Chapter 4: Birds of a Feather
The next day, locker room
"Hmm… properly sharpened, dust chambers loaded, and all the pieces have been properly cleaned…" Weiss thought aloud, letting out an affirmative hum as she finished her appraisal of Myrtenaster's condition before closing the dust chamber with a *click.* "Perfect as can be for the initiations!"
"Didn't you already look over your sword before we left for Vale… and on the flight over here too?" Weiss heard Nero point out, his voice coming from her right and sounding as though he was crouched down. Turning to address him, the heiress saw her long-time friend looking questioningly up at her as he crouched in front of Red Queen's bulky container, having been in the middle of assembling the intricate sword in preparation for the academy's imminent initiations.
"Yes well, considering that our time here at Beacon will be shaped by how today goes, I think being extra-thorough regarding my gear is warranted." Weiss explained with a cross of her arms, sounding assured in her reasoning going forward. "But since we're on the subject, what about yourself, Nero? Have you put any thought into how to approach the initiations, or who you'd want to end up on a team with?" She continued, her blue eyes now alight with curiosity as she waited for an answer.
"Nah, not really. It's not like we know what we're gonna be in for today, how the teams are gonna be sorted, or if we're even gonna have any choice in the formations. Whatever happens today, we don't know shit about it, so why even bother stressing out or trying to plan for it?" Nero responded easily, not even looking up from his assembly of his weapon as he explained his mindset regarding initiations to Weiss. "And besides, even if we knew how teams were gonna be formed up today, I only know about a grand total of… two, maybe three people here. Other than you, it's not like there's anyone here I'd really wanna team up with."
Despite herself, Weiss couldn't stop the pleased expression from growing on her face at Nero's words, and was quick to respond in kind. "Really now? Well that works everything out perfectly! A capable and trustworthy person like yourself is exactly the kind of teammate I'm looking for. Hmhm, better yet, I can easily see us being unstoppable if we end up partners."
"Heh, well I'm definitely not gonna argue with any of that, but I'd keep my expectations realistic here if I were you, Weiss. Like I told you before, we still don't know how teammates are gonna be formed up here."
At that, Weiss merely scoffed in response, not worried in the slightest by the ambiguity of the team formations. "Oh please, Nero. Have you forgotten who you're talking to? Once the rules of the initiation are made clear, I'm certain I'll be able to get exactly the type of teammates I'm looking for… and speaking of which," as she spoke, Weiss caught sight of a red-headed figure equipping herself at her locker that instantly grabbed her attention. Recognizing the figure by her hair and bronze, spartan armor as the renowned Pyrrha Nikos, Weiss's blue eyes instantly gained an ambitious glint to them. "I think I might have just found the perfect 3rd teammate for this potential team of ours. If you'll excuse me."
"Heh, alright then…" Nero said with a chuckle, watching the heiress approach with amusement before focusing back on the partially assembled sword in his case. "Good luck with your sales pitch, princess..."
With nothing else that required his attention now, Nero allowed himself to fall into the relaxing routine that was assembling his trusty weapon. There were honestly few things in the whitehead's life that he took more pride in than both of his custom-built weapons. In a unique move when compared to the weaponry of most huntsmen, rather than create a weapon that could shift forms and act as a melee weapon and long-range option, Nero instead opted to manufacture two weapons that didn't change forms in favor of focusing solely on close combat and long-range matters, leading to the eventual creation to Red Queen and Blue Rose, respectively.
Red Queen was a large, single-edged greatsword of Nero's making that was a great source of pride and fondness for him. Already cutting an impressive figure with its size and freshly sharpened edge, this sword set itself apart from its many peers on Remnant through the specially made engine built into the base of the blade. With a skillful twist of the sword's handle, which was modified to act more like a motorcycle handle -complete with break!-, fire dust would be sprayed over the blade mid-swing, providing it with a fiery sting and overall increasing the power behind an already formidable blow with Nero's strength.
Granted, the design, function, and Exceed system weren't exactly things he came up with himself, but considering that Nero was the only one who had the strength and know-how to wield Red Queen effectively, he figured that evened stuff out.
Blue Rose, on the other hand, was a different story entirely. Back when he just started off, Nero couldn't fire a single pistol without the firearm exploding after a couple of shots, be it an Armegis or a regular firearm. Neither he or his instructors could explain why such a thing happened, it was as if the Dust inside the bullets were too volatile for the firearm to handle.
As a result, the specialist in training had to face his opponents up close and personal given that any firearm supplied to him would only last him seconds in a confrontation. That was, until he happened upon a small bar in Mantle that doubled as a weapons market; The Gates of Hell, and met its barkeeper, who was coincidentally also named Rodin. However, a shared name was where Nero and Rodin's similarities ended, especially when it came to appearances. Whereas Nero was a hot-headed, fair-skinned young man with a mop of white hair and blue eyes, Rodin was a towering, collected, dark-skinned fortress of a man that had a suffocating -borderline inhuman- air to him that just screamed 'don't fuck with me,' which was only accentuated by the tattoos adorned onto his bald head and how the sunglasses he perpetually wore occasionally had some sort of red glint to them.
