Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth and Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo. I own nothing of wither of them and am only playing in the worlds they gave us.
I was hoping to have this up a couple of weeks ago but I've been having a great deal of trouble lately with the amount of sleep I was getting and I was half falling asleep every time I was writing. Part of the problem was that I had to start drastically cutting back on my caffeine intake. It was the catalyst that was keeping me going and I was getting to the point where it was also making me feel like shit.
Now, please enjoy the latest chapter. And if you leave a comment please think about what you're saying before you say it, be respectful, and don't be a dick. I've had a couple of comments where those leaving them did none of the above.
A Chance Encounter
Chapter 5:
For most people waiting a day and a half for something would be no big deal. Most people however are not Ruby Rose. While the others all held some level of intrigue and anticipation for Ichigo and Yoruichi's arrival at Beacon, Ruby was absolutely geeked for it. She had watched and re-watched the video countless times. They all had actually but they had their own varying reasons for it. Some, Ruby, Nora, and Yang, just wanted to see it again. Others, like Ren, Pyrrha, and even Blake, were interested in the method and technique of the kills.
Weiss and Jaune were still in disbelief. Weiss was trying to convince herself that this was real and not some elaborate fraud and Jaune was essentially torturing himself. Sure, it was cool. Really cool, but he found himself feeling small and further out of his element than ever. While he never thought he could get as strong as the two on the video, could he at least get strong enough to fight beside his friends and not hold them back?
Essentially it had been necessary to play a bit dirty to reel Ruby in. Weiss scolded her, telling her that if she was distracted and got caught not paying attention in class again, and if she didn't have her homework done, she'd end up in detention and would miss their visit entirely. That possibility hit her like a lightning bolt and she paid closer attention than she usually did. She would slip back into geek mode between classes but a reminder set her back straight. She even got her homework done early and spent some time studying with her partner.
Thursday morning though she was practically bouncing out of her shoes in anticipation all the way through breakfast and as they made their way to their first class. She kept looking all around hoping to catch sight of them.
"Easy sis," Yang said in an effort to calm her down. "They'll be here when they get here."
"They'll probably show up after classes," Blake surmised. "I doubt they'd want to disrupt the school day."
"All the more reason for you to calm down and pay attention to make sure that you actually get there," Weiss poked.
"Meanie," Ruby returned, sticking her tongue out. Weiss just rolled her eyes.
"The day will go by in no time," Yang assured her as she pulled her hood over her head. "Although," she continued, a teasing big sister grin on her face. "Maybe you're all hot and bothered because you can't wait to see Ichigo again. You into the hunky, bad boy look Rubes?"
"Yang!" Ruby blurted as she pulled back her hood and tried unsuccessfully to unruffle her hair. Her face was turning red. "I'm not into hunky...anything!"
"Oh, I see," she said slyly. "It's Yoruichi isn't it. Good taste there sis, she's a sexy one."
"Stop it!" Ruby blurted, getting even redder.
"Wait...I bet it's both of them," the blond pressed on. "Ruby you dog! Going for both of them?"
"Gah! I'm not listening!" In a burst of rose petals she was gone.
"Brute!" Weiss huffed as she picked up the pace and followed the trail left by her partner.
"And you call me a pervert for my choice of reading material," Blake deadpanned.
"C'mon Blakey," she cajoled her partner. "You gotta admit they were pretty hot."
"I think the one looking for a threesome is you," the Faunus shot back.
Yang waggled her eyebrows. "Could be fun. You wanna make it four?"
"In your dreams," she said, rolling her eyes. "On second thought, never mind. I don't want to know what goes on in your dreams. It's bad enough when you're awake."
"Hear that?" Yoruichi purred with a smirk on her face. "I'm a sexy one!"
"Oh I'm already well aware of that," Ichigo grinned.
