Holy shitballs. I can't believe I haven't updated in two months. Write everyday, my bloody ass. It was naive of me to think I could write during class or class breaks. Seriously, not even Goku could beat my shit habits…
Also, slight spoiler but a warning for TTS and SR users. There's going to be a part later in this chapter where a word is repeated multiple times in quick succession for dramatic effect. So, just skip to the next paragraph and sorry for the inconvenience.
Chapter 15: Encounters, Both Pleasant and Violent
Inside the Emerald Forest during the early morning,
A dozen or more Grimm were in the midst of dissipating. And more than a few were Ursai.
The ones who defeated them were the whole of Team Cigar. And right now, they were enjoying a respite from their team training.
"Good work, guys," Cardin praised while wiping the sweat away from his forehead.
"Fuck yeah!" Russel yelled while thrusting his hands towards the sky as they still held his daggers.
"N-No sweat," A heavily sweating Sky replied while he leaned on his halberd like a clutch.
After sheathing his sword with his usual spinning display, Gin cracked a shoulder and said, "Let's move to find more Grimm."
"Hold it," Cardin stopped Gin before he took another step. "We need to take a break, dude. Actually, I think we're all done for today."
Gin frowned. "You guys can go back if you want. I'll be here for a while longer."
"We've been at it since five, mate," Russel whined. "And you're as tired as the rest of us."
"I'm fine," He insisted.
"Haa-bullshit-choo," Sky refuted with his fake sneeze. Causing Gin to send him an annoyed look.
"You guys were the ones who asked to come with me," Gin reminded them. "So why ask if you're going to quit so soon?"
"Because we're all pissed about what happened yesterday," said Cardin with his arms crossed. "So we want to take out our anger on the Grimm and train, just like you. But now we're all tired and our Auras are running low."
"My Aura is still good, I haven't gotten hit by the Grimm once," Gin refuted.
"Yeah, and you're welcome for that by the way," Cardin said dryly.
Gin clicked his tongue with a lip curled up.
"It's already past seven too," said Sky who was checking his Scroll. "First class today is Professor Goodwitch. And you know how the bitch cuts our marks on the next test if we're late."
Gin paused.
He contemplated that with seriousness for a good 10 seconds.
"Damn it," He said as he finally relented with his shoulders dropping.
"""What a nerd,""" said unanimously by the rest of Team Cigar.
Gin didn't deny it as he untied his haori and wore it on his shoulders again.
So the team began their trek out of the Emerald Forest and back to their dorms.
They talked while they walked but Gin was mostly silent.
His thoughts were occupied by how he hated still not being strong enough to beat multiple Grimm by himself. His other teammates were still better at it too, they didn't even need to use the Aura Realm after all. He couldn't even head into the Emerald Forest alone yet.
But maybe I'm just being a coward, Gin thought with a slight scowl. I'll go alone tomorrow. I'll probably get injured but I'll survive.
Oh wait, tomorrow is Saturday.
0-0-0
In Dr. Oobleck's history class, the students were learning the history of the Vytal Festival since it was soon approaching them.
The international event that graced Remnant every two years was created in celebration of the end of the Great War. During the festival, the various cultures of the world are celebrated with dances, parades and a combat tournament for the students of the Four Huntsmen Academies. The host Kingdom of the festival rotates every two years, and the host opens its borders to visitors from the other kingdoms.
The 40th Vytal festival was arriving and would be held in Vale this year, so there were soon going to be students from the other Academies coming to stay in Beacon for the duration of the festival. This allowed future Huntsmen to learn from other Kingdoms and is one of the ways that the festival encourages multiculturalism.
Most, if not all the students were nervous or excited for the chance to show their mettle to the world.
0-0-0
"Velvet wait," a voice called out, putting a halt to Velvet's steps just as she left the classroom.
"Gin?" She asked, turning around and proving her suspicions right when she saw him approach her with a smile.
"Let's chat and walk together till the cafeteria," Gin suggested. "We didn't get to talk this morning, after all."
"Yeah, sure," She agreed with a smile.
And so the two started talking and walking towards the cafeteria. Their pace was a slow one, which allowed them to chat for a longer period as they passed other students who shuddered because they got too close to Gin and entered his Aura Realm. But the two walked on and left the students alertly looking around in search of the source.
