A Cosmic Journey
A/N: Happy November everyone! For anyone who keeps up with League of Legends, I spent a bit of time keeping up with the semifinals going on this weekend, which consequently ate into my editing time a little. That doesn't really bode well for when I get to starting watching Volume 7 this weekend, but we'll see. As a note, please rest assured that I will not be including any Volume 7 information in this fic until Volume 7 itself is actually over. Even then, it will only be to the extent that Kouzai may discover information about semblances or weapon names, as Kouzai arrived on Remnant knowing information up to Volume 6, and nothing beyond it. Now for a couple reviews:
Zeldawolffang: Thank you for the compliment, I've put some thought and work into this fic, so I'm glad there are those that enjoy it. It definitely motivates me to stay on the weekly release schedule.
The Crowned Reaper: You know, I didn't even think of the comparison before, but I suppose similarities do exist between Dante and Kouzai. For one, Kouzai would never stick to just one weapon, so that sword and gun combination does evoke a reference. As for Red Queen and any physical traits, I don't think Kouzai will be going the way of the DMCverse…unless his arm gets cut off. I didn't jinx things, did I?
Chapter 11: An Ounce of Protection
Chapter Date: 11/4/19
'Back, right, bloc-SLASH! Back up, and reset.'
"HEADS UP!"
"ARRGGGHH!"
Nora, Ren, and I stood across from Adam warily, as he glared at us behind his mask.
"This guy's definitely huntsmen-level," Nora muttered, hands gripping Magnhild's launcher form with tense energy. Her face lacked her characteristic grin, either due to the stakes of the situation, or the part I was having her play in it.
"Which is why I'm surprised that we have been doing as well against him as we have," Ren commented, tone a tad too strained to be casual. "Kouzai, how long were you fighting him to formulate this plan?"
'Zero seconds, and a whole lot of visualization from watching the show.' I kept my eyes on Adam and refused to betray any outward expression. "Long enough. Things would've gotten far too dicey for my liking if you both didn't get here when you did."
And that was the truth. Sure, I had made plans for most of the antagonists in RWBY, but there were realistically very few matchups that I would be coming out on top of for now, at least without time to prepare or backup.
With Nora and Ren though?
Adam's teeth were bared in a snarl. Doubtless he thought we would go down like the SDC guards had, and underestimated us. Good. The longer he kept that up, the more our advantage stretched out.
Without a word, Adam dashed towards us, body tilted towards a quickdraw stance. I levelled both longswords of Mirror's Edge, Chronometry already activated. 'Here we go again.'
With lightning speed, Wilt separated from Blush in an upwards strike. Having moved up towards him, I planted my feet and reverse-gripped the longsword in my right hand. With a reverberating clang, Wilt crashed into Mirror's Edge, and I gritted my teeth to hold Wilt back.
'Weakness 1: His semblance only gets energy from attacks. It won't get any stronger if the target doesn't contribute any impact back.' This was the hardest one for me to pick up on, but also one of the most crucial. Without recognizing that, my plan would've been relegated to 'overwhelm with numbers and grapple him', a lethal option against a quickdraw master.
Before my eyes, Adam whirled around and brought Wilt around in a full-rotation strike for my head. Holding my left longsword up, Wilt met Mirror's Edge once again, and frustration was plain on both our faces. Him because he could force past my blades, and me because I couldn't meet his slashes with equal force, lest I power up Moonslice.
Yup, I put myself in the position of the tank, taking the attacks of Adam Taurus. All because of a few reasons. 'Weakness 2: His regular attacks can be blocked…even if they sting to take.' Why me instead of Nora or Ren though?
A whistling sound reached both our ears, and Adam hastily blocked Stormflower with Blush as Ren appeared out of thin air, or as good as. Using Tranquility, Ren was best suited to sneak in and try to get hits on Adam while I was catching his attention.
As Adam grunted and flexed, Blush began to lower with the barrel pointed out towards Ren. Shoving Stormflower's other half so that both weapons were against the gun-sheath, Ren kept the barrel pointed above his head, a position he didn't have to be in for long.
"WIDE OPEN!" I shouted, cutting across Adam's back with my reverse-gripped longsword, taking immense satisfaction in seeing red Aura angrily shimmer across his body. Taking a fraction of a second to look sideways, I used the momentum to kick off Adam's back, upsetting his balance and giving Ren the opportunity to escape from the deadlock as well. As Adam regained his balance and turned, he was greeted with the sight of a pink canister centimeters from the ground, just beyond Wilt's reach.
BBOOOOOOOOOM
Yet another crater appeared in the SDC facility courtyard, pink smoke billowing out as Ren and I rejoined Nora about fifty yards away, both of us guarding with our weapons in case of a fast recovery. Mercifully, the smoke dissipated to show Adam on one knee, skid marks in the dirt documenting the knockback.
'Weakness three: He only has two weapons. Between Ren and I, we have four, so I'll be damned if we can't lock his weapons up and let one of us land a hit on him. Weakness four: his semblance only absorbs energy directed at it, meaning it's weak to area-of-effect impacts like explosions.'
"I still think I should get to smack him with Magnhild at least once," Nora grumbled, as I mentally tallied another point in the 'she's just antsy' column.
