Uchiha of Remnant

by Baconaddict

Sasuke was used to having obstacles in his path, but trying to find a way home after becoming stranded in the middle of another world was a bit much even by his standards. Similar to everything in his life, his situation is not as simple as it first appears.

20. A Wolf Among Sheep

AN: Happy to see the last chapter was enjoyed more than I thought it would be. For those of you who were wondering, the microscopic insects in Sasuke's blood are the leftover nanobombs from Deidara's C4 Karura. The way I see it, just because they've been deactivated doesn't mean they won't stick around in Sasuke's body for a while.

Hbkisback14- I'm gonna try to do your boy good. Honestly Ironwood is one of my favorite RWBY characters; I have the mixed opinion that despite approving of his 'fall from grace', I would have changed a lot if I had written it. It was too fast and he lost his marbles a little too easily- it was clear the RWBY writers just needed him as a foil for the volume and didn't take the time to set it up enough. But that's just my opinion.

Crapcase39- That's certainly a psychological flaw that's bound to pop up in someone whose been stuck in a nonstop battle with an immortal evil for literally centuries; and not the only flaw either.

MrSir17- High School Anime shenanigans? You should enjoy what's coming.

KnightOfZaku- Gotta confess, I don't have quite an unfavorable opinion of Ozpin as you. He's certainly not perfect and has resorted to questionable methods in his battle against Salem. But as for your 'capture/imprison her' point, while it's never been stated that Ozpin has attempted that, it's also never said that he hasn't tried already and failed. Hell, that might be what Summer Rose was trying to do- turn her to stone and then trap her somehow and it utterly failed. With Ozpin's magic on loan to the four Maidens, Salem is in a league of her own in raw power even without factoring in her Grimm control or her immortality. It would probably take multiple Hunters with the exact right Semblances to trap her.

Gilgamesh50- Ozpin is kinda grasping at straws here, but remember he also didn't tell Sasuke his theory. He kinda has a history of being selective about who knows what, after all.

Panjason- I don't know if I would go so far as antichrist, I think Zetsu is a closer fit for that at least. But yeah, Sasuke is not going to just shrug his shoulders and call it quits.

DeathlyJazzHands55- The relationship between Salem, the Uchiha, and Ozpin is going to be a relatively slow-burning answer. But I highly doubt it is what you think it is- I'm going to great pains to not reveal too much information. Thanks for the praise on Deidara's bomb idea, I have clever inspirations a couple times a year or so.

GTI-1- Wow… I feel like I should say more considering the length of your review, but anything of substance I put in would be spoilers… Thanks for the review at least! I hope you like what's coming!

OverlordTH- Salem is a pretty good villain, though I would still rank Cinder from Volumes 1-3 a bit higher as far as antagonists go. For me, though, Salem's voice is her main asset. She's exactly what I imagine when I think of an evil Queen talking- the tone, the pitch, the balance between sultry and intimidating, everything is on point.

Anautumnlady- I can practically guarantee that whatever idea you're thinking is not what's actually going to go down.

Tavoxd100- You'll have to be patient.

And with that, here's the chapter most of you have been waiting for!

'thoughts'

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Uchiha of Remnant

Chapter 20: A Wolf Among Sheep

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For someone who did not live in Vale, it would seem to be a rather typical day. The sun was shining, the streets were flocked with people going about their daily lives, and every few minutes airships could be seen passing overhead taking their passengers and cargo to their destinations. For those who did call Vale their home however, they knew that today there was one airship that was carrying a rather important cargo that only came by once a year- the incoming freshmen to Beacon Academy. Most hardly paused their business, but some people would take a quick moment to look up and wish the future defenders of mankind the best of luck as they prepared to begin the last leg of their Hunter training.

What they had no way of knowing was that this year one of the expected students was not on board the assigned airship with the rest of his peers.

Sasuke Uchiha had the distinction of being brought to Beacon by a small Police airship instead. In the backseat, behind the bars of course.

He had heard that Ozpin had tried to have him released close enough to the airship so he could travel alongside his 'future classmates', no doubt to avoid having them see him being dropped off at Beacon in a Police vehicle and start all sorts of dramatic rumors. Unfortunately the Police Chief hardly cared about Sasuke or Ozpin's worries. He had agreed to drop him off on Beacon grounds that were out of the way where it was unlikely he would be seen, but that was as far as he was willing to compromise.

Sasuke couldn't have cared less. The ride to Beacon so far had been a rather pleasant one- both of the officers taking him hated his guts so much they hadn't spoken a single word.

They were far better company that their colleagues had been. After Ozpin had left several Police agents wasted no time in questioning him about everything he had done with Roman- where the Crime Lord had been storing the Dust, why he was stealing the valuable substance to begin with, and everything in between. He had answered all of their questions as best he could- thankful that despite their seething hatred of him they were wary enough of him to not antagonize him.

Then, someone found out that he had a bomb in his chest that Ozpin could detonate if he tried anything.

With their fear of his retaliation all but gone, several of the officers had gone out of their way to make the few days he had with them as intolerable as possible. Almost all of them had said a venomous sentence or two; though a few who asked if his parents were as worthless pieces of shit as he was were saved from a beating they would never forget by nothing more than his self-control, something that was put to the test multiple times. He had thrown out more than a few meals after smelling several kinds of body fluids on them.

He had never been so tempted to murder people who posed no threat to him before.

Well at least that was behind him. As ridiculous as the charade he was about to take part in was it was pleasant to know no one there was going to be urinating in his food.

His thoughts were halted as he felt the airship decelerate and come to a stop, at which point the driver wasted no time in letting him know they had arrived.

"This is where you get out."

Without a word the Uchiha opened the door and stepped out, pulling up his hood as he did so. Regardless of how short a stay he intended to have at this place, Sasuke still had no desire to put up with swooning fangirls drooling at his appearance- he had gone through enough of that at the Konoha Shinobi Academy. It was fortunate he even had managed to procure something to cover his face at all- he had managed to persuade one of the Cops who had not been an asshole to give him an old jacket in his favorite shade of dark blue with a large enough hood to do the job.

The rapid disappearance of the ship's dust engine was the only goodbye his temporary jailers gave him; which was just as well. Even if he only planned to stay for a few days, Sasuke couldn't help but admire the sight of Beacon Academy.

The grass underneath his feet was a vibrant and healthy green with not a weed in sight and pristinely mowed- even with his Sharingan he doubted he would have found a single cut blade that the groundskeepers had failed to remove once they had finished their work. The boundaries of the school were marked with a mixture of proudly standing trees free of visible moss or lichen as well as flowering shrubs that were in full spring bloom that surrounded the entire grounds with vivid swaths of red, purple, orange, and every other color nature could produce. The pathway to and around the school that had appeared to be a common dark gray asphalt from afar was actually a collage of stone that appeared to be some type of Granite, though from the patterns of both smooth cracks and flowing whirlpools he saw it may as well have been finely carved marble. He could see real Marble, every bit as aesthetically pleasing as the road that cut through it, in a circular amphitheater of sorts constructed with aqueduct-like columns and arches that enclosed a pool of what he could only imagine was perfectly clear water as well as two lines of trees with dark red leaves that flanked the walkway to the main entrance. Beyond the main entrance was the academy proper- it had a more modern look than the amphitheater, but it somehow managed to maintain an appearance as graceful as it was noble, and despite being constructed of white stone the Uchiha's eyes could not find any notable brown or black patches of dirt or grime. Beyond that lay the signature feature of Beacon- the one from which the Academy had gotten its name and the one he could easily see from the rooftops of Vale. Jutting proudly into the sky hundreds of feet, overlooking the entire city from a height even most birds rarely ventured was Beacon Tower. He wasn't sure if it was constructed with the massive size and grandeur it was due to the global communications tower needing to be at an exceedingly high altitude, the vital importance of the tower requiring it to be so large that any conceivable damage would be of little consequence, or if the designers just wanted such a crucial lynchpin for their kingdom to appear as magnificent as its duty would suggest; it was probably a combination of all three if he were to guess.

It was a pity an institution of such reputation and splendor was being invaded by an army of moronic teenagers.

Sasuke made his way to the main path, wondering to himself how the hell the four kingdoms expected to survive if the mindless rabble around him was any indication of the quality of their future protectors. All around him his 'schoolmates' were chatting amongst themselves, either catching up with people they had known from their previous school years or talking about the most recent hit songs, movies, and other topics that were utterly useless. He saw the ones who would defend mankind smiling, giggling, and laughing. It was a stark contrast to the Chunin Exams he had taken: everyone who had taken part knew both the stakes and the risks involved. Every qualifying Genin except for his moron of a teammate had shown up with stoic faces and had begun sizing up the competition and brainstorming methods to defeat their competitors by any means necessary before Ibiki had even started the exam.

Surrounding him now were nothing but children. Their world had the blessing in disguise of a clear and visible enemy that, at least until he had shown up, was incapable of massive organization or complex planning and was a significantly less potent force than it otherwise should have been. It made sense such a society would take a bit more time preparing the warriors that would defend them, but based on what Sasuke had seen of professional Hunters so far he couldn't help but think there was a lot of room for improvement. A hypothesis that would be shown correct as the loud boom of an explosion behind the Uchiha and the main crowd echoed across the Campus.

As if they had all heard his inner thoughts and had decided to prove his point the crowd surrounding him were jolted clumsily out of their conversations, some even momentarily frozen, blinking dully in surprise and turning on the spot to try and see what had happened as if they were a group of Prairie Dogs that had all unanimously heard a twig snap in the distance.

