Chapter 1: New Faculty
Beacon Academy was named as such because it served as the light in a world filled with darkness and danger. Situated in the kingdom of Vale in the continent of Sanus, the prestigious academy, along with its sister institutions, has been producing the protectors of the world against the forces of the Grimm.
Hunters.
After the Great War eighty years ago, the King of Vale founded Beacon and the other combat institutions in the hopes of training the next generation of warriors who will protect the kingdoms from the creatures of the Grimm while not being tied to any individual government. So far, the practice has not failed the kingdoms in their defense against the dreaded monsters as prominent hunter teams have emerged to fight off the Grimm. Though, that is only possible with the instructors that impart their knowledge to those who would become hunters in the future.
Headmaster Ozpin understood this. Though quite young-looking, he has served as Beacon's headmaster for a good number of years. Along with his trusted deputy, Glynda Goodwitch, they were confident in the people serving as instructors at this institution. However, as of this moment, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of defeat as he signed off five papers that approved the employment of five new additions to their faculty.
After affixing his signature and his personal emblem onto the documents, he handed out the papers to Glynda who then distributed them to the five new teachers. He also gave them five new scrolls, each having their virtual licenses installed along with the emblems they chose for themselves.
"Congratulations, everyone," the silver-haired man said as he laced his fingers together, "you are now official faculty members of Huntsman Academy of Beacon."
"While I'd love to give my thanks, I know for a fact why you gave us these in the first place," said one of the newly-hired instructors. He was a lanky man with blonde hair with slanting bangs wearing a black long-sleeved shirt, beige dress pants, white shoes, and a brown leather beret being casually twirled on his right index finger. "So, don't get the wrong idea, Oz, or I might let her blow you up again."
"I'm not some dog you could just sic at someone, you jerk!" yelled the woman of the group. She had a dark shade of brown hair, a turtle-necked sleeveless wool shirt under a red jacket with the word "EXPLODE" written on the back, a grey knee-length skirt, and some one-inch heeled sandals.
"Babe, please calm down," said another of the five. This time, it was a young man about the same age as the woman with black hair, grey eyes, three scars running down from his right eye all the way to his cheek, and two tattoos – a blue stripe running across his left cheek to the bridge of his nose and the number "69" just under it. He wore a black button shirt, blue-fitting jeans, and some brown loafers. "You already had your fill of explosions. Let's not blow this school sky high when we just got hired. Besides, I found a good place where we could just hang out. What do you say?"
The young woman calmed down. The offer from the young man was more than enough to make her forget about committing arson. "You make a fine argument, honey. Although, I want to extend this date of ours till evening if you know what I mean."
The young man knew what she meant if the wiggling of her eyebrows were to go by. His face held a blush as he stared into her suggestive eyes. "Okay…" he answered.
One of the other new instructors, a rather muscular man with white hair, sighed. He had a white undershirt over a blue blazer, some grey jeans, and combat boots. The man leaned into one of the corners of Ozpin's office with crossed arms. "Would you two get this talk somewhere else? Honestly, kids these days."
The last of the five individuals coughed, gaining the attention of everyone. He was easily the tallest of the bunch, with long bleach-blonde hair and black-furred wolf ears and fur on his forearms. He was wearing a white long-sleeved button shirt held tightly by a shirt strap, black slacks, and black shoes. He had a pair of eyeglasses stuffed neatly inside his chest pocket. "Now that our appointment with the headmaster is finished, I'd say we should be on our way." The tall man stared at the chief of the school and bowed, "Thank you for your time, Headmaster Ozpin. You as well, Professor Goodwitch."
"You're welcome," Ozpin replied. "Also, I've arranged some personal quarters for you to stay in. They're sensor-activated, meaning that you simply need to swipe your scrolls on the doors, and they will automatically open."
The newly-hired instructors stood up (except for the man with white hair) and slowly left the premises of the headmaster's office. Once the last of them had completely exited the room and got into the elevator, Glynda looked at her boss in apprehension.
"Are you sure this was the best course of action?"
"To be honest, Glynda, I don't know."
The blonde woman was slightly surprised. It wasn't like Ozpin to be at a loss. What had happened months ago and the events that led to this must've truly disturbed the headmaster.
"All I can say is… I'd rather have them close than left wandering around Remnant unsupervised."
"Keep them close for monitoring, right?"
"Right. Besides, the power they hold could very well be enough to turn the tide in our favor."
Glynda frowned in doubt. "But they're aware. They're on to you. Also, they're unpredictable and disrespectful. Only one of them has some decency."
Ozpin chuckled at his co-worker's annoyance. "True. That said, despite being literal loose cannons, I am quite intrigued at how they will influence our dear students."
Ruby Rose was running through the hallways of Beacon in haste. Right behind her, the other members of Team RWBY followed, all bearing the same face that indicated a lack of sleep.
