{1.} I'm gonna admit, I don't really know what will happen with the ships I may incorporate into this story. I barely have any idea about what to do with them. I'm keeping my options open, though, in that there may not be just one ship for one character. Eren is an obvious example here, but also Mikasa, too. Not all of them will be romantic ships, either, since I understand that platonic ships are also a thing, and quite a few of the pairings just make more sense that way, story-wise. Then again, we'll see as we go. I just hope this doesn't worry any of you. As much as I think I speak clearer when writing, there are times I feel like I'm having trouble when it comes to wording what I want to say, or I feel like my wording is off and I'm not coming across as well as I mean to. I am trying, though!
{2.} This chapter is also gonna introduce one of the other OCs in this fic. This OC is one of the people from the same village as Spring, and she works as one of the Scouts. She also shares a few similarities with Mikasa. Also, no, this isn't the same girl mentioned (however briefly) last chapter during Jean's part. That's a different OC – one who won't show up until Chapter 7.
Much like with Shaye and her teammates, I hope I wrote this OC, as well as the others, well enough so you guys at least won't mind their presence in this fic. Also, I must apologise in advance, since I'm aware a few of the Semblances for these OCs may come off a bit OP at first, or feel just a bit convenient. That said, if you do happen to like them, and want more on Spring and these other OCs, then you're in luck, because I have another fic in the works that's gonna be a sort of side-story to this fic. I don't know when I'll publish it, though, and I have no idea what its title could/should be.
That said, that fic will mostly give some background to Spring and the other villagers/OCs. This fic is mostly about RWBY, their friends, and the main story of AOT, anyway. The side-story is only really important if you're interested in the OCs and their pasts alongside AOT's main cast. However, I am working out some sort of secondary plot for both fics that'll involve the crossover between RWBY/AOT itself, so I hope the side-story's worth a read.
{3.} Also, I'll be adding moments where Team RWBY and a few other characters/OCs teach the Scouts – specifically the Levi Squad and the Cadets – about Aura, Semblance, Dust, and some other things about Remnant.
{4.} Team RWBY will take part in the mission to retake Trost, as will Squall, Noctis, and Lightning. And maybe Shaye and Rinoa, too.
Ruby Rose
"What? The hell you mean they left?"
Eren gave her a deadpan look, despite the strips of muscle connecting his lower eyelids to the open nape of his Titan. "I could smell them leaving that gathering they were just part of. Yang left with Christa, Ymir, and four others, one of them being another Titan. That was all before Mikasa got there. It took a bit, but I'm pretty sure Mikasa just set off with the rest of the group. She must be leading them to HQ so they can refuel their gear."
Another Titan, huh? Wait, wasn't that girl Titan trying to help us? If he's smelling another Titan hanging with Yang and the others, then that must mean she's not only still alive, but still working to help the others. "That Titan you can smell with them must be the one we saw this morning. The girl Titan that got kicked into Trost when the Colossal destroyed the gate," she told him, hopping from his right Titan shoulder onto the rooftop a few feet from his upper arm. Her feet landed on the tiles, near the rooftop's eaves.
Eren blinked. His eyes darted to the sky. "Yeah, I remember that Titan." His breath seemed to hitch, then, before his head snapped back down, almost level with Ruby as he stared at her, wide-eyed. "Ah, shit! You and Mikasa must not have heard what happened back when I was with Weiss and Blake, before our squad set off."
Something happened? Blake hadn't told her much during the call when she'd broken the news of Eren's assumed death – the call that'd led to her finding Eren coming back in the form of a Titan. "Oh." Ruby blinked, only to shake her head. "Now that you mention it... I don't think we did. When Blake called me and told me that you'd apparently died, all she mentioned aside from that was the state of your squad."
"She didn't tell you that one of your friends showed up here to find you guys? It was some guy named Squall Leonhart. Apparently you and Yang get along better with him than Weiss and Blake do. Some other girl named Shaye plans on coming here, too, hoping to find you guys, but she sent Squall here ahead of her. Oh, and Spring gave a name to that girl Titan we were talking about. Her new name's Athena now. Yang said that Athena couldn't remember what her old name was."
It took some seconds for all that information to really sink in. First the fact that girl Titan finally had a name they could use to address her, which, yeah, sounded like fantastic news, since it had to be much more convenient for everyone involved.
But... "Squall's here? Now? And... Shaye's coming too?"
"Yeah," Eren confirmed as he gave her a small nod. He raised a brow at her, obvious concern shining in his ever-expressive eyes. "What's wrong? I thought you might be glad that you have friends who don't mind following you to a different world to help you. Honestly, when he showed up and explained why he was here, I thought it was nice that you have such devoted friends who were willing to throw themselves into deep shit for you and your teammates."
"Oh—yeah, no, don't worry—I'm just... surprised, really," she said with a brief, breathy, nervous chuckle. She averted her eyes, and scratched the back of her neck. "I didn't think Shaye would get Squall of all people involved in our mess, let alone that Squall would actually agree to helping her." She let her hand fall, as she offered a simple shrug. "Still, don't get me wrong; I'm glad he's here. He's pretty powerful, so our chances look a lot better with him around, for sure. And if Shaye's gonna end up arriving soon, too, then we'll be in an even better position to fight back."
All traces of concern fled from Eren's features as he gave her a smile. "Oh, I see. So, they're stronger than you and your teammates?"
Ruby pressed her lips together. Her gaze trailed up to the sky. "I'd say so, yeah," she eventually told him, offering a nod. "I mean, Shaye was raised as an Assassin, in the continent of Anima. She lived outside the kingdoms – actually, I'm pretty sure the guild she was a part of was in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, just last year she became the Number One Assassin in Anima. She and Blake already knew each other from before they enrolled at Beacon, so if you wanna know more about her, you'll be better off talking to Blake."
"And what about Squall?"
"Oh, he's so cool! Well—so is Shaye, but Squall's like... cool. He's originally from another world, but he and some of his friends were sent to Remnant, a bit before the start of this school year. In the worlds they come from, magic is pretty common to have and use, and there are plenty of different types of magic. He's one of the only people out of his entire group that's actually part of one of Beacon's student teams. The others are Tidus, Star, and Noctis. They're all on the same team, too. Squall's even the team leader, like I am with my own team. And since they can use magic, that also means they can use elemental Aura Spells without needing to be equipped with Dust."
Eren's mouth dropped open in an 'o' shape, an impressed, drawn-out noise leaving his lips. He blinked and made to speak.
Four large, thin, pale fingers, darted in front of Ruby's face, coming from her left. The fingers were followed by an oversized palm, blocking her view of Eren. A thumb just had to be right behind her.
"Shit!" Ruby blinked and sprang into the air, just as the hand closed.
Sprawled over the rooftop, a few feet to her left, the head of a Titan hung. Its chin sat propped up atop the pipes attached to the eaves of the rooftop, while a pair of half-lidded, slate-grey eyes stared at Ruby from the corners.
Ruby grabbed her left wrist and flicked it. Flipping her left hand upright, she pressed her fingers together, aiming her fingertips at the sky, and her palm at the Titan's neck. A few blasts – perhaps even a full beam – would tear through the neck, no problem.
Her Aura enveloped her left hand and flowed outward, gathering at a point before her palm, where a glowing, spinning, scarlet orb grew to the size of her head. Upon trying to fire a Single Cannon Burst, the orb began to flash, and its light rapidly began flickering.
Ruby's eyes widened as she blinked. Shit—!
The orb exploded. Self-destructed. The concussive blast sent Ruby flying backward in a spin, the force barrelling against her Aura, before she plummeted and crashed down on the tiles, flopping onto one side.
Several feet behind her, a roar, filled with rage and passion, escaped the throat of Eren's Titan.
Ruby grimaced, baring her teeth. Damn it! I forgot to call out the spell name again. No wonder it blew up. A huff slipped past her lips. Planting her hands flat against the tiles, Ruby propped herself up, and, with narrowed eyes, turned her head, observing the scene over her shoulder.
The nape of Eren's Titan had closed up, a clean patch of skin having regenerated in order to cover Eren's real body, sitting inside the weak spot of his Titan body. The mouth of his Titan hung wide open as a growl spilled from his throat. His hands launched toward the mindless Titan laid across the rooftop.
One hand ran through the Titan's shaggy grey hair before clutching its scalp. He yanked the Titan's head off the eaves, hauling it past his own left side, inadvertently dragging the rest of the Titan's body across – and almost halfway off – the roof. As tiles cracked under the pressure of the other Titan's large frame, a quieter, shorter roar hoarsely escaped Eren's mouth, and he threw his head down at the back of the Titan's neck. His jagged row of teeth pierced the weak spot, stabbing the flesh.
Blood spurted out of the wound, splashing across Eren's jaw and nose.
His jaw then closed further around the weak spot. The other Titan fell limp, its head hanging in Eren's grip, and its arms lifelessly dangling from it. Opening his mouth, Eren pulled his face away, and, as the blood evaporated from his face, his empty hand grabbed the Titan's nearest leg.
Hoisting the Titan up, he pulled the rest of its body off the roof, and carelessly threw it to the ground. And finally, as if to make sure it stayed down, he raised his foot, and stomped on the Titan's neck. Twice.
His eyes met hers, and she scrambled to her feet. She offered him a sheepish smile.
Fuck, that was so embarrassing!
As if he could read her mind, he responded with a gentle, reassuring shake of his head, and a half-assed wave of his hand that pretty much just told her, "Don't worry about it." And with that, he reached his hand out for her; carefully, though as if he was making to grab her.
Ruby made to approach him.
An ocean-blue arc of energy sliced cleanly through Eren's forearm.
His hand – and part of his arm – dropped to the ground. Flopping over, his backhand hit the stone. His severed hand then slowly began to decay, with steam starting to rise from the skin and the cut just beyond the severed wrist. Meanwhile, steam was also beginning to rise, steadily, from what was left of his arm, where the rest of his forearm had been cut off.
Ruby and Eren both paused. They blinked at one another as his forearm, wrist, and hand soon began to regenerate, starting from his bones.
Two four-pointed grapple-hooks darted past either side of Eren's head. The black wires bore a faint blue tint, while the grapple-hooks appeared to be silver, and sharp – a lot sharper than any other grapple-hooks she'd seen so far. The grapple-hooks then drew backward, sudden and swift, with each hook's four points whipping open and locking outward. The shape of each point seemed akin to a stinger or a relatively-small spike.
Two points from each hook pierced the sides of Eren's neck. As they found purchase in his tan skin, a bit of blood and steam burst from the wounds.
Ruby's gaze swung down the street, behind Eren, as she followed the direction the wires came from.
A distinctive, fitted, faded royal-blue jacket caught her eye first. It stretched into an A-line back-cape around the back, starting from her hips and apparently just long enough to reach the knees, as far as Ruby could tell, despite the cape fluttering behind the woman wearing it. Speaking of the woman, she appeared to bear a similar appearance to Mikasa – her hair seemed to be styled the same as Mikasa's, though this woman's hair looked a bit fuller and perhaps just a bit longer, and appeared to be a darker and more solid black than Mikasa's, all while her locks bore a barely-noticeable blue tint, which made itself known when light glinted off the silver blade of one of her swords. It reminded her of Noctis' hair.
She wore her jacket open, atop a white button-up shirt, the top two buttons left undone. The shirt was tucked into a pair of faded-black trousers, designed similarly to the white ones worn as part of the regular uniform. Then, atop the jacket, she wore a slim, form-fitting, matte-golden pauldron on each shoulder, both of them similar in shape to the green pauldron that Lightning sometimes wore (which turned out to denote her previous rank as a Sergeant in her home world). Ruby also noticed one matte-black, rectangular container (a sheath, maybe?) stuck to the small of the woman's back, atop the jacket's fabric, and barely wide enough to be seen past each side of her waist. Most likely being a sheath, it would definitely explain the pair of swords she was holding in her hands, which were clad in fingerless black gloves, the arms of which stretched over her jacket's long, thin sleeves and stopped just short of her elbows.
Regardless, she was gunning for Eren's weak spot – aiming to kill him. And considering her attire, her gear, and the way she'd severed Eren's arm just a moment ago, she most likely had to be from Remnant as well: one of the other villagers, just like Spring, and another one who'd apparently made their way into the military's ranks earlier and with success, given she appeared to be a full-fledged soldier, despite her modified uniform and gear.
Someone like her would probably have a much better chance of killing Eren than any other soldier Ruby had seen or met thus far. Except Mikasa, maybe.
"Wait, no!" Ruby called as she activated her Semblance, launching herself towards and past Eren. The soles of her boots met the left wire. As she swiftly switched her position to skate along the wire, toward the approaching woman, she snatched Crescent Rose from her belt. She aimed it at the woman as it extended into rifle mode.
The woman's eyes – shaped fairly similar to Mikasa's, though, unlike Mikasa, a vibrant, noticeable, deep ocean-blue made up her irises – flung wide open. She created a glistening, blue glyph under her feet, and paused on it, balanced on one foot, while her grapple-hooks stole away from their place in Eren's neck. Both wires rapidly withdrew back toward the woman, the four open points of each hook landing against the golden-coloured rim of the thick, stocky, cylindrical, matte-black wire-holding devices, each device attached horizontally to either side of the wide, matte-bronze belt which topped off her trousers and laid attached to the brown straps stretching up her waist and under her jacket, starting from the front and back sides of either hip.
With the wire having been pulled from under her feet, Ruby began to fall forward, soon plummeting below the woman's eye-level and toward the ground. Immediately recovering, Ruby aimed her weapon's muzzle low, and she fired a charged round before her, launching herself back up towards Eren. She stuck her landing on the skin just above his right-hand-side shoulder blade, her boots hitting the muscle.
Immediately swinging into a backflip, she hopped onto Eren's right shoulder. Then, dropping onto one knee, she shot a glance to her right, meeting Eren's somewhat-panicked gaze.
"Looks like she thinks you're just another Titan. She's aiming to kill you, so I'll distract her. You make a run for it and find the others. Take out any other Titan you see on the way. We'll reunite back at HQ," she told him, before turning back towards the woman. Her expression left no room for argument.
Her grip tightened around Crescent Rose's staff-handle as it opened and extended into scythe mode. Almost immediately, the scythe blade, as well as its spine, shifted position, transforming Crescent Rose into its war-scythe form.
The woman blinked incredulously at Ruby, and then at the sight of Crescent Rose.
Her guard's down!
Seeing her chance, Ruby sprang from Eren's shoulder, flying toward the woman. She pulled her war-scythe back, at her right side, and swung upon approach, only for the woman to parry her attack with a swing from one of her silver-bladed katanas – Ruby barely noticed that both katanas looked a little wider than any katanas she'd ever seen before.
Still, that didn't matter. Not when the clash knocked both girls backward and away from each other.
As she fell into a backflip, Ruby found herself nearing the ground fast. Her gaze rapidly coursed the buildings around her. Her eyes landed on the brick chimney stood atop the building directly to her left. Tossing Crescent Rose into her left hand, she held her war-scythe low behind her and shot her hand out, palm aimed towards the chimney, and her fingers set in a reaching motion.
Her Aura swallowed up her hand and wrist. Scarlet energy flowed as it gathered at specific points across her hand: a point on each knuckle just before her middle and ring fingers, one point at the centre of her wrists' palm side, and finally two more points, one at either side of her wrist. Each red point of energy sparkled.
"Support Style, Basic Binding Art Five: Flowing Star Ribbons!"
And from each sparkling point around her hand, a glistening, ruby-red 'ribbon' burst forth. They launched toward the chimney in a formation reminiscent of a shooting star. Each ribbon swiftly wrapped around the chimney, tight enough to crack the bricks making up its structure, while all five ribbons pulled taut and paused Ruby's fall and let her hang several feet above the ground.
Aiming Crescent Rose's muzzle directly at the ground, Ruby fired. A few flashes of red burst from the muzzle, and the resulting blast shattered the ground below her, cracking the concrete while rocketing Ruby high into the air, soon launching up past the rooftops. Taking advantage of the momentum, she pulled on her Flowing Star Ribbons, and drew herself down toward the chimney.
Once nearing the short chimney pipes, Ruby made a half-assed wave of her hand, dispelling the ribbons. They dissolved into scarlet sparkles and glitter as her feet hit the rim of the first pipe.
She twirled, boots skidding around the rim, to face the street again. With both hands gripping Crescent Rose, she hoisted the war-scythe at her right side, aiming the muzzle behind her, while the jagged, double-pronged, black, red, and silver blade, attached to the opposite end of the staff, pointed at the opposite rooftop.
There, the woman somersaulted onto the eaves. As soon as the dark-blue soles of her otherwise-mostly-black combat boots hit the tiles, she swivelled in place, facing Ruby and fixing her with a glare – one that looked serious and unimpressed, but more than that, irritated. Ruby couldn't tell if that anger was being directed at herself or at the situation, or if a mix of both were the case. Perhaps the fact Ruby had gotten in her way? Or did she know just from looking at Ruby that she also came from Remnant?
From her peripheral, she caught sight of Eren's hand as it finished regenerating. As Eren offered a look at her over his shoulder, she spared a glance at him, and their eyes briefly met. When Ruby's eyes flicked back to the woman, she barely caught Eren turning away.
He took off in a sprint.
The woman's face jerked in Eren's direction as he bolted as fast as he could down the street. She immediately went to take off after him.
Ruby aimed Crescent Rose's muzzle at the window of the roof dormer sitting some feet ahead of the woman. As she neared the window, Ruby fired off a small, scarlet burst, which shattered the window upon impact, halting her in her tracks. Ruby then quickly fired off two bullets. They each hit a tile laid out just before the window, a bullet each piercing and cracking a tile, only a few feet in front of the woman's boots.
The woman's eyes narrowed at the bullets before she swung her head in Ruby's direction, levelling her glare straight at Ruby.
Eren briefly slowed his running pace. He and Ruby shared another glance at one another, before his gaze soon flicked forward again and he focused back on the street ahead of him, and he vaulted high over the building stood in the centre of the row of houses, the buildings creating a wall standing just behind the split in the road. As soon as he landed in the street over the other side of the building, his feet slamming into the stone ground, Ruby's gaze flicked back to her would-be ally.
"Do you understand the current situation?" The woman's voice sounded mature and smooth, and somewhat deep. Despite that, her tone made known her frustration, her question carrying a bit of her venom. Turning to face Ruby fully, she held up one of her katanas, aiming its tip in the direction of Eren. "Just because a Titan might look human, doesn't mean it is."
"I know that! But he's not a normal Titan!" Ruby cautiously lowered her war-scythe.
How could she tell this woman whatever was going on with Eren having the power to transform into a Titan, when Eren himself hadn't told Ruby the full story about it yet, either? Until Eren decided to come out of his Titan form again and let everyone know whatever was apparently going on with him, he and Ruby would probably be better off if she kept his seemingly secret identity a secret – at least, for now.
"Listen, I...I found him earlier. He's got intelligence, just like that Colossal Titan, and probably the Armoured one, too—but the thing is, he's on a rampage against the other Titans! He's trying to kill as many of them as he can, if only until he wears himself out. And I was helping him do that until you came along."
It was, at least, a half-truth. That said, she still felt incredibly bad for having to omit the fact that that Titan only had intelligence because he was actually Eren. After all, the fact that someone could transform into a Titan would probably be important information, and had to be worth knowing.
"Doesn't mean he won't turn on the rest of us once the threat of the other Titans has been eliminated."
That's not—! Ruby's brows furrowed and her expression tensed. "If that was the case, he'd have had no problem killing you when you tried to kill him!" she yelled, as if making her voice louder would better her argument (it wouldn't, and she knew it wouldn't – but she was frustrated at the situation, and somewhat at the woman for unknowingly trying to kill Eren, so calming the fuck down didn't really seem like an option right now).
