2,860Well, I didn't expect the crossover to attract so much attention. I was planning to work on something else, but when I woke up the following day, saw a lot of interest in this story. I thought, why not write another chapter? This one should have the summary for this story make sense. After all, you can't have good plot without conflict of some kind. This chapter is a big part of the buildup for a series of unfortunate events that will spiral out of control. I don't want to spoil too much here, so I'm going to move to the comments.
Guest: I'm sure the Kami-disease will have to fight the Jaune Arc charm for control at some point.
SilentXD7: I have a lot of plans for this one. Touma's luck is going to start off in full swing and of course, it's all because of a girl.
FireDusk: You know both of the series are actually pretty similar in a lot of ways. Super strong teenagers, a lot of light scenes with dark underlying plots, and takes place around a school? It seems pretty similar. The biggest question is does Semblances work with Science abilities? If it works like magic and science did in the Index universe, Accelerator should not unlock his aura.
shiroryuu01: I kind of want Misaka to meet Nora. Imagine the full power of lightning hitting Nora. You thought she was strong before…
vietnamese guy: I write what I feel like writing. If I rather write something else for a bit, I will. You should never force yourself to write or things end up badly.
Shadow: Thanks. The first chapter is always the toughest for me. You have to set everything up in it.
Dead Salvation: You might have to wait a bit for Accelerator to start doing some stuff, but he will shine eventually.
WPDC888: I'll leave some hints starting in this chapter about when it takes place. So, what's your favorite ice cream? Mine is Neapolitan.
98kazer: Boooooooooo!
Crimson Miles: I plan to continue it, but it will have Touma. Accelerator will have to wait a few chapters before he does cool things again, but he will. I always found writing Accelerator really easy compared to a lot of other chapters.
The Rupture: Stuck is probably not the best work to use. For full explanation, see chapter below.
Salvare: How about, "Monty, help us?"
Tyf & Guest: Thanks for the support.
Cyber dragonarmy: First season will get you caught up plenty for this story, but a couple things in the second would not hurt.
Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or RWBY.
Neo was not happy.
Her full name was Neopolitan, but preferred her nickname. She had a last name, however no one besides her knew it. It was kind of ironic that, even though she hated her full name, her outfit and favorite ice cream carried a similar theme. Her hair color was half pink and half brown, with white streaks on the pink side. Neo's natural eye color could change between brown, pale pink, and white in any combination, at her discretion. She wore a white jacket with a pink interior, brown pants, black gloves, and black and white boots with very high heels. Under her jacket was a brown corset, curved in the middle and at the bottom, which exposed her hips. Several necklaces were hung around her neck. Currently, she was sitting on a large branch in a tree outside of Vale, thinking about what had upset her.
First, there was her boss.
Her boss wasn't stupid. He was skilled, resourceful, and cunning, while also not being too bad at combat. Nothing compared to Neo, but he knew his way around a fight. The problem today was he was in a really bad mood. He had been prepared to steal a large shipment of dust from the Schnee Dust Company at a Vale dock. From what she had inferred from his rants, everything was going exactly as planned, until two Faunus, a race similar to human but with an animal part, got involved. He should have been able to handle them, but then a girl he nicknamed 'Red' showed up again, along with some other girl who could fire a giant laser. Retreat was the only option after that. Neo believed if she had been there, everything would have worked out fine, but her boss had insisted she wasn't needed for that simple job. Unexpected things happen in their line of work, she knew this. The retreat had been successful, so he should have learned from it and moved on, but then he had the nerve to snap at her when she innocently pointed out his incompetence.
After a brief argument, where several nameless minions, she never bothered to learn the names of the boring help, were blown away and one was stabbed, Neo decided, completely of her own accord, to leave and let her boss cool down. It was not the most opportune time to ask for a pay raise. Instead, she went to her favorite store to buy her favorite ice cream to improve her mood. The day got worse. It turned out they were sold out of Neapolitan ice cream. She had been forced to buy another flavor. This normally would not have been a big deal, but she was already in a foul mood. If the people who knew her saw the dark look on her face, they would have wet themselves and run for their lives. However, Neo managed to refrain from destroying the store and killing everyone around her. She only finished her food and left. Her boss stressed they needed to keep a low profile for a bit to make the military think they moved on. This order was going to make stress relief more difficult.
Hence, this was the reason Neo was outside the city.
