Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo while RWBY belongs to Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth

Chapter 25: Looming Danger

"Thank you so much!" an old man thanked Rukia graciously as she mended his arm with gauze.

Rukia gives the man's bandaged arm a gentle pat. "Just doing my job, sir," She smiled. The old man smiled back before being escorted away by a young woman, most likely his daughter. Rukia gets to her feet and smooths out her skirt.

Pastoria is a thriving village just south outside of Vale's borders. Homes and buildings made from stable stones, neatly paved pathways, a lush farm field, and high stone walls, Pastoria is more-or-less safe from any run-of-the-mill Grimm. Unfortunately, the village is little close to the proximity of the defunct city, Mountain Glenn, where numerous ferocious Creatures of Grimm now call home. Occasionally, the Grimm from Mt. Glenn would attack the village, sometimes in hordes. Normally, the local Huntsman would take care of it, but he is currently away. So now, it is up to team IURR to watch over Pastoria until he or another professional Huntsman arrives.

Rukia looks around. She sees Renji helping with any repairs need and Uryū is attending to other injured people, currently mending a child's broken leg. She could see Lirin flying in the air, likely watching for anything. Seeing her leader missing, she looks around the village before spotting him on top of a roof. She makes her way over via a nearby ladder. "You know, there is an old saying about fools and high places," Rukia commented.

"Tee-hee…" Ichigo said, clearly not amused. Rukia takes a seat beside him.

"Where's Kon?" She asked.

"Hell should I know?" Ichigo grunted. Rukia frowns at his sour attitude.

"Is everything okay?" She asked.

"YES!" He snapped. Seeing Rukia's shocked face at his sharp response, he backs off. "S-Sorry…"

Rukia blinks. "It's okay." The two stayed silent for a while, looking into the distance. You could almost see the Mt. Glenn ruins.

"I'm sorry," Ichigo apologized again.

"Ichigo, you've been…acting strange lately. Care to talk about it?" Rukia asked.

"I…I don't really know. It's kinda hard to explain," Ichigo said. It was a half-truth. He does know, but he just doesn't understand. He also doesn't want to tell Rukia that he has been hearing voices. Every now and again, the voice would whisper to him, but he can't really make out what it is. Sometimes, the voice would rasp laughs at his expense, like now. He pinches the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on.

"Is it…are you stressing out a little because of Prof. Ozpin's proposition? Or are you thinking about the Bount Case again?" Rukia asked.

Before Ichigo could answer her questions, Lirin flew towards them. "There's a horde of Grimm just south from here and they're coming fast." The artificial cockatiel flew off when Ichigo and Rukia got to their feet.

"You can tell me later," Rukia said.

"Right…" Ichigo said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Team IURR make their way through the wooded area in a fast pace. Kon and Lirin had stayed behind to watch over Pastoria. "We're almost there!" Uryū said, his eyes flashing once.

"Let's pick up the pace then!" Ichigo said. Suddenly, he hears a familiar sound. The echoing 'shoo' sound. The very sound Ichigo hears shortly before the masked woman/thing appears. He skids to a halt to look for the thing, only to see nothing.

"Ichigo, why did you stop?" Rukia asked.

"I…thought I heard something," Ichigo said.

"I didn't hear anything," Renji said.

"Was it a little high-pitched?" Uryū asked.

"High-pitched? I don't know about that, but it was more like…wait, you heard it too?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes. Why? What do you mean by that?" Uryū asked, eyeing Ichigo for an explanation. As the most observant of the team, it's no doubt that the Quincy had noticed Ichigo's odd behavior lately.

"Uh…" The snap of a stick saved Ichigo from explaining. The team got into position, waiting for an attack. "Do you sense anything, Ishida?"

"It's greatly suppressed, but I do sense a familiar Aura Pressure," Uryū said.

"Can you tell who it is?" Ichigo asked. Uryū shook his head.

"No, it's too miniscule and the person is too far away now."

Renji grunted. "Probably trying to make a getaway. Should we go after them?"

