RWBY: Ghosts of the Past
Volume 1, Chapter 1: To Be a Huntsman
By DenZatz
Edited by: Gamera Obscura and DarthDakka
AUTHOR'S NOTES: For potential new readers, just a few messages from me, the author. This will be an AU story to some extent. What I mean is that the story will follow the canon events up until volume 3, and that is where the story will begin to diverge from canon. Until then, canon events will still occur, but instead, they will be seen through the eyes of OCs. My reasoning for this is that the premise and idea of the story I had in mind can only be best explained through the introduction of new characters.
As for the characters themselves, be forewarned, some might not have colored first names. My reasoning for this was... well... when I first began to write this story, I was unaware of the color name rule. I was about done with my first volume when I realized it, but it was too late, and since I committed to the names, I thought I'd just keep it. The story will be slow at first, but that is because the idea I had in mind was to make the story into a sort of novel. It will be long, so it would give me some time to flesh things out.
0-RWBY-0
Haiiden knew why he wanted to become a Huntsman. It was all he ever thought and dreamed about ever since the memory was burned into his mind and his very soul; a small child, a woman in white, and a fire that had burned out long ago.
Vaughn dropped his duffle bag onto the polished marble floors of Beacon's empty auditorium with a loud thud, which reverberated through and echoed through its walls. He knelt down with a sigh and unzipped the bag; the inside contained water bottles, towels, as well as loaded Dust cartridges, snug in their magazines. He lowered his arm and allowed his Atlesian rifle to slide off his shoulder which he had attached to a carbon fiber strap.
He reached into the bag and picked up one of the cartridges after snapping it out of a magazine, which had a faint white glow to it, and inserted it into his weapon, which locked with a 'click'. As he stood, a pair of light footsteps echoed behind him and without turning, he addressed the figure.
"CFVY should be here in a moment; how are you feeling, sis?" Vaughn said as he stood straight and neutral; his finger resting over the trigger guard of his weapon.
"I'll be fine," she replied, as she tugged on her gloves to make sure they were a snug fit before she reached back and grabbed hold of her claymore; drawing it quickly and with a huff.
Vaughn curiously turned his head and peeked at his sister from the corner of his eye and caught the name tag that was embroidered over the left breast of her uniform: Cecilia. His gaze then wandered to her posture; she stood with her fist tightened and shoulders back as she gripped the handle of her sword tightly.
"Are you sure?" Vaughn asked as he turned his body to face her and was about to take a step towards her before she turned her towards him and scowled.
"Yes, Vaughn," Cecilia replied with a hiss which caused Vaughn to take a step back and upon noticing her brother's pause, she took a deep breath as she closed her eyes.
"Sorry," she said before she turned away and faced the entrance to the auditorium.
"You don't have to be sorry," Vaugh replied, standing straight again and faced forward, parallel to his sister. "The loss of a teammate is a hard thing to get over."
"I just want to forget about it, and get started on the new year," Cecilia replied, as she again, took in a deep breath, at which Vaughn took another peek and noticed that she had relaxed her posture.
The doors to the auditorium opened and the two siblings watched as the familiar faces of a fashionista, a giant, a rabbit-girl and a dark-skinned man entered the room.
"Punctual as always, I see," Coco commented while she removed her sunglasses and dropped her handbag onto the floor with a much louder thud.
"You ready to start?" Cecilia asked.
"Always," Coco replied, as she pointed at the giant who stepped up to her side. "So, do you mind going up against me and Yatsuhashi first?"
"Doesn't matter," Cecilia replied as she rolled her shoulders to loosen herself. "As long as we get to let loose and blow off some steam. This summer was not fun."
"Oh, still upset about-" Velvet began to respond, but was interrupted by Vaughn, who was waving his hand at her as he signaled for her to cut it out. As he signaled her, she looked back at Cecilia, who had her eyes shut tight and her brows furrowed in frustration.
"Oh, sorry," Velvet concluded as she stepped back and joined Fox, who sat with his arms crossed.
"I don't want to talk or think about this anymore, okay?" Cecilia replied, and looked up at Velvet. She was not the object of Cecelia's frustration, and she smiled lightly at Velvet. "I am just here to let loose, and maybe have a bit of fun."
Coco stared at Cecilia for a moment before shaking her head and put her glasses back on; pushing it up to the top of her nose with her middle finger.
"So where is Zed?" Velvet spoke up again.
"He is out in Vale, says that he 'wants to enjoy the last day of summer before the next year starts'," Vaughn replied.
"Shame. Wanted to knock him around a bit," Coco replied with a shrug but then smirked as she leaned down to pick up her handbag, which then morphed into a minigun with a large cylinder of ammunition and a smaller but much longer cylinder with six barrels arranged in a circle.
Vaughn stood tall, unfazed by such a dangerous-looking weapon as his finger flicked the safety on his rifle. The Dust from his magazine began to course through small tubes which illuminated the rifle with white light; giving the weapon life as the Dust pumps like blood through mechanical veins, as he raised his rifle and took aim.
Meanwhile, Yatsuhashi unsheathed the blade he carried on his back and slammed his foot down as he held his sword in both hands; the tip of the massive blade, which seemed as if it was made for cavalry warfare, was pointed straight at Cecilia.
With a grin, Cecilia turned her body and allowed her claymore to rest along the length of her left arm and brought it up to her head; she peered down the length of her sword as likewise pointed the tip at Yatsuhashi.
Then, without any prompting, the combatants began their battle.
-RWBY-
It was slowly turning dark; the last slivers of sunlight were vanishing as the sunset and the rays could be seen from above the building. Seeing this, a Faunus named 'Anders' impatiently checked the time on his Scroll.
