A Cosmic Journey

A/N: Happy President's Day everyone! Thankfully I was able to get this one out a little earlier today, though the scale is kind of balanced by the extreme amount of work I've got coming my way this week. Fear not though, for I am mighty…anyone get the reference? No? Alright then, onto reviews.

Oblivious IJ: Well, I'll admit that there's a good deal of my writing to smirk at, but a little clarification on the source of your enjoyment never hurts.

AlexFalTon: Ah yes, the evening affliction of the inability to English, bane of all writers and conversationalists. And right on the money, that there's going to be quite an interesting dynamic surrounding Kouzai and all former and current members of the White Fang introduced thus far.

R26: Honestly, I'm rather surprised that Jaune in particular didn't experience a painful near-death experience, owing to the fact that he shared a room with Pyrrha and Nora. Pyrrha might be conscientious enough not to gut an unaware intruder, but Nora would have no such compunctions. The only exception to her wrath might be Ren, for obvious reasons. And the Ilia bit was actually supposed to be more of a reference to Ilia's preferences and less of a nod to her reading material, though it works magnificently that way as well. In terms of V7, there's definitely a lot to unpack so I wouldn't fault any other writer from taking time to digest developments for any plots. Kouzai also wouldn't take a bet against Nora, but the fact that her pancake-eating speed is comparable to the actions of immortals is emphasis enough. Oh, and for school, I'm actually in grad school at the moment, but I've also got some work priorities on my plate.

PyromaniacRabbit: Yup, the fact that Adam doesn't have clear confirmation of Blake's abandonment of the White Fang is gonna lead to all sorts of shenanigans. As for Blake, it has to be something of an open secret to Ozpin's inner circle by now of Blake's heritage. Although her potential involvement in the attack on Amber is worrying, note that her attention was a tad occupied by Cinder, Roman and really every other combatant on the battlefield. As Ozpin has already shown himself to be a ludicrously cautious individual, there'll likely need to be something more required before a move is made. You have a good point though.

Guest: The idea of writing the other timelines occurred to me, but I will readily admit that writing three connected stories concurrently is beyond my abilities and range of time commitment at the moment. Maybe when I get to a more comfortable spot in the narrative, or have more free time in my schedule such a thing might get put back on the table.

Chapter 23: Appearances Can Be

Chapter Date: 02/17/2020

"Did you see that new professor? Straight-up hottie!"

"And a certified huntress who could likely kick your ass eight ways to Sunday."

"It'd be worth it!"

As combat class ended with the first-years filing out of the combat arena, the class was abuzz with conversations about our new assistant professor. I was not immune to such thoughts, but were focused on a slightly different angle.

'Amber as an assistant professor? What the hell was Ozpin thinking?...nevermind, it makes sense. After the attack, he likely took defensive measures after being egged on by Ironwood as well. Shackling down the Fall Maiden to Beacon is a risky move though, even for Ozpin…'

"She's certainly seen her fair share of scrapes," Ilia commented, and I glanced at her as she pointed to her right arm. "After all, she wasn't making too much of an effort to hide it."

'I suppose Ilia would catch onto a detail like that quick, given the fact that Ozpin had Ironwood whip up an Atlesian prosthetic for Amber.' I nodded in response to Ilia's comment. "I can tell that some people are gonna be chomping at the bit to get into the ring with her, either to fight her or flirt with her."

"Oh? And which will you be doing, Kouzai?" I pivoted to glare at a smirking Melanie, while Miltia had the good grace to hide her smile behind her hand.

"For the last time-"

"OOOH! Are we talking about Kouzai's love life? One of my favorite topics!" Like magic, Nora was by KMMI's side with her arms around mine and Melanie's shoulders, to our mutual displeasure.

"In the name of all that is good and holy on Remnant, stop insinuating things about and interfering with my love life!" I ducked under Nora's arm and turned to face a sheepishly-approaching JNPR. "You all couldn't even wait until we got to the cafeteria for lunch before letting her loose?"