They then hear growling and readied their weapons. "I don't think we'll get the chance," Rukia said. "Stay sharp!" Three Beowulves leaped over a large rock before all were shot by Uryū's arrows.

"Here they come!" He exclaimed, loading another arrow. Soon, the rest of the Grimm horde came. Beowulves, Ursai, Creeps, King Taijitu, Death Stalkers, and Nevermores arrived to join in the attack. An Ursa attacks Renji, but he blocks it with his shield. With said shield, Renji fires a blast of Fire Dust point blank, killing the offending Grimm. He then takes Zabimaru and made a long slash at more, perfectly bifurcating them.

The black head of a King Taijitu tries to take a bite at Rukia, who dodges the snapping jaws. She releases a powerful streak of blue fire from her hand, the Sokatsui technique, created from the Kuchiki bracer. The fire destroyed the black head. The white head swoops in retaliation. Rukia leaps away before stabbing it with Sode no Shirayuki. Ice incased the white head from the Ice Dust katana blade before shattering, the head and all. Rukia sheathes her now bladeless hilt into the scabbard. She blasts a Creep away with Shakkaho before she removes the pommel connected to the hilt. She removes an empty magazine and replaces it with one full of Ice Dust inside the hilt. There are Dust gauges on the sides of the scabbard that tell the progress of the blade reforming from the Ice Dust stored in the hilt. She replaces the pommel back before she Shakkaho'd away a Beowulf.

A flock of Nevermores where shot from the sky by a volley of Aura Arrows from Uryū's bow, Bogen Sperling. A large Death Stalker moves to attack him from behind. Uryū sees it and jumps away. He readies an arrow tipped with Lightning Dust and aims at the stinger. He releases it and it makes contact at the base of the stinger. An electrical surge charged through the Death Stalker, shocking it to death.

Ichigo let loose a smirk as he slashed down one Grimm after another. A very large Beowulf appeared and growled menacingly. He goes to slash at it too, but it caught the blade. Ichigo swiftly takes out Tensa to slash at the Grimm and shoots at it. The attacks didn't seem to hurt the Beowulf, only made it more agitated. "An Alpha, huh? This gonna get tricky," Ichigo smirked. This is going to be fun.

"Kurosaki, don't waste time toying with it!" Uryū said as he shot an arrow at an adolescent Nevermore.

"Yeah, yeah. Might as well use my Semblance." Uryū can be such a killjoy. Using his Semblance would only dampen the fun of the fight. Oh well. He willed his Aura to activate it. He fell the surge of energy flowing through him. He takes another fighting stance. "Alright, now let's—"

Then, he froze.

His muscles didn't want to move, and his joints had practically locked up. "Wh-What? What's happening?" From the deep parts of his mind, he could hear laughter.

"KUROSAKI!" Uryū's shout snapped Ichigo back to reality, but it was too late. He sees incoming claw an Alpha Beowulf. He clenched his eyes he braced for the impact. However, instead of being slashed, he was pushed away by Uryū. The claws make contact on Uryū's side, leaving deep gashes, and sent him flying. He hits a tree before landing on the forest floor. He was motionless, knocked out cold.

'Uh-oh,' the voice chuckled in a mockery tone. Flashes of memories came through, memories what he didn't want to remember. Dark clouds rolling in…gunfire blazing… heavy rain falling… clashing of blades… lightning crashing and thunder booming… dying screams… innocent blood staining the ground… a young child crying…a once beautiful forest of cherry blossom trees turned into the scene of a massacre…

"Uryū!" Rukia shouts. A big Nevermore, smaller than a Giant one but bigger than a Baby Nevermore, sees the downed Quincy and swoops in for an attack.

"Oh, shit! Ichigo!" Renji shouts out. But Ichigo didn't move, frozen in horror. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as the Nevermore goes in for the kill at his partner. He needs to move. The Nevermore is getting closer. He needs to move. Its talons are ready. He needs to move! It's practically on top of Uryū. HE NEEDS TO MOVE, DAMN IT!

