Full Disclosure: I DO NOT own any of the RWBY characters from the canon show. They belong to Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum, may he rest in peace. Any characters you see here that aren't in the canon show are my OC's.
"Blah"= Spoken
'Blah'Thoughts
--0--0--
--Matthew--
That was...unexpected.
To be honest, I'm not even focusing on a specific occurrence--in fact, I'm referring to multiple.
For starters, I started training today, so that was fun. And yes, I mean that very sarcastically. Getting my ass handed to me on the first day was expected, of course, but still sucked.
Damn Raven, snitching on me when I was about to bail...
Damn her and the fact that she ditched her kid.
The fact that she abandoned her family, both blood and non-blood.
Damn that smi--...no...nonono..nononononono!...I'm not letting that smile inflect my perception of Raven!
In fact, as far as I'm concerned, I'm willing to bet that what I saw wasn't even real. Taiyang must've just hit me too hard during training and made my brain get all scrambled.
Yup, totally that. 100%. No question. Without a doubt.
'...God dammit, I need to erase that sight from my mind..'
I sighed internally, deciding to focus on the last, and most important, unexpected occurrence:
The memory I regained.
It was, essentially, just everything I remembered about Bruce Lee. From his birthday, to the day he died, the movies he was in, wise quotes spoken by him, and memories of his fight scenes, among many other things.
Geez, I must've been a real big fan of him. I wonder why though...?
Surprisingly, this one wasn't as painful as the others, and it didn't even come as a flashback either. It just kinda...popped into my mind. And what Taiyang said really threw me for a loop too.
Who would've thought Remnant had its own version of Bruce Lee. Wonder what his life was like?
Then again, they've also got their own Bruce Willis, so maybe I shouldn't be too surprised.
...now that I think about it, how am I supposed to do this from now on? I have a feeling that I got lucky this time with the memory regain on this occasion feeling like a brief pinch, and who knows when the next one'll be?
And when that time comes, what am I supposed to do if they ask what I remembered?...ok, I know Qrow might not, and Raven especially not, both due to a likely lack of interest.
But what if Taiyang or Summer asks?
And then there's that whole debacle of me being IN THE PAST!!! Seriously though, to think I'd that the first people I meet on Remnant would be Team STRQ, of all people!!
'Matthew, breathe. Don't think about all this now. You'll have plenty of time tomorrow and the days after. For now though...' I focused my attention back to the conversation at hand, wondering where it was at at this point.
Hopefully things hadn't taken a weird turn.
"You're an asshole!" Qrow barked at Raven.
"And you're an idiot." Raven replied in an uncaring tone.
Ok, good. Still normal.
"Come on guys, stop fighting! At least for tonight!" Summer pleaded, "Matthew isn't used to it yet, so doing things how you usually do might scare him off!"
Should...should I feel happy or worried..?
Also, why is Summer not only talking about me like I'm not here, but also talking about me like I'm a wild animal?
"But--!" Qrow began.
"No buts!" Summer silenced him, "we've got more important things to focus on. Like, for example, where's Matthew going to sleep?"
Can't I just sleep on the floor?...wait, why was that my first choice?
"Can't I just sleep in another room?" I asked.
"I don't think there are any other ones available.." Summer said.
Crap. And I'd rather not go on a hunt for a room that may or may not be available, so I guess finding another room's out of the picture.
"Ok...then how about I sleep on the floor?" I asked with a shrug. Though, my suggestion was seemingly met with..a split response, I guess.
"You sure?" Qrow asked, already in bed with his blanket covering up to his neck, "Not like I'm against it, but I just want to make sure." I simply nodded in response and that seemed to be good enough for Qrow, as he simply shrugged and moved on from the topic at hand by turning away from the conversation in his bed.
"You can do as you like. Just try not to be too noisy.." Raven said with her eyes still on her book. Her pajamas consisted of a dark crimson yukata with black edgings and a black obi tied with a red string. And, as a bonus detail, the yukata itself had a surprisingly cool black feather pattern on it.
Huh...it's almost like she's in her combat outfit, but not, at the same time.
Anyways, as for Taiyang and Summer..
"What? No! We can't let you do that!" Taiyang denied, "You're our guest!"
