Chapter 14: The Huntsmen Hunter
On the side of good, the boogeyman for criminals everywhere is Hansel, the Blue Demon. Vice versa, the boogeyman for Huntsmen, on the side of evil, is the one who dresses like the actual Grim Reaper. A long time ago, there had been a Huntress by the name of the Grimm Reaper, who was a living legend. However, she vanished off the face of the earth without warning.
Little did the Huntsmen community know, the closest thing Remnant would get to a copycat would become the devil for them all. It began a few years ago. Huntsmen suddenly began turning up horrifically maimed. They were alive, but crippled and no longer able to continue their careers. When each of them regained consciousness and were able to talk of their experiences, they all frightfully pointed to the same attacker: a man in a black cloak wearing a skull mask.
This man became known as the Reaper. And due to his infamy in the community, he goes by another name: The Huntsmen Hunter. The man who attacks professional Huntsmen and cripples them. Nobody knows why he does it. But in the years he has been active, he has crippled almost a hundred men and women with no rhyme or reason.
And now, Hansel Kobalt was staring this man down. "I was wondering who was stealing Corleone's stolen goods." He admitted. "I honestly thought Gray Jackal was abandoning him, but instead I come across the fucking Reaper, of all people. Unless of course, you're working for Gray Jackal."
Reaper shook his head. "I'm not really interested in terrorism. Just doesn't sound as rewarding."
"And crippling Huntsmen is?" Hansel could not understand this guy's logic. "The more you take out of action, the more short handed people are going to be if Grimm suddenly attack."
"Oh please, and letting self-absorbed assholes, in it for the money and glory is a better deal?" Reaper countered. "If people want to live that badly, they should learn to protect themselves. It's bad enough being constantly sheltered by Huntsmen rips their survival instincts to shreds, but they allow themselves to be walked all over by an inherently corrupt system, filled with fake heroes who greedily wield their power and influence."
"So that's it, huh?" Hansel narrowed his eyes. "Hate the system, so you're just going to tear it apart and fuck everyone who gets hurt along the way. Yeah, you're definitely a kid underneath that mask, because that is unbelievably petty."
"I'm at least your age." Reaper replied.
"Well, frankly, I don't really have a right to be pissed off for all the Huntsmen you've crippled." Hansel noted. "I work alone, so it's not like it's personal or anything like that."
"But your little 'crusade' affects people who are just trying to live." Hansel continued with a glare. "You really think giving them their 'survival instinct' back is going to improve things?"
"Bullshit! You're just looking for ways to justify your response to whatever it is that pissed you off." Hansel growled. "Regardless, I'm not letting you drag people into this hell of a life just so you can keep attacking Huntsmen whenever you want."
"Life is already Hell." Reaper reminded him.
"In case you haven't noticed," Hansel snarled, "this place is called 'Remnant', not 'Ice Cream La La Land'."
"I'm well aware that life is already Hell here," Hansel narrowed his eyes as black flames suddenly appeared on his hand, "but my hell doesn't have to be theirs!"
Reaper smirked behind his mask before turning to his teammates. "You guys might want to stay back for this." He ordered them.
Reaper looked back at Hansel, only to see a large fireball rocketing towards him. He quickly brandished his scythe, which still had its green blade. He swung the scythe diagonally and cut the fireball in half with the assistance of razor winds that were generated from the blade.
As soon as the fireball dissipated, Hansel was right in front of him. Reaper's eyes widened briefly before dodging just in time as Hansel swung upwards, kicking up a large cloud of dust and rocky debris.
Reaper reappeared, surprisingly standing sideways on one of the gorge walls. The green blade of the scythe suddenly changed to a yellow one. "Take this!" He yelled, swinging the scythe downwards and generating a bolt of lightning that thundered downwards into the cloud of dust.
Hansel saw the lightning and blocked the bolt with the flat end of his sword, gritting his teeth. "Shit," he muttered, "wind and lightning?"
Reaper leapt from the gorge wall. Lightning cracked around the yellow blade of his scythe. "Hiyah!" He yelled, swinging the scythe at Hansel, intent on cutting him down and frying his nerves with electricity.
Roaring, Hansel managed to redirect the lightning from earlier, away from him and blocked Reaper's scythe. Electricity crackled around them. The two briefly separated, vanishing into separate slipstreams.
Off to the side, Reaper's team watched the battle, stupefied by the sheer power and speed both men were showing off. "Man, the Blue Demon's insane." One noted. "He's going head to head with Reaper! I've never seen a Huntsman do this well against him."
"That's just what you've gotta expect." The eldest of the team, an older gentleman with a scar over his left eye, folded his arms. "Before their reputation went down the crapper, the Kobalts were revered as born winners. They must've did something in a past life, because they hit the talent jackpot back in the day."
"Well, they must've done something horrible in a past life too, because…" another trailed off.
"Yeah, I know." The old man nodded. "Never has there been a tale where a family, so strong and so revered, ended up being so reviled. Just goes to show you what happens when you take your talents too far, no matter what your reasons are, and you end up going places man was never meant to go."
Reaper and Hansel reappeared from their respective slipstreams multiple times, weapons bashing together and sparks flying around them. Reaper then put some distance between the two of them and smirked, tightening his grip on the scythe noticeably. His blade then turned from yellow to red. "A new color?" Hansel narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Now, burn!" Reaper yelled, swinging his scythe and firing an arc of fire at Hansel.
Hansel grit his teeth and tanked the flames easily. He was a Kobalt, and thanks to his Semblance, he had a natural resistance to flames. Then, Reaper emerged from the flames, his scythe blade now colored white.
Instinctively, Hansel blocked the blade, only to suddenly have Wolf Fang's blade covered in a sheet of ice. Hansel finally caught on to Reaper's weapon. "I see, you've got Dust stored up in that pole of yours."
"A little something I built after seeing my boss' weapon in action." Reaper admitted. "What can I say, imitation is the highest form of flattery!"
Hansel quickly put some distance between himself and Reaper before the Huntsmen Hunter could knock him off balance and leave him open to an attack. Hansel then enveloped his entire free arm in fire as he blasted a powerful wave of flames that actually put Reaper on guard. He quickly spun his scythe out in front of him, creating a block of ice to shield himself from the flames.
