Chapter 2

This'll be after the first week of Issei's new life at Beacon Academy. Issei will have interactions with the other teachers of the Academy. As for his team that'll be when Orientation begins.

As for his Semblance and Sacred Gear, I'd like to point out that Issei was able to use his emotions to strengthen his sword and power temporarily which means that he still needs to train to understand and master his abilities. Yes, Issei can communicate and tame Grimm but since he's extremely weak and has little to no experience in using his Sacred Gear that means he'll only be able to communicate and tame Grimm weaker than him.

Basically Ursai and Beowolves at first but as he gets stronger he'll be able to communicate with others but more experienced ones such as Titan Grimm, Deathstalkers, Boartusk, or Nuckelave will not be affected by his power nor try to communicate with him.

As for Issei's reasons for being a bit calm around Luna, that'll be explained in the chapter. Yes Issei is hesitant around women due to his trauma with Raynare but Luna understands that as well. What it means to be killed by people she cared and loved for until her dying breath.

Now let's have some fun!~


A Week Later

Issei was surprised to see that his injuries have healed up completely due to the Aura that Ozpin unlocked for him a week ago. Luna admitted that she was impressed with the power of this Aura that Ozpin spoke to Issei about at his hospital bed but she shared her concerns about the man that was responsible for his 'training.'

[We must be cautious when around that man. Granted he has helped you recover from your battle with the knight as well as 'training' you but you must know that the power you used on Ri the Knight was a lucky move. Due to your emotions, you were able to temporarily unlock even more strength but now that the battle ended your power is back to normal which is very meager. I can see through the cloak and assisted you yesterday in the fight so you'll have me to aid you in battle. Just remember that Sacred Gears evolve due to the users emotional state however in your situation you need to learn how to control your emotions. Trust in me when I say that the Darkness can be a beautiful thing but it can also be a dangerous power if one allows the power to corrupt them.] Luna said as she looked down hoping not to bring Issei's emotional state down but the question he asked next surprised the dragon

"Luna...Why is it that I don't feel...Scared of you when I think of...her?" Issei asked in a sheepish voice until Luna replied to her partner.

[Because you were able to tell that we are similar. We are alike you and I. Kind people who were taken advantage of before being tossed aside as if we were garbage. I truly am deeply sorry for not being able to help you when you were in danger of the Fallen and I'm sorry for not being able to help you save your world. After Vritra died and became a Sacred Gear, he told me to not be angry at the humans and aid them. You see as I've explained yesterday, my goal was to build a place to protect the ones who sought out the comfort of the night. I kept the peoples nightmares at bay and assured them wonderful and beautiful dreams but as time went on, after the Biblical War, the people began to fear the dragons due to Ddraig and Albion's rivalry. So many lives were taken due to them and unfortunately they began to seek out the other dragons and gave them a choice to either die, serve a faction, or become a Sacred Gear. I didn't wish to take part in any of the slaughter of my kind so I hid in the shadows and kept the people of my home safe and happy but...one day that all changed.] Luna said sadly as she recalled a bright red flame burning in her eyes as she recalled a bright crimson gauntlet with a red haired girl with burning amber eyes as she smiled at Luna's fallen form.

[Her name was Ione. A beautiful girl who possessed the Boosted Gear, the Sacred Gear which housed Ddraig. She came to me and asked me to help train her, so I did but little did I know that she was trying to get close to me so she could make me drop my guard around her. Ddraig tried to warn me but I refused to listen to the dragon due to my connection with Ione. I thought of her as my precious mate for the future but sadly, she only saw me as a way to become stronger so...when I was asleep...She killed me.] Luna said to the shock of Issei as he watched the memory of the Shadow Dragon. He was caught off guard by the memory and felt that she was right. The two of them were similar in many ways.

They found comfort in the night. They felt close to someone they thought they would be with forever but the ones they loved used them and killed them in cold blood.

Issei apologized and bowed to the dragon much to her happiness in seeing her partner accept her past and speak to her about his own. Of course she already knew his past due to seeing his memories but it was nice to actually speak to him in person and hear it in his own words.

"But still. To think we've already been here a week." Issei stated as he looked at his new clothes that was given to him by his 'guardian' Glynda Goodwitch. Sure Issei was surprised to see that the strict Headmistress gave Issei a set of clothes that strangely reminded him of his home Japan until Glynda explained that he would be from Mistral. Specifically the village, Oniyuri since it was a settlement that was destroyed by a single Grimm which surprised and scared Issei when he read about the government of how Mistral was operated and could see many similarities between his original home Japan and Mistral which made him think that maybe someone else from his world was once in Japan.

His Hunter attire consisted of two parts. The first was a uniform that was highly durable, light-weight, water-resistant, and non-flammable. The uniform couldn't be easily damaged by minor Grimm such as Ursai or Beowolves but from King Taijitu or a Boartusk that's another story. The uniform has a white belt and hakama pants, also a white long-sleeved collared shirt under the uniform that was open so that air would flow into the uniform to allow the wearer to be cool or warm in many areas of Remnant.

The second part of his Hunter attire was a cloak of sorts that was black in color but had purple scales at the sleeves and the bottom part of the cloak. It was a special cloak since it had many pockets to store items such as extra weapons or extra Dust in the pockets for emergencies. Issei took Bartholomew Oobleck and Professor Ports instructions about survival and had extra Aura replenishing crystals just in case.

He learned how to transform his sword into other forms such as a massive scythe, a katana, and a pair of war cleaver swords. His cloak had merged with his Hunter cloak to make it so that Luna could assist him and also the dragon liked the cloak so she merged the shadow cloak with the clothing.

