A Cosmic Journey
A/N: Happy Tuesday! Here we are, turning the corner into August, which is evincing a whole slew of feelings. Also of note is that this story reached 600 follows while I wasn't looking, so thanks a bunch to the readers out there for giving this story a chance and sticking with it! I'll definitely be looking to keep the fun times going as the one-year mark for this story starts to approach.
Chapter 43: The Company He Keeps
Chapter Date: 07/28/20
"Normally, I'd say this is a bad look for you, but considering that a fair bit of your time has been spent almost literally eating the dirt, this isn't terrible." As always, Prim was a master of understatement, and I spared her a sideways look from my facedown position on the rooftop.
"No need to hold back on my account, 'cause I'm fine with calling this a gods awful situation." I groaned and rolled onto my back, staring up at the shifting sky. From above, Prim rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall, tucked into the shade.
"So you've got two immortals gunning for you, big whoop. You've been in their crosshairs ever since saving the Fall Maiden anyhow, so what's it matter that you've got confirmation?" Prim waited until I'd locked eyes with her to continue. "This is what your grandmaster plan entailed anyhow, right? Making those changes so the big catastrophes wouldn't come to pass?"
"I get the feeling you're about to patronize me, but yes."
"How astute of you. You're essentially getting into the middle of a storm trying to erode a mountain, and trying to force it off by sheer force of flapping your arms. It's working, but it's less about the arm-flapping and more that both forces of nature are looking down and wondering what brain-dead organism would seriously get in the way of them two. It's like Captain America trying to hold Thanos back, but worse."
"Hey, Cap stood a chance there, and he even later got-"
"Do you have access to a magical weapon that can grant you the powers of a god?"
"Well, you could always just-"
"No."
"…Then no."
"Then short of picking up a relic for yourself, you were always going to find yourself outgunned. And that's not even the best part. Well, worst part for you, I suppose." Prim held her hands up. "On the one side, you managed to keep the Fall Maiden alive, indirectly helped stop the robbery at the docks, and stopped team RWBY from going after the Paladin. On the other though, now you have no idea what Cinder's plan to take the Maiden powers is, do you?"
"…I know that Vale has a Paladin problem."
"Which you'll get to deal with. Beyond that, it's a game of whack-a-mole on finding out what the new plan is, only the mole whacks you back and has a bigger hammer than you."
"Truly, you are Remnant's greatest hype man." I sat myself against the wall and stretched my arms out. "So I'm in the same situation as Volume 1, got it. All that means is heading back to the drawing board on piecing together Cinder and Adam's personalities, and going off of what they've already invested."
"So the young whippersnapper does learn after all. And here I thought you'd be spiraling back down into an angsty mess again before getting your ass kicked."
"I'm aware that you're immortal and all, but hearing 'young whippersnapper' with that face is just a little weird."
"I aim to please. Now, you've got plans to make and people to beg for help!"
"Hah, you're unfortunately not wrong…"
… … …
"You cannot be serious…" Melanie flopped backwards onto her bed, arm over her eyes. "An honest-to-god mech? Where does Torchwick even find this stuff?"
"With enough lien, almost anything can walk off the shelves. And Cinder and her superior seem to have extremely deep pockets…" Miltia had her claws off, though her fingers flexed tensely.
'Note to self, think about where Salem is getting her funds from at some other time.' I cleared my throat to draw the focus back. "However they managed to get ahold of it, the point is it's in Vale, and will be used to draw disgruntled Faunus in for recruitment. From what Torchwick mentioned last time, it seems like the majority of the arms wrangled for the White Fang are heading towards Mountain Glen."
"So not only is there the short-term danger of having one in the city, but the long-term risk of whatever stockpile is potentially out there being used." Ilia had a hand on her chin in thought. "Adam doesn't necessarily shy away from the long game, but at his core he's still an impatient person. So what exactly will those weapons and new recruits be used for?"
"I can't imagine the answer will be too hard to think about." Accelerating the train of thought was risky, but it was a conclusion that others might have naturally reached in time regardless. "What event is coming up within say a few months that will highlight the White Fang's power if attacked?"