"Hah…tell you what, Nora…if we beat him, I'll let you get a swing in on him," I panted, leaning on Mirror's Edge as I caught my breath.
"Are you certain you will be able to keep this pace up?" Ren asked, concern plain on his face. "Merely blocking his attacks and their momentum is clearly taking a toll on your body and Aura."
"Not to mention you've been using Chronometry since the start of this fight," Nora murmured.
"We've got no other choice," I grimly replied. "We can't run now, since he's still more than fast enough to catch up to us, and we don't know if anyone's still inside the facility. And neither of you can act as the shield here, since Ren's too useful for sneaking, and Nora's too useful to land the splash damage. This is the role I'm best suited for right now, and it's the role I'm sticking with. Besides, I only need to hold out long enough to either beat him or let one side retreat." 'Or, you know, die.'
As I regained my breath and straightened, it seemed Adam considered his break over as well, returning to his quickdraw stance. Before the cycle of combat began again though, I called out, "Don't you want this to be over?"
"More than you know!" Adam shouted back, posture tensing as he prepared to pounce.
"Then why continue fighting? If you keep fighting us, there's a very real possibility you lose here, or at the very least, get drawn into a stalemate until every cop in Kuchinashi arrives and you're forced to retreat." I strained my ears for the sounds of any sort of police siren, to no avail. "Isn't a leader supposed to know when to cut their losses?"
Adam's grip on Wilt tightened. "And how would you know that I'm a leader of any sort?"
"Uhh, you're Adam Taurus, aren't you? High-ranking member of the White Fang? It isn't hard to come across new stories about incidents with your involvement, and your appearance is…unique." I was bluffing, but I'd be damned if the media hadn't already identified who Adam was. "Also, considering how strong you are and how much Faunus tradition tends to value strength, you would have to be some type of authority figure."
Fingers relaxed their grip on Wilt, but Adam did not rise from his position. "It appears at least someone did their due diligence, unlike these human scum lying around. It comforts me somewhat that my performance is in part due to facing combatants who had countermeasures prepared. Which is why, as a leader, I must stop you here so that my men do not encounter you. I suspect they would fare poorly."
'Aww, crapnuggets…' I looked miserably at Nora, who had an unnatural number of teeth displayed, and Ren, who shrugged as of to say 'you gave it your best shot'. Rolling my shoulders, I hefted Mirror's Edge back up. "Fine. Just know that you had the chance to prevent further bloodshed on both sides."
"Blood spilled now to pave the way for a bright future is a cost that I and the White Fang are more than willing to pay," Adam replied. With a small crunch, Adam pushed forth and rocketed straight for Ren, Wilt already drawn and in full motion.
"Damnit!" Not-so-gently shoving Ren out of the way, I held both halves of Mirror's Edge vertically, catching Wilt as the impact rattled my teeth. Sliding my right arm to the side, I slashed towards Adam's side, and watched as Blush stopped my blow. Seeing Ren close in behind Adam, the start of a grin on my face disappeared as Adam whirled around, disengaging from my blades as the momentum forced me back momentarily. Turning to face Ren, Wilt arced upwards for Ren's heart. Only Ren's reflexes got Stormflower in between, sparks flying as Ren tried to use Stormflower's blades to lock Wilt in, similar to what he'd-
BANG
A rifle shot collided with my chest, and my attempt to surge forth halted. "GAAK!" Pounding my chest to force some air back in, I saw Adam's back to me, with his left hand snaking behind and pointing Blush backwards. Springing into motion, Adam turned on his left leg to roundhouse kick Ren in his side, dislodging Stormflower away from Wilt. As Adam knocked Ren away, he pivoted around to see Nora's grenade already descending, and got down into his quickdraw…
"Shit! EVERYONE DOWN!" I hit the deck, followed by Nora and Ren a split second later, as Adam's figure, now wreathed in glowing red, sliced outwards and a red crescent of Aura carved through the grenade in a wide arc. As the explosive detonated, I sprang to my feet as Adam was harmlessly enveloped in smoke. 'He has his bearings now. C'mon, if I was him, who'd I aim for?...Oh…'
I held both blades parallel to each other, squinting with Chronometry on full blast as I waited for…
BANG
The smoke distorted as Wilt flew out of the smoke hilt-first, propelled by Blush. Just as fast as Dust bullets, I gritted my teeth. 'DON'T MISS."
Remaining still until the very last second, I leaned sideways and stopped Aura-reinforcing my blades.
CLANG
'…I can't believe that worked…'
I stabbed Mirror's Edge in the ground as Adam dashed out of the smoke, only to stop in horror as my blades sunk into the dirt. Blades, because the two halves were prevented from joining by a Red Dust katana wedged tightly in between.
'Weakness 5: he needs his weapon to use his semblance.'
"Charge him, NOW!" I roared, Nora and Ren happily complying. Adam readied Blush, but before anyone could fire off a shot, a ribbon wrapped around Ren's arm.
"Ree-NNNNNNNNGGGHHH!" Nora exclaimed, electricity coursing through her body as a whip hit her from behind and she collapsed to reveal a color-shifting Faunus.
