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Red couldn't stop himself from mumbling, "…Who are you?"
"The question is: who are you? Warrior or pretender? Hero or coward?"
The boy started to answer back, but found the words catching in his throat. She had hit so close to home that it almost physically hurt.
She continued, "You lack the courage to do what is necessary. To overcome your obstacles. To face your greatest fear. Without that courage, the four of you will not survive the coming battle."
Red glanced to the side, regarding the oncoming wall, "…From here, it doesn't look like there'll be another battle."
When he looked back, the mystery girl was staring at Weiss and mumbled, "Oh there will be… he'll see to that." She turned back to Red and added, "but if you don't improve yourself, it won't matter. The Breach will claim you all."
A chill swept over him at those words. This breach thing sounded bad…
There were a million questions to ask, but he knew that this was not the place to ask them. He tried using his semblance to find a way around the problem… but the girl's words were the only truth he could see. And since she didn't scare him nearly enough, using his Battle Mode to sort things out was not an option.
Steeling himself and looking her dead in the eyes, he simply said, "What must I do?"
A moment later and the girl had a device in her hand (probably a different one). She hit a few buttons and… Red could only describe it as space itself being torn apart… a doorway of light appeared. It glowed fiercely with a blue-green tinge.
She looked at him again and said, "Carmine will be waiting for you on the other side. Your path, and your destiny, lay beyond."
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Chapter 12:
Trust... and Punching
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9:02 AM, Friday
City of Vale, Central Square Shopping Plaza
(Morning of Day 4)
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The normal hustle and bustle of the city was in full swing, even just a couple of days after the battle. Red wasn't too surprised by that. People had a habit of getting over traumatic events rather quickly. He had heard it said that the only real human superpower is 'forgetting' …but he couldn't remember where he'd heard it from, ironically. Ku had been effectively grounded after it was all over, but he wouldn't have been shocked to find her walking down the busy street this morning and getting no reaction at all.
Red, the male version of this world's Ruby Rose, sat next to Lie Ren, the quiet member of team JNPR and his most consistent companion these last few days. The taller boy had dark circles under his eyes, a clear indication that he'd been wearing himself out taking care of Nora. And to be honest, if Red had a childhood friend who was that close, he would have done the same. Ren had been voluntarily supplying Nora with his aura to speed her healing along – as a result, the ginger girl was scheduled for release tomorrow afternoon. Ren smiled calmly as he sipped his green tea, obviously glad the hospital stuff was almost over.
"It's been rather quiet without her… hasn't it?" Red was careful in how he worded any question relating to Nora. After Ren's blowup during the battle, everyone was on eggshells around him regarding Nora Valkyrie.
The taller boy simply nodded, taking another sip of tea. He hadn't taken much time to relax. "It'll be good to have her back."
"How do you keep up with her, anyway? What's your secret?" The two of them had held these types of conversations a few other times, and Red was always keen to learn more. But again… caution.
Ren appeared to think, gazing into the middle distance, then replied, "There is no secret. She is what she is, and I am what I am."
The redhead boy sighed, taking a drink from his own ice tea. He'd been getting answers like that this whole time.
"It's a matter of trust."
Red glanced at the brunette, surprised. This was one of the first clear answers he'd gotten so far. "What do you mean?"
"Nora and I grew up together after I… lost my parents. I'll tell you about it someday…" The pained look on his face told Red that it was a story he'd rather not tell at all. "Spending that much time around each other in a world… like this… just forced us to develop a bond. I trust her with my life, and I know she feels the same about me."
Red considered that for a moment. Was there anyone in his life, apart from his brother, that he could trust like that?
"When Nora… when she fell… I couldn't bear the thought that I had failed her. I had failed, and she could be dead… I just…" Ren squeezed his eyes shut, forcing his hand into a fist. Anger and frustration dripped from his words.
"I'm sorry, Ren. I didn't mean to bring those memories back."
The taller boy relaxed quickly, looking into Red's eyes as he said, "No, I needed to. I feel… that it needed to be said."
They sat in silence after that, no other questions passing between them. Red processed what he had learned, hoping there was some way he could use the information to make his situation a little less bleak. Nothing came.
He glanced up and examined the tall building a few blocks away. It was the hospital Nora was staying at. He had wanted to visit her, but Ren made it clear to both him and the other Rubys that there would be no visits. By anyone. They were free to talk to her once she was out, but no sooner.
Red stood and threw away his empty cup, then said, "Well… I guess I'll see you both tomorrow. Take care of yourself."
Ren only nodded. Both raised a hand in a brief wave, and Red began walking.
