The screen flicked for a bit, revealing quite a bit of dust on the screen before the author wipes it away.
*There that should do it.*
The author steps back and sits at a desk before waving at you.
*Hey guys Hakuorofan7 here and welcome back to a long overdue chapter of Twilight Over Remnant.*
*To those that are surprised, this story isn't dead yet!*
*Been about two years since the last update and in that time JPDE finished and the sequel released. A new Volume of RWBY, Ice Queendom, the Arrowfall game, and two movies released and this story passed the 200 followers mark which I have to thank you all for the continued support.*
*Anyway as I'm sure your patience will be well worth it, so let's move onto the new chapter after the disclaimers.*
*First I do not own Kingdom Hearts, RWBY, or JPDE.*
*Secondly I have to thank my partner on this story warrior of six blades for their continued help in making these chapters a reality.*
*Finally just sit back, relax, maybe put some music on, and enjoy. I'll see you all at the end of the chapter.*
The author snapped his fingers, getting the screen to flicker to static as the chapter began.
First Day at Beacon
"You think that I got this right?" Roxas asked looking in the bathroom mirror, looking at Beacon's school uniform.
Wearing a white button up shirt, a black suit lined with gold, black slacks, and a red tie that he struggled with for a minute before figuring he tied it right.
"I think that it might be right, I don't really know either. Make ask about it when the rest are ready...if they are ready?" Xion said, getting Roxas to nod as their connection was cut off.
After the exam yesterday he and Xion found that she can talk to him in short bursts, working on talking alone or mentally for short bits. It wasn't much right now but it was progress to which Roxas was happy with.
Along with fulfilling his promise to her, something the Nobody was actually looking forward to.
Today was Day 362 since he came into existence, and today was his first day of school alongside his teammates.
He had wondered what school was like from hearing about it from Axel and observing that group of kids in Twilight Town sometimes. But Roxas doubted that it would have been much like what it would be from Beacon.
Supposing that it would be somewhat like his time with the Organization except much less activity in the field, more time just to be himself, and no Heartless or anyone after him. Alongside being around his friends.
Roxas knew that Penny certainly shared this sentiment, even more excited for today too.
Her heart was practically radiating it.
Jack's and Evelyn's reaction were more subdued, but he could at least tell they were looking forward towards it as well.
Right after the exam the rest of the team spent the day unwinding and prepping to start school the next day and familiarizing with each other. At least Jack and Evelyn were more civil with each other at the moment after the exam.
Also telling Jack his true nature as a Nobody last night. Penny, Evelyn, and Ruby already knew at this point and she was his partner.
Granted Penny trusted Ruby and Evelyn learned about it from her Sembalance, yet he believed that he could trust Jack with this as well. He didn't want to repeat after Axel did...
First she believed that it was a horrible thing they were calling him a Nobody, before clarifying that it's what type of being he was. Growing more intrigued before worrying how his lack of a heart and if he could actually feel emotions.
Penny helped explain the lack of the heart like they did with Ruby. As for emotions he had to learn on his own, although she accepted when Evelyn explained that he was different from others.
When he asked Evelyn about this, she just gave him an amused grin.
Once again felt like dealing with a friendlier, female Xigbar.
Jack at least accepted that and said it didn't matter as he was her partner.
Roxas was relieved at that, just one less thing to do. But she didn't know about Xion yet.
He and Penny with some occasional input from Xion tried to figure out something to explain her current situation while somehow proving that he had someone inside him…they couldn't think of anything.
Something to think of more on later.
Roxas sighed as he shook his head and turned towards the bathroom door.
"Evelyn, can I come out now!" He shouted through the door, anticipating just what her reply would be.
No doubt that she would try to mess with him.
All of Team JPER was changing into their uniforms in different sections of their dorm room. Roxas taking the bathroom, Jack taking the balcony area, Evelyn taking the main bedroom area, and Penny taking the kitchen.
Reason why was quite simple, Roxas was the only male one the team and he was already had a hard enough time with Evelyn's…'talk' still fresh on his and Xion's mind.
Besides Penny immediately claimed the kitchen to change after everyone was up and ready.
Plus there was still a noticeable tension between Jack and Evelyn even if more subdued than before. Jack changing on the balcony as she lost to Evelyn in rock, paper, and scissors.
"Of course you can! The real question is: should you tiger?!" Evelyn said and Roxas swore he felt his brow twitch at the nickname, hearing her amused laughter from the other side of the door.
He was never escaping that with her around…
Yet he already expected this response.
"Did you completely change into the uniform then?" Roxas asked with an annoyed sigh.
"Oh no he's learning! He's going to overthrow his masters!" Evelyn exclaimed to his annoyance. "Fufufu…"
Screw it, he had already given her enough chances.
She was going to tease him no matter what.
"I'm coming out!" Roxas said as he reached for the doorknob.
"And women rejoiced everywhere!" Evelyn shouted, getting Roxas to sigh.
The Nobody really hoped that this was just a rough start for the day…
Xion sighed and shook her head at hearing Roxas's and Evelyn's interaction.
While it did amuse her, it was a small reprieve during her time in the Dive in the Heart. Outside of observing Remnant through Roxas, she had nothing to do.
Xion was happy that Roxas was getting a new start at Beacon like she had hoped and with Penny nearby, still didn't change that the Replica couldn't interact more than short moments of a time. That again was through Roxas's body in contacting him.
Still that was the best she could do while finding a way to contact the others…
Almost everything that is…
She walked over to the door that had slowly forming on the ground, the block of burnt wood having extended slightly among the bottom and a nub extending upwards as one of the sides. More cinders slowly gathering around the burnt parts.
With how slow it was going Xion didn't know how long it would take to fully form, but at this rate it could possibly take weeks.
Xion walked up to it, extending her hand to summon her Kingdom Key before prodding at it.
Deciding to see if she could make any kind of progress on figuring out what was going on with the door or where it could lead to.
Thankfully for Roxas's sanity, Evelyn was dressed.
Yet there was yet another issue...
"So how do I look? Making your nonexistent heart race!" Evelyn said with a teasing grin while the Nobody tried to look away while maintains his composure.
She wore a similar uniform to him except the tie was replaced with a red ribbon and the pants replaced with a red and black plaid skirt and knee high stocking. Having decided to now wear her hat, leaving both of her ears exposed.
The main problem was he noticed how it emphasized curves, not helping it actually showed off more skin than her usual clothing by the gap between her stocking and skirt.
"Rendered speechless are you?" She asked getting Roxas to sigh.
"I have words, especially how blunt you are." He said.
Evelyn just looked even more amused by his retort.
"Oh nice, you're learning." Evelyn said with a haughty smirk. "If any of the words are profanity, keep it to one word and go ahead and worship me!"
Roxas just sighed and shook his head at the rabbit faunus's antics.
"Evelyn? Roxas?" Both of them heard Penny call from the kitchen area, a tinge of nervousness in her voice. "I'm coming out as well."
She opened the kitchen door, looking shyly as as fiddled with creases in her uniform. Wearing the same thing as Evelyn except the stockings covered the entirety of her legs.
"How do I look?" Penny asked shyly.
"Oh my gods! You're so adorable!" Evelyn said excitedly, getting Penny's face to flush.
"It looks like it suits you Penny." Roxas said with a smile.
"Thanks, I've never wore a uniform before." Penny admitted with a smile.
Admittedly she never really had a reason to wear one, Ironwood had been lax in that regard as her own preference for clothing would help her seem like the regular populace.
That and her blouse's fabric could withstand her maximum combat output without long term wear and tear while also looking pretty.
"It looks like it suits you Penny." Roxas said with a smile before notice something. "So you're still wearing your collar too?"
Under neath the collar of her shirt, the Nobody could see her black and green color covering her neck.
"He's right, I figured you would have removed it?" Evelyn said, bringing a finger to her chin as Penny looked a little nervous.
"I-I have a scar!" Penny exclaimed before hiccuping, surprising both of her teammates. "Yes a positively ugly scar that I wish to keep hidden from sight at all times!"
She let out a hiccup as Evelyn looked shocked.
"Wow, if you needed a collar that covers the entirety of your neck it must be one huge scar!" She said.
"Didn't mean to bring that up, sorry Penny." Roxas said with a wince, but was confused as she smiled.
"It's alright. I don't mind!" Penny said happily.
Roxas thought she seemed a little too happy about a scar as bad as she described, but decided that probably it had been a long time ago for her. Maybe she didn't like attention that got drawn to it at least?
He figured that it would be ask to Penny about this another time, she seemed like to be more at ease talking with them about it again.
"That's the spirit!" Evelyn said happily. "And you're in luck, for I am an expert at scar removal!"
"You are?" Penny asked, filing away the information about her partner's skill set.
"I am! I can prepare a salve that when periodically applied-" Evelyn began to explain, but was cut off when all three heard the balcony door opened
"I coming out!" Jack called out, getting Evelyn to pout while Penny smiled.
"Please do come inside, Jack! We're eagerly awaiting your reveal with fervent curiosity!" She said happily, partly relieved to close the conversation.
Roxas turned to the balcony and was only a little surprised to see what Jack was wearing.
Unlike Penny and Evelyn, Jack like her partner was wearing the male version of the Beacon uniform with her tie properly set. Alongside her blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail with two bangs framing her face.
If he didn't know that she was a girl...
The closest comparison he could think of was Marluxia if Jack let her hair down and it was dyed pink.
He quickly shrugged it off as both Evelyn and Penny stared at her in shock.
"What?!" Evelyn exclaimed.
"J-Jack?" Prenny said, double checking that her optics weren't glitching.
"Hey what's wrong with the both of you? Did I get the knot wrong?" Jack asked, crossing her arms.
"I don't think so." Roxas said with a shrug.
"Jack, that's the male uniform." Penny said after a moment of processing.
"Yes?" Jack asked for clarification.
"Why?!" Evelyn exclaimed.
"Cause I don't like skirts. Bloody hell, does it look that bad on me?" Jack said, getting
"It doesn't and that's the problem!" Evelyn shouted, her ears moving back at a 45° angle.
"Carrots what the hell does that mean?!" Jack snapped back.
Evelyn lets out a frustrated growl in her throat, Penny and Roxas were ready to interfere between the two again. But the rabbit faunus's ears drooped back to normal as she turned and walked towards the dorm's doors.
Before slamming her head agains the door
And again
And again.
"Okay what is her problem?" Jack asked as Evelyn kept banging her head against the doorframe.
"There's nothing wrong, but I guess it's...attention grabbing." Penny said, trying to compile the best term to describe her partner's reaction.