'…Grimmshit…' Behind my volto mask, my jaw dropped as Ilia and Blake fucking Belladona stepped over to Adam, Ren having disentangled his arm from Gambol Shroud. Strangely, Ren and I didn't seem to be the only ones unhappy at their arrival.
"I told you both to return to the base after going to the mines, no detours. You weren't supposed to come here," Adam growled, speaking almost exclusively to the B of RWBY. 'Who isn't wearing a Grimm mask, even though Ilia and Adam are…'
"Adam, there was no one left to save at the mines," Blake said softly, and all present stiffened at the connotation. "We thought this facility was more dangerous than expected, and that you might need help."
"I have things under control here, Blake," Adam stressed. "Most of the guards have been taken care of, but these three showed up to stop me from finishing off whoever's inside the facility."
"More Schnee security?" Ilia sneered, pointing Lightning Lash at Ren and I. We both remained silent, trying to predict how things would turn out.
"No, just some humans trying to protect their own. I would've taken them out soon regardless," Adam replied casually. "You two, though, should be helping our brothers and sisters evacuate from the facility."
'Evacuate? From what?...OH, HELL NO.' "You are definitely not stepping inside that building, and are definitely not blowing the place up," I seethed. "Not while there might still be people inside."
"People inside? Adam, you told me the all the employees would be taken out before-"
"ENOUGH." The atmosphere got twice as tense from Adam's one word. "Our timetable is running short as it is. Ilia, help me take care of the remaining two, then we'll move on. Blake, if you're going to help, you'll need to put on a mask." Ilia nodded, and Blake reluctantly took a spare Grimm mask from Adam and donned it, before brandishing Gambol Shroud.
"Welp, this sucks." I looked over at Ren. "Please tell me it's soon."
"It is…hopefully."
"Gods…y'know what, fine. And how long do you think she will last?"
"With the shock? Quite a while."
"Well, at least somethings going our way," I sighed. "Alright Ren, I'm going to need you to occupy the cat-eared Faunus with the ribbon weapon. She looks far too agile and flexible for me to deal with at the moment."
"Very well, I'll do my best. And who will you be facing?"
"Given what's already happened, I'd hope that would be obvious." I ran a hand through my hair, then raised my fists, feeling slightly vulnerable without Mirror's Edge. "Ready? GO!"
At my words, Ren and I sprang forward, as the White Fang members prepared to meet us. What they didn't expect, however, was what came out of my mouth next.
"FRANKENSTEIN!"
"YOU GOT IT!"
"Wha-OOOOF!" From behind, Ilia had no defense to the suddenly-risen and very electrically-charged Nora, the pint-sized powerhouse tackling the chameleon Faunus to the side. While Adam and Blake were temporarily distracted, Ren flew in with a kick to Blake's chest, knocking her backwards as he capitalized on her mistake. Meanwhile, I stood across from Adam.
"What did you do to my weapon?" Adam's voice was flat, clinical as he took a stance, augmented by Blush still in his off-hand.
"A little bit of a flytrap of sorts," I tried faking being breezy, like I trapped people's weapons with my own all the time. "Why don't we just settle things with our physical skills, see who's better?"
Adam honest-to-gods chuckled, before aiming Blush at me. "If nothing else, your inane humor has made fighting you more enjoyable. You should be proud of that, regardless of how things will end."
"So I take it that's a no on the whole 'no guns' rule? Okay then…" Adam lunged forward and flipped into a kick cleaving through air as I sidestepped. A spinning backwards kick, then-DUCK!
BANG
A close shave with Blush had me on the back foot now, and Adam advanced with his legs two spinning blades of their own. 'Great, so he uses kicks the same as Wilt. Fine, he's not the only one with a gun…'
Another relentless charge forward, and as I ducked another roundhouse kick, I reached behind me. Whirling around in a backfist with my right hand, Adam backed up, but he flinched as I raised Corona with my left and fired off three shots. The first two hit his torso and right arm, but the last he blocked with Blush as he used the momentum to speed out of my aim. Chasing him down, we circled around Ren and Blake, playing a nimble game of 'avoid bullets and ballistic chain-scythes', and Nora and Ilia, doing their best impression of an electrified cat with a big hammer chasing a mouse. Reaching Mirror's Edge before me, Adam grasped Wilt and tried yanking it out from the vice hold my blades had it in, but Wilt refused to budge before I was upon him.
"No dice. Your sword isn't escaping unless I say so," I muttered, trying very hard not to think about what would happen if Adam, a skilled Aura user, learned the trick to separating Mirror's Edge. Instead, I focused on figuring out how to get Blush off Adam.
'He's got a death grip on his last weapon. I need a distraction to wrestle Blush away, and I need to stop him from grabbing it again…oh, this is gonna suck…'
Aiming Corona, I fired off two more shots, forcing Adam to dodge and block with Blush. As I closed in, he sneered and aimed Blush at me. Flexing my muscles, I streaked forward.
BANG
Adam gaped as I took the shot straight-on, and I pivoted with both arms in motion. Grasping Blush's barrel with my right hand, I fired Corona straight at his chest with my left and used the impact to wrench Blush away from Adam. Pivoting again, I scanned the battlefield for-"NORA! HEADS UP!"
