Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth and Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo. I own nothing of either of them and make no profit from them. I am only playing in the worlds they gave us.
Took me over a month to even get the first word of this chapter down. Might take me that long or longer again for the next one. Sometimes I regret ever going beyond a one shot with this.
Here's a cautionary note: Stop whining about it every time I mention something about the difficulty Ichigo and Yoruichi have had in dealing with their past. It's an integral part of the story, part of what it's about, as you should be able to figure by reading the summary and that's not going to change.
Considering the absolute mess that my head is these days, there's a fifty/fifty chance that at any point when I hear that complaint again, that this story could come to a sudden end. I could be in the middle of a scene or have five words written...and there's an even chance right now that if you catch me at the wrong time on the wrong day that I would simply post whatever I had and be done with it. Maybe even done for good.
That aspect of the story is there for a reason. If you don't like it, no one is forcing you to read it. I don't remember coming to anyone's house and twisting their arm up behind their back and forcing them to read anything, so enough already. I can only take so much and that limit has almost been met.
Now, with that rant out of the way, here's the next chapter. It turned out better than I thought it would I think, considering how much of a bitch it was to get my head into it and get started.
A Chance Encounter
Chapter 16
On a scale of one to ten, Ruby would have to put her mood right now at a solid ten. A couple of days ago she had gotten to learn a lot more about her favourite professors and there would be more stories coming in a couple of days. She was finally going to learn about what a Zanpakuto really was and given the little bits they had been told about what it could do, it should be awesome.
Class had been awesome too because they had started to really work on their team attacks for the Vytal Festival. There had been lots of sparing and discussion about how to take advantage of different types of terrain since Amity Arena would have several different biomes for the matches to take place in. Ideally, Ichigo and Yoruichi would have liked to have taken them to different locations outside the campus to train in different landscapes but that wasn't really practical from a scheduling standpoint. So instead they had them study matches from previous festivals to see what the different biomes were and how their features could be used to their advantage and how they might be used against them.
Her current happy glow came from the fact that she had just spent some quality time in the maintenance shop with her sweetheart. Crescent Rose had been overdue for her regular maintenance and she had wasted no time after taking an early dinner to rectify that. She lovingly and meticulously disassembled her baby, checking every single part right down to the smallest screw. Every piece was closely inspected, cleaned, and lubricated. Thankfully nothing needed replacing but she did make note of a couple of parts that were starting to show the early signs of wear.
The last part to get her attention was the blade. It wasn't badly in need of service but a little tune up to the edge wouldn't hurt. Given how hard the steel was, necessary since it was vital that it be strong and hold its edge, it could be a little bit of a pain to sharpen, but she didn't mind. Crescent Rose wasn't just a weapon, she was an extension of her and her will to become the best Huntress she could be, so maintaining her was never a chore and always a labour of love. Now if only the others would stop teasing her about that.
After tending to the blade she carefully reassembled her then ran through the mecha shifts, making slight adjustments until the form shifts were as smooth as silk. Next she inspected the plates and springs in all of her spare ammo magazines, and after that Crescent Rose got a good polishing and buffing.
Topping the evening off was a stop by the cafeteria on her way back to the dorms to score a small bag of cookies and a carton of milk. The perfect end to her evening. Or at least it would be if it weren't for one of society's least desirable sub species...the bully.
As far as bullies went, Cardin Winchester wasn't you're typical knuckle dragging thug. He had a pedigree, his family was very well off and a big name in Vale's high society circles. As such, he was a child of privilege and an entitled one at that, thus his belief that he was better than anyone else of lesser standing. Add to that the fact that he was big and strong and that he also had inherited the family penchant for racism and you had all the ingredients for a higher class bully.
His endeavours to establish himself as top dog among the first year students hadn't gone quite as planned however. He had gained a team of like minded individuals who would follow his lead and be unlikely to challenge him. They had followed gladly as he tormented Jaune Arc and as they sought to put that rabbit eared freak in her place, but things quickly began to go south.
It rankled him to think that he owed Arc his life, but he wasn't fool enough to spit in the face of that so he left the boy alone. Especially not when his own team had run like cowards when that Ursa had shown up and he ended up at its mercy. As if that hadn't been humiliating enough, their entire team got thrashed in a four on one fight against Pyrrha Nikos. She hadn't even broken a sweat as she wiped the floor with them.
They had laid low for a while after that but then they ran afoul of Team CFVY. They hadn't even bothered that stupid rabbit lately and were looking at other prey at the time but they were still sore about them harassing her.
Then there was that sawed off bitch professor in the advanced class and her orange haired husband. They had disrespected him and his team, labelled them as inadequate and barely able to meet their criteria for the class. He was not going to let that stand and he intended to drill that purple haired shrimp into the ground. But it didn't work out that way. She avoided his strikes with ridiculous ease, disarmed him like he was a toddler and caved in his chest plate with a strike that looked like it had nothing behind it. It was humiliating and he hated feeling humiliated. He was supposed to be the top dog but he he kept getting hammered down like a loose nail. To top things off they had gotten a lengthy lecture and detention from Professor Goodwitch.