They were standing on the roof of a building adjacent to the cafeteria, watching the students as they all finished eating and headed for their first classes of the day. It was an entertaining way to pass the time as they sipped their morning coffee before going back down to the vault and checking on Amber. Their first appearance as new faculty wasn't until later and they wanted to soak in the energy and enthusiasm of the students, to feel the vibe of the place before becoming an active part of it. They wanted to remind themselves of the reasons for being involved. These students were the future of Remnant. Huntsman or Huntress they had already committed themselves to become protectors of the people, to do whatever they could to make and keep this world livable. Many of them had already lost too much for people of their age and they wanted to spare as many others of that same pain as they could.
They could help them gain the skills that would allow them to do that, maybe even unlock or expand their skills into something more than anyone else had seen. Skills and power that would be needed for the real fight beyond just the Grimm. As far as that went they could carry the fight themselves but there was a fine line to be drawn there. There was an old saying that said 'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime'.
It was no different here when it came to defending this world. If they fought the battles for the people of Remnant, where was their incentive to defend their world themselves? The inhabitants of the world had to be responsible for their own ability to live and thrive in the world and that's the way they should want it. They should not want others to do the task for them. If they didn't do it themselves then what did their lives mean? What did the lives of past victims, or those who fought and died before them to give them a world they could live in mean if they weren't willing to pick up that torch and carry it themselves?
Besides that, no matter how powerful they were they were only two people and they could not be everywhere. The world would still need Huntsmen and Huntresses and everything that they stood for. So, they would teach what they could and they would fight alongside their students. When necessary they would step up and take on what they couldn't handle but they would let the future of this world lead and secure that future for themselves.
An excited shout from down below brought attention to an orange haired girl jumping up onto the back of a boy with dark hair adorned with a streak of pink. The look on his face was both one of tolerance and adoration. They both found themselves staring hard at the girl as their senses recognized something in her soul. They looked at each other and began to snicker.
"Yachiru," Yoruichi said. "Well, given what we read and were told about Nora Valkyrie's personality it's kind of fitting."
"At least the boy doesn't feel like Zaraki," Ichigo said, as he concentrated on the soul of Lie Ren just to make sure. "And I hope the rest of the team isn't Baldy and the Peacock."
The next member of the team to appear was Jaune Arc. "Well, so far so good there," Yoruichi quipped.
"I was half expecting Hanatarou," Ichigo chuckled.
His chuckling suddenly stopped and his half drank cup of coffee hit the roof with a dull splat. She looked at him and saw that he was trembling and his face had gone white as a sheet. The reaction wasn't dissimilar to Initiation Day when he first detected part of his sister's souls within first Ruby and then her sister Yang. Her head snapped back to look below again just as the feeling hit her senses. There stood Pyrrha Nikos and within her she could sense not one, but two familiar souls intertwined together.
She began to feel a little shaky herself as she stepped over to Ichigo and took his face in her hands. "Breathe Ichigo," she encouraged him softly. "Take a couple of deep breaths and let them out slowly."
He did as she suggested and he began to calm. "Yoruichi..."
She slipped her arms around him and laid her head against his chest. Fool was about to apologize for nearly losing it like he did when he discovered the souls of his sisters. He'd done a much better job of keeping himself composed when he sensed Rukia's soul in Weiss Schnee, in part because he'd been so focused on the feel of his sisters, and in part because he didn't want to freak out their guests. Knowing him he was probably also feeling guilty because they had just found two more souls that had been close to him and still hadn't found any that had been close to her.
"This is a good thing Ichigo so be happy," she told him. "We've found more familiar souls since we came to Vale than we had ever found before. Souls a lot closer to us. We'll find more."
He wrapped his arms around her. "You're right," he said softly. "It's just kind of overwhelming. In less than a week we finally got absolute confirmation of my sister's souls. We found Rukia's. We found a granddaughter, and now we've found Tatsuki and Orihime and they're together like they should be. Like Karin and Yuzu."
