490Chapter 2
The Emerald Forest
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
Flashback
Location / Date / Time Change
Natsu's Room
"Have you brushed your teeth?" Glynda asked.
"Yes." Natsu groaned out as he packed his bag.
"Put on clean clothes?" She asked.
"Yes." He answered.
"Have your snacks in your bag incase you get hungry?" She asked.
"Yes!" He said loudly as he turned around. "Mom, I'm not some little kid anymore. I know what to do."
"I know, I know." Glynda said, letting his past tone slide. "It's just that, this is the last day I get to take care of you for awhile. I just wanna make sure you make a good impression on your future teammates."
"Come on, it's not like I'm going off to another Great War." Natsu replied. "No matter what happens, you're still my mom. That will never change." He slung his bag over his shoulder before walking over and hugging her. "Wish me luck."
"Good luck." She said as Natsu ran to the school locker room.
"He'll be fine." Ozpin said from behind her. "After all, you did raise him."
Locker Room
"Nora..." Ren interrupted his friend and slid StormFlower into his sleeves. "I don't think sloths make a lot of noise."
"That's why it's perfect!" Nora said after a second of thought. "No one will ever think we're working together!"
"Come on, Nora. Let's go." Ren closed his locker and started walking towards the door.
"I mean not 'together' together." Nora said, thinking it meant the two were dating, before following him.
"Wonder what those two are so happy about?" Ruby asked as the two walked past her and Yang.
"Who knows." Yang said. "So, you seem to be in a much better mood today. Why is that?"
"Because today, there's no awkward small talk or getting to know people." Ruby explained as she pulled her weapon out of her locker. "Today, I get to let my Rose do the talking."
"Just remember, you're not the only one going through initiation." Her sister told her. "If you wanna grow up, you're gonna have to meet new people and learn to work together."
"Agh, you sound like dad." Ruby complained. "First of all, what does making friends have to do with fighting monsters? And second, I don't need people to help me grow up. I drink milk!" She put her weapon on her holster and closed the locker door.
"YEEEEEOOOOOOW!" The girls looked over and noticed something sticking out of the locker. "That's my tail! Open the door! Open the door!"
"Sorry." Ruby opened the door, letting the tail fall out. "Wait, I know that tail... Natsu?"
"Ruby?" Natsu turned around, petting his swollen tail. "It is you. How are you?"
"How am I? Where were you?" Ruby asked. "You just disappeared on me the other day."
"Sorry about that." Natsu said, rubbing the back of his head. "My mom saw the whole thing, and wanted to talk to me."
"Hello!" Yang said, interrupting the two. "Sis, aren't you gonna introduce me to your friend?"
"Oh, right. Yang, this is Natsu. Natsu, this is my sister, Yang." Ruby said, introducing the two.
"Nice to meet you." Natsu said, holding out his hand to shake.
"So, this is the famous Crater-Face." Yang chuckled as she shook his hand before pulling Natsu in closer. "Listen, I don't think Ruby should team up with either of us."
"What!? Why!?" Ruby asked, having heard the whole thing.
"Well, honestly, if you team up with someone you don't know, it might help you break out of your shell." Yang nervously explained.
"What!?" Ruby shouted outraged. "I don't have a shell to break out of! This is absolutely..."
"Ridiculous!" Jaune finished as he walked by, unaware that he stepped on Natsu's tail. "There's no way I put my gear in locker 636 yesterday. I'd remember having to count that high... Why does this have to happen today?"
"So, Pyrrha." Weiss said to the red head next to her, ignoring Jaune's mumbling. "Have you given any thoughts about who's team you'd like to be on? I'm sure everyone is eager to team up with such a strong, well known, individual like yourself."
"Can't say that I really have." The red head answered. "I was planning on letting the chips fall where they may."
"Well, I was thinking we could be on a team." Weiss proposed.
"That sounds grand!" Pyrrha replied.
