your mission.

Who they are might define your future in ways you cannot imagine, take this into consideration with how you interact with those you encounter."

Teams and partners.

I learned about them from a book years ago, but I couldn't really imagine myself having them.

—That isn't exactly true.

After all, I can't imagine anyone else as my partner except the girl who suddenly started staring at me...

"Now you will be launched into the forest, I hope all of you remember your landing strategies and have them prepared in advanced."

Landing strategy...?

I can guess what he means by the pads underneath us and his use of the word launched.

Actually, the moment I saw the pads I could already guess but...

My coat is still drying—

"Jaune, whatever you do, don't turn your head towards me!"

"Huh?"

I desperately scream towards the blond a few people over to the right,

Every other student turns to look at me strangely.

I don't care, I'm already only wearing my sleeveless armor.

Another incident and I would need to go around topless.

"...Well, if nobody else has anything to say, the initiation will begin in the next ten seconds...

Oh right, I forgot, the first person you look in the eyes after you land is going to be your partner, good luck."

What did he s-?!

The metallic contraption beneath us all activate at the same time.

In less than the time it takes me to notice, everyone is souring the sky.

The noisy wind fills my ear canals as the blue of the sky is reflected on my eyes.

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

A scream drenched with fear overpowers every other sound.

I pull both my feet together and turn my body sideways.

A straight and thin sword with green and black colors appears underneath me.

I start looking around while using my aura to activate the Dust.

My eyes scan the surroundings.

The Hunters-in-training are still not falling as their upwards acceleration is still strong.

Everyone was launched in different directions.

Some were clustered together but the majority were spread out.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH-!"

I spot a spinning blond with tears in his eyes

His mouth opened incredibly wide while screaming.

If his loud battle cry is something to go on, his landing strategy might not be exactly prepared.

I hop off my sword.

It flies out and becomes a ray of light.

The air is sliced and it travels towards the blond.

Those around us are using various methods to dampen their fall.

There doesn't seem anyone else has any trouble.

A pair of daggers connected with a long chain appears in my grip.

If I had done something about those Dust robberies this would be much easier.

The price of the gravity Dust is quite insane lately...

There is a good tree over there to grapple wi-

"Whoa—!"

Somebody's arms snake themselves around my legs and back.

Something ridiculous is pressed against my face.

Vast amounts of blood travel to my head.

I'm being princess carried mid-air by a girl my age.

I guess my partner is already decided before even reaching the ground.

I should thank her for helping me, even If I had it before.

But I can't, I would truly lose if I did that.

I hope Jaune can get me my sword back.

—And that he doesn't puke on it too much.

We slowly descend into the tree-covered forest.

The previous speed intermittently decreases with every meter of travel.

It's like we're a softly falling feather.

This is the grace that she can have with her semblance when she isn't fighting.

I'm normally captivated by it but... not when I'm suffering such embarrassment.

When her feet touch the ground, I throw myself out.

After a moment, making sure my face wasn't flushed anymore, I stand up.

We face each other, and what was already known before gets set in stone.

I stretch out my hand.

"You should already know that I'm more trouble than what I'm worth as a partner but I'll make sure to do what I promised yesterday. I will make sure to protect you."

"—No, I'll be the one the protects you, Shirou. No matter what I need to do, I'll make sure you live."

She grabs onto my hand with both of hers.

A mixture of feelings appears inside me with her words.

But more than anything else right now—

I'm really pissed off

"—You idiot, what do you mean by no, whatever you protect me or not is completely unrelated. I decided that I'll make sure you aren't hurt because that's what I want. "

She hides her face with her scarf while saying nothing about what I said.

The image of her getting injured pops into my mind.

She followed me all the way here because of my own desires, so what happens to her would be my fault.

But even if that wasn't the case…

—I would still want to protect her.

The foliage around us rumbles.

And twelve red lights can be seen emerging as they surround us.

Three enemies from the right and three from the left.

A straight one-handed sword is already in my hand while facing the ones on the right.

The sounds of something moving at high speed can be heard.

I take it as a signal and charge forwards.

The three Grimm in front of me makes their move.

—Primitive creatures who only seek destruction.

