A Cosmic Journey

A/N: I cannot believe that it's already the last Monday of May. Give it another couple weeks and it'll mark just about the three month mark for when the virus started all the quarantine and social distancing measures. I hope that things shape up going forward and that those setting the pace to reopen take caution of what a false start could bring.

Chapter 34: A Ship in the Harbor

Chapter Date: 05/25/20

"Do they have pancakes?"

"Nora, I've already answered that about a dozen times today."

"Fearless leader, this is essential to my continued survival. Do they have pancakes?"

"Hah…yes Nora, Domremy has pancakes. And my family can certainly make-"

"SOLD! C'mon Ren, we're gonna be late!"

Nora grabbed Ren's bag off of him, slung it on her shoulder next to her own, and dashed off towards the bullheads. Meanwhile, the rest of JNPR and I were still hundreds of yards back.

"Jaune, with the greatest respect given to your village, I'm not sure if Domremy is ready to handle Nora for a few weeks."

"It'll be fine Kouzai. If the village could take my sisters growing up, it can handle Nora. Or at the very least, my parents and sisters can."

"Don't I know it," I groaned, harkening back to the thrashing that Jaune's eldest sister Rouge gave Nora, Ren and I years prior. "Speaking of which, someone record the next spar between Rouge and Pyrrha. I'm sure you'll be able to sell the movie rights for the next blockbuster."

"I believe that you're exaggerating my level of skill, Kouzai." Pyrrha blushed a little, though her eyes were twinkling. "However, I do profess to being interested in measuring my progress against your sister again, Jaune."

"Aaand that's where we differ, Pyrrha. I'll work my way up the ladder first before challenging an actual huntress, thank you very much." We all laughed before I turned to Ren. "You think that you and Nora will remain there for the duration of our break?"

"I expect that the prospect of a peaceful village on the outskirts will be appealing enough to keep Nora and I in Domremy for the majority of our time." Ren smiled, conveying his clear delight. "That said, peace and Nora tend to be mutually exclusive concepts, so the likelihood of returning to Vale before the end is high."

"Alright, well, don't go clearing the whole countryside of Grimm, otherwise we'll have slim pickings for missions come next semester." I grinned. "I'll be sure to hold down the fort in sleepy Vale while Beacon's best first years are gone."

"My ears were tingling," A voice sang, and we turned to see Yang approaching, followed by the rest of team RWBY. The entourage of white luggage carried by all three denoted who the items belonged to. "You can't have a talk about Beacon's best without including yours truly, after all."

"Such confidence when speaking to the team with the first, second and fourth ranked first years," I droned, taking some degree of satisfaction at catching Yang temporarily flat-footed with the comment. True to form though, the brawler gracefully recovered.

"Right back at you, coming from the team leader ranked tenth." Thankfully, the comeback was lacking Yang's previous bite, and we both smirked at one another. "So your whole team is staying in Vale proper then?"

"Well, Miltia and Melanie are already starting their bender at Junior's to make up for lost time, which will keep them occupied for quite a while. Meanwhile, most of us already have places in Vale, and it makes the most sense for Ilia to crash with one of us." I made a show of glancing at RWBY. "Besides, we've gotta stay close so that fights between Weiss, Qrow, Winter and Vernal won't spill over out of Patch."

"Hey! I have already promised to be on my most proper behavior," Weiss pouted. "Although, it will certainly be an adjustment having to deal with your uncle for weeks, not to mention all of Vernal's mannerisms and proclivities."

"It's alright, Weiss. Dad's told me that Vernal's been told by Raven to stay in line, so she won't try to pick any fights." Ruby's silver eyes slid over to me. "Well, maybe with Kouzai, but that's normal."

"It really shouldn't be," I pleaded as everyone laughed either with me or at me. "That not how you shold be treating the guy who's keeping Vale intact."

That comment was met with further giggles and some flat stares. "Kouzai, we literally had to save you from a group of criminals, and the ensuing battle nearly demolished the docks."