However, despite cutting a figure and having an air that left even Nero daunted, the young man found that the barkeeper was actually pretty chill and didn't ask questions so long as you didn't cause trouble in his establishment. Nero only became further endeared to the intimidating barkeeper when he offhandedly mentioned his firearm issue to him and was surprised to hear him offer his services on the matter.
The arrangement Rodin proposed was a simple one: Nero would come to his bar with a blueprint of the personal firearm he wanted made, and Rodin would have it made within a week's time, complete with the assurance that it wouldn't backfire on him like every other gun he used.
And lo and behold, the barkeeper made good on his promise. After a solid half hour of unloading bullets into several moving targets without issue, it was safe to say that Nero was beyond impressed. The grip felt comfortable, the recoil and muzzle flip on every shot is reduced thanks to the porting on each barrel.
"Gotta say, kid, I'm kinda impressed with the design, especially those 'Color up' rounds you came up with. Sure, you waste bullets every time you shoot the thing, but seeing how good of a shot you are here…"
"...Doesn't make much difference when I make every shot count." Nero finished, briefly reminding himself to load Blue Rose with a fresh set of Color up rounds before finishing up with Red Queen's assembly.
'About time I finally get the chance to break her back in,' Nero thought, an eager expression beginning to grow on his face as he propped the blade up in the case and was about to test the Exceed engine with a twist of a handle—
"She's on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box!" the specialist heard Weiss yell, his attention immediately drawn to where the heiress stood. There, Nero saw his childhood friend with Pyrrha and a blond guy wearing white armor with gold-linings, who gasped at Weiss' exclamation.
"That's YOU!? But they only do that for star athletes and cartoon characters!" The blond pointed out, his eyes beaming at the red haired Spartan with awe and astonishment.
"Yeah, it was pretty cool. Sadly, the cereal isn't very good for you…" Pyrrha explained, the memory of flaky bitterness fresh in her mind.
"So, after hearing all of this, do you really think you're in a position to ask her to be on your team?" Weiss asked rhetorically, her tone harsh and blunt. In response to her question, the blond boy, who prior to that point had been trying (and failing miserably) to sweet-talk the heiress into joining his team, could only hang his head in dejection.
"I guess not… Sorry…" the blond apologized. Satisfied with her work, Weiss immediately turned her attention back to Pyrrha. However, in sharp contrast to the Schnee heiress's utter dismissal of the scraggly blond, Pyrrha's undivided attention was on him.
"Actually, Jaune. I think you'd make a great leader!" The Invincible Girl said in an attempt to cheer up the blond, which caught the heiress off guard.
"D'oh, stop it!" the now-named Jaune replied, immediately perking up from his short state of depression.
"Seriously, please stop. This kind of behaviour should not be encouraged!" Weiss reprimanded, quickly growing more annoyed than she already was with the knight's bravado. Seeing the heiress' distress, Nero took that as his cue to step in.
"Sounds like Pyrha's up for Team Jaune. Spots are filling up quick! Now, I'm not supposed to do this, but… maybe I could pull a few strings, find a place for you, what do you say—"
*VRRRMMMM!!*
"AAAH! Oof!" the blond jumped in surprise, letting out a girlish yelp before falling onto his rear. Wincing in pain, the knight looked to where the sound came from, only to see Nero towering above him.
"Hey Weiss, you ready to go yet?" the specialist asked, briefly feigning ignorance before turning his gaze to the downed blond. "And uh… this guy bugging you?"
"He was, but he was also just about to go bother someone else, so it hardly matters." Was Weiss's immediate response, her utterly dismissive words proving to be quite the demoralizer to the downed Jaune, who'd been left stumped at how he should even respond to the intimidating 4th arrival into this conversation.
"Huh... noted. Well, I still gotta get a few things ready, so I'll meet you over at the cliffside."
"Of course. If I don't see you then, I'll surely see you while on the field." the heiress spoke, giving Nero a genuine smile before turning back to the red haired Spartan. "I do hope you'll give my proposal of being on a team with me some thought, Pyrrha."
"...It'll be at the forefront of my mind the whole way through initiations, Weiss." Was Pyrrha's only response to Weiss's proposition, her polite tone and smile appearing a bit on the hollow side from where Nero was standing. However, Weiss appeared oblivious to the prodigal girl's lack of enthusiasm, instead just nodding towards her with a smile before making her exit, not even sparing Jaune a passing glance as she did so. Nero did much the same, only sparing the blond a single, unimpressed look before scoffing and taking his leave.
Jaune, for his part, merely remained in that stumbled over position for a moment longer before a wave of humiliation and embarrassment washed over him, causing the confidence and bravado he had going into that conversation with Weiss to drop like a rock.
