A/N: Chapter 27 of REKT. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or teams of RWBY, they belong to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum. What I do own are the characters and teams of my OCs: REKT, GTSY, KACE and DAZE.
Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.
Chapter 27: Unwelcome Guests
Crack of dawn...
The sky was barely lit when the alarms to wake up set off simultaneously throughout the rooms. I couldn't help but groan as the cacophonous racket blasted my ear drums, opting to shove my head underneath my pillow. Slowly the noise began to die down as Huntsmen and Huntresses alike just shuffled back to bed and attempted to sleep a few more minutes.
"UP AND AT EM!" Weiss' voice – amplified by a glyph – boomed through the air, rousing everyone once more for good and she sounded annoyed. "WE HAVE A LOT OF THINGS TO ACCOMPLISH OR DID YOU ALL FORGET! TRAINING GROUNDS IN 10!"
"She isn't fooling around huh?" Kairos yawned as she sat up, running her fingers through her hair. The blanket slipped down to reveal her disheveled sleeping shirt. "Better not be late then."
"I'm kinda curious to see what would happen if we were to be late just to spite her!" I chuckled as I swung my legs off the bed and stood up, stretching my arms towards the ceiling. Hearing satisfying pops I released a small breath and shuffled to the restroom. Turning on the water I cupped my hand and splashed my face.
"Well we could go back to bed if that's what you wish." Arms wrapped around my waist and I could feel the warmth of her breath tickling my ear. "I wouldn't oppose that idea since we did stay up a bit longer than the rest."
"We could, but..." Grabbing a towel off the rack and wiping away any remaining remnants of water from my face I continued speaking, "I do want to get some training going and the earlier we get that done the earlier we can go and explore the area after breakfast."
"Mmmmm...I guess that sounds like a good plan." The Faunus detached herself from me and proceeded to brush her teeth. I grabbed my comb and brushed out my strawberry-blond locks before putting it up into a high ponytail. The gurgling of water told me that Kairos was spitting out the toothpaste.
"What do you plan on practicing today?" I asked her as we changed into our workout clothes.
"Since we aren't using weapons this time I guess I'll spar a bit. Maybe Pyrrha, Yang or Nora would be willing to help me out with that."
"I think I'll ask Ren to help me practice then, I could learn a little more about meditation." I smiled at the thought. "Or I could train with Ruby."
"Sounds like a solid plan." Kairos replied and we hurried to the training grounds.
"Good morning everyone." Weiss greeted us, arms folded across her chest. She was dressed in her work-out clothes and eager to get started. "I'm glad you could make it in time for our training."
"Ugh my ears are still ringing from her voice." Yang grumbled, stifling a yawn with a hand. She didn't even have time to brush her hair when Blake dragged her out of the room. "Who needs those alarm clocks when Weiss' voice does the trick."
"According to my calculations if we train every morning, which would most likely happen because I refuse for us to slack until the tournament, everybody will get to train with each other." Weiss spoke as she ignored her teammate. "The rest of the day you are free to do whatever you want until dinner."
"Sweet! We can go to the ocean!" Sun exclaimed while Neptune visibly cringed at the thought.
"So for now don't worry if you don't get the person you wanted to practice with today." Weiss told us with a small smile. "So pick who you want to train with and get going! The time is currently 4am and breakfast won't be till 8am so that'll give us 4 hours. If you feel like that amount of time isn't enough you may continue in the afternoon."
"Hey Weiss how come we can't do like an all-out brawl?" Yang asked after she raised her hand like she was expected to be called on. "Don't you think it'll be a lot more fun?"
"If you're so eager than how about the last two days we'll do the brawl? For now I think it would be beneficial if we team up with someone from another team. That way we'll learn more efficiently."
"Well if that's the case," Nora pointed a finger at Kairos, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "I challenge you!"
"What a luck of the draw, I was thinking the same thing." The Faunus replied before throwing me a wink, happy that her prediction this morning was on the money. "Lets do this Nora!"
"Nora please don't go overboard." Ren commented off to the side, frowning a bit. "I know exactly how enthusiastic you get with training."
"Don't worry Ren!" She chirped in response. "If my grandma can do this then so can we! Once we're done we'll be able to save Remnant with our thunder thighs! And to finish it off we'll have our practice match!"
