Chapter 1: Falling Monkeys
POV: Saru Tenma
Location: ???
"GAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA-"
"Huh?"
*BOOM!
"Ugh..."
Hello there, imaginary viewers! Now, you may wondering exactly... "what is going on?"? Well, I'll be happy to summarize. Reincarnation. I'm sure you're familiar with the concept, right? In most stories, a character, primarily a super mundane, mediocre, and ordinary guy dies. Either through an instance of heroics, or because they are the universe's butt monkey. They encounter a higher being from another plane of existence and are given the option to reincarnate into another world. Either with a completely broken ability, like a Gamer System, or the Gods decide to be a dick and put their new lives on hard mode. Either way, they arrive in that new world, get crazy powerful, fuck all the bitches, and live out their lives being unstoppable monsters of mass destruction that should quite honestly be locked up for how psychotic some of them can be.
I happened to be one of the poor unfortunate schmucks that died. In stereotypically fashion, I was hit by a truck and woke up in limbo meeting some androgynous pretty boy-girl entity thing that gave me a chance to reincarnate. Naturally, I took the opportunity to live life again. I mean, you'd either have to be really stupid or really depressed as to NOT take that chance. And thankfully I'm only ONE of those things!
... Stupid. Not depressed.
Anyway, they were rather surprised at my quick acceptance of the situation. But it was all the more better for them. Having dealt with several people going through mental breakdowns. I could see that being an issue. Fortunately - or unfortunately depending on how you see it, my life was boring as shit and I had absolutely nothing going for me, so the chance to mold a new future in a brand new world was VERY appealing to me.
They had this roulette system to give the lucky few with reincarnation a fair shot at a cheat power for their new lease on life. It could be a power from a separate universe... like One for All from My Hero Academia, or a new skill or innate talent like having the genius intellect of Tony Stark. Or you could get a completely useless ability and be utterly fucked sideways. Even moreso because the world you were thrown in was completely random. You could end up in some hellscape like Berserk, or in some mundane world like fucking...
Boku no Pico.
...
I would rather be in Berserk than Boku no Pico. I'm pretty sure anyone would prefer that over that shit. Ugh.
The power I got was [Soul of the Monkey King]. What was that, you may be wondering? Well, it's pretty self-explanatory. My new body will inherit the soul of the fabeled Monkey King, Sun Wukong. The Great Sage Equal to Heaven, the guy that inspired one of media's most popular anime characters ever? Yeah? That guy. And with his soul, came all his powers and techniques.
The Entity told me I wouldn't have his immortality for one thing, which was a bummer, but fine. I still got everything else, including his staff, Ruyi Jingu Bang. But unfortunately I wouldn't start off with all his powers and abilities. I was a mundane human before, and since I was being reborn with the soul of a God, my new body wouldn't be able to handle all the powers. Most of the abilities Sun Wukong possessed would be sealed away. I'd have to unlock them as my body grew and became more accustom to his soul.
It was kind of like Monkie Kid, where MK had to work for his powers. Unfortunately, unlike MK, I didn't have the Monkey King to TEACH me shit.
Man... I really wish I could have lived long enough to see season 5, now that I think about it. But there's no use worrying about it now.
After that, the Entity snapped their dainty little fingers and poof. I was gone. I floated in the void for a solid few seconds, almost as though I were experiencing a loading screen in a video game. Then there was a flash of light, and BAM! I was falling from the sky. I screamed like a bitch of course, and with no means of being able to fly, and me too busy panicking to come up with some form of a plan, I crashed into a forest. Or someone... I felt like I crashed into another human being.
My ears twitched at the sound of groaning. And it wasn't coming from me. Distinctly feminine. The scent of lavender caught my nose. My face buried into something soft... an entanglement of limbs kept my tied and locked to the ground. I blinked. Raising my head from what I could clearly see was a perky bosom and into eyes of molten golden. I stared at the girl, and she stared back at me.
I grinned goofily, raising a hand in greeting. "Yo!"
Her eyes shot open in alarm and she screamed. "AHHH!"
*WHAM!
Next thing I knew, her fist collided with my face and I was sent flying through a tree. I groaned, my head slumping against the ground.
Fucking clichés...
X-X-X-X-X-X
POV: Blake Belladonna
Location: Forever Fall Forest
"... Goodbye."