"Smooth, Arc, real smooth…" The inexperienced young man groaned to himself, finally opting to stand back up. He'd been about to go and head over to Beacon cliff himself when he felt someone tap his shoulder. Jumping slightly at the realization that he hadn't been left alone, Jaune turned around and was surprised to see that Pyrrha was still there and giving him a rather sunny smile, one that contrasted heavily with the fake one she gave Weiss.
"Uh… hello again!"
Reaching his designated locker, Nero closed Red Queen's weapon case before placing it inside said locker. Upon closing the door, he noticed a figure with familiar blonde mane leaned against the locker next to the specialist's.
"Wow. Brutal." Yang whistled, her and Ruby having played observer to the exchange that just occurred. "And here I thought the white hair and blue eyes were the only things you and the Ice Queen had in common." The blonde continued before realizing that the two of them hadn't been properly introduced yet. "By the way, Nero, right? In case you didn't piece it together by now, I'm Yang, Ruby's big sis." Nero merely responded to her introduction with a nod of affirmation, a pang of annoyance going through him as he recalled Jaune trying to woo Weiss.
"Pfft, not my fault that dipshit doesn't know how to take a hint." Nero scoffed before turning towards the two sisters. "So… think you girls are ready for initiation?"
"Yep! No more awkward small talk or "getting to know you" stuff. Today, I get to let my sweetheart do all the talking…" the young reaper replied with genuine excitement, grabbing her compact sniper-scythe before nuzzling her face against it.
"Well, remember Ruby, you're not the only one going through initiation. If you wanna grow up, you're gonna have to meet new people and learn to work together." the blonde brawler advised her paternal sister, a gesture that annoyed the younger sibling.
"Ugh, you sound like Dad!" Ruby groaned as she set down Crescent Rose back in her locker. "Okay, first of all: What does meeting new people have to do with fighting? And secondly: I don't need people to help me grow up! I. Drink. Milk. Isn't that right Nero?" the young reaper proclaimed, looking to her new friend so that he'd back up her statement.. "
Unbeknownst to the silver eyed girl, an amused grin formed on Nero's features upon hearing Ruby's confident declaration. "About meeting new people, or the fact that you drink milk?" the specialist teased, which earned him a pouty look from the silver-eyed girl, followed by Yang letting out some muted chuckles.
"Well, if you want a serious answer, then personally speaking, I'm on the same page as you, Ruby. When it comes to doing missions and tearing my enemies a new asshole, I'm more for working alone. Doing things my own way without having to deal with anyone's bullshit."
"See!? Nero gets it." Ruby said triumphantly. That was exactly how she would've worded her own complaints! Just not as… sweary.
"Buuuut… sometimes, being on a team is necessary to get the job done." However, Nero was quick to dash Ruby's hopes with that simple continuation of his opinion. "Like I said, I'm more for working alone, but I've done enough missions with enough people in Atlas to know no matter how skilled you are, that some jobs need an extra set of hands."
"Uh-huh, and I'd say he also gets that dealing with a team is something you just gotta… well… deal with, sis." Yang pointed out cheekily, further worsening the now-downtrodden Ruby's mood by playfully messing up her hair.
'Would all first year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation. Again, all first year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately.'
"Well, looks like that's our cue." Nero noted, idly watching as Ruby indignantly and fruitlessly tried to force Yang's hand off her scalp, the latter of whom simply let her sister's tantrum play out with a smug and amused smile. "If I don't see you both on the field, then I'll catch you back at the amphitheater."
"Count on it, hotshot. Seeya!" Yang called out, the relaxed grin on her face not fading even when Ruby smacked her hand off her scalp with a frustrated exclamation. "I can see why you guys hit it off, Ruby. He's pretty cool. Say! Maybe he'd be up for being on a team with you! Eh?"
"Yang, I think you're forgetting the part where Nero seems really close with that Weiss girl and wants to be on a team with her… aaaaand every single time I've talked to her, she always ends up yelling at me." Ruby pointed out, pouting slightly as she tenderly rubbed her scalp. She always hated it when Yang did that. Shooting the sister in question a look of betrayal, she continued, "...And I already heard your encouraging response to teaming up with me, dear sister of mine."
Sighing at the accusing tone in her voice, Yang countered, "Ruby, I'm all for being on a team with you, I'm just saying you shouldn't be trying to go through your school year with me as your only friend. You're at the age where you should be branching out! Expanding your horizons, all that good stuff." The elder sibling explained, wrapping an arm around her sister's shoulder and producing a waving motion with her other hand to give her words a sense of grandiose allure… which failed to enthrall Ruby.
The silver eyed girl's biting response, however, died in her mouth when she caught sight of a familiar vibrant red coat and spikey head of white hair leaving the locker room. Immediately, an idea to turn the tables on her sister's teasing planted itself in Ruby's head that caused a mischievous smirk to creep onto her face. "Hmmm… I don't know Yang. All of that sounds great and all, but I think I'd feel so much better if I had someone with a familiar face in my future team… Someone that I know and can trust, like say, oh I don't know… Someone like Ragna!"