Once again they had kept their heads down and once that had blown over, and in spite of past failures, the itch was still there and there was someone who still needed to be put in their place. A child that shouldn't even be here. Why would the Headmaster let some half pint from Patch into Beacon two years early? He had heard rumours that she had supposedly stopped a robbery at some dust shop. He didn't believe it but so what if she had? How did that qualify her to get in early when there were others who had actually graduated from combat school and who should be here instead?
And just look at her. Wearing that stupid red cape and practically skipping down the hall with her milk and cookies and that big dopey grin on her face. It was pathetic. So pathetic in fact that as she skipped by the doorway he was waiting in, he stuck out his foot and tripped her. She hit the floor with an 'oof', her package of cookies and carton of milk sliding down the hall away from her.
"Owie. What'd you do that for Cardin?"
"What?" he asked innocently. "Not my fault you got your feet tangled up while skipping down the hall like a five year old."
"Maybe you're just a klutz," Russel said as he had the others entered the hall from a classroom across from their leader.
"Maybe when she grows up she'll be a little more coordinated," Sky jabbed.
She was surprised Sky knew a word that big. "Is that what this is about?" she asked with a sigh. "Me getting into Beacon early?"
"What do you know," Cardin said. "She's not as dumb as she looks."
She growled lowly at the insult. "Don't get all upset there Little Red," Dove spoke up. "We're just curious."
"Yeah," Cardin agreed. "We just want to know how you did it. How does a little twerp like you get into a school like Beacon two years early? Because I sure haven't seen anything about you that's all that impressive."
"Why don't you ask Professor Ozpin," she countered. "It was his decision." And there were times where she still wondered why he did it.
"Well he's not here and you are shrimp," Cardin answered with a little more menace in his voice. He cracked his knuckles. "So tell us how you conned your way in."
This was so not good. She had no doubts that if Cardin and his goons really wanted to beat her up, they would, and it wouldn't matter that she was a girl. They'd had no problem in physically abusing Velvet after all. She knew it would be pointless to try and fight her way past them. She wasn't that good at hand to hand yet, she'd only really started to seriously learn unarmed fighting and it was four on one with all of her opponents being bigger and stronger. She did have Crescent Rose but she couldn't use it. Using her weapon outside of the sparring ring and in the school against unarmed opponents no less would get her expelled.
She might be able to use some of what she had learned to foot stomp someone, or hit them in the knee, or give them enough of a shove to upset their balance, but even then her best bet was still to try and make a break for it. They had closed in on her but if she could slip between a couple of them she could use her speed to get away.
Before she could attempt anything, someone moved on her right and she heard a smack and a pop and found herself showered in cookie crumbs. Russel had taken her bag of cookies and punched it between his palm and fist, popping the bag in the process and then dumping it over her head. It was followed almost immediately by the contents of her carton of milk.
They laughed like it was the funniest thing they had ever seen. She could barely see with the milk in her eyes but she thought she had an opening and went for it...only to come up short when Cardin grabbed her hood and yanked back hard, slamming her into the wall. Her Aura absorbed the hit so it didn't really hurt, but the sudden jolt stunned her for a second and she dropped to the floor and found herself sitting in a puddle of milk.
"I think it's time someone put you in your place you little runt," Cardin growled as he loomed over her.
Suddenly all four boys let out surprised grunts and were slammed into the floor. She swiped the milk out of her eyes and it looked to her like the air in front of her was actually shimmering.
"Putting someone in their place," a familiar voice said from down the hall. "Now that's a very timely subject boys."
She looked to see Ichigo, minus his swords, standing at the end of the hall, his long coat swept to the sides and his hands shoved in his pockets. There was a deep scowl on his face as he slowly began to walk towards her and the downed members of Team CRDL, the soles of his boots thudding softly against the floor. They were sweating profusely and struggling in vain to get up, like an invisible weight was pressing them down. She, however, didn't feel anything.
"If anyone needs to be put in their place it's a bunch of punk ass bullies like you four," he said. "And I used to spend a lot of time when I was your age doing just that. Pissed me off because there were better things I could have been doing. But as far as bullies go, the bunch of you aren't all that much to be concerned about."
He stopped in front of them. "A spoiled rich kid and three wannabe's clinging to his coattails and all of you a bunch of racists. You make me sick. If I had my way I'd drag all four of you to the front gate, kick your asses down the road, and tell you to never come back. Fortunately for you it's not my call, it's up to Professor Goodwitch. So, why don't you get up and scurry back to your dorm like the rats that you are and go hide under the bed because it's going to get ugly when she see's the security footage." He let up the pressure on them and they just sagged and laid there trying to catch their breath. "Well, what the hell are you waiting for?!" he bellowed. "Get lost!"
They scrambled to their feet and made a run for it, never looking back.
He turned to the downed girl and offered her his hand, a much lighter look on his face. "You okay Ruby?"