Chucking Blush, I watched Nora pause from her game of 'whack-a-chameleon' to gaze at the spinning sheath, before grinning and leaping up in the air to grab Blush.
"Don't let them get their hands on it!" I shouted, before turning back to face a grimacing Adam. Once again, I raised my arms, and now devoid of weapons, he did the same.
"Such confidence in your unarmed combat abilities," Adam hissed. "Do you really think you have what it takes to put me down?"
'Nope, but it's far better than you with weapons, fighting either Nora or Ren.' I plastered a cocky grin on my face and waved with one hand. "Come find out."
Yelling, Adam charged towards me, lashing out with a side kick. Chronometry constantly on now, I guarded with my arm. 'HOLY-, he hits like Nora, but with more precision.' My silver Aura shimmered across my body and I flexed my fingers. 'My turn.'
Launching my right hand forward in low jab, Adam mad to guard his face, but I snapped my wrist and sprang upward into an uppercut, driving my fist into his stomach. As I retracted my right hand, I went in for another jab, and this time Adam dodged sideways instead of guarding, just in time to take my fist again and I snapped my wrist and elbow, turning the jab into a hook at his face. Crimson Aura flashed this time as Adam reeled back, wary now of my right hand.
"You use a strange technique," Adam murmured almost conversationally, far more casual than I'd be if I'd been nailed with what I thought were two solid punches. "Your reverse stance is also quite rare."
"Perks of being a lefty. And thanks. It took a lot of work, so I'd be sad if it wasn't effective," I shot back. 'But man, the mid-swing directional changes are murder on my wrist and elbow, not to mention the flexibility needed. I'll never complain about those stretching sessions again.'
But you couldn't get to where Adam Taurus was without being adaptable. As Adam surged back into my range, the bull Faunus bobbed his head side to side, making it difficult to track his body position. 'An infighter like him will just break down my defenses; I need to take the initiative!"
Turning my fists so that my palms faced upwards, I matched Adam's charge, and jabbed with my right hand. Adam parried my fist and weaved inwards, but twisted sideways to avoid my left straight coming nearly instantly after my jab. Turning with him, I chopped downward with my left hand, and as Adam blocked with his right arm, my own right arm slipped past and knifed onto his collarbone. Quickly bending that same arm into a guard, I absorbed a roundhouse kick as we both separated again, and this time Adam looked a bit more rattled.
"So many tricks. What kind of a fighter are you?" Adam questioned.
"The surviving kind." My reply only seemed to further incense the Faunus, and with gritted teeth, Adam closed in with far more speed than he'd been using. I tried socking the bull Faunus' jaw, but he shrugged it off in favor of landing a blow to my ribs. And he wasn't done.
'Dust…the man's snapped. No tricks will work on him now, he'll just ignore everything. A straight-up slugfest with Adam Taurus it is then…'
Elbow block. Side kick. Side-STEP. Counter.
I likely was only a few minutes, but especially with Chronometry active, I felt like I was trading blows with Adam for nearly half an hour. I was trying to give as good as I got, but…
"GUUUHH!" I staggered back, catching my breath for a few merciful seconds as Adam was also pausing for the moment. As I watched him also heave for breath, a bruise on his cheek from a particular hard punch of mine, I realized Chronometry was no longer active, likely from low Aura.
'No wonder why I've been taking more hits…that's not good…' I wasn't sure how I looked compared to Adam, but I was sure my robe at this point was also covering more than a few injuries. Used to operating without Aura, I could fight, but things were not stacked in my favor.
"Adam!" Blake jumped towards him and tried propping him up, handing the Faunus Wilt.
"I'm sorry Kouzai, she managed to slip away for a moment and pull Adam's blade from Mirror's Edge," Ren spoke from beside me, looking a little worse for wear as he limped. "She also uses a strange semblance, something to do with-"
"Clones. I caught a few glimpses of yours and Nora's fights," I finished, looking over at Ren and nodding. "It's alright. I wasn't faring any better against Adam."
'A semblance like Blake's would definitely give her fine Aura control, enough to work out the trick to Mirror's Edge and get Wilt back.' Still thinking, a large thud caught my ear as Ilia bodily landed in the dirt in front of Adam and Blake, weakly getting to her feet using Blush as leverage.
"Alright, I've hit someone with Magnhild, I'm satisfied." I wasn't even surprised at Nora's voice slightly behind me, and a sideways glanced at her showed she was still charged with electricity, either from the initial shock by Ilia or repeated exposures during their fight. 'What a nightmarish matchup for Ilia…'
"Adam, we need to fall back. Those stationed in Kuchinashi have notified us that the police are coming. All of them," Blake stressed, and seemingly prompted, my hearing returned with clarity as I heard the faint sound of sirens and bullhead engines.
"But these interferers still stand before us, as does the Schnee facility," Adam sneered. "How can we call our mission a success when the symbol of our oppression still-"
"This mission wasn't a success, Adam!" Ilia cut in beside in, and Adam and Blake gaped at her. But the chameleon Faunus was on a roll. "Look around! So many dead, both SDC and innocent Faunus! And you want to jeopardize the safety of the rest of our cell to chase after some researchers! Forget about the optics, and focus on the lives of Faunus that can still be saved."
