Disclaimer:This is a work of fan fiction using characters and/or scenes from the show RWBY, which is trademarked by Rooster Teeth, and the video game Persona 3, which is trademarked by Atlus. I do not, in anyway, claim ownership over the characters, the world, the story, or any other aspect belonging to either one. This story should not be, in any way, considered canon. This story is written strictly for entertainment and not for profit.
Warning: This story will exhibit slight differences in character behavior since I will be taking the liberty to fill in blank points in the pasts of various characters. As such, expect that many characters will not behave exactly as their canon selves. I will attempt to keep their core personalities intact, but slight changes will be unavoidable.
Hey everyone, sorry for the long wait. After the last chapter I had planned on updating my other story first. But after writing a few thousand words, inspiration dried up. I tried waiting to see if I could get inspired again but, in the end, nothing really happened. So rather than force it, I switched back to this.
So to those here who read my other story, I'm sorry. I'm not giving up on it but until my muse comes back from wherever or I get a new muse from somewhere that story won't be moving along much.
Made a mistake in the last chapter regarding the ages of SEES. The ages I listed were their ages in 2009, which is when the game took place. I forgot to add in another year, making the seniors 19, the juniors 18, Junpei 17, and Ken and Aigis 12 (Though only because she was created in 1998).
Bet a lot of you didn't know that Junpei was actually the youngest of the juniors, huh? His birth date is listed as January 16, 1993.
Anyway, with this chapter you'll finally get to see how the teams will be formed. A great big thanks to Metal Vile and Twin Overlords of Chaos and Order (who is actually a classmate of mine back in high school) for their help coming up with the teams names. Sole credit for the name of Mitsuru's team goes to Metal Vile as well. Seriously guys, I really appreciate the help.
When you see how the teams are set-up you'll understand just how hard it was to come up with good names with the choices of letters we had.
With the revelations of the previous chapter you can expect a lot of questions to be flying SEES's way from multiple sources and on multiple topics. So you'll be seeing SEES explain quite a bit of their history and the technical details of their abilities in this chapter.
Not a lot of action in this one but this chapter will set-up quite a lot of future events.
Enjoy the chapter everyone.
Chapter 4 – We Are The Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad
September 6, XX13
"Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark."
The four young men stepped up to the stage when their names were called, and stood in a line before Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. Dressed in a black suit and vest, and dark green pants, only the spotlight made him visible in the otherwise darkened amphitheater.
One the screen above the stage, the faces of the four students were displayed, one of their initials displayed beneath their names to spell out CRDL.
"The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, the four of you shall work together as Team Cardinal, led by Cardin Winchester."
Polite applause came from the rest of the students as the newly formed team bowed and walked off the stage.
"Akihiko Sanada, Lie Ren, Ken Amada, and Nora Valkyrie."
The four strode up to the stage, three bearing neutral expressions while one bore a small grin. Above them, photos of their faces along with their names appeared as each name was called. The names then faded away, save for one initial from each of them which were then enlarged and formed the acronym ANKR.
"The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, the four of you shall work together as Team Anchor, led by Akihiko Sanada."
Akihiko nodded resolutely, a small grin on his face as Ken, Ren, and Nora congratulated him. Before long, the four of them were walking off the stage as the next team was called.
"Junpei Iori, Jaune Arc, Chidori Yoshino, and Pyrrha Nikos."
As they walked up to the stage, Junpei was openly grinning, Chidori's face was its usual blank mask, Jaune looked a bit nervous, while Pyrrha had a small, polite smile on her face. On the screen above them, the initials of their names were taken to spell out, JACN.
"The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, the four of you shall work together as Team Jacinth, led by Junpei Iori."
The grin turned into a look of shock as a finger rose up, pointing at his own face as though asking for confirmation. "M-Me?" he asked with a strained, high-pitched voice.
From somewhere off the side of the stage, a feminine voice cried out, "Him?!"
"Congratulations, Junpei-kun." Chidori reached up to place one hand on his shoulder, a soft smile replacing the blank expression on her face.
Likewise, Jaune and Pyrrha congratulated him as the three carefully led the still dumbfounded team leader off the stage.
"Aigis Arisato, Weiss Schnee, Fuuka Yamagishi, and Ruby Rose."
The four girls stepped up to the stage as their names were called. Much like when ANKR had been called up, there were three neutral expressions and one smile amongst the four of them. On the screen, beneath their portraits, was the word ASYR.
"The four of you retrieved the white bishop pieces. From this day forward, the four of you shall work together as Team Azure, led by Aigis Arisato."
For some reason, Weiss didn't feel the urge to protest Ozpin's choice of leader. She thought that she would feel even just the slightest bit, but the moment Aigis's name slipped past Ozpin's lips, Weiss felt the urge die out before it even formed despite the fact that she was not made team leader.
She had not gotten on a team with Mitsuru as she had hoped. Moreover, she was stuck with a girl two years her junior as her partner, one that was far more immature than her apparent age. True, Ruby had shown that she was capable enough in combat when they had fought together earlier, but that seemed to be the only consolation.
But she was placed on the same team as Fuuka and Aigis. Fuuka's support abilities would be incredibly useful on the field and her Oracle ability, even while underpowered, was a powerful and useful ability if used properly. And then there was Aigis. She was, undoubtedly, the strongest among the eight members of SEES without her Persona. With it, her deadliness only increased. She was also quite intelligent, if her deductive display the day before was any indication.
She may not have gotten the team she wanted, nor had she been assigned to be the leader, but she was, oddly enough, satisfied by what she had.
"And finally, Mitsuru Kirijo, Yukari Takeba, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long."
As the last four students stepped up, the previous portraits were replaced by theirs along with their names. And like the others, their names faded away as one initial from their names was enlarged and arranged to spell out KYBT
"The four of you retrieved the black rook pieces. From this day forward, the four of you shall work together as Team Cabernet, led by Mitsuru Kirijo."
Mitsuru smiled politely and gave a shallow nod to show her acceptance while her new team congratulated her. Once they stepped off the stage, Ozpin took his place at the center and addressed the students.
"To the ten new teams, be proud of what you have accomplished. Today, you have taken another step towards your goals, your dreams. However, remember that this is just that, one single step. This school shall do its utmost to help you along your path. But many who have walked the same path have stumbled and fallen to the wayside even before they leave these halls. Be wary, or you may just find yourselves among that number."
And just like the day before, he walked away, leaving them to puzzle over his cryptic words while Glynda took his place at the microphone. "Now then, before you leave I would like to remind all new students that you are now official students of Beacon Academy and, more importantly, Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training. As such, we expect you to act in a manner befitting your station." She paused, looking at the various first-years in the auditorium as though expecting trouble already.
When she was satisfied by what she saw, she continued. "Team leaders will receive a notification from the school within the next few minutes. On it you will find the details of your team's dormitory assignments, a map of the school, and your class schedules, including any electives your team members may choose from. Electives must be chosen before this coming weekend otherwise you will have to wait until the next year to take it."
"Classes will officially begin Monday next week so I recommend taking this time to settle in, familiarize yourselves with the campus, and make any final preparations for your classes and your time here at Beacon. Please note that some facilities will not be open and available for use until next week. You're dismissed."
Once those final two words were uttered, many of the students, both new and old, began making their way to the exit at the back of the room. Four of the newly christened teams, however, remained where they were, waiting for the crowd to disperse so as to ease their own exit.
"Well, we're in," stated Yukari.
"What? Did you think we wouldn't?" joked Junpei, walking up with his own team in tow.
"Well," began Fuuka, "There was always the chance that we wouldn't make it in time to get one of the relics. There weren't a lot of them to begin with. Certainly not enough to pass everyone taking the test."
"Heh, then we'd just take them from whoever managed to get one," Akihiko declared with a faintly manic grin, shocking many of those around him. "The Headmaster said it himself, 'each pair must retrieve one and return to the top of the cliff'. Never said we had to take it from the temple, just that we'd find it there."
Chidori hummed in agreement but looked at Akihiko with a bit of shock but also approval. "I'm surprised. I did not expect anyone else to consider that idea." This drew various looks from SEES, to which she merely gazed back at them with a neutral expression.
Weiss looked at Akihiko with mixed shock and apprehension, as though afraid to voice her opinion because of his grin. "I… don't think the Headmaster would have appreciated us fighting, let alone injuring the other students for the right to pass." The fact that their Personas, as they called it, would have decimated even multiple full teams within seconds went unsaid. Especially since the mere sight of a Persona would have shocked the inexperienced initiated enough that they would most likely be unable to react to the first, and possibly last, attack.
"Actually, I believe Akihiko is right." Everyone turned to Mitsuru, one of the last people they expected to side with the boxer's perspective. "There were roughly 200 students in the hall yesterday during the opening ceremony. As I recall, there weren't that many relics to begin with. And with only ten passing teams, that makes for a total of 40 students, only about a fifth of the original number. So think, why limit the number of students to be accepted after allowing so many to take the exam? Why not simply take the 40 best applicants and allow them direct entry?"
"I think I understand." Everyone turned to Fuuka, who had responded barely two seconds after the former heiress posed the question. "Rather than 'culling the herd', isn't it more like 'natural selection' taking place?"
"Natural… selection?" Seeing that most of SEES seemed to be nodding in understanding, Weiss looked at those not part of SEES but nobody seemed to know what it was her new teammate was talking about.
"Isn't that where plants and animals that are better adapted to their environment survive and reproduce more?" Yukari asked, to which Fuuka nodded.
"Uh… what's that mean again?" asked Junpei, looking almost as confused as half the group.
"Ugh… seriously?" Yukari asked, half-exasperated, half-disbelief. "We learned this last year, remember? Well, two years ago now I guess."
"You really expect me to remember that?" On his part, Junpei didn't look the least bit ashamed of his lack of knowledge. "I can barely remember what our last exams were about and that wasn't even a year ago."
"Think of it like this, Junpei-kun," interjected Fuuka, seeing that the two were about to get into one of their arguments again. "In a forest, there are orange beetles, and brown beetles. Because their color stands out more in the forest, the orange beetles are more likely to be eaten by birds or other animals. Even if more orange beetles are born, they're population drops faster than the brown beetles. Eventually, when there are no more orange beetles left, only brown beetles can be born. Because the brown beetles were more adapted to the environment, they're the ones that survived and continued to thrive."
Junpei nodded slowly along with the others who had not known about it. "Okay, I get that. But what does that have to do with the exam?"
"I believe Fuuka-san means that the students are like the beetles," explained Aigis. "But rather than natural selection, I believe that survival of the fittest is the more suitable term. In this situation, we would be more like predators fighting over a piece of territory. We, that is, the ten teams who passed, survived and managed to claim our territory because we were stronger than the others. So rather than simply looking at transcripts and records, the Headmaster decided to place us all on equal footing and allow our abilities to speak for themselves."
Understanding dawned on those who had not yet understood what Mitsuru had been getting at. But at the same time, a look of distaste appeared on a few. And one of them decided to let her feelings be known.
"But isn't that unfair?" Everyone turned to Ruby, the second youngest among their number, as she voiced her opinion on the matter. "I mean, everybody worked hard to get here. Even getting accepted to take the initiation is pretty hard. Shouldn't that be enough?"
It was Akihiko who shook his head first, drawing everyone's attention. "Life's never fair. Taking something for yourself means someone else can't take it and not everything can be shared or divided in a way that can be used by more than one person. And if there isn't enough for everyone, it means someone will always walk away empty-handed. If you worry too much about them, you'll be the one walking away empty-handed. It's a harsh way to think about it, but sometimes it all comes down to who wants it more, to what you're willing to do to get what you want."
"But still-"
"Um... I don't want to interrupt but I just got a message from the Headmaster," said Fuuka, holding up the outdated Scroll Ozpin had lent them yesterday. Inwardly, she and a few others were grateful for the interruption. "He wants SEES to meet him in his office."
"Did he mention why?" asked Mitsuru, nodding and beginning to walk towards the exit, which was now considerably clearer and less congested. The rest of SEES followed immediately with the rest of their teammates following after a slight delay.
"He said it's about the initiation," responded the teal-haired girl. "Since he did say we would be monitored at that time, I'm assuming it's about our Personas. He also said he wanted to talk about our situation in general."
"Well, can't say we weren't expecting this," Yukari sighed as she spoke, walking alongside her partner. "Still, I was hoping we'd be able to get some rest before being interrogated."
"To be fair, interrogation implies we did something wrong." Yukari certainly had to concede to Aigis's words. "As it is, it is understandable that they would have questions. Our Personas are things they have not encountered before."
"Hey, mind if we come along?" SEES paused and turned around to face the blonde brawler as she spoke for the others. "I mean, this way you won't have to explain things to us again afterwards, right?"
The members of SEES turned to Mitsuru for answers.
"Well, that's certainly the most polite demand for answers I've heard," Akihiko said, once he felt Fuuka connect with the group. "Still, do we let them? We don't exactly know what the Headmaster will be asking about beyond our Personas."
"True, but personally I don't see anything wrong with it," said Fuuka. "After all, the only thing we won't be telling anyone is that we're actually from thousands of years in the past. Everything else fits well enough with the cover story we came up with."
"Perhaps we should keep moving for now," Mitsuru said out loud. She knew it would take a while for everyone to voice their opinions. It would only draw suspicion if all eight members of SEES remained in the same place without saying or doing anything for too long. While she didn't necessarily distrust their new teammates, there were still some things that were best kept among themselves for the moment.
Once they were moving again, Mitsuru slowed down enough so she could walk beside Yang. "I understand your point. But you do realize this meeting will be about more than just our Personas, correct?"
"What do you mean?"
While Mitsuru spoke with Yang, and their other teammates, Yukari quickly voiced her opinion. "Most of you already know how I feel about things like this. Hiding something important, especially from people we'll be working with, isn't going to end well."
"That's true I guess. 'Sides, it's like Fuuka-chan said, we don't really have much to hide," said Junpei. "So long as we leave most of the talking to Mitsuru-senpai so we don't say anything wrong by mistake we should be good, right?"
It was a good thing that SEES was walking in front. Though they communicated mentally, they relied solely on Fuuka to maintain the connection. By forming a human wall, they could hide the fact that Aigis was guiding Fuuka by the shoulders. With her focus dedicated to maintaining their connection, her legs walked without aim as her eyes gazed blankly ahead, leaving it to Aigis to ensure Fuuka did not get into an accident.
"We aren't from anywhere on your maps," reminded the red-haired girl. "Even the Headmaster admitted that the island we came from isn't on any map he has ever seen. Moreover, we didn't know there were places like Mistral, or Vale. Our maps are incomplete, far more so than yours seeing as we only had our own island on it. In a way, our home doesn't exist to you just as yours doesn't exist to us. If we're going to attend Beacon, we will need identification and such. The Headmaster has graciously volunteered his help in this matter."
"By the way," Mitsuru said, increasing the volume of her voice so that those ahead could hear her. "Has anyone seen Koromaru?"
"Not since this morning," replied Fuuka, temporarily breaking the connection. "Do you want me to contact him?"
"Please do. Once we're finished meeting with the Headmaster, I'd like to proceed to the dorms. I'm sure everyone could use some rest after today."
"Even if we don't let them come now, all it means is we'll be telling the story again at a later time," said Akihiko once Fuuka re-established the connection. "Best to just get it over with."
"I don't think it matters much if we let them listen in either," added Ken. "Even if we do tell them everything, what's the worst they could do asides from not believe our story?"
"They could have us locked up for experimentation," joked Junpei. "Or maybe they'll think we're crazy and just plain lock us up."
"D-Don't say things like that!" Yukari had to resist the urge to throttle the cap-wearing boy next to her. "B-Besides, it's not like we're telling them everything."