Now seeing him open, Hansel stomped his foot on the ground, shooting upwards like a rocket with the black flames acting as initiative. He calmly tossed his blade from one hand to another and then ran his hand onto the blade. "Now you burn." Hansel said calmly as black flames melted the ice, igniting his sword.
Reaper looked up in time to see Hansel swinging his blade down, sending a large arc of black flames at him. The assassin let out a gasp before being enveloped in a fiery explosion that knocked his teammates back from the force of the blast.
Meanwhile, Team RWBY, still reeling from the harsh dressing down they received from their teacher, let out a gasp when they heard and felt the explosion from deep inside the gorge. "Whoa," Yang gaped in disbelief, "just who the hell is he fighting in there?"
Blake turned to Corleone, who had recovered enough to talk after having his kneecaps busted by Hansel's feet. "Hey, is that one of your guys the professor is fighting in there?" She demanded.
"How the fuck should I know?" Corleone demanded. "But probably not, he took out all my guys."
Weiss almost called him a liar, called him something, called him anything. But she could not bring herself to speak to him, or look him in the eye. She was afraid if she did or say anything to him, he would taunt her even more about revelations regarding her family and how they had clearly done business with him.
Ruby, meanwhile, listened to the destruction happening deep within the gorge with a look that was a mixture of worry, longing and sadness on her face. She was sad at being yelled at so harshly by her teacher. She was longing to try and prove her worth. And she was worried that Hansel might be in trouble.
"Umm...are we sure the professor is going to be okay?" Ruby asked softly.
Blake heard this and sighed, knowing where this was going. "No, Ruby," she said, "we've done enough damage tonight. It's best we just stay right here, do what the professor says, and try to make sure we don't get expelled."
Weiss sighed. "Ruby, Blake's right." She said, "I'm glad we did what we did. Even if the professor wants to deny it, I truly believe that we did our part in making sure a scumbag like the Don here, gets put away for a long time."
"Hey, don't underestimate lawyers, kid." Corleone taunted. "Of course, I'm sure you'd know that, considering your old man."
Weiss glared at Corleone, who turned his attention to Ruby. "And as for you, little missy." He was now taunting the leader of Team RWBY. "Must be hard, huh? And after you went out of your way to say that brat is actually a 'nice guy' when you get to know him. Hey, I'm an asshole, but I'm honest about it. I don't hide behind some fancy schmancy title like Huntsman."
"Hey, asshole, shut up." Yang glared at Corleone before turning to Ruby and continuing in a much softer voice. "Ruby, I know how you feel. But at some point, we need to look at how things are around us and say: 'that's enough for one night.' And we've done enough. We beat up a mob boss. We thoroughly pissed off our teacher to the point where he might actually want to expel us. We've done enough. It's time to just...wait things out. We need to wait for Teach to come back."
Wait things out...wait for the professor to come back…
Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait…
Ruby's eyes widened as some rather unpleasant memories were triggered by that simple word: wait.
It was supposed to have been just a fun day on the playground. Ruby was four and Yang was six. Yang was pushing Ruby on the swings. Taiyang was watching them both. Then, Ruby took one look at the other kids and their families and something changed in her mood. Yang noticed it, Taiyang noticed it. But when Taiyang tried to ask her what was wrong, Ruby simply ran back to their home.
Taiyang then found her in her and Yang's bedroom, crying her eyes out. "What's wrong baby girl?" He had asked, taking his youngest daughter into a tight embrace.
Ruby's tearful question made Taiyang's blood run cold and the color drain from his face. "Why do all the other kids have a mama and we don't? Don't we have a mama, Papa? Don't we?"
Taiyang tensed at that question. "Of course you do, sweetie." Taiyang reminded her. "You've seen pictures of her."
"Then...where is she?" Ruby sniffed. "Isn't she coming home to see us? How long do we have to wait, Papa?"
Taiyang fell silent for a moment. Ruby looked up to her father and saw that he was now in tears. He pulled Ruby into a tight embrace now, weeping freely. "I'm sorry, sweetie." Taiyang told her. "God, I wish things were different."
Ruby was still young, and could not understand much. But in that single moment, she understood and her world came crashing down around her. She did have a mom. But she had a mom that was never coming home to her, no matter how long she waited. And so, she sobbed with her father for hours.
Outside the door, Yang could only weep in sympathy for her little sister…
Wait. Just wait. For Ruby Rose, that was the worst thing anyone could ever tell her to do. Then, without thinking, her body moved on its own. Yang, Blake and Weiss all gasped in horror as Ruby transformed into her rose petal form and sped deeper into the gorge. "Ruby!" Weiss and Blake both yelled in concern, almost running to help her, only to be stopped by Yang.
Here, Yang Xiao Long stepped up, and asserted herself as a figure of leadership in the team leader's absence. "Stay with the mobster!" Yang ordered them. "I'll go after her!"
Yang did not wait for either of them to respond and she ran after Ruby, frustrated with both her little sister and herself. Damn it, I really screwed up here! She thought. I'm sorry, Sis, I should've nipped this in the bud sooner!
Yang knew exactly what was going through Ruby's mind, because it was almost exactly what went through her's, once upon a time. In the end, we're not just sisters because of our dad's blood...we're sisters because we both share the same pain: we both waited for a mom that was never coming home, and I never got the chance to help you through it!
Fucking big sister of the year, Yang. Yang criticized herself. Now Ruby's going to get herself in even more trouble with Teach because of some trauma she never fully got over!
Back at the fight, as the flames cleared around Reaper, the assassin was revealed to have managed to survive the attack, but his Aura had taken a hit as a result. He gazed at the flames around Hansel's blade with newfound respect.
I thought there was something off about his blade. Reaper noted. Nowadays, it's considered unheard of to have no Dust or gun-attachments to enhance your weapons. It may look like an ordinary katana, but there's Fire Dust laced all over the blade, making it highly flammable.
Reaper then noticed the black flames surrounding him, still burning strong. Damn, if my Aura wasn't as stellar as it is, that attack would've been rough. I still felt it a little. And I can still feel the heat of those flames and they are intense. Such is the power of the Purgatorial Flames, the Kobalt Family Semblance.