The only way they have to fight is to brutally annihilate everything in front of them.

The weaker, younger version of them has no sense of strategy or tactics.

So they all jump towards me, claws raised to tear my flesh apart.

I slide under the one in the middle.

And slice his body in one motion.

I don't turn to the other two and continue moving forwards.

They follow me without feeling a bit of hesitance.

"Haa!"

I jump into a tree trunk and use it as a platform to leap backward.

Changing positions midair, I cut the back of the neck of the Ursa beneath me.

The remaining one turns, still desiring nothing more than to kill me.

A thrust to the chest ends him before he has time to notice.

I turn my head.

The other three Grimm lay on the ground cut in half.

And my partner has her weapons already sheathed a neutral expression on her face.

Dealing with creatures of this caliber is no trouble for either of us but—

"Eh...Did you, by any chance, bring the compass with you...?"

"No."

Neither did I.

But well, how difficult could finding the north be?

We had travel quite a bit on the wild and we—

Might have gotten lost a good couple of times.

The sounds of gunfire and explosions can be heard from far away in multiple directions.

The other students must have already started encountering their enemies.

My feet already are moving before the dead beasts started disintegrating,

"Let's get going, we aren't going to suddenly know where to go even if we stay here all day."

"Okay."

I receive a brief response and we start walking.

Even if we don't find where the relics are stored, we should be able to find some other people.

And the sooner we do it, the better.

They might be training for these types of situations but nobody knows what could happen.

—Uneasiness drapes itself around me, but I don't know why.

Interlude In

A woman in heels and blond hair.

And a man dressed in black.

They are both standing at the edge of a cliff.

A hologram that shows views of different parts of the forest is in front of them.

On a division of the projection.

A group of dead Beowulf starts to disappear, only the projectiles used against them remain.

An injured teenage boy and a panting girl can be seen.

"That makes them the third now sir. I don't know how they are doing it but it's impossible for it to be a coincide, unless a unique Semblance is at play, the only other explanation is sabotage."

"Hmm, I've seen many things along the years Glynda but I don't think there was a single case like this that could be called sabotage."

The man is unconcerned about the woman's worries.

He simply stands there, nothing about the situation takes his interest.

"Sir, how could that be anything but somebody's interference, the results might be positives but-"

"It's as you just said, the results are positive, are they not? As educators the fewer students that are hurt or worse, the happier we should be. Or is his involvement something you simply can't accept?"

The woman faces goes through various changes before going back at one of concern.

The man had seen right through her, among all things, what she worried about the most…

There was one thing that could truly disturb her.

One thing she couldn't forget.

"...The final partnership has been decided, Miss Nikos and Mister Arc."

Changing the topic, the woman looks back at the screen.

Several views of pairs of Hunters-in-training appear.

A good portion was already on their way back with the relics in their possession.

A particular pair of returning students were surrounded by flying Grimm.

"Oz, you know I trust you but I hope, for everyone sake, that you aren't making a mistake here"

The man still hadn't moved nor had he changed his expression in the entire exchange.

He simply looked into the hologram.

And

"—If I'm committing the same error as last time, the results at least can't be as disastrous."

Interlude out

Twang-!

I release the bowstring.

Arrows are repetitively shot towards a gaggle of harpy-like creatures.

They move between the trees at breakneck speeds.

And six throats of my unaware targets are pierced.

I'm running towards a small clearing in the forest.

A pair of people were being attacked by at least ten winged Grimm.

I can't shoot the remaining ones from this angle.

I can hear footsteps following behind me.

Smack!

A boy a couple heads taller than me swigs his weapon, a mace, in an arc overhead.

And one of the Grimm was killed with its cranium smashed.

I shoot once more.

And it hits a creature behind the mace wielder open back.

A smaller boy, still taller than me, is fighting the remaining two Grimm.

He uses twin daggers to deflect the talons attacking him.

He moves around the place using the trees as a platform to dodge what he cant block.

His body blocks the most direct path for my arrows—

"Duck!"

But my assistance wasn't needed anymore.

The taller one, who was using thick armor around his body, screams while swinging his mace.

And it explodes.

The moment the boy had dropped to the ground the endpoint of mace lit up as Dust was activated.