Amazingly, it was Pyrrha that defended her team this time. "Well, you know Nora can get right before lunch…"

"…Yes, but my point still stands." I looked back to see that Nora had substituted me for Miltia with both twins in headlocks.

"Aww, but Kooooouzaaaaiiii, for such a big flirter-"

"I haven't flirted with anyone!"

"-You've been so alone." Nora actually looked saddened by the thought. "I mean, think of all the potential girlfriends you've missed out on."

'Is it fair to blame Prim for this since she's a goddess? Or should I stick with blaming Qrow?' I sighed. "Let's take stock shall we? We've got-"

"WE'RE HERE! SorryKouzaitalktoyouafterIgetfooooood…" Kicking up dust with her exit, Nora faded down the cafeteria hall, somehow oblivious to the fact that she was dragging both screaming twins along. I deadpanned at JNPR, before looking up, way up, at Jaune.

"Well, since Ren is relatively useless at reining Nora in, I suppose that task falls to the team leader, huh? I'd rather she not be giving half my team stiff necks on the daily." Well, at least Jaune's nervous habit of rubbing the back of his neck hadn't changed.

"Yeah, I suppose we'll have to work on it considering we've got four years here…"

"Seriously, Kouzai, am I really whipped?"

… … …

"Aaaaannnnyyyyways, back to Kouzai's love life!"

"Pfffffftttt!" I nearly choked on my food before sending a baleful stare towards an innocently-smiling Nora, her figure flanked by equally-massive plates of pancakes and meats. Wiping my mouth, I reached deep into my bottomless well of composure. "We're still on this? Fine, let's take stock of 'all the potential girlfriends that I've missed' in the last five years, shall we? First there's you-"

"OFF-LIMITS!"

"Exactly. Then there's Ms. Fujiko, who's got at least a few decades on us." I had the pleasure of watching Nora and Ren shudder in discomfort at the thought of Ms. Fujiko and I. "Then there's Pyrrha…" I deadpanned over at the champion to watch her fluster in embarrassment.

"W-well, i-it's not that you aren't, um, nice…but I just don't-"

"I'll spare both of us the embarrassment, you've had the hots for Jaune since you both met," I replied, watching both members of the power couple blush. "Then we've got Winter Schnee, and you know what? Why don't we throw in Raven as well, hmm?" Nora and Ren paled.

"So frigid…so much stabbing…"

"Case in point. Moving forward, we've got Blake, who hates my guts, Yang, who really hates my guts, Ruby, who seems to only dislike me but will lead me to death by Yang-pummeling, and Weiss, who'd sooner freeze me in a block of ice than make nice with me." All of JNPR and KMMI winced, before turning to look at the members of RWBY seated at a separate table with all the subtlety of a drunk man trying to make it up his five-floor walkup.

"Wait a second!" Nora perked up and pointed a finger in my direction. "You forgot about Ilia, Miltia and Melanie-"

"Who are my teammates, and with whom I won't be do anything with." I instantly shut her down before taking a sip of my drink. 'With two of them being my bosses' daughters and surrogate daughters, and the last not even being attracted to my gender.'

"While it's reassuring to hear that you're not trying to get with my sister or I, forgive me for having a tough time believing that you have no ulterior motives involved with us." Melanie affixed me with a calculating look, before she was almost smacked into her food by Miltia.

"Melanie, he's had over a year at this point to have made any moves on either of us." I was inwardly taking back every preconception I had about red being the color of hotheadedness. "Honestly, if he hadn't insisted multiple times already that he's only attracted to girls, I would've thought that he was gay."

"You just had to ruin it at the end…" I sighed over the sound of JNPR and KMMI's laughter, before pulling out my scroll to peruse our afternoon schedule. "Let's see here…we've got a Dust class, a class with Peach, and-"

"Hey Copycat!"