Issei had spent the week learning about the history of Remnant from Oobleck which was difficult due to his quick speed in communication. Professor Port was a bit difficult due to trying to separate the notes and lessons from the stories when Port when into his 'back in his day stories' which reminded the boy of his father when he spoke about his childhood. Issei enjoyed their company since they were like grandfathers to the world traveler.

Glynda Goodwitch on the other hand was more like...his mother so good speak but if Sona Sitri in his world was an adult and a grown woman. Professor Goodwitch had been responsible for his physical as well as his Aura training which was terrifying due to the witches glares which felt like she was trying to freeze him in a block of ice. The witch even tempted to teach him proper etiquette and how to socialize with others which was difficult for Issei due to his stress about beautiful women like Velvet Scarletina, the rabbit Faunus, and Coco Adel, the fashionista.

Luna had been helping him with his worries by giving him advice on how to understand women and comforting him when he had nightmares about that day or the ones when he felt he failed his home. Issei and Luna had been helpful towards each other and both of them were glad to be a team however Issei still kept Luna's identity secret from Ozpin and the others since he didn't trust the man with Luna so he mastered how to better communicate with Luna in his mind.

Ozpin's training had been to help him control his emotions due to Luna's warning on how his emotions can make him more powerful but warned him of a transformation that she didn't want Issei to undergo due to his physical limitations and how the effects from the transformation could be dangerous for Issei's life. The meditation was good for the boy since it helped clear his mind when he had negative thoughts, sensing Grimm, and detecting the souls of others.

Issei had gone into the Forever Forest for two days to speak to the small pack of Beowolves that had actually accepted Issei as their pack leader and the boy was surprised they accepted him as one but Luna saw this as an opportunity so she taught him how to mark his pack with his power. The six Beowolves were marked by a purple moon that Issei thought was appropriate for his group so he worked with them and learned how to best use them in attacks but also learned about the other types of Grimm and saw his limitations on his taming of Grimm.

Due to his level of power, he could only seem to tame weak Grimm such as his pack, Boartusks, and the Ursai that roam the forest but he made sure to avoid the other powerful Titans such as the Deathstalker, the Nevermore, and the King Taijitu. The most powerful Grimm in the forest. Today marked the end of his training as he was going to the front to see the newest members of his first year class .

Issei was nervous but calm since he knew that whether he liked it or not, he was going to be in a team so he decided to check out some of the others that would be potential teammates that he could get along with.

He saw some interesting ones such as a tall girl with blond hair and purple eyes but Issei could tell that she was a social butterfly but relied more on her brawn instead of her brain to fight which worried him a bit since he wasn't sure how she would do academic wise.

The others seem a bit more interesting since he could see a few people who had some interesting weapons like the green ninja with the ginger haired Valkyrie, a red haired Amazon walking past a black haired girl who seemed to be wearing a bow of sorts.

All in all, Issei found some interesting people to possible work with until...

BOOM!

Issei turned his head to the left to see the courtyard with a mushroom cloud coming off the ground. He sped his way to the area in hopes that no one was injured but he was not prepared for what was going to come next.


"Ask and you shall receive." Issei quoted to himself as he looked at the scene and saw two girls in the middle of an argument. Well, more like a berating of one to the other one.

The first one had her head down and looked extremely apologetic, poking her fingers together in what could be assumed was embarrassment. She looked a bit younger than anyone else around. She had black hair with red tips and silver eyes. She wore a black gothic Lolita dress with a red hooded cape over it, black stockings, and black boots with red lining.

The second girl was covered in soot and was practically screaming at the first. She seemed like the snooty royalty type if her use of big words and stance was anything to go by. She had snow white hair with blue eyes as cold as ice, not like Glynda's however, and a slight scar over the left. She wore an expensive looking white dress with red inner linings, a necklace around her neck, and white high-heeled boots. Issei had to wonder how she would fight in those though he was one to talk since he was wearing a cloak for his Hunter attire.

"Unbelievable! This is the exact thing I was talking about!" Oh, she really was yelling. "You shouldn't play around dust!"

"Im really sorry..." The first girl tried to apologize. The second had no reaction to it, continuing her tirade.

"You dolt! Aren't you a bit too young to be here anyways? This is a prestigious academy for the best of the best! Not some child's playground!"

Issei had enough, he hated to see someone bullied. Especially after she apologized. He quickly made his way over, neither noticing him until he was a few feet away.

"Hey! She said she was sorry, so back off princess." He shouted, trying to sound as tough as possible.

The first girl looked relieved from the support but the second was unimpressed. She even went so far as to size him up with a sharp look. He then remembered, he was in his new huntsman outfit Prof. Goodwitch had gifted him last week.

"And just who are you?" The princess asked which annoyed Issei since he could tell by the condescending tone that she was of the high class in Atlas. Also due to the dust containers bearing the mark that he despised after learning more about them from Port.

'The Schnee Dust Company was founded by Nicholas Schnee following the Great War, in the Kingdom of Mantle. Nicholas personally led numerous expeditions around the world to find Dust veins, earning him praise and respect throughout the Kingdoms, while also greatly expanding his company. However, due to him not being the best businessman, the company was constantly in debt. In one instance, both the Schnee Dust Company and the Mistral Trading Company mined the Dust deposits in Vacuo and depleted the Kingdom of it's once bountiful natural resource.'