The woman blinked at her. Her expression looked unreadable, as did her eyes, for the most part, though the same irritation seemed to stay. With a long, deep, intake of breath, she then sighed. Tension seeped from her shoulders as she lifted her head and met Ruby's stare with a half-hearted glare. "This won't work," she said, and lowered her katana, letting it hang in her grip, by her side. "When the rest of the Scouts get back, they'll see to it that your Titan friend gets taken care of, should any other soldier worth their salt around here not get to him first."
A familiar ache began to grow behind Ruby's eyes. As it spread to her temples, her silver irises flickered brighter, ever-so-slightly shining. Sparkles, barely noticeable, surrounded her pupils, if only briefly, before she then squeezed her eyes shut and opened them, narrowing her eyes, and they faded back to normal while she pushed her emotions down, again. My teammates hopefully won't let that happen. I have faith at least one of them will notice that Eren's not the same as the other mindless Titans. If I had to guess, Weiss would probably be the first to notice. Plus, Athena's with them, too, and if they can accept her...
"Alright. So you want to be stubborn about it. Fine." The woman offered a noncommittal shrug. "I'll drop the subject. However, should he turn on us later, I'll be damn sure to kill him as soon as it happens." Her eyes narrowed. "Got that?"
"I don't think you need to worry about him doing that," Ruby told her, cautious and careful. "He wouldn't have been going after the other Titans if he didn't care about us. That, I know."
"And you expect me to just take you at your word?"
"Right now, my word is the only thing I have to make you understand why I couldn't just let you kill him."
Resting the other katana over her shoulder, she regarded Ruby with a calmer, less intimidating, though-still-unreadable expression. Then, a quiet huff slipped from her nose. "Fine," she said, almost grumbling. She moved the katana off her shoulder and aimed it at Ruby. "Anyway, who are you? And what are you even doing here?"
"Well, my name's Ruby Rose," Ruby answered as she decided to let herself relax. Tension seeped out of her shoulders and upper back, her muscles visibly loosening, before she offered a somewhat sheepish shrug at the woman's second question. "As for what we're doing here, well... it was an accident. And a long story. You're one of the villagers that disappeared six years ago, right? Because of the two devices that Spring's Dad created?"
"Don't you catch on fast," the woman deadpanned, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "But yeah. The name's Haru Tsubaki. You can just call me Tsubaki."
Finally, a name! Progress! Ruby couldn't help but smile, though it looked a fair bit insecure. "Nice to meet you! Oh—well, anyway, uh... those devices kinda got stolen, and my team and I tried to get them back, along with another friend who's apparently coming here in... a few hours, maybe? Oh—! And, she also managed to get one of our other friends to come here and help us. Last I heard, he was at HQ."
"Right. And you're a Huntress, I'm guessing?"
Someday. Hopefully. "Sorta. More like Huntress-in-training," Ruby clarified, moving one hand to scratch the back of her head. "My friends and I are in our first year of Beacon Academy. We also have a bit of a habit of being in the right place at, uh, the... right... time?"
"Or, trouble just likes to follow you, no matter where you go."
"Or that."
A deep sigh left Tsubaki's lips. She lowered her katana, holding it by her other side. "Well, whatever the case, I guess I'll stay with you for now. Given that the rest of the Scouts are still outside the walls on their expedition, I don't really have any specific targets here besides the obvious, and that's killing as many Titans as possible, and saving as many of the remaining soldiers as I can get to in time."
"Shouldn't be that hard, since I'm pretty sure a good number of the Cadets are still alive." She caught and suppressed an urge to throw up as soon as the words "still alive" left her lips. When she thought about it, the implication – of the unspoken fact that a good number of Cadets had also violently died in this shitstorm – hit her a lot harder than she thought it would. Still, she offered a small grin and decided to bear it, like she always did: she... didn't know how else to manage, otherwise. "And I know my friends should still be fighting fit and helping the Cadets get back to HQ so they can resupply!"
"In that case, we should go and see how they're doing. With you, me, your teammates, your other friend, and Spring, I'd say there's around seven of us, total, whose skills we can probably vouch for. And considering they're probably leading a solid number of Cadets into an area that seems to be a current hotspot for Titans, I doubt it'll be easy to protect a good majority of them. And that's being generous, given that plenty of the soldiers here tend to just sit back and leave the more capable ones to fight and protect them. You'll know what I mean once you meet the jerkoffs in the Military Police."
That sounded a bit cynical, but, then again, she'd been stuck here for six whole years by now, and she definitely seemed to have much more military experience than Spring, so she was most likely speaking from experience. And besides, if Ruby was being honest, she couldn't exactly disagree with Tsubaki – not after seeing how the Cadets had been acting earlier, back at HQ. How terrified and dejected most of them had been.
Each one of those Cadets had probably entered the Cadet Corps with the idea of joining the MP, just like Thomas and Connie – at least, prior to whatever speech Eren had made last night, according to Thomas.
Ruby offered a simple nod of her head. "Sure. Since you have more experience here, I guess I'll just follow your lead for now."
"Do what you want. Just don't get in my way trying to show off."
Tsubaki turned to her left and took off in a sprint across the rooftops.
After Crescent Rose shift into its rifle form, Ruby flipped her weapon around in her hands and held it low at her right-hand side, muzzle aimed at the tiles behind her. Then, turning to her right, facing the direction in which Eren had gone, and Tsubaki was now going, Ruby fired a round behind her. The recoil launched her forth, high into the air.
She continued to follow Tsubaki toward the centre building at the end of the street, as both Tsubaki's wires shot forth, lodging in the thick, broad, red-brick wall of the building's chimney. Tsubaki dragged herself up and onward via her wires. As she rose closer to Ruby, she noted a large emblem or insignia in the centre of the back of Tsubaki's jacket, perhaps a bit up toward the square of Tsubaki's back.
The insignia appeared to be another kind of military badge, given it bore the same grey shield-like shape she'd seen as the base for the badges of the Cadets and the Garrison soldiers. That said, instead of two crossed swords, or a pair of roses, Tsubaki's badge happened to be made up of a pair of wings, one wing crossed over the other. One wing seemed to be a darker colour, perhaps a dark blue or black. The other wing looked white, and crossed a bit over the darker one, while each little piece of the white wing seemed to be bordered in a thin black outline.
And, when Ruby caught a closer glimpse of Tsubaki's shoulder armour, she found a smaller version of the two-winged military badge stuck to either armour piece, just a bit below where her upper arm started.
"Which branch of the military does that badge represent?" Ruby asked before she could stop herself. Her boots landed on the ridge of a dormer's rooftop and she soon sprang from it, high into the air again. The moment she caught up with Tsubaki, matching Tsubaki's pace, her eyes flicked to Tsubaki's face.
Tsubaki barely spared her a glance before her gaze returned to the rooftop they were closing in on. "Scout Regiment, Survey Corps, Recon Corps, the Scouts, the only military branch that's considered a waste of taxpayer money," she droned, her tone somewhere between deadpan and exasperated – hopefully just because of the last thing she'd recounted the Scouts being called, and not due to Ruby's question. "That branch."
At that, a recent memory of hers resurfaced.
Thomas placed a hand on Eren's shoulder. "At first, Eren and Spring were the only two Cadets wanting to join the Scouts. Hell, Eren's so passionate about it that his temper tantrum at last night's dinner convinced Connie and I to follow him," Thomas told her, letting out a hearty chuckle. "They made that clear, on our first day, no less. We called them suicidal because we all thought that anyone wanting to take the fight to the Titans wanted to be Titan chow."
"The Scouts are one of the regiments you were telling me about, right? When you said today was your last day as Cadets, and you were going to choose a regiment to join?" Ruby asked, shifting onto her tiptoes.
Eren nodded. "That's right! They're called the Scout Regiment, but they're also known as the Survey Corps, or the Scouts," he started, as a proud smile tugged at his lips. "They go on recon missions and expeditions to drive out the Titans inhabiting an area and reclaim it, but they often have equipment ready in case they decide to capture a Titan so they can study it and use it for experiments, since aside from trying to reclaim lands that were once ours, they're also responsible for gathering intelligence on the Titans, so that we can learn more about our enemies, and how to fight and kill them. They're the reason that Cadets like us can train to not only fight Titans, but kill them too."
"Ohh, so you're one of those guys! You guys mainly go outside the walls to reclaim lost land and drive out Titans, but you also sometimes capture Titans too, right?"
"That's about it. We're the branch that's most actively involved in direct Titan combat, Titan study, human expansion, and outside exploration. And, because we're the ones pretty much fighting on the frontlines, with all of our expeditions and encounters with Titans, our soldiers are generally the most skilled in using the ODM Gear." Tsubaki's wires ripped from the chimney wall and shot back toward her as she landed on the edge of the rooftop. When Ruby landed beside her, Tsubaki rested her left katana blade on her left shoulder, turning her head slightly to look almost sidelong at Ruby.
From here, Ruby could better make out the royal-blue handle-wrap around the otherwise matte-black, seemingly somewhat-metallic grip of her katana. The katana's pommel or butt-cap happened to be a golden colour, and looked metallic, and had a few small, intricate, wave-like engravings around the sides of the almost-rounded, near-flat cap, giving the cap its somewhat rounded shape. A silver, fitted, similarly-decorated ring, sat attached in-between the top of the grip, and the bottom of the golden-coloured guard, which seemed to be shaped almost like a small, two-layered lotus flower. The lotus-shaped guard almost hid a slim, broad, bronze ring, sitting just a bit before the start of the silver blade – a scabbard sleeve, most likely. Tsubaki's right katana bore the same features.
"By the way," Tsubaki started, "about the Scout Regiment insignia... it has a name: the Wings of Freedom. Any person you see wearing the Wings of Freedom crest on their back and over their heart, is a member of the Scouts."
Over their heart, too? Ruby tilted her head, leaning around Tsubaki's front. "Where's the badge that's supposed to be over your heart, then?" she asked, gaze darting across Tsubaki's chest to see if she'd missed a badge attached to a breast pocket on her jacket.
Tsubaki bristled and butted Ruby on the crown of her head with the pommel of her right katana.
"Ow," Ruby whined, twitching, as she held the top of her head. She moved to stand straight again and looked up a bit at Tsubaki, who stood probably the same height as Ruciana – basically, 5'5". A bit taller than Ruby herself. "What was that for?"
Tsubaki's expression looked somewhere between defensive and embarrassed. Much like Weiss, Ruby realised, whenever Weiss got mildly irritated or almost lot her temper about anything that seemed to embarrass her, or make her feel embarrassed. It didn't happen a lot with Weiss, but Ruby had seen it enough to recognise that reaction on sight.
"If you wanted to see my other badge, you should've just asked. No need to stare at me, much less there." Tsubaki's right-hand fingers tugged one side of her jacket over her chest, then did the same with the other side. She held the left side of her jacket across her front, where Ruby found a black pocket bearing a classic flap with a silver button on it, and the 'Wings of Freedom' crest planted on the front of the pocket's main body, the badge almost the entire size of the pocket, and the dark set of wings looking more like a darker shade of blue up close. Tsubaki released the left side of her jacket then, letting it fall back toward her side, and she released a sigh as she briefly closed her eyes. "Get yourself some self-awareness."
She'd heard that once before, back at Signal Academy. It hadn't been said in the kindest of tones back then, either.
Ruby's expression fell deadpan and she rolled her eyes, not bothering with an answer since she didn't how to answer without sounding like she had little to no dignity, and turned on her heel, facing forward again. She hopped onto the rooftop's ridge, crushed and bent in the middle from when Eren had used it to vault over the entire fucking building, and fired a round behind her, the recoil launching her forward and over the street ahead.
Behind her, she heard a loud crash, followed by the soft yet rough sound of a few tiles falling onto other tiles.
She threw a curious, cautious glance behind her. She caught a glimpse of a Titan's hand clutching the rooftop's partly-crushed ridge, dust clouds rising from behind it, billowing out towards the sky. High above the dust clouds, Tsubaki hung in the air, before she began to fall.
Tsubaki launched a wire at the Titan behind the ridge—
A large, skinny hand shot out from in-between two buildings at Ruby's right. Bony fingers wrapped around Ruby's midriff and legs.
She'd been caught; stopped in her tracks.
Her head whirled round to face the gap between the two buildings. An emaciated-looking Titan, measuring at least ten metres in height, stood in the gap, nearly filling up the space between the buildings, its narrow, dark eyes staring at her from under its equally-dark bowlcut. Ruby noted the style of its bowlcut appeared almost akin to a mix of her own hair combined with the style of Mikasa's. Looking at this Titan, and its wide, not-exactly-all-that-malicious grin, it almost reminded her of Noctis or that one particular student she remembered being in her class at Signal, and who'd ended up leaving the academy almost seven years ago.
…Wait.
She hadn't thought of that guy since he left. Between Yang, dealing with her Dad, and focusing on training under Uncle Qrow, she'd barely even noticed his absence in class, and hadn't even asked about it even when a few of the other students were coming up with theories as to why he'd suddenly left with barely any notice.
She couldn't even remember the boy's name.
(Then again, that wasn't exactly saying much – even on a good day, she could hardly remember the names of any of her classmates from Signal. She'd... never really tried to make friends with any of them, and hadn't really thought twice about them when she'd been specially invited to attend Beacon two years early.)
The Titan slowly pulled her towards his face, though made no move to open his mouth. His hand stopped, then, holding Ruby only inches from his eyes.
"Help me..."
Ruby's blood ran cold at his voice. It sounded so deep and broken.
"Save me... Little Hero..."
…Oh. Oh, no...
How do you know that nickname? rang through Ruby's head. But as much as she wanted to say exactly that, her mouth instead hung open. No words came out.
No-one outside of Signal knew that nickname.
"Please save me, Little Hero..."
He sounded so sad; so tired.
Ruby closed her mouth, pressing her lips together. He's not the only Titan that's shown some intelligence. Maybe he's like Athena?
Either way, he'd asked her to save him. To be the Hero she said she'd be, in no uncertain terms, back when she'd first started at Signal.
"I'll try. I don't know how you know that nickname, but I'll do my best to live up to it. I'll help you."
She caught a twinkle, a grateful glint in his dark eyes. "Thank you..." he said, his voice softer now. He lifted her up, above his head, and over toward her left, until she found herself being planted on the ridge of the rooftop a bit above his right temple. With a gentleness she hadn't known any normal Titans to possess, his hand let her go, unwrapping from around her form. His hand steadily lowered back down into the gap, back down into the shadows between the buildings. "I will stay here..."
"I'll come back for you. Try not to let the other soldiers kill you." This is the second time today I've found myself trying to save a Titan from the very same people that might be the equivalent of heroes in this world. At this rate, Tsubaki's gonna kill me for making her job harder. Ah, wait! Shit! Tsubaki!
Ruby's gaze darted to the rooftop from which she'd heard the earlier crash.
She found the rapidly-decaying corpse of a particularly large, more well-built Titan sprawled across the width of the rooftop. Its bald head hung over the ridge, and its arm laid out ahead of it, hand hanging off the eaves.
A pair of wires zipped past Ruby's right. They each pierced the front wall of the central building at the opposite end of the street, another ten to fifteen metres behind Ruby, the grapple-hooks lodging themselves in the space between two four-pane windows. Tsubaki swiftly followed, hauling herself forward on her wires.
The blades of her katanas were now matte-black, adorned with a bright cyan strip down the middle of each blade. Each cyan strip seemed to measure half the length of the blade it was embedded into, as well as half the width. Hard-Light Dust, maybe?
Tsubaki darted past Ruby.
In response, Ruby spun on her heels, and pushed off with her Semblance, bolting after Tsubaki. Continuous waves of red rose petals followed her, scattering over the next several rooftops she coursed until she caught up and somersaulted out of her Petal Burst. Then, reaching out with her free hand, she sprang from her palm into a second somersault. As soon as her boots landed steady on the rim of a single chimney pipe, she hopped from it, onto the ridge of the next rooftop, and took off again in a sprint.
"Hey! Tsubaki!" Ruby called out, throwing a glance left, at Tsubaki. "You alright? I mean, that Titan showed up so suddenly."
"Save your concern for yourself." Tsubaki's gaze stayed stuck to the building her grapple-hooks were lodged in. She didn't once spare Ruby a glance. "Unlike you, I've had years of experience dealing with encounters like that outside the walls."
Leaping from the end of the rooftop's ridge, Ruby landed on the following rooftop, and took off along its following ridge. "Could've just said your Aura was still intact," she muttered under her breath.
She threw a glance behind her, eyes briefly drawing toward the direction of that thin, familiar-looking Titan who'd asked her to save him.
She wished she knew what he wanted her to save him from.
But more than that, she wished she could remember what that boy's name had been.
Mikasa Ackerman
Mikasa launched her right wire forward, its grapple-hook piercing the corner of a wall, the building sat on the right-turning street corner up ahead. Her gas streaming behind her, she glided through the air, reaching speeds that rivalled Weiss' or Blake's. It almost seemed as if she'd become wrapped up in an unspoken competition of sorts with them, but she couldn't find it in herself to care, or wonder if that could be what they were thinking.
She drew towards a Titan standing with its back to her, on her left-hand-side. She sliced its nape as she darted past, two clean cuts carving out a leaf-shaped piece of its flesh.
Another road cleared; for now.
"Hurry up! Follow Mikasa!" Jean's voice rang out across the empty street.
Mikasa paid no mind: she continued to soar, pulling herself on her single wire as she swung low around the street corner. She flung herself high into the air once she'd cleared the bend, retracting her wire before firing both of them at the rooftop ahead of the street. She flew with expertise, and an extreme recklessness, she knew. As if, despite her having lost her reason, her will to live and keep enduring this cruel hell of this world, some part of her nevertheless wanted to go out in a blaze of glory.
Perhaps it could've been her pride, fuelled by her belief in her own abilities, and her faith in what Spring had been kind enough to teach her about herself – about the powers she'd really awakened within herself. At the very least, she could still give herself this moment, this awesome rampage, to kick off the ending to her story.
And so, she flew; like a hawk searching for prey.
Perhaps her life would've been easier that way – if she'd entered this world as a hawk, instead.
Another shout came from Jean: "Avoid fighting if you can! And get to HQ before you run out of gas!"
Easier said than done.
Mikasa continued to advance.
Eren was gone. Eaten alive; because what other end could any of them have met out here?
She should've known better. Should've known that despite being in the company of fighters more impressive than her, the cruel tag-team made up of reality and fate would still find a way to strip him from this world. She should've known his selflessness and his care for his friends, for them, would've been his undoing just as easily as anything else. Saving Armin wouldn't have even been a question to him, even if Armin himself sometimes thought it was.
To Eren, it wouldn't have been a question of can or can't. There were some things in life he'd just do.
And now that was gone. He was gone.
She almost envied Ruby's absence. After all, she doubted Ruby knew about Eren's fate. If only Mikasa could've had her blissful ignorance.
In her right peripheral, she caught a glimpse of Blake scuttling across the front walls of the row of buildings below—
Her gear hissed and sputtered.
A gasp slipped from her lips. She blinked, eyes darting down to her gear.
Out of gas already?
Mikasa drew her grapple-hooks back toward her. She began to fall, twirling in an arc as she plummeted to the streets below.
"Mikasa!" she heard Blake call out.
Gaze flying around her, Mikasa barely managed to catch Blake racing up the wall of the building beside her, before Blake hit and kicked off a third-story window ledge, springing up past the rooftop, and towards her. One of Blake's hands gripped her cleaver-like sword, while her other hand was outstretched (and empty), reaching out for Mikasa.