With a feeling of bitter satisfaction washing over her, Ruby watched as her last word had the desired effect on Yang, her figure stiffening up and her expression becoming affronted. "Ruby… I know what you're trying to pull…" The elder sister began, a warning tone in her voice. Ruby, completely undaunted, instead merely turned away and began to idly stroll towards the locker room's exit.
"It has been a while since we last met, and I'd barely even gotten started with uncle Qrow's training when he and Mr. Jubei left. I bet that unlike a certain someone I won't name, he'll be extra-happy to see me, be just as impressed by all my cool new skills, and maybe even jump for joy when I ask if he wants to team up with me~" Alright, even Ruby would admit to laying things on a bit thick during that last part, but it nonetheless had the desired effect on Yang. Her sister's eyes still hadn't been dyed red, but the look of utter indignation on her face still made it clear that Ruby's words had an effect.
"Hey, far be it from me to tell you what to do, sis," Yanged scoffed, irritation leaking into her as she gestured towards where Ragna left in an exaggerated manner. "You want a grump that always looks like he has something rammed up his ass on your team? Then by all means, the floor is yours."
"Great to hear, big sis~! I'll make sure to tell you alllll about the super-cool and amazing huntsmen team me and Ragna are gonna form after initiations! Seeya then~!" Was Ruby's overly saccharine response, making sure to give her irritated sister a big, lunging hug before practically skipping off to go find a certain gruff young man in red.
'Ugh… she's just doing this to rile me up, she's just trying to rile me up.' Yang groaned, making sure her Ember Celica gauntlets were properly reloaded before taking her leave as well. However, as she made her way towards Beacon Cliff, she couldn't deny that she had a veritable concoction of volatile emotions brewing inside her after Ruby's teasing.
*O*
*Yaaaawn…*
"Well, time to get the biggest pain of going to this school over with…" Ragna muttered to himself as he continued on towards Beacon cliff, blinking the remaining sleep out of his eyes as he walked. To the gruff young man's immense relief, his stay at Beacon Academy remained uneventful once that unexpected… 'reunion' he had with Yang was out of the way.
It'd taken him a bit to find a proper place to set up after his run in with that guy from last night, but eventually, Ragna found himself enjoying a good night's sleep nestled up in one of the many trees that littered Beacon's campus. (A camping method Ragna picked up after one too many instances where he woke up in the dead of night with a Beowolf drooling over him, or more specifically, his right arm.)
'Huh… now that I'm thinking about it, I don't even know what these initiations are even gonna be…' Ragna thought as he continued on his way towards where initiations were supposed to begin. 'Eh, whatever it is, it's probably just gonna involve killing Grimm or something, nothing groundbreaking. Still, it'd be nice to have an idea anyway, if only so I'd know how the hell teams are gonna be formed up here.'
That was frankly the crux of Ragna's dwelling on the initiations and one of the bigger issues he had with attending classes here. The gruff young man could handle Grimm extermination and dealing with mind-numbing classes, but the thought of leaving his team formation up to chance left a shitty taste in his mouth. If he was gonna be stuck with some group of three for the next four years here, then Ragna at least wanted to make sure he at least got some people that were halfway competent and bearable to deal with, especially in regards to his potential partner.
For a partner, Ragna wanted someone reliable. Someone trustworthy, who was at least somewhat bearable, and wouldn't need to be babysat by him during his time here at this school. Somebody like—
"RAGNAAAAAAAAAAAA~!"
"...What the fu-?*SLAM!* OOF!"
That confused statement was all Ragna managed to get out before he felt a small weight slam into his back with the force of a speeding motorcycle, the impact causing him to let out a choked noise before he stumbled forward.
Steadying himself and making sure not to tumble over after behind slammed into like that, Ragna was about to make his blindsided confusion and incensement known when he saw the familiar sight of rose petals fluttering to the ground around him, causing everything to click into place and near-instantly getting rid of his confusion and irritation.
"...Happy to see me~?" Craning his head behind him, Ragna merely gave Ruby Rose's playful, smiling face a deadpan look before providing an answer.
"...Honestly, I might've said 'yes' if you just came up to me like a normal person, but the sudden weight on my back and ruptured eardrums are telling me to go with a hard 'no.'"
"Ugggh… have you been hanging out with uncle Qrow while you've been gone? Cause that sounded too familiar for comfort." At the sight of Ruby's pout and grumbling, Ragna couldn't stop the amused grin that began to grow on his face.
"Alright alright… I'd be lying if I said seeing you here wasn't a pleasant surprise, Ruby." Ragna chuckled, reaching for Ruby behind his back, grabbing her by her shoulders, and hefting her over his head with no effort before dropping her on her feet, allowing the gruff reaper to get a better look at Taiyang Xiao Long's other, less volatile daughter.
"Still a surprise though. I could understand seeing your bipolar bitch of a sister here after the shock and dread wore down, but weren't you still taking classes at Signal last time I saw you?" the older reaper asked, genuinely curious as to Ruby's presence here.