He pulled back on his fingerless gloves, making sure they were nice and tight before fixing his tie and took a deep breath. Anders stood, his arms crossed and his back against a wall next to a corner that leads to an alleyway, where he had agreed to meet with someone.
Luckily for him, he didn't attract too much attention but was met with a few curious looks and glares, to which he responded with a smile and wave that would often make them go about their way.
Before long, footsteps could be heard echoing down the alley, and Anders breathed a sigh of relief but remained still before meeting this contact, so as not to seem too eager. He was disappointed to see a stranger emerge from the alley and continue on, which made Anders realize that it was not the person that he was waiting for.
"Zed?" A voice spoke up behind him, which made Anders's head shoot up; he remained calm, however. Only a friend would call him by that name.
"You're late, Remy," Anders replied.
"I'm not known for my punctuality, but I at least come through when I make a promise, right?" The stranger, named 'Remy', replied.
Anders pushed off the wall that he leaned on and turned to see a rat Faunus standing before him.
"I know, but anyways, how is the cooking business?" Anders asked.
"Booming. Really good for just a small little shop in just some corner in the bad part of the city, but it gets me by," Remy answered as he joined Anders, and they both leaned against the wall as they exchanged pleasantries.
"Alright, let's make this quick, I don't want to be around this late, especially not around here," Remy said.
"Then let's get to business," Anders responded, as he then pulled out a wad of cash and discreetly handed it to Remy, who quickly looked over it and put it away.
"Doesn't hurt to be part of a wealthy family, huh?" Remy commented.
"It has its perks," Anders replied with a smile. "What do you have for me today?"
"Just bits and pieces, but I thought it would be enough to get you on the right track," Remy replied, and then leaned forward a bit while he motioned for Anders to join him, too.
"All I know so far," Remy said quietly, which forced Anders to lean in to hear him better. "Is the guy you are looking for was at one point over at the club 'Fairy Tails'."
Anders couldn't help but curse; all of the shady types went to that club.
"Anything else?" Anders asked, still smiling, but his grin did not reach his eyes.
Remy sighed and shook his head. "Nothing more than that, unfortunately. He hides his tracks well."
The smile on Anders's face slowly turned into a scowl as he began to pace back and forth with a growl. Remy idly glanced at him and noticed his eyes flickered from green to orange. Knowing what this meant, he reached for the wad of money and pulled out half.
"Guess I didn't do my job that well then, huh?" Remy said, as he offered the money to Anders, who stopped for a moment before he dismissed it.
"I wanted info, and you gave me info, as far as I am concerned you delivered. At least I know where to go next," Anders responded as he pushed off the wall.
"Well, if that's all, I will be on my way," Remy said, as he turned back into the alley and disappeared into the darkness.
Anders shook his head and began to make his way further into the bad part of Vale, towards the Fairy Tales club. In the past, he would sometimes have visited the club to try and woo the twin bouncers, Melanie and Miltia, but he was always met with rejection. Then, he remembered something that made him chuckle.
Several days ago, the club had been wrecked by some blonde chick, and the thought of any misfortune that came Junior's way was hilarious to Anders.
However, his Scroll went off and, curious, Anders picked it up and saw that he had received a message; he was surprised to see that it had come from Doctor Oobleck. With his thumb, he clicked on the message and as he read it, and two fox ears that he had hidden in his messy hair stood up straight and wiggled.
-RWBY-
He could feel it… the warmth that Vale emanated was slowly drifting away, and he didn't have to open his eyes to know it. Instead, the warmth was replaced by a cold void as they made their way further into what some would call a "no-mans" land. Only the Grimm lived in these parts of Vale, but there was a slight comfort as not everything was dark; there were, in fact, some rays of light around him…
"Why do you want to be a Huntsman?" A voice rang in his mind, which prompted Haiiden to open his eyes.
As he sat in the seat of a Bullhead VTOL with his hands clasped together, Haiiden twiddled his thumbs nervously. The turbulence rocked the ship from side to side, causing Haiiden to tense up so as not to fall over.
"It is all right to be nervous," Oobleck said out of the blue, as he took a sip from his thermos.
"It's just my first job that involves actual Huntsman work," Haiiden stammered out and gave a nervous smile. "It's been hard to look for work, so to actually find one fit for a Huntsman is kind of exciting."
"Well considering your age, I could see why it would be difficult to find any work as a Huntsman," Oobleck replied with a nod. "How old are you again?"
"Just turned eighteen recently, Doctor," Haiiden replied as he beamed at Oobleck.
"Time really does fly," Oobleck took another sip from his thermos before he looked out the window. "Looks like we are just about here!"
Haiiden likewise looked out as they descended and watched as broken and dilapidated buildings crested the bottom of the window and into view.
"Remember, clear your mind, Haiiden. I want you on your top performance for this mission," Oobleck exclaimed, as he opened the side doors which allowed the roaring of the VTOL's engines to flood the cabin.
"I won't let you down, Doctor," Haiiden yelled in reply, however, he could feel butterflies in his stomach already.
"I know you won't," Oobleck said with a nod before they both jumped out of the VTOL and landed in the middle of a ruined city, Mountain Glenn.
A few hours into their trek, Haiiden found himself inside an old building which he used as cover. Slowly making his way through as he held the scabbard of his sword in one hand, and the handle with the other.
Haiiden walked through the rubble of a collapsed building and ducked under a piece of concrete that was once part of the floor of the room now above him. His footing was off, and he tried to keep himself from falling over as the rocks and pebbles under his feet shifted.
Rays of sunlight beamed through the cracks and crevices of the walls, illuminating the dust that puffed up with every step he took.
The corridors grew brighter as he traversed further along the outer wall of the structure until a cool breeze and fresh air overwhelmed him, and he then stepped outside.
He thought the stories of what happened here would have prepared him, but his stomach turned once he had a better view of what had once been known as 'Mountain Glenn.'