"If we needed anymore proof that we're in the right place and making the right decision, I think we just got it," she said. "I can't help but wonder if we're being sent a message."
"Given our track record there probably is someone out there watching and scheming and we're right in the middle of it and don't even know it," Ichigo sighed. "If there is, it would be nice for once if they were benevolent and not bent on destroying everything and reshaping it to their ideals."
"We'll cross that bridge if we come to it," she said. "One thing's for sure, this is going to make our job a little more interesting now."
He groaned. "Until I can get used to the feel of her soul I'm either going to be trying to keep my distance or be staring like a fool. How do I teach anything like that?"
"You could have worse things to stare at," she said unhelpfully and with obvious mirth.
"Not helping there Kitten," he admonished lightly.
"Just hide it behind your usual scowl," she suggested. "Then you can scare her along with everyone else."
"I'm supposed to be teaching them, not scaring them," he groused.
"Glynda manages to do both and it seems to work," she laughed.
He sighed. "Fine." He gave her a squeeze before they moved apart. "Between that and you going into 'no nonsense' mode, we might scare them all away before any of them agree to take the class."
She smirked. "We'd still have at least one team and we both know which one that is. Now, lets go check on Amber. If she's stable enough we can give her another treatment before we have to make our debut."
Guest Dorms
Fatigue and fury fought for dominance within Cinder Fall. The vision from the night before, she couldn't call it a nightmare because she had still been wide awake, had made any prospect of sleep impossible. As it was she hadn't slept much after the incident the previous night and the lack of rest was evident in the dark circles beneath her bloodshot eyes. Still in her nightclothes she sat on her bed with her back to the wall, the breakfast Emerald had brought her sitting untouched on the desk across the room.
What she had seen, the mask alone could possibly be mistaken for a Grimm but those eyes suggested otherwise. Those black and yellow orbs were more terrifying than the red of the Grimm. She knew that Emerald had the power to make her see something like that but she also knew that it was a virtual impossibility. The girl was far too infatuated with her to ever do that. Salem probably had the power to make her see something, she couldn't say for sure since she didn't actually know the full extent of the woman's power, but she also considered it unlikely. She hadn't done anything to incur the Witch's wrath and she generally preferred a more direct and personal approach to things rather than scaring someone with an illusion.
That left the question then of who else out there had the power to do something like this and why? She badly wanted to know so that she could fry them to a crisp. Whoever had done this had made her feel fear, despair, and humiliation. They had made her feel intimidated and those were all things she despised and had spent years working to get away from their cloying grasp.
She knew all too well what it was like to be one of the many who had nothing being subjected to the rule and the whims of the few who had everything. She had vowed long ago to escape that reality and turn it around, to make those with power feel what it was like to not have it or to be under the thumb of someone more powerful than they were. Politicians, businessmen, anyone who held power and authority, it was her desire to make them feel what it was like for their lives to be viewed as having no value. To have them know what it was like to be looked upon like something unpleasant that had just been scraped off the bottom of a shoe.
So she got strong, strong enough to begin giving back the misery she had received. She didn't do it for the masses. If they were too weak to stand up for themselves she wasn't about to do it for them and they could continue to wallow in their misery and die with it. She didn't care. This wasn't about altruism or making life better for anyone else, this was all for her. Revenge and paying back the misery with interest. She didn't even need to be well known, she was content with her fame or infamy being confined to her victims and the very few that she operated with.
Take her little helpers for instance, Mercury and Emerald. She didn't care in the least for either one of them. They were tools, a means to an end. Mercury understood this far better than Emerald did. He was cold, callous, and ruthless. Like everyone working for Salem he had something he wanted and he would kill or maim anything or anyone on his way to getting it. He was a boiling, seething cauldron of rage and anger and he was always eager to unleash it. So long as he did so when and where she wished it, he remained useful.