"I stand by what I said," I joked and folded my arms obstinately, before beginning to wave the groups off towards their respective bullheads. As the groups peeled away, I was left with a subtly fidgeting Blake, determinedly trying not to make eye contact. Sighing, I turned and began walking back towards Beacon. "There goes your team, who are the people most understanding of your situation."

Heels clacked as Blake whirled around, amber-eyed glare on display. "Easy for you to say. I'm not the one on a team full of criminals."

"Ex-criminals. Well, mostly," I conceded, looking back at Blake. "But then again, I'm not the one on a team of some of the most compassionate people in Beacon."

Her glare turned to a scowl, and Blake stalked past me towards the school. "Just leave me alone, and let me take care of things my own way. You owe me for not saying anything about who you are."

'That kind of tracks both ways, Ms. Belladona…' I didn't call her out on it though, and instead sent a text out, making the trek back to campus in silence as I kept my eyes on a familiar rooftop.

… … …

"You know, this is the first time that you've been the one to initiate the conversation. I would congratulate you for properly making use of your resources, but I shouldn't be complimenting you for making demands of a deity." Prim was already speaking as I opened the door to the rooftop. "So, come to ask more pointless questions?"

"No. I guess I caught onto what you were talking about right before I got kidnapped." I looked at Prim's face, searching for a hint of a reaction and predictably found none. "You were referring to the events of the show as a script, something written in shown in such a way that it was those precise actions that led to that outcome. That's not the case anymore, or likely never was, with me here."

Prim nodded sagely. "Better late catching on than never, I suppose. The events in the canon show were all well and good for a piece of entertainment, but they still relied on being woven together in such an exact way. And oftentimes, people that in all honesty should've passed or become deceased were found to have survived, all thanks to the phenomenon called plot."

"And here, there's none of that." I finished. "My inclusion in this Remnant or not, things might not have gone the way they did the show, but me having done what I did has derailed that which was put together. Meaning, people that were killed or passed in the show can be saved here-"

"And those integral individuals with plot armor have no such protections now." Prim finished for me this time. "Now you get it. There are no more predetermined battles, no events guaranteed to occur. It's just you, and the path that both you laid out and was laid out for you."

"Thanks for the ominous phrasing, real good pep talk," I grumbled. "I'm definitely not feeling the weight on my shoulders now." I looked up from the ground at the sound of Prim's melodious laughter.

"Oh, sorry. It's just ironic that you had so many strong opinions of how calculating Ozpin was with his decisions, but you only now realize the weight and gravity of what he was dealing with in a sense. There is no guarantees with your actions, and any move you make might send someone to their death." Prim's looked softened. "But that what makes you different from him and the witch as well. You've only got the one life, same as every other piece you have. Ozpin and Salem have either become desensitized to or frankly disregard the permanency of the lives they hold, but you can't, and that gives you a legitimacy that they lack."

"And also means that I can't play the long game like they can, or at all frankly." I ran my hand through my dark hair. "Unless a protracted stalemate or ceasefire is reached, hell on Remnant is coming within the year, which means I have to start making bigger moves."

"But not obvious ones. What? We both know that you don't have even a fraction of the resources that either of the immortals do, and any attempts to bodily force yourself into their game will end with you summarily crushed." Prim shrugged at my flat look. "So, make more dramatic moves, but make them subtle."

"Great, so make bigger decisions with people's lives in the balance. Easy," I drawled sarcastically, putting a hand over my eyes. "And I get to start with everyone's favorite crusading Faunus, which already took an ungodly level of investment in the show to keep alive."

Prim gave me a thumbs up. "I'm more of an omnipresent being rather than an omniscient one…but yeah, I can inform you that this will suck."

"Thanks…"

… … …

"You know, for someone trying to eschew the dark and broody stereotype, you talk an awful lot of walks alone," Ilia commented as I returned to KMMI's dorm room. My partner was cleaning Lightning Lash and Lasher's Grip. "I take it that you being back means the rest have set out."

"RWBY and JNPR are away, for the most part," I replied, and neither of us had to state which person was still around on Beacon's campus. "You know, you could have seen them all off with me. I promise you that Ren and Nora have gotten over the fighting that happened a few years back."