"That's the last time I let you set the alarm, you dolt!" Weiss Schnee, the heiress to the wealthy Schnee family, screeched at the redhead in irritation.
"I said I was sorry!" wailed Ruby. They were still a way away from their class with Professor Port.
Blake Belladonna, the secret Faunus of the group, sighed. "There's no use in blaming anyone now. Let's just hurry before we're marked for tardiness."
"It's just tardiness. What's so wrong with that?" asked Yang Xiao-Long, Ruby's half-sister. "It's not like we're gonna get expelled for being a bit late."
"A BIT LATE!?" the snow-white-haired heiress shrieked, making the other three wince. "The fact that you say such things is proof that you have no respect for the prestigious institution we are in."
"Sheesh… alright, Ice Princess. Don't get your panties in a bunch."
"And don't call me Ice Princess!"
"How about Weiss Cream?"
"That neither!"
When they rounded a corner, Ruby suddenly bumped into someone. She almost fell backward when the person she almost ran through caught her.
"Woah there. A little early to running around the halls like this." The man gently pulled Ruby up and dusted off some dirt from her.
"You alright, sis?" Yang asked her sibling. Weiss and Blake were right behind her.
"I am," she answered. The redhead turned to the stranger who had given him a smile of gratitude. "Thanks, mister, and sorry for bumping into you."
The individual saw Ruby mean it with her apology if the sheepish look were to go by. It was just an accident; so, he waved it off and said, "No harm done. Just avoid running into other people next. I'll see you soon."
Ruby was about to say goodbye when she caught what he last said. "Wait, what do you mean 'see you soon'?"
However, the man continued walking without minding the redhead's question. He even took out a pair of headsets and stuffed them into his ears to listen to some downloaded music in his scroll.
"We don't have time, Ruby," Blake interjected. "We need to get to class right now."
"Oh! Right, let's go."
"Dolt," Weiss taunted.
However, while the man who bumped into Ruby was listening to some Jazz, his mind was on the girl he helped up. "Silver eyes, huh? I wonder if this is where they were taken eons ago."
—o0o—
Luckily, the four girls managed to get into class just before their subject instructor arrived. They quickly took their designated seats and waited for the arrival of Professor Port.
"You guys were cutting it close," Jaune Arc, leader of RWBY's sister team, JNPR, whispered. "What got you up so late that you nearly missed the first period?"
"Someone didn't know how to set the alarm clock like she was supposed to," Weiss replied. Her left eye was still twitching at Ruby's early morning blunder.
"Come on, Weiss, lay off," Yang interrupted in defense of her sister. "It was just an accident. It's not like it'll happen again."
"I hope so, Yang," Blake muttered, but it was audible enough for the blonde brawler to hear. "I don't want to repeat this even if Ruby didn't mean it."
"That bad, huh?" Jaune remarked.
"It's not that bad," Ruby protested. "That won't happen again. Promise."
Pyrrha Nikos, team JNPR's "Invincible Girl," couldn't help but hear the banter from the other team and give her two cents on the matter. "No need to fight everyone. It was just a small harmless blunder. After all, you still managed to make it before classes start, right?"
"She's right, you know," Lie Ren, JNPR's resident empath, concurred with his teammate.
"If you do get late, at least you four can be late together!" Nora Valkyrie cheered, much to the dismay of her partner and best friend.
"That's not helping, Nora," Ren chastised.
Not a moment too soon after the empath said that Professor Port entered the room. The stout instructor made his way toward the center table and addressed his learners.
"Good morning, students. Before we begin today's lesson, I have an announcement to make." Getting the attention of everyone, the old professor continued. "As of yesterday, Headmaster Ozpin has hired five new teachers into Beacon."
The news of new faculty members definitely stirred the curiosity of the present students.
"New teachers?" Weiss questioned.
"Great," Yang groaned. "If they happen to be like Professor Oobleck or Port, then I'm gonna die of boredom."
"Well, I am curious as to who these teachers might be," Pyrrha stated.
"These new teachers will be responsible for handling new subjects," Port resumed. "However, these new classes will only be considered elective, meaning it is within your discretion whether you will take up these added subjects or not. To give you further details, we have one of the new faculty with us today. Mr. Komamura, you may enter."
A new individual entered, clearly dwarfing everyone in the entire school. The students were bug-eyed at the newcomer's height which stood at approximately nine feet. He wore a long-sleeved button shirt held firm by shirt straps, black dress slacks, and leather shoes. His bleach-blonde hair was tied in a ponytail behind him while he gave a warm smile to Professor Port and the students as he made his way to the center table. However, the most striking feature of the new teacher was the black-furred wolf ears that were completely visible for everyone to see.
