And I'm back for a third chapter! So, nothing's really going on in my life right now, obviously. And daily updates might be a thing the whole week…. Don't take my word for it though…
Anyways, as always, review responses after the chapter!
Enjoy ;)
Chapter 3: The Reasons Why
The winds blew against the visor, and her wings shifted ever so often to adjust to the air changing around them in order to keep her steady.
She enjoyed every second of it.
This was obviously not the first time flying an IS for Chifuyu. But it was the first time she'd been able to fly with such peaceful conditions.
No need to hurry to deflect missiles from her home country. No need to take down a hostile IS.
And no need to worry about her brother.
She knew he was safe… After a little chat with Haven, he'd assured her that next to no time would've passed when she returned. It was a matter of seconds, at most.
Flashback
"Hey, Haven?"-Chifuyu asked suddenly, but continued her straight path through the air.
"Yeah, what's up?"-The slightly childish AI responded.
"I was thinking, how will the others back at the ISA react to me being gone?"-She asked, and her tone was laced with worry.
Haven smiled from his place on her HUD in a reassuring manner.
"Don't worry. The version of Earth you're from, and Remnant are not connected in any way. Long story short, when you get back, a few seconds might've passed since you went to bed… At most"-He replied.
Chifuyu breathed a sigh of relief. That was something she liked to hear.
"Alright"-She replied, allowing a small smile to grace her features.
Flashback end…
So, now she could just enjoy the wind whipping by her. Even though her IS had closed armor, and complete body-coverage, she still felt the weightlessness of soaring through the sky.
It was relaxing. Soothing. Something the ISA instructor barely had any time for at all under normal circumstances. So, this was a very welcome change…
Maybe Remnant wasn't so bad after all… Grimm aside.
She knew there were aerial Grimm to worry about as well, but Haven told her to enjoy her moment, he'd take care of keeping an eye out for danger.
Honestly, the "young" god/AI perplexed her to no end. She didn't even know what "young" meant in his terms. Though, what interested her most, was his behavior. The few times she'd thought of the possibility of a higher power existing, when she was younger, she imagined a kind-hearted father-like figure with white hair, gold eyes and a long white beard.
She also imagined said god to be almighty. Without peers.
Unlike Haven, who was powerful and kind-hearted for sure, but not without peers. And far from almighty.
"I have already seen two worlds die… I don't want to see another one"
The gods in reality, seemed a lot different from anything she'd ever imagined herself, or heard from any religious sayings or readings.
She shook her head slightly. It was better that way.
Any almighty character would've turned insane after an untold amount of time. No matter what.
…
…
She knew that all too well. Tabane is a perfect example.
While she isn't "almighty" in that sense. If Tabane suddenly decided she would want a third world war, IS or no IS, there would be a third world war.
Tabane had been a little strange even before she met her. But, after the IS, it was almost unbearable. Of course, that didn't mean she'd leave her friend. What friend would she be then?
A false one.
No, she knew what it was like to be abandoned by people you were supposed to be able to trust. And she'd be damned the day she inflicted that kind of pain on someone else.
That, was one of the reasons to why she so eagerly wanted to pilot the Shirokishi, that day. She wanted to save people, she wanted to give them hope. What her parents never gave her.
But, that hope only lasted for a very limited time.
She had to strain herself from gritting her teeth over the memories of Ichika being pushed around simply for his gender. A problem the whole world was plagued by, and it was partially her fault.
The realization of that her actions had only made things worse broke her. That's why she acted so cold most of the time…
But here she was. Piloting the Shirokishi once more, modified as it was, and with another chance at saving the world. Another world it might be, but it was inhabited by people nonetheless, so she couldn't really care less of the differences.
And these people wouldn't be introduced to the harsh aftermath of the IS.
That gave her a little bit of hope. She felt those, childish and naïve wishes to save and fill others with hope come back to her. It was like a second chance. A second chance at fulfilling the wish she thought she'd long since abandoned.
But she found that she only abandoned it for Ichika's sake. She didn't have time for childish and naïve dreams and goals when his life depended on her every day.
Now, it was different. She could make a change. A real change that wouldn't cause people pain. And she wouldn't have to worry about her little brother… He would be safe and sound when she came back…
"Chifuyu"
She felt a little giddy. She felt almost exited to do her part in this world.
"Chifuyu!"
"Huh!?"-She shouted in surprise as she was suddenly ripped from her thoughts and pulled back to reality. The White Knight lost momentum for little more than a second, before she was back in control.
"Sorry"-Haven sheepishly apologized, "But were coming up on Vale now. I think it would be best to walk the remaining distance"-He suggested. Chifuyu sighed.