"That's it?" Jack asked, shaking her head with a sigh. "Let people stare, who bloody cares."
"Honestly I don't really see the issue either." Roxas said, the Nobody having no real clue on the matter either.
"That's the spirt partner." Jack said with a smile, before frowning and approaching him. "Although..."
Quickly closing the distance and almost getting into the Nobody's face to his and Penny's surprise. Grasping his tie.
"What-""Here, let me fix that partner." Roxas tried to say, but Jack cut him off. Giving her partner a reassuring smile.
He relented with a nod and watched in a few moments Jack effortlessly undid his tie. It seeming like second nature to her as she moved about correcting in it without any focus in her movements.
Neither of them noticing that Roxas's Aura starting to glow except for Penny, growing curious at this phenomenon.
Her eyes widening as her sensors picked up that Roxas's Aura levels was starting to decline slowly.
"Roxas, would you mind explaining why your Aura level is slowly depleting? Are you using it for something?" Penny inquired, getting their attention as Jack almost finished his tie.
Both noticing the glimmer of Aura surrounding Roxas, before he groaned as a static noise filled his head.
Placing his hands on it as the pain from it felt like it was splitting his head, stumbling a bit before Jack grasped his shoulders and holding him steady.
"Roxas are okay? What's wrong?" Jack asked, worried and trying to understand what was happening to her partner.
"Penny's right, something is happening to his Aura." Evelyn said, bounding from the other side of her room with her Scroll in hand.
Using an app they would use for combat class, the team's Aura levels were synced to their scrolls and displayed with a significant connection to the CCT. Currently it should that the rest of the team's Aura levels were all full. Except for Roxas's which had been dropping past 90% and continued to dwindle with every passing moment.
"Roxas can you hear me?" Xion said as the static lessened in his mind.
"Xion?" Roxas groaned out as the noise started to die down, Jack looked around in confusion.
"Isn't she one of your friends, why are you doing this to him?" She asked, looking around the room.
"I didn't mean to and...wait you can hear me!" Xion said in surprise as the blonde looked around the room, raising a fist while trying to find the source of Xion's voice.
"Of course I can hear you! Show yourself now or do I have to beat your arse to explain what you are doing to him!" Jack threatened out, holding her partner protectively.
"Uh Jack, there is no one else here?" Evelyn asked confused on what she was doing as Penny narrowed her eyes.
A hypothesis forming in her mind.
"No there is." Jack said with a frown.
"I'm sorry our first meaning is like this Jack, I didn't mean to cause any harm to Roxas." Xion apologized, hoping to ease the tension a little. She could practically sense how fierce Jack's emotions were rolling off her heart.
"Jack it's fine..." Roxas said as the noise and static finally died down from his mind. "I know that Xion wouldn't do this on purpose..."
"Wait she can hear Xion now?" Evelyn asked in surprise as Penny walked up to them. Looking at Roxas in concern before placing her hand on his shoulder.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Penny asked.
"No, at least I don't think so, but maybe I can if I figured how this works..." Xion said, her voice being heard by Jack and Penny.
The latter starting to record the conversation with wide eyes as Xion's voice registered with her audio receptors.
Her hypothesis was right, Cion had found a way to communicate with others albeit in a limited way. Using Roxas's Aure due to their connection as both a transceiver and a power source.
Not an effective one as it required tactile contact with the Nobody, limited to Roxas's Aura reserves, and caused him discomfort to use in the first place.
Yet Penny calculated that it was still an impressive task for an all but unknown dilemma in less than half a week.
Her uncle would deeply appreciate the data she was gathering right now...when she could send it that is.
But now her primary directive was focusing on Roxas and Xion.
"It's nice to finally meet you Xion." Penny said with a smile.
"Nice to meet you too Penny, sorry about meeting like this. Was just messing with something in here. And again sorry Roxas." Xion said. "Still, thank you for everything you've done for us."
"No problem!" Penny said happily as Evelyn walked over to them.
"So you both can hear her now?" She asked.
"Just touch Roxas and you'll hear her." Penny explained to her partner.
Looking at them for a moment before shrugging.
"Welp in for a lien, in for a pound." Evelyn said as she placed her hand on Roxas's back. "Hello?"
"I'm starting to wonder if this is what Axel felt with me and Roxas at first..." Xion muttered, starting to sound tired. "It's nice to meet you Evelyn, all of you. Hopefully next time it will be under better circumstances. I'm feeling tired and I'm not sure how much longer I can maintain this communication. So I'm going to rest for now, Roxas I'll try to contact you after school. Please try to have a good first day at school with your teammates."
"I will, but will you be alright Xion?" Roxas asked, gritting his teeth as the connection started to turn static again.
"Just need some more time to rest, hopefully the next time I'll get to talk to everyone it won't be so draining for the both of us." Xion said as the connection was cut and Roxas's teammates removed their hands from him.
"Partner, care to explain what that was all about?" Jack asked, worried about him.
"It's a long story, it will be best to talk about it after classes." Roxas sighed out.
"We'll explain it too, hopefully Xion will find a way that won't consume Roxas's Aura like that." Penny said, getting Evelyn to wince as she looked back at her Scroll.
"Got that right, look just how much she used up for that." Evelyn said, showing the team that his Aura level was 70% of what it should have been.
"30% just for a few minutes." Jack said with a wince.
"It will be worth it for Xion, but hopefully we'll be more careful of that in the future." Roxas said, hoping to talk about Xion improving the connection later or using another method latter.
At least she had a way to talk to the outside world now.
"You'll be able to do so later, now then." Jack said as she closed in on Roxas, finishing up the half-finished tie. "There we go, looking dashing now. My dad used to say, a bad tie makes a bad day. Hoping the rest of the day will be alright."
"Same." Roxas said, getting his partner to smile before gesturing to the door.
"Come on now, most important meal of the day ahead." Jack said as the team began to head to breakfast. "And Roxas, if you want to talk about Xion a bit-"
"I'll take you up on that." He said, getting Jack to nod with a smile as they left their dorm room.
Leaving Evelyn and Penny behind in the room, the forming smiling.
"Well that was interesting, almost made me forget about Jack...no wait it's back." Evelyn said, her ears drooping a little. "Hate her, hate her so much."
Seriously, she doubted that she could ever pull off the male uniform like that! So unfair...
"Of course she knows this means war." Evelyn said, Penny filtering her teammates comments as she was properly storing the data from Xion's communication.
Happy at least to finally greet Xion properly, if informally. There would be a proper time for greetings later. And she needed to compile what information there was for latter.
Right now and noticing that Roxas and Jack were a sufficient distance ahead, now was the most opportune moment to inquire her partner on something she had been wishing to ask.
"Evelyn?" Penny asked, getting the faunus's attention. "Can you please teach me how to do a tie?"
Xion panted for a bit as she leaned against her Keyblade a bit before dispelling it, a small smile on her face.
It wasn't much, but she now had a way to talk to the outside world now.
Granted it gave Roxas quite the headache and was draining, but it was a start.
She had no idea how she triggered it aside from prodding the doorframe with her Kingdom Key, but she now knew the feeling of triggering the communication now. All that as left was to improve upon it.
There was now a starting point and a new method to figure a workaround using Roxas's Aura. Xion decided to figure out where to go from there later.
For now she wanted to enjoy her success...and get some rest too...
It took Team JPER a few minutes more to arrive at the cafeteria than they would have wanted, Jack admittedly confessing she wasn't that familiar with Beacon's layout as her teammates.
By the time they reached it for breakfast, there was a practical sea of students milling around.
"Damn, I've never seen so many people eating in one place before." Jack said, surveying the crowded cafeteria as they were looking for open areas to sit before getting their food.
"Me neither." Roxas said while looking around.
"The student population had been below capacity these past few days, additionally we have only eaten in our dormitory the past two days." Penny chimed in.
"Well, knowing that I'm not the only one who hasn't experienced school life before puts me at ease a little. Sharing the pain and all that." Jack said with a smile.
"Has anyone on our team ever been to one before?" Roxas asked.
Figuring at least someone would have gone to one, it probably would have been Jack or Evelyn.
"FYI, nope." Evelyn admitted with a grin.
"Affirmative, it would seem like a first for all of us." Penny said with a smile, noting with the new information the team would qualify the furtherest from qualify as a Hunter team by Atlasian standards and records.
"Guess the academies are just the most common way to become a Hunter." Roxas said, getting Jack to nod.
"Quite right on that, you can get training from a retired or injured Hunter or have an active duty one take you on as an apprentice." She said.
"Alongside other venues in civilians that specialize in using Aura and Dust outside the four kingdoms." Penny said, getting Roxas to nod.
"Fair enough." Roxas said, coming to a stop. "I see some spots over there."
"Good eye partner." Jack said, following his gaze. "Now let's get some grub, I'm famished!"
With that the four of them soon joined the long line of students for breakfast.
"Wow, this is the best food I've eaten in months." Jack said while eating her breakfast.
"Oh? But don't you usually cook for yourself." Evelyn said with a smug grin.
"O-Of course I do! But I can't make miracles while out on the road!" Jack snapped back, her face slightly flushed as she and Evelyn began to argue.
Roxas sighed as he ate his breakfast wondering two things. Why did he and Penny thought it was a good idea to seat the two of them directly across from each other. That and perhaps the scrambled eggs were probably overcooked a little.
After getting breakfast, by some miracle the spots he had spotted still remained open enough for the entire team to sit together.
Penny and him sat across from each other, their respective partners sitting next to them. The pair currently arguing.
So the Nobody turned to see her smiling as she had enjoyed her breakfast.
"How's the food Penny?" He asked.
"It's definitely nutritionally balance but I believe that the eggs were slightly over cooked. Probably to give them more consistency before the scrambling procedure." She said happily.
"Definitely agree with you on the eggs." Roxas said with a smile as he pressed the eggs with his fork. "Though I was trying to just talk...not really used to doing so."
"Neither am I, I couldn't:t properly distinguish your attempt." Penny said, looking a little sad.
"It's alright, we just need to learn how to." Roxas said while shaking his head. "But we're not alone on that, at least we have each other to help the other out. Plus out teammates too...if we can get them spot stop arguing."
Penny beamed at his words as she let an out a little laugh, her faced flushed a little.
"Correct, we have each other to learn from." She said with a smile before turning towards their teammates. "Perhaps we should interfere yet again-"
"Penny! Everyone! Good morning!" Penny was cut off and surprised when Ruby suddenly appeared next to her, stopping Jack's and Evelyn's argument with her arrival.
"Good morning Ruby." Roxas said with a smile, noticing that she wore her cloak over her uniform.
