Author's notes

Guest 1: Akira will surprise you.

Robby the Cyber Warrior: If you refer back to Vol 1, Weiss did say similar things about the faunus. So I wouldn't say her racism is anything but normal for her early character. Akira has been through a lot, I think he would have had a similar fate if he hadn't met his friends in the original game.

Combine117: Yes, Akira was unfortunate enough to be part cat. Morgana is laughing as we speak.

Guest 2: It will be more of a brother sister type relationship.

Clary1925: as of now, no.

A Fan: The story is still early, there are no plans to add personas right now.

No Offense Guest: no offense but, refer back to chapter 2's end scene and the chap 1 opening. Anymore detail and it would be a drag. You don't need vocab eye candy in every scene to know what's going on. There's a fine balance in painting a picture.

Finally Chap 3 is here, the last scene was actually not intended to be that long but I got a little carried away pft. The three Wild Cards are finally showing some of their personalities...as always, tell me what you'll thought in the reviews.

Chapter 3: The Exam and the Aftermath

"For years, you have trained to become warriors. And today, your abilities will be evaluated in this forest." Ozpin spoke.

A warm breeze swept from above and through the barren rocks of the mountain side, clashing with the cold winds of the chilly forest air. It gently rustled the fluffy green foliage of the great emerald trees that thickly obscured the land below, hiding the many hidden dangers of its murky hollows.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard from the upperclassmen about the assignment of teams. To answer that question, each of you will be given teammates... Today." Glynda instructed.

A group of eager youths stood on the side of a tall cliff, each waiting in anxious anticipation. Some readied their weapons, while others positioned themselves in a more defensive stance. Many looked as nervous as could be about their very first official exam at the prestigious academy. An armored blond stood first in the line of people ready to be launched and fearfully clung onto his shield. Another, more well-prepared youth with short brown locks, crossed his arms in smug confidence about the upcoming trial.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." Ruby could feel Ozpin's eyes linger on her, and then a certain bluenette in the crowd, making the huntress-in-training take on a more serious expression. She had to meet eyes with Minato, no matter the cost. "After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy anything in your path. It is for your own survival that you must do so." After further explanations on the rules of the exam, Ozpin pushed a command on his interface, and countless students started to be launched into the air.

Ruby felt the ground below her start to violently rumble and shake as the small pebbles beneath her came to life in a sporadic dance, all accompanied by a flash of smoke that shot into her face and signaled for her to reach for the rifle on her back. The young huntress-in-training felt a massive push from below, springing her entire body into the heavens while she quickly unfolded her graceful crescent scythe. She started spinning and twisting in the sky so rapidly that she was covered in a whirlwind of roses, which lifted her into the atmosphere and created a mini tornado that ravaged the unsuspecting foliage below until she was in a moment of zero gravity. Unraveling herself from her windy cocoon, she extended the reach of her weapon to the max, creating a large lance that rushed down through sheer force of gravity and sliced into its unsuspecting target on the ground, severing the body into two, cleanly divided halves.

However, just as she was about to finish her landing, she retracted the scythe head into its normal position before swinging and clashing roughly with another incoming blade, creating a flurry of amber sparks as she barely dodged its deadly onslaught. But the attack was not finished, as she was then blown back from the sheer power of the hit.

"Are you trying to kill us?!" Ruby heard a bratty shout from above her, horror lacing her face as she saw eye to eye with a rapier-wielding girl in the trees. It didn't take her long to process the gravity of her situation. She froze. "Well? Don't tell me that last attack managed to destroy your brain, too." The snow-white girl crossed her arms, demanding an explanation.

"We met eyes…." A pinch of anger surged from the hooded girl's heart, realizing the person in front of her was the foolish student from yesterday.

"So you're blind too? Of course we've met eyes—!" The bratty huntress-in-training stopped, "Wait! Weren't you with that Narukami guy from yesterday?"

"Look, I don't want any trouble, ok?" Ruby decided to shut the girl up, cutting into her words, "I'll say sorry for running into you like this and let's just leave it there ok? I need to find someone, so can we please pretend we didn't meet each other?" The red scythe-wielder said firmly, hoping and praying Ozpin didn't catch the two on camera. She needed to find Minato.

