AN: IT LIVES!

Bunny153539: Perhaps.

Krazyfanfiction1: Yes and Yes

MrMoros1: Pairing eh? Who knows.

Guest: Ichigo's weapon is revealed this chapter.

DecrepitSoul: You would be wrong. It's Back

Akuma-Heika: Pairing is undecided, but your idea about mentality isn't far off. He hasn't developed what would be called real technique to this point due to a lack of need for it. Think Kenpachi. As for other abilities, you'll just have to wait and see.

RockMan7: I haven't

Reign of Rayne: It's not. Life just has a terrible tendency to get in the way of things.

Roanak: I didn't

There was a rap on the headmaster's door. "Come in." Ozpin said, looking up from his paperwork. When the door opened, it revealed the person he most wanted to see. "Ah Ichigo, I see you've taken your time as always." Their appointment was scheduled to begin almost an hour ago. But, better late than never he supposed.

"Sorry about that." The new arrival answered.

"It's fine." The headmaster replied. The new arrival seemed like he had just crawled out of bed, but not because of his tardiness; he simply always looked like that. His dress shirt was untucked, his jacket wasn't buttoned, and there wasn't a vest or tie in sight. The older student's orange-red hair was messy and spiked, and his face seemed to be set in a scowl. On his back hung a massive sword, as long as he was tall. It had the appearance of a long, pointed cleaver; it's hilt wrapped in cloth.

"So, why did you need to see me." Ichigo asked.

"There is something I need for you to do this upcoming year." Ozpin answered, crossing his arms. "Something quite important."

"Like what." Ichigo sighed inwardly. He could only guess what the old man would have him do this time.

"I am instituting a new program this year with the new students." The headmaster began. "Shortly, I will be heading over to the auditorium to formally sort the freshmen teams." Ichigo nodded lazily, that was common knowledge. The new students had been on campus for almost a week now and their teams would need to be formed before their studies could truly begin. "However, this year it will be somewhat different." The headmaster continued.

"How so?"

"Once the teams are formed, I wish to assign them each a mentor among the older students to help guide them. I believe some instruction and guidance from a fellow student rather than a faculty member could be quite beneficial."

Ichigos eyebrow twitched in annoyance. It wasn't a bad idea; the new students would probably be more likely to actually listen to their peers rather than those old enough to be their parents. The thought had merit, but he could see where this conversation was heading. "Let me guess, you want me to be one of them."

"Precisely."

"I'll pass." the vizard answered. "I have no interest in watching over a bunch of freshmen."

"I really think you would be perfect for it." Ozpin continued. "Besides, there really isn't all that much to the job anyway."

"I said no." Ichigo turned away from the headmaster and towards the door. Looking after a bunch of rookies wasn't on his list of priorities. He had heard enough. "I don't want to do it."

"Peter will be dissapointed."

The vizard faltered. He looked back over his shoulder. "The old man?"

"Yes, the faculty discussed the issue last night, and Peter said you would make a fine choice for the program."

Ichigo grit his teeth. The old man had always tried his hardest to give him a normal life. For that he would always be grateful, but the man could be so damn stubborn. "I see."

"Ichigo, I know what you're thinking, and I believe he was sincere." said the Headmaster. "He claimed you could be a great huntsman if you put your mind to it, and this could be a step in the right direction."

"Could be?" the vizard answered with a grin. "I'm the strongest student here." None of the other students could touch him, and he was proud of the fact.

"You are the most powerful, yes." Ozpin continued. "However, that alone won't make you great. There is more to being a huntsman than destroying grimm after all."

"How could handling a bunch of freshman help me then?"

"If you ever wish to lead, you will have to know your subordinates. If you work with others, you will have to know to collaborate, but most of all you need to work with your people skills."

"Tsh." Ichigo sighed. Here we go again. Ever since he had joined the academy, the headmaster had been down his throat about stuff like this. He wasn't social enough, he should try to make friends, and it was all old news by now; not to mention their misguided attempt to place him on a team. It had ended terribly, and resulted in Ichigo being the only student in recent memory to go through the school without a partner.