Then again Penny did say that the dress code for Beacon was lax companies to what she knew of in Atlas, allowing for degrees of customization. He could have worn his Black Coat, but preferred not to with it currently in his bag. Than again things were also laced for students wearing the combat uniform in class, but all of Team JPER decided to go with their uniforms.
"Ruby! A good morning from me as well!" Penny said cheerfully.
"Thanks! But enough about me, you!" Ruby said excited as she zipped to the other side of Penny. "You're wearing the Beacon uniform!"
Zipping back to Penny's right side before surprising her by jumping and hugging onto her, sitting down next to her without Ruby releasing her hold. Penny looked uncertain on what to do as Ruby beamed at her.
"That means you both have passed initiation! Congratulations!" Ruby said.
"Thanks Ruby!" Penny said, beaming with happiness and the biggest smile Roxas had seen on her face as she returned her friend's hug.
"Thanks." Roxas said, just enjoying the sight of Penny with her best friend.
"Oh, no hug for me too." Evelyn teased, getting Ruby's attention.
"Hi, Evelyn!" Ruby said before she turn to Jack. "Is that your fourth..."
She trailed off as she started at Jack confusedly, something Roxas was a little amused by as he figured the reason of her reaction.
Wondering if he reacted like that to Marluxia during his first week in the Organization, Axel said he did yet even nearly a year later Roxas couldn't remember that first week for the life of him.
"Um...you're a girl right?" Ruby asked as her brain rebooted. Looking a little embarrassed after asking.
Yet Jack seemed to pay no mind to it all all.
"Sure am. The name's Jacqueline B. Ivory, but you can call me Jack." She introduced with a smile, the red hooded girl singing in relief.
"Oh thank goodness! I mean, you're so pretty and your hair is so long I thought that of course she must be a girl but you have the boy's uniform on so I got confused!" Ruby said rapidly, getting Jack to laugh a bit.
"It's alright. I guess I'm the only female student who wears the male uniform." Jack said.
"As far as I know! But seriously, it looks better on you than the guys!" Ruby said.
"Perhaps you're right, but I wouldn't care anyway." Roxas said before turning to Jack. "Right, anyway thank you for helping with the tie. Wished to say something earlier, but..."
"Say no more partner." Jack said, figuring talking about what happened with Xion in the cafeteria would make his uncomfortable. "That's because I used to do if for my father growing up. You made a good first attempt, just takes some practice to get it right."
"I-I'd be more than happy to help you with your that next time Roxas." Penny said p, getting their attention. "If you wished of course."
"I'll keep that in mind, thanks Penny." Roxas said, getting her smile to widen.
Though he was confused on why she and Evelyn gave each other a thumbs up. Ruby looked just as confused as the Nobody was as she looked between Penny and Evelyn before back to him.
Roxas gave a shrug and Ruby just nodded at that.
"Okay, three questions. Are you the guy Ruby was making a weapon for, are you really 15, and what is she making a fool out of herself now?" Someone said as they approached the table, getting everyone's attention.
Roxas sensed from their heart it was the blonde haired woman from when Evelyn showed him from the amphitheater the other day.
Looking at her as she approached Ruby...he found it very hard to stare...
Getting a better look at her the woman was a little bit taller than Jack, with a mane of curly golden hair reaching to the middle of her back and lilac eyes. Unlike Ruby, she seemed to forgo the Beacon uniform today...and it was pretty revealing.
She wore a tan jacket with short sleeves that left her midriff exposed, buttoned up but he could clearly see the top of a yellow crop top and the corners of some kind of flame emblem and plenty of skin espoused above the cut and the orange scarf around her neck. She wore very short black shorts with a brown belt with brown pelt over her hips and some kind of cloth covering the back. Completing the look was brown boots, knee high orange socks, and black fingerless gloves.
All in all her combat outfit was very revealing and emphasized her figure,especially in some areas where he could tell where probably bigger-
Roxas shook his head to clear his thoughts before regaining his composure.
"Yang I wasn't embarrassing myself, I was asking a completely legitimate question!" Ruby protested to her.
Wait a second.
"So she is the teammate who used common sense on you the other day." Roxas said, getting Ruby's face to turn as red as her cloak in embarrassment as Yang burst out laughing.
"Oh my gods she actually said that out loud!" Yang said, crossing her arms over her stomach as she continued to laugh. Ruby pouting at her and Roxas with a flushed face.
"Roxas! That was supposed to be private!" She protested.
"Then why didn't you say so?" He asked, tilting his head.
"Why didn't I say anything! What do you mean why didn't I-" Ruby tried to protest, but cut herself off with a sigh. "Right, you don't know Yang."
"Isn't this a case of deja-vu." Evelyn said, thoroughly amused by the whole situation.
"A crime more like it!" Yang said with a grin as Ruby groaned. "I'm Yang, Ruby's teammate and older sister."
Roxas thought they didn't look much alike a siblings, but then again he didn't know near enough on the subject.
"I'm Roxas and Ruby did indeed create Twilight Rose for me, I plan on repaying her soon enough. And yes, though I'm a little younger than her." Roxas said, answering Yang's questions from earlier.
He did indeed plan on start looking for cookies later after classes to pay back Ruby.
"So she did name it." Yang said with a smirk.
"Did promise her that she could, besides I actually like it." Roxas said, getting Ruby's face to flush a little.
Yang noticed this and began to ruffle her sister's hair with one hand.
"Glad to hear it. And congrats on finally getting a friend your age Rubes." Yang said as Ruby weakly tried to swat her hand away.
"Yang!" Ruby protested before Yang relented, turning to Penny with a wave.
"Hi Penny. I couldn't believe it at first when Ruby said that you would be attending Beacon this semester as well." Yang said.
"I could believe it myself at first. It's a pleasure you again Yang!" Penny said happily before gesturing to the rest of her team. "Roxas is my teammate and next to you is my partner, Evelyn Damerot."
"Hey there." Yang said.
"Hey there yourself! Evelyn Damerot!" Evelyn introduced herself cheerfully.
"And this is our team leader and Roxas's partner, Jacquelin." Penny continued, gesturing to Jack.
"B. Ivory, but you can call me Jack." Jack said getting Yang to grin.
"So a pair of blondes, finally! I was starting to despair, only having Jaune to share it with!" She said.
"I heard that!" Roxas looked in confusion as a shout echoed from the right side of the cafeteria. Yet he couldn't find where it had come from.
Perhaps this was the Jaune Yang mentioned, would make sense for such a response.
"Hopefully either of them will break the stereotype." Another voice say, breaking Roxas from looking at the shout to see someone else approaching.
A slim young woman who looked to be barely taller than Ruby, thought probably that was just with her white heeled boots on. She had a similar complexion to Ruby with long white hair tied into a side ponytail on the right side of her head, icy blue eyes, and a long vertical scar over her left eye and side of her face.
She wore an immaculate, strapless white dress that shifted a from white to light blue from the helm to the edges that at the end reminded Roxas of the edges of a snowflake with a white stash tied around her waist and a bit of black lace above the helm. Along with wearing a similar pattern jacket to her dress with bell sleeves, a silver apple pendent, and thin earrings to give her a regal appearance.
Considering her immaculate appearance and choice of clothing, Roxas guessed that this was the teammate of Ruby Penny talked about the day they met.
Weiss was it?
Before he could ask, Roxas stiffened as he felt a slight chill in the air.
Turning to see Jack looking at the white haired girl in shock, feeling her heart starting to become slightly 'clouded' as he could describe the sensation.
"Between you and the dunce, I have half a mind removing from my life anything remotely resembling a shade of yellow." Weiss said with a sigh before turning to Evelyn. "I believe you are a member of the new team who just enrolled yesterday. Have we met before, no wait you had a top hat covering one of your ears."
"Glad you noticed!" Evelyn said as Weiss shook her head.
"Your outfit was well tailored, but for the gods I can't understand why you would chose such a clash of colors against magenta." She sighed out, getting Evelyn's expression to fall.
"C-Cause it helps make my appearance more striking and I like it!" Evelyn said, her tone uncertain at first before regaining her bearings with a shaky grin.
"That is one way to put it." Weiss said before shaking her head.
"I believe you must be Weiss then." Roxas said, getting her attention and a relieved smile from Evelyn.
Looking over at his partner, he saw Jack had a calmer expression on her face. Yet the air around him still had a slight chill and her heart felt clouded.
Roxas was trying to figure out why Jack was reacting like that from Weiss, before feeling a shift in the white haired girl.
It turned frigid and she gave him a glare that Roxas tried to figure out why she was doing so.
He did figure out why Ruby gave him a pleading look, he wasn't going to tell Weiss about that conversation anyway.
"Well well, looks like you got another admirer Weiss!" Yang teased her teammate as Roxas tilted his head.
"What do you mean by that?" The Nobody asked as Weiss let out an exasperated sigh.
"Come on don't play dumb, how else would you know Weiss Cream's name?" Yang said.
"I told you to stop calling me that." Weiss grumbled to her blonde teammate before turning to Roxas with a sigh. "I guess you know me from my singing career? Or are you an estimator of my family?"
"Honestly I have no idea about that aside that Weiss was Ruby's teammate from Penny." Roxas said, surprising both Yang and Weiss. Ruby smiling at him before starting to laugh. "Why does that seem to shock you?"
"For real?" Yang said in shock.
"He seems to be telling the truth, at least I don't think so." Someone else said as they approached the table, who Roxas believed was perhaps the last member of Ruby's team.
A girl with long ashen black hair with a black bow on top and amber eyes who looked to be around his height and a little older than Yang and Weiss. Wearing a black buttoned vest with coat trails over a white crop undershirt and white shorts, black heeled boots, a series of black ribbons tied around her forearms and a detached sleeve on her left arm, and a black scarf around her neck.
Two thing immediately stood out about her to Roxas.
The first was her heart, from what he could sense it was balanced yet it was like shrouded. Like he couldn't get a good reading on it. Both Ruby's and Yang's own hearts were practically radiating while Weiss's was more composed yet he could get a clear reading on them. Not this girl.
And than there was the way she held herself...
Most of the students in the cafeteria were relaxed, but not her. Even among her teammates she looked on guard. Ready to act on a moment's notice. Plus with the way she was studying him reminded the Nobody on how most of the members of the Organization especially Axel and Xaldin would evaluate situations on missions.
He guessed it was probably the way she had trained before Beacon was perhaps somewhat similar to his Heartless hunting, but that was only a guess.
"But the question remains, how does he know Weiss's name." The black haired girl said, breaking Roxas out of his thoughts.