Blake remembered the look on Adam's face when she cut off the coupler keeping the train cart together. How he reached out for her. A silent plea for her to come back, but she couldn't. Wouldn't. She couldn't stand to see what the White Fang had become - what her friend had become. She thought they were fighting for the equality of Faunus for Remnant. Making a difference. When her parents had stepped down as leaders of the White Fang, she'd been angry... so, so angry. She thought that they were cowards. Content with being confined on an island given to them by Humans as a way for them to block off the Faunus. Caging them. They left on a sour note... she'd said things that she regretted, and couldn't take back.
Sienna Khan took up the mantle of leader of the Fang. With her rise as leader came a new approach. If peaceful protests weren't enough to get the Faunus true equality, then they'll simply have to take it by force. They took up arms and protested. They never went too far. It devolved into violent spats, but nothing too excessive. Gradually, they began to earn their respect. Blake thought they were making an actual difference...
But then things got worse over time. The White Fang dabbled in armed robberies. Stealing from stores, robbing Schnee compounds as a spit in the face towards the company known for their blatant racism and bigotry towards the Faunus race. Then they began to kill. Adam, her friend, her mentor, became a different men. She knew of his past with Humans, and what they did. He was always aggressive, but he didn't go out of his way to hurt or kill others. Something changed, when they were robbing a Schnee compound, liberating the Faunus workers. They got into a fight with the guards. The goal was to incapacitate them and leave. But they wouldn't stay down...
Adam... Adam killed one of them. By accident, surely. But that's when Blake noticed a change. Something dark, and twisted. Adam was idealistic, and believed they could usher in a new age of peace for the Faunus. It was inspiring. Blake admired Adam. Dare she say she even had a small crush on him. But that darkness in his heart twisted his ideals, morphing them into something ugly.
It was then she realized, that Faunus weren't gaining respect. Over time, they were building up fear. The White Fang were splitting the gap between Humans and Faunus, not closing it! Leading towards a deep chasm that would only bring pain and despair. Blake couldn't stand it.
She couldn't stay. She had to leave it all behind. She couldn't be near him anymore, nor the Fang. This isn't how she wanted the Faunus to gain equality... they were making their lives worse. Not better.
In a spur of desperation and sorrow, she left. She abandoned Adam. Abandoned the mission. Abandoned the Fang.
Blake released a shuddering breath as she walked through Forever Fall, rubbing at her face. She felt so tired... "What do I do now...?"
Blake's ears perked up and she frowned. A distinct sound... she could hear it, but it was faint. It sounded like... "... screaming?"
The sound was growing closer. The raven-haired girl had a sudden epiphany and looked up in time to see a... what looked to be a boy falling from the sky.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA-"
"Huh?"
A boy.
Falling from the sky...
AND RIGHT TOWARDS HER!
*BOOM!
"Ugh..."
Blake felt like she was struck by a Goliath, her Aura flaring wildly as she crashed into the ground and kicked up a plume of dirt and dust. She coughed and wheezed, groaning under her breath as her vision blurred for a moment and regained clarity. She felt a weight on top of her shift, and she looked down. Seeing the boy that had crashed into her. Her brain froze when she saw his face smushed in between her breasts. As he looked up, her breath hitched in her throat.
Eyes the color of freshly spilled blood pierced through her soul, with golden pupils shaped like crosshairs. The two of them locked eyes for what felt like an eternity, before the young man grinned brightly and waved his hand. "Yo!"
Blake's mind finally caught back up to reality. There was a boy on top of her. A boy had his face in her chest.
A stranger has his face in her chest.
At the time, Blake believed she reacted naturally. Screaming at the top of her lungs- "AHHHHH!!" -and clobbering the boy in the face.
*WHAM!
She struck with far more strength than intended, sending the boy flying straight through a tree in a thunderous explosion of bark. Her actions suddenly caught up to her, and her eyes widened further in horror as she jumped to her feet and rushed towards him. "I-I'm so sorry! You just came out of nowhere and I...! Are you okay?!"
When she caught up to the young man, she saw him glaring up at the sky in exasperation. In that time, she was able to take in his full appearance. He had spiky, wild, almost gravity-defying crimson hair with bright yellow tips akin to fire, and tanned skin. Dressed in nothing but a white T-shirt, baggy blue jeans, and white sneakers with red trim. He had a jacket tied around his waist and a pair of black wristbands as well.
The most notable feature about him, aside from his eyes... was the monkey tail.
She nearly choked on her tongue. She just punched a Faunus!
The boy blinked, glancing at her and abruptly hopping to his feet, rolling his shoulders. "Yeah, I'm fine. You pack quite the punch!"