"Yeah! We want you to feel comfortable in our humble..uh..." Summer hesitated, seemingly struggling to find the word she wanted to say.
"Abode." Raven finished from atop her bed, eyes still on her book.
"That!" Summer exclaimed while pointing a finger to Raven while still looking at me. Though, her head did move slightly towards the bed a moment after, as she muttered a thank you.
"Well, unless you guys have a hammock lying around somewhere, there isn't really anywhere else I can sleep." I said, arms casually crossed, "...how about the closet?" I asked, smirking on the inside.
Taiyang and Summer gave me an unimpressed look, causing me to smile.
"Calm down, I was just joking.." I said as I put my hands up, "..seriously though, I don't see any other option, except for the floor."
Summer groaned lightly, still not wanting to let me sleep on the floor. Taiyang didn't groan, but the look of confliction his face plenty showed his reluctance to the idea as well.
"Look, don't worry about it. I'll be fine. I'll figure something out." I reassured Taiyang and Summer, "Besides, you guys oughta be tired too. And how's a tired teacher gonna help with my training?" Summer was about to speak up, but I quickly interrupted, "Yes, Summer, I already know Taiyang isn't my only teacher. Not in the long run, at least. But he is for now.." I finished with a smile.
Seemingly satisfied with my answer, Summer sighed before getting into her bed and reaching to tuck herself in, only to stop as she gripped the edge of her blanket.
She didn't look at me, only to her hand gripping the blanket, though I already knew what was on her mind.
"Summer, I'll be fine. I promise.." I reassured once again, and, with a forced sigh, Summer tucked herself in, to my relief.
I then looked to Taiyang, who looked like he wanted to sigh, but opted not to, for whatever reason. I simply smiled in response at the blonde, since..well, I didn't really have anything else to say that was different from what I'd already said to the both of them, nor to only Summer.
Thankfully, Taiyang seemed to understand my silent gesture, his response being a somewhat slow nod before he headed off to his head, which was the one above Qrow's.
Feeling satisfied with the resulting situation, I decided to sit down against the wall, next to Summer and Raven's beds. I took off my hoodie, leaving my only top as a black shirt with a...wait..?
'What is this?' I thought, looking down at the image on my shirt as I gripped the bottom of it to bring it forward to make it more visible to me.
The image was of a fan, with the circular portion at the top being separated and in 2 different colors. The top half of the circle was a dark red, while the bottom half, along with a line connected to it that extended below, was pure white.
'This is...oddly simplistic..why would I bother to have this on a shirt..?' Feelings of confusion and curiosity swelled within me was I continued to stare at the multi-colored fan on my shir-- 'OW!!'
The curiosity and confusion dissipated the moment I felt a brief, sharp pain from within my mind, leaving as quickly as it came. Though, while it was brief, it still had its effects, as I not only had to quickly cover my mori so I wouldn't make a noise, but I was also left gently massaging the side of my head.
'...never mind. Best not to think about things that could give me a headache...' I thought with a sigh after I took my hand off my mouth. Moving on as much as I could from what'd just occurred, I placed my hoodie against the spot where the wall and the floor met, folding it in a way that made it work as a makeshift pillow...though the result I wanted wasn't the instant result. It took me at least a solid minute to finally fold it into a comfortable pillow.
After that was done, I opted to continue wearing the rest of my clothes on, including my socks and shoes, before lying down on the ground and resting my head against my warm hoodie. Finally, as a last step in my process, I tucked my arms into my shirt and crossed them, and then closed my eyes and allowed myself to fall asleep...
--0--0--
--Summer Rose--"..Mm.." I began lightly as I sat up in my bed, slowly opening my eyes before stopping at the halfway point and closing my eyes again as I yawned, one hand hovering over my mouth as I did so. I turned and placed my feet on the floor, slowly pushing off the bed and standing up straight...only to hunch slightly as I rubbed one of my eyes gently.
"Morning Sum." I heard Tai greet me. I turned my head and saw him already dressed in the Beacon Academy uniform for male students: a black suit lined with gold, along with a blue vest and a white shirt with a red tie. Though, as an additional detail, Tai's always kept his bandana tied on his arm. And, to be fair, I share his taste, since I always wear my cloak with my uniform...wait...uniform..?