While the students were startled to find out one of their new teachers was a Faunus, no greater shock could be seen than on Blake.
"He… He's a Faunus?" the cat girl thought, still trying to comprehend that a Faunus will be her teacher.
"Thank you for introducing me, professor," the gargantuan man said as he shook hands with Port. Finally, he faced the bewildered students and introduced himself. "Greetings, students. My name is Sajin Komamura and, as Professor Port has stated, I am one of the new instructors here in Beacon."
Someone raised his hand. It was Cardin Winchester.
"Yes, young man?"
"Are those ears real?"
It was clearly an insult, but Professor Komamura took it in stride.
"Yes, they are," answered the wolf Faunus calmly. "I am a member of the wolf clan." His reply did not show any hesitance or discomfort. In fact, his tone showed pride in his status as a Faunus. "Anyway, as you've already heard from Professor Port, me and four other teachers will be handling elective subjects that are now currently available in the updated curriculum. Two of my colleagues will be taking up combat classes that will be in conjunction with Professor Goodwitch's subject. One will be focused on unarmed combat while the other focuses on weapons combat. The next subject which focuses on battle cooperation will be handled by two teachers while I will be your combat tactics instructor.
"I will reiterate; these subjects will only be elective. It doesn't mean that you are obligated to attend these lessons. Although it is advised, it is ultimately up to you whether you choose to take these or not. Any questions? If none, then I will meet any interested students at Auditorium Beta. Good day to you all."
The new teacher turned to Port and bowed before exiting the classroom, leaving a chosen few of the students interested in the subject he offered. Some whispered how a Faunus got hired into the academy's teaching force. However, there was one who was clearly interested above all else in not just the new subject, but the new teacher.
"Hey, Blake."
"Huh?" Shaken from her dazed stupor, the cat Faunus turned to the Yang who was just done snapping her fingers. "What?"
"You were so focused on the new professor that you couldn't even hear us for ten seconds."
"Oh… sorry. It's just… I'm interested in taking his subject."
"You are?"
Blake nodded absently. Her mind was still trailing on Professor Komamura. A little head shake did just the trick to fully get her attention to the blonde. "Yes. Perhaps I can learn more about becoming a huntress in this extra subject."
Blake shrugged. "Suite yourself. I, on the other hand, want to try out that unarmed combat lesson." Given that she likes to use her fists, it was obvious she'd go for that.
Meanwhile, the other members of RWBY and JNPR were discussing the option of attending one of these new classes. Jaune and Pyrrha were considering the prospect of taking the weapons combat subject. The latter, while already adept in combat, was interested in furthering her skills with her trusted spear and shield. Jaune, however, saw this as an opportunity to be a better fighter overall.
"I'm excited to meet this new instructor in the weapons combat class," Pyrrha exclaimed all giddy. She was like a child eager for her favorite relative to spoil her while staring at Jaune who was looking bashfully at her.
"Y-Yeah…" he answered. "I'm just going there so I don't become a total burden."
"Hey, Ren," Nora called her partner. "What do you think about going to that battle cooperation class?"
"I think it would be a good idea," Ren answered. "I am quite intrigued about these new subjects."
"Maybe I should try the– HEY!" Ruby's muttering suddenly stopped when her sister jumped behind her. "Yang! I was thinking about which of the new subjects I was taking."
"No need to think, sis," the older sister declared. "You're coming with me to that unarmed combat class."
The younger sibling paled. She absolutely sucked at hand-to-hand which is why she just focused on using Crescent Rose effectively. "Umm… I don't think that's necessary, sis," Ruby said apprehensively.
Finally, there was Weiss who was contemplating which of the new subjects to take. "I suppose I could further my skills if I take on Professor Komamura's studies."
After that brief little commotion with the news about the additional faculty members, classes resumed, and the students were forced to listen to Professor Port drawl out for a whole period.
After Professor Port's lectures, the two huntsmen teams spread out and headed to the elective subjects of their choice. We find Ruby unwillingly being pulled by her sister to that new class that focuses on hand-to-hand fighting. The younger girl had tried to sneak away from the blonde, but once she was caught, she could no longer escape.
"Yang, PLEASE!" Ruby tried with all her might to pry herself away from her half-sister. "I don't want to go. You know I'm terrible at unarmed combat."
"All the more reason for you to start learning," Yang argued. While the brawler did find it awesome that her sister was a great scythe wielder, she wouldn't look past one of the skills that Ruby was lacking. "We're lucky that this class was immediately after Professor Port's. God, I didn't need to hear his life story as a hunter."
"Yang, come on! I'm already fine with just Crescent Rose. I don't need to attend this class."
"If that's the case, then I'll just tell Dad to take away Crescent Rose for a week."
Ruby let out a loud gasp. "You wouldn't!"
