A New Lease on Life.
Quick Note: So, literal seconds after publishing the first chapter I realized a bunch of errors in the opening part of the story, the part which emulated the ending of Episode RWBY from the game, namely with punctuation such as missing periods or too many commas, and I am so embarrassed by that! My face was so hot and I felt so awkward, especially since that was the first part of the story that everybody would read! In hindsight, that moment wasn't even that good altogether and I really should have changed it up for pacing, but was so focused on bigger parts later in the chapter. It just goes to show that you should really read EVERYTHING one last time before you publish, despite any impatience
Chapter Two: Let the Games Begin.
Ruby's eyes were hazed over. She couldn't see a thing. The fog had grown so drastic that it made it utterly impossible to move without the risk of crashing into something or falling off of something.
Yu and Hyde were nowhere to be seen. She was alone. Not even Zweii was by her feet anymore.
Why did you return here?
She suddenly heard a voice and looked around frantically to find out what where it came from! She suddenly noticed she had Crescent Rose in her hands, primed and ready for combat! For added determination, she pulled her hood over her head.
Oh, silly me. I mistook you for someone else.
Suddenly she saw a figure appear out of the fog. She couldn't tell who it was, but it was there. It was only a shape in the mist.
Ruby charged forward, attempting a slash at the apparition! Unfortunately, it didn't actually connect! The figure seemed to have not moved an inch despite Ruby's charge!
Oh this is so perfect. System XX proved very useful for continuing my game. And now I have so many new playmates to toy with.
Ruby transformed Crescent Rose back to gun mode and shot at the figure in the mist, but even with almost a full clip of ammo expunged, the figure did not react in the slightest! Ruby did not have the courage to admit that she was actually terrified at the moment. This thing was scary beyond belief and it took all her nerve for her to not panic and keep silent!
Huntresses don't not shrink in the face of adversity, she thought. They stand triumphant, and hold their weapons ready! No matter the challenge-!
Suddenly she found Hyde and Yu, as they were dropped on her from God knows where! They all crushed Ruby beneath their weight, their weapons all scattering on the floor! "Why?" Ruby asked pitifully.
United they stand, correct?
Opening: You're Just Making Us Stronger by DAGames.
Prey for mercy cause I have ended
And I've defended, my immortal place!
My eternal grace will lift through these
Bridges burned!
(We overcome to life!)
I'll take the carnage that you bring me now
I seek nothing but the lessons learned.
Deny me courage, deny me apathy,
But I will always journey forward.
So you see me now,
I'm up here and you're down there.
Disrupt if you dare,
For an alchemy has awoken
I have awoken!
In this chosen battlefield you made!
Devour, empower,
But you're just making us stronger!
I have bespoken
Of our golden age where we climb
Engage, enrage,
But you're just making us stronger!
Elsewhere, Weiss Schnee felt like something seriously wrong. Last thing she remembered was destroying System XX with Ruby, which should have returned herself and her team home. After that, nothing. Right?
Wait, there was... something else. She thought that she had gotten back home, and something was wrong with Ruby. At least, that's what she was thinking. She was so exhausted, and she also felt a distinct weight on top of her, pinning her to the ground.
She cracked an eye open, and tried to establish the situation. If something had happened to her team, she was going to figure out what to do. She looked over herself, and if it were even physically possible, her face became even paler!
Laying on top of her was a boy her age, with short, wild brown hair, wearing a pair of big red headphones, and some kind of a school uniform. Although it was not the uniform from Beacon Academy, but rather was more akin to a dark, black suit. But honestly Weiss couldn't have cared less, as she was more concerned with the fact that this boy was ON-TOP-OF-HER!
She tried to get herself free by pushing the boy off of her, but she only managed to disturb the unconscious boy, who attempted to push himself up. Due to his position, he pressed against Weiss's arms and pushed them to the ground! He opened his eyes, which were a light brown in color, and made direct contact with her own pale blue ones! His face turned bright red, and the two could only stare at one another for a brief moment, clearly neither were sure what to do! Finally, the boy shot up to his feet, sputtering and waving his arms frantically!
"Woah-woah-woah-woah-woah!" he said! "I-I-I am so sorry! I-I didn't mean-!" Weiss stood as well, looking at him dead in the eye with a face of pure rage! "Y-you dolt!" she shrieked. "Why in the world were you on top of me!?" "C-calm down!" Yosuke said. "I didn't mean anything by it!" "Of course you didn't," Weiss scoffed, flipping her ponytail.
"Look," the boy said, "how about we start over? I'm Yosuke Hanamura. I am sorry again for what happened. I honestly don't even know how I got here... or on top of you for that matter."
Weiss gritted her teeth, trying to remain angry. Normally if she had been the person she once was before attending Beacon she wouldn't have given this guy the time of day and just took off to find her teammates. But now she could see that it was an honest mistake, and took a breath to remember she'd grown socially thanks to Ruby and the others.
Before school started, she was cold, standoffish, and did not see the point of forming any bonds. She had never seen any real purpose in friendship, but once she got to know her teammates, she quickly saw otherwise. She cherished her friends now, and knew that she shouldn't judge people wrongfully upon just meeting them. A perfect example was Sun Wukong, whom she had seen as nothing more than a filthy thief due to him being a faunus, but now saw as a valuable ally and somebody that Blake deserves in her life.
"I'm Weiss Schnee," she replied quickly. "And, I suppose I understand. It does seem like what happened was an accident." "Whew! Thanks!" Yosuke said. "Just be careful where you step Mister Hanamura," Weiss said. "Right!" Yosuke replied.