If she couldn't beat people up, then Grimm were the next best option. She could pummel as many as she wanted without anyone caring. In fact, if someone saw her, she could just pretend to be a Hunter and no one would question the killing. She reached over for her pink semi-transparent umbrella and clicked the hidden button. A dangerously sharp blade slipped out of the end of the umbrella and another click of the button retracted it. Neo loved her weapon and designed it to be inconspicuous so it could be taken everywhere. She twirled the umbrella for a moment and scanned the area. A problem had arose she did not expect.
Where are all the Grimm?
Neo was a lot further out than she should have needed to be. True, she avoided some of the larger slow moving Grimm, today was supposed to be an easy one sided beat down to relieve stress not be a challenge, but she should have seen at least a couple of Beowolves. This was unusual. It could have been possible a hunter had been in the area earlier and wiped them out, but she should have heard some rumors about that. She liked to keep on top of their movements, so she could avoid them on her days off.
Weird. Curiosity slowly replaced irritation and she looked around again. A river was off in the distance, along with a large hill on the other side. That would probably be the best location to scout the area without going too far. She made the decision to turn back if she still couldn't locate any Grimm after that. She jumped off the branch and landed daintily on the ground. There wasn't even a sound. She walked toward the river and stopped on the shore. She didn't really want to get wet and looked for a bridge. There were several rocks to her right and she was able to effortless jump across them. Aura was quite handy and made even the most annoying physical exertions easy. She landed on the far side and checked her boots, before walking up the hill. She was bored, there was doubt about that, but she had calmed down, even without having massacred anything. Suddenly, a voice yelled out in fear and she stopped to listen.
"I'm going to die!"
Heh, sounds like a boy. I bet he tried to be brave and find a Grimm. This should be good. Neo ascended quickly and looked down at the far side of the hill. She expected to see a poor boy get torn apart by Grimm. What she saw was about half of what she expected. A spiky blacked hair boy in a torn white shirt and black pants leaned up against a tree. A look of fear was plastered on his face as he kept glancing all around him. He was surrounded by a mass of Grimm, their numbers great enough that even Neo was surprised. There were dozens of Beowolves, easily twenty Ursai, and countless Boarbatusks. This explained why she hadn't been able to find any Grimm closer to the city.
"Why are you monsters following me?!" the boy yelled. "Stay back!" Neo actually noticed the Grimm were keeping easily a thirty foot distance away from the boy, minimum.
Why aren't they attacking? Neo thought and watched the unusual scene below her. Grimm were mindless and as soon as they saw a person, they would attack. Even if a bunch of other Grimm had been killed, they would keep pursuing. Obviously the boy's loud voice and negative emotions attracted them, but that doesn't explain why they are keeping a distance. Her brow furrowed slightly when she saw some of the Grimm began to leave and wander deeper into the forest. What…? Neo had never seen or even heard Grimm act like this. They either lost interest in the boy, or they decided attacking him was not worth the effort. Neither option seemed likely, and now Neo was no longer the least bit irritated. Curiosity had completely taken her over.
The boy had gone silent and changed his stance to one about to fight to the death. He raised his fists and separated his feet. It looked like the boy was at least used to street fighting, but that would be useless against the Grimm. More of the Grimm seemed to be disappearing now that the boy wasn't shouting as much anymore. Neo sat down on a rock and watched to see how everything played out. The mob of Grimm was now less than half of what it had been with she arrived. The boy appeared to notice this too. Relief was evident on his face. Without all the negative emotions, Grimm would be less attracted to him, but that still did not explain why the Grimm were not attacking. The boy took a couple steps forward toward the remaining Grimm and Neo's mouth fell open at their response.
The Grimm were backing away from him.
Am I hallucinating? Neo thought to herself in disbelief. At first it seemed like the Grimm were monitoring the boy, even if that made no sense, now it looked like they didn't want to be near him. Maybe he has some kind of Semblance that keeps them back, but then why would he be so terrified of them? She frowned as she watched the boy continue to cautiously step forward, which made the Grimm retreat further back. Her eyes widened. Could the Grimm… be afraid? That's impossible. Whatever she had hoped to learn was nothing compared to this. Now she had another question. Why would they be afraid? The boy took another step forward.
"Listen," he told them. "I don't know what you are, but I don't want any trouble." Neo rolled her eyes, but she focused on one thing the boy said.
