"Winter, wait!" Weiss called out again and was completely ignored once more. This is ridiculous! Her sister wasn't like that, someone who ran away! In that case, I can no longer treat her the same way. A bold but necessary choice! "I told you to wait!"
Weiss wielded Myrtenaster and made use of her Semblance to produce a Glyph in Winter's path, forcing her to stop outside the academy, where there was no one else around.
An action that succeeded in bringing Winter back to her senses.
That's because, during the entire distance taken, her mind was elsewhere... or on someone else.
Uchiha Sasuke, the Moonlight Shadow, who could have changed the world for the better but was still a great threat.
Before she saw him just now, Winter was in a meeting with Ozpin, Glynda, and her General, discussing details about the upcoming initiation, and out of nowhere she was... invited to leave the room!
Apparently, she had positive feelings for the enemy and this made her biased, possibly compromising future actions taken toward Uchiha Sasuke.
The absurdity of such a claim!
While she wouldn't deny having felt something unknown for that little god, she wasn't seduced or anything of the sort!
Otherwise, why would she choose to walk away from him?
That was her choice and there was nothing wrong with her... kind of.
She was certainly acting out of the ordinary but only because she was confused.
That didn't mean she was compromised or anything like that!
All this frustration inevitably turned against the cause that resulted in the loss of her hard-earned trust.
So as she made her way down that elevator, Winter could only think about that Uchiha and all that he had caused.
However, it was enough to see him again for that feeling that made her heart flutter to resurface and lose her hitherto unshakable composure.
In this case, unfortunately, the General's claim wasn't entirely unfounded and it stirred her in the worst way.
As if having to cope with this internal conflict and a possible demotion of her position wasn't enough, now there was her jealous little sister to deal with, willing or not, if this Glyph blocking her path meant that much.
"Weiss Schnee," Winter was in no mood for any of this, reluctantly turning to this girl with ice in her eyes. "Are you out of your mind?!"
It had to be, for her to be so bold!
"No, but I think you are!" Weiss wouldn't mince her words, not with someone she almost didn't recognize, "Running away like that from your own sister!"
"Don't get so full of yourself, Weiss," Winter, for a second, thought she was talking to her father and it was getting the best of her. "I'm not running away from you!"
Such a notion was simply ridiculous!
"Then talk to me!" Weiss tried again, almost shouting. I hate talking like that.
That's because only one person in the family tried to order the others that way, and she was sure Winter knew it too.
After all, they were both raised to be a damn copy of Jacques Schnee.
Winter didn't say anything right away, knowing something was wrong just by seeing that almost sad look on a face that was so angry.
"All right, Weiss," she gave in, trying to pull herself together and focus on this sister of hers who seemed to have changed in those few days away from home. Just like I possibly changed on this day.
All because of the same boy.
"What do you want to talk about?" a rhetorical question, she knew, having only one subject at hand. "If it's about Uchiha Sasuke, you don't have to worry, I won't try to steal your romantic interest."
"Hmph, you can try if you want," Weiss didn't flinch at her sister's disinterested provocation, having come to the conclusion that she would take on anyone for Sasuke's heart. Even if that someone is the image of perfection that I have spent my life longing for.
An attitude that was even more surprising to Winter.
"You...really have changed, Weiss," she was sure of it now, having never seen that kind of confidence in her little sister, not even when she was fighting that possessed armor, all for her freedom. "Does that boy mean that much to you? When you barely know him?"
I know more than you can imagine, Weiss wanted to say aloud but restrained herself so as not to end up making the mistake of divulging more information about Sasuke. "As incredible as it sounds, yes, he does."
It was as strange to admit this as it was liberating.
Something hard to accept for someone who prized logic over emotion.
"You have known him for no more than two days, so how can you have such confidence in your words?" Winter simply didn't understand; how she herself was being shaken by that boy. "Even more so when he possesses so much power, being able to destroy everything if he so desires." The fears that were influencing the General's emotional response had motives and were there to create this argument that was part of her conflict. "You...don't fear him?"