His heart sank, he'd heard stories from the few Huntsman who would come here for practice but the descriptions of the devastation weren't enough to prepare him for what he had witnessed thus far.
He placed his left hand over the pommel of his sword as he then began to survey what was left through a collapsed wall in what he assumed had once been an apartment building; loud crunches could be heard as pieces of concrete lost integrity and fell to the ground.
Even though the city had fallen many years ago, what was left still continued to crumble and fall as time went on.
So much work and ambition had gone into building this new metropolis, only for it to fall to ruin like every other attempt to expand made by humans and Faunus alike.
It was moments like these that he was reminded of one of the reasons why he wanted to become a Huntsman. The thought angered him slightly.
Suddenly, there was silence. Not even a pebble could be heard and it felt like the world turned still around him until the shifting of stone and rubble disturbed the silence, and he turned and looked up to see what was the cause.
Above him was Doctor Oobleck.
"Find anything?" Haiiden asked.
"Nothing significant I am afraid," Oobleck replied with a seemingly disappointed huff before he then took a sip from his thermos. However, nothing would stop him from getting answers, and he stood tall with a hand on his hip.
"What exactly are we looking for? To be honest, you were a bit vague as to what you wanted, exactly," Haiiden asked again.
"We are here for knowledge," Oobleck replied as he took another sip from his thermos, and still managed to show his palpable excitement through the nearly endless supply of energy that he already exhibited.
Haiiden stared for a moment before he drew his attention back to the ruins as he pondered as to what could possibly be learned from these old ruins.
The most that would be learned from this place was that the Grimm would stop at nothing until everyone was dead, and that much was already known from the state of the ruined city, as they stifled any attempt at expansion.
"So why am I here then? I mean, you probably have a better idea of what you are looking for than I would," Haiiden replied, as he observed the area around him a second time as he thought he had heard something.
"Perhaps. I also brought you here for help against the Grimm and for a bit of company. Gods know how dreary it is here," Oobleck replied with a frown.
"I guess," Haiiden said and looked up at Oobleck. "Thanks for bringing me along, by the way. It is nice to see someone from Beacon again.
"Believe me, it is nice to see you again, too, but I would still like to keep my mind on the task at hand," Oobleck replied before something off in the distance caught his attention.
"Wait here," Oobleck said before he quickly zoomed off While Haiiden stayed behind.
Haiiden waited silently by the old apartment building and sat at the edge and while his legs dangled off the edge of a large hole in the wall. It was out of the way, just enough to provide cover while still giving him a view of the surrounding area; it was nearly quiet, with howls from distant Grimm occasionally breaking the calm.
His hand clasped tightly around the hilt of his sword as he listened to the howling as it rang in his head. The thought angered him; they were one of the many reasons why he had wanted to become a Huntsman. But…
"Why do 'you' want to be a Huntsman?" He heard the voice ask again. This time, the voice had an air of authority, but also had a hint of gentleness and tinged with elderly wisdom.
"I want to kill Grimm," he had answered. He had tried to understand them better during his time at Beacon. But instead of giving a clear answer, it had only confused him more.
That was when he saw movement in the distance that made him stand and put a hand to his sheathed blade: Grimm.
Eager for a fight, the blood within him starting to run swiftly, he quickly jumped from the safety and cover of the broken building and charged at his would-be opponent, and that was he knew what he had to do; he had trained his entire life for this, mentally as well physically.
"Is that your only reason for becoming a Huntsman?" Again, the voice spoke, as he drew his sword from its scabbard.
"Yes," he answered, as it was the first answer that came to mind. "I hate what the Grimm stand for! They would destroy all of us!"
And for a moment, the voice went silent.
He tried to banish all emotion, as well as focus his attention entirely in the present. He needed to concentrate. The Creeps might be among the weakest of the Creatures of Grimm, but he was alone. And more of them were continuing to crawl from the rubble and shadows of broken buildings around him.
He knew not to underestimate them. Should there be too many of them for him to handle, this fight could be fatal.
He held his sword close in a tight guard as the creatures drew in closer. His stance was low, while he fixed his gaze upon the Grimm with gray eyes. They met his gaze with hate-filled eyes that glowed a deep red.
Their only purpose was to destroy him and anyone else they could get their claws on, and an insidious feeling began to grow inside him.
"Hate is a rather powerful emotion." The voice spoke again; the Grimm began to converge onto Haiiden, sensing the overwhelming feeling that he had bottled up inside and had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to release it: hate.
The first Creep leapt towards him. With a quick strike of his sword, he cleaved the creature in two and immediately turned on his next target.
The other Grimm turned to watch the body of their fallen ally slowly turn to black smoke and ash, before redirecting their attention back to their prey as they then began to close on him.
"It can serve as an adequate motivator."
Attracted by his hate, Grimm began to emerge from the cracks of the building and the crumpled debris. He tried his best to keep his mind on the fight, but his anger got the best of him, as evidenced in his increasingly brutish fighting style.
He slammed one Creep down to the ground and stomped down onto its lower jaw. With his gauntleted left arm, he grabbed the upper jaw and split the skull in half.
"But be careful to not become the thing against which you fight."
He faltered for a moment, his thoughts tugging at his mind, and for a moment he was pulled away from the heat of battle.
"Become them? We are nothing like them!" Haiiden answered and again, the voice went silent.
A flash of black was just enough to pull him from his reverie, as a Creep lunged at him, and he was just able to move out of the way. As he backed off, he took a look around as more and more Grimm crawled out of every possible crevice, seemingly out of nowhere and everywhere at once.
"No, we are not; they are creatures of pure malevolence, the embodiment of everything evil, down to every negative emotion."
He stepped back, narrowly dodging another attack and, viciously retaliating. The situation became dire. As he reeled back from his attack, another Creep jumped at him and hit him hard.