"Ugh, are you implying that I'm not worthy enough? It is that Narukami dimwit again?!" Instead of the young girl's reply quelling the anger of the other, she became even more flustered, to the point where her snow-white complexion became a heated red.

"No, no! I'm just saying we might be better off with different partners!" Ruby yelled back. This girl was starting to make her lose her cool. Time was of the essence if she was going to meet with her friend before anyone else. It was a promise to herself and the headmaster.

"So you're saying that I'm not good enough!"

"No!"

"You're lying!"

"You're crazy!" Ruby snapped back, finally through with the idiot in front of her. However, instead of earning another verbal onslaught from the delusional huntress-in-training, it was replaced by a loud roar and the subtle, but noticeable, vibrations of the earth. "Great, now look what you've done…."

"What? How is it my fault—?!" Both of the girls readied themselves, feeling the approach of multiple Grimm in the shady hollows of the forest. Ruby raised her scythe in defense and her temporary partner held up her blade in overwhelming agitation. Just as another calm breeze swept by, out came a large group of bear-like Grimm from the undergrowth.

Yu dashed and raised his shining blade, slashing through countless Grimm with the hot metal cutting into their feeble bodies and cleanly ripping through them not unlike a knife through heated butter. A bolt of yellow lighting trailed behind him and quickly dissipated into the chaotic atmosphere.

Leaves swirled and folded in the wind as a dark hook shot from out of nowhere and grabbed onto an Ursa, yanking upwards and swinging and slamming its body into a nearby tree, where it was then diced into small obsidian pieces that evaporated into nothingness.

"Hey, need some help?" Yu said to the figure hiding in the trees, running through another panicked Grimm. "I know you're there!" He could feel the other observe quietly. Then, just as the swordsman was about to take a surprise attack to his back from a charging boar-like creature, a silver dagger came plunging down, piercing through its thick, white armor and sending it rolling and tumbling into the earth.

"Don't slow me down," came the reply from the shadows. Out strolled a frowning male cat Faunus, another dagger held tightly in his hand.

"Nice to know you're not a complete asshole." Yu shrugged before returning to an attack stance, but unlike before, no creatures of despair came running to his blade. In fact, it felt like there were no signs of life whatsoever within the whole area. His long-time combat instincts told him that something was off in the air.

"In no way does this mean that I accept you as my partner." The dark-haired Faunus's ears twitched in anxious anticipation, tiny hairs standing up on his back.

"You hear anything?" Yu noticed the other male focus with absolute concentration.

The breeze started to pick up, giving the forest a haunting atmosphere.

"The sky…" The cat Faunus's eyes narrowed, raising his dagger. "Something's coming— move!" Suddenly, with only a split-second notice, both huntsmen-in-training sprung out of the way, hearing an ear-splitting screech from above and a mammoth-sized bird crashing head-first into the earth. It decimated the ground below and sent a wave of soil and rock several feet up into the air, creating a meteor-sized crater. They watched the creature struggle feebly to move its crippled and misshapen wings, littered with gruesome gashes all over its dark body, as it gave a desperate howl of pain.

"Is that what you were talking about?" Yu furrowed an eyebrow, watching the weak Nevermore fight for its life.

"No, you idiot, the thing killing it." The Faunus whispered, sensing a great pressure from atop the sad creature. It was not long before they saw a speck of blue and heard a resounding ring of metal, a blade driving itself deep into moist flesh, and a demonic roar of death from the dying Nevermore.

"Minato…?" Yu glimpsed from the bushes, seeing the bluenette pull out his Scroll from his pocket and take what could only be described as a selfie next to the downed creature, posing in a victory stance and grinning at the camera.

"You have got to be kidding me…." Cat ears twitched once again, eyes wide in shock.