As Mikasa's back slammed into Blake's front, the force of the impact throwing them both down towards the roof below, Blake's free hand wrapped around her midriff, coming to rest around her left side. They continued to plummet, though, and soon, Blake's back banged hard against the rooftop canopy, while Mikasa's ankles hit and bounced off a few of the tiles. Something metal hit the tiles, with a loud clatter reverberating across the canopy, while a strained, winded gasp escaped Blake.
A violet sheen pulsed across Blake's form, starting from her back and spreading around to her front before fading away. Meanwhile, a small, violet wave pulsed across Mikasa's lower legs and feet, spreading from the point of impact on each ankle.
"MIKASA!" she heard Armin scream. The sound of a pair of grapple-hooks being launched soon followed.
"BLAKE!" Weiss then called out, as Mikasa barely caught the brief, faint sound of something shimmering.
Mikasa and Blake sprang from the impact to Blake's Aura, only to tumble over to one side. Blake's hold on her tightened as they rolled down the parapet. The moment they slipped off the eaves, the fingernails of Blake's now sword-less, free hand seemed to grow and sharpen, looking almost like the nails of a wild cat, and she swiftly made a swipe at the eaves. Her sharpened nails managed to scratch the tiles before catching on the pipes under the eaves, only to make a small rip through the pipes as they dropped into a deserted two-way street.
Haru Tsubaki
Her grapple-hooks shot forward, both barely scraping either side of the neck belonging to the ten-metre Titan standing several feet in front of her, with its back facing her. Her grapple-hooks darted past the Titan, though, and soon pierced the front wall of the central building at the end of her and Ruby's current street. Pulling herself forth by her wires, she tilted her body toward her left-hand side, and swung her right arm around her left side, while drawing out the energy from the Hard-Light Dust in her right sword.
After a translucent cyan sheen enveloped the length of the blade, and a sharp cyan glow gathered to border the edges of the blade, Haru swung her sword at the back of the Titan's neck. As the swift, horizontal slice carved into the Titan's neck, a wave of translucent cyan followed the blade in its wake, a faintly glowing arc deepening the cut. The slice reached halfway through the Titan's neck, and the Titan's blood quickly burst from the large gash, splashing across Haru's right side.
The Titan bowled forward and crashed on its front, its face cracking the ground as it landed.
Haru winced, her eyes twitching.
"Tsubaki! To your right!"
Haru blinked as she retracted her wires.
Twirling in mid-air to face the smaller street at her right-hand side, she found a potbellied thirteen-metre Titan running down the middle of it, making a fast – too, too fast – beeline towards Haru. Its quick-footed stomps shook the ground at an alarmingly rapid pace, while its thin arms swung almost stiffly at either side of its torso.
Haru blinked again, her eyes snapping wide open. "An Abnormal!"
Creating a glyph beneath her feet, Haru sprang from it, flying high over the Titan's head. She tilted herself sideways, towards her left-hand side, and spun horizontally before swinging her still-glowing right sword outward, sending a sharp, cyan wave toward the Titan's right arm.
The cyan wave swiftly severed the Titan's arm just below its elbow. As the severed arm fell and hit the ground, Haru swung her sword again, releasing a second cyan wave at the Titan's left arm. The wave sliced through the arm, cutting it off just below the elbow again.
Two missing limbs still didn't deter it, though, as the Abnormal spun on its heel mid-sprint, skidding around in a full 180 to face Haru. Immediately, it took off running, again heading towards her.
Haru let herself fall towards the ground. She could take out its legs. She could move fast enough to do that.
Firing her wires between the Titan's thighs, her grapple-hooks pierced the front wall of the building facing the side-street.
"Ruby! Restrain its head!"
"Uh—oh! Okay!"
Ruby's voice sounded like it came from one of the buildings on Haru's left-hand side, directly next to the Titan. A good position, now that the Abnormal didn't have its arms, and thus couldn't reach for her.
Drawing herself forward via her wires, Haru swung low, and stretched her arms out at either side of her, both blades poised with their edges facing forward. Flying in-between the Titan's feet, her left blade managed to find purchase in the side of the ankle on the Titan's right-hand side. She drew out a bit of the Hard-Light energy in the sword, and with a flick of the blade, sent a translucent cyan arc through the Titan's ankle, slicing through the Achilles tendon in the process.
Via her wires, she pulled herself out from between the Titan's feet, only to withdraw her wires. As her grapple-hooks hit the rims of her reel cases, she spun and faced the back of the Titan's left foot. Just as the Titan began leaning over towards Ruby, Haru swung another cyan wave at its left Achilles tendon. The wave ripped into the tendon, and the Titan tilted upright as it collapsed onto both knees.
Haru's boots skidded across the stone ground. She soon slowed to a halt, her knees bent.
"Support Style, Basic Capture Art One: Pure Rope of Paralysis," Ruby called, prompting Haru to look up and to her right, where she found Ruby located on the rooftop to the right-hand side of the Titan's head, her arms raised above her head and her hands clasped together, her fingers intertwined. Wisps of crimson fluttered around the translucent, rose-red gathering of energy that'd wholly enveloped both of Ruby's hands. Ruby then swung her gloved hands forward, keeping them clasped as the energy shot forth and formed a thick, sharp, flowing, rose-red rope, which circled around the Titan's head a few times over.
The rope suddenly pulled taut, snapping against the Titan's temples and forehead, as well as the back of its head. The Titan's whole form flashed a faint red before an also-faint crimson energy engulfed it, and the Titan stopped moving as complete paralysis struck.
"Got it!"
"Yeah, I can see that," Haru commented under her breath.
Springing from the ground, Haru then spun, steady and swift, towards the back of the Titan's neck, both arms pulled back and both swords poised, past her left-hand side. And then, she swung. With both swords smoothly slicing across the back of the neck, the blades submerged halfway into the flesh as they tore through the neck, she carved out an almost leaf-shaped patch of flesh.
"Release," Ruby then called, before her Pure Rope of Paralysis rapidly unravelled and drew back towards her hands. The faint crimson energy surrounding the Titan faded into thin air as soon as the end of the rope slipped away from its head. Once Ruby absorbed the rope back into the rose-red waves of energy flowing around her hands, the red energy also drew back into her Aura, both hands faintly permeating a faint red energy before the last of it faded, absorbed back into her Aura.
Haru sprang from the Titan's nape, towards her right-hand side, and performed a mid-air cartwheel. On her way down, out of the cartwheel, the soles of her boots hit the tiles of Ruby's rooftop, and she landed a few feet to the left of Ruby.
Ruby turned to her with a raised brow. "Why'd you go so far to kill it? Is it just because you can, or...?"
…Did she seriously not know? Did no-one tell her? "That one we just fought was an Abnormal Titan. From my experience, Abnormals tend to move and act quite a bit more erratically than your average Titan. They possess either greater speed, greater strength, or both, and they often move more... weirdly."
"Yeah, I get that. I know what Abnormals are and what they can do," Ruby told her, a bit of attitude laced into her tone. "I'm just wondering why you'd go so far as to take out its limbs."
"My reasoning comes from my experience. As a Scout, I've seen a number of Abnormals that would look and move like a normal Titan up until they see you, only to suddenly take off towards you like a switch was just flipped within them. If my six years here has taught me anything, it's that their unpredictability makes them a lot more dangerous than the average Titan. And an absolute bitch to have to deal with."
"So, taking out its limbs was your way of exercising caution?" She tilted her head.
"Sure, in a way. Plus, considering how fast it turned to catch up to me, I'd say it's reflexes weren't to be underestimated. Wouldn't wanna get near the head of a Titan with that kind of speed, unless you wanna risk ending up in its mouth because it turned towards you at the last second."
"I guess so—wait, what's that around your head?"
Haru blinked and arched a brow. Looking upward slightly, without tilting her head, Haru realised a faintly-glowing, golden glyph ring had spun to life around her head, wrapping closely around her forehead and the back of her head.
Amelia's Semblance...
A quiet shimmering sound could soon be heard as a glistening, faint wave of gold spread out from the ring around her head, briefly cascading down the rest of Haru's form and up the top of her head. The wave faded into thin air just as swiftly as it'd appeared, and Amelia's voice, light, silvery, and rather soft, soon called out, across Haru's mind.
"Haru! Are you okay? We heard Trost was breached! Where are you?"
"I'm in Trost," Haru said aloud, ignoring the curious, weirded-out look she was quick to earn from Ruby. Speaking of which: "A team of four girls ended up here earlier. Apparently, they appeared this morning, just before the Colossal Titan made his appearance. They're first-years at Beacon Academy. Their team leader is currently the only one with me at the moment."
"You're kidding," Amelia gasped. "How would they have encountered Shadow's devices?"
"Hold on, I'll ask." Haru's gaze flew back down to meet Ruby's. "How did you encounter the devices again?"
"They were both stolen by Roman Torchwick. Nowadays, he's kind of notorious. Was labelled the most dangerous man in Vale for a while, until he was arrested by the Atlas Military for terrorising the city and causing a Grimm attack in the middle of town. That was a month ago, though, and he escaped less than a week ago. He stole one of the devices from the Atlas Military while they were on their way to deliver it to our Headmaster, Professor Ozpin, and that was how we found out about them."
"Okay..." Well, that was... quite a lot to take in. Haru's eyes flicked up to find the golden ring around her head. "The devices were stolen by some criminal that made a name for himself as the 'Most Dangerous Man in Vale', apparently. I'm guessing his rise to such infamy happened only recently. Anyway, this team of girls heard about this guy stealing one of the devices that was on its way to Beacon's Headmaster, and they decided to get it back, I guess?" Haru looked at Ruby again. "Do I have that right?"
Ruby nodded. "Yep. Pretty much. Things went wrong just when we were close to getting them back, I ended up making contact with one of the devices, and we ended up dropping here."
"Yeah, she says that's pretty much what happened," Haru relayed back to the ring around her head – back to Amelia. "Situation turned ugly, one of the devices made contact with her Aura and went off, and now they're here."
She was met with a long, exasperated sigh from Amelia. Then:
"Lieutenant Tsubaki," Erwin's voice cut through. "Can you share Amelia's Semblance with this girl you're with? We would like to speak with her."
"Sure," Haru sighed under her breath. With her left hand, she reached up to the ring, and with the tip of her outstretched forefinger, tapped a golden dot suspended at the front of the ring, over the centre of her forehead. When she pulled her fingertip away, a small golden glyph, with a golden dot in its centre, spun to life over the pad of her forefinger. Then, reaching towards Ruby, she planted the glyph on Ruby's forehead, in the middle, in-between two red-tinted strands.
Just above the space in-between Ruby's eyebrows, the glyph spun and grew a little bit bigger, until it appeared to be almost the same size as either of her eyes. Ruby blinked, her eyes trailing upward, towards her forehead.
Haru could sense her confusion.
"Amy's Semblance is Telepathy," Haru began to explain. "She's created a few of her own spells that are supposed to enhance her Semblance's capabilities. This is one of those spells. Amy and any other Scouts with her will be able to hear everything you say, and vice-versa."
"So it's like a conference call, but in our heads?" Ruby arched a brow, aiming her free hand's forefinger at her head.
"Yeah. Like that." Haru nodded. She looked away from Ruby. "Anyway, Commander Erwin. You said you wanted to talk to her?"
"Right. First of all, can you tell us who you are?" Erwin asked.
Ruby looked to Haru, as if for confirmation. Haru nodded. Ruby looked back up, toward the sky. "Uh—Ruby. My name is Ruby Rose, sir."
"Nice to meet you, Miss Rose. I'm the Commander of the Survey Corps and the Scouts. My name is Erwin Smith."
"Oh—uh, hello. Nice to meet you too, Commander." Ruby absent-mindedly nodded, form tense with what looked like rising nervousness.
"And I'm Amelia Evergreen. My friends tend to call me Amy," Amelia then introduced herself, her tone gentle. "Like Haru just said, this is an Aura Spell of mine, which revolves around my Telepathy Semblance. I'm here with Captain Levi, Humanity's Strongest Soldier."
Haru stifled a grimace at the fact Levi happened to be with them. Instead, she aimed a sceptical look upward, as if she'd suddenly found the skies interesting. "Maria's not with you?"
"She is," Levi piped up. "She's just working on keeping up a barrier that she's using to cover us while we contact you. She can hear you just like we can, and she can chime in whenever."
"In any case, Miss Rose," Erwin interjected. "Have you or any of your teammates seen the Armoured Titan yet? What is the state of Trost's inner gate?"
"Well, to answer your first question, I haven't encountered the Armoured Titan yet. And since I'm sure that at least one of my teammates would've called me if they'd encountered it, I think I can say that they likely haven't, either. The inner gate also shut a little while ago, and it's still in one piece. Besides, I'm pretty sure a lot of us would notice if the Armoured Titan showed up and broke it like the Colossal did the outer gate."
"You make a good point. Still, if the inner gate is shut, then I assume the evacuation process was completed?"
"Yeah! It was a complete success. According to the other soldiers I was with in the Rear Guard, there wasn't a single civilian casualty."
"Oh, that's good news!" Haru could hear the smile in Amelia's voice as pure, unfiltered relief flooded Amelia's tone.
"Yes," Erwin's voice also sounded a bit less... heavy in its tone. "If the Armoured indeed hasn't shown up yet, then it would seem luck is finally on our side. That said, we could easily run out of such luck at any moment. Miss Rose, Lieutenant Tsubaki: should the Armoured Titan show up, it may be up to you two, along with whoever Miss Rose's teammates are, to try and hold the Titan off."
"Right." Haru blinked as her eyes met Ruby's. "Just in case, how do you fancy your chances against a giant armoured enemy?"
Ruby paused. Then, she blinked and looked up toward the sky, as if in thought. "I mean, I don't think it'd be all that different from taking on one of those giant Grimm that's also got plenty of armour on it. So, I guess I like my chances." With a shrug of her shoulders, she met Haru's eyes again, and offered a small, somewhat unsure albeit light-hearted smile.
"You don't sound all that confident about what you're saying," Levi piped up.
Something in his all-too-cynical tone caused Haru to bristle almost instinctively.
Meanwhile, Ruby scratched the back of her head. "Well, the Armoured is still an unknown to me. The only reason Blake and I even managed to get close to killing the Colossal was because Eren was there fighting alongside us and he knew where its weak-spot was. And he was the only Cadet there at the time that was brave enough to jump into the action, so it's not like we had anyone else to follow."
"Eren?" Haru asked, tilting her head.
"As in, Eren Jaeger?" Amelia added.
"Yeah!" A smile broke out across Ruby's face. "He was up on top of the wall doing cannon maintenance or something with the rest of his squad. Right above the outer gate, too, so when the Colossal showed up, we were all just right there."
"That does explain quite a bit," Erwin spoke, his tone indicating there was likely something on his mind. "Thank you for the information you've shared, Miss Rose."
"Oh! No problem!" Ruby's smile widened.
"Now, Lieutenant Tsubaki," Erwin addressed, tone maybe a tad more grave than usual. "We are approximately some hours from Trost, though our return may end up taking longer than expected depending on what we encounter on our way back. If nothing else, if we don't manage to arrive back in Trost in a few hours at least, then expect us to return by evening at the latest."
Haru reflexively straightened her posture. "Yes, sir. I'll make sure to inform the Garrison Regiment when I get the chance."
"Good. In that case, I shall go and ready the other Scouts for the return journey. I leave you with Lieutenant Evergreen."
There was a pause from Erwin, followed by the faint sound of boots padding across grass and wet dirt.
Then:
"By the way... how's Spring doing?"
Levi's voice sounded fairly quiet as he asked. He already happened to be a fairly quiet man in general, especially when people found him walking behind them for one reason or another, but his voice almost sounded softer, in a way, his tone betraying some indication of unease and concern.
"I wouldn't know. Haven't seen anything of her yet." Haru shrugged. "Did Maria tell you to ask?"
"Not at all," Levi said, back to sounding as nonchalant as usual again. "Ruby, was it? Have you met Spring yet?"
Ruby nodded eagerly. "Yeah, I did, back at HQ. She spent a bit of time looking for us after Eren told her about our arrival to this world. Last I saw her, she was in a squad with my big sister, Yang. I'm not sure where they'd be at now, or anyone else for that matter, really, but if Yang's still with her, then she's in really good hands."
Mikasa Ackerman
While Blake had been kind enough to try and cushion Mikasa's landing, it'd ultimately turned out to be unnecessary: they'd been lucky, landing on a propped-up cover made of a thick, dull-green fabric, acting as a roof for the market stall which had to stand below them.
With a quiet grunt, Blake gently grabbed Mikasa's shoulders, only to move Mikasa off of her. She placed Mikasa down on the fabric, directly beside her right-hand side. Blake's hands looked normal now, Mikasa noted, with Blake's nails no longer sharp, and her hands no longer seeming so claw-like.
Mikasa's bobbed hair laid splayed out in waves around her head. A soft, barely-audible huff escaped her nose. Her empty, lifeless gaze laid mainly focused on the sky.
Beside Mikasa, Blake pushed herself upright. Her left hand momentarily rubbed her back, before the same one moved to grasp her right wrist, and she gave her wrist a brief, reassuring massage. Mikasa remembered Blake had been holding her weapon in her right hand, just prior to their tumble, and considering Blake no longer had her sword with her, it seemed the damage she'd apparently taken to her right wrist had caused her to drop it – likely on the rooftop they'd crashed into just a moment ago.
Speaking of weapons, though: Mikasa's remaining sword had broken. Half of the blade had snapped off, leaving only the bottom part in its holder. She didn't have her other sword with her – she must've lost hers during the tumble, too. That said, the other pair of swords Spring had made for her were still stuck to her upper back, so she and Blake (or, at this point, mainly just Blake) would still have a way to defend themselves if need be.
Maybe she should give them to Blake? After all, without her gas, she may as well be Titan fodder. If not that, then she at least had to be a liability.
It happened. Why this again?
She'd lost her home, her will to live, her gas, and now, one of her last regular blades. She raised what remained of her other, regular sword. What little light there was shining through the clouds above glinted off the edge of the steel blade.
I've lost my family.
She'd given up – readied herself for death. She didn't want to go on anymore. She probably wouldn't, after this, if Blake would just leave her behind, as she should, to hopefully save herself.
Eren was no longer living in this cruel, hellish world with her. With him now gone, she didn't want to keep on living in it. Not without him.
The fabric shifted beneath her, and Blake moved to lean over her, face contorted in concern. "Are you alright? You're not hurt from the fall, are you?" She reached out, sliding one hand under the square of Mikasa's back. With more care than Mikasa thought necessary for someone as good as dead, Blake guided Mikasa upright.
Mikasa lowered her sword, holding it just beside her thigh, letting her knuckles rest on the fabric. She couldn't meet Blake's eyes. Still, she shook her head. "Not hurt. Even though I feel like I should be injured."
"That's good. I covered you with my own Aura, since it looks like you don't yet have the subconscious protective cloak that we do. I did it as soon as I caught you, but I didn't know if you'd noticed."
Ah. Mikasa had been so focused on her fall that she hadn't even realised. She'd barely even paid any mind to the purple that'd showed up on her ankles, as if it'd just been a normal, everyday occurrence. Then again, she also hadn't even noticed one of her blades slipping from her grasp.
How careless of her.
"I see. Thank you," Mikasa told her, but your help wasn't necessary. You're wasting your time on dead weight here.
As Blake's hand moved to hold Mikasa's right shoulder, she hooked her other arm under Mikasa's legs. She lifted Mikasa up off the fabric and stepped toward the edge of the stall's roof, where she then hopped down, into the street below. "There we go," she muttered upon landing softly on her feet, standing upright and steady.
She carefully released Mikasa's legs, letting Mikasa plant her feet flat on the stone ground. As Mikasa stood upright, Blake let go of her shoulder, only to turn her head in a few different directions, her eyes darting across their surroundings and, from what Mikasa could tell, taking in their location and situation.