"Honestly, I have mixed feelings about the tournament," said Gin. "On one hand, I'm excited to fight in a tournament but I don't want it to be broadcasted all over Remnant."
"Exactly!" Velvet enthusiastically agreed. "Gods, I'm already nervous enough with just the people in the stands," She whined.
Gin thought she sounded really cute. "Yeah, same," He said, though it was a lie. He would never worry about an audience no matter how big it was.
At least, if it didn't include his family.
He and Jaune were really concerned about the possibility of their locations getting found out by their families. So they made plans to get into a "training accident" a day or two before the tournament. Something like a few severed fingers so that Aura or even Jaune's Semblance wouldn't fix on time.
Jaune was against it but Gin basically said "No balls" and Jaune changed his mind.
It was a shame though, Gin really wanted to participate in the tournament. He even wanted his clan to be the exception to the part about not wanting his family to be in the audience. Just so they could see his might in the tournament.
Gin also wished that he could have used his Semblance in it. He knew he could just drag his opponents out of the ring to win, even though he'd never do something as boring as that. But he imagined his Semblance would get banned anyway because of how unfairly strong it is.
A light laugh escaped his lips at the thought even though he disguised it as amusement at Velvet's words.
Gods, Gin thought. I wish I could have another chance to let loose with my Semblance like that night in the club.
"By the way, how did the training go?" Velvet asked.
"Decent, I guess. We had to leave before I was satisfied so that was annoying," said Gin.
"Why? Did something happen?" She asked.
"Not really. Our first class was Professor Goodwitch's class so we didn't dare be late."
Velvet giggled, "Same. She's scary as hell."
"Are you talking about little o' me?" A new voice chimed in.
The both of them stopped and turned around to see Velvet's team leader.
Combining Beacon's uniform with her signature combo of a beret and sunglasses that many of her fans copied, the tall girl stood there with pride and power radiating from her. Someone well-known in Beacon and even outside of it for her style, capturing the hearts of both boys and girls alike. A cool smile adorned her lips while a hand rested on her hip as the girl approached the two.
"... Coco," Velvet said with a slightly uneasy tone. "Uh, we were talking about Miss Goodwitch."
"Huh. Well that ruins my entrance but whatever," Coco shrugged. "So, are you going to introduce us?"
"I'd really rather not," Velvet admitted. "And it's only because of you."
"Coco Adel," She introduced herself with a wink over her sunglasses, completely ignoring Velvet's remark. "It's good to finally meet you."
"Gin Suzume," Gin greeted back with a small bow. "And likewise. Velvet's told me a lot about you."
"All good things, I hope."
"Aye," said Velvet with a flat tone. "And I REALLY struggled to find any good things to say about you."
"Hush babe," said Coco while pushing her finger against Velvet's lips. "Mommy and Daddy are talking."
Velvet slapped her arm away with an annoyed and embarrassed look.
Gin chuckled, "I didn't realise I was already married. My mom would be ecstatic to hear it."
Coco smirked, "What can I say, I see something I like then I make it mine. And I'm really loving your hair, especially this part," She reached out to caress the long lock of Gin's hair. Then she pointed at her own longer lock. "We even match. But mine is bigger," The second part of that sentence was said in a mischievous tone accompanied by a playful smile.
Velvet sent her a pointed look while Gin just laughed. "I doubt any man could compare to the size of yours," He said with a grin.
Velvet turned to him with a surprised expression.
Coco laughed as well while letting go of his hair. "Damn straight. But I'm sure yours is pretty big too. After all, they say short guys are like that because their inches went down there."
Velvet now looked outright scandalised.
Gin sighed with a smile, "I must be an exception because mine is pretty average."
Then Velvet directed that scandalised expression at him.
"How average are we talking about?" Coco asked with a saucy tone.
"A modest ten inches," said Gin with a straight face.
"Gin?!" Velvet yelled, her face scarlet and feverish like her namesake.
Coco snorted before bursting out in laughter.
"Okay, I'm starting to really like you. Still, I'm gonna need to see if you fill the checks for being fit to go out with beauties like us tomorrow," said Coco who wrapped an arm around an embarrassed Velvet's hips. "So, I'll be asking you some questions."
"Coco," Velvet hissed in admonishment.
"Alright. I'll endeavour to pass this test no matter what," Gin easily agreed with a grin.
