Chapter 21

Orient Town- Unknown Location

"Yes sir. I will keep a close eye on him. I will bring him to you after the tournament tomorrow."

Half awake, Jin heard a familiar voice and opened his eyes, he saw a dirty ceiling, and he was lying on a simple cloth.

"Where am I?"

"An abandoned building in the low level city."

Jin recognized Winter's voice. He looked around, aside from the cloth he was sleeping on, a few water bottles, and a blanket in the corner, there was nothing else in the room.

"I did my best to clean out the place."

"How long was I out?" Asked Jin, ignoring her.

"One day." Water handed him a bottle of water. "Drink."

Jin took the water and took a sip.

"Why are you so obsessed with him?" Asked Winter.

'Did I say his name in my sleep again?' Thought Jin.

Jin put the water bottle down. "Who were you talking to?"

"I asked first."

"Not like I really care. Either it was Ironwood or someone under him, it matters little to me."

"So, now with the question you don't really care about is out of the way, what did Bloodedge do to you?" Winter asked again.

When Jin said nothing, Winter sighed and asked a slightly different question. "Okay, what did Bloodedge do overall?"

"Don't you read the news?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean that I just accept it, especially when NOL controls the news network here. Highest bounty in history, they say. He attacked two NOL cities' headquarters and destroyed their energy generators, which in one city also destroyed the weather control system, which consequently destroyed the whole region. That's evil for sure, but even if that is true, that price is still too absurd. There's no way any person is worth that much. I mean, with that price, he might as well be the Black Beast."

"It's-"

Jin halted. Why hasn't he ever thought of this before? 'Why am I so obsessed with him? Years ago, something possessed me and I attacked him, I theorized the reason was Yukianesa, but now…'

Jin summoned Yukianesa into his hand, and Winter immediately took a step back and put her hand on the grip of her sword, only to find she was not wearing her sword.

'Yukianesa can affect its user mentally, always persuading them to kill, but I had trained my mind to resist its control. No, something else is dictating my actions.'

Winter observed him carefully. 'What is he doing? He doesn't seem like he wants to fight. He's just looking at his sword…'

'And whatever this outside influence is, like with Yukianesa, my own mind is trying to make sense of this want, this desire to kill, using hate, rage, fear, even love and joy.'

"Ha ha."

'Order…'

That caught Winter off guard, and she was eyeing her weapon in the corner.

"My enemy… I see. My enemies are the beings that disrupt the balance of the world."

"Are you… alright?" Asked Winter, worried about her safety, and moved slowly towards her saber.

"I just had an epiphany. But then again, it was pointless. I will find him, and I will kill him, with my own two hands. It has to be me!"

"You are not making sense!"

Jin ignored her and walked out of the doorless doorway.

Winter gritted her teeth, and picked up her sword.

"Wait! You are under my custody!"

'It's a bad idea. But my intuition is telling me he is at the centre of something big here, and it will affect Remnant.'

It would also mean that, in the meantime, she has to babysit this rogue Major.

'He is worse than Whitley!'

In front of Litchi's Clinic

"Here we are!" Said Ruby, happily.

"Yes, here we are." Said Weiss, unhappily.

"Fine, I'll bite, since it's clear you're dying for us to ask you." Blake said, annoyed. "What's your problem with doctor Litchi?"

"What? Weiss? You don't like Miss Litchi? But why?" Asked Ruby.

"First off, no, I didn't want any of you to ask me anything, second…Ruby, Are You Serious!"

They didn't agree to keep quiet about Litchi's involvement with Arakune, but Ruby didn't want Yang to get angry at Litchi, and Weiss just didn't want to talk about her at all, but now…

"We never told you about what happened with our team in the sewers." Said Weiss.

"Let me guess, Litchi has something to do with you getting hurt?" Said Blake.

"No, that, was before she arrived." And Weiss told Blake everything.

"So Litchi is an accomplice to the Grimm, who used to be a man-"

"I won't say she's an accomplice…" Said Ruby.

"And Hakumen saved you."

"I didn't say Hakumen! I said he looks like Hakumen!" Said Weiss, annoyed.