She idly noted that he was rather fit, with well defined muscles, judging from his arms. She couldn't tell due to his baggy clothes, but she was willing to bet he had a defined six pack underneath those clothes...
... and just like that, she's shutting those thoughts down before they can go ANYWHERE. "Uh... thank... y-?"
"Considering you're built like a twig."
Blake's brain stopped as she registered his words. A flare of frustration spiked through her and she frowned tightly. "What? What is that supposed to-"
"You've got a nice pair of hips, though... and chest. And ass, judging from what I can see."
Blake stared at him in silence. He stared back. Her brow twitched, and he grinned innocently in response. Her cheeks burned in mortification and she clenched her fists tight. She was beginning to not regret punching him, now.
The boy grinned, holding a hand out to her. "The name's Saru, by the way! Saru Tenma."
Blake stared at his hand and glanced up at his face. He looked Eastern Mistralian, and judging by his name, she was inclined to believe her assessment. She reached out slowly and shook his hand. "... Blake Belladonna."
A thought came to mind, and Blake found herself blurting the words out before she could think it through. "Where did you come from?"
"Hm?" Saru blinked, then hummed and folded his hands behind his head and looking up at the sky, "From heaven. Or space, maybe. I dunno."
Blake blinked, "What?"
Saru stared at her. "What?"
. . .
Did she accidentally give him a concussion? "Nevermind..." she sighed.
"Okay," he said simply, spun on his heel, and began walking away.
She jolted. "Wh - Where are you going?!"
"Outta here?" Saru muttered in confusion, shooting her a questioning look, "You need somethin'?"
"No, I..." Blake frowned. Why WAS she stopping him? It's not like it mattered to her in anyway. He was a complete and utter loon, for all she knew. But... "There are Grimm out here. It's dangerous, and you don't have a weapon on you. At least let me take you to the nearest city..."
"I can handle myself." the monkey Faunus said offhandedly. There was an arrogant air to the way he spoke. But it was full of confidence. He was stating it as though it were fact.
Blake's expression tightened. "I don't think you understand-"
*Grooooooor...
Both teens tensed at the sound of growling. Blake knew the sound all too well. She reached for Gambol Shroud and stood in front of Saru, her face morphing into a scowl. "Stay behind me!"
The boy let out a nonchalant hum, looking around. Shadows moved through the sea of red leaves, dark crimson dots eyeing the two Faunus hungrily. Grimm of all shapes and sizes emerged the treeline. Blake had never seen so many Grimm flock to one location before. Beowolves, Ursai, Boarbatusks, Creeps, and she even spotted a flock of Nevermore screeching in the skies. She felt a pit of dread form in her stomach at the abundance of Grimm that flanked them from all sides.
"I can't fight all these off and protect Saru at the same time!" Blake grimaced, sweat rolling down her brow.
To her surprise, she heard Saru... laugh. They were surrounded by all sorts of Grimm, and he was laughing?!
"Heh... this is a surprise." Saru chuckled, clapping a hand on Blake's shoulder and stepping forward. "But this just means I get to see what I can do..."
"What are you doing?!" Blake stared on, incredulous. "You can't possibly think you can fight all of them off on your own, can you?!"
"Wasn't that what you were gonna do?" Saru asked lazily, stretching.
"I-"
"Listen, Blake. There's a lot you don't know about me." Saru rubbed the back of his neck and grunted. "But I'll tell you one thing... I'm a King."
Blake's confusion continued to mount as she stared at his back. "What...?"
"And one more thing."
The monkey Faunus raised his hand towards his ear, and to Blake's surprise, there was a flash of light. A small... stick, Blake guessed, appeared out of thin air. "A Semblance...?" she muttered softly in confusion, squinting.
Saru quietly grasped the object and swiped his arm to the side. There was a flash of gold, and the small item increased in size, morphing into a long red and gold staff taller than his own body. Blake's eyes widened in shock as Saru twirled the weapon in his hands with masterful grace. It was a mesmerizing sight. The metal letting out a low hum, like a gentle bell's chime. The wind shifted as he settled into stance. His form low, and the staff leaning against his shoulders.
A large, fanged grin stretched across his face, and the boy roared, thrusting the weapon forward.
"EXTEND!"
I got bored. Can you tell I got bored?
This was just a funny little plot bunny that formed and I decided to write it out. I don't think updates for this will be very frequent, was just some spontaneous creativity...
But it is a cool idea I wanna flesh out more.
Also I like Blake. She's hot.
...yeah...
BYE!