Ummmm...Hello Everyone, It's been awhile.
For you start hating me, i was hospitalized for a while, i overworked my body and mind too much and i sudden;y collapsed. But i had time to recover and brainstorm ideas with my good friend. So without any hesitation, the 7th chapter!
Arc 2: First Steps. Chapter 7: Preparations.
(Insert music:Audio - Collision (Excision VIP)
Okki Village - 3 hours away from the academy
One Beacon ex-student by the name of Akashi Mayhiro laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling for the past hour.
No. Mayhiro had been staring at his bedroom ceiling ever since he returned home without his beloved Hammer. "Tsk..." Frowning in frustration he slammed his fist to the side, from all around the house, a 'thud' could be heard.
Meanwhile in the kitchen, Julie Mayhiro sighed before she resumed cooking for tonight's dinner, while Kagami Mayhiro was sifting through the bills with his ever trusty calculator. "Dear." Julie said after hearing Akashi's loud sigh "Shouldn't you be talking to him already, he's been like this for a good day now." huffing she placed the plates on the drying rack.
"I've been trying to talk to him, but it's only 'yes' or 'no' or 'I don't want to talk about it'." Kagami threw the paper onto the table. "I've never seen him this down, the only time was..."
"When we decided to pull him out of Acadamy." Ms. Mayhiro answered for him. A silence wafted over them for a short time before both returned to their duties. "Kagami. He was on cloud nine when he was accepted into Beacon. To have his Gravity Hammer taken away from him now is..."
"If he doesn't come up with an answer, then he can come work at Promethean Industries with his old man!" Julie gave her husband a 'don't you dare look' before turning back. "What? Maybe taking his mind of the task at hand would help him find the way."
"….." Julie stayed silent before hearing a knock on the door "Huh? Who could be here this early in the morning?"
….
Akashi slowly opened his eye, seeing his scroll vibrate "For the love of god…." Growling lightly he snatched his scroll from his side table.
'1 New Message'
"Let me guess." Akashi swiped the screen and punched in his 4 digit pin code. The screen flickered with numerous messages.
[Fluffy: What the hell!?]
[Cappy: Where are my pockys?]
[Kirk: ?]
[Sis: Answer me please!]
[Yang: Is it true?]
[Cookie Lover: What Happened?]
[Jaune: Why man?]
[Juge: Disappointing.]
Sighing he continued to scroll upwards until a blue highlighted section met his eyes. Narrowing his eyes he looked at the recipient.
His Blood turned to ice.
"Her: I heard what happened."
"Out of everyone... How the hell did she get my address!?" he swore before tapping on the message.
[Only you could have been kicked out of the most prestigious academy in the world before the first semester even ended. That must be a new record for you foolish Akky.]
"That b-" Akashi snarled before continuing.
[With you out of the picture, becoming the best hunter in the world is an easy task. One can assume that it'll now be smooth sailing for me to become the best huntress in Alaster region and I will show everyone –including you- that I am worthy enough to take your sister's title of the strongest hammer user in Remnant.
Regards,
'Bubble-gum mistress']
His frozen blood was now boiling to the point of exploding "GAHHHHHHHHH!" throwing his scroll away he stood up and punched his closet "This is too much! I can force myself to allow Juge to surpass me, but not her! Out of everyone, not her!"
"Akashi dear-"
"Not now mom!" Akashi fired back
"Akashi dear…you have a visitor"
"Huh?" His anger faded as he walked towards his door "Okay… who is it?"
"It's Alexis-"
"Go away sis."
"-'s friend."
"Sis' friend?" Akashi wondered "Alright…" slowly turning the doorknob to open "Sorry whoever you are but I'm not-"
"I can understand that Akashi." Two eyes stared back at Akashi as his jaw opened.
"You… why are you here?" The woman smirked in response… a rare sight.
"Because I get a 'favor' from your sister if I do this, Mr. Mayhiro"
….
"So….we're really having a tea-party?" Jaune Arc asked Phyrra as they headed back to their dorms "And Juge is making everyone tea?"
"That is the case Jaune besides, it'll be good for your recovery after that incident." The red-haired huntress smiled back at him, the blond hunter winced before rubbing his still sore arm.
It had been two days since the red-forest incident, the aftermath of it caused a few changes in a some students. Team CRDL became less frequent in bullying , especially towards Scarletina. Some say they were brooding in the background planning something, but that was probably just paranoia. Jaune felt his confidence build up each time he trained with Alexis. She knew that Jaune was still hurting, as she stated.
"Are you a man or a mouse, boy!?"
Calling upon his manhood Jaune endured her harsh training every time, but deep down, he was thankful for her and his teams support in his road to greatness….at least he though so.
Kirk was nowhere to be seen, not even his 'hobbies' made him standout. This actually made Alexandra and Antonio somewhat concerned about him, he wasn't found in his cramped quarters, he only made himself more present to them in classes. It was then Jasna proceeded to pummel him.
Riza's temper around Grimm related things was still there…but it was weakened….just a tiny bit.
"Can't believe they postponed the Survival Test by a few days after making all that fuss about it."
"There is no helping it, the headmaster had important business to take care of. Maybe preparation for such an event is more complicated than we can imagine." Phyrra made a thoughtful expression.
"I am not complaining. The more time I get to prepare with my training the better." He hastily explained. He was walking backwards to face Phyrra while talking.
However…
As the two students turned a corner Jaune felt a opposing force collide with him "Wah!" losing his footing he was about to fall, that was until Phyrra grabbed his arm and set him upright. "Thanks Phyrra, who was…" Jaune stared at the white haired girl who landed on the ground.
"Ouch….." that white haired girl was none other than Weiss. Looking up she narrowed her eyes at Jaune.
"I'm sorry Weiss! It was bad timing, please don't yell at me!" Jaune begged. Expecting to get another scolding from her he braced his ears, only to hear nothing but a small reply.
"It's all right… be more careful." Without another word Weiss dusted herself off and walked away. The two stunned hunters looked at her like they had seen a ghost. Weiss Schnee never let anyone off.
"Weiss!" Phyrra called out to her. The girl stopped her movement and turned her head back to see them. "Will you come to the tea-party with your team?"
"...I suppose." Weiss muttered before turning left.
"Did… something happen to her?" Jaune asked his teammate, however Phyrra just shook her head.
"I don't know. She's been like this for awhile ever since…"
Weiss was known as a cold person, though she could be very nice if she tried... in her own way. But she was still human, she had feelings like everyone else and she had guilt plaguing her.
Only to her the guilt inside was not going away, not after what she had said to a certain boy. It was confirmed now that he had indeed left the Academy which made her feel all the more frantic.
And she didn't know how to handle that.
As she entered the bathroom to wash her face, the cold water felt like bliss after a hard day of training. This was her only time to get any relaxation or in this case 'me' time.
"…" Sighing to herself she looked at her image in the mirror in front of her. It was her usual face, full of confidence and pride. It was a look of sadness and pain, all under a mask that was beginning to break.
"Why are these unnecessary feelings affecting me!?" she cursed "I'm glad I don't have to put up with him anymore, even that insufferable pervert has disappeared." Weiss tried to smile. "Then why!?"
"What are you talking about Scarface?" Weiss gasped as she whirled around. A toiled flushed and one of the doors opened before revealing Alexis behind the cubical door. "Are you always so loud when you're talking to yourself?."
"P-professor Mayhiro!?' Weiss stuttered, the blond 'bombshell beauty' gave a big smile at her.
"The one and only, Scarface!"
"Why are you in the student's bathroom?!" Weiss cried out "Shouldn't you be using the one in the teachers' faculty?"
"I didn't complain to Ozpin that Goldilocks used our toilets." Alexis responded as she washed her hands.
"Goldilocks…you mean Yang." Weiss huffed "I suppose that is like her." Looking as her Professor she swallow a lump in her throat.
"So…how are you?"
"Tired, depressed, frustrated. The usual" Alexis fixed her glasses. Weiss shook her head at the carefree attitude. "But also sad."
"About Akashi leaving right?" Weiss said without realizing what her own words. "I mean…you're his big sister right?"
"Yeah… Hey Scarface-"
"Before you continue! Why are you calling me that?" Weiss asked "You seem to have a nickname for everyone."
"Easy, that Scar down your eye" Alexis faced her and gently touched her visible mark on the left side of her face, Weiss flinched away from her. "For a Heiress to get such as scar…"
"Don't touch me ever again Mayhiro!" Alexis eye widened as Weiss yelled at her, covering her mouth Weiss looked at her. "P-professor…I-I-I overstepped my-… I didn't mean."