Blake crossed her arms, her gaze sticking to the roof of the building standing some metres ahead of them and the stall behind them. "I can sense Weiss. She's on her way – most likely locating us through our Auras." Then, Blake turned sidelong to face her. "I'll take a look around. Since I dropped my weapon earlier, I wanna go look for it. It might've landed around here somewhere."
"Sure." Mikasa only offered a simple nod.
"Call out if a Titan approaches. I can tell you don't have the will to fight anymore, so I'll fight for you. After all, I'd rather we don't lose you."
And with that, Blake took off, darting around Mikasa's right side, before heading over to the market stall standing behind them. Mikasa's gaze followed Blake, as Blake hopped back up onto the thick fabric cover making up the roof of the stall, and bounced once, twice, building up power, before springing up off the cover, high into the air. Her hands caught the eaves of the rooftop, to which she sprang from them, throwing herself further up and pouncing onto the rooftop.
A quiet huff slipped from Mikasa's lips. Her gaze returned to the ground in front of the toes of her boots.
Her legs gave out. She collapsed, legs folding at the knees. Her shins hit the pavement.
She didn't plan on calling out to Blake. With any luck, Blake would get distracted and forget about protecting her, leaving any Titans to come by and end her suffering.
'Eren... as long as you're part of my life, I can fight to the bitter end,' she'd told herself only a while earlier, back when she'd been with the Rear Guard.
Now, he could no longer be a part of her life. Not anymore. Not now. Not after he'd died. Not after she'd found out he couldn't grace her with his life, and his light and his care and the feeling of home he'd so kindly, so warmly given her, for the six years she'd been lucky enough to know him.
Why? Wasn't the first time enough? Mikasa stared at the ground, her eyes wide and dark – their light and life lost, just like Eren. It's all over. There's nothing else for them to take from me...
From some metres to her right, a Titan approached. As it slowly, steadily, strolled toward her, each and every step of its large feet shook the ground.
Stomp.
Stomp.
Stomp.
Stomp.
Stomp.
Lightning/Claire Farron
So. It'd been nearly two hours since Shaye had informed the group of Team RWBY's disappearance. And it'd been over an hour, almost an hour and a half, since Squall had left their dorm room.
And so far, neither Lightning nor any of the other warriors had anything to show for it. Noctis, Cloud, and Y'shtola had all gone back to sleep, and Bartz still had yet to wake up. Star and Zidane had also left earlier, so Lightning had no idea what those two could be up to.
Shaye hadn't come back yet. And so, the warriors hadn't received any word as to Squall's situation or his whereabouts, or what they'd found out and how it'd affected Shaye's theory. Oh, and no devices or container, either.
Noctis should be up by now. Out of all of us, I'd have expected him to show some haste regarding Team RWBY's disappearance, given how much he cares about Ruby and Weiss. Lightning's bare hands clenched around the fabric of a pair of fitted black pants she was holding. Then again, she slipped her feet into the pant legs one at a time, and pulled them up to where they reached her hips, I guess the same could be said of me, and how close I've gotten to Ruby and Yang.
Once done, she reached over her futon, grabbing her crimson leather detachable pouch from where it sat on the floor, at the left side of her futon, beside her pillow. She strapped the pouch to the outside of her left thigh. Three of the four straps ended up wrapped around the inside of her thigh, and she fastened the fourth strap to her right hip. She made sure to leave the straps comfortably tight so they would stay in place.
Maybe I should wake Noctis up. It must not have truly dawned on him earlier just how serious this situation is. On her bed cover, beside her right thigh, laid a pair of jet-black arm-warmers, fitted but thick, and bearing thumbholes. She picked them up and adorned them, slipping her thumbs into the thumbhole in each arm-warmer and pulling them up to her upper arms. The other ends of her arm-warmers stopped just before her knuckles. Also, if I'm going to pay a visit to Shaye in order to get some answers, I may as well bring him along. No sense waiting around for him to get up and realise the situation later, and end up having to deal with him acting like a headless chicken.
In front of her feet sat a pair of red-soled, red-laced, red-rimmed, black combat boots. Ruby had given them to her just before the Mountain Glenn fiasco. At the time, she'd told Lightning that she'd had them made specifically for Lightning to wear, since they both had an affinity for red petals and fashion choices oftentimes revolving around red and black. She'd even given Lightning a short, rose-red cape to go with the boots. The cape laid on her bed, in a heap behind her back.
As she slipped her feet, covered in black ankle-high socks, into the fitted boots, watching the red, turtleneck rim reach just short of her knees, her gaze drew towards Terra.
Dressed in only a rose-pink tank top and fitted shorts, Terra was pacing in front of the futon she shared with Cloud and Firion. While Cloud seemed to be asleep, Firion looked barely awake, blinking a bit slowly as he sat upright in the bed, his ankles crossed and his knees pulled almost up to his chest, with his elbows resting on them and his hands dangling by his ankles. Despite his visible tiredness, his golden eyes glinted with sympathy as he watched Terra pace around the front of their futon. His hands moved a few times, as he made to speak, as if to try and quell Terra's obvious worrying, but when nothing came out, he ended up dropping his head and hands and closed his mouth.
Eventually, it was Tidus who spoke up first:
"You want to talk about it, Terra?"
Terra came to an abrupt halt only a foot or two in front of Firion. With her hands clasped together near her chest, she looked over her shoulder at Tidus. "It's worrying me that Shaye hasn't come back yet. I could tell that Squall already left, a while ago, but why has she not come back to tell us what's been going on since then? Does she think that we wouldn't want to know how the situation's unfolding?"
"I don't think it's that," Firion piped up somewhat carefully, though his tone sounded reassuring. "I'm sure Shaye knows better than to leave us in the dark, especially if she knew that Squall was caught up in a worse situation than either of them expected. If she doesn't seem to be acting with any urgency, then I can only guess that she knows Squall and Team RWBY are alright, or that Squall's found them in good shape."
"I agree," Lightning decided to say then. She stood up from her futon and pulled the hem of her form-fitting, burgundy, turtleneck shirt down to where it reached her hips, if a bit below the rim of her pants. Its long sleeves were folded up to her upper arms, near her shoulders and above the arm-warmers. She reached down toward her left-hand side, grabbing the form-fitting, dull-light-grey, roughly thigh-length, sleeveless jacket, which sat on the end of the futon, its faded-black V-shaped collar already folded down. "I don't know what she's doing right now, but until she gets back to us with what we're expecting to be good news, then I'd say it's pretty much a waiting game. What matters at this moment is how long we're willing to wait for her."
"And we've been waiting since Squall left this room," Vaan threw his hands up behind his head, "almost one hour and thirty minutes ago."
Lightning pulled her jacket on. The jacket reached just below the apex of her thighs, almost akin in appearance to a short dress. She zipped up the front of the jacket, the faded-crimson zipper and teeth stopping at the middle of her chest, where her folded collar started. She nodded her head. "I don't see a reason why we should be waiting any longer. I want answers, so if she's not coming to us with answers, I'm gonna go to her to get them myself." She pulled down the folded sleeve cuffs of her burgundy undershirt, folding down each cuff twice, until the sleeves covered the top of her arm-warmers, and the cuffs stopped just before her elbows.
"Do you plan on going alone?" Firion asked, tilting his head at Lightning.
"I was thinking of dragging Noctis out of bed to come with me," Lightning told him as she twisted halfway, picking up her cape. She found the cape's top edge, finding five small, metallic, silver clips attached to the cape's inner side, in a row just below the top lining.
Shit. Maybe she should've attached the cape to the back of her jacket before putting the jacket on. She might have to find someone else to stick her cape to her back. It'd be inconvenient, at the very least, if she pulled a muscle or bent her arms too far into an awkward position.
"You know what, I'll save you dragging the covers off our bed," Tidus said, a slight, almost sheepish chuckle leaving him while he propped himself up on his elbow and forearm, leaning on his pillow as he twisted to face Noctis, who had the covers pulled up to his chin.
Firion's face lost its colour as he turned to face Tidus. "Oh, no, please don't scream—"
"PRINCE NOCTIS, KING OF KINGS! WAKE YOUR ASS UP!"
Noctis' eyes shot open and he sprang upright. "I'M UP—!"
"Atta boy!" Tidus patted Noctis' shoulder, before throwing a glance at Firion over his bare shoulder. "Works every time, Rosebud!"
"Unfortunately..." Firion's dipped his head low.
"Anyway," Tidus faced Noctis as he sat upright, "Lightning was thinking of bringing you with her to talk to Shaye." With a quirk of his thumb, he gestured to Lightning, over his shoulder.
Noctis stared somewhat blankly at Tidus, blinking slowly. Once, twice, thrice. Then, his eyes snapped wide open. "Ah, shit, that's right! Team RWBY are missing!"
"Yeah." The rest of the (currently awake) warriors nodded.
"Squall left almost an hour and a half ago to try and find them," Terra told him. With a slight wave of her hand, she gestured to the door. "Shaye hasn't come back yet to tell us how their plan went, or if Squall's managed to find any of the girls yet."
"And we're done waiting for an update, I'm guessing." Noctis quickly slid out from under the covers. He almost tripped over something on the floor, down his own side of the bed.
"That's about it." Lightning settled for just holding the cape in her hands until she got out of the room and could ask Noctis to clip it to her back. "I don't mind waiting a little longer for you to get ready, but we shouldn't lose our urgency. Not while we still don't have any information about Squall or Team RWBY's side of the situation."
Squall Leonhart
He sneezed. It'd been a quiet sneeze, like his sneezes usually were, but even so, it'd still apparently been enough to startle Thomas and Mina. He even caught a flinch from one or two of the supply team members.
He narrowed his eyes at the buildings facing the tower.
Either he's a popular subject today, or he's catching a cold. And, by Hyne, he'd rather not have to deal with the latter.
He offered a small wave of his empty hand in an attempt to reassure them all. "Take it easy. Do I sound like a Titan to you?" He threw a glance over his shoulder, eyes first landing on Thomas and Mina, then the supply team. They all blinked back at him in response, with only Thomas and Mina looking a bit guilty at his words. Facing the buildings across the way again, he dropped his empty hand. I've had my fair share of challenges, but trying not to sound like an ass while trying to deal with some scarred soldiers near enough the same age as me... well. If I never had to do this again, it'd be too soon.
Sitting here playing guard dog had only been slowly driving him up a metaphorical wall. If he stayed sitting here, trying to stay silent while his ass was starting to turn numb, then he'd only drive himself farther up the wall and onto the damn ceiling.
He needed to be out there, fighting. He needed to be on the battlefield, kicking as much ass as he can.
His eyes trailed down to the Titan still pinned, via Blake's Versatile Hundred-Blade Barrage, to the building which stood almost directly facing his window. Since he still hadn't yet come up with a way to kill it without causing unnecessary damage to the environment, the Titan was still sitting there, staring up at him.
A thought hit him.
That's right. I saw Titans still approaching this place earlier. Since I haven't done anything in a while, there should be more surrounding the building. After all, as long as that outer gate remains unblocked, Titans will keep getting in and gathering around this place. It's almost like they've been trying to swarm this tower in waves.
If he happened to be correct, and Titans had gathered around the other sides of HQ as well, then he'd have a better chance of finding them if he went onto the roof of the tower. He hadn't exactly gotten a good look at the outside of HQ, between trying to get into the building as fast as possible, and then the earlier fighting he'd done alongside Blake, but he figured this tower had to be the tallest section of HQ.
He threw a look over his shoulder, at the others. He needed one of them to take over as lookout, and even act as defence in case of an emergency.
Thomas could sit by the window and act as lookout, sure; and if he had Aura, or even magic, then he'd be able to keep some Titans at bay through using some spells. Maybe if Team RWBY had left behind a few Dust crystals, he could pull off some of the elemental spells. All he'd need is enough bravery to look a Titan in the face. Or, he could use the quicker but more inconvenient option and use that musket, but that'd rely on the Titans coming up to the window.
And not every Titan would act or react like the one Blake had managed to shoot.
But, with all that said, Squall had no experience awakening or unlocking another person's Aura. He didn't even know if his own magic had mixed more deeply with his own Aura. For all he knew, he could end up sharing a sliver of that magic power with Thomas, or anyone else he chose to awaken the Aura of.
And, even then, Squall also couldn't guarantee that Thomas would be able to do much. Since Thomas couldn't walk on his own, at least until he and Team RWBY came up with something to make up for the damage to his legs, then Squall's only option would be to drag Thomas by his chair, to bring him to the window. And yeah, he could do that, but what are the chances that a Titan could come along, and, as persistent as he'd found Titans to be, just about shrug off any Dust attack that Thomas could reasonably pull off, in order to defend the tower, and reach the window? What if a Titan came close enough to grab Thomas? The most Thomas could do would be to throw himself off his chair and crawl across the floor to get away from the window, but even then, any Titan could reach in through the open space and still grab him.
In that situation, Thomas would pretty much be a sitting duck.
And Squall did not want that on his conscience.
And besides, awakening Thomas' Aura wouldn't automatically give him a developed Aura Guard, and he wouldn't automatically wear a subconscious cloak of Aura, like Squall and Team RWBY do. And Squall wouldn't be able to teach him, either – they simply didn't have the time. Helping Thomas develop his Aura to a point where it could automatically protect him would take... probably a week, at least, and even then, that was being incredibly generous, considering that'd simply been how long it had taken Squall to get the hang of his Aura Guard.
And that hadn't been normal, even by Beacon's standards. Even Pyrrha, who was a prodigy in her own right, had told him that she'd never seen anyone work out and seemingly master their Aura Guard so soon after awakening their Aura.
Squall couldn't hold Thomas to his own standards. Hell, he hadn't met anyone here yet who he could hold to his own standards.
…He'd have to find someone else. Someone who'd have better chances if shit went south while Squall would be busy out there, and who'd have a much better chance of getting away if a Titan came close to the tower.
Nearly all four members of the supply team looked too terrified to move from their makeshift barricade, let alone try and move closer to where the Titans could reach them. Hell, only one of the four didn't look like he would shit his pants at any moment, or sit curled up with his legs huddled close to his chest. Instead, he sat almost slouching, his legs pulled up, and his hands, which Squall noticed were ever-so-slightly trembling, gripped either end of what appeared to be a hardback novel, which he held wide open, the hard back resting against his propped-up knees. He looked as if he was trying to distract himself, either from the actual situation, his own fear, or both.
They'd be little to no help. They were probably too scared to help themselves, let alone help Squall or Thomas or Mina—
Wait. Mina.
Mina could do the same thing he'd pictured Thomas doing. Plus, while she did wear a scar across her face, she still happened to at least be in one piece, however cold that sounded. He wouldn't have to worry about causing any unintended physical reactions, if a bit of his magic did actually end up being carried by his Aura and ended up being shared with her, possibly intertwining with her own Aura. Although, that didn't mean he wouldn't try to remain wary of the impact that the magic might have on her mental and emotional state. After all, he'd grown up in a world where magic could corrupt people – the evil Sorceresses he had been raised and trained to fight had simply been a popular example.
That said, even if things turned to shit with her, he'd still be capable enough to stop her.
Besides, not only did she still have her gear equipped, but she'd still be able to use it. For her, if shit went south, escape would be easier, and she'd also be able to use those grapple-hooks and swords to defend herself, as well as Dust.
"Hey, Mina," he called out, twisting sidelong on his perch to face Mina from one side. As she perked up, lifting her head and turning slightly toward her left to meet his eyes, he beckoned her with a wave of his empty hand. "I need to ask you something."
Mina blinked as her brows rose. Then, pressing her lips together, she nodded, and pushed herself to her feet. She quickly approached him, one hand wrapped around the other as she held her hands low. She stopped fairly close to him, perhaps a foot or two from where he sat in the window. Tilting her head, she asked him, "What's wrong? If it's because we're all a bit jumpy—"
"It's not," he cut her off, offering a half-assed wave in an attempt to reassure her. "I want your help with something."
"Oh." She blinked. "What with?"
"I'm gonna go up to the roof of this tower, to get a better view of the situation around the other sides of HQ. It's likely that more Titans have gathered around here in the time I've been sitting here and keeping lookout. But, if I'm gonna take care of that problem, I need someone to keep watch from this side. I can do a lot of things, but being in two or more places at once isn't one of them."
"So, you need someone to act as the watchtower until you get back." Mina's expression shifted from somewhat blank to... something else. Something he couldn't read and which seemed primarily focused in her eyes. Whatever he was seeing, it looked more serious.
"I also need someone that can act as defence here until then, too," he instead told her, deciding that whatever she was feeling probably wouldn't be all that important to him if she was going to keep it to herself. "The muskets are near useless and too risky to use. So, in the interest of the situation, I feel it would be best if I unlock—try to awaken your Aura." His empty hand had started gesturing almost wildly as he spoke. He blamed it mostly on his own awkwardness, considering this had always struck him as rather personal – using one's own Aura to awaken someone else's, that is. Squall would be using his own soul to "open up" Mina's soul, and guide it into becoming a power she could use and manipulate, and a power which could eventually manifest itself in the form of a Semblance. "It requires an incantation," he made sure to add, failing to keep the slight discomfort from his tone. He refused to call it shyness, though it might sound like something close to that.
Mina blinked at him again, this time more... owlishly. "Ohh. Are you... asking for my permission? To give me powers similar to yours and Team RWBY's?"
"Yes. Sort of. Maybe. It's because I consider it a very personal thing to do," he tried to explain. "Unlocking your Aura involves me using my soul to open up your soul. In other words, I use my power to draw out the power that you're carrying in your soul. Or at least, that's sort of how Pyrrha explained it. She knows how to go about this better than the rest of us. She's done this before..." he trailed off, his gaze now firmly trained on the floor.
"No need to worry," Mina told him, raising a hand and offering a reassuring wave. As his eyes flicked to meet hers, she offered a smile, and then a nod. "Let's go. I'm sure you'll be able to pull it off."
"...You're sure?"
"Yes!" She looked almost... excited, maybe?
He supposed that had to be a good sign.
"Alright..." His Revolver gunblade, which had been resting on his shoulder, his other hand holding it up, vanished in a flash of pale-blue light and small, quickly-fading shards. He swung his legs over the windowsill and moved to stand in front of Mina, his full height of 5'11" making him pretty much tower over her. He, rather gingerly, placed his left hand on her shoulder, and his right hand brushed the left side of her face. He scrunched his eyes shut, mostly from embarrassment but also the fact he didn't want to see what kind of look she must be giving him.
As he drew out his own Aura, gentle waves of steel-blue enveloped his form, spreading from his hands to Mina's form, wrapping her in the same steel-blue energy. He took a deep breath through his nose, and began to recount the incantation Pyrrha had used when unlocking his Aura, and apparently Jaune's Aura, too.
"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality," he started, feeling his Aura make its way into her subconscious, before approaching the gates of her soul. "Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul—" He flung the gates open and released the power within her soul, with a soft, white light bursting out, flaring and flooding her subconscious with energy, as he drew his Aura back out of her inner world and towards himself—"and by my shoulder, protect thee."
He dared to open his eyes.
Much to his relief, he found the steel-blue energy previously wrapped around her, from his Aura, had become a soft, white light, flying and coursing around her form in waves and wisps of energy. It hadn't felt like a whole lot of power she had – in fact, he'd consider her power level to be more-or-less equal with Blake's – but he found it fairly impressive nonetheless. Her Aura almost seemed to cover her form in a faint, white glow.
That said, he was worried some of her Aura had accidentally caught and mingled with a bit of his own while he'd been drawing his Aura back out of her subconscious. He'd felt something akin to what that might've felt like, if only barely. Perhaps it'd be safe to keep an eye on her, to make sure whether or not she'd absorbed some of his magic power through accidentally absorbing a few small wisps of his Aura.