"The better question, how doesn't he know!" Weiss said.
Stopping to glare at him and her tone much less heated that before. Seemingly more curious and confused than anything else at the moment.
"I'm Blake by the way, Blake Belladonna." The now named Blake said. "Nice to meet you everyone, and hello again Penny."
"Hello Blake!" Penny said cheerfully.
"I'm Roxas, and the only reason I know about Weiss was through her being a teammate of Ruby. Only then that was a guess." Roxas said, introducing himself to her.
Weiss looked surprised for a moment before nodding.
"You're from outside the kingdoms, if that is your only name?" She asked, getting Roxas to nod.
It was technically true, and from what he understood from Penny statistically the population of Remnant that only have a first name was much higher in areas outside of the four kingdom's territories than inside.
Otherwise they were a rare amount of people with a singular name inside.
"We have a few people like that on Patch, our dad hired dad recently hired a farmhand during break. Nice guy, was as bad as Ruby when it comes to meeting new people." Yang said with a grin. Ignoring the indignant 'Hey!' from her little sister. "Still, how do you mean knowing Weiss Cream from Rubes."
Both Ruby and Weiss looked annoyed at Yang and Roxas had to admit the scene infront of him was amusing.
Evelyn seemed to be enjoying the banter more than him.
"Penny mentioned a teammate with a great fashion sense and Ruby mentioned her name in passing. So it was just a guess." Roxas said with a shrug,
"Oh that is true!" Penny said happily, backing up her friend.
Most of Team RWBY was surprised by the news except for Ruby, who simply smiled at seeing their reactions.
Weiss was the first to break out of her stupor, smiling at Roxas with her face a little red.
"Well of course considering the information at your disposal, it's logical you'd come to that conclusion. You certainly couldn't have made that bet on Yang or Black." Weiss said, getting said teammates to glare at her.
"Excuse me?" Black asked pointedly.
"Hey!" Yang protested.
"I'm Weiss Schnee." Weiss introduced herself, getting Roxas to nod.
Figuring why she was surprised by him not knowing who she was, Weiss was a member of the family that controlled the largest Dust company on Remnant.
Still despite the things Evelyn told him about the company the other day, he could care less about their connection to Weiss. She didn't seem so bad herself, that and Roxas doubted Ruby wouldn't have her as a teammate if she was a bad person.
"It's a pleasure to meet you then." Roxas said, figuring that was the right thing to say.
"Oh the pleasure is all mine!" Weiss said with a smile.
"Seriously!" Roxas hear who he presumed to be Jaune shout from the other side of the cafeteria.
"You're a little younger than Ruby then?" Weiss asked, getting Roxas to nod. "Do you have any concerns?"
"Not at all, I just want to see what Beacon holds with my friends and team. It's a new start for me." Roxas said honestly.
Blake gave him a curious gaze and the Nobody swore he saw her bow twitch as Weiss smiled at him.
"Glad to hear it. Savor that feeling and focus on just being the best version of yourself you can be. And that you'll have your team to have your back." Weiss said, surprising both Ruby and Penny.
"I will." Roxas said, taking the words to heart...well metaphorically as he could anyway.
A bell ring out in the cafeteria and Roxas noticed that most of the students started to stir or get up.
"Now as much as I'd love to stay and chat some more, classes are about to start soon I'm afraid. We should all hurry." Weiss said, getting Penny's eyes to widen in realization.
"The bell! We only have half an hour." Penny said, hearing that Evelyn began to hurry on finishing her breakfast.
"I'm sure we will see each other during classes. Have a good day Roxas." Weiss said.
"Oh come on!" Jaune's shout was heard across the cafeteria, yet no one paid it any mind.
"Sure, you too Weiss." Roxas said, getting Weiss to smile.
"Absolutely! Hay a good day Roxas, everyone. Welcome to Beacon." She said before walking away.
Both Yang and Blake storming after her and started pestering her about her comment on their fashion sense. Although Blake's gaze landed on Roxas briefly before following her partner after Weiss.
"This is so unfair!" Ruby said while pouting at Roxas. "Do you have any idea how long and hard it took me to get Weiss to be so friendly towards me! What's your secret!"
"Honestly, no clue." He said, getting her to fume.
"This isn't over, not by a long shot!" Ruby declared before she got up and followed after her team in a trail of rose petals.
"Well Ruby's team is certainly interesting." Roxas said with a smile, getting Evelyn o laugh.
"You think, but have you seriously seen our own team!" Evelyn said.
"True." Roxas said with a shrug. "Anyway she didn't seem that bad, but she's not part of the company."
"Got that correct, Weiss might be the heiress yet she is the youngest daughter of the Schnee family. She has no administrative power, so she's just like everyone else. Living their live as an individual." Evelyn said. "Well even if humans and Faunus don't get along that well, I like to always keep an open mind. If I thought that every human I met was raciest, we'll talk about self-fulfilling prophecies."
"Right." Roxas said with a frown before shaking his head. "Doubt Ruby would have her as a teammate otherwise.
"Weiss is her partner actually, but your point is very much accurate Roxas." Penny said happily before adopting a contemplative expression. "Although she did warm up to you well beyond the parameters I could gleam from first meeting her..."
She was still processing just how did he do that.
"Maybe it was because I just didn't know who she was, that and complimented her?" Roxas suggested.
"Quite logical." Penny said with a nod, calculating that was perhaps the best answer.
"Right, perhaps we should be going too." Roxas said before looking to his partner. "Jack are you alright?"
Throughout the conversation since Weiss arrived at their table, Jack had been silent and calm. A constant chill in the air. But now he noticed there was a severe change in her expression.
An icy glare that seemed unfocused with her arms crossed with her mouth halfway between a frown and a snarl, tightly grasping her elbows with an intensity the Nobody thought that if this continued they could snap. The air around him growing chillier.
"Yeah...she seems like a nice girl..." Jack said, trailing off and seemingly not hearing him.
"Jack?" Roxas said, frowning when he didn't get a response. "Partner?"
That seemed to do the trick as Jack snapped back to normal, the chill and clouding of her heart vanishing.
"Are you alright now?" He asked, getting Jack to nod.
"It's nothing, sorry about that Roxas." Jack said before she smiled, seemingly ignoring what happened moments before. "We should go refreshed ourselves then head to class, alright."
Jack started to get up from the table as the rest of the table looked at her in concern.
"Is it about-" Roxas tried to ask, but a quick look from Jack along with her shaking her head told him to drop the question.
Along with answering his question.
"Do you have any idea about this?" Penny asked her partner, the rabbit Faunus shaking her head.
Roxas silently got up and began to follow after Jack to wait for the rest of their team to leave the cafeteria.
"Why? First the cool guy in the library now this?" Jaune groaned out, burying his face in his hands while Pyrrha tried to console her partner.
"We should get to class soon." Ren said as he got up from the table, Nora nodding while in the middle of devouring a stack of pancakes happily.
By the time they had exited the cafeteria the mood among Team JPER had returned to normal. They had walked along with the other students as they milled out around campus to the class. Currently the team were alone in the hallway, on the way to their first class.
"Come on, we don't want to be late to our first class now!" Jack said to the others.
"No you do not Miss Ivory, although you still should have a sufficient amount of time." A familiar voice called out to them followed by a clicking of heels.
Looking ahead they saw Glynda walking towards them after turning a corner. Seemingly lost in thought for a moment before putting away her scroll. Giving her their full attention.
"Hello Ms. Goodwitch, do you require us for anything?" Penny asked, getting the Deputy Headmistress of Beacon to shake her head.
"Nothing of the sort Miss Polendia, I was just passing through. But there is a matter that I was going to inquire about." Glynda said, fixing her glasses before focusing on Roxas. "Mr. Roxas, I would like just a moment of your time if you don't mind?"
"Sure, what is it G-, Ms. Goodwitch?" Roxas said, correcting himself mid sentence. Penny nodding and smiling at him.
She had made it a directive after the trial yesterday to make sure to teach the Nobody how address the staff during school hours at the most. It would be improper otherwise.
"There was a matter I had wished to clear up earlier before you had your first class yet I was unavailable. May I ask if you had any requiring patterns or issues in your ability to study new material? If you do, it'll help to know such things now to see if we can help you during your enrollment here."
"No, I don't think I had any difficulties like that before." Roxas said while shaking his head.
"What about the week that you were like a zombie. Everything went in one ear and out the other." Evelyn teased, playfully jabbed her elbow into Roxas.
Who sighed as Glynda gave him a curious look at hearing that.
For the love of Kingdom Hearts, of everything Evelyn could have saw that week was among them.
"That was just the first week after waking up with no memories. Admittedly it took about another week to get everything straightened out, but I've had no issues since." Roxas said while shaking his head.
"Are you certain Roxas? If you need any assistance you can let aways inform us or Ms. Goodwitch?" Penny asked in concern.
"I'm fine Penny. Ill would have let you know anyways." Roxas said, hoping to reassure her.
It seemed to have worked as she smiled at him.
Glynda seem to be in thought for a moment before nodding.
"Very well, but if you do need assistance do not be afraid to ask me Mr. Roxas." Glynda said, getting him to nod before giving Evelyn a stern look. "As for you Miss Damerot, make sure to behave yourself. I would rather not have to see you in detention on your first day of class or any of your teammates."
"Oh come on, like I'm going to cause any trouble." Evelyn said with a smile, only to wither under Glynda's stern gaze. "Fine, I'll behave..." She pouted as Glynda nodded.
Jack trying her best not to let her smirk show at seeing the rabbit faunus cowed.
Evelyn saw her smirk and stuck her tongue out, going back to pouting as the deputy headmistress gave her a quick glance.
"Mr. Roxas, please do try to follow the examples of some of your classmates like Miss Ivory or Miss Polendia." Glynda said, gesturing to his teammates. "I would rather not see any of you in detention like I do some of the more problematic students. That includes bullying or treating each other as equals in these halls, something that not every student shares sadly."
Evelyn frowned with annoyance at that and Glynda sighed heavily at that.
Thinking of some of the more problematic teams last semester...which sadly were the three teams that held the best scores of the first years. Teams RWBY and JNPR followed suit by the problematic CRDL.
For Team JNPR it was mainly accidental property damage from Miss Valkyrie. For Team RWBY it was that somehow they would always find themselves in some sort of trouble, Glynda trying to keep her mind off the food fight from yesterday.
Perhaps the most egregious offense was when Miss Xiao Long served detention in her class for days when she sent her sparring partner to the infirmary for accidentally cutting off a long lock of her hair.
He spent about two days in there, but at least she was apologetic having writing the apology letter without complaint.
