There is a new cover art for this story that a friend of mine drew for me. It was so good and better than what I made so I decided to make it the cover art. Take a look at it!
Let us continue the show!
Beta: CrowSkull
Coverart: Nova
The Blind Huntsman
Chapter 59- Volume 2, Episode 2
Another Start
Kai thought hard on his next move while the headmaster of Beacon, the one who'd trained his late father to somehow become more powerful than him and even maidens, calmly kept to himself. He sensed the can lean against his desk and Kai lowered his head slightly as he sensed each and every object in the room. Every obstacle, and thought of a dozen different forms of attack and defense that could occur on either side. Minutes passed, and time was running low. Until finally, he made his move.
"King to F-two."
"Rook to F-seven, checkmate."
"Dammit!"
Yet another loss in this strange game called chess. Kai hung his head in disappointment and begrudgingly accepted Ozpin's offered hand and shook it. This has been a part of their training for the past month or two, it always started off like this. He didn't know why the headmaster put a blind boy to learn the game of chess at the beginning, and the headmaster did the cryptic thing and encouraged him to find the reason for himself. He ended up thinking it as some sort of tactical approach to an upcoming war, and supposed that the headmaster may be grooming him for command if such a situation were to occur. Throughout the first semester of Beacon Kai wasn't exactly the greatest leader, and honestly Ruby would have been better for the role. At least at the start. So he put in the effort to become better.
"You came close to making me serious a few times Mister Matsuoka," Ozpin complimented as he stood up and walking over to grab his cane. "You may see this as a pointless waste of precious time, but there are reasons for the mental challenges I provide for you."
"Honestly I think you just like winning at Chess." Kai snapped back. Ozpin chuckled, and did not deny it. It was a painful experience learning each and every circle and remembering each and every piece every directional move and added on to the fact that he was blind and couldn't see any of the pieces and which direction they moved in only made it more difficult. It took a month alone for him to finally get the game down and become somewhat decent at the game. Ozpin politely offered to move the pieces for him, and Kai allowed it. He would rather relax and lean back in his seat than have to reach over and move each piece individually with each turn.
"You are not wrong," Ozpin finally admitted as he threw his cane up in the air and caught the handle and held it like it was a one-handed sword. Within the weapon, Kai sensed and heard hundreds of little gadgets and machinery tinkering around. Though the headmaster never showed him just what that cane could do. Which of course added to his anxiety whenever the two of them actually trained against one another physically, he never knew when the headmaster was truly going to go all out. "But now we get to the part you look forward to the most." He said as he hardened his stance.
Kai nodded his head and drew Silver Ebony. The sword sang as it was dragged out of its scabbard, and he felt his new boots scrape against the floor as he shifted his stance to let his body face the headmaster to make himself the smallest target possible. Usually, he wouldn't wear boots at all, but an inconsistency was brought up to him. His father knew the same seismic sense technique that he did, and yet he still wore a full combat outfit fitted with thick combat boots. And so that ignited even more training than he did along with Fox to actually get used to wearing shoes and being able to sense at the same time. Both of them being blind, and one of them not nearly having as much experience with seismic sensing, that proved to be an annoying task. Nevertheless, Atlas once again came through and offered another gift to him in secret, provided by none other than the prize Specialist of the Schnee family. Just around the same time General Ironwood officially arrived in Vale.
Other than that, he underwent an outfit minor change as well. His once bare arms now had long sleeves that stopped just before it could reach his shoulders, and was a part of his bracers with gloves at the ends of them. His sleeveless sweater remained mostly the same, and he wore the same black pants that he used to wear during his secret part-time job as a vigilante during the night shift. Qrow saw to it that if he was going to be fighting and training more, he might as well not wear the same clothes he's been wearing for the past few months while doing so. And now here he was.
As Kai exhaled, he entered a more focused state of mind and raised Silver Ebony just in time to spark against the blunted end of Ozpin's cane. He then pushed through the force and exerted out a groan as he forcefully deflected the cane away and to the side. However, Ozpin was ever relentless as he usually was, never attacking him with just one attack. There was always another attack prodding at him from some other direction seemingly at the same time. Kai thought that it might have been some kind of offensive semblance that the headmaster was using against him but experience told him that the man was just that fast. Which was a crazy thought. The man was even faster than Ruby, and she had a speed semblance that made her faster than ninety-nine percent of humanity.
The actual training session went on for as long as it usually did. Ozpin attacked him, Kai defended as well as he could, then rinse and repeat. Kai did go on the offensive every now and again, but the headmaster was clearly on another level and he couldn't stay in that position for long. Thankfully, the man hadn't asked Kai to use the powers that naturally come to him while wielding the sword made of the strange material that he really ought to learn more about. Ever since the incident at the docks with Cinder, Kai hasn't been able to summon forth those powers, and Silver Ebony has just been a regular sword with a few extra points into sharpness and durability. Not even to increase his speed and strength like he taught Ruby too.