I looked up from my scroll at the familiar voice, though it wasn't one that I'd encountered just yet, and turned towards the voice. 'Now who could-ohhhh, yup, this makes total sense…'

A shirt, pants, boots and belts in various shades of brown. Enough fashion accessories to put even the twins and Weiss to shame, including a bracelet, scarf and necklaces. Her signature beret sat upon meticulously-styled brown-caramel locks, and aviator sunglasses covered a portion of her light-skinned face and her, daresay, chocolate-brown eyes.

Coco Adel was heading in our table's direction, and her gaze was definitely fixed on me. Stopping directly in front of me, she bent down slightly so that we were about eye level with one another. One pair of shades stared at another for a moment, before Coco smirked and straightened, putting a hand on her hip.

"So, you're the one responsible for blowing up that Ursa Superior during initiation yesterday. Caught it on the monitors, along with the rest of Beacon. I gotta say, I can respect the gutsiness it takes to stick your arm into the mouth of a Grimm the size of a cottage. Buuut…you get major points deducted for copying my style!"

"…huh?"

"And not just mine, you're pretty much a Team CFVY ripoff!" Coco pointed over to a different table, where the other members of CFVY were seated. Yatsuhashi spared me a nod before placing a hand over his head, and Velvet was so embarrassed at the attention that she'd folded her ears over face.

And Fox? The blind fighter literally waved at us and gave us two thumbs up!

Nonetheless, I had what was left of my reputation to defend at the moment. "I'm not exactly seeing where the blatant imitation is coming in, save for coincidentally also wearing sunglasses on my face, which is a stylistic choice that I made years ago in Mistral."

"Yeah!" To my eternal horror, Nora jumped up in my defense. "He's had shades on for four years now!"

"Four years, huh? Hey Velves, how long have I had mine on again?" Coco called back to her table, and Velvet seemed to curl up even further from being called out in the middle of the careferia.

"…five years…"

"Ha HA!" Coco whirled around triumphantly. "Look's like someone is a copycat after all!"

I must've been channeling Ozpin from how blank my face must've looked. "For making a fashion choice a year apart while on opposite sides of Remnant?" Coco looked taken aback for a moment before recovering.

"It's not just the shades, buddy. You've also got a stupidly large sword, shoulder armor and hail from Mistral like Yatsuhashi!"

"Coco, I'd ask that you keep me out of this."

"Not to mention, you've got that whole sleeveless shirt, scars and hand-to-hand things just like Fox!"

"…"

"Aaand! You've…huh, how exactly are you copying Velvet?"

"…I've got a mental Semblance and use a Hard-Light Dust tool?"

"AHA! You've got a mental Semblance and use a Hard-Light Dust tool!" Coco looked pleased with herself, despite the fact that I'd supplied the last comparison myself. Then, her smile grew into a smirk, and I dreaded whatever came out of her mouth next.

"Sooo, since you're clearly a first-year who's oh-so-similar to my team…how's about a little sparring after classes before dinner?"

"…what?"

"Yup. A little sparring to give the little firsties some tips. Think of it as getting some care from your loving upperclassmen." Coco nodded sagely, oblivious to the general astonishment. "After all, you should have a period after classes for self-directed sparring, perfect for cutting your teeth on new strategies and opponents. In this case, that's my wonderful team and I."

'Huh, looks like we do have that sort of free period,' I noted the slot in our schedules, before paling at a realization. 'Wait, sparring with a member of CFVY? What am I gonna have to face? Fulcrum? Sharp Retribution? GIANDUJA? ANISEDORA?! Nope nope nope, very much in favor of making it to the weekend, so that's gonna be a big fat-"

"HE'LL DO IT!" I spun my neck so fast I almost broke it, but the words were already out of Nora's mouth. "He doesn't want any handicaps either, so everything's on the table! Weapons, Dust, Semblances!"