She lifted her head, gazing up at him with wide eyes.
Ah, shit, he was still holding onto her!
His blinked, eyes flicking wide open, and pulled away from her as soon as the realisation hit him.
He backed away until his ass made contact with the windowsill. He stopped, then, and planted his hands on the sill, at either side of him. He took a seat on the sill.
If I never have to do that again, it'll be too soon.
"So, uh..." Mina eventually spoke up again, prompting him to look at her. The white energy and glow surrounding her soon faded, the wisps of light drawing back into her and soon fading as well. She looked down at her hands, balling them into fists, and soon the white glow and waves of her Aura returned. However, the waves soon began flowing towards her fists, the soft, flaring glow around her fists growing brighter. Was she already trying to learn how to direct and control her Aura? And using her fists as focal points to send the energy to?
For someone who'd only just had her Aura unlocked, for that to be the first thing she did... it looked like a smart move, really.
When Pyrrha had awakened his Aura, the first thing he'd done to get used to the power was jump and parkour across Beacon's campus, with Pyrrha close by to make sure he didn't fall or hurt himself. He'd done that because he'd felt he needed to get himself moving, after a while of staying stagnant, and because he'd thought Aura control would take a bit more effort to master, and he happened to be the type to want to try and master a new power as soon as he could practice and use it.
(He was still in the process of mastering Aura, especially considering even he still hadn't awakened a Semblance yet, but he was getting there.)
But now, here Mina stood, learning to get used to her newfound power by using much simpler methods. Like standing around and just directing the energy to different parts of her body, while learning to recognise the feeling of being able to use the power how she wanted to, relying primarily on the power of her will.
"The more you use your power, the easier it gets to control and use," he decided to tell her. "You get used to it, eventually. How long it takes depends on the person, I guess."
Mina nodded, though seemed deep in thought. When she looked up from her hands, and the glow and waves and flaring energy faded from her form, her brows were raised. She looked curious. "Can you show me how to do a few of those spells that you guys have been using?"
That... would be useful. In terms of going about defending the tower, he'd mostly been thinking about them using Dust, but one or two binding spells and a few attack spells would be a good substitute, and good for her to know ahead of time, in case the girls wanted to start training some of the Cadets to use Aura and Dust after the battle here (hopefully) gets resolved.
He nodded. "Sure. I'll teach you some of the basics." He shoved himself off the windowsill and turned to face the window. With a glance over his shoulder and a slight jerk of his head, he beckoned her over to him again. As she approached, he told her, "Just the basics should be enough to keep the Titans at bay, unless you're feeling pretty brave and decide you want to go for the kill."
"Right." With a nod of her head, she looked up at him. "Which spell are we starting with?"
"Support Style, Basic Offence Art One: Single Cannon Burst."
After teaching Mina the first three attack spells out of the ten Basic Offence Arts (Single Cannon Burst, Dual Cannon Burst, and Cannon Burst Fusion Blast), along with the first two spells out of the ten Basic Binding Arts (Pure Rope of Paralysis, and Twin Fang Piercing Flash), Squall had set himself up on the flat rooftop of the tower.
He shot a cautious glance over the half-wall ledge lining the edges of the rooftop, his gaze trailing down the wall he'd just scaled, down to the shattered window where he could spot the top of Mina's head and the swords she had drawn, held just a bit out of the window and poised in a defensive manner.
There aren't any more Titans around that side yet. Just the one that Blake pinned earlier. If we're lucky, maybe the other Titans saw that one down there and decided it wasn't worth coming around this side. Then again, that'd imply some Titans have enough intelligence to avoid getting into situations where they can get caught, and that'd be a scary thought. For these soldiers, anyway.
Squall pushed himself away from the ledge and spun on his heel, making his way to the half-wall standing directly opposite to the one he'd just been at. Upon pausing at the opposite ledge, he rested his hand atop the half-wall, and peered down over it, eyeing the courtyard below and all the interconnected buildings surrounding it in a square-shaped formation.
He couldn't see any Titans in the actual courtyard. That said, two taller, but skinnier, Titans were sprawled across the rooftops of the surrounding buildings: one on the row of buildings to his right, and the other atop the farthest row of buildings, which stood facing him, parallel to the tower. Several other Titans, all ranging in height, were either wandering around outside the courtyard, or were trying to climb the walls of any surrounding buildings. Perhaps trying to climb onto the rooftops, just as the other two Titans had already done.
Why would they climb on the rooftops, though? As tall as they are, they wouldn't need to do it to look in the windows. Is it because they can get a better view of the streets on either side? Or is it because they've seen how the soldiers have taken to travelling over the buildings with their gear? But, if that's the case, that would also mean some of the Titans have taken to laying in wait for the soldiers to cross the rooftops, meaning those Titans have enough intelligence to know how to hunt their prey. And that means they would have better patience than most people, and know how to use the element of surprise to catch a bite of someone. Just like an animal would hunt another animal, I guess.
He'd be lying if he said it wasn't a scary thought.
Because, if he just-so happened to be correct, that meant he and Team RWBY would also be at risk of getting caught off-guard by any Titans that'd developed a good few hunting skills. And yeah, maybe their Auras can protect them, but if they were run down? If their Auras were just worn enough? If they were caught at a moment where they just-so happened to be in a weakened-enough state to be maimed, or even killed, and without any issue on the part of the Titans?
His stomach churned.
And those types of Titans could – would – be all around Trost. All around the city. Hiding in any gaps they can fit into between buildings, or on whichever rooftop they can climb onto, just waiting for some poor soldier to come anywhere near them.
Squall could (and would) take out the Hunting Titans here (not really a creative name, but it'd make it easier to refer to those types of Titans), but that wouldn't stop the other ones still wandering the rest of Trost. Wouldn't stop them from getting to Team RWBY, and wouldn't stop them from getting to the Cadets or the other, more experienced soldiers.
Plus, his own reflexes could only be so quick.
He shook his head.
I should stop worrying about them. It's not like it's helping any. It might even just make me paranoid. I can help by taking out these Titans here, and hopefully, Team RWBY will get here soon.
He huffed through his nose.
I'm sure they'll be okay. They are an exceptional team, after all. Even by Beacon's standards.
Christa Lenz
Christa hopped onto the canopy of a rooftop, the building standing directly to the right of where Athena had just paused.
This was the second time Athena had faltered, stopping in her tracks, on the way to HQ.
It hadn't been too worrisome the first time. Athena had explained, despite trying to limit how much she spoke, that she was only so exhausted because of the lack of sunlight. She was using more energy than she could get, even to speak, let alone fight or protect Spring, still hidden away in Athena's hands. Plus, it surely didn't help that Athena had already used up a lot of energy, in comparison to the other Titans. Between attempting to stop the Colossal from breaking down the gate, fighting to kill the other Titans so she could protect Christa and the rest of the Cadets, and healing from the injuries she'd often gotten during those fights, it wouldn't seem likely that she'd have all that much energy left.
And this was the second time it appeared to be taking its toll on her.
Maybe Christa could help, and offer some encouragement? They were only a street or two away from reaching HQ now, and Athena had been doing so well in her fight against her own exhaustion!
"We're almost there, Athena. We're nearly at HQ," Christa offered, pressing her hands, holding her swords, against her knees as she crouched. When Athena blinked, her eyes flicking to the side to meet Christa's, Christa gave her the warmest, kindest smile she could manage. "It's not much farther now. And once we get to HQ, you can get a whole lot of rest. Plus, if the Titans try to get to you, then it'll be our turn to protect you!"
Athena's eyebrows rose as she blinked. Her gaze then fell, but she nodded anyway, without a word.
Her situation's probably been getting worse since the first time she stopped. But if we slow down, it'll just take longer, and would take up more energy. Maybe we can get her to pull off a last burst with the energy she has left, and she can just bolt it to HQ? It might be worth a try.
Christ stood back up, and punched her fists together, like she'd seen Yang do a few times. She remained mindful of her Titan-killing blades, which aimed at the sky.
"Alright! I've got an idea!"
Yang, still standing on Athena's left shoulder, peered around the front of Athena's face, one brow raised. "We're listening."
"With the energy you've got left, even though it's not a lot," Christa started, eyes drawing back to meet Athena's, "do you think you can use it for a last burst and just run the rest of the way and not stop until we get to HQ? We don't have much ground left to cover – just a street, maybe two at most." She lowered her hands, holding her swords by her sides. "I mean, the slower we go, the longer it'll take to get there, and the longer you'll have to keep moving."
"That's a good point..." Yang trailed off, lifting her head. After briefly gazing up at the still-dark sky, she looked back at Christa, only to turn, and meet Athena's eyes. "Can you do that? If you can, then I don't care if you have to vault over a damn building. You're better off getting there sooner rather than later."
Athena seemed to hesitate, but eventually nodded. "I can. But I feel only you should hold onto me. I do not want my speed or movements to hurt the Cadets. Spring should be fine here, though." She glanced down at her hands.
Yang gave Athena a soft smile. "Of course." She met Christa's eyes again. "Go tell the others to stick to the rooftops and get out of the streets. And stay close behind us. I'll try my best to look out for you guys from here."
Christa nodded. With Yang and Athena going ahead of them, that meant she, Ymir, Sasha, and Connie would have to look out for themselves – and each other – a lot more, at least for the moment. After all, Yang and Athena had been doing the most in their effort to try and protect them, and they wouldn't be able to do as well of a job while Athena would be hauling ass to HQ, with Yang trying to hold on in spite of Athena's momentum.
"I'll go tell the others!" Christa told them, before turning to her right and taking off across the rooftop, toward the rooftop ahead.
A gust barrelled into her and Ymir when Athena sprinted past the building they stood on. On the rooftop directly across the street from them, Sasha and Connie were using their arms to shield their faces from the rough breeze Athena left in her wake.
Sasha ended up being the first to recover, taking off in a sprint across the top of the opposite row of buildings. She'd already somersaulted over three dormers before Connie followed her, sprinting as fast as he could to try to catch up with her.
"Come on!" With her elbow, Ymir nudged Christa's shoulder.
Christa nodded at Ymir, offering a small smile, and took off, also in a sprint. She moved up the canopy, toward the ridge, to get a less obstructive path across the roof, and Ymir followed close behind, though at a slightly slower pace. Probably because Ymir had longer legs, she figured, and would easily outrun Christa if she decided to run at Christa's same pace.
At the end of the street, Athena was met with a central building which stood facing the road. She didn't slow down. Instead, she paused on one foot for a beat, before leaping high above the building, her feet barely scraping the ridge of the building's rooftop, while her right shin knocked the chimney over. She landed in the street on the other side of the building, a loud crash reverberating through their current street and the street ahead. The ground quaked a good few times from the impact, and Christa could practically feel the vibrations in her bones.
I hope Spring is okay after that!
Athena spared the briefest of glances over her shoulder, only to continue her sprint down the street ahead.
"We won't catch up to her without using our gas!" Ymir told them, voice loud enough for all four Cadets to hear.
Connie vaulted over the roof of a dormer, while Sasha performing yet another somersault over the one ahead. "Once we cross into the next street and it's all clear of Titans, then we'll stay close to the ground! And close together in the middle! Last thing we need—" Connie vaulted over the dormer Sasha had just crossed—"is to get caught off-guard by any Titans hiding between the buildings!"
"Yeah! I second that!" Sasha called out almost breathlessly, as she turned to her right and made a beeline for the eaves of the rooftop. Leaping from the rooftop, into the street, she fired her wires forward, at the rooftop of the central building at the end of the street. Her grapple-hooks lodged into the rooftop's canopy. A puff of gas burst from Sasha's emission, before more gas further spewed out, and blew Sasha toward the central building.
Connie quickly followed. Skidding down the tiles after Sasha, he hopped from the eaves. With a squeeze of the upper triggers on his sword handles, he fired his wires forward, at the central building ahead. His grapple-hooks pierced the canopy tiles, near the rooftop's ridge, a few feet to the left of where Sasha's were lodged. A puff of gas burst into a stream as he followed Sasha toward the rooftop.
Christa and Ymir swiftly joined them, Christa jumping in the air and firing her wires at the central building's canopy, while Ymir slid down the canopy and dived off the eaves, launching her own wires. Ymir's grapple-hooks punctured the tiles, a few feet to the right of Sasha's, while Christa's own pierced an area closer to the rooftop's ridge, finding purchase in the tiles only a few feet to the right of Ymir's wires.
All four of them burst forth.
Sasha reached the rooftop first. Then Connie, then Christa, then Ymir.
As soon as their feet hit the tiles, Sasha and Ymir raced forward, Sasha soon somersaulting over the ridge while Ymir vaulted over. Christa and Connie quickly took off after them, both jumping over the ridge, only to watch Ymir and Sasha skid down the canopy and dive off the edge.
The street didn't appear to be all that long. Christa could see Athena, crouched on one knee, at the end of it the street, HQ right behind her. Yang stood atop Athena's head, holding one of her swords above her head, and she waved it around, while she held Spring under her other arm, pressed against her side. Athena held her arms low and somewhat wide, her hands open and her palms facing them.
"Don't bother with the buildings! Attach your wires to Athena and just bolt it over here! I can take care of her while she heals!"
While Sasha and Ymir launched both of their wires down the street ahead, Christa and Connie carefully raced down the canopy, and hopped from the eaves. She and Connie soon fired their own wires down the street, Christa's grapple-hooks lodging in Athena's left upper arm, while Connie's found purchase in Athena's right forearm and side. Sasha's pierced Athena's raised right shin. Ymir's punctured Athena's left thigh and the frontside of her left hip.
The four of them stayed close together, near the ground, as they blasted down the middle of the street.
In what felt like record time, they reached Athena and Yang. Sasha and Ymir burst upward, landing on either shoulder, and with a leap from Athena's shoulders, they each fired their wires, up toward a row of windows high up the tower. After they took off, their gas launching them up to the windows, Connie followed after Sasha. As Christa did the same, landing on Athena's left shoulder, she fired her wires again, aiming at the tower wall. Her grapple-hooks pierced the space just above a window, lodging in the wall, some feet to the right of where Ymir's had landed.
To the left of Ymir's wires, Christa noticed the shattered window. It stood two windows to the left of Christa's. Pausing to catch a better glimpse of it, she found Mina standing in the space of the open window, holding her swords in a defensive stance. Her stance fell slack as she saw the four Cadets. Then, she offered a bright, wide smile, her brows raised.
"Guys! You made it!"
Ymir burst through the next window directly to Mina's left. Sasha broke through the window to Mina's right, and Connie flung himself through the next window on the other side of Sasha's.
Christa offered a smile in response and waved one of her swords. Then, with a burst of her gas, she launched toward her own window, directly up ahead of her, and two windows to the left of Mina. She crossed her arms over herself, using her arms and swords to protect herself. She burst through the window, the glass shattering around her, and she stuck a soft, smooth landing on the carpet.
"Is it just you guys and Yang?" Mina asked, holding her swords next to her legs, as she whirled around, glancing between the four. "Where's everyone else? Are they... alright?"
Christa hesitated, but eventually nodded, holding her own swords low as well, as she made her way around Ymir. "I think so. Last time we saw the other Cadets, they were unharmed, at least. Blake and Weiss should be with them, too, so if they set off not long after us, then I'm sure they'll be alright."
"I second that. Especially since Yang could sense that Mikasa was apparently making her way there from the Rear Guard." Connie approached Mina from her left-hand side. "If she's there too, then she'd have got the others off their asses and moving to HQ by now."
"I hope you're right. After all, we thought the same thing about Eren..." Mina trailed off, her eyes half lidded and her gaze looking a thousand miles away.
Christa sheathed her swords as they were, keeping the holders attached to the blades and letting them hang outside the first outer slots. She made to approach Mina, reaching her hand out. Maybe she could offer some comfort—
"Mina, you're... spacing out again."
As Mina blinked, gaze coming back into focus, Christa and Connie whirled to face the source of the voice.
Sat on one of the desk chairs, which had been pulled over toward the bookcase at the back of the room, and which stood next to what looked like a few desks, turned on their sides to form a makeshift barricade, was Thomas. The ends of his severed legs, which looked like they'd been treated, were wrapped in bandages. And, at his left, sat his ODM Gear, arranged rather neatly on the floor, beside his chair.
"Right. Sorry, I keep doing that..." Mina eventually said, quieter now. As Christa turned to face her again, she found Mina rubbing the back of her head. Only then, did she finally notice the shallow scar across Mina's nose, barely long enough to reach from one cheek to the other.
She didn't have that this morning.
But although she wanted to know how Mina had received her injury, Christa thought better of asking about it.
"Anyway," Ymir chimed in. She approached Mina from her right, her swords sheathed, with the holders still attached to the blades, and asked, "where's this Squall guy that Blake kept talking about? According to her, he was supposed to be here."
At that, Mina turned to Ymir, looking up at her with a slight smile. "Oh! He went up onto the roof to see the situation with the other sides of the building. He and Blake did a good job taking out a bunch of Titans swarming this place earlier, but I think he expected that more of them would make their way here. He chose me to act sort of as the group's watchtower. And defence, if need be."
"Defence?" Ymir raised a brow as her eyes narrowed in confusion. She crossed her arms. "How'd you plan on going about that?" she asked, tone sounding maybe a bit incredulous. "It looked like you were just standing in the window holding your swords out."
At that, Mina's expression looked a little more sheepish. "He awakened my Aura and taught me some of the basic spells that he and Team RWBY know." She offered a small shrug. "Honestly, having the power of my soul unlocked feels a little weird... but in a good way? But at the same time I feel just the same as always, too. Maybe a bit stronger and with a bit more... energy, I guess."
Christa, Connie, and Sasha glanced between each other then, before turning back to Mina, wide-eyed:
"Wait, what?!"
Mikasa Ackerman
Mikasa slid what remained of her last regular blade back into the first outer slot of her left sheath. She didn't even bother to detach the sword handle, instead leaving it attached to the blade in the slot.
This world is cruel. But it's also...
Her vision was consumed by a glimpse of a memory. One of her first, more softer memories of Eren.
When he'd first offered his crimson scarf to her, gentle as he'd wrapped it around her, selfless and kind as he hoped it would keep her warm.
It'd succeeded in doing that job ever since that moment. Even now, it kept her warm, as if to spite the coldness coming from her feeling of being so dead inside. As if to spite the ice creeping its way into her grieving heart as it lost its life, any care for her fate rapidly bleeding out of it – out of her.
…It's also beautiful.
Stomp.
Stomp.
She raised her head. Her dark, lifeless eyes gazed at the clouds above.
Stomp.
Stomp.
It was a good life.
Stomp.
She closed her eyes.
Stomp. Stomp.
Stomp. Stomp.
Stomp.
Stomp.
The Titan's feet stopped in their tracks.
She heard the shifting, the stretching of its muscles – its arm, she figured. It had to be reaching its hand out toward her. Aiming to grab her.
Pulse.
Maybe it was her, but she swore she could feel the scalding heat underneath the Titan's skin. The heat seemed to leak, invisibly, out of the Titan's fingertips, warming the air around her.
Pulse.
Its fingertips stretched closer. She could almost feel the claw-like motion of his hand.
She could feel another electric pulse on the rise, ready to strike her cells—
"MIKASA!"
She unsheathed her broken sword and swung. She'd already sprang to her feet, her eyes open, before she even realised what she was doing.
That'd sounded like Blake's voice.
Blood spurted from the slice along the Titan's hand. Four of its fingers fell, severed at the points where they'd been attached to its palm.
Now she was finally seeing it, she found the Titan's face was set in an almost condescending grin, so wide it caused the Titan's eyes to look as if they were scrunched shut. Aside from the Titan's expression, nothing else about it particularly stood out. It looked like just another somewhat-pudgy Titan, carrying a potbelly and wearing a seemingly sadistic and macabre grin.