Emerald, well infatuation was a sad and pitiful thing but it was easy enough to keep her tethered by that particular leash. If she hadn't seen the girl's Semblance in action she would have dismissed her as just another pathetic weakling who would rather drown in their sorrows on the street than stand up on their own two feet and carve out a better path for themselves. Once she had convinced the girl that she had value to her the hook was set.
It was amusing really how devoted the green haired girl was to her and how ridiculously easy it was to keep her that way. All it took was a positive word or look now and then, with the occasional show of displeasure to ensure she didn't get too cocky. Then the girl would try twice as hard to please her. She would do anything that was asked of her simply because she asked her to do it. If she chose to she could easily and irreparably shatter the girl with but a few words. As pathetic as that was and as pathetic as Emerald was, it was intoxicating to have that level of power over someone. It would be better if she was someone of power and importance that she could break so easily but it was what it was.
However, the incidents of the past two nights had made her feel like the one under such power and she despised it. She despised the feeling of fear that had, and to some degree, still permeated her being. She had been humiliated by being made to look weak before her underlings and that was something she could not have. She had to know who or what had done this to her and make them suffer in the most painful way possible. That was the only compensation she would accept.
Problem was, she had no idea who or what or where to begin looking and she already had her hands full with the plans that were already in the works. If she caused any sort of delay or inconvenience to those plans Salem would not be amused. She had yet to truly displease Salem and had no desire to do so. As much as she craved power and needed to be above the rabble she knew that there were always those who were more powerful. She wasn't stupid after all and cooperating with Salem was far more agreeable and profitable than defying her. After all, without Salem she wouldn't have been able to acquire the power of the Fall Maiden.
She held out a hand and conjured a flame. It sputtered and flickered, matching the shaking of her hand. Clenching her fist she snuffed out the flame. Hopefully the opportunity would present itself for her to discover who or what it was that had inflicted such horror and humiliation upon her and she would snuff out their life just as she had the flame.
Beacon Combat Class Arena
Team RWBY and Team JNPR sat in their usual places part way up the rows of seating in the middle of the arena, conversing among themselves. Team CRDL sat in the bottom row near the entrance, scowling at everyone and no doubt trading insults with each other about the other groups. Two of the visiting students from Haven, Emerald and Mercury, sat at the opposite end in the top row, observing everyone else. No other teams had combat class in this particular time slot and there were no observers today. So long as they remained quiet and didn't disturb the class Glynda would allow others to observe from time to time but no one had asked to do so today and given the circumstances she would not have allowed it this time.
She closed the camera view of the arena on her scroll. She liked to check the room before she entered, it sometimes gave her a feel for the mood she would be encountering at any given class. She turned to the two standing next to her. "I'll alert you when we're ready for you," she said.
"We'll be waiting," Yoruichi answered.
Glynda strode into the room, immediately gaining the attention of all those present. They had learned the consequences for not coming to order and paying attention. Her detentions were no one's idea of fun.
"Alright class," she began. "Today we will be doing something different." That caught their attention, and specifically the two teams directly in front of her. "An opportunity has presented itself for Beacon to begin an Advanced Combat and Techniques class. It is not a mandatory course and you need to meet a certain basic minimum requirement to be eligible. Normally such a class would begin at the start of the school year and would be offered on an individual basis. However, since we are now one semester in the course is being offered on a team basis instead. By this point your teams have begun to bond and are becoming used to working as a unit and it was considered unwise to break up that dynamic." Weiss raised her hand. "Yes Miss Schnee?"
"What is the requirement to be eligible?" she asked.
"That is actually unimportant since all of you have met that minimum threshold," she answered. She turned to Team CRDL with a displeased look on her face. "Some only just so at that." She turned her attention back to the room in general. "There is a secondary evaluation process that the instructors will grade you on to determine if you qualify for their course and any and all decisions taken in that regard are at their sole discretion. If you do qualify and wish to take the course then your schedules will be altered to fit accordingly so that you do not miss any of your other classes. The course is a double time period held at the end of the day's schedule."
