"You're going to have to try harder than that, Natsu!" Gray shouted as he avoided a burst of flame from his hot headed rival.
"Why don't you stand still for a minute and let me hit ya?!" Natsu shouted as flames exploded around him.
Gray grinned, having a bit of fun with the whole ordeal. It was certainly a nice change of pace after the whole Grand Magic Games debacle. "No can do. The bet was that you had to hit me with a blindfold on and the winner buys lunch!"
"That'd be easy if you didn't mask your scent with ice, you cheater!" He bellowed before leaping forward and slamming a punch into what he thought was Gray only to realize afterward that it was a tree.
The two were so busy duking it out that they failed to realize the massive portal appearing above them. It was only after a bright flash of light that Gray looked up, only to be clobbered in the stomach by Natsu and sent flying backward while Natsu himself was suddenly buried by four newcomers.
He let out a surprised gasp as he found himself pinned to the ground, still unable to see anything due to his blindfold. All he knew was that the scent of those now on top of him were completely new to him.
"Get off of me!" He shouted. "I was in the middle of something!"
Somehow, the four had managed to keep hold of their weapons in the chaos. Blake and Weiss managed to sheathe their blades and Ruby somehow folded her scythe up under her cloak.
By the time the wind died down and she could hear her own thoughts again, Ruby felt an odd bit of deja vu. Why was she reminded of orientation? And then she looked down. And saw the massive expanse of sky in between herself and the ground. Oh. That's why. Like some sort of canine cartoon, she only started to fall once more when she realized her plight, tumbling down into a heap with her three teammates. Her silver eyes shut before she hit the ground, hoping that the fall wasn't going to kill them so quickly.
Several seconds of panicked screaming later, Ruby found herself shaking off the jarring landing, not too worse for wear. She blinked, silently wondering how the heck she had survived, but then her hand found something firm and soft. It almost had this supple bounce to it. Absently, she decided to give it a squeeze. Only then did she she realize that she had landed right on top of a pink haired boy. And that he was yelling at them.
And that she had just groped his butt.
"Expecting some guests?" Gray asked as he approached Natsu who was still yelling up a storm, his clothing only somewhat scuffed from the punch Natsu had landed on him.
"What do you think?!" Natsu shouted before he shoved them off with brute strength. "And they're really bad at listening!" He said as he stood up and removed the blindfold, not really reacting to the fact that his butt had been groped. Dude had been in so many comprising situations with Lucy by this point that he was immune to it.
Yellow eyes narrowed at the four girls. "Who the hell are you?" He asked, being somewhat wary due to the fact that they had shown up out of nowhere.
Gray, in the meantime, was content with observing from afar. If they were enemies, he'd step in, but for now he'd let Natsu handle it.
"What the hell are you yelling at?!" Her eyes shifted to a violent crimson, punctuating her words. Yang seemed to always be the first to recover from shock. Likewise, she was also the one with the shortest temper. Seems like Pinky over here was being just rude enough to trigger that explosive anger of hers. To her credit, at least she hadn't lead with punching the crap out of him. She really wanted to fight something, and if this guy continued to annoy her, she would give him a good lickin'. But there was no point in doing so if they had no fucking clue what was going on.
At least Ruby hadn't run off in the opposite direction. She was... well... never the best when it came to strangers. Frankly, Weiss was the one best suited to socialization. Where Yang would get angry easily and Blake would be content with sitting on the sidelines and not engaging, Weiss seemed to come to conversation easily. Perhaps the high life she had lived with her family had accounted for some of that. She had hated the etiquette lessons at first, and certainly grew bored of her father's parties, but when she acted on her own terms she certainly found what she had learned useful. In a rare case, however, it was Blake who wrangled in the angry blonde, grasping her leather jacketed shoulder.
