Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo while RWBY belongs to Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth
Chapter 10: Moving Forward
Wake up, King.
Ichigo wakes up to the morning sun on Saturday. He begrudgingly gets up, knowing full well what time it is. From all the years of his father trying to 'bond' with him by either jumping into his room through his window or high jump kick him while he sleeps, Ichigo had developed an internal alarm set to wake him up at 7 am.
He groggily sits up in his bed, rubbing his face. In his process of waking up, he glances around the room. No Renji. He's probably doing his morning exercise. There is also no sign of Kon. He's probably out trying to hit on women. When will he learn? Uryū is probably almost done with breakfast and Rukia assisted him. This is their morning status quo, something that they grew into weeks into their first year here. While Orihime offered to be the cook for the group, everyone politely declined, not brave enough to stomach her strange concoctions. However, she'd still assist the morning routine in some ways.
Ichigo glances over to a calendar hanging on the wall.
Tomorrow. Ichigo has one day left for him and his team to accept the offer.
…Are they ready for this?
Why are you hesitating?
Ichigo sighs exasperatedly. "Why do you care? Like, really, why do you care? Why are you suddenly caring about my wellbeing? After everything?" The voice didn't answer back. He clicked his tongue. "Whatever."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ruby is getting better with her hand-to-hand. Not at his level, of course, but at a level where she is not helpless without her weapon. She is, however, still using a stick as a makeshift knife. Still progressing.
Ichigo couldn't help but grin at Ruby's attempt to do a judo throw on him, struggling to pull him over her shoulder.
"Hard to believe that you can swing around that giant scythe of yours." Ichigo remarked.
"…Huuuush…" Ruby wheezed out as she continues her pulling.
The others watch from afar. "Has anyone else noticed something strange about Ichigo today?" Yang asked. "Like, stranger than usual?"
"I wonder if he's still thinking about Sakura Village?" Weiss said, a little worried.
"He is, but for a different reason." Uryū said.
"Different? Like how?" Yang asked.
"Wait a minute, what about that proposition about you guys graduating early?" Weiss asked.
"Oh, yeah. Shouldn't you guys take some sort of test for it?" Yang asked.
"We should, but…" Renji said, trailing off as he rubbed the back of his neck.
Yang sees Blake off to the side deep in her thoughts. "Hey, Blake! You doing good?" The cat Faunus jumped a little.
She seemed to calm down a little. Very little. "Y-Yes…"
Yang didn't buy it. Over the past few days, Blake hadn't been sleeping. Yang would know, as she would play video games on her Scroll until 1 am. During those times, she'd pretend to sleep as she watches Blake pace around the room, occasionally throwing concerned glances at Yang. She'd sometimes go out of the room, likely to check on the others. What's up with her? "Geez, why is everyone on edge?"
Rukia glances back at Ichigo and Ruby, the latter no longer trying to throw the former over her shoulder and is now just pulling Ichigo by the arm, much to his amusement as he stayed firmly in place. The smile on the IURR leader's face was genuine, though his eyes held a hint of uncertainty.
Rukia smiles as an idea came to mind.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Guys, why are we here again?" Ichigo asked. He moved back as a couple of children run by.
"Why, to have some fun, Mr. Grumpy." Rukia chortled. Ruby snickered. Ichigo wasn't amused. "Besides, it's been a while since we were all together."
"We were here last week."
"I meant all eight of us together." Rukia said. "We're not going to have a moment like this for a long time, so let's make the most of it right now." She power-walks to Yang and Ruby. "What do you girls want to do first?"
Ruby spots a game. "Ooh! Let's try that!"
"Test of Strength? Really?" Yang asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Little Red, you're not exactly full of muscle." Renji said. "Even Uryū here has more muscle than you." Uryū's response to the comment was a sideways glare.
Ruby's response was to puff her cheeks in a pout. "I am plenty strong, thank you!" She hurried over to the attraction, where she is greeted by the operator.
"Hello! Would you like to test your strength?" the woman asked.
"Yes, I am!" the operator hands Ruby the mallet. The silver-eyed girl stares up at the high striker, the attraction having a length of 20 feet. With a Nora-like grin, Ruby holds the mallet over her head before throwing it down on the panel.
The puck barely passed the 2-feet mark.