In lighting speed, someone landed a hard punch on the Nevermore, sending it flying as it evaporated away. The person was a woman. She is slender and well-endowed woman of average height. She has dark skin, golden irises, and black hair. Her hair is waist-length and kept in a ponytail with chin-length bangs framing the sides of her face. Her attire consists of a black, backless, sleeveless undershirt, an orange over-shirt with two white straps on each shoulder, a large beige sash around her waist, and black stretch pants with a pair of lightweight beige shoes. As a Cat Faunus, she has a short-haired, black tail.

"Ichigo! Snap out of it! You're in battle!" The woman shouted. Ichigo finally shakes off his stupor. He clashes his sword with the claws of the Alpha Beowulf. Meanwhile, the woman looks over Uryū. She could see the bleeding wounds, staining the Quincy's pure white cheongsam with red. But that wasn't the woman's main focus right now. She reaches into Uryū's pockets and pouches. Alarmed that she couldn't find what she is looking for, she turned to the other members of IURR. "Have any of you brought cleansing antipens?" She asked. Rukia reaches inside a pouch where she kept them. She paled.

"They're gone. They're all gone."

Renji checks his person. "Shit!" Ichigo checks his coat pockets. He was empty too.

The woman's golden eyes widened. She turns back to the Quincy. Despite his unconscious state, the look of pain was evident on Uryū's face. She undone his mantle and unzipped his cheongsam from the neck to below his chest. Black tendrils started to creep to his left pectoral, nearly blending into some scaring on his. "We're running out of time." She places a hand over her ear. "Bring the Bull Head over. We need to get to Beacon!"

"What about the mission?" Rukia asked. She is worried for Uryū, but what will happened to the village if they leave?

"Don't worry. I came back with the local Huntsman, along with two more," The woman said. The Bull Head appeared above them as it lowered. The Grimm backed away a little. Three Huntsmen leaped out of the airship.

"We've got this! You lot better get going!" One of them said, shooting at the Grimm. The woman slips her arms under Uryū's shoulders and knees, carrying him bridal style into the airship. The rest of team IURR followed behind and once they were all inside, the Bull Head flies off.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The flight back to Beacon only took a little over 10 minutes, but it felt like hours to Team IURR. Uryū is laying on Ichigo's coat, still unconscious and his wound bandaged up to stop the bleeding. Rukia is seating next to him, holding his hand in reassurance. The Faunus woman is situated at the front with the pilot. Renji is seating behind Rukia while Ichigo sat in the far back.

Rukia takes out her Scroll, her other hand still holding Uryū's, and dials Coco's number. "…There's been a change of plans…Is team RWBY there?..." Rukia looks over at the Quincy's pain expression. The black tendrils have now spread to his neck. "…We were dealing with a horde of Grimm when Uryū got hit by one. We're on our way to the infirmary now…Okay…" Rukia puts away her Scroll and returns to what she was doing. "You're going to be okay," She said to Uryū, not sure if he could hear her or not. "We're almost back at Beacon."

Ichigo watched the whole thing from his spot, very shaken. Guilt has washed over him at his partner's state. The Faunus woman gets up from her seat and makes her way over to Ichigo. She knelt to one knee and looks at him in the eye. "What happened?"

"I…I don't know…" Ichigo said. He knew it was a lie. And the woman knows it.

"You don't know," The Faunus woman echoed. Ichigo clinched his eyes shut. The woman sighs. "It can't be helped." She rose up to leave.

"Yoruichi…" Ichigo started. "…I…"

The Faunus woman, Yoruichi, places a hand on his shoulder. She smiles sympathetically. "Uryū isn't going to die. All I can tell you is to learn from this mistake so that way it won't happen again."

"…Yeah." The words did little to dissipate his fault. He was lucky that Yoruichi came when she did. If she hadn't, Uryū would have been…

"It's okay, Ichigo," Yoruichi reassured. "Doubt blame yourself for something out of your control."

She had no idea how much that actually stung Ichigo. "…Out of my control," he muttered under his breath.