Miltia's eyes widened. "The Vytal Festival…"
"No fucking way! The White Fang are terrorists, sure, but attacking the Vytal Festival is like spitting on the flags of all four kingdoms! There's absolutely no benefit for the Faunus except for uniting of humankind against them." Melanie looked over to Ilia and I. "For gods' sake, shouldn't even the White Fang have more of a survival instinct than that?"
"Sienna wouldn't ever call for such drastic measures. Even if she advocated for the use of force to advance the White Fang's cause, she knew how important it was to keep violence in moderation so some semblance of public opinion was in their favor." Ilia looked up from the ground, and it was the sheer worry that drove the situation home for the twins. "Adam seems to be running the show in Vale though. Given the number of organizational and operational changes I've seen, it's entirely possible that his actions and alliance with Cinder and Torchwick are being kept away from the main branch's notice."
"And it's not like Taurus is doing well in the sanity department as of late. I can attest that the last time him and I crossed blades, he was itching to go on a rampage. It's not a hard leap to think that mentality might be either causing or be the cause of the Fang's recent aggressive actions." I cracked my neck out of preemptive stress. "That's not even the most difficult part of this though."
Miltia looked lost. "I'm sorry, but there's something worse than a potentially rogue White Fang branch planning a terrorist attack during an international peace celebration?"
"Nothing worse than that per say, but more in how to resolve that situation." Ilia's head jerked slightly in my direction, and it seemed like she'd caught on. "The paladin needs to be stopped, yes. The rally needs to be broken up, yes. The Fang's operations in Mount Glen need to be crushed, yes. But if we're the ones who end up taking care of these tasks, sooner or later Cinder and her crew will question how we know what we do. And it won't be a hard jump to go from us to Junior, and from him to Torchwick. After that, it's open war in Vale's underworld and potentially even overworld. So we need to-"
"I swear Kouzai, if you're about to suggest leaving Miltia and I behind while you and Ilia fuck off again to handle this all by yourselves, you're getting a bladed heel up the ass." Melanie's eyes were nearly aflame.
Miltia wasn't much better, her arms crossed and veins appearing on her tensed muscles. "If I recall, the last time you attempted to resolve an issue without your full team, you nearly had a burning warehouse collapse in on you. And the time before that had you being beaten and kidnapped by two assassins and used as bait."
"So my track record for going solo isn't spotless, I'm well aware. But you kind of glossed over the point, which was that we can't have things being tracked back to Junior and/or Torchwick. That means that not only can you two not be seen busting up the rally, but even Ilia and I can't be spotted. Only an idiot would believe that we managed to keep our involvement hidden from you two." I pushed on to get to the question that I knew would be on everyone's minds. "And I can't suit up as the Specter for one very specific reason. The issue can't be competently resolved unless there's multiple groups of capable fighters, and without the aid of Junior's men, there's only one possible place to get that kind of help."
"Beacon students. JNPR. CFVY. RWBY." Ilia leaned against her desk. "And none of them are exactly friendly with the Specter."
"Exactly. So in reality, our entire team is essentially locked out of direct participation for the time being, meaning that things will have to be left to our friends, or Ozpin and his colleagues." I let them weigh the options. "I'd rather not have to explain to Ozpin and maybe Ironwood where I got this information from, so our friends it is. And maybe substitute team RWBY for SSSN since I don't want them, especially Blake, anywhere near that mess."
"So both the winners and the losers of the match are staying back. Isn't that just peachy?" I drew my legs close to avoid as Melanie paced around the room. "So your plan for dealing with the Fang rally and giant robot, is to not deal with it and beg the others to handle it for you?"
"That's…not how I'd word it, but I suppose so." I sighed. "Keep in mind, whether or not this works is all contingent anyways on if enough of our friends agree to it. Keep in mind that this is an exceedingly dangerous task we're potentially setting on them."
"I'm sure that there are more than a few of our friends who wouldn't need more than the possibility of danger to take part." Miltia replied dryly, and everyone surely imagined the faces of Yang, Nora, Coco and Sun.