"Adam, please…" Blake whispered beside him, and that seemed to cut through Adam's blind rage. Letting out a hissed breath between clenched teeth, Adam took Blush back from Ilia and sheathed Wilt, before waving a hand out at Nora, Ren and I.
"We may retreat tonight, but know that you have made a permanent enemy of the White Fang. Take caution, and live knowing that we will find you." Turning, the three White Fang members dashed into the night, and all three of us sagged once they were out of sight.
"That was pretty tough," Nora admitted, though she was in the best shape of the three of us. "You think the White Fang has a lot of fighters that good?"
"I would assume not. At least not at the operative level," Ren replied, trying to work the knots out of his leg. "Fortunately, we prevailed tonight thanks to-AAAAAHH!"
Ren's statement was viciously cut off as I grabbed both him and Nora, yanking the two along unceremoniously now that I had my breath back.
"Did you two happen to forget we don't want to be on the scene when the cops get here? Surrounded by the bodies of SDC employees and White Fang soldiers, in front of a sieged SDC facility?" I hissed as teal and pink eyes widened.
"Oh."
… … …
It took hours, but we circled far around the estimated search area for any suspects, before burning our outfits with Fire Dust and burying it to be safe. Stowing any suspicious materials inside a backpack placed outside the city limits and heading to the direct opposite entrance of Kuchinashi, we were waved through a checkpoint by guards who weren't looking closely at anyone who wasn't a Faunus. Returning to our hotel as the sun was rising, we entered our room and collapsed on our beds.
"No more all-nighter missions…" Nora grumbled into her pillow. "Only sleep…"
"How much longer do we have this room for again?" I wearily turned my head towards Ren, who was the only one of us making the effort to change into sleeping clothes.
"Two days."
"Wake me up in three…" Nora groaned.
… … …
"…And in other news, the perpetrators of the White Fang attack on an SDC facility outside Kuchinashi still remain at large. Police have determined that high-ranking member Adam Taurus was responsible for the attack, and urge citizens to report with any information on Taurus or suspicious Faunus activity.
In addition, Kuchinashi authorities have recently revealed footage of a dark-clothed figure who is shown fighting both SDC automatons and White Fang soldiers. This individual's motives remain unclear, but due to an announcement from the White Fang denouncing this individual as the 'specter of the White Fang,' authorities and citizens alike have begun deeming this individual as 'The Specter'. More on-"
I hastily shut off the television and looked around the orphanage common area to make sure no one heard that, but thankfully, Nora and Ren weren't in the room, and all the other wards weren't interested in the boring news. 'Thank the gods for the self-centeredness of teenagers and young children…'
A bunch of cheering outside prompted my attention as I realized the height of the event was beginning soon, meaning my appearance was needed, lest I face Ms. Fujiko's and Nora's wrath. Taking a deep breath, I opened the orphanage door and stepped outside…only to be tackled by a head of blond hair. I staggered a couple steps and planted my feet, halting the momentum of the monkey Faunus latched around my neck.
"Why Sun, I had no idea you cared so much," I quipped dryly, making no small effort to pry his hands off.
"Says you! You've saved my life, let me stick it to some prejudicial Atlesian soldiers, helped me become friends with Pyrrha Nikos, and helped stop a White Fang attack while on vacation for securing a CCT relay tower for your town! I mean, dude!" Sun's arm was slung around my shoulders jovially, a mood echoed by everyone in town for the flower viewing festival. Save for one.
"Where, did you hear about us stopping the White Fang attack?" I asked, though something told me I already knew the answer.
My face must've given away the game as Sun gulped. "Ohhhh, was that meant to be secret? 'Cause Nora's giving the play-by-play story of the fight…"
"And who…has she told so far?"
Sun began counting fingers. "Me, Pyrrha, Jaune, Scarlet, Weylin-"
"Oh-kay! Thank you for that Sun!" I cut the Faunus off before he got to the second hand. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find a certain pancake-eating hammer-wielder."
Storming off, I made my way through the crowds, and eventually found the distinct hair combination of blond, black, and two redheads. Approaching Team JNPR, I heard Nora giving her tale of events to Jaune and Pyrrha, for the second time it appeared.
"So there we were, surrounded by fifty White Fang operatives!"
"There were three."
"Bullets were flying everywhere and the police flew into the middle of the fight!"
"There were few bullets, and the police arrived after all parties had left the scene."
"But eventually, we beat Adam Taurus and all his men, and were given the key to the city!"
"Both sides mutually fled from the police, and we snuck back into the city to avoid being suspected."
"Which is why…" I growled behind a flinching Nora, a hand on top of her head, "we don't go around telling everyone we know that we were involved."
"Good to see you, Kouzai."
"Hello again!"
"How's it going, Kouzai?"
"EEEEP!"
"Threats aside, I do trust that Nora only told the story to people that we trust to be discreet." A look towards Sun, Jaune and Pyrrha had them nodding vigorously.
"Definitely, you have my Arc's word."
"Absolutely, we would never betray your trust like that!"
"My lips are sealed, man."