Less said about Team CRDL, she got a headache thinking of the number of complaints about the teams instances of bullying and accounts of racism towards faunus students especially with Mr. Winchester and Mr. Thrush. Already having quite a few sententious under their record.
Thankfully after the trip to Forever Fall for her migraine the team had toned down their actions, minus the occasional incident between and mainly at the hand of the team's leader.
She was hoping for less incidents from them this semester...
Glynda cleared her thoughts before looking at Team JPER with a stern expression.
"With that said we encourage the students to inform the staff of such incidents or to send Headmaster Ozpin messages of such altercations instead of starting fights to settle disputes. Anyone caught trying to intentionally trying to start a fight outside of my Combat Class or any other Beacon sanctioned events or sparring locations inside the campus will be punished. As deemed fit with the damage done to their fellow students and the facility, is that clear?" Glynda warned in a cold and professional tone.
For a moment Roxas thought he could hear Saïx as he usually spoke with the same tone before shaking his head.
Unlike him, she actually seemed to be concerned with those under her watch.
"I'll try to keep that in mind, but if anyone starts a fight I will defend myself and my friends." Roxas said while nodding.
"Hopefully it won't have to come to that partner, but I've got your back if it does." Jack said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder with Evelyn smiling at him.
Penny was a little unsure for the promise of breaking the rules like that, but joined in with her partner in smiling when she saw Roxas nodding at Jacks words.
Glynda remained silent for a few moments before pinching the bridge of her nose before internally sighing.
While she wasn't happy that they would be willing to fight outside of sanction events and areas, she was thankfully that they didn't seem like they would be willing to start or search for a fight…perhaps only to finish one…
"Understandable Mr. Roxas, but all of you keep in mind. You will detention if things go too far." Glynda warned, begging to walk away with her piece said as she pulled out her Scroll. "Make sure you aren't late, you have about nine minutes until class starts. I'll send a message to Professor Port excusing you all this once if are late."
She smiled a little as she saw Team JPER hurry down the hall, shaking her head as she looked at her email.
Honestly she had been on her way to Ozpin's office to inform him of the latest development concerning Vale's Council.
They had changed their mind at the last minute, again yet to a benefit this time.
Extending the expedition to find the origin of the meteor that impacted Vale's Market District to a month's duration. Sadly the number of Hunters and Huntresses being deployed would be lowered a little.
It was good news, yet the only reason she had received this news was because Ozpin and Ironwood were in a meeting that she had informed the Council was finalizing some details for both Vale's and Atlas's Academies preparations for the Vytal Festival which they will be informed at the meeting's conclusion.
Which is true, just one of the reasons.
The other discussing from Ironwood's new associate about possible locations in Eastern Sanus where the Heartless could emerge. In the newest territories, first of a few discussions that she understood as actions for monitoring such them were already starting up in Solitas.
Of course the possibility was low, but they all understood it was better to be prepared.
Which was part of the reason she had intended to seek out Roxas at some point this week.
She was concerned about his condition, after all he is barely a year old despite his appearance and have grown up in an environment with those who were mostly emotionally detached.
Yet he seemed to or learned to emote like anyone else according the same source, who seemed impressed but noted he was a rare exception among their kind.
And she knew there were aways exceptions to such environments, Qrow was one that came to the forefront of her mind. Minus his alcoholism of course.
Here interactions showed that he should be just fine with his teammates, all of them should…yet Glynda also saw they were probably going to be another problem team like RWBY and JNPR this year…
She messaged her temples at the thought, it was going to be a long semester ahead…
By the time the four of them had arrived to class it was just a little bit before the bell sounded again. They had all made it on time, but any seats left were single and far between the crowd of students.
"Bummer." Jack said, scanning the crowd for seats. "Well I suppose that this will be a chance to make new friends then."
"Sounds good, guess we'll see each other after class?" Roxas asked, getting teammates to nod as they went their separate ways.
He eventually found an available seat on the far right side of the class next to the window.
Sensing that Team RWBY were sitting a few rows behind him. Ruby gave Roxas a small wave which he returned before sitting down.
Taking out his stuff from his bag, noticing in confusion as he saw some of the students around him taking out earplugs and one of them even preparing a tiny neck pillow.
Deciding to shrug it off before focusing on the board in the front.
Seeing several diagrams of a multitude of Grimm species that Roxas noted was quite detailed, making out some details written around them and body parts. Perhaps descriptions on what they could do.
If they weren't covered in class perhaps he can get a better look at them latter to add to his journal.
He had already created a sub category for the Grimm and with the Wa-Lang...maybe he should also get a new one or two for his time on Remnant.
Noticing also high above the board on a mount was a blunderbuss with axe blades on the stock. Presumably belonging to the professor.
An impractical weapon to use for most considering the placement of the blades, but the Nobody knew never to underestimate someone with a preferred choice of weapon. Having seen a lexicon, sitar, and deck of playing cards used to dangerous effectiveness during his missions in the Organization.
Roxas didn't have to wait much longer for the professor to enter the room.
An elderly, portly man with short light gray hair with large eyebrows and a large handlebar mustache. Wearing a burgundy suit and pants with golden buttons and trim with olive cavalry boots.
For some reason the way the professor appeared held himself reminded Roxas of Pete, full of bluster.
He stood infront of the desk, clasping his hands as he faced the class.
"Children, I welcome you back into these halls!" He said joyfully.
"Great, Port hasn't changed at all during break..." Yang groaned out.
Roxas figured that this was the professor that Glynda had mentioned earlier. Though he did have to wonder why several of the students around him had a similar expression to Yang.
"I hope that you used these weeks to relax, catch up with your family and friends left behind. Because from today on, we're getting back to familiarizing ourselves with our prey!" Port said as he walked behind his desk.
Making a grand gesture of the diagrams of Grimm on the board.
"For our enemy is restless. Relentless. And aways up for feasting on scrumptious human morsals. Even in the comfort of our own homes, even in our most private moments." He said serious, getting Roxas to nod.
Yet another similarity between Heartless and Grimm...only the former devoured the heart and left the body to fade to darkness or become a Nobody.
Ready to strike at any moment no matter where their prey could be.
"Why for example I remember one time..." Professor Port started to say.
A large portion of the class let out a collective groan. Some of the students around Roxas that had ear plugs put them in.
"There I was l, deep in enemy territory having just felled a particularly long adversary. It was a long and hard fought battle, but that's a story for another time." Port said.
"Thank you gods!" Yang said.
"I was so satisfied with my catch that I decided to help myself to my guilty pleasure; a bag of fine blend of Vacuoian tea. A boiling kettle and a whistle later, lo and behold I was about to enjoy my piece of nirvana! But alas, doing a new enemy appeared to chastize me for my mistake! Even though my immediate surroundings had been cleared by my own hands, an Oppel swooped down from the sky! Quickly my hand went to my weapon, swiftly holding it up to shield myself from the beast's mighty dive!" Port said, telling a story and eliciting a few more groans when he finally took a second to breath.
Roxas could see why the class reacted the way that he did, the professor must have loved to tell stories about his hunts often.
Xigbar did the same about his missions, but he wasn't as...verbose as Port. At least that's what Roxas believed to be the word.
Still if the professor continued on like this than it was going to be a long class...
"Stumbling but not knocked to the ground, I flexed and pirouette up in the air, my mighty war-axe swinging..." Port continued to drone on, seeming unaware that some of his students were already starting to getting drowsy.
"Are you ready to start again Naminé?" Riku asked, the Guardian floating behind him as Naminé was drinking from a water bottle.
Putting it down on the rock side she nodded, before summoning her Keyblade that she had began calling it Lunar Eclipse.
"I'm ready...in a few moments." She said honestly, planting the Keyblade's tip into the ground and panting a little.
"We'll start when you're ready, this will be the last round for today's training. After this we'll take another rest before returning to the manor. You're doing great Naminé and it's only been two days, there is no need to push yourself to the point of collapse." Riku said, hoping to reassure the girl as the Guardian detached from himself.
She just nodded shakily before sitting back down onto the rock.
Currently they were on a mountainside in Enchanted Domain, a world he had learned was originally Maleficent's home world. Yet with her being dead it made the perfect place to train Naminé.
That and he and seemingly the Guardian as well took some satisfaction in destroying part of her keep to clear up space to train Naminé. Added with further damage to it from Naminé practicing made him smile at spiting the fairy from beyond the grave.
Added with the benefit of keeping her away from DiZ as much as possible, the man had been acting irritably as of late.
Since the day both Sora and Naminé fell under that fever and Roxas had vanished he had been disappointed to find the progress on restoring Sora had both been a success and a failure.
He had nearly recovered all of his memories, even without having to recover Roxas for the process. But sadly Sora was also missing a few core memories. Riku suspected they were still with the Nobody and possibly part of the reason he could remember Xion.
Unless they could find another method, Riku dreaded to go after Roxas again after trying to give him a chance to escape to a new life.
Having checked to find out that Xemnas himself had been lying in wait in Hollow Bastion, yet there have been no sign of Roxas there or that Organization XIII had captured him days later.
Riku suspected that Roxas had possibly had escaped to another world in the Corridor and hoped that he indeed found a new life.
Any attempts to locate what world he was on through Naminé had ended up in failure as well.
She described it as the links of his memories felt like they were still being forged, still red hot to the touch days later and needed to be cooled before touching. Nothing like she had ever encountered before in her short time existing or experience rewriting memories.
The only two links that have cooled down were one of him glimpsing a broken moon and the other something Naminé absolutely refused to talk about.
Her face stayed red for hours afterwards and would flush whenever the topic was brought up.
Effectively things were grounded to a halt between them and the Organization at the moment, something DiZ was not that all pleased with.
Being only more open in his disregard for Naminé which Riku put his foot down on the matter.
Only real good news aside from training Naminé was that Mickey should be returning soon since things had taken quite the drastic turn. But it could be any day now with the Heartless allowed to run rampart in the worlds with the only two other known existing Keyblade wielders missing or still comatose.
Riku still couldn't summon anything other than Soul Eater but knew he could still wielding a Keyblade and finding the Destiny's Embrace one. So it was all up to the king now to cull them.
Naminé still had a while to go.
Naminé took in a deep breath before standing back up and ruffling her new longer white of any debris before brandishing Lunar Eclipse. Trying her best to give Riku a determined look.
He smiled at that, summoning Soul Eater as he brandished it at her. Swearing that he also saw the Guardian seemed to smile under its bandages.
She was getting there, just some more time.