"Hakumen, leader of the six heroes? Slayer of the Black Beast? From a hundred years ago?" Said Blake, with unfiltered doubt in her eyes.

"I clearly said looks like! And it's not a hundred years, it's ninety six years ago!"

Blake looked at Ruby. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because… she saved me and Weiss' lives!"

"I thought you got better on your own? And You heal Weiss."

"What? You heal me?" Weiss turned to Ruby, surprised.

"I mean, I think so anyway…" Blake said, now a little unsure.

"What does that mean?"

"Will, Miss Rachel said-" Said Ruby.

"Rachel?"

"You met her. Short, blonde, twin tails, rude, talks weird…" Said Blake.

"What? Wait…" Remaindered Weiss. "What does she have to do with anything?"

"She told me I could help you just by looking at you." Explained Ruby.

"What? Just by looking?"

"And by just by looking, she meant that she stared at you for three hours straight." Explained Blake.

"…" Weiss didn't say anything for a moment. "Are you people okay?"

"Wait, you know what, we drifted away from the main topic. Let's get back to Litchi." Said Blake. "So, trust or not trust?"

"We're not here for her, we're here for Noel, well, really Makoto. so-"

"Shut up!" Said a girl, inside the clinic.

The clinic's door flew open, and out came a dark-skinned girl.

"Oh, you're-" Said Weiss before she was interrupted.

"What are you people doing? Gossiping outside of other people's homes, talking loudly about the trustworthiness of doctor Litchi!" Said Linhua, Litchi's assistant, angry.

"Look." Said Weiss. "I'm sorry, okay, we're just looking for Noel."

"She's here." Replied Linhua. "But she's with a friend right now."

"Friend? Is she a squirrel Faunus." Asked Blake.

"Sure."

"Can we talk-" Before Blake could finish, Noel and Makoto were already at the door, looking at them.

"Hiya, guys." Said Makoto.

Kagutsuchi NOL Military Hospital

A crow flew in front of the hospital, once it found an opened window in an empty room, it flew in, and turned into a person.

"That was too easy." Said Qrow.

He pulled on an NOL uniform he'd prepared, combed his hair back, and just left the empty room, and began to check the nearby room.

'What the hell. There's no one here?"

He searched for five minutes, and only saw one nurse and one janitor, and a lot of empty rooms.

"Did I even need to sneak in the first place? Are they all at the crash site? Where are the injured? I heard on one died, but there must be some injured. Even if the Atlasian Military doesn't trust the library, there must still be some injured librarian soldiers here! This doesn't make any sense!"

Qrow opened another door, expecting another empty room, but instead, he just hit the jackpot, inside the room, packing his bag, readying to leave, was Naoto, without any signs of injuries.

"Naoto Kurogane?"

"Yes?" Answered Naoto, surprised.

"How the hell are you standing!"

"What-" Naoto didn't even finish before he was pushed towards the wall with Qrow's forearm on his neck.

"Alright kid, time for some answers, and even think about lying to me." Said Qrow, doing his coldest tone possibility.

'Who is this guy? God, he stinks of booze! Is he just a drunk?' Thought Naoto.

"Dis-patched…" Naoto struggling to speak.

"Dispatched? Who's dispatched who?"

"Dispatched, in mankind's darkest hour…"

"What? Make senses kid."

"You're not an NOL officer." Said Naoto suddenly, and blood gathered around him. Qrow let go and jumped back, just before the blood exploded.

"Bad move kid. Should've just answered my questions."

Naoto looked at Qrow and went into a combat pose, and then looked behind him. "Raquel?"

"Wow, you really think I'm going to turn around? Wait… oh shit."

And a blast of wind, shot Qrow right out the window, Qrow spun in the air, but luckily he regained his sense of up and down, and landed on his feet. And before him, a tornado, and inside, a levitating teenage girl…

"Don't get full of yourself." Said Qrow. "It was a lucky shot."

?: "Stop!"

Qrow looked to the direction of the voice, and then saw a flock of bird-shaped shadows fly past him, he turned his head in front of him, and between him and the girl, a newcomer had appeared.

"You again? What's your name again?" Asked Qrow.

"Captain Hibiki Kohaku." Answered the NOL officer.