"So it's taken its toll over you too, huh?" Alexis eyed her, while Weiss looked at her funnily. "Akashi's disappearance has left you feeling weird."
"What, don't be-"
Alexis touched her face again.
"Back off! You look like him!" Only now did she realize what her words meant. So that's why she couldn't bear her presence. Her eyes reminded her off his angry expression...
"You're going to crash and burn if you don't take it easy." Alexis smirked before walking closer to her. The Heiress continued to back away from her "Don't be shy Weiss… let me help you ease that pain." Alexis purred.
"Stay away from me… you got it all wrong!" Weiss hissed before feeling the door behind her, unfortunately the door was a pull to open type.
Alexis, being the taller one out of the two slammed her hand on the door, making Weiss yelp as she towered over her. Sliding her hand to the lock she twisted it to it's side. "So... what did I get wrong exactly? You showing quite the reaction." Alexis slowly said her as her green eyes leveled with hers.
"Wh-what are you going to-" a finger was brought to her lips silencing her.
"You said it yourself Miss Schnee. I remind you off my brother. So I will take care of these 'unwanted feeling' inside you." Giggling, Alexis inched closer to her face, making Weiss blush uncomfortably "Let's see if I can 'help' you…dear snowflake."
"Stop…" Weiss 'yelled' but it was barely a whisper "I won't hesitate to report you…" Once again it was more of a breathless sentence.
"Shh..." Alexis was less than a centimeter away from her lips "After this you'll be asking me for more anyway ~"
"Ah..." Weiss looked at her as her pink lips and green eye forced her to stay still "My first… kiss… with a woman…?" Weiss knew it was impossible to escape, even if she cried for help now.
"That so~?" Alexis Muttered "Then relax..."
Weiss gulped and closed her eyes. Her lips were pursed strongly.
'Why?!' pushing the thought away she braced for it. Her first kiss.
…
Akashi was more nervous than on his first day at school. His parent had left the house to 'do something'. So they were basically leaving him alone with the guest that sat in front of him.
"Would you like a drink? You must have woken up early to see me." Akashi broke the silence.
"Yes, I'll have a coffee please, milk and two tea spoons of sugar." She replied. The former hammer-user nodded as he made his way to the kettle and started preparing.
"So may I ask why you are here… Ms. Goodwitch?"
Glynda fixed her glasses. Her bright green eyes locked on the former Beacon student. "I'll cut to the chase. Your sister informed me about after your abrupt leave from Beacon. She told me that your Gravity Hammer was an 'aura based' weapon instead of a traditional dust powered weapon." Noticing a speck of dust on her glasses the professor of Beacon took them off and cleaned them.
"Your not here to scold me Ms. Goodwitch, are you?" Mayhiro asked shyly. Dear god was he wrong.
"You have your sister's attitude. Dense and reckless." Glynda started.
'Yes she is.' Akashi thought to himself. 'Just like you would expect from sis.'
"What was going through your mind when you made that Gravity Hammer? Did you realize how stupid it was to think of making an Aura depleting weapon that uses up your life-force?" the Professor scolded him as he made her coffee.
"I wanted mine to be different-"
"Correction: You wanted something just like your thick-headed sister's, but even more ridiculous." Akashi turned towards her, brown eyes clashed with green eyes. "Don't tell me that's a lie, I know it's the truth."
"...No wonder you and my sister were like oil and water. You couldn't stand each other… yet you manage to be two of the strongest huntress teams for a while." Akashi chuckled "You knew my sister inside and out I guess."
"Knowing how you would tick is a mere child's play to me Akashi." Mayhiro nodded as he placed the cup in front of her. "Yet knowing how Ozpin drinks this on a hourly bases…or Oobleck is beyond me." Sipping to taste it before taking more she gently placed the cup back down.
"Ms. Goodwitch, why did you come here? For my sister?" Akashi asked her, sighing once again, the Professor of Beacon looked at Akashi for a good minute.
"That's not your style."
"That's not my what-now?" Mayhiro repeated the last part. "Ms. Goodwitch, you're not making a lot of sense here."
"It's as I said Akashi: That hammer is not your style." Glynda said "You were not meant to wield the Gravity Hammer... nor were you supposed to design it."
(Insert Music: Naruto Ultimate Ninja storm 3: Light)
Akashi Grunted as he raised a brow "And just what is supposed to mean, Ms. Goodwitch?"
"From the information from Alexis and my analysis of you, Hammer-based weapons won't allow you to utilize your full potential."
"My question still stands."
Glynda shook her head "You're supposed to be smart... yet you're looking like a puppy who's lost their sense of direction." Her green eyes glared straight into his, making him flinch. "Akashi Mayhiro. Why did Ozpin strip you of your hammer?"
"Because it was an Aura based-weapon, and as stated it's a fatally dangerous weapon to the user. Even if the output is great." Akashi muttered.
"There was a second reason." This time Akashi looked at her funny. "Alexis told Ozpin that you were aiming to be like her, that's why you built the Gravity Hammer." using her index finger Glynda traced the outer rim of her mug. "Director Ozpin wants you to follow your own path Akashi. Not your sisters. He stripped you of your dear weapon, because he knows."
"...and you expect me to believe that?" Akashi laughed " How do you know that?"
"..." This time Akashi was thrown off.
Glynda Goodwitch smiled. "Well... that's why Alexis told me to come here."
Current time - Girl's bathroom
"..."
"Ku... KUHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
(Insert Music: XenoBlade Chronicals: Main theme)
Weiss Slowly opened her eye. Revealing that the blond teacher was not anywhere near her, instead she was busy laughing, holding her side like she was about to explode.
"You... you shoulda seen your face! You really believed that I was about to kiss you!" Alexis laughed "Hahahahahahaha!"
Weiss was stunned one moment, then the next she was filled with anger and embarrassment. "You... you disgusting fiend!" She cried out, finally finding her voice again. "How dare you take advantage of me!?"
"Don't blame me Scarface, you were the one getting into it!" Alexis wiped a tear.
"Excuse me, my mind and body were not ready for it!" Weiss stomped her feet "Gah! You are nothing but a pervert!"
"Ahahahaha!" Alexis couldn't respond as she continued laughing.
Grinding her teeth in defeat Weiss unlocked the door "If you don't mention any of this, I won't report you, do we have an understanding?"
"What understanding? I just 'helped you forget about that guilt'." Alexis giggled. Weiss' eye widened as she spun around to face her "See?"
"Huh? What do..."
"I'll tell you later, don't you have other things to attend to?" Alexis winked at her "Tell Jaune to stay healthy, and I'll see him tomorrow morning!" Alexis waved before walking away from her.
Weiss Schnee was a woman who knew how to deal with people that used correct manners. However dealing with a Mayhiro was going to a place where she would need more than a good scolding and glares.
"I swear to god... They will be the death of me. Note to self: Avoid any type of interaction with them." Weiss nodded at her confirmation before walking off towards her dorm room.
Okki village
Akashi looked to his sides as onlookers noticed him and Glynda walk by "Uhm... Ms. Goodwitch? Where are we going? You just said to lock the house up and follow you."
"Somewhere, just be quiet and follow me Mayhiro." Goodwitch said with a clipped voice. Akashi sighed before following behind her.
(Xenoblade Chronicles: daily life)
Okki village was a small but humble village just located an hour from Vale, as the seasons came and went the village adapted to it, right now it was the end of summer, yet the leaves around town had yet to fall. Due to this the green leaves gave everything a 'home away from home' feeling the townspeople were friendly and the winter festivals were excellent every year.
"I envy you and your sister Akashi. Every time I came here when your sister was playing 'sick'. I was surprised when she invited me to a family event." Glynda looked around. "I could even say this was my personal vacation spot. I might come here... once Ozpin forces me to take my leave."
For once Akashi chuckled "Mom was wondering when she would be coming back for the BBQ, but when she contacted sis, she said she was too busy for outings and drinks."
"I suppose that is correct, Beacon is the best Acadamy and it demands nearly all my time, I even have a room to myself."
"And my sister?"
"She got kicked out and moved into town." Glynda rolled her eyes "Typical for her."
The two made small talk as they passed buildings and shops until they saw a large building ahead of them.
