Hunted or Busted: A Side Story

Dusted 5: Flash Origin: Forward We Go

And so we conclude the first arc. I think I've come to a conclusion that everything that's a prequel or set before the beginning of the story is to be considered canon, and everything after the start of it is up for debate.

But anyway, here's the end of Minato's life before Beacon. Maybe somewhere down the road I'll do something for when he and STRQ were students? Perhaps with some special guest appearances from a certain redhead fox I haven't given nearly enough time to.

However I think from the reviews I've gotten, there are a few of you dying to see what Hiruzen and Danzō's life was like before we met them. So...expect that in the near future.

((((((((Hunted))))))))

In Mantle, when the words Atlas were brought up he could expect immediate words of spite and derision to follow by those around him. People angrily noting that Atlas was taking away all their income and jobs, leaving them to toil in the mines and other life-threatening professions. Some of the older folks in the area he once lived in would go on long and angry tirades about the horrid nature of Atlas and that they had crushed any hopes for Mantle to one day become the greatest Kingdom in the world. Even though his father had never had the same attitude towards the powerful titan of industry and agriculture, he didn't like it when it was brought up around others.

But when he was young he heard some people talk about its school for Huntsmen and Huntresses, an institute that shared its name with the Kingdom and its military. They admitted, despite their desire to hate everything about the Kingdom as a whole, that the school was the definition of beautiful. That you couldn't help but look at it, take it in with its entirety, and just…bask in its glory.

Minato had never gotten to see Atlas with his own eyes…his town in Mantle being overrun and destroyed before he had to leave it…

But if it was anything like the sight he was looking at now…he could understand the admiration.

Beacon was bigger than any other building or structure he had seen in his entire life. The court went on for as far as the eye could see and was filled to the brim with people. Columns connected by large slabs of marble stretched up higher than any house he had ever seen. But that was nothing compared to the towers and spires that raised high into the air, with the tallest one reaching the clouds from its sheer size. That middle one must have been the CCT tower for Vale, because it was more fortified than the other towers and had a faint glow to it.

Beacon was amazing. He had only just arrived and he couldn't stop the grin from splitting his face out of sheer excitement. Minato felt like running around and cheering with joy, but forced himself not to when he remembered Jiraiya's words of warning about acting like a total idiot.

Stay calm. Stay cool. Don't let anyone know how excited and ready you are to see Beacon. No matter what you can't go exploring every inch, nook, and cranny of this out of pure curiosity.

...

He flashed away the very next moment.

((((((((Hunted))))))))

"Huh, so this is the 'distinguished' school that pumps out Huntsmen and Huntresses each year that are such a pain in our ass. Heh," The spiky-haired boy scoffed as he looked around at all the aspiring students, "I bet I could take most of these pansies before they even drew their weapons."

"Calm yourself brother," A softer and more collected voice sounded beside him in an effort to quell his growing irritation, "We gain nothing from you throwing a fit in the middle of our transition here." The male sighed in a bothered tone while rolling his eyes. The black-haired, red-eyed twins stood together and surveyed their surroundings with a careful diligence, "You might as well get used to being around this place and the people here considering we'll be staying for a while."

"Ugh, how in the hell did we get saddled with the worst job ever? I'd rather be back with the rest of the tribe, making raids and training with the others."

"We were trusted with this job because we had the most to learn and we were already capable enough fighters that we could be relied on."

"You know they've sent us to basically spy on babies and prissy little brats for who knows how long, right? Does that sound like a wonderful purpose to be blessed with?"

"Should I expect our whole time here to just be you complaining to me about how lazy you are?"

"Pfft, asshole."

The twins stood beside each other and looked up at the towers of Beacon that stretched up before them. The male sibling had scruffy black hair, sliding his hand back through it in order to spike it up. His clothes looked like they were prepared for a formal event, but had seen so much wear and tear they now suited his rough appearance.