What person doesn't know what Grimm are? The Grimm kept disappearing further into the forest, away from the boy. Eventually, the entire mob disappeared and the boy fell backwards onto the group in relief. Neo waited a few minutes to make sure the Grimm were all gone before standing up. This mystery wasn't going to solve itself and the boy didn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, so she decided she might as well check it out herself. She walked down the hill when the boy finally noticed her. He raised his head and gaped at her, maybe because of her vibrant appearance. Or he finds me attractive. I'll flirt with him a bit to lower his guard. She smiled kindly and waved at him. The boy sprang to his feet and a look of horror was on his face. Neo's smile flickered. She wasn't used to people who didn't know her to look like that.
"Behind you!" the boy yelled suddenly and Neo recognized her mistake. She turned around and saw two large snake heads almost upon her. The heads themselves were as big as an adult male. One was white and one was black, but both had red markings on top and blood red eyes. Their bodies connected in the middle rather than having tails. The area connecting them was slightly checkered before turning either white or black. The open mouths had a large number of razor sharp fangs. It was a King Taijitu, one of the largest Grimm in the area. Neo instantly determined her situation. She had been so preoccupied watching the unusual behavior of the Grimm against the boy, she hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings. A King Taijitu may have been large, but they traveled almost silently before they attacked. A professional doesn't lose their cool though and she smiled as the fangs approached her. The King Taijitu's black head's fangs made contact with her.
Neo shattered into thousands of small glass like pieces.
The King Taijitu stopped and looked around. It expected to bite into flesh, not glass. The pieces rained down onto the ground around it and disappeared. This illusion was the power of Neo's Semblance. She could create perfect moving replicas of whatever she wished to project, and they were physical enough to be shattered on impact. She had moved to the side and was in the process of pulling her hidden sword out of her umbrella, when both heads of the King Taijitu stopped and turned away from her. The boy had closed the distance between them. He was only moving as fast as a normal person, so he must have started running the second after he shouted a warning.
The expression on the boy's face was a combination of fear and determination. It was obvious to Neo he was afraid of the King Taijitu, most people would be, but was trying to help her, which was stupid in her opinion. She could take care of herself, but the boy couldn't have known that. Neo was more interested in the reaction of the Grimm over the boy's stupidity. As the boy neared, it began to coil backwards. This time, Neo was sure. It's afraid! There was no doubt in her mind. She watched in awe as the King Taijitu began to retreat from the boy, but the sudden change in direction, which the Grimm was obviously not used to turning around and running away, stalled it when it was blocked by several thick trees.
"Run!" the boy called out to Neo as he closed in on the Grimm. He made a fist with his right hand. "I'll hold it off!" Neo had to resist laughing. She couldn't feel any Aura emitting from the boy and there was no way a physical attack at that speed would do any damage. Besides the weird reaction from the Grimm, Neo was sure the boy was about to die. The King Taijitu began to disappear into the trees when the boy managed to grab the checkered area in the middle of it. With the sound of breaking glass, similar to her illusions, the Grimm disappeared.
Neo blinked.
There was no body, no noticeable source of energy used, or even the black smoke that symbolized the Grimm's death. It was just gone.
The boy had an expression of surprise on his face, but it was nothing compared to Neo's. She was staring at him in awe and mouth open, barely away of another couple small Grimm further back in the forest, but they turned and ran away. After that display, she finally began to have an idea why the Grimm did not attack. This boy had the power to instantly destroy Grimm. Since Grimm were not capable of higher thought, it must be a fear on an instinctive level. The reason they swarmed around him originally was probably because of the noise and negative emotions he gave off. Then they realized his power and there was confusion on what they should do, attack or flee. One question was answered, but now she had another one.
If he has the power to slay Grimm effortlessly, why was he so scared? The boy seemed to calm down and turned to her. His face was sweaty and slightly dirty, but otherwise looked unharmed.
"Are you okay?" the boy asked her. Neo quickly made her face impassive and then smiled. She gave him a short nod. "That's good." He sighed. "I start the day fighting a magician and then wake up in the middle of a forest surrounded by monsters. What are those things?" Neo frowned and pulled out her Scroll and typed a short message. She held her Scroll up for the boy to read.
'Do you seriously not know what Grimm are? '
"Grimm?" Neo had to resist smacking her forehead with her hand. She kept up her facial expression disguise as mildly curious and continued to type. She might as well get a little bit of information from him. By magician, he must have meant someone who can use dust magic. She was a little curious he didn't ask her why she was typing instead of talking but, unless he asked, she wasn't going to bring it up.