She took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. "Yeah, I'm okay," she said softly. She wouldn't really look at him. While she was glad that he had come along to put the run on CRDL, she was embarrassed to have him see her being their cornered victim.
"We're not far from the locker rooms," he said, well aware of the moment. "You can get cleaned up there then we'll go to the cafeteria and I'll buy you a replacement for what they wrecked."
"Y-you don't have to do that," she said.
"I know," he said as they began walking. "But I want to and I imagine you'd like to relax for a few minutes before you go back to your room to face the Inquisition."
She hadn't thought of that. If she went back to the room in her current messy state, all three of them and especially Yang would want to know what happened and then they'd go on the warpath looking for CRDL. They'd still be wanting blood if she came back in her combat outfit and carrying her soiled clothes, but it would take a little longer and they wouldn't see the evidence right away and start jumping to conclusions quite so quickly before she could explain things. Including the fact that Ichigo had stepped in on her behalf and that Professor Goodwitch would be dealing with the bullies.
"Yeah, you have a point," she conceded.
While she was getting cleaned up he waited down the hall and called Professor Goodwitch to let her know what had happened. Needless to say the woman was not happy and she would be even less pleased when she saw the footage of what they had done for herself. He had only seen the last bit of the incident right before he intervened but the evidence on scene spoke for itself. She was reaching her wits end with CRDL and he almost felt sorry for them. Well, not really, since if he hadn't had to acquiesce to Glynda on the matter he really would have kicked their asses down the road. Literally.
After that call he got in touch with Yoruichi. They had planned to do one of their usual White Fang sweeps through Vale, which now included all of the known hate groups, human or Faunus. It was unlikely that they were going to find much after recent events so they could forgo the sweep for now. Instead she was now going to continue snooping around Cinder and her team a little more as she had been since the final bell and see if there was anything new on that front.
The three members of the team that weren't confined full time to their dorm had recently taken to spending more time away from the room and roaming the campus than they had been, most likely because they were starting to get on each other's nerves a little too much. They hadn't been leaving the campus though, that was too much of a gamble for them now and they weren't allowed to anyway, but they weren't above being out beyond curfew. Ozpin decided to let that slide to give them a bit of a false sense of security and let them assume they were getting away with it. Even Neo had snuck out a couple of times, fortunately it was in her disguise and she didn't interact with anyone. She hadn't cleared the backlog of school work yet and they suspected that was by design.
After about twenty minutes Ruby reappeared dressed in her combat outfit and with her soiled uniform wrapped up in a laundry bag. She was still looking a little sheepish if not outright embarrassed about the whole incident. They had the entire seating area to themselves, with her taking a seat while he went to the kitchen. The staff was just finishing up their post dinner clean up before the night crew would arrive to begin preparations for the next morning. They had no problem handing over a couple of packages of cookies and two cartons of milk, especially after getting a brief run down on why they were there and apologizing for any inconvenience, which they waved off. It seems they were all rather fond of the little reaper.
He watched her for a moment as she quietly opened her snack and took a bite. "So what was their particular reason for bothering you?" he asked.
She sighed. "They wanted to know how I managed to get into Beacon two years early."
"Typical bullies," he responded. "Making a fuss over something that isn't any of their business. Has this happened before?"
She shook her head. "No. Usually it's just people talking when they don't think I can hear them. It...kind of sucks."
"I bet it does," he agreed. "So it's a good thing then that their opinions don't mean anything."
"That doesn't make it any easier to hear though," she said quietly, looking down at the table.
"No it doesn't," he said. "But you've already proven them wrong and that's the best come back you could have against people like that. Just treat their words for what they are...useless background noise."
"Did you ever have to put up with bullies?" she asked.
"All the time," he told her. "It was usually about the colour of my hair. When I was little my friend Tatsuki used to take care of them but as I got older and learned to fight I was able to take care of myself. By the time I was in high school it was almost a daily thing and most of it was a group of guys that were mad because I had already beaten them up. Most of them were too stubborn...or stupid to get the point the first time."
"I was hoping to get past them and get away but it didn't quite work out," she admitted.
"You had the right idea," he assured her. "Using your weapon could have gotten you expelled and trying to take the four of them on by yourself isn't something you're ready to try and do. Odds like that are never good and I'm a poor example to be saying that since I was always too stupid to run and took them all on anyway."
"It's kind of humiliating though to have your combat instructor find you surrounded by bullies and covered in milk and crushed cookies," she lamented.
"I wouldn't sweat it too much," he said. "It could have been worse and if a little wounded pride is all you suffered then that counts as a win. You're still learning so cut yourself some slack."
"I guess," she shrugged. "But I kind of feel like I let you and Yoruichi down by ending up like that."
"If you had tried to take them on, that would have been a let down. Your first attempt to get away didn't work but I'm pretty sure you would have gotten another one." He smirked. "I just happened to come along at the right time."
She suddenly straightened up. "Oh my gosh! I haven't thanked you for helping me. I'm so sorry." She composed herself. "Thank you for helping me Ichigo."