Junpei's laughter echoed through their minds at Yukari's reaction. "And I thought you were just scared of ghosts."
"I-Idiot. Anyone would be scared of being turned into an experiment."
"Koromaru? Who's that?" asked Yang.
"The final member of SEES," Mitsuru answered with a mysterious smile. "For… certain reasons, he was unable to join us as a student. But since he has nowhere to go, we've obtained permission from the Headmaster to allow him to stay on campus. He won't be allowed to enter most buildings, however."
Behind them, the three girls who met SEES the previous morning were trying to remember who else had been with the group at that time. But none of them could remember seeing a ninth person. The name sounded familiar but they couldn't match the name to a face.
"Does he not fight?" asked Pyrrha. It made her curious to hear that there was a member of the group known as SEES that had not been able to join the initiation.
From what she had seen from the eight members she knew, each one of them was fairly formidable in combat. Certainly they were no match for most trainees in terms of physical ability but those summons, their Personas as they called them, were downright terrifying, able to eliminate large numbers of Grimm in mere seconds. Any trainee would be wary of facing those head-on.
Earlier, out of curiosity, she had attempted to subtly reach out to Mitsuru's Persona with her own Semblance, Polarity, only to fail. Despite their appearances, there was not a single shred of metal in their bodies. Seeing that they were formed from light of some sort, it was possibly that they were formed directly from SEES's Aura. Considering they were the group's Semblance, it made sense.
So what other reason could there be for one of their own to not be able to attempt the initiation other than the fact that they could not fight? But it was stranger still considering that Fuuka, a support member, was able to join the initiation. And despite not having joined them in direct combat, her Oracle ability was still terrifying in its own way to be able to cripple an old Death Stalker despite not being at full power.
"Koromaru is quite capable actually but… well, you'll see," came Mitsuru's vague response. "It's best to see it for yourself."
'Perhaps he is injured then, or handicapped at worst,' thought Pyrrha. After all, if those guns, their Evokers, were all that was needed to call forth their Persona then he would only need one hand to do so.
"I believe we can allow them to accompany us," said Aigis, the last of SEES to state their opinions for Mitsuru to consider. "As I recall, nothing that we planned to share with the Headmaster needs to be kept from others. Therefore, I foresee no problems should they attend the meeting with the Headmaster."
And with Aigis's opinion, every other member had shared their thoughts. And that was all Mitsuru needed seeing as it was unanimous. "Back to what we were talking about earlier. If you have no problem sitting in on less exciting matters then I see no reason why you could not join us," she said to Yang, glancing over her shoulder with a small smile to show that she was speaking to everyone else as well. "After all, we'll all be working together from this day on."
The others smiled back with nods of their own, a few speaking words of acceptance as well. Unfortunately, the moment was ruined with a bark and a short, stifled scream.
"Koro-chan!"
From in front of the group, coming from the direction of Beacon Tower, a dog with pale gray fur and a white underbelly ran up to the group, barking excitedly. When he reached them, the members of SEES called out to him with various greetings in turn as he literally ran circles around each member of the group.
"Is this…"
"Koromaru, yes." While she did not say or even show it, Mitsuru was most definitely amused by the look on her teammate's face. Not to mention the looks on the others as they remembered what she had said just moments ago about Koromaru.
"Oh, he's so cute!" Well, save for one at least. With a squeal of excitement, Nora ran up to join SEES as they greeted Koromaru, who now sat on his haunches before them all.
"Koromaru-san says he is glad we are safe," said Aigis, playing the part of translator, then asked, "Are you well? Did you encounter any problems while we were gone?" Koromaru barked out a response even as Nora knelt down and started petting him. Without needing to be asked, the hidden android translated for the rest of the group. "He says he spent some time exploring the area, but stayed outdoors as we asked. He also found a rabbit earlier and played with it."
"A rabbit?" asked Ken, turning to face the albino Shiba Inu with a curious, but slightly worried, expression. "Did you…"
Koromaru barked once more even as Nora started nuzzling her cheek against his. "He says he chased it around the school for a while. It would seem rabbits here are quite fast to be able to match and almost outrun Koromaru-san."
Ken let out a sigh of relief, his expression mirrored by Yukari and Fuuka. Considering it was a school, it would be problematic if Koromaru hurt a student's pet. Then again, didn't Goodwitch say pets aren't allowed? A wild rabbit perhaps?
"Wait, you can understand him?" Nora's question turned all the attention to Aigis in that instant. Part of them was too busy trying to make sense of the fact that the final member of SEES that Mitsuru was talking about was a dog to realize that Aigis had been speaking for Koromaru this whole time. "That's so cool! Reeeeen, why don't you speak dog?" Behind Mitsuru, the black-haired boy just rolled his eyes and shook his head in amusement. "Ooh! Can you teach us?"
Likewise, Aigis just shook her head in amusement, remembering the time when she had revealed this same ability to the rest of SEES. "Canines do not have what we call a language. But speaking is not the only way to communicate," she explained, repeating what she once told SEES.
"Aw…" The orange-haired girl pouted for a second before grinning once again. "He's still cute though."
While the disappointment didn't last long, Aigis felt a little bad for Nora so she decided to give her a little consolation. "However, you should be able to tell what he is feeling if you pay close attention. I believe Shinjiro-san used to be able to communicate with Koromaru-san well enough in the past despite not understanding him the way I do." She couldn't help but smile at the bright smile on Nora's face as she began speaking with Koromaru.
"Hey Blake, what's with you?"
Once again, their attention was redirected, this time towards the black-haired girl who was peeking around her taller partner's arm. "D-D-Dog…" she whispered, trying not to draw the white beast's attention. Unfortunately for her, Koromaru's sharp hearing caught the familiar word and turned to her, causing her to yelp and hide herself completely behind the blonde.
"B-Blake?" Yang stammered as she felt Blake grip the back of her vest and use her like a human shield. "W-What are… Are you afraid of dogs or something?" Judging by the way Blake's hand was shaking slightly even as it gripped her vest tightly, she was. At the very least, dogs made her nervous.
"Oh there's no need to worry," said Fuuka, kneeling down to pet Koromaru. "Koro-chan's very friendly. He won't hurt you, will you boy?"
Koromaru barked, as though in agreement. Behind Yang, Blake yelped again and pulled Yang closer to her, catching the blonde off guard and causing her to stumble backwards. "H-hey, Blake!"
"S-Sorry," Blake whimpered, praying with her entire being that the dog would remain quiet.
Now that Koromaru was silent and wasn't in her direct line of sight, she could think just a bit more clearly. And now that she could think, she realized there was something very strange about the pale-furred dog. To begin with, dogs, well canines in general, very rarely made her feel afraid. Apprehension, yes. Agitation, yes. But fear? This was only the second time. The first was when she was faced with a very fierce pack of wolves when she was younger, too young to be able to fight back properly.
It was one thing she hated about being a faunus. As much as she hated it when people compared faunus to animals, the fact that some behavioral traits that animals had were also present in faunus was something she hated even more as it gave some humans reason to justify their mistreatment of faunus by pointing out similarities between faunus and the animals whose traits they bore.
Case in point, cats and dogs did not get along. Similarly, feline faunus and canine faunus felt agitated within each other's presence. They didn't even need to see one another. Somehow they could feel the other nearby, like a sixth sense warning them of something they did not like. The same even went for a feline faunus and actual dogs, or canine faunus and actual cats.
But now this dog, a smaller than average dog at that, was making her feel afraid. Why? It made absolutely no sense. A bark followed shortly by a scream caught her attention. And then she was suddenly facing Koromaru. A split-second later, she was facing the sky, the back of her head hurting from hitting something hard.
"Blake!"
"K-Koro-chan!"
As she lay on the surprisingly soft ground, save for whatever her head had hit, Blake tried to piece together what had happened while ignoring the concerned faces looking down at her. After a moment of thought, she realized that she was the one who screamed just then. The bark had come from behind her, causing her to scream and spin around only to find that Koromaru had somehow made his way behind her without being noticed. Of course, she tried to get away from the dog only to crash into something, which led to her current predicament.
"Blake, are you alright?" asked Ruby, her concerned face not far from Blake's own.
"Y-Yeah," she stammered out. "J-Just… just keep that… that… animal away from me." As much as it hurt her to call it an animal the way humans called faunus animals, she was not in the proper state of mind to care.
"If you're fine then maybe you could get off me now? Being a bed isn't as comfortable as being on one you know."
So that's why the ground felt so soft. "S-Sorry." Also, clearly Yang's head was pretty hard in more ways than one.
Blake was quick to roll off her partner and teammate, but also made sure to back away from Koromaru, who seemed to be pouting as he was being scolded lightly by Fuuka. "You shouldn't scare people like that, alright Koro-chan?" Koromaru whined in response, looking piteously at Fuuka.
"He says, he only wanted to play with… the cat?" Fuuka, as well as everyone else, looked questioningly at Aigis at the strange explanation. With all attention on the blonde, nobody noticed Blake freezing up. "What do you mean, Koromaru-san? I don't see a cat anywhere."
Koromaru barked once more then turned to face Blake, who remained in place this time but flinched and looked ready to run at a moment's notice. Aigis turned to Blake with a confused look on her face before turning back to Koromaru. "I believe you must be mistaken. Do you perhaps mean to say that she smells of a cat? After all, if she is not fond of dogs perhaps she is more of a cat person."
Everyone seemed to be in agreement with Aigis's question – though Blake couldn't help but wince at how close Aigis's statement came to the truth – but Koromaru barked once more, shaking his head lightly almost as though disappointed that Aigis was misunderstanding him instead. "I… see?" Aigis turned to Blake once more, this time with a curious and scrutinizing expression on her face.
Blake shuffled uncomfortably, fighting her instinct to run away. Between Koromaru, who was undoubtedly able to notice her true nature, and Aigis, who had displayed exceptional deductive abilities the day before, she felt that her secret was in danger of being exposed. As she considered trying to distract them, the choice was taken away from her as someone did it for her.
"Maybe we can do this later," suggested Akihiko. "The Headmaster's expecting us after all. It'd be rude to keep him waiting long." When the other agreed, he knelt down next to Koromaru and rubbed the top of his head. "Sorry, but mind waiting for us for just a bit longer? We just need to get this done then we'll be done for the day." Once more, Koromaru responded, his acceptance of the situation carrying across his tone to Akihiko despite being unable to understand him in the way Aigis did. "Thanks. We'll try not to take too long."
"Well, let's not keep the Headmaster waiting. The sooner we finish here, the sooner we can all retire to the dorms and rest." Everyone agreed with Mitsuru though Blake was mainly grateful to be able to get away from Koromaru, even for just a little while since they would reunite with him later on.
The group passed the threshold separating the inside of Beacon Tower from the outside and proceeded to the elevator. Considering there were sixteen of them, they decided to take two separate elevators, Teams ANKR and JACN in one, and Teams ASYR and KYBT in another.
Once inside, Fuuka spoke with the AI in the elevator and let it know their destination. When she presented the borrowed Scroll, the AI responded with, "Perfect. Thank you Headmaster."
The words that came from the speaker confused half the elevator's occupants. "Headmaster?" Ruby asked, turning to the girl beside her. "Why'd it say that?"
"Oh, that's because the Headmaster only lent us this Scroll. We don't have Scrolls where we're from you see, so he lent us one to use for the moment," she explained.
"Isn't that inconvenient though?" asked Weiss as the elevator ascended. "There are eight of you after all. Didn't you have time to buy one before coming to Beacon?"
Fuuka shook her head. "Since we had to study a lot of things before coming here we didn't really have time to learn about some things like the Scrolls. Even if we did, the money we used is different from what you use here. Elizabeth-san gave us some for a hotel and for our meals after she dropped us off in Vale two days ago, but we don't have very much left now. We didn't even realize how much Scrolls were integrated into society until yesterday so we never considered buying one for ourselves."
"Wait, something's not adding up here," interrupted Yang. "I get that you guys are from somewhere really far away, enough that things are really different there compared to here. But… why'd you guys come here in the first place?"
"Yang!"
The blonde turned to her little sister and gave her an apologetic look, glancing at the four members of SEES to show that she meant it for them as well. "Sorry, but it just doesn't make much sense to me. You said earlier that your home wasn't on our maps, and vice versa. If it's just to come learn about a new place, why go through all this trouble? Actually, why you? Why not a bunch of diplomats and officials?"
Glancing around the small space, Mitsuru could see the curiosity in their eyes. Even Ruby, Blake, and Weiss clearly wanted to know, though they tried not to make it obvious. Ruby, it seemed, was trying to apologize to them for Yang's lack of tact.
"It's alright," she said to Ruby when the younger girl gave her older sister a sharp look. "To be honest, we were expecting this question already." The four girls gave her expectant looks, though three tried to disguise exactly how expectant they were. "Let's wait until we reach the Headmaster's office so that the others can be there as well. Moreover, I believe the Headmaster may know some details but possibly not all. This way, we can also explain our circumstances to him to prevent any misunderstandings."
Yang looked disappointed but seeing as they were almost to the Headmaster's office, she didn't push the subject. Judging by the redhead's tone, it was going to be a long explanation, one that was better shared in an environment more comfortable than an elevator.
It wasn't long before they reached their destination, Beacon Tower's top floor. The doors opened, allowing them to step into the waiting room just before the Headmaster's office. And, just like the last time SEES came here, Glynda Goodwitch was waiting for them by the door.
When the blonde teacher saw the unexpected students, however, she raised an eyebrow in question. "We felt it would be better to allow them to accompany us," explained Mitsuru, answering the teacher's unvoiced query. "Since we will be working with them from this point, I believe they should know more about us and our circumstances."
"If you feel that way then I have no room for objections," acceded Glynda, finding no reason to deny them. Opening the door like she did last time, she stepped aside and allowed them entry. "Please go on ahead. I will follow shortly."
"Thank you."
One by one, the sixteen new students stepped into the Headmaster's office, earning a similar response from Ozpin when he saw them all entering. "Well, this is certainly unexpected. I assume you wish to save yourselves the trouble of explaining things a second time?"
The red-haired leader nodded her head. "That, and I believe they should be made aware of our circumstances as well. Besides, I see no reason to hide anything."
Ozpin merely nodded, seeing Glynda enter the room behind the students, eight more chairs, which he recognized from the waiting room, floating in front of her via her Semblance. "Pardon me," she said, causing the students to turn around then move to the side as they understood the implied request.
Within seconds, the seats were rearranged into two rows of eight then divided into two, each half angled to face the Headmaster's table in a wide and shallow V shape. Once everyone was situated, with SEES choosing to sit together on one side rather than with their new teammates, he turned to Mitsuru. "I assume you are aware of, or at least suspect, the reason why I called you here so soon after the initiation."
A nod was the response he received. "Our Personas."
"If that is what you call those… constructs you summoned, then yes, though that is merely one part of what I wished to speak to you all about."
Mitsuru nodded once more before she began to speak. "Do you have time to spare, Headmaster?" At Ozpin's unasked question, she explained. "I believe the best way to explain our Personas is if I give a brief history of our homeland since it is connected to our Personas."
"Well, I do not believe I have any pressing business today. At least, none that can't be handled at a later time." He glanced to the side at Glynda, who shook her head to show that he was not mistaken.
Taking that as a sign, Mitsuru began her tale. "To begin, our home, a country called Japan, is somewhat similar to yours. Culturally we are different, yes, but beyond that we are not so different. The most obvious differences I can see are technological and martial in nature. And, politically as well, though that does not have a large bearing on our current situation."