Ruby frowned at the result before hitting the panel again. The puck reached the 3-feet mark just a smidge. Still not satisfied, Ruby hits the panel again and again, getting the same result.
"Careful there. You won't wanna break the mallet by accident." The operator said nicely.
Ruby imagined the attraction on fire as Yang came up behind her and takes the mallet. "Let me and the gun curls take a crack at it."
"Gun curls?" Ruby wondered.
"These babies." Yang said, showing off her biceps, even kissing her right bicep. "Hey, Blake, you watching?"
"…Huh? Oh, y-yeah, I am." Blake said before looking to the side again.
"Hm." Yang said with a raised brow before returning to the high striker.
"Pfft. Games like this are rigged anyways." Ruby said, crossing her arms.
*DING*
"Congratulations! Which prize do you want?"
"That one, please."
"Here you go."
Ruby glowered at her sister's grinning face as the blonde flaunted the giant bear plush. "Boo-yah."
"Yang, stop terrorizing your sister." Weiss chided.
Ichigo sat at a table as he watched the others enjoy themselves. Renji is making high scores with the basketball game, Weiss and Rukia are doing excellent with ring toss, Yang is playing Whack-A-Grimm, and Ruby and Uryū are competing at the shooting game. It's a wonder why Uryū preferred to use a bow instead of a gun. Ichigo glances over at the other person not participating, Blake, her eyes darting at every location. Lately, Ichigo has been feeling some high level of anxiety coming from the Belladonna girl. Today is no different.
"Is everything okay?" Ichigo asked her, causing her to jump in her seat and slam her hands on the table. Ichigo flinched back at the sudden reaction. "At ease, Blake, at ease."
Blake blinked a few times. Ichigo noticed faint circles under her eyes. "O-Oh, right… Sorry."
"No biggie. Are you alright?"
"Why wouldn't I be?!" Blake snapped. She instantly looked guilty at her outburst. "S-sorry. I need to find a restroom." She gets up and leaves, leaving Ichigo alone.
"…Okay then." Ichigo sat by himself, watching the others, until he heard a familiar voice calling to him.
"Ichigo?" Velvet spoke up.
"Oh, hey, Velvet."
"Hey… So, what are you doing here by yourself?"
"I'm not here by myself, I—"
"Hey, Velvet!" Rukia greeted, walking over with a bunny plush in her arm. "What are you doing here?"
"I was going to meet up with Coco and the others, but I couldn't find them anywhere." Velvet answered.
"Ichigo, why don't you go help Velvet find her team?" Rukia asked.
"Huh? What happened to the eight of us spending time together?" Ichigo questioned.
"This is more important. Go with Velvet." The tone in Rukia's voice was enough for Ichigo to understand. There was no room for arguing. He sighs and gets up.
"Fine."
"You don't have to help me if you don't want to Ichigo." Velvet said. "I don't want you to waste your time."
"Nah, it's cool." Ichigo said. "Let's go find your team."
"Um, okay." Velvet said. "Have a good evening."
"You too. Have fun." Rukia said. She watched as Ichigo and Velvet go on their 'search'. All according to plan.
"You indeed have your devious moments, Ms. Kuchiki." Uryū commented, appearing beside her.
"I could do the same for you. It would just take one Scroll call." Rukia offered, taking out her Scroll.
"Please, don't."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Any sign of her, Yatsuhachi, or Fox?" Ichigo asked.
"No…" Velvet answered.
"Damn. They're not that hard to find to find. Any luck calling them?"
"Mmm-mmm…" Velvet shook her head, looking at her Scroll worriedly.
"Don't worry. I'm sure they're okay." Ichigo said, wanting to calm her in some way. "Let's keep looking."
"Right. So, how have you been lately?" Velvet asked.
"Good." Ichigo answered.
"…I see…" Velvet said. An awkward silence fell between them. "…Um…Are you ready for your graduation exam?" Her question made Ichigo stop suddenly and Velvet bumps into his back, letting out a small squeak. "Ichigo?"
"…I…I…don't think that we're ready." Ichigo admitted.
Velvet's rabbit ears perked up. "What makes you say that?"
"Do you really need to ask? You heard what happened. You saw what it did to me, what it did to my team… and to us. I don't want to make the same mistake again."
"…Ichigo, you're more than qualified."