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"Sal-u-tations, friend Red!" A cheery voice came up next to him. Penny looked as good as new, despite how banged up she had gotten during the battle. "Is Ruby with you? I haven't seen her for a few days."
Red had actually managed to walk all the way to the airship dock before being caught by the happy girl. He cursed his luck (under his breath, of course) and replied, "No she's not. Did you need her for something?"
Penny shook her head with great enthusiasm. Red chuckled a little – she reminded him of a small child who desperately wanted to look older than she was. "Oh no, no, no… I simply wanted to tell her some good news. Maybe you could deliver a message for me?" The girl was actually getting out a piece of paper and a pencil!
"Can't you just send her a text?"
Red could practically see the dots forming over her head as Penny froze in place, processing his words. He sweat dropped. "I… hadn't thought of that…" She pulled out her scroll and began furiously typing out her message, all while trying to hide her ever-reddening face. Red smiled – she was kinda cute.
Wait… did he really just think a girl was cute? He blinked as he pressed a hand to his forehead, checking his temperature.
"There, all done!" She whipped the device back into her pocket in a flash. "Well, I should be going now…"
"What was your message, anyway?"
Penny grinned with that same I'm-a-big-girl-praise-me attitude. "The general has appointed ME to be the head of cyber-security for the remainder of the Vytal Festival! I just wanted to tell her the good news!"
Red's eyebrows shot up in a look of pleasant surprise. "Well good for you! I'm sure you'll do fine." And he meant it. Red was no stranger to finding himself in a position of responsibility… especially when you didn't ask for it. He had no idea what being the head of any kind of security meant, but she seemed thrilled to have it. There was never any reason to doubt such a genuine feeling of joy. It was certainly more than he had dealt with back home.
"Oh thank you friend Red!" And with that, Penny rushed forward and gave the boy a hug.
The next few seconds seemed to last an eternity.
He thought of Ren and his words on trust. Penny couldn't know him well enough to trust him, yet she was hugging him? Why? Did she like him? Did he like her? Well yeah, like a kid sister… not, like, like… but he did find that he trusted her. She held her own during the battle the other day. Speaking of which, she moved rather stiffly. Almost like a robot or something. But that was nonsense, robots didn't feel happy. Or joy. Or anything. Robots just did what they were programmed to do… either that or they enslave humanity. That wasn't Penny. He trusted her. And she apparently trusted him or she wouldn't be hugging him like this…
All at once, Penny let go. Red's mind returned to normal speed. He had to stop himself from panting from the effort.
They simply waved and turned to go. Red boarded the transport back to Beacon while Penny returned to town, doubtless off on another adventure.
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One hour later…
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A loud animal noise caught Penny's attention. It was a cat – a two year old, black-and-white shorthair, to be exact. It was looking straight at her and meowing. The girl grinned and started following. She liked cats, but most of the time they ran away from her. She still didn't know why.
The cat turned and began walking down the nearby alleyway, checking to see if she was still following. Penny was curious, so she kept walking. Odd behavior for a feline.
The cat darted around a corner. Penny was right behind it.
Suddenly there was no cat. Penny's sensors couldn't even find any stray hairs.
Disappointed, the ginger-haired girl made a point to have her sensors checked when she got home. It wasn't like her to lose any target so… easily. As she turned to head back to the main part of town, she passed within inches of an unseen body just off to one side. She didn't even pause, though. Penny's head was off on another tangent.
Pale green hair and glittering red eyes faded into existence once the ginger girl was out of sight. Emerald smiled grimly, then pulled out her scroll and shot Cinder a text.
The test was a success. She never saw a thing.
Moments after it was sent, a reply came in.
Good work. Meet back at the warehouse, we have some new intel.
Emerald deftly pocketed her device, then walked out of the alley with no measure of haste. Everything seemed to be going according to plan.
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11:32 AM, Sunday
Beacon Academy Multipurpose Activity Center (BMAC), Training Field #2
(Morning of Day 6)
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The BMAC was easily one of the largest facilities on campus. Considering the fact that the school was training warriors, it was little wonder why. The center consisted of two parts: a massive three-floor building that housed multiple machine shops for weapon maintenance, simulation chambers, basic classrooms for private tutoring, laboratories, and various other rooms – and four massive sparring fields, each equipped with aura sensors and a basic scoring system. Each field also had spectator seating.
Field #2 had become rather popular this weekend. It wasn't every day you got to see a professional combat teacher from Atlas going full speed.