Sasuke did not freeze, and he was not enough of an amateur to take precious time identifying the cause of the explosion before taking action. On instinct he jumped forward several feet straight into his line of sight where he knew there were no enemies, turning his body around as he did so to try and identify any threats and landing with his legs ready to jet him in any direction required.

He thought for an instant that Roman or one of Stonewall's associates had just failed in an assassination attempt of some kind, but thankfully that was not the case. He couldn't see over the crowd, but the fact that no one was running or panicking in any way, as well as the mutterings of 'some girl just sneezed and set off some Dust crystals back there' meant that it had merely been an accident.

It didn't speak well for any of them. Even if it had been a mere mistake, that was no excuse for any of the bystanders to react so lightly. Staring around like a mindless fool for even a moment in a possible surprise attack was a good way to end up dead. Not to mention that someone who was careless enough to set off Dust by accident was arguably as dangerous to themselves and their teammates as they were to the enemy.

Ignoring the idiots surrounding him, the Uchiha continued his journey to the famed school, suppressing a sensation of discomfort. He wasn't worried about Ozpin breaking their agreement yet and setting off the bomb and had nothing to worry about from the children around him, but he still couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable without any of his weapons. Objectively it shouldn't have mattered- he had trained so much that he was a weapon, but he couldn't remember the last time he had gone anywhere without anything on him. Even before he had graduated he had always kept his kunai pouch on his belt at all times- he almost felt naked without it.

But whatever thoughts he had on the matter were abruptly halted as his senses recognized a subtle Aura that was… disturbingly familiar. One that belonged to someone who had a little reason to be here as he did. He froze in his tracks in utter shock a few steps outside of the main amphitheater where all of the Freshmen were currently gathering. His hood still up, no one could see his eyes widen in disbelief, his gaze darting across the room as though he might find the source of life energy his modest senses were detecting.

There were several heads of blonde hair in the crowd, but not a single one belonged to Naruto Uzumaki.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly. For a moment he had thought his old teammate had somehow found his way here, but his rational mind dismissed the possibility. Naruto would have either tried to tackle him in a bear hug or simply create a Shadow clone army a thousand strong to try and beat him down by now.

Indeed now that he was focusing on the life force he had thought had belonged to Konoha's Jinchuuriki, he realized that it was not the same. It was uncannily similar, a subtle warmth that felt like the gentle rays of the morning Sun that was exactly like he remembered, but that was where the similarities ended. It was far weaker, a mere shadow compared to the almost blinding presence he had felt on more than one occasion. Something that could be explained by the notable lack of malevolent taint from the Kyuubi; something that was utterly impossible for Naruto. No Jinchuuriki could survive their Tailed Beast being extracted- Naruto was going to live with his houseguest for the rest of his life.

It couldn't belong to Naruto, but even so it was far different from any aura he had sensed so far on Remnant. All of the Aura he had sensed so far had a solid feel to them, fitting for the hard protective shield they formed around their wielder. This Aura was not only far stronger but was more fluid- as though it could flow like a lazy river or stream; a sensation more similar to chakra that flowed through the body in a network of veins not dissimilar to blood.

Now that he thought about it, such a texture was almost like a hybrid between Chakra and Aura- though he was unsure if that was merely a coincidence. But despite sensing it, he couldn't get a good read on where it was coming from. Scanning the room he could pick out most individual Auras relatively easily when he was this close to them, but the one he had mistaken for Naruto's had no clear origin- as though it was coming from around the entire area.

As he was continuing to ponder this odd phenomenon, he was bumped into by someone else who was also rather distracted.

If someone had told Blake Belladonna she would be trying to enter Beacon Academy two months ago, she would have laughed. Well, not really- she had enough self-awareness to realize she would not laugh or giggle, but just give the one who had suggested such a ridiculous notion a dead-panned stare as though she had no way to respond to such a ludicrous idea.

And yet, here she was. It turned out a lot could happen in two months- least of which was the realization that the man who had trained her, who she had fought alongside dozens of times, who she had followed in the hopes of bringing about justice and equality for Faunus, and who she had even begun to develop feelings for had become every bit as much of a monster as he believed the humans he fought were. She had seen the signs for months, his growing preference for armed attacks and robberies instead of peaceful marches and demonstrations, as well as the growing number of humans injured or killed on missions he took part in. But that day on the train, when she had brought up the fate of the human crew who would be killed in the subsequent explosion and crash, the dark nature of who he had become could be denied no longer.

'What about them?'

There had been no regret or hesitation in Adam's voice. He had said it with a hint of sarcasm; of amusement. He was not going to throw the human's lives away because he had no choice- he was doing it because he wanted to. She could remember that moment so well when her skin had gone cold as she realized he was looking forward to seeing their corpses.

She had detached the train before he could follow through with his promise, but it was a hollow victory for her. She had only realized what Adam had become after dozens of humans had been ended by his blade, and hundreds more by an increasing number of White Fang members who were all too inspired by his zealotry.

It still terrified her that she had almost been one of them.

She was still determined to see her dream of the day Faunus and Humans would see each other as equals, without prejudice or bitter hatred from past wounds, but she honestly had no idea how she would do it. Becoming a Huntress that helped everyone-Humans and Faunus alike was a start, but the harsh reality was enrolling as a student at one of the Huntsman Academies was the only true safe haven she had. The White Fang considered her a traitor, and she could only imagine what Adam would do to her if she was captured- if they bothered keeping her alive at all. Had she been anywhere else she had no doubt the White Fang would have tracked her down- to the detriment of whoever happened to be close to her. But attacking the Huntsman Academies was something not even Adam would be dumb enough to attempt. Even without considering how difficult a target they were, attacking a school that trained the defenders of entire kingdoms from the hordes of Grimm that slaughtered Humans and Faunus alike was the worst PR disaster the White Fang could ask for.

She would be safe here- but then what? She couldn't go back to Menagerie- she still remembered how she had shouted at her parents the last time she had seen them. She had called them cowards, human sympathizers who would patiently wait for the humans to 'decide' to treat them as equals even if it took decades of Faunus suffering to do so instead of fighting back and demanding the equality they deserved.

Her parents surely hated her. And even if by some miracle they didn't, going back to Menagerie to make amends with them would be noticed by the White Fang. Adam would then know her parents were valuable enough to her to be used as hostages- something she had to avoid at all costs. It broke her heart that her Mother and Father still thought she despised them, but it was a necessary price to pay for their safety.

And so she was at Beacon, utterly alone.

She had nothing but a bow on her head to hide her Faunus nature from spiteful humans or her identity as the daughter of the ex-leader of the now infamous terrorist group. She had been fortunate the Schnee heiress hadn't recognized her; Blake had certainly enjoyed calling out the skeletons in the SDC's closet right in front of the spoiled little brat, but she could only imagine just how catastrophic their earlier encounter would have been if the girl had known who she was.

Getting into a physical confrontation that would have made the caped girl's Dust accident earlier look like a firecracker was the last thing she needed right now.

So deep in her mental anguish, Blake merely followed the rest of the crowd on autopilot- just ignorant enough of her surroundings to walk straight into another student who had stopped in front of the door to the amphitheater. She was halted in her tracks, feeling more as though she had collided with several sheets of steel rather than a person.

Blake had no time to ponder how muscle could be so solid, or to offer an apology, before her body froze.

She was standing at the foot of a Titan.

One moment she was standing, gazing into the fathomless dark abyss above her, before the ground upon which she stood disappeared. The darkness crashed down upon her as a tsunami, forcing her down into the depths with the weight of a glacier, crushing the air from her lungs. But there was something in the darkness- something she knew.

Blood.

Death.

Murder.

Her innate instincts that had been slowly honed by years of battle and conflict during her time with the White Fang were screaming at her that whoever was in front of her was intimately familiar with all three. She should know- she had felt the same terrifying sensation from Adam for weeks before his undisguised malice forced her to unbury her head from the sand. Except this one felt worse.

Much worse.

There was no anger or rage like with her former partner. Adam had always felt like a tinder ready to explode if someone carried a flame a little too close. Dangerous, but nothing to fear as long as the flame did not approach. He was still a living being that could at least be understood, focused, and potentially reasoned with. This was a colder sensation; as if he were freezing metal.

When Adam killed, it was with a vengeful passion, an explosion of hatred. This… being, on the other hand…

Felt nothing. He would kill with neither joy nor remorse, with no desire other than that to end the lives of whoever stood in his way.

But most terrifying of all was what was happening to her body.

Her muscles should have tensed; prepared to fight-or-flight in an instant, the only rational response to such an obvious threat. Perhaps she should have been frozen in fear instead, too terrified to so much as breathe for fear of provoking him.

But no- even as her mind tried to tell her body to back away, to make herself as small an insignificant as possible, she felt herself relax. A pleasing tingling sensation rippled through her arms, down her legs, and up her spine- as though she had just submerged herself in a warm bath. Blake wasn't sure if she could run now- merely keeping her legs tense enough to stand was a task that required conscious effort. She tried to lift and move her arms, but even merely clenching her hands was almost impossible- her muscles turned softer than a plush cushion the moment she tried to flex them.

For a moment she recalled a nature program she had watched several years ago that had briefly touched on a very peculiar species of snake that used a rather unorthodox venom. The venom's potency was rather mild; it was too weak to kill any of its prey with a single bite. Not that it needed to. The reason that the snake's prey never escaped or managed to fight back was because the venom acted as both a powerful sedative and a muscle relaxer. It took effect in moments, and the prey was effectively immobilized less than a minute after the bite, at which point the snake consumed its hapless prey alive.

