Chapter 5: The Samurai and the Wolf

Rainier didn't waste a moment dashing towards Shinai, vicious grin painted across his face, tearing across the stage. The samurai leapt high above the charging faunus, boot crashing against the back of his head to send him tumbling away, feet touching down gracefully, turning on his heel with his katana drawn at the ready.

Rainier skid to a stop, Wolf's Claws throwing sparks into the air as he quickly spun on his heel, not a beat wasted as he lunged back forwards, a cannon shot carrying him forwards into the air, a wild kick sent arcing towards the samurai's head.

The steel of Shinai's katana came up in a flash, parrying the attack away, Rainier left flipping in the air. His feet had barely touched the ground before he continued on the offensive, another roundhouse kick racing towards Shinai's head, missing as the samurai backstepped in the nick of time, the silver of the faunus' claws millimeters from his face. His blade shot out, gliding against his opponent's metallic leg, drifting down to the floor, before Rainier lashed out again.

The two huntsmen continued to march across the stage, the faunus loosing a near never-ending stream of rapid-fire kicks, the samurai always just a beat ahead of his opponent, narrowly dodging each strike, his blade rising to deflect the attacks away from himself. Finally, Rainier leapt and corkscrewed in the air, his claws arcing down towards the crown of Shinai's head, missing only as the samurai's katana met the arc of the metallic paw, pushing with all of his might to send the faunus to the ground.

Shinai's boot lashed out, tripping the rising faunus from his perch, the silver-clad huntsman twirling into the air, the samurai taking a hard step forwards, throwing his shoulder into Rainier's form, sending the Vacuoan flying away.

Rainier had barely hit the ground before he'd recovered, spinning to a single knee, yellow gaze losing its enthusiasm, slowly filling with irritation. He reached up and cocked his head side-to-side. "You're pulling your shots, samurai. Make this interesting, yes?"

He shot back to his feet like a bullet, making another mad dash towards his opponent, hands curled into claws, face twisted into a snarl.

Poof.

Rainier skid to a stop as the stage filled with smoke, twirling on his heel, teeth grit together in concentration. The hairs on his neck rose up in warning, his eyes shooting to the ceiling, widening.

Shinai fell with a downwards swing of his katana, nearly catching the faunus across the chest, Rainier backstepping out of the way, looking to retaliate- the samurai, though, never touched the floor, the point of his blade resting against the floorboards below, its wielder balancing perfectly above the katana. Before his opponent had a chance to recover, he struck out with both boots, crashing them into the faunus' nose, sending him flying from the quickly disappearing smoke. His momentum carried him back to the floor, and in one swift motion, he sheathed the blade, legs crouched lowly.

With another puff of smoke, he disappeared.

Rainier rolled back to a standing base, scowling at the thick cloud of purple ahead of him, standing at the ready, muscles tensing with preparation. He'd barely taken a breath before the tell-tale sound of Shinai's teleportation sounded behind him, eyes widening as he was quickly enveloped in purple.

The steel of the samurai's blade glinted in the light as he ripped it free from its scabbard. He dashed forwards like a dart, exiting the smoke, his katana extended ahead of him, sliding to a stop before turning on his heel, weapon held at the ready, eyes narrowed.

Silence settled over the stage, the onlookers waiting with bated breath. Shinai's eyes quickly shot to the bars suspended on the screen high above him, chancing a glance at his green and Rainier's now yellow bar.

He'd barely looked away from the smoke before something roared free of the cloud, arcing high above the stage. His attention followed the plume of smoke, searching for the faunus.

Rainier snarled down at Shinai, all pretenses of glee gone from his expression- both of his feet perched onto ceiling, silver claws ripping through the plaster, legs coiling. With surprising speed and force, he pushed off, hurtling back down towards his opponent, nearly catching the samurai off guard, only the quick arc of his katana saving him from being crushed into the ground, Rainier's Wolf's Claws tearing through the floorboards below, kindling and splinters flying into the air.

With a growl, the faunus lashed out again, his heel sent towards Shinai's chin, again the samurai's blade rising to send Rainier's claws back towards the floor; this time, though, Rainier pivoted, the silver of his leg pressing the katana into the ground, his hands reaching out to hold Shinai's tightly against the sword's hilt, his non-mechanical foot lashing out to impact hard against his opponent's cheek, sending him tumbling away, the grip on his katana lost.

Rainier rose back to his feet, skillfully twirling the stolen blade around, looking its gleaming steel up and down. He cocked his head with an irritated, but satisfied laugh. "No more of that."

The sword at his side, he dashed forwards, striking out with the well-made blade. Shinai's gauntleted hand raised upwards, glowing with purple, before bringing it back down.

