Chapter 8: A Full Headcount
Glynda sighed.
This was not how she was expecting her day to go.
After folding up her scroll and placing it into her pocket, the Huntress stared up at the Vale Police department. Ever since a few days before the start of the current academic year, Glynda could honestly say she had only been to the physical department a few times in her career. Sure, she had taken a call with an officer on a rather professional basis but that was it.
However, ever since one Ms. Rose had gotten herself into an altercation with a professional criminal just before the school year started, it felt like Glynda had become far too familiar with walking through the front doors of his establishment.
It was almost on a weekly basis at this point.
Glynda didn't like that. Not one bit.
So when she was so rudely interrupted while observing Bart informing the Headmaster of some sort of strange occurrence going on in the Emerald Forest, Glynda's mood had already taken a downturn. Said interruption had been from one of the officers at the Vale Police department. Apparently they had a situation that might involve Beacon, one of its Students or both. And since Ozpin felt it so reasonable to make her their official representative and contact, Glynda was required to take a quick trip to Vale to see what was going on.
In the middle of the day, while she had perhaps a dozen things still to do.
Nevertheless, Glynda wasn't one to complain (in public at least). She is a professional in both her profession and her duties. So despite how much she would rather be anywhere else at the moment, Glynda straightened up her attire and walked through the police department's front doors.
The Vale Police Department, despite the recent uptick in crime and incidents, maintained a rather professional atmosphere within its walls. Sure, a closer look revealed a few imperfects. Messy desks, officers with bags under their eyes, and bulletin boards filled to the brink of collapse. But, Glynda could overlook something like that. Given who she worked for, being a bit overworked came with the job.
In fact, Glynda felt their jobs weren't too dissimilar. Only, Glynda's worst punishment she could dish out was a couple days of detention.
Either way, the Huntress calmly strolled her way through the department, walking past several officers in the process. Several officers offered her a nod as they walked on by. Glynda's many visitations had left her well known by the police force. A small benefit for all the trouble her students often caused both her and the authorities. After a minute or two of walking however, the Huntress finally found what she was looking for.
It was a small office near the back of the building. It was rather tiny, tucked in the back of the first floor along with the holding cells and interrogation room. Another place Glynda was far too familiar with.
Taking a small moment to sigh, the teacher collected herself and knocked on the door.
"One moment!"
Various sounds echoed underneath the office door. Papers getting knocked to the floor, a box sliding somewhere, and the rather painful sound of someone spilling what she assumed was coffee onto their pants. None of which Glynda reacted to.
She was far too used to…all of it.
But after a moment, the door flung itself open and revealed a slightly disheveled looking man. Wearing mostly just a pair of black pants, a wrinkled shirt, suspenders, and black sunglasses propped on his forehead, the officer brushed some sweat from his forehead and sighed.
"Been a bit of a rough morning…" he mumbled, "But, I see you got my call, Ms. Goodwitch?"
Glynda nodded, "Indeed. You seem to be having quite the time, Officer Culder."
The officer had the decency to look down at himself and wince. Culder looked like a mess, and felt like one too. The last couple of days had absolute hell but the previous night took the cake for one of the nuttiest cases in a while.
He seriously needed a vacation.
Pulling himself together, the officer shook his head, "That would be an understatement. But, I assume you wouldn't be up to hear my sad sob story about being an overworked, underpaid police officer that's way over his head?"
"I'm afraid not." Glynda shook her head, "Especially since you ask that every time you require my services. No. I would much rather we get to the point on the account of why you called me here?"
Officer Culder nodded, he could respect that, "Right, of course."
The officer's scroll was an older model when compared to Glynda's. It was larger, a bit more bulky, and had fewer ports for attachments. Combined with its dark gray exterior, the device was clearly more of a standardized, mass produced variation. Nothing too fancy and easily replaceable in case of accidental damage or bouts of anger that resulted in a broken screen.
After retrieving his scroll from the cluttered desk, the police officer booted up the device and showed it to Glynda.
"Unfortunately, most of the internal security was disabled for most of the events, so we had to go off on the physical evidence and eyewitness testimonies," he noted, "Thankfully though, we've been able to piece most of what happened together."
The scroll displayed a set of pictures, taken after the fact. They showed a large building, more akin to a warehouse than any ordinary office building. It had an impressive amount of vehicles of various sizes docked inside its walls. Taking note of the structure, it didn't take Glynda long to decipher what it was.
"At around 11:52pm last night," the officer explained, "One of Vale's Public transportation hubs was assaulted by a large group of criminals, ones we've since identified by the White Fang."
The picture then changed, showing a large group of Faunus on the ground in front of the building. A large majority of them were unconscious, their faces flat on the ground. Of those who weren't however, they say on their knees, with their hands tied behind their back. The group's iconic masks sat on the ground in front of its members, revealing their faces and animalistic features to the world.
"From what we've been able to get from the witnesses, the Fang breached the building right before midnight and quickly overwhelmed the staff on hand." Culder noted, "Must have been planned well in advance, as they quickly took out any and all security inside the building, including the silent alarm to the emergency services."
The Huntress nodded, "Not surprising."
A lot of the recent robberies as of late have had similar circumstances. Late night break ends, little to no evidence left behind, and utterly useless security systems. It has gotten so bad that some shop owners have decided to stay at their shops all night long with their own brand of 'protection'. The authorities advised against this but when the public gets riled up, it's hard to convince them otherwise.
Office Culder continued, "Apparently due to recent trouble with some of their heists, one Roman Torchwick had gotten the idea to switch things up in his recent series of heists."
Glynda frowned. That bowler hat wearing scoundrel was the biggest thorn in Vale's side on the subject of crime. Not only was he a consistent and very tricky criminal to catch but his activities were frustratingly difficult to track. Hell, the one time Glynda herself had come face to face with the thief, Roman was more than prepared to fend off a trained huntress and make his escape.
What's more bizarre however, was his new alignment with the White Fang. No one knew what that was about just yet.