The two stood still for a moment, neither saying a word. Yosuke's eyes darted around as he thought desperately over what to say next, as Weiss continued to bare down on him with that ice cold stare. "So, uh," he said, "you wouldn't happen to know where we are, would you?"
Weiss blinked several times, realizing she actually hadn't actually seen where they were, as she had gotten so distracted by the awkward situation her mind was incapable of thinking of anything else. She looked around, and recognized the familiar layout of Forever Fall. A forest purely consistent of Autumn leaves, many of which had coated the ground, as if the forest was trapped in a perpetual fall. "Don't worry," she said, "I know where we are. We can get to my school from here. But I have to ask, where did you come from? As in, where's your home?"
"My home?" Yosuke asked. "Uh... Inaba? I don't suppose you've ever heard of that?" "Not at all," Weiss replied. "Thought so," Yosuke said. "Let me guess, from another world are you? Ended up in some tournament with Keystones and such?" "Correct," Weiss replied.
"Wonderful," Yosuke said. "But if you say this place is from your world, I have to ask, how did I get here?" "That is indeed a good question," Weiss said.
Her mind reeled at the idea. Somebody from that other world somehow ended up in Remnant? How did that make any sense? And if it was just one person, did that mean there would be others as well? And to topit off, if she was alone after being close to her teammates just a moment before, did that mean they were on some other world too?
She suddenly panicked at the thought. Her teammates lost in some other world with no way to get back. It was even worse than thinking of dozens of other people not native to her planet suddenly being dropped here.
Suddenly she recalled what that man in the hat with green hair, a guy that reminded her distinctly of Torchwick they looked so similar, had said when they destroyed System XX. "Since we destroyed something that was meant to be sealed away, do you really think we'll be able to return safely?" Weiss's eye twitched out of stress over this, as she put her face in her hands muttering, "you cannot be serious."
"Huh? Something wrong?" Yosuke asked. "I just realized something," Weiss replied. "I think I know exactly what brought you here. And if you're here, I'm now deeply concerned that we may run into more of those lunatics from that Phantom Field place." "Oh yeah?" Yosuke said. "I guess that wouldn't be good. A lot of those guys were kinda weird and even creepy." "Quite," Weiss said.
"Come on," she added, grabbing him by the hand and proceeding to set off. "I'll explain on the way. Let's just pray that you're the only person that doesn't belong in this world." "Knowing my luck," Yosuke said, "that might just be it. Would suck if I were alone in this though."
Weiss looked him over, considering for the first time how he might be feeling. He met her gaze and pulled his headphones off his head. "My team was with me when I was in that other world," he said, "so hopefully that means they're somewhere around here. Even if I'm somewhere I don't belong, I'd feel a lot better if I had at least my partner with me."
He was acting remarkably calm on the surface, given the circumstances at least, but that might not count for how he was feeling on the inside. The poor thing was completely separated from his world, and had no clue how to get back. But worst of all, he was without his team.
Weiss couldn't imagine how he felt. She recalled her panic over thinking if her teammates had ended up in some other world, and promptly felt a lot more sympathy for Yosuke. She could vouch for feeling better if she had her team with her, even willing to tolerate the idea of having to go through the same situation as Yosuke with Ruby by her side. Oh who was she kidding? She would feel relieved.
That brought her mind back to what she had been thinking before. About returning to her dorm room and taking care of Ruby, or something like that. But if she had gotten back to her dorm, what happened after that? How did she end up in Forever Fall? And where were Blake and Yang?
She turned back to Yosuke, considering his situation once more. Weiss at least had the comfort of being in her own world, whilst Yosuke did not have that luxury. She felt as if she should say something to him in order to help put him at ease. Something to show that she herself had learnt something over the time she'd spent relating and bonding with her team. Finally she thought of something that said for miles.
"You're not alone," she said. Yosuke looked at her in surprise. "We're in this together. No matter what, I'll do what I can to help reunite you with your team. Teams should stick together, no matter what."
Yosuke smiled. "Hey thanks," he said. "Y'know, that makes me feel better." "No problem," Weiss replied. "But don't think I'm not still mad at you for that sleight earlier." "Oh come on! How could I have known about that! I was unconscious!" "That doesn't matter you dolt!" Weiss said. "Jeez you're reminding me of Marie-chan," Yosuke muttered.
Neither of them were aware, but they were both being watched. Somebody had awoken close by to the two of them, and preferred to keep to the distance to merely observe their actions. They didn't enjoy the prospects of working with others, at least those they weren't familiar with, but knew that these two may be helpful in getting the layout for her surroundings. So for the meantime they would keep to the shadows.
The Princess of the Night Blade would wait and see just how these two could help her.
*Twitch-twitch* *Twitch-twitch*
Blake's Faunus ears were picking up on the sounds of the woods not far away. She too had awoken in Forever Fall out of the blue, and had tried to regain her bearings during that time. She knew she had to be careful, as there were several Grimm around this area that she had to keep an ear open for.
She could hear the sounds of cracking leaves, as if something was walking around close by. However, the sound was distinctly lighter in step than the normal noise of an Ursa, Beowolf, or even a Creep. She hopped from branch to branch in the Autumn trees, before coming across the source of the noise. It was a boy with buzz cut blonde hair, wearing some kind of a skull shirt under a uniform jacket, stumbling around awkwardly, crunching grass beneath his feet.