Blake now knew exactly what that snake's victims had felt like in their final moments. She was a pitiful mouse, utterly helpless against this carnivore that had robbed the will of her body to fight or to run.

With wide eyes she watched with terrified anticipation as he turned around, her heart beating so hard she felt as though it would fly out of her chest. The noise around her seemed to disappear, the crowd all but vanishing. Blake felt the blood leave her face as she laid her eyes on nothing but a dark shadow beneath the man's hood. Even with her Faunus vision she couldn't make out any features of his face, but she could see past the shadows just enough to see he was not looking at her in contempt or in anger for her rude intrusion of his personal space, but was staring at her as though she were an unsightly speck of dust he had only just noticed. There was a tense pause as the two looked at each other; neither of them moving or saying a word.

Blake was an insect at his feet- one that had annoyed him. And now it seemed he was pondering to himself if he should squash her in the palm of his hand for her insolence, or if she was in fact so small and insignificant that the mere act of lifting his finger to extinguish her life would take more effort than it was worth.

The girl released a breath of air she had nor realized she had been holding when he turned around and made his way into the amphitheater without a word, reaching out her still numb arm to steady herself on the wall. She watched him leave without so much as blinking- he was far too dangerous for her to take her eyes off him. Blake suppressed a shudder; even his walk was unnatural. Even with the surrounding crowd her Faunus hearing should have been able to pick up the sound of his footsteps with ease, and yet every stride was so silent he may as well have been a ghost.

He disappeared into the crowd, heading toward one of the surrounding walls from what she could tell before she lost track of him. Blake hastily gathered herself together and veered in the opposite direction, wanting nothing more than to put as much space between herself and that man… that thing, as she could. Nervous eyes glanced around her warily, watching for any sign of him coming her way.

She had no idea who he was, but she wanted as little to do with him as possible.

A short distance away the object of her fear was on a humble search for a spot to stand where he would not be suffocated or deafened by the mass of mindless teenagers. Briefly he pondered about the bow-wearing girl who had bumped into him. Her brilliant yellow eyes had immediately reminded him of a cat, an impression that was only reinforced by the black bow on her head that had an uncanny resemblance to feline ears. But regardless of her appearance that for a brief moment brought up rather comforting feelings of nostalgia of better times with Nekobaa, Sasuke was not going to be the one making an apology. She had bumped into him, not the other way around. He had waited several moments for a 'Sorry about that', before he saw that for whatever reason the girl was too terrified of him so say anything, though he could not imagine exactly why. Upon realizing the girl was not in any condition to say a word to him, he had simply walked away. There was no point in wasting his time with awkward silences.

He found a suitable spot on the back wall just in time to wince as the microphone on the center stage was turned on with a shrill squeal that immediately silenced the surrounding chatter. He directed his attention to Ozpin and Glynda, the latter of whom he saw with some pride still sported a large cast on her reattached arm.

"Good afternoon, students." Ozpin began, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he surveyed the crowd before him. "As I'm sure many of you have guessed by now, the Initiation you will go through is going to be quite different from previous years."

Sasuke raised a brow beneath his hood.

'What does he mean by that?'

The Uchiha had not attempted to find anything out about Beacon before he had been unwillingly shipped here. He couldn't have cared less about it, and even if he had there was no doubt he could pass whatever half-assed 'exam' they threw at him whether he knew what was coming or not.

Still, Ozpin had not mentioned anything about a change in the trial- perhaps the man was trying to catch him off guard.

"I figured as much," he overheard one of the prospective students whisper one of his friends, "it's already mid-afternoon. My brother's whole class was finished with their exam by this time when they took theirs."

"So what are we doing here?" another one murmured. "Shouldn't we just come back tomorrow?"

"Under normal circumstances," Ozpin continued, "all of the initiates make their way through the Emerald Forest and be forced to prove their skills against the Grimm in the area. Fortunately for Vale but unfortunately for you this Kingdom is now the epicenter of the Patch Anomaly, meaning there are no longer any Grimm for you to prove yourself against. It was decided that setting up a new location far enough away from Vale to find adequate opposition would take too long to properly set up to ensure a reasonable level of safety."

The children surrounding the Uchiha began absent-mindedly nodding their heads, or otherwise murmuring a word or two of understanding. The logic was reasonable enough, but alone among them Sasuke knew Ozpin was leaving out a key factor in the decision.

'He knows that the Patch Anomaly will move wherever I go. If I travel far enough from Vale, I won't be able to keep Grimm away from it. Not to mention bringing me to a place full of Grimm I can use as foot soldiers at any time would be a foolish move on his part'

"We have managed to procure alternative adversaries for all of you to prove yourselves against, though I'm afraid that due to the rather short notice of this unforeseen situation we could not quite manage to get the test ready before all of you arrived today. I have been informed that preparations will be finished by tonight, meaning that your initiation will take place first thing in the morning. Everyone will remain at Beacon until then, sleeping arrangements as well as dinner will be provided. Rest, prepare yourselves for the trial tomorrow, and take a moment to appreciate why you have all come here."

In an instant the atmosphere surrounding the Headmaster became heavy with a newfound tension and stern visage that beckoned the attention of even the most bored and apathetic teens in the room.

"You have all traveled here seeking knowledge, to sharpen your skills, and hone your craft so you can protect the people of Remnant. Yet when I look among you, all I see is wasted energy and unfocused effort."

Ozpin eyes began sweeping the room, compelling all who met his gaze to unconsciously straighten their posture.

"You assume that simply coming to this school, sitting through lectures in a classroom, sparring with your classmates, and graduating will mean you have become a Huntsman or Huntress. But you will learn in your time here that knowing how to be a Hunter and knowing how to protect the people mean nothing until you look inside yourself and learn why you would save a life to begin with."

Ozpin's gaze found his target, his brown eyes piercing the Uchiha's hidden black orbs.

"It is up to you to take the first step."

He walked away from the Podium, his gaze lingering on the Uchiha for an extra moment before turning away.

It was only due to Sasuke's long-held practice of withholding any signs of his emotional state from the rest of the world that he was able to hold in a scoff. For anyone watching Ozpin's little speech was meant for all of the prospective students in the room, and to an extent they were correct. But the Uchiha was under no illusion that the Headmaster's words had been meant mostly for him.

'Utterly ridiculous' he thought to himself, barely listening to Glynda announce there were sleeping bags and food prepared in the cafeteria for the night. 'Does the man truly believe I won't see through what he's trying to do?'

The Uchiha had seen enough in his short life to know when he was being manipulated, though Ozpin's attempt was so transparent it was laughable. Both of them knew it was only due to the bomb in his chest that Sasuke had 'agreed' to the Headmaster's terms in the first place, and in order to ensure that Vale's new-founded immunity to the hordes of Grimm was permanent he was trying to give the Uchiha a moral obligation to continue protecting the tens of thousands of lives in the city.

It made sense why Ozpin might believe such a tactic would work- Sasuke had betrayed Roman and killed Stonewall due to his refusal to lower himself to their level, and had spared the lives of those who had witnessed his connection to the Grimm at great risk to himself. Unfortunately the fool was making the mistake of taking an established fact and overreaching with his own assumptions. Sasuke did not want anyone dead who didn't deserve it, sure, but this wasn't his world and he was not going to abandon his own goals to protect it.

Following the crowd to the Cafeteria, Sasuke began assessing the Academy he would be leaving shortly. All of the entrances and exits were too large to effectively block, and there were so many windows that even without Chakra adhesion he wouldn't have had much difficulty finding one to escape from. More worrisome were the multitude of security cameras strategically placed throughout the school, roughly every twenty to thirty feet apart. Far too many for any school.

'Ozpin was busy preparing for my arrival'

Not that they would deter him. Sasuke could easily shut them down with Mizuchi, though he was going to have to be strategic with how he used the ability. If he shut down cameras multiple times it wouldn't be hard for Ozpin to piece together what he was doing.

Taking out his bomb was going to have to be his first priority, and for that he needed to find a relatively private area that was infrequently visited where he would have at least ten minutes to himself. Finding such a location was going to be easier said than done- especially due to the half-dozen teachers of Beacon that he could see chaperoning the group of students inside the cafeteria as well as the approximately two dozen more that he could vaguely sense on the surrounding rooftops.

And finding a spot he could remove the bomb was only part of the challenge. Depending on how traumatizing the surgery was, it wasn't unlikely Sasuke would need several hours, and possibly at least a full day, to recover sufficiently. He wouldn't get far from Beacon if he was forced to fight a dozen Huntsmen with a still-bleeding wound.

The Uchiha had hoped that thanks to his 'confession' Ozpin wouldn't bother with as much security as he otherwise would have, but it seemed the man was playing it safe. Not that Sasuke could fault him- he would have done the same thing in his shoes, but it was a massive inconvenience for him. There was no way he would be able to slip away and search for a suitable location for self-surgery tonight- he was just going to have to be a bit patient and wait for Ozpin relax his guard a bit.

Whatever plan he came up with to escape, the Uchiha was certain that it would not involve socializing with his classmates. After quickly picking out and eating his dinner, making sure to avoid the deep-fried crap that the teenagers of this world seemed to think was divine ambrosia, and made a beeline straight for one of the sleeping bags in the corner as far away from the boisterous noise as possible without saying a word to anyone.

Out of sheer habit he did a quick sweep of the room as he settled. There was no way any of the students here posed any threat to him, but checking for potential threats was a habit he would be ill-advised to start breaking. The vast majority were disappointments- most of the prospective Huntsmen and Huntresses in training would probably barely be considered Genin in Konoha in terms of Aura level, and even the professional Hunters Ozpin had placed outside were all notably weaker than either Qrow or Glynda. Although with unknown Semblances to consider, it would be foolish to assume fighting the entire group would be a cakewalk. Itachi had far lower reserves of Chakra than his bounty in the Bingo Book would suggest, and yet he was rightfully listed as an S-class threat.