It had taken quite a bit of logic to even get DiZ to back off on him training Naminé, mainly without no way to locate Roxas the Organization would sooner or later get desperate. Better to have her be able to defend herself if the Organization found them and tried to go after her or Sora. Alongside putting a larger dent in the number of Heartless swarming the worlds.
But he revealed the true reason why he to Naminé when they were alone.
Even if she didn't want to fight, it will help her to better defend herself from both the Organization, DiZ, or anyone else and to help those that she wishes to protect.
To make sure that she never experiences what happened at Castle Oblivion ever again if she could help it.
And if the need came where she would need to pick a side...while Riku hoped that it wouldn't, but he would support whatever Naminé chooses.
"Ready!" Naminé declared as darkness began to gather in the Guardian's hands.
"Begin!" Riku declared, swinging down Soul Eater as the Guardian lobbed darkness orbs at Naminé.
She took a step back as the orbs crashed infront of her and quickly formed into three small Heartless.
Their body pure black minus their golden eyes, a tear dropped snapped body with a jagged maw and bat like wings that double as legs.
Bit Snipers, perhaps the weakest of the Pureblood Heartless and nothing more than a minor annoyance at most. Yet one Riku had figured and used as a safer warm up than Shadows.
One flew up to Naminé, she slashed at it with Lunar Eclipse before slamming down onto the Bit Sniper.
Then stepping back as another one tried to not into her leg, swinging it down onto the Heartless. Who then bit onto the Keyblade's shaft.
Riku held back a chuckle as Naminé looked on in annoyance as she tried to dislodge the Bit Sniper. Before swinging both Keyblade and Heartless onto the other one.
One of them dissolved into darkness while the other fell to the ground, Naminé conjuring flames at the tip of Lunar Eclipse.
"Fire!" She casted, a small fire launching and destroying the final Bit Sniper.
Panting a little before hurried jumping back as the Guardian approached her quickly, Riku walking behind it and tapping Soul Eater against his shoulder.
Naminé barely had any time to react from a jab by the Heartless landed on her stomach, almost getting her to double over. Quickly spinning Lunar Eclipse to block a swipe from the Guardian.
Grunting as she was forced back by the power in the blow before stepping out of the way as it pulled back, Riku slashing the spot where Naminé just was.
Raising his blade before slashing, Naminé spinning her Keyblade. Both entering a small blade lock with Riku, struggling to even hold back Soul Eater before she was disarmed.
Until she swiped her hand, the Guardian appearing infront of Lunar Eclipse as it spun towards Riku. Preventing it from striking his mid section as Naminé willed it back to her hand after jumping back.
Giving Riku a determined look as he smiled at her.
"Well done, you're getting better at that. Just need to focus on the speed. Something to work on another day." Riku said, the hands of the Guardian sparking.
Her first day of training Riku would admit to have been caught off guard when he first disarmed Naminé and to have had his guard down enough for the Keyblade to have been slammed face first after it had been knocked back quite a distance away.
Neither were sure if it was just Naminé's nature as a Nobody or a property of Lunar Eclipse, but she held a strong telekinetic control of the Keyblade from a certain distance.
Perhaps something that could be improved on, but Riku for now was trying to help Naminé with the basics and what she could integrate from observing Sora's memories.
The Guardian unleashed a few small bolts of electricity that Naminé tried to weave through. Yelping when she got shocked by one bolts before dodging the rest.
Spinning Lunar Eclipse and igniting the tip, deflecting another bolt and catching her Keyblade.
Just in time to block a strike from Soul Eater.
"Fire!" Naminé casted, Riku leaning his head back to avoid the spell as the Guardian retaliated by swiping it's claws at her legs.
Yet she swung her Keyblade down to deflect them before going to slash at Riku. Who smiled as he rushed forward.
"Aero!" Naminé casted, creating a small whirlwind around herself as she jumped back to avoid his strike. Stepping back and letting go of Lunar Eclipse as she dodged an uppercut from the Guardian.
Letting the whirlwind to speed up her Keyblade's speed and launched it at Riku, the older teen bartering it away with Soul Eater while reading himself for a counter strike.
Only for Naminé to gain a determined look as Lunar Eclipse vanished, reappearing in her hands with sparks forming at the tip.
"Thunder!" Naminé casted, dropping her Keyblade and jumping back as Riku tired strike her with Soul Eater. Directing Lunar Eclipse upwards and releasing the spell.
Calling fourth the Guardian to block the bolt of lightning, Naminé recalled Lunar Eclipse as a dark aura began to gather in his free hand.
Dispelling it as Naminé struggled to stand and placed its tip into the ground. Almost falling back before the Guardian emerged from her shadow and helped steady the Nobody.
"Thank you..." Naminé groaned out as her Keyblade vanished, Riku doing the same thing with Soul Eater as it rested her against a large rock.
"Not bad Naminé, putting your remaining magic in that one. Would have hurt a little if it had landed. But when did you pick up Thunder?" Riku asked.
"This morning..." She sighed out as Riku sat next to her. "I only got it down not that long ago."
"Yet in the course of a few days you have learned three different spells, quicker than Sora did. Don't answer that." Riku said as Naminé opened her mouth before closing it. "You did good with finally keeping your footwork and when to keep them grounded."
"I didn't want to be knocked down again." Naminé said with a pout, getting Riku to smile while shaking his head.
"True, let's just take a breather before we head back to Twilight Town. Tomorrow we'll work on building your mana reserves. Until we build those a bit up no more looking up spells except for Cure, we'll focus on practicing what you have." Riku advised, getting Naminé to nod. "And yes we'll get some sea salt ice cream."
Her face flushed as Riku let out a chuckle while shaking his head, laughing when he heard her stomach rumbled while Naminé looked like she wanted to hide.
Riku blamed either Xion or Roxas for getting hooked on the ice cream, more so these past few days.
Yet the more time away from DiZ he could allow the better.
Still it was a nice reward for Naminé, she was making good progress on training.
He and Sora while having some help had to largely learn on their own from scratch and he only had some assistance from Mickey in training in the brief times since Castle Oblivion. Roxas and Xion had some instruction from the Organization yet had to perfect their skills hunting Heartless from scratch as well.
Naminé at least held more knowledge than any of them from the start, but he had no idea on how to teach her at first or how to help her realize it. Yet Riku was sure that he was finally finding his stride while teaching her.
Hopefully when Mickey returned he could offer advice on how to better teach Naminé.
Just one of a few things that he was looking forward to despite the turmoil go on around Roxas's disappearance and Sora still being asleep.
Hopefully son things will change...
Riku was hoping that when Sora woke up, he can introduce him to Naminé and Roxas. He knows that his best friend would probably make fast friends with them. Sora did have that effect of people.
Along with making sure both Naminé and Roxas are doing alright in what they wish to do, it will be the least he could do for them after everything.
This time, he'll be there to protect them and the people he cared about if he could help it.
Behind him and Naminé the Guardian floated behind them, looking at Riku and the corner of its mouth twitched upwards underneath its bandages.
Roxas was right, it was going to be a long class and he was bored out of his mind.
Then again so was most of his fellow classmates from what he could see, even hearing some faint snoring from around him. But Roxas couldn't find the source no matter where he looked.
Still Port's story and he was pretty sure that it was ending now took over a majority of the class. If this was a constant Roxas would be sure to bring some sort of preparation for class next week.
While most of the story Roxas wa sure exaggerated to such a degree, Roxas did note there was something to learn from the story including what Port had faced.
An Oppel, a dangerous Grimm that resembles a large three tailed bat. A dangerous one that Roxas had double checked on his textbook out of boredom and collaborated with the professor's droning.
A dangerous solitary hunter that prefers to swoop down on prey that even a single experienced Hunter or Huntress could fall pray too if not careful. And if once again Port wasn't exaggerating too much didn't win in one piece.
Still Roxas took notes on what Port do and began to write his own notes on what would do if he encountered one. A common practice he picked up on during Heartless hunting.
Made it easier to deal with them in following encounters.
"-lo and behold, my enemy was defeated and faded at my feet." Port finished, causing a relief amongst a majority of the students. "That experience me many a valuable lessons, which I saw fit to share with you today."
So there was something to learn. Looking around Roxas saw no one was asking, decided to raise his hand.
"Yes young man, what is one lesson you took from this?" Port asked.
"That it is about the Oppel's hearing. You were alone and in a relaxed state after making sure, the sound of the kettle drew the Grimm towards your location." Roxas said, getting Port to grin.
"Exactly young man! The Oppel resembles a bat and much like the animal it resembles has poor eyesight yet exceptional hearing. Locating their prey with echolocation, even the distant of a tea kettle drew one to me like a moth to a flame! And if I hadn't had my weapon Blowhard at my side, I would very much died to the Oppel in its first attack." Port said before crossing his hands behind his back and looking over the room. "Remember students, aways be sure to have your weapons handy or some means to defend yourself in a hostile environment. It could very well be a matter of life or death in a singular moment if you aren't careful."
The class was silent as his words hung in the air for a few moments.
Before being destroyed by the sound of a bell ringing.
"That's all the time for today, children! I encourage you all to broaden and deepen your knowledge about Oppels and other such Grimm. Have a bountiful day!" Port said, dismissing the class.
Most of the students promptly started to gather their stuff and mill out of the classroom in a hurry.
They had been sitting there listening to Port's droning for hours and the lunch bell had just sounded.
Roxas was intending the same thing, putting everything into his bag and getting up to his teammates.
"Shoot! You're telling me we were supposed to pay attention to him all this time?!" Yang shouted, Roxas briefly looking to see she looked exasperated as Weiss looked crossed at her.
"Will you pipe down, and of course! You are supposed to pay attention! You're in school!" Weiss scolded her teammate while waving her hands.
Roxas decided to stay out of it and walk away.
"I guess no one ever participated in class before?" Xion said, her voice sounding tired. "Then again I can see why."
'Same.' Roxas said mentally with a smile. 'How have you been?'
"Tired, but all right. Will still be quite a while if we want to try what happened this morning again with the others.' Xion said, getting Roxas to nod.
He had thought as much.
'So was it you that-' "Please don't finish that question Roxas." Xion cut off the Nobody before he could inquire about a little earlier.
Roxas just smiled at that and shook his head as he felt the connection sever as he caught up with a tired looking Evelyn before they joined the rest of their team exiting the class room.
"Penny, Roxas, seriously what's both your secret?" Jack asked tiredly as Team JPER ate their lunch in the cafeteria.
"I feel so sluggish…" Evelyn groaned out as she flopped onto the table, her ears drooping down.
"Not really sure myself, Port was worse than Xigbar when telling stories and least those were short." Roxas said with a shrug. "Besides taking notes I was bored."