The characters along the katana's blade glowed a similar color, following its master's motion, the tip of the blade falling to crash into floor below, making Rainier's eyes widen in confusion.

Shinai raised his hand again, the sword lifting into the air, even taking the faunus off of the ground before he jerked himself back down, confused gaze meeting the samurai's furious one, his hand shooting back down to the ground, the blade adjusting so it flew under Rainier's legs, sending him head over heels to crash into the ground, the wind rushing from him, his grip on the sword lost.

The katana gleamed in the light as it spun in the air of its own accord, before falling back to the ground, impaling itself into the floorboards as Rainier rolled away, scrambling to his feet.

Shinai jerked his hand back to himself, his blade returning to his grip comfortably. He turned burning eyes to his opponent, though his face was as stony as always. "Never. Touch my blade." He muttered lowly, twirling his katana to stand at the ready.

Rainier recovered himself, scowling. He spat to the side, gaze falling onto the entranced crowd to the duo's side. He took a breath in as if he was preparing to speak- before jolting forwards, speeding towards his opponent. Shinai was ready, however, twirling out of the rampaging faunus' way, leaping as he spun, boot crashing into Rainier's back, sending him hurtling away.

A cannon shot, though, stalled his momentum in the air, blasting back towards the samurai, missing again as Shinai leapt; Rainier's hands struck out, latching onto his opponent's ankles, sending him crashing back into the ground, twirling to his feet gracefully, despite the look of frustration pained across his face.

Losing no momentum, he arced over Shinai, still gripping his legs, the samurai's body bending unnaturally, before the faunus released, chucking his opponent away from him towards the wall of the stage.

Shinai masterfully turned, boots meeting the stage wall moments before impact, his katana held close to his side, gleaming tip pointed straight towards the infuriated faunus. He pushed off, shooting towards Rainier with a rare scowl of his own; the attack missed as the faunus dodged with a leap of his own, the katana's blade burying deep into the floorboards.

The faunus immediately lashed out with a strike of his own, a cannon-aided heel kick striking down towards the back of the still-recovering samurai's head. Shinai was a touch quicker, though, twirling from his low position, his leg whipping out to impact into the back of Rainier's knees, buckling his non-mechanical one, sending him tumbling head-over-heels himself, twirling wildly in the air, eyes wide.

Shinai immediately struck out with a shoulder-tackle, further exacerbating the faunus' frantic fall, before lashing out with another well-placed side kick.

Rainier flew away from the samurai, crashing into the ground, scrambling to climb back to his feet as he continued to bounce and slide away, rising back to a vertical base- right at the edge of the stage, the tips of his toes teetering over, eyes wide as he waved his arms, trying desperately to stay above the stands of the students below.

A hand latched onto his hoodie before he had the chance to recover, Shinai ripping him back towards the stage, throwing the faunus back away from the precipice; not quite as mercifully, though, he lashed out with another kick, taking Rainier off of his feet entirely, twirling in the air, before following with two swift slashes of his blade, effortlessly corkscrewing the faunus around, before a straight kick to the side of his head sent Rainier flying away from the samurai again, crashing hard against the floorboards, rolling across the ground wildly.

His teeth grit together, looking to push himself to his feet- until the gleaming point of Shinai's katana rested under the Vacuoan's chin calmly. The samurai stared down at his opponent stonily, eyes begging the silent question.

"Time." Glynda called out, the lights in the classroom rising again to illuminate the stands.

Shinai smoothly returned his katana to its sheathe, offering Rainier a hand without missing a beat. The faunus began to reach out to take it- and then pulled his own extended limb back to himself, rising to his feet on his own. The samurai took a step back, bowing lowly to his opponent. "Well fought, Platina."

Rainier stared back at him for a moment, teeth grit together, swallowing hard. He bowed lowly with another flourish, the tension still not draining from his body. "…You as well, samurai."

"Students," Goodwitch began again. "As you can see, Mr. Platina's aura has dropped into the red, meaning in an official tournament match, he would no longer be considered fit for battle, and would be eliminated," She turned back to the two students perched on the stage. "Well fought, the both of you. I trust that you will both be applying for the tournament come this summer?"

"…Perhaps." Shinai muttered unsurely, gaze finding its way to his team in the stands.

Rainier looked at him for a moment, before turning a strained smile back to the teacher. "…Aha… we shall see."

"Either way," She acknowledged with a nod. "Keep up the good work," Her gaze turned back to the students beyond. "Remember, the Vytal Festival is only a few months away. In only a short time, students from every kingdom will be arriving at Beacon to compete at the tournament. Those who apply, and are accepted, for the tournament will be representing not only our school, but the entire Kingdom of Vale. That will be all. Do not forget to always train, regardless of the circumstances. Rust will get you killed in the field."