"Great, moving onto the more fun stuff then? How's Sanctum and huntsmen training going for you three?"
"Oh, so great. I'm near the top of our sparring class, though I'm still a ways behind a certain three-time regional tournament champion." Sun jabbed a thumb towards Pyrrha, whose face burned from embarrassment.
"I suppose…my training has been progressing…well…" Pyrrha replied lamely, before seeing a new target of conversation. "But Jaune, has been improving at a remarkable rate. Frankly, he's already absorbed much of my basic form and technique for using a sword-and-shield combination!"
A nervous Jaune rubbed the back of his head. "I've been doing alright, in the spare time I have after school. Being trained by both my father and Pyrrha has helped me loads, so all the credit to them."
My shipping senses were tingling, and I capitalized. "Sooooo, Pyrrha, you've been helping Jaune a lot recently, have you? A lot of interaction then? Anything you'd like to tell the peanut gallery?"
Both Jaune and Pyrrha stiffened at my questions, faces turning equally bright red as they looked at each other. Jaune was the first to recover, letting out a deep breath as he reached for Pyrrha's hand.
"Trust you to be the first outside my family to figure it out," Jaune muttered, but his dopey smile was on full display. "We wanted to wait until we were all together to tell everyone…Pyrrha and I are together. Together-together."
Pyrrha's smile was radiant, but Nora's reaction took the cake.
"TOGETHER-TOGETHER!? FINALLY!" Nora screamed, jumping up and squeezing both Jaune and Pyrrha in some abomination of a hug.
"Yup…I'll do my best…to become someone…worthy of her…" Jaune wheezed, white Aura flashing from the pressure.
"He already is," Pyrrha warmly replied, seemingly unphased by the eye-popping hug she was receiving.
"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW-"
"While I'm curious to see exactly how long Nora can go without breathing, that does remind me." Sun grinned, but the smile was far more mischievous than Nora, Jaune or Pyrrha's. "How's our resident powerhouse doing in the romance department? Or how about my boy Ren?"
Nora instantly let Jaune and Pyrrha go in favor of shyly hiding her face and sending hurried glances at Ren. Ren, on the other hand, seemed to have gone completely still. 'Huh, never thought I'd actually encounter the whole .exe scenario. Well, since neither of them are answering…'
"I'm sure both Nora and Ren will find that special someone for them. Soon, I'm sure." I looked pointedly at Nora and Ren, both of whom were avoiding looking at me. Giving them time to cool off, I turned to Sun. "But enough about them? How are the two hottest guys of Sanctum doing, hmm? I can't help but notice you don't have a lady around."
"Heh, you can't lock all of this down!" Sun blustered, before scratching his head. "But really, I think I'm just waiting for the right person to come along. It'll be like fate."
'Or CRWBY moving the plot along in Volume 1.' I rolled my eyes and spared a look out towards the rest of the festival going on, gazing out at the floating sakura petals and butterflies flying around as the base of the future CCT relay tower was in the background. In all honesty, the scene was rather pictur…huh…
"Well Kouzai, how are your romantic prospects looking?" Ren questioned, having rebooted to deliver a lethal shot my way as those present turned to me. However, my attention was instead on a particular face in the crowd. "Do you happen to have your eye on someone?"
"Yeah yeah…just give me a second…" Leaving the conversation behind, I drifted forward through groups of people, out towards a group of blossoming trees where at the base of one, stood a girl with shoulder length electric blue hair, the same color as the butterflies present. Dressed in a black tailjacket, maroon jeans and black sneakers, her electric blue eyes gazed directly at me, smirking as she knew I remembered her attire and the freckles on her face, letting her eye-catching hair and eye color draw my attention.
"Hi…" Ilia said awkwardly as I drew near, looking out at the festival. "This all looks nice."
That it did, but far more important things at the moment. "What are you doing here? Is the White Fang surveilling us now? Is this recon for an attack?" I made to do a scan of the town square, but a hand on my shoulder stopped me.
"Wait! I'm not…I'm not here for that. I'm not with the White Fang. Not anymore…" Ilia said, rubbing her left arm with her right.
I was dumbfounded. "You left? Why?"
A deep, soulful sigh. "You, you were right, partially. The White Fang, or at least Adam, have gone too far in their priorities. They care less about helping the Faunus and more about just making humans pay. I just…couldn't' deal with all the innocent blood spilled, on both sides, anymore. So I left."
A few synapses were mercifully firing again. "And what about your, uh, friend? The cat Faunus? You two looked like you were close."
Ilia's eyes squinted in pain as she uncontrollably turned blue. "She…I couldn't do that to her. Make her choose between Adam and I. We may be close, but they're closer. I didn't want-"
"You didn't want to hear from her that she wouldn't come with you," I murmured, and Ilia miserably nodded. I sighed. "Yeah, that's…that's tough. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I know you were just doing what you thought was right. I know you were just trying to get Adam to back off back in Kuchinashi, and weren't trying to kill him." Ilia's words had me stiffening for a moment before she continued. "Don't worry, I'm the only one in the White Fang who knows what any of you look like, and it's only because I had that conversation with you beforehand so I recognized your voice. The Fang may have made the public announcement seeking to claim your head, but Anima is a big place, so they'll have a tough time figuring out just who's under the mask."