The bright flashes of the Scroll lit up the youngster's face. His poses became more and more ridiculous as time went on, and finished with him lying down and raising the front camera, flashing its lights toward the sky with a wide smile on his face. The photos developed before his eyes, each one more tilted and distorted than the last, until he saw a shadowy blur slowly appear in his screen's view. Its shape became more and more clear as a large black beak made its way into the frames and a massive force of wind lifted up his hair.

A second Nevermore swooped down from the sunny heavens and opened up its mouth to devour the boy lying on the earth, only to be halted at the last second by a shining blade plunging deep into its throat, followed by a tiny flicker of light that captured the moments of its swift demise. A flurry of coal-colored feathers gently rained down from the air, creating an illusion of soft, black snow. Then, just when everyone thought the encounter was over, hundreds of midnight-black spots emerged from the clouds, enveloping the sun in a cloak like the night. A fleet of demonic Nevermore all howled in chilling unison and dove for the boy.

"Oh shit…."

"So, your name's Weiss?" Ruby dashed into an Ursa and slashed at its chest with her oversized weapon before twisting the polearm around and piercing its sturdy flesh with the backside of her scythe.

"That's Weiss Schnee to you!" Weiss span the revolver-like mechanism on her blade, covering it in a red mist before setting up countless black and white glyphs that slid her into an oncoming row of Grimm, and splashed a sudden wave of flames that scorched their feeble ranks.

"Ruby Rose!" The scythe wielder replied in the heat of the battle, dodging the raw claw of an Ursa that aimed for her neck. However, instead of recovering and dealing with her attacker, she saw a flash of yellow and heard something forcefully smash into rock.

"You guys doing alright?" Yang waved, charging out with a familiar-looking dark-haired girl.

"Yang!" Ruby zealously welcomed her older sister, her eyes lighting up at finally meeting someone she knew. "And you're the girl from yesterday." She turned to the huntress-in-training with the large dark bow.

"Blake Belladonna." Although she spoke little, Blake held a faint smile on her face, effectively expressing her mood at meeting her partner's younger sister.

"And Noraaaaaaaa—! Run, Ren!" Yet another unfamiliar face burst onto the scene when everyone heard a scream and a rumbling sound from a stray line of trees in the air. Soon, a ginger-haired girl seemed to appear from out of thin air, wearing a horrified expression with an exhausted dark-haired male behind her.

"Nora… please!" The boy reached out his hand to call for the energetic huntress-in-training to stop, panting and sweating from whatever monstrosity they had been dealing with. However, it didn't take long for that answer because just after the two emerged from the trees, another pair of shouts sounded, and along with it came a charging black-and-white scorpion that bowled over anything and everything in its path.

"Jaune! This way!" A fair, armored blond came clumsily flying out of the bushes, followed by a spear-wielding female with fire-red hair.

"Probably should have said that earlier, Pyrrha." The blond groaned, painfully clutching his arm and face despite his thick armor.

"It's just one Grimm, right?" Yang smirked, bumping her fists together, "Come on guys, we can take this."

The scorpion-like Grimm roared, stomping flat a row of trees that dared to stand in its path.

"With this many people around, I'm sure it'll go down in no time," Blake carefully calculated, especially with some of the students in their ranks. Everyone readied their blades. Taking down this creature would be the only way to quickly advance to their item-retrieval objectives.

"Everyone ready?" Pyrrha questioned, raising her shield and earning an array of nods.

"As if a Grimm like this would slow me down." Weiss fired up a single a white glyph, but as she and the others were about to dash in head on, their surroundings suddenly darkened.

"What's happening?" Ruby felt the world go black as what appeared to be a midnight blanket obscured the bright Remnant sun, followed by a resounding set of howls that blared far and wide into the haunted green forest and chilled the girl to the bone.

"I-it's a horde of Nevermore!" Jaune yelled in terror, vaguely making out spiked wings and massive coal-colored beaks from the air. An equally stunned set of faces pointed upwards at the fleet of death above. Some even froze in awe of their enviable end. But there was something more.