Kai's senses were all over the place as Ozpin attacked over a dozen times in as many milliseconds. He could feel the sweat dripping down his face and making him feel hot as his arms and legs moved faster than their limit allowed them. This went on for several minutes up to half an hour of fighting all around the headmaster's office. Books and scraps of paper were sent everywhere all over the room, making even harder to detect the next moves that Ozpin was going to take. After getting pegged in the chest and side four times each Kai had enough and threw an arm across his body.
All around him a spherical multidirectional attack of air blasted everyone away, even the headmaster. The beauty of his semblance was that some attacks were just unavoidable. The moment Ozpin landed on his feet, Kai shot forward like a bullet, scattering whatever books and papers that were still close to his person. For just a brief moment, he sensed his sword become enhanced with energetic power, and his muscles tensed to the point where it was a wonder how his veins were still under his skin.
Ozpin widened his eyes slightly as he felt himself actually being pushed back despite him putting more effort into holding his student at bay. Underneath the blindfold that Kai still wore, he felt something breakthrough. Before a splitting headache made him wince and weaken his grip on his sword. Ozpin took that and disarmed him quite handily, then twisted his arm and forced him to the ground with an echoing slam. Kai felt the pain and his aura flashed and tapped out before he could get himself hurt. Ozpin let go and helped the boy up immediately.
"You surprised me for a moment there," Ozpin said with what Kai would guess was a smile. "I will make a note to take you more seriously in our future sessions. Your growth is also something out of this world, Malikai at your age was powerful, but you are quickly gaining on him despite not having this training since the beginning."
"Good to know," Kai said as he rolled his shoulder and stretched out his sore muscles. "My senses are still a bit muffled because of these things. Seriously, how do people fight in these things?" He asked as he stamped his boots against the ground twice.
"Most wore footwear ever since they were young, you are a special case." Ozpin chuckled. "I am glad you are trying anyhow, fighting barefooted is dangerous. Once you run out of aura, there would be no protection for your soles. Making fighting all the more uncomfortable for you."
"I only considered it because Weiss' sister insisted on it so much," Kai sighed.
"That might be because she is grateful for what you did for her sister during the Mistral Vytal Festival tournament," General Ironwood said politely as he entered the office from the elevator, Specialist Schnee coming in behind him with the usual professional expression on her face.
Kai widened his eyes from underneath his blindfold. "General Ironwood?" He said, flabbergasted. He's heard much of this man throughout the recent weeks, but he has never met the man in person.
"Yes," The General took his hand. Kai shook it without really thinking about it. "I have heard much about you, I looked forward to meeting you in person."
Kai tilted his head toward Ozpin for an explanation.
"I may have spoken of your existence to the General here," Ozpin said with a snicker. "Him having a more pragmatic approach to how things should be done has yearned a natural liking to you."
"I have not met a silver-eyed warrior in a very long time," The general said, confirming the headmaster's words. "Especially one so young such as yourself."
Kai tensed slightly, so that's why he wanted to meet him.
"Hello," Winter greeted him, and she was someone he was more familiar and friendly with. "It is convenient to see you once more."
"Likewise." Kai nodded her way. They weren't exactly friends, but Weiss being mutually cared for gave birth to a soft relationship being built for the two of them. Nothing that would bear adoration, however.
"Now, how are your new clothes fitting you?" Ironwood asked next, scratching his chin as he looked Kai up and down.
"Uh… fine I guess?" Kai said as he felt a sense of awkwardness overwhelm him.
"I would hope so, Ozpin requested that I create and bring more protective clothing with me to give you. Of course, I wasn't able to bring it to you personally, so I had Specialist Schnee give it. She seemed happy to do so."
"See it as thanks for showing your kindness to my sister years ago," Winter said flatly. "You could have humiliated her, but you treated her fairly."
Kai shrugged his shoulders. "I just did what I thought was right." Like he always did, like he is doing now. Though, this was a strange time to suddenly introduce the General and headmaster of Atlas to him. And to reveal to him that the general is part of this inner circle of Ozpin's was a risky play. He could do something with that, not officially being a part of his little group as of now.
"I only wished you'd have arrived sooner, much has been going on in my kingdom, and the White Fang are ever a threat," Ozpin said.
"Cinder Fall as well, so I've heard." Kai tensed at the sound of her name. "And those who are working with her. Vale certainly has become a hotspot for criminal activity, I applaud you for forcing the decision of delaying the Vytal Festival by two months."
"The Vytal Festival has been delayed?" Kai asked, this being news to him.
"Oh, my apologies," Ironwood's smug chuckle suggested that he felt anything but remorse. "I seem to have let that slip."