"I won't break so easily." Kairos assured him even though he still looked skeptical. "At least I hope not..."
"That's the spirit! And I swear that you won't!" Nora crowed as she slung her arm around her training partner's shoulder and the two of them walked off. "Oh you are gonna be so sore in no time!"
"Is that a bet?"
"You bet your love handles it is!"
"Reina we're gonna get going as well!" I felt a weight on my left side as Ruby clung to my arm, listening to the faded chatters with amusement. She looked like a puppy when she did so. "We're gonna train much harder than them!"
"I can't wait!"
"But first!" Ruby smirked before dashing off, leaving a trail of petals in her wake. "You'll have to catch me!" Letting out a laugh of my own I bid everyone goodbye and left to find my partner.
"Yo! Yang, you wanna have a fight with me?" Sun asked, a huge grin on his face. He wore a white muscle shirt and knee-length shorts. His tail twitched back and forth behind him as he awaited her answer. "I'll make it worth your time!"
"Sure Sun, I've always wanted to train against you." Yang cracked her knuckles with a grin of her own. Soon everyone paired up evenly: Efram and Neptune, Jaune and Timber, Pyrrha and Blake leaving Weiss with Ren. Saying goodbye to each other the pairs split up to find a place to train.
Training grounds...
The mansion was just a speck behind me but just visible enough for me to make my way back in case I got lost. The trail of rose petals congregated near an open space, a neat pile of red. As I gazed around I must admit that the scenery was beautiful but I knew I had a lot of opportunities to come back and enjoy it. For now training awaited me.
"Ruby I know you're here..." I spoke out loud, making my way to the middle and stood in front of the petals. "How long do you want me to wait?"
"I knew nothing could get passed you." Her voice sounded crystal clear and she appeared, sitting cross-legged on the ground. "Besides leaving a physical trail I bet you just followed my Aura within your mind."
"Yup, I know it's yours because of the distinctive red color."
"Wouldn't that get mixed up with Pyrrha's?" She tilted her head to the side. "She's red too right?"
"Don't worry, I can tell you two apart." I assured her before stretching. "So? Anything you want to work on before breakfast?"
"How about a competition?" She asked, her eyes lighting up with happiness. "I am the fastest after all."
"I believe I can give you a run for your money." I mirrored her excitement, feeling the adrenaline rush through my veins. "Or at least I can try..."
"You think so?" Ruby smiled as rose petals littered the ground and she crouched low, prepared to run. "I want to see if you can actually catch me...with a race!" I grinned and soon we were off, racing through the dense forest in blurs.
"Even though we fought back when Nora made a mess in the cafeteria, I felt as though we didn't fight to our fullest potential." Pyrrha noted as she and Blake found a place for themselves. The red-haired beauty smiled and tilted her face upward to feel the breeze. She enjoyed nature walks more than anything so being outside felt like a blessing for her.
"I mean we were fighting with very stale bread." Blake laughed. "But I am eager to see how I fare against your combat skills."
"Then please, don't hold back." Pyrrha smiled.
"I don't plan on it." Blake got into an attack stance, her golden eyes fierce and determined. "Here I come!"
"I don't know Timber, maybe it's just me but I feel like I don't understand girls at all." Jaune was saying as he and the other boy leaned against a tree. They took a rest after a light sparring when the blond suggested to chatting, man to man. "Somehow I feel like I'm always missing...heck I even asked Ren for advice."
"How did that work out?" Timber asked.
"...honestly I don't know...I'm more confuse about all this 'love' and 'dating' business."
"Jaune, you mustn't let the little things hold you back from seeing the much larger picture...so to speak." Timber laughed. "Everyone's different. Just take your time, I'm sure you'll figure it out."
"Are you in love with anyone?"
"Would you be surprised if I said yes?"
"Uh YES!" The leader of JNPR exclaimed, throwing his hands up into the air dramatically. "Who is the lucky lady?"
"Elyon."
"Who?"
"One of the girls on team KACE."
"You're kidding?!" Jaune turned to stare at him before nodding his head excitedly. "So...how long has it been?"