"Let us take you, for example: hate. It will grow, and fester, like any other dark emotion, and what do you think will happen?"
He reached behind him and grabbed a Creep that managed to cling onto his back before he threw it onto the ground and stabbed it in the heart.
"The Grimm come, the more your hate grows, the more they come; until they, like hate, will overwhelm you."
Fatigue set in as he began to take in large gulps of air while the Grimm stood and stared at him. He stared back, and for a moment, through their animal-like appearance, he could see that their mouths curled into crooked smiles.
"No, there is another aspect to being a Huntsman; while their duty is to hunt and destroy the Grimm, Huntsmen do so to protect."
Haiiden let out a sigh, he knew what the voice would say next and the world seemed to slow down around him.
"No, you are not a hateful person so I must ask again: why do you want to become a Huntsman?"
He knew why: a small child, a woman in white and a fire that had burned out long ago.
"I… I also want to protect people," he answered, even though it was only half the truth.
"Then instead of hate, hold on to that, and never let go of it," the voice answered, then a ringing permeated his ears before it suddenly disappeared.
"Here, let me show you, but first you must close your eyes." The voice was replaced by another, more feminine one, one that was velvety and invoked a sense of calm and warmth within him.
He did what the voice said and he closed his eyes as he began to focus until he saw only a small and pathetic ember; a light in the never-ending sea of darkness, but it was just enough, and he held on to it.
The Grimm watched, the dark feeling they sensed had subsided until they could no longer feel anything else. Then the first of the remaining Creeps attacked.
He quickly sidestepped out of the way; his sword arm was tucked under his clawed gauntlet as he then twisted his body and swung upward as he gutted the Grimm and ended his attack with a twirl of his sword.
He opened his eyes, almost entranced as he stared into the distance, before backstepping away from one Creep and turned to another one behind him. One slash was all it took to down the two Grimm before he stopped again and waited for the next monster to try and jump at him.
The Creeps came at him, at first in ones and twos, but like a carefully choreographed dance, he chose his movements, as well as his targets, carefully; a sidestep to the right to dodge an incoming Grimm, but not forgotten as when he killed one, he quickly killed the other.
As the battle continued, the air around them began to thicken as the slain Grimm began to disintegrate and the smoke filled the air, and as he continued to swing, it began to trail at the tip of his blade like a gymnast's ribbon attached to a stick.
He slowly let his instinct and training take hold, to the point where he was almost lost in a trance as he continued to dance on the battlefield; never straying from the small circle of death that he had created. His coat was flowing through the air, which distracted the Grimm further and allowed him to kill them with ease.
Finally, he was down to the last of the Grimm, and when it lay on the ground, dead and disintegrating before its remains were lost to the wind, he then stopped with a serene finality.
As the last of the smoke from the Creep's body faded, he opened his eyes as if he had awoken from a dream, and the haze in his mind began to fade.
"I see it." He responded.
"Then hold on to it, and never forget it."
However, he seemed to be waking up to a nightmare, as a loud crash could be heard from behind, and pieces of broken concrete slid across the ground past him. He turned to see an Alpha Beowolf standing in a crater it had just made.
It was a creature much more terrifying than the Creeps, which only crawled on two arms while the Beowolf stood on two massive and powerful legs, and had burly arms fitted with sharp claws at their fingertips.
His eyes widened, and he quickly raised his weapon at this new Grimm attacker, and it responded by raising its arms and opening its mouth, showing its own set of weapons in the form of a face full of teeth, including two large canine fangs.
It reared higher into the air until it stood almost twice as tall as Haiiden, which made him swallow nervously.
"No different than any other Grimm," he thought to himself before he mustered the nerve to charge at the Alpha, and in turn, it charged at him.
Once they had reached striking distance, they both swung, only to miss as they then turned to face each other again, and they slowly skidded to a stop.
Both combatants charged again before they slid to a stop right in front of one another, and began to exchange blows; while his small size allowed Haiiden to dodge, his counters only scratched the Beowolf before it got lucky and managed to connect its large paw into his chest.
The force of that strike launched Haiiden back into the wall of one of the broken buildings, but only left a small crater, and he fell back down onto one knee. Luckily for his Aura, he managed to shrug off most of the damage, but it still left a heavy, dull feeling in his chest.
He looked up, to see that the Beowolf was already charging at him again, and before long it had gotten on all fours before lunging at Haiiden. Likewise, Haiiden kicked off the ground, as he dove under the Grimm and quickly got to his feet once he has slid beneath the monster and bounded out of a roll.
A thud shook the ground, as the Beowolf missed its mark, landed on the pavement, and began to look around for its missing prey; he charged at it again and as it turned around to face him, Haiiden jumped up onto its chest with both feet and kicked off of it.
Despite his size, the kick had just enough power to stagger the Beowolf for a few seconds, and it was all Haiiden needed to turn the tide. As he landed on his feet, he planted one foot down before he then dashed off the sidewalk, leaving a crater in the concrete where his foot had been planted a moment before.
As he came down, he slashed at the thigh of the Beowolf as he severed its leg, and spun to gain more momentum for his next strike; he then severed the other leg at the knee before the Beowolf had taken the time required to collapse to the ground.
Now held up from the ground by both of its front claws, the Beowolf turned to face him, and let out a defiant growl before Haiiden then brought up his sword and severed its head with a single, clean stroke; Haiiden watched as the head arced through the air, its red eyes dimming to a dull, dead scarlet, and smoke began to trail off the decapitated missile as it plopped to the ground with a lethal finality.
Within a few seconds, all that was left of the Beowolf was a small cloud of black smoke drifting down the street in the afternoon breeze, as whatever remained slowly disappeared into nothing.