A loud noise rattles my ears.

The two remaining enemies are torn apart and scattered on the floor.

The dagger user is holding his ears and looking disoriented by the noise.

We had finally reached the clearing but everything seems like it was over.

"—Those weren't bad shots back then but I won't thank you, we didn't ask for your help. And we didn't need it at all. The situation was under control and we would have been fine by ourselves."

"I don't doubt it at all, I just shot them because I was passing by and I wanted to. If it bothers you too much just think of it as me doing as I please."

The tallest of the pair complains to me in our first exchange.

He isn't exactly lying, those Grimm seem weak enough that one could probably kill them with their bare hand without issue.

I just saw them while searching with Mikasa for the supposed temple that holds the relics.

Another pair of a girl and a boy we encounter earlier told us about it when we found them.

"Humph, if you understand what you did then I can let it go this time. But both of you don't look too shabby, we just happened to have an opening of two in our team, if you ask nicely enough, I might consider letting you in after we drop the relics to that old man."

A sudden offer.

I wasn't expecting that.

Is that his way of saying thanks because of earlier?

I glance back at Mikasa but she isn't reacting in any way in particular.

"—Thanks for the offer but we still haven't managed to get a relic, we were still on our way there."

"You still haven't gone there? How slow can you two be, are you taking a leisure walk in the park or simply too much of an idiot to know how to find a place?"

While his wording isn't exactly polite I can't say he is wrong.

I have been leading the way the entire time and we haven't reached anywhere.

We have only encountered Grimm or Students needing a hand so far.

"There were around half of the relics left when we were there. A lot of people already were there, anyone competent has already gotten theirs.

I can't imagine something more pathetic than being unable to do something so simple."

"Thanks for your concern, if you guys go from where we came from it should be cleared of enemies already."

"—Tch, who would be concerned for such an annoying guy."

He frowns and walks away going back towards Beacon.

His partner still looked out of it as he was dragged by his jacket.

I look back towards Mikasa who also didn't participate in the conversation.

"—If we are done walking randomly in search of anyone that needs help, I can just carry us to the relics. The Grimm here are weak but there could still be some that are stronger hiding somewhere in the forest."

"...There is no need, we should be somewha-!"

The sunlight dies and everything is covered in shadows.

I look up.

An enormous monster, the size of a large house is flying in the sky.

I start running in the same direction as it went.

Hanging onto its black feathers, a girl in a white dress and another girl donning red and black.

I can't shoot it down from here if I don't want to risk hitting them.

So, I can only pursue it.

My partner follows me at the side.

She should be able to fight it in the air if she needs to.

But even she shouldn't be able to do it without putting both of them in danger.

"How far is it planning to run without getting closer to the ground...!?"

I break the tree branches hitting against my body.

The monstrous bird, the giant Nevermore, still has an advantage in the distance over us.

It isn't trying to escape us or anything.

It's the simple difference between those who move on the ground and those who do so in the sky.

"We can't keep going like this. Mikasa, if we don't gain any ground you are going to have to take us up to it on the sky, I will distract it somehow while you get those two out of there."

"—There is no way that's going to happen. If someone has to distract it should be me. In the first place, what are you going to do up there without your flying sword?"

Up ahead of us.

The red girl falls from the Nevermore

My feet speed up.

I need to catch her.

If this was at the beginning perhaps there wouldn't be any need.

But I can't know if she has any aura left.

The chances that it broke at some point until now are not low.

With each step, she gets closer to the ground.

I should barely be able to make it.

She has already reached her peak.

Terminal velocity, the maximum speed she should reach by falling.

It shouldn't change anymore, but it does.

Bang!

She slows herself down by using her gun.

I reach the necessary range.

I start jumping up a tree to get closer and I'm not the only one.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!

A scream I'm familiar with comes from the side.

A blond person is flying in a direct collision course towards the girl.

I kick off the tree perpendicularly and spread my arms.

A mass impact my chest and the force spreads throughout my body

"Agck-!"

I use my arms and catch the falling body.

Its weight is surprisingly light.

My feet touch the ground and the person in my hold relaxes.

I can feel how they shift to look up to me.

"My hero..."