"Why do people say that? After everything that happened. I made an irreversible mistake that costed many lives. How are we…How am I deserving of it? After my fuck up!"
"Because you're human!" Velvet exclaimed. Her shout grabbed the attention of other people. She stayed silent until there were no more prying eyes. Velvet places a comforting hand on Ichigo's arm. "Ichigo, everyone makes mistakes and it will happen again. We're not perfect and we'll never be. And that makes us human. And, besides, you have your team to back you up. Remember that." Ichigo's brows almost disappeared into his bangs at the rabbit Faunus' speech to him. He remembered a time Velvet was very soft spoken, shy and timid around others, especially towards her team. When she started to date Ichigo, she gained some confidence.
"Guess that means you're even less than defective, huh, Faunus girl?" some jerk sneered, his gang chortling. They were quickly silenced by an unexpected glare from Velvet. Unnerved by it, the jerk and his friends went away.
Ichigo couldn't help but grin. "I think you've been around me longer than necessary."
Velvet only smiled proudly.
Ichigo then notices someone just behind Velvet. It was Zakuro with a much shorter girl with black hair and green eyes, but it wasn't the girl that grabbed his attention. It was Zakuro who did. There was something… oddly familiar about the black-haired man. Ichigo could feel his blood pumping faster at the sight of him.
"Ichigo?" He heard Velvet. He looks down to her worried eyes. "You went silent for a moment."
Ichigo flashes a small smile at her. "Sorry about that. I'm fine. Why don't we go this way?"
As soon as Ichigo and Velvet leave, Zakuro's visible red eye looked at them.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Hey, where did Blake and Ichigo go?" Ruby asked.
"Ichigo left to help Velvet find her team." Rukia answered knowingly. Uryū pushed up his glasses. "As for Blake, I don't know. I didn't see her with Ichigo." Yang narrowed her lilac eyes at that. Blake is becoming more withdrawn by the day. Does it have anything to with the lack of White Fang activity? Is she paranoid?
Yang was brought out of her thoughts at another Meg2umi concert going on. By the time Tier and Riruka finished singing, the crowd cheered.
"Wow, they're really popular." Weiss commented.
"Ya think?" Ruby said cheekily. She turns to Rukia. "I remember Uryū saying that you guys met Meg2umi before."
"It was during that search and rescue for Ashido Kano in Vacuo." Rukia said.
Renji chuckled. "It's also where Uryū drank some cactus juice and—"
"Don't even think about it." Uryū warned Renji.
"Thank you all for listening!" Riruka declared over the microphone. "Now, we have a special charitable event going on! If any of you would like to come up here and show off your musical talent, then it would be greatly appreciated for the hardworking men and women at the Dust mines courtesy of the Ishida Medical Group!"
"Do you want to do it, Weiss?" Ruby asked. "I've heard over the grapevine that you're an excellent singer."
Weiss looked doubtful. "I'd rather not."
"Why?"
"…You're aware about my…family problem? In all the charitable concerts I have performed, my father will find a way to exploit it." She crossed her arms and frowns. "I refuse to be his pawn."
"…Weiss…"
Yang appears from disappearing for a minute. "Why so gloomy sis?"
"It's nothing. Where did you come from?" Ruby asked.
"Oh, I just came back from signing you up."
"WHAT?" Ruby shouted. "Yang, why did you do that?!"
"I thought it be cute." Yang said.
"But I can't sing!"
"That's bull, Rubes. I heard you singing before back at home."
"Yang, there is a difference between singing in the shower and singing on stage. That difference being I'm not singing in front of dozens of people!"
"Oh, come on. It'll be fun!" Yang urged. "And you're doing it for charity."
Ruby whimpers a little. Weiss stares at her partner for a moment.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"You ready, Little Rose?" Franceska said, holding up a lipstick.
Ruby laughed nervously before groaning pitifully.
After what felt like forever, Ruby was ready for the end of her social life. The band members had a hard time finding an eyeshadow that would go well with Ruby's shining silver eyes. They eventually went with a red eyeshadow and applied a bit of red lipstick on her lips. Ruby's black/red hair is put up in a small bun with a red rose accessory attached over it with little red beads hanging from it. The red ball gown dress she wore is shoulderless and short with black lacings, a black ribbon and bow around her waist with a couple of red roses on the side, black transparent pantyhose, and red retro bow pumps. Covering her hands are black gloves with a single red rose each.