Pyrrha held up her hand and she nodded for her to proceed. "Who will the instructors be?" she asked.
"You are about to meet them," she answered, pushing a button on her scroll.
The sound of the doors opening had everyone's head turning to see...nothing. They all did however feel a slight rush of displaced air wash over them.
"Eyes to the front children," Glynda said.
They were all rather shocked to see two people standing next to her that hadn't been there before. Ichigo stood with his arms crossed over his chest and Yoruichi stood in front of him and slightly to his left with her hands on her hips. Both wore a deep scowl as they looked over them with a critical eye like they were not too impressed with what they saw. It was that look that kept Ruby from making a spectacle of herself and left her feeling a little confused. They looked nothing like the cheerful people she had had lunch with or that she had seen on the video.
Her team and Team JNPR seemed to be equally as stunned by both who it was and the expressions they wore. Team CRDL seemed to be affronted by the look, like someone was challenging them. Mercury wore a similar look while Emerald seemed to just regard them curiously as they quietly whispered back and forth. Suddenly Ruby found herself caught in Yoruichi's glare and she froze, feeling somewhat like a deer caught in the headlights of an approaching car. Despite how small she was Yoruichi seemed to loom over her like a giant and it was as if she was looking right into her soul. Just as suddenly that feeling was gone and she got a slight upturn of the dark skinned woman's lips and a wink.
"My name is Yoruichi Shihoin," she said in introduction. She gestured behind her. "And this is Ichigo Kurosaki. We are looking forward to seeing which teams can meet our requirements and then have the guts, the ability, and the stamina to undergo the training we're offering."
"Well that rules out Jauney-boy and the red hooded shrimp," Cardin snarked to his team's amusement.
"Really?" Ichigo drawled, turning his attention to the Bully in Chief of Team CRDL. "That's pretty rich coming from a guy leading a team that just came off an ass beating. What was it for again Professor?" he asked Goodwitch.
"It would seem that they ran afoul of one of our second year teams, Team CFVY," she answered, looking down her nose at CRDL. "They have been known to harass the Faunus member of the team and the other members decided that it was time to take matters in to their own hands and show them their displeasure. Judging by the camera footage from the school hallways, Team CFVY caught up to them as they were waiting to ambush Miss Rose from Team RWBY."
"What!" Yang shouted as she shot to her feet. Her fists were clenched and her eyes had turned red. Blake, Weiss, and the members of Team JNPR all turned a despising glare on the group of bullies.
"Contain yourself Miss Xiao Long," Glynda admonished. "I am handling the situation so do not involve yourself."
"I can't stand bullies and bigots," Ichigo growled. "And I'm not going to waste time and energy on teaching them."
"We're better than this bunch of losers," Cardin smirked, jerking his thumb towards RWBY and JNPR.
Yoruichi started to laugh which made Cardin furious. "Those losers scored way higher on our initial evaluation than your team did. As a matter of fact you barely qualified. A team of thugs led by a rich boy who thinks having money and being bigger than most of the people around him actually makes him somebody important." She yawned. "So boring, like something out of a bad movie. I'm not impressed. I mean, another first year student beat your whole team by herself without breaking a sweat. You're a bunch of paper tigers."
"You got a big mouth for someone so small," he snarled.
"Mr. Winchester that is more than enough!" Glynda thundered.
Yoruichi waved Glynda off. "It's fine." She turned to the irate bully. "Come shut me up then if you think you can." That stunned everyone in the room. "Land a hit...hell, even make a good showing and we'll let you stay. Don't and you're out of here and subject to whatever punishment Professor Goodwitch sees fit to hit you with." She removed her orange jacket and handed it to Ichigo before moving to the centre of the arena.
"You're assuming we were interested in taking your class in the first place, "Cardin snarked as he stood and picked up his mace.
"Trying to chicken out already," she drawled, crossing her arms over her chest. "Lame. And so predictable."