Still, there were about six or seven individuals in the room who were modestly impressive. The strongest Aura came from a girl with hair that was such a brilliant shade of crimson it even put Karin's to shame. He had seen her face on the box of a cereal brand he had seen at the supermarket several times, and was rather surprised she was applying to Beacon. If she was a model for the brand, why would she want to leave that cushy life behind to battle Grimm? He could admit she was rather attractive, though to his irritation she was wearing one of the fakest smiles he had ever seen as she was practically surrounded by a small crowd of drooling idiots who all seemed desperate to get her attention.

'Fans' he thought with distaste.

A bit further off was a rather paradoxical pair: a raven-haired boy that had a hairstyle so similar to Itachi's that Sasuke tensed for a brief moment until he realized that Itachi would commit suicide before he dyed so much as a strand of his hair pink for any reason, and an orange-haired girl practically glued to him that was almost literally bouncing with energy. For a moment he thought the boy was dealing with an unwanted admirer like the red-headed girl was, but a closer inspection showed this was not the case. Despite clearly not possessing the same interest in whatever topic the girl was spewing out of her mouth the boy was hanging on to every word, and from his relaxed posture was completely comfortable in her presence.

He turned his head to focus on the remaining Auras, including two that felt familiar, before his view and his thoughts were blocked by a towering figure that possessed an Aura almost as powerful as the seven he was analyzing and almost matched Junior in height. He was a well-built boy with combed burnt-orange hair, standing with a self-confident posture and staring down at him with a rather unpleasant smile, and flanked by three smaller lackeys who had eager grins on their faces.

"Hey man, we couldn't help but notice you seemed to be all by yourself. Didn't you come to Beacon with any friends?"

The sarcasm dripping from the boy's mouth could have been heard by a deaf man. The Uchiha could tell in an instant what kind of person this was, as well as the reason he had bothered coming over to him with his little gang.

'A bully? At his age?'

Sasuke's first thought was how utterly out of step this moron's priorities were- the entire reason they were here was to train to become Hunters- to protect those who were weaker and more helpless than them. Not to mention work with fellow Hunters to keep mankind safe. This kid had apparently missed that lesson.

"No, I did not. Does that answer your question?"

"It actually does," the boy chuckled. "You see, my friends and I here need a place to crash for the night, and we really like the location you've picked out here. So we would really appreciate it if you got lost."

Ignoring the laughter from the fool's cheerleaders, Sasuke cursed his misfortune.

'Do these morons not have anything better to do?'

It was tempting to put this fool in his place- it would be all too easy to throw him headfirst into the nearest trashcan, and he doubted Ozpin would go so far as to detonate his bomb over such a minor act. But he held his temper in check and considered: why bother at all?

He would be gone from this damn place in a matter of days- what the hell did he care what these idiots thought of him? He had no reputation to protect here, and this fool was so far beneath him it wasn't worth the effort.

"Have it your way."

Sasuke rose to his feet, already looking for another spot where he would finally get some peace and quiet, but his harassers had other ideas.

"See, I told you this guy was a loser!" the tall one laughed.

"Good call, Cardin, I never thought he would pussy out that fast!"

"Hey, why are you keeping that lame hood up?" a boy with a mohawk sneered. "Are you some kind of freak under there?"

The Uchiha ignored the morons prodding with practiced ease forged from literal years of ignoring rabid fangirls, picking up his sleeping bag and intending to walk right past these wastes of space.

"Maybe someone smashed his face in!"

"I'll bet he's a Faunus with some ugly-ass nose or something!" another one chuckled.

The Uchiha sidestepped the nearest boy. Everyone in the immediate vicinity were starting to turn their heads towards the commotion they were making now, and he had no intention of being in the spotlight.

Unfortunately, he wasn't going to get a say in the matter.

"Why don't we find out?" said Cardin.

The next moment Sasuke felt his hood slide away as the boy's hand pulled it back. On cue the girls around him audibly gasped, and the Uchiha did not need to look at them to know they were gazing at him with starry eyes.

Just like that, his hopes for a few fangirl-free days were dashed.

Sasuke turned around slowly, watching with great amusement as Cardin saw that not only was the target of his prodding going to attract far more female attention than he had guessed, but despite being outnumbered four-to-one was not intimidated; but pissed.

"Cardin."

The boy practically froze, his skin turning pale from the threat those obsidian orbs held.

"Take your hand off me."

The grip on his jacket was released immediately. Cardin's three lackeys shrank back a bit, their instincts and common sense finally kicking in that their target was not a soft one.

"I do not know and do not care what kind of people you fools are used to dealing with," he began, "but for your sake I suggest you fi-"

An ear-splitting female scream cut any further words off. The Uchiha snapped his head toward the noise, half-expecting to see a girl getting one of her limbs cut off, but instead seeing only a storm of red rose petals rocketing towards him.

One minute earlier

"What's it about?"

"Huh?"

Ruby Rose wasn't sure what compelled her to ask the question. She wasn't particularly skilled at small talk or making friends, particularly in comparison to her social butterfly sister. And even Yang thought trying to strike up a conversation with the novel-reading Blake was a waste of time after the raven-haired girl made it clear she would rather continue reading her book than talk with them. Ruby had placed her sleeping bag next to Blake's, hoping that she could maybe start a conversation with the girl who had helped her out when that Schnee girl had shouted at her, but it seemed the bow-wearing girl wasn't interested in talking. Not to mention that she seemed to be looking with a hint of trepidation at something or someone behind them every few moments.

And yet perhaps Yang was wrong this time. Ruby wasn't the most socially-minded person, but she didn't miss the surprise and the small twitch of interest in the girl's voice when she realized Ruby was actually genuinely interested in the bundle of pages in her hand.

"Your book. Does it have a name?"

"Well, it's about a man with two souls," Blake explained with a small smile. "Each fighting for control over his body."

"Oh yeah, that's real lovely…" Yang added, though it was clear she was only saying the words in an attempt to be polite. The blonde cut off any further words as she saw with a hint of pride her little sister step forward after a moment's hesitation.

"I love books, Yang used to read to me every night before bed." Ruby paused a moment, recalling simpler times when she was tucked tightly under her sheets and imagining the fantastic tales she would fall asleep dreaming about. "Stories of heroes and monsters, I think they were one of the reasons I first wanted to be a Huntress."

Blake felt her heart clench at Ruby's words. She was so innocent, so blind to the cruelty and shades of grey that Remnant was so full of. Part of her pitied the poor girl, whose bright eyes and cheerful smile would be dimmed by the real world before long; and the other part of her looked at Ruby in envy, wishing she could relive her own blissful days when the world was so simple.

"And why is that?" Blake asked, "Hoping you'll live happily ever after?"

"Well, I'm hoping we all will."

It was a corny statement in Blake's opinion, but she still couldn't help but feel a warmth in her heart from the sheer sincerity in the girl's words. She was not looking forward to several years at Beacon with the Schnee heiress and that monster she had met earlier, but perhaps she wasn't alone in wanting to make the world a more peaceful place.

"As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books!" Ruby continued. "As someone who fought for what was right, and protected people who couldn't protect themselves."

"That's very ambitious for a child," Blake replied before her smile was replaced by a look of sorrow and regret. "Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale."

The raven-haired girl's words brought a memory to the front of Ruby's mind. A memory of a lost boy who got killed all alone because she couldn't find him in time. Along with a more recent memory that her sister was also recalling at that very moment. Her uncle Qrow, bandaged and covered in healing bruises the day after he had gotten into a brutal fight with the 'Dark Angel' of Vale. It had been a shock to both of them to see their Uncle Qrow, who had always seemed so strong, so cool, so unbeatable, in such a state. Most of the questions they had peppered him with had answers that were classified (much to their disappointment), but he had told them in no uncertain terms that he had gotten his ass kicked and was only alive by sheer luck.

Both sisters had been forced to re-evaluate their romantic views of being Huntresses.

"I, I know." Ruby's smile fell from her face, and her bright eyes dulled. "I know making the world a better place is not as easy as it is in those stories."

She took in a breath, her face filled with newfound determination.

"But that's why we're here now! To make ourselves better so that next time someone needs our help, we can save them!"

From behind her Yang looked on with pride at her younger sibling. She had been worried, along with her father, that losing Sasuke, and then seeing Qrow in the hospital would make her lose her optimism and ambition. It had certainly made Yang question her own skills, even if she would never tell another soul about any self-doubt, but it seemed her little sister had taken those harsh doses of reality and turned them into a positive motivation. Ruby Rose would be the best Huntress she could be, one that her mother would swell with pride if she could see her.

And if Ruby was going to be a Huntress, Yang would be right there with her! Ruby was going to be her baby sister for the rest of her life, and it was up to Yang to protect her even if she wasn't a child.

A few muffled voices from behind her suddenly caught Ruby and Blake's attention. Yang couldn't hear it very well, and assumed it was just a few people who weren't quite ready to go to sleep yet. But from Ruby and Blake's reactions it was something more interesting than that.

Yang watched with confusion and amazement as Ruby appeared to go into full-on shock. Not since her seventh birthday party when she had been given a fifty-pound platter of chocolate chip cookies as a birthday present had her eyes widened so much. Her jaw dropped, and her breathing seemed to stop.