The Titan swung its other hand.
Mikasa sprang backward. She flipped onto her fingertips, bouncing off the ground into another backflip as the Titan's hand slammed into stone. A whirl of air burst out from the crash site, briefly slapping against Mikasa's frame as she landed upright and standing, several feet away from the Titan. Her balance almost wobbled, but she caught herself and stood firm.
What was she doing? When had she made up her mind to fight back? She could've sworn she'd already resigned herself to die, so why was her body taking over, as if to try and make sure she could live?
Could it be survival? Instinct? Reflex?
The Titan raised its almost-fingerless hand, steam sprouting from the stumps where its fingers used to be and where its fingers were soon going to be again.
"Style of the Self, Personal Art: Dark Ribbon of Binding and Breaking," came Blake's call from above.
Mikasa's gaze flicked up the wall standing at her right. She found Blake standing on the rooftop directly above Mikasa and the Titan, on the edge of the tiles.
A thick, wide, black ribbon shot down as if from the sky, circling around the Titan's raised arm, spanning from the Titan's knuckles down to its shoulder and underarm, the ribbon's fabric glinting violet all the while. The ribbon was pulled taut, and stayed taut, as both of Blake's hands gripped its opposite end, the large ribbon seeming to be a fusion of the ribbons she was wearing around her forearms.
Blake wasn't carrying her weapon, or any form of it. It must not have been up there, then.
The Titan's expression never changed, even as it tried to move its arm again, only to end up unsuccessful when its arm simply twitched and fidgeted in its binding.
Keeping her hold on it, Blake took off across the rooftop's edge, heading toward the Titan. The ribbon stayed taut. The farther she moved, the farther back the Titan's arm bended. Then, once she'd made it about several feet behind the Titan, she hopped from the rooftop, swinging down behind the Titan's back. As her boots skidded across the ground, Blake skating in a curve towards the Titan's complete, right hand, the Titan's left arm snapped backward, accompanied by a sickening crack, which resounded through the street.
The arm hung at an unnatural angle, twisted and almost-limp, the elbow and hand suspended somewhat stiffly over its shoulder. The ribbon almost seemed to dig into the skin.
It certainly looked like the Titan's arm was broken. Perhaps even dislocated, though Mikasa couldn't exactly tell.
The Titan's other arm flung backward, its backhand flying like a whip toward Blake. With a gasp, Blake sprang into a cartwheel, flipping over the Titan's hand.
She landed on her feet, skidding toward the Titan's right-hand side. When she stopped, she softly yanked her broader ribbon, and soon, it swiftly unravelled, releasing the Titan's broken arm. The ribbon split into two down the middle as they drew back toward Blake, and with a shake of her wrists, both ribbons rewrapped themselves back around each respective wrist.
The Titan's other, more usable, arm swung back around, its palm speeding towards Blake.
Blake spun on her heel, facing Mikasa's direction, and took off running. The Titan's hand immediately caught up to her, however, casting a shadow over Blake's entire form, and as its hand closed in on her, she dived from a shadowy copy of herself just in time. As Blake – quite literally – slipped through the Titan's fingers, the Titan's hand wrapped around Blake's shadow-copy, which swiftly faded into thin air.
Mikasa's eyes followed Blake as she somersaulted, her feet hitting the ground before skidding. She stopped at Mikasa's left.
"I thought I told you to call out if a Titan came by," Blake said. Though she seemed to be scolding Mikasa, Blake's tone lacked the level of seriousness Mikasa would've expected from a regular telling-off. If anything, she sounded... confident, maybe? Her gaze stayed on the Titan, too. Did... did she think she could take down the Titan without any kind of weapon? Could that be why she seemed so sure of herself?
Mikasa knew Blake and the other girls could attack using Aura spells. Mikasa could, too, thanks to Spring. But even so, even with a number of attack spells under their belts, could those spells really do enough damage to the nape? Did any of those spells carry enough power to destroy a Titan's weak-spot?
The Titan pulled its right hand back, raising it high above his shoulder.
Mikasa's grip tightened on her blade.
The Titan swung down at them.
Blake dashed at Mikasa. Her arms snaked around Mikasa's waist and she dived toward the wall, a few feet to Mikasa's right, pulling Mikasa with her. Behind Blake, the Titan's hand crashed on the ground. The burst of dusty smoke and the force of the impact sent both girls barrelling toward the wall. But at the last second, Blake spun her and Mikasa around, letting her own back slam against the wall, while Mikasa's back hit Blake's front – probably saving Mikasa from being winded.
She still didn't know why Blake was doing all of this for her.
That said, Mikasa soon slipped from Blake's hold. As Mikasa's feet hit the ground, she slouched against Blake's form. She managed to catch herself when she began to collapse, keeping herself from hitting the ground – though, as she managed to continue standing, her legs stayed bent at the knees.
Why?
The Titan's right hand skirted the ground as it barrelled toward them again.
Blake's arms swiftly hooked under Mikasa's legs and around her back, one hand grasping Mikasa's shoulder. She swept Mikasa off her feet, Blake sprang left, high into the air, toward the middle of the street.
The Titan's hand crashed into the wall. Dust clouds burst from the impact as pieces of debris scattered about the crash site.
I've already given up.
Blake stuck her landing several metres away from the Titan, only a few feet from where a couple steps stretched across the street. Crouching down, she then gently placed Mikasa on the ground. Mikasa settled on her knees, gaze briefly falling to the ground, only for her to look up when Blake rose and turned away from her, facing the Titan. She stood in front of Mikasa, as if to try and protect her, as she raised her hands, portraying what appeared to be a fighting stance.
So why? Why am I struggling? Why... do I keep getting up?
Mikasa's eyes darted to the Titan. Somewhere, somehow, during the chaos, it'd fallen into the crater its attack had created. It made to pick itself up off of the ground, only to collapse again, landing with another crash and more debris and dust clouds. Mikasa noted, then, that the attack had apparently destroyed its right hand, along with half of its right forearm. And with its other arm still broken, that left the Titan unable to even lift itself up, let alone climb back onto its feet.
And why...
Her eyes trailed back to Blake.
"...Why do you keep fighting to protect me?"
At Mikasa's question, Blake threw a puzzled look at her, over her shoulder. "Why shouldn't I?"
Mikasa hesitated.
Why shouldn't Blake protect her? Mikasa couldn't find an easy answer to that. She didn't have an answer ready and on-hand, already locked and loaded in her throat. Still, she knew her situation. She had no gas left. She was tapped out. And worst of all, she'd lost her purpose, her reason to keep on living.
"I have nothing left. My gas is gone. So is Eren; and my purpose and reason for living went with him. I already resigned myself to giving up when you left to find your weapon. I don't even know why I'm still fighting," Mikasa admitted, pushing herself to her feet. Her grip around her sword handle felt a little loose. "I mean... I've lost any reason to live. What keeps pushing me?"
Small streams of sunlight pierced through the dark clouds above, which were beginning to shift apart, the sky starting to clear.
Blake blinked, her expression softening. Then, she gave Mikasa a small, sweet smile. "You might not think it, but your life doesn't have to end just because Eren's did. So, please, don't talk like that. Besides, if you die, then you'll leave Armin all alone. He'll be the only one left out of you three. And what about the memories you have of Eren – the memories that only you have?" The streams of sunlight were soon shining down on Blake, while the clouds opened further and began giving way to a lot more light and warmth. Blake's golden eyes glinted in the warm sunlight. "Those memories of him will die with you, too."
At some point (not that Mikasa knew when), the Titan had managed to get to its feet. As it strolled closer to them, its head rose and blocked their view of the opening in the sky, the source of the sunlight shining on them, thus casting a shadow over both girls.
Mikasa started backing away, stepping backward towards the steps behind her. She couldn't take on the Titan even if she wanted to – even if her instincts or whatever were telling her to. Not like this. Not while she had no gas to fuel her gear; to give her the chance to fly, or, to give her the perfect opportunity to go for the back of its neck.
Blake stayed put. "I wouldn't bother. I can hear another one coming that way."
And, as if on cue, the footfalls of a second Titan reverberated through the street. They originated quite a ways behind her, up the steps and near the street corner.
Mikasa whipped round, first turning sidelong to face the newer, second Titan, before facing it fully. She began backing away again, steps slow, careful, as she returned to Blake's side. Their backs met.
One of the second Titan's hands held the jagged top edges of the broken-down wall, standing at the end of the street, just behind a heap of rocky debris which looked like it'd come from that same wall, with a strange sense of care. He stepped out from behind the street corner (perhaps) just as carefully, almost as if he was trying to be mindful of the debris near his feet.
"Fight!"
The second Titan raised his head, slowly standing to his full height of fifteen metres. His shaggy, familiar, brown hair flung back, settling against the back of his neck, barely reaching his shoulders. His piercing eyes, somewhat sunken into his face, seemed to land on Mikasa's much, much smaller form.
Wait.
She knew this Titan. Or, well—she'd seen him before. She'd caught Ruby meeting up with him; just outside the Rear Guard.
Once they were one the rooftops and the inner gate was closed, Ruby glanced at Mikasa over her shoulder, a small smile on her face. "I'm glad that's done," she just-about sighed, before turning fully to face Mikasa. "I'm glad you came by when you did. People aren't really my specialty. Honestly, it's a wonder how I became a team leader."
"It's no problem. People aren't exactly my specialty, either." Mikasa merely offered a shrug. "Besides, I'm sure you have some real leadership qualities. You shouldn't start having doubts just because you met some selfish merchant, who only orders around lackeys who are probably just willing to put up with it because he pays good money for them to do so. You have teammates and allies that trust you, and would do anything for you, probably without expecting anything in return. It's actually a bit admirable that you're still so humble and modest about it, instead of letting it get to your head."
"Aw, stop, you're embarrassing me," Ruby chuckled, scratching the back of her neck. "I can say the same about you, though. It looks like you've got plenty of friends and teammates and allies that trust you and would do pretty much anything for you, too." Ruby gazed up at her, giving her a bright smile. Then, she blinked, and her mouth fell open. "Oh! Speaking of allies, I should probably get going. I have a, uh, a friend, waiting for me at the edge of the Rear Guard. We're gonna go hunt some Titans together."
"Oh, I see. If it's not one of your teammates, then I'm guessing you met your other friend when you doing that Titan-killing errand for Blake?"
Ruby nodded. "Yeah. He's ready to go on a rampage against these Titans, and I really wanna help him. So we're just gonna wander around Trost while taking out any Titan we see." She shrugged.
It sounded like a solid plan. Plus, Ruby was definitely skilled, and given her scythe and her Dust supplies, her chances of survival looked fairly fantastic. That said, the fact Ruby had hesitated when she began talking about this new "friend" made Mikasa curious.
Curious as to why Ruby didn't seem to be comfortable talking about her friend. Curious as to who this friend could be. Maybe she was meeting with the intelligent girl Titan, who Mikasa had heard about earlier at HQ? Or maybe someone else from Ruby's world?
Whoever it could be, Mikasa probably wouldn't find out unless she decided to investigate. After all, considering Ruby had somewhat hesitated to even tell her as much as she had already, asking her about it further would probably just prompt a more evasive answer out of her.
"In that case, good luck," Mikasa eventually told her, offering a nod of her head. "Let's meet up at HQ. After all, since the civilians have been evacuated, the next part of the plan should be to get resupplied at HQ. I'm sure a lot of the Cadets are probably running low on their gas supply, given how long we've been fighting. And, your teammates would likely try and stay with them, too, so if we reconvene at HQ and focus on getting there before this situation gets worse, we'll all be able to find each other again, sooner or later."
"Sounds good to me!" Ruby offered a more confident smile and a nod. Then, she spun on her heel, turning her back to Mikasa. "I'll see you there!"
And with that, Ruby sprang from the rooftop canopy, over the street, and bounced from the ridge of the rooftop opposite the one Mikasa now stood on. As Ruby burst into a crimson blur, leaving only red petals in her wake, Mikasa glanced down at her dulled blades.
Even if shit hit the fan, she'd still be able to use them. That said, they wouldn't be all that effective if she had to use them on a Titan. She might not even need to, but Mikasa couldn't rule anything out just yet.
She launched her wires forward, and with a burst of gas, flew across to the opposite rooftop. Her wires retracted as her foot hit the ridge, and she caught sight of the red rose petals Ruby had left behind. Firing her wires diagonally forward, toward her right-hand side, Mikasa burst forth again, following the trail of red petals over the rooftops on which she found them scattered across.
She stopped when the petals seemed to stop on the canopy of one rooftop, just before the ridge, which laid horizontally, a few feet in front of her. The dull, brick wall of a chimney stood to her right, protruding up from the ridge and standing at almost twice Mikasa's height. Then, upon hearing Ruby's cheerful voice call out from the next rooftop, directly ahead of Mikasa's current one, Mikasa carefully made her way to the chimney wall. She moved as quietly as she could, moving to the far end of the wall, further toward her right-hand side, the thick side-face of the wall facing the rest of the street, which ran on ahead of her, at her right.
Crouching silently behind the right-side end of the wall, her shoulder pressed against the bricks, Mikasa took a peek around the edge.
Standing in the street, directly beside the rooftop just ahead of her, stood a Titan. A Titan which appeared to be well-proportioned and physically fit. Which struck her as quite a surprise, really, since the majority of Titans Mikasa had seen were either emaciated or pot-bellied, or even a mix of both, to varying degrees. His jaw lacked skin and so his teeth were easily visible, but they were set in a jagged row that almost reached either cheek, and they didn't seem to be set in a permanent, macabre grin, instead more-or-less akin to a man baring his teeth at the world. His mouth didn't appear to be suited for intelligible speech. That said, Mikasa could feel that he wouldn't need lips or words in order for the world to hear him.
"Anyway, you still wanna go on that rampage and hunt down some Titans?" Ruby called out, apparently speaking to the Titan, although he couldn't communicate with her in return (at least verbally). Ruby then hopped into view, appearing from where the chimney wall blocked Mikasa's view of the rest of the rooftop ahead. She soon landed on the Titan's right shoulder. And, much to Mikasa's surprise, the Titan didn't appear to mind.
The Titan nodded at her. Mikasa couldn't explain it, but she could've sworn he looked rather confident about it – excited, even.
So, her friend had been this Titan. A Titan who wanted to kill other Titans. A Titan who carried the vibe of being determined to kill every Titan he saw, no matter what it took.
Mikasa hadn't heard much about the girl Titan. That said, from what she'd overheard from some of the Cadets and Garrison soldiers, that girl Titan had seemed to be more focused on protecting the people within the walls, rather than killing Titans just to kill them and thin their numbers, like she could somewhat tell from this Titan.
Ruby grinned at him in response, apparently unfazed by his apparent bloodlust for Titans. "Right!" She nodded just as energetically. "Let's go! There should be Titans around the Middle Guard, so we can wander around there for a while and just squash all the Titans we come across!"
The Titan nodded along to everything she said, as if he could understand her, word for word. His eyes closed in a way that suggested he was trying to smile at her. As his eyes opened again, he stepped away from the side of the building, with Ruby swiftly clutching a few large strands of the Titan's brown hair.
It seemed as if this Titan had simply gone rogue against his own kind. Still, if he had the motive, the strength, and the ability, then maybe he and Ruby could rack up a higher kill count than Mikasa herself, or even most of the Scouts.
"The Rogue Titan," Mikasa breathed out. She blinked, suddenly back in the moment, in her current predicament, without her gas, and holding one broken blade, while she stood back-to-back with Blake.
She threw a look at Blake, over her shoulder, only for Blake to simultaneously spare a curious, over-shoulder glance back at Mikasa. As their eyes met, Blake raised a brow. "The Rogue Titan? What's that?"
"It's what I call him," Mikasa glanced at the Rogue. From her peripheral, she found Blake following her gaze, before a quiet "Oh," left her lips. "I saw him with Ruby at the edge of the Rear Guard. She managed to make friends with him, and they formed an alliance based on hunting down any Titan they encountered across Trost. I call him the Rogue Titan because, when I caught him and Ruby interacting, he seemed as if he'd just gone rogue against his own kind. Whereas that girl Titan seemed to want to protect us, at least as far as I've heard, he apparently just wants to kill any and all Titans he finds. He seemed to understand everything Ruby was saying to him, too, so I assume he has enough intelligence to communicate, even if he can't do so verbally."
"There's something very familiar about him," Blake said, only to turn back to face the first Titan, which still had a broken arm. "He reminds me of Eren."
Mikasa glanced at the back of Blake's head. Then, she gazed up at the steadily-approaching Rogue Titan. He met her gaze directly. At his side, she noticed the abrupt, small, low wave of his left hand. Perhaps both a greeting and unspoken advice, directing her to move. She met his eyes again. She now noticed the familiar teal-green of his irises, though somewhat darker than Eren's, at least from what Mikasa could see. Those same teal-green eyes slid from Mikasa to the other Titan, as if trying to draw her attention to it, instead of him.
"FIGHT!"
He did remind her of Eren. Too much.
From his tan complexion, to his eyes, to his hair, to his apparent hatred of the other Titans...
"FIGHT!"
Mikasa's wide eyes stayed glued to the Rogue. Eren...
"Kill or be killed! The only way to live..."
PULSE.
"...is to FIGHT!"
Mikasa's eyes began to fill with tears.
How could she have forgotten? How had she let his words, his message, perhaps the most important thing he'd ever taught her, slip from her mind and grasp? And so easily, at that?
I'm sorry, Eren, she told herself, hoping he, or whatever or whoever else (the Fates, perhaps, or maybe a God, if there actually did happen to be one looking upon her right now), might've been listening. She wanted – needed, really – him to know she hadn't forgotten what he'd taught her, after all, and that she was sorry; sorry that she'd almost lost her head, both figuratively and literally, because she'd lost herself, however briefly, in her grief. I'm through giving up! And she meant it – hell, she'd readily prove it, right here and now, even through the tears still somewhat blurring her sight as they rolled down her cheeks, dropping from her jawline. I'll never give up again...
Because if Mikasa died, then her memories of him – ones that only she had – would die with her.
That's why...
Mikasa swivelled to face the first Titan, whose arm still looked broken. Her grip tightened around the handle of her broken sword, and with a revived sense of urgency and newfound energy to fight, fight, fight, her empty hand landed on her opposite wrist, just above the hand clenched around the sword's grip.
The clouds split and spread out, unveiling more and more of the sun's natural light, until not even the broken-armed Titan before her could block her view of the sky.
I'll do whatever it takes to win!
The sun's rays poured from between the rapidly-receding clouds, flooding her, and Blake, and the Rogue Titan approaching behind them, in a large, blessed blanket of warmth and light.
Whatever it takes to live!
In her peripheral, she barely noticed Blake's wide eyes flick from her to the Rogue behind them, before Blake swerved toward her, wrapping her arms around Mikasa's waist. Then, Blake spun on one foot, pulling Mikasa off her own feet. Blake sprang from the ball of her foot—
The Rogue slammed his foot down, fracturing stone as the ground shattered under his sole.
The impact threw her and Blake off the ground, the harsh quake and blast of force reverberating through Mikasa.
Meanwhile, the Rogue threw himself forward, pulling his fist back before slamming it square into the other Titan's face. His punch blasted through the Titan's jaw, and soon knocked the Titan back, blowing it off its feet. The Titan was practically sent flying, crash-landing on its back and skidding across the ground, tearing through the stone surface. When the Titan eventually slowed to a stop, its feet laid several feet away from those of the Rogue.