He chuckled. "You're welcome. Do us all a favour though, when you go to tell your team what happened, have Weiss use one of her glyphs to restrain Yang."
He knew Weiss and Blake would be plenty angry enough themselves, knowing how much they all cared about the girl sitting before him, but they would act a bit more rationally about it than big sister would. Besides, Glynda was going to be angry enough without Yang suddenly barging in to get a piece of those four idiots. She was getting better about flying off the handle so quickly and not thinking things through, but it was still a work in progress.
"Hehe," she laughed, rubbing the back of her head. "Yeah, she kind of goes a little overboard sometimes. It's kind of nice though, knowing that my big sister is looking out for me."
"That's why the older sibling is born first," he said. "So they can look after the ones that come later. That's what I was told when my sisters were born and I took it seriously just like your sister does."
"I owe Yang a lot," she said seriously. "After my Mom died...Dad wasn't in very good shape for a while and Yang pretty much raised me. She's kind of part sister, part Mom, and part best friend. I really look up to her a lot and I can't imagine my life without her in it."
"I had to help out a lot with my sisters after we lost our Mom," he said. "They started to become pretty independent at an early age. Once they were old enough Yuzu took over running the house and cooking. She and Karin used to help our Dad out all the time too, he was a doctor and had a small clinic attached to the house. They meant everything to me and the biggest regret of all that I have with what happened is that I didn't get to see them live out their lives and see who and what they became." He smiled. "But, I get the next best thing I guess because we know where their souls ended up."
Her eyes went wide. "You found the souls of your little sisters?" He nodded. "Wait...Yoruichi said their were four more of us that had souls of people you knew. Is it any of us?"
"I can neither confirm nor deny that," he answered with a perfectly neutral tone and expression.
"Whaaa!?" Nooooo! You can't do that to me again!" she wailed. "First the Zanpakuto now this?"
"You'll just have to be patient and wait," he smirked.
"Big meanie," she grumbled, biting off half a cookie. He could only chuckle.
A short while later they had made their way out of the cafeteria and were walking down the hall coming up to her dorm room.
"You didn't have to walk me back," she said. "I'm sure you've probably got more important things to do."
"More important than looking out for one of my students?" he asked. "Not a chance. Besides, what kind of guy would I be to let a young lady walk home alone after having a bad night?"
Right on cue the door opened and there was Yang. "I thought I heard voices. Where have you been Ruby? I was getting worried, you're not usually this late after going to the weapon shop." The little reaper looked a bit sheepish and Yang began to grin. "Oh, I see. You were on a date with Ichigo!"
"Wha-whaat!? Ruby stuttered, turning scarlet. "Yang...no...I"
"Oh my little Ruby is growing up so fast!" she gushed. "And dating a married man too. Who knew you were actually this bold?"
"What in the world is going on out there?!" Weiss called from somewhere inside the room.
Yang ignored her and turned to Ichigo. "I hope you were being a gentleman to my little sister," she said in mock seriousness.
"Perfectly so," he returned, gaining a wide eyed 'not you too' look from Ruby. "For such a lovely young flower I could be no less."
There was now steam coming from the poor girl's ears.
"You must have really made an impression Rubes, I'm proud of you," she grinned. "Gonna give him a goodnight kiss?"
There was a strangled gurgling sound and the girl was gone into the room in a cloud of rose petals.
"Is that a no?" she called after her. She pulled the door shut and turned to Ichigo.
"Couldn't resist huh?" he asked with a smile.
"Big sister's duty," she shrugged. She turned a bit more serious. "So what happened? She's in her battle gear with her uniform in a laundry bag and had that look like there was something she doesn't want to tell me."
"Older sibling's instincts too," he smirked. "There was an incident with Team CRDL." Her eyes flashed red and her fists clenched. He held up his hand to stop her. "I put a stop to it before they could do much and Professor Goodwitch is dealing with them right now, so let her do her thing."
"What did they do?" she growled.
He told her. "When you talk to her act like I didn't tell you, it will be better for her if she tells you herself. If you tell her that I told you she probably won't want to say anymore about it and she doesn't need to bottle any of this up. She's embarrassed and disappointed that one of her combat instructors found her in that situation."
"...Got it," Yang said with a sigh. "Thanks for helping her. When I couldn't get her on her scroll I should have come looking for her."
"Blame me," he said. "Afterwards I had her go get cleaned up and we talked a bit in the cafeteria over milk and cookies, otherwise she would have been back sooner."
She pointed at the sword sticking up over his shoulder. "Geez, between weapons and milk and cookies you've figured out the way to her heart." She smirked. "You sure I don't have to worry about you seducing my little sister?"
"If I were to try that it means I'd run up against her big sister and I don't want that," he said with a grin.
"Darn right you don't," she grinned right back.
He turned to leave. "See you in class tomorrow."
"Sure thing," she said. "And thanks again... Big Bro."
Like last time, he felt that little spike from her soul, but unlike that time he wasn't rendered immobile. He just smiled as he went on his way.