Reaper then regained his composure and smirked at Hansel. "No matter," he said, "now that I fully understand just how you fight, slaying the demon is going to be a foregone conclusion."
"Yeah, uh-huh, whatever." Hansel brushed him off before glaring at Reaper. "Now do me a favor and tell me a little bit more about yourself."
"Hmm?"
"You were telling your life story and your motivations earlier, but there's clearly more to it." Hansel noted before rushing Reaper, swinging Wolf Fang at his masked foe.
Reaper stayed on the defensive, calmly waiting for an opening to be given. "I was always under the impression you were some self-taught thug or a trained killer. But the truth is, you fight like a professional Huntsman." Hansel realized as he swung his blade at Reaper. "Your moves are way too refined to be otherwise."
Reaper smirked at Hansel's deductive skills. "Oh, do I?" Reaper chuckled. "Well, the only way to beat the enemy is to become the enemy."
"Cut the bullshit!" Hansel yelled. "The fact that you fight like a professional Huntsman means one of two things. You were either trained by a pro. Or, you went to one of the academies at some point. Either way, you had some sort of connection with the Huntsmen before your little crusade against them."
"Why attack the people you should be allied with?" Hansel demanded.
Reaper grit his teeth in anger behind his mask. "Because I would rather die than be in any way associated with any of them!"
Reaper's blade changed back to yellow. Hansel gasped before being knocked back by a bolt of lightning. "It's bad enough people like him are Huntsmen! That itself is unforgivable!" Reaper yelled. "But look at you! The fact that you're allowed to operate in spite of your family history is despicable! The fact that you even try to continue on is despicable! Where's your shame, huh? Do you really think you can avoid the fact you're a Kobalt? Your family's sins are yours!"
Hansel froze at that, hearing voices ring out in his head.
It's that boy.
I can't believe he's allowed to roam freely. They should lock him up to make sure that he doesn't follow in his family's footsteps.
Careful, you don't want him to hear you. He might hurt you.
I'm just saying what needs to be said. Those experiments were unforgivable. The fact he could very well restart all their research is terrifying. Honestly, we shouldn't have to tolerate his existence. God only knows what he might do if he's allowed to live. What kind of weapons he might build. What kind of new human experiments he might start.
No kidding, his existence is a sin. It's a reminder of the awful things his family did in the name of science and weapons development.
Hansel's fists tightened before taking a deep breath, regaining his composure. "My family was a very sick bunch of people, who did sick and twisted things." He spat. "I will not defend what they did. The people they hurt with their experiments. The people they hurt with the weapons they built. It's all unforgivable"
"But I don't fight for my family's honor. I fight for myself." Hansel declared.
"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the selfishness of a Huntsman." Reaper declared. "'It's all about me.' Me, me, me, me, me. If you really cared about the people, you'd march right up to the top of this gorge and take a damn swan dive without any Aura to protect you."
Hansel actually winced at that. Even Reaper's teammates were looking at the man in shock. They had honestly not expected him to try and suicide-bait a target like that. "And you know what's really pathetic," Reaper continued, "you act like this macho, one-man-army thing of yours is going to change anything. Oh sure, you pretend to do it for yourself, but every single person who's ever said that just wants a little bit of respect. You're just a sad little man, trying to get a little bit of love and recognition from people who will always hate you. And frankly, to see that the Blue Demon's nothing but what I see in front of me, honestly pisses me off. No matter how powerful you are, you're still pathetic!"
Hansel gritted his teeth. "I mean, really, your personality would be less of a disappointment if you just owned what your family did. They claimed the things they did were for the sake of the future. You think your family's sick? How about the people who do horrible things to each other without even realizing it? Making others suffer in blissful ignorance! Oh sure, people say they shouldn't be judged for the things they do in ignorance, but try telling that to the ones who suffered because of them!" Reaper yelled.
"At least your family always knew what it was they were doing! They did what they did, and then owned it. You can't even do that, because of how lonely and desperate you really are!" Reaper taunted.
"SHUT UP!" Hansel screamed, eyes briefly flashing red before rushing Reaper. "Don't you dare talk about things you don't know shit about!"
Reaper smirked. Gotcha. His plan to make Hansel let his guard down with taunts had worked.
Reaper fired a powerful bolt of lightning from his blade, thinking he was going to strike Hansel right in the heart. Then, much to Reaper's surprise, Hansel cut the lightning bolt in half and was now training his katana on him.
Wait, was that his plan? Reaper thought in surprise. To lure me into thinking he had let his guard down?
Hansel swung his fiery blade, slamming into Reaper and sending him flying away. "Reaper!" Reaper's teammates said in concern as the Huntsmen Hunter was knocked onto his back by the force of the attack.
Hansel glared at Reaper. "Do you really think I haven't heard those things before?" He demanded in a low, dangerous tone of voice. "Do you honestly think I'm not aware of what the world thinks of me? Of my family? I'm aware of it all."
Reaper narrowed his eyes. Touch a nerve enough, and you'll get a reaction. That's how I've caught each and every one of my targets off guard. But he's reacted so many times, it's almost like he's become numb to it. Does that mean there's another nerve I can touch to make him lose his composure?
Reaper rose to his feet. Hansel Kobalt, pathetic as you may be, you are definitely a formidable opponent.
Hansel gazed at his blade and noticed the Purgatorial Flames were beginning to weaken. My Dust supply is starting to run low. He noted. Between attacking the gorge, fighting the Boarbatusk Brothers and now this asshole, I guess that's to be expected. I've gotta end this quick.
Hansel heaved a deep breath, desperately trying to regain his composure. Shit, no matter how much I claim otherwise, he did almost get to me though. My head almost went blank from how pissed off I was. I could feel it. Guess I'm going to need more meditation sessions when this is over.
"Okay," Reaper chuckled as his blade now turned purple, "I think it's time we end this."
"On that, we can both agree." Hansel responded angrily, tired of this guy and his mind games.
Reaper then swung his blade across the ground in a long arc. Hansel watched as the debris of rocks cut up by the swing, rose up from the ground floated. "Shit, he even figured out how to weaponize Gravity Dust?" Hansel was surprised at how resourceful the guy was.