"Great." Weiss said as her devious side kicked in. 'This will be perfect! The smartest girl in class combined with the strongest girl in class! I can see it now! We'll be popular! We'll be celebrities! We'll get perfect grades! Nothing can come between us!'
"You know what else is grand?" Weiss snapped back into reality when Jaune interrupted her thoughts. "Me, Jaune Arc. Nice to meet you."
"You again?" Weiss asked with disdain.
"Nice to meet you, Jaune." Pyrrha said.
"Yeah, yeah." He pushed the redhead out of his way and stared at Weiss. "So, Weiss, I couldn't help but over hear your fondness for me the other day."
"You have got to be kidding me..." Weiss mumbled.
"Don't worry, it's nothing to be embarrassed about." Jaune said, unaware of the hatred Weiss was brewing. "So been hearing rumors about teams. I was thinking you and I would make a pretty good one. What do you say?"
"Actually, I've heard that the team are made up of four students each, so-" Pyrrha chimed in.
"You don't say." Jaune turned away from Weiss and slid over to the redhead. "Well, hot stuff, play your cards right and you could end up on the winning team with me."
"Jaune, is it?" Weiss asked as she got between the two. "Do you have the slightest idea of who you're talking to?"
"Not even a little, snow angel." Jaune said trying to flatter the heiress.
"This is Pyrrha." Weiss explained. "She graduated at the top of her class at Sanctum."
"Never heard of it." Jaune said.
"She's won the Mistral Regional Tournament four years in a row, a new record." Weiss continued.
"The what?" He asked.
Weiss' anger boiled over and she resorted to something everyone would know. "She's on the front of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box!"
Jaune gasped in realization. "That's you?! They only do that for superstar athletes and cartoon characters!"
"Yeah, it was pretty cool." Pyrrha blushed in embarrassment at the memory. "Unfortunately, the cereal's not very good for you."
"So after all of that, do you really think you have the right to ask her to be on you team?" Weiss asked.
"I guess not..." Jaune hung his head in shame. "Sorry..."
"To be honest, Jaune, I think you would make a great leader." Pyrrha said, trying to cheer him up.
It worked. "Oh, stop it."
"Don't encourage him." Weiss added. "This kind of behavior should not be rewarded."
"Sounds like Pyrrha's on board for Team Jaune." Jaune bragged. "Spots are filling up pretty quick. Now, I'm not supposed to do this, but I could pull a few strings to get you on board. What do you say?"
"All right. That's too close for comfort." Weiss complained as she backed away. "Pyrrha, a little help?"
Jaune turned around as Pyrrha threw her spear, catching his hood and sending him back, trapping him against the nearest locker. "I'm sorry."
"Will all first year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation?" Glynda's voice rang through the schools intercom system. "Again, all first year students repot to Beacon Cliff immediately."
Weiss walked past Jaune as Pyrrha pulled her spear out of the locker, letting him fall to the ground. "It was nice to meet you."
"Likewise." Jaune sighed out.
"Having a little trouble there, lady killer?" Yang asked as her group walked over.
"I don't get it." Jaune complained. "My dad told me all women look for is confidence, so where did I go wrong?"
"'Snow Angel' probably wasn't the best way to start." Yang said as she walked away. Ruby helped Jaune to his feet, only to have Natsu whip him with the tip of his tail.
"What was that for?" Ruby asked.
"That was for stepping on my tail." Natsu said as he followed Yang to the cliff.
"Come on, Jaune. Let's go." She said, helping him out the door.
Beacon Cliff
"For years, you have all trained to become warriors." Ozpin stated with his back to the cliff as the students stood before him. "And today, your skill and abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."
"Now, I'm sure many of have heard rumors about the assignment of teams." Glynda added, holding her Scroll. "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. You will all be given teammates, today."
"What?" Ruby mumbled scared.
"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your stay here at Beacon." Ozpin continued. "So it is imperative that you get paired up with someone you can work well with. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."