'After the Dust deposits were all depleted, they eventually abandoned many of their Dust refineries in Vacuo. Eventually, as time passed Nicholas began to grow sick and lost his strength with each passing day. His family missed him as his health was failing, he was convinced by his son-in-law, Jacques Schnee, to let him inherit the company. Under his leadership, the Schnee Dust Company's profits grew exponentially, albeit through less-than-ethical practices, such as the use of cheap labor, allowing dangerous working conditions, possibly due to monopolies and having shady business partners. It was a shame too since I knew of Nicholas and the SDC was known to treat the laborers with respect and fairness and he was not afraid to place himself in danger alongside them when searching for Dust deposits in the tundra of Solitas and the other hazardous areas of Remnant alongside his men, with this disposition having earned him the loyalty of many of his employees.' Oobleck explained as he showed Issei a picture of Nicholas and himself when they were around his age. Issei and Luna could feel a deep sense of respect for the man due to how he was able to build his company and earn the respect of his employers.

"Issei. Issei Hyoudou. You'd do well to remember it." The dragon mentally cheered for his introduction while Issei felt confident in his reply to the princesses question. He always wanted to say a cool line like that.

The girl but scoffed at him and replied. "Like I have the time to remember a nobody.Do you even know who you're talking to?"

"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the SDC. One of the largest companies producing elemental enhancements in Remnant." Issei said as Weiss looked smug for a moment until Issei continued his answer to the princess. "The same company with controversial labor forces and shady business partners. It truly is a shame since I respected the SDC at first when it was first built by Nicholas Schnee but to hear it's been turned into the sweat shop it is today is truly a disrespect to a good man who's name has been sullied by that snake of a man." Issei said as he clenched his fists which alerted the two girls in front of him until Issei bent down and picked up the cases which seemed to be open before filling them up again with the crystals.

Issei then handed the cases to the girl before the princess took them and placed them on her cart before speeding off away from the duo.

"That was noble of you." The duo turned to see another girl making her way forward, a vial filled with red dust in her hand.

Issei could tell, this girl seemed like the intellectual quiet type. Maybe it was because of the book in her hand.

She had long black hair, golden eyes that seemed almost feline. In fact, she looked catty in general. Her attire consisted of a black buttoned vest with coattails and a single silver button on the front. Underneath was a white, sleeveless, high necked, crop undershirt. She also wore white shorts, black and purple stockings, and black low-heeled boots. To top it all off, she also wore a black bow in her hair that oddly stood straight despite the inconsistent breeze that was all over the place.

"I was going to knock the Schnee down a peg or two but it seems you beat me to the chase. Here. I doubt the heiress will notice a vial or Burn Dust Powder missing from her case." The girl said as she handed the vial to Issei before leaving the two of them alone much to Issei's surprise until he felt a tug on his coat sleeve and he turned to see the hooded girl. "Ah...thanks for, you know, helping me," she said shyly.

Issei couldn't help as the word cute flashed in his mind. It was just like...'Yuuma.'

'No, no, no, this is a new world. Yuuma isn't here. She will not control my mind.' The Black Dragon Emperor mentally shouted at himself as he put on his best smile and even rubbed the top of her head. He didn't know why, his hand just moved on its own.

"Don't worry about it. It was fun taking her down a peg or two."

"Hehe, yeah, that was pretty awesome." The girl replied before turning to see that the other girl was already out of the area. "Oh, thanks as well-" She looked down at not being able to thank her other savior until Issei kept rubbing her head.

"Don't worry, I'm sure she knows you appreciated what I did." Issei assured her gaining a smile from the girl. "R-Really? You really think so?"

"I know so. Name's Issei Hyoudou, by the way, if you didn't catch it the first time." Issei said as he introduced himself again while Ruby tilted her head at his name.

"Hm. Issei Hyoduou? Are by any chance from Mistral?" She asked making Issei nod at her question.

"Of course. I...I was a resident of Oniyuri. My parents were killed there so I had to learn how to survive in the wild. Luckily I was saved by Professor Goodwitch when she was there on a mission to see if there were any survivors. Unfortunately, I was the only one." Issei said with a sad but accepting tone before he felt the girls small hand grab his left one but as soon as she grabbed it, his cloak was reacting internally.

Screaming in pain as if they were infected by something she had.

'Danger! Danger!'

'A child of the Light!'

'She'll kill us!'

'Run Away!'

Issei felt a small headache as he put his hands on his forehead to alleviate his pain until he looked at the girls worried look.

"Sorry but you reminded me of someone I knew in my village. I-I'm sorry. It was not my intention to worry you." Issei said as he bowed to the girl making her let out a small 'eep' from her lips before she waved her hands outward to reassure him.

"N-No! No! You don't have to apologize. If anything it's my fault. Why don't we start over? My name is-" Ruby said until Issei cut her off.

"Your Ruby Rose right? The next scythe user from Signal Academy. Your father is Taiyang Xiao Long. Your uncle is Qrow Brawnen. And you have my sincere apologies about your mother. No child deserves to be separated from their mother at such a young age."

Ruby was stunned that Issei knew this information, he chuckled nervously. "I'm close with the teachers of this Academy, I've actually been here for about a week, even though I'm not an actual student. I was with Professor Goodwitch and I wanted to know about a group I heard about called Team STRQ so when I asked her she told me of the past and what happened to them." Issei said which surprised Ruby even more since she didn't much of her mother except what she was told by her father, uncle, and sister.

Ruby still smiled at Issei before he held out a hand to her.

"Would you like to explore the school before orientation starts?" He offered with a nervous smile before noticing that Ruby seemed equally as nervous and awkward. A note that helped Issei relax just a bit.

"Sure. Mind if we talk about weapons?"