"Lame, good choice of words," he said angrily as he walked to the arena floor. "Because that's what you'll be when I'm done with you. I'm going to beat your ass."
"Don't threaten me with a good time," she sassed. "You gonna talk or put your money where your big mouth is?"
Hefting his mace he strode toward her, obviously having no problem with using his weapon against an unarmed opponent.
"Kick his butt Yoruichi!" Ruby called from the audience, causing her to smile.
Cardin brought his mace down in an overhand swing. For someone as used to fighting at high speed as she was it looked like it was coming in slow motion. She turned sideways and let it hit the floor. As it did she brought up her left foot and literally kicked him in the ass and sent him sprawling. She turned and winked at Ruby before leaning back to avoid a backhanded swing as Cardin got back to his feet, then she dropped low on his return swing and swept his feet out from under him before jumping back up to her feet and out of his range.
She reached back with both hands and squeezed her butt. "My ass doesn't feel like its been beat," she said. "Ichigo, does my ass look like its been beat?"
He tilted his head as he looked at her behind. "Looks fine to me." He grinned. "Perfect as always."
"Aw, you say the nicest things," she laughed. Glynda rolled her eyes and a few in the audience were slightly red faced.
"You think this is a joke?" Cardin seethed as he got to his feet, his mace held in a white knuckled grip.
"No," Yoruichi said seriously. "A joke implies that there's humour involved. This is just pathetic. You're so slow I could knit a sweater waiting for your strike and you're so predictable that I know what you're going to do before you do."
"C'mon Cardin, take her out!" one of his team called.
"Shut up!" Cardin shot back.
He tried to take what he thought was a fast swing at her midsection but she was already an inch out of range as it swept past her. He followed with an uppercutting back hand that she avoided by leaning back. He tried a quick jab, hoping to catch her with the points on the end of the mace but she just tilted her head to the right. Getting frustrated he reared back and swung down at her as hard as he could with both hands holding the weapon.
She shocked everyone in the room, with the exception of Ichigo, by catching the shaft of the mace with her left hand and stopping it dead. She didn't budge as Cardin continued to apply downward force. She didn't budge when he tried to pull the mace out of her grip. Giving him a seriously unimpressed look she effortlessly yanked the weapon out of his hand. Her right fist shot out impacting his chest armour with a dull metallic thud, staggering him and leaving a sizable and noticeable dent. The look on his face was one of incredulity.
She jabbed his mace into his chest plate and began pushing him back across the arena. "The next time you tell someone you're going to beat their ass, you damn well better make sure you can actually do it." She shoved him back against the railing where his team was sitting and tossed his mace towards the door. "Now get out." She turned and walked back to the centre edge of the arena where Ichigo was waiting.
"Team CRDL," Glynda said sternly. "You will return to your dorm room and remain there until I contact you." The team of bullies proved that they did have a least a little sense as they silently complied.
"A true Huntsman or Huntress does their job without boasting or making threats or promises they can't back up," Ichigo said. "You tell a village elder that you're going to kill the Grimm endangering his village, then you had better be able to do it. If you can't or all you can do is hold them off then you had better own up to it ahead of time. They might not like it but that honesty is better than lying to them and betraying their trust."
"You think that's corny and you disagree Mr. Black?" Yoruichi asked, looking to the pair to their right and up in the top row. "I saw you rolling your eyes. And thank you for drawing my attention because I almost forgot about you and your partner. I wanted to ask, where is the rest of your team? You may be visiting students but you are required to attend classes just like you would back at your own academy."
"Just the two of us being here hasn't been an issue so far," he answered with a bit of smugness in his voice.
"That may be an oversight on our part at Beacon," Glynda said, pushing her glasses back up into place. "Normally if visiting students fail to attend their classes we send a report to their home academy and let their Headmaster deal with them. Teaching those who want to learn takes priority over corralling those who don't. We may have to alter that policy and consider sending uncooperative students home, Vytal festival or not."