"What was the deal that sister made you do this?" For the repeated time today, Akashi saw Goodwitch smiling. "The survival test will consist of teams of two, but the teacher will be by themselves, in extreme cases we are forced to help you students out, but Alexis said that she'll take care of her own share this time."
'It's already an accomplishment to make her do her own work, huh?'
"That doesn't sound like a good-" he was interrupted.
"And the next drink we have will be all on her." Akashi gulped.
"You drink?"
Glynda turned around and raised an eyebrow " I'm serious Ms. Goodwitch, you really don't look like a person who enjoys alcohol."
"For your information Mr. Mayhiro, most people do like to have a drink once in a while." Huffing she quickened her pace, leaving Akashi a good few meters behind.
"I didn't want to offend her... huh?" Akashi realized where he was going "Why are we heading towards the library?"
"Be quiet and follow me." Glynda replied softly "There's no point in asking questions now, I'm here to show you something."
(Insert Music: The world Bugdevil only knows: Koi no Koiku)
Okki Village - Library
The two entered with little sound, mostly because the librarian was glaring at them, however the green eyed woman returned the glare with the same force. "Nice to see you again Helga."
"Akashi, she's too old for you." The old lady said "You need to find someone your age."
"Excuse me?" Glynda said with venom in her voice "I'm in my early 20's thank you very much and there is nothing between us. He is one of my students." Glynda fixed her glasses "Now if you could act professional for a bit. We are here to search up on the faunus/human wars, would you kindly show us the way?"
Giving a deathly glare the old lady stood up from her desk and shuffled to a faraway isle. "This way, if you may."
Akashi nodded as he walked after her, only to be tugged on the shirt "hHh?"
"Just for reference… how old do I really look?" Glynda stared at him "And tell me the truth, if you will."
"…eh?"
Beacon Academy - Team LARJ/JNPR Joint room
"Lucy!" Riza scolded her leader "How many times do I need to tell you that you can't mess up the bed for anything. The room needs to be presentable!"
"Wah, Riza is being mean~" Lucy said her a carefree manner as landed on her back on Juge's bed "Jugey won't mind~"
"I think he quite will Lucy. Juge is one of these 'well organized men'." Ren spoke to team LARJ's leader in a quiet voice "Though I wish I could say the same about... Nora." Ren gave a look of defeat as Nora somersaulted on his bed, effectively destroying it for the 7th time.
"By the way, where is Juge anyway?" Riza question the boy as she looked around the room to find the whip user.
"He's gone to get the equipment and cups ready for tonight." he replied "I assume he'll be back soon."
"Which is more reason to get the room ready!" Riza grunted determined. "Lucy! Stop it! And help me get this table ready!" The faunus pointed to a folded table that was waiting to be set.
"Labor, work... I hate it~" Lucy complained before being pulled by her feet of the bed "Riza~ Why~?"
"Because Juge's trusted us to get it right! It's the first night we're having all the teams coming over!" Pulling Lucy upright she huffed "And the least you can do as leader is to show some effort. Proof that you are willing to do this for the team!"
"Fine, but I want pockys for my help~" Lucy smiled. Riza facepalmed before nodding. Everything in this world had a price after all. In Lucy's case the currency was unquestionable.
"Yes, yes. Fine, as long as you help I will get you your treats." Riza muttered.
"Hooray~!" Lucy cheered as she ran towards the tables, to everyone's surprise Lucy manged to set everything in the span of five minutes: Tables, Chairs, napkins, cups and teaspoons.
"Whoa…" Nora looked on as Lucy set the last cup down. "She's quick!"
Even the calm gun wielder looked on in surprise. He- no all of them weren't expecting Lucy to do that.
"Done~ Riza, can I get my pocky now?" Lucy dusted off her hands before running over to her faunus friend with a puppy dog look "Pwease?" It was a little startling for the blond girl.
"Fine…come over here, you're lucky I keep some in reserve." Riza shook her head before motioning her to come with her, kneeling on the carpet she stuck her hand underneath her bed before pulling out a small locked box with a dial. "Just so you know, you're getting one and one only!"
Seriously, at this point she felt like a mother to her red-head friend.
"Right~ What flavors do you have?"
"Let's see…" Riza quickly covered Lucy's eyes with her right hand and turned the dial with her left. A click and the door swung open. "I have Chocolate, Kiwi, Orange, Pizza, Strawberry, Honey and Milk, Coffee and Banana."
'Just how many are there?' Ren stared at the scene with a blank epxression.
"I'll choose the Honey and Milk~" Lucy smiled, the fox nodded as she grabbed the box and handed it to Lucy "Thank you~"
"Hey hey! Riza!" Riza turned around.
"What is i-wah!" Shocked Riza fell on her butt, Nora giggled as she bent down to meet her gaze "Nora, not so close!"
"Sorry~ Do you have pancake flavor?" the girl asked hopefully. Riza looked in the box, searching for the flavor.
"No, sorry Nora." The orange haired girl frowned.
"Aww~ Try mine please." Lucy held out her stick. Nora smiled cheerfully and shrugged while taking a bite.
Before the conversation could continue, team LARJ's door opened, revealing Juge holding a mass amount of tea cups, followed by Jaune holding the tree sap and Phyrra holding the tea bags. "I'm back." Juge stated before looking at the preparations for the room. "Riza, Nice work I must say."
"Oh…um… that wasn't me…it was Lucy."
"Lucy?" Juge questioned.
"Lucy!" Riza repeated.
"Umm c-can someone help me out here, please?" Everyone looked at Jaune who was struggling to hold the jars. At once Ren and Nora went to help their captain while Phyrra was eating a single pocky thanks to Lucy.
"Interesting! What flavor is this?"
"Milk and Honey~"
"Right then." Juge sighed in a satisfied manner. "Looks like everything is ready. I'll get the water." The young Velmón looked at the clock "The teams will be arriving soon, Riza I'm trusting you to greet the guests."
"Yes boss..." Riza moaned "I know what I have to do Juge, just leave it to me." The whip user nodded before heading out.
"Well it was certainly lucky for us to run into Juge while he was carrying all that stuff" Phyrra dusted her skirt before looking around. "Lucy did you do all this?"
"All for the sake of achieving paradise~"
"Just how important is pocky to you?!" Riza shook her head in bewilderment.
Lucy held out the packet again and asked Phyrra "Want another~?" The green eyed huntress looked at her before smiling.
"Thank you for the offer." She thanked her and ate the stick.
'I could get hooked on this.' She silently thought.
…
"BOOM! TEAM RWBY ENTERS THE STAGE!" Ruby barrel rolled into the joint room, getting everyones attention. The rest of the team walked in, however everyone stared at a certain blond brawler as she came in.
No it was not her clothes... Those were the same.
It was her long hair. It was….more sparkly than usual.
"Gooood afternoon!" Yang whistled "Shall we get this little tea party started?" she grinned before looking around "Where's my little servant?"
"He's gone to get the water, everything has been set up." Riza replied to her. 'She is still calling him a servant...?'
The blond nodded before hearing a knock on the door. Before anyone could answer it the door blew off its hinges and effectively hit Jaune in the head, knocking him clean off his feet.
"Jaune!" Phyrra cried out as she rushed to his side.
"Jasna, there was no need to destroy that door, a simple knock would have sufficed. Someone would have opened it for sure."
"Big deal! It's not like I tried to damage it." A loud voice boomed. "What if one of the pigs opened it for us though? Then I would have had the pleasure of knocking him out!" it was revealed that it was none other than Antonio and Jasna who had arrive in 'their style'. "And look, I was right on the money!" She giggled as he pointed at the fallen Jaune.
"It wasn't really necessary, dear Jasna" Antonio reminded her "No we have to compensate for your 'entry'." Shaking his head Antonio bowed. "I apologize to you Jaune and team LARJ, my friend here was rather excited to attend these joint group festivities, I will find a way to repay her fault."
"No… uhm no…it's quite alright…" Riza said. "But you will need to do something about the door, Lucy doesn't like it being opened at any time when she sleeps.
"That's how the bogeyman comes~" Lucy said "He'll get me for sure~" It was not quite clear if she was serious or not.
A silence followed before Ruby started laughing, followed by Nora, soon everyone had started laughing, even Blake managed to giggle. Riza huffed before smiling to herself, the ice had been broken, it looked like it was going to be an eventful evening.
…..
(Insert music: Zetsuen no Tempest – Reminiscence)
Weiss Schnee bushed her snow white hair before looking at herself in the mirror. She couldn't get the scene out of her mind. The way their lips almost touched... She shook her head frantically. That was something she had to ban from her mind as soon as possible!