"Sure, sounds like fun."


"So, your scythe is also a high caliber sniper rifle!?"

"Yup! Built her myself."

"That's so cool! You must really like weapons if you built something as amazing as that!"

"Finally, some true recognition!"

"How could I not be in awe? I have my sword but still that's truly incredible!"

[Hmph. As of that scythe is anything compared to OUR scythe. It's much sharper and deadlier than that chunk of metal.] Luna pouted as she was annoyed by the compared comments that Issei said to the small girl which he knew was going to be a problem tonight when he entered his mindscape again.

"Oh yeah, while we're on the matter, what is your weapon?"

Issei paused mid-step. He looked at his sheathed sword before returning to the curious silver eyes of his new friend. They were filled with innocent curiosity. She was bouncing off the balls of her feet, a small smile playing on her lips. Ruby seemed truly excited to know about the sword.

'Oh God, why did she have to make such a face? Who knew something that wasn't boobs could be used against him. Such innocence was a rarity and its making my heartstrings tug the only way boobs knew how to.' Issei lamented as he had never seen such pure innocence.

[Oh my. The Oppai Lover is now amazed by small girls? Be careful Issei or else people will get funny ideas.] Luna said with a giggling tone to Issei displeasure as he replied to her.

'I-It's not like that!' Issei shouted internally before he unsheathed his sword. The black blade glistened in the light much to Ruby's amazement as Issei held it out to show her before putting it away.

"That's so amazing. The katana looked like it was forged in gravity and lightning dust. So cool!" Ruby said with stars in her eyes as he chuckled at the girls enthusiasm before Issei and Ruby found themselves at the auditorium where the orientation speech would commence.

"Whoa." Ruby exclaimed in awe as she stepped deeper inside of the room before Issei patted her back.

"Yeah, whoa. Well, gotta go find a spot! See you around, Ruby!"

"Oh, um...okay..." Ruby replied, although she knew he couldn't hear her. She watched him vanish behind a group, his mop of brown hair disappearing among the fellow students.

"Hey sis, saved ya a spot!" A blonde, buxom girl exclaimed. Ruby kept her eyes on the spot Issei had disappeared to, unaware of her sister's call. She was so distracted that she didn't react until the older sister came over and wrapped the short redhead underneath one of her arms.

"You're staring really hard, sis. Gonna tell me who that was?" The blonde started to tease. She poked at her little sister's cheek, a grin threatening to split her face. "Was that your little friend, hmm~?"

"Stop it, Yang! I'm still mad at you!"

"What? I'm just teasing little sis," Yang replied, raising her hands in mock surrender. "Nothing wrong with finding your first crush. You are a growing girl after all."

Ruby blushed with embarrassment. "It's not like that! He's a friend..."

"Oh? And just who is this 'friend'? You seemed awfully cheery and open with him for having just met."

"His name is Issei, he saved me when I exploded! Thanks to you ditching me!"

"Ouch, meltdown on the first day?" Yang asked playfully. She rested her arms behind her head and leaned her weight to one leg.

"No, I literally exploded a hole in front of the school! And I think there was some fire...and maybe some ice..." Ruby placed a finger to her chin, trying to remember exactly what she blew up with.

"Are you being sarcastic?" Yang asked, raising a brow.

"Hah, I wish," the younger sibling sighed. "I knocked over some prissy girls luggage, then she yelled at me, then I sneezed and everything exploded, then she yelled some more, and I felt really, really bad, and I just wanted her to stop, and then Issei came in-"

"You!" A voice shouted from behind her. Ruby knew instantly but the shock made her jump and grab onto the first thing she could. Luckily, Yang was quick with her reflexes and caught the girl. Although she, too, looked just as surprised by the interruption.

"Oh gods, it's happening again!" The reaper girl cried.

"You're lucky we weren't blown off the side of the cliff!" Weiss berated, stomping her foot for dramatic effect.

"Oh my gods, you really exploded..."


After Ozpin had finished giving his speech, if one could even call it that, Prof. Goodwitch had followed up with what was to be expected for the remainder of the day. Talks of sleeping arrangements, the cafeteria and dinner time, and a brief review of preparations for initiation tomorrow morning. She then quickly ended the orientation, leaving everyone to their own devices.

Issei couldn't fault them for trying to keep things brief, teenagers had the worst attention span, but, at the same time, they could have done it with a little more flair. God knows, he knew personally that they had it in them. His tutoring allowed him to see things most students didn't. Especially when it came to the, normally, stoic Glynda Goodwitch.

But while in the sleeping quarters, a large slumber party was the plan for the night and initiation would begin tomorrow. It was safe to say that the decision was made to wait for teams to be formed before assigning dorm rooms.

The brunette opted to try meditating before lights out. The gossiping of a few girls and roughhousing of a few guys told him many things. The main one was that not a lot of people seemed worried about initiation tomorrow.

[That either means they are confident or arrogant in their abilities but it's best we don't let it distract us from our own goals. And that means meditation and trying to unlock your Semblance. It's strange since I can feel it in my world but I can't seem to find the source.] Luna said as he focused on his meditation and one thing he truly enjoyed this was how this helped Issei in the forest focus on his Aura and feel the area around him.

In his mind, he could see the colors of each individual aura and hear their conversations from the other side of the room. Most of it was the boys roughhousing with each other while the girls mostly chatted about girl stuff.

"Hellooooo~."

Issei's attention was brought back to the opposite side of the pillar. He spared a glance over his shoulder and was surprised at the two new arrivals. The first he noticed was Ruby making strange noises. She was dressed in a black tank top with an adorable heart creature on front and simple white pajama bottoms with hearts. She looked cute.