My hands were en route to clap over Nora's mouth as Coco grinned. "Brave first-years we've got this year. I think we're going to have a lot of fun together. Well, I suppose I'll be seeing you after class then!" The second-year leader strolled away, leaving a five-table radius of silence for about ten seconds. I moaned as my head hit the table, thoughts of lunch forgotten. "Guys, please, keep a handle on Nora before she becomes the death of me…"

… … …

"Soooooo…this is kind of awkward…"

'Deep breaths, Kouzai. She's fifteen and she's socially awkward beyond belief, this is just her way of making conversation.' Sitting next to me was my Dust class partner, Ruby Rose. 'Why, in all their wisdom, did Ozpin and the other professors decide splitting up teams would be a good idea?' Obviously it made sense practically, as Huntsmen would be expected to work alongside other individuals or teams with whom they previously had little or no interaction with. But it still sucked, especially now!

I focused on the preliminary Dust chart on the table in front of Ruby and I, before chancing a look at her expression. Silver eyes the same shade as mine stared back quizzically, though the girl's mouth was in an uncharacteristic frown at the moment. 'Right, still unhappy with me for the whole Dust robbery incident…'

"Well, at least it's not quite as bad as our partners," I joked, gesturing to a few tables ahead of us, where Weiss and Ilia were fiercely bickering with one another, and despite their perfect Dust handling it felt like some type of explosive reaction would occur soon.

"Guess that's true, and I'm sure we could've ended up with worse," Ruby giggled, as we stared around the room for a moment at some of the other pairs. Blake and Nora, Jaune and Cardin, Melanie and Sky…

'Dear gods, seriously, who thought this was a good idea?' I refocused my attention for a moment on making sure that the Dust mixture was stable, before attempting to address the Goliath at the table. "Look, Ruby…I'm sorry about what happened that night during the Dust robbery. I was completely fine with intervening in the fight to save you, but I didn't feel like dealing with police inquiries and Goodwitch all night, so I ran. I apologize if that caused you grief."

Ruby was silent for a moment, swirling the Fire-and-Wind Dust combination. "I think I was annoyed about that at first, but I kind of understand why you did it, because Professor Goodwitch can be really scary. I guess I was more annoyed at the fact that I never got any explanation or reason for it until now, and got kind of dragged into the mood that the rest of my team has towards you."

I winced. "Yeaaaaaahhh, it's not…great, the fact that they all kind of despise me."

Then Ruby smiled, and my entire faith in humanity was restored by the pure innocence she possessed. "Personally, I think that Weiss shouldn't have much reason to hate you at least. I actually think that it's sweet that Uncle Qrow found someone that cares for him and that he cares for. Maybe Winter could stand to be a bit less strict than she is, but I hear that she's a lot more relaxed than before, and her strictness helps keep Qrow from falling off the wagon, so I suppose that's good."

"Yeah, well, don't tell Weiss any of what you just said, otherwise we'll both be on the chopping block. Gods help anyone that tries to tell her that Winter is anything less than perfect. As for the other two…" I trailed off as I focused momentarily on the laser-intense, burning glare that was being levelled at me from across the room. "Let's just say that your sister isn't pleased that I'm your current partner…"

Ruby sighed, then looked back apologetically. "Yeah, Yang is definitely one to hold a grudge, and apparently so are Weiss and Blake. I'm sure they'll all come around though…you know…eventually…"

"I'll take it." I resigned myself to my fate, and we both quickly finished the Dust experiment. As we returned to our seats, an idea occurred to me. "You know, if it'll help take the edge off from the killer intent that I'm getting from your sister, you guys are always welcome to watch the sparring match that I've got with CFVY later. I'm sure that your teammates will take great pleasure in watching the stuffing get beat out of me."

Ruby giggled again. "Yeah, that would be nice, thank you. I think that they all already put big bets on you losing badly in the betting pool."

"Well, far be it for me to-wait, betting pool? There's a betting pool going on?"

"Eep! I said nothing!" At her denials, the bell rung, and the crimson reaper disappeared in a cloud of petals. Bewildered, I exited the classroom and waited for my team to join me. Eventually, Ilia finally came out, and stalked over to the twins and I with an irritated huff.