"No matter," Ozpin kept a smile on his face. "The news is going to be made public later today anyway. So yes, Mister Matsuoka, the Vytal Festival has been delayed by two months so it will not be happening in the next few weeks as originally planned. Do you wish to know why?"
Kai inclined his head toward the man. His eyes narrowed, unseen by the headmaster because of his blindfold. He didn't know what the man was planning to win here, telling him all this critical information just like this.
Ozpin went on, taking his silence as an apparent yes. "You see, the vigilante that the public has named 'Stone Face' has become keen to share some of the information he knows. Due to recent events and the knowledge that the leaders of the White Fang are both in Vale, we were also warned that the entirety of the White Fang may be rallying to Vale for yet another terrible assault."
Kai hummed in understanding. "And Stone Face was right?"
"We are not certain, but I am not willing to risk a repeat of three years ago." Kai almost forgot about that, two years turned to three years in the blink of an eye. The passage of time was ever mysterious like that. One moment could feel like hours at one time and hours could pass in a moment in another.
"Yes, curious is it not?" Ironwood said, sounding much more serious than he was before. Kai raised an eyebrow. "The vigilante seems to have done more than any huntsman you've sent out, it's almost like he is huntsman trained himself."
"Qrow believes so as well. Apparently, even after receiving what should have been a fatal stab wound and multiple burnings during his battle against Cinder during the incident, he still managed to get away by jumping in the ocean. Only to then reappear days later much more compliant to authorities." Kai sensed Ozpin's face smirk point toward him. "What do you think, Mister Matsuoka?"
He was just about ready to run, but he stopped himself. They were just asking about his opinion, not accusing him. He had to remind himself of that more than twice. "I think it's about time someone has been doing something to slow Cinder and the White Fang down." He said with a shrug. "Nothing much else to it for me."
Ozpin accepted it with a soft hum, easily. "Well, we shall see what the future has in store for him. He was the one who tipped us off after all."
"If he does tip us off once more, I'd hope it is to inform us on where the stolen Paladins may be," And now they were telling him about this? This couldn't be a coincidence, they were inclining him toward something. He didn't know what, but all this information couldn't come freely. There was just no way. "That'd certainly make me more willing to not send my ace squad after him."
"Now now, let us not get too hasty," Ozpin said. "I suppose we have said too much to wandering ears, we'll speak of this another time James."
"As you wish," Ironwood said.
"Sir," Winter extended her arm out toward the general, an active scroll call was in her hand. "Miss Polendina is calling for her daily report."
"Already? It is still early-"
"Salutations General Ironwood!" Penny exclaimed through the scroll, Kai snickered. Of course, she would greet even him that way. He still remembered when she first met him and greeted him like that. Her, Ruby and Orchid get along really well. "I am here to make yet another report!"
"Penny, for the last time, I said you are to make these calls at the end of classes, not during them," Ironwood replied.
"But my friend, friend Sun, has given me more advice on how to speak to people. He said that I am to be confident and go after what I want. So I wanted to make a report early!"
Kai heard Ironwood curse Sun's name under his breath. Right, once Sun recovered he and Penny have been interacting a lot, and stuff like this happens, apparently enough to start annoying the general.
"Excuse me, I have to take this call," Ironwood said as he took the scroll and walked off into the corner. Trying to yet again explain to Penny that yes, she is allowed to call him, but not when it is just because she wants to say hi, or to tell him about all the new friends she is making.
"You may return to your rest period as well," Ozpin said to Kai. "I have kept you out of Glynda's classes and the other students will start to think you're getting special treatment for getting personal training from me."
In a few ways, he was special. If not for his silver eyes than for his amazing adaptability skills to learn to fight while blind. For getting the attention of Ozpin so early on in his life, and for being able to handle what he has been dealing with for a long time. The word special had many meanings, and not all of them were good.
Kai nodded and headed off, it would be nice to see his friends again, and his stomach was growling like a truck as it was.
"They pushed back the Vytal Festival!?" Rick, Brick, and Nora exclaimed all at the same time as soon as Ozpin was finished making the official announcement to the school. "But why?"
"Apparently, it is because of what has been happening in Vale," Blake began to explain for them. "Especially after what happened at the docks, it is now confirmed that both leaders of the White Fang are operating here in Vale."
"And that vigilante apparently sent a message to the headmaster, if the news is to be believed." Weiss huffed.
Kai noticed Ruby and Orchid sigh out of relief. Which made him feel a sense of warmth in his chest. Despite not exactly being the most kind person to them at the time, he still saved them from certain death, and even when it was confirmed that he was the one who killed the White Fang that were left behind by Cinder, Adam, and Sienna. He knew that Stone Face wouldn't exactly be able to work with every huntsman or huntress out there. The fact that it was his friends was a stroke of luck, because he knew that they wouldn't just go after him without a good reason to, and it isn't like Stone Face has killed anyone who didn't deserve it.