"Akira! Yu!" A bluenette was seen running amongst the winged Grimm. A sword dug tightly into one of the colossal avians, forcing it to wildly jerk in the air, ramming its body into many of its kin, while a raven-haired male extended what looked to be the line of a grappling hook, guiding and clumping together several birds into one large projectile that was then spun at blinding speeds. It collided into, smashed, and decimated anything it came into contact with until it created a large hole in the sky. Following the next set of orders, Yu grabbed the line that tied and bound the Grimm ball together and sent a golden jolt of electricity that quickly surged through each of their bodies, frying them completely from the inside out.

"Guys! Run for it while you can!" Charred bits of Nevermore dropped from the sky, along with a dark blue and golden blur that stabbed into the giant scorpion Grimm currently charging at the group, killing it in a single blow.

"We can't just leave you guys like that!" Yang shouted amongst the chaos, watching the other two still rushing around in the air.

"Yeah! If we all die, we die together!" Nora proclaimed, switching her canon into gun mode.

"Are you people out of your minds?!" Weiss ended up being the voice of reason, "Do you guys even remember what we're for?!"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Yang snapped back, "Are you saying we should just leave them up there to die?"

"No, you dolt! I'm saying we should all complete our objectives, get the other two, and leave!" The snow-white girl argued, seeing no point in doing extra combat.

"For once, I agree with Weiss." Ruby said seriously, "Everyone! There's no point in fighting this pack of Grimm. We were only assigned here to do one thing!" Her speech was meant to filter in some reason to the desperate group, though the Nevermores were getting more and more agitated in the air.

"It would be impossible to take on all of them at once," Ren said in tired breaths, still recovering from his last battle.

"Guys, listen. I want some of our more exhausted members to be helped and paired with someone else," Ruby spoke up, "Then, I want our strongest to guard the front and rear of our escape with the others in the middle."

"I've got Ren!" Nora cheered, supporting her hesitant friend while Pyrrha did the same for a half-dead Jaune.

"I'll take the rear!" Yang volunteered with Blake, who both ran to the back, while Weiss, Ruby and Minato took up the front.

"Weiss, I need you to do something if they fall." Wind clashed and battered the young girl's cape and hair, forcing it to flutter in the breeze as the tight knit formation of students ran for their lives amidst a hundred screeching Nevermore that tailed their every move from the air.

"And what's that?" The rapier wielder shot a round of Ice Dust into an approaching Ursa, knocking it to the side.

"Use your glyphs—!" Almost without warning, shock momentarily overtook everyone's eyes, seeing two humanoid figures plummet from the azure sky, quickly descending from hundreds of feet in the air. The snowy heiress narrowed her eyes, concentrating on the falling forms above. Just as she was about to make her mark, a large beak flew forward and caught one of the vulnerable shapes.

"No, no, no!" Weiss watched in dread at the Nevermore crunching on the figure. The rapier wielder shook and lost focus, causing the already deployed glyphs to be shattered in the process.

"Focus! I know for a fact that Yu can take care of himself! I fought with him!" Minato assured the heiress, trying to ease her fears, "We have to trust him."

"O-ok! I get it!" Signs of embarrassment and frustration started to make its way onto her face, forcing her to go back to creating her glyphs in the sky. Eventually, she was successful in at least catching the Faunus boy from before, letting him use the floating black platform to make a more adjusted landing. "Got him!"

But the relief would only last so long, because just as the black figure landed safely, the one from before broke free from the jaws of the beast with a flash of yellow. A clear shield-like substance flickered around his body.

"You guys have to catch him!" Pyrrha warned from further back, "He looks like he's on the last of his Aura!"

"Ughhhh! Yu Narukami! You owe me one!" Weiss shouted, enraged beyond belief. Reaching her hand forward, she formed the largest obsidian glyphs she could muster to help slow the boy's rapid plunge into the afterlife. Glyph after glyph passed until the heiress was truly at her limit, bullets of sweat trailing down her face as she kept up the mammoth feat.

Thankfully, as Yu reached rock bottom, a familiar black line managed to yank him to the ground and to safety.

"Everyone, grab one!" Came a voice from further ahead. A raven-haired male tossed the group a set of what resembled chess pieces. The frantic party gladly accepted the gracious offer and moved on their way, while both Yu and Akira joined the group.