"What?!" Ruby shouted as murmurs of concern came from the group of students.
"I told you." Nora said to Ren.
"After you've partnered up, you will make your way to the northern end of the forest." Ozpin spoke up, bringing silence back to the group. "You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy them, or you will die. You will be monitored and graded for the duration of the of the initiation. But our instructors will not help you." He glanced at Glynda, who nodded, knowing he meant she could not help Natsu in any way.
"You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path, containing several relics." He continued. "Each pair will chose one relic, and return with it to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you accordingly. Any questions or concerns?"
"Yeah, um, sir?" Jaune nervously raised his hand.
"Good." Ozpin ignored him. "Now, take your positions."
Everyone prepared expect Jaune, who still had questions. "Um sir, I uh, have a question." Natsu was the first to be launched into the forest, followed by Weiss. "So, this landing strategy, what is it? Are you dropping us off?"
"No." Ozpin answered. "You will be falling." Another student was launched.
"Oh, I see." Jaune said nervously. "So did you, like, hand out parachutes or something?" Nora was next to fly into the forest.
"No." Ozpin said. "You will each come up with your own landing strategies."
"Uh, okay." Jaune said. Yang winked at Ruby before putting on a pair of sunglasses and being launched. Ruby looked towards Jaune before she was launched herself. "So, what exactly is a landing strategYYYYY!" He never finished his question as his turn to fly came.
A little black bird flew out of its tree, only to be smacked into nothingness by Ruby. "Birdie, no!" She fired fired three shots to slow her decent, and then unfolded Cresent Rose, letting her hook a branch and drop to the forest floor.
Weiss used her glyphs to jump above the trees, slowly gliding to the ground. Ren hooked a tree trunk and spun around it till he hit the ground. As he dusted himself off, he heard an explosion, causing him to look up as Yang used her Ember Celica to propel herself forward. She jumped off of two trunks before she rolled on the ground. "Nailed it."
Pyrrha braced herself behind her shield before crashing through three trees and rolling onto a branch. She looked down her scope to see Jaune falling. She flipped her weapon around and it turned into its spear mode. Checking her aim, she threw it and heard it stick Jaune to a tree. "I'm sorry!"
Natsu latched onto a branch with his hands and flipped into the air, summersaulting. His tail stuck out and wrapped around a branch, letting him hang there. He grasped onto the trunk and slid down, his claws digging into the tree.
Ruby reached the ground and took off. 'Gotta find Yang.' She thought to herself. 'Gotta find Yang. Gotta find Yang. Gotta fiiind.' "Yang!" She called out, but received no answer. "Yang!"
'Oh, this is bad, this is bad.' Ruby's thought were a hundred miles an hour. 'What if I can't find her? What if someone finds her first? There's always Jaune. He's nice. He's funny. I don't think he'd be very good in a fight though. Oh, what about Blake? So mysterious, so calm. Plus, she likes books. Then again, I don't think I could hold a conversation with her.'
'Maybe Natsu. He's friendly, and I bet that tail comes in handy. Then again, he seems like a bit of a mama's boy.' She shook her head and cleared her thoughts as she turned around a rock. 'Okay, who else do I know at this school? There's Yang, Jaune, Blake, Natsu, and..."
She skidded to a stop and looked up at the one person she did not want as a partner: Weiss. The two locked eyes and Ruby nervously smiled only to have Weiss turn and walk away. "Where are you going?" Ruby shouted. "We're supposed to be teammates..."
Weiss walked a few feet before looking up. Jaune was struggling to pull Pyrrha's spear out. He looked down and waved, only to have Weiss walk away, back towards Ruby. She grabbed Ruby's hood and started dragging her. "By no means, does this make us friends."
"You came back!" Ruby shouted with joy.
"Hey, come back!" Jaune shouted. "Who's gonna get me down from here!?"
"Jaune?" He looked down as Pyrrha walked into view. "Do you have any spots left on your team?"
