Today's the day! I haven't seen the episode yet but even if I did, I won't speak a word what happened. Mainly because of, you know, spoiling.
Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo while RWBY belongs to Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth
Chapter 04: Wavering Choices
Zakuro was watching an episode of Karakura Raizers when he heard a knock from outside his temporary room. "It's open." He said. Cinder emerges into the room.
"Good evening, Zakuro." Cinder said. She takes a seat next to him. "Oh, don't you look good." Zakuro is wearing a ripped, long-sleeved white shirt with a red butterfly design on the lower corner over a red shirt, faded black jeans and red shoes. He is still wearing a mask over his left eye.
"Thank you."
"And how has your stay been?"
"Fine, for the most part." Zakuro muttered. "I've learned how to cook quiche."
"Really? Sounds nice. And I'm sure Salem would be thrilled to try it." Cinder said.
"… I like cooking for Madre…" Zakuro muttered.
Cinder rubs her hand on his shoulder in almost a sisterly way. "I'm sure you do. How about you make the quiche tonight? I want to try it."
"…I'll need to go get the ingredients."
"That's fine. We can wait. Here." Cinder hands him a Lien. "You know your way around the city at this point, right?" Zakuro nods. "Good. Now, run along and have fun." Zakuro nods again before getting up and leaving. The television starts to report on the murder of a local bookstore owner, a picture of Tukson popped up.
Cinder sighed. She should have known.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yang's punches were aggressive as she and Renji spared. With one heavy hit, Renji was pushed back, the soles of his shoes screeching on the gym floor.
"That's a lot of aggression." He commented.
"Can you blame me? I'm so wound up!" Yang said. "How could they accuse Angelface like that?"
"At least he was cleared in the end." Renji said.
"You don't seem worried for your teammate." Weiss said.
"That's because I knew Uryū was innocent." Renji declared.
"He doesn't seem to be the type to do such a thing." Scarlet said.
"Perhaps part of the reason for the accusation was because of the mere fact that Uryū is a Quincy." Sage said.
"Man, that's rough." Neptune said.
Sun glances over at Blake, who is seating at the bench, looking solemn. The monkey boy sits next to the cat girl. "You okay?" Sun asked.
"Hm? Oh, y-yeah, I'm fine." Blake gets up. "I think I'll head in early."
"All right." Renji said.
"Catch ya later…" Sun started to say, but Blake closed the door. "…Blake."
As Blake was on her way to her dorm, she bumps into Ozpin.
"Oh, Ms. Belladonna." Ozpin said.
"Hello, Prof. Ozpin. Is there something you need?" Blake asked, hoping she could just return to her room.
"Yes, actually. I would like to have a word with you. Will you please come to my office?" Ozpin.
Blake fought back a groan. "…Of course."
Ruby sat on the gym floor as she watched Yang and Renji fight. Her eyes then went to Weiss, who is on her Scroll. She then looks around the gym.
"Hey, has Ichigo ever come by?" Ruby asked.
"I don't think so. In fact, I haven't seen him since lunch." Weiss said.
"Hmmm… I'll be right back." Ruby said before leaving the gym.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ichigo laid back by himself on top of Beacon Tower, gazing into the sky as he thought about what transpired earlier…
~Flashback~
"Care to run that by me again?" Ichigo asked, his tone edgy.
"You heard me. The Quincy here is a suspect of a murder." Officer Barnie said.
"Excuse me, do you realize who he is?" Weiss questioned.
"Oh, I know. He's the second son of Ryūken Ishida, CEO of the Ishida Medical Group." Officer Barnie said, looking straight at Uryū. "But don't think that daddy's money is going to bail him out of this." Uryū narrowed his eyes.
"I would never ask my father to pay for any crime I may have committed." Uryū said. "And instead of judging me about something nothing to do with why you are here, you should be asking me more appropriate questions."
"Listen, you little—"
"Barnie." Officer Yesman chided. "I'm sorry, Mr. Ishida. Can you at least tell us what you were doing in the last 12 hours or so?"
"I was on a mission with my team and a Shade team called NGUS to a village for a search and rescue."
"And what village is that?" Officer Yesman asked.
"Norrow."
Taking the information, Officer Barnie looked through the records from his Scroll tablet.
"I can't believe this." Weiss muttered.
Seeing the results, Officer Barnie grunts, "You're in the clear." He hands Officer Yesman the tablet and walks away.
"My apologies, Mr. Ishida. Everyone, please have a good day." Officer Yesman said before following his partner out of the building.
"Uryū, are you okay?" Weiss asked.
"…I am." He isn't and Ichigo can feel it. His anguish, grief, anger, and guilt. It eventually became too much and Ichigo decides to leave.
Ruby notices Ichigo walking away. "Ichigo?"
"Should we talk to him?" Yang asked. Ichigo punches the wall on his way out, leaving a noticeable cracked dent. Glynda let's out a sigh.
"I'd give him a minute to calm down." Ozpin said.