A question to consider.
That was because only an idiot would ignore Sasuke's destructive capabilities.
Obviously, if he wanted to, dominating or even destroying this world would be a joke to him, but that was clearly not his goal.
If everything Weiss learned and her theories were true, Sasuke wasn't even in Remnant because he wants to be.
So much so that he was willing to give power to some people to help him; power that could change the course of this world for better or worse.
Above all that, there was his heart.
Sasuke might look cold on the outside, but he definitely had a loving heart beating inside him.
"I'm not afraid," Weiss finally replied, but that wasn't quite the truth. "At least, not anymore." At first, it was almost impossible not to feel such emotion at being exposed to that cold, dark Aura. I wonder if this applies to Ruby as well. The girl seemed unable to grasp the weight of the situation even when her sister Yang clearly feared Sasuke. But I bet she, as well as Blake, share the kind of fear I feel. The possibility of him returning to his world after dealing with whoever made him come to Remnant in the first place and never seeing him again. Not that Winter needs to know that.
Especially when this sister of hers could have leaked information to General Ironwood.
"While you are correct about me knowing him for a short time, I have been exposed to his Aura; his soul, more than once, and have learned things about him that cannot be put into words." Weiss smiled, still feeling the cozy warmth of his embrace just now. As well as long-forgotten memories about our mother. "I wish you were here when all that happened, to feel and remember the heart that dwells in you, too."
Winter didn't say anything about this, nor did she know if she could say anything at all.
Merely seeing Uchiha Sasuke express innocence and purity despite all he was capable of, managed to shake her heart, so what would happen if she was exposed to his soul that many claims to be pure and full of love?
Winter wanted to know the answer to that; to appease her confusion and unknown feelings.
I'll talk to him later, she decided, choosing to face the source of her problem directly or else there would be no peace in her heart. "I can't say I understand, but at least I won't jump to conclusions anymore."
Weiss couldn't ask for much more.
"I appreciate that," she really did, except that wasn't the reason she wanted to have this conversation at all. "Winter, I have a question."
Time to get to the point.
"What would it be?" Winter preferred to hear it first, trying to keep her promise but failing to imagine only the worst. She's going to ask me if I like him, isn't she?
To her surprise and relief, it wasn't something so juvenile that was bothering her little sister.
"Was it you who revealed Sasuke's identity to General James Ironwood?" Weiss wanted to be wrong about it and hoped her sister could confirm that for her. Otherwise...
She didn't even like to think about it.
"What? Where did you get that from?" Winter wanted to know how Weiss had come to that conclusion before saying anything.
"Earlier, in my room, you only reacted to Sasuke after hearing his name, implying that you knew about him but not what he looked like and before you left, I'm sure you took a picture of him," Weiss elaborated and her sister was silent, soon blushing? Why is she... Then she remembered what she wished was a lie. "Y-You took that picture for evidence, right?"
Winter blushed even more, especially after remembering that she was using that photo as the wallpaper of her Scroll.
A completely unconscious decision, as was the mere act of having taken that picture in the first place.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Winter would die first before admitting to having done that, deciding to ignore this accusation and move on with her explanation, "It was Ozpin who shared the information about Uchiha Sasuke's name. After that, I went after you, so I didn't have a chance to learn about his appearance, justifying my surprise at that moment."
Weiss didn't know if she believed this sister of hers or not, but at least she would admit that it made sense.
"So Ozpin already knew everything?" Somehow, that didn't surprise her, considering who they were talking about. Now, Weiss wanted to know what the implications behind that were. "Winter, is there any chance of them trying something against Sasuke?"
One dangerous question to ask.
"Worried about what might happen to him?" again, Winter dodged a direct answer. Not that I know, anyway.
Except for the initiation and the test Ozpin intended to perform, she was deprived of any other information.
