The Burden of being a team

I don't own anything

"Kurosaki-Kun? Kurosaki-kun!" A female voice called,waking him up from his slumber.

He was resting against a wall of the castle he had been assigned to watch over, but things had been going so quiet lately that he had gotten asleep, until he had been awakened by the priestess.

She was a tall young woman of his age, with auburn orange hair and gray eyes dressed in a white dress befitting her status.

"A Shinigami shouldn't be sleeping on the job." She commented, more amused than anything while the swordsman got up from the ground.

"Sorry about that, Inoue." He said as he dusted the dirt off his clothes. He was wearing a black kimono with black boots and his blade hanging from his back.

"Don't worry, it's lunch time anyway." She stated while pulling a case full of food. "Do you want some? It's a red bean paste with wasabi, butter and cheese!"

The young man couldn't help but back away a little. He liked her, there was no question that it was beyond the platonic sense, she was kind, independent, friendly, and optimistic but her taste in food was nothing short of bizarre. Not that he ever had the heart to tell her that.

"I'm fine, thank you."

With that said, the young woman leaned against the wall while enjoying her dish with gusto while staring at the forest surrounding the castle.

"Things had been very quiet for a while now, haven't they?" The young woman noted while turning her sights to the sunset, where the full moon would take place soon enough. "The other kingdoms have not caused any trouble as of late, and the Grimm are in check, It's kind of scary."

The Shinigami took his girlfriend's hand tightly getting her attention. "Whatever happens, I will protect you, Inoue. You know that."

Those words immediately eased the priestess concerns and stared at his eyes lovingly before unconsciously getting closer to him, until…

"Excuse me." A third voice suddenly cut in, snapping both teens from their moment, before turning to the caller, it was a tall man, with brown hair and glassed on his face while wearing a black kimono just like Ichigo's but with a white cloak over it, signifying him as his superior.

The young priestess realizing the compromising position she had been found in, she immediately jumped away from her boyfriend while fighting back a deep blush in her face. "I better go now, I still have a lot to do, many people to heal and that kind of stuff, see you later Kurosaki-Kun!"

With that said, she run in embarrassment, just causing a light chuckle from the young Shinigami while fighting back his own blush, before turning to his senior.

"Can I help you?"

"You're Ichigo Kurosaki, right? The son of Isshin Shiba?" The man asked.

"Yes, why?"

"Simple curiosity, given that I have been assigned to this place as well, I figured I should know, who I'll be fighting alongside with." The senior Shinigami stated in a smooth tone, while offering his hand, which Ichigo took. "I'm the master of the fifth squad, So…"

RIIIIIIIIIINNNGGGGG!

000

The orange haired teen awoke in his bed, collocated in the dorm of team WIAN.

Weiss was already up and dressed in her school uniform, with Pyrrha and Jaune not far behind.

"Get up already!" The heiress ordered in her usual stern tone.

"Beat it, Weiss. Classes start in half an hour, right?" Ichigo retorted annoyed at her tone so early in the morning while rubbing the sleep off his eyes with his hand.

"That doesn't mean we should be wasteful with our time! As future Huntsmen and Huntresses, we must excel in punctuality as well, otherwise what kind of image are we leaving behind?"

Before Ichigo could retort, Jaune interjected before it could turn into another argument which were common with the pair.

"Weiss, I'm pretty sure you can trust him to be there in time, don't you think?"

The heiress was about to retort the wannabe knight in anger, until she realized that in this week that they had become a team, her partner had proved that while being hot-headed and impulsive, he was also a surprisingly capable student, so she could cut him some slack, she wasn't trying to be callous after all, that was more along the lines of her father.

With that realization in mind Weiss let out a low sigh of annoyance while walking out with the rest of the team. "Don't be late."

000

A few hours later during lunch time, they were now sitting on a table with their group of friends when the heiress had noticed that her partner had been very quiet during the day, with the same lost expression.

"Ichigo." Weiss called him, but he remained lost in his own little world, before she got his attention by grabbing his shoulder. "Are you okay? You have been distracted all day."

The Swordsman blinked, a little taken back by the question and the apparent interest of his partner in his wellbeing, but quickly regained his composure. "It's nothing. Just some weird dream."

The heiress was about to insist, before she noticed a certain detail in her partner's uniform. "You didn't make your tie again!"