~End~
Zwei comes into his line of vision. *Bark**Bark*
"Ichigo?" Ichigo looks up to see Ruby.
"Oh, hey." He said as he sits up. "Is everything all right?"
"I should be asking you that." Ruby said as she sat next to him with Zwei in between.
Ichigo glances back to the sky. "I have experienced the deaths of many people, some being those that I… come to know, whether it be family or friend. So why is it still so…painful?" Ichigo said.
Ruby scratches her head. "Well, I can imagine that's not the kind of thing that you can just 'get used to'."
"…Yeah."
"Tukson was somebody Uryū knew, right?"
"He was the only person to hire Uryū because of some prejudice assholes." Ichigo said. "Sorry."
Ruby shook her head. "No, it's okay. I've heard worse from my Uncle Qrow." She remembered one-time Qrow stubbed his toes hard on the coffee table and started shouting every profanity in the book at the top of his lungs. Tai overheard and scolded Qrow for using foul languages in front of his daughter. Ruby didn't have the heart to remind Tai of all the times he said the 'gd' word every time Yang did a pun.
Ruby also didn't have the heart to tell her father about the time she said the 'sh' word when she broke a plate she was washing.
"I've met him a few times when Ishida goes to order a book. He seems to be a decent guy." Ichigo said.
"Let me guess, Uryū was ordering us some books, right?" Ruby asked.
Ichigo smiled. "You saw through it?"
"Oh, please, it was so obvious." Ruby frowns remorsefully. "And because of that, Uryū almost got in trouble."
"It's was Ishida's choice. There's no need for you to feel guilty." Ichigo said.
"…I guess." Ichigo could tell that Ruby still felt guilty.
"…Wanna go to Royal Burger?"
"Yes, please."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Uryū stood alone at Beacon's outside shooting range, practicing his archery. After the encounter with the VPD, an agent came up to him and told him about Tukson's will. Apparently, the Faunus man have indeed bequeathed to him all his books in the store. He lets loose an arrow at the target yards, piercing just outside the bullseye. Just like 5 five others. Uryū sighs before taking out his Scroll and dials a number. After a few rings, someone picked up.
/Uryū? Is everything okay?/ a strong, stern, female voice asked from the other.
"Y-Yes, Oma, everything is fine." Uryū said, trying to keep calm and collected. "I'm just wondering if there is any room at home for more books?"
/I can check the private library. Why? Did you order some?/ While stern, there was a hint of playfulness.
"Well, yes and no. Do you remember Tukson?"
/Mmm-hmm/
"…He…was found dead this morning. He was killed."
/…Gott im Himmel. Oh, enkel, mein tiefes Mitgefühl. Are you all right?/ his grandmother asked.
"Yes. I'm fine." He didn't want to tell his grandmother about him being accused of the murder. "It's not like this is the first time."
/…And it won't be the last. Especially for people like us./
"…You're right… One day, I'll outlive everyone. Sometimes, I wonder why I even bother with making these relationships." Uryū lamented, his grip on his Scroll tightened. He once heard people talk about how jealous they were of the Quincy's longevity and wishes to have it too, the common excuses being that they won't have to die of old age and/or keep their youth.
It's safe to say that Uryū couldn't help but disagree on a sentimental level.
While he is a 12-week-old fetus compared to other, much older Quincys, Uryū have always dreaded the day that he would have to watch his mortal friends grow old and die while he stays the way he is. His father, Ryūken, had once told him of a personal experience of his with two people he had grown close to during the Great War. The Ishida patriarch had said that the losses still stung.
/It's better than being alone, richtig?/
Uryū remembered his time of self-inflicted social isolation from many people. He avoided any sort of connection, even from his own family. And his friends. Ichigo made sure to change all that.
"…You may be right."
/Good. Now, how many books am I expecting?/
"…Ummm…5…10…the whole store."
/…Okay…I guess we can send some to the main house in Atlas, and maybe others to charity…/
Uryū coughs away a sheepish chuckle. "S-sorry, Oma. Tukson was apparently going to give it to me."
/No, no. It's fine. A dear friend has given you the gift of knowledge before his passing. Don't worry. I'll make the arrangements./
"You don't have to do that."
/As your grandmother, I can and I will. Just focus on your school work and the Vytal Festival./
Uryū wanted to protest, decided not to. Not a good idea to be argumentative with Yuhua Ishida. "…Okay, I will."
Yuhua softly chuckled. /Good. Auf wiederhören./
"Auf wiederhören." Uryū said before hanging up. He stares at his Scroll in silence before putting it away and resuming his target practice. He takes an arrow from a container nearby and readies it on his Bogen Sperling. Uryū pulls back and releases the arrow. It pierces the bullseye, but not dead center like he wanted.
"You are still in turmoil." A male voice said. Uryū turns to see the Atlesian Military's colonel and General Ironwood's righthand man, Byakuya Kuchiki. "You won't receive your wanted results unless you calm your heart. Have a moment."