Elsewhere
The training for the Onmitsukido was brutal, far harsher than the training regimen of any of the other squads of the Gotei 13. Some who made the selection process washed out quickly, others fell out further on. Some even died, though steps were taken to ensure that wasn't a regular occurrence. For nearly all who joined and tried to make the cut, failure was not an option. For some it was a matter of personal pride, for others it was a familial obligation that if not met resulted in great shame. But when the Onmitsukido and the entire Second Division was pretty much the family business, rising to the top and becoming the best was the only option.
And there had been none better than Yoruichi Shihoin.
It was in her blood, almost literally with her family having served at the head of the division for generations and despite how arduous the training was, there was never a single moment when she thought she wouldn't excel or surpass the benchmarks set by her predecessors.
The most secure location in all of the Seitreitei was the Central 46 compound and its inner chambers and she had infiltrated that with little difficulty, not being spotted until she was within the Inner Chamber and she let them know she was there. Sneaking into and out of places in the world of the living had been child's play by comparison and she had tested herself by following people for days, people who even though they were normal, mundane humans, had been highly trained to be stealth agents themselves and to know when they were being tailed.
Remnant was little different. Huntsmen and Huntresses were more adept with those specifically trained in stealth techniques being quite good, but if she could evade even the best Shinigami, they didn't have a chance against her. Students at a Huntsmen Academy...even people posing as such...they had even less of a chance. Especially when she looked like nothing more than an innocent little black cat.
Shortly after classes had ended for the day she had gone for a little walk around the campus to unobtrusively see what was going on. She expected nothing but was not entirely surprised when she saw Emerald and Mercury prowling around. Sightings of any of the group of infiltrators roving the campus had been rare even after they had regained most of their freedom but these two looked like they were in full intel gathering mode again, no matter how hard they tried not to.
She shadowed them as they wandered the campus, keeping to the bushes or even the trees as much as possible. No point being too visible even in cat form. She didn't need some cat lover spotting her and trying to catch the cute little kitty. Their wandering seemed aimless until finally they spotted a pair of students who seemed to catch their interest. They weren't wearing Beacon uniforms and she pegged them for exchange students.
One girl had pale skin and a freckled face framed by orange hair with a pink bow tied into it, and wore a white blouse with a short grey pinafore dress and black leggings with a green stripe down the sides. The other girl had dark skin and short navy blue hair topped by a blue beret. There was some kind of a marking in the middle of her forehead that she couldn't quite make out the details of from a distance. She was wearing an off white, button down shirt, a blue skirt, and fingerless black gloves that went up to her elbows.
Cinder's flunkies seemed to argue with each other for a moment before settling in to just follow and observe from a distance and she did the same. The two girls seemed to be headed for the school's air pad and in the distance she could see a small Atlesian airship waiting. At one point they had to step off the path and into the grass as a group of students carelessly rushed by and nearly ran into them, earning them a pretty severe look from the shorter of the two. When they got to that spot Mercury looked down then stopped, even going to one knee to take a closer look. After turning to say something to his partner he stood back up and they resumed their tracking.
As they carried on she trotted over to the spot to see what had caught his attention. A few feet of the ground off the sidewalk was threadbare of grass and was soft due to rain that had fallen for much of the early afternoon. Where the girls had stepped off there were very distinct shoe impressions. The smaller girl, who Yoruichi figured likely didn't weigh more than a hundred pounds at the most, left an impression that was about three quarters of an inch deep.
The orange haired girl, who was a little taller and built a little bit bigger, had left an impression that had to be at least three inches deep if not more. She didn't think Ichigo would leave an impression that deep so how did a girl of that size leave such a deep footprint? Using her speed she zipped ahead and found some cover as close to the two girls as she could as they were about to walk onto the concrete landing zone. She paid strict attention to the way the larger girl walked and there seemed to be a slightly stiff rhythm to her gait.
It wasn't highly noticeable, but if you were paying close attention you could tell and it wasn't all that different to the way Mercury walked and she knew the cause for him was that both of his legs were prosthetic. While something like that might explain the way the girl walked, it didn't explain the reason for the deep impression she had left in the soft ground. She let her senses wash over her and frowned as best as a cat could. She could definitely feel the girl's soul but something was off. She couldn't tell what it was that was different, but there was definitely something odd about the connection between this girl's soul and body. She had never felt something like this before.
She would need to find out who these girls were and where they were from, anything she could find out about them really. Hopefully that would give a clue as to why Cinder's little helpers, and probably Cinder herself, had such an interest. Too bad she wasn't in her human form, she would have had her scroll with her and could have taken a picture. It might make the process a little easier.
She continued to follow until the two girls boarded the Atlesian shuttle then followed Mercury and Emerald back to the school, getting as close as she could to hear their conversation. Not surprisingly it was the orange haired girl they were most interested in and they were planning to continue observing her over the next few days.
Once they went back to their dorm she disengaged and roamed the campus for a while, sitting and observing as most of the student body began making their way to the cafeteria for dinner. As her students went by she smirked as Ruby rambled on about going to the weapon's shop later to tune up Crescent Rose and she observed Pyrrha wearing a very severe 'why won't he notice me' look on her face as she walked next to Jaune. The boy must have missed another fairly obvious sign again...she would definitely have to stick her nose into that issue.