"Oh, I would!" Yang threatened. "You're too reliant on your weapon, Ruby. What if it gets separated from you? How are you going to defend yourself if you don't have your weapon?"
"I can always run away."
"But I know you wouldn't. You're not like that." Yang got Ruby there. "Come on, Ruby, it'll be fun! You get to punch someone's lights out in style. Trust me; after the first lesson, you'll come to appreciate the awesomeness of good old-fashioned fisticuffs. Ooh, here we are!"
"NOOOO~!"
The location for the unarmed combat class was Amphitheater Delta. There were already a few dozen students from varying year levels piling inside the building but, to the confusion of the siblings, more were leaving in haste.
"What the hell is wrong with that man!?"
"That teacher's a frickin' sadist!"
"Is he a drill sergeant or something!?"
These were just some of the words Yang and Ruby heard from the students quickly leaving the arena. Curious… well, in this case, more curious for Yang, she and her sister entered the facility and found a couple of students nearly passed out on the ground covered in bruises. They were lucky they had Aura otherwise they'd be in the infirmary for a week.
"Is that the best you got?"
Ruby and Yang heard an authoritative voice and got a look at their new instructor. Suffice it to say, the two were slightly intimidated. Standing in the center was a tall man with a ripped build in a black tank top, grey cargo pants, black combat boots, and some orange fingerless gloves. Though he was too old for her, the blonde brawler had to admit the man was a fine specimen.
"Yang, your drooling."
Ruby's quip got the blonde out of her daydream. "Sorry about that, but I mean, look at him! He's got muscles for days and he happens to be our instructor." A smirk formed on her face. "I think I'm gonna like it here."
"Yeah… good for you." Ruby tried sneaking away but was instantly grabbed by her sister. "Drats!"
"Alright, punks," the instructor spoke aloud, "for those who just arrived, my name is Kensei Muguruma and, as you might have guessed, I'm your subject teacher. This class will focus on the basics of hand-to-hand fighting for those untrained to give them some bit of knowledge, advanced lessons for the adept, and technique refinement for those with experience.
"Before you decide to fully enter, I need to remind you that only the dedicated and determined can last as my student." That declaration sowed doubt among the collective. "I'm going to put you through the wringer. I won't coddle you nor give any exceptions other than more than training. Am I understood?"
"YES, SIR!"
"Wow," Yang expressed. "He really does act like a drill instructor. Now I'm really going to love it here!"
"I'm not!" Ruby argued.
"Don't be such a baby, Rubes."
"No, I'm not!"
"You!" Professor Kensei called out. "The pipsqueak with the red hood."
"Eep! Me!?" Ruby squeaked while pointing a finger at herself.
"Yes, you," the white-haired instructor confirmed. He approached the short girl and stared at her like a towering figure. "What's your name, shortie?"
"Umm, Ruby Rose, professor," answered the intimidated huntress-in-training.
"You're a little short compared to the others here. Did you miss puberty or something?"
That comment struck a nerve. "No, it didn't! I'm just younger than everybody else. I still drink milk and sleep plenty, for your information!" However, Ruby realized she answered back at her teacher and quickly covered her mouth with her hands. Even Yang was a bit surprised.
Fortunately, Professor Muguruma wasn't offended. In fact, he was grinning. "Looks like we got ourselves a feisty one. I like that in a new recruit."
Ruby didn't like what she heard. "N-N-New recruit?"
"I'm gonna enjoy putting you through the meat grinder." The teacher then faced Yang. "How about you, blondie? Got a name?"
"I'm Yang Xiao-Long," the blonde replied proudly before jabbing a thumb at her sibling. "I'm her big sister."
Kensei looked at Yang, then to Ruby, and back to Yang. "I don't see it."
"We're half-sisters," clarified the older sibling.
"Oh. Well, that explains it." He then eyed Yang, taking in every detail about the girl and how she carried himself. Judging by the golden metal gloves on her hands, "You're a brawler aren't you?"
"Yep!" Yang answered, puffing out her chest much to the pleasure of the younger men in the facility. "The best and–"
"Which means that you don't use your legs much," Kensei cut her off. "You only do wild punches and haymakers and rely too much on your Aura to defend yourself that you don't know the concept of dodging. Also, you look like a hothead which means you anger easily. You like drawn-out battles where the outcome could go either way instead of being efficient and ending it early. This could be because of, but not limited to, your Semblance. Did I check all the boxes?"
Yang was practically slack-jawed after the impromptu assessment of herself courtesy of Professor Kensei. The older man had identified her fighting style, tendencies, bad habits, and her demeanor even, all just from doing a once over on her.
Ruby whistled, impressed by the teacher's pinpoint evaluation of her sister. She leaned close to Yang and whispered, "He's good."