"Very funny." Jaune pouted before looking at Pyrrha with a smile.
With Natsu
Natsu leaned against a tree, taking a break from his walk. He hadn't met a person to be his partner yet, but he hadn't reached the temple yet. He swung his bag around and opened it, revealing all kinds of Dust Crystals. He pulled out a blue one and brought it to his mouth before taking a bite out of it.
The Ice Dust cooled his body and rehydrated him. He was about to take a second bite when a hot breathe touched his neck. He looked over his shoulder to three Beowolfs watching him, ready to strike. Natsu smiled before backhanding the closest one, breaking its snout. "Let's go." He cracked his knuckles as the second one charged at him.
The Beowolf swung its claws, but Natsu ducked before slamming his hands into its chest. His claws glowed blue before an ice spike jutted out of its chest and it collapsed dead. The first recovered and roared in anger before sprinting forward. Natsu saw this and slammed his hands into the ground, creating a floor of ice that trapped the beast's feet.
Natsu ran forward as his claws extended into blue blades and swung them, striking the beast and killing it. He turned to the third and was about to sprint towards it when two shots turned the beast around and a sword swing cut its head off. The body fell to the ground, letting Natsu lock eyes with his partner.
It was a pale skinned boy about his age, with swept back white hair and blue eyes. He wore a long, gold trimmed, silver buttoned, blue trench coat with a white serpent pattern going down with its head starting on the left shoulder. Black gloves covered his hands as his left hand gripped a katana.
Around his neck was a navy blue ascot over a black vest. His pants were dark green with a snakeskin patterned and his knee length boots were brown and had two golden buckles. Strapped to his sides were two pistols, one black, and the other white.
"Thanks." Natsu said as he grabbed his bag and strode over to the boy. "So, I guess we're partners then. What's your name?"
"Vergil." The boy said. "Vergil Inferno. You?"
"Natsu Goodwitch." He answered back.
"As in Glynda Goodwitch?" Vergil was surprised at Natsu's last name. "The combat instructor here at Beacon!?"
"Yep." Natsu nodded. "Don't tell anyone, though. We don't want anyone thinking the only reason I got in was because of who my mother is." Vergil nodded and the two headed towards the temple.
With Ruby and Weiss
"Why are you in hurry?" Ruby asked, having been freed from Weiss' grip.
"I will not let my mission be delayed because you're too slow to keep up with me." Weiss said, extremely upset with her partner. "If I get a bad grade because of you, I swear..." She was surprised when Ruby was in front of her. "What the...?"
"I'm not too slow, see?" Ruby bragged. "You don't have to worry about me."
"How did you...?" Weiss started to ask.
"Look, Weiss, just because I don't exactly know how to deal with people doesn't mean I don't know how to deal with monsters." Ruby said. "You're about see a whole new side of me today. And when it's all done, you're gonna be like "Wow, that Ruby girl is really, really cool... And I wanna be her friend."." She sprinted ahead, leaving only rose petals.
'Well, it could be worse.' Weiss thought as she brushed the petals off her. 'I could have been stuck with that Faunus.' "You may be fast, but you still excel at wasting time!" The only sound she heard was the rustling of bushes. "Ruby?" She turned around as a Beowolf emerged and roared.
With Yang
"Hello?" Yang called out looking for anyone. "Is anyone out there? Hello?" She stopped walking and stood in the swamp. "I'm getting bored here."
A rustling caught her attention and she turned around. "Is someone there?" She walked over to the bush and moved some of the leaves out of the way. "Ruby, is that you?" Her eyes went up as a growl escaped from the bush. "Nope."
She rolled to the side as an Ursa swiped its claws. Yang stood up and Ember Celica unfolded into its gauntlet form. Another Ursa charged her and she rolled to side again as the two beasts stood side by side. The first charged as Yang brought her fist back and punched the beast, blasting it backwards.