While looking down she was feeling all types of emotions. Confusion, anger, anxiety and… something she couldn't put her finger on.
She had realized that she did Akashi wrong and she also knew that something had to change. There is no way for her to change immediately, but from now on she would try to be a better person.
However she finally snapped out of her own thoughts, she would have to dwell on them later. She had a party to attend to and a heiress was never late to such events. Standing up, she noticed her appearance in her usual combat uniform but without her weapon. A simple tea party wouldn't require any sort of formal clothing or a ball dress.
Having one last glance at herself she headed outside of her dorm before seeing a certain turquoise haired boy. Narrowing her eye she noticed that the boy wasn't doing his usual thing, instead he was looking at the setting sun with the hue of afternoon orange coloring the sky.
"Kirk." She called out "Aren't you attending the party?"
Kirk took a moment before looking at her "No."
"Huh?" Weiss asked in surprise "Why not?"
"A party is with friends and comrades." Kirk made a whole sentence. "From my position... Only Jaune is my friend, everyone hates me."
"That's... true." Weiss admitted "But don't you think Jaune would be happy to have you there?"
"He has his team, I don't want to be troublesome to him." Kirk said "Have fun at the party Weiss."
"Wait!" Weiss grabbed his arm "How do I know that you're not going to use this time to sneak off and take pictures or even... worse things?"
Fire didn't reply, but instead he grabbed something behind him and unhooked it. That was his trusty camera. Weiss watched as Kirk placed in it in her hand. Nodding he shrugged of her hand and disappeared after a group of students walked past him.
Schnee looked the the camera before turning it on, she knew how to work a camera of course. So she was searching its files.
Nothing.
"…" giving one last glance at the direction of Kirk's back Weiss turned away and headed towards the party. She was already late enough as is.
…in the interest of time…
Weiss sat between Yang and Blake as they watched Juge prepare their tea "The trick is really simple actually." Juge poured a small amount of the red sap into the last cup and followed up with the hot water along with the tea bag. "Once you get the concentration right, the tea will be perfect."
"Juge~ Will it go with the pocky?" Juge winced at the comment.
"Tea is meant to be enjoyed by itself, but…I suppose you can eat it with a treat like yours." Juge forced himself to look relaxed. One part of him wanted to get his point across that tea is something to enjoy by its own flavors, but the other part wanted to not make his captain cry.
"Yay ~" Lucy cheered.
"So… is everyone ready for the test?" Weiss piped up. Numerous groans as the result of an answer.
"Don't even go there princess!" Yang said as she buried her head in her arms "It's bad enough I had to spend my weekend just to grab stuff that I don't even use!"
"Well… Professor Mayhiro did say, that you'll be relying in these tools during the test." Weiss said as she grabbed a biscuit from the middle.
"I can see where the professor is coming from. The most useless tool can be the ones that could save your life at any even moment." Blake muttered. Ruby on the other hand laid her head on the table and faked cry.
"Aww… what's my baby sister crying for?" Yang asked in a sweet voice.
"Yeah, it's supposed to be a fun night~" Lucy added to Yang's words.
"I don't want to do this stupid test." Ruby whined "It's bad enough that I'm up to my neck in homework and assignments… but this is too much!"
"Well if you paid more attention to class, took notes and studied in the library, you wouldn't be in this mess you dolt!" Weiss scolded her leader. The result was for Ruby to cry some more. "Honestly."
"Well if anyone was wondering, I think…I'm ready for this test." Jaune said in his usual timid tone. "Professor Mayhiro has been giving me tips how to surivive in different condition, along with the usual Spartan training." Phyrra smiled at him.
"That's great Jaune, you should be proud of yourself!" she praised her leader, Ren and Nora nodded to him, the blond haired leader blushed as he scratched his cheeks.
"Your doing quite well now Jaune, keep doing your best." Riza smiled "Now only if we could do something about our dear leader…"
"What, don't you like me~?" Lucy yawned as snuggled into her arms. Riza shook her head before patting her.
"So back to the last question." Juge looked at them "Are we all ready for the test?"
"More or less." Weiss said.
"Me and Ren are ready!" Nora shouted.
"Yes." Riza said "And Lucy is too... I think."
"And you Mr. lazy bone" Riza turned to (what she thought) was a filled chair "Are you going to be-" Riza paused before seeing that the chair was empty. "Oh right… he's gone."
"Akky~" Lucy mumbled " Kirk isn't here either~"
"I've been meaning to ask, has anyone seen that blue haired piglet?" Jasna asked while stuffing herself with biscuit "He hasn't shown up in our room, it's a rare slight to see him in class." She took a bite "Not that I care about him."
"It does seem that Kirk has been really depressed about Akashi leaving." Phyrra spoke "He and Akashi were best friends, as well as you Jaune."
"Yeah…" Jaune looked down at his feet "Classes isn't the same without those two."
'Not that Kirk ever left an impression in class.' Riza thought to herself.
"I bet he's just been taking pictures of girls all this time" Jasna slammed her hands on the table "It's what I would have done. If I catch him in action I will-"
"As much as I want to help you on that plan." Weiss stopped her, getting everyone's attention "He hasn't." Reaching down to the floor she picked up Kirk's camera and placed it on the table.
Antonio looked surprised "Ms. Schnee, why do you have his camera… more importantly. Why isn't he carrying it with him? He never leaves without it."
"Kirk left this with me." Weiss admitted "He also said was wasn't coming tonight."
Only the sound of the water boiling could be heard, Yang sighed, having a sympathetic expression on her face "That blue fuzz ball is really taking it hard…"
"Ah, don't let it get to you Yang, he'll be back to take picture of us in no time. I can wait till he gets better to beat him up again." Jasna grinned at her.
"Somehow that seems like a terrible spiral of recovery and pain." Antonio faced away silently praying for his comrades survival.
"By the way Jasna, where is Alex?" Riza pointed out "Isn't she suppose to come as well?"
"She said she had somethings to take care of tonight." Jasna looked at her "But she said that she will try to make it if she can."
"Alright then!" Juge announced as he placed the tea on the last tray. "For now, let's not dwell on the sad things that have occurred, these situations happen all the time everyone, my mother always told me that 'Some people can live alone, but not a single person can bear absolute solitude'."
"Where are you going with this my slave?" Yang smirked at him as she placed her chin on the hands. Juge smiled as he placed a tea cup in front of everyone else, he also placed a teaspoon on the side.
"What Akashi, Kirk and Alex are going through will be tough for them, sure they might make it out of it okay, but soon they will realize that they have friends and family ready to bear their burden with them." Juge smiled softly and pointed to the left "Riza, Lucy…will you be there for Akashi if he needs help?"
"Always~" Lucy responded with her happy voice. "Akky is a good friend… I don't wanna lose a friend~"
"Well he did just leave us." Riza muttered "But the idiot isn't the type to leave for no reason... I'm sure he had a reason… so I'll chose to believe that he'll come back. And if he does need help… I won't hesitate to help him."
"As will I. And don't forget to scold him for being a complete moron." Juge chuckled. RWBY, JNPR and Antonio smiled. "Akashi will come back… and I believe that he'll be better than before."
Only Weiss looked a little distant. A small shadow was covering her face.
"Then if that's the case" Jasna slammed her hand into her open palm "He better bring his A-game every single time!"
"Jasna, not now!" Antonio laughed "Let us have enjoy the tea Juge as prepared us."
With everyone nodding, they all looked at the reddish liquid. Yang eyed it before looking at Juge "Ahh.. you sure this is drinkable?"
"Without a doubt. Don't you trust your servant?" Juge winked.
If someone assumed the role of a certain observant pervert, one would see that…very faintly...
Yang Blushed.
"Don't make me hit you again servant boy!" Yang said hastily before holding her cup up " A toast!"
"A toast?" Riza asked, before she rolled her eyes as she saw Lucy holding her cup high almost instantaneously "Alright then."
"Yeah! A toast!" Nora and Ruby said in unison. Yang grinned before clearing her voice.
"For what servant boy said: We'll always stick together no matter what!"
Ruby Stood up. "For those that have lost their way and will come back!"
Jaune stood up "To find courage to protect those precious to us!" Phyrra nodded to that and raised her cup.
Riza couldn't help but to join them, finally standing up "To help others get past obstacles that we alone cannot climb!"
Blake smirked "To finally achieve peace in this world."
Weiss spoke up "To become the best hunters there is."