"So instead of flipping over some random dust shop, or hijacking a large shipment from Atlas, it seems Roman figured a Public Transport Depo was more profitable this time around." the officer sighed, "Honestly we should have seen it coming. The sheer amount of dust a business requires to keep operating might as well have been a bonfire for him. I'm surprised he hadn't hit something like it sooner."
At such a deciding accusation, Glynda disagreed, "Perhaps, but up until recent events, Torchwick was subtle enough about his involvement that we weren't even certain it was him till we caught him red handed."
"Besides, there are other businesses who rely on such quantities of Dust. You can't be faulted for missing a needle in a haystack."
Culder nodded and shrugged. That was true. Torchwick's recent history of smaller hits on Dust providers had given them a trail to follow. But after the incident at the docks, that trail had gone cold. With his alliance with the White Fang, everything the department had gathered on Torchwick was basically thrown out the window. It was hard to guess what the thief was up to, just as long as it involved Dust and the Fang.
"Fine, you've made your point." he conceded, "But we're getting off topic."
Again, the officer flipped to another picture on his scroll. This photo was very different from the past two. Instead of focusing on the transportation hub, it now depicted a random street in Vale. In the middle of the road was an overturned truck. One of its sides was entirely shredded while the engine was billowing smoke. On the corner of the photo, the time read 12:46, nearly an hour after the heist had begun.
"Evidence found at the site has led us to believe that Roman and his flunkies had arrived at the hub in three, large military grade trucks. They parked near the front entrance and planned on loading up all the Dust they could manage before departing."
The officer then gestured at the photo, "But, when we arrived. Not only were nearly all the members of the White Fang rendered unconscious or unable to move, only one of the trucks had made a getaway from the scene prior to our arrival."
"Considering you're not patting yourself on the back at the moment," Glynda noted, "I am going to assume the one who escaped was the ringleader himself?"
The Huntress sighed. That would be the case, their luck was ever so fickle.
Culder winced but nodded all the same, "Unfortunately. Along with one other associate, Roman took off the moment things started getting hairy."
"But, speaking of which…"
Drawing Glynda closer, Officer Culder zoomed in on the photo. Instead of focusing on the burning truck however, the pair's eyes were drawn to a nearby sidewalk. Back down the street, a small distance away from the trashed vehicle was a small yellow blotch on the picture. A body, sprawled out on the pavement with black clothes, a yellow jacket, and bright yellow hair. It was a small body, about the side of a teenager.
"While the White Fang aren't exactly the most talkative bunch," he mused, "Some of the hostages mentioned that everything popped off when two of the guards dropped off some screaming kid after they knocked him out."
As the teacher looked on, the officer swiped through several photos. Each detailed the damage afflicting the Transport Hub and beyond. Destroyed vehicles, busted crates, and large cracks in concrete that were vaguely in the shape of a foot. In addition, some of the other getaway trucks were damaged as well. One in particular had its driver's side door sliced completely in half with the addition of its windshield being in pieces.
But along with all the damages, one in particular caught Glynda's attention. The destroyed side of the one Truck that had gotten away. A photo that got a much better look at the damages. Glynda's eyes widened when she saw it.
The Truck hadn't been scraped or torn into ruin. But someone had sliced it with a thin blade, like a sword.
"So…I take it he's one of yours?"
Glynda glared at the officer. Her expression showed a fine line of patience that was holding on by thread, "I am not amused by accusations, you do know that, right?"
"Oh come on!" Culder let his shoulder slump, "I didn't even say it-but even you have to admit it! We have a track record for stuff like this, especially when it involves Torchwick! I can break out the folder if you want?!"
The Teacher crossed her arms. While she wouldn't deny that some of Beacon's first years had made a bad habit of causing some mischief in their free time, you couldn't lay such an accusation at the entire student body nor the Academy itself. They had a reputation to uphold. Besides, that one incident with Ms. Rose was before she even attended Beacon. She was still a Signal student back then, and Gylnda would not back down on that front.
The officer sighed. Not even a budge.
Trying to beat Glynda Goodwitch in a glaring contest was like trying to melt a brick wall with nothing but a magnifying glass, "Okay, fine. Then can you at least confirm if the kid is some type of student then? Maybe a new arrival for the tournament or something?"
Glynda blinked, that was an odd question, "Why would you need me for this? Simply check his Scroll and it should have all the information you need-"
"He doesn't have one."
Again, the teacher blinked, "Excuse me."
"Nor any other type of ID, paperwork, or anything else we could use to identify him." the officer explained, glancing at his scroll, "Nothing that ties him to Vale or any other local settlements. At most at the moment, all we have is his name. So given his actions on this account, I was advised to call you and see if he was a new arrival at Beacon, as some new transfer student from another Kingdom, just to make sure."
Glynda crossed her arms with a frown, "Did you check the building? If he was taken hostage like the others, surely the White Fang might have taken his personal belongings as well?"
"We did." Culder noted, "We searched the building up and down but we didn't find anything belonging to the kid. So unless he lost it before he showed up, or Torchwick nicked the stuff himself, then the brat is a ghost."
The officer sighed and handed his scroll to Glynda, "So, can you at least confirm that he has no affiliation with Beacon? Once that is done, you're free to leave and I'll begin contacting the other academies just in case."
Culder really wished he wouldn't have to but that's life. If the suspect really had no connection to Beacon then his hands were tied. The department needed a lead on who this kid was and while the local academy would have better luck contacting Kingdoms and such, if he wasn't one of theirs then they shouldn't be involved. Now it was his job, no matter how much he groaned about it. The whole would simply involve far more paperwork and a dozen additional phone calls that would take at least a day or two.
Basically, Culder could kiss his weekend goodbye.
Glynda however wasn't as convinced. Something still felt fishy about the whole matter, "Very well, do you have a clearer picture of the boy?"
"Yes, we got a good mugshot of him before he accidentally knocked out Phillips."
The huntress raised a brow, "He did what?"
Culder shrugged, "What? The kid has one heck of a kick."