The swordsman reacted in surprise, before moaning in annoyance. "I'm not very good at it, I never had to do it before!"

"What primary academy did you went?" Weiss asked in exasperation, since in almost any primary school, you were required to at least wear a tie in the graduation.

"Oscuro Academy in Vacuo."

"Oh… that explains everything." The heiress mumbled under her breath in realization, because while she had never been there, the rumors that reached her ears explained more than enough of the lawless kingdom's dress code.

Sighing in defeat, the heiress grabbed both ends of her partner's tie and began to make it herself, ignorant of the stares they were getting in their table.

The moment she finished, she heard a teasing whistle coming from the other side of the table, with the caller being Yang Xiao Long, staring at the scene with an amused smile. "Oh, don't mind us, please continue newlyweds!"

In that instance, the heiress realized the close proximity she had with her partner, causing her to back away, while covering her face in embarrassment, while Ichigo groaned.

"Yang, cut it out!"

"Quit making it so easy, strawberry!" The blonde retorted laughing.

The brawler from team IBRY had taken a liking into teasing the pair, with the bomber from team RSRV joining her.

"I want to be the bridesmaid!" Nora teased as well, just annoying the pair even further, before the heiress turned to her fellow leaders.

"Keep your team members in check!"

"Come on Weiss, is just harmless teasing." Ruby retorted, in an unconvincing innocent smile, given that she was amused as well.

Uryu on the other hand, remained quiet eating his lunch, but you could almost see a subtle smirk.

Suddenly, a body crashed against their table, getting everyone's attention. The body belonged to the blonde knight from team WIAN, who now was with his eyes swirling from the impact.

"Jaune, are you all right!?" Pyrrha asked to her partner in concern.

"I'm fine." He responded to the red head, before he turned his suave look to the heiress. "Don't worry, snow angel. I could never be hurt."

"I didn't ask." Weiss retorted in her usual frigid sharp tone, just cutting the pride of the blonde knight.

Ichigo's attention on the other hand, was on the perpetrator being no-one other than Cardin Winchester, the resident bully who had taken as a hobby to pick on his blonde team member and was now getting on his last nerve.

Immediately getting up from his seat, but his leader quickly grabbed him by his shoulder.

"Don't!" She ordered with her sharp glare pointing at him. "We must set an example and not follow on his childish drivel!"

But before he could retort, they heard a yelp of pain. It was Cardin again, this time pulling on the bunny ears from a faunus senior.

This time Weiss didn't bother trying to stop her partner, who had gone a head and landed a punch on unsuspecting face of the bully, who had let the faunus girl go in surprise.

"You okay?" He asked her, who simply nodded in affirmative before leaving while rubbing her ears.

"Hey!" Cardin yelled while getting up and glaring at the swordsman. "That was a cheap shot, carrot top!"

"Did you give her, a fair chance?" Ichigo retorted in a cold tone.

"Why would I do that with an animal?"

At the response, the orange haired teen was ready to strike again, when a third voice interjected.

"You lot are very lively." The headmistress Goodwitch cut in, getting the whole room in silence. "We are training you both to become Huntsman. To not only have the power to fight, but also the knowledge in to where and when is for the best to exercise it."

"Sorry Goodwitch." Ichigo said, getting the teacher's attention. "But if I see someone picking on someone else, I can't help it but to fight him."

The blonde headmistress, stared at the student for a few seconds, before talking. "If you're that eager to battle, then why not do so within the rules, after all; sparring is your next class."

000

A few minutes later, both Ichigo and Cardin were dressed in their huntsmen outfits in the battle room, with the rest of the students and teacher in an upper level.

Ichigo's blade had stayed in its released state, not that he minded, while Cardin carried a mace.

"Begin!" Glynda called in a high voice, with Winchester attacking with an horizontal swing with Ichigo dodging it effortlessly, before attacking with his own swing and even though Cardin blocked it with his mace, the force of the strike, sent him back a couple of feet and even draining some of his aura.

Back on the stands, all the students that fought alongside the orange haired swordsman knew that Winchester didn't stood a chance against him, but still didn't got them any less curious.

"Go, Ichigo! Kick that meanie!" Ruby yelled in excitement, with most of her team doing the same.

"Slap him to the ground, Ichi!"