"Uhh...about a week in since the beginning of the semester." Timber scratched the back of his head with a tint of red on his cheeks. "I won't lie it was really spontaneous."
"Does your team know about all this?" Jaune got a head shake meaning no and he grinned. "So I'm the first one to know?"
"Actually her leader already knows about us being...what's that phrase Nora likes to say? 'Together together'. When the time comes I'll tell the others."
"Heh won't they be in for a shock!" Jaune got to his feet and held out his hand. "Could you help me a bit more on my foot work?"
"Sure." Timber smiled and allowed his friend to pull him up. "Your stance was a little off not too long ago but you're actually really close to getting it right."
"Goodbye jelly-belly, hello six-pack!" Nora grinned as she and Kairos continued to do curl ups while hanging upside-down in trees. After running for a good 5 miles the orange-haired Huntresses felt that doing regular sit-ups on the ground wasn't as efficient as she liked and because of her obsession with sloths she decided a better way to do them: in trees.
I can feel the blood rushing to my head...The Faunus thought as she finished her reps.
"Bring that chest of yours lower to the ground!" The next exercise involved push-ups, hard core training with the focus on abs. "I want to see those arms shake! 295! 296! 297!"
This routine of Nora's...it's really something. The Faunus thought as she concentrated on getting as many push-ups as she could. Nora went slow at first and before long the two of them ended up doing push-ups on their bare knuckles. She paused, seeing her arms visibly shake.
"Did I say you could stop?! C'mon! Throw those punches like there's no tomorrow! My grandma punches harder!" The orange-haired Huntress yelled to boost morale, throwing her fists forward at a fast pace. She wasn't winded at all, in fact it was like she had unlimited amounts of energy. "Like seriously she actually can."
"Huff...huff...huff..." Kairos groaned as she leaned on her knees, sweat glistened on her skin. Her knuckles were raw from rubbing against the ground and her stomach muscles were on fire from the sit ups. Now that she thought about it, her daily exercise routine was like an infant compared to Nora's.
"Aaaaaand we're done...with the warm-up." Nora smiled and got into an attack stance gesturing for her training partner to attack. "Now let's start the REAL workout!"
"C'mon Sun! Show me what you got!" Yang smiled after putting her hair up into a ponytail. She loved having her hair down most of the time but knowing that she'll work up a sweat she didn't want her eyes blocked.
"Gladly!" Sun grinned and lunged forward, his punch blocked easily by Yang's forearm.
"Don't tell me that's all you got?" She questioned him.
"Nope! I was just testing you." Grabbing onto her, he twisted his body around to aim a kick at her jaw. She grunted upon impact, sliding back from the blow.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" She smiled after making sure her mouth wasn't broken, feeling her blood boil and her eyes flashed red. "I won't hold back!"
Hehehe, she's getting feisty now. Sun thought to himself, his tail twitching back and forth behind him. With his acrobatic skills he was giving Yang a hard time since he rarely stayed in one place, hopping around and getting in some lucky shots. He analyzed her closely and stayed on the balls of his feet at all times.
"Hey Sun, you can make copies with your Semblance right?" Yang called out to him. "Make this fight a little more interesting!"
"Hmm? You sure?" He asked her. "I mean one of me is plenty enough for you."
"One one condition: They are only allowed to kick. No hands!" Yang smiled, noting his confusing look. "I'm really bad at countering kicks so...this way I'm sure to improve in no time!"
"Dude you got water coming out of your body! WATER!"
"Chill Neptune, it's just sweat!" Efram assured him, watching the blue-haired Huntsman scramble back. They were working on maintaining control over their Semblances when Neptune realized that his training partner happened to be a water kind of person. "You got some too."
"What?!" Neptune wiped his brow, glancing down to see the liquid on his hand. "Well I mean yes I know it's sweat but you're like...gushing water all over! Gah! It's everywhere!"
"Why are you so afraid of the water?" Efram asked as he held his Semblance back. "I'm highly curious."
"I-I-I-It's something embarrassing...! N-N-No one knows about it!"
"No one?"
"Well...aside from Sun." Neptune mumbled. "But he's the only one..."
"Fine fine, I won't pry." Efram told him. "Let's just finish up our training without Semblance uses."
Back at the mansion...