She raised a brow at the sight of this boy, as he seemed to be utterly disoriented. For some reason he was also lugging a folding chair behind him. He was muttering under his tone, and she began to listen closely.
"This effing place," he said. "I can't believe this. And now I can't find senpai again!? I swear when I find out what the heck is causing this, I'm gonna break their face!" It seemed like this boy was decidedly frustrated, and would probably serve no real threat to Blake, even if he wasn't on her side.
Choosing to confront this boy directly, she jumped down from the tree and stood across from him. He noticed Blake, a thick scowl covering his face. "The hell're you?" he asked. "I could ask you the same thing," Blake replied.
"I don't gotta answer to you," the boy said. "Just buzz off, alright? I'm not in the mood to have anybody messing with me!" "Do you need a hand?" "Huh?" the boy asked. Blake was silent, allowing her question to sink in. "What, do I look like I need help or somethin'?" "Maybe," Blake replied.
The boy looked stubborn, probably thinking of another rebuttle, before his face suddenly softened. He looked to be considering how to respond, before he looked ill once more. "My head hurts," he said simply. "Too much crap in one day." Blake offered a hand. "How about I help you?" she suggested.
Blake hadn't usually been one to offer help to other people. Due to her Faunus heritage, she didn't trust people at first glance and preferred to keep to herself, and this boy's attitude normally wouldn't have helped matters. His outwardly thuggish appearance even gave her flashbacks to that racist bastard by the name of Cardin Winchester. However, after spending time with Yang, Ruby, and even Weiss, she had grown to become more trusting. Now, whenever she saw somebody that needed a hand, no matter how they looked on the surface, she would always offer the help they needed.
The only reason she didn't exhibit this behavior back in the Phantom Field, was they weren't really given the option to help out their fellow contestants aside from partnering in tag battles, which dictated fighting somebody else. Back there, although she wasn't very proud of it in hindsight, she became consumed with the idea of getting her team home. Granted, she wasn't exactly acting rationally in her fights against people like Ragna or Hyde, but as mentioned before, she wasn't really given a choice. She had to think of the good of her team.
"T-thanks," the boy said. "But, you sure you wanna help me just like that? Specially since I was actin' like kind of a dick." "Of course," Blake said. "Helping people is what a Huntress does. My name's Blake Belladonna. What's your name?" "Kanji," he replied. "Kanji Tatsumi."
"And, uh, thanks for offering to help. I apologize for my behavior," he said, doing a respectful bow. "Truth be told, I'm just angry cause my team is missing. I just met back up with them not too long ago, and now they're gone again." "Don't worry," Blake said, "I'm in the same boat. And, I'll help you so you can find them."
She gestured for him to follow. "Follow me, I know where we are. Beacon Academy shouldn't be too far away." "Beacon?" Kanji asked. "What's that?" Blake stopped dead in her tracks.
Somebody didn't know what Beacon was? Beacon Academy? Only the biggest Huntsmen Academy in the Kingdom of Vale?
"Don't tell me," she said, "are you from the Phantom Field?" "Phantom... Field?" Kanji asked. "Wait a second, you mean that freaky place where we had to fight for those Keystone things?" Blake nodded in reply.
That wasn't good. She was hoping that by Ruby and Weiss destroying System XX everything would have gone back to normal. But if somebody from the Phantom Field was now in Remnant, what did that mean?
"Yeah!" Kanji said, suddenly looking rejuvenated! "The place that has my senpai scattered all over the map!? So where's the voice that's doing this now, eh!?"
"Calm down Kanji," Blake said, "it's over. That voice was destroyed. The only problem is that it looks like you've been dropped into my world instead of your own." "Huh?" Kanji asked. "I'm not there anymore? Well how the hell did that happen!? Why aren't I back in my world!? And where're my senpai!?" "I don't know," Blake said, rubbing her eyes. "But we'll figure it out. Don't worry." And what in the world is a 'senpai'? Blake asked.
Kanji continued to behave stubbornly. He stomped his foot on the ground and looked as if he seriously wanted to slug something! However, Blake's levelheaded attitude was doing well for helping him to calm down.
Blake knew that if they just freaked out and started yelling, nothing would change. They had to work together and stay calm if they were going to figure this out. Blake just didn't want to bring up the fact that there might be no idea exactly how to figure this out.
"Right," Kanji said. "You're right. Thank you Blake." Blake nodded. "No problem," she replied. "Still," Kanji said, "it's not like things can get any worse, right?"
Before Blake could speak of the risks involved of saying such things, a large pile of leaves close by suddenly began to shift. The two looked at the pile, and saw a humongous shape emerge from the pile in a shock wave of force! Blake thought on the surface that it was an Ursa Major, but upon closer inspection she realized that it was... a man! A really, really big man!
"Ah! I am free from these leaves! Now where shall I find a challenge to prove my manhood!?" Blake and Kanji could only look in both awe and horror at the massive sight that was Waldstein.
"Run?" Kanji asked. "Run," Blake replied. Both took off faster than you could even think!
"Hello? Hellooo? Where the heck is everybody!?"
Yang had given up on searching and had proceeded to begin stomping around angrily. She was full of energy she needed to get out, and was disappointed that she didn't have nearly enough battles in that Phantom Field place. She needed some release and something to fight. She was frustrated by the fact that her team was now gone and she had no clue where they were. At least, not on the surface.
She recalled being concerned for Ruby and being just as energized back then. At least, that's how she was thinking. It was weird. The details weren't exact and felt more like a dream than an actual memory. It was confusing as all get out.