"Uhh, hey there, Ilia. How was working with-"

"Don't mention her name to me right now! Gods, that girl is infuriating!" Ilia blinked, and her grey-blue eyes shifted to a deep red. The color change caused Melanie and Miltia to step back.

"Those eyes…are you related to that blonde-haired bitch?" Melanie questioned, but I held a hand up.

"She has a name, and it's Yang. And no, they're not related whatsoever. Ilia just has a special ability in that regard," I stated wearily, laying a hand on Ilia's shoulder. "We've got another class coming up, so why don't you tell us what happened while we walk."

Ilia took a deep breath, then nodded as her eyes returned to their natural color. Walking alongside me, with Melanie and Miltia walking cautiously behind us, we began heading for Peach's class as she spoke.

"So, I guess neither of you have figured out yet. Not sure how you would've, considering that it's only been one day since we met. Regardless, you should know, that I'm a Faunus, chameleon Faunus to be exact. What you saw is an innate ability I have as my Faunus trait, to change the colors of my eyes, skin and hair if I so desire. Sometimes that change also happens against my will and knowledge, but I normally have a pretty good handle on it." Melanie was slack-jawed, while Miltia appeared surprised, but also in thought.

"So…do you also have a semblance, or is your Faunus trait also your Semblance?" Miltia asked, and Ilia shook her head.

"I currently don't have a semblance, but I don't think that my trait is my Semblance." Ilia looked sheepish, almost embarrassed. "I guess I'm like both of you as well, in that I haven't discovered what my Semblance is yet."

"Yeah, but you can give yourself an instant makeover whenever you want! And it's real! The only person we know who can even do close to the same thing is N-mpmph!" Melanie wrestled with Miltia's hand pressed against her mouth.

"No one that we've encountered," Miltia added weakly, as all assembled rolled their eyes. Still though, I mentally gave Miltia props for keeping Neo's identify secret, considering all the consequences that giving her name up in Beacon might have.

"It's definitely a benefit in some areas, but being a Faunus openly still causes more grief and suffering than most can imagine." Ilia's eyes looked off towards something in the distance, far beyond any space. "And Weiss Schnee is just as ever a proponent of that."

"Umm, I thought your travels gave you a little more insight into the fact that the SDC isn't the sole cause of Faunus suffering on Remnant." I gently reminded my partner, and she jolted back to the present.

"Not the sole cause, sure, but definitely one of, if not the largest. And the attitude of its heiress certainly doesn't help matters. Gods, that girl has not changed at all from our school days." I nodded sympathetically to Ilia's mutterings, before her throwaway comment had me freeze.

"Our school days?" I asked, catching the word as Ilia looked back at me. In my head, something was itching at my near-database of RWBY information, but I couldn't remember what.

"When I was younger, I was able to attend a prep school in Atlas, and managed to keep my Faunus identity secret. During that time, I'm ashamed to admit that I was a bystander to, and sometimes even participant in insulting Faunus, all so that I could 'fit in' better." Ilia's eyes and freckles turned deep blue at the memory, and the twins looked downtrodden. I was getting closer to remembering though.

"And Weiss was…one of these bullies?" I hazarded a guess, only for Ilia to shake her head.

"No, she wasn't one of the vocal bigots in the class. She was always off to the side, haughty and detached from the 'normal' goings-on of others. But I guess that silence from the heiress to Remnant's biggest employer of Faunus labor was enough for the other girls to continue their insults and slurs. But that's not even the worst part."

"And the worst part is?" I asked cautiously. 'She may have let go of the White Fang's beliefs and maybe her blind hate of the SDC, but she still has at least a few issues with Weiss.'

Ilia's hands clenched. "She doesn't even remember any of that ever happening…not even the day that I lost my parents…that I turned blue in front of the whole class and my friends turned on me..."

Melanie stepped up to hug Ilia around her shoulders. "I'm sorry you went through all that."

From behind, I saw Ilia shift bright red, with her eyes, freckles and hair turning yellow as she glanced over at Melanie and back at Miltia and I.