"Um, sure Jaune…You know, you should probably start eating more."

I kneel to let him off.

I turn my head to the side.

Mikasa is standing there, holding the girl in red in her arms.

It seems the girl was preparing to say something

—but she is suddenly let go, resulting in her face meeting the ground.

"...Thanmkps, I guesmms..."

"—Ruby!, did you forget what dad said to us before coming to Beacon ?!"

As the girl tried to speak with a mouthful of grass.

A girl with waist-long blond hair comes running while screaming.

Following from a close behind, the strange girl I met yesterday with a bow tied in her hair.

I know without seeing it.

—Mikasa is already gripping her sword.

" No drinking or boys until we graduate?"

"No, well that too but he also said we shouldn't go near gigantic Grimm birds!"

"—did he say that? I remember something about black birds..."

I make my way and stand between them and Mikasa.

Jaune seems to know those girls, as he goes to talk to them.

Looking around, we are in a vast clearing and on the middle—

"That ruin over there should be where the relics are..."

But that doesn't matter, my gaze wanders up.

Hundreds of meters up in the sky.

The Nevermore and the girl started circling around the area.

Then the girl in white, with an impressive display of lung capacity

"How could you just leave me here, you dolt—!"

"...I said jump..."

I hear a low grumble coming from the red girl, Ruby.

—Wait

I think I'm forgetting something...

"Jaune, did you take my sword back with you?!"

" Uh, what sword are you... Wait, were you the one that sent that weird floating green sword to earlier? Because Pyrrha kept it after she..."

A loud smashing sound comes from the other side of the clearing.

The trees shake and begin to fall.

An armored figure, Pyrrha, comes running out.

Following her, a Grimm multiple times her size with the form of a scorpion with a familiar sword sticking to its skull.

"Did that girl seriously come running with a Deathstalker on her hills—?"

The strange girl's voice says something while I take out my bow.

The Grimm uses its tail to swipe at Pyrrha but she blocks with her shield.

She must have used the force of the strike to propel herself towards us.

She spins several times before using her shield to dampen her momentum and coming to a stop next to us

"Haa—haa— Hello"

A projectile too large and heavy to be an arrow appears on my hand.

An unfinished work that still doesn't work as it should.

Pyrrha seems to be unharmed even if her breathing is out of order.

I look to my partner to convey something, and she nods at me.

The same voice from earlier.

"Uh, everyone... up"

We all look up in unison.

Finally, the girl in white has let go and is now falling.

I nock the bow and tense my body.

Jaune is the one to speak up this time.

" Don't worry guys, I got her."

"Okay...but who has that thing?"

The Deathstalker is charging towards us.

It shouldn't even take a minute to reach us.

Mikasa should be able to take care of the Nevermore and the girl.

I active my aura and—

" I got it, it shouldn't be too hard, right? "

Ruby steps in front of everyone while flourishing her scythe.

—she disappears.

Moving with speeds that are hard to believe she goes to meet the Grimm.

I kick off the ground and follow after her empty-handed.

I can't shoot.

Something like that it's too dangerous with someone in the middle.

From behind, a sound I know too well takes place.

The sound of a woman flying upwards.

"She sure is fast..."

I started running almost at the same time.

But she seems to be almost already in reach.

She swings her scythe promising to behead the monster.

Two pincers block it.

"—Oh,-oh"

She seems to have been taken by complete surprise.

The Deathstalker smacks the scythe wielder straight on the chest.

She was knocked back to the ground and her weapons is sent scattering away.

Not giving her a single moment of respite, it thrusts its stinger towards her.

"—Ruby!"

A scream comes from where the rest were.

A throwing dagger comes into my hand.

It's too far away.

I can't reach her on time.

In front of me, a track of white lights with strange symbols line up.

I don't have time to avoid them.

I grit my teeth and step forwards.

The moment that my feet touch the light.

—Everything blurs.

My body is lighter than what should be possible.

Every part of my body moves several times faster than what I can do.

But what is more important.

Now, I can reach what should be impossible to reach.

If this goes into a prolonged fight the girl might be harmed.

The dagger is replaced by a two-handed sword.

So, I should finish this with a single blow.

Using a technique that lets me bring the full potential of a weapon by destroying it after a single use.