"Break his legs!"

Ren simply remained quiet.

Weiss on the other hand observed the fight -for lack of a better word- with a critical gaze, her partner didn't seem to have any formal fighting style, instead he seemed to use one that he modified on the go.

In any other instance, she would simply scoff in dismissal and yet, the more she observed, the more she questioned her own chances against him.

The battle ended soon enough, with Ichigo barely winded from the fight.

"Well done Mister Kurosaki." The headmistress said to the winner, before turning to the looser. "And Mister Winchester, you should try to upgrade your fighting style in something more than swinging your mace around and hope for it to hit, not all the opponents are weak enough to fall for something like that."

Cardin simply grumbled under his breath and left with his wounded pride.

But before Ichigo could leave as well, a sudden voice sounded in the room.

"Wait, Miss Goodwitch; I want to fight him as well!" Weiss stated while rising her hand, taking everyone by surprise.

"Miss Schnee, your partner just finished a battle, you should…" The headmistress started, before Ichigo interjected.

"It's fine. It's not like me to turn down a fight."

Glynda groaned under her breath, before returning out of the platform.

The heiress was in her outfit and holding her rapier, not losing sight of her partner/now opponent for one second. "Don't you dare hold back on me."

"Not really my style." Ichigo retorted.

"Begin!" Goodwitch called.

Weiss immediately rammed at her opponent with a thrust, which he sidestepped, and then threw a slash.

Seeing the attack, the heiress immediately jumped out of the attack, before retaking her stance.

'Remember your training Weiss. Losing sight of an opponent is paramount to suicide.'

The princess then jumped to the air and used a glyph to shoot herself to her opponent, when instead of dodging as she was expecting, instead he countered with a slash of his sword and yet somehow he overpowered her sending her to the ground and costing her a fair amount of aura.

Quickly getting on her feet she moved out of the following attack, and then used ice dust to keep him away, but instead his blade began to glow with aura.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo roared as he launched it at her with a swing of his sword utterly destroying the ice wall sending her flying and effectively exhausting her aura with him winning the fight.

Ichigo internally was smirking in delight at finally having the chance to use the new technique that Engetsu taught him in one of his many secret training sessions in the roof during the night.

The spirit claimed that there were other techniques that would be taught to him as soon as he mastered the Getsuga, but so far, he was pleased with just that.

Ichigo offered his hand to his partner but she rejected, getting up on her own. He was expecting her usual piercing glare or at least an accepting glare, but instead she seemed sad, almost as if she was disappointed at herself.

The headmistress Goodwitch returned with them, while pointing the flaws of both students.

"Well done, both of you; Mister Kurosaki, you should try to use another strategy besides ramming in with all your strength, you never know when you'll meet someone cleverer, that would require more restraint."

Ichigo nodded in acceptance, understanding her logic, before the teacher turned to the heiress. "Miss Schnee; you should work more in your endurance and at least have a strategy prepared beforehand."

Weiss nodded in acceptance before leaving quietly.

Ichigo on the other hand stared behind her, before turning to his sword. Among his many abilities he could also read the heart of those that he battled. It wasn't anything creepy like mind reading, but he could read the will behind their actions; whether they're hateful, happy or whatever.

Weiss on the other hand; he was expecting disdain directed at him or at least pride in herself. Instead all he felt was self-loath.

000

Weiss went to the roof where no one would see her, her pride was massively damaged, and she felt in so little control to her surroundings that she almost felt like her mind was splitting apart. She trained so hard, got her face scarred, abandoned her brother with her father and she was falling!

Her only saving grace was that Winter wasn't there to see her little sister being defeated like that.

For so long she wanted to be perfect like Winter, to be the best, to be respected for who she was instead that for her name, to depend on no-one besides herself. But she knew that she couldn't be any more far away from that, her fight had proved it and it hurt her to admit it. Her dreams were tearing itself apart and she couldn't do anything about it!

"Problems Miss Schnee?" A male voice sounded snapping her from her thoughts.

The caller was Professor Ozpin, while holding his cup.

Naturally, she wanted to deny it, and pretend to be perfect like her sister, but right now she was so tired of pretending and far to disheartened to even try.

"I'm the team leader, therefore I should be the best of them, but Ichigo's stronger than me and Pyrrha is both stronger and better in academics." even Jaune had more Aura reserves than herself. Oh gods, Jaune was better than her in something!