"Oh, wellll… that's actually a very long story involving a dust store robbery and some explosions," Ruby admitted, eliciting a wide-eyed look from Ragna before continuing. "The cliffnotes version is that I essentially really impressed headmaster Ozpin one night and he offered to let me take classes here early."
"No shit? Damn, whatever Qrow taught you must've really stuck, huh?" Ragna noted, impress creeping into his tone as he regarded the young girl.
"Yup! It's uh… pretty overwhelming ending up here a few years early, to be honest, but it's like a once in a lifetime chance, you know? A-And I had a gut feeling that I'd regret turning headmaster Ozpin's offer down later on, so I figured I'd just… well, go for it!" Ruby admitted, the unsure tone in her voice as she spoke gradually giving way to her usual perky tone as she spoke. "The fact that you and Yang are both gonna be here makes me feel a lot better too!... Well, other than Yang being a stupid jerk constantly telling me to 'come out of my shell.' I'm in a brand-new school filled with people several years older than me! I'm allowed to feel a bit socially anxious here!" Ruby made sure to accentuate her annoyance with her older sister as of late by capping her words off with a pout and cross of her arms.
"Tch… well, I can't really relate to all that 'shell' stuff you mentioned, but your sister being a colossal pain in the ass… is definitely something I've had first-hand experience with lately…" Ragna just hoped that Yang's bipolar attitude meant that she'd drop the grudge she'd developed against him sooner rather than later. "Anyway, the feeling's mutual. Nice to know there's at least one familiar face here that isn't out to cave my skull in."
"Definitely! It was a pretty big surprise to see you here -and while you were in the middle of fighting Yang, too!- but with how much whiplash the other surprises here at Beacon have given me, seeing you was definitely a pleasant surprise." Ruby smiled. However, as she began to veer into the main reason for this conversation, her tone took on a more shy, timid tone. "Uhhh… by the way, Ragna… Once we find out how teams are gonna be formed, do you think, maybe… we could be on a team together? I'd feel a lot better about… well, everything if I knew I could go through classes with someone I know and trust."
"...Sheesh, you're even more skittish than I remember." the older reaper pointed out, earning himself a pouty face from the silver-eyed girl. At that, Ragna couldn't help but let out a muted chuckle before answering. "Sure Ruby. If we can manage it, I'd be up for teaming up with you. I'm not exactly opposed to having a familiar face as my partner either." He replied with a reassuring pat on her shoulder.
"Really!? Awwwwww YES!" With her previous sulkiness now wiped away in an instant, Ruby once again lept into Ragna before gleefully wrapping her arms and legs tightly around his waist, nuzzling her face into his chest as she rattled off a flood of grateful words. "ThankssomuchRagnahearingthatyouwannabeonateamwithmetakesaHUGEweightoffmybackit'sgonnabesogreatbeingonateamwithsomeoneIactuallyknow!"
"Alright, alright, I get it, Ruby. Sheesh…" Ragna groaned, a small, amused grin creeping onto his face despite himself. As he briefly took the chance to ruffle up the silver-eyed girl's black and red bangs, he continued. "Now do you mind getting off me? Not saying I couldn't get through these initiations with you hanging off my stomach, but I think I got enough attention on me as-is after Yang tried to punch my head off."
The young girl tilted her head, confused as to what Ragna meant by that, only to realize seconds later that some of the initiates that were present were staring at them. As Ruby's face gained a pink hue, the young reaper jumped off the older reaper before clearing her throat.
"A-Ah… right. Sorry about that. A-Anyway! With any luck, I'll be seeing you sooner rather than later on the field and we'll be kicking Grimm butt and taking names. So I'll see you then!" And with that said and her enthusiasm now renewed, Ruby turned and began to jog off towards Beacon cliff, but not before turning back towards her gruff friend and giving him a grateful wave. "Thanks again, Ragna! I really am glad we're gonna be taking classes here together!"
Ragna merely gave a slight wave of his own in response, unable to lose the slight smile that creeped onto his face as he watched the silver-eyed girl's retreat. Despite his usual surly attitude, Ruby always found a way to force a genuine smile onto Ragna's face before their conversations' end. 'Well, nice to see not every surprise I get here is gonna make me wanna crawl under a rock and die.'
With nothing else stopping him from then on, Ragna's commute to Beacon cliff was an uneventful affair. All the initiates present, including himself, were instructed to stand on a row of square platforms placed near the edge of the cliff while Headmaster Ozpin began to address all of them. Ragna hadn't particularly cared enough to really pay attention to the headmaster's words -odds are it was just more of the stuff he rambled on about in the amphitheater- but what he had to say next did rouse his interest.
"...That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."
The moment he finished that explanation, Ragna heard the distinct sound of something cracking before shattering like glass. He didn't know for sure what that noise was, but going by what he knew, as well as by the sound of Ruby letting out an anguished noise not long after, he was just going to go off on a limb and assume it was his silver-eyed friend's hopes shattering into a bunch of tiny pieces...