Turns out Weiss and Ren didn't move an inch as they sat facing each other on the training ground. At the beginning they sparred lightly to get their heart rates up before Ren suggested they do some relaxation exercises.
"Mind and Body, both are crucial and should be exercised daily. It balances out the mundane fighting we do. A majority of Huntsmen and Huntresses I've seen forget about the basics and not let their bodies recuperate after putting tremendous stress on their muscles." Ren said as he guided her through meditation. "Your muscles are strangely taut and tense...Do you stress out a lot?"
"Well...yes." She replied after mulling the question over for awhile. "Depending on the circumstances."
"Take a deep breath, and then release slowly. Enter a state of calm." Ren smiled, noticing the heiress starting to loosen up. The crease in her brow disappeared and her mouth turned into a small smile. "That's it."
"Ren I really appreciate this. I don't remember the last time my body relaxed to this extent. "Weiss sighed with a smile upon her face. "I could get used to this."
"Miss Schnee, breakfast is ready." One of the chefs stepped out of the mansion, bowing halfway before the heiress. "Everything is set up in the dining room, awaiting your arrival."
"Thank you, we'll be right in." She told him and stood up, Ren not too far behind. Raising her hand towards the air she conjured up a glyph large enough for others to spot. "Lets see how the others did."
"Is it time for breakfast already? I'm starving!" Nora appeared on the scene ten minutes after the glyph went up, her hair in disarray and a huge sweat stain on the front of her shirt. Kairos didn't say anything for her part, the Faunus looked like she was on the last leg as she leaned on Nora for support.
"Nora how intense did you train?" Ren asked with concern in his voice. "Did you go overboard this time?"
"Ehehehe...maybe?" She replied, letting out a chuckle. "You know how excited I get when training is in order. Holding back just doesn't fit my personality that much!"
"She isn't the only one! Have you seen Yang when she's angry?" They turned to see Yang and Sun stumbling in, goofy grins on their faces. Both of them had wounds and welts all over. "Man, that was the training I desperately needed."
"Sun was very helpful." Yang replied. "10/10 would fight him again."
"I'm glad you felt that way Yang." Blake said as she walked side-by-side with Pyrrha. The two of them were drenched in sweat as well. "I could use a bath to be honest."
"I think all of us are in need of bathes." Jaune commented, pinching his nose playfully. "Wow I can smell you all a mile away."
"Did you do well?" Efram asked when Timber walked over. "Training with Jaune I mean."
"Yup!" The archer replied and left it at that.
"Color me surprise, Ruby isn't the first one here." Yang laughed when she looked around, hands planted on her hips. Sun was casually wiping the sweat off his skin, his shirt draped over his right shoulder which left his abs wide open for everyone to see.
"Oh man, everyone is here already!" Ruby's voice reached them and they were greeted by a tornado of rose petals. The young leader skidded to a halt, throwing up a huge plume of dust before grinning. "Sorry we're late!"
"Ruby Rose, what did I tell you about being punctual?!" Weiss growled before coughing when she accidentally inhaled some dust.
"Reina and I were playing tag!"
"So where is she now?" Jaune asked. Ruby looked behind her before taking 4 steps to the right and smirked. Before anyone could ask why she did that the thundering of my steps reached their ears. Reaching my destination I threw up a lot more dust than Ruby did, blowing everyone right through the open doors. "Oh...there she is..."
"Augh...!"
"That was rough!"
"Dude, someone's touching my butt!"
"Rats, I couldn't even keep up." I was saying as Ruby and I walked up the steps, brushing strands of hair out of my face. We were greeted by a pile of arms and feet of the others. To be honest neither Ruby nor I could tell where the start was and where it ended. "Err...why are you all laying on the floor like that?"
"Why do you think?!" Weiss snapped. She was wedged between Blake and Jaune, her left arm laying on Efram's chest while the other one was on Neptune's butt. "Sorry Neptune, that'd be my hand."
"Oh...then you can leave it there if you'd like..."
"Neptune! Dude!" Sun looked at him in surprise. "How could you tell her something like that?!"
"Weiss!" Yang turned to give her a thumbs up from where she was under Blake. "Get it!"
"Yang, I swear to god!"
"Well that escalated quickly."