"Yang, wouldn't it make more sense to simply answer his question?" The Faunus knew that something was a little fishy. Normal caves didn't produce crazy vortexes or drop people from hundreds of feet in the air. And if her observations were worth anything, it was clear from the damage to the two men and the area around them that they were some sort of powerful warriors. What weapons or abilities they employed, she did not know. But making an enemy of them over something stupid was quite possibly the dumbest thing she could ever do.
Blake's words and gentle grip on her shoulder brought a sense of calm over her, and eyes that once blazed red returned to a normal lilac. Taking a glance at her sister, she could see Weiss consoling her, quietly whispering to her and rubbing her back. It was one of the rare moments where Weiss outright showed her care for Yang's little sister. Strangers, potentially aggressors like Pinky and Stoic over there had caused Ruby to fall into panic attacks in the past. Over the year at Beacon and the deadly battles that followed, Yang thought that Ruby had certainly gained a better grasp of her issues, but she still tended to shut down a little. Weiss was a caring hand that could bring her back to equilibrium.
Blake took the silence has her cue to speak. "I'm Blake Belladonna. My friend here is Yang Xiao Long, and the other two are Weiss Schnee and Ruby Rose. We're just, ah... dropping by."
Yang raised her eyebrow- was that a joke from Blake? She never made jokes! Oh damn, if only she could record this moment! She could show it to everyone back at home and seriously how much of a riot would it be? Blake was normally so softspoken, only really getting loud when someone tried her patience for too long. And even then, her anger was more subdued. Yang was the one more prone to violent, aggressive anger. Blake was the kind that would shank you in the back if she hated you enough. Huh. She actually managed to do that to Adam. Kinda... morbidly funny how that worked out. "We were investigating a cave in southern Vale and ended up here," Yang continued. She would usually be the next best talker of the group. Probably would be the most charismatic if she wasn't capable of getting angry at the drop of a pin.
"Vale?" Now it was Gray's turn to finally speak up. If these people were actually capable of socializing, then leaving it to Natsu would only cause more trouble. "Never heard of the place." He said as he walked up beside Natsu, hands in his pockets. He studied them for a moment, trying to get a read on the situation. He had always been the more analytical one on the team and usually the one to take charge whenever Erza wasn't around. "Well. It could be that you're from another continent. Sometimes magical portals open up and spit people out at other places."
He extended his hand in greeting.
"But I digress. My name is Gray Fullbuster and the idiot beside me is Natsu Dragneel. We're members of Fairy Tail, a wizard's guild."
"Oi! Who you calling an idiot?" Natsu retorted, orange-red flames suddenly exploding around him as he glared at Gray. "Do we need to finish our fight right here and now?!"
"You." Gray replied in a stern tone, the temperature around him dropping as icicles formed on the ground beneath his feet. "Your temper could have gotten us in trouble. I was going to let you at it because I thought they were enemies, but clearly you weren't perceptive enough to notice they meant no harm from the start."
Natsu slammed his forehead against Gray's. "I'll kick your ass."
Gray grinned in return. "Don't state the impossible."
Yang and Blake exchanged a quick glance. Being able to communicate silently on the battlefield was a trait partners needed to develop, and in a situation like this it proved useful. In the quick look they shared, Yang had asked, 'What? How could these guys not know Vale?' and Blake had likewise replied with a quote from Yang's favorite childhood movie, 'Zwei, we're not in Remnant anymore.'
Though both had been floored when that Gray guy mentioned wizards. And then the two showed off intense elemental powers without a single flare of their aura levels.
"How can you two use magic?" Ruby's quiet, yet cutting words surprised her team members. It usually took far longer for her to acclimate to new people. But even so, Ruby slipped out of Weiss' grasp and took the lead, acting like the team leader she truly was. "Where we come from," she continued, silver eyes gleaming in the sunlight, "Magic is insanely rare... only a select few known as the Seasonal Maidens can use it..." Well. Not entirely true. But she wasn't going to reveal all their cards early. She was smarter than she looked and was already starting to come to the same conclusion as Blake. She just needed some more evidence to confirm it.