'Interesting, where are you from then?'
"I'm from Academy City."
'Where is that? Which Kingdom?'
"Kingdom?" the boy replied confused. "It's really famous around the world, but it's in the country of Japan." Neo was equally as confused, but her brain processed the information. "Oh," the boy continued. "I never introduced myself. My name is Touma Kamijou. I'm glad you speak… well type… a language I understand. My teacher really pounded English into my head during class." He reached out a hand.
English? Neo thought to herself. She was only typing in the common language. This boy either came from an area far outside of the four kingdoms, were Grimm did not roam, or he came from somewhere even further. She started typing. 'You can call me Neo.' Then she reached out a hand and shook his. The sound of breaking glass went off again and Neo's eyes went wide.
She yanked her hand out of his and pulled out the sword hidden in her umbrella.
"Neo?" Touma asked confused and frightened, when the tip of the sword was pressed up against his throat. "What are you doing?"
Neo was panting heavily. What happened to her was completely unexplainable. My Aura disappeared completely with a single touch. Without her Aura, all her strength and power vanished. She had become as weak as a normal person. Because she had her Aura for most of her life, it was like she had become helpless. It frightened her. She was someone who could waltz into a building full of armed guards and wipe them all out without a second though, yet this boy just terrified her to her core. Losing Aura was also a weird situation on a technical aspect too. Aura exhaustion, when a person used their Aura up, could kill Hunters. This usually occurred when the person got hit to many times from an enemy and their Aura could not keep up healing them. So when her Aura disappeared instantly and she didn't die, confusion took over.
Her arm holding her blade never wavered as she processed this information, and the boy didn't move either, not wanting to have his throat cut opened. Now that she was in close proximity to the boy, she noticed something else. The boy did not have an Aura. All living things, even animals, with a soul had Aura. Grimm did not have souls and thus did no possess Aura. Because this boy did not have an Aura, Neo mulled over the possibilities. Could he be a type of Grimm? That seems unlikely. Atlas has been doing a lot of research with Aura, so he might be an experiment gone wrong. Or, there is the possibility of where he came from… guess I have to ask. She typed on her Scroll one handed, because she refused to remove the sword from a potential threat.
'What are you?'
"Huh?" Touma replied confused. "I'm just a normal-…" He stopped when Neo applied a tiny bit of pressure to his neck.
'A normal person could not make Grimm or Aura disappear like that.'
"I assume those monsters are called Grimm?" the boy asked and Neo nodded. "I have no idea what Aura is, but it must have been affected when we shook hands?" She nodded again. "Okay, well that is probably because of my Imagine Breaker." Neo tilted her head in confusion and he continued. "My right hand can negate anything supernatural; magic, abilities, and even God's miracles. The downside is it also negates my luck, so I'm always misfortunate. Example, waking up in the middle of a forest surrounded by monsters."
Neo didn't say anything. The sheer absurdity of his explanation threw her for a loop. She had never heard of anything like that. A power that could negate supernatural things was an insane concept. Grimm definitely weren't natural in a sense. They disappeared on death and how they were born was unknown. There was no way to test his words about 'God's miracles,' but she could test using dust against him, though she didn't have any at the moment. Still, the idea of this power existing was mindboggling, and that was not even counting the fact he said it was tied only to his right hand. To test this, she moved cautiously, keeping the sword against his neck, and touched his left arm. Nothing happened and she frowned.
"See," Touma continued when she didn't respond. "If I negated something when we shook hands, I'm sorry." Neo looked into his eyes and did not see a single shred of malicious intent. She was pretty good at reading people, but this boy appeared way too easy to read. He was either stupidly pure or very good at lying. She typed a question on her Scroll and held it up.
'Why did you help me?'
"Why?" Touma looked confused. "Why wouldn't I help someone? You were being attacked by a giant two-headed snake. I didn't know my hand would work, but I hoped it would since that creature didn't seem natural." He sighed in relief when Neo finally lower and sheathed her sword,
Without warning, Neo burst out laughing and he jumped. She finally understood him. Even if she couldn't understand his power, his personality was obvious. He's an idiot trying to be a hero! She calmed down and smiled at him, which made him nervous as his face paled slightly. She looked at him curiously before typing on her Scroll.
'Sorry about that. These are dangerous times and what you did was unexpected. Thank you for the help against the Grimm.' A few questions still needed to be answered and being nice would be sure to get him to answer.