The second charged, but Yang uppercutted it and then kicked it in the chest. "You two wouldn't have happened seen a girl with a red hood, would you?" Yang asked. The two bear beasts roared in defiance. "You could just say no."
The first one charged and swiped again, as Yang flipped back. "Geez, you two couldn't hit the broad side of a ba-" She stopped taunting when a single strand of her hair fell to the ground. "You..." The two beasts looked at each other in confusion before Yang opened her eyes, now red with rage. "You monsters!"
She launched forward and launched the first one up before brutality punching and striking the Ursa and then launching it through trees, killing it. She turned to the other one as a tree fell. "What? You want some too?" The beast stood up and was about to strike when it fell over, revealing Blake with her weapon deep in the beast's back.
She retracted her weapon and holstered it on her back before looking at Yang and smirked. "I could have taken him." Yang said as the beast began to dissipate into nothingness.
Different Part of the Forest
A girl walked through the forest, alone and unafraid. Her blue hair had a red strand in the front, and her eyes were blue. She wore a white shirt with a red ribbon loosely tied around her neck. Over her shirt was a black jacket with white sleeves and blue lines on the sleeves. Over her breasts were two white birds with their talons ready to strike. Her legs were covered by a knee length light blue skirt and white sneakers. Strapped to her back has a pair of giant red scissors.
She took a few more steps before she heard a rustling in the bushes. She stopped and turned around, staring at about a dozen Beowolfs and Ursas. The closest wolf charged the girl, who unstrapped her blades and jumped up. She opened her scissors wide before snapping them shut, cutting off the beasts head.
She landed and turned around as an Ursa charged forward. She detached the blades from each other and swung the left one, slicing the bear's feet off before swinging the right one, cutting the beast in half.
A Beowolf charged her and swung its claws, only to have the girl block it with her blades. Her attention focused on the beast in front of her, she missed the Ursa charging from the left. The beast head butted her, sending her flying through some thin trees before she crashed into a thick one.
The remaining beasts surrounded her as she pulled herself up. The girl looked at her opposition before pressing a button on her blades handles. The blades folded and transformed into twin Tommy guns. She opened fire, unleashing a hail of Dust bullets on the Grimm, ripping them apart. She ceased firing when the last of the of the beasts fell over dead.
"Are you okay?" A new voice rang out, making the first girl turn around, guns at the ready. She lowered her weapons when she saw it was another human.
This new girl had brown hair, tied in a waist length pony tail in the back with a red bow and two braids in the front. Her eyes were green and she had a small pendent hanging from her neck. She wore a short red vest with gray ends over a long pink dress with a split. She had metal bracers on her wrists and brown boots. In her hand was a gray staff with a purple grip and ends.
"Yeah." The first said as her weapons returned to scissor form and she strapped them to her back. "Just a little roughed up."
"Hold still." The second girl placed her hands on the first and they both glowed in a green aura. The firsts' wounds and scratches slowly healed and faded away, not even leaving scars. Finished healing, the second girl collapsed into the first's hands.
"You okay?" The first asked.
"Yeah..." The second said. "This happens every time I use my Semblance." The first helped the second to her feet and the two walked towards the temple. "My name is Aerith Gainsborough. What's yours?"
"Ryuko Matoi." The second answered.
"I've heard that name." Aerith said. "Wasn't that the last name of a scientist?"
"That's my dad." Ryuko nodded. "He was trying to find out where Grimm come from and why they're so aggressive."
"Did he figure it out?" Aerith asked.
"No..." Ryuko somberly answered. "One of his assistants accidentally left a cage open and a horde of Creeps tore through the lab, killing everyone, including my dad. Only thing that survived were these blades."
"So, that's why you wanna be a huntress?" Aerith asked. "To make sure no one else loses their family?"
"Yeah..." Ryuko said. "So, what about you?"