"But that's alright," Kensei assured. He wasn't just addressing Yang but the entire student body who were attending his subject. "That's the whole point of this subject. If you don't know how to fight, you're going to learn how to fight. If you're not a good fighter, then I'm going to shape you into one. Finally, if you think you're the best, then I'm going to find any mistakes you have, fix that, and polish your skills so you don't end up dead while on the job."
The blonde had recovered from her initial shock and listened to the new professor. His words had struck something deep inside her; a fire that just got lit with the sparks of challenge from Kensei Muguruma. With a wide grin, she stared at the buff teacher and yelled, "Bring it on, prof! I'll take whatever challenge you throw at me!"
Kensei heard the declaration and returned it with a grin of his own. "Looks like I have a favorite student." After that thought, his eyes darted toward the eager blonde's younger sister, specifically her eyes. "Silver eyes, huh? Don't tell me she's one of them." Putting that assumption aside, he looked at the gathered students and said, "Get ready for your combat class, students!" He cracked his knuckles. "And welcome… to your first day in Hell."
"Oh, joy…" Ruby knew she wasn't gonna enjoy this.
—o0o—
The last thing Ren and Nora expected when they signed up for the battle cooperation class was a pile of bodies smoking hot from a beatdown while the perp was standing on top laughing like a madwoman.
"And you call that cooperation? Honestly, you guys suck so much that you can't beat little old me even when I'm outnumbered! How much more when Professor Shūhei decides to jump in? Of course, that won't be necessary since I'm stronger than him. HA!"
The one responsible was a woman with dark brown hair, a turtle-necked sleeveless beige blouse that clung tightly around her… assets, a black dress skirt that reached just below the knees, black stockings and heels an inch high.
"Babe, I just beat you not long ago," the other professor countered. "We're pretty much even in strength."
The man had black hair, three claw scars running down his right eye down to his cheek, and two odd tattoos on the left side of his face. He was wearing a black button-up shirt, grey-colored slim jeans, and a pair of brown loafers.
"But you had your Bankai on me!" the woman on top of the pile of unconscious bodies argued. She stomped on one of the knocked-out students and elicited a pained moan.
"Because you had your Vollständig on," he reasoned. A smirk slowly appeared on the scarred man's face while he eyed his partner suggestively. "Besides, we both know who's dominant between us in bed."
Ren and Nora instantly blushed upon hearing the claim.
However, the woman on top of the human pile just smirked. She hopped off the heap and slid down the many bodies before catapulting into the air and getting caught by her lover in a bridal carry. "And I wouldn't like it any other way," she cooed. "In fact, I can't forget our fun last night." As she was let down, she continued retelling their late-night escapades. "I like it when you're so gentle at the beginning and then wild later on."
"Are these two for real!?" Nora questioned internally. Her face was very cherry red.
"I can't believe these two are talking about this stuff in front of students!" Ren mentally exclaimed. Too bad for him and his partner because the newly-hired female professor was about to recount last night's fun time with her partner – blow-by-blow it seems.
"Your soft touch. Your gentle caress." She traced a finger over his scars. "Before I switched sides, none of the men in the Wandenreich, even among the Sternritter, can satisfy me as you can."
Much to the two childhood friends' chagrin, it was about to get shamelessly descriptive.
"You go slow, making the sensations feel a million times more potent than just jumping right in. Even when we're finally connected, you still like to take things gently; getting me all sensitive before going all out with our session of the 'Horizontal Mattress Tango.' Where'd you even learn all those moves you pulled on me last night?"
The young man blushed a bit, feeling awkward about how he learned all those things. He then answered, "It came from a book that was a freebie when I bought at Urahara's store."
"Let me guess, it's the Kama Sutra, isn't it?" When she got confirmation, she added, "I've got to thank that old swindler when I meet him. Hey, do you still have that book? Maybe we could go through some of the illustrations and try out some positions when you plow me later–"
"TOO MUCH INFO! TOO MUCH INFO!"
The two new professors snapped their heads toward the voices and found Nora and Ren all sporting dark red blushes while covering their faces. They stared at the two students for a few moments before their eyes widened in realization.
"Oh my god! You were listening the whole time!?" shrieked the female professor as blood began rushing into her face.
Her partner sighed as he palmed his face in embarrassment. "God fuck, shoot me now."
Nora shyly shuffled her feet while looking away from the two young adults. "Y-Yeah…" she answered.
"Good God, I'm gonna die of embarrassment," Ren added. He, too, found the floor interesting.
The two instructors looked at each other and let out a breath of exasperation. "Well, no use making a fuss about it now. Right, Bambi?"
"Yeah. It was our fault for not paying attention anyway." The professor, now identified as Bambi, approached the two red-faced huntsmen-in-training awkwardly. She chuckled a bit, glancing at her partner and then back at the two. "Sorry about that. We kind of got carried away there, hehe. I'm Bambietta Basterbine, one of your instructors for this subject."