"Good. So, can you abstain from sex with your girlfriend for a year at least?"
It seems like Velvet finally had enough because her hand moved to shut Coco's lips but she managed to grab and stop it. Then the two began wrestling right then and there.
"Absolutely," said Gin with a smile. "Swordsmen like me have great discipline after all."
"Great. Then what about not laughing at your own jokes?" Coco asked while she struggled against Velvet.
Gin's expression dropped, "Oi, that's just cruel."
Coco couldn't help but laugh again, which unfortunately allowed Velvet to get the upper hand and grabbed Coco in a chokehold from behind.
"Bye Gin, let's talk again later," said Velvet through gritted teeth as she dragged Coco away.
But before she could get far, Coco managed to break off from the chokehold through sheer strength. Then she spun and forced Velvet to spin with her, allowing Coco to pin Velvet's arms behind her.
"Why later when we can talk now?" said Coco with a grin. "Come have lunch with our team, pretty boy."
Gin looked amused as he rubbed his cheek. "Well, if you would have me, then sure." He would have to text his team about this. Hopefully, they don't get butt hurt about it.
Velvet sighed miserably. Then she slumped as she gave up fighting against the unstoppable force known as Coco Adel.
0-0-0
And so, Gin was led to the table where the last two members of Team Coffee sat with their lunch.
"Nice to finally see you," Fox Alistair joked with a grin. He was a dark-skinned teen with messy copper hair that had long fringes and a cow lick. A scar ran down his lips and his eyes were almost entirely white.
Gin grinned back. "Yeah. And I have to say, you're a real sight for sore eyes."
The two of them shared a laugh as they fist-bumped.
The rest of the people at the table stared at them.
"… This might have been a mistake," Coco muttered. The rest of her teammates nodded.
"It's a pleasure to meet a fellow Mistrali of the same region," Yatsuhashi cut in with a bow. Even while they all sat, he was still towering over all of them. This giant had tanned skin and shaved black hair.
"Likewise," Gin returned with a bow. "Excluding family, I don't think I have met another from my culture in Vale since I was a kid."
Yatsuhashi smiled, "I understand how that feels all too well. Though I myself have met a couple of others for these past few years."
Gin nodded. "So, Velvet told me that you primarily use a sword. Does this mean you're a Swordsman? The kind with a capital S."
Yatsuhashi chuckled, "I'm afraid I can't be considered that in the traditional sense, and I don't regard myself as such either. A sword is my main weapon, yes, but a Huntsman is what I am and am proud to be."
. . .
"Hmm. I see," Gin muttered with an odd look.
For some reason, those words brought out a strange feeling in Gin that he didn't recognise.
"Lucky you," said Fox while chewing.
Gin's odd look faded with a laugh. "I suppose so."
"Speaking of that, you got RP right?" Fox asked.
"Yeah. I technically have low vision but my central vision is crap without Aura so I just go with legally blind. Yours is cataracts right?"
"Yup. Congenital cataracts in fact, so I've seen nothing all my life."
"Heh. You're basically the stereotype of us."
"Hah! Don't remind me. I even have the white eyes cliche. So yeah, my bad for perpetuating the stereotype," He joked with a grin.
Gin chuckled, "Don't worry about it. Though one good about visible symptoms like yours is that people don't doubt you when you say you're blind, right?"
"Nope. Why? Do people not believe you?"
"Yeah, sometimes. I've considered wearing sunglasses because of it but I've never really liked them. Besides, not all of us can make it look good like Coco," said Gin with a smile.
"Flattery will get you everywhere," Coco replied while pointing with her spoon.
Light laughs resounded around the table as they ate.
"By the way, you use an Aura technique for your O and M, right?" Fox asked.
"Yeah. The Aura Realm," said Gin and he began explaining the mechanics of the technique, it seemed like the other members were curious about it so they listened in. After he was done explaining, Gin offered to teach it to Fox.
"You sure about that?" He asked.
"Yeah. Anyone can learn it in a few years. I can teach it to everyone too if they're interested," said Gin, more than happy to spite his clan in any way.
"I'm good," said Coco. "I've never been interested in Aura techniques."
"Thank you for the offer but I'll pass as well," said Yatsuhashi. "The path of the soul is not one I travel, but merely have as stepping stones."
"Same. Thanks for the offer though, Gin," said Velvet.