"I lost my friends to Grimm." Aerith confessed. "We were just kids and we went exploring. We found this cave and went inside, only to find it filled with Ursa. I was the youngest, so they tried to protect me. They killed a few, but one by one, they died. Soon, I was all alone. I thought I was gonna die when a man with a scythe killed the rest."
"Whoa..." Ryuko stared in shock at her new teammate's tale.
"I vowed never to be that helpless little girl again." Aerith continued. "So, I started training and applied to Beacon." She pushed herself off Ryuko and started walking on her own. "Come on, let's get to that temple."
Ryuko nodded and the two girls marched through the forest.
With Weiss
A pack of Beowolfs surrounded Weiss before one swung its claws. She raised Myrtenaster and blocked the attack, sending her reeling back. 'Remember your training, Weiss.' She told herself as she stood up. 'Head up, shoulders back, right foot forward. Too far.' Her body set itself back to the form she was schooled into. 'Slow your breathing, wait for the right time to strike and...'
She crossed her arms and prepared to strike. 'Now!' She charged forward and was about to hit the beast when Ruby appeared and sliced the beast. Weiss stumbled and swung her blade, lighting a tree on fire.
Ruby looked around in confusion before she was hit by a Beowolf, knocking her back into Weiss. "Watch it!"
"Hey!" Weiss snapped back. "You're the one who attacked out of turn. I could have killed you."
"You'd have to try a lot harder than that." Ruby mumbled.
The beasts howled and snarled at the two girls as Ruby reloaded her weapon. She prepared to strike when a tree fell over and Weiss grabbed her wrist. "We have to go, now!" She pulled her partner away as the fire roared around the Grimm.
Both girls panted as they reached a safe distance from the flames. Ruby looked back at the fire before looking at Weiss. "What was that!? That should have been easy!"
"Well, maybe if you showed even the slightest bit of caution with the timing of your attacks, I wouldn't have set the forest on fire!" Weiss shouted back.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ruby asked.
"I'm just surprised that someone who talks so much can speak so little during a confrontation." Weiss said.
"Well, I'm sorry you need my help to win a fight!" Ruby shouted back. "I'm just fine on my own!"
"Well, congratulations." Weiss said sarcastically. "You and that Faunus friend of yours are the strongest children to sneak their way into Beacon. Bravo." She turned around and walked away, as Ruby unfolded her scythe and sliced a tree in anger. As she walked after Weiss, a giant black feather floated to the ground.
With Jaune and Pyrrha
Pyrrha moved some brush out of the way as Jaune walked behind her. An explosion went off in the distance, catching Jaune's attention. "Did you hear that?"
"Gunfire." Pyrrha said. "It seems some of our comrades have come across the enemy." She moved another branch out of the way and it whipped back into Jaune, knocking him down. "Sorry about that."
"No big deal." He said as he stood up. "It's just a scratch."
"Why didn't you use your aura?" Pyrrha asked as she walked over.
"My what?" He asked back.
"Your aura." She repeated.
"Gesundheit." He said, thinking she was sneezing.
"Jaune, you do know what aura is, don't you?" Pyrrha asked.
"Of course I do." Jaune scoffed. "Do you know what aura is?"
"Aura is the manifestation of our soul." Pyrrha explained. "It bears our burdens and shields our hearts. Haven't you ever felt like you were being watched without knowing someone was there?"
"Yeah, sometimes." Jaune confessed.
"With practice, our aura can be our shield." She continued. "Everyone has it, even animals."
"And monsters?" Jaune asked concerned.
"No." She answered. "The monsters we fight lack souls. They are the creatures of Grimm. The manifestation of anonymity. They are the darkness, and we are the light."
"Right. That's why we fight them." Jaune added.
"It's not about why." Pyrrha said shaking her head. "It's about knowing. Understanding both darkness and light helps us manifest our aura. Everyone has a little bit of both in them. By bearing our soul as a force, it protects us from harm. All of our tools and equipment are conduits for our aura. You project yourself and your soul with fighting."