She stepped away from the stage, the students in the stands beginning to rise and exit, eyes locked onto the two combatants in various stages of awe, a chorus of excited and anxious murmuring following the crowd out of the large hall.

Shinai turned to speak to Rainier again, only for the faunus to briskly brush passed him wordlessly, marching towards the exit, gaze never leaving the doors, not even to look to his team waiting for him, disappearing around the corner, the rest of DRGN following in confusion, looking to each other as they followed their teammate out. The samurai, a slight expression of confusion playing on his own expression, began to follow suit, stepping off the stage to meet Oracle and Lance, Ulysses having long disappeared.

The blonde swordsman stepped in front of him, drawing a cocked eyebrow out of Shinai. Lance nodded, looking him up and down, respect written on his face. "…Nice fighting out there, Kyani, I'll give you that. Consider me… y'know, I don't think 'impressed' covers it. I'd be willing to have a go at you- or with you- anytime."

Shinai stared at him, a hint of hesitation filling his face, before he gave a small nod of acknowledgment, slightly narrowed eyes still unsure of his fellow huntsman.

Oracle, on the other hand, was staring off after Rainier, hip cocked to the side. "…He's not a very gracious loser, though, is he?"

"You noticed that too?" Lance asked, following her gaze. "Looked like he was about to hit something. Or cry. Maybe both. It was a pretty prime Ulysses expression."

The leader of SOUL looked from his teammates to the screen suspended high above, staring at his and Rainier's portraits; the faunus' red bar, and his own comfortably bright yellow bar. "…Perhaps. He…" He shook his head. "If he'd fought with precision rather than anger, that fight might have gone a different way. He knows that."

"If you say so," The blonde said with a snort. "You had him on the back foot from the beginning."

Shinai didn't look convinced, though he said nothing else, beginning his march towards the exits. "…I expect you two to fight with more dignity than that."

The other members of SOUL began to follow suit, the greatswordsman shrugging with a smug smile. "If it lets me beat the hell out of the wolf, I'll fight like an absolute gods damned gentleman."

Oracle rolled her eyes, giving him a disbelieving stare as the trio stepped out into the warm spring air beyond.

Daria snuggled into her bed, letting out a content sigh as, for the first time that day, the tension drained from her body, settling in for the night. Nash was perched on the bed opposite of hers, laying on his stomach, feet kicking behind him idly as he played on his Scroll. The leader of DRGN watched him for a moment, gaze idling over to Gail and Rainier's empty cots, a small sigh escaping her lips.

"Did you see the look on Rainier's face today?" She finally asked, breaking the silence.

Nash nodded idly, gaze not raising from his screen. "…Yuh-huh."

"I think that's the first time I've seen him be that… defeated… ever. Have you seen him since? He kinda just disappeared."

"Mmyep."

"I…" She shook her head, turning away from the boy. "Nevermind."

"Totes."

Her Scroll let out a jingle from her bedside table, glowing brightly. With a small groan, she picked it up, looking over the contents of the notification.

A picture popped up across its surface; a man and a woman, dressed warmly amidst a backdrop of a snowy city street. They shared dark skin and dark hair, the man's eyes light while the woman's were warm brown like Daria's; both were smiling and waving to the camera. A moment later, another message appeared under the picture-

'We miss you, love from Argus, Mom and Dad.'

A content smile slowly claimed Daria's face, a familiar feeling of warmth sinking through her, the huntress sending back simply a heart emoji in return, letting the Scroll go dark as she idly dropped it beside her.

Her smile slowly melted away, sadness replacing it. She reached behind her towards her night stand, pulling a decently hidden picture back towards herself; across its folded and well-traveled face was a much younger Daria, grinning a wide, gap-toothed smile, taking a selfie- behind her, looking to the camera with a slightly bemused expression, was an older boy, that looked distinctly similar to herself, his eyes a touch more golden. Her grip tightened on the picture, reflexively biting her lip to stay away the familiar feeling of oncoming tears.

"Who's tha'?" Nash asked, making her jump in shock.

"What?" She cried, turning to him with wide eyes.

He cocked his head to the side to get a better view of the picture, blinking owlishly. "Who's that'?"

Her gaze slowly drifted back to the photo, before quickly folding it up, returning it to her nightstand. "It's…" She trailed off with a small sigh. "It's nobody. Don't worry about it."

"You looked reall' happy."

"I… don't worry about it, Nash," Her tone had sharpened warningly. "…I'm turning in." She reached out and turned her lamp off, bathing the room in darkness, wordlessly turning over to settle in, her back to her partner.