That was true...
She needed to keep her eyes and ears open. This was a foreign world. The moment she let her guard down, it could be the end of her.
"Woah…"-She had to stop and stare in wonder at the old, yet somehow modern architecture of the huge city that was Vale.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"-Haven asked through their shared mental link. Since they couldn't use the Shirokishi in public just yet, it was the preferred form of communication to avoid attention.
"Yeah…"-She trailed off… Before she shook her head slightly, gaining the cold and stern expression you'd find on her 24-year-old self at the ISA, "So, where to now?"-She asked. Gone was the curiosity, replaced with a serious tone.
That had Haven sigh slightly. Really, he knew it would only be a matter of time before she realized she'd been too quick to trust, and close up again.
"I'd suggest finding somewhere to eat and sleep. The local time is 17:35, so finding an open restaurant shouldn't be too hard… Marking locations"-He relayed.
Chifuyu didn't acknowledge it verbally, instead choosing to silently make her way to the restaurant he'd marked.
…
It did hurt him a little that she still didn't trust him. But he understood why.
Oh, the things he'd do to the terrible creatures who called themselves her parents if he ever got the chance…
And, he would give Tabane a verbal lashing, the woman really needed to learn the meaning of "consequence".
It didn't take long for Chifuyu to find the place Haven had marked. It wasn't anything fancy, just a normal small restaurant/café you'd find in pretty much any city on Earth too. Though, it would do for her. She was hungry, and being hungry for longer periods of time makes anyone grumpy…
Well, in her case it meant more than usual.
She suddenly questioned how she would pay for the food.
*Ding* A message appeared on her watch.
"You'll find a card in your pocket… Forgot to mention that. It was one of the things I stored in the IS. The code is: 4585"-It read.
Seems her companion already had that figured out. She silently thanked him and went inside the building.
The inside was, more or less what she expected. A nice combination of simplicity and decorations. There was a bar over in the far right corner, where several older men sat and enjoyed their drinks, talking loudly to each other. The rest of the room was filled with tables and chairs, with people sitting by said tables and a couple waitresses scurrying around.
The familiar sight, even if this was another world put her at slight ease, as she smiled at one of the waitresses who made her way over to her when she sat down.
"Hello little one. What can I get you?"-The woman asked kindly.
…
…
Right, Chifuyu had to remind herself that she looked like she was in her mid-teens…
"Is there a menu I can get? It's my first time here"-She replied with a childish glee, keeping a façade, again, to avoid attention. The woman smiled kindly as she took one of the menus from underneath her arm and placed it on the table in front of her.
"Of course, sweetie, just close it when you're ready to order"-She said, before she went off to attend to other costumers.
Being called "sweetie" rubbed her the wrong way. But she understood that the woman meant well. In the waitress's eyes, she was just an innocent little girl after all.
Even such a small and obvious thing as being kind to a child, weather it was genuine or just to keep a reputation or what have you, it meant a lot. Especially for someone like her, who hadn't even been shown kindness in her real childhood by her own… Parents. It proved that far from everyone was like those things.
Chifuyu ignored the somewhat dark thoughts in her head as she read through the menu. Looking for anything she could recognize, given the familiar things she'd already seen she had a tad bit of hope that she'd find at least a few.
Which she did. A lot actually. It made her wonder how different this world really was… Again, Grimm aside, of course.
She settled for getting something she knew she liked quite a bit. Even though they didn't have Japanese cuisine, it didn't really bother her. Ichika usually cooked for her back home, and he didn't always make Japanese food.
She closed the menu, like the waitress had informed her, and waited.
She didn't need to wait long before a different waitress came over, though, she noticed something was off about her.
She had, rabbit ears?
Has being with Tabane for as long as she has finally broken her sanity?
"No you idiot. That's a Faunus. You don't remember the summary I showed you?"-Haven's accusing and disappointed voice echoed through her mind.
'Ah, so that's a Faunus…'-She thought in bewilderment.
Noticing the stare she was given, the Faunus waitress seemed to become a little stiff in worry.
"Great, now she thinks you hate her because she's a Faunus"-Haven deadpanned.
"What? Why?"-Chifuyu questioned.
"H-hello dear, may I take your order?"-Haven was right, she seemed outright, scared…
"I'll tell you later"-He replied.
"Ah, yes. I'll have a medium-grilled steak, and a, Schnee Cola (that name weirded her out. But she imagined it was just this world's version of a Coca Cola) please"-She replied with a small reassuring smile. She felt more than a little bad for staring at the poor girl, "And uh, sorry for staring"-She apologized.
The Faunus gained a look of surprise, gave a silent sigh of relief. Before she smiled back.