"To rid the world of pigs for good!" Jasna shouted, Antonio facepalmed. "I don't mean you Anto!"
"Right…"
"Fine then! To impress all the girls!" Jasna changed her toast.
"Just give it up." He smiled wryly and raised his cup too.
"To get all the pockys in the world~" Lucy cried as she stood on the table.
"Now we are talking!" Nora tried to outdo Lucy's cheer.
"A toast to all that!" Yang did the same "And finally... even if it's a little cheesy. A toast to us staying friends forever!"
A loud cheer erupted before everyone took a drink.
"….!"
"Juge… this is amazing!" Yang said as she took another sip with sparkling eyes. Everyone nodded before the brawler marched over to him holding out her cup "Another please!" She smiled.
Jaune on the other hand leaned over to Riza "This is really good stuff!"
"No kidding." Riza replied. Jaune nodded before nudging her again "Yes?"
"..aahh…nothing."
Riza rolled her eyes again "Fine."
Jaune took another sip before eying Yang interacting with Juge 'She seems….odd.'
…some time later...
Everyone enjoyed their tea and continued until late night, the evening was a success. Everyone had a great time. Jasna surprisingly was too good in a mood to hate the boys in the room and happily drank with them. Lucy managed to push at least a dozen pockys on everyone by the end of the evening. And Yang was officially the strongest after she beat everyone in a arm wrestling contest.
"Wooohooo~ My sis is the strongest!" Ruby applauded. "And my other sis.. and the third..."
"Ruby... a-are you drunk?!" Weiss shook her at the shoulders.
"Strange. I don't remember the sap having any alcoholic effects." Juge rubbed his head.
"There is nothing in it! I don't feel any different!" Nora refuted.
"You are looking the wrong way Nora. We are over here..." Ren pointed out.
"Maybe something about this particular mix of leaves and sap... could the synergy have..." Juge was mumbling to himself, analyzing the tea.
"Rizaaaaa! Why is your tail so fluffy ~?" Lucy was hugging the faunus' tail strongly.
"Ouch! Lucy, don't hug it so roughly!"
"Rizaaaaa! Why is your bosom so warm?" Jasna tried to hug Riza, but the fox girl pushed her away.
"Nice try."
Antonio was laughing at the sidelines while downing another cup.
"J-Jaune? Are you alright?! Jauuuune!" Phyrra was holding the blond boy who's mouth was bubbling.
"He shouldn't have challenged me to a drinking contest." The brown-haired Antonio said.
"This is just tea... right?" Weiss expression turned blank.
"Maybe a spontaneous dissolving effect from the ingredients..." Juge was writing down a strange formula on his napkin.
Blake was reading a book as if she didn't notice the commotion.
"Looks like at least one person is unaffected." Weiss wiped her sweat in relief.
"..." Blake kept quiet.
"Eh?" Weiss looked closer. Blake was holding the book upside down. Her face turned into a stone-mask.
"Sis is the strongest, but I am the most talented!" Ruby suddenly declared.
"Ho? Is that a challenge?" Yang grinned at her and cracked her knuckles.
"I won't always stand in your shadow Yang! You can beat me at anything except for... dancing!"
Yang gasped.
"You didn't just say that."
"What if I did?" Ruby gave her a haughty grin.
"That's it! Dance baaaaattle!" Yang yelled and it got noisy again.
"I see." Juge finally finished his work. "This tea is from that place. And the sap enhances the potency... so it's similar to an alcoholic effect. But without any repercussions. Truly fascinating."
"Jaaaaauuuunneee!"
"Ahahaha!"
The party was going full throttle.
Some time later Alexandra opened the door. She had indeed managed to take care of her business before the party was over. What she saw made her eyes go white and her mouth turn into a dot.
Without hesitation she closed the door immediately and left.
Even later the situation calmed down and most of them returned to normal. The atmosphere was relaxed and nice.
After a while everyone said their goodbye.
However…
Juge was humming a tune to himself as he ventured towards the kitchen "Those ladies were really nice to let me borrow the cups and thermal tin for tonight." The brown haired teen smiled "Tonight went without a hitch... aside from a few mishaps… but what's a party without a bit of randomness?"
"Hey." Juge's eye widened as he whirled around. "Need any help?"
(insert music: The world only god knows - Koi no Kioku)
Juge took a moment to process everything before nodding. "I suppose carrying the tin is making things hard for me." The blond girl nodded before taking the flask out of his hands "Thank you Yang." He smiled.
"Sure. Any time." Yang muttered as they walked side by side. "Thank you for the night... I really enjoyed it."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Juge replied. "It was fun to see you boasting about how strong you where when you pinned Ren."
Yang slugged him on the arm "Shut up servant boy.." Wincing Juge shrugged it off with a laugh, in the corner of his eye he saw her eye shifting back and forth as she fiddled with her hair.
"Hmm... something the matter Yang?"
"…." Yang opened her mouth before closing it.
"Don't hesitate now, you said so yourself. We're friends, right?" Juge reminded her. "Though if it's girl stuff… Riza is a better choice."
"Say that again and I'll paint this wall with your blood." Yang hit him again. "The survival test is coming soon right?"
"Yeah, it's the day after tomorrow, why do you ask?" Juge opened the cafeteria, seeing the ladies he hurried to them with yang in tow. "Thank you for the cup miss."
The old lady smiled at them "It is no trouble. It's good to see friends getting alone" Nodding Yang placed the large flask on the desk. "Thank you dear."
"No problem" Yang smiled.
"Let's head back shall we?" Yang nodded , but before she realized, she grabbed his shoulder "Juge wait!"
"Oh sorry, you said wanted something correct?" Juge replied "How can I help?"
"Well… the thing is… I haven't got the gear yet… mostly because of the work we have... and such." Yang grabbed a strand of her long blond hair as she played with it. Juge on the other hand was stunned.
'This is Yang? She's quite different from her usual self.'
"Well, do you think you can help me get the gear?" Yang said in a small tone. "Even though I'm the oldest... I do tend to make mistakes and I don't want to screw this test up." She closed one eye and waited for an answer.
"I don't see why not." Juge smiled at her "I will assist you Yang. You have my word."
Yang opened her eyes, revealing lilac orbs as they shone with happiness. "Really?! You'll help me!?" Yang soon averted her eyes "After all the mean things I made you do as my slave?"
"The gravy was meant for Akashi, he was going at it head first with Jasna. Unfortunately he ducked and you were in the line of trajectory." The young Velmón admitted. "But that was very childish of me to begin with."
"I would have done the same you know." Yang said "Are you calling me a kid too? Do I look like a child?"
"Ah…well…umm..." Juge stuttered. Yang watched him try to force a sentence out as he blushed in embarrassment.
'Hehehe. So that's what his blush looks like… not something you see every day.' She walked over to him. Yang punched him lightly on the chest. "Easy there Jugey, I'm just playing with you." Winking at him she gave a childlike grin. "So meet you at your dorm at 12?"
"As long as nothing goes wrong. I'll be there." Juge turned to face her. "Have a good night Yang."
"Yeah…see you in class Juge." Yang smiled warmly at him before walking off. As the sister of Ruby walked off to her dorm, her mind wandered as she looked outside to see the moon shinning at the sky. However she was still too dazed to notice that a certain blue haired boy walked past her with a bag in tow.
Entering team RWBY's dorm she looked at her younger sister who was clutching her pillow like a teddy. Weiss was writing down something, looking over her shoulder she gave a nod before resuming. Blake was reading her favorite book in her bed.
Blake however (unknown to them) picked up a rather… soft and faint tune coming from the blond, however, rather than ask her if she was singing, she smiled to herself and continued reading as Yang changed into her night clothes, a smile ever present on her face.
…..
(Change music: World 7 Map - New Super Mario Bros.)
Okki Village
Akashi sighed as he turned over the page "Ms. Goodwitch~" he whined "What are we looking for, you haven't even told me since we got here!"
"Oh hush!" Glynda glared at him "We're searching for the early Faunus/Human war, mostly about important figures. If you got time to whine then use it to read instead!" Akashi rolled his eyes as he flipped the page over.
"Let's see. Egnis Farhaven. A hawk faunus. She was known for being able to see from a different point of view. With this she was a great asset to the faunus race. She wanted peace with the humans, but she died for the cause." His spirits sunk as he saw a picture of an elegant lady with a javelin in her her hand. "She's pretty."