She continued walking along a path she thought would take her back to Beacon Academy, but had been walking for what felt like forever. Wherever she was in Forever Fall, she must have been real out there. And now she was seriously starting to go stir crazy from positively nothing happening.
"Ruby!? Blake!? Weiss!?" she yelled. She hoped that they weren't too far away. They must have been close by, right? If she had ended up back in Remnant, they must have been close by too, right? And if her memory/dream served they had left the dorm together, right!?
Suddenly, as she kept going, she heard a new voice call out names she didn't recognize. "Yukiko!? Yosuke!? Narukami!?" Yang came to a stop, looking around for where the source of that voice could have come from. Could somebody else in the same boat as her?
Yang hastened her pace on the trail, having heard the voice not too far away at all! She finally saw who was calling out, a girl her age with short brown hair cut in a bowl style, wearing a dark skirt like Beacon's uniform skirts, and a green sports jacket of some kind. Yang hurried over, curious as to who this girl was and who she was looking for. However, the second the two made eye contact, she came to a screeching halt!
There was something in her eyes, something that the two shared distinctly. They merely stood perfectly still, a pair of violet eyes looking at a pair of dark brown. Finally, the both of them recognized the kinship between them. The heart of a warrior!
Without even thinking, both of them released battle cries, Yang delivering a massive punch with the girl in green retaliating with a mighty kick, both blows meeting inbetween! Both jumped back and entered battle stances! Then, as soon as it started, they both burst out laughing!
"Man that was a hard hit!" the girl in green said. "I'm finding all the girls like me around these parts!" "Agreed," Yang said. "You kick like a beast! Name's Yang Xiao Long. So what do they call you, lean, green, kicking machine?" "Chie Satonaka!" the girl replied.
"Nice to meet you," Yang said. "So where did you come from?" "I'm honestly not sure," Chie said, scratching her head. "I was in this tournament not too long ago and sort of... woke up here." "Huh," Yang said. "Sounds like you were in that 'Tag Battle Scramble' whatever it was it was called. Sorry bout' that."
"Huh? Why do you say sorry?" Chie asked. "Well," Yang said, "it looks like you're in my world now. And last I checked, haven't seen you around here before." "Huh?" Chie asked. "Oh man that sucks! I've gotta find my friends and get back home!" "Don't worry," Yang shrugged. "Me and my own team will get you back home. For now, how bout' we play a little footsie?"
"Huh?" Chie asked. Her face flushed for a moment, before realizing that Yang wasn't exactly flirting. She was rather insinuating they have another fight, as seen by Yang already proceeding to enter another stance. She probably just said that because she saw how Chie kicked.
Chie laughed once more. "You're funny Yang-chan," she said, proceeding to enter her own fighting stance. "This should be awesome! Wa-ta!"
Not far away, the sounds of battle carried over to a lazy someone laying beneath a fall colored tree. One eye peeked open, and she overheard the trading blows and excited calls. She sighed heavily. "Can't even catch a moment to have a nap, eh?" she said.
She got to her feet, slung her jacket over her shoulder, and lugged her heavy blade behind her. "Alright, what's the ruckus?" she asked. She walked over and knelt down on a rock overlooking the ravine where Yang and Chie were trading punches and kicks respectively. Neither one of them were getting a solid hit, but the sight was enough to put a smile on the face of this onlooker.
She watched for several moments, analyzing their fighting. Before too much longer, she tilted her head and realized some faults. "Woah, woah, woah!" she said. "You're both doing it all wrong!" Both fighters came to a halt, and looked up at the rock to see the new arrival.
It was a girl a few years older than the both of them, maybe one or two years, with long violet hair she kept in a ponytail wearing a bright red tank-top and a pair of jeans she left unzipped for... some reason. "Sorry, but if you two are gonna fight, you should learn to operate things a little better." "Operate?" both asked, taking offense to the statement. "Hey, just who do you think you are?" Chie asked. "I've been working my butt off to be a great kung fu master, I'll have you know!" "And I'm training to be a Huntress," Yang added.
The girl hopped off the rock and stood before the two, waving a finger. "Sorry," she said, "while you have skills, you've gotta learn to branch out. Blondie here is focusing too much on punching, and tomboy there isn't even throwing a punch. How bout' big sis here teach you a thing or two?"
"Uh, scuse me," Yang said, "I'm the big sis around these parts." The girl with the sword laughed. "Whatever you say," she said, stabbing her sword in the ground. "By the way, you can call me Yuzuriha."
Yosuke couldn't feel more awkward even if he dropped his pants in front of this girl. She had barely said a word after she began to lead them away to this 'Academy' she had mentioned. Yosuke attempted conversation at least three times, but even when he offered his best material she denied him even the slightest of smiles. The only two words that Yosuke could come up with to describe her were: Ice Queen.
The only thing that could even so much as count as a conversation between the two was Weiss explaining what she believed was the cause of him arriving in her world, she called Remnant, and him describing his own world. She asked him about things like "Grimm," "Huntsmen," or "Dust," but the versions that he explained to her were not exactly what Weiss was looking for, showcasing how different their worlds seemed to be, but she had yet to explain exactly what her world was like when comparing it to his own. Honestly in a situation like this, he thought, Yukiko's oblivious and outright rude bluntness would actually be welcomed.
As the two walked, he pretty much just left himself to listen to his headphones on his mp3, which would die soon if he didn't find a way to charge it. As he walked, he suddenly felt a hand tap him on the arm, and he perked up and took off his headphones. "What's up?" he asked. "Do you hear that?" Weiss asked.