A silence spread between the two, neither side willing to back down. Ozpin was determined to get Ichigo into the program, and the Vizard unwilling to enter it. "You know," Ozpin broke the silence. "Glenda was furious when I brought you up as a candidate."

The Vizards scowl deepened. The woman had been on his case for the past couple of years. Perhaps it was his status as a Vizard, perhaps it was his lack of attendance in her classes concerning aura, but either way the woman didn't seem to like him one bit. "It would almost be worth it just to piss her off."

"If you accept my offer, I can officially exempt you from her courses." The headmaster added with a grin; the pairs disdain for each other was legendary.

"Nah, still not interested." He didn't go anyway; making it official wouldn't change it anything.

"Then how about this?" The headmaster leaned forward onto his desk, leaning forward onto his elbows. "If you take part in this program then, barring any incidents; I will allow you to compete in the coming Vytal Festival." This was his final play, his trump card. There was no way the boy could resist this.

The vizard's eyes widened in surpise. The Vytal Festival was a grand event held annually in one of the four kingdoms. One of the events of the festival was a grand combat tournament. Due to certain…events, he had been barred from competing back during his own freshman year. He really didn't want to deal with a bunch of freshman, but the offer of being able to compete again was too much. "…Ah what the hell, I'll join your damn program."

"I'm glad." Ozpin answered a genuine smile. This would be good for Ichigo, whether he thought so or not.

"So when will I know who I'm babysitting."

"When we're done here, I will head off to the auditorium for the formal team assignments." The headmaster answered. "After that is concluded, you should receive a message on your scroll with a list of names."

With a nod, Ichigo turned to leave. This whole situation had come out of nowhere, and he needed some time to think. There was a lot to consider, and not much time to do it.

"Oh, and Ichigo." The vizard turned back to look at Ozpin. "While many of the more dangerous Grimm in the emerald forest have already been dealt with, there are still a good number of stragglers that need to be cleared out. Can I trust you to do so?"

Ichigo's scowl lightened into an almost feral half-grin. "Gladly." Very little cleared his head more than a good hunt; everything was simpler when it was just you and your prey.

The look on his face sent a slight chill down the back of the headmaster. It had an ominous air to it; almost promising something terrible. For the past few years the vizard had, at times, acted as a sort of exterminator around Beacon. The boy was known to be downright ruthless when it came to the Grimm. Gathering the weaker Grimm for the yearly test in the forest had been getting almost impossible, as they seemed to be gaining some kind of instinctual fear of the place. "Very well, good luck then." He watched as Ichigo left the room. With a sigh, the headmaster turned in his chair to gaze out the window. He hoped he knew what he was doing.

True to his nature, the vizard had a seemingly insatiable appetite for destroying the creatures of Grimm. Though it would be wrong to classify him as a killing machine, because at the root of it all, his goal wasn't in destroying the Grimm, but in protecting those they would threaten. Over the years, Ozpin had learned the boy was very simple when you really got down to it. Ichigo had an immensely strong instinct to protect, and anything which posed a threat was to be eliminated.

Ozpin sighed as he stood; preparing himself for the ceremony he was soon to lead. Ichigo could be a difficult person to deal with. Undoubtedly, those girls were in for some rough times. Team RWBY held much promise, and maybe someone like Ichigo could get the most out of them. Only time would tell if he made the right choice in placing them in his care.

How could she possibly be running late.

That was the one thought running through the head of Ruby Rose as she barreled out of the new student's temporary dorms. Everyone else had left a short while ago, but she had run into a bit of a problem. She couldn't find her cape. How someone lost something with as bright a shade of red as that was confusing, but somehow it had happened. Telling her sister to go on without her for now, she scrambled around the building trying to find where she had left it. It wasn't until after she had searched the entire building from head to toe, did she realize that after the events in the forest, she had taken it to be washed. One frantic visit to the laundry later, she had reclaimed her precious cape and took off out the door.