"No, not with Sasuke." It would be foolish to worry about the safety of someone so strong, Weiss knew. "The result of a large-scale conflict, however, is certainly something to be avoided."
There was no telling how Sasuke would react to being confronted directly.
The last time something similar happened, all the Grimm in the kingdom were wiped out.
That was because, despite having goodness in his heart, inevitably, just like in anyone else, there was also evil in Sasuke.
Considering the power displayed, Winter could understand where such concern came from.
If the Atlas Army really did attack Uchiha Sasuke, the result would be catastrophic.
"I don't know," she said what she could and her little sister clearly didn't believe her, "I was... expelled from the meeting Ozpin and the General are having about Uchiha Sasuke."
Something hard to admit.
"Why would they do that?" Weiss didn't expect that, and her sister smiled almost sadly to say something that made her sympathize.
"Apparently," Winter couldn't look her little sister in the eye, feeling weak for it, "I have...feelings for him."
Saying this out loud seemed revealing, but not so much as it was embarrassing.
"Do you?" Weiss couldn't help but ask.
"I don't know." After all, how could Winter do when the mere concept was non-existent to her?
If Weiss thought she had been restricted while growing up, she had no idea what Winter had to go through when their mother had broken down while being used by Jacques as a mere tool.
Winter, unlike Weiss, had no one.
There was only her sword and the path to becoming stronger.
James might have reached out to her later, but only to have one more weapon to use; to cultivate her to become the next Winter Maiden, as if her name was a sign of predestination.
Or the irony of a bitter fate.
Weiss didn't get a chance to say anything, not having that option when suddenly, for no more than a moment, familiar coldness sent shivers down her and her sister's spine.
"That..." Winter felt her heart sink with sudden fear, going on guard to fight back and only then cogitate on the source of this oppressive feeling based on the look on her little sister's face. "Don't tell me that's what I think it is?"
There was only one person whose description of power matched this feeling just now.
"Looks like some idiot managed to make Sasuke angry, again." Weiss inevitably thought of Yang or any other girl who didn't know their place. I hate to admit it, but someone should always be there by his side.
That way, prevent something like this from happening again.
"So it really was him..." Winter pressed her hand over her chest, feeling uneasy. Was it for someone like that that my heart moved?
To her, this Uchiha seemed to be someone just like James, overly emotional.
A bad trait to have with such power or authority.
Still... She couldn't forget that solemn expression shown earlier by this boy; a pure side of someone who inevitably had hatred inside him. It reminds me of why I used to ignore my feelings.
It was more trouble than it was worth.
"I'll be going now." Weiss wouldn't stand still when something bad could happen otherwise. But first, she couldn't forget this conflicted sister of hers. "I had my doubts before, too." There were still many in her mind, but Weiss would wait patiently to learn more. "However, truly knowing him changes all that."
That was all she had to say, leaving Winter with words to ponder.
Winter watched her little sister's back as she headed toward the most dangerous entity in the world without hesitation, being unable to try to stop her when she knew it would be a wasted effort.
"I think Weiss has done more than change," she could see that now, inevitably showing a semblance of a rare smile on her face. "She has matured more in these two days than she has in the last ten years."
A notion that seemed ridiculous but was nonetheless true.
"Now," Winter looked toward the horizon, contemplating. "What should I do?"
A question whose answer would only show itself to her when the doubts in her heart were appeased.
To do that, Winter needed to confront the root of the problem in the form of a boy who refused to leave her mind.
Sasuke remained silent, watching this boy kneeling before him while ignoring the inevitable attention such an unexpected development was bound to bring.
There was something, however, that he needed to consider while ignoring everything else.
This is not Naruto, he reminded himself. No matter how much the parallels between this guy and that idiot exist, they are not the same.
Otherwise, wouldn't Weiss be his alternate version?
Suddenly, such a comparison made his stomach sink, as yet another parallel showed itself with the stupid blond with enormous power chasing the talented heir of a great family.