From the looks of it, she was currently being dragged. The dragger had long blonde hair, that shined like the sun, and lilac eyes that carried a playful yet confident look. She looked to be the definition of a social butterfly. The way she walked, the look on her face, and with no lack of conviction, Issei could easily say she was popular. He recognized her from earlier but pushed her aside due to him thinking she was a person who was more 'Punch first and ask questions later' kind of person.

The teen boy couldn't help but notice her choice in sleepwear too. The blonde girl wore an orange tank top and black shorts that hugged her hips and thighs a little too well. And her boobs, they were...

'They're perfect! They aren't like one of his old seniors but...the shape, the bounce, and there's no bra!'

Chomp!

"Ouch, goddamn it!" Issei winced as he rose his hand to his mouth. When he pulled it back, it was stained with a few drops of red. He wiped the back of his hand over his lips but it didn't stop the thin line of red at the corner of his lips. He had bit his tongue a bit too hard. He turned away, pressing his back to the pillar, trying to clean the drying blood. All the while, his thoughts were running wild.

'No, no, no! I'm done perving. It will only get me killed again. I can't... Not again...' He shook his head vigorously. He couldn't rid himself of Yuuma's face. That confident, dark grin she had before leaving him to die. He was a joke, nothing more to girls. A pervert and someone to toy with.

"Would you die for me?"

"No..."

"I'll say it again. Would you die for me?"

"No."

"Die for me!"

"No!"

"...Issei?" Issei's eyes opened immediately since he wasn't expecting to hear a soft and caring voice call out to him since he didn't recognize it as Luna's voice.

Slowly turning, he came to see Ruby looking down at him, worried.

"Oh...H-Hi Ruby." Issei replied nervously. He really hoped she hadn't heard him but she must have. The look on her face gave it away.

Looking back at the others, the dark haired girl looked surprised to see him. His outburst must have scared them seeing as he was only now being discovered.

"Umm, sorry, I-I didn't mean to interrupt your conversation. I just...had a bad memory resurface." Issei apologized as a small drip of sweat formed on his brow. The world traveler really didn't want to be involved. Not in his state of mind.

"It's no big deal," Ruby replied with a soft smile. A smile so sweet it made Issei want to melt on the spot. He would fight a thousand Grimm to protect such a smile. Then fight a thousand more. "Your lips? Are you bleeding?"

The redhead took a step towards him. Oh, how that sweet kindness was only bringing more attention towards him.

"It's fine, Ruby! I'm fine." The Black Dragon Emperor answered immediately as he showed his Aura healing the wound immediately thanks to Luna who worked on helping him recover from his bad memory. Meanwhile, Issei held his hands outwards in a panicked motion hoping to reassure Ruby, and sure enough the younger teen stopping immediately.

"A-Are you sure? Aren't you hurt?"

'Why!? Why does she have to be so kind? I know she isn't her but still. Why? Why does my body react and force me to see her instead? Luna was helping me with my nightmares and now...Why?' Issei pondered in his mind before reassuring Ruby once more with a fake smile. "Don't worry about me. I wouldn't be a man if I couldn't handle even a small bloody lip." Issei replied with an awkward laugh. It did little to convince any of the three.

"Well...alright." Ruby looked unconvinced but pushed it aside, not wanting to upset Issei more. "Anyways, I used to love stories like that! Yang would read them to me all the time when we were kids."

"Are you hoping for a happy ending?" Blake asked, following the shift in conversation.

"I'm hoping we can all have one. After all, we all have to help each other, right?" Ruby asked with a kindred smile. Blake couldn't help the smile tugging at her lips.

"That's pretty ambitious, for a child. Unfortunately, the world isn't so kind." Blake's smile then flipped into a frown. Her eyes fell and a knowing look crossed her face. One that Issei recognized since he had that same look on his face as well when he accepted that his world was gone.

"That's why we're here aren't we?" Ruby asked unwavered by the words she said. "To make it better."

Blake turned back to Ruby for a moment, the four still with silence hanging over them. Yang was about to encourage her sister's ideal, and break the silence, however Issei was just a bit quicker.

"I wouldn't say either of you are wrong since there are some things that you both said makes sense." Issei said as the trio of the girls turned to him with curious looks on their faces.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked as both Blake and Yang turned to him as well with an equally curious look on their faces.

"The world is a cruel place, Ruby. There are bad people and even worse things that aim to hurt and kill, no matter if they are enemies or innocent people." Issei reminisced about his world. His friends, his family, all those who had done no wrong. Then he thought of all the bad people who just wanted to destroy his world. Yuuma was one of those people and he couldn't help the heavy, pained sigh that escaped his lips.

"But the people who inhabit this world can change. Good or bad, a person can always be better. It just takes time and effort to change. Time and effort to make a change. Before the worst can come and take everything away. But we have to fight, we have to make a difference. However one must also know that there are times when you must face the reality of this world. Where there's Light there is Darkness. One cannot survive without the other. Justice and Injustice. This is the way the world works." Issei said as he looked at the trio before saying one final sentence that struck them all.

"Life isn't a bed of roses. Sometimes we don't know why shit happens to us but everyone has two choices. The first is to surrender and just let your life end there or you take a chance and stand up while becoming stronger to take control of your life. I lost everything in my home so I decided to stand up, and become stronger so I'm not defenseless to not be able to do anything." Issei said as he looked at the trio and saw their expressions at his speech. The trio's response differed between each other since Issei hadn't expected himself to say that, the words just flowed out of his mouth without much thought.