"I guess I'll take the offer. It seems really neat," said Fox. "But I gotta ask, isn't it kinda dangerous? Since it weakens your Aura defence in a fight."
"Well yeah. But in fights with other Aura users, I use Aura Sensing."
"What about the Grimm?"
"I make due with the Realm," Gin said with a shrug.
"Okay, then what about against Aura users in a messy terrain?" Fox asked.
Gin paused. "... I've never actually fought in conditions like that before."
Coco snorted, "Then you're gonna get in trouble in the future. Cause let me tell you, in our line of work, shitty terrains are the norm." Everyone else at the table nodded in agreement.
"Why don't you try using Ada?" Fox suggested. "The Accessibility Dialogue Assistant, or Ada for short. Invented by a blind Atlesian woman, because of course it was Atlas."
"Right, I've heard about that," said Gin. "The assistive tech that uses echolocation right?"
Fox smirked, "Yeah, another cliche. But the device itself is really good. I use it in conjunction with Aura Sensing and my Semblance too."
"Your Semblance?" Gin asked.
Fox smiled, Telepathy.
Gin slightly jerked. Spooked by that word which was spoken directly into his head.
Uh, hello? said Gin in his mind.
Yes, hello, Fox's playful voice was heard by Gin through the telepathic link.
Hey, This time it was Coco's voice
Greetings, Now Yatsuhashi.
Hi Gin, Finally, Velvet.
… I feel so naked right now, Gin thought.
Velvet definitely won't mind seeing that.
Coco!
The back-and-forth between the girls drew a laugh out of the guys.
"Don't worry," Fox spoke with his mouth now. "My Semblance isn't exactly mind-reading. I open these channels that send my thoughts to others and vice versa. But anyone can easily not use these channels if they want. They can even shut me out of their head too. It's like a telepathic group chat."
Gin exhaled, "Well, that's a relief."
"Why?" Coco's chin leaned on the back of her hand. "You been having inappropriate thoughts about me and Velvet?" She asked with a smirk.
Velvet went still. Her eyes inconspicuously darted at Gin while some red coloured her cheeks.
Gin smirked back, "I assure you, my thoughts about you and Velvet were VERY appropriate."
Team Coffee laughed with the exception of Velvet who seemed to have a newfound interest in the floor.
"So, your Semblance helps with your O and M?" Gin asked.
"Yeah. Through the signals that I get from my teammates. My Semblance isn't entirely necessary for my O and M but it certainly helps," Fox clarified. "Ada is my main asset for it. And I think it might help you too. So that you don't need to use your Aura Realm and lose your defence. Ada might take a long while to get used to though, and it's kinda expensive."
"Hmm. Alright, I'll consider getting one," Gin lied.
He had no intention of using technology to fight. A Swordsman only needs his sword and Aura to do battle.
0-0-0
The day of the date.
Somewhere inside the City of Vale, Gin stood leaning against a wall while carrying Steel Seer in his hand.
For his outing today, Gin opted for a simple and clean look so he wore a black and white flannel shirt that was long enough to reach his tighs. The sleeves were rolled up and the front was unbuttoned, revealing a black shirt. His lower half consisted of dark blue pants and red sneakers. Nothing covered his eyes today since he decided to make do with just keeping his eyes closed.
Sensing something, Gin pushed off the wall and started walking amidst the crowd of numerous people.
He was heading towards a duo of pretty girls who could not have known where he was in the crowd while Gin could easily find them.
Velvet wore modest yet cute clothes that incorporated a brown sweater with white horizontal stripes. It was quite oversised and the neck was wide enough to reveal the white straps on her shoulder. The sweater was also tucked inside black jeans and she also wore blue sandals with high heels.
Meanwhile, Coco's clothes exuded flair. She adorned her usual sunglasses but this time it was accompanied by a white cap with some markings. The rest of her outfit included a black jacket with golden highlights that she let drop from her shoulders to show her dark orange sleeveless shirt that had frills at the centre. For the lower half, she wore a dark tight miniskirt and brown-heeled boots that reached her knees and showed some skin between them and the skirt.
The two girls spotted Gin who was walking towards them while waving his hand.
"Hi Gin," said Velvet with a wave.
"I'm glad you two could make it," said Gin.
"I would be too, if I were you," Coco replied cheekily which got a laugh from Gin and an eye roll from Velvet.