His thoughts were interrupted as a sharp 'slap' appeared in front of him in the form of a riding crop. "Enough ogling Akashi, you have plenty of time to get a girlfriend later on." Glynda said as she returned to her studies.
"Before I continue... what exactly are you doing?" Akashi asked.
"Teacher work, now start." Shaking his head he did what he was asked. Flipping over the pages he winched at some of the picture in the books, some bloody forms of faunus and humans, devastated areas and pointless fights.
"No wonder the White Fang changed into a criminal organization, they just wanted peace and this is what they got." Muttering to himself as skimmed over the pages "Just pointless fights… innocent lives taken… families torn… love shattered by war." The young Mayhiro paused before his brain kicked in. "My family had faunus lineage."
(Insert music: Pheonix wright: Suspense)
Glynda looked up, but not enough to gain his attention, seeing that Akashi was searching through the books once again she smirked.
"Now he's getting it."
The young Mayhiro scanned the book, as well as racking his brain to call upon any information that could be useful. "Come on! There must be something that must link me to my ancestors." Clicking his tongue the brown haired boy flipped back to the first page, revealing the contents. "Seriously... There must be something about Human/Faunus relationships somewhere!"
"Then why don't you find it?" Glynda said finally "This place does have a lot of books about what you are looking for."
Nodding, Akashi got up and headed back to the isle of Faunas history skidding in front of the neatly lined shelfs of information. He skimmed over the books with his eyes before seeing something that answered all his questions.
'Human/Faunus unity throughout the war.'
Akashi smirked 'This will be interesting.'
….
Weiss looked over to see Yang entering the dorm "Oh, Yang." She nodded to her and returned to the exercise book in front of her. "…" The heiress sighed before her thoughts headed back to the bathroom scene. 'She nearly kissed me... What a despicable prank.'
Knowing what to write she took her pen.
[To my wordless comrade,
Today was certainly unpredictable and also very illegal. One of the teachers of this academy, dare I utter the name of this foul predator, had attempted to lay her lips upon mine. For this reason alone I have every right to take her to the police, yet it would ruin the image. Imagine the headline 'Heiress of the Schnee Dust company caught kissing a teacher and a woman at that.' it would ruin me completely! Therefore I struck a deal to silence her.
But what was this feeling?
This unexplained feeling. I admit that I have been… looking down on others as they say. But that is commonplace for someone like myself to be looking down on the slackers and the simple-minded around me. I've been doing it since… that time. It was almost like I wanted to have her comfort me... to have some sort of contact. This isn't normal!
I need to stay away from those two or if one of them decides to show their face again I'll chase them away. But make no mistake that I will make them pay for what they did to me.
This will not happen again, I have more important thing to be worrying about...]
Weiss paused before looking around before scribbling something down.
[I can't shake this guilt off me, ever since Akashi left, I've been thinking it's my fault. If I didn't act that way he wouldn't have walked out on his team. Lucy and Riza took it hard, Juge too. I just don't know what to do anymore.]
Weiss rubbed her eyes before putting the pen to paper once again.
[She said that she did something to make me forget? What exactly did I need to forget?
Yours truly,
Weiss Schnee]
Closing her book she huffed before heading to her wardrobe, changing into her night gown she undid her ponytail and took her earrings off. Stifling a yawn she too headed off to bed.
Tomorrow would be another day.
Tomorrow for her would get a lot weirder.
….
(Favright - Taking Over (feat. Cassandra Kay)
Okki village - 3 day from the Test
"Amazing... just simply impressive!" Akashi took in the information that was before him. "There was a few that believed in unity, but they dwindled." Flipping over the page his eyes soon caught something interesting. "Hiro. Satoshi Hiro; a Tiger faunus."
Glynda watched on as Akashi gazed at the paper with an intensity that could have set the page on fire.
"Satoshi Hiro was known as the ferocious 'Tiger of death' that soon put fear into human hearts. His name would make people shiver. For the target Hiro preyed upon there was no hope." Akashi felt blood rushing to his head. Reading this sent tingles down his spine. "This guy sounds awesome!"
"As the human/faunus war began Hiro along with his trusted men created a small fraction within the Faunus army called 'Tiger stripes'. As much as the name was laughed upon the group was famed for mass murder and sabotages within the human armada." Akashi continued reading. "This chaos however had a degree of honor."
"Eh?" the Mayhiro paused as he rubbed his eyes "What the?"
"Satoshi Hiro Never killed women or children. He was raised to be a killer with a code. The tiger faunus would also give a warriors death to those who fought valiantly against them and lost. Even though he and the 'Tiger Stripes' were hated, it would be a lie to say that nobody respected them."
"Come on… there should be something about his weapon!" Akashi cursed as he carefully read the paragraph with more care.
"Satoshi led his group with a jet black sword embedded with fire dust inside. Cities and villages they attacked where burnt to nothingness. To this day the sword that was buried with him is rumored to glow as if still on fire."
Akashi's eyes widened as he turned the page revealing a tall light skinned faunus with fire orange eyes as he stood in front of his group with his famed sword stabbed into the ground.
'Satoshi Hiro, with his famed 'Igniter' leading the Tiger Stripes.'
"Someone that badass... how did he die? I hope it was some kind of last stand." Mayhiro flipped the page again and sighed.
'He died a peaceful death.'
"Well that sucks." Puffing out some air he looked at Goodwitch who was silently studying something before fixing her glasses "Time to move on."
A good hour went by as the young Mayhiro researched faunus biography after faunus encyclopedia. From Sword users to spears. As the years of the faunus war continued the weapons and tactics changed. But the body count didn't cease to stop climbing. Despite that heroes from both camps kept coming:
Nina Aireal: A Human that protected her side from the faunus onslaught, but died eventually.
Nathan Mandrake: A python faunus that was recognized as the best tactician of the faunus army.
Jason X. Clarkson: A male human that was known for his brutality nearly on par with Satoshi Hiro's.
The list kept going on and on. he read until just before the stroke of evening sun was setting in:
'Matthew Hiro'
"Huh? Another Hiro?" Akashi wondered as he looked down the page.
Matthew Hiro, a descendant from the famed Satoshi Hiro followed his Great-Grandfather's footsteps. As the Faunus war was reaching it's climax Matthew was forced to become a leader for the band of small militia at his town that was attacked by a medium sized human army.
Having no choice but to fight, he took his father's wooden staff and fended of the human attack. Thanks to his speed, quickness and power inherited from his ancestors. He and a band of comrades in arms fended the attacks off.
"That's pretty nice. I like his guy already!" Eyes gleaming with excitement, Akashi continued reading.
'As the months passed Matthew was forced to accept his fate and lead his team against the humans, however this plans were soon stopped when he lead this team to kill every human or in some cases take them as prisoners.'
'….' Akashi stared at the man named Matthew in the pages. Although he had the position and aura of his predecessors, his eyes were filled with guilt and sadness.
In the village of Portla Matthew and this men gathered many prisoners, most of them were women or children. Evidence showed that for slavery this was beyond what the faunus could handle. He protected the women that were constantly abused or humiliated, causing his men to question which side he was on. After he had enough of being questioned Matthew said these words so that both fractions would question themselves.
"I'm not an activist and I never intended to be a fighter. I don't look for controversy. I'm not a political person, but I'm a person with compassion. I care passionately about equal rights. I care about faunus rights! I also care about human rights. We all have a right to live how we want to live and not be oppressed!"
With those words by Matthew his members grew closer to him and his believes. They wanted equal rights with humans and soon ceased the harsh treatment to their prisoners. But in turn the humans that had been enslaved before and were now freed had soon learned to admire the tolerance the faunus displayed, even going further as to befriend them. It was this cause that soon lead to the alleged 'peace' between the humans and faunus.
Akashi gave a soft yawn as he turned the page. He didn't notice Glynda getting up to head to the 'little girl's room'.
With Hiro holding true to his words he was charismatic enough to find his long time life partner soon after his speech: Janet May.
Akashi's body froze. "Hiro… May… no way!" Swallowing a lump in his throat be cleared his mind. "Are Satoshi and Matthew… my ancestors?" As the ex-student looked down he saw the picture of Matthew's wife.
"She's…a little like mother."
'Janet May was an activist to end the Human/Faunus war. Instead she was denied her protest. During her time in the camp she fell in love with the leader of the group that captured them. Knowing that it was inevitable, Janet and Matthew soon ended the dispute, released the prisoners to go back home and later they had married under both the eyes of humans and faunus.