The ruins were quiet yet again, but Haiiden knew that this peace would not last long. Eventually, the street would be teeming with more Grimm, because in the end, it seemed like a foolish dream to ever think that they would be killed for good; the Grimm was a silent, drooling nightmare just waiting for its chance to spring into reality.
He returned his sword to its sheath until his head then shot up as he remembered Oobleck. He turned towards the direction where The hyperactive Doctor had run off to, only to see that there was nothing there, and he felt his stomach tense as the worry set in.
Haiiden had just fought a group of Grimm, and he wondered if they had managed to find Oobleck while he was scouring the ruins. Although Oobleck was an experienced Huntsman, he had been taught that the Grimm would often wait with surprising patience for the perfect opportunity to take down even the strongest of that elite corps of men and women, human and Faunus alike.
"Well, that was fun."
Haiiden jumped, startled by the sudden voice coming so soon after the battle, and he looked up to see Oobleck standing on the roof as he looked down on him.
"Doctor! Um, how long have you been watching?" Haiiden asked nervously.
"Since the bout started," Oobleck replied as his smile then grew wider, to which Haiiden reeled back and lowered his gaze.
"Oh," Haiiden replied.
"You did well," Oobleck replied, at which Haiiden looked up with an excited smile before Oobleck motioned for Haiiden to join him.
He nodded and sprinted towards the building that Oobleck was perched upon, and then ran up the wall. As he began to lose momentum, he jumped up and caught onto the ledge of a window before he looked to the side to see a crack in the wall that he could grab onto.
He made it to the roof quickly, only brushing off the dust off his coat as he met with Oobleck.
"A Huntsman must always keep their mind on the fight, but just from watching you, I was able to deduce that something kept your mind from the task at hand," Oobleck responded.
"Sorry, Doctor," Haiiden replied.
"I know you can do much better, but from what I know about you, your mind often wandered, even during my classes," Oobleck looked down at his Scroll and peeked at the time. It was getting late, and that only meant more Grimm.
He slid his thumb over a button, which made his Scroll beep.
A few minutes later, the VTOL had returned to their position and lowered itself just enough for the two to jump into the cabin.
"That's all for the day," Oobleck said as he stepped onto the VTOL, and Haiiden followed before they sat across from each other. "I think we have outstayed our welcome."
As the Bullhead took off, Haiiden looked out the window and noticed a scourge of Grimm emerging from the ruins once more and converging on their former position, apparently having been lying in wait for the perfect opportunity to attack, and had just missed their opportunity.
The Bullhead touched down in Vale's hover-port an hour later, and as the door opened, Haiiden's senses were overwhelmed by all of the different types of VTOLs taking off and leaving. The engines hissing and whirring as they started up, to the roaring of engines as they lifted off and faded away into the distance.
Haiiden stepped off the Bullhead and checked his Scroll to see if his payment for assisting Oobleck had been received. He felt bad for accepting payment from Oobleck, even if it was a small amount, but Oobleck had offered the job, and Haiiden needed the money; this would be enough for him to get by for some time.
"You sure you don't want a ride back to Beacon?" Oobleck asked, to which Haiiden turned to reply.
"No, I'm fine; thank you, though. It was fun," Haiiden said with a nervous smile.
"Well thank you for your help. Have a good night, then, and good luck to you," Oobleck replied as he then closed the door to the Bullhead and it took off again. As they gained altitude, Oobleck took out his Scroll and opened up his contacts; he searched for a few names: Ignis, Sceryei, Ozpin, and Goodwitch, highlighting each one before pressing send.
As Haiiden walked home, he debated on what to eat with some of his newly earned money as he made his way back to his apartment; first, he needed to drop off his sword. Finally, a real meal for once, not cheap noodles that, while they would fill his belly, more often than not made him slightly sick to his stomach.
However, his thoughts were interrupted as he began to notice the glances from the people around him. He wondered what exactly he was doing to attract this kind of attention and for a moment he was nervous as he put his hands in his pockets and turned brought his elbows close to his body.
"Why are they staring?" He thought, he looked down at himself, and everything seemed to be in place.
As more and more people glanced at him, it only increased his anxiety and at one point even made eye contact with a random passerby. He quickly turned his gaze, only to find himself staring at a reflection of himself in a store window.
He swallowed nervously, and almost forgot that he still had his sword to the left of his hip. Perhaps this was the reason why he was getting so much attention from passersby. In the kingdoms, most of the Huntsman didn't walk around with their weapons. There was simply no need to.
But then, his gaze slowly began to work its way up and he examined his features. His old and raggedy coat, which was wrapped around his waist with a belt. Looking even further upward, he saw a familiar shawl wrapped around his neck, and he raised his hand to touch it.
He lost himself as he examined the shawl, it was laced and had intricate patterns woven into it, but then his gaze switched over to his hand; or rather, the gauntlet that he wore over his right arm, which extended down to the elbow. As he examined the gauntlet, he was reminded of how he had received it.
"Can I help you?" someone asked, which made Haiiden jump in place and look to his left and right to try and determine where the voice was coming from. To his left, stood a man in a white apron, and when Haiiden looked forward, he noticed that he had been standing in front of a bakery.
"Uhh," Haiiden stammered."No! No, I'm fine."
Embarrassed, Haiiden turned and began to walk down the street once more, this time at a quicker pace as the baker watched with a quirked brow.
He turned the corner, and his apartment building came into view; he breathed a sigh of relief. He began to reflect on the events of the past week as he slowly made his way forward, unaware of the footsteps behind them that increased in speed, and volume.
Suddenly, someone grabbed him from behind, which made Haiiden leap to one side as he roughly grabbed at the arms that held him, and he unceremoniously threw his potential assailant. A flash of orange came into view, as the person he had just tossed skyward gracefully landed before jumping again with a backflip and landing gracefully on both feet.