Yosuke listened closely, and sure enough he heard something nearby. The sound of trees crashing together steadily becoming louder, and evidently closer. The both looked to each other, utterly dumbfounded by this.
"What the heck is that?" Yosuke asked. "I really hope those aren't Grimm," Weiss said. "My weapon is almost out of Dust." "Dust?" Yosuke asked, still unclear what she meant. "Wait, Grimm? Are those monsters of some kind?" "That's putting it lightly," Weiss said. "So like Shadows," Yosuke said quietly.
Weiss pulled out a rapier from a belt and held it steady. Sensing a battle incoming, Yosuke also pulled out his kunai and began tapping one on his leg as he tended to do whenever a battle was coming, bobbing his head to an invisible beat. "Nice to see that I won't be fighting alone at least," Weiss said. Yosuke offered an encouraging smile. "Just tell me you know how to use those," Weiss hastily added. Yosuke crumpled in an anime fall, his confidence shattering. "Of course I do!" he snapped.
Something did in fact come crashing out of the trees in less than a second, but nothing that either Weiss or Yosuke could have anticipated! "Blake!?" "Kanji!?" Sure enough, the dark Faunus and rough first year charged out of the woods, looks of utter panic on their faces!
"Huh!? Senpai!?" Kanji said. "Weiss?" Blake asked. The two stopped beside the both of them, looking back into the woods out of fear, even slightly hiding behind their companions! "What the heck are you doing here?" Yosuke asked. "Nevermind," Blake replied, "we've got major problems!" "A man's man is in the middle of smashing some Shadow things, or whatever it was Blake called them, and we've gotta run!" "Man's man?" Weiss and Yosuke asked simultaneously.
Waldstein suddenly came out of the forest, two Ursai on his titanic back, which he proceeded to fling off of him with his long, clawed arms, and crushed them under foot! A small army of Creeps and Boarbatusks followed him out of the forest, which he continued to slash to pieces! All the while, he was laughing maniacally at the battle! "Yes! Yes!" he said happily. "These beasts are unlike any Voids that I've ever combated! Much more fierce! Come at me as tens or thousands, it will not matter! I will take you all on!"
He turned his look to the group of four that were standing close by, causing all of them to shudder in fear. "Children, join me in battle!" he said. "We shall fight with the bleeding hearts of champions! Our bodies will be fine tuned to the greatest of capabilities!"
"I'd rather not," Blake said simply. "Is this man completely insane?" Weiss asked. "Sorry, but I'm good," Yosuke said. "I can respect embracing your manhood," Kanji said, "but there's a point you must draw the line."
More Grimm emerged from the woods, Waldstein gladly jumping into the fray! "Run away!" everyone else yelled, turning and charging back into the forest! Not far away, Linne was still watching from the branches of the trees, beginning to shake her head. "Oh Wald," she said quietly.
High up in the hills of Forever Fall, Naoto Shirogane had begun overhearing the noises of fierce battle deep in the heart of the forest. The woods had become quite louder in the past few minutes for whatever reason, as if an army going to battle. "Whatever is out there," she said, "they're quite noisy."
Naoto did not recognize where she was. It did not feel like that other world that she and her team had met up in not long ago, almost as if something had dropped her off in yet another new world. Things didn't feel like that Phantom Field or the TV World. Things felt natural here. Not like the simulated environments of either of the other places.
It was something that she had carefully begun to identify over time. The world's environment feeling not like the real world she lived in. Something in the air.
"What is this place?" she thought alloud. "Something wrong Naoto-kun?" a voice asked. Naoto turned and saw Yukiko, and this other girl they had awoken beside by the name of Orie, continuing to progress further.
Naoto had been relieved to have awoken alongside somebody else from her team, but was concerned by the sight of the girl she knew was not from her own world. Orie had felt very awkward about awakening beside Naoto, as back in the Phantom Field she had attacked her and Yukiko's team, however both were understanding as they saw that she hadn't even wanted to fight back then. Together the three resolved to identify their new location, and hopefully reunite with their friends.
Concern had come over her when she realized that the forest they were in appeared to be in the heart of Fall, when back in her world it was still Spring. Had they gone forward or even backward in time somehow? If so, where were they? There were ruins of some kind scattered about, and high in the air just ahead were some kind of railroad tracks. Definitely not a location that Naoto was familiar with on the surface.
"I'm alright Yukiko-senpai," Naoto replied, tipping her hat just above her eyes as she did whenever she was thoughtful. "I'm merely attempting to come up with some theory about our surroundings. Particularly why we're here, and what could have brought us here."
Yukiko nodded. "Right," she said. "I hope we can all get home soon." Orie was not far away, still looking wistfully in the distance. "I hope the same," she said. "I need to get back home soon. I have duties that await me."
"Yes," Naoto said, "you mentioned something about a group you belong to. Something called the 'Licht Kries,' as I recall." "That's correct," Orie replied. "My duty is far too important to be forgotten just like that."
"We all have things that we have to return to," Naoto said. "We'll find our way home soon. We just have to keep looking." Orie nodded, placing a gentle hand over her heart. Naoto smiled lightly, feeling her mannerisms very much the same to the way Yukiko carried herself, with grace and elegance. Nothing quite like how Naoto was.
It wasn't something she ever worried herself over, but now that she'd opened up to her friends more, she noticed just how... un-feminine she was when compared to her friends and teammates like Yukiko, Rise, or even Chie. She'd spent so much of her life living like a boy, she'd never guess she would actually feel jealous of how androgynous she was.