Glancing around to see that everyone was paying attention, Mitsuru began her explanation. "Technologically, we are behind. Scrolls, for example. While we have cellular phones with touch-sensitive screens, they are used mainly for communication. We have yet to develop anything similar to the screen of your Scrolls, which seem to be made of a tangible form of light. Moreover, according to what Aigis has learned, Scrolls seem to work as a form of identification and as a data storage unit, as well as many other things. Then, as you've been made aware of yesterday, AIs are not as widely used in our society."
"Does this mean that AIs are used, just not as widely?" asked Weiss.
"Yes." This time, it was Aigis who spoke. "In a way, you could say that I am one myself."
"I see." While others had already turned to stare at the blonde, it took Weiss a moment to process the response. When she did, she blinked. "Wait, what?"
A few members of SEES grinned at the stunned look on their faces even as Aigis nodded with a small smile of her own. "It is as I said, I am not human. To be precise, I am the last of the seventh generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons created by the Kirijo Group in order to combat the Shadows, what you call the Grimm."
SEES, as well as Ozpin and Glynda, watched as the eight students took a moment to process this new information, some of them looking dubiously at Aigis. Seeing this, Aigis stood and began to undo her blazer like she had the day before, turning their dubious looks into one of shock. And upon removing the article of clothing completely, bearing her obviously mechanical features, the looks of shock only worsened.
"As you can see, I am completely mechanical," she responded, her smile not fading though clearly straining to hide her amused reaction to their shock.
"That's…"
"That's so cool!" Weiss was interrupted by Ruby's sudden squeal as she looked at Aigis in almost the same way that Nora had looked at Koromaru earlier. "Can you transform? Oh, do you have built-in weapons? I saw you using knives earlier but it would be so cool if you could transform part of your body into a weapon. What about-"
"Chill Rubes," said Yang, placing a hand on her younger sibling's shoulder as it looked like she was about to pounce on the blonde android. "I know you're a weapons nut-"
"Yaaaang!"
"-But maybe you could just ask her later? I mean, you two are teammates now after all. Heck, she's even your team leader."
At Yang's reminder, Weiss couldn't stop her thoughts as they darkened slightly. Her thoughts turned to the robot army of her homeland, Atlas. Even after years of development, no matter how sophisticated the weaponry or how advanced the AI was, none of their creations could match a trained Huntsman one-on-one. Even outnumbered by over a dozen-to-one, a trained Huntsman's Aura and Semblance was more than enough as an equalizer. And now she was supposed to trust one to lead a team? The team she was on? Suddenly, having Aigis as her team leader did not sound so appealing any longer despite her, its, previous display of ability.
No one in the office, save for one, noticed Weiss's expression as they focused their attention on Mitsuru as she resumed her explanation. "As Aigis has already stated, she is the last in a line of Anti-Shadow Weapons developed by my family. And as far as I am aware, the ASWs are the closest we have to an AI."
"But wait, how is it she can utilize a Semblance like yours if she is not human?" asked Pyrrha, only to cringe later as she realized how her words sounded. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
"It is fine," responded Aigis, turning to Pyrrha with a small smile even as she slipped her arms through the blazer's sleeves and began to redo the buttons. "It does not bother me. After all, I cannot control the fact that my body is a machine. But I can control how I act, how I behave, and how I interact with those around me. In fact, it is thanks to everyone else that I am the person I am today. Because of them, I understand now that being human is about more than just one's body."
There were some strange looks at Aigis's statement. It was understandable though. Being an android was one thing. Being an AI was one thing. For an android to claim that it had a soul was another thing entirely.
The soul was a metaphysical concept. It wasn't something that could be created by human hands. And yet there stood Aigis, a man-made machine that claimed to have a soul. Not just sentience that could have come from a well-developed AI, but a soul like any human being. Anyone would have trouble coming to terms with such a fact.
Throwing a quick smile Aigis's way, Mitsuru turned to Pyrrha. "To answer your question, Aigis has what the Kirijo scientists referred to as a 'Papillion Heart', which is essentially her power source and the source of her artificial psyche. It's why she is not truly an AI but simply the closest we have. Rather than an advanced program like what an AI has to simulate a personality, Aigis's personality comes from her Papillion Heart and develops as she grows and learns."
"While her initial ability to process information and make decisions is the result of her programming, that ability has grown in response to her experiences. Moreover, Aigis is now more than capable of processing and even feeling emotions, something that cannot be programmed. After all, you could program an AI to display emotions in response to certain emotions displayed to it, but you cannot program an AI to feel emotions and to display that same emotion. So in the strictest sense of the word, Aigis cannot be considered an AI. None of us here understand it completely, simply that she is capable of growing like a real human mentally and even emotionally."
"Yeah, you should have seen Ai-chan back when we first met her," interjected Junpei. "She was pretty much what you'd expect from a robot, no emotion and all that."
"I do not comprehend, Junpei-san," Aigis responded with a halting, flat tone. And when they turned to face her, the expression that greeted them was equally blank. Even her eyes were empty. "Am I to behave in some other manner?"
The eight students and two teachers were, at varying levels, shocked and disturbed by Aigis's sudden shift in behavior and expression. Had they not met her beforehand, they would have doubted she could express emotion at all with the way she was behaving now. Like a doll with a voice recorder, her lips moved but her expression and eyes were devoid of any form of emotion.
Junpei, and a few other members of SEES, just chuckled. "See? She can actually tell jokes now."
And then the moment passed, Aigis smiling softly once more and her eyes alight with amusement as though her previously emotionless display was nothing but an illusion. "I don't know what you're talking about Junpei-san. Perhaps you are tired from earlier and are seeing things?" That earned a few more chuckles from SEES, and a few, though nervous sounding ones, from the others as well.
"But I still don't understand," said Pyrrha once the moment of amusement had passed. "A Semblance is an extension of one's Aura. And Aura is the physical manifestation of one's soul. And while it is often said that even plants and animals have Aura, I have never once heard of… well…" she paused and turned to Aigis with an apologetic look before continuing. "A machine that showed signs of having an Aura."
"That is where it gets complicated," Mitsuru answered. She noted, however, that Pyrrha did not bring up the fact that a machine could not have a soul, simply that it could not have an Aura. Was it simply because she was focused on the topic of Aura? Or was there something more to it? "You see, to begin with, none of us where we are from have Aura."
The moment those words passed the redhead's lips, everyone else froze and turned to her in shock, even Ozpin and Glynda. Just by the looks on their faces, Mitsuru and the other members of SEES could imagine the most common thoughts going through their heads.
The first was, obviously, how SEES could have no Aura but still have a Semblance. And the second was most likely the realization that SEES had fought hundreds of Grimm without Aura just a few hours ago. And one by one, the ten began to pale as they came to that realization.
"No… Aura?" Glynda was the first to recover, eyes wide and breathing slightly heavier than it was earlier, her shoulders trembling slightly. "You… Do you mean to say that you not only entered Beacon, but also fought all those Grimm without the protection of Aura?" When Mitsuru nodded without hesitation, Glynda's shock slowly turned into a mix of concern and fury. "What… WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!"
From his place behind his desk, even Ozpin was caught off guard by his deputy's sudden outburst. He had known her for many years, even from before he had joined Beacon Academy's staff as a teacher, but this was a sight that he very rarely saw. While Glynda was not known to hide her feelings on most matters, she did maintain a very tight grip on the more powerful emotions humans were capable of.
The handful of times she did lose control were a result of a slow build-up of emotions without an opportunity to calm down. To see her lose her temper so swiftly like this showed just how furious SEES's actions made her.
"DID YOU NOT REALIZE THE DANGER YOU WERE IN?" Her arm whipped out to the side so swiftly that her crop made a sharp, cutting sound as it flew through the air. In front of her, the sixteen students had frozen in their seats, all of them displaying varying degrees of shock, and even fear in some cases. "I HAD THOUGHT THAT YOU WOULD KNOW BETTER THAN MOST CONSIDERING YOU LOST YOUR HOME TO THE GRIMM, BUT THIS IS JUST-"
"Wait, what did you say?!" Yang burst out, interrupting Glynda's angry tirade. "They… They lost their…"
"You heard correctly, Ms. Xiao Long," Ozpin answered calmly, taking the sudden break in Glynda's tirade to send her a meaningful look to calm her down. And as much as Glynda wanted to continue, to drive her point home, she was also not fond of uncontrolled bouts of emotion. Especially not from herself. Once he saw Glynda take a very deep breath, he returned his attention to the sixteen students before him. "Before coming here, or rather the reason they came here is because they lost their home to the Grimm."
"And yet they still went through with the initiation despite their lack of Aura, knowing full well what the Grimm are capable of!"
No one could blame Glynda for her sharp, angry words. Despite being trainees, they knew the danger posed by the Grimm, especially to those without an awakened Aura to protect them. And though their homes were destroyed by the Grimm, the members of SEES still fought without Aura. But that brought up another question.
"But how did you use your Personas without Aura?" asked Ren, voicing the question that was running through most of their heads. "Like Pyrrha said, a Semblance is an extension of someone's Aura. Without Aura, you shouldn't be able to use a Semblance."
There were nods of agreement all around. And though it looked like Glynda still wanted to say more regarding SEES's foolhardy decision, she kept it to herself for the moment. "Ms. Kirijo?" Ozpin prompted, gesturing for Mitsuru to explain.
The red-haired leader of SEES nodded, preparing herself to explain their unique situation. "Unlike here where you are able to awaken one's Aura with ease, we have no such method of awakening one's power." She raised a closed fist up to her face, her fingers resting just beneath her lip. Thinking for a moment, she then said, "Have you ever seen or heard of a time when someone displayed strength or capabilities beyond what they are normally capable of? Such as someone lifting an object many times their own weight or moving several times faster than normal despite never once displaying such capability in the past?"
There were a few nods from the group while Ozpin looked thoughtful, as though slowly piecing together what Mitsuru was leading up to. "It is not unheard of for such things to happen. When placed in a stressful situation, sometimes people are able to draw out a sort of inner strength, one that they are unable to repeat under ordinary circumstances. There are even some who claim that everything else around them seemed to move at a much slower pace," said Ozpin, drawing a nod from Mitsuru. "Do you mean to say that your abilities, your… Personas, were awakened at such a time?"
Again, Mitsuru nodded. "Correct. Every member of SEES, everyone who has ever awakened a Persona, awakened their powers under… extremely stressful situations."
The stress that the redhead placed on that word did not go unnoticed by anyone. "What do you mean by extremely stressful?" asked Ren. Though by the expression on his, and a few other faces, they had at least some idea of what she meant.
"Death." Mitsuru's casual answer caused several to flinch, both at the answer and how she said it. A few others turned to stare at SEES in horror as they slowly pieced together more of SEES's mysterious past. "To be precise, the fear of imminent death, one's self-preservation instinct at its strongest, is what drew out our powers. I myself awakened it roughly ten years ago when I, my father, and several others were attacked by Shadows. By Grimm. None of those with us were capable of fighting them off and the Grimm turned its attention to my father. I leapt in front of my father, desperate to protect him despite my young age. Just as the Grimm came close enough to kill me, my Persona manifested for the first time and killed the Grimm."
SEES had heard the tale before, during one of their conversations during their seven months of training, but that did not stop them from feeling sorrow at what their leader had to go through in her childhood. In the course of their lives prior to joining SEES, Ken's experience came the closest, having witnessed his mother's death just a few years ago at the hands of an out-of-control Persona. But despite being present for it, he was not in as much danger as Mitsuru, who had boldly, perhaps foolishly, leapt in front of a charging Shadow without regards for her own life.
The others could only stare at Mitsuru in horror, some in pity or sympathy, at what she had gone through, but Yang's expression had a hint of admiration mixed within.
She could still remember the day she and Ruby had been attacked by a pack of Beowolves after a foolish decision on her part. At that time, she had embraced Ruby in an effort to protect her but also out of fear, the feeling of her younger sister bringing a small measure of comfort despite the threat of death. And yet Mitsuru had leapt in front of the Grimm without hesitation to protect her father, knowing that she would die. If not for the awakening of her power at that moment, then she, and those with her, would be dead.
"Everyone here awakened their powers under similar circumstances, though asides from Akihiko, most of them have only been using their power a little over a year," she continued to explain despite the looks they were giving her. What happened was, literally, ancient history, even though it had only been a decade from her perspective. Besides, she had long come to terms with her past. There was nothing to be gained from dwelling on it. It stung, but it no longer hurt the way it used to. "All of us also made the choice to fight after awakening our Personas, despite having no aspirations to be soldiers."
"I see, that's why you aren't that strong," said Blake, her earlier theory now being proven true. "Unlike Huntsmen and Huntresses, you didn't train or prepare from a young age. But what about you? No offense, but since you 'awakened' earlier, I thought you'd be stronger."
Mitsuru shook her head and mentally prepared herself. This is where she would have to be careful. A discreet glance at the other members of SEES showed that most of them realized it as well. This is where the truths began to blend into bigger lies, sometimes even into outright lies, than the ones they have said so far. "Among those who have awakened their Personas, there are two groups. The first are like your Huntsmen, those who are trained from a young age. Eventually, they are put through a situation that will awaken their Personas. Unfortunately, for reasons that were never discovered, not everyone can awaken a Persona."
"Put through… you mean…"
She nodded. "Yes. They are put into a situation that evokes a great amount of fear into them, a situation that threatens them with inescapable death. They will either awaken their Personas, or they will suffer great injury, perhaps even die."
"That… How could you do that?" Blake's horrified whisper matched the expressions on the faces of their fellow students. Glynda had a similar expression while Ozpin, once again, looked thoughtful. "Why would... Isn't there…"
The redhead shook her head morosely before gazing directly into the black-haired girl's amber eyes. "No. No one, not even the scientists who have studied Personas since they were first discovered know why not everyone has the potential to awaken a Persona, nor the reason why it only awakens during such dire situations and nothing less."
"As such, this is the only known way of successfully awakening one's Persona. In fact, the number of Persona-users is so small that it constitutes less than one percent of our country's entire population. No, it would be more accurate to say that it is less than a fraction of that already insignificant number. Not only because of the uncertainty of success, but also because the uncertainty of success scares away all but the most courageous."
It wasn't completely a lie considering SEES and Strega were the only Persona-users they were aware of, which was far, far less than one percent of Japan's population. If there were others, the Kirijo group had no knowledge of them.
"Is that why…" Everyone turned to Ruby as she hesitantly began to speak. "Is that why you lost your home? Because there were so few of you even though your Personas are strong?"
Mitsuru's expression fell, along with the rest of SEES. Despite having known for over half a year that the world they knew was gone, they have yet to completely come to terms with it. Seven months was quite a long time but when most of your time was occupied by training, studying, and sleeping, you had very little time to actually think about other things.
The few opportunities between all those activities that they managed to find time to talk to one another was often filled with important discussions. Even when broaching the past, they rarely spoke of what they felt. And when sleeping, they were often so tired that they fell asleep moments after lying down, those few moments spent thinking about the day or the day to come.
"Yeah," Akihiko replied despondently. "One night. That was all it took to wipe out everything. Not even a full day, but just a single night. And in that one night we lost everything. Friends, family, classmates, our homes, the city, the entire country, everyone we know, and everything we've known, all gone. It's literally a miracle that we survived."
"How did you survive?" Everyone turned to the Headmaster at that question, some shocked that he had asked so directly. "I apologize if it is too soon to ask or if it sounded demeaning, but I've been quite curious as to how eight children survived such a disaster."
"It's fine," replied Mitsuru, a small, pained smile and a nod letting the Headmaster know he had not overstepped any unspoken boundaries. "Before I answer, I should explain the second group of Persona-users. If the first is similar to your Huntsmen and Huntresses, those who chose that path, the second is more akin to a militia. That group is SEES, the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad."