"Don't be. I broke their teeth." Ilia gave a savage grin, before she sighed and shifted back to normal. "Still though, I thought…I thought if I'd managed to change, even a little bit, since those days, maybe she had too. I suppose I was wrong though."

Ilia began walking away with Melanie, and Miltia and I followed as I processed everything. 'Now I remember! Ilia's backstory and the reason she joined the White Fang…that's right, she attended an Atlas prep school. I didn't think that it was the same one that Weiss was at, but it makes sense. But…there's something else, something that she didn't mention there…' I just had no idea what it was.

… … …

"Please…please, tell me it's finally over…" Melanie exaggeratedly reached a limp arm up from her seat, her face pressed against the table surface. Miltia wordlessly took the arm and dragged her twin up and towards the door.

"It was only six classes, and most of it was material that Kouzai had already taught to us…but yes, it was difficult…" Miltia admitted as she met Ilia and I by the doorway.

"Yeah, but now it's time to FIGHT!" Nora shouted, picking up my entire team in her arms. I'm positive she would've started running with us in tow Scooby-Doo style if Jaune hadn't caught her arm before takeoff.

"Let's remember your strength and let Kouzai and the others get some air," Jaune reminded Nora, who released us with a pout on her face.

"That's rich coming from you…" Nora muttered, before brightening and turning to me. "More importantly though, are you ready to fight? The betting pool is raring to go!"

"Huh, that does remind me…who exactly started this betting pool?" I whispered in a good approximation of Ms. Fujiko's tone, which meant that Nora and Ren were absolutely shaking in their shoes. I grasped Nora's shoulders and stared her directly in her furtive, fearful eyes.

The referenced demi-god lasted nearly five seconds before she broke. "It was Ren!" she shouted, pointing towards her unflappable boyfriend. On closer inspection, I saw that Ren was only unflappable at the moment due to using Tranquility.

"Ren…" I growled, advancing on one of my oldest and dearest friends on Remnant, "Why are you in charge of a betting pool on whether or not I'm about to get my ass handed to me by CFVY?"

Ren, to his credit, remained calm as he spilled the beans. "I was selected as an impartial warden over the bets placed by Jaune."

"Dude!" Jaune cut himself off as I rounded on him now. Despite our massive height and weight disparity, I apparently still had the edge on intimidation, because he didn't even wait for me to ask a question before gesturing at Pyrrha. "Pyrrha came up with the idea for the betting pool!"

"Jaune!" His girlfriend looked betrayed, but had other priorities to deal with as I approached her with a shocked look on my face.

"You? You, of all people, came up with the idea? How, and why?"

Pyrrha for a moment was still, before an uncharacteristically smug grin appeared on her face. "Call it payback for betting on me during the Mistral Regional Tournament."

I was flabbergasted. "The tournament? Woman, that was over four years ago!"

"Men forget, but never forgive. Women forgive, but never forget," the champion recited, and JNPR and KMMI shared a laugh solely at my expense as I sagged right outside the sparring arenas.

"Fine, you know what? I'm gonna waltz on in there, fight whoever I'm facing, and win. I'll even place a bet on myself winning, just so that I ruin everyone else's bets, again! How do you like them apples?" I slapped some lien into Ren's hand, and walked into the locker rooms while shaking my head. 'We've been here two days and it's already a madhouse…let's just have this sparring match and be done with it…hopefully I get Yatsuhashi, or maybe even Fox…just don't give me Coco…'

… … …

A brown-and-gold jacket and shorts covered a black undershirt and leggings. Armor protected her heels, toes, shoulders and arms, while her weapon was fastened by her back. Long brown hair and expressive brown eyes matched with the rabbit ears clearly conveying embarrassment at the moment.

'Actually, y'know what, I think I will take Coco…' I stood across the sparring arena from Velvet Scarletina, while Coco was unexplainably acting as the referee. Meanwhile, Fox and Yatsuhashi were seated in the stands, alongside RWBY, JNPR, KMMI, CRDL and others. 'How many people were in on this betting pool?'