Blake was not much better off. Her brilliant yellow eyes were almost as wide as Ruby's, and her posture, which had previously been relaxed due to her reading, was anything but. Her spine was perfectly straight, her muscles tense and ready to spring. Most interesting, though, was the unmistakable blush that was rapidly growing on her face.

When she heard the unmistakable sound of feminine gasps, Yang waited no longer. She turned around, though she couldn't see what the fuss was about. There were four boys, of which a particularly large one was taking his hand off of a statue of a ridiculously attractive guy. The statue was admittedly very realistic, she could even see it turning its he-

Yang froze- it had to be a statue! There was no way a guy so hot, so utterly perfect could be anything more than a piece of marble art created by a master sculptor who was trying to create a face so flawless mere mortals could only dream of seeing it in the flesh!

Then the statue's lips moved, and Yang felt blood rush to her face and her heart jump in her chest. He was real. She looked him over again, failing to find a single feature that wasn't a full 10/10.

His skin was pale, not the unhealthy shade that came from sitting inside all day but the tone that most nobility seemed to have in the movies that just made them shine. Of particular note to Yang was his hair. It was as black as Blake's, but somehow seemed to cram every mutually-exclusive attractive quality into it. It was not combed (she could tell- Yang had loved her hair her entire life and had tried every trick in the book to improve it before she realized her natural look was her best look), and yet his front bangs framed his face flawlessly. Conversely the back of his head had wild spikes that appeared as though they had been swept by a strong wind, giving him a roguish, untamed appearance. He was fairly tall- standing an inch or two above her from what she could tell, standing with a level of assertiveness and confidence that surpassed even Qrow on his best day and staring down the four other boys as though they were trash at his feet, and whom she could tell even from a distance were starting to sweat.

'Holy. Fucking. Shit.'

A sudden scream from her sister interrupted her appraisal, and before Yang could turn to see what in the hell had gotten into her, she saw Ruby's trademark rose petals shoot forward like a missile before she full-body tackled the hot guy straight through the wall behind him, shaking the entire building and leaving a gaping hole in the masonry and a cloud of dust in her wake.

Yang could only say what every single person in the room was already thinking.

"What the fuck!?"

Present

For any Shinobi who wanted to live for any respectable length of time being ready for sneak attacks and ambushes was not a skill; it was a prerequisite. It was impossible to quantify with any certainty, but it was widely believed that at least a third of shinobi who died in the field never saw the enemy who took them out.

It was no small wonder then that every major hidden village ensured that their newly-graduated Genin knew the basics of what to do when they were suddenly attacked- and Sasuke was no exception.

A fraction of a second was all the time he needed to know that the mass of red petals mere inches from his face covered too large an area and were moving too fast to dodge. So, he blocked instead. Raising his arms up to cover his face and chest, he pulled his feet a few inches above the ground to ensure he wouldn't be knocked on his back.

It came as a shock to him when the petals reached him, he felt no mass behind it at all. Rather, it felt more like a weightless gust of warm wind.

The next moment, that weightless gust shot him backward at the speed of a bullet, and he saw nothing but red petals.

Sasuke felt his back smash through the wall as if it were cardboard, but he ignored it. Of more interest was the muffled Aura he was sensing from the surrounding red mass. It was subdued, almost like he was sensing the shadow of an Aura instead of the real thing- but that didn't matter. If this attack was made of Aura, someone was controlling it.

Sasuke opened his hand, and using Chakra adhesion gripped the formless mass.

In an instant the red petals disappeared, replaced by a small black figure with a red cape whose arms were wrapped tightly around his torso.

His feet found purchase on the ground beneath, creating two trenches of displaced earth as he forcibly halted his movement. Without wasting a moment he tightened his grip on his attackers shoulder and brought his remaining fist back to land a blow squarely on their temple.

And then a very familiar pair of silver eyes looked up at him.

"Ruby!?"

The Uchiha lowered his fist, calming himself down now that it was clear he was in no danger.

"Sasuke," she said, the relief in her tone impossible to miss, "it's really you!"

The Uchiha raised a brow. It had been a while since they had met, but her response to seeing him again was way over the top.

Then, he watched in horror as her lips began to tremble and the first tears could be seen forming in her eyes.

'Wait a minute,' he thought, recalling the last time he had seen her. 'She was handing out flyers in Patch saying I was missing- she was worried sick about me when I saw her talking to that old lady before I left Patch'

Well that would explain the drama. But it left him with an utterly terrifying problem- she was about to start crying.

Sasuke involuntarily found himself tensing; unable to completely repress the innate and ancient male fear of dealing with an emotional girl. He had never dealt with this problem personally, the women he had spent any kind of time with in the past few years had been Shinobi, and were not the type to break down so easily.

'I can't stay silent- she's going to start bawling in a few seconds if I don't stop her.'

Still, he had to try something.

In a single breath Sasuke relaxed his muscles, bringing his other arm up to gently but firmly grip Ruby on both of her shoulders.

"Ruby."

He didn't shout her name, but he spoke solidly and sternly enough to seemingly jolt Ruby out of her trepidation.

"Everything is fine, calm down."

The girl slowed her breathing and refocused her eyes, now looking at him as though he were a real person that wouldn't disappear if she blinked. Then, as if realizing what she had just done, turned around and saw that she had smashed Sasuke through the cafeteria wall in her excitement.

"Ohmygoshimsosorry!" she suddenly exclaimed, holding the sides of her face in shock. "IdidntmeanitIjust-!"

"Ruby," the Uchiha interrupted, making sure to state his words calmly to try and lower the girl's anxiety, "what did I just say?"

The cape-wearing girl covered her mouth with her hands, embarrassed that she couldn't keep it together.

"Oh! Well, I-"

She paused for a moment, her throat tightening slightly.

"I- I thought you were dead! You weren't in the house, and no one in town had seen you at all! And-"

"Why did you think I was dead?" Sasuke interrupted. It would have made sense if they just thought he was missing, but where had she gotten that idea from?

"Well, me and my sister were out looking for you, and we found this cave someone had been using recently! We couldn't think of anyone other than you who would have been out that far, but…" Ruby pushed down a sob, reminded of the despair she had felt in that moment. "There were so many Grimm tracks! We couldn't even count them all! I thought they had killed you…"

Well that explained her over-the-top reaction to seeing him again. He hadn't lost a night of sleep after seeing Ruby pass out his Missing Posters half-frozen before he had left Patch, but after hearing that he couldn't help but feel just a little guilty.

"I was living in that cave you found for a few days," he admitted, "but I assure you the Grimm never laid a hand on me."

His words had their desired effect, her previous sorrow disappearing as silver eyes light up in awe, never imagining that the reason Sasuke had been untouched was far less thrilling than what she was imagining.

"Now let's continue this inside."

The Uchiha strode through the debris-covered lawn to the shattered remains of the wall with Ruby following in his wake.

The two of the were quite the sight for the entirety of their future classmates. On one hand was a young girl who looked several years too young to be studying at Beacon, wearing a smile so bright they would never have known she had just tackled someone through a wall if they had not seen it firsthand. A curious sight, but compared to her companion…

Anyone who had not seen the dark-haired boy earlier certainly was now. He did not walk back inside, his strides were too deliberate for that, but was also too casual to be strutting either. It almost seemed like a gait one would see from nobility or a clergy who had been deliberately trained and raised in such a way as to simply appear more refined; superior, to their peers. There was not a shred of emotion on his face, as though being thrown through a wall was of no consequence. He merely dusting himself off with the casual aura of one who was merely opening a door or performing some other menial task, all while the girl who used his body to make another entrance to the dining hall was staring at him as though he was a knight in shining armor.

It was a hell of a first impression.

"Ruby!"

Thankfully she had enough presence of mind to try to find out what the hell her sister had been thinking before trying to charm the hottest guy she had ever laid eyes on.

"What on Remnant got into you!?" she exclaimed, looking over her baby sister for any scrapes or injuries. Whether Ruby had aura protecting her or not was irrelevant- making sure her precious sibling was unharmed was wired into Yang's blood.

"Oh! Um, sorry, I didn't mean to freak out! But Yang, remember the Sasuke me and Dad were telling you about who went missing?" she said, practically beaming with excitement. "This is him!"

Yang's jaw practically dislocated from her skull. She turned toward him, seeing him up close and still failing to find a single flaw in his perfect visage.

'THIS is the guy who stayed at my house!?' she thought furiously. 'I'm going to kill you, Ruby! How the hell did you not mention he was this fucking hot!?'

In a flash Yang remembered the answer. She remembered coming back from her sleepover, ready to see that warm smile that reminded her so much of the supermom who had raised her, Summer Rose, only to see Ruby holding back tears listening to their Father calling the neighbors around Patch to see if any of them had seen a black-haired teen.

Ruby cried herself to sleep for days.

Yang's eyes flashed red, and the appearance of a lovestruck girl was replaced by a woman's fury in an instant.

"You have some nerve, you jerk!" she exclaimed, ignoring the silent glare from the boy in question as well as Ruby's horrified expression, marching right up to the object of her ire almost nose-to-nose. "Ruby took you out of the freezing cold, had our Dad give you a place to sleep, and to thank her you leave in the middle of the night without saying a word!?"

Under normal circumstances Sasuke wouldn't have hesitated for a moment to tell the girl to shut up and simply brush her aside. However, he was too busy pondering to himself how strangely respectable this girl was.

When he had first laid eyes on her he had thought, for an embarrassing instant, that it was Naruto disguised in his 'Sexy Jutsu' as he had called it. The next instant he realized his mistake- but that did not mean Yang didn't check off all the wrong boxes for him.

She was a blonde (though her hair almost seemed a more brilliant shade of gold). She was loud. The loose-fitting tank top she was wearing was almost all orange.