"It wasn't because of that, honest." Ilia's freckles turned pink. "It was more that I…didn't want deal with some people."

"Yeah, I think your little outburst when people thought Blake and I were a thing was pretty obvious, along with Yang's." I cocked my head as Ilia looked away pointedly. "Unless…that wasn't the reason why you were defensive then."

"I still don't know how you figured it out, but yes, I used to have a crush on Blake. But after some time and distance apart, I've moved past that. I still consider her one of my dearest friends though, despite some of her flaws." Ilia laced her fingers together and extended her arms straight out. "I don't have a crush on her anymore."

"Huh, good to know. If that's the case though, then why-"

"Though Yang clearly seems to." Ilia walked right past that particular conversation topic. "Does the wise Kouza Higure know anything about that?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Don't think that we're done addressing the issue. If you must know though, I paid attention to Yang the night before initiation and it definitely seems like she's interested in both genders."

"Oh, were you trying to get a glimpse of something inappropriate?" Ilia gasped in mock shock. "How immoral of you. I can feel my protective instincts flaring."

"Not a chance. I was tasked by Qrow to look after his nieces who were together with Weiss and Blake, and that group had exceptional enmity against me." The train of thought led my mind back to the task at hand and I groaned. "Most of them have settled their differences with me at this point, but our Menagerian princess is still quite brisk with me."

"Well, she has the thought of either you or I telling her team or the teachers about her being a Faunus, even if we'd never do something like that." Ilia placed a hand on her chin in thought. "Despite how aggravating it is seeing her hide her heritage, I did the same thing when I was younger so I get it, and so do you obviously. Speaking of, how exactly does she know you're the Specter? Miltia and Melanie know because you work with them, and I know because I tracked you down. But what about her?"

"I revealed my identity shortly after we fought, and I pointed out that I knew exactly who she was." I shrugged in reply to Ilia's open mouth. "To be fair, Ozpin and likely the teachers know already as well. I mean, even if Belladona is a pretty common surname out there, Blake looks frighteningly similar to Kali."

"Wha-, But…if they know that Blake is a Faunus, then they likely know that she was White Fang too." Ilia's skin and freckles paled on the edge of chalk white. "Wait, does that mean they-"

"Know that you used to be White Fang too? Most likely. They probably also know that Miltia and Melanie perform some illicit activities under Junior, and likely think that I'm doing the same. What they don't know though is that I'm the Specter, and I'll fight like hell to keep that information under wraps, thank you very much."

"Obviously I can keep a secret, I'm your partner after all. But why would Ozpin let so many ex-criminals and potentially even current criminals into Beacon?"

"He appears to be a big believer in recruitment and redemption, if you buy into that. Turns out that there's precedent for doing what he did with us, with Qrow and Raven Branwen as prime examples." I smiled amusedly at Ilia's confused look. "They came from a tribe of bandits in Anima, and they graduated to become upstanding Huntsmen, for a time. Then some events happened and Raven returned to being a bandit, which is how I met her. Bandit Queen indeed. But now she's legitimized her tribe, which kind of adds some oomph to Ozpin's score of redemption. A lot of that is thanks to Taiyang and Summer Rose though."

"I…had no idea. I'd heard about the Branwen Tribe and the Bandit Queen of Anima, but I didn't put the pieces together."

"It's understandable on why you wouldn't, considering that you've never seen what Raven looks like. Spoiler alert, think of Yang but with constantly red eyes, black hair instead of yellow, and her color scheme is closer to Ruby's than you'd imagine. I digress though, back to the main conversation topic." I pointed at the door in the general direction of Team RWBY's room. "Our intrepid ex-terrorist is planning on doing some very risky research and reconnaissance into the White Fang during this break, all in the name of preparation for revealing her identity."

"But that's rid-"

"Of course it's ridiculous, but try telling her as much. Seriously, please try persuading of her of that. But you know what happens if you try and pull Blake Belladona away from something she's set her mind on?"