The sound of cutting wind can be heard when I reach the side of Ruby.

My stance shifts and I swing.

The thrusting stinger and the slicing blade meet.

A sword made after countless failures, able to penetrate steel and resist what shouldn't be resisted.

Shatter—!

It breaks in half

The tail of the monster is shredded without repair.

Without caring for my failure I grab the sword on the skull of the Deathstalker.

And swing towards the empty air.

Shatter—!

A swing towards nothingness, it should obviously do nothing more than replace the air.

But that's not what happens.

The sword, just as sturdy as most of my weapons, breaks as if it was made of glass.

A tremendous force travels through my arms, leaving them numb.

"—Who is there?!"

"…Tch, just my luck."

In a single instant.

What wasn't there before suddenly appears

A masked man garbed in a black tunic with countless translucent threads around his body.

In his hands a crossbow with blades in place of the limbs.

This is bad.

Had I not blocked that by the sound of the wind.

My neck would have been pierced and—

It would have gone directly towards the girl on the floor.

Without any sign.

The black figure moves.

His crossbow is aimed straight at me.

And six bolts are fired, each would strike a vital organ and afterward, they would reach the one behind me.

"—Run away!"

I twist my body, two swords come into my grip, and my leg kicks away the girl frozen in shock.

Both of my hands move simultaneously.

The first projectile comes into contact with the blade

Crack—!

"Ngh—!"

The bolt is destroyed at the cost of a single crack on my weapon

My blades dance in the air.

Sparks and laud sounds are born in every meeting.

Crack—!Crack—!Crack—!Crack—!Shatter—!

Five projectiles were destroyed.

But both my sword broke in the end.

I twist my body to dodge the last strike coming towards my heart

It penetrates my aura like it was a piece of paper and my left shoulder is drilled straight through.

"—Aaaah!"

My left arm is now useless.

But I know how he has been creating such powerful projectiles now.

His Semblance must allow him to give an irrational amount of rotational force to objects.

But that means...

"Crap, I made a mistake—!"

I turn around and run toward Ruby

The assassin doesn't plan to leave me be and follows me.

He shot several times while closing the distance.

And I throw different daggers towards his attacks.

Dagger meets bolt.

They are obviously easily destroyed.

But simply hitting them on the right angle is enough to deviate the attacks from me.

Unfortunately, the fire rate of his weapon is superior to my own with only one hand.

I can still dodge those I can't deflect, but not all of them.

He knows exactly where I'm going, leading those shots is too easy.

I need to reach that girl before it's too late.

I will grit my teeth and take the attacks that aren't lethal.

—The bolts that should have reached me were deviated without any sign of anyone doing anything.

I don't care, I just keep running.

But the assassin has finally reached me.

He jumps and his weapon shifts into a blade as he swings downwards.

I meet his weapon with one of my own using my remaining functional arm.

We are both sent flying in different directions.

It seems he never intended to kill me with that but to propel himself into the air to attack me from above.

The battle was over, he made a great mistake.

I toss my weapon towards him and ignore him, he was already defeated.

His blow has sent me closer to where I need to be.

In front of me, Ruby is aiming toward the assassin in the air.

To her side, the crippled Deathstalker is about to pounce on her.

And behind it, a group of girls with different colored hair is running to meet it with deathly intent.

Bang—!

Ruby shoots the man in the air.

It should be an impossible target to not hit.

But from the surprised face she is making, he must have avoided them while being on the air.

That doesn't matter.

—I throw myself in front of the scythe wielder and envelop her body with my own as best as I can.

"What are you—!"

In the same instant, the girl squeaks in protest I summon a sword, truly too big to be used by a human being, is placed between the Grimm and us.

At that moment a cacophony of events takes place.

Sounds and screams of all things can be heard.

But I don't care about anything but one thing

'—Not yet'

A sword is selected on my mind but I don't bring it out.

It's not the time.

...

Not yet.

'Now!'

A rapier appears on my good hand in a reverse grip and it's thrust behind me even before being out.

It's a thrust towards nothing.

Nothing should be achieved by attacking the air.

Yet

"...How...?"

What was once invisible becomes visible.