With one final swipe of his scroll, the officer presented Glynda with a clear mugshot of the perp in question. He was fairly young looking, about the same age as many of Beacon's first years. Glynda wasn't too surprised that the officers had mistaken him for one of theirs. Aside from the utter look of terror upon his face, the boy looked rather average in the teacher's opinion. She could hardly believe he was the one who could cause such chaos in a single night.
But then again, appearances could be deceiving.
The long Glynda looked at the photo, the more her gaze was drawn to something other than the boy's face. Her green eyes glanced down and took note of the suspect's attire. He had a large coat that matched well with his hair but what Glynda found interesting was what he wore beneath it. The perp also wore a black uniform, something that could easily be mistaken for a dress code supplied by a local prep-school.
But for Glynda, the black outfit looked rather…familiar.
"Before you make any calls," she asked, "Would you mind if I talked to this boy first? There's something I would like to ask him that may solve both your problem, and one of my own."
The officer blinked, "What kind of problem do you have?"
Glynda adjusted her glasses, "Something of a missing person's case, if you will."
Interrogation room, nearby:
Somewhere else inside the precinct, there was a rather small room. It was rather blank and sparse with nothing inside it but some lights, two chairs, and a large empty table. This room in question was no one's office but neither was it some empty storage room. When the times called for it, the police often used this room for questioning or at worst, interrogation.
And sitting at this table, with a dead look on his face, was one Zenitsu Agatsuma.
The young Demon Slayer sat in his uniform, face flat on the table. His bright haori was draped behind him on the back of his chair while his Nichirin katana was nowhere to be seen.
"..."
Unlike what many of his friends and less than favorable associates would expect from him, the Thunder Breathing swordsman was not going crazy in confinement. He wasn't screaming to the heavens at his misfortune nor was he crying his eyes out due to the terrible situation he was in. Quite the opposite. The teen sat, silent at the metal table and stared down at its flat surface.
To be frank, Zenitsu felt just…done.
Sitting at the table, the boy couldn't help but recall what had happened to end him up in such a situation. He woke up in a garbage can of all things, in the middle of some strange city he had never been to before. Then after walking around for quite a long time, Zenitsu's luck was shite enough that he wound up getting kidnapped by some weirdos in masks!
Zenitsu frowned. After that he could really remember what happened. He just woke up in the middle of some street next to a burning truck and his legs…really hurt for some reason.
But that wasn't even the worst of it! After waking up again, Zenitsu was nabbed by some random police officers and tossed in this crummy little room!
"...okay…" he mumbled against the table, "...that may be pushing it."
He could feel the look of disappointment radiating off an imaginary Tanjiro. The officers had actually been quite nice. They patched his wounds and had even given him something to drink. It was only after they began asking some strange questions Zenitsu couldn't answer did they toss him in this empty room!
Zenitsu sighed. Why did his luck have to be so shit!? He'd much rather be resting in some inn with his companions (and Nezuko), eating some Kabayaki, and enjoying a comfy bed. Instead, he was stuck in what he assumed was a police department, sitting on a hard metal chair, and waiting for lord knows what to come through that damn door!
The boy sighed, "...why me."
Suddenly, Zenitsu jolted upward. His eyes shot toward the door in question, his ears burning.
Before the boy even saw a shadow appear behind the door frame, he heard the sound of the nob turning. A cold sweat raced over Zenitsu's skin. He trembled slightly, watching with clenched teeth as someone or something began to push the door open.
Inside the boy's brain was a rush of thoughts and worries. Was it the police? Were they upset that he couldn't answer their questions?! Where in the heck was Vale?! Why did they think he was a student?! What was Beacon?!
Or…what if it was those creeps in the masks!? Coming back to finish what they started earlier?!
'And I don't even have my sword!' Zentisu panicked, 'The damn cops took it! I'm a sitting duck! If it's those weirdos with the masks, I'm dead! Deader than dead!'
As the harrowing dread of his own delusions crept seeped into his thoughts, Zenitsu nearly missed out on the moment the door actually opened. The second it actually did though, everything stopped. Zenitsu's internal screaming ceased and his jaw hit the table like an anvil falling to the ground.
With wide eyes, Zenitsu watched as a tall, older woman walked into the same room he found himself in. She had a much more natural head of blonde hair, fair skin, and an outfit the young Demon Slayer could say he never would have imagined a woman to wear. Along with a small pair of glasses and a cape of all things, Zenitsu found himself awestruck as the new arrival both entered the room, closed the door behind her, and took a seat across from the young teen.
However, her foreign beauty was not the lone element that left Zenitsu as still as a statue.
Besides being utterly awestruck by her looks, the expression the stranger struck a whole different nerve in the young Demon Slayer.
He was absolutely terrified!
One look at the stern, serious expression that the woman wore sent a shiver down Zenitsu's spine. It reminded him of several people, and none of them were pleasant! The disappointed look on his master's face back during his training to master Thunder Breathing. His other failed relationships when they finally decided to ditch him! The Debt collectors! Oh, those were the worst.
What's worse, her expression reminded Zenitsu of how Tanjiro looked at him back when they first met. The cold, emotionless detachment. How utterly dismissive his soon to be friend nearly had been toward him…
Every horrid memory was echoed in this woman's face, and it nearly made Zenitsu faint on the spot! How could someone look so wondrous while also nearly stabbing him in the heart with a look alone!?
It was absurd!
"Zenitsu Agatsuma," the woman suddenly spoke, her voice both calm but chillingly professional, "Am I correct?"
The boy in question gulped but nervously nodded, "Y-yes, that's me."
"Good," the woman returned his nod, "My name is Glynda Goodwitch. I am part of the faculty at Beacon Academy. I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me."
Zenitsu frowned. These were the same weird questions the officers had asked him, "But I don't-"
"I am aware you don't quite know what that is, don't worry." Glynda spoke up, cutting the boy off, "I am also aware that you are also unaware of a lot of things the officers here might have asked about."
The Demon Slayer frowned. That was…mildly ominous. But, the teen let the woman continue.
"Instead, the questions I have might in fact help us both in our…difficult situations." she noted, a look of annoyance flashing across her face, "So given your confusion, would you mind answering a few of my questions?"