"Hey Yu, are you ok? Wanna join the middle?" Yang waved from the back, shooting a large blast that deteriorated a swooping Nevermore.

"Yu, your Aura's low. I don't recommend fighting unless you want to get seriously hurt." Pyrrha suggested in concern, still running with Jaune propped up on her shoulder.

"No, guys, I'm alright! I can still help!" The gray-haired huntsman-in-training outstretched his blade and kept pace with the others, slashing away a few minor land-Grimms' attempts to reach the middle group.

The small party of students made haste, running for their lives. Multiple pairs of shoes trampled past the dry forest grounds, carrying hundreds of their deadly pursuers in tow. They ran, ran, and ran through the never ending line of trees until they saw a light at the end of the tunnel. Suddenly, the front of the group jolted to an abrupt stop, causing the next two rows of people to stumble forwards and knock the already flabbergasted few who stood before a steep, mountainous canyon.

"Ruby!" Minato reached out and caught the girl by her arm, preventing her body from plunging into the depths. The boy held onto her with all his might, while his classmates backed him up by quickly firing and pushing back the encroaching flock of Grimm. Some headed to a nearby bridge and into an area full of ruined buildings and crumbling pillars, while others fought bravely to slow the ravenous black wave.

"We're surrounded!" Blake called out, shifting her weapon into gun mode and igniting a hell storm of yellow sparks that burned and forced the monstrous bird back. It let out a sick howl as it dived at the obsidian huntress-in-training, launching its sharp feathers in her direction. Thankfully, she was saved by the shield of a red-headed girl who then threw her spear, piercing the left side of the giant Grimm's wing.

"What are you doing?" Weiss shot forth a storm of icicles, accelerating their speed via Time Dilation before shooting them forward to pierce a few smaller Nevermores in the heavens.

"Helping to lessen the problem." Yu stabbed his golden katana into the ground, conjuring up a wall of solid ice to encase his opponents in a sprawl of blue crystals, and sliced and collapsed the artificial pillar into the cliffs below. However, this would only be the beginning, as he heard a large pop and crack from his side and saw another, even more pristine fortress of white.

"You think you're the only one who can do this?" Weiss scoffed, zipping forward and delivering a death blow with the sharp edge of her blade to the already incapitacted Grimm, exploding the colossal ball of ice.

Ruby swung her scythe upwards, slashing another set of small Nevermore, firing off countless rounds of her Dust bullets in the process, and killing another pair of birds that fell to the earth. "Minato, we can't go on like this, we need a plan!"

Minato, after wrestling his blade free from an oncoming Nevermore, edged his back behind the scythe wielder's. It was then that he had an idea from observing the battlefield. "I've got something, but dunno if you'd like it!"

Ruby saw an eruption of white crystals from the bridge, "You mean we use those, right?"

"That, and something to lure them all into one place." Minato scanned the field for anyone, or anything that would likely fit the bait candidate, but only came to one conclusion. "Look, I'll head to the center—"

"No, you're not!" She gave him a hurt glare, reminding him of the fire incident from before, "I don't care if you're from a different world."

"Fine, then what do you suggest we do?" The bluenette questioned, watching the others become less and less agile in dodging the Grimms' attacks. They only had so much time.

"I-I…" She fumbled and racked her mind for an answer, but no clear solution came through. She looked to him in concern.

"I know something that'll work." A third voice had interrupted the two, accompanied by the appearance its raven-haired owner, a serious frown stuck to his face.

"Are you sure about this?" The silver-eyed girl pleaded, despite not knowing the Faunus well.

"If those idiot instructors threw us to the wolves, then yes. It's better to get this over with." Akira replied coldly, "Gather everyone else so they don't get in my way."

"Will do." Minato nodded.

"You want me to do what?!" Weiss objected, but had no other option besides accepting the party's dire circumstances, looking around to the others' distraught faces and weakening fighters.

"If Weiss doesn't want in, then I can hopefully pull this off myself." Yu offered to take both of their places, which flustered the heiress.