The look that struck their faces was quickly covered up but Gylnda, Yoruichi, and Ichigo all caught it. Being sent home was the last thing that they wanted to happen and the consequences obviously had them spooked. It was another small clue that this team was definitely not what they seemed and was likely up to no good.
"I'll ask you again," Yoruichi said sternly. "Where is the rest of your team?"
"Our team leader wasn't feeling well this morning and stayed in the room," Emerald offered.
"And your fourth member?" Glynda pressed.
There was a pause but it was Mercury that finally answered. "Who knows. She's a country bumpkin that's never been to a city the size of Vale. She's probably out exploring." The look that Emerald gave him was incredulous but she didn't say anything.
"Then you can leave as well," Yoruichi said. "This is a team course and if your team can't be bothered with fulfilling its academic responsibilities then we can't be bothered with you either." She smirked. "Unless you'd like to follow Winchester's example and try beating my ass."
The look on his face was a very sour one and he looked like he was about to take her up on it until Emerald planted an elbow in his ribs.
"Return to your dorm," Glynda ordered them. "I will speak to your team later. I need to see Professor Ozpin before I do so." She glanced at Yoruichi and she gave a slight nod. Things had gone pretty much the way they expected and had discussed before class. CRDL had acted more or less as predicted and Emerald and Mercury had been put on the spot a bit just as they wanted. As Glynda escorted them out Beacon's two newest instructors turned their attention back to their remaining students.
Yoruichi clapped her hands together and smiled at the remaining and somewhat stunned students. "Now that the housekeeping has been taken care of we can get down to business. We'll give you a run down of what we hope to be able to teach to you and why it will be useful to you. When we teach you something we will not just throw you the bare bones and expect you to figure it out, we will explain it and show it to you and coach you along the way."
"If you take our course you will be expected to keep your grades up and you will be expected to work on your fitness and stamina beyond just what you do in class," Ichigo added. "Which shouldn't be too hard to do since you were already being expected to do so anyway." He kept the smirk off his face. He knew that most of the eight individuals before him weren't doing much if anything at all towards their fitness and stamina beyond what they were gaining in combat class and the looks on some of their faces confirmed just exactly who the most guilty parties were.
"So let's get to it," Yoruichi cut in. "Please save your questions until the end and we will answer all of them. You won't have to make a decision today but you will have to give us your answer in class tomorrow. "
Guest Dorm, Later That Afternoon
Cinder's fatigue and the unsettled feeling she had was now morphing into a migraine. She had just been getting to a point where she might be able to catch a little sleep when Emerald and Mercury, bickering as usual, unexpectedly returned to the dorm. She wasn't exactly pleased about the circumstances to say the least.
"That was the best explanation you could come up with for Neo's absence?" she questioned after hearing the tale.
"I had to give them something," Mercury protested. "They weren't going to wait for me to come up with something else. That was the first thing that popped into my head."
"Hmm, I suppose it isn't that far fetched or unbelievable," she agreed. "You certainly could have come up with worse."
"Do you think Lionheart lied to us?" Emerald asked. "He told us the same thing Goodwitch did, that visiting students who didn't attend their classes would just be reported to their own Headmaster so long as they weren't causing trouble. He didn't tell us about this new class either."
"Lionheart is too scared and too much of a coward to lie at this stage of the game," Cinder explained. "He knows the consequences and doesn't want to incur them. It is strange that a new class would be offered after the school year had already begun. Goodwitch's words were 'an opportunity has presented itself', correct?"
"That's what she said," Mercury confirmed. " An opportunity has presented itself for Beacon to begin an Advanced Combat and Techniques class."
"I can only assume that the ones who presented that opportunity are the one's who will be teaching it," she said. "The question is, why now all of a sudden? Have either of you seen these new teachers around campus before today?"