Zenitsu bit his lip. That in itself was a difficult question. Here he was, locked in a police station in lord knows where, sitting across a beautiful but obviously dangerous woman who likely could snap him in half like a twig.
But, then again, what did he have to lose?
"Okay…" Zenitsu muttered, "What do you want to know?"
Beacon Academy, Cafeteria:
"So…you're sure that's just a mask?"
Ren sighed. The urge to pinch the bridge of his nose was rising, "Yes, it's just a mask Jaune."
"...okay, cause when I first walked in. I nearly had a heart attack." the blond leader mumbled, "It just looks so real."
Across the table, a low gravelly voice scoffed, "It is real. I made it myself."
After a long and surprisingly rambunctious day, the sun had finally begun to set into the horizon. Classes had finally ended for the day across the academy and students shuffled free from the confines of the classrooms. But while some of the student body returned to their dorms for some much needed relaxation, the vast majority had a different destination in mind. With lunch having long since passed, many empty stomachs made a beeline to Beacon's cafeteria with one thing on their minds.
Dinner time.
At least that was what Jaune was thinking about. The Leader of Team JNPR and his trusty partner Pyrrha made their way toward the lunch room after a tiring day. After spending nearly the entire class period engrossed in a Leader improvement lesson (which Jaune insisted was only supposed to last an hour or so), the duo's brains were fried and stomachs more than a bit empty. All the pair wanted was to make it to dinner, and join the rest of their team for some relaxation.
But when the first two members of Team JNPR pushed through the main doors of the cafeteria, the sight they found was a bit more than they were expecting.
Far across the large chamber was a familiar table. The very same table since the day after initiation that two separate teams often sat at and enjoyed each other's company. On one side was typically Team RWBY with the remainder half of Team JNPR sitting across from them. Neither team was assigned to that specific table but nevertheless whenever someone happened to arrive late to breakfast, lunch, or dinner, that was where everyone gathered around. A table seating eight, with Nora typically having a stack of food nearly as tall as her head.
So…why were there three more figures at the table than normal? And another stack of food that rivaled Nora's?
Plus, one of the newcomers looked like a boar?
Easy to say, explanations were offered out once both Jaune and Pyrrha joined their comrades. Well, explanations and introductions. Ruby and Yang introduced Tanjiro and his sister, Nezuko. Tanjiro was a calm, and gracious young man who greeted the pair warmly while his sister was just the sweetest thing Pyrrha had ever seen. Meanwhile, Nora took the reigns and showed off Inosuke, a shirtless teen with a frighteningly real looking boar mask on his face.
Of the new arrivals, the Kamado siblings were much more welcoming (Nezuko even waved at the pair) while Inosuke was far too engrossed in his meal.
Thus with everyone gathered and food picked from the dinner line, the eight students, two slayers, and one Demon, all sat at a singular table. Team RWBY and JNPR took one side each while the Kamado siblings sat next to Yang and Inosuke did the same with Nora. Not that the Slayer seemed to care. He was far too busy devouring his meal, practically inhaling it with his mask still on. Tanjiro still didn't know how he could manage that without making a mess in the process.
Well, a mess bigger than what Inosuke typically made.
"So you guys are, what?" Jaune asked, doing his best to ignore the savage eating going on next to Nora, "Just gonna be hanging around for a bit or something?"
Tanjiro nodded, still a bit distracted by the strange food on offer. Besides the rice, he couldn't make head nor tails of the food on his plate. It was all so foreign and exotic, he didn't know where to start!
But not letting himself get too distracted, the boy nodded, "Something like that."
"I agreed to help out the headmaster with something if he helped me find my friends." he explained whilst digging into his meal, "And since your friends found Inosuke, that just means we need to find out where Zenitsu went."
The Slayer turned to Nora and Ren and offered them a bright smile, "Thank you for helping him out by the way."
"Aw, no problem! It was awesome!" Nora cheered, pumping her fist into the air, "We got to kill a Boarbatsuk the size of a mountain! I even got to break all of its legs! Do you have any idea how often I get to do that?!"
Tanjiro blinked, "A lot?"
"Not enough!" the student cried excitedly, "My knee breaking quota has been down since someone won't let me take Cardin out back and give him what he deserves!"
The other three members of JNPR collectively sighed. This was an argument that happened nearly every other week. Whenever the topic of legs getting broken was brought up, their energized teammate would often look at her companions with a eager spark in her eyes. But no matter how often they would talk some sense into her, the matter was never fully dropped. Even when the target in question mellowed out a bit, Nora still had her ideas.
"Nora, we've been over this," Pyrrha sighed, "You can't go around and break the legs of our fellow students. Cardin might be uncomfortable to deal with sometimes, but he's still one of our classmates-"
Nora pouted, "But what about Combat Class?"
"Especially not Combat Class!" Jaune spoke up, "Ms. Goodwitch would be all over you if you did it there. Its not like you'd make it seem like an accident, right?"
The Hammer wielding Huntress opened her mouth, ready to respond. But after a moment or two of sitting there, Nora slumped forward and buried her face in her dinner, "No…I'd make him beg first."
"Our point exactly." Jaune sighed, "At least the Grimm have it coming."
At least, most of the time they did. When it came to Nora and letting out some aggression, the rest of her team knew how nasty she could get. After numerous sessions of seeing her pound some Grimm into a fine black paste, it was hard not to feel bad for the murderous beasts of darkness. If the girl ever got her hands on someone who really ticked her off, then not even the biggest pool of Aura could save them from what's coming.
Amidst the debate regarding Nora's acts of violence however, Inosuke scoffed, "Not a big deal. It was my kill, she just helped."
As if someone had insulted her, Nora snapped at the slayer and frowned, "Ah! No! None of that. We agreed we get to share the kill! When it comes to big Grimm, everyone gets the credit."
"Say you, I took its head." Inosuke shrugged, "Take the head, get the kill."