"Are you guys idiots, everyone can use magic-" Natsu said before Gray cut him off with a slap to the head.
"Pay attention, Natsu. From their attire, wordplay and reaction to this place. It's clear they're not from Earthland." He muttered. "In fact, I daresay they experienced a similar case to what we did when we were whisked away to Edolas."
He stepped forward once more.
"Is my theory correct?" He asked them. "Is the world you're from not called Earthland?"
This Gray guy was still a little intimidating, but now was not the time for her to be whimpering. Come on, Ruby Rose! You're Team RWBY's fearless leader! When your teammates are in trouble, it's your job as leader to help them out. And getting tossed into another dimension was certainly something she would call trouble. "It isn't. Our world is called Remnant. Or what is left of our world, I should say." Damn. That was a bit cryptic. Maybe she should clear it up a bit. "We recently fought a large-scale war against dark creatures led by an evil... witch... called Salem." She was trying to remain true to the events, but removing all of her world's terminology in hopes of helping these Earthlandians understand it better was proving to be slightly difficult. "We ended up here after finding out that my mother got lost somewhere near this cave. If we ended up here, chances are she did too."
She let out a long sigh of anticipation. Perhaps her question could be answered! Glaring down the two men with intense silver eyes, she uttered, "Do you know a woman called Summer Rose?"
"So it's just as I thought." Gray said as he tapped his arm with his finger. "You guys aren't from around here at all. Well. I can't say I'm exactly an expert on interdimensional travel, but it's not like it's completely foreign to me either. I think you guys should come back to the guild with us, maybe the Master will be able to make sense of your situation."
An eyebrow rose at the girl's sudden inquiry. "Can't say I do, no. Do you know about her, Natsu?" He asked his fiery compatriot.
"Hmmm. Not really. I mean, my name can mean Summer, but I doubt you're looking for me. But hey. I'll help ya look!" He said with a grin. "I'm looking for a parent of mine too. Maybe we can team up and search together!"
Well. That definitely helped clear things up. Though she had to admit, it was odd that they accepted the notion of dimension travel so easily. Had they really dealt with it before? Might be worth asking questions about later. She was sort of glad that this Gray seemed pretty no-nonsense. Reminded her a bit of Weiss from around the time they first met. This Natsu guy seemed far more jokey, almost like a Yang. And it seemed he could understand her plight too. "Thanks for helping us out, Gray, Natsu." A small smile cracked her paled lips. "Teaming up with you could be fun! I'd love to help you find your parent, too." Ultimately, they had similar goals. And that meant they could support each other. Besides, befriending someone that lived in this new world would be advantageous. It, and the seriousness of the situation, had been the main factors in her finally deciding to speak up.
"What's this 'guild' thing?" came Weiss' inquisitive, if slightly bossy tone. Ruby continuously teased her about the fact that, while she had grown far more personable, her voice still had that edge of entitlement. "There's an entire group of you... wizards?"
Natsu couldn't help but smile. "Fairy Tail . . . is our family. We may not be related by blood, but our bond is much, much stronger than that. Everyone there is known to have a tragic past and we all move forward together."
He jerked his thumb toward the insignia on his shoulder.
"This is the symbol that marks you as a member of Fairy Tail. And us members of Fairy Tail will never abandon eachother. Nor will we ignore those who need help. We're used to taking on the sins of others."
Fire danced around him as his happy go lucky smile turned into a far more confident one.
"Because for a Fairy Tail wizard, the true sin is averting one's eyes from those who need help and no longer being able to believe in anything. That's what it means to be a member of Fairy Tail."
The smile on Ruby's face just grew even more. "Fairy Tail is your family and you never avert your eyes from those who need help? Reminds me of the Huntsmen and Huntresses in our world." Taking the lead from Weiss, she silently called her team to formation. Weiss took to the left of Ruby and unsheathed Myrtenaster, Blake stepped to the left of her and drew Gambol Shroud, and Yang took to the left of her and cocked Ember Celica.