"We've arrived," The pilot reported.

"Alright. Renji, you carry Uryū," Yoruichi instructed. "We're just outside of the infirmary and we have no time to lose."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Renji had just laid Uryū down on one of the beds when teams CFVY and RWBY burst into the infirmary. They recoiled in horror at the Quincy's injury.

"No…" Weiss muttered, fearing for her childhood friend's life.

"Move out of the way, kids," The nurse, a very dark-skinned woman, ordered as she made her through. Following close behind her is Orihime. When the nurse reached the bed Uryū is occupying, she pulls out a medical device akin to an epipen and injects it into the Quincy's upper thigh. Almost instantly, the black tendrils faded away. His pained look lessened a little. "There. Now, Orihime…"

"Right," Orihime said. She summons her Healing Shield and hovers it over Uryū's limp form.

"Thank you, Nurse Bliss," Rukia said to the nurse.

"Just doing my job, honey," The nurse smiled. Her face turned stern. "Now, all of you, out, out, out! This is an infirmary, not a lobby." With some reluctance, everyone, sans Nurse Bliss and Orihime, leave the room.

Weiss let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

"What was that?" Yang asked. "That black stuff."

"This would be your first time seeing it, right?" Yoruichi said. "What typically happens when you are cut by a Grimm?"

"Uh…doesn't your Aura protect you?" Yang said.

"That's usually the case. But for Quincys, it's different," Yoruichi said. She notices Blake trying not to make eye contact with her. She smiles knowingly. "When a Grimm attacks a Quincy at close range, they could somehow break though the Aura and leave a wound. Bizarrely, black markings start to invade the body, the essence of the Grimm infecting the Quincy. It doesn't necessarily kill the Quincy while there is still Aura present, but it can put them in a situation to be killed. Their Aura would solely focus on the invading essence, like how your body fights an infection, leaving you sick. Once the Quincy's Aura runs out, the black substance attacks the body directly, slowly killing them."

"That's why Quincys prefer to use long ranged weapons," Weiss said. "Even polearms if need be."

"That's right. You could say that Grimm are venomous to Quincys."

"You sure know a lot about Quincys…um…" Yang trailed off.

"It's Yoruichi," Yoruichi grinned. "Yoruichi Shihoin." Ruby lets out a huge gasp.

"The fastest Huntress alive? The Goddess of Flash?" She exclaimed. "You're awesome!"

"Well, thank you," Yoruichi said. "And I knew a lot because I was in a team with one." She notices Ichigo walking away. "And where are you going?"

Ichigo stopped but didn't turn around. "I…I'm just…I wanna be alone right now." With that, he leaves. No one made a move to stop him.

"Is…he going to be okay?" Weiss asked worriedly.

"He will. Just let him be," Yoruichi said. Ruby didn't seem convinced.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sometime later, Yang makes her way back to the infirmary. Standing outside of the door was Ichigo, who looking like he is contemplating on something. "Hey, Berry-boy! How's it…" Ichigo walks away. "…oookay." She enters the infirmary.

Weiss was there too, seating vigil by Uryū's bed. Nurse Bliss is currently absent, tending to other students. The Schnee heiress turns to the new visitor. "Yang? What are you doing here?"

"Just wanted to see how Angelface is doing," The blonde said, standing by Weiss. She looks over at the sleeping Quincy. He's now wearing his sleepwear and his glasses are on a nearby table. "So…how is he?"

"He's still resting. Thankfully, his fever has gone down," Weiss answered. "Nurse Bliss said that he'll wake up in a little while."

"Then, why are you just seating here?"

"I want to be here when he wakes up." If Yang could take a guess, she has a feeling this wasn't the first time Weiss sat vigil next to the Quincy.

"I see…" Yang said. She reaches for her Scroll. "I want you to see something."

"What is it?" Weiss asked. Yang pulls up a photo on the Scroll and hands the device to Weiss.

"I asked my dad about Yoruichi and he sent me a photo," Yang said.