"No harm done, don't worry. Let's see, a medium-grilled steak and a Cola right?"-She asked to confirm she got it right.
"Yes"-Chifuyu replied simply.
"Alright then, your food will be here shortly"-She said, giving her a kind smile before she walked back to the kitchen, probably to tell them of her order.
The looks some of the other customers gave the waitress as she walked by gave her a clue as to what Haven's explanation would be…
"Yeah, you noticed them too?"-Haven asked, "Faunus are heavily discriminated against… After the White Fang turned into a terrorist organization… Even more so. The Fang used to be a peaceful Faunus Rights protesting group, but, their patience tipped and they turned violent"-He explained gravely.
That had her blood boiling. And she had to suppress glaring at the customers who'd given the poor Faunus girl dirty looks when she passed by.
'Such simple minded idiots'-She mentally hissed.
Let it be known that Chifuyu Orimura did not like racism. Not just as a teacher, who had to be neutral for her students, but as a person… And she hated it, with a burning passion. Anyone who would inflict pain on others for reasons their victims couldn't control themselves was someone she would automatically… Very much dislike.
*CRASH* She jumped slightly at the unexpected loud noise, and turned to the source.
The Faunus waitress was on the ground, food, drink, glass and plate all scattered across the floor, and an almost teary-eyed expression on her face.
"HAHAHAHAHA!"-As the… Other customers laughed at her. Chifuyu noticed one of their legs was in a very coincidental position to have gotten in the waitress's way.
*BANG* Although the sound was only mental. Chifuyu felt like a gun just went off inside her head.
She, was, pissed.
And any poor fool who knows how she gets when she's really, and utterly pissed?
They keep at least a kilometer's distance away from her. And for good reason.
Chifuyu stood up from her chair, and walked over to the insolent that had her attention.
She tapped the sad excuse of a man on the shoulder.
"Huh?"-He made the mistake to turn his head and look at her.
*SMACK* And was promptly sent flying across the room.
*CRASH* Right onto a (thankfully, or not, depends on how you look at it) vacant table, shattering it in half.
Jesus. Aura was nothing to mess around with…
The other idiots at the same table turned their shock-filled faces from the broken table, and back to the little girl that caused it, their expressions laced with fear.
Her expression was blank, she didn't glare, didn't smile… Just, blank.
"… You broke the table"-She stated with an equally empty tone.
The Faunus girl behind her backed up slightly, still on the floor, her breathing rigid in fear.
The, man she'd punched across the room rose from the broken table, and glared at her.
"Oh ho ho. Now you've done it, little girl. You should've just stayed home and…"
*SHINK* A katana lodging itself into the wall right beside him shut him up.
Chifuyu slowly and menacingly made her way towards him.
"You were saying?"-She asked with a dangerous edge, glaring at the man when she was just centimeters away from him.
The insolent idiot in front of her instantly shrunk under her gaze.
"Ah, haha. Nothing, I, was just leaving"-He said nervously, trying to get away from the little devil.
"Not so fast"-She grabbed him by the neck of his shirt, promptly stopping him, "You're going to apologize to the waitress, and pay for the damages"-She smirked slightly at his terror-stricken expression, nodding quickly in fear of his life.
"T-thank you so much! Ah, um, and sorry about the food…"-The waitress looked down in shame. Chifuyu smiled at the late-teen girl with a smile.
"It was not your fault. Don't worry yourself over it"-She said, giving a quick nod the owners way, who was standing behind the waitress, "And I think I should apologize for the damages"-Cold she might be, but she knew when she'd made a mistake. And she made sure to apologize to those affected when she did. She was a professional woman after all.
The owner waved it off with a smile.
"Hah! No need. The show you put on was way more than worth it. Those punks are regulars, coming by just to mess with our waitresses, Faunus or not"-He said the last part angrily, before his expression changed into a thankful one, "I don't think they'll be coming back after this, we owe you one"-He said.
"Not at all"-Chifuyu replied kindly.
And there, longer chapter, more content. I really hope I can continue with longer chapters like this.
And time for reviews!
PietrjanVDHD: HAHA! I didn't even think of that! That's bloody genius! I'll definitely keep that in mind when introducing Ruby to them.
Gamerman22: I think you missed the part where I said that the original core 001 of the Shirokishi is in Ichika's IS, the Byakushiki. Anyways, thanks for the criticism. The current AI of the Shirokishi is none other than Haven, the god Chifuyu was contacted by in chapter 1. And about Ironwood… That will definitely be interesting to write.
Again, I thank you both for reviewing, and everyone else for reading!
You guys are the best!
Hope you have a good day, or night.
GiantFlyingScythe signing off.