Red sat near both Ren and Nora, while the rest of the Ruby Squad and team RWBY, with the exception of Cherry, sat on the other side. All were watching the three combatants on the field. According to the aura readout, both Jaune and Pyrrha were almost out of strength while Sapphire had lost almost nothing. It had been a rough battle, but only because the specialist was trying to teach them something… otherwise it would have been over a long time ago.
And what a battle it had been! Sapphire's wide-bladed sword moved like a blur as she struck the student's weapons and shields without mercy. The two of them had tried working together in an awkward team attack, but it was picked apart with ease. Thinking back to the day Sapphire had appeared before them, Red soon realized how much the woman had been holding back – if she had been serious back then, Weiss would be dead right now.
"So be honest… you think we could take her?" Yang's voice interrupted his thoughts, a gleam in her eyes. When the hell did she get so close?
The idea of fighting against… that… made the boy grow rather pale. "S-s-sounds lovely, b-but I think I'll p-p-pass…"
"Oh don't be so modest… You and me, we could totally kick her butt." She threw her arm over his shoulders and grinned a trademark Yang grin – eerily similar to the Yang from back home – but the Yang from back home didn't have the same things this Yang had… hanging off of her chest… and swaying so hypnotically…
Blake leaned over, pointed to Yang's face, and quietly said, "Her eyes are up here…"
All Red could do was make a snorting sound and turn away, face beet red. All Yang could do was laugh hysterically. Everyone else just stared. The boy quickly checked his nose and was relieved to see it wasn't bleeding.
It was only then that they all noticed that the fight had ended a few minutes ago. Sapphire had given the two students a few instructions (that no one in the stands could hear) and sent them off. The field was open.
Sensing an opportunity, Yang grabbed Red's hand and jumped down from the bleachers. The boy yelped as he was flung through the air. He was standing across from Yang before he even knew what had happened. This can't be good…
As Yang's weapon locker landed nearby, various cheers could be heard from the stands. They geared up (Red had kept his Amber Celica in Yang's locker with her own Ember Celica, which was the name he much preferred) and took their stances. The scoring system took a minute to reset to their aura levels, then started a timer.
A buzzer sounded, and Yang leapt forward, fist outstretched… and then time slowed down.
Normally Red's semblance was used to analyze his surroundings to the fullest extent and use anything and everything possible to end the fight. Not this time. Silver eyes danced across a muscled frame and blazing blonde hair, scanning her movements, watching her eyes light up with battle fever. Avoiding her chest; Some things were not worth dying for. Within milliseconds he had gained a full understanding of how Yang moved and fought, and she hadn't even thrown her first punch yet.
When she finally reached him, time had resumed it's normal movement… and her fist was easily deflected as Red sent his own towards her face. She blocked as well, more out of surprise and instinct than training, then sent several more blows his way. The boy dodged the first two, then blocked the rest, throwing two more – one at her face, the other at her midsection. She dodged the first, but took the second full force. She quickly backed away, drawing a sharp breath. Yang's aura had taken most of the damage, but it was still a shock.
Red clearly saw several emotions fly across Yang's face – shock at how much she'd underestimated him, joy at fighting someone she could go full-out on, and determination to win. All of this within the first minute.
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"There's a little secret we martial artists all know," Tai started saying. Red was still rubbing his shoulder from where he had landed on it after being flung through the air by his mother during one of their more… harsh lessons. "When warriors of the fist meet in combat, we bear our emotions, our souls, all in our fists." She shoved one of hers under his nose to make sure he saw it. "There is no hiding our pain, no masking our fear. And no lying to ourselves. Our opponent knows how we feel, and we know them. A fist fight is the most honest, open thing any man, any human can have."
"All I felt from you… was pain…" he managed to growl between gasping breaths.
"No, boy… that's what you feel. Shall I tell you what I feel from you?"
Red's breathing had slowed, but he dared not speak. He knew what was coming.
"Fear, boy. You reek of it. Fear of me, though I don't know why. I also felt… frustration… and a bit of pain from your right foot. You stubbed your toe on the bedframe again last night, didn't you?"
Red merely blinked. She read all of that by beating him up?
By the time he'd regained his feet, Tai was back in a ready stance. "Again!"
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As he remembered that day, he noticed that Yang's face changed again. He saw a look of …confusion? What could she have been seeing on his face?
Red stepped back and lightly slapped himself in the face, then shook his head. He had to stay focused. Here was a 'warrior of the fist' and they were locked in that sacred form of combat… good gods he was sounding like mom.
The redheaded boy slammed his armored fists together, fully psyched up. Yang grinned, mirrored the action, and the two brawlers charged forwards…
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=^w^=