"Didn't the news say that he has been sparing a lot more people recently?" Pyrrha asked next. "There used to be reports of dead White Fang members everywhere he appeared, but now there has been more and more being left behind to be captured by the police. Something seems to have changed within that man. Orchid, you had the closest encounter with him so far, what was he like?"
"Eh," Orchid tilted her hand side to side. "He saved me, but I can't really say that much else about him. Though he was definitely like, super skilled. He put Adam on the back foot for a bit there and managed to injure him, I think."
"Sounds like he would put up a good challenge to you Pyrrha," Rick teased, nudging his partner in the side with his elbow.
"Oh, plenty of people are able to challenge me," Pyrrha modestly deflected. "It's just that some people aren't willing to give it their all when they are up against me. They believe that they won't stand a chance from the start and often defeat themselves before our blades ever clash."
"I try against you all the time," Rick huffed.
"I don't know, can you even reach her with your short little arms?" Brick teased his brother.
Rick's temper flared. "Oh, I don't want to hear that from you! You're the same height as I am jackass!"
"Yeah, but my partner isn't a full head taller than me."
Pyrrha snorted. Rick snapped to her with a look mixed with betrayal and surprise. "Agh! Why must I be cursed so!"
"Being vertically challenged has its perks." Weiss defended, not allowing her partner to get any more of a rouse out of her like he has been able to ever since their partnership started.
"I'm glad you understand me," Rick whined. "Weiss, wanna be my new partner?"
"Excuse me, but you already have a partner," Pyrrha said as she gripped him by the skull. Rick froze out of an instinctual reaction. Almost like he was a cat when the scruff of his neck was pinched. "You won't be getting out of our training that easily."
"Someone certainly seems territorial," Ren teased.
The color of Pyrrha's face matched her hair color as the obvious implication was made. Ricks did as well, matching the primary color that his brother often wears as he felt Pyrrha's finger loosen their grip against his scalp.
"S-since when did you speak like that pink eye?" Rick asked, crossing his arms indignantly and looking anywhere other than the other half of the table.
"I listen, and I have plenty of time to think before I speak. Which leads to interesting reactions from my peers." Ren chuckled as Rick stuck his tongue at him while Pyrrha clammed up.
"Hey, it's not bad if you two are attracted to each other!" Nora exclaimed, not caring for anyone's personal space or wishes as she planted herself behind Rick and Pyrrha and hugged them both close together with her strong arms. "Just look at Jauney and me! The perfect couple!"
Jaune perked up from his food. "Couple?"
"Of friends!" Nora let out a series of very fake laughs. "And he's attracted to me all the same!"
"W-wait a sec, where is this going-"
"And I know you are into shorter guys, Pyr," Nora got close to Pyrrha's ear, she looked back at her with wide green eyes. "I know," Nora whispered to her.
"I-I think that's enough, Nora," Jaune said in a meek attempt to try and pull back Nora from turning their entire team into a blushing mess before she could drag Rick back into it. Sometimes he wondered how Ren was able to handle her for so many years like Nora said. The fact that the only one who could handle her was currently smirking at them all didn't help anything whatsoever.
"At least the dance hasn't been pushed back at all," Yang said with a burp. "Right Kai? It's still happening next week right?"
Kai shrugged his shoulders. "If you really want to know, you should talk to Coco. Her team is the one organizing everything. I didn't bother to ask."
"Why not? You're going aren't you?"
Orchid snorted. "This is Kai, how often do you see him going out to dance or mingling with people he doesn't know?"
"Fair enough," Yang said. "A shame I'm sure a bunch of girls and maybe some boys would have liked to be able to hold his arm."
"I might show up," Kai said, pointedly ignoring Yang and Orchid's teasing with practiced ease. "It depends on what goes on, there are more important things for me to worry about than putting on stupid shoes."
"Right!?" Ruby agreed with him all the way. "I'll just stick with Kai and not go either, because-"
"Oh, you're going," Kai turned to smirk at her. "Just because I might not doesn't mean you get to escape it. Besides, I know you are looking forward to a certain someone asking you out."
Ruby shook with embarrassment. "Eh!?"
"No idea what you're talking about." Brick whistled an ignorant tune.
"No one mentioned you bud," Yang pointed out.
"Weiss is probably going to demand my attention anyway, you know how needy she is, she's like a pet." Brick deflected.
"I am not!" Weiss shrieked. "You can go with whomever you want! I for one will not be hoping to be in your arm of all peoples."
"Awe, and here I thought we were becoming better friends," Brick whined, but was happy that his plan to get out of the firing zone was successful.
"We are friends," Weiss said, surprising him somewhat. "Don't act so surprised, we're partners so it is only natural. But proximity does not always breed attraction. Something you are heavily lacking."
"And that Neptune guy does?" Brick teased.