Apacci whistled. "You lookin' fly, girl."
"And to think, you were such an adorkable girl just a while ago." Franceska said.
Ruby turned redder than before and her hands tightened into fists, clutching on the dress. "…the pantyhose is tight…"
"Nice choice on the dress, Uryū." Sun-Sun said.
"I'm not particular fond of the color red, but I can make an exception." Uryū said with a small smile. Ruby blinked curiously at his comment. Byakuya enters the backstage, dressed in his Atlesian uniform.
"Good evening, colonel. How's the security?" Yukio asked him.
"There is no trouble to be seen." Byakuya said. He glances over at Uryū. "May I speak with you?"
Uryū blinks. "…Sure." He follows the Atlesian colonel out. Tier, who's been watching, chuckled knowingly.
Ruby looks at the shark Faunus, curiously confused.
"So, have you chosen a song yet?" Riruka asked.
"O-oh! Um…uhh…oooh…" Ruby takes a deep breath. "I can do this. I can do this. I can do this…"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Are you going to record Ruby singing?" Rukia asked Yang.
"Oh, hell yes! Dad is going to flip when he sees this."
Weiss kept to herself, remembering all the other concerts she had performed at. If it's sponsored by the SDC, the money is just going to go straight to her father's pockets. If sponsored by another company, like say the Kuchiki Foundations, then her father would have forced her attended to 'show that the Schnee's care too'. She glances back at the stage, where team FNKI was performing.
I wonder if Ruby is ready, Weiss thought.
She glances at the others before deciding to go check on her leader. Weiss carefully makes her way through the crowd and walks to the side of the stage. Just as she was about to up the stairs, she heard Uryū and Byakuya talking.
"And you're sure you haven't seen any sign of her?" Uryū asked. Weiss hurried out to the other side before she could be spotted.
"Indeed. There has been no sign of Neo Politan, nor anything else out of the ordinary." Byakuya said.
Uryū places his fingers on his chin as he thinks. "…She may be lying low. That would be a smarter solution."
"My thoughts exactly." Byakuya said. The colonel looked hesitant about something, a rare expression for him. He clears his throat. "I'm sure you are aware of the Vytal dance approaching—"
"Byakuya," Uryū started, interrupting the colonel in mid-sentence. "you and I both know why we can't." Weiss took notice at the mournful tone in her friend's voice.
"…I understand." Weiss dared to look closer at them from her hiding spot. Byakuya has his hand tenderly cupping Uryū's chin and their eyes met, almost longing. The SDC heiress could feel her cheeks turning red. Are they going to…? Albeit reluctantly, Byakuya let's go, trailing a finger on Uryū's jawline. "…Have a good evening, Uryū."
"…You too."
Weiss quickly moved away from the entrance as Byakuya made his way out. Seeing the coast is clear, she returns to the stairs, finding Uryū still there. He looked solemn, his hand pressed against his forehead and his back leaned on the wall. Weiss' brows farrowed with worry. She cautiously climbed up the stairs to him.
"Uryū?"
The Quincy glanced at her, moving his long bangs slightly. "Oh, Weiss. Is something wrong?" Weiss quickly realized that she still had on a worried look.
"O-Oh, um, I came to check on Ruby." It wasn't a lie; it was her main intention.
"She's still in backstage, prepping for her turn." Uryū told her. "You can go see her if you want."
"Thank you." Weiss thanked as she ascended the stairs passed Uryū. When she reached the top, her eyes shifted back to Uryū, seeing him in the same stance as before. Deep down, she wanted to comfort her friend, but seeing how private the exchange between the Quincy and the colonel was, she figured that she had no place to say anything at the moment. Right now, she needs to go see her partner.
"Ruby! Ruby?" Weiss called, looking for her 'non'-BFF. "Ru—"
"Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed, nearly startling the Schnee heiress out of her clothes.
"Ruby! Don't do that!" Weiss scolded. She sees Ruby's new look. "Oh my gosh, you look gorgeous!" It's amazing what a little bit of makeup can do.
"I can't do this!"
"Do what?"
"Sing! I've tried to get myself excited about this, but the more I do that, the more psyched out I get!" Ruby rambled.