When things died down she went back to the combat arena and reverted back to her human form and got dressed. Ichigo had made a quick trip out via garganta to check conditions outside the city with Tensa and Shiro and would be back sometime after dinner so she busied herself with some class paperwork, making notes about their student's performance that day and updating their progress. She was just wrapping that up when Ichigo called her and told her what happened with Ruby. They had planned to go White Fang scouting but considering how quiet things had been lately they could afford to skip it tonight.
After teasing him by telling him to make sure he got Ruby home at a reasonable hour after their date, she went off to spy on Cinder and her group again. There likely wouldn't be much going on this evening but there was always a possibility of something coming up. If it was too boring maybe she'd find some way of antagonizing them a little just for fun.
She changed into cat form on the roof above their dorm and jumped down to the ledge that ran under the windows and sat just off to the side and out of immediate sight of the room. Cinder wasn't there but Mercury, Emerald, and Neo were. With a bit of concentration she located Cinder's spirit energy as she seemed to be casually strolling through the campus. Chances were good that the woman was scouting out the campus, something she would have had little opportunity to do to any great degree before they got into trouble and were confined to their dorm for a while. She would be doing the same thing if it was her and especially now before the grounds became cluttered with the booths and attractions related to the Vytal Festival.
That meant however that she would be now subjected to the constant bickering of Emerald and Mercury. If you didn't know them or couldn't feel and differentiate the nuances of spirit energy, you might mistake them for a couple that was actually into each other and covered up their inability to admit to it and act on it by arguing. Boy, would you be wrong. She could tell even without reading their spirit energy that the animosity between them was very real. So real that she was surprised that they didn't come to blows and do so quite regularly.
They would argue about anything and everything and Mercury enjoyed pushing her buttons just a little too much. Since Cinder wasn't around to tell them to knock it off or threaten to immolate them, this was likely to go on unabated until the woman got back. Occasionally they were entertaining but she had heard too much of it by now to be overly amused anymore. She wasn't likely to mine any nuggets of information out of this tonight.
For her part, Neo was trying her best to ignore them by looking at something on her scroll. Trying and failing if the tightening of her facial muscles and the way her hands were starting to shake with the effort to keep from snapping her scroll into pieces were any indication. She almost felt sorry for Torchwick's little helper. Being cooped up in the dorm room, having to wade through schoolwork she had no interest in or need for, and having to live with the other three and listen to this near constant sideshow. Almost, but not quite. Neo and Torchwick had gotten themselves into this, but she couldn't help but wonder what the girl would think if she knew what the real endgame was. She had learned from her interrogation of Torchwick just how much, or how little, they had been told. Once she had gotten through his arrogant, condescending, smooth criminal act, by demonstrating just how much pain and discomfort she could put him through without even having to touch him, the real conversation had begun.
She made it very clear to him that Cinder's plan went well beyond just aiding the White Fang and terrorizing Vale and wrecking the Vytal Festival. Made him understand that if he was afraid of the power Cinder wielded, and he was, then he really didn't want to meet the person pulling her strings. She told him just enough to make him realize this was real end of the world stuff. He may have been all for creating some mayhem, even on a large scale, but even he wasn't all for ending the world. He liked to think of himself as a person who could and would survive whatever came along, but she made him realize that he really was nothing more than a little fish in a very big pond.
With Cinder he had fallen into an obvious trap and he knew it from the start. He knew that the absurd amount of money she was willing to throw at him spelled nothing but trouble but he accepted those bad odds and took the gamble. It didn't take long for him to realize that the chances of him ever getting to enjoy that money were slim and he'd do well to survive. He had nothing against getting his hands dirty and doing dirty and dangerous jobs. He preferred to set things up and do them his way and on his own timetable. Plan them out, be ready for any contingency, and do the job in the least obtrusive way possible.
Haste and carelessness led to complications and that led to unwanted scrutiny. He hadn't been as successful as he was or survived in Remnant's seedy underbelly as long as he had by being stupid or careless. He certainly wasn't above getting blood on his hands but a quick clean heist was a successful one and blood brought heat he didn't need or want. His dealings with Cinder had been fraught with complications he didn't want, mainly in the form of a certain red hooded Huntress in training and her friends.
In hindsight, he knew he should have refused the job, but he also knew that there was no guarantee that Cinder wouldn't have killed him for it and he couldn't get out of the job once he took it for the certainty that she would kill him if he tried. But the money had been obscenely good, so good that he was willing to ignore his instincts and Neo's misgivings. Good enough that he even let himself get arrested as part of the plan, although the threat of being burned alive may have had a little more to do with it. He was trapped in the plan by that point anyway so he might as well carry on with it.
He hadn't counted though on her and Ichigo entering the mix and throwing a monkey wrench into the works.