Nora pouted, "That's not how it works! Besides, you're just grumpy you couldn't get your trophy~"
"Of course I am!" Inosuke erupted, food flinging from his snout, "I could have eaten that thing for days! Who said it could just disappear like that after I kill it!?"
"Well, it was a Grimm. What did you expect?"
Bright blue eyes snapped in Weiss' direction. Inosuke growled as his muscles tensed. Tanjiro looked on worryingly, his own fingers twitching. His companion was a snappy one and had the tendency to react with violence when upset. There was a distinct reason why two or three halls throughout the academy now had holes in them, all thanks to Inosuke's tough head. Tanjiro was sure one of the teachers were gonna have questions for them later because of that.
Still, this was the first meal they'd have since arriving. Tanjiro hoped not ruin it by dragging Inosuke away before he gave someone a black eye, or worse.
Thankfully, he wasn't the only one at the table who could sense the rising tension.
"Eh, who cares." Yang exclaimed with a shrug, "The big piggy is dead and you two kicked its butt. Sounds like a good day to me."
Nora nodded, "Yeah...and hey, me and Ren got extra credit out of it anyway! With all the extra Beowolves we killed, I can't wait for Professor Port to get back! I can tell him all about it!"
Ren did his best not to roll his eyes. Of course Nora would be excited. She and the Professor had a strange affinity when it came to outlandish stories. There was a reason his partner was one of the few people who enjoyed Port's class. At least, when his grand tales didn't put her to sleep like the majority of the class. It was a fifty-fifty chance that either Nora would be a buzzing bee, listening intently to his every word...or out like a light.
Yang propped her head on her elbow and chuckled, "Besides, it's not like a big old Grimm is that tough."
"I bet I could give you a tougher time than that thing any day."
Almost instantly, Inosuke perked up, "Oh yeah Yin? Ya think so?!"
"Um, thats not my name big guy," Yang corrected with a smirk, "And yeah. I bet if we talked to teach, we could have a go in Combat Class tomorrow. Though, she might not go for it due to the whole…Aura issue…"
Blake raised her head from her meal and shot her partner a look, "Yang…"
"Hell yeah!" Inosuke shouted, "Who cares what they say!? Let's do it! I will destroy you!"
Yang grinned, "Ya think so?"
Tanjiro, sensing what was coming, tried to speak up again, "Inosuke, we're guests. We're not supposed to be challenging people to fights while we're-"
"Silence Monjiro!" he snapped, not even looking away from the blond brawler, "We're gonna fight!"
"But-!"
The Boar head swerved toward his fellow Demon slayer and shot him a glare, "Fight!"
Mouth gaping at his comrade, Tanjiro sighed and slumped back in his seat. Arguing with a worked up Inosuke was like trying to wrestle a bone free from a dog's mouth. He was stubborn, relentless, and wouldn't take no for an answer. Most of the time, it was just better to let him have his bone and suffer the consequences.
Off to the side, Nezuko noticed her brother's distress and patted him on the head.
"Thanks Nezuko."
From across the table, Pyrrha smiled at the two siblings, "Your sister is adorable. But shouldn't she get something to eat? The Dinner line won't be open for too much longer."
Lifting his head up, Tanjiro appreciated the compliment but shook his head, "Thank you, but Nezuko got something to eat when we arrived. She's quite fine."
It wasn't technically a lie. While Nezuko didn't eat like a normal person anymore, neither did she have to 'eat' like a Demon typically did. Taking long naps seemed to have replaced that need, and his sister had slept quite a bit since Tanjiro awoke her in the Headmaster's office. She should be fine. And if Tanjiro made any sort of contorted face when he said that, no one seemed to notice.
Pyrrha simply nodded and went back to her meal.
Further up the table, Ruby let out a sigh of relief.
'That was a close one…'
Sooner or later, they might have to tell the others about Tanjiro's little Demon situation with his sister. Sure, they couldn't just blabber about it in the middle of dinner when half the school could hear, but things might get awkward overtime. People were sure to notice when Nezuko couldn't go out during the day, or if someone caught Tanjiro carrying her around in that box of his. That might raise a few...uncomfortable questions.
At least, if that box survived its stat at Beacon.
Ruby had a stinking suspicion that her sister and Weiss might obliterate that box sooner rather than later. The duo had given that crate the stink eye after they returned from the library.
"So, where are you intending to stay while you're here?" Ren asked whilst enjoying his soup, "I'm aware Beacon has guest rooms, but I believe they're more for students."
Jaune nodded, "Yeah. When we first got here, all the first years had to sleep in the main hall during our first night."
"We slept, while you marched around in that onesie of yours."
Jaune lowered his fork and jabbed it at Yang, "Hey, don't diss the onesie. That thing is stupidly comfortable."
"I'll take your word for it."
Tanjiro tilted his head, not exactly sure what a 'onesie' was. Nevertheless, the young slayer shook his head and got back to the question, "Ms. Goodwitch mentioned she would be preparing us a room after we were asked to leave the Headmaster's office. Though, I'm not sure where. I haven't actually seen her since then."
Ruby blinked, come to think of it, "I haven't seen her either. She sorta...disappeared after we were stuffed in that elevator..."
The rest of Team RWBY equally looked confused. Not a one of them had seen their combat instructor since they had been in Ozpin's office. It was honestly strange. Normally the professor was one to lurk around the halls of the academy, keeping a eye on the students and the faculty. She was like the local hall monitor, only with the threat of detention being the threat if she caught you doing something improper...
"Maybe she had something important to do?" Pyrrha suggested, "The Vytal festival is coming up soon. Most of the staff will be busy preparing for it."
Admittingly, many of the students hadn't considered that. The festival was on the horizon. New faces from other academies were appearing in Beacon every day. Even Vale itself would be a buzz with excitement sooner rather than later. It was only a matter of time before everyone was up to their necks in preparations for the tournament, including Ms. Goodwitch.
Honestly, it was gonna be strange to not see the instructor monitoring the halls like some sort of sentinel…
Weird, but not something to complain about. Except Weiss maybe. She did enjoy organized peace instead of the absolute chaos the rest of the student body was bound to create.