Beside him was his sister, a lovely young woman with a soft face and black hair reaching all the way down her back. Unlike her brother her clothes were far more suited for battle, consisting of black clothing surrounded by red-plated armor. Her hand never left the large and colorful sheathe at her hip.

And the twins shared a set of deep red eyes that narrowed up at the school in front of them.

"Well...I hope this is as interesting a job as the tribe expects."

((((((((Hunting))))))))

"Okay, is that everything?"

"Looks like it." The two workers searched through the ships and tried to find anything lying around or left behind by the new arrivals, "Any Scrolls or luggage you can see?"

"Nope, looks like the kids got everything they need." One of the workers looked further into the Airship and found a pile of luggage covered with a blanket in the corner, "Scratch that, found something. Damn kids, always in such a hurry to see the school that they leave everything behind."

"You'd think they'd have a checklist of things to bring and what they're missing. It's what my daughter does when she goes vacationing. Ugh, oh well. Let's grab this crap and put it outside with the others."

The workers pulled off the blanket but were surprised to find a sleeping young man instead of any bags. They stared down at the sleeping teenager as he mumbled and turned in his spot, "Um, kid?"

"Uuuhhhhhh, d-don't poke."

"Kid, we're here already."

"No, wake me up when we hit Beacon."

"We're here!"

The young aspiring Huntsman grumbled and lifted himself up with a put-upon yawn. He rubbed the sand out of his eyes and stared up at the two workers over him. The boy with the pineapple-shaped ponytail smacked his lips before realizing the ship had stopped moving.

He sighed, "I thought I could at least get a few more hours of rest before this crap started."

((((((((Hunting))))))))

This was Beacon. Against all odds and everyones' doubts, he had finally made it to Beacon. Jokes on everyone who thought his Semblance would be totally useless in the field of being a Huntsman. They immediately thought that Hunters only fought Grimm so his Semblance was pointless, considering Grimm had no emotions or presence that could be normally sensed. But criminals were also in a Huntsman's wheelhouse, and that's where he'd shine.

Plus he was a better fighter than anyone back home, so they could just suck it.

Feelings of victory and vindication aside, there was a sense of anxiety and nerves in his stomach. It was only subsided by the knowledge that everyone here was feeling the same thing if not even more than him. And he knew that was a fact, because he could sense the same anxiousness and trepidation from them as he felt in himself.

Doubt.

Inadequacy.

Hesitation.

Fear.

Hunger.

It was like a Grimm buffet of negative emotions and feelings...

Except for the hunger part. That was kind of unusual considering the depth and importance the shadow of their new lives was casting over them.

The young platinum-blond teen looked around and tried to pinpoint the origin of the oddity within the vast field of emotion. It wasn't that important, but at the moment anything he could do to focus on something other than his future school life was a welcome distraction.

There were the group of young men standing over there, bolstering and hyping themselves up to cover for the crushing insecurity bubbling up inside them. Then there was a group of young ladies who were probably friends arriving together, looking far less awkward and worried - probably upperclassmen just seeing the new arrivals coming in. One of them pointed his way and said something that got a giggle and interested peeks from the rest of her group. Well that was doing wonders for his self-esteem. And finally-

Yep, found him.

"Ugh," The large man groaned as he sat back into the bench. His stomach grumbled as he covered his belly, "Damn, I thought they'd at least have snacks or something to eat on the ship. Who the hell has this many people arriving on a single day and doesn't even put out finger food?!" The large brunette sighed into his hands before shaking his head, "No Chōza, don't complain. You're not doing much to help yourself if you actually complain about not having food. You're going to be a Huntsman now. Huntsmen can go - like - at least a week or so without food. Don't be a bitch. Don't be-"

"Hey buddy, you hungry?"

"Desperately!" The large teen turned to look up at the blond man before reeling back and raising his eyebrow, "Wait, why do you ask? Is it because I'm...heavy-set?"