My weapon is drenched in blood.

A beautiful woman with translucent hair that reaches just above her heels is behind me, wearing an expression of pure disbelief.

A dagger made out of clear crystal is on her hands, centimeters away from ending a life.

A surprising amount of silence exists for a single moment.

Behind my sword, three girls are standing over a now dead Grimm.

Away from us, Jaune is running to catch up.

And behind the woman with a blade on her stomach, my partner has her swords to the neck of the assassin who is on the floor.

He no longer holds the crossbow.

No, he still is holding it.

His hands never let go of his weapon.

They were simply cut off.

"—It's over, no matter what you do now that you lost the element of surprise the battle is over. Both of you are still alive, so there is no need to make this the day where you die. As long as you tell me about Va—"

I say that to the woman, who still doesn't seem to understand what happened.

But the surprise on her face is replaced with a smile.

There is nothing wrong with it, no smugness nor vindictiveness.

Simply a look of happiness, that doesn't belong to someone in her position.

It ended in an instant.

Her hair light up and exploded without even time for me to close my eyes.

The time that took for my brain to send the signal was too slow.

Everything turns white.

Pain starts in my eyes and penetrates my brain.

Several pained screams can be heard.

I hug the body of the girl as strongly as I can.

There is a small possibility that she may abandon her life and try to kill her even now.

"—Mphhm!"

A muffled noise comes from my chest.

I slowly blink my eyes open.

Blurred shapes come into view.

An something is slapping my shoulder, thankfully not the injured one.

"...mhhh...!"

"—Oh, my bad. Are you okay?"

I relax my hold on the little girl.

My sight is not being completely back yet.

But I still manage to recognize the small shape of the girl.

"...Oxygen...need...dying...hard...muscles..."

Well, it seems she is fine.

I look around and it seems that everyone was affected by that light.

Even Mikasa who had her back towards here was affected.

I can't see the assassins anywhere, even the bloodied crossbow was gone.

"...Haa...Eh, thanks and everything about that help earlier from whatever that was, but could you, you know, let me go?... You are bleeding all over me, it's kind of gross, NOT that you are gross or anything! But–Whoa!"

I was about to let her go, and telling her that cleaning her clothes with anything with enzymes is a good method to clean blood.

But just before I could do it, someone grabbed her by the collar and threw her into the air.

The girl, for some reason, extended her arms horizontally and made several flips before being grabbed by the long-haired blond.

It was pretty impresi—

"Aaah—!?"

Someone had pushed a piece of cloth into both sides of my injured shoulder.

It stops the bleeding but—

The person is also looking at me with an expression that managed to show concern, anger, concern once again, and more anger.

I'm reluctantly impressed and scared about it.

"...Shirou, I left you alone for two minutes, why? How?"

"—Can anyone, tell me, WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS THAT!"

I was saved from those questions asked by my partner.

A screaming question came from the blond girl, who was clutching Ruby tightly against her body.

Her eyes even had managed to change color.

They were the same as—

"Um, everyone... I don't want to repeat myself too much but, UP!"

I shift my neck upwards

And everyone, even Jaune who had just arrived follows after me.

I blink.

Then I blink again.

"Ah, I forgot about that—"

Mikasa's words wake me from my stupor.

I grab the boy and the girl closest to me.

But it's too late.

A gigantic corpse is falling towards all of us.

Once again on this day, a jumble of screams can be heard.

The Nevermore body was slashed to many pieces.

And it's too close to even think of doing anything.

I use my body to shield someone from the impact.

"—huh, it's heavy but not that much? I mean, we are alive!"

I hear Jaune from below me.

I open my eyes, and Mikasa's wide-eyed face meets my own.

Below, being pressed against the dirt with his face down is Jaune.

And I'm on top of both, with my arms to the sides of their bodies.

"What happened—? Oh..."

I turned around and the reason we were not crushed is obvious with a glance.

The corpse is being held in place in the air by a purple glow.

It seems the teachers had finally arrived.

Someplace above the remains, I catch sight of professor Goodwitch hovering in the air.

"Children, does anyone require medical assistance in this very instant?

"—No." / "Yes..."

"... If Mr. Emiya says he is fine, then I'm sorry but I'm in a hurry."