At the end of their conversation he had asked her if Neo was alright and if she was, he asked her to try and make sure she stayed that way. With it clear now that he shouldn't be expecting his partner to break him out, he wanted to make sure that she didn't get barbecued by Cinder. She asked him why she should, what did Neo mean to him? He wouldn't give a direct or full answer and she wasn't even specifically looking for that. He said, "Lets just say that despite everything else, I am not a totally heartless bastard."
She couldn't make any guarantees and wasn't about to and she told him that. But, she would see how things went and would see what she could do. As far as she was concerned they could both take the consequences for their actions and anything she needed from either of them she could wring out of them with or without their open cooperation. But, it never hurt to keep an open mind and see where things led.
In the dorm room, Neo had reached the end of her patience and abruptly stood, pointing her umbrella menacingly at the two arguing idiots. She activated her Semblance and in little more than the blink of an eye she went from an outfit that consisted of a cropped, broad tailed white jacket, brown pants, a brown corset and white knee boots, to a sleeveless black blouse with white frills on the chest and collar, a knee length blue skirt, black shoes, and white leg warmers. Her hair was now also black and styled in twin tails. It was her exchange student disguise. She hooked her umbrella on the white belt that circled her waist and used her Semblance to hide it's presence. Giving the two lackeys the finger, she stormed out of the room. Going back up to the roof and dressing, Yoruichi made to follow her.
Even though she was in disguise, and angry, Neo didn't just stomp her way through the main hallways of the school. She used lesser travelled corridors or outside pathways, avoiding the few other people that were out and about as much as possible. Yoruichi stayed out of her sight, tracking her movements by her spirit energy. Before long she had a pretty good idea where the girl was going and she called Ichigo to let him know and told him what she was thinking. Shortly, Neo entered one of the practice arenas and she told Ichigo which one and told him what she wanted him to do. She gave it about ten minutes before sneaking inside.
The room was mostly dark except for some dim lighting over the arena floor itself, so it was little trouble remaining unseen in the shadows. Neo hadn't wasted much time and was taking out her frustrations on what seemed to be two imagined opponents. No big stretch to guess who she was thinking of as she went through the motions of said exercise.
"How about a real live sparring partner," she spoke as she exited the shadows. "It would be better practice if nothing else."
Neo nearly jumped out of her skin and she wasn't an easy person to sneak up on and startle. She took a defensive posture and was clearly ready to bolt.
"Relax," she said, holding up her hand. "I know what your situation is but I'm not going to rat you out for being out of your dorm. If I was in your shoes I'd be going stir crazy too. Especially if I had to listen to those two team mates of yours argue like an old married couple all the time." The girl seemed to relax a little. "I think I'd be tempted to smother them in their sleep."
Neo nodded rather enthusiastically to that.
"So, how about it?" Yoruichi asked as she took off her jacket and draped it over the railing that circled the fighting ring. "Up for a little spar?"
Neo smirked and nodded and had to suddenly raise her umbrella up to block a punch. She hadn't even seen Yoruichi move until the last second.
"Nice reflexes," the were-cat grinned. She jumped over an attempted leg sweep and batted aside an upward, follow up jab with the umbrella. Neo spun back the other way with a kick as she rose and that was blocked as well. She had to hop back from a quick jab that just scraped against her cheek but then bounced forward and executed a series of jabs with the umbrella that Yoruichi deflected to either side with palm strikes.
Neo lunged and turned it unto a cartwheeling pass, reversing her grip on the umbrella and trying to hook her opponents ankle with the crook of the handle. She succeeded but Yoruchi turned it into a full front flip followed immediately by a mule kick that just whispered by Neo's chin as she back flipped away from it. Yoruichi spun and came at her with a flurry of punches and kicks, all just fast enough to be a challenge but still within what Neo could handle, if only just.
She gave the girl an opening to counterattack and she didn't waste it. The next several minutes were filled with quick paced punches and kicks, umbrella jabs and swipes, and flips and jumps that seemed to defy gravity. Things were brought to a pause after Yoruichi landed a stiff punch to the middle of the chest that sent Neo sliding back.
"So who taught you to fight?" Yoruichi asked. "Because your style doesn't really look like something Roman could have taught you." Neo's eyes went wide. "You had the right idea by the way, when you were trying to stay off campus. I mean, whoever crafted your fake student ID had to be an idiot. Then again, the whole group infiltration probably would have worked since the school had gotten lazy when it came to handling visiting students but you can blame my husband and I for messing with that. We noticed an Aura that was too strong to actually be a student and went digging from there. We figured a few things out and I got Roman to fill in several blanks for me."
Neo gave her and angry and incredulous look.
"What...you don't believe that Roman spilled the beans? Child, I can make anyone talk and I don't have to even lay a hand on them to do it. Didn't leave a mark on Roman but he sure felt like he'd had the crap kicked out of him by the time it was over."
With a silent snarl Neo launched into a full out attack, hoping to skewer the grinning woman on the extended point of her umbrella, but every blow was deflected or sidestepped with ridiculous ease. She created an illusion of herself lunging toward her with the intent of using it as a momentary distraction as she changed direction and stabbed her from behind. But much to her shock Yoruichi shattered the illusion with a kick that caught her in the guts and sent her tumbling across the arena floor.