"Sum?" Tai asked me, though I was still stiff from the sudden realization.
"T-Tai..." I began shakily, "w-w-what day is it...?"
"It's Monday." Tai casually replied, though it felt like my mind had shattered like glass at the truth revealed.
I was hoping I was wrong. That I was having a nightmare. Or that I was awake, but delusional.
But that wasn't the case. Reality had delivered me a ruthlessly solid punch to the gut in the form of a casual reply from the mouth of one of my closest friends!
It's Monday.
Monday.
...School
"Sum, are you okay..?" Tai asked in a concerned tone, lightly placing a hand on my shoulder.
"I..." I began, but eventually showed a sign of defeat through a mix between a sigh and a groan, "..forget it...where're the others..?"
"Well, Qrow's in Vale, and Raven's...relieving some stress.." Tai said with a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his head. I tilted my head, feeling confused as to what he meant, "..let's just say she and Matthew aren't on the best terms right now."
And like that, I was awake.
"Oh! What's Matthew doing?" I asked, now more awake, and Tai noticed this, actually backing up a little bit due to my sudden burst in energy.
"Well..after what happened this morning--Don't ask...not right now, at least," Tai quickly added as he noticed I was about to ask, "he decided to go and explore Vale."
"Wait, but he doesn't have any money! And how's he supposed to know the area when he has amnesia?!" I asked, rather alarmed.
"It's alright. Qrow went with him. He was more than happy to." Tai said with a light sigh.
"Let me guess: This morning?" I asked, Tai's only response being a nod, "...you owe me for not asking you what happened right now."
"5 boxes of cookies?" Tai asked with a smile.
"6!! Don't con me!!" I quickly corrected, causing Tai to laugh lightly.
"Right...well, it's.." Tai's voice trailed off as he checked his scroll, "7:15 right now, so you've got plenty of time to do whatever you want." Tai said while walking to the door, "Try not to be late for class, alright?" Tai asked with his hand on the doorknob.
"Yeah, yeah, I won't be.." I said with a pout. It's not like I hated school! It's just...it's never flown well with me. In combat classes, I'm A-Okay! But Grimm Studies? History Class? I suck at those!
With a light chuckle, Tai opened the door, walked outside, and closed the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts and reluctance to accept that I had to go to school today.
I sighed, lightly rubbing the top of my head with my hand, disheveling it a little more than it already was.
'Well...aside from whatever happened between him and Raven, hopefully Matthew's having a better morning than I am..'
--0--0--
--Qrow Branwen--
"Hey, kid, quit daydreaming!" I called out to Matthew, already at the door while he was a few feet back, in a daze.
I gues that he's got amnesia, but I wasn't expecting him to be so amazed at the sight of a Dust shop. Or maybe he's never seen one before?
..Meh, whatever. To be honest, I can't really blame him. Back when Raven and I first came Vale, I remember zoning out at the sight of a Dust shop for the first time. Most of the Dust we'd gotten our hands on was either stolen from under people's noses...or from their bodies.
'Dammit...'
I thought for a second until I looked down and noticed my fist had clenched unconsciously. I relaxed with a light exhale, loosening my fist and lightly placing my hand on the door.
"Wha?...oh, shit!" Matthew cursed as he caught up with me, I opened the door, a cool breeze hitting us as before we even entered, "...whoa.." Matthew muttered.
My only response to his reaction was a light chuckle before moving further into the shop and to the front desk, behind which an oh-so-familiar old man stood.
I swear, I've seen this guy everywhere! Noodle stands, Dust shops--I've even seen him at Senior's bar once!!
"Hey there, old-timer!" I greeted with a grin, waving at the shopkeeper. The old man smiled at me response.
"Mr. Branwen! It's good to see you again!" The shopkeeper said, "Tell me--did you get your revenge for 'you know what'..?" The old man asked with a sly smile, and I shined one back like a mirror image.
"Ohoho, believe me--I got him back.." I replied, the two of us chuckling before going silent.
"..so, who is this?" The old man asked while nodding his head to Matthew...who I only now noticed was looking around the shop with what looked like sparkles in his eyes.
"This," I began as I placed my hand on the top of his head and turned it so he was looking directly at the shopkeeper, "is Matthew."