"Here we go again," Kai thought to himself as Brick and Weiss entered another array of back and forth banter and insults. These were his friends, so it wasn't anything that he didn't already expect. This past month and a half that passed by since the docks were filled with getting closer to them once again per an agreement made with Qrow. And to be honest with himself, he really did like spending time with them. Had Remnant been a perfect world, he would rather spend all of his time getting closer to them and go back to his older more bubbly self. Maybe even hang up his sword and live out the rest of his days peacefully like something out of a fairy tale.
Remnant was far from perfect, however, and as much as he could wish to be allowed to live in peace. That was simply impossible. But his goal was to make it a perfect world with all his willpower, so that his sister wouldn't have to grow up to become what he is. A fighter, a warrior. A killer. Malienna was only three, she deserved better than what he was going through. Speaking of Malienna.
"I'm going to go visit my family," Kai said as he stood up from the table.
His partner gripped his sleeve before he could go. "Tell us when you are coming back." She told him, he sensed a spark of worry flow through her body.
"Sure," He said. Blake and he became much closer after his visit to the hospital room where his teammates were all being cared for their wounds in. Blake apologized again and again for not letting him come, and soon enough his anger faded and he truly forgave her. They still didn't talk as much as some pairs of friends might, but they didn't need too. Blake was a silent person and he respected that, and she respected his silence in return and only spoke to him where there was a solid topic of conversation they would both be interested in. He liked her, and he was proud to call her his partner.
"See you." Orchid and Ruby gave their goodbyes as he went off toward the exit. His friends continued their conversations even as he left, nothing less than what he would have expected, and he was able to keep track of their words all the way down the hallway until all the other voices speaking at the same time eventually drowned them out. He remembered when there was a silly food fight last week, he wasn't there to participate in it, but to his knowledge, Nora kidnapped Rick and Brick and recruited team RWBY and her own team into the Valkyrie Overlord organization. Miss Goodwitch came and put a stop to it before Ruby's tornado was able to destroy half the school, and the rest was history.
The sun felt good on the exposed patched of skin Kai was able to leave revealed to the brisk air. It didn't last long sadly, since he entered the dorm building and quickly ascended a few flight of stairs to get to where Marron and Malienna were now living. His mother made a full recovery about a month back, and even before that she was still keeping up her training and relationship with Qrow. That was still something that neither of them really talked about, but despite everything, he still trusted Qrow and knew that he wouldn't dare hurt Marron or his sister.
He knocked twice on their door and let himself in with his scroll that has been given authorization to open more than just his dorm room door in this building. Immediately, he had to crouch down to catch Malienna as she slammed into him.
"Kai!" The little half-faunus girl exclaimed as her arms and legs wrapped around his body as much as they could, her tail wrapped around his shoulder.
"Hey," Kai greeted back as he rubbed his face against hers. Malienna giggled and rubbed her face back against his, pushing up one corner of his blindfold in the process to reveal one of his eyes.
"Welcome back son," Marron said as she stretched out the sore muscles in her arms up in the air. "How's school been?"
"As it usually is, Doctor Oobleck has an interesting way of giving me tests." The doctor-professor was able to come up with a way to test his knowledge of what he has been teaching in class. Which consisted of Kai answering a different set of questions made specifically for him so that the rest of the class wouldn't be able to just copy from what they overheard. It took some getting used to and plenty of tries, but the deed was done and he was able to memorize most of what the man was able to teach him.
"I hope you're passing them, because your education quite literally determines how we live." Marron and Kai shared a laugh as the mother hugged her children. "You've grown so tall, you know that right?"
"Not really." Kai snorted when Marron pinched him affectionately.
"You're almost as tall as that Jaune boy that I see you sitting with every once in a while," Marron said as she eyeballed the measurement of Kai's height. "I'd say you're just scratching six feet, or maybe even beyond that, and oh…" She smiled warmly at him. "You're growing to look so similar to your father."
Kai let a small smile grow onto his face. He barely remembered what Malikai actually looked like, since the only time he was actually able to see him was when he was dying and covered in blood. It wasn't exactly a memory that Kai wanted to keep in his mind, but the effort wouldn't go ignored. "I understand. How are you and Mally doing?"
"As well as you can expect," Marron said as she continued her stretches. "I've continued my training, and Malienna enjoys watching the students practice their skills. She said that she wants to be a huntress, you know."
Kai hummed as he rubbed his little sisters head. Her chocolate brown hair shifting all over the place as he did so. "I know, I'm the one who unlocked her aura for her."
"Ow, you're doing it too hard!" Malienna whined as she tried to push away his hand from her head.
"Oh, sorry." Kai set her down and rubbed her hair more gently. "I was a little deep in thought."
Someone else entered the room behind him, Kai sensed the man coming from down the hallway and knew who it was before their hand even touched the door handle. Qrow stepped into the room, greeted Marron and was about to greet Malienna before he saw Kai. He suddenly became more anxious and nervous, still never having that talk with the young man ever since he caught them kissing a while back.