"There she is." Weiss commented. In the digital picture, the Faunus woman was standing with three other women, between a brown hair woman with glasses and a Quincy woman. Yoruichi had shorter hair in the photo.

"That's team MRSK (Murasaki), a team just a year ahead from my dad's team," Yang said. "Yoruchi Shihouin, the flippin' Goddess of Flash, attended Beacon. How cool is that?"

"Uh-huh," Weiss said. Yang failed to notice the curt undertone in Weiss' voice and the disinterest look in her eyes. The heiress took notice of something about the Quincy woman. "She looks…familiar."

"Who? Oh, that's Kanae Katagiri, I think," Yang said.

"She reminds me of someone…" Weiss said. "But who..."

"She's my mother," Uryū answered.

"I'm sorry, did we wake you?" Weiss asked.

Uryū moves to sit up. "It's okay. I think the medication was wearing off."

"You okay?" Yang asked. "Should we call the nurse?"

"A little sore. But, it's fine now," Uryū said. That and he still feels weak, but he didn't want to worry the girls.

"So, your mother was in a team?" Weiss wondered.

Uryū goes to push up his glasses, only to notice that he isn't wearing them. "Yes, that is correct."

Yang picks up his glasses and hands them to him. "I thought Quincys don't care for Huntsmen," she said. Uryū, after putting on his glasses, gives her a pointed look. "…Oh."

"Part of the reason she did attend is because of Masaki."

"Masaki?" Weiss asked. Uryū points to a woman with wavy, light-brown hair next to the other brown-haired woman with glasses. "Wow. She's gorgeous. Who is she?"

"She was adopted into my family when her parents were killed. She wanted to attend Beacon Academy, so my mother, who was a retainer, went with her."

"How come I never heard of her?" Weiss asked curiously.

"Masaki was married to a man in Mistral, Isshin Shiba, though he changed his last name to Masaki's," Uryū said.

"What was it?" Yang asked.

"Kurosaki."

"As in Ichigo Kurosaki? She's his mother?" Weiss asked.

"I guess I can see where Ichigo got his good looks from," Yang said. "Course, haven't seen his dad yet." Yang thought of something. "Wait…if Masaki was adopted into the Ishida family, that would make her your dad's sister, right?"

"Yes," Uryū said.

"Doesn't that mean you and Ichigo are cousins?" The grin on Yang's face was evident.

"Don't remind me again," Yang chuckled at Uryū's quick response.

"So," Yang started. "She was a Huntress, right? Was she like an inspiration for Ichigo?"

"Yes, she was. Kurosaki was inspired to become a Huntsman long before Masaki's death," Uryū said. "According to him, she was strong, kind, and wouldn't say no to anyone who needs help. Above all, she was an amazing mother, which that could be seen by just looking at Kurosaki. She influenced his way of being a Huntsman. He'll help a person no matter the danger and will do anything to protect anybody, whether or not they are friend, foe, or even a stranger."

"Is that admiration I hear?" Yang asked.

Uryū blushed. "N-no! I was insulting him! He's incredibly pigheaded and acts before he thinks, failing to realize the consequences of his actions!"

"Suuuuure," Yang grinned lightheartedly.

"Yang, don't aggravate him," Weiss said.

"But, it's fun."

"It's getting late, kids," Nurse Bliss said as she entered. "Visiting time is over."

Yang leaps to her feet. "Alrighty then. Have a good night, Angelface."

"I'll come by tomorrow to see you after school and training," Weiss said. She and Yang then leave the infirmary.

"Caring girls, aren't they?" Nurse Bliss commented before walking over to her computer.

Uryū smiles to himself. "Yeah, they are."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Ichigo reminds me of Ruby," Yang said. She and Weiss are on their way back to the dorms.

"What makes you say that?" Weiss asked.

"She was toddler when our mom, Summer, passed away, so she doesn't really remember her all that well," Yang said. "But dad and I would tell Ruby stories about her, either as a Huntress fighting monsters or a mom baking awesome cookies. Summer really was like a super mom."

