Back with a second chapter for this. I just watched Spider-man: Into the Spidey-verse yesterday. It was a fucking amazing movie. Loved every second of it!
Anyway, if anyone notices spotty Italian, I'm using online resources for any phrases Antonio might use. Do have mercy! That being said, enjoy!
Chapter Two: Fortissimo (Hear my Soul, and Answer)
"-n other news, police officers still have no idea what could have prompted the sudden halt in the flow of the homicides that have occurred within the back alleys of Vale. CCTV cameras are still unable to find any sort of culprit, but the common theory circulating among many citizens is that these killings match the same methods used during the Manslayer Murders of Mistral three years ago-"
Salieri hums lightly as he watches the news on a public television located in the café he was currently resting at.
It was a good two hours or so before the airship to Beacon academy would arrive, so he had plenty of time to spare until he had to leave. Hence why he was currently seated at a table in one of Vale's many, MANY coffee shops.
Despite its penchant for being the most 'peaceful' of the Kingdoms, it seems the capital of Vale has its fair share of shadows.
"Still… the Manslayer Murders, hmm? It is amazing how one psychopath can manage to still garner the attention of so many people even after he disappears." The musician murmurs to himself as he takes a slow sip of his black coffee, without an ounce of sugar in it.
The bitterness was the only thing that made the coffee work, in his opinion. It made him feel alive.
"For our viewers who aren't as savvy in Remnant's rather violent history, the Manslayer Murders were a string of homicides that occurred three years ago in the Kingdom of Mistral. The murders took place all over the continent of Anima, with various victims ranging from civilians to trained Hunstmen. Nobody was ever able to truly capture a glimpse of the Manslayer himself, however multiple accounts of Huntsmen who would arrive on the crime scene after the murders ocurred have been recorded to say that they would always spy a figure wearing an old Mistralian straw hat and a dark blue cloak. Several witnesses even claim that the Manslayer has bright red hair, others say his eyes glow in the dark." The woman on the news continued to exposit as several artist depictions of the Manslayer popped up on the screen behind her, some of which made the figure look twisted and horrifyingly gaunt, like a Grimm.
Salieri only partially listened to it. He had read about the murders himself a while back. He actually found the entire investigation to be quite interesting.
The causes of death for the murders were all exactly the same. Almost complete bisections.
From many reports he had read (some of which he had caught glimpses of through less than legal means), the cause of death for almost all of the victims was a blade, likely to be in the shape of a katana, impaling the victims from behind before it would be dragged upwards, almost completely cleaving the victim in half from the spine up.
Such a brutal method of killing obviously left rather visceral crime scenes.
Notably, all of the victims who were Huntsmen and Huntresses happened to be either retired or fresh out of the academy, some of them being less than reputable. Despite the cause of death for them being the same as the civilian victims, very few of them were killed instantly, seeing as almost all of the Huntsmen victims had numerous wounds that were obtained moments before death.
Each combat trained victim sported numerous deep lacerations, all aimed to cripple them, ranging from cleaved tendons to impaled joints. Despite the accuracy, these wounds were not done cleanly, leading to a lot of gore.
A few people made theories that the murderer even dual wielded weapons, seeing as some of the lacerations seemed to have been done by a shorter blade than the one that the police theorized the Manslayer used.
But, then again, people make all sorts of theories online. Some even say that the Manslayer was some sort of unusual humanoid Grimm.
If that were the case, Salieri would at least have a better idea on the murderer's identity, because he would have just asked his mother about it.
Which, admittedly, he did, not long after the murders started, during one of his mother's many attempts to bring him home again by sending yet another Seer to scold him. However, she denied any sort of Grimm capable of committing those murders in such a capacity, so alas, the Manslayer was indeed very human (or Faunus).
And with those thoughts in mind, Salieri stood up, having finished his coffee, before he lifted up his suitcase and began to leave the café.
Like many others, Salieri had quite an interest in the Manslayer Murders. However, while most others were interested simply because it proposed an unusual mystery…
…he loved it simply because of the carnage the psychopath could release.
If there was one thing Salieri inherited from his mother…
…it was her joy at watching bloodshed.
Hours later, a large airship carrying the next generation of future Huntsmen and Huntresses takes off, vacating the city of Vale and flying towards the academy itself.
And onboard that ship, four souls would align.
Jaune Arc wasn't having a great day.
Okay, so, perhaps it was a bit of an exaggeration. After all, his transcripts…
…well, they came through, so that's good, right? Despite the nerve-wracking experience it was when he had them faked, they pulled through and he got accepted into Beacon!
….which he had to get to by riding a giant airship.
Yeah, not a great start to the school year, especially since he lost his lunch all over the floor, and some of it got onto some girl's shoe. Boot. Whatever. Point is, he hasn't even reached orientation and he already looks like an idiot.
So, here he was, barfing his guts out into a trash can, praising the Brothers above in relief for solid ground. Maybe he needs to see a physician, this wasn't healthy.
"Yo, bro, you alright there? One stomach can't have THAT much in it, right? You could probably use this."
Finally managing to get a hold of his nausea after landing, Jaune wipes his mouth and turns to find that there was a bottle of water in his face. Taking it with a muttered 'Thank you', he immediately takes a mouthful of water and rinses out his mouth before spitting into the bin, and then beginning to chug the bottle of water down.