"I see. So your group, SEES, is made up of those who do not aim to completely devote themselves to the elimination of the Grimm but possess the ability to do so, am I correct?"
A nod. "Correct. The eight of us, for example, still attended school as normal but trained during our spare time for the times when our strength would be required. Now and then, we would venture out to fight the Grimm, sometimes as part of our training and sometimes out of necessity."
"And how does this connect to your survival?" The Headmaster's tactless words elicited a glare from his deputy, which he ignored.
"We had a member who was… special," she finished after a pause. "Minato Arisato."
At the familiar name, their gazes turned to Aigis, who shook her head and explained. "Minato-san was born human. I merely bear his name in memory of his actions."
"He joined us a little more than a year ago," continued Mitsuru. "His power, however, was a little different from ours. Unlike us, who can summon only a single Persona, he was able to summon several different Personas."
"I take it such a thing has never happened before."
"No, he was the first person to do so. While he could only summon one at a time, sometimes two but with a heavier strain on his body, he displayed over a hundred different Personas, each one unique and with varying abilities, though some bore similar abilities to others much like how both Ken and Akihiko's Personas are capable of lightning-based attacks," explained Mitsuru. "Though I was the leader of SEES in Iwatodai there was a need for a support-type Persona during field operations and even for training, a role which my Persona could fill to a limited degree prior to Fuuka's own awakening. As such, I appointed him as field leader due to his unique ability."
"When that night came…" She paused, and at that moment, a dark look of despair, but one that bore a steely resolve underneath, appeared on the faces of SEES's members. "We knew there was no way we could win. But we could not simply stand by and watch everything disappear. And so we fought. We fought against the Grimm that threatened to destroy everything we held dear, that threatened our very way of life. But just as one cannot stop a natural disaster, we could only stave off Death for so long."
"Despite all our best efforts, it came to a point where we could no longer fight." Her mind went back to that fateful night, the feeling of raw power bearing down on her entire body, her very soul, nearly crushing her against the roof of Tartarus despite having stood tall just seconds prior. "As much as we wanted to, our bodies could no longer stand." She struggled to stand, and around her she could see the rest of SEES attempting and failing to do the same. "Our end was near. Despite the will to fight burning within us, we could not move. We may as well have been dead already."
Around her, her audience looked captivated by her tale. Like listening to a narration of a tragedy, they could imagine SEES lying on the ground of a broken city, helpless before a horde of Grimm as endless as the sea. Yet despite standing at death's door they refused to back down, fighting with all they had to stand. And even when they had nothing left to give, no strength left to even move, they continued to stare defiantly into the glowing crimson eyes of the Creatures of the Grimm despite their helplessness, as though trying to convey their conviction to their soulless foes. That though they may die, they would not die broken.
"Then, just as Akihiko said, a miracle happened." There was a shift in SEES's demeanor at those words but none of them could place it. They had not moved an inch but there was something distinctly different. "Minato stood. Slowly, but smoothly as though he were still well-rested." In her mind's eye, she could see her blue-haired junior rising to his feet, completely ignoring the heavy weight pressing down on everyone else.
"Then he stepped forward, never once looking back, heedless of our cries." His body rose, floating up to the strange, mechanical being that had emerged from the moon. "We cried out for his safety, for his survival." It was strange. Despite no longer seeing him she could feel his presence. She could feel him fighting. And she prayed with her entire being, that he would make it through whatever trial he was facing, that he would succeed and survive against that which could not be beaten.
"Then, everything faded." But not long after they all fell unconscious as a result of his actions. "When we awakened, we learned that he had utilized his unique power to put us all to sleep and seal us away, his power somehow hiding our presence from the Grimm."
"And then you came here," finished the Headmaster.
Mitsuru nodded, the memories of January 31st, 2010 fading from her mind. Idly, she realized that they day they had awakened was February 1st by the new world's calendar. To them, they had fallen unconscious during the Dark Hour between the 31st and the 1st. Strange that, asides from a difference of thousands of years, they had awoken the day after as though they truly had simply fallen asleep.
"Elizabeth-san never explained to us how she knew Minato, nor how she came to be aware of our location. But she came to us not long after we awakened from our slumber and made us aware of Remnant, or rather, the rest of Remnant."
Nobody spoke after that, SEES's teammates and the two teachers still trying to digest Mitsuru's near unbelievable tale. In fact, many of them would have doubted the tale, perhaps even completely denied it, if not for the fact that they had seen, with their very own eyes in fact, evidence in the form of Personas.
And then, there was also the revelation of how their Personas were awakened. The thought of having to come close to death in order to awaken a power that might not even be there shook them to their core.
For them, awakening one's Aura was incredibly easy. So easy, in fact, that it was unlocked as soon as they entered a combat school. Some children who began training before that point might even get it unlocked sooner by parents. And from that point, it was only a matter of time before they discovered their Semblance.
They couldn't imagine having to face such an ordeal, having to risk their very lives, just to be able to become true Huntsmen and Huntresses. What more if they failed to awaken their Personas but survived somehow? Would they risk trying again on the off-chance that they could awaken it the second time? Or did failure mean the end of their dreams, that they could not awaken that power at all no matter how many times they tried? Thinking about it, failure to awaken their power would almost certainly lead to the end of their dreams as they may no longer be alive to fulfill it due to the process necessary to awaken it.
Still, something about the awakening process bothered Ozpin beyond how… horrifying it was, for lack of a better word. And as his eyes roamed the members of SEES, it clicked in his head. "Tell me something," he began, breaking the tense silence that had enveloped the room following Mitsuru's tale. "You mentioned how your Personas were awakened through an extreme moment of stress, through facing imminent death. Does this also have something to do with those guns of yours being used to summon them earlier?"
Immediately, all attention was on SEES as their teammates remembered the way SEES had brought their not-guns to their heads and fired to summon their Personas. It also brought to mind the way those strange, glass-like shards erupted from the opposite side of their heads when they fired, making it seem like a morbid parody of a suicide attempt.
The former Kirijo heiress nodded at Ozpin's keen memory, as well as his equally sharp intellect for putting the pieces together. "That's correct. Unlike your Semblances, which you can call upon at will, our Personas can only be summoned during a similar period of stress."
"But didn't you say those guns aren't real?" asked Ruby. "Why would you be afraid of a fake gun?"
Rather than an answer from Mitsuru, it was Akihiko who answered. By drawing his Evoker and pointing it directly between Ruby's eyes. The sudden motion, and the sight of a gun barrel suddenly aimed at her, caused Ruby to yelp, flinch, and draw back, one hand reaching behind her where Crescent Rose lay. Sitting beside her, Yang had reacted as well, Ember Celica deploying and one hand reaching up to grasp the gun by the barrel.
Even the others had reacted, some reaching out to stop Akihiko, some drawing away at the seemingly violent motion, others reaching for their weapons. Jaune had even raised his arms, hiding behind them and protecting his head. Admittedly, even Glynda had twitched at what seemed to be an unprovoked attack aimed at a student. Ozpin's eyes merely narrowed slightly.
The members of SEES reacted as well, mostly with varying expressions of surprise, and mostly due to the suddenness of the motion rather than what Akihiko had done, though Yukari and Mitsuru looked at Akihiko with a hint of disapproval. A few had even shown confusion for a brief moment.
But just as quickly as soon as it happened, the moment passed and everyone remembered that the gun was fake and did not fire bullets, despite sounding like it did.
"Do you get it now?" Akihiko asked as he watched everyone begin to settle down, hands pulling away from their weapons and shoulders relaxing. Still, he kept the Evoker aimed at Ruby, causing her to squirm in discomfort while Yang glared despite letting go of the barrel.
"It's a natural part of being human to be afraid of death," he continued to explain. "Logically we know it's fake. We've used it hundreds of times in the past and we're still alive. But it weighs just as much as a real gun, it feels like a real gun, and even sounds like a real gun. And when you have the barrel of a gun touching your head, when you hear the sound of that same gun going off, you can't help but feel afraid, even in that short instant, that it's not a fake, that it's the real thing, and that you're going to die at that very moment."
All of a sudden, his arm shot to the side towards the door and his finger pulled the trigger, causing the sound of a gunshot to echo loudly throughout the room. Nearly everyone flinched at the loud sound, and several hands went towards their weapons once more. When their faces turned towards Akihiko once more, he merely grinned and placed his Evoker against his head without another word.
Seeing the pale faces of some of their teammates as they tried to imagine being in that situation, Mitsuru stepped in. "As much as I disapprove of his methods, Akihiko's explanation is accurate." She paused long enough to glance at the boxer with a mild glare, though he merely shrugged it off, looking completely unrepentant as he holstered his Evoker. "The fear of death is present in all living beings. Our minds know that our Evokers cannot kill us, but our bodies, our very souls, react instinctively to any threat to our lives."
"It's why sometimes you can feel afraid even without knowing why, why you sometimes hear a voice within you telling you to be careful. Because that instinct to survive can feel that something nearby is a threat to your life. And in that moment of fear, combined with the knowledge of our power, we can draw out our Personas from within us."
Despite Akihiko's demonstration, there were still some doubtful looks directed their way, especially from Yang. Thus, there was little surprise when she said, "It doesn't seem that hard. I mean, we've faced Grimm before and even knowing we could die I've never felt that afraid. Heck, even Ruby's gone up against a few dozen Beowolves by herself without any problems. How hard can it be to shoot a fake gun?"
Taking her words as a challenge, Akihiko once again drew his Evoker but this time he held out the grip towards the blonde. "You tell me," he said with a dark looking grin on his face. And though the others looked at him with disapproval or shock, nobody said anything. Not to him, and not to Yang when she accepted the Evoker without any hesitation.
As Yang held the Evoker in her hand, one finger already resting on the trigger, she couldn't help but compare it to a real gun, turning it over this way and that for a closer examination now that she had it. Just as Akihiko said, it certainly felt like a real gun in terms of construction and weight. Still, the bottom of the gun, the Evoker, was solid, indicating the distinct lack of a magazine, which meant there was absolutely no way to load a bullet into it. Other than that, the only other thing that stood out was the word S.E.E.S. engraved on one side.
With that thought in mind, she grinned cockily at Akihiko, who was still grinning at her, and raised the gun to her head, the cold, steel barrel touching her warm skin.
Second passed where nobody moved, all eyes watching the buxom blonde who was holding a gun to her head. The seconds ticked by and turned into a full minute. It was then that those who could see her face began to notice the changes.
Yang's grin had slowly faded, looking decidedly uncertain rather than cocky, her pupils began to dilate ever so slightly, and her breathing had gotten heavier, heavy enough that Blake and Ruby, who sat on either side of her, could hear it.
The grin eventually disappeared completely as she began breathing through her mouth, her hand now shaking slightly even as sweat began to appear on her forehead, and her eye grew unfocused, as though seeing something they could not. Now and then they could see her expression and her hand tense briefly, as though preparing to shoot, but nothing ever came of it.
Eventually she grit her teeth, shut her eyes, and took a deep breath, everyone else tensing as the prepared themselves to hear the sound of a gunshot. But the moment passed and Yang suddenly dropped her arm to the side of the chair, violently releasing the breath she had been holding. Her eyes opened wide, pupils dilated in horror, her breathing was ragged and shaky, and her face was pale and covered in sweat, looking as though she had just experienced something truly horrifying.
Blake and Ruby were quick to reach for the blonde, asking questions and trying to ascertain her well-being. The others looked on with worry, restraining themselves from crowding the girl, while SEES gave her understanding looks. Even Akihiko's grin had faded. Some of them did not have as much difficulty summoning their Personas for the first time but that did not mean they could not understand what it was she was feeling.
Even Chidori, who once held no fear of death, now found herself feeling fear whenever she summoned Hecate. But she immediately understood why. Unlike the times when she believed that death was nothing to be feared, when she had no significant reason to live, she now had something to live for, someone to continue living for. Thus, when confronted by the possibility of death, she too felt that same fear just like the rest of them.
"Not as easy as it looks, huh?" Junpei asked softly, eyes gazing at the blonde with sympathy. He remembered when they had first explored Tartarus, just him, Yukari, and Minato. Despite all his bravado going in, it had taken seeing Minato summon his Persona so effortlessly before he could muster up the courage to summon his own for the first time. 'Wonder how long it would have taken me if I hadn't been so jealous of Minato showing me up back then,' he couldn't help but muse grimly as he watched Ruby and Blake check on Yang.
"Are you sure you're alright?"
Yang nodded shakily towards her partner, trying to get her rapidly beating heart under control. "I… I-I'm fine. I just…" She took several deep breaths to steady herself. "Guess it is hard to shoot a fake gun," she gasped out with a faint grin, her words directed towards Akihiko, who nodded, accepting her unspoken apology.
She couldn't help the newfound respect for SEES blossoming within her. 'Is this what they feel every time they use these things?' She mentally shook her head, unable to imagine herself in their position.
The silver-haired boxer was right. About all of it.
She knew it wasn't a real gun. She had seen for herself that it couldn't kill anyone. But despite hiding it from the others, she couldn't deny the sliver of doubt that appeared within her the moment the she felt the Evoker's full weight upon taking it from Akihiko's hand. And even after examining it, fulfilling the sudden, subconscious need to search for additional reassurances that it was fake, the doubt, the fear that had already taken root, did not disappear.
And it only grew worse the moment she felt the barrel touching the side of her head. The moment she felt cold, hard steel resting against her temple, she froze. Despite her grin, she suddenly felt afraid. It was like a voice began speaking to her at that very moment, telling her that she was going to die soon. And whenever she attempted to pull the trigger, she could hear the voice screaming at her to stop, freezing her finger in place and telling her that she would die if she went through with it.
At first she tried telling herself that it was fake. That it definitely wouldn't kill her. She even brought up the memory of SEES calling forth their Personas to justify this. Instead, her mind's eye focused on the way their heads recoiled the moment they fired, the way glass erupted from the opposite side of their heads in place of blood. And then her traitorous mind replaced that image. Rather than glass-like shards, blood erupted from their heads, followed by their now lifeless bodies falling to the ground, dead.
Then she tried to remind herself that, unlike SEES, she had Aura. Moreover, she hadn't taken a lot of hits during the initiation. Coupled with the uneventful journey back and the time they spent waiting for the remaining initiates who managed to retrieve a relic, she was absolutely certain that her reserves were back to full. And at full strength she was confident she could take multiple shots at point blank without fear, never mind just one. Only the concussive force behind the shots would punch through her Aura but she was no stranger to pain. But no matter how her mind tried to justify it, her body refused to calm down and pull the trigger.
Then at some point, her fear seeped into her conscious thoughts and she started to think, 'I'm going to die if I do this. I don't want to die,' again and again. Her eyes no longer saw Akihiko's grin but a reflection of herself holding a gun to her head, as though staring at a mirror. Only this reflection fired the gun, causing blood to burst out of her head even as she fell lifeless to the ground, her reflection's eyes staring blankly at her. Then all of a sudden, her reflection was seated at the chair, gun held up to its head once again. It barely lasted a second before it fired, repeating the scene of its suicide once more.
Without even realizing it her breathing had grown ragged. Nearly her entire body was shaking from fear and breaking out into a cold sweat. No longer able to bear the terror gripping her heart, she threw her hand down to the side, almost throwing the gun away. So great was her fear that it had taken her a while before her mind even registered Blake and Ruby's presence beside her, their hands holding her steady and their voices asking her questions.
It took some time to calm her down but no one begrudged her that time. After seeing her face and the way she was shaking, not even Weiss could bring herself to mock the blonde brawler. Once he was certain that Yang was alright, Ozpin turned to her and said, "May I?"