They soon settled down in a town built on Human and Faunus grounds and soon fulfilled Matthew's dream of owning a bakery.'
"….that was so anti-climatic…." Akashi groaned as he flipped the page. "This will be the last one…"
'Janet gave birth to a healthy baby boy and girl. Maxis and Mavis Mayhiro. Symbolic of their bond between the species they joined their last two names together and started a new and happy life. For a brief period of time at least.'
"…so that's where my family starts, huh?" Akashi closed the book as he cleaned up his desk as well as putting the books away. "I guess more reading is needed, but not now. I believe I've wasted away the whole day by just studying… hehe… I'm just like Weiss when a test comes up." Smiling to himself he sneaked a glance at the sun setting. "I guess I'd better rent the books." Sighing to himself as he stretched his body he looked over to the table to see Goodwitch… resting her eyes?!
"Ah... Ms. Goodwitch?" Akashi walked towards her as he watched her sleeping face. He reached out to her and gently shook her. "I'm sorry for taking up your time, we can go home now."
"…." the professor didn't reply as she continued sleeping. "I guess she is really tired after... whatever she was doing." The curiosity of the young Mayhiro increased he peered over her shoulders. Looking into the book Glynda was writing in he noticed numbers and scores, using his brain he knew what she was doing. "Test scores, huh?" Looking at the green eyed teacher he proceeded to wake her to no avail. "You're not going to make this any easier?"
…
Beacon Acadamy - LARJ/JNPR's dorms - Near midday
"WHAT do you mean you haven't prepared yet!?" Riza boomed at Lucy who was looking outside her dorm with another pack of pockys "Lucy, look at me when I am talking to you!"
"I haven't got the stuff, it's too bothersome~" Lucy sang while Riza snarled before taking off her headphones and pocky, causing Lucy to look at her "What~?"
"This is a serious test Lucy!" Riza stressed as she calmed herself through rubbing her ears "You can't just do everything all in the last minute..."
"Yes I can~" Lucy replied.
"No, you can't!"
"Yes, I can~"
"No, you can't!
"No, I can't~"
"Yes, You can- Wait! Don't turn my words against me Ms. Stripes!" Riza yelled. Now she used Lucy's last name, so it was obviously getting serious. "I'm not your mother, can't you look out for yourself sometimes?"
On the other side of the room Team JNPR watched as the two LARJ members 'fought' it out. Jaune on the other hand watched from his bed as his morning training consisted of running with Alexis till 10:30. His leg were filled with so much acid that it felt like they might dissolve. Phyrra had told him to put ice-packs on the swollen parts to relieve the pain.
"Lucy hasn't gotten ready?" The red haired girl asked "But the test is tomorrow."
"I know right?" Ren said as he cleaned his white louts "Apparently Lucy lost the sheet. Just like someone else we know..." Shaking his head he continued to look at the two. However his eye wandered to something near the bed post near Akashi's room segment. "Huh?"
As the teen in green jumped off his chair without making a sound, he walked over to the former student's bed. "What's this now?" Kneeling down he grabbed the paper and assessed it only to realize something. "Lucy, this is your prep list."
"Really?" Riza looked at him and before he could say anything else the fox faunus took the paper out of his hands, looking at it intently. "Yep, this is yours Lucy. Come on..."
"What~?"
"We're going into town to get your stuff, heaven knows if I leave it to you it won't get done." Riza shook her head as she headed towards their wardrobe.
"Wah- I don't wanna go~" Lucy whined, her body leaned side to side "Could you do it for me~?"
"Sure, would you also like me to become your personal maid too?"
"That sounds really nice-"
"NO!" Riza quickly picked out set of clothes and rushed towards the bathroom. Seconds later she emerged with a white t-shirt with a 'Deal with it' logo on it. Her skirt was similar to her school uniform but a bit longer. "Come then!" Grabbing Lucy's hand she dragged her captain around. It would be a while before they would get to the city.
Later, somewhere else.
Juge sighed as he closed his book and packed his things. The young Velmón spent the morning of his weekend catching up on studies that he was behind in. It was his principle ever since he came to Beacon to never give way on his studies.
(Yiruma: Maybe)
Yet for some reason his thoughts drifted away again and again. Every time he tried to focus he felt his attention fading again. Flashes of the party went past his mind. It had been quite a while since he enjoyed himself so much.
Suddenly his scroll vibrated near him, pulling him out of his drowsy state. Peering over to see, he noticed a large red flag. [Meet up with Yang.]
"Ah, I guess it's time." Smiling to himself he cleared his workplace and did it once over before heading out of the library. The brown haired hunter watched as other huntresses and hunters walked past him all wearing casual outfits. Humming a tune the whip user continued on his way as many hunters such as Ruby, Antonio, Blake and Jasna went by without noticing him. Not that he minded - he had something to take care of.
As he turned left or right, the crowd started to thin out. Once again people that he knew started to show themselves in front of him.
"Juge!" noticing Jaune and Ren up ahead he gave them a small acknowledging nod. "Where did you go this morning?"
"Just studying Jaune, how was your training?"
"Ah, my legs are still killing me, that's why Ren offered to stick with me in case I fall over and can't get up… hahaha." Blushing, Jaune scratched his cheek "But anyways, are you busy now?"
"Actually Jaune, yes. I'm supposed to meet up with someone today." Juge replied. The two male members of JNPR looked as each other before looking back at the only male member in LARJ right now. "Is that a problem?"
"Who are you going with?" Ren was the first one to speak. Juge took a moment, assessing if should he tell them or not. There stares were really making him uncomfortable. But they were friends after all.
"Yang. She asked me to help her with some gear for tomorrow's test." Juge said finally. "I don't want to be cold or anything, but I need to go you guys." He had underestimated the distance and was running late.
"H-hold on…Yang asked you?" Jaune manged to say. "But why?"
"It was a bit vague, but she did say she wanted my opinion on some equipment. Being most prepared is of the essence. I think that's a good idea." Juge said.
"Weeell... don't you think that Yang could have asked her team for help instead?" This question put Juge's train of thought of the rails. "Yang could have asked Weiss or Blake to help her... yet she went all the way just to ask you?"
"I… haven't thought of that." Juge started thinking.
'They are right…it would be sensible to ask another teammate for help. Why would she ask me?'
"You don't suppose it's because of the whole servant deal...?" He mumbled to himself.
"I don't really think so." Jaune answered with a wry smile.
"Anyways. How about we talk about this later?" Juge said trying to shake the thoughts. "I really must meet Yang, you do know how she is when she's mad."
Both boys shivered and nodded. "Take care Juge, see you tonight!" Jaune waved him off. Ren nodded and shook his hand before walking besides his leader.
"Jaune posed a good question. Why would Yang ask me?" The whip user pondered as he continued his swift walk. "Yang sometimes does pose as an airhead, but she isn't that dense to forget to ask her sister or at least her teammates." Sighing in wonder the boy ran his hand through his medium long brown hair. "Asking her something that questions her logic would probably get me killed. Father did say that girls are fickle creatures who can never be figured out. Mother overheard him saying that and locked him out of the house for a week. That action more than anything his father said proved his point. Juge's father called it a training camp and dragged his son along to cover for his pride under the wife's overpowering control as always.
As he approached his dorm room (which still had no new door yet) he instantly saw a certain hunter with blond hair leaning on the wall, looking at he scroll. Her lilac eyes fixed on the screen and were in turn illuminated with the light from the device. Juge gulped and then he coughed into his free hand "Morning Yang."
"Huh? Oh Juge!" Yang's grin stretched across her face as she put her scroll away. "Good late morning to you too!" She said "I thought you were sleeping, so I was… going to…"
"Going to…?" Juge raised an eyebrow.
"Jump on your bed and wake you up!" Yang finished "But luckily I don't need to do that!"
"Right…" Juge shook his head 'That's something I'd expect Nora to do.' He sympathized with Ren at that thought.
"So, are you ready?" The brawler asked. "I saw Fluffy and Headphones coming out earlier. I think that they were talking about the test." It seemed like everyone used nicknames at this point...
She posed the 'thinker'. "You think that both of them haven't got their stuff yet?"
"My best guess is that Lucy hasn't gotten her gear. Neither have you though." Juge pointed out, making Yang cringe overly playful.
"Ouch, that stings!" She chided before looking at him with a funny expression. Juge couldn't help but to chuckle. "So one more time. Are you ready?"
"Sure, let me put my stuff back into my room." Juge hefted his book as he approached the door. Yang rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips.