"Whoa, jeez, slow down, you might relapse or something dude."
Finishing half the bottle, Jaune sighs with relief as he wipes his mouth, before he looks up to the person in front of him.
And up.
And he finds himself face to face with one of the TALLEST teenagers he's ever met. Was this guy even his age!?
The guy in front of him had blonde hair cut into a bobcut, and sported a pair of thick purple sunglasses, the tint so strong that Jaune couldn't even see the dude's eyes on the other side.
One thing Jaune noticed almost immediately was that the guy had a big, toothy grin.
And his teeth were really, really sharp looking. Especially the canines. Way too sharp for a human.
'Huh, a Faunus…' Jaune noted mentally as he continued to take in the taller teen's appearance. He had broad shoulders and wore a white dress shirt with incredibly exaggerated collars that lifted upwards and sleeves that were rolled back, revealing thick, muscular arms. The first few buttons of his shirt were undone, showing off a significant amount of well defined (and envy inducing) pectoral muscles.
To put it bluntly, this man was JACKED.
"Holy crap you could grind meat on tha-WAH!" Jaune yelps as he takes a step back, realizing he had been staring at another guy's chest for way too long. Thankfully, the other blonde simply bursts out laughing and waves his hand, seemingly unoffended in the slightest.
"If I had a Lien for every time that happened! You okay dude? Didn't throw up a lung or anything?"
"N-no, I think I'm good. Thanks for the water." Jaune smiles a little, feeling more than a wee bit embarrassed. "Erm, did you want this back or-"
"Dude, keep it. I don't think anyone could touch that now." The more muscular of the two blondes laughs and flashes a thumbs up. "Name's Kintoki by the way! Sakata Kintoki. My buddies call me Kintoki, or Kintaro, take your pick, either ones Golden!"
"Erm, I'm Jaune. Jaune Arc."
Now that he had the guy's name, Jaune took a moment to study him just a little more.
Eyes once again landing on Kintoki's pecs (they were just… THERE. It was hard to NOT look at them!), he noticed that the guy had a lot of… well, bling on, in the form of gold chains dangling from his neck. Three of them, one was short, a few inches away from being snug around his neck to the point of it being more of a choker, the second was longer, and had a stylized necklace at the end in the shape of an arrowhead with a capital 'G' emblazoned in the center, and the third was longer than even that and dipped down until it was hanging just below Kintoki's pectoral muscles, with a necklace attached in the shape of…
…Jaune wasn't sure what it was, it looked almost religious, but also kinda looked like the front of a motorcycle.
There was gold in various other parts of his attire too. Thick golden rings on each finger besides the thumbs, a golden wristwatch, golden wrist bands, and of course, a massive belt with a big plaque on front shaped like a cartoonish explosion with the word 'GOLD' on it.
This guy REALLY liked gold it seemed.
Apart from that, his attire was fairly standard and casual even, with long black slacks and white stylish dress shoes with pointed toes.
"S-so, Kintoki, why'd you stick around to help?" Jaune asked, after taking in his new friend's rather eccentric appearance. "I mean, everyone else just… moved on."
"Cuz you're golden, dude, like me! I can't leave ya behind like that! I'm a lot of things, but a dick ain't one of them." Kintoki laughs before lightly slapping Jaune's shoulder.
'Lightly' still stung the noodle of a blonde, who flinched and yelped before rubbing his shoulder. This absolute unit of a guy just helped him just because he was…. 'Golden'? What was that supposed to mean? Blonde? Kintoki helped him just because he was a fellow blonde? That was one of the weirdest excuses to help someone out he'd ever heard.
"Huh, would've thought your Aura would catch that." Kintoki frowned, raising a brow as he rubs his chin. "Either that or its weak as hell."
"My what?" Jaune blinked as he stopped rubbing his shoulder, staring up at Kintoki.
"Your Aura."
"Bless you."
"Dude, you do know what an Aura is, right?"
"What? Pfft, of course I do! I mean… do YOU know what an Aura is?" Jaune exclaimed, inwardly panicking. What the hell was an Aura again?
Kintoki simply stared at Jaune with a slightly slack jaw, before he shakes his head and pinches his brow.
"Alright dude, dunno how you got here without knowing an Aura is, but here's the gist of it."
Blake Belladonna wasn't quite sure what she just witnessed.
Well, not witnessed. Witnessing something usually requires visual observation. She had her eyes locked onto her book's pages as it all happened. But she did listen in on it. She heard a clutter, then some yelling, some apologizing, more yelling, and then an explosion.
Feeling something bump against her boot, she leans down and picks it up, holding up a vial of Dust.
Personalized Schnee vials. Very fancy. Kind of disgusting to look at.
Slowly, she tucks away her book with a sigh and begins to approach ground zero of the argument.
"Sheesh, pretty fuckin' loud, aren't they?"
Blake's instincts screamed danger all of a sudden, yet she couldn't help but freeze.