Reaper then laughed and began running towards Hansel. "Batter up, Kobalt!" He yelled, striking at the rocks with the flat side of his scythe, flinging the rocks towards Hansel, hard.
Hansel's eyes widened slightly at the speed and velocity before regaining his composure. He wildly swung Wolf Fang out in front of him, cutting up the projectiles and protecting himself with ease. All the while, Reaper continued closing the distance between them, batting more rocks towards him.
Hansel kept his eyes on Reaper as he continued to defend himself. He's taken some big hits, but I'm not going to let my guard down. He's hoping to arrive while I'm in the middle of a swing and unable to defend himself. Hansel noted. But, that's what the Purgatorial Flames are for. I'll burn him again, and then stab him right through the heart while he's blinded by the flames.
He thinks I'm going for a direct hit, but it's a bit more complicated than that. Reaper chuckled inwardly. I'll smash my blade to the ground once I'm in front of him, making the ground rise from the lack of gravity. And then, while he stumbles from the sudden change in position, I'll switch back to lightning and strike him in the chest with a bolt so powerful, his heart will stop.
Normally, I just maim Huntsmen, but I think I'll do the world a favor and get rid of him. Even you, kind as you were, wouldn't be able to forgive the sins his family committed...right?
And then, when both fighters were in front of each other, the same thought ran through their minds. One strike will decide it all! They declared inwardly.
And then, a new voice rang out. "Get away from him!" Hansel's eyes widened at the familiarity of that voice.
Reaper could only let out a gasp as he was suddenly drop-kicked in the face by a fifteen year old girl. His mask thankfully protected him, but the force was somehow so great a part of it actually cracked and was knocked right off of him. Reaper was knocked onto his face, concealing it from Hansel and the new arrival.
Ruby Rose could only pant in exhaustion due to pushing herself so hard to reach Hansel in time. Hansel remained silent, unable to believe that Ruby had actually disobeyed him again. "Reaper!" Reaper's team called out to him in concern.
Reaper slowly rose to his feet. He frantically looked for his mask before finding it. His eyes widened when he noticed the crack. However, he put the mask on regardless and snarled when a part of it fell away. Reaper glared at both Ruby and Hansel, revealing a single, furious light-green eye in place of the broken part of the mask.
"You hit me." Reaper snarled at Ruby. "You hit me, you bitch!"
Hansel immediately got over his surprise and moved in front of Ruby, concerned that now Reaper was going to target her. "And just who the hell is this brat, Hansel, your ward?" Reaper snarled.
"Student to be exact." Hansel replied.
"Student, huh? Well, considering where we are, that means she must be from Beacon." Reaper hissed. "And if she's your student, that means that crazed lunatic, Ozpin, finally went off the deep end and hired a guy like you to be a teacher."
Hansel almost attacked Reaper for insulting Ozpin, only for Reaper to change to his lightning-scythe. "I hope you taught her to die, Hansel!" He yelled. "Because she is not going to leave this place alive for that kick!"
"Ruby, Teach!" Reaper, Hansel and Ruby all turned to see Yang arriving. To her credit, the girl managed to remain close behind Ruby thanks to cleverly using Ember Celica to speed herself up.
Reaper froze at the sight of the girl. His eyes now focused entirely on Yang. "Well, I'll be damned." He muttered with a hint of familiarity.
"Yang?" Ruby was shocked at Yang's sudden arrival.
"You ran off just like that, you idiot." Yang glared at her little sister like a mother scolding her child. "You had me worried sick!"
Hansel gazed at Yang in disbelief. Two students who decided to just go and disobey him twice now? This was getting worse by the moment. Now he had to protect them both from Reaper.
Reaper then addressed Yang, and the subject surprised everyone. "You, girl, your name is Yang, right? Yang Xiao Long?"
Yang gazed at Reaper in suspicion. "Yeah, what about it?"
Reaper laughed while his teammates gazed at Yang in disbelief as though there was something about her that seemed familiar to them. "I don't believe this, talk about a crazy twist of fate." Reaper mused before addressing Yang again. "You know, the family resemblance really is uncanny."
Yang's eyes widened, immediately knowing what Reaper was getting at. "My mom!" She exclaimed. "You know my mom? Where is she?"
Reaper chuckled. "I didn't do anything to her if that's what you're getting at. I couldn't, really. The boss is alive and well, leading our tribe."
Reaper then gazed at Ruby. "Then that must make you...Ruby Rose, right?"
Ruby nodded, fearful of Reaper now due to his outburst earlier. "Yeah, you've got quite the resemblance too. Raven doesn't strike you as the sentimental type, but she still carries around a picture of her old team from Beacon."
Ruby's eyes widened as well. "Mom…" she said softly.
All of a sudden dark red portals opened behind Reaper and his team. Reaper sighed. "Looks like the fun's at an end." He mused. "So, which one of you called Raven?"
"I did, sorry Reaper." The old man responded. "I didn't think we should stay here longer than we had to. We need to report back to the chieftain."
"It's fine," Reaper brushed the matter off, "now that Yang's here, there's really no reason for us to stick around any longer."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Yang demanded as Reaper and his team started to leave. "Hey! I'm not done talking to you! Where's my mom?"
"What it means is that if you want to find Raven that badly, you need to do it yourself." Reaper responded. "Prove to Raven that you have the strength to make that dream a reality, and then you'll have her attention. Her words, not mine, albeit paraphrased."
"Anyway, you've all got as much Dust as you could carry, right?" Reaper addressed his men. "Let's go."
Hansel scowled. "You think I'm just going to let you leave? You still have a lot of crimes to answer for."
"I do. I don't really want to hurt Raven's daughter. There's no point in her proving her strength to Raven when fighting me's a foregone conclusion. That's the kind of test you can only fail." Reaper admitted. "But, I will hurt her, if I have to. And since you are a teacher now, you need to protect your students, first and foremost. Looks like I've found a new nerve to make you lose yourself, Hansel. I'll keep that in mind for the rematch."