And so the 3 of them went to various parts of the city. To find spots for Velvet's photography of course.
A street square filled with people where Velvet took pictures of the giant crowd, some shops and other things. Some of which included Coco who asked. She told Velvet to take some of Gin too, and then she'd take pictures of Velvet but she refused any for herself. Coco managed to convince her by saying they'll take group shots and duo shots, Gin could use a camera too after all. Coco had a satisfied smirk when she took pictures of a lax Gin next to a stiff Velvet.
The group then moved to a park but Coco left them to seduce a girl she found cute. This meant Gin and Velvet were basically alone together. Velvet obviously knew what her teammate was plotting so she was really awkward with Gin when they walked around. Eventually, she started relaxing as they chatted and walked around taking pictures of the park. In the end, Velvet no longer stressed about how they were alone and even found it to be quite enjoyable. "Mission success" was what Coco considered it. Plus, she even got the number of a cutie.
Then the trio decided to take a rest at a cafe before they went anywhere else. Surprisingly yet also not, Gin offered to pay for everything. Coco had no problems with that but Velvet was hesitant about it until Gin assured her that he had a lot of money from his part-time job that he was more than happy to part with. He received odd looks from the girls when he said that though. And he didn't elaborate.
In the end, there was just one thing that Gin was dissatisfied with. He was the kind of guy who would only tip if the money was taken from his corpse, or if he had two girls he wanted to be nice to. Still, that didn't mean he was happy about it.
Seriously, what the fuck is a twenty percent tip? Gin grumbled in his head as they exited the cafe. Fuck this kingdom and it's stupid tipping.
As they made their way towards their next destination, Gin suddenly stopped and turned towards the opposite street. Coco and Velvet noticed him stopping so they followed and turned towards where he was facing.
"Hey, Ruby!" He called out and waved. Obviously, this led to Ruby finally noticing him and being surprised. It also seems that she was being accompanied by someone because they stopped walking when Ruby did.
It was a freckled girl with light skin, green eyes and short orange hair that had a bow behind it. She wore a white off-the-shoulder blouse with frills and a grey pinafore dress that only reached her thighs, which were covered by black boots that had light green highlights on them that looked like they were glowing. These highlights also appeared on her dress and a black collar piece around her neck, giving the modest outfit a sort of technological vibe.
That girl's Aura feels weird for some reason, Gin noted in his mind as Ruby waved back. Then she and her friend came jogging towards him.
"Hey Gin," Ruby greeted.
"Salutations, friend of Ruby!" The girl enthusiastically greeted with a hand raised to the very top.
"Uh, hello. I'm Gin Suzume," Slightly perplexed, Gin defaulted to introducing him with a slight bow.
"Oh. I am Penny Polendina!" She returned the gesture with her own bow, which was at a perfect 90° angle.
Gin awkwardly nodded. Then he gestured towards the two who were with him, "And these are my friends. Velvet and Coco." Afterwards, he gestured to the other girls, "And this is my friend and classmate Ruby. And her friend."
"Hi," Ruby waved a little with a slightly shy expression.
"Salutations!" said Penny with a perfect bow again. Her enthusiasm a contrast to Ruby.
"Hello," said Velvet with her own shy wave and expression.
"Heyyy," Coco purred seductively while pushing down her sunglasses to wink at them. Another duo of girls that contrasted each other.
"So Ruby," Gin began, "What are you and your friend doing out here?"
"Well, we're looking for— Oh hey. Gin, have you seen Blake?" Ruby suddenly asked in the middle of her sentence.
"No?" said Gin. "You sound a little worried, did something happen?"
Ruby deflated and sighed, "Yeah. Blake ran away from us yesterday and we haven't seen her since."
"Damn. Did a fight break out or something?"
"Well, we found out that she was a faunus and a part of the—" Ruby suddenly clasped her mouth shut with her hands.
"Oh, so Blake finally told you girls?"
"Uh, no… Wait. You make it sound like you already knew."
"Yeah. I can tell these things with my Aura Sensing."
"What?!" Ruby sounded shocked. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Well, Blake probably hid it for a reason so it wouldn't be right to reveal her secret without her permission."
Ruby seemed like she was about to refute that but she paused.
"…You're right." She pressed her face against her palms, "And I just did exactly that… Oh gods, I'm a terrible friend."