"Did I say I wouldn't be participating?!" She stomped on the ground, pointing her rapier at the boy.

"Alright everyone, if you have any spare Dust left, please hand them to me!" Ruby called in a hurry, receiving several handfuls of the colored tubes that were left from the desperate group.

"What are you guys planning to do with it?" Yang asked, along with a few others who wondered the same thing.

"Guys, gather up. Here's the plan." Minato came out from a row of bushes.

Weiss laid down a row of glyphs on a bridge made of ancient stone, skidding past a darkened sky of Nevermore that tried cut through her form. It was then followed by two more figures that slid across the crumbling structure, avoiding countless rains of dagger-like feathers that ravaged the area. Stopping on a wider area of the bridge, Weiss raised her balde.

"Akira, now!" The heiress yelled, seeing a few birds already heading for the three in the center, but there was only silence. "Hello? Remnant to Faunus-!

Yu watched the dark-haired huntsman-in-training subtly shake, his teeth grounding tightly and his pupils a slit of their original, rounded black. A fist curled to the point where it was now white as bone and a subtle shift in the air raised his hairs.

"Come at me, you worthless sons of bitches!" a growl of deep-seeded loathing exploded from the center, along with a wave of pure darkness that stopped every Grimm in its tracks, "Catch me if you can!"

"Is he insane…?" the heiress mumbled. But there was no time to think, as in a blink of an eye, a chorus of dread rang across the forest and the hordes of Nevermore from the heavens charged down from every corner of the world.

"Weiss, get ready!" Yu warned and dug his blade into the rough stone, feeling their plate begin to rumble in the aftermath of the strange wave.

Soon, a flock of Grimm birds rushed down and roared, cutting through the air with their sharpened beaks, tearing through each other to devour the three sitting ducks on the platform—

"NOW!" The two casters slammed their weapons into the ground, manifesting a sprawling wonderland of white ice that exploded from the bridge to overtake the sky, driving its sharpened cold spikes into the Nevermore. It spread and ate away around them until it bloomed into a frozen lotus-like structure that reached miles up into the air, catching its enemies in its chilly icy prison.

"Ruby, are you ready?" Minato felt the wind rushing in his hair as he clung onto a Charmed Grimm bird, soaring toward the blazing sun and rapidly ascending into the clouds like a sonic jet, its feathers battered by the air currents.

"Yeah! I'm good when you are!" The red huntress-in-training extended her scythe and rushed into the empty sunny azure above with her friend, who also placed his arm onto the crimson polearm. Minato threw the gathered Dust at the body of the large bird and proceeded to experience a second of weightlessness in the air.

"Now, I just need you to hold on and focus…." He gingerly whispered, his silver eyes shining a bright blue. A tingling sensation rushed through his soul and coated the crimson red scythe in a dazzling shade of bright cyan.

"Minato…" Ruby mumbled, experiencing a sudden surge of power pass through her spirit, making its way to the barrel of her rifle. She could feel the sheer might of the energy flowing past her, making her heart tense.

"FIRE!" Without any more delay, the light that had gathered around the nozzle burst into a hot ray of light that shot and ignited the dormant Dust rounds on the Nevermore, setting its body ablaze and forcing it to plummet from the skies. It transformed into an energy-coated projectile that crashed into the plate of ice and detonated into a violent mushroom cloud of heat and light. The force rattled the entire earth below, shattering the ancient ruins in the process. Rocks flew and showered every corner of the area and the flames from the collision spread far and wide to scorch the very cliff face and rocks around it.

"Hey, watch my skirt, you dimwit!" Weiss fisted the empty air as a gray-haired male carried her to the other side of the cliffs. Yet, instead of getting an annoyed response, she was then dropped to the floor. "Hey!" She called for the idiot's attention, finding him ignoring her once again. She even went as far as punching him in the chest, to no result. "Is your Aura invincible or something—?" At that moment, she noticed something odd. No matter how hard she punched, no Aura formed around the boy.