Before him, was the grinning face of his friend, Anders, but he always called him by his childhood name…
"Zed?" Haiiden asked with a perplexed look.
"Mate," Zed replied in a rough northern accent. Barely able to contain his excitement as the fox ears he hid beneath his messy orange hair popped out. He quickly stepped forward with his arms outstretched, ready to receive his friend. "It's been a while."
"How did you find me?" Haiiden asked, his eyes widened as Zed then wrapped his arms around him, and squeezed tightly.
"Doesn't matter. You had me worried when you disappeared like that," Zed remarked, intentionally leaving out the fact that it was Oobleck that had contacted him and told him where Haiiden was going to be.
"Really? You really don't seem all that worried," Haiiden replied as he tilted his head.
"Well, you are a survivor, you know?" Zed said as he pulled away and they both stood silently as they looked at each other.
"I missed you, mate," Zed said, his smile softening, one that Haiiden recognized and to which Haiiden replied with his own smile.
"Me too. I hoped you guys have been doing well," Haiiden replied.
"Oh yeah, we have been hunky-dory and all, but we will talk about that later. I'm bored, let's go and take a walk around town," Zed said with a grin.
"Oh? Yeah, sure," Haiiden said, gladly.
"But first, I need to freshen up," Zed said. "After you."
Haiiden stepped through the door and into the building while Zed lingered outside for a moment. He pulled out his Scroll and searched for the names 'Ozpin' and 'Goodwitch', he then wrote in an address and hit send before he went in after his friend.
-RWBY-
"So, you were with Oobleck this whole time? A blinding miracle you haven't gone insane," Zed remarked as they walked down the street after exiting the apartment building.
"Not exactly, I was only with him briefly for one job," Haiiden replied.
"Was it difficult to find Huntsman work?" Zed asked, curious.
"It was very hard; not many people wanted to take me, despite the fact I offered cheap rates for my assistance," Haiiden said with a heavy sigh. "But I got by."
"Well, you know, if you need help…" Zed mumbled.
"No, I'll be fine," Haiiden countered; he knew Zed was wealthy, but he was too proud to ask for money. Mostly, he didn't want to feel as though he was taking advantage of his friend.
"If you say so; not too late to come back, you know?" Zed winced slightly as he continued.
"It would feel weird to come back now," Haiiden replied with a heavy sigh.
"Just saying. I'd welcome you back with open arms," Zed said, this time with his signature grin as they continued forward. It wasn't until they went further into the bad part of Vale, did Haiiden begin to realize where they were, and he quirked a brow.
"Where are we going, anyways?" Haiiden asked.
"Oh, just to the Fairy Tales," Zed replied, nonchalantly.
"Junior's?" Haiiden asked as soon as the words were out of his friend's mouth. "Zed, please. If you had told me we were going there, I would have brought my sword."
"It'll be fine; I promise I won't cause trouble this time," Zed said with a light chuckle.
"I hope not, I really don't want to deal with the twins again," Haiiden said with a shudder.
"You seemed to handle yourself well the last time we got into an encounter over there," Zed said.
"They just scare me is all," Haiiden said with a shake of his head.
"Those two birds?" Zed turned his head as he asked, stifling a laugh.
"They're weird, Zed," Haiiden replied.
"But they're also super cute," Zed said, as he and Haiiden stopped in front of Junior's club; Haiiden tilted his head as he looked at the edifice. Noticing the torn down police tape laying in the street, and the broken glass was strewn about the ground.
"What the hell happened here? Zed, you didn't do this, did you?" Haiiden asked, his mouth gaping wide open as he turned to Zed with his brows furrowed. Zed merely replied with a shrug.
"Not me this time, I swear. I heard it was some blonde chick that just came in and wrecked the place," Zed replied and pushed the doors open; they practically fell off their hinges at the slightest touch.
"Holy- who did Junior piss off this time?" Haiiden said and froze as he took in the length and breadth of the damage that had rained down on the club like an act of the Gods.
The glass floor was shattered, the strobe lights destroyed, and all that was left was just the white lights that illuminated the club from the ceiling; the DJ booth was completely trashed.
What drew his attention the most, however, was how beaten Junior and the twins were. While they seemed largely uninjured, they were clearly not in the best moods, as they sat together with ice packs on their heads and groaned in pain.
Whoever this woman was, Haiiden hoped he would never meet her, or at least, to never get on her bad side.
"Junior!" Zed yelled happily, as he made his way down the steps onto the broken floor, and when Junior looked up to see who his new guest was, he groaned even louder upon realizing it was Zed.
"Kid, what do you want?" Junior asked gruffly.
"I heard what happened, and thought I would come in here and take the piss a little; admire the sight," Zed replied, to which Haiiden noticed a little skip in his step.
"So you came here to mock me, then?" Junior asked, and shook his head, then winced and pressed the ice pack a little harder to his forehead. Haiiden turned to eye the twins and noticed that they glared back at him, which almost made Haiiden jump a little.
He reached for the handle of his sword, before realizing that he didn't have it on him, and grabbed at the thin air at his side instead.
"No, I also came to say hi to the lovely ladies," Zed said with a nod, and placed his hands on his hips before he turned to the sisters and winked at them.
"Ugh," the sisters replied with obvious disgust and in unison, before standing up and stalking off.
"Awww, come on, you can't resist my charm," Zed said sarcastically before he turned his attention back to Junior. "Pleasure later, but seriously, I have come for business."
"Bad time, kid; I am absolutely not in the mood right now," Junior replied and turned away before Zed blocked him and slammed his hand on the table. Junior backed away as he noticed Zed's eye color change from green, to orange in an instant, which meant he was about to be in an even worse mood.
"Zed," Haiiden said in a hushed voice but was cut off by Zed as he raised a finger.