It was enough to make his skin crawl.

Then she had looked at him, and he saw the stars in her eyes. The same eyes he had seen in women and girls of all ages since he was seven years old, of instant infatuation. It was a cheap emotion, one that he knew even before the Massacre had hammered into his skull how fragile or false bonds of family and friendship could be, was utterly worthless. Still, it had made many women forget and forgive his rudeness before, and he had expected the same with her.

Except he was wrong. The golden-blonde had walked right up to him and said what was actually on her mind without a shred of hesitation. Most astonishingly her eyes turned a furious shade of red that almost could have been a reflection of his own Sharingan, both in hue and in the emotions that triggered them.

Yang didn't need to say a word for Sasuke to understand her love for her sister, and her ire toward the one who had hurt her, was far greater than any level of mere physical attraction she may have had toward him.

It wasn't a terrible first impression if he was being honest, even if the sight of blonde hair still gave him a gut urge to be somewhere else.

"Circumstances at the time forced me to leave, I did not intend to upset Ruby or your family."

"Well you did! You think leaving some stupid little knife means anythi-!"

"Yang please, it's okay!" Ruby interjected, grabbing her sister's arm. "He couldn't have known we thought he was dead, but we've found him now and that's all that matters!"

Both Sasuke and Yang could tell the smile she wore was somewhat forced, desperate to get her fiery-tempered sister to calm down and avoid starting a fight. With a fist as tightly clenched as her teeth, Yang took a breath to calm herself down. She would sooner shave her head bald before she let down her baby sister.

"Fine," she relented. "But if you know what's good for you, you won't run off without saying goodbye again!"

Before the Uchiha could retort (not apologize- he was not going to apologize), he was greeted with the unwanted the sight of a more familiar blonde at the main door.

"What on Remnant happened here?!"

Marching towards them was none other than Glynda, wearing a look so furious the prospective students practically shoved each other out of the way to clear her path. Her nostrils flared when she saw the full damage, visibly struggling to control her temper. Ruby's face turned white, and Yang's mouth fell open as though her jaw had forgotten how to shut. It seemed both sisters had forgotten about the destructive circumstances that had led to their impromptu reunion.

"Who is responsible for this?"

As one the crowd of potential students pointed their gaze at the red-caped young girl and the ebony-eyed youth with her.

"Miss Rose, I hope you have a good explanation."

"Oh! Um.. uh.." Ruby stuttered, practically collapsing underneath Glynda's icy stare. "ImreallysorryIdidntmeantoIgotreallyexcitedbecauseIsawSasukeandIthoughthewasdeadandIthoughtIwasjustseeingthi-!"

"Stop!" Glynda interrupted, holding up her hand. She hadn't been able to make out most of what the girl had said in her tirade, but she had been able to make out Ruby apologizing, and she would rather settle with that than listen to a ten-minute montage of jibberish. "Please, Miss Rose, control your emotions. And do your best to avoid property damage in the future."

"Y-yes Ma'am!" she squeaked.

Glynda took a breath to calm herself before turning to Ruby's acquaintance, before it was promptly taken away.

Professor Goodwitch considered herself a model of efficiency and professionalism. She was strict with both her students as well as her own life and had clearly defined goals and duties she attained and fulfilled with full diligence. And was practiced enough to ignore the human urge to let her personal life interfere with her professional one. Well, almost.

Glynda had seen plenty of men before, but none that were so jaw-droppingly handsome that her cheeks blushed pink or made her heart skip a beat. It was absurd!

At least now she knew why most of the teenage girls she had passed appeared to be sporting visibly flushed faces and biting their lips. She could already tell this kid was going to be the cause of hundreds of spoiled panties and stained bedsheets in his time here.

Her personal thoughts on the subject at hand were hastily shoved aside as she remembered she was in the middle of a group of students, and could not be seen drooling over the young man as if she were some whore! And besides that- who was he anyway? She had looked over the transcripts of all of Beacon's applicants, she was certain she would have remembered him if she had seen his photograph.

"Do you share responsibility for this young man?"

Sasuke almost raised his brow in surprise. He knew the only time Glynda had seen him was when half of his face had been burned, but had the woman seriously not given his file a glance after her boss had told her he would be coming?

"All I did was catch her."

Time seemed to stop for the Huntress. Her eyes widened like dinner plates, and she felt her entire body flinch as her muscles instinctively tensed. She knew that voice.

"You."

In an instant the whispered tones and hushed voices of their audience were silenced. The sheer venom behind that one word was enough to chill the spines of all who heard it, the dining hall suddenly bearing a suffocating tension. The Professor glared at the seemingly serene teen with a vicious gaze, her eyes practically burning a hole through his head.

"I knew you would never be a model student Sasuke, but I didn't think you would be stupid enough to start trouble on your first day."

Sasuke stared back as though Glynda had asked him how the weather was.

"I suppose I have a knack for attracting it."

"Do not get smart with me!" she snapped through clenched teeth. "You are lucky enough to be walking in this Academy at all. You have Professor Ozpin to thank for that privilege- a decision I can assure you I did not condone!"

Out of the corner of his eyes Sasuke could see the crowd of teenagers watching them with rapt interest, and could only imagine the wild conclusions they were no doubt concocting. He had no idea why Glynda was publicly confronting him instead of taking him behind closed doors, but at this point he really didn't care. It made no difference to him what rumors these children made or the fallout Glynda and Ozpin might receive. What he did care about was that between Cardin's laughable attempt to bully him, being tossed through a building, and being lectured for property damage that wasn't even his fault, he had had quite enough of waiting for people to leave him alone.

"I don't know what you were thinking just now," Glynda continued, "and I couldn't care less. But I will not tolera-"

"Nice cast."

…

…

The tension in the room transformed into freezing ice, with watching faces paling and those closest to the duo unashamedly stumbling over themselves to back away. Sasuke had not spoken particularly loudly, but it had been enough for everyone in the room to hear it. Ruby brought her hands to her mouth in shock, her legs suddenly trembling with anxiety. Yang wasn't much better off, her mouth hanging open and looking at the Uchiha as though he were insane.

For a few moments the hall was completely silent with no one daring to move a muscle. Suddenly the sound of creaking wood and cracking masonry permeated the area, as though the structure around them was collapsing. One by one those present realized what the source of the noise was, and more than one sleepwear-attired teen prepared themselves to simply run.

With a visible glow of Aura around her body, Glynda was the very picture of fury. If she had been trying to set Sasuke on fire with her gaze before, she was trying to burn his very soul now. With a clenched jaw and a grip on disciplinarian so tight her entire hand was white, her Semblance was lashed out at the floor beneath the hall. Wooden beams twisted and bedrock split as small cracks appeared on the windows, the shifting of the foundation of the building too much strain for the glass to endure.

And to the disbelief of everyone, the person who had invoked her wrath stood before her mere feet away with nothing but apathy. He was an image of tranquility, neither shaking nor taking a step back, staring at Glynda with unflinching eyes as though he were simply waiting for her to continue talking.

The teenagers watching them in shock and awe were under the impression that the dark-haired teen's provocation was the action of a delinquent rebel- a show of defiance toward authority that had been taken too far.

Glynda knew better. She alone knew the hidden message in those two simple words.

Are you forgetting who I am?

Beneath her burning wrath, beneath her churning Aura, her heart remembered her fear.

This creature had crushed her and her comrades. He had almost killed her.

And now she was standing three feet away, pissing him off.

The onlookers all saw a standoff between a sheep and a wolf, but the girl with feline ears hidden behind a black bow was the only one that realized which one was the wolf. Everyone else saw Glynda barely holding back her Semblance's wrath out of duty to not harm a prospective student- but the reality was she was holding her Telekinesis back for a very different reason.

She knew full well what would happen if she so much as attempted to attack him.

With jerky motions that could only come from muscles tensed far too tightly Glynda slowly waved Disciplinarian in front of her, mere inches from the Uchiha's chest. Behind him, the pieces of rubble floated in the air as if they were bubbles before swiftly reassembling into the structure that had been destroyed mere minutes before. The cracked glass seamlessly repaired itself as the low rumbling from the ground beneath died away, the Huntress never taking her eyes off the Uchiha for an instant.

As the rest of the room held their breath, Glynda took several steps back and fixed a furious glare on the raven-haired teen.

"Go. To. Sleep."

Without another word she turned around, walking through the exit and slamming the doors behind her with her Semblance so hard it shook the building.

For several moments there was only silence; the crowd too stunned and too anxious to say a word. It was only when they heard the scuffle of Sasuke picking up his forgotten sleeping bag that hushed whispers began to circulate.

"Sasuke, what the hell were you thinking!?" exclaimed Yang. She was all for sticking it to the man, but what he had just done was damn near suicide!

"I thought Professor Goodwitch was going to expel you!" said a breathless Ruby. "Why would you set her off like that?"

The Uchiha looked at the two with a flat gaze, completely unbothered by the drama that had everyone else in the room excitedly chattering amongst themselves.

"It's nothing," he answered. "I just needed to remind her of something."

"Well you didn't have to do it that way!" said Ruby, struggling to hold back tears. "I don't know what I would do if you were sent away after I just got to see you again!"

The Uchiha looked at Ruby with curiosity. Yet again, this girl seemed far more concerned for his wellbeing than she should have been. He still couldn't wrap his head around why she had bothered going to such lengths to find him after he had left her house all those weeks ago, let alone why she seemed like she would suffer emotional trauma if he was simply not allowed to attend the same school as her. It was more than a simple infatuation of the type Sakura and Ino had- Ruby was still showing no signs of fangirl syndrome, a fact the Uchiha was unspeakably grateful for. He wondered briefly if her drive to not lose him was due to loosing someone close to her in the past, but aside from her intense worry about him Ruby had far too much child-like innocence and cheer for that to be a possibility.