'Well shit. Guess that puts a damper on things, huh Ruby?' the older reaper thought.
"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. However, you will meet opposition along the way, so do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path… or you will die." the cane-wielding educator emphasized, earning wide-eyed looks of concern from a handful of initiates.
These looks of concern weren't alleviated when after this statement, several students -Ragna included- took notice of just how they were going to be dropped into the Emerald Forest. (Something that flew over Jaune's head as he haplessly tried to ask Ozpin about this very subject.)
And that was via spring-based launchers they were standing on. They were literally going to drop them off in the forest.
'Well… definitely not the craziest thing I've ever seen…' Ragna thought idly, watching as the initiates further down the row all got launched towards the forest one after another, and as his turn came up, one final thought went through Ragna's head as he felt the pad wind up beneath his feet. 'Still though; Why?'
And with that disgruntled question settled in his head, the gruff young man braced himself as his own launch pad sent him careening towards Emerald Forest with the rest of the initiates.
-oOOOo-
"Hmm… where to go, oh where to go?" Nero hummed to himself as he walked through the Emerald Forest, his body language very casual and relaxed. So far, the only real surprise he got from these entrance exams so far was the reveal that they were going to be launched into these woods from a cliff hundreds, if not thousands of feet into the air, courtesy of that crackpot excuse of a headmaster.
However, after sticking the landing, a simple feat thanks to his right arm, everything had slowed to a leisurely pace for Nero. There'd certainly been no shortage of vicious Grimm that crawled out of their holes to attack him, but if anything, they'd just been fodder for him to gleefully style on.
Honestly, there was no denying the visceral thrill the white-haired swordsman got from combat, especially when he had the chance to look amazing doing it. There really was nothing quite like the exhilaration of delivering a flaming series of combos with Red Queen in tandem with some well-placed shots from Blue Rose, all topped off by enraging his foes, be they human, faunus, or Grimm, through a cheeky, well-placed taunt.
Hell, as much as its presence bothered him for a variety of reasons, Nero also couldn't deny that using his demonic right arm in combat had become second nature to him after all this time. The grapples he was capable of performing when he had a foe of any size in his spectral bringer's grip were something else, that much was a certainty.
If anything, the biggest concern Nero had for these initiations was finding Weiss before anyone else did, or if worse came to show, at least ending up on a team with her. While he'd been casual and laid-back about the possibility when she brought it up earlier today, Nero couldn't deny that he found the thought of ending up on a team with his childhood friend to be a very appealing one. Plus, that way he'd be more easily capable of protecting her if anything came up… but… that was only because that was the entire reason Winter had him sent to Beacon in the first place, to keep an eye on Weiss and make sure nothing happened to her despite her combat aptitude… certainly nothing else had anything to do with it, no sir.
'Well, whatever happens, happens. Didn't exactly have the time to think of landing near her when I got catapulted into these woods.' Nero mused to himself, continuing onward.
*SKRREEAAAAK!!!*
Blinking at the familiar sound of a Grimm screeching up above him, Nero directed his gaze upward and above a nearby cliff that looked to be three stories tall, far, higher up than the trees that blanketed this forest.
The moment he did so, he was greeted with the familiar sight of black and white careening off the edge of the cliff. Initially figuring it was just another eager Grimm with a death wish, Nero was quick to draw Blue Rose and aim it at the figure… until he noticed a very prominent splash of dark red amid all that black and white.
Holding his fire, Nero watched on with slight confusion as the Grimm and it's unwanted company crashed into the ground several feet away from him, with the figure in red crouching atop it. A moment after it's crash landing, a malicious black and purple energy, starting from the figure's right arm, exploded outward briefly before dissipating not a moment after.
With the Grimm, which Nero now noticed was a Griffon, now remaining motionless on the ground and already starting to disintegrate, it's killer now rose up from it's crouching position to stand, causing his observer's eyes to light up in recognition.
'It's that guy I met last night…' Nero noted, recognizing the man's vivid red coat and white hair not unlike his own, albeit considerably spikier. As the demonic young man took his new company in, his gaze fell towards his lower back, which was where he kept his weapon holstered.
The weapon looked to be a sword in it's default form, although it was quite different from Red Queen. Whereas his own weapon was thin and knife-like in design, with its most note-worthy features being the handle-break and Exceed engine at the end of the handle, this guy's sword could be likened to that of an overgrown butcher's knife. The blade itself was a simple-single edge type with a stainless white sheen to it, but the intricately designed black, red, and gold handle that held the whole thing up made Nero realize there was probably more to that sword than a passing glance would have you believe.
Raising a brow in curiosity, Nero hoisted Blue Rose onto his shoulder as he decided to momentarily play observer, watching as several hoards of Grimm flooded in from both the sky where the red-clad young man came from, and all around from the various trees. As they all charged his fellow swordsman, Nero couldn't help but notice that all the Grimm ignored him completely in favor of focusing on the new arrival.