Slowly, she turns her head to find a heavily clothed boy her age, slightly hunched over. He was wearing a heavy looking black coat that seemed almost a few sizes too large. It had two layers to it, with a mantle over the sleeves that went all the way down to the wrists. Underneath the coat was a kimono, dark lavender in color, with a dark greenish grey hakama. He wore zori sandals and black tabi socks.
Wrapped around his neck was a thick, dark orange scarf that was wound around his neck several times, partially covering the bottom half of his face.
His hair was black, unruly, almost like seaweed, and he had it in a thick ponytail.
He was also armed, but then again, so were several other students who refrained from placing their weapons with their luggage.
Sheathed at the left side of his hip, underneath the heavy coat, Blake could spy the handles of two katanas, however without moving the coat out of the way, she had no idea what the lengths were.
What put her off the most however, were his eyes. They were an almost sickly shade of amber.
The boy studied her for a moment, his eyes roaming her form, as if sizing her up, before she could see a smile form on what little of his mouth she could see. "Heh… that's good… you know danger when you see it, huh? It'd be boring if you were blind to it like all the other idiots around here."
Blake's eyes narrowed at those words, fingers twitching for the hilt of Gambol Shroud. "I don't appreciate being sneaked up on. You're lucky I didn't accidentally attack you."
"Oh I don't doubt it. I bet you'll be fun to fight." The boy smirked widely, an almost deranged look in his eyes before he tugs his scarf up to hide his smile and starts to visibly strain to school his features. "I'm sure we'll be seeing each other in orientation…"
Slowly, the boy begins to walk past Blake, his coat fluttering a little. As he passes by her, Blake's feline ears underneath her bow pick up a faint whisper.
"And then I can't wait to see how you bleed."
Her eyes widening, she turns to watch after the retreating boy, who was now quietly chortling to himself, her heart pounding and her instincts screaming at her to kill.
Fantastic. She came here to get away from one psychopath, only to run into another.
Weiss Schnee was very, very annoyed right now.
It may have had something to do with the fact that an absolute dolt of a girl had almost blown her off the side of the cliff. How on earth could someone sneezing trigger a vial of Fire Dust? She was lucky to even be alive, any stronger and the explosion might have triggered the rest of the Dust vials in her luggage!
"Honestly, what are you even DOING here!? Do you even have any idea who I am!?" Weiss growls out, hands on her hips as she glares down at her 'aggressor', which came in the form of a younger girl, wearing a black frilly dress with red accents and a red hooded cape.
"E-e-erm, w-well, I-I…" The silver eyed girl stammered, looking completely at a loss for words. "I-I'm really sorry!"
"Sorry isn't going to-"
"Dear me, Signorina Schnee? First day and you already have found a target for your ire?"
At the sound of that smooth, deep voice, Weiss' immediately turned around to find the very person she was hoping to run into.
Antonio Salieri.
The young man had an amused look on his face, with a quirked brow and a light smirk. In his right hand was a black briefcase.
"A-Antonio! How long have you-"
"Enough to know that all this is a simple misunderstanding, Signorina." The young musician chuckles as he walks closer, turning his head to look at the dolt on the floor. "Scuse, Weiss has a bit of a temper. I hope we can put this all behind us."
"A-Antonio, she-"
"Sneezed, yes, but everything that occurred was a mere accident. Let us put it behind us, and simply move on. We have orientation after all."
Weiss clicks her tongue, huffing as she stares at the taller teen.
At the very least, she felt calmer now.
"Fine." The heiress relents before pointing dramatically at the hooded girl on the ground, who squeaked the moment she saw Weiss' pointing at her. "Listen here, dolt. I expect you to show more competence than this when we next meet, otherwise I may have to continue my tirade. This is a prodigal school for Huntsmen and Huntresses!"
"Y-yes ma'am!" The girl yelps, nodding quickly. "E-erm… my name's Ruby by the way!"
"I don't care." Weiss scoffs, tilting her nose up before gesturing for her father's workers to continue bringing her luggage along as she starts to strut away.
"B-but…" Ruby murmurs, looking down, before she feels a gloved hand patting her head.
"Fret not. She will warm up to you eventually I am sure. Beneath that cold exterior lays a warm heart." Salieri chuckles, before he too walks off, following after Weiss. "See you at orientation."
"E-erm, b-bye!" Ruby waves a little, watching the two pale haired teens stride off and talk to each other, before she slumps down and lays on the ground. "Ugh… welcome to Beacon… I suck at this…."
A shadow falls upon her as she glances up, seeing a pair of blonde boys.
"Hey." The noodley looking one says as he smiles, holding out a hand. "I'm Jaune."
"Yo." The muscular one gives a brief wave, grinning widely. "I'm Kintoki."
"H-hi?" Ruby blinks, before taking the shorter blonde's hand and hoisting herself up onto her feet. "I'm Ruby…. Wait, aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship?"
"Ugh, I'll never live this down, will I?" Jaune groans, looking away with embarrassment as he palms his face.
"Probably not dude!" Kintoki laughs, slapping him on the back, the slap actually connecting with the lankier blonde's Aura now.
Several Minutes Ago
"So it's like a force field!"
"Yeah dude, it totally is!"
Kintoki had just taken the time to explain to Jaune exactly what Aura was. In layman's terms to help him understand it better.