'And that probably isn't even the half of it. Considering people like Vernal and Neo, Qrow and Amber-' I stood stock still as all brainpower ground to a halt, save for the few synapses following that particular trail of thought. 'No, that isn't what her plan is, right? It couldn't be…but the resources have been invested, and the timing would be good…'
"Kouzai, are you alright?" Ilia had wised up to my frozen state, it seemed. "Is there something else that we forgot to go over?"
"No, nothing concrete at least…" I shook my head and eyed my teammates, trying to run the calculations in my head. "If I'm right, we might have something to do after all, though…"
… … …
"Yeah, definitely count me in."
"Sun, you should be just a little bit more hesitant about throwing you and your team into a warehouse of White Fang with a giant robot in the mix." I ran a hand down my face, trying not to absorb the positivity that was radiating off the Faunus. I was supposed to be acting stern, damnit! "Not to mention, you'll likely be doing it alongside teams that you're unfamiliar with-"
"Oh, we've got backup? Sweet! Let me guess, is it JNPR? Or CFVY, they'd seem pretty interested. Don't even get me started on team RWBY." At the sight of my hanging jaw, Sun shrugged. "If you trust these guys to have your back, then I consider them to be pretty reliable. Not to mention, if they can manage to be friends with you, then I shouldn't have an issue."
"That's because you'd befriend a rock if you felt like it," I muttered, then groaned when Sun's smile grew even wider. "Stupid Faunus senses. Look, you may be fine working with my friends and whatnot, but are you sure about leaping into the fray here? And no, that's not a figure of speech, I expect there to be actual leaping."
"Of course. I may be a Faunus, but you know damn well that I don't agree with those stupid holier-than-thou creeps. As far as I'm concerned, the Faunus themselves have to do their part to keep those in the White Fang from making unilateral decisions that negatively impact faunuskind." Sun used his tail to scratch his cheek while his arms were behind his head. "Plus, if this Paladin really was stolen from Atlas, then I should pay them back a little and help them out."
"I'm sorry, you're paying Atlas back? As in, helping them?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" At my utter confusion, Sun slapped his fist into his other palm. "Oh right, I haven't gotten around to those stories yet. Basically, after you guys left Argus, I started spending a bit of time over at the base. Turns out, Cordovin's pretty easy to get used to, and I was able to help out here and there. Then again, maybe she was so friendly since I was friends with Pyrrha and you knew Winter, especially after she got together with Qrow."
"…I feel like I'm passing up on a criminally underrated story right now, but we'll get back to that another time." I clutched my throbbing forehead, trying to envision the fact that Sun had chummed it up with someone substantially less friendly than a rock. "Clearly, you've got no issues with helping out, but what about Neptune, Scarlet and Sage?"
"Well, literally all I have to do for Neptune is tell him that he'll score some points with some of the girls. As for Scarlet and Sage, they shouldn't really be tough to convince either. As long as I explain to them how the Fang can be handled more safely by us, and throw in something about it being a team activity, we should be fine. If it comes to it, you can just use the favors on them to get them to go."
"I'm not sure those extend to placing yourself in potentially life-threatening situations…"
"Kouzai, we're in a huntsmen academy. I literally sit at the same table as people who could end me, and probably are classified as weapons of destruction. Life-threatening is our bread and butter."
"If only everyone were as easygoing as you…"
"I know, right?"
Then a thought occurred to me. "By the way, you won't be put off if team RWBY aren't able to come right? I wouldn't want to get in the way of any bonding time you might have with them."
Sun's brow furrowed. "This one of those code things? Who would I be hanging out with?"
"Nevermind. The less there is on that front, the fewer headaches in store for me in a few weeks…"
… … …
"You're telling me RWBY won't be on the op? I dunno…"
"Coco!"
"Fine fine, I'm sorry Vel. Count us in then Kouzai."
"And somehow, I feel more reassured by that display than I did with Sun." I sighed happily, before letting the grin slide off my face and turning to face CFVY as a whole. "Just to be clear, this is to break up a White Fang rally and stop them from using or smuggling Atlas tech away. This is not an officially sanctioned mission, and we're going off intel that I still need to determine whether or not it's wholly accurate."