The other instructor approached and introduced himself. "And I'm Shūhei Hisagi, her partner."
"Yeah, we noticed," muttered the ginger-haired huntress-to-be.
Again, the two professors couldn't help but act sheepishly in front of their students after talking about their private affairs. Shūhei coughed into his hand and changed topics… for all their sakes. "So, can I get your names?"
As if a switch was flipped, Nora sprang up without a shred of being flustered. "Ooh! My name is Nora Valkyrie!" She then gestured to her partner and continued, "And this is my best friend…"
"Lie Ren," the empath finished. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor Basterbine, Professor Hisagi."
"Courteous and well-spoken; I like that," Shūhei remarked, already liking the boy. "Before we begin, can you tell us about your Semblances and preferred weapons?
"Of course. My semblance is called Tranquility. It allows me to hide the presence of myself and other people by masking their negative emotions. It's pretty useful in evading Grimm."
"I see. How about your weapons and preferred fighting style?"
Ren unholstered his weapon and showed it to his instructor. "This is my weapon, Stormflower. It's basically a pair of automatic pistols with scythe-like blades attached to the barrels. As for my fighting style, I play a more supportive role; providing cover fire to my teammates. However, I'm also capable up close if need be."
Shūhei let all of that information sink in, and he had to admit, the boy is a capable fighter for his age. He has to be considering the world they live in. "You're a well-rounded fighter with skills that would be useful for any team you're put in. Let's add the fact that your Semblance has great utility for various excursions against the creatures of the Grimm. All in all, I'd say you're one of the better prospects among the first years."
"Thank you, professor," Ren said as he bowed in gratitude for the quick assessment and praise.
Meanwhile, Bambietta was examining Nora. The professor was eyeing the short gingerhead who was eager for her own evaluation. "Okay, girlie, you seem to be excited. Tell me about your Semblance, weapon of choice, and fighting style."
"My Semblance is called High Voltage!" Nora gleefully replied. "It lets me produce or absorb electricity to enhance my strength."
Upon hearing that the girl's Semblance was electricity-based, Bambi had a grin as she thought, "Oh… Candie's gonna like this kid."
"…And this," the short girl took out her war hammer, showing to the woman, "is my weapon, Magnhild. It's a giant hammer that turns into a grenade launcher."
"Come again?" asked Bambiette if she heard the girl right.
"I said that Magnhild is a war hammer and a grenade launcher rolled into one!" repeated Nora proudly.
"So, you basically like to blow things up. Correct?"
"Hell yeah! But I also like getting up close and personal! There's nothing more satisfying than breaking someone's kneecaps."
"This girl has a penchant for explosions and violence," Bambi surmised. "You can't even tell she's that kind of person with a face as innocent as hers. I think I'm gonna be guilty of preferential treatment." Bambi walked behind the young huntress-in-training and slung an arm around her shoulder. "You like explosions? I do, too."
"You do?" Nora asked with stars twinkling in her eyes.
"Yep." Bambietta reached into her pocket and took out a blue marble.
It was quick, but Nora swore she saw the innocent object flash a blue light. The marble was then thrown a good distance away. When it landed, it erupted into a bright red explosion that could put explosive Dust to shame.
Her reaction to the demonstration was a hanging jaw and eyes almost dislodging from its socket. She glanced at the professor and found the woman having a confident smirk.
"You like it?" asked Bambi.
"Like it? I LOVE IT!" Nora burst out from the female instructor's arm and jumped with untamed energy. "What was that? Was that your Semblance? Can you make bigger explosions? Can you? Can you? Can you?"
"You could say that…" answered Professor Bambietta. "It's called The Explode. Simply put, anything I touch turns into a bomb. How strong a bomb depends on how much energy I put into it."
"That is awesome! I think I have my favorite teacher!"
While this was going on, Professor Shūhei and Ren were groaning in exasperation. Apparently, they were both partners to loud and explosive women.
"I feel your pain, Ren," Shūhei consoled the teen.
"Same."
A little later, another pair decided to visit the classes of one of the new teachers. Blake and Weiss stumbled on each other a few minutes ago and found out they were headed to the same class. While the heiress wanted to improve her skills, the young cat Faunus had other reasons.
When they arrived at the designated facility, they found a group of students listening intently to the nine-foot-tall professor giving some instructions. Professor Komamura saw them and gestured for them to come inside.
"Ah, Miss Belladonna and Miss Schnee! You've come just in time. Please, come in and join us."
The two members of Team RWBY obliged. From there, they spent the next forty-five minutes listening to the new instructor discuss various approaches in combat, philosophies of battle, and several tactics that would prove useful in their age-old war against the Grimm. After a lengthy session, it was time for a more hands-on demonstration.