Yu, along with his Faunus counterpart, froze from the chaotic blast upon reaching the forest grounds. The white from the explosion blinded the two, but they never looked away, as it sent a chill down their bodies. The white light wasn't part of the Dust; it felt far too familiar.

"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long." The four girls stood among a grand hall of first years, up on a pristine white stage, smiling in eager anticipation. "The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as… Team RWBY." The headmaster spoke, feeling the eyes of each girl as he decided on their leader, "Lead by…"

Weiss tensed.

Ruby bounded up and down.

Yang smirked.

Blake stood abnormally still.

"Ruby Rose." An uproar of claps and cheers spread across the entire room, as the whole class celebrated the birth of yet another new team leader. Ruby felt a warmth rise from her chest and a slight blush appear across her face at the unexpected announcement. She found herself being the star of the room and felt her older sister give a tight squeeze upon hearing the news.

"Ruby! I'm so proud of you!" Yang snuggled against the girl before happily congratulating her on her new accomplishment. Upon receiving such praise, she turned her head around to spot a blue-haired boy giving her a thumbs up and a cheeky smirk from the crowd, which give her more confidence in her new status.

"And lastly," Ozpin began, letting the final batch of students, a group of three boys, step onto the stage, "since we have an uneven number of students enrolled this year, Minato Arisato, Akira Kurusu, and Yu Narukami, you shall form an odd team of three, having retrieved the black knight pieces," he paused for a second, "and from this day forward, you all shall work together and be known as Team MAY. Lead by, Minato Arisato." Another set of cheers erupted from the class, excited young faces lighting up from every possible corner of the room. After the formation of the last team of students, a new wave of energy was birthed from the masses, as this marked their official start at Beacon, a school of everyone's dreams.

"So, how'd you two like our team name?" Minato sat up in bed, his luggage scattered messily on his side of the room. There were two other beds, with one in the middle and the other hugging the opposite wall of the room. The glow of the shattered moon trickled in ever so slightly to the dimly-lit dorm room.

"What about it?" Akira typed on his laptop.

"I think it's fine sounding. Why?" Yu read a book from his scroll, its bright screen lighting up parts of his face in the dark.

"I'm the only one who thinks it's dumb, then?" Minato cocked up an eyebrow, "MAY isn't even a color."

"The name of a month is pretty close, right? It reminds me of the first leaves of spring, so green maybe?" Yu mused outloud to the rest, his eyes on the blank ceiling of the room.

"And what else would you have wanted our name to be? Team YAM?" Akira scoffed.

"You know what? You have a point." Minato chuckled at the thought. "YAM does sound stupid."

"Hey, it doesn't sound that bad." Yu objected, feeling attacked by his team. Did they really hate him that much?

"It's the name of a bootleg potato. It's stupid." Akira jabbed, giving a sadistic smirk.

"Oh yeah? Well, Team AMY sounds even worse. It's a girl's name, and we're an all-boys team!" Yu hopelessly tried to get back at the Faunus boy, but to no avail.

"Oh, I've got it." Minato smacked his fist into his palm in a sudden epiphany, drawing the attention of the other two. "We should make up our own unofficial team name."

"Better than our official one, I suppose." The gray-haired student sighed in utter defeat.

"Team Potato! How about it guys? Cool right?" Minato smiled a mocking smile, watching his team in equal amounts of either astonishment or disbelief. "And I'm serious."

"Fine with me." Akira shut down his laptop.

"W-what? How can any one of you blatantly accept that?" Yu questioned, in shock of how fast he had been overruled once again.

"Because naming ourselves after a vegetable will be hilarious, and when we reach the top of the Beacon rankings, all will associate the word 'potato' with sheer unadulterated fright." Minato said almost too casually.

"You're a horrible leader." Akira said in calm sarcasm.

"And you're a horrible person, threatening people when they offer you a helping hand—"

The bluettene could feel cold dagger-like pupils dig into his skin, and he returned an equally deathly look. It was chilling, if not more threatening than the other.

"Guys, guys, calm down. " The tense atmosphere felt almost palpable to the touch as Yu tried to mediate the situation. "I'm already over that…."