"Alright fresh meat, and Bun-bun, let's go over the rules. I have been informed by the powers-that-be that the copycat has already had a sparring match today in Goodwitch's. That being said, we'll be changing up the rules to make things a bit more exciting for the audience and fighters. Instead of a regulation tournament match, this will be a no-holds-barred, first hit match! That's right, the first person to land a clean hit on the other will be winner of the match, regardless of Aura level! So bust out the big guns, break out those Semblances, and get ready to tear into this sunglasses-wear, I mean, each other!" Coco finished and the peanut gallery went wild.

'Great, with Semblances, Dust and weapons on the table, that means that Anisedora and Photographic Memory are definitely coming into play. For a guy that uses information on fighting styles to get an edge, fighting someone who can literally use all fighting styles is my worst nightmare!' I fiddled with my equipment as I took stock of my options. My musings were interrupted though as Velvet walked over to me.

"I'm really sorry about Coco, she can be a bit…overzealous at times, but she means well. I look forward to a good match." Flashing a nervous smile, I could do nothing against such earnestness but smile back. As we walked towards our starting positions about ten yards apart from one another, I put my thoughts towards victory, and not on wondering how Velvet had an Australian accent while hailing from Vale.

'Okay, she can mimic any physical action I do with Photographic Memory, and copy any weapon that I bring out with Anisedora…It's like fighting myself, along with a few other people…but she can't copy Semblances…so how would I beat a me that's without Chronometry?...Got it…'

At the proper distance, I turned to face Velvet, who had similarly put her serious face on and was no longer any hint of shy or meek. Taking out Mirror's Edge, I saw her eyes focus on the blade. Concentrating, I began circulating Aura throughout my body and to Chronometry, trying to get them in sync with each other.

Two times.

"Fighters, are you ready?" Coco called out from the side.

Three times.

"Ready," Velvet replied.

Four times.

"Ready." I kept my tone steady, despite the Aura output.

Five…times.

I stabbed Mirror's Edge into the ground, keeping a hand on it as I turned to the side to face Velvet.

"In three…"

I adjusted my stance, tensing my sword arm.

"Two…"

My back foot was placed against Mirror's Edge.

"One…"

A technique from my athletic days, to go from completely still…

"FIGHT!"

…to full acceleration.

With a factor of five times in Burst and Chronometry, I rocketed off of the embedded Mirror's Edge and launched towards Velvet, my left arm extended in some form of superman punch with my right arm bracing. The second-year was surprised to see my speed, but with Chronometry I could see her beginning to react to my charge.

Ten feet.

Velvet's leg began rising in a counter in time with my punch, and her eyes were focused on my left arm as the right shifted under the armored plates.

Five feet.

The Faunus' kick was in full motion now, and we were both moving towards one another as I began rotating.

One foot.

I removed my right arm from its position, and watched Velvet's eyes widen, just a fraction of a second too late. As I rotated, my left arm bent to guard against Velvet's kick as her leg scraped past the armor plates. With my right arm, I clutched Luna by the handle and thrusted the knife handle-first towards Velvet. The fist and handle impacted against Velvet's abdomen, sending the Faunus skidding back a few feet and clutching her stomach. Breaking my fall, I rolled onto my feet and stood at the ready, though with Burst and Chronometry powering down.

"…Winner: Kouzai Higure…" Coco sounded stunned, and for good reason as well. Looking up at the scoreboard, Velvet's Aura level showed that she'd lost around 10% from that singular blow. However, in just those few seconds, without taking any hits, my Aura had decreased by almost 15%. As it was, my muscles were twinging from the excessive use of Burst, and my eyes were stinging slightly as I bent over slightly.

"It was a good match." I looked up to see Velvet directly across from me, looking none the worse for wear. Instead of looking disappointed, the second-year actually looked pleased. "My opponents usually try to take advantage of their semblances or think of new moves against me. But to take a hit from nothing but brute speed, strength and little trickery is refreshing. I take it you noticed the reason for my hesitation?"