"Only Yang would say something like that in a situation such as this." The room soon filled with laughter as they disentangled themselves and we washed up quickly in the bathes. Making our way to the dining room, we ate our breakfast and went off to get our day started.
That night...
"Nora was right. I can hardly move a muscle." Kairos stated as I rubbed some cream on her body to help soothe her aching joints. "Ahahaha...uggggh..." Since everyone went on their own way to enjoy the day I decided to go down to the sea, watching the waves lap up against the rocks with interest. Kairos accompanied me and we went back to get our swimming suits. The water was just the right temperature.
Jaune and Pyrrha decided to take a stroll, Sun and Efram decided to play video games while their battle partners watched, Nora wanted some of Ren's pancakes and Yang had Blake read her a book. Ruby went with Weiss to shop for some items...well it was more of Weiss not giving Ruby any say in the matter before dragging her away.
"Was it that bad?" I asked, screwing the lid back over the container and placing it on the nearby table. Our swimming attires were washed and hung in the bathroom to dry.
"It could've been...worse!" She winced a bit before sitting up and slowly pulled a T-shirt over her head. "At least I can still move...even at a slow pace."
"That's good." I returned to her side and offered her my assistance, allowing her to lean her weight on me. "Will you be okay for tomorrow's training?"
"Nothing like a good night's sleep to do the trick." She replied and we made our way to the parlor. Everyone huddled by the fireplace, winding down after a long day of activities. There were a lot of sleepy faces but there was still time to do one more activity.
"Reina I have a question." Ruby said from where she was brushing Weiss' hair. The Schnee usually brushed her hair on her own but she had grown to love it when Ruby does it for her. "That mark on your right shoulder, what is it?"
"Huh? You saw?"
"Oh while we were running I noticed it." She replied and handed Weiss back her brush. "Weiss I'm done."
"There's a mark there?" Neptune asked. "I'm curious because you never leave your shoulder bare...and even if you did your scarf covers it up."
"I want to see!" Nora exclaimed.
"Nora, have some control please." Ren said.
"Well the members of my family have their own distinct markings. This is mine." I slowly pulled my hair to the side and turned around, allowing them to see. This was the first time I ever allowed others to see my bare shoulder.
"It's a wolf isn't it?" Sun asked when he looked at it.
"Sure looks like it." Yang replied. "That's the character for wolf, my dad taught me a few when I asked about my own name."
"Were there other wolf marks in your family?"
"How did you get it? It kinda looks like a tattoo."
"However it doesn't look like something that was done by a pen..."
"Hang on guys, that's too many questions." I laughed before something Kairos told me yesterday crossed my mind. "Would you all like to hear a story?" There was a collective amounts of head nods as they shuffled around, getting comfortable around me.
"Is it a long story?" Jaune asked. "Not that I don't mind but I may fall asleep..."
"I'll try to keep it as short as possible but no guarantees. I've kept my past to myself for a long time so this will probably be a long one." I took a deep breath, calming down my nerves that felt jittery within my body. "The best way to start would be talking about the history of my fam-"
"Wait...!" Weiss interrupted, not because she wanted to but there was something that caught her attention. Her blue eyes were gazed towards the window, poised and focused. "Do you all feel that?"
ARRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOO~
"Grimm?!" Blake and Kairos glanced around, their ears perked up with alertness. "This is a first, we've never seen nor heard any on our way over here."
"Weiss I thought you said this place was somewhat Grimm free?" Sun glanced in her direction, noticing how her fists were shaking with anger.
"Don't you think it was weird that we haven't seen Grimm for miles?!" Nora exclaimed, jumping to her feet immediately and almost knocked Ren over. "Finally! I'll get to break some legs!"
"So they dare to enter the premise. It's time for battle!" She snapped her fingers and the weapons all floated in, hovering next to their owners. "Once we clean it up Reina, please continue your story!"
Outside...
"It's going to take a long time if we search together." The heiress said once we were all standing outside. The winds were howling above our heads, bringing with it the smell of death. "Spit up into pairs to cover more ground. If you see a Grimm, don't fight immediately. Gauge your opponent before rushing in head first!"
"Neptune! Lets check the docks!" Sun spoke and jabbed with his thumb to the location, his weapon leaning against his shoulder. "Make sure those Grimm didn't crawl up by sea!"