Except, in this case, it was in a...romantic way.
What a nightmare. Sasuke was grateful that Naruto and he were reincarnations of brothers and born men. Otherwise, my life really would be hell.
Even more than it already was.
That's because if that idiot was already tormenting him the way it was, imagine one of them being a woman.
Merely thinking about it stirred his Chakra in a bad way and Sasuke needed to distract himself with something else.
"Jaune, was it?" he asked just to be sure and wanted to break this boy's head for his overly excited response.
"Yes, master!" Jaune didn't measure words to get on the good side of this supreme being and didn't get a very good answer from his desperate attempt. Too soon?
He had no idea.
"Don't call me that." Sasuke couldn't stand the notion of having someone like that, blond and stupid, worship him so openly. I suppose the alternative would be far worse.
Unfortunately, this idiot wasn't done surprising him, and not in a good way.
"Hmm, big brother?" Jaune tried again and regretted it to his soul at the noticeable chill in the air and the cracking of the floor beneath the feet of this god who looked even more imposing and menacing than he already was. I think I want my mom...
Not that she could save him or anyone else in this world, really.
"Don't call me that either," Sasuke felt his eyes change pattern for no more than a second as he lost some control due to sudden anger, adding, "never again."
His only brother was Itachi and he was completely in his past now.
It didn't matter if Naruto and he had shared that bond in a past life, Sasuke no longer had a family and was alone.
Or so he thought when in reality there was always, no matter what, someone by his side.
Even in another world, in the form of girls who surely sensed this peak of his Aura and would come running to check him out.
What am I doing? Sasuke took a deep breath, calming himself as he saw this Jaune trembling before him. Making the same mistakes, time after time?
If it continued like that, nothing would change.
No matter what bonds I form in this world, they are as temporary as my stay here, that was something Sasuke needed to keep in mind. What do I do with this Jaune, then?
Just because he came to a conclusion doesn't mean that he would become friends with this boy.
One blond with blue eyes was already bad enough.
As for Jaune, the cold message was received flawlessly and rejection was becoming all he knew.
"I-I'm sorry," he said in dismay at not being able to do anything right or he wouldn't be at Beacon without cheating. "I-I just wanted to be...better, like you, more confident, cool, and popular with the girls."
Sasuke listened silently, wondering what was good about being popular.
Sure, there were some advantages, he would admit.
Girls with feelings for him were easy to manipulate, so Ruby, Weiss, and Blake were among his choices of allies, ruling out that woman who took him to the police station even though she was clearly stronger and possessed a Semblance that could be useful to him.
Glynda Goodwitch was a grown and centered woman, not showing even one kind of positive feeling for him. Meaning that she was experienced and had control over herself, to the point that she was not carried away by mere appearance.
Above all, there was apparent loyalty to that Ozpin, someone who reminded Sasuke of the third Hokage and that couldn't be a good thing.
That way, trying to recruit her could end up being a problem that Sasuke had neither the time nor the patience to deal with.
Something similar could be said about that woman in red that he killed.
Another advantage that popularity brought, in case he was a normal and immoral teenager, would be lust.
Daily satisfaction with different girls was possible, as revolting as it was.
Possibly one of the goals of this Jaune or any other hormonal boy.
Otherwise, popularity only brought headaches.
Especially for Sasuke, someone who preferred silence and being alone.
Well, I suppose saying a few things won't result in the end of the world. Sasuke could imagine that if it was Naruto in his place and he had someone who remembered him asking to be his student, the idiot would be more than happy to help. As well as, maybe and only maybe, this Jaune might be useful to me later.
Unlikely, but if Naruto had reached the level he was at, regardless of his dependence on an absurd amount of external factors like the Bijuus and natural energy, nothing was impossible.
"There's nothing to teach," Sasuke surprised this blond by extending a friendly?hand to him. "Just ignore them and spend your time and efforts on becoming a better version of yourself."