"Incorrect, friend Ruby," Penny piped up. "It would indeed be considered rude to reveal her secrets to others but you seemed to have done it by mistake. Not only that, but you have been searching for her all this time seemingly out of worry. So according to my calculations, you can be not designated as a 'terrible friend'."
"Uh. Yeah exactly," Gin agreed. Then he placed a palm on her shoulder to reassure her. "So, don't be so hard on yourself. It was an honest mistake. If you're searching for Blake then let me help. Aura Sensing gives me an edge in finding people so I'll be useful."
Ruby brought her hands down to look at him. Then she glanced at the two girls with him. "No, it's fine. You look like you're hanging out with your friends and I don't wanna trouble you with my problems."
"Hey Gin," Coco cut in. Reading the atmosphere, she had been content to stay silent until now. "We won't mind if you want to help your friend."
"Yeah!" Velvet eagerly agreed with her hands clenched near her chest. "That's more important. We can go out another time."
Gin seemed a little surprised before he smiled at them, "Thank you." Then he turned towards Ruby with a grin. "Well, you heard them. My services are at your disposal."
Ruby still looked hesitant about getting Gin involved in her problems.
"… Alright," She relented with a nod. "Thanks a lot, Gin."
0-0-0
"What? Blake is a member of the White Fang?" Gin asked with an incredulous expression.
"We're not fully sure about that," Ruby quickly defended.
Gin's Aura Sensing wasn't as fully effective as it could have been in a city where there were this many people, a small number of whom were even Aura users. So, they hadn't found Blake yet despite searching almost the entire evening. And now the 3 of them taking a break on a bench.
"Uh-huh," Gin voiced with a doubtful tone. "So, Blake and Weiss fought it?"
"Yeah, these two were arguing all afternoon about the White Fang. Weiss hates them because they kept targeting her family and shedding their blood, but Blake kept defending the faunus and the White Fang until she finally lashed out and said that they were just tired of being treated badly," Ruby rambled.
"Implying that she is a member of the White Fang?" Gin questioned.
"Well yeah. But… I don't think Blake is a bad person," said Ruby.
"If friend Ruby says so, then I shall believe you," said Penny.
Ruby gave her a sincere smile, "Thanks, Penny."
Gin himself had some doubts about that, but he knew better than to say it aloud. Besides, Gin barely knew Blake so he had no grounds to judge her character. Ruby was her teammate so he'll just trust Ruby's assessment.
With some grains of salt though.
[Gin, you have a text from Candle Prick,] The A.I. Rin notified, causing Gin to still.
Oh shit, it's almost time, Gin realised in his head.
He had another job from Roman that he needed to do later that day. Well, to be more specific that 'later' was sometime around now.
He took a look at the text with Aura-Enhanced eyes before texting Roman back asking for more time while making sure that Ruby couldn't see his Scroll.
After some time of texting back and forth, Gin clicked his tongue with his lips curled.
"What's wrong?" Ruby asked when she noticed his expression.
"Huh?" He turned to her. "Oh no, it's nothing. Don't worry about it," Gin reassured her while rubbing his hair.
"Okay?" Ruby voiced in an uncertain tone.
Gin looked away as his lips twisted.
He was obviously anxious from his body language but he said nothing for several seconds.
"...Ruby," Gin finally spoke, though he didn't dare face her. "I am terribly, terribly sorry but I have to go. One of my… friends is asking for help with something important. Not that this isn't as important, it's just that his business is much more urgent."
"Oh," Ruby tried, but she couldn't entirely hide the disappointment in her tone. "It's fine. Really. I'm already grateful that you spent so much time helpful. And again, thank you for that."
His face tightened even further than before.
Slowly and with reluctance, Gin stood up. Though he still didn't face her.
"I'll make it up to you, I promise."
Ruby didn't have a chance to respond because Gin ran away, his retreating back the only thing she saw.
And not the grinding of his teeth.
0-0-0
On the roof of a small building located in the city docks, Blake Belladona lay waiting as her amber eyes scanned for prey. As in, the mice known as the White Fang who might come here to steal the large shipments of Dust.
The reason for her stakeout was to catch the Fang and learn why they were stealing so much Dust. When she was a member, they never needed this much Dust. In fact, the main reasons they attacked Dust transports involved attacking the SDC in some way.