"Thank you. I just want to keep my friends safe," I replied emphatically. "You didn't have to keep the information from the White Fang, but you did."
"You could have given me up to the police in Kuchinashi when we first spoke too, but you didn't," Ilia said simply, and I had no rebuttal to that.
"So what now?" I asked, because this was not something I'd planned for whatsoever. "Would you like to stay with us? I'm sure my friends wouldn't ask too many questions, and having four people on a mission is a safer bet so…"
"Thank you, but no. This is something I have to figure out on my own." By this point, Ilia had managed to shift back to her normal appearance, albeit with electric blue eyes and hair. "I need to do what I think is right, or at least figure out what I think is right."
"Yeah, and you can do that here, where you won't be hunted down for deserting the White Fang. It's unbelievably dangerous out there without someone to watch your back," I insisted, but Ilia continued shaking her head.
"I'll be fine. Blake wouldn't let them put a kill order out on me, I know that much. And I was a White Fang operative. I know how to take care of myself, blend in and operate alone."
"Really? Because I still picked you out of all these people," I pointed out. "Electric blue hair and eyes, a competent disguise does not make."
"Wanna bet? You couldn't pick me out of a crowd if I was really trying," Ilia countered, before looking at something behind me and grinning. "You're welcome to try though."
"What do you-"
"Kouzai!" I whirled around to see Jaune stumbling out of the crowd. "The others have been looking for you, something about getting ready for the ceremony. What are you doing out here?"
"Can't you see I was…" I gestured at empty air for a moment, then spun in place with Chronometry active, eyes scanning the crowds for any-aha! "Can't talk, see you later!"
I dashed forward, doing my best to weave through the crowds as I kept my eye on that distinctive hair color. Almost through, I reached out and grasped Ilia's shoulder. "Ilia!"
The girl turned, and it took about a second of brain-crashing realization to see that this girl was not Ilia, and apologized. 'Probably someone whose hair and eye color she copied.' I furiously scanned the crowd, but caught no sight of her around. "Damn, she played me good…"
I wanted to search for her, but I knew the odds of me tracking down a chameleon Faunus with espionage training were slimmer than none. For now, she was gone.
"There, You, Are!" Nora glomped me out of nowhere. "C'mon, we gotta get ready for the ceremony! This one's extra-important because of the relay tower, so you'll probably be giving a speech!"
"I can't help but feel this is some sort of secret punishment by Ms. Fujiko…" I groaned, before shaking Nora off. "Go on, tell them I'll be there in a second. I need to grab my speech from the orphanage." As I sent Nora on her way, I entered the orphanage and made sure no one was in sight. Walking down one of the corridors, I searched for a specific floorboard, carefully removing the nails and pulling the plank up. Reaching in, I pulled out a small bundle, one I received from Lil Miss' after completion of my mission. Confirming that my backpack containing the experimental AK-130 arm and blueprints were also present, I unwrapped the bundle and pulled out a scroll from among the folds of a spare robe and volto mask. Searching the contacts, I put in a call that was soon picked up.
"Weeeeeelllll, if it isn't our 'Specter'. How's infamy treatin' you?"
"Very well, so long as the identity of the Specter remains confidential. I take it the AK-130 blueprints were satisfactory?"
"You'd be correct, hon. You kept your end of the deal, and I'll keep mine. You said you needed information on people. Got an idea of who?"
"A few, for starters. Tell me what you can on Adam Taurus, Marcus Black, and Cinder Fall."
TIME REMAINING UNTIL START OF CANON: 2 YEARS
… … …
… … …
"Blake, are you alright?...Blake?"
"Go away…" Blake groaned, keeping her eyes shut as she laid on her bed. She didn't feel like talking with Adam at the moment, didn't even feel like thinking, and certainly not about-NO!
Blake turned restlessly on her side, and the noise must've been enough for Adam, because he gently opened the door. "Blake, it's been days now. Talk to me, you can trust me."
She did, but talking would mean thinking, and she didn't want to do that. Nonetheless, Blake took a shuddering breath. "Why…why did she leave?"
Adam's answer was instant. "Because she's a coward. She doesn't have the strength of heart, the will to make the hard choices, to fight for the Faunus. And that's okay, because the White Fang don't need her, and we'll fight on behalf of the Faunus too afraid to fight for themselves."
"It's not OKAY!" Blake shouted, before her throat caught and she pulled her knees inward, hiding in her arms. "It's not…"
What was worse? The fact that Ilia had left, or the fact that Ilia had left without her? Without telling her?"
"Why did she leave?" Blake repeated, voice muffled by her arms. "She believed in the cause just as much as we did, so why?"
"She must've been misled by the Specter," Adam spat, and Blake looked up to see that Adam had removed his mask, showing one red eye and one blue eye seething with hate. "Such falsehoods are why we need to hunt him down, and prevent him from poisoning the minds of any other Faunus away from our righteous cause."
Looking at Blake for a moment, his one eye gazed into her amber, before the moment of vulnerability was over and he donned the Grimm mask once again. Striding towards the door, he opened it and stopped. "Take a bit longer to rest. Just remember that our brothers and sisters need you out there."