"Step-daddy!" Malienna adorably jumped into Qrow's awkward embrace. It was clear he wasn't used to hugging small children and didn't know how to handle this kind of affection from one. But credit was given to him when he tried anyway.
"Hey kid, I guess you missed me," Qrow said as he rubbed his knuckles into the girl's hair. Maliennas tail whipped him across the face for doing it too hard. "And down you go," He set her down and watched as she sprinted away to a different part of the room to apparently go grab something to show him.
"Kai, I didn't know you were going to be here."
"I wanted to visit," Kai said as if it should have been obvious. "I didn't know you were going to be here just now though."
Translation; I knew just where to find you. Qrow was able to understand the hidden meaning behind the boy's words. He nodded his head with understanding and sighed lightly. "Well, I guess this works out. I was looking for you anyway, I just wanted to visit these two before I started to hunt you down."
"More training?" Marron asked with a coy smile on her face. Qrow rubbed the back of his head.
"Yeah… something like that." He nervously replied.
"Didn't you say that you were going to bring me down to Vale a while ago?" Kai asked with a smug grin. "I believe it was so you can get me to drink-"
"Yeah, to Vale." Qrow cut him off sharply with a glare that he damn well knew Kai couldn't see. "I forgot I told you about that before."
"Oh! A men's night out?" Marron asked, chuckling. Qrow nodded his head without a word and with a slight grin on his face. He couldn't meet her eyes. "Don't let me keep you then, go on!"
Before he could react, Qrow was pulled down for a short yet deep kiss from Marron. One that he reciprocated warmly before remembering that Kai was literally standing right in front of him, and despite being blind he had the senses to know what was happening. He pulled back before things could get any more awkward.
"Yeah… let's go, Kai." Qrow said as he turned and left the room, giving Marron a warm smile on the way out.
Kai followed him, but before he could leave the room Marron placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Don't grill him too much please," She requested. "He's great, give him a chance."
"That's what I'm doing right now, aren't I?" Kai countered with a smirk. Marron gave him a kiss on the forehead and sent him out. Believing that the two important men she thought most of nowadays were going to get along now. It has been awkward between those two ever since she and Qrow got together and especially more so when they were around her. So she loved that they were going out together for a men's night out.
Hopefully, by the time they got back, things between them would be much more comfortable. She could only hope.
Hours later when the sun was long gone in the sky and the kingdom was shrouded in darkness, Kai dawning his nightly persona as Stone Face kept his back to the concrete ledge guard as Vernal looked over and narrowed her eyes to get a better look of what she was seeing.
"There's definitely White Fang down there," The maiden said as she clambered back down to sit beside him. "Raven and I have been keeping an eye on this place for a while now, something important is going on in that warehouse."
"Always a warehouse," Kai hummed. "You'd think they would go for something a little more hard to find."
"Amateurs," Vernal scoffed. "If they really wanted to stay hidden they should have just stolen some guys garage or something, or not where full uniforms while they carry out their business. It's almost like they want to be stopped."
"Well, it makes it easier for you to find them," Kai said. "If they want to be idiots, let them."
"And him?" Vernal flicked her chin toward Qrow, who was perched up in his bird form on Kai's other shoulder looking at the warehouse with a watchful eye. "I'm guessing we aren't going to be able to get down take care of things right away."
"You'd be right," Qrow said as he shifted back into a human and lowered himself behind the ledge along with them. "As the official story goes, Stone Face is working with huntsman now. It's going to stay that way. Which means not going down there and being a one-man army."
"I'd be able to take them all out on my own," Kai pointed out.
"Yeah, so would almost anyone from Beacon." Qrow rolled his eyes. "Doesn't mean that you can just go down there and do whatever you want. There are rules for a reason."
"Sometimes it's good for some rules to be broken," Kai replied.
"Listen, we're not having this talk right now," Qrow said, glaring at Kai. "Part of the deal we made was that you would send me messages, which I would relay to Ozpin so that an actual strike force can be made so that we can deal with stuff like this. So stop your bullshit and keep up with your side of the deal."
"Qrow, we know that there are paladins in there, the stolen ones from Atlas. If we wait any longer, they might not be in there anymore. We can storm the place together, and between the three of us, we would be able to take them all out and get those paladins back in safe hands."
"And reveal to Ozpin that Stone Face is working with the Spring Maiden?" Qrow scoffed at Kai's silence. "Not everything can be solved by killing them all,"
"I haven't been killing."
"You haven't been killing much since I've been working with you. Or are you going to tell me that accidents are made?"
"Some things can't be helped, if they won't stop fighting after I make it clear that they lost, then there's nothing else I can do."