Yang glanced at Ozpin and his outstretched hand. Then, seeing his eyes glance briefly at the Evoker still in her right hand, she turned to Akihiko. It was his after all.
Akihiko, in turn, turned to face Mitsuru, uncertain as to whether to allow it. He had only extended the challenge to Yang because he knew for certain that she would not pull the trigger. After all, it was one thing to face the possibility of death in the form of an enemy. It was another matter entirely when it could come from your own hands.
Ozpin, however, was an accomplished Huntsman. One renowned across the whole of Remnant. If there was one person in the room outside of SEES who could overcome that fear and actually pull the trigger, it was him. And that was a problem in itself, a problem that Mitsuru was aware of.
Her response came almost as soon as he had finished turning to face her. But when Mitsuru nodded, he had to stop himself from speaking up. If her response came that quickly, it meant she had already considered the matter, most likely having anticipated it already. All he could do now was trust in her decision.
Seeing this, Yang rose from her seat and closed the distance between her and Ozpin's desk. She placed the Evoker in his awaiting hand the same way Akihiko handed it to her and returned to her seat, wondering if he would be able to do it. He was a Huntsman after all.
Much like Yang, Ozpin turned the gun over several times, carefully scrutinizing every detail of the weapon. Idly, Yang wondered whether he was doing it strictly to examine it or if, like her, he felt the subconscious need to reassure himself of its inability to kill.
When he finally began to raise the Evoker up to his temple, many of them held their breaths, wondering what would happen. Would he fire immediately? Would he hesitate for a moment before firing? Or would even he, a full-fledged Huntsman, fall prey to the fear of death just as Yang did? The barrel touched the side of his head, and remained there just as he shut his eyes.
A minute passed before he opened his eyes and lowered the Evoker. Somehow, they were disappointed to see no change in his expression.
"It is as you say." Ozpin sighed as he placed the Evoker down on his desk. "Despite knowing that it cannot kill me, I cannot help but doubt what I know, what I have already seen. It seems that it is one thing for death to come from an enemy, and another thing for death to come by one's own hand," he added, unknowingly mirroring Akihiko's earlier thoughts. "All of you must have exceptional willpower to be able to pull the trigger."
"Dunno about willpower but it's pretty much do or die for us." Junpei shrugged visibly enough to catch Ozpin's attention from the second row. "Some of those Shadows, er... Grimm, that we fought were pretty huge. Would have been stupid for us to take 'em on with just a sword. It's like Akihiko-senpai told me back when I first joined. Without our Personas, we're screwed."
At those familiar words, Akihiko let out a mix between a chuckle and a scoff. "I remember that. Hell, I was actually sure you wouldn't be able to do it that first night." Again, Junpei just shrugged shamelessly, causing Akihiko to chuckle. "You were pretty full of hot air back then. You've come a long way from those days when you had trouble with even the smaller Grimm."
"We all have," added Mitsuru, her eyes glazing over as she lost herself in her memories, several members of SEES following suit as though urged on by her words. Even Chidori, who had only been part of SEES since their awakening in Remnant, could not help but think back to the past. From her time in Strega, to the time she first met Junpei, and to his frequent visits to the hospital, the same visits that changed her for the better.
As he watched them reminisce, Ozpin could see the bittersweet expressions on their faces. He wondered, however briefly, if they would answer if he voiced his curiosity. Even without having to ask, he knew they would not. Not at this point in time anyway. Whatever it was they had experienced clearly had great meaning to them all. A very deep, very personal meaning.
"Question!"
SEES was startled out of their thoughts by Nora's sudden yell. And even as Ren tried to get her to settle down, it was too late.
"Sorry," he said, turning to the group opposite them.
"It's fine," said Mitsuru, waving off Ren's apology and concern. "This really isn't the time to be thinking about the past anyway. What was it you wanted to ask?"
Nora took a moment to stick her tongue out at Ren, who merely rolled his eyes at her childish behavior, before voicing her question. "I was just wondering. If you're part of SEES, why are you still fighting?" She ignored the shocked looks coming from those on her side of the divide, especially from those who had only gotten to know her recently. "I thought SEES was pretty much like a volunteer group. Why not just live normal lives?"
Everyone turned to SEES expectantly, even the Headmaster and his deputy. But SEES did not hesitate, all of them gazing back with clear resolution in their eyes.
"It's true that I have that option, but that was before I came to realize something."
The first response came from an unexpected source, even for SEES. Thus far Mitsuru had taken the lead during the conversation not only due to her position as the leader of SEES, but also as the one most knowledgeable about both their cover story and the more technical details about Personas in general. So to hear the youngest of them all suddenly speak, when he had been silent the entire time, was a surprise for everyone. And despite sitting at the front row beside Akihiko, their eyes had passed over him, his age and appearance making them forget that he was just as capable as those around him.
"And what might that be?" asked Ozpin, curious as to the twelve-year-old's reason for fighting. Yesterday, when he had asked him why he wanted to enter Beacon, he had said that there was something he had to do, a goal he wanted to accomplish alongside his friends. Now he might just hear what that something was. More importantly, Ken had said 'I', meaning what he was about to share was his own personal reason rather than the group's.
"I want to live." His answer confused all but the members of SEES. Nobody wanted to die, after all, so why was he stating something so obvious. He definitely caught the confusion on their faces as he spoke again soon after. "It might sound like a strange thing to say, especially since I chose to continue fighting. It might be even more confusing now that you know we don't have Aura like the rest of you do, meaning we're more likely to die if we were careless for even a moment. If anything, we should be living normal lives like normal people, staying away from such a dangerous profession."
"But that's precisely why I can't just sit back and let someone else fight!" Ken's exclamation startled his audience as his fiercely resolute gaze landed on each of them for a moment. "The Grimm are dangerous but they aren't the only ones threatening our lives. Even in the city, there is no absolute guarantee that we won't get hurt. I don't want to live a life where I hide away whenever something dangerous happens. That's not living. That's just existing."
"I want to live without regrets. I want to be able to make a choice and face the consequences, no matter how harsh, rather than turn away because I'm afraid of getting hurt. I want to be able to say that I never turned away from the future, no matter how scary it is."
His powerful, heartfelt words shocked many in the room. None of them expected such words from a twelve-year-old. One would think that a boy as young as he was would choose an easier life, especially after what he had gone through. Go to a normal school, having normal ambitions, living a normal life. That was what they expected from one his age. But the boy before them spoke like someone who had lived more than twice his apparent age, like someone who had found a reason to live beyond simply living.
"But why fight?" Ozpin continued to prod. "You have power. Even if you choose to not become a Huntsman, you are far from weak or incapable of fighting back. You could live a life of your choosing while still having the power to fight back when necessary."
"Yeah, but that's just us." The answer came not from Ken, but from Junpei. There was a strange look in his eyes they couldn't properly identify, a strange mixture of sadness and resolve. "There are tons of people out there who can't fight. There are guys out there who just run away when things get tough. And there are even people who are so afraid of everything that they actually think dying is better than living. I can't just sit back knowing there are people like that out there."
While what he said may not have come as much of a shock to SEES, or even the teachers, the rest of the students were visibly disturbed by some of his words. People choosing death over life? Were there truly people in the world who believed it was better to die?
In some ways it made sense. Better a quick end than long years of suffering. But a part of them just couldn't accept that such people truly existed. As SEES had stated earlier, the instinctive desire to continue living, to survive, was an inseparable part of them. But what madness, what insanity, could lead people to desire otherwise? To ignore such a primal and deeply ingrained instinct?
"So you mean to be a hero?" asked Ozpin.
Before Junpei could answer, the sound of giggling flowed through the air. Turning to the girl beside him, he asked, "Eh? What's up Chidori?" His red-haired girlfriend took one look at him, before collapsing into a giggling fit. "Hey… what the…"
As much as they wanted answers, most of them were suddenly too busy watching Chidori. Even for SEES, this was the first time they had seen the young woman that had once been their foe openly display such emotion. Her smiles were rare but they had seen it more than once. Giggles and chuckles weren't new either, but the way she had let her laughter loose on this occasion, not once trying to hold it in, was certainly new.
Their teammates were equally enamored by the girl's tinkling laughter. It was so different from the normally stoic and indifferent girl whose voice they rarely heard. Even the few times she showed emotion was limited. A small smile, a short giggle, a quick scowl, nothing that lasted more than a few seconds.
As Chidori finally got control of her laughter, she cleared her throat and looked straight into Junpei's eyes, her amusement dancing in her own. "In the darkest hour, unknown to all but a few, the chosen ones stand against the forces of evil! Our hero, Junpei, fights to protect the world from these terrifying monsters!"
For a moment, everyone simply stared at the girl who had recited such a ridiculous sounding line. Junpei was wide-eyed and slack-jawed, remembering when he had first heard those words. After all, he had been the one to say it to her in the first place. The silence was broken when someone began snickering.
"S-Seriously Junpei?" asked Yukari, doing her best to stifle her laughter. "Did you… Actually say that?"
"He did," Chidori responded before Junpei could even attempt to defend himself, glancing briefly at Junpei with a grin. "It was during our third meeting. I asked him what he did to feel alive. That was his answer."
"I'm pretty sure my answer was 'breathing'," Junpei said with a chuckle, causing Chidori to elbow him lightly and eliciting some amusement from the others at his joke. "But yeah, I pretty much told Chidori that I felt alive when I was playing hero."
"I dunno about the 'playing' bit, we could get killed after all," said Yukari, sobering up with her own words. "But I guess when you think about it, we are heroes in a way. Even if we did fail that night."
Before their mood could drop due to Yukari's reminder, Fuuka spoke from her place next to Yukari. "Nana korobi, ya oki."
"Huh? What does that mean?" asked Jaune, sitting at the end of the second row opposite SEES, the closest one to Fuuka.
"Seven falling, eight getting up," Yukari explained absentmindedly, barely realizing she had translated the phrase literally. She turned to Fuuka with a sigh. "You're right. That night was the worst but it wasn't the first time we failed. And the only reason we got that far was because we got back up each time we failed."
"That's the spirit Yukaricchi!" exclaimed Junpei, reaching across behind Chidori to give the brunette a supportive pat on the back. One that nearly pushed her off her seat. Yukari glared at Junpei and tried to reach for him, causing Chidori's eyes to widen comically as she found herself caught between the two.
Watching all this happen before her, Glynda couldn't help but wonder exactly what kind of lives the members of SEES had lived before coming here, both individually and as a group. She had been a Huntress for a long time and had trained many Huntsmen and Huntresses over the many years she had been teaching at Beacon. So watching the group in front of her, one thing stood out most to her.
All of them were bound to one another by chains. But it was not the type of chain that held one down. Rather, it was a chain that linked them together, uniting them. They were akin to stone pillars chained together. Each pillar was strong on its own, but if one of them were to fall, the chains connecting it to the others would prevent it from falling completely and may even be used pull it back into place to be repaired.
And just by their interactions, she could already see that those same chains had only been strengthened by their experiences, their ordeals. It would take an extraordinary force to damage those bonds, let alone shatter them. Even if most of them were knocked down, so long as one remained standing that one would pull the rest of them back on their feet and they would return stronger than ever.
But as much as it made her glad to see that they had such fine friends in one another, she felt an equal amount of despair at the thought that they were only children. It was bad enough that children were trained from a young age to become the next generation of Huntsmen and Huntresses. But to see children the same age as trainees, and one as young as those entering combat school for the first time, with eyes like that…
She couldn't help but wonder if there was some other way they could do things. Was there some way other way they could fight the Grimm, some way that did not rely on children giving up most of their childhood to learn how to fight? Or was the future doomed to be just like the past several hundred years, a never-ending war against the darkness?
She knew it wouldn't last. Ozpin knew it wouldn't last. While the main cities of each kingdom were thriving, the same couldn't be said for those that lived outside the walls. With each passing year, more and more of the outlying towns and villages were being lost to the encroaching Grimm. It may not be today, tomorrow, or even within the next few years, but one day only the strongest, most well-defended cities would remain.
And what then? Would they hide away for the rest of their years? Would the humans and faunus living behind the walls remain there for the rest of their lives now that nothing but death awaited them beyond? If such a thing were to happen, then only one of two future awaited them. The Huntsmen would either find a way to end the Grimm threat once and for all, or the Grimm would overcome their defenses, killing them and eradicating every last human and faunus alive.
No. There had to be a better way. There had to be a more effective way to fight back against the Grimm, to make it so that children would no longer have to sacrifice so much of their childhood learning how to fight. As it was, it was amazing, almost unbelievable, that SEES had turned out as well as they did. Others who had gone through less had turned out much worse. 'Still,' she thought as she watched Mitsuru calmly put an end to their shenanigans, 'As futile as it may be, I can only hope their lives will only get better from this point on.'
"Hey uh…" Everyone turned to Jaune when he began to speak. He recoiled a bit seeing everyone turn to him but swallowed the lump in his throat to ask his question. "What… What happens if… if we use those guns of yours?"
"I'm curious as well," admitted Ozpin, turning to face Mitsuru. "What would have happened had I pulled the trigger earlier?"
There were curious looks all around at Jaune and Ozpin's question. Certainly, it was an interesting one. A Semblance was the result of having someone awaken one's Aura. A Persona was the result of someone awakening their powers during a stressful situation. A Semblance could be used at will. Personas needed to be 'forced' out by experiencing a stressful situation in the form of SEES's Evokers. Would anything come of an Aura-user using an Evoker?
The Aura-users in the room couldn't hide their curiosity. As difficult as it may be to pull the literal trigger, most of them couldn't help but imagine summoning a powerful Persona just like SEES on top of their own Semblances. But none of them was more hopeful than the blonde swordsman who had brought up the topic in the first place.
For the only son of the Arc Family, the possibility of being able to wield something so powerful was a godsend. As the only one amongst his siblings who had a low, almost no, aptitude for combat, Jaune knew he would never be able to match up to any of his sisters, and that included his sole younger sister, Hazel. Hell, he doubted he could even match most, possibly even all, of his fellow first years in combat. Even Ken had better combat skills than he did as he had demonstrated during the initiation. And that was before they revealed their Personas.
Could he possibly make-up for his own shortcomings if he had a Persona? Looking back, even his own partner had noted that SEES was weaker in terms of sheer physical ability. None of them could match the other trainees in terms of strength and speed. Instead, they made up for this with their teamwork. And when that wasn't enough, the sheer power of their Personas more than made up for it. And if he could somehow use it as well, even if it meant shooting himself in the head with a fake gun, then perhaps he could be the hero he always wanted to be.
And so, when Mitsuru responded to their queries immediately after being asked, he could barely contain his reaction. "We don't know." Several faces fell at her answer. "When you consider that our Personas are the equivalent of your Semblances, the most obvious outcome one would consider is that the Evoker will activate your Semblance. But, in my opinion, it's far more likely that nothing will happen."
"Would you be opposed to allowing us to try?" asked Ozpin.
Mitsuru retreated into her thoughts, gathering all the information she had on Aura, Semblance, and Persona. While she wasn't a scientist, she could at least try to come up with the most probable outcomes of such an act through logic. And all things considered, she didn't like it. But still…
"If the experiment was done in a safe and controlled environment with a facility and staff prepared should things go wrong, then perhaps we could try to see what may come of it," she responded after a few minutes of thought. "I do not know if there are any dangers with using one's Semblance, the books we had did not mention any. But Personas are different in that there are rare cases where the Persona-user is unable to control their Persona, causing it to go on a violent rampage, sometimes even attacking and killing the summoner." A few faced paled at that. "Moreover, since nobody else here has undergone an awakening of their Personas, I do not know if the Evoker will awaken one, or have no effect entirely."