"Ruby, you do realize that the tournament is going to have 10,000 times more people watching than the ones attending the concert, right?" Weiss tried to reason with her.
"Not helping!" Ruby exclaimed, on the verge of tears.
"Okayokayokayokay! Ruby," Weiss started placing her hands firmly on the silver-eyed girl's shoulders. "You are the most pigheaded, unorthodox, irrationally nice girl I've ever met."
"Isn't this supposed to be a motivational speech?" Ruby asked.
"And that's what's so amazing about you. You don't let typical social norms get the better of you and you've always remained true to yourself."
"What about you?" Ruby innocently asked. The question struck Weiss in a way that's unexplainable.
"Hey, Little Red! You're up in a couple of minutes!" Franceska shouted. "Get over here so we can do some touching up!"
"Oh, maaaan." Ruby groaned as she walks away.
Weiss remained where she was, lost in her thoughts. Up until several months ago, Weiss had abided to every expectation of the Atlesian elite standards. But, ever since being a part of team RWBY and being under the eyes of team IURR, her views on the world had changed and Weiss had never felt more…
Free.
The heiress hurries to the stairway to find Uryū about to exit.
"Uryū," the Quincy turns around, "can you help me with something?" Weiss asked.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ruby does her hardest to calm her beating heart from the anticipation as she watched Team FNKI finishing up with their song. Looking over at the crowd, she could see Yang getting her Scroll ready. Great. She could also see Uryū returning to Renji and Rukia and saw Ichigo and Velvet coming. There's even JNPR, IRYS, SSSN, NGUS, and so on.
Ruby internally curses her predicament.
"You ready, Red?" Apacci asked, patting Ruby on the back.
"Ah! Oh…" Ruby chuckled nervously as she gives the pianist a thumbs up. When Apacci walked away, Ruby slumps her shoulders. "This is it…"
"Excuse me." Sun-Sun said to her. "Have you chosen a song you wish to sing?"
If Ruby's brain hadn't stopped working before, it went to a screeching halt now. With all her panicking, she completely forgot about the core reason she was even there in the first place.
"…Ummm…"
Tier comes over and hands Sun-Sun a slip of paper. "…Oh, excellent choice."
Ruby blinked. "…Huh?" Without giving the girl any explanation, Sun-Sun hands her a microphone. The velvet curtains, Ruby's last line of defense, were pulled back. Suddenly, she feels more exposed then before. The girl slowly made her way the middle, her pumps clicking to the polished floor. Almost to buy time, Ruby pokes the microphone, causing a feedback and making Ruby and some of the crowd to flinch. Ruby chuckled awkwardly. "…Sorry. Um, soooo… I'll be…uh…"
"We will be singing 'For Good.'" Weiss said, appearing on stage. "For anyone you have seen the latest Broadway show." The crowd murmured before applauding. Ruby takes in her partner's appearance. Her long white hair is let down, with some being braided and pulled back, held together by a periwinkle blue ribbon. She has on light blue eyeshadow, but no lipstick, and has on blue earrings. She has on a beautiful light blue gown that gradients to white downwards and the shoulders and long sleeves were transparent white.
Ruby was brought out of her thoughts when Weiss started singing.
~I'm limited
Just look at me~
Weiss gestured to herself and Ruby suddenly realized how personal this is.
~I'm limited
And just look at you
You can do all I couldn't do~
Weiss places a hand on Ruby's shoulder.
~So now it's up to you
For both of us - now it's up to you...~
Ruby was speechless, gazing at Weiss in awe. She almost forgotten where she was and held the mic closer to her but kept her eyes on Weiss and away from the growing crowd.
~I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn~
Ruby almost felt like she was stumbling, but Weiss did a subtle reassuring nod to her.
~And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return~
Ruby's lips spread into a smile and Weiss' smile reached to her eyes.
~Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you...~
For some reason, the lyrics felt truer than Ruby realized. Weiss did change Ruby in a way. She helped Ruby at least balance between being her goofy self and being a leader.
~Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you~
Weiss tilted her head slightly and Ruby's cheeks hurt from smiling, but she didn't care. Blake appeared from having some time to herself, watching the performance from the shadows.
~I have been changed for good~
Blake's eyes widen slightly before glancing over at Yang, who is on the brink of tears because of her sister being on stage. Blake looks back at her other teammates.