To cut a long story short, people have Aura, and it can be unlocked. It heals you from injuries, protects you from damage, and also fuels your Semblance, if any.
Grimm don't have Aura, because they don't have souls.
And of course, Aura sometimes won't activate if someone is taken by surprise.
"Jeez, this stuff sounds really useful." Jaune hums, walking alongside his new friend.
"It totally is, makes me wonder how the hell you don't know what it is… unless…"
Jaune immediately pales as Kintoki trails off and levels an indecipherable look at him, his eyebrows hidden behind his sunnies.
"Jaune, dude… are you…"
'Crap crap crap crap crap crap!' Jaune panicked, eyes widening. He was going to get caught before the school term even started!
"….some kind of badass?"
"Wait what?" The lanky blonde blinks as he watches Kintoki's expression turn into something akin to awe.
"Dude, if you got into Beacon without even knowing what Aura was, or having it activated, then you must be some kinda prodigal badass! That's Golden!" Kintoki grins, lightly punching Jaune on the shoulder. "Man, bet everyone underestimates you cuz you look like a walking udon noodle with arms and legs."
"H-hehe, yeah, that's right… you caught me…" Jaune laughs nervously, sweating profusely.
He didn't get caught, which was great.
But he was also now on a pedestal, which was bad.
"Seriously though, you sure you can keep that up? I mean, being a badass is cool and all, but if you don't have Aura, you could really get hurt." The expression of awe vanishes from the taller male's face, now replaced with a look of concern.
"H-hehe, I mean, I 'could' go through Beacon without it… but, erm, maybe I should activate it. How do I do that again?"
"You gotta get someone else who already has their Aura unlocked to do it for you, since unlocking your Aura is basically having someone inject some of their own into you. Kinda makes a bond, you know? Normally parents or teachers do it for their kids and stuff." Kintoki shrugs.
"So, can you do it for me?" Jaune asks, inwardly hoping that he can have Kintoki do it. That way, nobody else would be any wiser.
Kintoki pauses, tilting his head before he lays a heavy hand on Jaune's shoulder.
"Alright dude. But I gotta warn ya. If I do this…"
Jaune gulped, worried about where this was going.
Thankfully, Kintoki simply grins and laughs. "…then we'll be bros! Golden Bros! Know what I mean?"
"Erm.. you mean like… best friends or something?"
"Nah man, Golden Bros. It's like best friends but… better. It's like we're family dude."
"You mean LITERALLY bros?" Jaune exclaims, eyebrows raised before he sighs. "You know what, fine, why not. I've already got seven sisters, having an extra brother sounds fine."
"Dude, seven? Yikes."
"Yeah, it was kind of hell sometimes… so how do we do this?"
"Just stand there and close your eyes. I gotta do some kinda chant or something to make it work." Kintoki shrugs, putting another hand on Jaune's other shoulder. "Really hope I remember how this goes."
"Please tell me messing it up won't kill me."
"Literally nothing will happen if I mess it up. Maybe." Shrugging again, Kintoki tightens his grip on Jaune's shoulders. "Now shut up and close your eyes. I got this."
Nodding, Jaune's eyes reluctantly shut. This was totally not weird.
"Let's see… erm… how did she do it for me again..?" The taller blonde murmurs, grumbling a little before he takes a deep breath.
His eyes snap open under his sunglasses, and a golden glow begins to emanate from his body.
"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality... Through this, we become… paragons of justice and glory to stand above all…. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."
The golden glow sifts its way from his hands into Jaune's body, which begins to radiate with its own white glow.
After a few seconds, Kintoki lets go and huffs a little, putting his hands on his hips as he cranes his head back. "Whoo, man that drained me! Jeez, they weren't kidding, unlocking someone's Aura really does take a lot outta ya."
"Whoa…" Jaune, who opened his eyes the moment Kintoki let go, murmurs as he looks at his lightly glowing body. "This is so cool… you okay there?"
"Yeah, yeah, just a little winded. Jeez, you have a lot of Aura for a stringbean."
"Thanks?"
Yang wasn't exactly sure WHY she ditched Ruby. While she was normally all for having her little sister open up to new people, ditching her like that was kind of a dick move.
Especially since her excuse for doing so was just hanging out with her 'friends'.
It was a term she used loosely. These girls were all classmates of hers back at Signal, but they weren't really… buddies. They were more like a small group of people you just happened to hang out with because they sat next to you in class.
Still, Yang liked making friends, being a social butterfly back at her old school. Unfortunately, the kinds of people who hung out with her at Signal were all… fake, in a way, these current 'friends' of hers included. They always wanted something. Either they just wanted to hang out with the 'cool, hot tomboy' for exposure and to look good, or they wanted to date and get lucky because she looked damn good.
Either way, because she believed in never ditching friends, even if she had to use the term rather loosely here, she stuck with them. At least, until the new term starts and she can hang out with different people. New people.
"Like, seriously, look at some of these girls. The hell are they even wearing? Some of these outfits are so last year."
….that didn't change the fact that this was going to be an exercise in patience. Which thankfully, Yang DID need. She had a temper, she knew that.
Yang blinked as someone bumped into her shoulder.
"Ah… sorry."