"Over that? I threatened your life and you're already fine with it? You're a bigger coward than I thought—!" Akira jerked to the side. A small blade sped through the air and dug into the part of the wall were he was resting his body just a few seconds ago.

"Talk like that again and I will rip your head clean off." Minato narrowed his eyes, channeling a familiar Ice Empress from his past, "I am your leader now and I demand mutual respect, got it?" His tone was harsh and devoid of any of his personality from before, like he was a soulless shell. The darkness surrounding him seemed to twist and warp ever so slightly, contrasting his tired silver eyes.

"Tch, have it your way then." Akira grabbed a bag and slammed the door to the dorm, leaving the other two alone in the room.

"Thanks for that… but it really wasn't necessary…." Yu spoke softly, sounding as if he were the one causing trouble.

"And what's up with you? Shouldn't you be defending yourself?" Minato chided, "You're a pain in the ass."

"I…" Yu turned away.

"Well? Don't tell me you're a pushover like that guy said." The bluenette glared, anger surging from his heart. These two idiots were partly the reason why he and his friends had such a sour day during their arrival to the school. "You should have smacked him square in the face."

"I… didn't want a confrontation for something so minor…." Yu stumbled in his words, afraid to face his leader.

"Minor? My sister nearly got hurt trying to help you!" Minato thought back to the Grimm fights earlier that day. The amount of skill shown by Akira would have easily outclassed Yang's. If the golden blonde had blazed forward to hit the Faunus boy, then it would have surely ended in a one sided brawl, and not in her favor. "So our help was a minor thing too, huh?"

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry if you think that way." The boy started to shake, "I didn't mean it like that, it's just that..."

"Just what? Spit it out, coward!"

"I… I don't deserve your kindness." Yu felt his own hands tremble, terror and anxiety rising from the back of his mind.

"What?"

"Hey, Minato.…" The gray-haired boy reached for his blade. "Do you… believe in other worlds?" He murmured, holding in his imploding despair, a single tear rolling down his eye.

The bluenette softened at the question, "Why are you changing the topic?"

"Because I know you come from the same place as me…." Yu showed the Japanese text carved into the steel of his blade, reading 'Izanagi.' "There are no myths or legends of this kami in Remnant. Same for the name of your sword."

"That is true." The bluenette lost all will to egg the other on, a familiar pain beginning to sear into his heart. "A country named Japan, right? A land surrounded by the sea."

"Yeah.…"

"Where there lies a mega-city called Tokyo, hundreds of times larger than Vale, with a population to match…." the mellow bluenette recalled, soothing the fears of the other.

"Don't about the peaceful countryside, beautiful and untainted by the Grimm." Yu pictured brown rice patties and villages lined with ancient wooden houses, images of Inaba resurfacing with a lifetime of nostalgic memories.

"Did something happen back then?" Minato found it harder and harder to voice words from his throat, his eyes drooping.

Yu nodded, stretching out a hand and forming a clear blue card in his hands that glowed a soft blue light. "I saw you use a Megido to destroy that horde of Nevermores today… you hid it well in that load of Dust. Was the Dust explosion from before you, too?"

Minato floated a similar card in his palm, "Yep. It's the reason Ruby got dragged into this whole mess, too. Ozpin knows as well."

"It's funny…." The gray-haired boy gave a bitter chuckle, "I originally transferred in hopes of finding someone I knew due to that explosion… a friend perhaps, but…" Yu stared blankly at the ground.

"Same luck on that here," Minato's heart ached at the thought of seeing someone from his past, "But I realized that was impossible a long time ago." He felt himself start to shake, overwhelmed by a wave of despair.

"I just wish I could see them again. I just wish I could visit home again." He missed the carefree days of his life. His hands balled into fists. The once strong huntsman-in-training was gone, replaced by a crumbling heap of a human.

"It's alright…." Minato placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. "Me too…" His face darkened, eyes covered by his long blue bangs.

"..."

"I… want to go back too."

Little did the two know, as they traded their pleas, a third party was listening from behind the door.