"I guess I'm just used to listening to long speeches. My father has a habit of going into his own little speeches and muttering out his own thoughts. Grandpa Pietro often joins with him on discussions and they can go on even longer." Penny said happily, remembering those fondly.
Even joining them once or twice in those discussions to her uncle's and his assistant's exasperation.
"Practice makes perfect then." Jack says with a frown.
"I have no desire whatsoever to practice enduring that…" Evelyn groaned out.
"For once I agree with you, I'm just glad that's over and done with." Jack said while shaking her head. "So what's the plan for the afternoon then? I'll be studying."
"I'll head into Vale, best to check around for cookies to pay back Ruby." Roxas said, getting Evelyn's ears to perk back up.
"Planning on asking about that part time job too?" She asked.
"Maybe, but I'm looking forward to being able to do so in the kitchens too." Roxas said, getting Evelyn to smirk.
"No doubt, you plan on learning how to cook to make your own sea salt ice cream too. What I wouldn't give to try that." She said.
Roxas was not going to confirm or deny that remark.
"Do you wish for company Roxas?" Penny asked, getting Roxas to shake his head.
"No, I'll be alright but thanks Penny." He said, getting her to smile.
"Of course, I'll be awaiting your return then." Penny said.
"At least you don't have to worry about the bulkhead ride and traffic, just be back before 10PM. That's when the last of them come back from Beacon and curfew begins." Evelyn said.
"I'll keep that in mind, but I shouldn't be that long." Roxas said as he finished his lunch and got up. "I'll see you all later."
"Take care partner." Jack said as Roxas left with a wave, Penny waving pack. "So what do the two of you have planned?"
"Me and Penny have a few things to talk about." Evelyn said with a knowing grin.
"Anything in particular?" Jack asked with a raised eyebrow, not trusting the rabbit faunus's expression.
"Nothing at all." Penny said quickly, getting Jack to look at them in confusion before shrugging.
"Alright, but it better not be any funny business carrots." Jack said.
"It won't be poisoner." Evelyn shot back, sparking another argument between the two.
Penny just shook her head at her partner and team leader before engaging to stop said argument.
"Can you please keep one for me later, I'll be sure to pick it up by the end of the week." Roxas said, getting the clerk to nod as he moved a few boxes of cookies.
"Sounds good, but are you sure you want this brand? It's a little pricey for a student." The clerk said, the Nobody shaking his head.
"Price doesn't matter to me, I'm sure she'll like them anyway." Roxas said as he began to walk out of the store.
"Either she has a lucky guy or she's got you whipped." The clerk said as he walked out of the sweet shop.
Roxas didn't know what the clerk meant by that, but shrugged it off as he placed his hands into his coat pockets.
It took a bit of wandering between a few different sweet shops and bakeries before finding some rare cookies that Roxas was sure Ruby would like.
Of course he didn't have a single lien to his name and wasn't sure he could exchange munny for lien and the cookies cost about 200 lien, but it would just take sometime of work to earn that much.
With that in mind Roxas walked around a bit before finding an alleyway, slipping inside and creating a Corridor of Darkness, stepping through it and emerging in another alleyway before closing it.
Exiting it, he turned a corner to see From Dust Till Dawn down the street. An elderly man hunched over his broom while sweeping just outside of the shop. Looking up to see Roxas approaching him.
"Good afternoon, welcome to From Dust Till Dawn." The elderly man greeted.
"Hello, I'm here to ask about the part time job." Roxas said, getting the man to perk up.
"You're a Beacon student?" He asked.
"I am." Roxas said, getting the man to smile.
"Perfect, you're hired." The elderly man said surprising Roxas.
He didn't expect for it to be that quick.
"Just like that?" Roxas asked the shopkeeper.
"Need security, need work from afternoon and evening shifts. Feel free to come when work whenever you have time. You have time now?" He asked.
"I do." Roxas said, getting the shopkeeper to nod as he placed the broom against the wall.
"Good, you work the counter. If you need help the other student will help." The shopkeeper said, leading the Nobody into the Dust shop. Throwing him a red apron.
Roxas put on the apron and was lead to the counter.
"Everything you'll need is in the first drawler or ask for help when customers around. You should have a few minutes." The shopkeeper said before pressing something against his ear. "Sky we have a new worker, please show him the basics. I'll help after I'm done sweeping."
With that the shopkeeper left and Roxas heard a sigh as he opened the drawer, finding an ear piece.
"So you're the new guy." The Nobody heard somebody said coming out from an aisle, a tall young man with brown eyes and long combed back blue hair the same color as Zexion's had. He wore a grey v-neck shirt and black pants under the red apron. "You're newto Beacon, I've known most of the first years at this point...wait you're on the new team. The one with the rabbit faunus?"
"Yes, is there a problem with that." Roxas asked with a frown, noticing an edge in the older teen's tone at the end.
Giving him an inquisitive glare that had the older teen raising his hands and backing off.
"Nothing to it." The older student said rather quickly as Roxas nodded before sighing in relief. "Anyway I'm Sky Lark."
"Roxas." He introduced. "So I take it there are more Beacon students here."
"A mononym, don't think I've met someone like that before." Sky muttered under his breath before nodding. "Anyway usually two or three of us on staff at times. Never the same people and the shopkeeper doesn't care how long their on shift here for, last semester there was a girl who only showed up about once a month for a shift and she still got paid."
"Really, didn't think he would be so lenient?" Roxas said honestly.
Sounded like the furthest thing from the Organization's work ethic, he was all for it.
"Having students will make this place less likely to be robbed, especially with the cameras and vault like room out back he installed over the break. Didn't stop it from getting robbed twice last semester." Sky said, getting Roxas to wince.
"That bad?" He asked.
"No, we stopped them both and I personally stopped the last one but there has been a repeated string of Dust store robberies in Vale for months now." Sky said, puffing his chest out while thinking of the time he had stopped the last robbery.
Left unsaid was just him actually stopping an accomplice from making a break for it with a small bag of dust canisters as he hid in the back of shop while his fellow students stopped the others.
He had been forbidden from being in the back alone on shift after that.
"Anyway, let's show you the basics now. Starting with the earpiece." Sky said, changing the subject as he went to help Roxas.
"Thanks you, come again." Roxas said as he checked out another customer, sighing as they left.
"That should be enough it's 7PM now, Sky will take over. Leave everything on the counter." The shopkeeper said through the communicator. The Nobody leaving the communicator and apron on the counter.
It wasn't all that bad, with Roxas mainly weighing and counting Dust for each customer. If any had any questions that they wished to ask that he didn't know, Sky or the shopkeeper would provide him answers with the communicator. And checking the back during break the shopkeeper did use a vault like room like Sky said.
"Very good, hiring you was a good choice. Now hold out your Scroll please." The shopkeeper said, getting Roxas to pull it out before swiping his Scroll horizontally over Roxas's.
Roxas pulled his back and saw the lien that had been deposited on it. There was quite a bit.
"Little first time bonus for incentive. Hope to see you around." The shopkeeper said, getting Roxas to nod before he turned to Sky. "You get one too for coming back, just not as much."
"Figured as much, but I'm not complaining." Sky said, getting the shopkeeper to nod as he walked to the back. "Take it you're coming back?"
"Every now and again." Roxas said, getting Sky to nod as he got behind the counter.
"Pay is admittedly not the best compared to some of the other SDC shops in the city, but schedules are far more flexible and linnet for us. Besides that bitch of a manager stiffed my last payment." Sky said, the last part under his breath. "See you around Roxas."
Roxas waved him back before exiting the Dust shop with a small smile.
It wasn't too bad and it was to get a source of lien. Besides he had more than enough to get Ruby's cookies now plus a little extra.
Entering the alleyway he created a Corridor before rushing through, closing it from the other side and soon entering into the sweet shop to the clerk's surprise.
"You actually came around and on the first day too, that's a first." The clerk said as he went to get the box of cookies. "Here you go."
"Thank you." Roxas said as he paid for them and placed the box in his bag. They should be safe in there until he could give them to Ruby.
"No problem, have a good day!" The clerk said as Roxas left the shop and walked through another Corridor on the shop's side.
Emerging back in his dormitory to see Evelyn and Penny who waved at him.
"So there's our hard worker, I was half expecting you to use the door." Evelyn said as Roxas took off his Black Coat and put it in his bad. "So how did it go?"
"Alright, how were things for you two?" Roxas asked, getting Evelyn to make a so-so gesture with her hand.
"It was good. Chatted, got to know the local legends...apparently yesterday while we were settling in after the trial Team RWBY had the biggest food fight in the history of Beacon."
"Really?" Roxas asked.
"Yup, with another first year team too. Wished that I could have seen it, the details made it sound glorious." Evelyn said with a grin.
"We were about to head for dinner when you appeared, we were planning on saving some food for you if you hadn't arrived back on time." Penny said.
"Thanks for the thought anyway." Roxas said with a smile before extending his senses. "Jack's in the kitchen."
"Yup, thank the gods for our sake she hasn't offered to cook or anything." Evelyn said with a frown as she got up. "I'll be walking to the cafeteria if she does. You coming Penny?"
"Momentarily, I'll wait for Roxas and Jack." Penny said, getting her partner to nod as she exited the dorm room.
Roxas entered the kitchen to see Jack sitting at one of the chairs at the dining table, staring out at her joined hands resting on the table.
"Hey Jack." Roxas said, getting his partner's attention.
"Hey partner, I take it they immediately put you to work." Jack said, getting Roxas to shrug.
"More or less, is it still about this morning?" Roxas asked, getting Jack to lol surprised before she let out a dry chuckle.
"That obvious, well I was just refocusing myself. Needed sometime to think for myself. Evelyn wouldn't dare bother me in a kitchen since that mission." Jack said.
"That bad?" Roxas asked, getting her to shake her head.
"No, more like I didn't expect something and it threw me for a loop." Jack said with a sigh. "I don't want to talk about it Roxas. It's nothing you can do about it, something I just need to learn to live with."
"Alright." Roxas said, nodding at her while Jack smiled at him.
"We've been partners for less than two days. I don't think it's fair for to make you shoulder my emotional baggage already. You already got more than enough already." Jack said.
"True enough." Roxas said, getting Jack to smile as she got up from the table.
"Anyway after dinner how about you guys finally talk to me about Xion…that is if she is up for it?" She asked as she stretched her arms over her head.
"Tell her I am and I'm looking forward to it. But that you, Penny, and Evelyn should help explain everything else first. Don't know even with your Aura that I can keep the conversation open without it ending first." Xion said before she cut the connection.