Even though she had such a late start, Ruby was confident she could still make it to the ceremony in time. The girl took a sharp turn around the corner of the dormitory, not losing a step in the process. She took the turn so fast in fact, that she didn't notice anything in her way before she collided with what felt like a brick wall.

Ruby looked up to see a man standing over her. He was fairly tall, standing just over six feet, had spiky orange hair, and was dressed in what she recognized as Beacon's uniform; well at least it was supposed to be. The man's jacket wasn't buttoned, the vest and tie were missing, and the white dress shirt wasn't tucked in, moving slightly with the breeze. He was looking down at her with a raised eyebrow; brown eyes questioning. The girl decided he had a somewhat handsome face, if it hadn't been drawn up in scowl; but that wasn't what really drew her attention. Along his back rested the largest sword Ruby had ever seen. It was easily as tall as the man before her, and resembled a massive black silver-edged cleaver with a pointed tip. In lieu of an actual handle, white cloth had been wrapped directly around the tang. It was unwieldy, unorthodox, and through Ruby's eyes, magnificent.

"You alright?"

"Y-Yeah…" Ruby muttered dreamily, pulling herself up. She couldn't take her eyes of the huge sword on the man's back.

With a slight nod, he turned away.

"Wait!" Ichigo looked back over his shoulder. "Your Sword…"

The scowl returned to his face. "What about it?"

"It's…AWESOME!" the girl shouted excitedly. "It looks like its solid steel, how can you wield something like that? No of course you couldn't, that would be what, over a hundred pounds? Does it have a name? I bet it does, all good weapons have names." She hurled questions at the man before her, whose face had softened from a scowl to a blank look of confusion. "Oh, sorry." The girl added, embarrassed at her outburst. "I'm a bit of a dork when it comes to weapons."

"It's fine." The vizard answered, only slightly annoyed. This wasn't the first time someone had asked him about his sword, and probably wouldn't be the last. However it was the first time someone had been so…excited about it. Because of his reputation, people were usually careful about how they approached him, but not this girl. Which must mean… "You're a freshman aren't you?"

"Well…yeah." Ruby answered, rubbing the back of her head. Of course he would notice, she must have looked like an idiot running around the campus like that.

"Shouldn't you be at the ceremony?"

"Ah!" Ruby stiffened, remembering just why she had been running around like an idiot. "WAH, I'm going to be late!" The girl bolted off down the path. "Sorry for running into you!" Now she was going to be later than ever. She should've just gone with the others, but no, she just had to make sure she had her cape. How could she be late for the team assignment ceremony, it was only one of the most important events in a huntress's career. Oh, why hadn't she asked for directions from that guy with the big sword?

"You're going the wrong way." She skidded to halt after turning a corner around one of the campus dormitories. Just around said corner, the man she was just talking to was leaning against the wall with an irritated look.

"Wha…how?" Ruby was at a loss for words. How was he here, she had left him standing quite a ways back. Her semblance allowed her to move at incredible speeds, moving faster than her was no easy feat; not to mention she should have noticed if he had passed her along the way.

"The auditorium is in that direction." The vizard said to the still dumbfounded girl. "At your pace, you should be able to make it in time."

"But…"

"Do you want to be late?" The girl flinched back with a squeak before taking off in the direction he had specified. A call of thanks drifted through the air as she rounded another corner. Ichigo watched her go, slightly impressed at how quickly she was moving. Maybe some of the freshmen weren't as hopeless as he had thought. The girls speed was very impressive for a new student; hell some senior students would have trouble keeping up with her. Kicking himself off of the wall, he turned back towards the forest. The run in with the girl had cost him valuable hunting time; he'd have to make that up. There was a slight buzz in the air, and he disappeared.

"Where is Ruby?" Yang scanned the crowd for any sign of her sister. The youngest girl had left after the rest of them, something about not being able to find her cape.