"Um, if you don't mind me asking," Tanjiro spoke up, "But what kind of festival is this? It's the first time I've heard of it."
Yang chuckled, "Man, you guys are really from the boonies, aren't you?"
"Ignore Yang," Weiss interjected, shooting the Brawler a look, "The Vytal Festival is a celebration that occurs every two years. In order to celebrate the peace between the four Kingdoms, one is chosen to host the festival and put on a tournament. Participants from all across Remnant can show up and represent their homes in a contest of skill."
Blake nodded, "And since it's going to take place in Vale this year, all of us will get a shot to participate."
"And we're gonna kick butt! All of us!" Ruby cheered, practically buzzing with excitement.
Whatever tension that hovered over the table dissipated as the conversation shifted onto the topic of the festival. Tanjiro was honestly amazed by the topic. A tournament that brought in contestants from all over the world. He hadn't ever heard of something like that. Sometimes while selling charcoal in town, the young Kamado had witnessed some small scale celebrations and festivities but nothing like this.
However, as the cheer and merriment flourished on the student's faces, Tanjiro felt a chill crawl up his spine. Following his gut, he turned and spotted Inosuke. His fellow Slayer had stopped eating and was as still as a statue.
That was not a good sign.
"Inosuke…?"
The Boar twitched, "A fighting tournament…?"
Suddenly, Inosuke snapped his head toward Tanjiro, his neck cracking like a broken chicken bone. The big blue eyes of the mask drilled into the young boy's forehead like a sharpened drill, "I'm joining."
And there it was. Tanjiro rubbed his forehead. A headache was already forming.
"Inosuke, we can't." he tried to reason, "For one, we're not students. We're just visitors. Besides, we still need to find Zenitsu. We might not even be around at the time the festival happens. We can't just sit around until…"
A rough, muscular finger suddenly jabbed itself in Tanjiro's direction, "Don't care!"
"We'll find Chuitsu! We'll join this tournament, and we'll kick everyone's ass!"
The gruff voice of the Slayer held such confidence that he left no room for disagreement. Even if Tanjiro wanted to tell him no, one look at Inosuke revealed that the slayer would interrupt him before he even got the word out. His comrade's mind was made up, much to Tanjiro's displeasure. Getting the barbarian to back out now would be like moving a mountain with your bare hands.
Yet again, Tanjiro slumped forward, "But…what about Zenitsu?"
Suddenly, the cafeteria shook. Two loud cracks filled the air, echoing from one side of the chamber to the other. Everyone present winced at the sudden eruption of noise. It sounded like someone had taken two plants of wood and struck them together right behind everyone's heads. Hands dropped their silverware and rushed to cover their ears. No one was immune to the sudden eruption, especially those with extra sensitive ears.
As the ringing faded from their heads, everyone raised their heads and turned to the source of the noise. Both conversations and meals were abandoned as every student directed their eyes at the Cafeteria's main entrance.
There, at the main double doors, was a lone boy. At a first glance, the teen looked rather disheveled. His face was lowered toward the floor while both arms remained extended. With the force he slammed the doors with, both wooden frames had nearly been torn from their hinges. The teen's attire mostly consisted of a yellow coat that matched his hair, a black and brown uniform, and two simple sandals that slid across the floor.
But as the boy stood there, breath hitching from a hellish sprint, one head among the crowd seemed to recognize who this person was.
Tanjiro shot up from his seat, eyes wide and mouth twitching into a uncertain smile. He couldn't believe it!
"Zenitsu!?"
As if awakened from a deep slumber, the new arrival snapped awake. His eyes, seemingly glowing a bright yellow, zoomed in on the new voice.
"TANJIRO!?"
Across the entire cafeteria, a yellow blur shot past table after table. Those closest to the blur nearly found their meals flung from their trays.
But as quickly as the blur appeared, it vanished. Instead in its place was the crying shape of one Zenitsu Agatsuma. With eyes filled with tears, he ran with such speed that even he was aware of and catapulted himself toward one of his only friends. Tanjiro leaped from the table and met the boy halfway. But, neither of the two were quite prepared for the sheer force of their reunion. The moment Zenitsu slammed into his friend, the two boys crumbled to the ground headfirst.
Thankfully, Tanjiro took the majority of the impact. And with his head, he barely felt a thing.
"Tanjiroooooooou!" Zenitsu cried, ugly tears flooding from his eyes, "Where did you go?! It was awful! Why did you guys leave me agaaaaaain!?"
With a small dampness appearing on his shirt, Tanjiro reached up and patted the boy on the shoulder, "We didn't ditch you! Everyone got Separated Zenitsu, I swear!
"I-I don't believe you! I got dumped in some strange city, with strange people with animal parts, and these weirdos in masks that kidnapped me! It was horrible! What could have happened to you that could be worse?!"
Still holding onto Tanjiro's coat for dear life, Zenitsu turned to his side and sniffled. He was overjoyed to be back with his friends but he still felt terrible. None of his comrades had come to find him. No! Some scary lady had to direct him to a school of all things (which looked more like some sort of castle than a school!) in order to be reunited with his friends! Zenitsu even had to ride some strange flying contraption! What even was that!? It nearly made him sick several times!
Eyes still watering, the young Slayer looked over and spotted Inosuke. The Boar was still chowing down on some food. He barely looked phased at Zenitsu's return.
'Jerk!' he chocked back a cry, 'You don't even care! I'll get back at you for this, I swear!'
But Zenitsu took solace in one fact. If there was anyone that would be happy for his safe return, it would surely be his precious Nezuk-
Suddenly, Zenitsu froze. The tears ceased flowing and his cries dried up in his throat. The boy went completely, and utterly silent the moment his eyes shifted toward the other end of the table.
Where everyone else was sitting. The boys, and the girls.
"Tanjiro..."
Still lying with his back against the ground, Tanjiro suddenly felt a tightness against his throat. Lighting his head, Tanjiro watched as Zenitsu slowly turned to face him. A cold, eerie expression appeared on the previously blubbering face that belonged to Zenitsu. His fingers slowly slid down from the rim of his coat and found themselves hanging right above Tanjiro's throat. The cold, dead look in his eyes sent a shiver down his friend's spine.