"Hey, no big deal-whoa." Yang's eyes widen a little as she turns to look at the person who just bumped into her.
Glowing eyes. That's what she noticed first, a pair of red, faintly glowing eyes with brilliant white pupils.
"You are staring."
Blinking, Yang takes a step back, taking in the person's appearance.
It was a girl, a little older than her, maybe by about a year or so. She was roughly the same height as Ruby though. She had white, choppy hair that was done into a bob cut. Underneath her bangs, there was something on her forehead, but Yang couldn't quite make out what it was. Her skin was tanned, and lining the exposed parts of her body were a number of white lines tattooed into her skin. They almost looked like circuits.
The girl was wearing something that looked a little risqué, even for Yang's standards. She was wearing a single white and black one piece bodysuit of some kind, it looked more like a swimsuit. The suit covered her chest, upon which there was a little flap of fabric that hung down from the middle with green, red and blue vertical stripes, and went down to cover everything above her upper thighs. The bodysuit left two gaps in the fabric, each one situated on either side of her navel.
There were frills puffing out from around the material above her legs, and a number of odd scarves descending down from under the frills, going down to her knees. The scarves were all white, with red and black accents and details in the form of lines resembling circuitry. A larger scarf was tied into a bow behind her waist.
She had detached sleeves on her arms, which both had similar designs drawn upon them like on the scarves. There was something almost… religious to how they looked.
What was most curious was that she had a veil on her head. It was almost like a wedding veil, covering a majority of her hair from behind and descending down her back, reaching well below her knees. The veil looked almost… royal in how its designs appeared, with black triangles pointing upwards, lining the bottom of the veil, while the top part around her head featured diamond shaped markings that were arranged into a circle, joined together by a ring. It almost looked like it was meant to be a crown.
Lastly, she was wearing strange looking heeled shoes, colored red with sharp looking pointed ends. They added an inch or so to her height.
"You are still staring." The girl deadpanned, blinking once as she stares back at Yang.
"How can she not, what the hell are you even wearing?" One of the girls with Yang exclaims, sniggering a little. "Going to a beach party or something?"
The tanned girl's eyes briefly glance at her before they focus on Yang again. "Again, I wish to apologize for bumping into you."
"Yeah, its fine, it happens all the time!" Yang laughs a little, before the red eyed girl slowly begins to walk away, causing one of Yang's 'friends' to growl a little.
"Hey, I was talking to you!"
"You are irrelevant." The veiled girl states bluntly, not even pausing in her stride. "I am not interested in you. You are all subpar. Inconsequential."
Her blunt delivery stuns the other girls, and Yang for a moment, before she laughs, grinning as she briefly waves at her friends and starts to walk after the strange girl. "Wow, you don't hold back your punches, do you?"
"My punches? I have not punched anyone yet."
"No, I mean-its just a phrase."
The strange girl tilts her head, staring at Yang for a bit as they walk, before she nods. "I see. I will keep that phrase in mind."
"Heh, you don't get out much, do you, friend? Name's Yang by the way! Yang Xiao Long."
The girl glances at the blonde following her for a few seconds, her expression never shifting, her eyes blinking. "Altera Polendin-what did you call me?"
"Erm, you don't get out much..?"
"No, after that. You called me 'friend'." Her stare becomes more intense as gazes at a now fidgeting Yang. "Am I really your friend?"
Yang was at an impasse. That was a loaded question to ask.
Still, she looked fun. So, Yang shrugs and grins. "Yeah, sure, why not?"
Altera stares at Yang for a few more seconds, before she nods, her lips quirking upwards for a moment.
"Sensational."
As orientation begins, Salieri hums, standing beside Weiss as the students wait for the headmaster to make his arrival, and opening speech.
This was it. Finally, after so long… he would lay his eyes upon the man who sired him.
He would have a different face, a different name, and a different voice, but his soul would still be the same.
His gloved fingers flex a little, curling into claws before he clenches his fists tightly.
He can't even remember the last time he felt this nervous.
"Antonio? Are you alright?"
Salieri blinks before turning to look at Weiss, who was staring up at him with a perturbed expression. "Pardon?"
"You're… shaking. I don't think I have ever seen you trembling before, not even before one of your orchestras!"
The musician looks down at his hands, realizing that he was clenching them so hard that they began to tremble. Exhaling, he slowly tries to relax, his fingers loosening up.
"I am… nervous. I am not sure why."
That was a lie. He knew exactly why he was so nervous.
"I understand. To be able to attend Beacon after all this time, I feel a little nervous myself." Weiss nods, before crossing her arms with a smug smile. "But regardless, I am confident that you and I will excel in our classes. I have never seen you fight before, but if your skills in combat are even half as good as your skills as a musician, I am sure we will both become an unstoppable duo."
"Woe is me, it appears the Schnee Heiress has claimed me as her partner already, and the term hasn't even begun." Salieri chuckles, his red eyes full of mirth as he watches Weiss' face turn red for a moment.
"I-I'm not 'claiming' you!"
"Si, Signorina, whatever you say."
"Yaaaaaaaaang!" Ruby wails as she finally finds her sister, bolting off from Jaune and Kintoki without even a second thought.