"You mean besides the fact you were talking out loud about food just a second ago?" The blond smirked as the brunette shrugged reluctantly, "I could sense your hunger while I was looking around." The larger boy raised an eyebrow, "Now you're doubtful and think I'm making it up. Now you're concerned and think something's wrong with me. Don't be worried; my Semblance lets me senses peoples' feelings and emotions. I noticed how hungry you were while looking around and figured I'd come meet you."

"Oh...that's-"

"Interesting? Useful? A totally not stupid Semblance that can be used wonderfully in the efforts of fighting and understanding the many people and enemies I'll be facing in my career as a Huntsman?"

"I was going to say intrusive and kind of a breach in privacy."

"I'd see your point if - once again - you weren't loudly proclaiming you wanted to eat something." Again, the larger student gave a noncommitted shrug. He seemed to agree with the sentiment and stood up beside the strange platinum-blond, "Come on, let's go see if we can find some food."

They walked together for a few moments in silence before the larger boy spoke, "So~, that stuff about your Semblance...sore point?"

"N-No, why would you ask?"

"No reason. Hey look, someone who looks like they've got authority. Excuse me, sir?"

They came upon a handsome young man with a tall and demanding stature, speaking with a young blond man with a heart tattoo on his shoulder. The older man shook his head, "Oh, there's no reason to sound so formal. I'm only a teacher's assistant, and newly appointed at that."

They didn't notice the other blond student furiously shake his head, "Oh, congratulations. Hey, do you-"

"Why I'm quite honored to be standing here with all of you, hoping to help you learn the lessons that will be essential to your time as Huntsmen in the future. Why when I was a student I listened to every word and followed every teaching, and the Huntsman it made me into was one of extraordinary caliber. Once, I was faced with a horde of Ursae big enough to tower over the trees, and armed with only a hammer I had fashioned out of a log, a boulder, and some random animal dung. And yet when faced with my mighty foes-"

"I think we made a mistake."

They looked towards the tanned young blond as he nodded, "Yeah I've been trying to escape for a few minutes but you guys lit the fire again, so thanks for that."

"If I die from malnourishment, I want you to tell my story."

((((((((Hunted))))))))

Minato stood on the balcony of one of the towers and looked out over the scenery. Vale and the forests and the oceans spread out as far as he could see. He knew he probably shouldn't be up here, considering he hadn't even properly joined Beacon yet and he was already walking around on its grounds, but he just couldn't contain his excitement.

Plus he had a Semblance that let him teleport wherever he was looking. How could he stop himself?

Minato climbed up the railing and looked down over the campus before jumping. With a little help from his Semblance he found himself already landing on top of a tree and spinning on the center of it. He flipped, leaping off the tree and teleporting down to the ground in a yellow flash. Some of the students noticed him and pointed him out. He was just too excited and dashed away, mixing his sprinting with his teleporting to cover an even greater distance.

He appeared and disappeared in front of a group of aspiring students. He leapt up and teleported over some older students who looked intrigued by what he was doing. The young blond man was crossing the entirety of Beacon in just a few seconds-

Before a black-haired boy stepped in his way.

Minato crashed into the other boy and they both went tumbling into the ground. They were left in a heap of bodies and limbs as the black-haired girl to the side let out an amused chuckle from what she had seen. The blond groaned, "Ow-"

"Ah, what the hell was that?!" The red-eyed boy growled, pulling himself away and climbing to his feet with a fierce snarl, "Hey kid, what the hell were you playing at?!"

"S-Sorry, that was my mistake. You got in my line of sight and I couldn't stop myself."

"So you're blaming me?"

"No, not at all. I just said-"

"Look kid!" The angry red-eyed boy grabbed Minato by the collar and yanked him up to his feet, "Where I come from, when a snot-nosed little brat runs into you like that, there needs to be some retribution. So how about you-"

Minato grabbed the hands around his collar and yanked them down, pulling them off and trying to flip the aggravated boy away from him. The red-eyed aspiring student turned with the twist in his hand, pulling Minato along before throwing him over his shoulder. Minato flipped and landed on the ground before matching the glare aimed his way.