"So you would allow us to make the attempt so long as the facility was secured and well-equipped to deal with possible mishaps?"
Mitsuru nodded, firm and without hesitation. "Provided we are present and have final say in any decision regarding the matter, then yes."
But despite her words and how she said it, Mitsuru was, in truth, incredibly hesitant to allow it. Already, several dozen lives were lost to the experiment that tried to bring forth a Persona through experimentation. True, those experiments had taken place at a time when the conditions for awakening a Persona had been unknown, meaning those inhumane methods were no longer necessary at the present time.
Still, she could not erase the images from her mind, images that had come from the records of the experiment headed by the traitor, Shuji Ikutsuki. Nor could she discard the possibility of someone trying to repeat the experiment in an effort to gain more power. By all accounts, and from their own interactions with the man, Headmaster Ozpin could be trusted with the information she was giving him. The problem was whether or not he would bring anyone else into the matter and whether or not they could be trusted with such sensitive and dangerous information.
It was understandable that he was curious. They had, after all, witnessed seven Personas – eight if one counted Juno's support – slaughter nearly two hundred Grimm in less than two minutes. And they had still been ready to do more afterwards. Such a power would be a boon in their fight against the Grimm. As such, she could not, in good conscience, deny him the chance to try.
And thus, she decided that the best way to avoid repeating history was for SEES, all of whom knew of the previous experiment, to remain in control. SEES would be invaluable to such an experiment from an information standpoint. Only they knew the details regarding Persona. Or rather, without the Kirijo scientists, the only people who knew about Personas, incomplete information or not, was SEES and its members.
But even with the basic explanation they had given the Headmaster, there was still far too much he did not know. And whether he was aware of it or not, SEES themselves did not possess all the answers. Any experimentation or research that would occur would be for their benefit as well as his.
And that was her primary reason for giving her consent. Once, they had gone to fight the Shadows trusting in what they knew, trusting in what they were told. But that folly, that ignorance, only brought about their downfall. And now, thrust into a new world without the backing of the Kirijo and its vast resources, Mitsuru felt the need to ensure that their lack of knowledge would never act against them again. Beginning with their Personas.
They were, without a single grain of doubt, the most powerful weapon SEES had in its arsenal. A single one could demolish dozens of Shadows, dozens of Grimm. What more when all eight of them came together to fight as a single, cohesive unit? But just as a sword could break, and a gun could malfunction, so too could their Personas fail at a crucial moment.
Strega. Takaya Sakaki, Jin Shirato, and Chidori Yoshino. The three survivors of Ikutsuki's experiments to artificially awaken Personas in those who did not possess the Potential. All three survived and, though bearing many scars on many levels, walked away with an artificially awakened Persona. But in turn, their Personas were difficult to control, often attempting to kill their summoners. If not for a special drug made to suppress their Personas, Mitsuru was certain that Strega would never have lived long enough to cross paths with SEES.
Sadly, it was not just Strega who experienced difficulties with their Personas. Even naturally awakened Personas went out of control, just as she had told the Headmaster. And she had been there to witness the one instance it had come to pass in the form of Shinjiro Aragaki and his Persona, Castor, one of the three original members of SEES, alongside Akihiko and herself. Despite naturally awakening to his power, he had been met with difficulty summoning his Persona one night, leading to the death of an innocent. And it was that event, along with several others in the years after, which led lead to his death.
And now, nearly a year after his death from her perspective, that initial event still haunted her thoughts. Even now she wondered, feared, whether another member of SEES would lose control of their Personas. It had been established that it took great force of will to wield a Persona, as evidenced by the need to simulate suicide merely to call upon it in the first place. But was that all? Was it simply sheer force of will that they needed to control their Personas? Or was there something else they and the scientists hadn't considered?
Mitsuru didn't know the answer. And that bothered her. With the whole world now involved in a war that had lasted for millennia, the stakes were too high for her to risk even a single member of her team, a single one of her friends. Without the Kirijo's resources, she would have to find another way to fill in the gaps in their knowledge. And now, an opportunity had fallen right into her lap. She just needed to make sure that, this time, there would be no unlawful and immoral acts done in the name of science.
Ozpin nodded, agreeing to Mitsuru's conditions. "I'll make the necessary arrangements and inform you once everything is in place. But since it is only the beginning of the year I think it would be best if we were to wait until you've settled into your new lives before adding more to your workload." This time, it was Mitsuru who nodded in agreement. "One last thing. Would you-"
"Excuse me, Headmaster." All eyes turned to Glynda when she interrupted, and curiosity shone in those same eyes when they saw her furrowed brow as she read something off of her Scroll. "A… suspicious package has just arrived addressed to your office."
She didn't need him to say it out loud as the unspoken question was obvious, 'Why mention this now?' Both of them have worked together for many years. She wouldn't have mentioned anything about it until after their meeting if there wasn't anything significant about it. Simply the fact that she mentioned it now meant something about it caught her attention, enough for her to divert his attention from the meeting.
"No sender listed, but it's addressed to the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad."
Sixteen pairs of eyes widened in surprise, eight pairs turning their focus to Glynda in askance while the remaining eight did the same towards the group in question. But while everyone was confused, ten people in the room were already beginning to form ideas as to the identity of the sender.
Up until the meeting, the meaning of SEES was known only to its members. Once they considered that, it only made sense that it was someone who knew SEES even before their arrival at Beacon. Glynda and the Headmaster had one suspect. SEES had two, but only one was capable of sending a package.
"Has it been checked for any harmful material?" The blonde woman nodded. "Have it sent up." Again, the woman nodded and began typing into her Scroll even as Ozpin turned to Mitsuru. "I assume you have an idea as to the identity of the sender?"
"Elizabeth," Mitsuru responded without delay. "She's the only one outside this office who knows the meaning of SEES and is capable of sending a package. Though I do wonder what it was she sent us. When she left us in Vale the other day, she vaguely mentioned that it would be last time we would see her barring the need for her to seek us out."
"Implying that you would not find her if you were to seek her out instead," finished the Headmaster, receiving a nod from the leader of SEES. "Interesting."
In no time at all, the door leading out of the office opened and a young man dressed in a security uniform stepped in, carrying a box as large as his torso. He crossed the distance between the door and Ozpin's desk without speaking a single word, and left in a similar manner once he placed the box on one corner of the desk when Ozpin gestured to do so.
Once he was gone, Mitsuru stood and stepped towards the desk and the box perched on top of it. After glancing at Ozpin for permission, she tore off the single strip of tape keeping the box sealed, opened the top flaps, and moved aside the foam peanuts used to keep the contents from getting damaged during transportation. There was some confusion on her face as she saw the contents and reached in.
What she pulled out was another box, much smaller than the first but bigger than her hand. It was white all over and one of the larger sides had the image of a tall, black diamond printed on it. She placed it on the table and reached in again, pulling out yet another box. This time, the box was blue but still bore the same black diamond. The confused redhead reached in several more times, and placed even more boxes on the table until there were eight, all bearing different colors but with the same diamond on the front.
The last item she pulled out was another box, this one longer and wider than the rest. Intrigued by the difference, she opened it first and found several large envelopes inside. When she pulled it out, she saw that there were eight, each one bearing the name of a member of SEES. She passed each one to their respective owners before opening hers.
Mitsuru couldn't hide her shock at what was inside. Documents. Legal and government documents. Some of which were the kind they had filled out forms for just yesterday. 'When did she have time to handle all this?' Mitsuru couldn't help but ask herself.
There were a lot of different documents in her envelope, more than what the others had in theirs. A quick glance at the documents in her hands showed why. Beyond those needed for identification, her envelope contained bank and business documents as well. She would have to go over those at a later time, preferably tonight if she could find time. But unless she was mistaken, then Elizabeth had done more than just create identities for them.
Ozpin's voice shook her, and the others, out of their musings. "Something interesting, I take it?"
"You could say that," she responded, handing over a few of the documents. As expected, Ozpin was just as intrigued to find the same documents he had been helping them acquire to make their stay at Beacon, and Remnant as a whole, more manageable. "It seems there are things about her we still don't know even after knowing her for seven months."
That number immediately caught Ozpin's attention as it matched the amount of time since the loss of their home. "So you haven't known her for very long then?"
Mitsuru shook her head as Ozpin returned the documents to her. "No. Though our field leader, Minato, has apparently known her for nearly a year before we met her."
And yet another mystery added on top of all the others regarding the white-haired woman, Ozpin couldn't help but muse. For the moment, however, he set those thoughts aside as Mitsuru picked up one of the smaller boxes and began to open it, the other students looking on with bubbling curiosity.
He had seen the logo on the box and had his own suspicions as to the box's contents. Pyrrha, it would seem, also recognized the image as her eyes showed a hint of recognition and realization.
When Mitsuru finally pulled out the contents of the box, four of the students to his left gasped while another two gaped openly, leaving the last two to look at their friends in confusion.
"N-No way…"
"Those are…
"The public can't even get those yet!"
Intrigued by their reactions, Mitsuru turned to the three who spoke and asked, "Isn't it just a Scroll like yours?"
If it was possible, they looked even more flabbergasted by Mitsuru's reaction. As Ruby and Yang began spluttering about, having forgotten that Mitsuru knew little about Scrolls and such, Weiss pulled herself together and explained. "Those are the newest Scrolls from the Adamas Corporation of Mistral. They've only been out for a few weeks but they won't be available to the public for at least another month."
"They're also quite expensive," added Pyrrha. "They cost nearly four times the price of the average Scroll. Though given its specifications and capabilities, one might say it's well worth the cost. I believe they also named that particular model the Rotulus, just to make it stand out from the standard Scrolls."
"Don't you have one Pyrrha?" asked Weiss, turning around in her seat to better face the girl behind her. "The Adamas Corporation sponsors you, don't they?"
The Mistralian Champion shook her head. "My contract with them mainly covers weaponry, ammunition, parts, and other such things. Also, I am not the only person they are sponsoring. Despite my accomplishments, I'm hardly the most well-known among those they sponsor. Still." She turned to face her fellow redhead. "I have to wonder how your friend managed to get you one, let alone eight. As far as I'm aware, the only ones to be released so far were those given to stockholders, board members, and companies with significant dealings with the corporation."
"I have my suspicions," was all Mitsuru said as she turned to the rest of SEES. Obviously they wouldn't be hearing those suspicions any time soon. "There are eight Scrolls. And if I'm right, the color of the box corresponds with the Scroll. Does anyone want a particular color?"
"If it's alright with you, I'll take the one you're holding." Chidori was the first to speak up, eyes locked onto the plain white Scroll in Mitsuru's hands.
The former heiress nodded and passed both the Scroll and the box to Akihiko, who passed it behind him to Chidori. "Anyone else?"
"I'll take the blue one senpai," called out Junpei. Before pointing his thumb at Yukari. "And I'm Yukaricchi'll take the pink one."
"I can speak for myself you know," complained Yukari, resisting the urge to leap across Chidori to reach the source of her annoyance. Instead, she let out a mix between a sigh and a groan before saying, "Yeah, I'll take the pink one," after checking what other colors were available. It took all her willpower to ignore the smug and knowing grin on Junpei's face.
Even as Mitsuru passed the requested boxes, the others quickly chose from the remaining colors. Yellow for Aigis, green for Fuuka, orange for Ken, and black for Akihiko, leaving the red one for Mitsuru. Seeing some of them already opening the boxes, she called out gently for them to stop. "We can look at these later. For now it's best to finish up here. I'm sure the Headmaster has other things he needs to do."
Receiving an inquisitive look from the group, Ozpin shook his head. "I believe that should be enough for today. We will have more chances in the future to discuss things."
Seeing that the Headmaster was done with his questions, Glynda took the opportunity to make a point of her own known. "I do have one concern I wish to point out before you leave, however." Once she had SEES's attention, she said, "As you know, this is a school made to train Huntsmen and Huntresses. As such, one major class we have is a Combat Class held every day. Now, usually sparring is done under a tournament format. Meaning the fight is over once a student's Aura levels drop below a certain percentage."
Understanding immediately dawned in their eyes at her words. "I see you understand the problem. I cannot exclude you from the class, nor can I simply have you eight spar exclusively with one another. But you came into the school, fully aware that your lack of Aura places you at a disadvantage. Do you have a plan to deal with this?"
"We don't." The swift response from Akihiko caught Glynda off-guard, having expected Mitsuru to speak for the group once more. "At least, we don't have anything special planned. We're just going to attend classes normally like everyone else. Aura, or no Aura."
Glynda frowned at his somewhat vague words. "Will you be using your Personas in my class then? They seem to be your only option in this case."
The shaking of heads she received, not just from Akihiko but most of the group, did not fill her with assurance. "For one thing, we don't know if Aura will stop something as powerful as our Personas or their abilities. A direct assault from our Persona, perhaps. But the more powerful abilities are too risky at this stage. So until we're sure we won't end up killing someone by accident, we'll only be fighting with our own weapons."
Her frown only deepened at his words. While she could appreciate their caution regarding the other students, she certainly didn't appreciate their lack of caution regarding their own safety. In the end, she was caught between her duty and her personal feelings.
One dictated that she could not show favoritism, that she could not make an exception for SEES since they had come to Beacon despite knowing their handicap. The other wanted to do the opposite, wanted to avoid any unnecessary risks towards those who have already suffered and lost so much.
In the end, it was the resolve she could see shining in their eyes that convinced her to ignore her feelings on the matter. If anything, it was because they had already experienced so much that they could stand firm. Certainly, their resolve was stronger than most, if not all, of the first-year students. Even some fourth-year students could not match their resolve, lacking the harsh, deadly experiences that have tempered SEES's will.
"Very well," she said, hiding her feelings. "If you are certain then I suppose I do not have the right to deny you that."
With Glynda's concern voiced and his own questions satisfied for the moment, Ozpin addressed them once more. "For now, keep the Scroll I lent you. You can inform us of your new contact details once you've become accustomed to you own. Messages to your team will be sent to one of your teammates for the time being while any matter relating to SEES in general will be sent to your borrowed Scroll. Now then, I believe I've kept you long enough. I'm sure all of you could use some rest."
"Thank you, Headmaster." Mitsuru bowed as she spoke, SEES standing up to do the same. "We'll be sure to inform you once we've familiarized ourselves with our new Scrolls."
The Headmaster nodded and the group of sixteen exited, Akihiko falling behind slightly to grab the now empty box still sitting on the desk.
Once they were inside the elevators once more, going with the same groups they were in coming up, two of them heard their Scrolls go off. Weiss and Yang pulled out their Scrolls to check and found a message addressed to their team. Recalling the Headmaster's words, Yang immediately brought her Scroll over to Mitsuru to share the message with her.
On the other hand, Weiss read through the message before turning to Fuuka. "We'll be staying at dorm number three, Room 203."
Fuuka nodded but stopped suddenly as she processed Weiss's words. "Wait, all four of us?"
The Schnee heiress looked at Fuuka strangely, as though wondering why she was asking such an obvious question. "Of course. Did you think that we each received our own rooms?"
"I did, but I suppose it makes sense." Fuuka shook her head. "During the initiation, I thought that we'd be expected to room with our partners. I just didn't expect to room with three others." Then, remembering something, her eyes grew wide. "Wait, what about the others? Junpei and Chidori are partners."
Aigis nodded. "They're also on a team with Jaune and Pyrrha. And I believe Akihiko-san and Ken-san are partnered with Ren and Nora."
"Is this normal?" Yukari asked, concerned over the newest development.