The sounds of battle in the forest became much louder, as if whatever was out there was getting closer, snapping Naoto from her thoughts as she slipped her gun from her uniform trousers! As the sounds continued, she then heard the sounds of people screaming! And to her shock she recognized at least two of the voices!
"Kanji-kun!?" she said. "Yosuke-kun!" Yukiko added. "Your friends?" Orie asked. Without hesitating another second, Orie shot into the forest to search for where the endangered were located, holding her sword steady!
With only a minute or so of running, they all bumped into the group of Weiss, Blake, Yosuke, and Kanji running in the opposite direction! "Huh!? Yukiko-san!? Naoto!?" Yosuke said. "Jeez it's a regular reunion around us, huh? And here I was worried I wouldn't find you all."
"Why're you running?" Orie asked. "Huh? You again?" Kanji asked. "Don't worry," Naoto said, "just answer the question." "You would not believe what is back there," Weiss said, panting heavily, hands on her knees. "Just keep running!"
Naoto, Yukiko, and Orie all looked at the area the others had come from, and quickly understood why they were running, as they witnessed Waldstein body slamming a Boarbatusk, as a Beowolf bit viciously into his neck! They were so stunned they barely noticed that they had begun to get dragged away by the others, with Weiss and Blake grabbing Orie, Yosuke grabbing Yukiko, and Kanji throwing Naoto over his shoulder!
"Do you both surrender?" "N-never!" the others replied. Much to Yuzu's chagrin, the match between Chie and Yang would actually require her direct interference in order to get anywhere, as the both of them were consumed by their usual fighting styles. They had gotten better with her guidance, but not enough for her liking, and before long she had succeeded in pinning the both of them to the ground simultaneously just to show their limitations!
"D-do you give up?" Yang asked, sweat pouring down her face. "Actually I could keep this up all day," Yuzu replied, "can you?" She emphasized by tightening her grip on Chie! "W-what did I do?" the Persona user asked pitifully.
Yuzu had hooked her arms around Yang's, putting them back to back, and keeping Yang from using her punches. Yang was now sitting on the ground as Yuzu leaned against her, and was tightly pulling Yang's shoulders back, and gripping onto her wrists! Chie wasn't fairing much better, as she was laying flat on her back on the ground, her legs twisted in a vicious pretzel with Yuzuriha's, and unable to budge them an inch, as she gripped the ground so much she had dug little trenches with her nails, and was biting on her lip so hard to distract from the pain she threatened to draw blood!
Yuzu had to admit, these two were quite the sparring partners. Neither one of them would willingly concede or admit defeat, and would struggle til' the bitter end. And she would admit, despite preferring a specific way of fighting, they were quite skilled at it and she did take longer to pin them than she had anticipated. However, despite whatever training or powers they claimed to have, not only was Yuzuriha an In-Birth that was physically stronger than an average human, but also a skilled samurai that could hold her own even without a weapon, which she had since left stabbed in the ground several feet away.
"So what do you both say?" Yuzuriha asked. "You can still admit defeat now." "I...I..." Chie said slowly. She was seeming to be considering her options very well. She had no Aura or Semblance like Yang, and thusly her body was much less protected, and she felt all the pain she was forced to endure in this situation. One could see on the surface that she was suffering. Her face was red hot, she was sweating buckets, her legs were in knots, and she had even unzipped her jacket and taken off a few buttons on the dress shirt she wore beneath to expose her hot midriff.
"Okay, I give!" she said. "Just let me do something other than this!" "I might," Yuzu said, "if you call me 'sensei.' Haven't heard anybody call me that in awhile. It'd be nice." "The hell!? Don't blackmail me!" Chie said. Yuzu twisted her legs even more, and the suffering the poor girl was going through was multiplied by five! "Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow! Ah, why is this happening!? I never signed on for anything like this today!"
"I did!" Yang said. "I'm training to become a Huntress, so I'm gonna have to face way worse than this! So you can-!" Yuzuriha pulled tighter on Yang's shoulders, threatening to pop them out of their sockets! "Agh! Crap!"
Yuzuriha's sharp senses suddenly picked up that somebody was approaching. She lessened her grip just a hair, until she saw the group of other Huntresses-in-training and Persona users exit the woods and nearly trip right over the tangled mass of warrior women! Faces became red as the group collectively became very flustered!
"Yang!? W-what the hell are you doing!?" Weiss yelled. "Oh man," Blake said, not making eye contact. "I mean many have assumed, but we never thought-" "Assumed what you freaking cat?" Yang asked, her eyes turning red in anger.
"Oh man!" Yosuke said, his nose suddenly feeling like it could overflow any minute with blood! "I'm in heaven! And me without a camera!" "Y-Yosuke!" Chie sputtered, trying in vain to free herself! "P-please - no - it's not what it looks like!"
"How you feeling Kanji?" Yosuke asked, turning to the only other male in the group. "Like a man," Kanji replied, his own nose already bleeding. "Kanji-kun!" Yukiko said, smacking Kanji across the face! Naoto and Orie meanwhile were unable to even come up with any sentences.
After a moment, there was a miffed Yang, a very, very embarrassed Chie, and a relaxed Yuzuriha standing before the others. "Do we want to know what was going on here?" Naoto asked, having finally recovere. "Nothing!" Chie said, buttoning her shirt. "We were just sparring!" "Sparring?" Yosuke asked. "You call that sparring?" "I do," Yuzuriha shrugged.