At some point during the ruckus, Blake's grasp on Mikasa had slipped, and Mikasa hit the ground. She skidded on her front, sliding some feet to her left, while her fist and forearm were raised to protect the left side of her head. Her upper arm scraped across stone, as did her opposite arm and hand. Despite her jawline and her palm both feeling as if they were being grazed, and as much as the shock of a Titan socking another Titan should be distracting her, she tried to stay focused on herself and Blake, as well as the broken sword Mikasa was still wielding, her grip still just as tight around the sword's grip.
Mikasa soon slowed to a stop, around several feet away from the shallow crater that the Rogue's sudden stomp had caused, the crater filled with a web of fractures.
She lifted her head just in time to find Blake tumble and skid across the stone, heading toward her. As Blake then slowed and slid to a stop, settling on her right side, just in front of Mikasa, a violet sheen enveloped Blake's form and flickered a few times. It faded just as swiftly.
When Blake didn't move again, aside from the barely-noticeable rise and fall of her torso, indicating she was still breathing, Mikasa realised Blake's form looked limp, as if she had to be unconscious. She couldn't yet see Blake's face, though, given Blake laid turned away from her. Blake's hair was strewn about her, jet-black tresses spread out across her chest and her right side, over her face, and around the top of her head.
Mikasa scrambled to her knees and crawled toward Blake. Planting a hand on Blake's right arm, she turned Blake over, guiding Blake onto her back.
Blake's eyes were closed – scrunched shut, almost, as far as Mikasa could see. Her windswept hair messily cascaded over her face, almost covering her eyes entirely. More strands laid sprawled across her right cheek, some of their ends reaching the length of Blake's nose.
Mikasa sheathed her sword as it was, keeping the handle attached to the blade, and letting it hang out of the last outer slot in her right sheath. Then, with both hands free, Mikasa hooked one arm around Blake's back, grasping Blake's left shoulder, before hooking her opposite elbow around the backs of Blake's knees.
She hoisted Blake up off the ground, into her arms—
The Rogue Titan let out a vicious, almost snarling roar.
Mikasa dropped her head, feeling a shiver run through her at its loudness, its intensity.
When she raised her head again, the Rogue was charging toward the Titan on the ground.
Despite the Rogue's earlier attack on it, the other Titan appeared to be recovering somewhat. Its only working hand sat flat on the ground, palm pressing against the ground, as it made to prop itself up.
The Rogue's right foot landed beside the Titan's head. He lifted his other foot, and slammed the base of it into the Titan's throat. He raised his foot again, and brought it down again.
He stomped, stomped, stomped, on the Titan's neck. Each slam of his foot looked swift, strong, and devastating, as he continued to crush the Titan's neck, again and again.
Skin soon split, ripping apart at the middle, and suddenly the Titan's head was torn off.
Severed at the throat, the Titan's head bounced off the ground. Even as it rolled away from the rest of its now-limp corpse, the Rogue still didn't think it enough.
The Rogue stomped, stomped, and stomped once more, until he finally seemed to be satisfied with his kill. He planted his foot on the ground, behind his right one, as he appeared to relax, his attack over.
Then, he turned his head. His eyes met Mikasa's.
Turning on his heel, he faced her fully. Despite seeming to hesitate, if only briefly (or maybe he was hurt?), he made his way toward her, his steps steady and swift.
Mikasa pulled Blake further into her hold.
He stopped a few feet before her. Then, he lowered, gently, onto one knee, before laying the backs of his hands on the ground, in-between him and Mikasa. He looked as if he was trying to keep his hands as flat as possible, his knuckles pressing against the stone. He met Mikasa's eyes again, and nodded at his palms.
Mikasa got the gist of what he was trying to say. I think he wants to carry us. Does he want to take us somewhere?
Whatever his reasons, it looked like he wanted to help her and Blake – save them, as he'd only just done. And Mikasa was inclined to believe his generosity had to be sincere, given that – aside from the fact he'd probably just saved her and Blake's lives – she also knew he and Ruby had been together earlier, with plans to help each other in hunting down any Titan they encountered—
Wait.
Ruby—Ruby wasn't with him now.
Why? Where had she gone?
…Was she—?
Somewhat abruptly, Mikasa rose to her feet. Carrying Blake in her arms, huddled and pressed against her torso, Mikasa stepped into the Rogue's palms.
Maybe he'll tell me where Ruby is.
The Rogue lifted his hands – and the two girls with them – off the ground, trying to keep steady and maintain some sort of gentleness, his arms tense from his efforts to be careful. He rose to his feet just as steadily and with just as much care. Slowly, he then turned to his left and approached the building standing directly in front of him. As softly as Mikasa thought possible for a Titan such as him, he set his backhands down on the building's rooftop.
Mikasa understood, at that point, why he'd wanted to carry Mikasa. She offered him an understanding nod, before she stepped off his palms, onto the rooftop tiles.
But then, she looked up at him again. "I... saw you with Ruby earlier. Why is she not with you now?"
The Rogue paused, then blinked at her. Then, he raised his two forefingers, their tips pointing at the sky. He spared a second to point one of them at himself. Then, he pressed his forefingers together again, side-by-side, before pulling them apart.
"You... got separated?" Mikasa guessed, tilting her head.
He nodded. Then, turning around, towards his left, he raised a hand, and with a quirk of one forefinger, gestured to HQ, standing in the distance. Bringing his opposite forefinger up again, he moved his forefingers together again, until they were standing side-by-side.
"And you're going to reunite at HQ," Mikasa ventured, more sure of her answers now.
The Rogue turned back, facing her fully, and nodded twice more. He seemed excited that she could understand him.
For the first time in what felt like a while, Mikasa smiled, letting out a sigh of relief. She held Blake closer, her grasp a bit firmer. "Thank you."
In response, he offered a soft, but fairly loud, guttural noise – something between a low howl and a quiet roar.
"Blake! Mikasa!"
Was that... Weiss? Mikasa blinked as she swivelled towards her right.
Some buildings away, Weiss was dashing toward Mikasa, bursting through several mid-air glyphs. Behind Weiss, Armin followed, pulled by his wires, and propelled by the occasional burst of his gas.
The Rogue swiftly turned to his left and began heading down the street.
Mikasa's attention returned to the Rogue, and her gaze followed him as he made his way toward what appeared to be a residential street. The buildings ahead of him looked a bit smaller than those lining the current street Mikasa had found herself on, while the stone pavement, laid out in-between the two rows of buildings standing in front of him, looked thinner than that of Mikasa's current street, too.
She then noticed, from her peripheral, Weiss hopping from another glyph. She landed on the same rooftop as Mikasa, only to then take off in a sprint across the tiles, making a beeline for Mikasa and Blake. Weiss' approach was quick, and she soon angled her foot sideways, skidding across the tiles, before slowing to a halt maybe a foot or two away from Mikasa.
"What happened to her?!" Weiss glanced, incredulously, between Mikasa and Blake.
Before Mikasa could answer, Armin burst toward them, a puff of his gas propelling him forth as he zipped along, on his wires. As he neared Weiss and Mikasa, he drew his wires back. He landed somewhat rough, skidding along the tiles around Mikasa's back, only to stop near Mikasa's right side, his feet fairly wide apart and his knees slightly bent.
In his left sheath box, Mikasa noticed what appeared to be Blake's sword sitting in the outer end slot.
He hastily approached Mikasa's side. "Mikasa! Are you okay?"
Mikasa nodded just as quickly. Her attention turned to Blake. "I am, thanks to Blake. Unfortunately, it seems that trying to protect me wore her down. I saw her Aura flickering." She looked at Weiss then. "Does that make sense to you? What does it mean? Spring didn't teach me about that."
Weiss' gaze lingered on Blake for a second, before her eyes flicked up to meet Mikasa's. "When a person's Aura flickers, it means that their Aura Guard has absorbed so much damage that the Guard can no longer protect them automatically. If that person's still conscious after that point, though, then they'd have to consciously and actively use their Aura to protect themselves, meaning it's more of a conscious effort, at that point, to use that last bit of energy from their Guard. Anyway, a person's Aura Guard will normally only flicker when their Guard's energy falls down below twenty-five percent, which we keep track of with our Scrolls."
"Will Blake still be able to use her Aura, though? Even without her Aura Guard protecting her?" Mikasa tilted her head. She wanted to know, both to ensure that Blake would still be able to defend herself via Aura Spells, and to satisfy her own curiosity. Mikasa could use some Aura Spells, too, after all; and if she ended up finding out at some inopportune time that those spells would only end up becoming unavailable if her Guard were to be broken, then saying she'd be pissed off would be one hell of an understatement.
Weiss nodded. "For a while. The energy that makes up the Guard comes from our Auras, or Aura Reserves. So, if a person's Guard gets broken down, then the total amount of energy in their Reserve would be emptied of the specific amount of energy used for the Guard. Still, that wouldn't normally deplete the person's Aura in its entirety, though, so I doubt we need to worry about that with Blake."
Once again, Mikasa breathed a sigh of relief. "Right. So, she'll be okay, then?"
Again, Weiss nodded, a softer look in her eyes. "She should be. Her Aura will automatically start to restore itself while she's unconscious and unable to use it, and, by extension, her Guard will begin to restore itself, too."
"Uh, guys...?" Armin piped up. His voice sounded shaky, as if he was trying not to panic.
Mikasa and Weiss looked over at him.
He was turned away from both girls, staring with wide eyes up the street, in the same direction the Rogue Titan had gone. "Did either of you know there was another Titan fighting their own kind here? Because there's one over there, and he—he just finished off another Titan!" He spared a brief look back at them, over his shoulder, only to turn back again, his eyes returning to the Rogue. "He knew exactly where the weak-spot was!"
Just before the start of the residential street, ahead of where the Rogue was standing, the headless corpse of another fifteen-metre Titan laid flat on its front, on the ground, with steam rising from its skin. One of the Rogue's hands was missing – it'd apparently been severed, rather cleanly, at the wrist. His hand soon regenerated, though, starting with the bones, then the cartilage and flesh and skin, all of which swiftly wrapped around the bones making up his palm, backhand, and fingers.
"Again?" Weiss asked, some sense of exasperation seeping into her tone, as she planted her empty hand on her hip. "Well, if that sight tells us anything about him, he certainly seems to take the other Titans down with far more brutality than Athena does."
Athena? Is that the name of the female Titan that's been helping us so far? Ignoring that question, Mikasa looked over at Weiss. "I suppose he does. In fact, I'd say he likes to do as much damage to the other Titans as possible when he's killing them. He practically overkilled the one that was trying to kill me and Blake." And with a slight, forward jerk of her head, Mikasa gestured to the charred, now-skeletal corpse of the earlier Titan, the first one she'd seen the Rogue ever kill.
Weiss followed Mikasa's gaze. Armin soon followed suit. Almost simultaneously, both Armin and Weiss blinked, and something lit up, deep in either pair of bright, blue eyes.
The gears were starting to whirl in both of their heads.
"After he killed it, he brought Blake and I up here," Mikasa decided to add. "Since I'd seen him with Ruby earlier, back at the Rear Guard, I asked him why Ruby didn't appear to be with him. Although he seems unable to speak verbally, he was able to tell me through gestures that he and Ruby had gotten separated before he showed up to help me and Blake. He also told me that he plans to reunite with Ruby at HQ."
"So, he's going the same way we are." Calmer now, Armin's gaze landed back on the Rogue Titan. "You think he'll fight the other Titans surrounding the place once he gets there?"
"Absolutely," Mikasa said without hesitation. "I have no doubt. I firmly believe his rampage against the Titans will only stop if someone or something manages to stop him. Or, unless he exhausts himself, but I can't see that happening anytime soon."
"Let him have at the Titans, then," Weiss piped up, following Armin's gaze. "If his rampage is helping us, then there's no sense in trying to stop him."
Mikasa couldn't agree more. Anyone with half a brain would be able to figure out that gunning after him, along with that female Titan—Athena, would probably be the equivalent of the soldiers—no, the rest of the people sat all too comfortably behind these remaining two walls, collectively shooting themselves in the foot.
"And besides," Weiss continued on, "if his destination is the same as ours, then we may as well go with him. After all, it looks like some of the other Titans are able to tell when one of their own isn't on their side. Chances are, the other Titans will go after him, just like we've seen them do with Athena." Weiss placed her free hand on Mikasa's shoulder. "You know him a bit better than us. Think he'll let us tag along?"
Mikasa nodded without thinking. "I think so. When I first saw him with Ruby, he didn't seem to mind her tagging along with him. I would think he'd afford us the same treatment."
Weiss offered a small, confident smile, and nodded. She looked incredibly sure of herself, too – Mikasa knew that look well, as she'd been carrying herself in relatively the same manner for a few years, now. "Then, let's get going!" she said, seemingly with a sense of hope that Mikasa couldn't remember if she'd ever seen from Weiss prior to this moment. And with that, Weiss' hand fell from Mikasa's shoulder and she started to run, taking off in a sprint behind Mikasa.
Alarmed, Armin whirled around to face Weiss as she came to pass by him. "Wait a minute, hold on! Mikasa's tanks are empty!"
Oh, right, yeah, they... they were. She'd wasted her gas, and... and she'd almost paid the ultimate price for it. How stupid of her. And, moreover, how could she have nearly forgotten about such an idiotic act? Especially since it'd been ingrained into her bones – into her very being – for the past three years to not do exactly as she'd done to get herself here; or, at the very least, try to avoid doing as much.
Mikasa hung her head low in shame.
Weiss had stopped a few feet behind Armin. She cocked her head at him. "So? Unlike you and the rest of the Cadets, Mikasa doesn't exactly need her gas." She faced Armin fully. "I mean, it was my understanding that Spring had taught her at least some of the ways in which Mikasa can use her Aura. I would think one of those ways included using that energy to enhance her own movement. Well—more specifically, her agility, and maybe her constitution."
Actually, come to think of it...
"Hey, Spring," Mikasa called as she approached Spring, who was sitting on the floor, almost curled into herself in the far corner of the otherwise empty girls' barracks, her back against the corner as she held a small, square, matte-black hardback book open in her hands. The front and back covers of the book both bore a lilac border designed in the shape of the outline of a diamond. A rose-pink outline of a circle surrounded each lilac diamond-shaped outline, the circle outline touching each of the four edges of the diamond outline.
"Huh?" Spring looked up from reading her book and met Mikasa's eyes. "Oh, Mikasa! Has everyone already finished their dinner?"
"I don't think so. I just finished early so that I could come here to see you." Mikasa lowered into a crouch, resting her elbows on her thighs. "I wanted to know if there was any way to use my Aura in coordination with my gear. Is there anything you could teach me that has to do with that?"
Spring's eyes brightened, but with a small, uneasy smile, she tilted her head at Mikasa. "Well... how about enhancing your movements with Aura? Like, using it to jump higher and run faster—oh, wait!" Spring blinked as a realisation appeared to dawn on her. "Have I... ever told you about a technique called Flash-Step? I... can't remember if I've ever mentioned it to you at any point."
"I don't recall you ever bringing up something called Flash-Step."
Spring's smile immediately became brighter and warmer. "In that case, I'll teach you about it!" She pulled a strip of lilac silk from the side of one of the piles of pages, and laid it flat in the fold between the pages she'd been on.
"You don't mind teaching me at this time of night?" Mikasa cocked her head at Spring.
"I'd be happy to!" Spring then closed her book with care, before hugging it to her chest, wrapping her arms around it. "It's been a while since I've really had a chance to practice it myself, anyway. And besides, I don't think it'll take you too long to get the hang of it, considering how well you've already adapted to Aura and the kinds of possibilities that come with it."
Spring hadn't been wrong that day.
"Weiss is right. She did teach me about Flash-Step," Mikasa realised, as her own eyes grew wide. She turned to face Weiss, and nodded. "Even without gas, as long as I still have Aura and I can use Flash-Step, I'll be able to keep up. You needn't worry about me this time. I know what I'm doing now."
Rinoa Heartilly
"I knew you could do it! Good boy, Zwei!"
She reached out, ruffling the fur atop Zwei's head. He preened at her affection, seeming to grin – about as well as a sweet little puppy could – at Rinoa from where he stood on top of Angelo's back. Zwei's balance did look perhaps a bit shaky, but even that could be improved upon, given more time to practice, couldn't it?
And besides, this was an incredibly good start! His sense of balance seemed to be about as outstanding as Ruby's often looked – and Rinoa herself knew full well how impressive Ruby's sense of balance normally was.
Speaking of Ruby, though...
"When are Ruby and her team going to come back?" she wondered out loud. She lowered into a crouch in front of the two dogs, resting her arms across her knees. "If they knew they were going to be gone for this long, wouldn't they have taken you with them?" She tilted her head at Zwei. He tilted his head back at her in return.
When Ruby and Yang had asked Rinoa to look after Zwei while they went out to get back that stolen artefact she'd heard about on the news, she'd assumed they'd be back in about an hour or so, at most, given what she knew about the limits of Aura. But now, they were well into the morning, daylight having been here for at least a few hours at this point, and there'd been no sign of them, and Rinoa hadn't received any word from them in regards to when they'd return.
It struck Rinoa as... out of character, at least. After all, while she might not know much about any member of Team RWBY, she at least knew that none of them would be the type to just go radio silent for almost an entire morning, let alone do so out of the blue like this.
This silence from all of them at once was... weird, to say the least.
Wouldn't they have gotten in touch with me by now? To ask how Zwei's doing, or to let me know when I should expect them to return—?
Angelo's face filled Rinoa's vision as she gave a few sniffs of Rinoa's face. Her nose lightly touched the tip of Rinoa's.
Rinoa blinked. Then, she let a soft sigh slip from her lips, and smiled. "Ah, sorry Angelo! I was lost in thought, wasn't I?" She reached up and ruffled the space behind Angelo's left ear. As she looked into Angelo's eyes, an idea then hit her. "Maybe... I could use my powers to find out what happened to them?" she asked, as she tilted her head at Angelo. "Or to see where they went?"
With her sorceress powers, she could use that magic to teleport to wherever Team RWBY were. And, if she happened to draw attention to herself or Team RWBY, then she could just say it was her Semblance. Sure, it wasn't the truth, but it was easier and would be more understandable to someone from Remnant than explaining her magic powers and the fact she happened to be a sorceress.
Her smile brightened, and she pushed herself to her feet again. "Right! I know what we're going to do! Let's go find them, you two!"
Oh, Hyne, she hoped her idea would work...
Spring Petallisa
First, it'd been that giant Leviathan Grimm that'd attacked her first home, back in Remnant. Then, just a year after they'd all made a new home, a new village, in this world, she'd had to leave it behind thanks to the Titan attack on Wall Maria, and her Dad, the only family she really had in this world, had been missing ever since.
And now...
…Now Eren was dead, along with plenty of her comrades from the Cadet Corps, and they were facing the prospect of having to abandon another part of this land, this world – however small Trost was.
Why...? Why is this happening again?
She curled further into herself, hugging her legs tighter and pulling her knees closer to her chest, while she dug her face into her kneecaps.
Can't I have a home? Why does every home I have keep being taken from me?
"Spring?" Yang's soft, more quiet voice chimed in, coming directly from Spring's right. When Spring refused to lift her head or look up, she heard the whisper of a sigh slip from Yang's lips. "You don't have to talk, but at least listen. Me and the rest of Team RWBY, we don't plan on letting Trost end up abandoned like Wall Maria was."
Things don't always go to plan, Spring wanted to say. I'm sure dying wasn't in Eren's plans, either; especially before he even got a chance to join the Scouts.
"I don't know how we'll plug up that hole in the wall – not yet. But what I do know is that, when it comes to the chance of retaking Trost, these Titans will have to pry that possibility from each one of our cold, dead hands. And I don't think any one of us has any intention of dying until we get back home to Remnant."
It's easy to say that, though, isn't it?