"She'll be late if she doesn't hurry up." Weiss answered with a huff. Today was their official acceptance into the school and a member of their team may not even make it on time. Honestly, how do you lose a big red cape anyway?

They were standing along with the other groups in a large auditorium. A semicircular stage was before them, with two holographic screens hovering above. After their initial tests in the Emerald Forest, the passing teams had been asked to assemble here to officially be joined into teams.

The lights in the room dimmed as Ozpin, the headmaster of the school took the stage. "I congratulate all you students who are here today." He looked out into the crowd. "You have faced many challenges to make it this far, but today is the true beginning of your training to become huntsmen and huntresses." An image of a bidepdal wolf and another of a large bear, each wearing a bone white mask appeared on the screens. "A Beowulf, and an Ursa. You are all familier with these types of Grimm, but as we all know they are but the tip of the iceberg." The images shifted to stills of larger species of Grimm, this time a great black snake. "Throughout the forest, we placed several more difficult monsters. Some of you were able to handle it…" The images changed away again. The first displayed a great scorpion like deathstalker, its body seemingly crushed by a great force.

"Yeah!" someone shouted from the crowd, drawing a smile from the headmaster.

The second revealed a great black bird, its head cleaved off.

Yang grinned at seeing the image. The four of them had defeated the Nevermore almost two days ago, and were still a little sore from the encounter. It was a fearsome creature, and had required them all working together to get it in position for Ruby's final strike.

"While some of you were able to handle these creatures, many of you were not." The headmaster continued. "Many were injured during the test and were not able to complete it, because of this you may have noticed that your number has almost halved."

Blake glanced around the auditorium, noting the large absence. The test had indeed been rough on many of the newcomers, but that was how it had to be. A hunter's life was a difficult one, and many simply were not cut out for it.

Yang looked around and noted that luckily, all of her friends seemed to have made it through the test. That was good; at least she wouldn't be bored. But there was still one glaring absence. Just where was she…

"scuse me…" a familier voice whispered.

The blonde jerked to the side to see Ruby, slipping through the crowd. "What took you so long?"

"Sorry, I kinda got lost." Ruby said, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment. "But this guy gave me directions…" Her silver eyes widened as if remembering something. "Oh yeah! Yang you should have seen the size of this guy's sword! It was…"

"And where have you been!" Weiss cut in, her excited teammate. "The ceremony started ten minutes ago! If you have been any later, we could have been in trouble. I will not have my chances here be jeopardized by your.." she felt a tap on the shoulder. She turned. "What!"

"He's about to begin." Blake answered flatly, nodding towards the stage. The four turned their attention towards the stage.

"Now, it's about time we began finalizing your teams for the upcoming semester." Headmaster Ozpin continued. "These teams will be the foundation of your time here at Beacon. Everything you do will be done as a unit and the bonds you forge will help you overcome obstacles you could never hope to topple on your own." With a wave of his hands, the images on the screens faded to white. "Now without further ado, we shall begin. When I call your names, please line up here on stage." He cleared his throat. "Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark." The crowd clapped and cheered as he called out the names.

Cardin was a tall, powerfully built boy with short brown hair. His clothes were black, with pieces of steel armor laid over his chest and arms. Russel was a good deal smaller than his teammate. He wore a dark green vest and dark pants; a spiked guard resting over his left shoulder. His most distinguishing feature however, was his hair, which was arranged in a light green Mohawk. Dove was a simple looking boy, that wore the same black clothes as Cardin, however his armor was far less ornate, and made of a dull bronze which matched his parted hair, fitting for his name. The last of the group was Sky, similarly dressed to Dove except his armor grey in color. His medium length blue hair stopping just above the shoulder.

"The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces, from this day forward you will work together as Team CRDL. This team will be led by Cardin Winchester." The crowd applauded as they exited the stage.

"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie."