"And as for you, Ruby." Ruby paled at Reaper turning his attention to her, "I do hope you keep your training up, because you now have my attention. I can't wait to find out the kind of Huntress you'll become. It'll depend on how bad I feel when I have to hunt you down like all the others. But, I'd prefer a fair fight, so keep getting stronger, okay?"
And with that, Reaper and his team entered the red portal and vanished from sight. Hansel breathed a sigh of relief. Now it was over.
And now, he had some disobedient students to punish.
"Professor, I…" Ruby began nervously before trailing off.
"Shut. Up." Hansel said, surprisingly calm at the moment.
Ruby winced, because it still sounded so harsh. "Is there a problem with your ears, Rose?" Hansel demanded. "Or are you just incapable of following orders? Because I know I ordered you not to follow me. And now, you've disobeyed two direct orders from your teacher. I could've just let you off with detention or a warning before. But now...do you not realize that you're making an even greater case to get yourself and your sister expelled?"
"...I just wanted to help." Ruby said softly.
"This again?" Hansel said harshly. "How many times do I have to say it before you get it through your head? I don't need help. Certainly not from you"
Yang remained silent, allowing this conversation to play out. "But what if you did?" Ruby demanded. "What if you went off and never came back?"
"I'm not the type to just go off and die!" Hansel yelled back before immediately realizing that was the wrong thing for him to say.
Ruby looked down at the indirect insult towards her mother. Hansel sighed. "I had that fight under control, Rose." Hansel told her. "Do I know who would've won in the end? No. But I definitely had a better handle on things alone then I did with you in the way."
"But…"
"But nothing!" Hansel sternly yelled, getting tired of hearing the excuses. "You need to know your place! Maybe you will one day grow into a strong, respectable Huntress. But right now, you're just a student! You can't do much for anyone right now, and certainly not much for me! That recklessness combined with your lack of experience could get someone hurt, or worse."
"What if you died? Or your sister? Or any of your teammates for that matter?" Ruby paled at the thought. "Do you want that on your conscience? Do you think I want that on my conscience? The Reaper was right about one thing. I'm your teacher, and that makes me responsible for you all. But, I'm also a Huntsmen, and that makes me responsible for the successes of my missions as well."
Hansel walked past Ruby. "Remember, people want results from their Huntsmen, that means they want to see their Huntsmen victorious. I can't win if I have to babysit you like this. And I have to win to get the results I need."
"I'm sorry…" Ruby said softly, making Hansel stop in his tracks. His face briefly softened into a sympathetic look. "...I just wanted to help."
"I know," Hansel said, "but if you really want to help me, then don't. Because right now, Rose, I can't do anything if I have to be your teacher one hundred percent of the time."
Yang sighed, wishing he did not have to be so harsh. Surprisingly though, she offered no defense of Ruby this time. This time, she simply remained silent. "Now come on," Hansel said softly, "let's get to your teammates and head back to camp."
And so, the trio returned to Blake and Weiss, only to discover something that made them all worry. Weiss and Blake were standing over Corleone, applying pressure to his chest. Hansel's eyes widened and immediately ran over to them. "What is it?" He asked. "What happened?"
"I don't know," Weiss frantically responded, "he just suddenly started convulsing and foaming at the mouth. We weren't sure what to do…"
"Was it a cyanide tablet?" Hansel demanded of Blake.
Blake shook her head. "We...we didn't see anything." She admitted. "Sir, we're so sorry."
"Don't, this wasn't your fault." Hansel pushed them aside and searched Corleone's body. "Son of a bitch, did he kill himself to avoid interrogation? What did he poison himself with?"
Hansel then felt something metallic underneath Corleone's shirt-sleeves. It was below his wrist, so maybe it was just part of his prosthetic hands. No, it was bulging out. This was something different.
Hansel quickly tore Corleone's shirt sleeve open and his eyes widened at the sight. Team RWBY looked sick. Corleone's veins had appeared and turned pitch black. And the source of this seemed to come from some strange metallic wristband attached to his arm.
Unhesitantly, Hansel tore the wristband off and immediately, strange purple liquid began dripping from what looked like pincers. Hansel's eyes widened in realization. "FUCK!" He screamed in anger. "Son of a bitch was poisoned!"
"Poisoned?" Blake was shocked. "Who would poison him?"
Hansel ignored Blake and generated a fireball in his hand. Roaring in anger, he tossed it at the wall of the gorge, making Team RWBY jump in fear. So close! He had been so close! But it was still so far away! Gray Jackal was still so far away! She was still so far away!
"DAMN IT!" Hansel could only scream in frustration.
Meanwhile, all the way in Mistral, a dark-haired woman in a Grimm-like mask and a katana sheathed by her hip, watched as the team sent to Vale to steal from Don Anthonio Corleone, returned to the tribe through the use of her portal. She let out a small gasp of surprise when she saw one of her top enforcers ragged, panting and with part of his mask broken.
"What happened, Reaper?" She immediately demanded.
"What happened," a short-haired woman noted with a derisive smirk, "is that the brat got in over his head."
"Quiet, Vernal." The masked woman sharply told her other top enforcer. "I want to hear it from Reaper."
Reaper heaved a sigh. "Well, we had the misfortune of running into the Blue Demon. He seemed to have some sort of beef with the Don, and we just happened to get caught in the middle. Sorry, Raven. We could only get as much Dust and weapons as we could carry. Anything else would've just left us vulnerable."
Raven Branwen heaved a tired sigh and removed her mask, revealing a face that was the spitting image of Yang Xiao Long's. "It's fine," she brushed the matter off, "I do expect you to make up for this and raid other areas for supplies, Reaper."
Reaper shrugged. "Yeah, yeah, I know." He said. "Can we talk alone? There's more to the debriefing."
"Whatever you have to say to the Chief you can say in front of me, Brat." Vernal glared at Reaper.
Reaper glared right back. "And what I have to say to Raven is for Raven's ears alone, so deal with it, Vernal."
"That's enough you two, no arguing." Raven sharply ordered them. "I'd hate to have the Grimm on us just because you two can't keep your little rivalry under control. Come, Reaper, we'll discuss this in my tent."
Vernal glared at Reaper while the man smirked smugly at her. Raven and Reaper walked past the campsite of the Branwen Tribe and entered Raven's personal tent. "I must admit, I'm surprised, Reaper." Raven told him. "I've never seen you come back with part of your mask cracked."