"That's not-" Qrow tightened his eyes shut and shook his head. Not willing to go into that argument again. "Just send me the message the same way you did the last time, we'll talk about this later. Vernal, tell Raven she did a good job finding this place."
Vernal waved her hand dismissively toward the huntsman as he shifted back into a bird and flew away. He circled the warehouse a few times and then disappeared into the night, his black feathers blending in with the dark to make himself practically invisible to the naked eye. Once he was gone, Kai tensed up and very nearly hopped off the building to do things his way.
"It's not worth it kid," Vernal said, holding him back. "It's not worth breaking that deal, I can tell it's tense enough as it is. And that's just putting it lightly."
"I don't know what else he wants from me," Kai replied. "I've been following up on my side of the deal ever since we made it, yet he's acting like I'm some kind of mindless bandit. No offense."
"None taken." Vernal snorted. "He might be extra cautious since he knows that you've been working with Raven and me this whole time, I still remember the time when Qrow and Raven had to have a talk before the two of you went on to take out another hideout."
"Hmph," He could too. The shouting match nearly got them caught. Qrow accused Raven of giving him a sick mentality and turned him into a killing machine, which Raven countered saying that he wasn't going to stay a kid forever, and he would have done the same things even if she hadn't encouraged him to. In a way, they were both right, but him being caught in the middle of it was just annoying. "We'll have Raven bring us back in the meantime." He said as he stood up and made a mental call for her. "There's nothing else we can do here, but at least I have some time to plan things out before we come back."
"Did you tell Raven that you're training with Ozpin yet?" Vernal asked him. Kai froze. "You have to tell her soon, it's only going to get worse the longer you wait and I am not going to be the one to tell that shit to her. I sometimes damn myself for asking why you keep showing up to our training already tired and sweaty."
"I can manage both sides," Kai said. "I'll tell her soon, I promise. I've just been trying to find a good way to tell her."
"Good." Vernal huffed. Keeping up with Ozpin's training plus Vernal and Raven's training was difficult, and there wasn't a day that went by that he didn't feel his muscles wanting to fall off his body. But it was needed for him to get stronger. All that changed was his appetite, which required him to eat more and sleep longer. He gets more of the former than the latter, but rest wasn't as needed as the safety of the streets of Vale.
A raven flew overhead and close to them before it turned into the actual Raven Branwen. She landed softly and quietly before standing up fully, already preparing to slice a portal through the air.
"Hold on a sec," Kai said as he started taking off his top. "I don't want to risk getting caught with this on by my mom, she might put two and two together if she ever meets Stone Face again."
"You really have to give yourself a better name than that," Vernal said with a wince.
"If you have a better idea, then go ahead, feel free to share."
"What about the 'Dark Wanderer'."
"Wow, and I thought I was bad at naming things." Kai laughed as Vernal cursed at him to shut up. The top that Qrow helped put together for him for nights like these came off, and underneath his usual outfit was picked up with the clothing. Revealing his scarred body for a moment. Raven and Vernal looked to each other and confirmed they both saw the same thing. Underneath that shirt, Kai had many scars thanks to stab and slash wounds, as well as some burn scars thanks to Cinder. The sleeves that he now wore on his arms also covered up some of those scars, most likely so that his friends wouldn't be able to see them. They were all hidden once again once he fixed his clothes.
Raven felt an unusual pang of guilt and regret upon seeing them. It was her fault that this all started, but she knew that it would have happened anyway, so why did she feel this way?
"Now go," She said once Kai was done, he said his goodbyes to her and Vernal and went through the portal. It closed up behind him and he was gone, another missed chance to say something if she wanted to.
"He's not going to last much longer, you know," Vernal said. "Even I need to rest every once in a while. If he doesn't let himself sit tight for a few days, then his body is going to choose a day for him."
"I am aware."
"Are you going to say anything to him about that?"
"Do I need to?" Raven raised an eyebrow. "He knows what he is doing, so he shall face the consequences when they become apparent to him."
"Hmph, sure." Vernal crossed her arms and scrunched her eyebrows.
"Is there something you want to say?" Raven asked.
"Nothing. I've said all I wanted to." Vernal said.
Raven didn't argue and made them a portal back to the tribe. The itching feeling in the back of her mind told her to say something to her other student, but she swallowed it down and continued on her day. There was still much to do back in Mistral where her tribe was located.
Kai fell to his hands and knees exhausted, another round of training done with the headmaster. He was helped up and was led to a seat where his body was more than happy to rest in. Then he guzzled down desperately on a bottle of water that was provided to him.
"That will be enough for today," Ozpin said as he walked around to sit at his desk once more.
"I can keep going," Kai claimed as he took great gulps of air every second.
"Not when you are on the verge of hyperventilating. I admire your drive to become stronger, but everyone has their limits. Even myself, Mister Matsuoka." Ozpin laid his hands out in front of him on his desk, and he allowed Kai to take the break that he needed to catch his breath.