"And who are you?" Yosuke asked. "Yuzuriha, at your service," she replied. "Nice to meet you," Naoto said with a tip of the hat.
"So what were all of you running from?" Yang asked. "If Grimm were giving you that much trouble, we have definitely got to get the both of you in shape." "Not Grimm," Weiss and Blake replied. "At least, not alone."
"Look," Blake said, "what's important is we've gotten a distance between ourselves and... what we were running from, so perhaps we should cover our situation. It seems like we have a lot to talk about."
"So you're telling me you've been somewhere like this before?" Hyde asked. "That's right," Yu said.
After Ruby being freed from the crushing weight of the both of them slamming on top of her from what felt like orbit, Yu began to describe how he'd been somewhere like this before. Back when he first arrived in Inaba and his life changed forever he had a dream very much like this. Now Hyde was laying on his side, not even bothering to stand and was merely reclined casually, whilst Ruby was sitting cross-legged on the ground, as the both of them listened to his story, as he paced around back and forth in front of him.
"So what do you think we should do?" Ruby asked. "I honestly have no clue," Yu replied. "Last time this happened it was just a dream. Or something along those same lines. The only thing I can think of is that this is somehow linked with the TV World from my home. But that makes no real sense."
"So, we're screwed is what you're saying," Hyde said bluntly. He got to his feet and stretched his arms over his head. "Alright, well do you have any suggestions?" "I don't know," Yu replied. "I know that this seems like what happened before, but I can't even begin to fathom what we can do if it is what I'm thinking it is."
Ruby got to her feet as well and began tapping her foot thoughtfully. She knew that somebody had to step up and take control if they were gonna get out of here, potentially get out alive if the risk factor is as high as this environment suggested. And at the moment, she knew that it might have to be her.
Hyde was appearing to be too cranky and stubborn to think coherently. Yu on the other hand was showing some heavy level of anxiety and stress. Ruby was the only one that would be able to think positive in this scenario and find a way to get them out safely.
"Okay guys," she said, "we need to find a way out. I think that the only thing we can do right now is go exploring and see if we can figure out what's happening. Because it's clear as day that nobody here really knows what is happening."
"I'm game," Hyde said. "Hold on," Yu said, "are you sure that's safe?" "Probably not," Hyde said. "But I get what she's saying when she says we have no other option."
Yu looked at Ruby, who was holding the biggest smile on her face. He knew that if what his gut was telling him was true, then there would be a seriously high risk that the three of them could be psychologically destroyed or even killed. But he also knew that they wouldn't be any safer just waiting in the fog for something to come to them. They had to go out there into the unknown, and they would have to do so together.
"Okay," he said. "Since you seem to be positive, then you should take point." "Me?" Ruby asked. "Sure," Hyde said. "You seemed pretty solid when we last fought together. So you can take the lead."
Ruby bit her lip. Leading her own team was fine since she'd gotten to know them and trust them, and knew how to lead them into situations like fighting Torchwick in that mech suit, or that dystopian city full of Grimm. She didn't know anything about these two. She had fought with Hyde briefly and had a basic understanding on his powers, but she also didn't know Yu at all or what he could do.
Still, like she said, she had no choice. The both of them were seeing her as her rock now, and she had technically done that on purpose. So, with little other choice, she pulled on her hood and readied Crescent Rose. With a collective nod, they all began to walk into the fog.
As they did, Hyde had to take a moment to breathe. His mind was still recovering from that situation before, about all of his memories being scrambled. But he just had to keep telling himself it was over. Because it was. Right?
"So you're telling me," Naoto said, "that it was because of you that we ended up here?" Weiss, Blake, and Yang all felt the powerful accusatory gazes of everyone else. The group of individuals had all explained what had happened to themselves back in the Phantom Field, and suffice to say, things were not going to go well for them once they all found out that it was most likely Team RWBY's fault for getting everyone else trapped in Remnant.
"Naoto-kun!" Chie said. "Let's not go that far! From what they said, they obviously didn't mean to get us stuck here!" "I'm just saying," Naoto said.
"Look," Yang said, not appreciating Naoto's attitude, "how about we not worry about placing blame and actually try getting you guys back where you belong? Huh?" "Yang-chan's right," Yukiko said. "Acting hostile isn't going to do any good."
Naoto nodded. "You're right, of course," she said. "I'm... I'm sorry." "Don't worry," Blake said. "We understand, believe us." "Let's get back to our school," Weiss said. "There's gotta be something we can do. And the only thing we can really do at the moment is talk with our headmaster, Professor Ozpin."
"You sure your headmaster is gonna have a clue as what to do?" Kanji asked. "Either way," Yang said, "he'll have to find out eventually." "Let's do it," Yosuke said. "If they say it's our only option, then there isn't much we can do."
The group nodded to one another and prepared to set off for Beacon Academy. As they did, Yuzuriha was lounging casually nearby in the branch of a tree. "Hey Yuzu-chan, you coming?" Chie asked. "Eh, you go on without me," Yuzu said, waving her off. "I'm gonna catch up on some sleep."
"Okay," Chie said. "Just... don't get lost, okay?" "Sure thing," Yuzu said. "And come find me when you want another sparring match. I may teach you something yet." Chie gulped in fear at the memory of the pain her legs had gone under. It honestly was a miracle she was even able to walk at all.
The others left, and Yuzuriha was able to relax on the branch of the tree for some time. It was astonishing how calmly she was taking all of this. She seemed none too concerned over the fact that she was in another world entirely. But she wasn't concerned, because a.) it was an adventure, and b.) she knew that somewhere, out there, Hyde was working hard to get things back to normal. It was impossible for him to not to.