"Being a team leader does not mean, that you're the strongest or the smartest. Mister Kurosaki is too reckless and confrontational, Mister Arc, does possess potential and leadership qualities but he lacks too much confidence, and Miss Nikos is too eager to please those around her. We picked you to be team leader, because out of all your teammates, you were the one with the most sense, mixed with enough confidence to put your foot down when you don't agree with something."

"And you believe that you made the right choice?" The heiress asked in a quiet tone as to what the professor responded in an almost paternal tone.

"Miss Schnee; I've made more mistakes than any other man, woman and child in the world. It doesn't matter how much knowledge or experience I can obtain, I'm still human. But you have yet to show me whether I made another mistake or not and you have yet to decide it as well. But if I can give you an advice, don't try to be a perfect being to your teammates, be someone that they can trust and understand."

With that said, he took his leave, with the heiress mulling his words, before she heard his partner coming.

"Hey, Weiss." He greeted her, getting her attention.

She almost instinctively went back to her cold, detached mask, but she wasn't in the mood right now. "What is it, Ichigo?"

"I've come to ask you, if are you alright. Is there anything you want to talk about? I know I have the tendency to ignore you, but that doesn't mean I can't be a listener."

The heiress almost scoffed at the offer. "Why do you care?" She asked sharply. They weren't friends, they were partners. Weiss herself couldn't remember the last or first friend she ever had. Most of the people that ever talked with her, were children of families that wanted to get close to her father, that's why she developed her cold, sharp persona to keep those people away.

"Because you looked like you needed someone to talk with." He responded bluntly, catching her by surprise. She was expecting some flowery talk or at least an attempt to be sneaky.

"Just for that?"

"What other reason would I have?"

She stared at him in surprise, looking for any kind of deception, but she found none, so she decided to open up, at least a little. "I'm the heiress of the SDC, I know you don't know anything about it, but it's a great honor for me, but from the first day I remember, all my life has been controlled by my father, I was always his obedient little doll saying and doing whatever he wanted when he wanted it. Coming here meant, that this was my chance to have control of my life for once, everything around me would be done by my will and no one else's. I would leave my own legacy befitting my ancestry, and yet I feel like I'm on a boat without a captain, I have no idea to where I'm going, everything is so confusing! I can't even match my own partner, my other teammate is a relentless annoying flirt and Pyrrha is… Pyrrha!"

When she finished talking, she felt tears falling from her eyes, she hadn't meant to tell him so much, but once she started, she couldn't stop.

Her partner too, gone was his usual scowl and was replaced with an emphatic expression that looked almost alien on him.

"I don't know much about leaving a legacy, but I do know what it's like to feel no control in your life." He stated catching her by surprise. "I'm amnesic; I don't remember anything past a year ago, I felt lost and without direction or a path, it was only after Sun found me and took me to Oscuro Academy that I finally found one, I have no idea to where this path will take me either, but isn't that part of the fun? Is okay not to plan everything because it doesn't matter what we encounter, I will fight it through. Will you fight it alongside me or not?"

The heiress stayed quiet for a few seconds digesting the information before lifting her head up regaining her composure. What was she thinking? being afraid of the unknown, Winter would be so disappointed in her for that. "Of course, I will. After all, if I'm not around to keep this team in check, you might just grind it to the ground."

"Pretty sure I would manage just fine." He retorted in an almost pouty manner.

"You lack ambition, this team will become the best in Beacon and under my lead, it will become the best on Remnant." She stated with a proud smile at the thought of it, finally feeling comfortable enough around him to show her real feelings.

They were arguing again, but unlike all their previous times, they were more relaxed, and more amicable, they were finally friends.

But just to make it official, Ichigo extended his fist to her in a fist bump. "Friends?"

Weiss stared in perplexity, must be some weird tradition from Vacuo. Instead she grabbed his fist with her hand and shook it. "Friends."

The End

Deaths Remnant – Hope you liked this spin, and I'm pretty sure Engetsu means Scathing Moon and yes, Ichigo would have a few original techniques, and Jaune will go through a few differences than in cannon.

SomethingAncient – Thank you, because this is my way of showing that this Ichigo's different than in cannon, his origins differ.

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