Ruby was beaming at him. It was a smile so big it threatened to split her face. She also seemed excited by the giddy body language she gave off.

The blonde girl folded her arms and rose a brow, a small smirk playing at her lips. She seemed impressed and, dare he say, thankful? He wondered what her and Ruby's relationship was.

[I believe they are siblings but adoptive siblings. Since they look nothing alike it's possible that Taiyang Xiao Long isn't her biological father.] Luna said as she observed the two girls before Issei looked towards the last girl and saw that the last girl held a neutral look as she was in thought. It was almost reminiscent. There was also the small tugging at her lips.

[I believe she's happy with what you said. I like this girl. Plus she has good taste in books.] Luna said as she looked at the title of the book and fell in love with it.

"Seems you're a natural motivational speaker." Issei turned to the blonde girl, a playful smirk clear on her face. "Much better than Ozpin during that speech."

Issei turned away and shrugged his shoulders. "I'll take that as a compliment, Miss?"

"Yang. Yang Xiao Long."

"Issei Hyoudou."

"Blake Belladonna."

"Ruby Rose."

"What is with all this noise!? Can't you see that some of us are trying to sleep!"

The group turned to see Weiss walking over. More so stomping over. She was dressed in a light blue nightgown and she had her hair down. Issei still didn't know if it was natural or not.

Her eyes met Ruby's first and they pointed at each other. ""Oh no, not you again!""

"Of all people, it had to be you..." The heiress groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I said I was sorry! What more do you want!?" Ruby apologized, distressed about the princess.

"Oi, what's your deal with my sister?" Yang asked, standing protectively by the smaller huntress to be. So they were sisters.

"She's a hazard to my health!" Weiss snapped back, stomping her foot childishly.

As they continued to argue, Issei and Blake sighed simultaneously. The former just wanted to be done with everything that happened today. He was stressed and exhausted, and the likelihood of returning to his meditation was thrown out the window with the three girls constant bickering.

"Haah, no point in staying up," Issei muttered as Blake nodded in reply while closing her book with an annoyed expression. "And I was looking forward to finishing the chapter tonight. Guess it's an early lights out then?"

"It would seem so. Care to do the honors?" Issei asked as Blake leaned over and, with one gentle breath, the flame was extinguished. The room was engulfed in darkness, promptly stopping the trio amidst their shouting match.

"Hey, who turned out the lights!?"


"Wonder what those two are so worked up about..." Ruby spoke out loud. She watched as a ginger hair girl and boy with a magenta streak walked by, the former talking about a plethora of things and the latter merely listening and nodding.

"Oh, who knows." Yang replied with a shrug. She threw a few test punches before she adjusted her gauntlets once more. "Anywho, what's got you so chipper today?"

"Oh, you know. The awkward talking phase is officially over. Now I can let my sweetheart do the talking for me." Ruby giggled as she held Crescent Rose in her arms like it was an actual baby. Yang watched her little sister giggle manically, caressing and kissing the side of its dormant form.

"Well Ruby, you gotta remember, you're not the only one going through initiation. If you want to grow up, you have to meet new people and learn to work together."

"Ughhh, you sound like dad." Ruby groaned out. "And I don't need to meet people to grow up. I drink milk."

"Uh-huh, so, what do you plan on doing about teams, sis?" The buxom blonde asked, trying not to sound suspicious. The red and black cladded girl looked back at her sibling with an arched brow.

"What do you mean? I'll just be on your team," Ruby stated as if it was the most obvious thing.

Yang rubbed her arm nervously. She looked a bit uncomfortable as she shuffled her feet as well. This made Ruby knit her brows.

"Mmm... Well, maybe, just maybe, I was thinking maybe, we could be on different teams." She avoided all forms of eye contact with her younger sister. She wouldn't dare look at those eyes that made her submit to her sister's whims.

However, it made the gasp from said sister all the more painful to hear.

"Yang Xiao Long! My dearest sister! My rock! Are you actually implying that you don't want to team up with me!?" The older sister made the mistake of turning back. The hurt and betrayal she saw almost made her want to say that it was a joke. She almost apologized and told her that they would definitely team up. Key word, almost. This was something she needed to do. For her sister's sake.

Yang averted her eyes once more. She rubbed her arm and shifted her weight from one leg to the other.

"It's not that Rubes, it's just...well, I think being on another team with other people will help you socialize a little better and, you know, finally break out of your shell."

Ruby pouted. She could see her sister's point but that didn't help. She didn't want to socialize with new people. That was her problem! Yesterday should have been proof of that! The only other person who she had been able to talk to was Issei. Blake seemed like she just wanted to be left alone. And Weiss... Ruby felt she should try to stay clear of that girl.

"Yang, I don't need to be on another team! And I don't need to break out of my shell!"

"What about Issei, he seems like a good friend. I'm sure he'd be a good teammate."

"Well...yeah, but still..."

"Seems everyone is uppity this morning." A new voice joined in as the two girls looked to see the cloak clad Hunter walk into the locker room as Yang smiled at the man she was speaking about.

"Sup, Life Coach?"

"Life Coach? I'm far from it, I guess..."

Ruby looked at his eyes and could see that they were to the floor and he was rubbing the back of his neck. It was similar to last night where he didn't make any real eye contact with her. She wondered if something was wrong.

"Hey Issei!" Ruby chirped with a big smile. The brunette turned to her and offered a light smile in return. 'He has no problem looking at me but for some reason he can't seem to make eye contact with my sister but why?' Ruby pondered until she heard Issei's reply.