"Super mom, huh?" Weiss muttered, thinking about her own mother, alive and probably too drunk to even realize where Weiss is now. Weiss shook her head. "I think Ruby at least has a bit more clarity than Ichigo."

"Are you actually complimenting my sister?" Yang asked with a playful smirk.

"Oh, hush," Weiss said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ichigo let out shouts as he swung his giant sword. He's in the woods near Beacon, training with Zangetsu. He needs to get stronger, so an incident like today won't happened again…

"A pleasant night for swinging a sword," Yoruichi remarked.

"What do you want?" Ichigo dare asked.

"I wanted to see how my former student is doing," Yoruichi said, her tail swishing side to side.

"I'm fine!" Ichigo said with a swing of his sword.

"So, you say," Yoruichi said. "I also want to tell you that Uryū has regained consciousness."

Ichigo lowered his weapon slightly. "…That's good. Real good." It wasn't like this was the first Uryū was poisoned by a Grimm. This was, however, the first time Uryū was poisoned and they didn't have any cleansing antipen. What puzzled Ichigo was that they were in full stock of it, checked when they got into the airship and checked when they got out of the airship.

"Oh, and Ichigo…" Yoruichi started.

Ichigo growled in frustration. "What is it now—" He turns around, only to find himself in a sudden hug by the Cat Faunus woman. Ichigo's eyes slowly widen in surprise. Before he could do or say anything, Yoruichi pulls away.

She places a hand on Ichigo's cheek, almost like a mother. "Don't let this one mistake bring you down. You are still a good leader and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise."

Ichigo struggles not to break his scowl. "What about my other mistake?" Ichigo inwardly cursed at the fragility of his voice. Yoruichi knew what he was talking about and started to stroke her thumb along Ichigo's cheekbone with motherly care.

"What happened at Sakuya Forest wasn't your fault," She said firmly. "No one could have guessed what would have happened." She removes her hand. "Get some rest. You look like you need."

"I…I will in a little bit," Ichigo said. Yoruichi turns around to leave. "And, Yoruichi?" She turns her head. Ichigo let the corners of his mouth curve up a little. "Thanks."

The Faunus woman returns a smile of her own. "Anything for my pupil." Yoruichi said. She was about go on her way when she noticed specs of red rose petals off to the side. Reminded her of an old friend, though the friend's rose petals were white. Yoruichi smirked.

"What is it?" Ichigo asked.

Yoruichi smirked knowingly. "It's nothing."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ruby let's out a sigh of relief. It was a good thing that Yoruichi didn't say anything. So Yoruichi Shihoun was a mentor for Ichigo once? That's like Ruby and her 'uncle' Qrow! Wow, she and Ichigo seem to have a lot in common. Except in one thing…

Uryū wasn't kidding when he said Ichigo has poor Aura sensing. While it's not uncommon for someone to have low average Aura sensing (it's the second behind just average), the honey-haired male seems to have zero sensing talent. Ruby had been tailing Ichigo for 10 minutes and he gave no indication that he felt was being watched. Now, she's watching him train with Zangetsu again. With every swing, Ichigo lets out a shout. Each swing carried Ichigo's hopes and desires. Ruby could practically sense his convictions.

She remembers back to something Yoruichi had said to her after Ichigo left in the infirmary earlier.

"Ichigo lost his mother at a young age." Yoruichi said. "As such, he took it upon himself to try and prevent the same sadness to happen to others. Like anyone else, he too fears loss. That's why he works hard so he could have the power to help. Tragically, his efforts don't always pay off."

To any outsider, Ichigo is this imposing figure who now carries the title of the Grimm Reaper after the first one disappeared off the face of Remnant. He lets out vibe that says 'don't bother me' pairing with his common present scowl. But to friends and family, he's friendly, caring, bashful…and hurting. Like many people on Remnant, Ichigo had been scarred in a way that could never be healed.

Ruby's eyes twinkled in sadness. This world they live in can be very cruel. No matter the person, no matter how they live their life, they're always at the mercy of the unknown.

Next Chapter: Vytal Arrival