Taking note of this, the young man let out an annoyed grunt, backflipping behind several Beowolves that attempted to gut him with their claws. Before any of them could even comprehend that their prey eluded them, the red-clad man quickly grabbed the leg of the closest Beowolf before using it as a makeshift mace, swinging and spinning the unfortunate Grimm around and slamming it into the rest of the hoard, sending them flying with a crushing force behind it.
Allowing a small smirk to grace his face, the red-clad man looked around to see the rest of the Grimm hoards, that had previously been ready to try and tear him asunder, were now keeping their distance at his display of strength, growling and hissing at him menacingly. He looked as though he was contemplating how exactly to proceed from here when he noticed some weak growling at his feet. Looking down at the source of the voice, the man saw that the Beowolf he used as a mace was still alive, weakly attempting to claw at his feet. Stomping down on its neck to stop it's struggling, he was just about to put it out of its misery when the sudden look on his face indicated he just had a better idea. The smirk on his face growing considerably more malicious, the man reached for the handle of his blade and pointed it's tip at the Grimm's waist.
"This'll only sting for a second!" The man mocked before he ran his colossal blade through the unfortunate Beowolf's torso, and Nero couldn't help but wince at the sight of something getting stabbed with such a large blade, even if it was a death-obsessed monster that existed only to kill.
"Alright, which of you wants to die next!?" He taunted, a challenging smirk on his face as he hoisted his blade onto his shoulder with one hand, the blade now acting as a makeshift club thanks to the frantically writhing Beowolf impaled on the end.
Seemingly incensed by his taunt, the previously apprehensive Grimm once again charged the young man, causing him to retaliate by slamming their impaled brethren into every single one that got within range, the force of his blows sending every single one that came his way flying with a satisfying *CR-EAAAK!"
When the man felt the Beowolf finally go limp, he countered one Creep lunging at him by grabbing it with his right arm and flinging it back into a cluster of the subterranean dwelling Grimm, setting them up for one of his signature attacks.
"DEAD SPIKE!" He called out, and with that exclamation, a horrific looking black head composed of the malicious black energy he saw earlier and brandishing razor sharp teeth emerged from his blade, swallowing the unfortunate Beowolf still impaled on his sword before devouring several creeps whole, and when it dissipated not a moment after, there were no remains of any of those Grimm and only several gashes in the ground to provide proof of the monstrous head's existence.
From there, the red-clad man did away with the rest of the Grimm effortlessly by utilizing a combination of powerful looking bare-hand and feet blows as well as effortlessly cleaving through multiple Grimm with his blade. Much like himself, Nero couldn't help but notice how the guy threw a lot of his weight around while he fought, and how many of his blows had a lot of hot-headed anger behind them… although that much was obvious through his many heated declarations and attack names while fighting.
Soon enough, the only Grimm left among the previously imposing hoard was a furiously growling Ursa Major. The elite Grimm looked as though it was starting to consider making a retreat so it could live to fight another day, but it's thinking time was cut short when the red-clad man suddenly dashed towards it with his right hand outstretched and engulfed in that malicious dark aura.
"HELL'S FANG!" The spikey haired white-head hollered, the sheer force of the blow sending the powerful Grimm roaring and reeling backwards on its hind legs. However, he wasn't finished until he delivered the coup de grace.
"INFERNO DIVIDER!" Pulling out his blade, he followed up on his empowered jab by leaping upwards in an attack that reminded Nero a bit of his High Roller uppercut attack. Needless to say, the imposing blade sent the bear Grimm's head flying off and caused the rest of its body to collapse to the ground, already beginning to waste away into black smoke.
"Ah… not a bad warm-up." The red-clad swordsman thought aloud, rolling his neck around as he took in the silence that had taken up the forest. The silence was broken, however, when the body of a white King Taijitu suddenly came careening out of the treeline with a hiss and made a speeding bee-line towards him. Jumping backwards slightly at the sudden attack, the young man was quick to grip the handle of his sword as the snake Grimm near-instantly closed the distance.
*BANG!!*
However, just as the overgrown snake got within biting distance of him, two magnum bullets swathed in vivid blue demonic power suddenly slammed into one of its eyes, lodging deep within and causing black smoke to start spraying out of it's now-ruined left eye.
While the Taijitu let out screeches and hisses of pain and outrage, the red-clad man turned to the source of the shot, just now realizing that he wasn't alone in the area. What he saw was the fellow white-head he'd met on the roof of the ballroom standing several feet away with a smoking double-barrel revolver hoisted onto his shoulder like it was a briefcase. The deadpan look on his face didn't fade even when the Taijitu noticed his presence as well and lunged towards him to get revenge, merely tapping his revolver's long barrel on his shoulder casually.
However, just as it began to close in, an explosion of blue flames erupted from the side of its face, leaving half of it utterly decimated and causing the agonized creature to quickly retreat back into the treeline, letting out inhuman noises all the while.