"Yeah, whatever. Just stay out of my way and we'll be civil."

"This is a restricted area, civilians are prohibited from entering."

"What? Got something to hide?"

"That is non of your concern. Regular citizens are not allowed in here."

"Well duh, clearly I'm not a regular citizen now am I?"

"In this city, you are. I'll let you go with a warning this time. Leave."

"And I said go play soldier somewhere else. Kid."

"If you're thinking that provoking me into a fight will be advantageous for you, you will be sorely mistaken."

"Provoking? Fight?" Qrow smirked. "From what I can see, the only people here who want a fight are the people on your side."

"He attacked Naoto." Said Raquel.

"Raquel Alucard, I'll handle this." Said Hibiki, trying to calm her down.

"Really? Because it looks like you were going to let this drunk go just because he's some kind of ambassador!"

"I was just questing him. Geez, young people these days…" Said

Gale after gale of wind, blew from all directions, Qrow put his hand on his weapon, Hibiki did the same, but suddenly, a path opened in the storm, and out of the path, two more people appeared, Ozpin and Glynda, and Qrow relaxed.

"Qrow, what are you doing!." demanded, Glynda.

"I apologize for Qrow here." Said Ozpin. "I will personally make sure he'll get reprimanded."

Hibiki said nothing, and Qrow walked towards Ozpin with a smug smile, when a blade of air sliced in front of him! Everyone looked toward Raquel.

"Reprimanded? don't trouble yourself, I can do that myself." Asked Raquel.

Ozpin turned toward Raquel. "Raquel Alucard, yes? Are you perhaps related to Clavis Alucard? I'm Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon. You may not know this, but I am a friend of Clavis."

"So?"

"I will personally see to Qrow's punishment. Clavis Alucard trusted me, and I'm hoping you would-"

"So?"

"Young lady-"

"Were you the one who ordered him to attack Naoto?"

"Hey, Oz has nothing to do with this!" Said Qrow, defending Ozpin.

"I'm not talking to you, dunk." Raquel said, not even looking at Qrow. "I'm talking to this so-called friend of Clavis Alucard who I never heard of."

"I assure you, young lady, I knew Clavis very well-"

"So? You knew Clavis Alucard very well, so I can let your… pet drunk get away with assault?"

"Hey! Show some respect!" Said Qrow.

"It's alright, Qrow. She is just young."

"Raquel!" Raquel was about to speak when she heard Naoto call out to her. Naoto jumped from the damaged window, landed near them, and then ran toward them.

"Raquel, let it go. I'm fine."

"But-"

"Look, he tried to choke me, and you blew him out the window. Let's call it even."

Raquel looked at Naoto for a moment, and the wind died down, and Raquel landed on her feet.

Outside the Military Hospital

"What were you thinking-" Glynda scolded, before she was interrupted by Qrow.

"Do you see that? That Naoto kid. I remember his face being busted up. I'm talking about a broken jaw, nose, and cheekbone! Now look at him, did you see any wound?"

"No, not even NOL has that kind of technology." Agreed Glynda.

"His healing, may not have anything to do with NOL or the scheme of Salem." Said Ozpin.

"Then what?" Asked Qrow.

"That girl, Raquel Alucard, I believe she is related to Clavis Alucard, the vampire lord." Explained Ozpin.

"What! She's a vampire? And walking in sunlight! A high level vampire noble!" Said Qrow, surprised.

"Then the boy is her servant, with a life-line pact, that would explain why he's fully healed." realized Glynda. "They share in immortality."

"That means they cheated! I knew it was strange! No wonder why they only need one contestant! Yang was basically fighting two opponents! Those library bastards!" Said Qrow angrily.

"But it's odd, vampire servants should heal almost as fast as they are wounded, Yang shouldn't have a chance." Wondered Glynda.

"They were just trying to hide their vampire power! "Hide the fact that they cheated!" Said Qrow.

"It doesn't really matter, the tournament was always just a cover, what really matters is the Maiden." Said Ozpin.

"Yeah, since those librarians are useless, then that leaves, that champion girl."

"When will we tell her?" Asked Glynda.

"Tomorrow night. And right after her match, we'll transfer Amber's power to her."

To be continued