They were cool! Jaune was very nice, if a bit dorky, and Kintoki was also very nice, if a bit weird. Jaune's weapon was cool, a classic sword and shield combo, and the shield was also the sheath!
Kintoki's was a classic too, it was a HUGE gold colored axe with what looked like little generators or turbines around the head of the axe.
But as cool as they were, Ruby's irritation at how Yang ditched her far outmatched her desire to hang out with her new friends.
"Hey Rubes-oof!" Yang grunts when Ruby tackles her stomach with a hug. "Whoa, bad day?"
"How could you leave me all alone like that!? Do you have any idea what I had to deal with!?" Ruby pouts up at her sister, lightly beating on Yang's stomach a little.
"Aw c'mon sis, it can't have been that bad!"
"I literally exploded!" Ruby flails her arms, glaring at Yang.
"But you are not in pieces."
Ruby blinks when a new voice chimes in, before she looks behind Yang to see an older, tanned girl wearing weird, but still aesthetically pleasing clothes that looked like a swimsuit.
"E-erm, hi?"
"Salutations." The red eyed girl nods, prompting a chuckle from Yang.
"That's Altera. She's a new friend I just made! Altera, this is my little sister, Ruby!"
"H-hello." Ruby waves a little. "Nice to meet you?"
Altera simply nods again, before continuing to simply stand there and stare at Ruby.
The little red hooded teen sweats a little from the intense yet blank stare as she turns to look at her sister. "E-ermm…"
"She does that, its fine." Yang waves her off. "So, you… exploded?"
"I mean… kinda? I bumped into some crabby girl and knocked over her luggage, and then there were Dust vials all over the ground, and she got really angry and waved one in my face and yelled at me, and then I sneezed and then it blew up and then a really cool looking guy sort of distracted the crabby girl and calmed her down and then they both walked away and I just felt really bad-" Ruby begins to ramble, before her sister covers her mouth with a hand.
"Slow down there Rubes, jeez. Sounds like you had a rough time, sorry about that sis." Yang smiles apologetically as Ruby's shoulders slump, her brow furrowed.
"Its fine Yang… at least I got to make new friends."
"Oooh, so my little sister finally grew up and made some friends without my help!" The blonde brawler smiles widely and pulls her sister into a hug, eliciting a yelp from the smaller girl. "Where are they? Lemme meet these girls!"
"T-they're guys actually-"
"Wow, you're making guy friends already? You really ARE growing up!"
"Y-Yaaaaaang!" Ruby pouts before freeing herself from her sister's grasp. "It's not like that! I-oh crud, I think I left them behind when I saw you!"
"You just made your first friends at Beacon, and then you ditched them." Yang chuckles, shaking her head. "Smooth move Rubes. Can you see them from here?"
"I think so.." Ruby murmurs as she looks behind her. She doesn't see Jaune, but she does spy Kintoki just mingling about. "There's one of them! Hey, Kintoki! Over here!"
The muscular blonde turns at the sound of her voice and grins before he jogs over, stopping right in front of Ruby. "Yo, little red! You bolted off all of a sudden, so me and Jaune just split off too to wander around."
"I'm really sorry about that Kintoki.. but, here's my sister, the one who ditched me!" Ruby points at Yang, who was visibly eyeing Kintoki's entire figure with a smirk.
"Damn Rubes, you sure know how to pick 'em…" Yang murmurs, her eyes roaming all over Kintoki's chiseled physique. "Hey there, name's Yang."
"Yo." The bespectacled teen snaps his fingers and points at Yang, posing a little as he sets his other hand on his hip, grinning toothily. "Name's Kintoki, nice to meet you, Golden Girl."
"Golden Girl? Really?" Yang laughs, her eyebrows raised. "Was that the best you got, big guy?"
"Hey now, Gold is an amazing color, and I don't think any other gal I've seen in my life rocks it like you do. Your hair's like… locks of sunshine. Absolutely Golden!" Kintoki chuckles, shrugging.
Yang, being someone who took a LOT of pride in her hair, was positively beaming at the completely honest compliment. "You're not so bad yourself!"
"Oh God, please tell me they're not flirting…" Ruby murmurs to herself. She knew that look in Yang's eyes.
"Is this what flirting looks like?" Altera hums from right beside Ruby, causing the younger girl to jump a little.
All conversations in the hall halted however, as someone stepped up onto the stage in at the end of the room.
Professor Ozpin.
And as he began to talk, a pair of blood red eyes narrowed.
Ozpin was tired. He was so, so tired.
Regardless of the amount of coffee he always drank, he was starting to grow more and more weary these days. He had hoped he would see a spark of inspiration, a spark of hope as he gazed upon the latest generation of new prospective students.
Yet just as he said, all he saw was wasted energy.
He could see that Ruby Rose was among the masses, which was good. If she was anything like her mother, she would grow to become an incredibly skilled Huntress with a pure heart. If more people were like her, perhaps Remnant would be in better shape.
Yet as he finished his speech and began to walk away, his eyes glanced at one teenager in particular.
A young man with grey hair, wearing an elegant suit and had scarlet eyes.
His expression was such a mix of emotions that Ozpin was taken aback for a moment. In his many long lifetimes, he had grown attuned to being able to tell how someone felt just by looking at their face.