But contrary to their hopes, Yang nodded. "Yeah. Since all the Huntsman academies are boarding schools, all of them do this. It's pretty much to promote teamwork and all that."
"That, and we can't exactly be picky on a mission," added Blake. "Like tents for example. Sometimes we'll have to make do with one large tent rather than two smaller ones for less hassle. And we may have teams now, but this is just for the duration of our stay here. After we graduate, we can go our separate ways if we wanted to. But since they've worked together for four years, most teams stay in contact at the very least and even take on jobs as a team. Even then, sometimes Huntsmen are hand-picked for certain missions so they might end up working with complete strangers."
"I see."
Mitsuru didn't like it. And she could see that neither did Yukari and Fuuka. She knew it was their culture speaking, but it simply wasn't right for a boy and a girl to sleep in the same room past a certain age. Even the night before in the ballroom was barely tolerable for them. Part of her couldn't help but criticize the Headmaster, but another part of her could only grudgingly accept it. After all, if this was how it was normally done, surely they have ways of ensuring nothing immoral went on behind closed doors.
Still, sharing a room did not mean they would be up to anything licentious. It would be uncomfortable, especially for Akihiko, Ken, Junpei, and Chidori, but she was confident they could work it out given time. Even Junpei, despite his often tasteless jokes, wasn't so uncouth that he would behave poorly. He had proven it the past seven months with Chidori. Despite often being alone with her in her room, he never did anything untoward with the then troubled and vulnerable girl.
"There is little we can do about it now," said Aigis, voicing Mitsuru's thoughts. "It is unexpected but I do not believe it will cause us much difficulty. We will adapt as we always have."
And as the elevator signaled their arrival, nobody noticed the scowl on Weiss's face as Aigis spoke, nor the way one hand clenched tightly into a fist. But she knew that the elevator wasn't the proper place to display her feelings. She would simply have to restrain herself. For the time being anyway.
As Ozpin and Glynda watched the group of sixteen leave, Ozpin immediately brought up the video of the meeting, just as he did the day before with their previous meeting.
"Do you still suspect them?" asked Glynda.
Ozpin paused for a moment at that question. Did he? Not long after, he shook his head slightly. "Not any more. At least, not as much as I did."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning they are still hiding something. Whether or not their secrets are harmful to others is what worries me given what we have already learned. And I admit, I did not expect the things we heard today. Had we had this discussion yesterday I daresay we would have accused them of lying."
"That, and I certainly would have done my best to stop them from taking the initiation." Obviously the fact that SEES had taken the test without Aura still bothered her. "Honestly. They survive the destruction of an entire city, an entire country at that, something that only took a single night from their own accounts, and they still do something so foolish."
"Is it foolishness? Or perhaps it is as they said, merely the determination to fight to live. Don't tell me you didn't see it."
"I did. And that's why it bothers me so much," admitted Glynda, suddenly looking very weary. "They're children Ozpin. Children shouldn't have the eyes of veteran Huntsmen. You know that if it was up to me they'd be on the next airship to Vale so that they could choose some other path. A path where they would no longer have to fight. Militia or not, they've fought enough."
"Unfortunately it isn't up to us," countered Ozpin as he began watching the recording of their meeting. "As much as we may wish to, the decision to attend Beacon was theirs and theirs alone. Even Mr. Amada, despite his youth, was quite firm in his desire to attend. At the very least, they have the ability to help them fight, to help them survive. And at least here, we have the chance to help them hone their abilities, regardless of their handicap."
"That handicap, however, may prove fatal, even in my Combat Class. All it takes is one little slip, one accident, and even I may not be able to stop it in time."
"And I'm sure they've considered that risk when you questioned them earlier." Despite his words, however, Glynda knew Ozpin was just as worried as she was that an accident would claim a life during her class. There was a reason such things were called 'accidents' after all. "Still, though my suspicions about SEES have abated somewhat, there are a few things still concern me greatly."
"You mean Death?"
Ozpin nodded. "And Elizabeth. I had initially assumed that she was someone they've known for a long time, not someone they met soon after the home was destroyed. In some ways, that makes her part in all this even more suspicious. Ms. Kirijo said it herself, they do not know how she knew of them, nor how she found them. True, she seems to have had dealings with their field leader, but that does not assure anything now that he isn't here."
"And then there are those documents she sent. As far as I could see, they were all legitimate. Meaning as far as the government is concerned, the members of SEES now exist within their system. Although it saves me the difficulty of doing so, I do wonder how it was that she managed to procure those documents so swiftly. Not to mention those Scrolls."
The blonde woman nodded in agreement. "As Ms. Schnee and Ms. Nikos have stated, that model has yet to be released to the public. Only those with connections to Adamas have them at this time but it was announced that there were only a hundred. With eight, they have almost a tenth of that. I cannot see how they could have them, let alone so many. Moreover, half of those that were released were black while the other half were white. They have eight different colors, something that wasn't supposed to happen until they begin mass production."
"I have my suspicions but it would be best to wait until I can be certain." Freezing the recording, his fingers tapped away to make a separate clip, replaying only a section of the entire video.
"But just as one cannot stop a natural disaster, we could only stave off Death for so long."
Ozpin replayed that scene, that one line from Mitsuru, several more times, listening intently. After finding what he wanted, he stopped the recording. "Did you hear it?"
Glynda nodded. "Yes. The way she said Death was clearly different from how one would normally say it, even considering the rest of the statement. It seems we may be right. One of the Grimm they faced, perhaps even the one most responsible for their situation, was named Death."
"A truly ominous name."
The two remained in silence for a moment, trying to digest everything they have learned up until that point. Personas, Death, their lack of Aura, their way of awakening one's power, and even their final stand against the Grimm. Everything they've heard and more ran through their minds. Not for the first time, they wondered just how eight children could still remain so strong-willed, let alone choose to fight.
They, or rather Ken, had stated his reason. The desire to live. And rather than the conventional meaning of still having one's life, his words held a deeper, more willful meaning. To live, to truly live, he believed that he needed to be someone who could look forward without fear, no matter what he may face, so that he could look back without regrets.
Junpei seemed to be someone who merely wanted to be a hero, a seeker of glory. But there was a harsh glint in his eyes when he spoke. There was something more than just glory that he was after. Being a hero was simply something he had to be to attain that goal.
And while no one else had stated their reasons for fighting, all the others also lacked that distinct uncertainty present in the eyes of many students when asked about the future. Many knew what they wanted to be. A Huntsman or Huntress, a hero, a role model, or something else along those lines for the most part. And they were all common answers that he and the other teachers have heard over the years. But the question that caused students to suddenly stumble was 'why'. They knew where they wanted to go, where they wanted to be, but rarely did they find a student who knew why such and such was their destination.
Some answered that they wanted to help people. Others because they enjoyed fighting, or simply wanted to hunt the Grimm for one reason or another. But no matter the reason, the same question could be asked. Why? For every answer, the same question could be asked until the one asking was satisfied. Few students could answer with absolute certainty past the second time it was asked.
SEES, however, seems to have an answer to that never ending chain of questions. They all had a reason to fight. And they knew why such was their reason. It was interesting to see such children. But as Glynda had stated, it was also saddening to see such children. They, save for Ken, were old enough to be considered young adults. They had experienced enough that most would see them as adults. But to the two of them and many others, they would always be children. Children who, despite their age and experience, shouldn't be shouldering burdens of fully-grown adults.
"What will you do now?" asked Glynda, breaking the silence that had taken hold of them.
"For now I will merely observe them. The school year is just beginning and they have just been thrust into a world different from their own. Once they have settled in, I will make plans for our little experiment. It will also give me time to consider who I can recruit to help us with this matter and if I should bring them from the start or wait until they are needed."
"For now, let's focus on next week," said Ozpin, stopping the video and returning to his work. "We have plenty of work to do in preparation for the start of classes."
"Of course."
And with that, the two highest authorities in the school went to work, the matter of SEES and all related subjects temporarily pushed out of their minds for more immediate concerns.
Aigis stood inside her new dorm room alongside her new team. The room was certainly large, larger than what she had expected even for four people. Four beds perpendicular to the window with a low bookcase between the two center beds. Between each pair of beds on the left and right was a nightstand, large enough for two people to share, with an adjustable double-headed lamp on top of it. Across from the beds were four sets of desks and chairs with two long shelves above them, presumably for studying and the books they would use respectively. And to the right was the door leading to what she and the others assumed was the bathroom. All in all, a decent room.
If you didn't count the pile of luggage and several boxes crowding the center of the room.
"I know you're rich and all but do you really need all that stuff Weiss?"
And of course Ruby decided to go and voice the first thing in her head. Despite the shy demeanor she had at times, Aigis could already see that Ruby was not one to hold back when she had something to say. Or was that simply a lack of tact? Either way, the result was an irate heiress.
"Dolt!" came the somewhat expected response. "Those aren't mine. They probably mixed up someone else's things with ours. I'll go see if someone can sort this out."
"Oh, there's no need for that," said Fuuka, looking up from where she was checking the boxes for their labels, as had been required so that their belongings could be delivered to the dorm once assigned. "These boxes are ours. Well, Aigis's actually since most of this is for her."
"What?"
"What do you need all of that for?" asked Ruby, looking at the boxes curiously as Fuuka opened the first one. "What's even in them?"
"One box holds parts for my weapons and the tools for my maintenance," replied Aigis, walking over to the boxes to help Fuuka check the contents for damage. "Two hold what ammunition I had left as we were uncertain if we would be able to procure them in Vale. The rest hold the parts for my maintenance station."
"Maintenance… station?" Both Ruby and Weiss looked to each other then back to Aigis.
"Have you forgotten that I am an android?" Aigis asked with a teasing smile.
In all the excitement after the big reveal, that little fact did slip from Ruby's mind. But she recovered quickly as she ran over to the boxes, excitement gleaming in her eyes as she began helping Aigis and Fuuka unpack, asking them various questions about Aigis as well as the parts they were taking out of the boxes.
Weiss, however, had not forgotten. But she had been trying not to think of it just yet. It hadn't escaped her notice that neither Ozpin nor Goodwitch had been surprised to learn that Aigis wasn't human. While it was good to know that her new team leader and acquaintances hadn't snuck her in without them knowing, it also meant that Ozpin had made Aigis the leader despite knowing.
Weiss shook the thoughts out of her head even as she watched Ruby, Aigis and Fuuka unpack. As much as she didn't like it, this was the situation she was in now. For the moment, all she could do was wait for an opportunity. Walking over to the luggage beside the boxes, Weiss took hers and moved them towards one of the bed. Noting the lack of a wardrobe, she made a mental note to see about going to Vale to purchase one.
"So how do you use this?" asked Ruby, holding up what seemed to be a rifle. Only this one was lacking several key components, particularly the half of the gun that included the trigger. "Or is this only part of it?"
"I have to remove my hand in order to attach that in its place," answered Aigis, watching for the fourth time in five minutes as Ruby's eyes lit up with excitement and intrigue as she turned the gun attachment around, examining it as closely as she could without dismantling it. "I take it you're very interested in machines then?"
"More like weapons actually," Ruby responded without pause, looking at the side of the weapon that would be attached to Aigis's wrist and trying to figure out how they would connect. "It's why Yang keeps calling me a weapons nut even though I don't like it." She rolled her eyes as she spoke. "I mean, just because I like weapons a lot doesn't mean I'm a weapons nut or even any other kind of nut."
Aigis giggled, though for what reason Ruby wasn't certain. "I think it's good to have something you feel passionate about. After all, it would hardly be a life if you did not enjoy it."
Something about what she said caught Ruby's attention. For a while, she could only stare at the android in front of her, watching her as she continue to take out parts of a machine from inside one of the boxes. Despite having seen it earlier, Ruby found it hard to think of Aigis as a robot.
With the way she was dressed, the only thing that stood out of place was the white collar-like piece she had that completely covered her neck. It also covered up the underside of her jaw and went up to the hairline at the back of her head, disappearing beneath those strange headphone-like accessories of hers. But even those could be easily explained in a way that hid her identity as a robot.
Watching Aigis move and listening to her speak, Ruby couldn't help but think that had they not been told they would have kept on thinking that Aigis was another human just like them. Her movements were smooth, not at all machine-like. And her speech patterns were the same. She sounded fairly formal at times but that was it.
No matter how Ruby looked at it, Aigis behaved exactly like a human would. But there was something else there that was… not bothering but rather, something that intrigued her. And she wasn't sure what it was.
"You've been staring at me for the past two minutes and twenty-six seconds now." Aigis's teasing voice pulled Ruby out of her thoughts. "Am I truly that interesting to you?" Ruby blushed at being read so easily but nodded all the same. "Have androids not been created here yet? When I heard that AIs were commonly found here, I had thought that perhaps androids like myself had been made as well."
"They have," she replied, her face still somewhat resembling her namesake. "But it's mostly Atlas that uses them. They had an entire army of them for fighting against the Grimm and a lot of different models."
"I see. I wonder if I will have the chance to see one."
Ruby just shrugged as she set down Aigis's rifle attachment, belatedly realizing that she had been holding on to it the entire time she was lost in her thoughts. She looked down into the box and pulled out the next thing that caught her interest.
"So what does this one do?"
For now, her fascination with Aigis could wait. They were on the same team after all. She had four whole years to learn more about the android who was now her team leader.
Akihiko tried to distract himself from the idea of sharing a room with a girl by entering their room's bathroom. Even if she didn't mind – was expecting it actually – that didn't make it that much easier for him and Ken. Last night in the ballroom was one thing. But four years in the same room? Hopefully he could get used to it quickly to avoid any unneeded tension and headaches. He paused at the doorway upon seeing a room a little more than half the size of the main room.
Across from him were four sinks with a mirror for each one. A quick inspection revealed that each mirror was actually the door for a small medicine cabinet built into the wall. On the wall on each side of the door were two overhead storage cabinets for toiletries and the like for a total of four. And beneath each one was a clothes hamper.
To the right were two toilets, each inside an individual cubicle. It made sense once he thought about it. With four people in the same room, having only one of something would be incredibly inconvenient. He made a mental note to inspect the stalls at a later time. It would certainly help to know if it was properly ventilated, though he assumed it was, and how well sounds carried out of the stalls, especially towards the adjoining stall.
In the middle of the wall to the left was another door. Walking through it, he found a small changing room and the showers. The shower stall itself was separated from the changing room by heavily frosted glass sliding doors. Inside the stall, he saw three shower heads but nothing separating them. Seeing them, Akihiko sighed. Even if he would be living with his team for the next four years, he doubted he would ever be comfortable with the thought, let alone the act, of showering with someone else. Still, the presence of the changing room, as well as a lock on the inside, meant there would be little chance of having any… accidental sightings between teammates.
'Though I suppose Junpei wouldn't mind a little accident in his dorm,' he thought with a small chuckle but thought little of it. Junpei may act like a pervert at times, but Akihiko had seen the way he looked at Chidori. He wouldn't do anything to hurt what he had with her, not even by playing off something he had done on purpose as an accident. He cared far too much for her to do anything of the sort. Similarly, Pyrrha had little to worry about. As dirty-minded as he was at times, he had grown out of that stage where he would have tried anything disrespectful. He wouldn't mind too much if something did happen by accident, but he wouldn't do anything on purpose. Especially after their narrow escape from Mitsuru's famed Executions in Kyoto.
He shuddered lightly at the memory of that night. Hopefully he would never find himself in such a situation again.
As he stepped out of the shower area, he idly mused that he would certainly miss the more traditional bathroom designs of Japan, something that he would not likely see unless he had one made. As he walked closer to the door leading back into the main room, he could hear Nora's loud voice coming into the bathroom. Out of curiosity, he shut the door to the bathroom and was surprised to hear only a whisper of her voice seeping through the wood. He opened it again and, sure enough, her voice was still at its default volume, which seemed to be LOUD for the most part.