"Dooorrkkk!" She sang. "You do homework on the weekend?"
"Every Sunday morning. It's better to get it out of the way." Juge muttered back. Only that he didn't get much done today.
Entering the room he noticed that both teams were gone. Quickly placing his books back, he returned.
"Oh yeah?" Yang said "And after that, what is your idea of a weekend?"
"Meditating, sparring, maintenance and if necessary some cleaning." Juge said in his usual tone. Yang on the other hand had her eyes twitching with her mouth wide open. "Is there a problem?"
"No... nothing." Yang said quickly 'Sooooo dullll!' Breathing out Yang turned on her heel and headed outside. "Maybe I should take him clubbing with me sometime. The poor guy needs to loosen up..."
"Ah, right behind out Yang. Do you have the paper of the stuff you need?" Yang smiled as she showed him the paper. "Excellent."
"Come on servant boy!" Yang grabbed his hand and dragged him with her. "Since it's a Sunday, we can do other thing as well~" She smiled. Juge raised an eyebrow.
"Other stuff?"
….
The two groups of two headed towards the town at their respective pace. While Riza and Lucy headed directly towards the place where they would find most of the required stuff, Yang and Juge took a different route.
…
"Seriously, stop being so stubborn!" Yang whined as she forcefully dragged him into a sport and fitness center "Just one peek!"
"After you get your gear. Isn't that more important?!" Juge tried to reason with her, but the only reaction he got was a pouting face from Yang.
"Pretty please?" Juge stared at her feigning tears before rubbing the back of his head.
"Alright… let's go have a look." Yang gave a small cheer before grasping his hand again to pull him along.
…..
As the two went off track, Riza had some problems getting Lucy to do her work. However in the end she had managed to do so, with the cost of losing her sanity.
"Riza~"
"What?"
"I just remembered something important we forgot."
"And what might that be...?"
"We need more pocky ~"
"No we don't!"She was already carrying dozens of bags with her.
….
After Lucy, Yang, Riza and Juge had gathered what they needed, they headed home back to Beacon, however one group had more problems than the other.
Yang had a smile that said she won the lottery, holding onto bag (of what seemed to be her gear) she continued to head towards her dorm with Juge in tow. He to held bag upon bags full of unknown items.
"See Juge?" Yang called out to him "Shopping on a weekend is the best!" Throwing a grin at him, Juge rolled his eyes.
"If only you realized what you bought Yang." He said in a flat tone. Yang looked down to see items of tape ointment and dust for her weapon.
"So I may have gotten some more stuff than planned... what about it?" She shrugged "It's not like... we..." Her mind slowed down for a brief moment before realizing what Juge had said.
"We... forgot to buy the gear!" She dropped her bag of goods before looking outside. Night had already come. Most students at this time were sleeping, ready for the morning test. "Oh crap! I knew we shouldn't have done this. I wasted the morning doing squats!" Yang stressed out as she grabbed her golden locks. "Oh god!"
Juge looked ahead as he watched his friend going into a mental meltdown. What she didn't know was that the Velmón had ducked out under her eyes and (from his own allowance) acquired the equipment that she needed. All that was left for him was to see how long Yang would take to realize before she panicked.
He didn't believe it would take this long.
"There's still time!" Yang tried to make good of the situation. "We'll take my motorbike this time. We can get the gear in double the time!"
"Yang-" Juge started but was cut off.
"Ugh! I'm so stupid, This always happens!"
"Yang."
"Come one Juge, you gotta help me for real!" Yang once again grabbed his hand in hers to drag him along.
"Yang!"
"What!" Fired up her eyes turned red. "Can't you figure out that I'm a goner if I done get that stuff. I'll get everyone into danger and I won't be able to look after Ruby. If I am a burden I have no right to talk to-" Yang felt a weight on her shoulders. Instead of going berserk at him, she calmed down and took a deep breath.
(Insert music: Yiruma- Kiss the rain)
"Relax Yang." Juge sighed. "I expected you to do something like this. If there's one thing my father taught me, it was to 'always think two steps ahead of yourself'." The boy placed his bag down before taking a very large bag from the bottom "That's why I went to the shops while you were immersed in your boxing and MMA gear. I took the time to duck out without you noticing that I was missing. Not that you were very observant." The Young Velmón passed the large white bag to her. Yang looking at him before looking inside.
"Juge, this is..."
"Yeah… it's the stuff you need for tomorrow." Juge gave her a smile. The blond took out a canteen and a compass from the bag.
"How did you pay…?"
"I paid on your behalf." Her red eyes slowly turned to purple "There's no need to pay me back. You taught me an interesting way to spend a Sunday, so we are even."
"I… did just enjoy myself… I didn't give you anything..." Her eyes narrowed "You're not wanting something back… are you sure?"
"Why?" Juge asked "I just wanted to help you out. That's what you asked me for in the first place." He smiled gently at her.
Yang was kind of lost. This young boy she just met a few months ago helped her out in such a thoughtful way. He was willing to help her without her threatening him... just like a normal friend would do.
"I have something to confess Juge." Yang lowered her head "I thought you would be like the ice Princess on my team."
…..
Weiss, who was sleeping peacefully had the sudden urge to sneeze.
…..
"I thought you would be sticking your nose in the air, looking down at everyone and always having the final say." Yang continued. "But you've proven yourself to be a nice person. I'm sorry for misjudging you."
"It's quite alright Yang. Everyone judges people based on their standing." Juge replied. He was very aware of the attention his heritage drew to him and he never hesitated to look back at the others. "But where is the coming from?"
"It's just not many people have been this nice to me in my life. It's the first time in Beacon that someone outside of my team put up with me like that… not for... well…" Yang eyes looked away as she used her hands to outline her body. "You helped me… for me."
'This… is Yang's other side?' Juge wondered. This was the second time she looked so vulnerable. "W-well, like I said it's fine!" His voice shook for a split-second. "Now I believe that both of us should catch some sleep. We'll need it."
"Yeah that's right." Yang gathered her stuff and picked it up. "Thank you for today it really means a lot."
"Anytime Yang. See you sometime around." Juge nodded at her before turning around.
"What do you mean 'sometime'?" Yang muttered "You don't want to hang around me?"
"Huh?" the brown haired hunter turned his neck around to face her "I didn't mean it like that."
"Then say something else, other than that." Yang said. "I hate that... what you said."
"Okay then? How about..." Juge paused "Let's meet at the goal tomorrow!" He gave her a confident look.
Yang smiled back "I'll be waiting for you. You want to get some breakfast together before the test?"
"Why not? Until then good night." Juge waved her off. "Get some sleep, if you can with all that coffee running through your body."
"Shut up!" Yang shouted before laughing.
As the two walked towards their dorm, Juge wondered about the sudden change in the blond brawler. Her tomboy persona was returning bit by bit.
"Father was right. Women are fickle beings."
The hunter quietly snuck into the joint dorm with JNPR before changing into his night clothes. As he tucked himself into bed, he noticed his scroll was glowing. "We just parted Yang..."
It's wasn't Yang.
[Akashi: I found my answer. I'm coming back soon.]
…
(Insert music: Third wave)
Glynda watched as Akashi packed his bag up before checking it was secured.
"Are you sure about this?" She asked "You can come back to Beacon and do it there. Ozpin can reschedule the test for when you complete your weapon. We are already delayed to begin with." The ex-hunter shook his head.
"No. I need to do it there. No offense, but Beacon won't have the materials for what I have planned." His brown eyes had a certain spark to them. "The test is happening tomorrow. Thank you for helping me up to this point, it means a lot Ms. Goodwitch."
"You can thank your sister for that. But that look... it's just the same as hers already." Glynda picked up her handbag and looked at him "Mr. Mayhiro."
"Yeah?"
"See you soon... Akashi." She finally said before walking towards a black car. "Do your best."
"Yeah." Akashi replied before hoisting his bag. The boy watched as the car pulled away.
"Akashi." He closed his eyes before turning towards the sound, Kagami Mayhiro was dressed in his work outfit to head there.
"You ready?" he spoke calmly.
"Finally, I know what I have to do… What needs to be done." He said. His father nodded before turning his back.
"It'll be awhile before we reach Promethian Tech's."
"I can handle it dad…" The two nodded before walking away from the household. The brown haired boy turned around to see the outline of Beacon once more.
"I won't go back on my word. I swear on my ancestors! It won't be long." Those were his last words before heading towards his new goal.