"I'm going to need a new one." Reaper admitted. "I can't show the image of the reaper himself when my skull is broken."
"So, did Hansel Kobalt do that to you?" Raven inquired curiously, taking a seat at her personal table.
"No," Reaper admitted, sitting across from her, "a little girl got the jump on me."
This made Raven smirk. "Is that why you didn't want Vernal to hear this? She'd definitely never let you hear the end of it."
Jokes aside, Raven was curious as to why a little girl was with Hansel, and how she could have gotten the jump on someone like Reaper. She trained him herself after he came into her care. No kid should have been able to catch him off guard like that. "No," Reaper shook his head, "the reason I wanted to talk alone, was because I thought you'd be interested to know that the girl who kicked me was the spitting image of your old teammate, Summer Rose."
This caught Raven off guard. "What?" She said flatly.
"And shortly afterwards, a blonde showed up, demanding where you were. And she was the spitting image of you, minus the hair color." Reaper chuckled.
Raven's eyes briefly softened. "Yang." She could only say.
"Yep," Reaper nodded, "I met your daughter tonight, along with her half-sister, a girl named Ruby. Now, I was under the impression that those two were students of Beacon."
"That's right." Raven nodded.
"Well, that begs the question," Reaper pointed out, "what were they doing, hanging out with a full-fledged Huntsman like Hansel Kobalt, especially considering his reputation. No sane school would allow any of their students to go on missions with a guy like him."
"Now that I think of it." Reaper could not help but chuckle. "I do believe that he referred to Ruby as his student. Since she's a student of Beacon and his student, oh and now that I think of it, I heard Yang call him Teach. Well, with all that in mind, that could only mean..."
Raven narrowed her eyes in anger as realization hit her. She slammed her hand on the table in frustration and stood up from her seat. "And you constantly claim motherhood isn't for you." Reaper could not help but tease.
Raven glared at Reaper for his snide comments. "Shut up, and tell me everything that happened." She ordered.
"Are you asking me as my mentor or as the chief of the Branwen Tribe, Ma'am?" Reaper joked.
"Both, you should follow my instructions either way." Raven reminded him. "You are both my student and my subordinate. In both scenarios, I am your superior."
Reaper chuckled and reached for his mask. "If that's the case, why don't I remind you how much I truly respect you," he said as he began to remove his mask, "and answer not as the Reaper character I've developed, but as the real me."
Meanwhile, after angrily firing off his most recent fireball at the wall of the gorge, it suddenly occurred to Hansel that maybe he should tone things down a bit (before he risked destroying the crime scene by accident and attracting any far off Grimm).
Now (somewhat) regaining his senses, Hansel sighed and then started twitching his fingers impatiently, as if trying to figure out his next move. Though relieved that Hansel's outburst was over (for now), Team RWBY as a whole still felt as if they were walking around eggshells at this point.
Eventually however, Ruby was the one who decided to break the silence, and asked, "So what do we do now?"
Turning around to face Ruby, Hansel replied, "Well for starters, we're going to have to report this mess to the Vale police, and then while I'm waiting, I'm going to keep watch and make sure nobody else sneaks by to mess with the remaining evidence."
Hansel heaved a sigh. "Fucking McKnight's going to love hearing about this." He muttered.
"McKnight?" Blake asked in confusion.
"Gordon McKnight, he's my...contact in the police. Professor Ozpin introduced him to me when I went out on my own."
With the image of Reaper's escape still fresh on his mind, Hansel gripped his hand tighter in silent frustration. "Anyway, the important thing is I stick around and make sure nobody messes with any more evidence.
"Don't you mean we?" questioned Ruby, "as in all five of us will stay behind to wait for the police?"
"There is no 'we' in this, Rose," growled Hansel, "You four are going to leave and get back to the campsite, where you should have stayed in the first place."
"But we're already involved as is," argued Weiss, "Don't you think Team RWBY should at least stick around to give their statements? We're witnesses!"
"And you're also students who broke curfew," countered Hansel, "I'll tell the arriving detectives that you four are resting from your injuries, and will be in better shape to answer their questions tomorrow morning."
"After breakfast, right?" cautiously asked Blake, who was twitching her fingers together nervously.
Aware of what Blake was implying, Hansel sighed and then clarified, "I'm not making you four skip breakfast if that's what you're worried about, Belladonna. You four deserve detention, not starvation."
Hansel then pointed out towards the gorge's entry point. "Now out, all of you." He said before adding in a calmer, more gentle tone. "Please. I don't want to see any of you for the rest of the night."
Yang stepped forward. "You got it, Teach. Come on, girls, let's get back to camp.
"Yang?" Ruby asked softly.
"Enough, Ruby." Yang told her calmly, but sternly. "We've done enough for one night."
Next morning, Team RWBY could only watch while eating breakfast with the rest of their class as the Vale Police went in and out of the Gorge, taking either mobsters or stolen goods out. The other students were confused when Team RWBY was taken aside by an older gentleman with a thick, gray mustache and brown eyes. "You must be the students that are giving Hansel a headache, huh?" He mused. "I'm Captain Gordon McKnight, would you mind answering some questions."
They were basic questions, but they were huge in number. McKnight wanted to know every single detail, forcing them to spare absolutely nothing, including the fact they had disobeyed a superior.
"You four are lucky none of you got seriously hurt." McKnight told them. "I'm sure you all meant well, but disobeying a superior can lead to dangerous consequences."
Hansel then joined them. McKnight then offered a plate of donuts to the girls before turning away. "They seem like nice girls, Hansel." McKnight told him. "I don't think you need to expel them."
"That's ultimately up to me." Hansel muttered under his breath.
McKnight gave the girls a friendly smile. "Have a nice day, all of you."
Ruby was quick to wolf down most of the donuts before the rest of the team could get to them. "Oh, they may not be the same as cookies, but I'll take any sugary goodness I can get!"
"The Captain seemed nice enough, but that was still very tense." Weiss breathed a sigh of relief. "God I hope this doesn't get out to my family. I can't have my father finding out I was questioned by the police."