"Colonel Kuchiki."
"My apologies. I was practicing with my sword when I noticed you." Byakuya said.
"There's no need for an apology, Colonel."
"…I've also wanted to see how you are faring."
"…You've heard about what happened from Ms. Kuchiki."
"Again, my apologies. She had received a worrying message from Weiss Schnee about the incident. When I learned it was about you, I wanted to know what happened. As a close friend of Rukia, you are dear to me, like Renji and Ichigo Kurosaki." There was slight disdain in Byakuya's voice at the mention of Ichigo. Uryū pushed back the need to chuckle at Ichigo's expense.
"I see. Thankfully, I am cleared of the charges. I…appreciate the concern, Colonel Kuchiki."
"That's good." Byakuya clears his throat. "I have taken enough of your time. Best of luck." Byakuya turns to leave. "…And…when it's just the two of us, you may refer to me as 'Byakuya'." Uryū's eyes widen a little.
He pushes up his glasses. "…Okay…"
Byakuya nods. "Have a good evening, Uryū."
"You too, Byakuya." After the colonel leaves, Uryū returns to his training.
He goes to get another arrow. When he pulls it back as he aimed, he noticed a folded piece of paper attached to the shaft. It has his name on it and a skull akin to a pirate jolly roger stamped on it.
"Hm?" He removes it and opens it.
Come to Club Juniors tomorrow – Ohana
An arrow flew passed him and hit the target. Uryū swung around, his bow and arrow ready, searching for anyone. He couldn't find or sense anything. Uryū cautiously lowered his weapon and went to the target. The newest arrow has a note attached to it. On it said Team IURR.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ruby was at the dormitory when she met up with Yang and Weiss.
"Hey little sis, where've you been?" Yang asked.
"I had dinner at Royal Burger with Ichigo." Ruby answered.
Yang grabs her sister in headlock and proceeds to give her a nuggie. "And you didn't invite me because…" She smiled. Ruby tries to break free.
"Sorry! I'm sorry! Uncle, uncle!" Yang relinquishes her hold and Ruby staggers back.
"No sweat, Ruby. It's too bad you didn't stick around a little longer. You should've seen that Neptune guy flirting with the Ice Queen here." Yang said, thumbing at Weiss. "And I think a certain someone has the hots for the guy."
Weiss crosses her arms. "I have no idea what you are talking about. And why do you keep calling me that?"
"'Cause you are." Yang said, opening her door. She sees Blake seating on her bed. "Oh, hey, Blake. Something wrong?"
"…No. Nothing's wrong." Blake said as she stood and walked to the door.
"Stop right there, Belladonna." Weiss said, standing in the cat girl's path. "Ever since we heard what happened to Tukson, you've been quiet, antisocial, and very moody."
"Weiss, meet Blake." Yang said.
Weiss glares at Yang briefly before continuing. "Anyways, whatever is wrong, you can tell us what it is. White Fang member or not, you're a member of this team. A friend." Weiss places a hand on Blake's shoulder. "We're here for you."
Blake's cat ears perked slightly from underneath her ribbon. She glances over at the sisters, who smiled big grins at her. She looks back at Weiss, who smiled warmly. Blake sighs.
"Tukson was a member of the White Fang. His bookstore doubled as a meeting place for the Vale branch." She told them. "It's possible that he knew something crucial during one of those meetings."
"Couple that with the White Fang and Roman Torchwick working together…" Ruby said.
"…and the implications that Tukson was going to leave Vale, due to the news revealing a one-way airline ticket to Vacuo in his belongings." Weiss added.
"Tukson was probably killed to keep something under wraps." Yang said. "Especially since the Neo-White Fang are coming back into power over there."
"The question is, what plan are they trying to hide?" Blake asked.
"Okay, whoever is up for investigating this, say 'aye'." Ruby said, raising a hand.
"Aye."
"Aye!"
*Bark!*
"Aye."
"Aye!"
"Nora? How did you get in here?" Weiss asked.
"You left your door wide open." Nora answered. Ruby facepalmed.
"How much did you hear?" Yang asked.
"How about EVERYTHING!" Nora said excitedly. "Ooo, this is going to be so much fun! A real espionage mission!"
"Wait, Nora. It's probably best if—" Ruby tried to explain, but her words fell on deaf ears.
"I'm gonna tell the others!" Nora zips away. Excited, Zwei ran after her.
.
.
.
"…We're doomed." Weiss said.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"And you think this is legit?" Ichigo asked, a piece of paper in hand.
"If it wasn't, this is a rather elaborate prank." Uryū said.
"Well, it's something." Rukia said.
"And it's better than nothing." Renji said.
"Did you talk with Old Man Oz about this?" Ichigo asked Uryū.
"I have and he and the VPD has given us permission to investigate."
"Then, let's prepare for tomorrow." Ichigo said.
Next Chapter: Espionage (November 9)