"It's like a force field!" Jaune exclaimed.
"Yes, if you want to look at it that way." Pyrrha chuckled before walking over to him. "Now close your eyes and concentrate."
"Uh... Okay." Jaune did as he was asked, as Pyrrha did the same before glowing in a red aura as Jaune started to glow in a white light.
"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite and distanced and unbound by death. I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee." Pyrrha quoted before bending over out of breath.
"Pyrrha?" Jaune asked concerned.
"I'm fine." She reassured him. "I used my aura to unlock yours, but now the energy around you is now your own." She smirked as the scar on his face faded away. "You have a lot of it."
With Rin
Rin stood atop a pile of Beowolfs panting. He slid his weapons back into his sleeves before dusting himself off.
"Qrraaww! Qrraaww!" He looked around as a strange noise called out before Nora dropped out of a tree upside down.
"I still don't think that's what a sloth sounds like." Rin chuckled.
Nora leaned over and touched his nose. "Boop."
Beacon Cliff
Ozpin looked out over the cliff, drinking his coffee. Behind him, Glynda walked looking at her Scroll. "Our last pair has been formed, sir." She pressed a tab on the screen, bringing up a video of Ren and Nora. "Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren. Poor boy. I can't imagine those two getting along."
"Still, he's probably better off than Ms. Nikos." She said as she pulled a video of Jaune and Pyrrha. "I don't care what his transcript says. This Jaune is not ready for this level of combat. I guess we'll see soon enough." She pressed a button and closed the streams.
"And your son?" Ozpin asked. "I know you've been watching him closely."
"He's seems to be doing fine." Glynda said. "Found himself a partner in that Vergil boy." She turned around and started to walk away. "At any case, they should reach the temple with in the few minutes. Speaking of which, what did you use for the relics this year?"
Ozpin didn't answer. His attention was solely focused on his Scroll, where a video of Weiss and Ruby was live streaming.
With Weiss and Ruby
"It's definitely this way..." Weiss said to Ruby who was on the ground. "No, it's this way." She said as she turned around. "Definitely this way..." She turned and walked towards Ruby, who stood up. "Okay, it's official. We passed it."
"Why can't you just admit we don't know where we're going?" Ruby asked annoyed.
"Because I do know where we're going!" Weiss said back. "We're heading towards the... Forest Temple!"
Ruby rolled her eyes in disbelief. "You are so arrogant!"
"Well, it's not like you know where we are either!" Weiss snapped back.
"At least I'm not pretending like I know everything!" Ruby said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss asked annoyed.
"It means you're a big stupid jerk and I hate you!" Ruby shouted.
"Ugh! Just keep moving." Weiss ordered rolled her eyes.
"Oh, just keep moving." Ruby said mocking Weiss. "Hurry up. Wah, watch your step. Why are you so bossy?"
"I am not bossy!" Weiss snapped as she turned around and marched towards her partner. "Don't say things like that!"
"Then stop treating me like a kid!" Ruby demanded.
"Stop acting like a kid!" Weiss said back.
"Stop acting like you're perfect!" Ruby demanded.
"I'm not perfect!" Weiss shouted back. "Not yet. But I'm still leagues ahead of you." She huffed before she turned and walked away.
"You don't even know..." Ruby said as she stared at her partner walking away.
With Natsu and Vergil
The two partners walked through tall grass, trying to find the temple. They hadn't said a word to each other since meeting, and Natsu was worried he might have left the wrong impression on his partner. "So... Why did you come to Beacon?" Natsu asked.
"Trying to be friendly?" Vergil asked. "We're not friends, we're classmates."
"But we can be." Natsu said.
"Let's not." Vergil told him. "Last partnership I had didn't end well."
"What happened?" Natsu asked.
"He died." Vergil said bluntly. "Grimm tore him to pieces. All I have to remember him by are these pistols."