From there, the two of them merely took a moment to appraise the other, each of them taking in the other's appearance, body-language, and their respective weapons. "...Thanks." Was all the red-clad swordsman had to say after a moment, his grip leaving his sword's handle as he began to walk towards Nero. After another moment's silence, Nero was the first to speak, still eyeing his company with a neutral expression.
"Huh… who would've figured that outta all the people on that cliff, you'd be the first one I run into?" He noted casually, wiping his nose with his forearm before placing his revolver back into his thigh holster with a few twirls.
"Your guess is as good as mine. Didn't exactly choose where that thing was gonna catapult me." The man shrugged before once again shooting him an appraising look. "So, if I'm remembering things right, since you're the first person I made contact with after touching down, that means we're partners now, huh?"
"...Seems so." Nero affirmed, admittedly disappointed that the first person in the forest he ran into wasn't a different white-head. 'So much for being Weiss' partner...'
His company, on the other hand, was mostly neutral towards the prospect of a partner. As long as they were half-way competent, unlike that blond idiot from the cliff, and didn't go out of the way to get on his nerves, he'd have no complaints, even if he preferred working alone.
In any case, even if his impressions of this guy weren't necessarily bad, Nero thought it was prudent to set up some ground rules in this partnership. "Okay, if we're gonna be stuck together for our time here, then we might as well get a few things out of the way." He began, his new partner's default neutral expression -that being a scowl- unchanging as he spoke.
"I'll be honest; I'm not an easy guy to get along with. Never really been much of a team player, and I'm really more for doing things on my own and in my own way. Still, like it or not, I get that we're stuck together and that's not gonna change, so how about we both try not to piss each other off and make our time here together as painless as possible, yeah?"
"Fine by me. I'm not exactly a teamwork kind of guy either. The stuff I was busy with before I got sent here wasn't really a group endeavor and that was how I liked it." The red swordsman shrugged, figuring Nero's conditions for their partnership were understandable enough. Hell, he could certainly relate to much of it, such as not exactly being a social sort and preferring to work alone. "Still, as long as we got a mutual understanding to not be assholes to each other, then this partnership shouldn't be too bad."
"Huh, well that went a lot better than I figured it would. Glad to see we understand each other." Nero noted, his posture beginning to relax before he offered his new partner his left hand to shake. "Nero. Rodin Nero."
The spikey-haired swordsman merely stared at the outstretched hand for a brief moment before allowing a small grin to grow on his face. Seeing no reason to refuse the show of friendliness, he grasped Nero's hand and gave it a firm shake. "Hey. Name's Ragna."
"Ragna huh? Not a bad name…" Nero said, allowing himself a small smile. Maybe it was a bit too soon to start assuming things, but maybe this partnership wouldn't be so bad afterall. First impressions weren't half bad, that was for sure.
"Heh… yours doesn't sound so bad either..." Ragna said before turning around. "Anyway, if there's nothing else, we should probably get going. Before these assholes showed up, I was using that cliff to see if there were any landmarks I should head towards, and I saw something large and grey over that way." The reaper informed his partner while pointing northward.
"Well then, I'll leave the chore of finding us the right way to you." Nero affirmed, figuring it was as good a plan as any, and it wasn't as though he had much of a plan beyond wandering around aimlessly till he found someone or something. (granted, that strategy HAD led him to Ragna, so it wasn't like it was a failure in his book.) "By the way, I'd stay on guard till we get out of this neck of the woods if I were you. If I'm remembering things right, then those things usually come in pairs… maybe even more in some particularly shitty cases, and there's no doubt the one I shot's gonna have one hell of a grudge."
"Well, given that you blew half its face off, I wouldn't be surprised if it did."
And thus, while several of the Beacon initiates with personalities that were polar opposites to one another formed up, such as the partnership of Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee, as well as that of Yang Xiao Long and Blake Belladonna, what occurred just now was the beginning of a partnership between two characters that perfectly embodied the term 'birds of a feather.'
To be continued...
-OoOoO-
AN
: And so the main duo of the story finally team up… Originally, this chapter was about 30 pages long, but because me and my beta-reader/co-writer lolrus555 were a bit stumped on how to proceed, he suggested that we split the chapter in two and I agreed.
Honestly, I expected it to take me a long while to update this story, but I didn't expect it to take me nearly 1 WHOLE year to update it! But I guess that's just how life goes, really… So much has happened this year, and my dumbass brain is still trying to process it. So yeah, I'm sorry for being away for so long.
Silver lining though, me and lolrus555 have been discussing a lot of things during that time, so we have LOADS of ideas to add to the worldbuilding of this fusion world! Some things will remain the same, while others may be changed to suit this world a bit better.
Anyway, that's about it from me. lolrus and I will work on the next chapter, and hopefully, super HOPEFULLY, we'll get it done a bit sooner this one.
Once again, major thanks to lolrus555 for helping me to beta-read and co-write this fusion fic! Go check out his fics, Joseph Joestar: Hamon Hunter and Singularity [D]isplacement! They are a blast to read! See you guys next time!