"Alright, students," the Faunus professor stepped in front of the gathered young huntsmen-in-training, "it's time for us to witness the application of the things I taught this past hour. I would like two of you to come here and volunteer in our exercise."
Weiss raised her hand.
"Miss Schnee, thank you for volunteering."
The heiress of the Schnee family walked to the front of the students and bowed before the giant of a Faunus. "You're welcome, professor. I have learned so much in such little time during your discussion. I hope I can effectively apply them in this exercise."
"I'm sure will, Miss Schnee."
"I would like to volunteer as well." Blake quickly ran past the other students and stood beside her teammate.
"Glad to have you as well, Miss Belladonna." Komamura walked towards one of the control panels, fiddling with the buttons as he gave some instructions. "The rules will be the same as with your practices with Professor Goodwitch. The demonstration will end until your Aura drops to red. You may use your Semblances and any Dust bullets you deem necessary. I expect the two of you to give it your all and utilize the many concepts I imparted to you."
"We will, Professor Komamura," both girls affirmed.
"Splendid!"
The students not participating in live combat all sat in the stands, eager to witness two members of one of the best teams among the first years. Weiss and Blake stood afar from each other, face-to-face with weapons drawn. The former had unsheathed Myrtenaster, checking her Dust cartridges while the latter had shifted Gambol Shroud into its sword mode. The cat Faunus twirled the long ribbon between her fingers while looking at Weiss expectantly.
"You know, I never really got the chance to fight you," the cat girl said, earning the attention of the young heiress.
"Same here," Weiss agreed. "This may be the only opportunity we have to see who's the better fighter. Just as Professor Komamura instructed, I won't be holding back. So, prepare yourself, Blake, for a crushing defeat."
"Cocky, aren't we? We won't know until one of us is in the red and it won't be me."
"May the best huntress win the." Weiss dropped into a fencing position, pointing her rapier/rifle at her secret Faunus teammate.
Blake did the same. She and her teammate were now focused on the other, observing the opponent for the slightest movement. They say the first strike is often the deciding factor in a duel, and these two young women would take any advantage they get. However…
"Who said you were going to fight each other?"
The two members of Team RWBY looked to the side and saw, to their surprise, Professor Komamura approaching them. "Professor?" they both asked.
"While it would be an entertaining exhibition to see you test each other's abilities, it would defeat the purpose of me learning more about my students," the wolfman explained. "So, what better way to evaluate what you learned than for me to test you pair myself."
Blake and Weiss grew shocked. This wasn't what they expected. They thought that this would be similar to the combat classes of Professor Goodwitch wherein they fight each other. No, it wasn't. This would be the first time any student, at least among the first years, would battle against a teacher.
The two girls were a bit apprehensive, given that they never fought a professional hunter before. However, the heiress and the cat Faunus didn't deny that they were curious about the new teacher's skills.
Komamura slowly walked towards the two huntresses-in-training. On his waist was a single-edged curved sword with a rectangular cross-guard decorated with a pattern of vertical lines, with long sides pinched towards the middle like a squared-off hourglass. The wolfman unsheathed the weapon, revealing the long thin blade that stretched to about a hundred and fifty centimeters in length – longer than your standard sword given his towering stature.
"Your battle with the Grimm is a never-ending struggle that plagued Remnant for eons," spoke Komamura in a stern, commanding voice that demanded attention. "A long war against savages that only feed on your despair and negativity."
A sudden feeling washed over the dome. An increase in the air pressure pushed down upon the gathered students. Weiss and Blake could feel their breaths quicken, their bodies shudder, and their vision blur as the wolf Faunus approached them.
"Do not let that despair control you," continued the instructor. "There is nothing wrong with feeling fear and despair but never let it dictate your actions."
Those words tugged at the hearts of Blake and Weiss. It made them remember the very reason why they chose to become huntresses.
"Acknowledge your fear and then conquer it. Your duty in battle is to win, for your loss would mean the end of yourself and those you wish to protect. Be numb to the emotions of the enemy. Be indifferent to their goals. They won't show you the same courtesy. And finally, don't look for glory in battle. There is no honor in death. You two and the rest of the students in this school are the next generation of protectors against the dark forces of the Grimm. Therefore, do what's necessary to succeed."
And then… he attacked.
"Wow… you two look like crap."
After their session with Professor Kensei, Yang, and Ruby met up with their team's other half. Upon inspecting Weiss and Blake, they can safely say that they've seen better days; not that the sisters were any different, mind you.
Blake had multiple cuts around her body that were slowly healing thanks to her Aura. Her uniform had slashes around the torso, skirt, and sleeves. There was even this nasty bruise on her leg that impeded her from walking right. "Look who's talking," she retorted.