And what he saw confused him.
Relief. Confusion. Anger. Fear.
It was such an odd expression, the teen's eyes were narrowed, his brow furrowed, and his lips pressed into a firm line.
He recognized the face after thinking for a moment. The boy was a prodigal musician from Atlas. Apparently he had been training himself to attend Beacon.
Antonio Salieri.
Antonio…
Ozpin felt nothing but sadness, every time he heard that name.
Turning away from the teenager whose very name reminded him of one of his many regrets, he walked off, heading towards the exit. He had to file some paperwork now.
He never noticed that he was being shadowed as he left.
It would be a couple of hours later when Weiss came to the conclusion that Antonio had somehow ditched her.
Well, perhaps not something that callous. But it didn't change the fact that right now, she had no idea where he was.
After Ozpin's speech, he just vanished, and she had tried to find him, calling out for his name a few times as she looked for his distinctive hairstyle.
Unfortunately, in her search, she ended up meeting the last person she was hoping for.
"S-so.. erm.. what do you like to do for hobbies?" Ruby asked, sitting across from Weiss on her sleeping bag.
Somehow, Weiss had ran into the dolt who almost blew her off the side of the school, and got roped into sitting with her.
Not that she wanted to, but Ruby's silver eyes were very good at imitating a kicked puppy, and Weiss, loathe as she was to admit it sometimes, adored puppies.
"I study. And train." Weiss huffed, wrapping her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees. Might as well get comfortable. Perhaps Antonio felt ill and decided to go to the nurse's office here, and didn't tell her so she didn't worry.
He did look rather tired all the time.
"T-that's cool, I like training too. And working on weapons, that's fun." Ruby smiles a little nervously, before her expression sours just a little when she hears some boisterous laughter a few feet behind her.
The laughter was coming from Kintoki and Yang, who were both sitting near each other, telling each other stories or something. The two of them had immediately hit it off. It was almost disconcerting.
"Ugh, one of my first friends and Yang already stole him…" Ruby murmurs, garnering a bemused look from Weiss.
"You are not very good at making friends, are you?"
"I-I'm totally good at making friends! I-I just… don't do it that often is all…" The silver eyed munchkin grumbles, looking away.
"There is no shame in admitting to be socially inept."
"BWAH! Where do you keep coming from!?" Ruby squeaks when she notices that Altera was sitting a few feet to her left, cross-legged, and still wearing the same outfit.
"I have always been here."
"W-why aren't you over there with Yang?"
"They are loud." Altera states bluntly. "Yang is curious, but if I stayed there I would be what people call... a third wheel, I believe. I would prefer to be beside you and heiress Schnee since you are both considerably quieter."
"Please don't call me that, I have enough of that back in Atlas…" Weiss groans a little. "Just call me Weiss."
"Very well, Weiss."
Ozpin hummed to himself as he took a slow sip from his mug of coffee. As always, it had the right balance of milk and sugar to help sweeten it. Currently, he was seated at his desk, looking over a number of student transcripts. Some stood out more than others.
Ruby Rose, for example. Quite a prodigy. While her skills in unarmed combat were abysmal, she was incredibly talented at using her Crescent Rose.
Then there were others that garnered some interest.
Sakata Kintoki. From Mistral, yet he didn't study at any of the schools. It appeared everything he knew was either self-taught or taught by his teacher, who was also his mother. Apparently, she didn't want Kintoki to study at Haven, despite it being closer, due to her rather… infamous dislike of Headmaster Lionheart.
"If he is anything like his mother, he will be a terrifying powerhouse when he fully matures. I just pray he didn't inherit any of her less than desirable quirks…" Ozpin murmurs.
Yorimitsu may have been a rather well known Huntress in Mistral for her power, beauty and ridiculously flashy Semblance, but her obsessive and sadistic personality quirks made her very hard to approach.
It was just as well that she was a part of the inner circle. He couldn't imagine not having someone like her on his side, even if her mere presence caused Qrow to act on his lecherous ways.
Turning to the next transcripts, he found himself staring at an enigma.
Altera Polendina.
Born in Atlas, she was supposed to attend Atlas Academy, but her father, Doctor Polendina, apparently decided that he wanted both his daughters to attend separate academies to promote growth. Despite Ironwood's protests, Altera was sent to attend Beacon, without supervision.
Considering what she was, Ozpin wasn't sure she even needed supervision, but he definitely understood James' reluctance in letting her attend Beacon.
Ozpin continued to sift through the transcripts, humming to himself, before he realized that he wasn't alone in the room.
Slowly, he looks up to find that right in front of the elevator doors, was Antonio Salieri, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Professor Ozpin."
"Mister Salieri. How did you get up here without triggering any alarms?" Ozpin quirked a brow, not even reaching for his cane.
"I have a few… magic tricks that assist me in that regard." Salieri chuckled for a moment as he studied Ozpin's face.
The wizened headmaster stares back calmly, his brow still cocked. "And what is it that was so important that you decided to sneak into my office to see me?"
The grey haired teen pauses before he slowly starts to walk towards Ozpin.
"Tell me, headmaster…"
His red eyes stare right into Ozpin's amber ones.