"And besides, we have Squall with us, we're able to use our Dust, and there are probably plenty of other people from your village who'd be able to help us." Yang laid a gentle, careful hand on Spring's shoulder. "The day's not over yet. We still have plenty of time to save it. All I hope right now is that you'll at least join us in trying to do that much."
Yang's words struck a familiar chord, and called back a memory Spring had ended up burying not long after she'd first arrived in this world.
"Please let me go out there! I want to help MC!" she cried as she looked between her parents, her Dad standing behind his metallic work bench and her Mom standing in front of it. Tears streamed down Spring's face. She rushed over to her mother, her small hands grabbing fistfuls of her Mom's long, deep-lavender cardigan. "I want to help..." Her lips wobbled as she looked straight up at her mother.
"As do I," her mother told her. "Believe me, I wish I was strong enough to be of some use against that Leviathan out there." She placed one gentle hand on the back of Spring's head, and the other hand on Spring's shoulder. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to let you go out there and risk life and limb just because you think you stand a chance against that thing when most of us adults don't."
"Sapphira's right," her father said, his gaze as soft as his tone of voice as he looked down at Spring. "And besides, MC isn't fighting that Leviathan alone. She has her friends and teammates there to fight it with her. They will help her, no matter how long the battle takes – because as long as the day's not over yet, they believe they still have time to save it. And as long as they believe that, we can have faith that they will, no matter what, be able to see us through a day like today."
Yang's hand left her shoulder. "I'll... give you a little more time, then. But... please think about it, at least."
"I don't need to." Spring raised her head, keeping her gaze firmly fixed on her boots. "As long as day's not over yet, we still have time to save it, is that right? My Dad said something like that, once, too," she said. Tears began to well up in her eyes. "You know, to this day, I still think I could've done something to help. But, instead of doing anything, everyone else assumed they'd have been too weak to take down that Leviathan – and if none of the adults thought they could take on that thing, then what hope did a little kid like me have? That's what everyone tried to tell me when I told them I wanted to go out and help MC fight the Leviathan – I wouldn't stand a chance, so there was no point in trying. Just leave it to the ones that would at least put up a good fight."
In her peripheral, she saw Yang blink as if she was taken aback. Then, Yang's eyebrows twitched, flicking upward for a split-second, before she slowly, softly, tilted her head at Spring. "And you responded with...?"
"...Nothing. I... didn't know what to say. I'm still not sure what to say now. All I know is that I never looked at my parents the same way after that. Hell, I didn't really look at anyone else the same way after that, either. MC could've died that day, along with her friends and teammates, and no-one seemed to bother entertaining the idea that maybe, just maybe, things could've ended a lot differently, maybe even a lot better, if a lot more of us had actually tried to help for once and give them a bit of support, instead of just letting them do all the work to save us."
"Maybe. Still, holding a grudge about it won't change what happened, or what the outcome of it ended up being," Yang told her, her tone carrying a mindfulness and a sense of care. She pushed herself off her thighs, rising to her feet. "All you can do about it now is... try to stop that kind of situation from reoccurring again, I guess. I mean, we just-so-happen to be in the exact kind of situation where you can start doing that, like, right here, right now, and I doubt anyone in their right mind would even think of trying to stop you from helping your friends at a time like this."
Yang... had a point, honestly.
But...
"You..." Spring raised her head a little higher, and tilted it a little to one side, as she looked up at Yang. "You don't think I'm too weak to do that? You'd just let me go out there into danger, and let me do what I want? Fight as hard as I want? Really?"
"Well, yeah. Why shouldn't I let you do that? You're free to fight the way you want to, as much as you want to. As concerned as everyone else here will be about your chances of surviving out there, even they know that they need as much help as they can get, and I bet they'd feel a lot better if that help just happened to come from someone whose skills they can actually somewhat verify and thus count on a lot more. And besides, you'll have me and Squall with you, too – just in case."
…Right. She still hadn't met Squall yet.
I... wonder what he'll be like?
Gingerly, Spring unwrapped her arms from around her legs, and planted her hands on her knees.
"What's he like? Squall, I mean."
Yang's lips curled into a warm smile. "He tends to be kinda quiet. Talks more in his head than he does to anyone else. Mina mentioned to me that he tended to remind her of Annie." She planted her hands on her hips. "He and Annie have the same surname, too, weirdly enough. But anyway, even though he might seem pretty cold at first, he's actually a lot nicer than he likes to let on. Just don't tell him I said that, okay?"
"Uh... okay...?" Spring blinked, a mixed look of confusion and concern crossing her face.
Yang's smile brightened as it widened, as if she found Spring's response a little funny. Then, as the humoured look fled from her face, only to be swiftly replaced with a softer expression, Yang held a hand out toward Spring, her hand open and relaxed. "So, what do you say? You wanna go out there and kick some ass?"
Spring nodded. The idea of taking down as many Titans as she could had never sounded better.
"Yes. I'd like nothing more than to go out there and fight again."
And with that, she took Yang's hand.
When Yang had described Squall, she'd told Spring that Mina had mentioned how he often happened to remind her of Annie. But now, once Spring had made it onto the rooftop and she was finally face-to-face with Squall, she found that something about his appearance, as well as his overall vibe, reminded her more-so of Captain Levi than Annie.
Well, aside from the fact he happened to be a lot taller than Captain Levi.
Not that she'd ever point that out to Levi's face, though.
"So... you're the daughter of the guy who made those devices?"
His voice also might've been a bit deeper than Levi's, too.
Spring nodded. It was becoming a pretty common occurrence for her to be asked that kind of question, she noted. "Yeah. My name is Spring." She lifted her head just a bit, looking further up at him. "Why are you up here? There are still Titans surrounding the area."
He placed a hand on his hip. "Originally, I came up here to get a better look at what the situation was in the area as a whole. I realised after coming up here that we'd ended up putting a lot more priority on protecting the tower than we did on trying to protect the rest of HQ, too."
"You... forgot that the other buildings surrounding the courtyard are also part of HQ, didn't you?"
"...Almost," he deadpanned. "Anyway, I also ended up noticing something really... concerning about the Titans, but I didn't know if any of you would already be aware that some of the Titans seem to use hunting tactics."
Spring had never heard of any Titans using hunting tactics. The idea of Titans potentially having some form of intelligence was said to be debatable at most, according to the instructor who'd taught her about them. And if MC had ever noticed the Titans using any kind of hunting tactics, she'd never made any mention of it to Spring.
"We didn't learn about that in class," Spring told him, tilting her head. "If we did, then I must've missed a day or something."
Squall momentarily closed his eyes. "...I see."
Something about his expression gave Spring the impression that he'd been hoping she would've known what he'd been talking about.
"That wasn't what you wanted to hear, was it?"
"Can't say that it was. I... thought at least one of you Cadets might've already known something about it."
Spring shook her head. "Our information on the Titans is pretty limited. We usually get our information from the Scouts, what with one of the purposes of the Scout Regiment being intel gathering, but because of the number of casualties they get every time they go outside the walls on expeditions, they usually don't exactly make much progress. It was only after they encountered two talking Titans a few years ago that they were given adequate equipment to start capturing Titans in order to bring them back to the walls for the sake of doing more extensive research on them."
"And even then, there's still not much info on them?"
Again, Spring shook her head. "I wish there was. The idea that Titans even have any sort of intelligence at all is debatable at most, despite how much we've been able to observe them since they first appeared over a hundred years ago."
"So, you guys have more theories about them than actual facts."
"Unfortunately."
He crossed his arms. "I guess it's whatever," he sighed. "Anyway, I should show you what I mean about the Titans using hunting tactics." He turned towards the half-wall standing a several feet behind him, which lined that far edge of the tower's roof, and which looked over the courtyard, as well as the square-shaped arrangement of buildings acting as the courtyard's border. Then, with a jerk of his head toward the half-wall, he beckoned her to follow him to it.
With a nod, she followed him to the half-wall. They both stopped less than a foot behind it. Spring gazed out over the courtyard, noting the steaming skeletons of two Titans below, each one laying across the rooftop of a building, on either side of the courtyard.
"Did you take out those two?" Spring looked up at Squall.
"Yeah. I was wondering why a lot of the Titans that I've seen so far are really trying to accomplish by just climbing onto a building and sitting there. It made no sense to me until I considered the idea that maybe they were intelligent enough to notice or have some awareness of how you guys fight."
"You mean, you think this is the result of them acknowledging how we use the ODM Gear to move across a battlefield?"
"Yeah, that." He nodded. "With your gear, you guys are mostly able to stay above ground, and even achieve some form of flight. And since you guys have been using ODM Gear for a while, I'm assuming, it might be that the Titans have noticed, and this is their way of trying to adapt to that. Some of them are probably aware they'd have a better chance of catching you if they waited for you to start flying over the buildings around here, and even through the streets."
"Right. So, like, they're lying in wait in places that we've been frequenting so far today. We stick to the rooftops because most Titans have been sticking to wandering the streets, but there are some more-aware Titans around Trost that have noticed our tactic and taken to climbing on buildings, so that they can wait for us to wander into their attack range while we're focused on and trying to avoid the other Titans in the streets. That's the situation?" She looked back up at him.
"Looks like it. Worse is, I don't know whether any of Team RWBY have noticed them doing this, or whether Athena knows anything about it, and Athena needs to rest if we want her to continue to be of any help, so questioning her about what she knows isn't exactly high on my priority list at this point. If anything, that can wait until we're done with today's battle."
He had a point. Still, his words came off as if he was starting to worry about sorting out every problem they'd encountered in this situation.
Perhaps he was even starting to seriously stress himself out about how to solve all of those problems at once?
Either way, stressing and worrying about it did him no good.
"One thing at a time," Spring told him, offering a small smile and a reassuring wave of her hand. "We can let Yang know about this first, since she's also out here, too. Then, once the other girls show up, we can tell them, too."
Pyrrha Nikos
Pyrrha's bare, faintly-calloused hands gripped the metal bar she was dangling underneath, her arms stretched above her head. Her wide, vibrant, emerald-green eyes were wide as she stared at Star, who stood only a few feet in front of the pull-up machine Pyrrha had been using.
"Madoka had no involvement in it this time?" Pyrrha asked almost breathlessly, her question less directed at Star and more just a way of letting her quiet disbelief ring aloud in the otherwise empty gymnasium. "Instead of her, it was a small device that took Team RWBY off the face of Remnant?"
Divine intervention, Pyrrha could believe. How could she not, when she herself had often been called upon for help by the Goddess Madoka, the Law of Cycles?
But a mere piece of technology, adorned and filled with various types and forms of Dust?
How... how would that work? No amount of Dust, however many types of it could've been combined into one single pool of mixed energy, would've – should've – been able to create a portal, let alone one seemingly between worlds.
Moreover, Pyrrha was sure she'd never heard of any technology that could somehow manipulate Dust in such a way for it to create any kind of portal at all.
In this world, the only way someone could reasonably be able to open a portal would be through such an ability being their Semblance. And that wasn't even counting the Soul Reapers, who occasionally visited Remnant through the use of their gates, which led between Soul Society and the Worlds of the Living they were tasked with protecting from the Hollows.
"Yeah," Star simply replied with a nod, her voice a bit quieter than Pyrrha's. Her left hand sat wrapped around her right wrist while she held both hands low, directly in front of her royal-blue, cropped denim shorts, which reached mid-thigh. The ends of the shorts were folded into somewhat thick cuffs, being kept in place by a pair of golden buttons, lined vertically. They laid on the outside of either thigh, pinned to the folds. "I don't know much about the devices myself, and Shaye didn't exactly tell us a whole lot about them, either. That said, she did tell us that just making contact with a person's Aura can activate either one of the devices, so I guess we at least know that much about how they work."
Pyrrha released the bar and dropped onto the smooth, faded-black mat covering half the gymnasium's metallic floor, the dull-black soles of her mostly red-and-bronze running shoes landing flat on the mat. Standing upright (and thus having to look slightly downward to meet Star's eyes), Pyrrha tilted her head. "Have you told any of the others yet? Perhaps the rest of my team, or Shaye's?"
"I thought that Shaye would tell the rest of her team herself. And I haven't told any member of your team, either. The only other people that know about this situation are the other Warriors who share the dorm room with me. And Professor Ozpin, apparently, but that's not really a surprise."
"I suppose. He does normally seem to know a lot more than he lets on." Especially in regards to any significant goings-on that Team RWBY happen to get involved in. Pyrrha folded her arms under her chest. "Would you like me to inform my team of this?" She brought her right hand up to her collar, fingers curling into her bare palm as she rested her knuckles against the space in the middle, between her collarbones and the top of her chest.
"That's up to you. Still, I don't think it'd be a good idea for too many people to know about Team RWBY's current situation, because then people will probably just end up finding out how they got into this mess." Star's face contorted slightly, into an expression Pyrrha recognised as a sign of her trying not to cringe (visibly cringe, at least). However, Star quickly shook her head, and her expression smoothed out, replaced with a look of genuine, mild interest and slight curiosity, as she looked up to meet Pyrrha's gaze. "Anyway, there's another reason I came to see you, too. Remember how you were supposed to help Ruby practice her Aura Spells on Tuesday? I was supposed to train with Yang that same day."
Ah.
Up until now, Pyrrha hadn't realised. With Ruby and Yang both being missing (in another world, no less), Pyrrha and Star would be lacking their respective training partners this coming Tuesday, and would have no-one to spend their time with. In fact, Pyrrha had made plans for her and Ruby to do more Aura Training this coming Wednesday and Thursday, too; and just a few days ago, they'd been talking about making time for another training session next Sunday.
"Yes, that's right! With Ruby and Yang now missing, both of us seem to be without training partners for the coming week. Ah—well—no, that's not exactly right, I—"
Star offered her a kind smile and a wave of her hand. "Don't worry, I get what you mean." With the hand she'd just waved, she scratched the back of her neck. "Bartz and I actually decided just a few days ago that we'd set aside some time to spar later in the coming week. And besides, I think a lot of us already know that you often mentor Jaune when you can."
…Had it really been that obvious?
On second thought, Jaune's fighting style had probably been a clear indicator. After all, she, too, had begun to notice that the more Jaune's skills improved, the more he seemed to mimic (or, at least, try to mimic) the moves and manoeuvres he'd seen from Pyrrha's own fighting style.
Pyrrha let one arm fall back down by her side, and with her other hand, scratched the back of her own neck. She offered a sheepish smile. "I suppose that might be a bit harder to miss than I thought," she said, her voice quiet, the statement more to herself than to Star. "In any case," she began again, meeting Star's eyes again, "I believe you said there was something else you wanted to talk about. Since you brought up our training schedules, I presume that's what you wanted to talk about?"
Star dropped her hand and nodded. "Sorta. I'd like to know if you'd wanna use those devices and follow Team RWBY to whatever world they got sent to. It could be a while until we get a chance to return, but..." she paused. Releasing a deep breath through her nose, Star's gaze fell. "Shaye asked Squall to do the same thing earlier, and he should be with them by now. I'm... not exactly a fan of him being there without at least one other Warrior of Cosmos."
Pyrrha would admit, it did sound tempting. Plus, compared to almost everyone else's progress with Aura, Ruby was almost desperately in need of some Aura Training, and Pyrrha didn't like the idea of watching a friend (especially a friend Pyrrha herself had been in a similar position to, given her and Ruby both possessed intense red Auras) fall behind, in class and on the battlefield, the latter being where she knew Ruby loved to be. Especially since Ruby falling behind could be avoided, if someone were to simply help her try and better the particular skills she needed to improve – if for no other reason than to give her the power to hold her own in a fight without her sniper-scythe, given how apparent it'd become that Ruby tended to rely on her weapon a bit too much and thus neglected the other skills she had the potential to develop.
And sure, Weiss, Blake, and Yang could help Ruby with Aura Training, just like Pyrrha had been wanting to, but... well, Pyrrha needed to practice her Aura Spells, too. Blake and Yang both happened to be Aura Experts, both in practice and in terms of academics, and she'd found out rather early on that Weiss happened to be an Aura Master. Meanwhile, Pyrrha, though she could qualify for at least an Aura Expert in terms of academic knowledge, in practice, she'd only managed to reach the level of Advanced Aura Practitioner. And Ruby... she only classed as a Novice Aura Practitioner.
Perhaps I could ask someone else to mentor Jaune while I'd be away. She tilted her head, eyes trained on the floor a bit behind Star. Let's see... Ruciana uses swords, and she's an Aura Master, too. So, she'd certainly be able to train him, especially in the areas that I can't. As of yet, at least. But, if Ruciana can't do it, then... maybe I could ask the other Warriors of Cosmos? Tidus or Bartz might be willing to help him. Or, maybe—!
Star was waving a hand in front of Pyrrha's face.
"Ah! Sorry!" Pyrrha tensed, her eyes fluttering wide open as green met pink. She let her hand fall by her side.
"Lost in your thoughts?" Star cocked her head to one side, dropping her own hand.
Pyrrha nodded. "Apparently. Your offer is very tempting, so I was considering what to do about Jaune, should I go with you. Who would take care of his training while I'm away," she decided to clarify. Folding her arms under her chest again, her hands grasped her elbows. "Is there a certain time you're thinking of going? If I'm going to go with you, then I believe I need to make arrangements."
Star gave Pyrrha a smile as her face softened into a look of understanding. "Yeah, sure, of course," she said, her voice a bit lighter, and filled with relief. Probably glad she wouldn't be going alone. "I was thinking... later today, maybe? Or tomorrow! Y'know, if you need any extra time." She clasped her hands together and held them in front of her skirt again. "I was originally thinking about waiting until Tuesday, just in case they came back sometime today or tomorrow. But, I just have this feeling they won't be back as soon as we'd like. So, I'm gonna go see Shaye first, and find out what happened with Squall. Hopefully, her hunch was correct."
"Squall and Shaye had some sort of agreement or promise?" Pyrrha asked, now curious as to why Star apparently thought Shaye would know what could've happened to Squall after he left Remnant.
Star nodded. "Shaye told him that if he couldn't use his Scroll to contact her, then he should try praying to Madoka to see if she could connect him to Shaye," she told Pyrrha, offering a shrug of her shoulders. "It's for the sake of confirming Shaye's hunch. Can't tell Shaye that she was right if you don't have any way to communicate with her."
"Makes sense." Pyrrha raised her head slightly as she shot a glance at the ceiling, the tips of her index and middle fingers reaching up to touch her chin. Her attention then switched back to Star. "Anyway, thank you for informing me of all of this. When you get an answer from Shaye, will you make sure to give me an update?"
Star smiled and nodded again. "Of course! Looks like we're in this together, anyway."
Pyrrha returned her smile in full. "In that case, let us prepare ourselves for our journey."
So, first, a note about this chapter:
I didn't originally plan on including Rinoa in this fic at all. But, I've been playing Dissidia Opera Omnia a lot lately, and after completing Rinoa's Lost Chapter and gaining her as an ally, she's become one of my favourite characters, along with Squall, Tidus, Noctis, Terra, Vaan, Shantotto, and Paladin Cecil. I wasn't originally a big fan of her before playing Opera Omnia, or her and Squall's love story (And to be honest I'm still not a fan of their love story, but I have other reasons for that), but I've more or less warmed up to her character.
Plus, Opera Omnia has also helped me get a bit more familiar with her abilities – both the ones she has that involve Angelo, and the abilities she has that involve her sorceress powers.
Aside from that, though, I also wanted to involve Rinoa because of Zwei. Since this fic takes place between Volumes 2 and 3, Zwei would still be (and is) in the care of Team RWBY, but since they went out to get those devices back at the start of this fic, someone would've had to look after Zwei until they got back. And that's where Rinoa came in. But, the thing is, because she's been busy looking after both Angelo and Zwei and hasn't been talking to the other Warriors of Cosmos, you'll find that she's quite out of the loop – to the point that she doesn't even know there is a loop, really.