Regardless of the how and why, Ruby was unfortunately going to have to deal with whatever emotional turmoil she had endured after he had first departed all over again when he chose to leave Beacon. In fact, would she be better off in the long run if he simply burned the bridge he had with her now? If he just told her she was a stupid girl and was a fool for thinking they were close in any way, would she shed fewer tears than if she believed they were friends?

It should have been a simple decision- Sasuke had so much experience telling women he wasn't interested in them by now he could have written a book on the subject. And yet, when he looked at Ruby and saw her unshed tears- tears made from the fear she wouldn't see him again, he hesitated.

Of the many unfamiliar things in this new world, Ruby's strange devotion to ensuring his wellbeing was the most alien to him. As curious as her actions were, he had written them off at the time, thinking she was an anomaly, as well as assuming he would never see her again anyway. And then, he had woken up in Police custody to learn that of the literal dozens of people who had witnessed him command humanity's oldest and greatest enemy in this realm as though they were his personal army, not a single one had betrayed his secret.

It was utterly baffling; there was not a single logical reason to conceal the threat he posed to their home. Violet in particular knew how dangerous he could be, and even she had kept her mouth shut.

Why?

He had spent much of his nights in his cell contemplating the reason- only to come up with ever more absurd explanations. He had been called a genius by many, but even he had no hope of putting together a puzzle with pieces that didn't fit.

And now, right when he had put the matter behind him to focus on the future, Ruby had come back. Tackling him with happiness and excitement so pure and naked there was no chance he was misinterpreting it, or that it was a shallow emotion rooted in her own selfish desires as Sakura and Ino's had been.

He had no explanation, and his curiosity burned. And past that, beyond his inquisitive nature taking hold, the idea of making Ruby shed tears so casually as if she were a mere fangirl just didn't seem right.

He would sooner exterminate Tomatoes to extinction before he admitted out loud there was an unmistakable feeling of guilt when he thought of what she would go through when he left her for a second time.

"I appreciate your concern Ruby, but Ozpin would not allow Glynda to expel me that easily."

Ruby was certainly not convinced, but Yang cut off her little sister's words.

"I know you guys have some catching up to do, but I think it should wait until morning. We've disrupted everyone else's sleep enough as it is."

Ruby's face flushed scarlet, her embarrassment returning.

"Oh! Umm, yeah, I guess…"

"Hn."

The blonde raised her brow, unaccustomed to the Uchiha family's trademark language of grunts. But behind curious lilac eyes, the wheels in her head were turning.

Contrary to Ruby, Yang had been both headstrong and a go-getter for her entire life. When she wanted something, she did not waste any time getting it. And right now, she wanted the hottest piece of man she had ever laid eyes on.

Inwardly she worried that she might have blown her chance earlier when she had torn into him for making her baby sister cry. Not that she would ever regret that decision in a million years- family came first after all, and she was determined to not make the same mistake her birth mother had. Regretfully there was a good chance she had blown her chance at a good first impression, possibly beyond the point of no return given the antisocial nature and seemingly permanent irritation in his mood since she had first seen him, but she wasn't going to give up! She was Yang Xiao Long, and she could get any man she wanted! She was just going to have to be a bit clever with this one.

For most boys literally all Yang had to do to get a date was to say 'Hi', but she could already tell that even if she hadn't had a poor first encounter that wouldn't be enough. Every girl in the room, as well as a few boys were stealing longing glances at him, with faces blushing and hands coyly covering their mouths. She could hear more than few of them not-so-quietly whispering how quickly their underwear would be ruined, and what they would do to him in more private settings if given the chance. Yang didn't mind competition, she had a kickass personality and a body smoking hot enough to make guys walk into phone poles, but based on the Uchiha's response to the female attention he was getting even her prized assets weren't going to do her much good.

Most men would have a shit-eating grin glued to their face if they had been in Sasuke's shoes, but the boy in question was clearly not enjoying it. It was hard to tell with the stoic look on his face, but Yang had been around the block enough to know that when a guy appeared detached he was not hiding a smile. Given his ridiculous looks, it wasn't hard to see why. He seemed rather antisocial and likely didn't appreciate being openly viewed as a walking sex toy, something he had no doubt endured for years now.

Yang could sympathize to a degree. She usually loved the extra attention she got from boys even if they had a difficult time keeping their eyes above her cleavage, but she had certainly had times where she had simply had enough of being seen as walking masturbation material.

'Let's see… If I were having a bad day and wasn't interested in flirting, what would I want a guy to do that would get him on my good side?'

And suddenly, the answer was obvious. It was a bit of a gamble, but nothing worth having in life was without risk.

"Still looking for a place to sleep, Sasuke?" she asked, plastering a smile on her lips. "There's an open spot next to me and Ruby!"

Yang felt her heart leap a bit in her chest when he did not immediately recoil at the suggestion as she feared he might, but it froze when her dear sister spoke.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I should have offered you the spot earlier!" she stuttered, her smile returning as though it had never left. "Do you want to sleep with me and Yang?"

Shocked obsidian and lilac eyes whirled on the girl, along with more than a few of the surrounding students who had been listening to the conversation.

Yang brought her arm up to scratch the back of her head, wearing a forced and awkward smile as she cursed herself for perhaps sheltering Ruby just a bit too much.

"Umm… not the best choice of words, Sis…"

Ruby's face turned as red as Crescent Rose as she realized what she had implied.

"ImsosorryIdidntmeanitlikethat!" she sputtered, fixing her eyes firmly on anything other than Sasuke. "Umm… well… what Yang said, do you want to sleep next to us?"

The Uchiha looked at the two expectant siblings, both of whom were justifiably embarrassed. Had that offer come from anyone else in the room he would have found and claimed an area as far away from them as possible, but again Ruby, and in this case Yang as well, seemed to be exceptions to the norm. As improper as Ruby's offer had been, he was hardly going to reject her offer purely due to a mere slip of the tongue. The younger girl's offer was an honest one, and though he wasn't looking forward to the bombardment of questions she would be fielding him in the morning he was sure he would not have to worry about her groping him in his sleep. He was far less certain about Yang- everything about her personality practically screamed that she would try and cop a feel if given the chance without a shred of shame. He hadn't forgotten the lust-filled gaze she had given him earlier, and the fact that she had been the one to make the offer was all the more suspicious.

But as Sasuke thought about it, it was unlikely she would give him any trouble. She had already shown that she valued her sister more than anything else, and it was unlikely Yang would try anything with Ruby right next to them.

It was that, or choosing a handful of open spots left where he would be surrounded by fangirls for the entire night.

.

.

.

"Lead the way." He accepted, his urge to turn around and put Cardin in his place forgotten.

Ruby's face lit up so much she could have been a lighthouse.

"Great! It will be like a sleepover!"

And just like that the Uchiha found himself being dragged by his arm with an amused Yang following them in tow. As he approached what he assumed to be the sister's spot, he saw none other than the black-haired girl who had bumped into him earlier.

She was sporting a flushed face not unlike the other girls that were staring at him with unashamed lust, but he didn't miss the way she was protectively drawing her legs and arms toward her body. Or how she was fighting the urge to hide her face behind the book in her hands, or the subtle trembling of her fingers.

Signs Ruby was blissfully ignorant of.

"Hey Blake! This is Sasuke, he helped me fight some Grimm a few weeks ago! And Sasuke, this is Blake. I only just met her, but… ummm…" she hesitated, not sure how to introduce someone who was almost a complete stranger to her. "She- she likes books! And I'm sure we'll all be super great friends!"

Sasuke was not inclined to agree. The girl's pupils were wider than he would have thought possible and was half-convinced she would jump out the window if he approached her. She was even beginning to shake enough for the bow on her head to subtly twitchi-

No- no that couldn't be it. Her body wasn't shaking enough to explain how the two halves of the bow seemed to move independently; how they almost seemed to swivel towards him.

As the Uchiha looked more closely he saw the reason. Beneath the bow, almost completely hidden by the girl's hair, was the base of a pair of cat ears. Sasuke would know- he had spent far too much time with Nekobaa and her cat summons to not recognize it.

'She's a cat Faunus- one that wants to hide her identity'

Why Blake saw the need to conceal herself he didn't know- but he thought it was quite unfortunate. He would never admit it, but beneath his brutally suppressed emotions Sasuke still loved cats. Blake would be much cuter with her ears uncovered.

"N-nice to meet you."

The Uchiha stared back blankly for a moment, momentarily wondering if perhaps the girl was part mouse instead. She was certainly timid enough, speaking her obvious lie so quietly he almost couldn't hear her.

Unlike Blake, lying to someone's face was as simple a task as breathing for him. He did not hate her, but her cowardice about him despite having no tangible reason for it rubbed him the wrong way.

"Likewise," he drawled.

Across from the Uchiha, Blake's mind was a jumbled mess of turmoil.

Alone amongst her new peers, she could see the truth behind what had just happened between Sasuke and Professor Goodwitch. The instant Sasuke had stood his ground, the blonde Huntress could not have backed off fast enough.

It told Blake every judgement she had made about the boy was dead-on. He was dangerous; a violent animal that would not hesitate to slaughter the blissfully ignorant sheep surrounding him if it suited his interests. And the fact that Professor Goodwitch, a professional Huntress who was second only to Professor Ozpin amongst Vale's registered Hunters had practically fled the room to avoid confronting the raven-haired teen spoke volumes about how great a threat he was.