"Well, maybe consider the consequences of your actions next time." Hansel deadpanned. "I just want to point out, this isn't all your punishment. Your detention really starts when we get back to Beacon."
"What about expulsion?" Blake asked in concern.
"I will be asking Professor Ozpin his opinion on the matter." Hansel replied. "As he is the headmaster, he has the final say."
Hansel heaved a sigh. "I really didn't want it to come to this. This training exercise was going so well for you all." Hansel turned to Ruby. "I just can't for the life of me, figure out why you four had to go and shoot yourselves in the foot."
"Anyway," Hansel continued, turning away from them, "back to your assigned training. I don't want to hear any complaints if I seem like I'm running you four particularly hard on this last day. It's not a punishment if it's pleasant."
Ruby's face fell at that statement, watching as Hansel left them. "I'm so sorry, everyone." She said to her team. "I got you guys in trouble."
Weiss sighed. "Ruby, we chose to go with you in the end. If we really didn't want to get in trouble, we should've thought things through."
Blake shook her head. "I get why he's upset, and I wasn't too fond of the idea at the time either. But, honestly, I do wish the professor was a bit more grateful. I mean, we did help, didn't we? We have a responsibility to fight criminals like the Don, just like everyone else."
Yang shrugged. "Yeah, but what if we did end up biting off more than we can chew, huh?" She asked, surprising her teammates. "That's been happening a lot lately."
"Yang?" Ruby was shocked to hear such things from her sister.
Yang gave Ruby a small smile. "Your time will come one day, Little Sister." She said kindly. "Just grow up a bit more, okay?"
"Since when do you talk like some sort of mystic?" Weiss asked.
Yang shrugged again. "Since now?" She offered. "I'm going for a walk."
"Where? We can't go away from the site." Blake pointed out.
Yang ignored the rest of Team RWBY and left them to their own devices. "Yang has been...oddly quiet since last night." Weiss pointed out. "Ruby, has she ever been like that?"
"A couple times." Ruby shrugged. "They usually involve...never mind, that kinda stuff is for Yang to say."
Inwardly, Ruby was a bit frustrated by what Yang had said. Partly because she knew she was right, and partly because it reinforced Hansel's anger from last night. I just want to help. She thought to herself.
Yang found Hansel supervising the rest of the class's training. Hansel was quick to notice her and acknowledge her presence. "Where's the rest of your team?" He asked.
"Fell behind," Yang replied, "they'll catch up though."
Yang then got right in Hansel's face and asked: "Can we talk? Doesn't have to be now. How about tonight, before curfew?"
Hansel raised an eyebrow at Yang's calm but determined demeanor, but nodded all the same. "Sure," he said, "I'm a teacher, aren't I not? I should keep my door open for my students."
Yang nodded. "No backing out, you hear? If you change your mind, I'm going to tell everyone how big and brave Hansel Kobalt was scared off by a heart-to-heart with a girl." She teased with a smile.
Hansel glared at her for that statement. Yang chuckled and began walking towards the rest of the class. "So, Teach, what've you got for me today?" She asked. "I'm very curious."
Hansel gazed at Yang in slight interest. What in the world could she want to talk about?
That night, Hansel was keeping watch just outside the campsite. Students were slowly beginning to turn in, one by one. While keeping watch, Hansel was typing up a report for Ozpin ahead of time so that he could be prepared for a full debriefing. Hansel gazed out at his students and heaved a sigh.
"Another career making day, Hansel." He muttered in slight frustration. "You promise to try and do better, but you scream your head off at four students on your first training trip."
"Sheesh, don't be too hard on yourself." A familiar voice made Hansel instinctively roll his eyes.
Putting away his Scroll for the moment, Hansel gave a nod towards Yang. "Alright, Xiao Long; you got the meeting you wanted. What's this all about?" He asked.
Yang got right down to business. "It's about how you treated Ruby last night."
Not entirely surprised by her response, Hansel sighed and continued, "Look, Xiao Long, I get that your sister means the world to you, but you can't realistically expect to shield her from every bit of criticism that comes her way."
Yang shook her head. "In case you haven't noticed already, I actually wasn't doing that last night," she replied, "what you didn't pick up on my out-of-character speechlessness?"
"I had more urgent things to worry about at the time, so no," admitted the professor, "then again, it was a welcome change of pace. But what you're telling me now begs a different question: if you're not here to criticize my criticism as usual, what's the actual reason for you coming here to meet me today in private?"
Yang heaved a sigh. "Listen, I don't want you to get the wrong idea." She said. "You had every right to be mad at Ruby. What she did was reckless. And even if I can let go of the fact that she took us into the gorge in the first place, I can't really ignore her recklessly going to help you in your fight against that freak in the skull mask."
Yang looked down. "She could've gotten a lot of people hurt, or worse. And I know better than anyone how much that can weigh on a person."
Yang then gave Hansel a smirk. "Besides, I don't think you were anywhere near as malicious as that first day of class. You seemed to care, Teach." She could not help but tease.
Hansel rolled his eyes. "If you disagreed with her actions, why follow her?"
"Well, she's still my little sister. Someone's gotta look out for her."
"Okay, Xiao long." Hansel folded his arms. "I think we've danced around this enough. What is this really about?"
"What this is really about, is that I need you to truly understand Ruby, as I do." Yang replied.
Hansel raised an eyebrow at that statement. "And what else is there to know, exactly? That she means well? That she's got a lot of heart?"
"All that is true, but I think you need to take a step back and understand why all that is the case."
Hansel sighed. "I know most of the story, Xiao Long. Professor Ozpin told it to me."
"Professor Ozpin knows about Summer?" Yang was surprised before realizing why. "Yeah, that makes sense. She went to Beacon too, with Dad and Uncle Qrow."
Yang gazed at Hansel. "So, if you know, then why?"
"Why what?"
"Why'd you still get so mad, if you knew she meant well and why she acts the way she does?"
"Because everyone's lost someone." Hansel grimly reminded Yang. "In case you haven't noticed, the world we live in kinda sucks. I sympathize with her, I do. But we've all lost someone in this crapsack world of ours. Losing a loved one shouldn't make anyone special."
Yang could not help but chuckle. "Well, you're right about that. But, you are wrong about literally everything else."