Closing the door, Blake was left in darkness, both comforting and terrifying at the same time. Comforting because of her enjoyment of it, terrifying to be left alone with her thoughts.
Ilia had left after hearing the Specter's words. Adam said the Specter was misleading the Faunus. Either Ilia and the Specter were right, or Adam was right.
Adam was right. But did that mean Ilia was wrong?
Adam's vengeful, hating face appeared in Blake's mind. Then a flash of Ilia's sorrow at the dead Faunus miners.
Hate. Sorrow. Hate. Sorrow.
Emotions roiled, and ideals warred.
A/N: Man, I am not making these year-end stingers very cheerful, am I? Nonetheless, it's that thought-provoking question that Blake is left with in Ilia's departure. And who saw that coming, eh? What, everyone? Alright then.
I do hope the fight met everyone's expectations, but that'd be a tad too optimistic. I figured the Adam of three years before canon would be slightly less skilled than portrayed in the Black Trailer for RWBY. Add that to having multiple skilled combatants with a set game plan tailored to take him down, and you might see why it was believable for him to take a few licks. As for his rage though, that is almost entirely linked to Blake, which is why he only lost his cool after her and Ilia showed up.
So, yeah. I also added the first portrayal of the flower viewing festival, to also stage the meeting grounds for those introduced thus far to come, and for that conversation with Ilia to take place. Who knows what the future holds? Seriously, beyond the next five or so chapters, who?
OMAKE
"So let me get this straight: You were out in the Emerald Forest, killing Grimm by yourself."
"Yep."
"And you encountered too many, and your Aura broke while fighting them."
"Yup."
"So you managed to escape, but wound up taking a slash to your arm, cracked your ribs, bruised your jaw, got a black eye, and injured your leg.
"Yessir."
"And all of this, happened out of range of the cameras Headmaster Ozpin has set up to monitor students for this exact situation?"
"Eeyup."
Yang glared at me across the booth we were seated in, and I desperately sipped at my nearly-empty drink while paying an unnatural amount of attention to the vividly blue hair antenna of a patron across the diner.
"Ok!" Ruby said, talking a large gulp of her milkshake. "You really should be more careful though. Maybe next time you can take Yang and I along, or maybe just Yang since I don't have much experience with Grimm yet."
'Bless your innocent heart, Ruby. But please don't leave me alone with a suspicious Yang!'
With Ruby persuaded however, Yang relented and lounged in her seat. "Killing Grimm would sure be a break from all the boring sparring at Signal. It's always over too soon, the arena's too small, and I'm out of opponents who want to fight me!"
Yang swooned and dramatically laid a hand on her forehead in despair. Ruby and I rolled our eyes, but a snippet of news caught my ear.
"…This individual, known for his domino mask and mantle, has been designated 'the Phantom' by local Vale authorities. It is unknown what the Phantom's goal is, but video and eyewitness reports of the masked individual fighting a hidden branch of White Fang members in Vale lead experts to believe-"
… … …
"the Wraith may be anti-Faunus, or at the very least Anti-White Fang. Rumors and uncorroborated reports claim the Wraith is in the employ of SDC CEO Jacques Schnee and his family. Pictures captured showing the Wraith protecting SDC heiress Weiss Schnee from White Fang attackers lends credence to the theory. For any news on this cloaked individual, please tune-"
"Well, look at that. You've got some street cred now, and a whole lot of it." Roman grinned, enjoying my frustration.
"Oh, COME ON! All I did was protect Weiss from a few attackers, she was already kicking ass when I got there! Just because of that, I'm somehow working for Jacques Schnee now, and am anti-Faunus?" I looked sideways at Neo, who smirked over at me, still somehow unbothered by the frigid temperatures outside. 'Seriously, is it just that all short women are immune to the cold? We literally walked past some blue-haired girl in a sundress earlier!'
"Like it or not, people are talking about 'the Wraith' now. Jeez that's a stupid name. The plus is that one way or another, people will hear about what you did and want you for jobs. Those guys will ask for information on you, and those guys will inevitably get in contact with me. Isn't it great?" Roman's arms spread wide, catching some falling snow. "Even when you do the work, I still win!"
"Hate you so much," I muttered. 'If it wasn't for the fact that me having a reputation might allow me to stay in the know on any happenings involving Salem or Cinder, I'd smack Roman upside the head. Then again…"
"Hey Neo," I called out, as heterochromatic eyes turned to gaze at me. "If you smack Roman a few times in the face with Hush, I'll buy you some of the specialty ice cream that Atlas has around here."
Pink and brown eyes lit up, before swiveling over to a nervous Roman.
"H-hey now kid. Let's not be hasty and hold a grudge here. C'mon Kouzai, you know I was just joking…"
"The more you hit him, the more ice cream I'll buy you."
"You rat-ass son of a-AAAAAAAAHHH!"
A/N: Ah, gotta love the dynamic between Roman and Neo at times, and all the ways to mess with it. I also spent a bit of time coming up with the different titles for Kouzai's disguises. Just a little extra I like putting into things. And hey, now Kouzai has unofficially met all the members of RWBY.
-SE
Next Chapter Date: 11/11/19