Jaune hadn't expected any of this, shyly taking the offered hand as he was placed on his feet.
"Th-thank you," he said clumsily, still confused by this sudden change but wouldn't put too much thought into it as valuable tips were being given to him! "I-I understand the part about becoming better," mostly because he really needed it, "but doesn't ignoring them kind of go against the purpose of being popular?"
Especially when they were the ones ignoring him?
"Girls have no interest in what they can have at any time," Sasuke looked this Jaune up and down and he blushed like a little girl, explaining a lot about him. "Not that it will make much difference in your case."
A girl would have to be desperate to give an hour of her day to someone like that, clumsy, weak, and with no sense of reality.
"Ohh! I get it!" Jaune would pretend he wasn't offended just now, focusing on one of life's secrets! "Girls want a challenge!"
That made so much sense if he thought about it!
After all, he had many sisters who liked to talk about boys and it was always about someone...too good to be real.
"Something like that." Sasuke was no expert, but he wasn't blind to some details either. If Naruto had been less loud, and annoying and stopped dressing like a clown, even he would have had some female admirers that were not limited to that Hyuga. A mystery of the world. "Other than that, strength is also a factor to take into consideration."
Blake was there to prove that women were instinctively attracted to strong men.
That or she was crazy.
Hard to say which one.
"Is-is that so?" Jaune was breaking into a cold sweat about this topic, being weak to the point that this guy could see it from afar. Was it because of those super cool eyes?
A unique characteristic that surely made this guy so popular with the girls.
"Don't move." Sasuke stepped forward and reached out to touch the chest of this blond who didn't know if he was scared or embarrassed by it. One of the six paths of the Rinnegan: Preta, the hungry path!
This was an opportunity to test one of the powers of his eye and Sasuke didn't hesitate to reach into this boy's vast untapped reserves of spiritual energy, forcing it out.
Jaune's eyes widened as he felt sick for a second and then something surged from within him like a wave of unknown energy, literally making him glow!
"W-what is this?!" he staggered as he focused on his hands in fascination. "I feel funny, kinda strong, too!"
A question that dismayed his benefactor.
"Your Aura..." Sasuke hated the fact that even in this Jaune looked like Naruto because that idiot also didn't know what Chakra was even though he had been in the academy for years. "The thing that all students need to have to get into this academy, remember?"
A direct hit on the farce that his presence at Beacon was.
"O-oh, Aura, of course, I know about that stuff!" Jaune swallowed dryly, looking around in fear that someone had heard something, but fortunately they were almost alone.
"That's all I can do for you," Sasuke had more to do, especially with someone watching him for a while now. "Try not to kill yourself in this upcoming initiation."
It would be counterproductive if he did.
"Hmm?" Jaune came out of his paranoid reverie and was met with some disappointment at this abrupt departure. "Oh, a-all right, I thank you for your help, erhh..."
Only now he realized that he didn't even know the name of his master in the art of conquering ladies!
"Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke," he introduced himself as he turned away from this blond to go meet another. A color that I have inevitably come to dislike, and with good reason.
Especially since he was giving reason to this girl's fears with yet another display of anger, however momentary it may have been.
"I-I'll see you later, Sasuke!" Jaune waved excitedly, hoping that this was the beginning of a friendship he never had before. Now, I must learn to ignore girls to make them like me!
Besides getting a haircut, buying new clothes, getting a really big rope, a tattoo, and starting to work out until he had a six-pack, of that he was sure!
So I've been watching Bleach lately, the new episodes, and damn, the nostalgia hits hard. I had forgotten how much I loved this anime and its characters.
Then, before I knew it, I found myself writing a fic with Ulquiorra...
Yeah, one more for the pile.
Lots of creativity for too little free time.
It sucks.
Anyway, that's all for today, so don't forget to review, and if you want to support me and read ahead take a look at my P t r & on (slash) Bertoti
The next one comes out on the 15th.