"Oh sure, just where I wanted to look." The water-phobic Huntsman commented dryly, visibly paling at the mere idea of getting close to the ocean. "Fine! But if I fall in you have to get me out!"
"Yeah yeah, I hear you!" Sun chuckled, grabbing the back of Neptune's jacket and ran off. "But you seriously need to get over it!"
"Blake! I'm gonna need your assistance!" Yang yelled as she took off running in a random direction, her blonde hair billowing out behind her like a yellow beacon. "C'mon! Lets go that way!"
Why am I not surprised? Blake resisted the urge to roll her eyes and ran after the blonde, a small smile on her face.
"Ruby, you and I are going to stay here." Weiss said once her teammate disappeared, noticing the puppy-dog eyes starting to form on her leader's face and almost caved in. Closing her eyes and counting to ten she steeled her nerves before speaking again, "Don't give me that look. We can't possibly leave the mansion unguarded with the cooks inside and we can serve as a rendezvous point for the others."
"But...but...but..."
"No buts, we are going to stay here!" Weiss stomped her foot twice, planting her hands on her hips and scowled. Once the heiress gets into her 'royal tantrum' no one could argue with her or make her change her mind. Luckily this tantrum wasn't as bad as it could have been but it did convey the message of 'staying put' and 'not leaving'.
"Don't feel bad Ruby, I'll be staying here as well." Kairos spoke up from where she was standing by the stairs. "I can't possibly move as fast as I would like but I'd be more of a hindrance if I were to go into the field."
"Sorry about that!" Nora apologized quickly as she and Ren prepared to head out on their own search.
"It's not your fault Nora, we didn't know there would be a Grimm invasion." Kairos replied. "Besides I feel like I got stronger during our training so it was worth it."
"But we have to go in pairs, who's Reina supposed...to go with..." Weiss' voice died away when she noticed that I wasn't around. "Huh? Where did she go?!"
"Eh?! Reina left already?!" Unbeknownst to the others I already disappeared on my own, following my gut instinct. I knew that I would be better off searching on my own and sneaked away while no one was paying attention. Kairos herself looked baffled. "She was just here a second ago!"
"She's more ninja than Blake!" Ruby exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air. "And that's saying something!"
"Worry not, it shouldn't take me long to figure out where she went..." Kairos announced and immediately locked in on my scent, the corners of her mouth twisting up into a smile. "Got it."
"Point me in the direction and I'll go and fetch her." Pyrrha said, getting a grateful expression from the Faunus.
"God speed to ya. Timber we need to get going too." Efram announced and the three of them left, slowly followed by Jaune's team. Soon only Weiss, Ruby and Kairos were left behind to guard the mansion.
Elsewhere...
Weird...I feel it coming from over here. I rummaged around, swinging my head from side-to-side. Following Weiss' directions and splitting up, I was checking the area a little further from the mansion. My senses were on alert and I noticed I was coming up to the edge of a ridge, the flat ground a good feet or two below. Could I have been mistaken?
Found you.
"Wha-Argh!" I yelped as a massive body slammed into me and we tumbled down the ridge out of sight. The sharp rocks dug into my back as I finally came to a stop, winded from the tackle before the breath of a Beowolf hit me in the face. I could see the animal hovering over me, the Aura outlining his bristling fur and huge body size.
Great One. It's a pleasure to meet you, face to face.
"What do you want?!" I snarled at him, struggling as his claws pinned me down. "Why are you here?"
To see you of course. The lips parted to show rows of ivory fangs glistening with saliva. Even though the others told me it would be impossible to coax you out, getting you to come to me on your own was a piece of cake.
"Others? How many did you bring with you!?"
Of course not. Beowolves roam either in packs or individually. As to how many, why don't you see for yourself?
No...No...No! The ground trembled as hordes of Beowolves thundered pass me, their claws scraping up the wall of the ridge. With that amount, everyone will be in danger! "Stop!"
There's no use. We'd do anything and use any means necessary in order to draw out your true potential. If it means putting your friends in danger...The Beowolf's eyes gleamed with eagerness and he licked his chops. Then so be it. Everything we do...is in the name of the Great One.