Hansel gazed at Yang in confusion before sighing. "I said I'd hear you out, so explain."
"Just because we've all lost someone, does that mean we should just accept it?" Yang asked. "I mean, wouldn't a better way of handling it be making sure that others don't have to experience it in the future?"
"And where did you learn that?"
Yang smiled. "Ruby," she replied, "didn't teach it to me directly...it was more of a...lead by example kind of thing."
Yang gazed off into the distance, sighing in remembrance. "For as long as I can remember, this is what she's wanted. Fighting monsters, protecting people, it doesn't matter what the odds are. If someone's in trouble, she wants to help. Summer was the same way. She was Super Mom. The best mom a girl could ask for."
"Rose must've looked up to her."
Yang sighed. "She does, but it's hard to...Summer is...a distant memory to her at this point."
This caught Hansel's attention. "When Summer died, Ruby hadn't even started talking. And with Dad pretty much shutting down and going to work...we were pretty much alone together in our house on Patch Island."
"God…" Hansel muttered. To his credit, the thought of two children that young being alone in a house horrified him.
"You say that you already understand Ruby, Teach, but the thing is, you still don't." Yang pointed out. "For what it's worth, I think you're doing well in improving as a teacher, but there's still so much you don't understand about your students."
"You've got every right to be upset with Ruby, as you should be. I know you don't want her possible death due to her own recklessness on your conscience. Nobody does." Yang continued. "But that's exactly why you need to be patient and continue teaching her like you do for the rest of us."
"Because no matter how hard you try, she's going to try to be the best Huntress she can be." Yang proudly admitted. "You can't stop her, even if you do have her expelled. And as a combat professor, it's your duty to make sure she's ready, never forget that."
Hansel seemed to consider that statement, but something still bothered him. "I still don't understand how you're okay with this." He admitted. "She's your sister...shouldn't you be trying to curb her recklessness?"
"I know I should," Yang admitted, "but like I said, you still don't get it. It's not just losing Summer that drives her. It's that she never got to know Summer, not like I did. It's not just about protecting people, it's about not being able to have any regrets."
"For Ruby, every single person out there is worthy of her protection," Yang admitted, "because deep down, to her, every single person has a precious life that could very well mean something to someone, even if that person doesn't yet know it. She doesn't want anyone to have any regrets like she has with Summer. She cherishes life so much, Professor. It's not that she has some sort of hero complex, she just loves people so much."
"To her, every single person could one day be a Summer Rose, even you. I don't know why this is surfacing more and more, but right now, I need to make a request of you. Not as your student, but as a concerned big sister."
"Please, don't hate my little sister. Help her get strong so that she can rise to the challenge her ideals and desires will bring. We'll probably never be friends because of your sour attitude...but as our teacher, you're the one she needs to count on the most."
Hansel felt his heart flutter slightly at Yang's heartfelt request. He heaved a sigh. "Like I said, I do sympathize with her." He said. "I...lost my mom too. I didn't even get to meet her. She died giving birth to me."
"I'm so sorry." Yang gasped in horror.
Hansel looked at his students. "Huntsmen are supposed to do everything in their power to protect others." He acknowledged. "I just...need her to understand that if she dies because she recklessly picked a fight she couldn't win...it renders her ideals useless."
"And she will," Yang assured him, "you just need to do your part to train her up so that she's ready. We'll accept any punishment you have for us, Teach. Just know that as soon as you're done with the punishment, we'll be right back in class for more training."
Hansel looked back at Yang. "So every single person is Summer Rose to her, huh?" He raised a curious eyebrow. "And because of that...she wants to protect them."
Yang nodded. "Summer was a great Huntress...but she was a mom, first and foremost." She pointed out. "And every person that dies in a Grimm attack, a home invasion, a robbery, a terrorist attack. That's someone's mom, dad, son, daughter, brother, sister, whatever. Ruby learned that at a young age, too young, really. And that's why she wants to protect everyone, including you. I mean, come on, Teach, isn't there someone in your life that you want to protect, more than anything?"
Hansel almost said no, but without thinking, he responded. "Would you believe me if I said yes?"
"Of course," Yang nodded, "we've all got someone we want to protect, more than anyone in the world. Dad taught me that one. It's just that, Ruby has so much love in her heart, she wants to protect everyone. And that's why, whether it was right or wrong, she rushed right into Neverland Gorge last night."
"Just...please try to keep that in mind, Sir. I know you have every right to be upset, and I'm behind you one hundred percent. I just thought you should know what it is that makes my little sister tick."
A lot of what Yang pointed out to Hansel, he remembered from his conversation with Ozpin. However, hearing all of this from Ruby's older sister...somehow made this conversation even more enlightening. Yang then yawned. "Well, I said my piece." She said. "Goodnight, Teach. We're heading back to Beacon tomorrow, right?"
Hansel nodded. "Goodnight, Xiao Long." He said to her, clearly deep in thought.
As Yang left to return to her sleeping bag, Hansel's voice stopped her. "And Xiao Long? Thanks. That was...a good talk."
Yang smirked. "I'll soften you up yet, Teach." She teased.
Hansel did not have the heart for a comeback at that statement. He simply watched Yang return to her sleeping bunk. Hansel gazed out in the distance and saw the police working. He found himself yawning too. "I guess I can turn in for the night as well." He muttered. "McKnight and his boys are here after all."
Hansel then reached inside his poncho and brandished the strange wristband that had poisoned Corleone. "And after that, figure out just what you are." He muttered.
And with that, the final night of the Neverland Gorge training trip came to an end. By tomorrow afternoon, the students would be back at Beacon Academy, ready to continue on with a renewed purpose and a new direction in how to become stronger Huntsmen.
A.N: A lot to unpack in these last two chapters of the Neverland Gorge Arc, huh? The Wild Hunt version of Hero Killer: Stain (who is frankly a lot more petty than Stain), and some insights into Hansel's psyche. I think the important thing to note about his outburst this time, was that his anger was more like a strict older sibling, scolding the younger ones for reckless behavior. It's subtle, but Hansel does definitely care about his students. He's just really bad at showing it. Hope everyone enjoyed the last two chapters. See you next time.