Before even finishing her sentence, she flies away and.

—She flicks her riding crop and the Nevermore is tossed to the side.

I admire the versatility of her Semblance as the Grimm seems to finally start disappearing.

I'm not avoiding the annoyed look of the black-haired girl who answered at the same time as me.

"That really just happened... "

"It certainly did Ms. Belladona. It was perhaps the most unusual initiation I had seen, at least in the last ten years."

My heart stops for a moment.

How does he does this—?

This is not the first time that it happened but it's certainly different.

This time I was fully focused on the surroundings because of a possible attack

"Headmaster, when did you arrive?!"

"Just now, Ruby. I can't exactly stand around enjoying a good cup of coffee while my students are doing such dangerous things."

And he finishes his sentence with a sip.

His tone doesn't match his jovial wording or acting.

It seems that even the headmaster cannot be unperturbed by attempted murder.

It seems he came to talk but—

"Are we allowed to leave or do you require something of us professor?"

"If you are worried about finishing initiation then I must question your priorities Mr. Emiya, that on your shoulder isn't just a flesh wound."

" You could stop joking already, neither initiation nor my wound matters right now. There should still be students left on the forest."

Those two are practically crippled.

But there is the possibility of them coming across someone who is already injured or fighting Grimm.

I have to go and find them.

Besides—

"The staff is already getting the ones who still haven't finished. There aren't many either, you eight were peculiarly late.

And there are many things I would like to ask before we can let you off."

"What can you possibly want to ask us?. We were just here before those two came and tried to kill Mr. sword dispenser and my baby sister"

—? Who?

Weird nicknames aside I can't waste time here.

If those two leave the forest there is no way for me to find them again.

Should I run away and apologize later? Or would he stop me by force?

" Is that what happened from your point of view as well Mr. Emiya? They suddenly appeared and tried to kill you?"

"...No, they weren't targeting me. The first surprise attack was directed towards that girl, Ruby. I just happened to get in the way of the shot by luck."

"—Are you absolutely certain that they were after her and not you? From what we observed from the surveillance cameras the first assailant was only attacking you."

For some reason, what I said had a great effect on the headmaster.

And he isn't the only one.

The others around me react in various ways.

Especially Ruby and her…sister?

—But I don't have time to let them talk.

"I'm almost certain that she was the target at first, but while this is just my opinion but, there shouldn't have been a lot of importance in who died today."

"... You suspect those two are responsible for the killings that began a month ago in the city. I understand your logic but it should be impossible for those two to be the culprit."

He understood my meaning without a delay.

And what he says is also true.

"Yes, those two were too weak to be the ones killing people in Vale but they should be related. All the victims were people with some sort of combat training, or I'm mistaken?"

"And you believe that the target is not specific individuals but anyone who is a capable fighter."

Those assassins were truly problematic.

I suffered a deep injury and had I not been helped by something or someone, there would be many more than one.

But they were only capable of doing that much with a perfect opportunity in their favor.

In reality, they wouldn't be able to fight any real huntsmen in a fair fight.

I had several conditions limiting myself in this encounter.

Had I been alone or with just Mikasa the fight would have been over before it began.

Every victim found the past month showed signs of a fierce fight.

Those two wouldn't have good odds against such targets.

"And unless everything that happened is a big coincidence and they were targeting the girl for another unrelated reason. Then, those two should know something about those killings.

That's why I need to leave and catch them before they are gone."

" Your passion for justice is quite commendable, but I simply can't allow a new student who is injured to leave and try to stop a pair of an unknown assailant.

But you shouldn't worry about them, Glynda left specifically to not let them escape, and you should already know how capable she would be for the task."

That's...

That isn't wrong.

With her semblance even if the target is invisible they wouldn't be able to avoid detection.

Even if that is the case, I should be able to help.

I try to say that same thing but—

The look in his eyes tells me that he has seen through me.

And the grip on his cane shows me that he would stop me if I tried.

Why would he go that far—?

"Haa— There is no point in fighting over this anymore."

Even if I left now, I would probably be too late to do anything.

I clench my hand and grit my teeth.

—I made another mistake.

And unless those two are caught, people are going to die over it.