"Hah…hah…yeah. I noticed that your teammate Yatsuhashi also has armor on his left arm," I pointed out, while gesturing to my own. "The thing is, your teammate is right-handed, and likely uses that arm defensively. So when I came right out the gate with a left straight…"

"It took just a tad longer to get the counter timing right, and by then my attention was off the knife you had in your right arm. That was a nice addition by the way, since no one saw you use that weapon during the initiation yesterday."

"Well, I shouldn't be giving all my tricks away so early into the year." I tried sounding nonchalant but utterly failed while bent over. "Besides, you didn't even use your weapon."

"You can think of it as you moving quick enough to force me into hand-to-hand. But between you and me…" Velvet bent down and cupped her hands to whisper, "I asked to fight you instead of Coco since I'd hold back on you, while she…wouldn't. But in exchange, you have to split the lien you got from winning the match with me."

My jaw dropped, and I was speechless for a moment before I smirked. "I cannot believe you just used me to scam most of the first-years out of their lien."

"And Fox, and Yatsu, and definitely Coco," Velvet added, before straightening and extending a hand. "Just remember though, that trick won't work on me next time. I've memorized your moves now."

"Clearly, you're more devious than I gave you credit for." I took Velvet's hand to straighten myself out, before shaking it. "And for some strange reason, my strategies never work the second time around. Something about losing to me makes people very motivated to shore up their weaknesses."

As I turned to face an incredulous Coco and a quickly-emerging Ren to dispense my payout, I smirked at Coco. "Thanks for the lesson, and the lien."

"Oh, you little…" Coco's expression smoothed out, before also smirking. "Next time, you're getting a Hyped Gianduja to the face, so help me gods."

I laughed, despite the cold sweat breaking out. "Looking forward to it."

… … …

… … …

Green eyes watched silently from the stands at the commotion surrounding Kouzai Higure, before swiveling over to a simmering blonde-haired, lilac-eyed girl grumbling about her lost lien. With a smirk and a skip in her step, she stepped out of the arena and towards the Bullheads to Vale. Luckily, the match had ended quickly, so there were still a reasonable number of civilians leaving Beacon for the day as well. As she boarded a bullhead, her thoughts turned to two individuals.

Yang Xiao Long. The daughter of that Monster. A quick search through her contacts had revealed one Taiyang Xiao Long's place of employment at Signal. Easy enough to pay a visit, but a second look revealed that he had children as well. The silver-eyed girl she'd already met, and while competent, wasn't enough to get her blood singing. This Yang, however, who looked so much like the Monster and like Raven Branwen…now there was another potential Monster. It was her search for the girl that lead her to Beacon, and fortuitously towards the second individual.

Kouzai Higure. The name didn't ring a bell, but the boy's body language told her that he'd known who she was, which was delightfully intriguing. Not to mention, he had the technique necessary to repel her, and potentially even counter her. And he also had different weapons than the last time they'd met, which was yet another mystery towards the boy.

She squirmed slightly in her seat, itching to return to Beacon and test Hush against their weapons. But…she had orders, and she was loath to suffer the wrath of 'Fire Bitch', or whoever was her boss. For now though, she could tell Roman what she'd learned, and maybe have it trickle back enough to factor her new toys into the plans for the Fall Maiden.

Green eyes blinked and became pink and brown for a moment.

Yes…so much fun to be had…

A/N: So, a little bit of fluff, a little bit of development, and a little bit of fighting. Overall, not too bad if I do say so myself. I've been itching to introduce team CFVY into the mix, though I will say that they were not actually used as inspiration by Kouzai. It is an interesting coincidence though. I think that things have stabilized at this point, so hopefully I manage to keep everything running smoothly before either the writing or work picks up again. I will say that I've got plans in store for this volume though. But those'll have to wait for next time.

-SE

Next Chapter Date: 02/24/2020