"She'll just find crazier and more reckless ways to go around you to do what she wants," Ilia replied sullenly. "So talking to her won't work, and we can't exactly keep her confined to campus during the entirety of the break without raising some very difficult questions. So if we can't stop her…we can make it so that whatever she gets up to won't be exceptionally reckless."

"Precisely. So if we're going to find out what's going on with the White Fang, hopefully before Blake does, we'll need a wealth of information." I smirked. "It just so happens that I know someone we can contact about this."

"Yeah, he's currently footing the bill for our teammates getting trashed at the moment…"

… … …

"So let me get this straight…" Junior paused to pinch the bridge of his nose, look down the counter at the twins drinking their way through half his bar, then pinch harder. "After being beaten, kidnapped and then questioned by a super-alliance of criminals and terrorists, you thought the best thing to do was dive right into hunting down part of that alliance without your superiors' knowledge, all to stop a friend from doing something insane to reach the same information?"

"What a way you've got with words, Junior." I paused to down my double, as Ilia sipped at her alcoholic sherbet. "Oh dang, how I've missed this."

"Kid, can I speak to you privately for a second?" I slid off the seat and flashed my teammates a thumbs up, following Junior into the back room and seating myself opposite him as the information dealer groaned into his hands. "What is all this, Kouzai? I mean, first you get kidnapped and I think that they found out that you were the Specter and that you were working for us. Then I'm told that they didn't know about that and had kidnapped you almost at random. Then I get to find out that you told your partner that you were the Specter, which I can't fault you for because I'm the one who told you to let some people in the know. But then you tell me that you told a different person long before you told your partner, and now that person is set to deliver themselves to the White Fang on a platter?"

"I get that it looks pretty bad Junior, but if you look past the events that were coming our way regardless, there are some silver linings to be had here." I refused to quail under the impressively skeptical look Junior was giving me. "Think of it like this; you were likely looking to track down and keep track of the White Fang and Torchwick's movements anyways. And with two separate former White Fang agents contributing their talents towards finding leads on the White Fang, along with what you have on Torchwick's habits, there is a lot we could learn to set ourselves up in case something happens."

"In case? Try when instead. The girls already told me after that fight at the docks that Roman was acting under orders from Cinder Fall, and that he suggested that I lay low on the 'business' side of my business for a while. So whatever's coming is definitely already on its way, and it sounds like it'll be shit for everything involved and affected." Junior scrutinized me. "You sure you don't feel like telling me exactly what it is they're all after, or what it has to do with Amber Autumn?"

I shook my head. "Junior, if I told you even the barebones version of what's going on, Cinder and Cinder's boss would stop at nothing to keep that information classified, whether it's bringing you over to their side or tying up loose ends permanently. What Beacon has is that dangerous for Vale and Remnant."

"Yeesh, alright. You won't ever hear me badmouthing Beacon's military strength again then." Junior took a swig of his own drink and set it down. "Alright then. You're looking to track down either the Fang, Roman, or both? And not Cinder Fall?"

"More likely the White Fang than Torchwick, and definitely not Cinder Fall. The bitch will likely have Emerald around her at all times to use her Hallucination semblance to avoid detection, and Torchwick has Neo's Overactive Imagination."

"That's a fair point, depressing as that is. Fine, I'll dig up some leads on where the Fang might be hiding and doing, but you and your partner will be playing by my rules." Junior finished off his drink and placed the glass down, glaring over at me. "No matter what happens, you cannot, under any circumstances, let them trace you, your partner or anyone else back to me and mine. I don't care whether it's as Kouzai Higure or as the Specter, I need to look neutral for as long as possible in order to make my preparations with the Miss. And whatever you find, you bring back to me, got it?"

"It's better than I was expecting," I replied, sighing in my seat. "You won't regret this Junior."

"I feel like I am already. Also, there's no way in hell that you'll be getting paid for this. If anything, you should be paying me."

"Let's iron out the details later, boss man." I chuckled nervously as we both stood up from our seats. "For now, let's get back out so we can lay the groundwork with the twins and my partner."