He watched her for a few moments, confused, a touch of guilt settling into his expression. "…Goodnight'." He whispered, pulling his own blankets up, snuggling into his sheets… for a few moments, before throwing his comforter over his head, his Scroll glowing brightly under the covers as he continued to play with the device, the faintest sounds of combat echoing out into the otherwise quiet room.

Daria looked over at the illuminated lump that was Nash. She shook her head, laying back down to let the peace of sleep take her.

Rainier peered around the corner into the dorm room, looking over his teammate's forms for a moment. He let out a small groan- before stepping passed the door, steadfastly marching towards the end of the hall, and the window that looked out over the campus. With a quick motion, he threw it open, climbing out to perch on the sill. With ironically cat-like ease, he leapt and twisted, latching into the side of the dormitory, scaling it nonchalantly, reaching the black-tiled roof in moments. His hands buried into his pockets as he rose to his full height, marching across towards the other side, moving to perch where the moon was in the clearest view, bright above the school, its shattered side hardly visible that night.

A small gasp greeted him as he reached the opposite side, the faunus turning on his heel, tensing for combat-

Sitting against one of the rises in the roof was Gail, staring up at him with wide, shocked eyes. His form relaxed, looking over her. "…Miss Cerulean." He managed huskily, standing in his place awkwardly.

"Ah! Rainier… I… didn't know-"

"The same for you. Do you mind?" He gestured beside her; an eyebrow raised. She stiffened, but hesitantly nodded nonetheless. He sat down with a weary sigh, wincing at the motion.

"A-are you… hurt?" She asked, face twisting in concern.

He let out a small laugh. "No, no; only my pride is. I'm simply… sore."

"From your-"

"From my battle with the samurai, yes."

"Ah," The duo sat silently for a moment, Gail's face pensive. She opened and closed her mouth multiple times, trying desperately to get the words out, the action lost on Rainier as he turned his gaze to the stars above. "…Y-you… you looked… you didn't think you- you'd lose, did… did you?"

He didn't answer for a few moments. "…No. I did not," She simply stared at him quietly as he took a deep breath in. "…I'd thought that I would- that I could beat him… how wrong I was. I was too slow. Far, far too slow. He... he embarrassed me. He made me look like a fool... he was that much better than I was."

"Well… maybe… maybe that's good?" He looked back down to her with an unimpressed, cocked eyebrow. She shook her head quickly. "N-not like that! I… I mean… my- my kuia always said, that… it was better to- to have to fight for… something… if... you're just given something, it doesn't... feel satisfying. But, if you have to work for it, it- it feels much better."

Rainier stared at her for a moment, before turning back to look out over Beacon. "…Hm. Kuia. That's an interesting word."

"It… it's the language of my people."

"You're not from Vale then, I take it."

"Ah- no. I… I'm from a… small island, between Sanus a-and Animus. Mo'alau."

"Mo'alau…" He hummed thoughtfully. "Why did you leave, then?"

"I…" She looked down to the shingles beneath her feet. "…I wanted… to be a huntress."

"So you came all the way out here? Just for that?"

"My… family wanted me to be a… hunter- for- for food, not grimm. That… was what my mother did, and her father, and his parents, and their parents… it seems like everyone in my family… all they did was hunt. But…"

"But?"

"My kuia was a huntress. She trained here. She… she was the first person to leave my island… maybe since the Great War…"

"...And you want to follow her foosteps, then?"

"I… yes. I… I think I do."

He let out a small laugh, turning back towards her at her slightly hurt and confused expression. "No, no, it's not funny. I think that's… not quaint. Quaint's too… condescending. Nice. I think it's nice."

"Well… um… thank you."

Rainier nodded absently, looking over at her out of the corner of his eyes. "You know… I never met my abuela. She died before I was born."

"Oh… I'm sorry."

"Don't be. She was the oldest White Wolf in my family's history. Granted, she took up the mantle after the Great War, which may have skewed the averages slightly, but nevertheless- White Wolves don't grow elderly. Yet she did."

"Your… family's an old one, then?"

"Ha! I can trace it centuries back, all the way back to the founder of our line as we know it- Berengaria du Platina, the first great king of Vacuo. We all try to live up to his legacy. Some of us do…" His smile became embittered, gaze turning to the roof below. "…Some of us don't."

"Your… family… they expect… a lot from you?"

He let out a suitably bitter laugh. "'A lot' is a very quaint term. They expect… glory. They expect me to push the family name to live on. At least, my father does," He turned to look at her, taking her appearance in for a quiet moment. "…I suppose we have one thing in common, at the very least."

She nodded in agreement, a small smile finding its way to her face.

"Don't tell the others, though," He muttered under his breath. "They may get jealous."

That drew an honest, tiny laugh from the girl, and his smile brightened again.

The partners went quiet, their gazes turning to watch the stars in silent solidarity.