"Xion is and is eager, but to let the rest of the team explain everything first." Roxas said.
"She doesn't repeat of this morning got it." Jack said with a smile, walking towards the Nobody before placing her hand on his left shoulder. "Thanks for the talk, my head feeling a little less scrambled already."
"No problem, happy to help." Roxas said, getting Jack to nod as she exited the kitchen followed soon after by him.
"Ready to head out?" Penny asked happily as she saw her teammates exiting the kitchen, soon following them out the door to dinner.
After dinner Jack was finally filled in on what happened with Xion and why she could hear her through Roxas.
It was harder to believe he was a Nobody than what she heard about the truth of Xion. Even without Evelyn's vision to collaborate and Penny explaining and sensing a pair of Auras from him. If she hadn't heard Xion speaking that morning she might've never believed it.
That one of Roxas's two best friends was a failed attempt to copy him whose purpose was to kill and absorb him.
She hadn't heard of anything so twisted except for perhaps the fairy tale of The Grimm Child, Jack wasn't sure if the Chill in the story did what it did to Poppy was torment her or thank her for inadvertently bringing it into her town.
Still to think that she was partners to someone with two souls sharing a body…
"Jack, are you alright?" Xion asked, breaking Jack out of her thoughts to see the rest of her team were looking at her in concern.
"I'm fine, just one bloody hard pill to swallow." She said before shaking her head. "Still one way to look at it is that I have two partners watching my back."
At this Roxas and Penny smiled at her, Jack swore she could even picturing Xion might be doing so as well.
"True, we got you." Roxas said.
"Well Roxas does at least, but I'll be keeping an eye open at least." Xion said, getting Jack to smirk.
"I appreciate it, both of you." Jack said.
"And hopefully we could get to meet you one day face to face Xion." Penny said honestly.
The chances of finding away to safely separate the two on Remnant was simply a very low possibility as it was. But she believed the percentage of success if today was of any indication could slowly go up.
"Maybe just focus on finding a better means of communication first. For Roxas's and my arm's sake." Evelyn said, muttering the last part to herself.
"I plan on doing so, probably be a while before I try to communicate with you all again." Xion sighed out before yawning. "I think I'm going to go asleep now, night everyone. Good night Roxas."
"Goodnight Xion." Roxas said as the communication was cut and the rest of his team removed their hands from him.
"And his Aura level is at 71%." Evelyn said as she shook her arm while checking her Scroll.
"Time of conversation was the exact same length as before, a slight change in consumption of Roxas's Aura levels." Penny said, deactivating the timer on her Scroll and one her recording of the conversation.
"At the least it was an improvement, hopefully Xion could make some improvements soon." Roxas said as he pulled out his journal and walked to the desk in their room.
"Same." Jack sighed out before noticing Evelyn smirking. "What are you thinking of now?"
"You know, it's funny that it took me this long to realize this." She said with a knowing grin.
Jack didn't trust what her teammate was going to say.
"What's so funny carrots?" Jack asked tersely.
"Usually, it's the other way around you know." Evelyn said with a knowing grin, starting to move her hands apart. "With the guy being inside-"
To Roxas's and Evelyn's surprise Jack bolted across the room, grabbing Evelyn from behind and placing a hand over her hand with a flushed face.
"Don't you dare finish that sentence carrots!" Jack yelled at the struggling rabbit faunus before looking at her teammates. "Xion has the right idea, we should get ready for bed soon. After I have some words with Evelyn here."
She had heard about Evelyn's 'talk' from the other night, she was not going to allow a repeat of that at all!
Both Roxas and Penny watched as their partners moved to the kitchen, Evelyn struggling in Jack's grasp. Looking defiant at first.
Before letting out muffled screaming and panicked as Jack dragged her into the kitchen, slamming the door behind them.
"Should we do something or…" Roxas said, unsure of what to do.
"No, we should probably let this one be." Penny said, hiding her flushed face.
She had run the calculation and reached the same conclusion as Jack on what her partner was insinuating. This was perhaps the best preferable outcome to make sure there wasn't a repeat of the other night.
Roxas stared at the kitchen door for a few moments before shrugging and going back to writing in his journal.
The gynoid drew closer to the Nobody, coming to his side as he jotted down on the top of the page.
Day 362: First Day of Beacon
She had found it admirable that he kept nearly everything written in his journal. She kept a daily log herself, albeit on digital files with back ups saved one on different servers.
Penny could see the appeal of keeping a physical record of a journal, her uncle encouraged it as well. As well as insisting it could help with her penmanship.
She had broken so many pencils and pens due to miscalculating the needed tensile strength to hold one. It was a lot better but could use some work.
Still it had been 362 days since he came online…
"Roxas you do know you can also keep your journal on your Scroll as well, have you considered both methods?" Penny asked as she took a step back.
"Somewhat, I prefer to use a journal. I've been using this one since as long I can remember. Besides I don't know how I can transcribe everything into the Scroll." Roxas said.
"I can help, just ask and I can help you sort out everything in the course of a single day." Penny said happily.
She meant it, a quick scan through his journal and she could recreate it digitally in her scroll page for page.
"Really, thanks Penny." Roxas said, looking back at her with a smile before returning to his journal. "I will probably ask for it one day soon."
"I understand." Penny said with a nod. "And you and Xion will be a year old soon correct?"
"Honestly I'm not sure about Xion or when she was made, maybe a little younger but you're right about it Penny. Just another day." Roxas said, surprising Penny as he turned to look at her. "Why do you ask Penny?"
"Nothing, just curious Roxas." Penny said with a hiccup, getting Roxas to nod.
She calculated that he probably didn't have a reason to celebrate that day, or much of a reason too. Maybe considering another day for him.
Penny could see the logic in it behind that, yet she always had a small celebration for the anniversary of her activation. And Roxas started a new life here on Remnant…perhaps something quant…
Penny cleared her heads of those thoughts before deciding to process more on that later.
"Roxas are you looking forward to class tomorrow?" Penny asked, getting him to smile.
"I am looking forward to it." Roxas said while nodding.
His first day of school had been interesting to say the least, hopefully the next class won't be as droning as Port's was. Yet he was looking forward to what would await all the same.
The screen flickered for a bit before as the chapter ended and the author reappeared.
*Hey guys Hakuorofan7 here and hoped that you all enjoyed this chapter. Let's move onto some details shall we.*
*Roxas's first week at Beacon will perhaps be his most normal one in the story barring a few events making it clear from the get go. For rest of the story afterwards unless I write a class it might as well be a regular day. That goes along with him having a part time job at From Dust Till Dawn. Considering the life of a Beacon student and the exploits of Team RWBY alone through extra materials behind the gap between first and second semester and the volumes before the Fall of Vale, the shopkeeper has a very laxed schedule with students. He already has a second business sell udon in canon and having part time employees with both Aura and armed to the teeth is good for business. So it's just a source of lien for Roxas works from time to time.*
*There is another one which I'll introduce next chapter but it is one he is more interested in.*
*Honestly not much a school day for Roxas aside from sitting in a lecture from Professor Port much like RWBY among their first day. Grimm Studies actually is a class he'd excel at while listening through given his experience with Heartless, perhaps the best class he'd be good at overall.*
*In the background the ball get's rolling for both in Remnant and out with the expedition for the source of the meteorite finally approved and Glynda being concerned for Roxas knowing the truth of how old he is. At the least seeing he is alright with Penny and Jack on the team…well and a next source of headaches from one interaction with them.*
*Outside of the world things have ground to a halt. The Organization lacks a number of Keyblade wielders to use to complete their Kingdom Hearts and without any real progress Sora can't awaken for now. DiZ is starting to let his frustration known and Riku is keeping Naminé away from him as much as possible.*
*Naminé herself, well her Keyblade is the main one she used in Dead Fantasy and her telekinetic control of it is also a nod to that her being the source of Penny's fighting style which also is based from the Murakumo units from Balzblue. She holds no candle to the other Keyblade wielders but with access to both Sora's and Roxas's memories she has a lot of knowledge to pool from. After building up to it of course.*
*Riku finds himself taking the role of a Keyblade Master to Naminé to guaranteed her safety and to be able to defend herself. All without having manifested Way to Dawn yet. He is unsure of himself given his past experience and aside from Mickey all other experienced Keyblade wielders are scheming, lost to the winds, or comatose.*
*Still he intends to set things right not just for Sora's sake but for both Roxas and Naminé to, planing against DiZ if the needs arises.*
*Yet his experience is also having quite the effect on the Guardian, wonder how that will go…*
*Two more things to cover before wrapping things up.*
*First with Team JPER.*
*They are settling in with their own dynamic for each with Penny and Jack being the main sources of reason while Evelyn being the source of chaos. Of course Jack and Evelyn are at the other's throats now and then and will be for a small while yet. Aside from chaos not much going on with Evelyn for now. For Penny and Jack a small bit actually.*
*For Penny adjusting to school life and revealing bits of herself unintentionally. Just to clarify now, Pietro Polendia is not the one who created Penny in this story as it is based on JPDE. Pietro had a hand but is more or less considered the fun grandparent to Penny. And before anyone asks no he is not related to Penny's father, in this story Polendia will be a fairly common name in Atlas and Mantle. As for Jack, she has a very legitimate grudge against the Schnee and the SDC. Not going to spoil as it will be revealed in time but it is not directed at Weiss. She was just thrown for a loop to find the heiress as a classmate.*
*Finally the fifth and unofficial teammate Xion makes herself known, finding a method to communicate with the outside world that is highly impractical. It will be quite a while before she can figure anything else but she is at least happy to finally be able to talk to others.*
*Final thing to discuss is my favorite part of writing this chapter, Roxas's introduction to the rest of Team RWBY. Yang after Evelyn's talk the other day is enough to nearly given him a nonexistent heart attack and both Blake and him have a mutual curiosty about each other. Given that they also have a somewhat similar background with shady organizations, they're picking up on things their other teammates aren't. As for Weiss, by simply not knowing her and accidentally complimenting her Roxas has had more luck than Jaune or Ruby at the beginning of the show at this point. Her even giving him some advice considering him to be at least like Ruby.*
*Oh I am going to have so much fun writing that in the future.*
*Aside from there is a few references to other things of RWBY in this chapter, if anyone picks it up congrats.*
*That should be all for now.*
*Next chapter which should hopefully be out before another year will cover the next three days of school for Roxas and adjusting to school life. All the while Penny is planning something. Hopefully you all will enjoy it when it comes out.*
*If anyone has any question leave a review or PM me and I will get back to you when I can, so until next time ciao!*
The author waves goodbye as the screen fades to black.