"That's for the best, considering that I'm terrified of what the girls will get up to without me watching them." Junior grunted as we walked down the hall. "Before I forget though, we need to have another talk sometime about your partner. I'm not sure if-"

Junior trailed off in the middle of his sentence, and as I drew even with him and we reappeared by the bar, I saw why.

"There he is! Oh, and you've got the damsel in distress too! C'mere, I feel like I should buy you an apology drink. Hey Hei, you mind if I grab this?"

A hearty gulp was taken from a bottle grabbed from behind the counter, seemingly oblivious to the claws, bladed heels and whip-blade being pointed at his back, head and neck.

"Seriously though, pull up a seat, both of you." Roman Torchwick grinned with a cigar in his mouth. "There' some things we need to discuss."

… … …

… … …

Beacon?

SLASH

Beacon?

STAB

BEACON?

BANG

Banesaw was forced back under Adam's relentless assault, and his chainsaw clanked against the ground out of exhaustion.

"Sir, I ask for a pause to our spar, as I fear I cannot keep up with your prodigious endurance." Adam hissed, but Wilt sheathed back into Blush as Adam stood back up, then began pacing around the makeshift ring.

"What on Remnant could Blake being doing at Beacon, with Beacon?" Adam snarled. "There's no way that she would betray the cause just like that, especially after accompanying me on our joint mission with the humans."

"Sir, if I may, our soldiers reported that Belladona was wearing a bow atop her head in addition to her normal clothing. Is it possible that she needed to conceal herself away from pursuers?"

Adam jolted. "Yes…yes…of course! Blake disappeared after her battle with the Specter, only to reappear in Beacon wearing a flimsy disguise masking her identity! She knows she would be recognized by those looking for her, but she also knows that she would be protected from anyone seeking retribution against her, like the Specter! She must be lying in wait for the opportunity to cleanly escape from both Beacon and the Specter's watch!"

"Sir, our men reported that she was fighting alongside a Schnee, and that she appeared to hold no ill will against the scum in battle…"

"But of course, Banesaw. As my best infiltrator, Blake knows the value of the element of surprise before unleashing overwhelming force. She is biding her time in order to strike out against the Schnee when the proper distraction arrives! We must redouble our efforts towards Fall's plan. The sooner we move, the sooner Blake may return to us."

"As you say, Commander."

A/N: So there's quite a bit on the horizon, and more than a few misconceptions and misunderstanding floating around. Alas, no one is perfect, least of all Kouzai. For those worrying about the length of this section of the volume, I'll say that the break won't be too long, perhaps a couple more chapters touching on these White Fang-Centric events. But we'll just have to see how all these pieces continue to move. Now for reviews.

R26: Yang is rather enjoyable to imagine at times due to having multiple layers behind her motivations and actions, which gives her a surprising amount of depth and maturity at times. Though if any situation involving Kouzai, Ruby and a bed ever comes to pass, nothing on Remnant will save Kouzai from Yang, Tai, Qrow, etc…As for Mercury, I believe there exists a difference between apprehension at being within your boss' boss' lair, and being in the enemy boss' jail with the knowledge that any slip of the tongue would warrant Cinder seeking to tie up a loose end.

AlexFalTon: Well, hopefully I do my version of the arc justice, and definitely make it more expedient compared to the half dozen episodes it took to get a half-resolution that later blew up in the team's faces. On why the team fared better at tracking down Torchwick and the White Fang, I could only guess that it was Blake's superior experience as Adam's right-hand woman that gives her an insight as to how White Fang operations and recruitment efforts are run.

Netapel: Yeah, the disparity between the themes of two different parties, one at Patch and the other at Juniors, will definitely be enough to make lesser heads spin. And I would totally buy Yang being that petty towards Kouzai despite the two coming to an understanding.

The Keeper of Worlds: Generally, I take few liberties when it comes to the backstories of canon characters, but this is one headcanon that I couldn't shake. Whether or not it's true, I'm not sure, but it certainly makes for an interesting connection to delve into.

-SE

Next Chapter Date: 06/01/20