But nobody, not Yuzu and not even Linne could know the truth of where Hyde was, and what he was going through at the moment.
Hazama's plan had not exactly gone as he would have preferred. By holding onto the Blue Keystone when the Phantom Field had gone down, he had succeeded in keeping himself from being returned to his home dimension. And to top it off, he was even able to make sure all of his friends from back home were sent back.
For you see, the Blue Keystone, as well as all of the other Keystones, all had their own supply of energy from the heart of System XX itself, giving them minor dimensional altering abilities. And because Ragna had been in possession of the blue one, it had picked up "Battle Data" from Ragna and his home world. It was really simple to send everyone native to Ragna and Hazama's world back where they belong. Leaving him alone to abuse the properties of System XX.
But to his annoyance somebody else had had the same idea. And to make matters worse, they all possessed abilities far beyond what he would've thought possible. Even at all his might, he was only able to scratch the surface.
Now he was left laying flat on the ground, the Blue Keystone still clutched in his hand. The individual that had fought him was standing over him in victory. "Do you surrender, Hazama?" they asked. "Or will I be forced to kill you?"
Hazama released a hoarse laugh, as he looked into the eyes of his enemy. "Well," he said, "toying with reality would've been quite the means to spread some chaos. But in the end, it's better to get up close and personal, wouldn't you think?"
The figure did not reply, as they took the Blue Keystone from Hazama's hand, and placed it back into System XX.
Power: 100%
Keystones Accounted: 3/4 - Battle Data Below Desired Functioning Range.
Warning: Pure Body Sustained Critical Damage. Form Integrity - 78%
Dimensional Viewing: Active.
Dimensional Breach: Active.
The figure grinned evilly. Turned out that only with three out of the four Keystones available, System XX was still capable of accessing other dimensions. However, with a flick of the wrist and some bending energies they discovered that the full abilities of System XX were not quite available yet. True they could open portals to other dimensions, but the reach was short, and they could not truly toy with the laws of reality just yet. Nothing quite so far as to conquering another universe. They would need the fourth and final Keystone in order to do so.
However, it wouldn't be that simple. The Red Keystone was still pursuing its last function whilst under System XX's control. Hazama most likely knew this when he gave it back to Ruby, knowing full well she wouldn't have any idea how to control it. The conflicting instructions would lead to an utter stalemate and potential system crash if they tried to take the Red Keystone directly with System XX. They would have to figure out another approach.
"So tell me," Hazama said. The figure halted their progress. "Oh that's right," the figure said. "I forgot you were still here."
"You know," Hazama said, "you're a very rude individual." "Forgive me," the figure said. "I merely got distracted." "No hard feelings," Hazama said, delivering his grim smile.
"But as I was saying, are you simply going to kill me or just keep me prisoner? Because let me tell you, I get bored very easily." The figure merely laughed.
"I'll send you back to your universe. I have no interest in you or your home world. At least not yet. I might reach out there eventually, depending on how things go here."
"And, pray tell," Hazama said, "what do you intend to do? You see, I wanted to spread chaos back home. But you? You seem to be one of integrity, so what exactly did you have in mind?"
The figure looked back at Hazama, their eyes not spelling exactly what lay beneath. "I merely wanted to bring a challenge to the people," they said. "You can appreciate the idea of not living with monotony, right Hazama? From what I gather you enjoy standing against the status quo quite a bit. So you can appreciate me going around and ensuring that no universe is... bored anymore."
The figure shot a wave of blue energy at Hazama from System XX, sending him back to his home universe! With Hazama gone, this once again left this single individual as the only person remaining in the Phantom Field. They sat on their makeshift throne, and held out their hand, summoning a new object to them. With a delicious smile on their face, they looked at the device that would lead to their victory.
In their hand, was a Pink Keystone.
Author's Note: And the first foreshadowing to the fifth franchise of Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle is here! Still no idea what the heck it is yet, so it's still gonna be awhile until we officially see it in this story.
Anyways, we get some interactions from the other characters now! So, I put Weiss with Yosuke because I thought their interactions would be just adorable. I put Blake with Kanji because I thought they would respect each other, and you can expect more interactions between the both of them later which I'll explain more in full when the time comes. I didn't exactly have a particular reason for having Naoto with Orie and Yukiko, it's just how it ended up. And I couldn't not put Yang, Chie, and Yuzuriha together like this, and I had a lot of fun writing their "sparring"! We'll get Linne interact with the others soon too, but I felt that in a situation like this she'd prefer to watch from the shadows. And come on, we all know that Waldstein would attack every Grimm he came across. Overall, I think that things went well in this one. Like I mentioned in the last chapter, OOC behavior is something I want to dodge as much as I can in order to provide a pleasant read.
Once again, this chapter is mainly just for laying the groundwork for the rest of the story, and I aim to make Chapter Three the last chapter like this so we can get some more adventures or simply times spent between characters in more casual moments. Also, I hope that I'm not confusing anybody with the way the story is flowing, as I feel I am definitely going a little heavy on the mystery, which mostly just boils down to me having WAY too much to say per chapter instead of just getting to the point already.
But as I said before, everything will be explained by the next chapter so we can get right to the chase. And who's the mysterious puppet master behind where Ruby, Yu, and Hyde ended up? And who's in control of System XX? Find out next time.
Until then, I hope you have a wonderful evening, and take care!