Jaune was the first of the new group to make it onto the stage. He was a thin, blonde boy with a sword strapped to his side. He was wearing simple street clothes of a jeans and a black hoodie, with some pieces of armor strapped to the chest and shoulders. Lie Ren was a slightly shorter boy who had black hair with a single pink streak going down the right side. He was less armored than the first boy, choosing instead a green tailcoat and beige trousers.

Next was Pyrrha. She wore here long red hair back in ponytail. Like Jaune, she was partially armored as well. However hers was a golden bronze, unlike her teammates dull grey. The last one to make it to the stage was Nora. She wore a white shirt with a black vest and a pink skirt. Unlike the others, she practically bounced up the steps to the stage.

"The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces, from this day forward you will work together as Team JNPR. This team will be led by …Jaune Arc."

The blonde boy seemed shocked. "M-me? Are you sure?"

Ozpin grinned at his surprise. "Congratulations young man."

Jaune continued to look stunned. The red-headed girl beside him gave him an encouraging smack, or at least she attempted to. The force of the hit managed to knock her blonde teammate off balance, causing him to fall to the floor of the stage. The crowd laughed at this, but there was still mostly applause as they exited the stage.

"Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Yang Xaiolong."

The four girls made their way towards the stage, wading through the crowd along the way. Once all of them had made it onto the stage, the headmaster continued. "The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces, from this day forward you will work together as Team RWBY. This team will be led by…Ruby Rose."

"Wha…" Ruby managed to stutter out.

"I'm so proud of you!" Yang shouted, leaping over pulling her sister into a crushing bear hug.

Weiss didn't seem pleased, looking at the two sisters with e mix of confusion and anger; something that wasn't missed by their fourth teammate.

After the applause died down for the last time, the headmaster began again."Now that your teams have officially been formed, I have an announcement to make." A new picture appeared on the screen above him; showing a vague outline of a human being with four arrows pointing down towards four smaller outlines. "This year we will be implementing a new system here at Beacon. Each team will be assigned to an upperclassman specially picked by the faculty to act as a mentor for the coming year." This statement caused a buzz to run through the crowd.

"This mentor will be there to help you adjust to the school, help train you, and generally assist the team they are assigned to with any problems they may have." Ozpin continued. "Now, this will not interfere with those among you tasked as the team leader. You are still responsible for your team, and during any classes or missions you will be graded on your own merit. The mentor program is there to help you grow, not to give you a crutch to stand on. It is my hope that this new program will lead to a more well-adjusted and effective group of young hunters and huntresses by the end of the year. You will find that information has already been sent to your scrolls. Your first assignment for the semester is finding and meeting your assigned mentor."

Hearing this, Ruby and the rest of her newly formed team checked to see who they would be assigned too. All they had received was a name. "Ichigo Kurosaki."

"All we get is a name?" the Weiss mumbled with irritation. She had hoped they would have more to go on.

"It seems so." Blake replied simply. "It's enough. All we should have to do is ask around."

"Well, what are we waiting for!" Ruby said with a small hop. She was excited to see who they would be working with. Hopefully it was someone with a cool weapon like that guy from earlier. The trio began to walk off, but noticed Yang hadn't moved an inch. "Yang come on, let's get going."

It was then that she noticed something was wrong with her sister. She was staring at the screen of her scroll with wide eyes. "You've got to be kidding…"

"You were planning on doing this all along weren't you?" Glynda asked, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Her and the headmaster had left the stage and where now heading back to his office. She had suspected Ichigo would be involved when Ozpin first brought the idea for the mentor program forward. Her hope had been that he would see the potential dangers of such an action, but apparently he hadn't.

"I don't know what you're talking about." The headmaster grinned. "I was on the fence until Peter gave Ichigo his recommendation."