"Probably the best time, Junior, as you are not the only person who knows things in Vale," Zed said. "Tell me what I want, and I'll leave you alone; shrug me off like that again, and I will trash whatever is left of this rubbish that you call a 'club'."
Junior narrowed his eyes at Zed and slowly sat back down on his seat with a drawn-out sigh.
"Okay, what do you want to know?" Junior asked.
"What was Torchwick doing here?" Zed asked, and Haiiden quirked a brow at the mention of the name.
"This is why we're here? I thought it was to hang out." Haiiden lamented; Zed's eyes reverted back to their calm, emerald green, as he turned to his friend.
"We are. Isn't this fun? Making him practically piss his pants?" Zed replied with a smile.
"You don't scare me, kid; I am just not in the mood for more trouble, not to mention more questions from the police," Junior continued, and Zed quickly snapped back to him, his finger raised accusingly.
"Call me 'kid' one more time, I dare you, you bloody wanker," Zed growled, and Junior sat silently once again. "Now, about Torchwick?"
"He just came in for a little chat is all," Junior replied.
"No, not a man like him. He doesn't come for chats, he wanted something; so what was it?" Zed continued but was met with a few moments of silence. Haiiden slowly stepped behind Zed, in case he was going to start getting physical.
Junior eyed Haiiden before he looked back to Zed.
"He asked for some muscle; I took his money, and I provided some," Junior replied, and Zed laughed.
"Those chumps? What could they have possibly accomplished?" Zed answered. "Okay, what were they for?"
"I don't know," Junior replied.
"I find that hard to believe, Junior. While I wouldn't say what you do is illegal, I always find you with these dodgy types, Torchwick especially, so I find it hard to believe that you aren't chummy in some way with him," Zed replied, as he leaned closer to Junior.
Although Junior was larger in stature, the way Zed dauntingly stood over him, made even him slink back in his seat slightly.
"I don't deal with his type in that way," Junior replied, as he then swallowed nervously.
"Ah yes, because apparently there is some hierarchy, isn't there? There is you," Zed continued, using one hand to signify Junior. "Then there is Torchwick up here. He knows everything that you do, but you don't know what he does, right? That is some serious tosh right there."
"Pretty much," Junior replied with a bit of ice in his voice. Enraged, Zed's eyes turned orange and he once again slammed his palm down on the bar table, which caused it to collapse and explode into splinters; Junior was subsequently forced to cover his eyes from the incoming fragments. "Hey, hey now!"
"Zed!" Haiiden exclaimed and grabbed him by the arm, which caused him to jump. He turned around, his eyes turning back to its normal green before his shoulders lowered and he took a deep breath.
"For the last time, what did Torchwick want?" Zed said through his teeth.
"I don't know! The guys I loaned him never came back!" Junior cried out. Zed quietly turned to face Haiiden and quirked a brow at him.
"Do you believe this?" Zed asked, and for a moment Haiiden didn't know how to respond and thought it was a strange question. He turned his attention to Junior for a moment and saw how he looked at his now destroyed bar table. Junior's face didn't register fear so much as frustration and defeat.
Whatever Junior had been going through did not matter to him, however, he didn't want to make things worse than they already were.
"Yeah, I do," Haiiden replied, to which Zed quickly turned and bowed.
"Well, I guess that settles it," Zed replied with a cheery tone.
"Whatever. Just get out and don't ever come back," Junior replied and let out another groan, as he then slumped in his chair while the duo made their way out.
The walk back to Haiiden's apartment was quiet; Zed's mood was soured, as he paid no attention to his appearance; his hair hung over his eyes and he was slouched forward while he walked.
"That was unnecessary, you know?" Haiiden said.
"Who cares? He's just some bag of bollocks who needs to get off his high horse," Zed replied and shook his head.
"I don't, but it seems like he was already in a bad mood," Haiiden continued. "I mean, the club was already wrecked as it is."
"Yeah? Well," Zed replied but stopped for a moment to collect his thoughts. "Perhaps you're right, mate."
He then turned, and flashed a smile before fixing his hair again; he noticed the familiar neon sign, as they arrived at the apartment building that Haiiden stayed at, and he turned to face him.
"Well, good night, I hope we see each other soon," Zed said, and the smile on his face vanished.
"Yeah, don't be afraid to flash a text every once in a while," Haiiden said, this time, he was the one to open his arms, and Zed gladly reached out and hugged his friend.
"Good luck to you, mate," Zed said, but took a few moments to look over his friend for what could have been the last time before turning tail and walking away.
-RWBY-
Haiiden made his way up to his apartment, his eyes heavy after a long and tiring day, and the idea of simply falling flat onto the bed seemed more appealing by the second. He quietly unlocked the door, and slowly opened it, turning on the lights in the process.
He turned back to close the door, and just when it clicked shut he jumped at an unexpected voice.
"Hello, Mr. Shiro." the young man heard just as he closed the door and upon recognizing the voice, he knew immediately that he had to run.
He swung open the door again, but only managed to get it half way when a force kept him from moving it any further; then, as if pushed by an unstoppable force, it was forced shut, seemingly on its own.
When Haiiden tried to pull his hand away from the doorknob, he noticed that he couldn't; ice was quickly engulfing his hand. Hesitantly, Haiiden turned his head to the window to see Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy, sitting at his desk, the building across the street framing him through the window.
His assistant, Professor Glynda Goodwitch, also an instructor at Beacon, was standing right next to him with her arms folded as she stared at Haiiden with disapproval in her eyes.
"Hello, Ms. Goodwitch," Haiiden said with a nervous smile as looked to his frozen hand, and then back to her, and knew immediately that the ice was her doing.
"So, where have you been?" Glynda asked, visibly angry but when Haiiden looked over to Ozpin, he saw that he was smiling warmly.