"It doesn't matter. Besides being a menace for both humans and Faunus alike, the White Fang under Adam Taurus and Cinder hurt my friends. I would enjoy the chance to pay them back." There was a glint in Velvet's eye that reminded me a fair bit of Vernal, before she turned to her teammates. "And I'm sure the same goes for the rest of you, right?"
"As you can see, our team has already been spoken for," Coco chuckled, before pushing her shades up and smirking. "Besides, we are the upperclassmen compared to the rest of you. If we don't occasionally kick our fair share of ass, how're we supposed to maintain our reputation as Beacon's premier team?"
"I think now that Pyrrha and Jaune are here-"
"As Beacon's premier team." At my nodding head. Coco's expression changed from smug satisfaction towards one of…uncertainty. "Also, it's for the best that RWBY aren't tagging along for this one. I've got some things I wanna pull together, figuratively speaking."
My shades stared into hers for a second before it clicked for me. "Wow, you really do have it bad for someone on the team."
Chocolate brown eyes glared over shades. "And if I didn't tell you anything, you'd have never known, so don't act like it's obvious!"
I shook my head. "Trust me, I wouldn't have caught it otherwise. Speaking of, I still don't know who you're crushing on."
"That's because you're quite literally the densest person I know, and I'm including the oblivious target of my freaking affections!" Coco took a deep breath. "Sorry, just a little frustration on that front mixing with some exasperation on your own ignorance."
"Umm, I'll take your word for it? Anyways, what about the two of you?" I turned towards a snickering Fox and smiling Yatsu. "I won't hold it against anyone if they have reservations about the whole thing."
'Fat chance of that. You know how much flak I'll catch from Velvet over telepathic think if I don't help out? Not to mention, whoever else is going might need an Aura senser in case one of those illusion users pops up. They can be a nasty piece of work for people who aren't trained.' Fox fixed his sightless eyes in my direction. 'On that note, how's Mel taking the Aura lessons? I know she's not the most attentive student, and Aura sensing's a tough skill to grasp.'
"Oh, I don't think she has any problems with motivation. Her progress means she gets to spend more time with you after all." I was maybe a bit cruel to enjoy Fox's face darkening as the rest of his team openly laughed.
'Laugh it up while you can, but we'll all be tearing our hair out in a few weeks' time. I especially look forward to seeing how screwed you are, Kouzai.' If Fox notice my puzzled glance, he didn't mention it. 'Make sure you keep your team safe though. We'll look after the ones on the frontline, but you're the one that has to keep eyes on everyone staying back. Don't let them get hurt.'
"While I'm sure that Fox has a singular individual in mind, his sentiment is correct in requesting that you safeguard those we cannot watch over. I will not insult your intuition by claiming that you are unaware of whom I imagine specifically." Yatsu scratched his cheek, attempting to ignore the blush on his face as he turned back to me. "As for my own participation, do remember that I owe you a significant debt for your service to my village some years ago. My gratitude towards your bravery will not easily be forgotten or dismissed, and shall be paid in full."
"Err, whatever makes you happy Yatsu. Anyways, I'll be reaching out again once I've got a handle on exactly who and what we're working with."
"Sound's good Kouzai. And remember, keep your eyes on the prize…also, the prize is a girlfr-"
"COCO!"
… … …
"Well, it's about time you included us! We're in!"
"…Come again?"
"I think what Nora's getting at is that we're happy that you came to us for help, and we'd be glad to lend a hand, or hands in this case."
"I know what Nora meant, I think." I rubbed my temples and faced the ridiculously strong quartet that were some of my oldest friends. "I guess that I just had a bit of trouble wrapping my head around your complete willingness to skirt around Vale's regulations in order to fight a big death robot…alright, I get Nora's excitement, but the rest of you?"
"I am unsure of why you're surprised Kouzai, given the various actions we've taken that have broken laws. The very weapons we hold are due to our blatantly illegal intervention in fighting the Cleansers." Ren's casual rebuttal cut right through my surprise. "In addition, there was also our first battle against the White Fang, wherein we fought Adam Taurus. A rematch would not be out of the question or unwarranted."