Stepping out to see what the commotion as about, he had to rub his eyes to make sure he was seeing things clearly. There, lying on one of the beds, was Nora. And in her arms, held like a stuffed toy held by a child, were Ken and Koromaru.
The latter looked to be enjoying it, even licking Nora's face now and then, but the former was struggling, and failing, to escape her incredibly strong grip. He would have called it impossibly strong given her height and frame but if she could wield that hammer of hers without difficulty then it was no surprise she could maintain such a strong grip on Ken.
"You'll get used to it." He barely registered Ren's words, as he watched in amusement from near the middle of the room. "She's been waiting to do this since our team was announced so best to let her get it out of her system. Otherwise she'll just keep trying."
Already Akihiko could tell that Ren and Nora had a long history together. Not once did he hear Nora mention anything about wanting this moment – she did share her excitement at being on the same team not long after they had stepped off the stage earlier – and yet Ren had easily known what she wanted to do as well as how best to handle it. Though he was sure Ken would have preferred a method that did not involve him being turned into a living body pillow.
Thinking of his new teammates brought up a memory of Shinji, his first and oldest friend. If Ren and Nora shared a friendship as strong as what he and Shinji had, then he could already tell that they would get along well. If he could get used to Nora's eccentricities that is.
"You sure you're alright with this? We could always try to talk to the teachers or somethin'."
"It's fine Junpei-kun," answered Chidori, torn between sighing in exasperation and giggling at Junpei's concern. "Everyone else will be doing the same. We can't expect special treatment just because of discomfort."
"I guess," he responded, hand rubbing the back of his head uncomfortably. "I just… need to get used to this. Last night was one thing but this…"
Watching her new team leader and his partner converse, Pyrrha couldn't resist the urge to make sure they were doing well. Especially after learning the things they did in the Headmaster's office. "Is there an issue?" she asked, walking over from the side of the room where she moved her luggage.
Junpei sent her a look that she guessed was meant to be reassuring. His worry, however, stained the look and made him look uncomfortable. "We're fine. It's nothing, really," he said, trying to wave off Pyrrha's concern.
Chidori, however, was having none of it. "Junpei-kun is concerned over the sleeping arrangements."
"Ch-Chidori!"
Confused, Pyrrha looked back at the beds then back to Junpei. "What seems to be the problem? There are enough beds for all of us so it is not as though we would have to share with one another."
Chidori shook her head, slightly amused by the misunderstanding. "It's not the beds that are the problem. It's simply that in our country, those with more traditional views and beliefs look down upon men and women sleeping in the same room when they are not husband and wife. Any situation that would result in such are discouraged, to say the least."
"Y-Yeah, what she said," Junpei added, with a nervous smile. "Not everyone thinks that anymore but when your parents teach you that stuff when you're young and people lecture you on it a lot when growing up it tends to stick, you know?"
"I suppose I can understand why people would hold such beliefs." And truly, she did. While it made her more curious as to their culture, it did, at least, clear up the reason for his nervous demeanor. The thought of rooming with a girl his age probably never entered his mind, and now there were two of them.
And even though he and Chidori seemed to be in a relationship, judging by the way they behaved around one another, he still seemed to be more than a bit bothered by the room arrangements. Though that might mainly be because of Pyrrha herself, someone who was essentially a stranger to him.
Pyrrha could only imagine what the less reputable reporters would say about her. She was no stranger to rumors and the occasional news article coming from 'trusted' sources, but it was something she was tired of dealing with as all it did was cause trouble for everyone asides from those who caused the trouble in the first place.
Hopefully being away from Mistral where most people, if not everyone, recognized her by sight would lead to less incidents caused by her fame. It wasn't very likely, seeing as many of the students had recognized her, but even just a little less recognition was better than there being no change.
"What about you Jaune?" she asked, turning to the blonde sitting on one of the beds, looking strangely introspective. "Will you be alright rooming with Chidori and myself?" It wasn't likely they would get any special treatment, as Chidori had already pointed out, but it did help to know what everyone on the team thought.
"Well I uh… I guess?" Jaune did not look very certain of his answer, and seemed to be trying to avoid looking at any of them. "I mean I… I grew up with seven sisters. So I guess rooming with two girl shouldn't be too hard."
"Seven?" Three voices echoed at Jaune's statement, causing three pairs of eyes to stare at him.
"Dude, the hell was that like?" asked Junpei, eyes wide in disbelief. "I mean, I've always wondered what it would be like to have a brother or sister but… seven?"
Jaune laughed nervously, still avoiding eye contact with everyone else. It wasn't the first time someone reacted that way upon learning he had seven other siblings. It wasn't even the first time someone mentioned wondering what it would be like to have even just one sibling. Nothing about that situation was new to him. And as he started telling them about his siblings, the feeling of being out of place, of not belonging, slowly faded.
For now, at least, he could be himself more than he had been the past twenty-four hours. Right now, it was just him, his stories about his sisters, and three new friends. He could worry about how he would continue passing himself of as a proper trainee Huntsman later.
"It's larger than I had expected," commented Mitsuru as she and her team finished exploring their dorm room. "And with a lounge, and communal kitchen downstairs this almost reminds me of our own dorm back at Iwatodai."
"You guys studied at a boarding school too?" asked Yang as she claimed one of the beds and sat down.
"Not exactly," replied Yukari. "There are dorms in Iwatodai for anyone who came from another city but wanted to study there or just wanted to live closer in general. We had one that was used just by members of SEES. As for the school, it's just an ordinary high school. Well, as ordinary as a school owned by the Kirijo could be anyway."
"Wait, you owned the school?" Two pairs of eyes shot to the red-haired girl sitting on the bed at the far side of the room.
"I think I remember you mentioning something yesterday," added Blake. "Something about being the Kirijo heiress?"
The aforementioned heiress nodded to both their questions. "That's right, though that would former heiress now all things considered. The Kirijo Group was a company involved in every industry that affected daily life and was known by most everyone in the country, though we were also involved in other matters. As I mentioned earlier, it was the Kirijo scientists responsible for researching Personas."
Yang whistled in awe at Mitsuru's words. Even the Schnee Dust Company couldn't claim to be involved in every industry. Connected, yes. But not directly involved. As the name implied, their focus was mainly on the mining, processing, and distribution of Dust in its many forms.
"That explains the similarities between you and Weiss." When Mitsuru sent her a questioning gaze, she said scratched the top of her head and scrunched up her face in thought. "I dunno how to put it, just something about the way you move and talk and stuff. All proper and stuff."
Despite her poor explanation, however, Mitsuru smiled. "Ah, I believe I understand. I suppose it would have something to do with our upbringing. Coming from a family like mine, many people had high expectations of me and I was often around people of high status. I was expected to be able to behave appropriately in front of them so as not to embarrass my father or the other members of the Kirijo Group. I can only assume she has experienced a similar upbringing."
"Well, she could definitely use a lesson or two from you," Yang said flippantly, flopping down onto her bed. "I mean, she may be rich and all but that doesn't mean she can act like spoiled brat. Seriously, what the hell gives her the right to act so high and mighty all the time?"
All of a sudden, Blake felt a chill run down her spine. It barely took her two seconds to find out why. Though she was still sitting on her bed, Mitsuru was directing a cold glare at Yang, who was lying down on her own bed, the one on the opposite end of the room. And although Blake was standing near the corner farthest from Mitsuru, placing her books on the shelf above one of the desks, she felt as though Mitsuru was glaring at her as well.
"I restrained myself last night seeing as I had no authority over you," began Mitsuru, her frosty tone causing Blake to shiver and Yang to freeze in place despite Mitsuru not being in her line of sight. "But do not expect me to be so lenient with you now that I am your team leader."
"W-With w-what?" stuttered Yang, unable to even muster up the courage to sit up and face Mitsuru head-on.
"I did not approve of her behavior any more than you do, but that does not give you the right to speak ill of her especially when she is not present to defend herself. If you have something to say, have the courage to say it directly to her and in a way that does not invite conflict."
Hearing Mitsuru speak, Blake was reminded of their first two meetings. In the first, she was calm but firm, seeking only to understand what had caused the commotion. The second was much like the present, cold to the point that her very presence could freeze someone in place before she even spoke but with a powerful fire burning underneath. It was also a reminder that, for all her cordiality, Mitsuru was not someone she wanted to cross.
Mitsuru paused to let her words sink in, hoping that Yang would realize just why her behavior was inappropriate. Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, Mitsuru stood from the bed, grabbed the box of her new Scroll and the envelope containing her set of documents, and walked towards the door. "I will be in the lounge if anyone needs me." And without another word, she exited the room.
The moment the door shut, Blake felt all the tension leave her body. She nearly collapsed to the floor like a puppet without strings but managed to will some strength into her legs to keep her standing, her arms grabbing onto the backrest of the chair beside her to assist.
"You two alright?" Blake looked up to see Yukari alternating her gaze between her and Yang, concern written all over her face. Yang also turned her head to face the brunette. Seeing that neither one was able to talk just yet, Yukari took the initiative, beginning with a sigh. "Look, I'm not usually one to tell people how to behave but you have to admit, both of you weren't exactly on your best behavior yesterday.
"Yesterday?" Blake asked eyes narrowed slightly in confusion and thought, wondering what she had done yesterday that might have earned a share of Mitsuru's ire.
"When we first met, remember?" reminded Yukari. "It was when you mentioned Weiss being an heiress. You… weren't exactly all that nice the way you brought up your opinions on her family's company."
The reminder was all Blake needed to remember that she had, indeed, brought up the SDC's questionable business practices. Still, she couldn't exactly understand why stating the truth didn't paint her in a favorable light. And she mentioned such to Yukari.
But instead, the archer frowned a bit and shook her head. "It's not about stating the truth, though obviously we wouldn't know a thing about the company or how they operate. To Mitsuru-senpai it's more about how and why you said it. It's one thing to tell someone your opinion, and another to shove it into someone's face the way you did. It's like you were trying to bait her, to get her mad at you by insulting her family's company the way you did so that she'd be the one to start a fight or something."
"I…" Blake found herself speechless at Yukari's take on the event. Was that really how she appeared to them? All she did was state her opinion, letting the Schnee heiress know how she felt about her company. Did they really think she did it simply for the sake of insulting the company? For the sake of picking a fight with its heiress?
Blake didn't get too far with her thoughts as Yukari continued to speak. "I can honestly say that senpai wouldn't judge you because of your opinion on something. But she isn't going to tolerate it if you say it like that."
"What about me?" asked Yang, recovering slightly from her exposure to Mitsuru's icy wrath. "Was it because of that fight we had?"
"More or less I think," said Yukari. "I wasn't there for it. I only know about it since we asked what she meant when she told you three to try not to get into any more fights."
Yang chuckled nervously, scratching the back of her head. "Guess I didn't exactly make the best first impression on our new leader, huh?"
"Not really, no," came Yukari's blunt reply, but a faint smile graced the corner of her lips. "She won't hold it over you forever though as long as you don't do something like that again. It would probably help if you apologized. Not to senpai though, since Weiss was the one you got into a fight with in the first place."
"I'll try." Yang's response, however, wasn't filled with confidence in her own ability to do so. "I've never really been the best at stuff like that so I can't promise anything." With her choice of words, it was difficult to determine if she was speaking about her ability to withhold her temper, offer an apology, or both. Deciding to change the subject, Yang decided to broach a topic she had been curious about since that morning. "I've been meaning to ask, but what's up with all those strange words you guys keep using?"
"Strange words?"
"Yeah. I usually hear you guys say it after someone's name. Like sun or sepai, or something like that."
"Oh, those. You mean like when I call her Mitsuru-senpai?" Yang nodded, showing that Yukari understood what she was talking about. "Those are honorifics. Something like when you guys call someone mister or miss."
"So… you're calling her Miss Mitsuru?" Yang was definitely confused by the idea of Yukari speaking to Mitsuru so formally. Moreover, the tone of her voice when they spoke definitely wasn't that formal.
Seeing how she would think that, Yukari giggled and raised her hands in front of her. "No, no, not like that. Senpai means something like an upperclassman at school or a senior at work. Since Mitsuru-senpai and Akihiko-senpai were a year above us at school, we called them 'senpai'."
"Wait, so they're older than you?" The brunette nodded. "How old are you guys?"
"We're not that old," Yukari stated with a level glare, but Yang just laughed it off. "Anyway, Mitsuru-senpai's the oldest at nineteen and Akihiko-senpai turns nineteen in two weeks." Yang's laughter ended and even Blake's attention was now on the archer, both of them surprised by the two-year age gap as they had only been expecting one. "I turn eighteen next month. As for the rest, let's see…"
Yukari paused, raising her hand to her fist to her chin as she looked up in thought. "Ken-kun turned twelve a few months ago. Chidori and Junpei turned eighteen and seventeen at the start of the year, so Junpei's the youngest asides from Ken-kun. If Aigis's birth date is the date she was first activated then Aigis turns twelve in a week, though obviously we're gonna tell other people she's turning eighteen. And Fuuka turns eighteen at the end of the year."
When she heard no response, she lowered her gaze to find Yang and Blake both staring at her. "W-What?" she asked with a slight stutter.
"Yo-You're all older than us." Yang's words came out as a statement rather than a question.
Yukari's glare returned. "You really wanna push it?" And while her glare didn't have the same effect as Mitsuru's, it was enough for Yang and Blake to get the hint. Once they relented, Yukari sighed. "Anyway, our ages don't matter much now since we're all in the same year."
"So, why do you still call them… uh… what's that word again?"
"Senpai," repeated Yukari, pronouncing it firmly and clearly so Yang could understand it. "As for why, well, we've gotten used to it. Besides, honorifics are pretty much part of our culture. Usually only two people who are close to one another call each other by their names without honorifics."
"So what about the other ones you use?" asked Blake, taking a seat on the bed next to Yang's. "Do you use different ones for different people?"
Seeing that their attention was now solely on the topic, Yukari made herself comfortable on her own bed. If she was going to explain a lot about their culture – and she was since they were certain to ask about other things now that they'd gotten started – she didn't want to do it standing up.
As she got into a more comfortable position, she couldn't help but wonder why Mitsuru needed to leave the room. Despite the mood her little lecture had set, Mitsuru wasn't one to leave just because the tension made her uncomfortable. Obviously it had something to do with the documents they received as well as why her envelope had been thicker than the rest of theirs.
Still, she didn't worry about it. While it was true that Mitsuru still took on most of the work, she at least did not hesitate to ask for help when necessary. She had certainly come a long way from that person who tried to shoulder every burden.
Whatever her reason, Mitsuru would tell them if it was important. For now, she had two teenagers to educate on some of the finer details of Japanese culture.
And that brings this chapter to a close.
What did you all think of how the teams are set-up? Also, we've finally seen SEES's cover story with regards to their home and their Personas. I'm sure a lot of people might be wondering whether the RWBY cast will gain a Persona and if SEES will unlock their Aura. With regards to that, well… that's a secret. Can't go giving away future events so easily after all.
As you might have noticed, this chapter pretty much sets the tone for how the characters will interact with one another from this point on.
I'm still open for intermission suggestions for anyone who's interested in submitting one. Details are on my profile.
I'm hoping to get another chapter for my other story out but since inspiration for that dried up I'll have to see how it goes. At this point it's more likely that I'll be adding a new chapter this one again. We'll see.
Anyway, as always I welcome all comments and suggestions. Let me know what you thought, what you liked, what you didn't like, etc… Always love hearing from you guys.
Until next time then.