"Morning Ruby. Ready for orientation today?" He asked, no awkwardness or nervousness in his tone when looking at her eyes.

"You bet! But Yang said she doesn't want to be on my team! Can you believe it!? She's so mean!"

Issei chuckled at her outburst before he placed a hand on top of the short girl's head. She squeaked at the comforting touch. "Haha, shame on her, I guess. Tell you what, how about I join instead?"

Ruby's eyes twinkled like stars. She nodded my her head immediately, ecstatic at the thought of having her first friend on her team. "That would be awesome! Heck yeah you can!"

"Great, sounds like a plan then." He then casted a gaze to his side. Yang, once more, was smiling at him. He quickly shot away, feeling his cheeks light up. "Well, I'll catch you guys later!"

And, like that, he was on his way again. He didn't even dare spare a glance back, still feeling the blonde girl's gaze on his back. Those eyes of playful confidence.

Ruby looked his direction and could see that he was avoiding Yang's gaze and pondered why he was doing so since it almost looked like he was...afraid of Yang.

'Issei...What's going on in your head?' Ruby ponders as she worries for her first friend she's made since yesterday.


"So, before we begin, are there any questions?" The headmaster asked his students.

"Y-yeah, I have a-" Issei began to say, raising a finger. He looked over the cliff seeing how far down it was into the forest. The very same forest he had been teleported to. He still wasn't over that and how God literally missed the school by a couple clicks. "-several questions, actually."

"Good! We'll begin immediately then. Everyone, take your landing positions and good luck to you all." Ozpin finished, bringing the cup of coffee to his lips.

As soon as he said this, students began launching into the sky. One by one, Issei could hear the shouts of possible comrades being sent flying to what he thought was their doom. Some out of excitement, others nervousness, and some with fear. He was pretty sure he was of the latter.

"Ozpin, what is a landing strategy?" Issei asked, another student's shout ringing in his ear.

"Just as it sounds. You are being launched into the Emerald Forest. From there, you'll be strategizing your landing."

"Uh-huh..." Issei spared another glance, seeing the vast amount of trees and ground. Land where and land how? "So uh, do we get parachutes or something?"

"Mmm-no. You will be falling. It's up to you on how you decide to land."

"Wait, you didn't tell me about this part!"

"Oh? Must have slipped my mind."

Issei went pale before he got mad at the headmaster. "Oh you son of a-."

"Mr. Hyoudou. Refrain from finishing that sentence or you'll do the first detention of the year." Glynda spoke with a dangerous glint in her eye. It promptly stopped the boy in his tracks as he looked back to the older male, where he swore he saw the smallest of smirks grace the headmaster's face. "Good luck, Mr. Hyoudou."

"Bastard..."

"Mr. Hyoudou!"

"...Fuck You!" Issei shouted as he flipped Ozpin the bird before being launched into the sky missing Glynda reprimand and Ozpin's smirk as he took another sip of his coffee.


Issei was soaring into the air and truthfully he actually liked the air billowing in his face until he saw the ground come near him.

"Time to land." Issei said as he used his cloak as a parachute of sorts to help land smoothly on the ground and it would've worked had it not been for a crimson spear flying through the air and pinning him to a tree.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Who the hell throws a spear at someone when their flying in the air?!" Issei yells as he hears the bushes rustle to see his Beowolf pack walk to the tree and see their leader hung up there before Issei used his cloak to remove the spear from his cloak before assessing the damage to his cloak.

"I'm very grateful you can repair my cloak Luna because that was just rude of them." Issei said as he heard Luna screams of rage in his mind since he knew Luna wasn't exactly very happy about the owner of the spear.

[Who in the right mind would throw a spear at someone who's falling in the air?! A SPEAR! What if the person was skewered against the tree? Did the person even think of what would happen!? Oh when I find out who threw it at us I'm going to give them a piece of my mind! Just you-] Luna berated before Issei cut her off knowing that Luna was going to be like that for a while until he looked at his six Beowolves before rubbing their heads.

"Good to see you all again. It's time for orientation. So first off, let's head to the relics. My guess is that they're in the middle area of the forest where those pillars are. You ready?" Issei asks as the oldest one nodded before Issei got on its back and was about to ride him to their destination until he heard a branch snap as Issei and the Beowolves turned to see Weiss Schnee herself come out of the bushes with her weapons at the ready before seeing Issei on top of one of the Beowolves.

"Oh great it's you...Uh...you do know your sitting on top of a Beowolf."

"Uh...Yeah. I know that already. What's the problem?"

"It's a Grimm! Why are you riding one of them?" The princess yelled as she pointed a finger at him.

"Oh I know but their a pack of good Beowolves under me. I'm their pack leader." Issei said as the small pack sat down and had their heads lifted up as of they were proud to be with their leader as Issei rubbed their heads making Weiss look at him with widened eyes.

"Issei. Are you saying you can control Grimm?" Weiss asked as Issei did a so-so motion.

"Technically yes but I can only tame Grimm who aren't that strong. The ones I can't tame are the King Taijitu, the Deathstalker, the Nevermore, and the Boartusks, however I can tame the Usai, the Beowolves, and a Creep I saw in the forest. Unfortunately I've only got my Beowolf pack with me. No Ursai but I have a Creep I can call to help when need be." Issei explained as Weiss was in awe and wondering what her partners abilities were.

'Controlling and taming wild Grimm? Even if it's just a small pack of Beowolves that's still amazing. I've never heard of a semblance like that before and he doesn't even realize that it's highly possibly that it truly is his semblance. I knew ditching the blond knight was a good idea.' Weiss could see the potential in the commoner before she looked to see that Issei and the pack were gone as they were already a few feet ahead of her.