"Not to mention, the reason you three saved Terra was because you all kind of trespassed on Atlas and Argus property." Jaune rubbed the back of his neck. "It'd be hypocritical of me to have an issue with helping now without having called you out for back then."
"And given your various excursions while in Anima and Vale over the last couple of years, I think it's safe to say that we're quite comfortable at this point with you operating in a more…what?" Pyrrha trailed off as she noticed me looking at her with absolute bafflement, as three palms met their respective faces.
"Pyr…"
"Pyrrha…"
"Pyrrha, WHY?!"
Realization slowly crept along Pyrrha's face at the same time as dawning horror. "Oh no…I'M SORRY!"
"You know? All of you know? You've known?" Wording the questions was like trying to catch water in a sieve, but I watched as all of JNPR nodded. "For how long?"
"Uhh, for a while. Pretty much since the first news stories about you rolled around." Nora nodded sagely.
"That was almost right after I started!"
"And? It's not like you even changed your disguise from the first time the three of us wore it." I gaped incredulously as Nora cocked her head. "You didn't seriously think we'd be that oblivious, did you?"
"We believed that you had your own reasons for taking on the tasks that you did, and kept note of the fact that no information about you presented you as having committed any unforgiveable acts." Ren was the diplomatic one as always. "We trusted that you would come to us with your secret when you felt comfortable doing so, and as such we were content to wait."
"Plus, it helps that your connections are definitely helping out in the whole situation involving Cinder and the White Fang." Jaune shrugged and held his hands up. "What? If we're coming clean, it's worth mentioning that we knew about Miltia and Melanie's reputations, along with Junior's. He's known as an information dealer after all."
"So you guys have known about me for a while? And you have no problems with it? And you haven't reported me to anyone yet?" The nods were rather indignant at that last question, but I breathed deeply at being in the clear for now. Avoiding hyperventilation, I turned back to the group. "Okay, so a big thanks for keeping my secret then, and for believing in me enough to respect my freedom in the matter. Is it too much to hope that you all can continue to keep silent on that for the time being until I mention otherwise?"
"Your friendship and efforts to help us have earned you at least that much, so of course." Ren stated succinctly.
"Great, because in the interest of full disclosure, I'm being sought after by Ozpin and his colleagues, and Cinder and hers. A long story on that end, but I promise that I'll get to things when my brain is less liable to explode. Does anyone have any questions?"
"Will there be pancakes at this war council?"
"First, it's just a meeting, no war council involved. Second, I'll have pancakes just for you, Nora."
"HOORAY!"
As I shut the door and leaned heavily against the corridor, I weakly ran my hands through my hair. 'Haha, is it weird to think that I'm getting too old for this shit?'
Whatever the case was, the groundwork seemed to be laid for the rally. On the other matters though…
I pulled my scroll out and dialed, letting the monotonous rings calm me down and put me back in my element before the call went through.
"Junior? It's me. I need you to take care of something for me."
A/N: There's no kill like overkill. Then again, when it comes to the likes of Cinder and Adam, an exorbitant amount of power is needed to be considered overkill against people of their caliber. In any event, we'll see what the SE version of the Paladin fight looks like coming up…as in, more people, more explosions, and definitely more pain, just maybe not for the right people. Now for reviews.
AlexFalTon: I can't say I'm very into Gundam either, but I can appreciate the ham-ness that is a Paladin in the world of RWBY. Now that I think about it, RoosterTeeth has that mech show Genlock too, so I wonder how similar the big robots are across shows. Hmm, food for thought.
Gizmo Gear: Ahh, one of my favorite quotes from recent memory; maturity does not equate to wisdom, and wisdom does not equate to common sense. Huntsmen-in-training don't seem to be particularly well-versed in the latter two, and even Kouzai can't avoid those shortcomings, though there are other circumstances to thank for that specific oversight.
Blueassin996: Needless to say, Kouzai isn't exactly thrilled to find himself on the radar of two immortals, and even less so to find that they're actually committing resources to find out who he is before the other. But now that he knows…
-SE
Next Chapter Date: 08/04/20