"Not once," Emerald answered. "And they were the ones who first brought up the attendance issue."
"I don't like this," Cinder said darkly. "Something isn't right here. I think we need to find out more about these new teachers. This seems a little too coincidental and I don't believe in coincidences."
"So what do we do if they go ahead and change their policy and kick us out of here?" Mercury asked.
"That would put a major kink in things," she scowled. "If it happens we would have to lay low in the city somewhere but we do still have our little bug in the CCT system and that is our most important asset. If it comes to that we'll just have to make it work."
There was a knock at the door. "That is probably Professor Goodwitch," she smirked. "I suppose we shouldn't make her wait." She nodded to Emerald. "Let her in."
When the green haired girl opened the door they were surprised to see not Professor Goodwitch, but the Headmaster himself and he didn't look especially pleased.
"Oh, Professor Ozpin," Cinder greeted. "We were expecting a visit from Professor Goodwitch."
He stepped into the room. "Yes, I'm sure you were but I decided to take care of this personally. Your fourth member is still not here I see?"
"Unfortunately not," she said. "We've not been able to contact her so far."
"That is indeed unfortunate," he said. "I must say that I am highly disappointed that students who have decided to take up the ways of the Huntsman and Huntress would choose to conduct themselves in such a manner. Not attending classes, and in one case not even being present on campus. Students of our academies should aspire to a higher standard of conduct. I certainly expected better given the content of your student files from Haven."
"You are right Professor and I apologize," she said smoothly.
"Be that as it may I'm afraid I must still hand down some disciplinary action," he informed her glumly. "It is not something I enjoy doing."
"I understand," she said, trying to look contrite but to his eye not quite making it.
"You will be confined to your dorm room until such a time as I am able to contact Professor Lionheart," he began. "Unfortunately this could take some time since he has been rather difficult to reach lately. You may only leave the dorm to attend the cafeteria or the library. As such, we will be forwarding make up lessons and tests to your scrolls for the classes you have missed. This is why you are being given access to the library. Please endeavour to complete as much of the work as possible over the weekend. Also, I want you to continue to try and contact your AWOL team member and attempt to get them to return to Beacon. If they do return, they will be subject to the same conditions as the rest of you. The lifting of those conditions or any other possible outcomes will depend upon your cooperation and what I hear from Professor Lionheart. "Am I understood?"
"Yes Professor," she answered, only just barely hanging onto a tone of civility.
"Then I will take my leave," he said as he turned to the door. "The lessons should hit your scrolls within the hour. Make sure you complete them." Before passing completely through the portal he turned his head to look back at them over his shoulder. "Remember that all of your choices have consequences. Weigh them carefully." He left and Emerald quietly shut the door behind him.
They could practically hear Cinder's teeth grinding as she stood in the middle of the room, her fists clenched tightly at her side. She wanted to scream and unleash a torrent of flames that would burn the entire place down.
"Emerald," she said tightly.
"Y-yes?" the girl asked.
"Try sending a message to Neo. See if she can find out anything about these two new teachers."
"Yes." She immediately sat on her bed, grabbed her scroll and started typing a message.
"Shouldn't we tell her to come back here?" Mercury asked. Questioning Cinder was never a good idea but that didn't stop him from doing it.
"It wouldn't matter much if she comes back now or a week from now," she bit out. "The situation is unlikely to change and it could take that long for Ozpin to contact Lionheart. The fool was told to keep a low profile but it seems he's staying too low if even Ozpin is having trouble contacting him. I suppose we'll have to try getting a hold of him ourselves." She plopped down on her bed as well and picked up her scroll.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked.
"Get me a glass of water and some aspirin before my head explodes," she groused. "Then make a run to the cafeteria and get us some dinner."
Outside the open window a small black cat arose from sunning itself in the late afternoon light, stretched, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
AN: Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a review/comment. Hopefully more than a couple of words or a half a sentence.
And while you're hanging around why not check out some of my other work.