"We once were part of a training school called Beacon Academy," continued Ruby, her silver eyes giving off this vibrant, almost fiery light. "We trained to fight creatures known as Grimm, dark beings made off and drawn to negative emotions. We were known as Team RWBY, and we too fought for the sake of others."
Tapping her fingers together and chuckling a little half-heartedly, she added, "We don't really have a team emblem though. I tried to lobby for that with the headmaster, but he never got to it..." The tattoo on his shoulder looked really cool. All she had was her dumb rose emblem on her belt. And the brooch that held her cloak together. But that one wasn't dumb since it was her mom's.
"Then I guess we're more alike than we thought. I can't say I've ever encountered anything like a Grimm, but I'm kind of glad I won't have to." Gray said as he crossed his arms, all of a sudden not wearing a shirt. "But standing around here doing nothing will only waste time. So let's head back to the guild. I'll lead the way."
He turned around only to stop when Natsu tapped him on the shoulder. "What?"
"Gray. Your shirt."
He looked confused for a minute before looking down. "Ah! When the hell did that happen?!"
And that was when three fourths of Team RWBY fell into a deep blush and tried to hide their faces. While the other one fourth, Yang, merely ogled shamelessly. In the back of her mind, she knew that staring was a bit rude, but what remained of her rational mind was easily superseded by the part of her that got all tingly when Blake was only wearing shorts and a sports bra. In this case, Gray had an absolutely stunning set of abs. Which, she reasoned, she could definitely grate cheese on.
Weiss managed to break free first and subsequently knocked sense into everyone by bopping them all on the head. Except Yang. She got two bops on the head. Mostly because Yang didn't stop staring after the first one.
"Hm. That's a first." Gray said with a tilt of his head. "Usually only Juvia reacts that way."
"That's because you strip so often that everyone is used to it by now, Gray."
"Listen, I can't help it! It's par for the course when it comes to an Ice Mage like me! Even Lyon does it!"
"Uh huh."
"Anyways, let's just get going. We can figure all of this out later." He said as he placed his hands in his pockets and began walking away.
Natsu merely snickered before following suit.
"Do you really do it that often? Geez, this dimension has some strange customs," grumbled Weiss, trying to stifle her blush by thinking of something else. Anything else. Zwei playing poker. Cardin wearing a dress. Professor Port in a bikini. ...Ew. On second thought, she preferred to bleach her brain of that last image. While she had never agreed aloud with Ruby's assertions on the portly professor's lack of teaching skills, she certainly had her own issues with the man. And one of her issues was definitely his sense of fashion. And his size. You'd think that years of training would've made him a fair bit more fit, but apparently not.
Yang seemed to have a different reaction. Her voice drew Ruby's attention for a few moments. "Wonder how many other wizards strip~," she mused with a wink, earning herself a playful slap from Blake. The two had been teasing each other left and right with various states of undress for the last month, and Ruby when the two were just going to give it up and start dating already. It was obvious to even someone as dense as she could be that the two were attracted to each other. But it wasn't like Ruby was all that skilled in love. Maybe the two were dating but weren't going public with that knowledge. Or maybe couples behaved like that normally. Really, the closest thing Ruby ever had to a relationship was when she took her scythe to a dance at Signal. What? None of the students in her class seemed any bit serious about being a Huntsman or Huntress. They thought she was weird for spending so much time in the Forge or with the teachers.
She shot her sister one of those looks, you know the ones that only a younger sister can give. A look that said she was totally going to tease Yang about this later. She fell into step behind the two mages, and Weiss, Blake, and Yang soon followed, with the blonde giving a trademark pout.
As they advanced further along the road, each footfall took more effort. Each step felt like she was lifting a ton. By the time Ruby noticed something was wrong, Weiss had already passed out behind her. Blake and Yang soon followed. Before the panic could set in, Ruby felt herself going down. The last thing she noticed before it all went dark was the gleaming silver light emanating from her eyes for just a brief moment.