"...Shirou, let's go treat that wound."

Two hands grab a hold of a clenched fist.

I focus on the world around me once again.

Going by the looks on their faces it seems everyone paid attention to what I was saying.

Mikasa pulls me forward and my feet start moving.

" Aren't both of you forgetting something? Neither of you managed to get a relic yet, initiation won't be over until you do."

What is he saying?

Something as meaningless as that after everything that happened.

I can't tell if he is just mocking us and the situation.

Or if he—

"...I guess a Huntsmen has to finish their mission no matter. That is that what you want to say right, headmaster?."

He nods and takes another sip without saying anything more.

The others seem to still want to talk to the man, as they stay there.

But when we are about to pass him.

He whispers just to us two.

"—I was surprised that someone like you would be so merciful, never aiming to kill someone trying to end your life.

It wasn't what I expected..."

We never stopped.

Mikasa just kept pulling me toward the ruined temple.

Someone like me?

Even if I can't understand what he means.

They leave an unpleasant echo in my brain.

I'm standing once again on the amphitheater.

Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch are also once again on the platform in front of me.

They have been calling students to come up one after another and putting them on teams.

Even if the ceremony was delayed by several hours, it seems it wouldn't be stopped.

"Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing and Sky lark will form team CRDL, pronounced as Cardinal. And it will be led by Cardin Winchester."

Rounds of applause come from almost everyone in the room.

As they have for every team form so far.

I would like to follow along but—

There is one thing that pops into my mind.

"...I still don't get it?"

My mutter seems to have gone unheard or ignored.

No one around me even reacts.

I understand the fact that the kingdoms imposed the color theme traditions in wake of the great war.

But how exactly is cardinal a color? Am I missing something?

" Next, Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Mikasa Ackerman, and Shirou Emiya will form team ANMS, abbreviated as Autonomous and lead by Jaune Arc."

This time the applause in response was for some reason more hesitant.

Jaune seems to be spluttering about something as we step up into the platform.

How exactly is Autonomous a color, really what am I missing?

There is also one other thought that occupies my mind in regards to this team.

We leave the platform shortly after.

I can't say I'm unhappy about our team.

I at least know the other half and it's not like we don't get along.

But there is one glaring thing I can't shake off my head.

"And the last team formed today, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladona and Yang Xiao Long will make team RWBY, pronounced Ruby. The team will be led by Ruby Rose."

Now I can see the color meaning behind the name.

And I can't exactly imagine that picking names like these are easy on the spot.

But team RWBY led by Ruby is needlessly confusing to say.

And I finally know all their names, it was getting confusing referring to them by the color of their hair.

"Everyone has been sent their dorms locations to their scrolls. Tomorrow you will begin classes without delay, and it will also be the beginning of the final steps on your journey to becoming what you seek, defenders of the world.

Rest thinking of the choices that lead you here and what they mean."

A final underwhelming speech by the headmaster and the students start to leave team by team.

We are no exception.

I rotate my head from side to side.

Those who I will spend four years working alongside with.

There are many hopes within me about the future that is to come.

Many worries and doubts also exist in there.

I can only keep working towards my dream, even if I know I will keep making countless mistakes on the way.

But there is one thing that has been bothering me about the team.

Jaune Arc, a taller than average blond boy with a piece of armor placed around his upper body.

Pyrrha Nikkos, a red-haired girl who is even taller than Mikasa and wears bronze color armor.

Mikasa Ackerman, a tall girl who undoubtedly could be called beautiful by anyone who wears body armor similar to my own.

And then there is me—

"...Am I really the shortest one on the whole team—?"

Author notes:

Hello once again.

First things first, holy mother was that long chapter.

Secondly, I'm sorry about the delay, I know I said that the chapter would be out like for days ago but a whole lot of stuff happened IRL.

Long story short, I had to write this on my phone and at one point my document got deleted and I had to re-write it all over again.

Thirdly, I don't particularly like how the whole chapter ended up like. It just doesn't feel right, but I've gone over it like three times already.[This chapter may have opened questions about power levels or Shirou's abilities, and they will be answer in future chapters]

Anyways, please leave a review saying what you liked or disliked.