"Uh.." Matthew began, gaining a sheepish smile, "hi.." He said with a small wave.
"Hello. Nice to meet you, young man." The old man greeted, "..so, is he why you're here, Mr. Branwen?"
"Ok, first of all, I've already told you more than once not to call me that. Just call me Qrow." I said, "and secondly--yes, he is why I'm here. Truth is, my team's--"
"Miss Rose's." The old man quickly interrupted, causing a small tick to appear on my forehead. And I could've sworn that, out of my eye, I saw Matthew silently snicker.
"--current mission is to train him to fight." I continued, gesturing to Matthew with a thumb, "And, since he knows he's gonna have to use a weapon at some point, he asked me to get him up to speed on Dust.."
"I see..well, in that case, feel free to explore." The old man said, smiling as he gestured to the rest of his shop behind him.
"Thanks." I said with a small nod before Matthew and I progressed beyond the front desk and to the shelves holding multiple bags of Dust, "so, kid--"
"Could you not call me a kid?" Matthew snapped, "I'm willing to bet that I'm the same age as you."
"Yeah, right." I replied, skeptically rolling my eyes, soon feeling a glare aimed at the side of my head, "More importantly, why are you actually interested in this place?" I asked in a quieter voice
"..." Matthew remained silent for a bit sighing lightly, "sorry you had to lie like that.."
"It's fine. Don't worry about it. Besides, after what you pulled this morning, I feel like I at least owed you one favor.." I said with a grin, Matthew flinching with a nervous expression on his face, "but I still want to know why you wanted to come to this Dust shop specifically." I asked.
What honestly got me curious wasn't the fact that he wanted to go to a Dust shop, nor the fact that he wanted to go to FDTD specifically.
What peaked my curiosity was that he wanted to go to this specificFDTD shop, and no other one. For some reason, this particular building was important to him, someone with amnesia.
For someone with memory loss, he was oddly specific with which Dust shop he wanted to go to.
"...I didn't come here for Dust.." Matthew eventually said, moving past the shelves with Dust and to the corner of the shop that had magazines.
Wait...hold on...he's not serious, is he?
"You came here...for a magazine?" I asked incredulously. Matthew didn't respond at first, opting to simply grab one of the magazines and stare at it intently. After a few moments of silence, I coughed into my hand to grab his attention, and successfully so, as his head moved slightly as he noticed my attempt to grab his attention.
"O-oh...it's...complicated.." He said, not bothering to turn towards me.
"Let me guess: memory stuff?" I asked, getting a silent nod from Matthew in response.
'As much as I want to ask him about it, I have a feeling that I could trigger a flashback on accident. And from what Ozpin said yesterday, those seem to be pretty painful for him...guess I'll just have to let it slide for now..'
With my thoughts settled, Matthew and I headed to the front desk, the shopkeeper understandably a little surprised when Matthew tried to ask him how much the magazine costed.
Because..
"Young man, those are actually free. Didn't you see the sticker on the back?" The old man asked. Matthew checked the back and stayed still for a moment, his cheeks soon becoming a light red.
"...my bad.." Matthew said with a sheepish smile, "...well, thanks..I'll come by here again sometime." He continued with a smile before walking out the front door.
"...he's.." The shopkeeper began, seemingly looking for the right word within his mind, "unique.."
"Yeah..." I began, looking out the window and seeing him looking to sky with the magazine in his hand, "..he's a mystery...thanks, old-timer.."
"Anytime, Mr. Branwen.."
'Agh, didn't I just..?!...never mind..'
I sighed, pulled open the door, and left the shop, with Matthew--our little mystery--now walking ahead of me.
-The End
A/N: 'Ello lads! Hope you guys and gals enjoyed the chapter! I don't really have much to say here, aside from one thing, in all honesty. And that one thing is this:
For those who are wondering, the "you know what" incident the shopkeeper refers to is, in fact, the whole skirt incident Tai talked about back in Volume 4 with Oobleck and Port.
With that said, onward to dem responses!!
Comment Responses:
guest: Nope, she didn't.
alertpoet91: I've actually already got his Semblance planned out, and glad to hear it!
Peace out readers!!! See you next chapter!