Blake could feel her heart thundering, every beat louder than the last with each step he took toward her. She was sure she was a pitiful sight, practically hiding behind her book like a frightened child, but she was too terrified to even attempt to hide her fear. The only reason she hadn't simply bolted from the room was thanks to her muscles freezing in terror.

But fear was not the only emotion her traitorous body was experiencing. Despite her barely controlled trepidation, Blake could not deny that her fear was not the only reason her heart was pounding in her chest. Sasuke was any straight girl's walking wet dream, and Blake was no exception.

She recalled her feelings for Adam had grown gradually after they had first met. Adam fit the stereotype of tall, dark, and handsome quite well- even if some of the latter had been sacrificed for a terrible scar across his face, and Blake had not been the only female in the White Fang to think he was attractive. That interest had evolved into respect after he had trained her a bit, and he had proven his skills in their fight for equality. But even before she had seen him fall into the dark pit of hatred that had twisted him into what he fought, he had never make Blake feel the intense smoldering flame that made her skin flush with heat that Sasuke currently was simply by standing around her.

Even without his scar, Adam had simply not been blessed with the same perfect face the boy in front of her had. Pale and perfectly smooth, with no blemishes or scars of any kind, she had to push down the urge to glide her fingers along his cheeks. His hair looked as though it were woven from fine silk, and probably just as soft.

But despite his appearance, it was not his looks that twisted her stomach into knots.

The way he held himself, a perfect blend of detached coolness and unflappable confidence, it pulled her eyes toward him as though they were bound by gravity.

'Damn it!' she cursed to herself, looking at the pale, flawless face gazing down on her with an aloofness that practically made her swoon. 'Why is it always the bad boys!?'

She was a moth drawn to a flame- and were it not for her prior experience with Adam she likely would have been in the same boat as the dozens of swooning girls surrounding them that were blinded to the malevolent nature that lay just beneath the subject of their affections.

Blake prayed to Sommanus she would have the strength of will to continue to resist her baser instincts once again.

Ignoring the black-haired girl's plight, the Uchiha unrolled his sleeping bag with a silent heave, making sure it was next to the bag that had a pillow covered in rose patterns that could only belong to Ruby.

"I hate to cut this introduction short," he said, his status as an Uchiha the only reason he refused to allow a hint of sarcasm in his words, "but I believe we've denied our classmates their sleep for long enough."

Not that Sasuke could have cared, but it was as good an excuse as any to draw this clusterfuck of a day to a close.

"Well, umm… yeah, I guess you're right." Ruby agreed, a small blush on her face as she recalled her embarrassing moment earlier. "We've got a big day tomorrow- we'll be on our way to being real Hunters!"

The Uchiha glanced at her for a moment, for a brief instant envying her child-like optimism he had lost years ago. He pitied what he knew the future held for her.

Crushed dreams and promises that could not be kept.

Before he could put his thoughts behind him and lay back to close his eyes, he felt two small arms wrap around his torso. With undisguised surprise he looked down to see the crown of Ruby's head as she hugged him, her body heat giving him an oddly warm feeling that contrasted sharply with the awkward discomfort of such close physical contact.

"I'm so happy you're safe."

Sasuke was a fish out of water. What was he supposed to do here? It felt too cruel for some reason to simply push her out of his personal bubble like he had every right to, and yet every instinct honed from his training and from his personal experience was practically screaming at him to do just that. Malintent or not, armed or otherwise, she was too close.

In the end he settled for what he always had in uncomfortable social situations- ending the interaction as quickly as possible.

"I'm… glad I could help." He said curtly, giving the girl a brief pat on the shoulder. "Now get some rest."

With that Ruby pulled back a bit, her contented smile not dimmed in the slightest.

"Goodnight, Sasuke."

She released her grip, leaving him feeling an… emptiness of sorts.

"Goodnight, Ruby."

A few feet away Yang watched the interaction with both fascination and amusement. Her adorable sister was a bit lacking in social etiquette, but she didn't think Ruby would be bold enough to hug Sasuke like she had. Then again, it was hardly the most daring, or property-destructive physical contact she had had with the boy today. More unusual in her opinion was Sasuke- who was so uncomfortable with a mere hug he practically froze! Antisocial as he appeared to be, Yang thought it was still unusual that he would squirm on the spot like that.

With a calculating mind like only a woman had, the blonde once again analyzed her prey. She was not going to be able to seal the deal in a day or two- she was going to have to work her way to her target inch by inch. It would be a long-term project, but she wanted to try and take at least one solid step before the night was through.

She was grateful Ruby had no interest in the boy herself- Yang would have reluctantly backed off had that been the case. Ruby had never had a boyfriend of any kind before, and she never would have stooped so low as to steal her little sister's man, especially since Yang had already had her fair share of interactions with boys.

But that was a moot point. Ruby only cared for Sasuke as a friend, and that meant he was up for grabs.

And thank the Gods he was! His looks alone were off the charts, but then Yang had heard him talk.

That voice… that sexy, seductive voice. It was quiet enough to be tantalizingly alluring, and that baritone pitch that was smoother than silk had sent shivers down her spine and made her sex suddenly feel very wet and very empty.

The whores ogling him could fantasize all they wanted- but Yang was going to be the one to get more than eye candy from him!

But what to do for tonight? She couldn't do a simple goodnight like Ruby had- Sasuke would just put her in the same 'only friends' category Ruby was probably in if she merely copied her example. She had to do something that would make her stand out. Something that would advertise Yang's interest in him, but not so boldly as the whores that were staring at him as if he were a specimen in a zoo. It was obvious he thought of them as trash, and he would think the same of her if she did anything too aggressive.

'I have to set the right tone now,' she thought to herself. 'He needs to see me as a woman who is curious about getting closer to him, but who he can have more casual interactions with than the sluts who will just try to get into his pants'

Suddenly, she had it! It was a cheesy idea, possibly even a stupid one, but it was infinitely better than the coy glances and dirty gossiping her competition was doing.

Or at least so she hoped. There was a chance he would see what she had planned as worse than that. She just had to keep her fingers crossed he wouldn't walk away. Yang just hoped Sasuke had a smidgeon of a sense of humor.

"So Sasuke, did it hurt?"

The walking dream looked at her, his brow slightly raised in curiosity. For a moment she thought he would believe she was referring to Ruby smashing him through the wall, but she put just enough of an anticipatory smirk on her face to imply she was talking about something else.

"Did what hurt?"

Yang leaned forward, propped her elbows on her legs as she cupped her face in her palms to give an over-exaggerated and cheesy 'girl having dreamy thoughts' look. Keeping with her plan to make things casual and take it slow, she made sure her forearms were drawn in enough to cover up her world-class cleavage. That couldn't be the focus just yet.

"When you fell from heaven."

Yang's heart soared when instead of leaving in a wordless huff, Sasuke merely hit her in the face with his pillow.

---

OMAKE: Alternative Sasuke and Yang intro

With a tightness in her chest that she normally never had when meeting a guy, Yang put on her best smile. It was absurd that she was the one with butterflies in her stomach from the pressure of trying to make a good impression instead of the other way around, but she couldn't help it. Sasuke was just the hottest guy she had ever seen- in person or otherwise, and she would never forgive herself if she screwed it up.

Making a mental note to kill Ruby for conveniently forgetting to mention how much of a dream he was, she began introducing herself.

Or at least she tried to.

"Hello! I'm-"

"Naruto if that's you in your Sexy Jutsu disguise I'm going to shove another Chidori in your gut."

Yang's words died in her throat as far from being happy to meet a gorgeous woman like herself, Sasuke just looked pissed. She had never been in a situation where she was outright rejected, and for a moment was frozen- unsure of how exactly to respond.

"Umm, Sasuke?" Ruby awkwardly interjected, "I'm not sure who Naruto is, but this is just my big sister Yang."

Sasuke's face changed from one of anger to one of curious confusion, looking back and forth between both sisters with slight incredulity.

"Well, half-sister technically," Ruby hastily added, all too used to people looking at her and Yang's hair and having a hard time believing they were related. "Same Dad, different Moms."

At this Sasuke relaxed. Yang would have preferred he at least appear sorry, but at least he wasn't openly hostile now.

"My mistake," he said. "I had an ex-teammate who had a ju- Semblance that allowed him to disguise himself. He had a habit of transforming into an attractive blonde girl, that he called his 'sexy jutsu', to allow him to get favors out of unsuspecting men or to try and sneak into the women's baths. You look a lot like his favorite disguise."

At this Ruby's cheeks had a noticeable blush. Sasuke knew a… a deviant like that!?

Yang, however, took his words a different way. He hadn't admitted it outright, but as far as she was concerned he had confessed all she needed to hear.

With a devious grin on her face she stepped forward, putting a slight sway in her hips and leaning forward ever so slightly to give Sasuke a teasing view of her cleavage.

"So," she started with a sultry tone, "you think I'm sexy?"

For the first time in his life Sasuke seriously contemplated suicide.

---

AN: Well that's it for the long-awaited reunion, hope you all enjoyed it!

I know there was a lot of meat in this chapter, so I hope there was a scene or two there for everybody. No beating up of Cardin like some of you wanted, I think Sasuke's matured enough to where he wouldn't just beat him up after a single provocation, but Sasuke's still laying down the law with Glynda no problem.

Hope you all enjoyed the Omake. I honestly wanted to put in a scene like this, but ultimately decided against it because Yang loves Ruby too much to not get on Sasuke's case for making her Sister cry before anything else.

Reand and review please!

Next chapter is coming in two weeks.