~It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part~
Ruby's smile almost dropped at the idea of never seeing Weiss again.
~So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart~
Weiss places a hand over her chest for emphasis.
~And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend...~
Ruby was sure that her grin couldn't get any bigger.
~Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a skybird
In a distant wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
Ichigo glances over at his team.
~But because I knew you~
Velvet urged him to go back to them.
~Because I knew you
I have been changed for good~
After some thinking, Ichigo makes his way to his team.
~And just to clear the air
I ask forgiveness
For the things I've done you blame me for~
Ichigo looked apologetic. Renji's response was to slug him in the arm and Rukia merely patted his shoulder. Ichigo glances at Uryū.
~But then, I guess we know
There's blame to share~
Uryū rolled his eyes and lifts a hand, as if he was ready for a high-five, but Ichigo knew better. Instead of a high-five, he pounds his fist into Uryū's open palm, a signature of theirs.
~And none of it seems to matter anymore!~
Renji throws his arms around his teammates and Ichigo throws an arm over Renji's shoulders. Uryū places his hands on Rukia's shoulders so he doesn't accidentally bump into her. She pats his hand gratefully. They look up to watch Ruby and Weiss.
~Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a bird in the wood~
Weiss and Ruby danced together on top of that stage, not having a care in the world, and the lights grew brighter.
~Who can say if I've been
Changed for the better?~
Ruby and Weiss slowed to a halt to look at eachother again.
~I do believe I have been
Changed for the better~
Ichigo smiled at them. He glances at Uryū for no apparent reason, seeing the Quincy smile back him. They both look back up.
~And because I knew you...~
Team JNPR look at each other, grateful at being in one another's presence. Pyrrha gazed at Jaune specifically.
~Because I knew you...~
Blake looks over at Yang again, who looked proud at her younger sister as she continued to record. Almost feeling the catgirl's gaze, Yang's lilac eyes shifted to her. Having their eyes make contact gave Blake a new resolution: She needs to protect her friends.
~Because I knew you...
I have been changed for good...~
As Ruby and Weiss finish, they hugged, as a pair of sisters would do, as the crowd cheered and clapped their hands. Soon, the cheers finally reached Ruby's ears. She looks at the crowd and suddenly her adrenaline dissipated. Weiss was quick to grab Ruby before she fell to her knees when her legs turned to jelly. The girls looked at eachother before laughing.
"That was so beautiful." Rukia complimented.
"…Yeah, it was." Ichigo said thoughtfully.
"Lien for your thoughts, Kurosaki?" Uryū asked.
"That's gonna be expensive." Renji joked.
"Renji!" Rukia scolded but couldn't hide her laugh well. Uryū only shook his head.
Ichigo would normally be mildly annoyed by the comment, but instead he felt at more at ease. It's as if things haven't changed but did at the same time. And it's not so bad. The orangette looks down at his hands, flexing them as he can feel his callous skin. He thinks back on all the people he was able to save. But, then he remembers the people he failed to save at Sakura. Then he remembered what Ruby said last semester.
Live for them.
And he will. He will live for them and he would fight for them.
What do you think, King?
Ichigo had made his decision.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ozpin is at his desk, going over some paperwork. A downside to being a headmaster, especially when your perpetually on the council's sore side. As he looks through a documentation, he hears a buzzer from outside. "Come in." He said. The door slides open and team IURR enters. "Good evening you four. Is there something you wish to tell me?"
"We're ready." Ichigo said and that was it.
Without looking up from the boring papers, Ozpin smiles.
Of all the songs me and my sister had sung together (Car Wash, Scream, Burning Love, etc), my sister's favorite is 'For Good' from Wicked. If anyone hadn't got a chance to watch the performance, please, go do so. You would not regret it.
Now about last week's RWBY chapter: The whole first sequence gave me some Gen:Lock vibes. Yes! The entirety of team FNKI! Oh my gosh! Winter might become the Winter Maiden...wait. Jacques, I HATE YOU! HATE! HATE! HAAAAAAAATE!
Okay, I don't want to spoil what happened in this week's chapter but...EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I'm fangirling like crazy. And I'm not even a fan of this shipping!
Next Chapter: Once Upon a Time (December 11)