"What is your favorite fairy tale?"
The question made Ozpin's body freeze for a moment before he tilts his head. "The tale of The Four Maidens, if you need to ask. I sincerely doubt you came all the way up here just to ask me that however."
"I see… should have known." Salieri murmurs before he spreads his arms out. "Why don't I spin you a different version of that tale? One that does not end in quite the same manner."
Ozpin's heart almost stops.
Did this prodigal musician… know? About Salem? Did he know about the Maidens?
Silently, Ozpin nods as he interlaces his fingers under his chin.
Salieri hums, before he gestures out towards the window. "Once upon a time, there were Four Sisters, and One Brother."
Ozma's blood goes cold, his eyes widening.
"They lived peacefully, happily, in a large castle with their parents. They wanted nothing more than to be loved by their father and mother, and make them proud." Salieri continues to talk, slowly walking closer to the desk.
"Then one day, their parents had an argument. One that would change everything."
Ozpin stared, wide eyed at Salieri as he approached.
"The children didn't know what the fight was about, and even when one of the sisters interrupted the argument to show off her magic, the pride from her parents did not last long. That night, their father tried to sneak them out of the castle. He said nothing about why, only that they should walk softly and keep quiet."
Salieri stops in front of Ozpin's desk, the headmaster completely frozen, as the musician raises a hand clenches it, before slamming it down on the desk.
"And then the mother caught them, and a fight broke out! The parents fought, hurling magical spells at each other with abandon, not even realizing that some of those spells killed their own daughters! There was a great explosion, and all that was left was dust and ashes. The father was nothing but charred remains, and the mother was twisted with madness. And yet, the son survived, and the mother decided to heal him in her own twisted way. So she dropped him in a pool of shadows."
Salieri's eyes were shut now as he grips the edges of Ozpin's desk tightly, the wood creaking under his grip.
"The boy was transformed, his confusion and anger at what had happened twisting him into a monster. And by the time he was pulled out, he was older, and hundreds of years had passed. The world had changed, his mother had changed, and his father had died again and again, taking a new name and face each time…. And every time the boy asked his mother about the fight, she would NEVER GIVE A STRAIGHT ANSWER! So tell me, father... why did my sisters have to die that night..?"
Salieri's eyes slowly open to look at Ozpin's face…
And he saw that the man was crying.
Ozpin's eyes were wide, tears trailing down from them as he stares at Salieri, his mouth agape.
"A…Antonio…"
Salieri felt something crush his heart.
The absolute relief and grief in Ozpin's voice…
…it wasn't expected. But then again, he wasn't sure what he expected.
"M-my son… you.. you're.. alive.." Ozpin murmured, shakily standing up and walking around the desk. "Y-you… you look so different… your eyes…"
"…I could say the same to you, father…" Salieri sighed, staring at his shell-shocked father.
His eyes widened when Ozpin reached towards him and pulled him into a near bone-crushing hug.
"I'm sorry… I-I am so sorry Antonio… it is all my fault… it is all my fault…" Ozpin sobbed, hugging his son tightly as Salieri stood there, frozen, unsure of what to do.
Slowly, Salieri raises his arms and hugs his father back, trembling a little.
The two stood there for a while as Ozpin finally broke after dozens of lifetimes, before the headmaster finally pulls back, wiping at his eyes and releasing a shaky breath.
"I-I… I can't believe you are here.. it almost seems like a dream."
"I almost wasn't here. Mother did her best to try and stop me, though I suppose even those attempts were halfhearted at best." Salieri huffs, noticing how his father immediately tensed up.
"Salem knows you are here?"
"She does. But right now, she isn't important. I want answers father… I need to know why you and mother fought that night. I need to know what my sisters died for."
Ozpin fidgets, his eyes darting from Salieri's face to the floor, before he closes his eyes and nods. "Very well.. there is a lot to know, and it is a very long story. One that stretches back from long before you were born."
"I have waited this long. I will listen."
Nodding once more, Ozpin slowly walks around his desk and sits back down, Salieri taking a seat in a chair in front of the desk.
"Well then, Antonio…" Ozma the Wizard sighed, clasping his hands together before looking at his son with a grim expression. "It all started when I first died."
Phew, fuck, this chapter was hard to write.
If anyone spots anything weird with how I wrote things, well, I dunno what to tell you. I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, but eh. I'm shit at describing clothes, but eh, you guys know what these guys look like, you have the internet.
So, now you know who some of the other Servants in this story are! I sincerely hope I wrote their personalities write, and even if it's a little off, this is my interpretation of them anyway. I won't go back and edit any of these, that's not my style.
I would also like to mention, that you shouldn't take this story, or even my Epic of Remnant story, 'too' seriously. Sometimes I write them seriously, sometimes I make them a little memey, and even slightly crack-fic-ish. That's just how I am, and I haven't been able to grow out of that style of writing since my original pride and joy, Voidwalker.
My style of writing is… more like how TeamFourStar does Dragon Ball Z Abridged, or Hellsing Ultimate Abridged. There are serious moments, and there's some kooky shit. Of course, I don't plan on being as humorous as them of course, but there will be moments.
Now if you'll excuse me, its 2 AM, I am fucking exhausted.