NITL
Volume One
Arc Two: Initiation
Chapter Eighteen: Pick up the Piece
"Oooh, so this is the Relics we're supposed to find?" Naruto asked as he took a look at the black horse-like piece. Picking up a similar looking piece, Ichigo looked over it.
"Looks like it," The orange head murmurs as the rest of the group began to collect their own pieces.
"Pfffft, what'dya think? Hehe, a cute lil' pony," Naruto joked, dangling the piece in front of his face. Ichigo twitched an eye, wondering if it was too late to trade partners with someone else. Yang, on the other hand, bit her lip at her self-proclaimed "enemy of women" making the same joke she did. Tsuna could only roll his eyes at Yang's behavior towards her fellow blonde for something he didn't realize he did.
"Give it a rest, Yang," The brunette comforted, picking up his own Relic before tossing another one to Luffy.
"So now what?" Jaune asked, shakenly gazing at the frozen Death Stalker that was breaking out of its prison. Looking up, he shivered more as the Nevermore began to fly towards them again. "I don't want to be here with these things in the same place…"
"He's right," Negi said, grabbing a piece, "We don't really have to be here, technically."
"Exactly, the only objective we have is to pick up a Relic and return to the Emerald Cliffs," Weiss agreed.
"Run and live, I can live behind that!" Jaune said, picking up a piece.
"Then it's agreed," Ruby ended, having finished her endlessly long questions about Negi and Natsu's weapons before high-fiving Maka for having a scythe as well, "Let's go!"
As one, the teenagers all turned to one direction and began running. In the lead, Ruby dashed along, rose petals flying behind her as she jumped on a rock. Looking at her fellow contesters, the girl waved. Yang lingered behind for a bit, looking at her little sister as Blake noticed along with Tsuna.
"Is something wrong?" Blake asked.
Tsuna could only shake his head, "It's probably just an overwhelming feeling of pride and content with Ruby."
"Heh, you know me so well, lil' Chestnut," Yang smiled, jogging to get her adrenaline back.
"Only because you always forced me to come with you on every silly little misadventures."
"Hey, they're not silly!" Yang retorted, "Those were character building and well within my rights as your Yang-wife to do such things!"
Blake blinked, a healthy flush beginning to develop. "Wait, your what?"
"Goddammit, Yang…" Tsuna groaned his blushing face into his hands.
Pants and huffs were heard as two boys were seen rushing out of the tree lines. One was a brunette wearing silver armor, while the other was a greenhead attempting to bring the punk-style Mohawk back into business.
"Th-think we lost them?" The Mohawk wearing boy wheezed.
"Hah, I think so…"
The two crumbled and fell on their knees and butts, panting and trying to catch their breaths.
"Oh my Dust, that was terrifying!"
"You're telling me!" The brunette sighed, "Oh well, at least we're saf-…"
A roar was heard as suddenly, a large cat-like Grimm stumbled into the clearing. Ignoring the two boys, the Grimm sniffed before catching tow particular smells that it recognized. Immediately, the Grimm roared and raced into the tree lines, heading towards the south.
Left behind, the two boys could only stare with fear and astonishment. Underneath them, wet spots could be seen on the ground and their pants.
"You hear that?" Naruto asked.
"If I had a Lien for every time I heard that…" Ichigo grumbled as he jumped over a tree branch.
"You'd have exactly 15 Lien," Yang joked. Ichigo turned to glare at her while Tsuna shook his head. Naruto on the other hand, had the joke fly completely over his head as he replied,
"No, I mean seriously, does anyone else hear-…"
A roar interrupted Naruto and shook everyone to the core. Everyone but Naruto and Ichigo turned to look behind them while the two aforementioned boys paled. The two looked at each other.
"That wasn't…"
"Oh shit…"
Mechanically, like a robot, the two slowly turned their heads to look at the same directions as their groupie to find the trees beyond rustling with the sound of a tiger's roar. Naruto gulped while Ichigo took a step back. Some of the teens within the group raised a brow.
"What was-…" Jaune began before-…
A large Grmm cat suddenly emerged from the tree lines, interrupting Jaune as well as scaring the bejeezus out of him. Everyone tensed as the Grimm looked around at each of the group, discerning which one to prey on. It then noticed both Ichigo and Naruto, who were inching away from the group. It growled and somehow pointed at them with its paw before dragging it across its neck.
Immediately, everyone's attention was at the two partners, who flinched at the cat's behavior at them.
"Uhhh, mind explaining why this Grimm seem to hate you?" Maka asked.
Naruto began chuckling nervously as Ichigo answered, "W-we might've pissed it off before the whole meeting and gathering…"
"Of course…"
"Well…" Pyrrha began, "You did had a habit of making people angry at you…"
Ichigo frowned. "I don't have a habit like that."
The redhead simply smiled and giggled nervously, remembering the countless times during their mock training when Ichigo would always piss something off simply for snarky remarks or even for looking at him funny. Of course, as a young preteen, the orange head was quick to anger, but given his background, it was clear why he had such temper.
"Whoa… I wanna kill it!" Nora exclaimed as Ren palmed his face.
"I wonder if it tastes good…" Luffy licked his mouth.
"You can't eat Grimm!" Weiss took it upon herself to point it out. Seriously! Is everybody around her this dumb witted!? Aside for a selected few, of course, she's not that rude.
"Ehehehehehehe…" Naruto mumbled, stepping back further as the feline Grimm stepped forward. He yelped when he stumbled over Tsuna's foot, who yowled at the sudden pain. "Oh shit! I'm so sorry-…!"
The moment of distraction by the blonde and brunette was all the Grimm needed to suddenly pounce at the group. Its aim, most particularly the two who dared to disturb its slumber.
Screaming like girls – which both Naruto and Tsuna would heavily deny later on – they turned and began running. Ichigo, once noticing the cat tensing up, was already running ahead of them. Laughing, Luffy decided to run with them.
Left behind in the dust, the remaining groups could only cough and wave the cloud of dirt away from their faces. Yang looked to where Tsuna once was. Sighing the girl shrugged at her associates.
"Well, that was a thing."
"I can only imagine what that blonde doofus did to anger an El Tigre," Weiss grumbled, not even paying attention to the fact that Ichigo probably did something as well. Blake was the one to notice the Schnee's favoritism but didn't offer a reproach.
Ruby blinked, "Hey, where'd Negi and Natsu and their partners go?"
The group of eight looked around, seeing none of their other four friends around the area. A howl was heard as the ground rumbled before the trees behind them was knocked back. From within, the once trapped Death Stalker screeched and roared at the eight teenagers.
"Aww man, RUN!" Jaune yelled, running ahead as the group began running once more. Behind them, the scorpion Grimm roared before giving chase.
A/N:
And the Initiation continues! The final Initiation chapter is the next chapter, as well as the next World of Remnant appearing on the 20th Chapter! This time about the lovable, meat loving Pirate, Luffy!
Also, sorry folks. This chapter was pretty short. I do promise, however, that the next chapter will be lengthy and filled with action! WOO!
That's all I have for now... Hmm, oh! And there's a couple of hidden foreshadows in this chapter! Huehuehuehuehuehue, even if you guys try to find them, you won't know what it is until it's been revealed! HAH!
That's what I like to do! Have some little Eater Eggs here and there and even some foreshadowing that portrays some major plot lines in every chapter!
Try to find them!