Somehow she didn't believe that, but Glynda supposed there was no use arguing anymore. The decision had been made and there was nothing she could do about it. She respected Ozpin's decisions, even if she didn't always agree with them. Ichigo was a different story altogether. He was too much of a wild card; who knows what he might do. Crow's nieces, the Schee heiress, and what they suspected was an ex-white fang operative; it could be disastrous. The woman bit her lip, she would have to monitor him very closely in the coming weeks.

"I think you're too hard on the boy Glynda."

She was torn from her thoughts by Ozpins words. "I just don't trust him." She answered. "He rarely participates in class, spends half the day on the roof of the school, gets into fights, has little to no respect for authority…" The woman could go on for hours on all the things about him that she didn't like. "…besides, we both know what he really is."

"Yes." The headmaster agreed. "He is a good, but potentially great huntsman. Very rough around the edges, and with serious need for an attitude change, but a good one nonetheless."

She agreed with him. That's what made everything so frustrating. Ichigo was without a doubt one of the most powerful individuals she had ever seen come through the school. His potential was nearly limitless. Ever since he had arrived on campus, stray Grimm attacks along the borders of the city had almost been completely eliminated; and she knew it was due in no small part to the young vizard patrolling their halls.

He held such promise, but there was always something about him that frightened her. Even when he was first brought to the academy for his training all those years ago, she could tell there was something hidden in him. When he fought it made its way to the surface. There was a beast in the boy, fighting to release itself and destroy its enemies. During those moments, he had the eyes of a hunter. Merciless, promising that something was going to die.

Normally these things may not frighten someone like her on their own. She was a huntress, her job was to find and eradicate Grimm. Such things as the will to fight and destroy the enemy were part of the job.

What really got to her…was the mask.

She had only ever seen it once, and it was without question one of the most frightening things she had ever encountered. It was during a visit to her colleague Peter Port's home that she had first seen it. The man and his adopted son were having a spar out in the lawn, one which the older man was easily winning. Ichigo became frustrated and lashed out with harder swings, leaving his guard open for his adoptive father to exploit.

Eventually something must have snapped in the boy's mind. He let out a feral growl, and charged with fury. The change had been quick. Ichigo's eyes had gone black, his irises changed from brown to bright gold. With a violent crash, the boy pushed his opponent with a powerful swing of his wooden sword. He raked a hand across his face, and black energy covered it momentarily, soon dissipating to reveal a horrible white mask loosely resembling a skull.

The usual feeling of instinctual fear most humans felt around the Grimm came with it. It was powerful, saturating the air around them. As the masked boy roared, the mouth of the mask opened, revealing a row of pointed fangs.

Port had been forced to end the fight then and there. While the young boy had been exceedingly powerful, a skilled huntsmen such as Peter was still more than enough to subdue him. The experience had been terrifying. The pure power and ferocity the young boy had unleashed concerned her greatly. It was after this event that the man and Ozpin would explain to her just what Ichigo was. A Vizard; presumably the last of what was believed to have been a race existing only in the realm of legend.

Glynda shook her head in frustration. It was not the time to dwell on the past. The headmaster had made a decision and she would have to settle for watching him from a distance. Besides, the semester was starting tomorrow and she needed to prepare for her classes. Her aura manipulation class was one of the key cores for the school, and the first week was always the most difficult.

"What's wrong Yang?"

The blonde shook herself back to reality when she heard her sisters words. "Uh…"

"What is it?" Ruby was growing concerned, her sister never froze up like this. "You look pale."

"Well…" Yang began slowly. The other two members of their team were looking at her now, their looks mirroring her sisters. "…A few friends of mine are in the year above us..."

"Ok, what does that have to do with anything?" Weiss cut in, annoyed. "We need to get going and find this guy."

"That's the thing…" the blonde continued. "When I told them that me and Ruby were going to be here this year, they gave me one piece of advice."

"And what was that?" Weiss began tapping her foot, telling her to get to the point.

"Whatever you do…avoid Ichigo Kurosaki ."

AN:

Can't promise when this will be updated again, but I will try to work on it when I have the time.

Once again, any questions I would be glad to answer. Thanks for your support.