"I, uh. I have been doing Huntsman stuff. I guess," Haiiden answered nervously.
"If I recall, you dropped out before graduating from the Academy. That means you are not officially a Huntsman, much less qualified to be working as one, Glynda rebutted, while Ozpin stood and Haiiden noticed that he was holding his signature coffee mug.
"I don't need to be recognized as a Huntsman," Haiiden replied, standoffish.
"You may think yourself a Huntsman, but as far as the law is concerned you are not. Not until you finish your instruction at a Huntsman Academy that is accredited within the Kingdoms."
Haiiden stared silently at Glynda; he knew that she was right, but still found it ridiculous that he needed to be recognized as a Huntsman before he could work. However, he knew that he had to watch his words carefully, as he did not want to incur her wrath.
"Given your family's past, Headmaster Ozpin went to great lengths to allow you into Beacon.' Is this how you repay him for what he has done?" Glynda practically exclaimed.
"That's enough, Glynda. He knows about his family well enough; you don't need to remind him," Ozpin reprimanded Glynda, trying to calm her down, as everyone knew what was likely to happen if she was angered.
She sighed to herself and lowered her head as she backed away from Ozpin's chair; she looked up again to glare back at Haiiden.
"How did you find me?" Haiiden asked quietly.
"With the help of Dr. Oobleck and your friend, Mr. Ignis," Ozpin replied. "They both care about you."
Haiiden sighed and looked at Ozpin. "So, what now?"
Ozpin only shook his head as he sat back down; Haiiden swallowed nervously as he waited for what he knew Ozpin would say next.
"I am here to offer you your old spot back at Beacon," Ozpin said, at which Haiiden raised his head slowly. " You need to be recognized by not only Beacon but by the Council of Vale. This is how it works. The Kingdom lost control of the Huntsmen when some decided to side with the Faunus during the Faunus Rights Revolution. Now they regulate certification as well as recognition, and they regulate it harshly."
"I know, sir," Haiiden said under his breath.
"Now that we are in agreement," Ozpin said after a few moments of silence, and winced as he stood up, clearly tired after waiting who knows how long for Haiiden. "I find it fitting to tell you that when you dropped out, I didn't mark it as such in your record. So as far as the Academy is concerned, you have missed a lot of schoolwork, which made you fail your classes. Now you will have to retake your first school year."
Haiiden's head shot up and darted back at Ozpin and Glynda at what he hoped was merely a joke. Glynda walked past with a smile that had a hint of smugness before both she and Ozpin stopped in front of Haiiden.
"I will also speak with the landlord to see if it would be possible to get you out of your lease," Ozpin said before he looked down towards the door handle. "I'm sure we can come to an arrangement."
"Excuse us," Ozpin said politely and motioned towards Haiiden's hand.
Haiiden looked back at his frozen hand and sighed as he realized that he was blocking the way. He turned the knob and opened the door to allow them to leave.
"Thank you," Ozpin said as he and Glynda both proceeded out before Haiiden finally remembered a very important detail.
"W- Wait! What about my hand?" he yelled after them.
Ozpin stopped in the middle of the corridor and turned to Glynda who reluctantly waved her riding crop, and the ice on Haiiden's hand thawed.
-RWBY-
Gunshots and metal weapons clashing against one another reverberated down the empty halls of Beacon Academy, as the remaining teams who did not leave to return to their families between the school years were practicing in the auditorium of the school.
The combatants, Vaughn and Cecilia, had just concluded their sparring match against two members of team CFVY, Yatsuhashi, and Coco.
Coco laughed as she then patted Yatsuhashi on the shoulder after the match against the two teammates, Vaughn and Cecilia; both had rather proud smiles of their own as they walked to meet up with their friendly adversaries.
"Not bad," Coco congratulated. "Nice flanking shots, Vaughn."
"Thank you, Miss Adel," Vaughn replied, right before he was struck in the right arm by his twin sister, and his teammate, Cecilia.
"Would have been something to congratulate, if you hadn't timed that grenade poorly," Cecilia hissed, as she stormed off the stage to meet with Velvet and Fox. Velvet, who looked excited after the fight, her camera in hand as she continued to take pictures well after the fight was over.
"Well, you all did rather well, from where I stand," Velvet said in her northern accent, which was much like Zed's, except it was much more clipped and formal, in an attempt to try and calm Cecilia.
"It wasn't good enough if we can't coordinate our attacks well enough," Cecilia responded, but realized her tone was a bit standoffish, and she turned back to Velvet with a smile. "But I will admit, I had fun."
Velvet gladly took another picture of this rare moment, at which Cecilia's smile quickly disappeared, and she turned red for a moment. Velvet quickly ran up onto the stage to meet up with her team, leaving Fox at the bottom, who quietly waited with his arms crossed.
"Sorry, sis; I will do better next time," Vaughn said, as he too, made his way off the stage alongside Coco, Yatsuhashi, and Velvet.
"Well, it wasn't all bad, I mean, me and Yatsuhashi still have to work on our teamwork as well," Coco said.
"Well, that's what we're here for," Vaughn replied.
Then a collective buzz was heard, leaving everyone wondering as to what it was, puzzled looks upon their faces. Finally, Fox was the first to realize what was causing it; he reached down into his pocket and pulled out his Scroll. After a swipe of his thumb, his eyes widened.
"Hey," Fox said in the loudest voice he could, and he ran up the stairs to his team, while showing the message to Vaughn, who took a few moments to read over it.
"Sis, do you see this?" Vaughn called out; from his vantage point, he was unable to see Cecilia looking down at her Scroll. Her first tightened.
Author's Note:
*Because of the way RWBY is written, where there are no real-world references (at least not blatantly) I refrained from calling it the "Schlussel Stance", even though this is what the pose was based upon.