The black-haired boy narrowed his eyes before looking over his shoulder, "You wanna help your dear brother out here?"

"Oh no, I'm enjoying myself far too much to intervene."

"Fine," He turned back around and stood up, "I hope you're ready for this, punk."

"I don wanna fight you, but I will if I have to."

"Works for me-"

"Stop!"

A new voice intervened, running up between the two ready boys and intervening before they could actually start fighting. The shorter girl looked between them, "Come on, you can't start fighting just like that!"

"Look kid I don't know who you are but you should get out of here before you get caught up in this."

"Kid? I'm joining the new class too!"

"You are? You look like you could be one of the teachers' kids or something."

"I-I'm just kinda short! And it's not like you're the tallest guy around! Clearly you're not the most mature!"

"What did you-"

"Enough." The black-haired girl that had been watching silently at the side finally intervened and pulled on her brother's shoulder, "We don't want to make a spectacle like this before we even join the school. How about you calm down and walk away from this right now before I have to drag you away."

Her brother grumbled before standing up and dusting himself off. But not before aiming a spiteful glare towards Minato, "Hey punk, my sister and this girl just saved you for now. How about you thank them while you can?"

"Sure," Minato smirked, "Thank you both very much. I wasn't looking forward to getting all the blood and tears off my hands after beating him so badly."

"We're going." The twin sister grabbed her brother's collar and dragged him away as he cursed and kicked his feet wildly.

Minato chuckled and grinned at the reaction he got as he stood victoriously. His pride wilted however when he looked over and saw the silver eyes looking up at him unimpressed and judging. He buckled in and scratched his neck, "Uh...I did say sorry."

The white-hooded girl covered her face and groaned into her hand, "How did you even pick a fight with that guy?"

"I kinda, sorta ran into him while seeing Beacon and we tumbled into the ground. I-I tried to apologize but then he grabbed my collar and started getting angry, so I yanked his hands down. But he threw me, then we squared off, and well...that's when you got here."

"Geez, how can you get into a fight that quickly just after arriving. And how did you run into him?"

"He got in the way of my Teleportation and I hit him like that."

Her eyes widened, "Teleportation? You can teleport?! Are you serious?!" Her tone and demeanor changed instantly to one of intrigue and amazement, "That is such a cool Semblance! Can you show me how you do it?! Please! Please!"

"Y-Yeah, sure." Minato looked aside and appeared over by another side of the path in a yellow flash. He heard the strange girl gasp and clap with enjoyment before appearing by her side again, "Just kinda like that."

"That is so cool!" She failed to hide her giddy tone and shook with excitement, "What is it like?! Is it super fast movement or do you actually move from one place to another?! Do you - like - lose your body and molecules and junk when you do and-" She paused in her fast tirade to see the worried but amused look on his face. She stepped down and coughed before shaking her head, "S-Sorry, I get a little carried away. I just realized I haven't even asked your name."

"I feel like there should be an introduction first before you ask someone else for their name."

"Fine," The silver-eyed, white-hooded girl shrugged and smiled, "I'm Summer Rose. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." He took her hand, "I'm Minato Namikaze."

((((((((Hunted))))))))

Done

Minato's tale is finished for now, with some looks at how Minato and Qrow started going at each other's throats. Plus my first actual introduction of Summer Rose!

We don't have all the details of their past yet, but I have some ideas of the wacky adventures they can have during their time at Beacon, and I'll make sure to write them someday.

Next week is kind of a special chapter, more for myself and others that might enjoy the same thing. But after that I'll go back to writing all my other stories and stuff. This was just kind of a project to ease myself into the new year.

I hope you stick around to see what happens next.

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