But there was no sign of them yet. So, the boredom and silence made her mind wander despite trying not to. She tried even harder to not think about her teammates yet she failed all the same.
Blake wondered what they thought of her now. Even Weiss. Blake had hated her at first. Not only was she a Schnee, but her attitude was like what everyone in the Fang thought of the Schnees. But, she wasn't exactly the villain they all expected her to be.
Bitchy, yes. But never cruel for the sake of being cruel. In fact, she was a pretty decent person and… friend. Yes. Though they weren't exactly close, Blake wouldn't mind calling Weiss a friend. A day ago, at least…
"Did I miss anything?" A new voice brought her out of her thoughts.
Blake looked up at Sun Wukong, a faunus with a monkey's tail. He was a tan-skinned boy with spiky blond hair and blue eyes. He stood at around 6ft and wore a white collared jacket that was opened to show his muscular torso and a golden necklace. The sleeves were rolled up to his ripped biceps and his forearms were covered by red bracers over black fingerless gloves. He also wore black shoes and blue cargo pants rolled up to show the white bandages on his legs.
His appearance was one that showed his acclimation to sunny weather. After all, he was a student of Shade Academy from Vacuo. A kingdom notorious for its harsh deserts.
Sun was one of the students who came to Vale for the Vytal Festival and he met Blake who he decided to help. He was even the one who came up with the plan to go here in order to find the White Fang.
"Not really," Blake replied before turning her head back to watch the docks. "They've offloaded all the crates from the boats. Now, they're just sitting there."
"Cool. I stole you some food," Sun said while offering her one of the apples he had been holding in his arms.
"Do you always break the law without a second thought?" Blake asked with a raised brow.
"Hey, weren't you in a cult or something?"
Blake frowned.
"Okay. Too soon," Sun quickly admitted.
A sudden gust of wind interrupted them and heralded the arrival of a bullhead. The two turned their eyes towards it as it began manoeuvring into the open area of the docks where it landed safely.
The bullhead's entrance opened and released a ramp, allowing its passengers to come forth.
But only one person stepped foot out into the salt-scented scene.
"Hey," said Sun. "Is that guy White Fang?"
"… I don't think so?" Blake replied with uncertainty.
It was a short person who had walked out of the bullhead. Most of his face was covered by a grey hoodie that didn't seem like it was a piece of the duster coat despite being the same colour. One hand was kept inside a pocket while the other carried an L-shaped cane.
"Wait… Is he coming towards us?" Blake asked.
Both of them furrowed their brows at the hooded person who faced their direction as he walked without even using the cane. The person was still a good distance away from them and he didn't seem to be in a hurry.
Moving leisurely, but with purpose.
. . .
Neither Blake nor Sun made a sound as they both activated their Aura.
Blake got into a kneeling stance while Sun quietly discarded his loot. Almost at the same time, the two Huntsmen-in-training reached for their weapons, their instincts commanding them so.
The hooded person brought the cane up to his front and began drawing it, revealing a silver blade that gleamed.
Blackout
The gleam of light was immediately followed by a flash of black.
And he disappeared.
Surprise flooded the two and turned into confusion.
"Please, do move."
Surprise returned as outright shock when they heard that taunt from behind them.
Blake even finally realised that a blade was touching the side of her neck.
Though the both of them froze, they still had the sense to recognise that the person was masking his voice by deepening it.
"Don't want to?" He asked. "Well, that's boring."
"Let me change that!" Sun quipped as he quickly swung—
Blackout
A kick to his side threw Sun off the roof.
Luckily, his Huntsmen training kicked in and Sun managed to reflexively land on his feet. The hooded person smirked from where he stood with his leg still partially raised.
Blackout
Then he disappeared from his spot so Blake sliced nothing but air.
"Behind you."
Blake turned around just in time to see the kick that came for her gut and threw her off the roof as well.
Managing to land on her feet like Sun, the both of them now stood close to each other again as they looked up at the hooded person who gazed down at them with a grin.
Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang. Sun's dark red weapons with gold details were 4 shotguns. Linked together by a gold chain in pairs of two so they could even be used as two Nunchucks.
Gambol Shroud. Blake's black weapons were a short sword with a cleaver for a sheath and had a Glock combined to its hilt.
And now both of their guns were being aimed at the hooded person. Almost as one, they squeezed–
Blackout
–the trigger and shot nothing.