"Is that all you've got?" the dark skinned beauty asked. "My husband can get me breathing harder than this just by taking off his shirt. By the way, I can sense and see right through your illusions. If I want to I can cancel them out as you try to make them as soon as I feel your Aura shift."
Neo was gobsmacked and could feel panic starting to creep in. This woman had been toying with her, handling her like she was a rank amateur. As she was trying to get her wind back her eyes darted around, looking for escape routes. If she couldn't rely on her Semblance to trick the woman she would have to find a way to slip past her and run for it.
"I see what you're doing and I'll make it easy for you," Yoruichi said, a grin still plastered to her face. "There are two ways in and out of this room. The first is the one you came in through, the second is an emergency exit on the opposite side of the room. Give it your best shot. Use every ounce of fighting skill you have and see if you can get past me to one of them. It's the only choice you really have."
It really was and so she did, pulling out all the stops and using every trick she could. She let her desperation fuel her. She didn't know what fate was in store for her if she failed but she didn't want to end up in jail and she didn't want to die. It had been a while since she had run up against an opponent that she hadn't been able to defeat easily or even toy with like this woman was doing with her, but that didn't mean she was rusty. Her stabs and strikes were precise and delivered with power that belied her stature. Every acrobatic move was spot on yet she couldn't land a hit. She had even tried using her Semblance and just as she had been told the illusions either fell apart or didn't form at all.
She was seeing now that the information she had dug up on this woman and her husband at Cinder's request, as little as it was, had been accurate. They were definitely people to be reckoned with. Yoruichi moved around her with such ease and fluidity. Her movements were effortless as she twisted and turned or simply made just the slightest move to avoid being hit by the narrowest of margins. And all the while she was grinning like a madwoman and taunting her about being slow. After several minutes she began striking back with just her hands and feet instead of simply dodging or deflecting and the strikes were sharp and hard, carving off chunks of her Aura.
She was losing and she knew it. She had been hoping to find just one little weakness, find one little mistake that left an opening for her to exploit, but there had been nothing. Suddenly there was an opening and it came so suddenly that she nearly missed it. She stabbed out desperately and the sharp point of her umbrella penetrated deep into the centre of the dark skinned woman's torso. She began to break into a triumphant grin but the sight before her began to waver and distort and come apart.
She had seen this before! On her scroll, the video where Taurus had been slapped around like a helpless novice. Before she could react any further she was sent sprawling by a hard kick right in the ass. In a mix of anger and humiliation she shot to her feet and charged, only to be met with a hard right that sent her flying and tumbling across the floor, breaking her Aura and her nose. She started to get up, her face throbbing and blood dribbling down over her lips. She had landed only a few steps away from one of the gaps in the railing that surrounded the ring and it was on a direct line that would get her to the emergency exit.
She wasted no time getting up and sprinting for it, but the moment the shadows swallowed her she ran into something hard and was sent tumbling back into the weak light of the ring. An odd sound came to her ears, a low, breathy growl. Looking up she saw two deathly pale hands come down on the railing to either side of the gap. The long fingers were tipped with sharp claws and there were tufts of red fur around the wrists. Something began to appear out of the gloom, looming over her. Two long bone white horns came into view, originating out from the sides of a head covered in the same bone white material.
At first she thought it was a Grimm, but it clearly wasn't and looked to be human, or humanoid at least. The entire head was concealed by a skeletal white mask, complete with sinister looking teeth. Black lines ran down the face and through the eye holes and down over the cheek bones. A strangled whimper escaped her otherwise silent lips. The eyes!...Gods...the sclera was as black as the darkest night and the pupils were a sickly, malignant yellow.
As the creature continued to emerge from the darkness she saw the same red fur circling its neck as circled its wrists. All of the visible skin was alabaster white and the body was made up of defined muscle and...there was a perfectly round hole in the middle of its chest that went all the way through. The creature growled again, a little louder this time, streamers of vapour escaping from between its teeth. She was hit with a sensation that was like a million tiny spiders made of pure, cold maliciousness crawling under her skin and trying to burrow into her bones.
She whimpered again and nearly voided her bladder. She was terrified out of her mind and shaking violently. She was on the verge of hyperventilating and nearly choked as she sucked some of the blood streaming from her nose back into her throat. She began to scurry backwards, trying to get away but was suddenly stopped by a knee between the shoulder blades and the crook of her umbrella being hooked around her throat and up under her jaw.
Yoruichi's head appeared over her right shoulder. When she spoke her voice was cold and deadly serious. "Now that we've really gotten your undivided attention, I think the three of us should have a nice long talk don't you? It's always good for young people like yourself to discuss their prospects for the future... or if there's even going to be one."
AN: Hope you enjoyed it and I hope you leave a review...hopefully one that actually says something. And while you're hanging around, feel free to check out my other stories.
Remember, idiots and trolls need not bother and will be dealt with accordingly.