Zenitsu glared down with veins pulsating across his skin, "...so this is what you were dealing with, huh?"
"Wait, I can expla-!"
Too late, two hands grabbed Tanjiro by the neck. Before anyone could react, Zenitsu shook him like a rag doll, eyes blazing red, "WHILE I WOKE UP IN A DAMN TRASH CAN AND WAS NEARLY KILLED BY SOME FREAKS IN MASKS, YOU GOT TO HANG OUT HERE WITH A BUNCH OF PRETTY GIRLS AND NEZUKO!? AND YOU'RE SAYING EVERYTHING IS ALRIGHT!? WELL ITS NOT! YOU HEAR ME?! THIS IS THE BIGGEST PILE OF BULLSHIT I'VE SEEN SINCE I FIRST MET YOU!"
"W-wait! It's..it's not what you think-!"
"REPENT! REPENT FOR YOUr SINS! REPENT UNTIL I FEEL BETTER DAMN IT!
"Zen-itsu...I can't...breath..."
"REPENT!"
Later:
Yang cracked one of her knuckles. Her eyes flashed a dangerous, burning red as she glared across the table.
"Okay, you all calmed down now?"
"Yup, I'm totally fine."
The Blond Brawler shot the teen a piercing glare, "You certain?"
"Crystal clear."
All across the dinner table, no one quite believed that. Several pairs of colorful eyes glared daggers at their new arrival but none made a move toward him. That had already been taken care of. After spending nearly ten minutes trying to pry Zenitsu off Tanjiro before he killed the poor bastard, Yang nearly went a bit overboard with knocking some sense back into the blond slayer. But after some explanations from Tanjiro, as well as a few knocks to his bright yellow noggin, Zenitsu finally regained a bit of sense and released the crimson Kamado brother.
Now, with a large bump on the side of his head, Zenitsu calmly joined his comrades at the table. Naturally, he sat next to Nezuko and wore a bright smile, seemingly unaware of the glares being sent his way.
That or he was trying to actively ignore them.
"Anyway!" Tanjiro cheered. Despite a new bandage on his cheek, he was generally happy to see all his friends again, "Lets compare where we all ended up!"
Zenitsu's grin lessened, "Okay, fine. Where did you go before ending up, here?"
Tanjiro scratched his chin and patted Nezuko on the head, "Well. Me and Nezuko landed far away from the school. We found ourselves in a large forest, surrounded by a bunch of shadow monsters."
"Grimm." Ruby interrupted, "You said you fought off a bunch of Grimm before you met up with Yang and Blake."
Smiling, Tanjiro snapped his fingers and nodded, "Yes! That's right. They're called Grimm. They're these massive, shadow-like monsters. They can't regenerate but come in massive numbers. But after dealing with them, I found a disgusting scent. It lead me to a nearby village, where I met Yang and Blake, as well as one of the academy's faculty. They were in the middle of fighting a demon, which I helped them slay before they gave me a ride here."
Zenitsu huffed and crossed his arms, "Great, sounds like you got an easy ride..."
"Would you rather of fought a Demon?"
The boy flinched and sunk down into his seat, "No..."
"Very well then." Tanjiro nodded and turned to Inosuke, "Its your turn then. Where did you end up, Inosuke?"
The second member of their merry band of Demon Slayers had his arms crossed and his face resting on the table. At the mention of his name however, Inosuke stretched out his arms and let out a whoop, "I woke up in some random forest, killed a lot of those Finn things, plus a giant one shaped like a Boar. Then I met Stringbean and Dora, and they brought me here."
Further down the table, one of the quietest students sighed, "Its Ren and Nora. We offered him a ride back after Ruby called us and explained everything."
That hadn't been the easiest of explanations. With all the yelling attracting the Grimm, Inosuke not understand what a scroll was nor how Tanjiro was communicating through one, and maintaining a connection during the middle of a brawl, it had been a mess. It got so bad that it was hard to tell if the Demon Slayer had understood half of what he had been told before the call was dropped so suddenly.
"And he owes me a new Scroll."
Both Ruby and Tanjiro flinched. Inosuke still hadn't apologized for that yet.
Zenitsu frowned, "You guys keep mentioning these monster things, but I haven't seen anything like that..."
"Well, where did you end up?"
The Thunder breather looked up at the ceiling and scratched his chin, "Unlike you guys, I didn't end up in a forest. I woke up in a trash can, in this giant city."
Across the table, Weiss looked confused, "Wait, so you ended up Vale, while the others landed in Grimm infested forests? And you were complaining about that?"
"I didn't know that at the time!" Zenitsu threw his hands into the air, "Look it from my point of view! I woke up, head deep in garbage, in the middle of a city I've never been to in my entire life! What!? I panicked! Plus after walking around for a few hours, these two weirdos in masks walked up and kidnapped me! How the heck was I suppose to respond to that!? Any sane person would be terrified out of their minds!"
Inosuke snickered, "Wimp."
"Oh, this coming from the guy who needed help killing a pig!?" Zenitsu snapped back, "I thought you grew up with boars, huh!? Whats with that?"
A fist slammed into the table, "I didn't need help! That thing was mine!"
"Then wheres your proof? Huh? I don't see any...oh, wait. Apparently those Grimm things disappear right? A likely story!"
Drawing both swords from his back, Inosuke slammed one foot on the table and glared over at Zenitsu, "YOU WANNA DIE?!"
"Enough!"
A loud, calm, but commanding voice erupted over the table. Both Slayers stopped int their tracks and slowly turned to the side. Sitting next to his sister, Tanjiro glared up at the pair, eyes showing absolutely no room for argument.
"Inosuke. Sit down."
Without a word, the Boar Slayer did just that. He sheathed both his swords, hopped off the table, and sat back down like nothing happened. He didn't even say anything in response to the command. All Inosuke did was grunt in response and did what he was told. The rest of the table watched in awestruck silence, none of them quite believing what they were seeing. Where had this came from? Tanjiro of all people?!