"Oi, where did that guy go?"
Those casual words were spoken by neither Blake nor Sun.
Both immediately leapt to the sides away from the hooded person who had suddenly appeared right between them. Even as they were still in the air, their guns were aimed at him again but they didn't open fire since they might hit each other.
As they landed a few feet away from the hooded person, he switched into a reverse grip. But then he glanced towards Blake and switched his grip back to normal.
Despite trying to keep her eyes and weapons on him, Blake couldn't help glancing to the side when she heard a noise.
"The White Fang," She whispered.
Indeed, faunus who wore the uniform of the Fang had come out of the bullhead and were now moving the shipments of Dust.
Blackout
Seeing the flicker of black from the corner of her eyes, Blake quickly returned her sight back to her opponent who had just struck Sun with his sword.
Blake tried to shoot the hooded–
Blackout
But he disappeared from her sight and attacked Sun so she adjusted her–
Blackout
And he disappeared, striking Sun again.
Blackout
And again.
Blackout
Again.
Blackout
Indecision stained Blake's face as it kept repeating more times right in front of her.
She knew rushing in would be a bad idea. A semblance was the prime suspect for the hooded person's movement but she had no idea what it exactly was.
The most likely explanation was teleportation, and the black sphere was its range.
But there was a chance that she was wrong and it was something else and–
Sun cried out after a particularly vicious attack.
Blake charged.
All her doubts were put to the wayside right now as their enemy was almost in the range of her–
Blackout
He disappeared from her sight once again. But this time, Blake's entire view changed and she was now seeing the ground while skidding off it after having… fallen on her face somehow.
Blackout
Blake grunted in pain as the side of her stomach was kicked. It was powerful enough that she was forced into a sideways roll.
Blackout
Then she felt a foot on top of her.
"Get away from her!" Sun yelled as he rushed in to attack. His two nunchucks had all combined together to form a bo staff that Sun swung with all–
Blackout
–his might and it collided right into Blake.
His eyes widened in shock and horror. Despite being on the ground moments before, Blake had suddenly appeared in the path of Sun's strike and she flew with a yell of pain.
A mocking laugh assaulted his ears.
0-0-0
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0-0-0
Blake and Sun were no longer standing.
They couldn't even if they wanted to. Sun laid on the ground barely conscious, while Blake was on her hands and knees.
Frustrated eyes of burning amber glared at the fleeing bullheads, taking the answers she sought along with them.
She had been so close too, but now it was all gone.
"Damn it!" Blake hissed while punching the ground, not even caring that Aura no longer protected her fist.
And so, the concrete cracked and was stained by the blood of a cat who had been viciously toyed with by the mouse.
0-0-0
"I gotta hand it to the White Fang for their resources. Three bullheads is a god sent," said Roman Torchwick who leisurely spun his cane. "This has to be our biggest haul yet."
Leaning against the wall, Gin didn't even deign to give a response.
The two of them were currently inside one of the bullheads, escaping from the scene of their crime.
"Althooough," Roman playfully continued while eyeing a certain someone, "It could have been even bigger if you had detained the dock workers and stopped them from calling the cops like last time. Not to mention that the White Fang grunts wouldn't have seen your Semblance."
"Fuck off," Gin finally replied. "That's annoying as hell and takes too damn long."
"Sheesh, you're in a bad mood, eh?" Roman huffed with a shrug, "Oh well, at least you took care of those Huntsmen brats. Speaking of which, were those your friends?"
"No."
"Really? Cause I couldn't help but notice that you went easier on the girl."
"… I'm sexist."
Roman laughed. "Well, whatever. I guess if they were your friends, you would have detained them with your Semblance instead of beating the living daylights out of them."
"And hey, I gotta ask," Roman continued with an unpleasant smile, "What does it feel like being such an overwhelming force of violence?"
Once again, Gin's response was nothing but silence.
End of Chapter
This might not have been clear so, the dots at the end of the Blackout sequence is to show that there were more but the number is left unspecified. I know I know, if I was going to do that then I should have just shortened the spam. But it looked cool so I couldn't resist. Again, apologies to TTS and SR users for the bother.
Also, I should mention that this fic will cover the story of RWBY till Volume 3. Kinda. And this chapter signals the end of Volume 1. Sheesh, I really wasn't expecting it to take this damn long…