Once he did, and Kai didn't argue, he continued. "I've been doing some thinking. Much thinking, I've talked to Glynda and James about allowing you into my circle."
Kai's head snapped up at attention. "What? So early…?"
Ozpin smirked. "Don't be so surprised, Qrow and his team were recruited at a relative age to you, and Malikai at an even younger age. You have shown significant growth, and with your eyes, you are an invaluable asset not only to me and this school, but to all of humanity. I am sure you know that I may have been grooming you for a great task that will soon be at hand."
Kai nodded his head slowly. "Salem…" His mouth whispered.
"That is correct," Ozpin said, just as quietly. "At first I was skeptical, admittedly I was concerned with your recent behavior and animosity toward me. I also admit that is also due to my lack of communication with you. But you can certainly be trusted, and I can hold hope that you may share the same feeling with me."
"See it this way," The headmaster continued. "Thanks to your father telling you, you already know about the maidens, Salem, and her forces. Not only that, but she has also been targetting you. Keeping you out of the loop would only drive a wider wedge between us, and much more than you really out to know at such a young age. We also both know that we are much better off allies than enemies. So I shall make the offer now, will you work with me?"
It was all so sudden and unexpected that Kai thought he might have been under an illusion or dreaming. What the headmaster has said so far is right, he does know more than he really should and he is already a target for Salem and Cinder. He knew about Tyrian and Hazel, and has firsthand experience with most of her forces. He's even taken measures to take care of them himself during some nights. Vast measures that most his age would pale in the light of. His yearn for vengeance had to be known in Ozpin, and he was likely banking on that to earn his support at the very least.
And Kai wanted revenge, very badly. He's willing to do anything to get it, he knew that and his friends almost caught on to that weeks ago.
"I will," He said eventually after thinking on it. The benefits far outweighed the consequences. "As long as I am let in on the loop of things, then I will work with you. Don't mistake this for loyalty however, I won't just do whatever you say."
"I don't expect you to," Damn him for feeling elated about this turn of events. Kai scowled. "I look forward to working with you, in fact, I've already prepared for it."
"What do you mean?" Kai asked him.
"Recently Qrow has relayed to me another message sent to him by our resident vigilante." Ozpin started. "Apparently, he has found out where the stolen Atlesian paladins are being kept and has been compliant enough to share that information. Tell me, Mister Matsuoka, how would you like to go on your first mission?"
A mission to go after the White Fang, retrieve the stolen paladin, and do it all without having to worry about legal issues? "When do you need me there?"
"In thirty-six hours," Ozpin answered right away. "You are to take your team and two others with you, I will not be risking the lives of four of my students going in unprepared and without reinforcements, not after the incident at the docks. Qrow and Specialist Schnee will go with you as well just in case the leaders of the White Fang make another surprise appearance."
So that meant KRBR, and teams RWBY and JNPR, because there was no way he was going to drag in any people he didn't trust. This was very obviously orchestrated to work this way, but in a very convenient way, it also saved him the trouble of having to go there himself with Qrow against a rather large force of White Fang. twelve huntsman and huntresses in training, plus another huntsman and huntress, fully trained as well, and there was no need to hold back here. It was almost too good to be true.
So much so, that Kai grew suspicious. This all appealed to his thirst for revenge, and while he was definitely going to go through with this, he'd have to be more careful once it was all over.
"Okay… Since we're going to be working with each other now, there are some other things I want to know first." Kai explained as he leaned back into his seat, his blind silver eyes looking around suspiciously.
Ozpin leaned back in his as well. "Go on then, ask me your questions."
"I want to know what I don't know yet," Kai said. "I know that what I do know is most likely just scratching the surface. How can you possibly be so old? Why is Salem such a threat? Things like that. I want to know everything, or this is going to be a very tense alliance."
For the first time, the happiness that he sensed from Ozpin dwindled. He tapped his finger against his armrest and sighed through his nose. There would be no lying here, Kai would call him out on it. The feeling was soon replaced by a sense of acceptance mixed with dread. The young blind man waited patiently for forsaken tales.
"Tell me, Mister Matsuoka. How familiar are you with the fairy tale, 'The Two Brothers'?"
And here we go, more stuff to get through, and a lot was covered here. I am doing something a bit different in skipping ahead through time where I don't think RWBY did other than a couple of weeks. I don't really remember how the flow of time worked in RWBY, but I assume it was an average of a few months before Beacon fell. It was a bit fast-paced, I admit, and I went ahead with what might be considered a risky idea that I planned out a while ago. There is just so much to get through here, that like I wrote before, what you guys have seen so far is just scratching the surface. Volume 2 is going to be a wild ride full of action, drama, story, and the best and worse of each character. I guess now we could say that officially officially, The Blind Huntsman is in its second volume. Or third if you count Volume 0.
Please review and let me know what you think of the story!
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