But as quickly as the intensity had arrived, it was gone. Tanjiro smiled as Inosuke took his seat and turned back to Zenitsu, "Well? What happened next?"
"...r-right," he muttered, "W-well, I don't really know what happened next. The last thing I remember was getting hit by one of those nutcases and I swore they were gonna kill me...but next thing I know, there was a burning truck and the police..."
Try as he might, Zenitsu still couldn't put together what exactly happened to him. It was the exact same thing that happened back on Mount Natagumo with those Spider Demons. One minute Zenitsu swore he was about to be devoured by a half human/half spider monstrousity, and the next moment? The Demon was dead, and one of the Hashira had arrived to provide support. There was a big black spot in his memories...and nothing could fill it.
Tanjiro frowned, "Zenitsu, did you get arrested?"
"What!?" he exclaimed, snapping out of his thoughts, "NO! My record is nearly as clean as Nezuko's soul! The Cops showed up due to the flaming truck you idiot!"
Calming down, Zenitsu slumped back in his seat and sighed, "After that, I was dragged to a police station, had my wounds stitched up, and got thrown into a room before some terrifying lady showed up! She was terrifying! But after she asked me a few questions, she told me you guys were here, brought me over in some giant flying machine, and the rest is history, right?"
Yang scoffed, "You mean when you went nuts and tried to strangle Tanji?"
To his credit, Zenitsu didn't pop off at such a claim. Trembling at the sight of Yang's fist, the young slayer shivered behind the safest place he could think of.
"Hmmm?"
That being Nezuko.
"Hm," Tanjiro frowned, promptly ignoring the shivering teen using his sister as a meat shield, "Well, thats all three of us. But it doesn't exactly help us with how all this happened."
Inosuke nodded with a gruff snort.
But surprisingly, Zenitsu was the one who popped his head up, more than a bit confused, "What do you mean?"
"Well, I was hoping we'd find something that would make sense of what happened to all of us." Tanjiro explained, "But none of it seems to make sense. I end up near a village with a demon, Inosuke was in a forest with Grimm, and you..."
Zenitsu glared, "I got kidnapped. Yeah, yeah. I get it. But that doesn't matter!"
His prior timidness fading away, Zenitsu stood up straight. He slammed on hand on the table's surface and glared at this two companions with a look of utter annoyance on his face, "If it wasn't for you two idiots, we wouldn't be here right now! We would have made it to the Mugen Train and be dealing with whatever Demon was causing all those disappearances!"
Tanjiro blinked, "What are you talking about-"
"If you idiots didn't attack that Demon, we wouldn't stuck...wherever the hell we are now!"
Elsewhere:
Deep within the harsh deserts of Vacuo, the sand danced.
Hills of vacant, empty sand stretched unbound into the distance. There was not a hint of foliage for as far as the eye could see. No trees, no grass, nothing. Rain was absorbed into the greedy hillsides, never to be seen again. Large mountains of rock and stone sprouted out of the sand like monuments to nothing, rough, unrelenting, and cold to the touch.
And none of that even touched the vicious beasts that called such deserts their home.
Deep, deep into the forgotten sounds however, sat a lone figure.
In the middle of a empty plot of sand, he sat. Atop a lone boulder, a figure sat with legs crossed as he gazed up into the night sky. He knew the night would not last long. Soon the moon would disappear long the horizon and the sun would rise as a swirling ball of bright red heat. But, that time had not yet come.
The Moon still sat high in the sky, and the lone figure sat, watching it.
Such a figure was a lanky sort, with thin limbs and a skeletal frame. He wore no shoes, just his bare feet against his stony rest. The rest of his attire bore resemblance to a monk's robes but worn and tattered after weeks worth of journeying. Shattered, broken prayer beads lay scattered around his feet, having long since snapped from overuse.
But over top this figure's head, sat a large length of cloth.
It reached from the back of his head, all the way down past his chin. With its length, it hid strands of what had been a long flowing length of black, tattered hair. Yet all that remained now, was chapped, pale skin that felt the landscapes rough treatment. But, it was no matter. The figure showed no hint of discomfort or stress as the sand ravaged his skin.
For as the figure looked up at the moon, his sharp, jagged fingers would never let go of what he held.
A large, ornate mirror sat within the figure's palms. It was without any hint of wear nor tear. The only light blemish that could be witnessed across its surface was a small chip, at the very upper edge of its rim. Nevertheless, the mirror was perfect, with the smoothest reflection anyone might have ever seen. In said reflection was the image of Remnant's moon. The shattered orb that sat high in the sky, forever broken.
An alluring sight if there ever was one.
But as the figure's gaze never left the moon itself, his mirror did not remain so static. Across its perfect surface, the reflection...shifted.
Gone was the singular mirror image of Remnant's one and only moon. Now, across the mirror's surface sat two reflections of a celestial body. One of Remnant's broken moon, and another. A whole moon, neither cracked nor shattered.
But the full orb, glowing in the night sky like a shallow sun.
The Moon of Japan.
The figure sighed, and slowly, drifted one of his fingers over the mirror's surface. He dragged a sharpened nail down the center of the mirror, from top to bottom. As his nail dragged alone the near perfect reflection, the mirror changed again. The reflective surface began to darken, the images of the moons fading into a dark red mist. Where once was a near perfect reflection of the night sky, now the mirror bore the image of a black, red mist...
And through said mist...two blood red eyes, opened.
"Ah, for what do I owe the pleasure..."
"Lord Muzan."
AN: Hello everyone, and welcome back!
Last couple of weeks had been rather stressful, so sorry about the later than normal update. But here we are, the trio are finally back together again, and then their reunion, things are beginning to move. I would say we're officially out of the intro arc and now will be moving into more juicy things from now on. Chaos, destruction, and three Demon Slayers running around Beacon (or at least, two of them are while Tanjiro tries to reign the pair in). We'll have some fun with that.
Still, I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you all next time!