Yang and Ruby were no exception. The older sibling had several bad bruises all over her face. Her hair which was usually neat was now ragged and unkempt. The uniform she was wearing had many tears, most likely from the intense rough-housing she received from Professor Muguruma. Last, but not least, was the shiner on her left eye. "Ha! I'll have you know that I performed spectacularly in our subject," boasted the blonde. "Right, Rubes?"
"Liar!" Ruby denied it. The younger sibling had the same number of injuries as her older sister except for the bulging bump on her head and the numbness in her right arm. "Professor Muguruma beat you up like a defenseless rented mule. Heck, he went easy on me and even then I look like I got thrown into a horde of sphynxes!"
"Ow, my head."
The three looked at Weiss who moaned. Like the cat Faunus, she, too, had multiple lacerations all over her body, a school uniform that almost came out of the shredder, and a limp hand that was primarily used for blocking and deflecting a meter and a half sword with Myrtenaster.
"You got roughed up like there was there's no tomorrow, huh, Weiss-cream."
"Shut it," Weiss spat at Yang. "I can't believe he would go hard on us like that. I mean, we're still children, right?"
"That might be true, but he said it himself," Blake reminded. "Do what's necessary to win. The Grimm won't hesitate to kill us, so why should we hesitate ourselves? It might be excessive, but Professor Komamura was right in not coddling us."
Weiss wanted to argue but found she had to counter. So, she just kept walking along with her teammates until she spotted two familiar faces.
"Aren't those Nora and Ren?" Weiss pointed out.
The other three looked to where their friend was pointing and indeed found one-half of team JNPR. However, much like them, the electric girl and the empath were far from okay. Both teens were covered in soot, their bodies freshly giving off some smoke while covered head-to-toe with cuts and bruises.
"Holy shit!" Yang exclaimed. "Did somebody dump a bucket of explosive Dust on you two?"
"No," Ren groaned. "It was much worse."
"It was Professor Bambi!" Nora whined. She was uncharacteristically stiff. "She and Professor Hisagi tried to cut us into pieces and blow those pieces up into smithereens."
"Let's not exaggerate things, Nora," Ren told his partner. "But she isn't wrong. Professors Basterbine and Hisagi were utterly merciless with us. And I think the same goes for the teachers you've chosen."
All members of Team RWBY nodded.
"By the way, we're going to see if Jaune and Pyrrha are done with their chosen subject," Ren informed.
Luckily, the other team was also interested in watching the other members of Team JNPR in their chosen elective subject. So, they followed Ren and Nora down the hall and into the facility where the two warrior-themed huntsmen-in-training were at.
When the six teens arrived, they immediately took seats in the stands as they observed the students who participated in this lesson. They quickly saw Pyrrha and Jaune in the center of the arena standing at the ready. In front of them was a lanky man with blonde hair twirling a curved single-edged sword. He had a mischievous smile while looking at the pair of prospective huntsmen.
"Hey!" Ruby suddenly yelled, catching the attention of her team along with Nora and Ren. "That's the guy who I bumped into earlier!"
"You're right!" Yang agreed upon looking at the man more closely. "It really is the guy."
"I never expected someone so flippant-looking to be a teacher, let alone a combat instructor," Blake commented.
"I don't know." Weiss' tone suggested that there was something else she saw. "I get the feeling that this particular teacher is more than he seems." She then looks at the others and asked, "Do any of you know his name?"
"I managed to ask Pyrrha earlier before we split up…" Nora said as she curiously stared at the blonde swordsman in the arena. Much like Weiss said, there was something odd about this person. In fact, there was something odd about Professor Basterbine and Professor Hisagi. Maybe even the other new teachers as well.
And it seems that she and the heiress weren't the only ones who had that thought.
"His name is Shinji Hirako."
A/N: Hello everyone! You might be wondering why I made this story when I still have at least five going on unfinished. Well, this is similar to the COD/Gate situation where I want to test the waters first before I fully dive in.
I've been watching and reading up on RWBY and I found the franchise enjoyable. In doing so, certain ideas for a RWBY/Bleach crossover have been popping up in my mind since I began binge-watching RWBY and… HERE WE ARE!
Now, this won't mean I'm leaving Reapers Among Fairies or Of Heroes, Sorcerers, and Reapers hanging, especially when they're entering major arcs in the story. In fact, I encourage you to read those two since I recently updated the latter and the next chapter for the former will be coming next week.
With that said, expect that this won't get an update for a VERY long time. But… it doesn't mean I'll be leaving this untouched. If I ever finish my Bleach/Fairy Tail story, I'll be continuing with Between Life and Death which has been on hiatus for more than two years.
For now, I do hope you readers find some interest in this little one-shot (for now, at least) so that I can see if this will be a viable story.
Until next time.