"Bye Princess! Hope you heels don't break." Issei called out as he waved a farewell to the princess making her blanch at him leaving her until Weiss rushed towards him which was a bit hard due to her heels.

"H-Hey! Where do you think your going? We're partners right?" Weiss called out as Issei just shook his head.

"Uh yeah not really since we didn't make eye contact. Sorry Ice Queen but I'm going to look for the relics and hopefully my partner. Bye!" Issei yelled back to her much to the Schnee Heiresses shock as she fell on her knees and then her hands as she realized that he was right. They didn't make eye contact the whole time. Issei kept his eye on the Grimm he was riding and never once looked her way.

Weiss then walked back towards Ruby and grabbed the back of her cloak. "This doesn't make us friends."

"You came back for me!"


Issei was continuing riding his Beowolf in the forest towards the middle where the relics were located until he heard the bushes rustle again as he got off his partner and withdrew his sword from its sheathe as he stayed on guard while the pack was growling at the possible intruder until a black haired girl came out of the bushes and looked directly at Issei's eyes before letting a small smile tug at her lips.

"Guess that means we're partners then. Blake Belladonna. Pleased to be your partner." She said with a small smile as Issei smiled back and nodded in reply.

"Issei. Issei Hyoudou. Oh and don't mind the pack. Their nice. Well as long as you don't try to kill them." Issei said as he reassured his pack until he got back on his own before gesturing to Blake to come aboard. "Climb on."

Blake looked at the Grimm a bit worriedly as some of the Grimm didn't trust her until one laid down and gestured for Blake to climb aboard its back which Blake did so until she felt the pack begin to walk as Issei gave the command. Blake couldn't believe that her new partner had a pack of Grimm following his command before she noticed the spear.

"What happened to you? Who's spear is that?" Blake asked as Issei looked at the spear and shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't know but when I find out who I'm giving them a pice of my mind for almost skewering me to a tree." Issei said as he gripped the spear tightly until he continued on the path to the relics while Blake pulled out her book and flipped to her bookmarked page until she heard Issei gasp at the title of the book.

"The Man With Two Souls? I love that series. The sequel was so good and I really enjoyed it." Issei said as he fanboyed about the book until he noticed Blake looking at him with wide eyes until Issei blushed in embarrassment until he rubbed the back of his head.

"S-Sorry about my outburst but I really do enjoy the book series. Heh. It's one of my favorites. That and besides the Yuri and Harem books in the library." Issei whispered the last part to himself but Blake's eyes widened even more as she looked at Issei and asked.

"Ever read the book called The Princess, Her Fiancé, and her Handmaidens?" Blake asked until Issei turned to look at Blake before he saw the look in her eyes.

"Are you..."

"A fan of Hentai and romance novels? ...Yes. Yes I am."

Issei gasped in joy before clasping her hands in his own before crying waterfalls.

"Finally I found someone who understands me!" Issei said as he cried tears of joy into her arms while Blake smiled and patted his back.

"There. There. Hentai Lovers stick together and truthfully it's nice to see that someone shares a common interest that I enjoy."

"Thank you! I tired to read one in my room but Professor Goodwitch swiped it from me saying that I shouldn't be reading those books in the library but I couldn't help it! The cover and the plot were so good that I had to read it." Issei said as Blake nodded with an understanding look in her eyes.

"I understand. Truly I do. It's rude when people call our books porn when it's just erotic literature."

"Finally! Where have you been all my life?"

"That's a story for another time. Also I love the Mistral attire you have on you. Black and purple definitely do suit you."

The two chatted as if they were friends for a long time while with a certain witch.


"I know I should be happy for him but I can tell he's hesitant with females such as Mrs. Xiao Lon yet with Mrs. Belladonna he seems to relax around her." Glynda said as she looked at the two chatting about their 'erotic literature' as Issei and Blake called it much to the Professor dismay since she was hoping that Issei would have a partner that would be a good influence on him.

Not a pervert like he was back home.

'There goes the lessons I drilled into his head about being a gentleman to his female partners.' Glynda sighed internally as she saw Ozpin smirk at her with a knowing look in his eyes.

"What? Is there something that's so amusing to you Ozpin?"

"Oh nothing. It's just that you seem to care an awful lot about Mr. Hyoudou. Are you perhaps worried about his well-being? Or his partner of choice?" Ozpin asked before taking a sip of his coffee until Glynda looked away.

"As his guardian I want him to have a good future and a partner that won't corrupt him and now I'm hearing him talk about the X rated section in the library." 'Note to self. Scold the librarian for even having that section in the library.' Glynda listed as she was going to give the woman a live of her mind much to Ozpin's worry.

'Maybe I should rearrange some of their partners once they become a team.' Ozpin thought as he was a little...concerned about Issei's well-being when Glynda began to glare at Blake Belladonna through the screen.


Scene!

Now Issei will be partnered up with Blake and now since he's learned about Blake's love of books and her personal favorite novels he'll be a bit more open with her but for romance between the two of them that's going to take a certain blond brawler once she becomes the third wheel of the team.

Glynda will be more of a concerned mother who is worried her child will be corrupted by the perverted woman that he's with and try to make sure he become a good gentleman but still help Issei become a Hunter for the future.

Next time: Hunters, Huntresses, and Sacrifice!

Yes sadly Issei will lose his pack in the next chapter but will have a new Grimm in the next one. Bye!~