"Trust me, I'm not going to end up like him." Natsu told the white haired man. "So, can we try to be friends?"
"I gues-" Vergil started before both heard a hissing sound. Vergil looked over to the left as giant black snake head rose from the ground. He backed away before bumping into Natsu, who backed away from a giant white snake head.
"Please tell me you have a plan." Natsu said hopefully.
"Yeah." Vergil nodded. "And I can sum it up in two words." He looked to Natsu as the snake heads weaved around them. "First word: Run!"
"That's not a plan." Natsu said as he looked over, only to find air. "Seriously, dude!?" He shouted as he sprinted after his teammate, with the King Taijitu hot on his tail.
"Second word: Serpintine!" Vergil shouted as he weaved back and forth. Natsu, realizing his plan, copied him inverse, hoping the snake would get tied up around a tree, only to have the beast smash through the ones in its way.
"It's not working!" Natsu shouted.
"Keep it up!" Vergil shouted back as the two continued to run.
Forest Temple
Blake and Yang walked through the woods till they reached a clearing. Below them was what looked like an old temple.
"Think this is it?" Yang asked Blake.
"No, I'm sure there's some other temple in this Grimm infested forest." Both girls looked over to see two other girls, one with brown hair, the other with blue hair and a red streak.
The two teams waved to each other before climbing down the hill. They looked at the ruins and noticed the relics on the pedestals. "Chess pieces?" Blake asked.
"Some of them are missing." The brown haired girl noticed. "Looks like we aren't the first to get here."
"Well, I guess we should each pick one." Blake suggested.
With Jaune and Pyrrha
The two armor wearing students stared at a hole in the cliff wall. "Think this is it?" Jaune asked. Pyrrha shrugged as the two entered the cave.
"I don't think this is it." Pyrrha said.
Jaune sighed before looking over his shoulder. "Pyrrha, I made the torch. Could you please just humor me for a few more feet?" He tripped over an unseen rock and the torch rolled into a puddle, extinguishing it.
"Do you feel that?" Pyrrha asked.
"You mean soul-crushing regret?" Jaune asked back.
"No it's... warm." She said back.
Forest Temple
Yang stared at a golden knight piece before picking it up. "How about a cute, little horsey?" She asked Blake.
"Sure, why not?" Blake said before walking over.
Ryuko grabbed a golden bishop piece before tossing it to Aerith. "Feel like some divine inspiration?"
Aerith caught the peice and examined it. "Sure."
"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Yang asked the group.
"Well, it's not like this place is hard to find..." Ryuko said.
With Jaune and Pyrrha
The two walked a bit more before they came across a glowing object. "That's the relic!" Jaune said as he reached to get it, only to have it move away from him. "Stupid relic..." He jumped forward and latched on to it, only to be met with glowing red eyes.
He screamed as the Pyrrha ran out the cave with the Deathstalker on her heels. "Pyrrha!" Jaune shouted hanging from the tail. "This is not the relic! Help me!"
"Jaune, whatever you do, don't let-" She started before the beast swung its tail sending Jaune flying. "Go." She stared at the beast before sprinting away.
Forest Temple
"Did you guys hear that?" Yang asked. "Some girl is in trouble! What should we do, Blake?" Her answer never came as Blake stared at the sky. "Blake, did you hear me?"
"Heads up!" Everyone looked up as Ruby fell from the sky.
Well, we've met his teammates, Vergil from DMC, Aerith from Final Fantasy 7, and Ryuko from Kill la Kill. I liked these characters as teammates, and I hope you will too. I've included some mother-son moments that I hoped you all liked. I have big things planned for the next chapter, that's why I changed up Rins fight.
I plan on having a poll up once the first volume of RWBY is done about who should be with Natsu. Won't include anyone with an obvious interest like Weiss or Blake, but keep an eye out for it.
Now that volume three is done it gives me a chance to catch up.
See you next chapter.
Beta read by digemsmack.