"It was not a problem," Touma replied dismissively. Neo wasn't surprise he didn't ask for anything. An idiot trying to be a hero never did. If he had asked her for something, she would know he was selfish.
'Mr. Kamijou, something you said earlier was kind of unusual, but it hinted at your predicament. This question will be strange, but humor me.' Touma nodded. 'What is the name of your planet?'
"Earth," Touma replied and scratched his head in confusion, but that answered Neo's question.
I hate to tell you this, but the planet you are currently on is called Remnant. The boy's eyes widened in shock. Neo wasn't sure what to expect from him, but her money had been on him fainting. Instead, he fell to his hands and knees and started muttering to himself.
"I'm trapped in another world again? What did I do to deserve this? Didn't the universe mock me enough already? Did I anger another magic god?" Neo raised an eyebrow at this. "Wait, Accelerator and Last Order were with me when the light engulfed us. They might be trapped here! Crap, this is bad! Accelerator can handle himself, but Last Order won't be able to face these monsters." He stood up and turned to Neo. "Can you point me to civilization?" Neo nodded and then typed on her Scroll.
'I was planning to head back to the city, so showing you the way won't be a problem.' She typed again. 'Though, we should keep a low profile. They are rather suspicious of outsiders and you don't possess an Aura. That might be because of your hand.'
"Sounds okay," Touma agreed. "If this world is inhabited by monsters… Grimm, right?" Neo nodded. "I wouldn't be surprised people would be suspicious. Any idea on who I can talk to about my predicament and how to locate my friends?"
'Yes. I have a friend.' She struggled on the last word, but decided that would be the best option to put the boy at ease. She really wanted to say stupid, annoying boss. 'He's a little unusual in his tastes, but he knows a lot of people. He could keep an ear out for your friends and might have an idea how to get you home.'
"Thank you so much, Neo," Touma told her graciously. "If there is anything I can do to repay you, please let me know."
'I can think of a few ways.' Neo licked her lips and winked at him when he read her words. His faced turned bright red and he looked away from her. He's an idiot and a hero wannabe, but he's still a teenage boy. I'm going to mess with him so much. She laughed and typed another message. 'I'm just teasing.' Touma raised an eyebrow and then chuckled.
"I should be used to that," he told her. "My friends back home tease me all the time." Neo laughed again and opened her umbrella. Throwing it over her shoulder, so she was shaded from the sun, she started leading them back to town. "Oh Neo, can I ask you something?" She waved her hand indicating permission. "How old are you?" Neo looked back at him and smirked devilishly.
'How old do you think I am?' She laughed internally as his face paled. He should have known you never ask a lady that question and she was going to make him squirm. She kept her eyes focused on him as he stuttered and tried to come up with an answer. Of course, she also paid attention to her surroundings. A Grim was not going to sneak up on her again.
"Eighteen?" he finally guessed.
'That will do.' She smiled when Touma looked relieved. Neo had always been a little sensitive about her height. Even Touma, who wasn't that tall, was still bigger than her. Too many people believed her to be a child and treated her as such. Of course, they soon regretted their action and either feared her or feared nothing ever again when they were found six feet under. 'Though, why don't you tell me how you came up with that answer?' She got another entertaining show when his face turned red and he turned away from her. 'Is it my height? Trust me, I have heard all the jokes.'
"That's not it," Touma admitted. "I know enough people to not be fooled by that. It's well… the way you hold yourself and… your figure…" His words got softer and he started mumbling. Neo raised an eyebrow and looked down at her clothes. While they weren't revealing, they were tight enough to show off her curves. Clothes that were too loose were a liability in battle. Neo also was endowed with respectable assets and she grinned at his implications. She shook her butt slightly more when she walked and glanced over her shoulder. The boy was trying not to look at her and his ears were burning.
'You really know how to add on the charm.' Her words were greeted by more sputtering. 'Relax. I was fine with your answer. We should be able to see the city in about thirty minutes at this pace.'
"Again, thanks for everything Neo." She moved her hand not holding her umbrella to dismiss his thanks.
If he only knew, she thought. Neo had several reasons for helping Touma. The first was her boss would love to meet him. Not because of the boy's personality, but because of his hand. A power that could frighten Grimm away and negate unlocked Auras could be an extremely valuable asset in future endeavors. Her boss would probably have a lot more ideas on how to maximize his use. The second and third reasons were more personal. The second reason was delivering the boy to her boss would guarantee her a raise. She could always threaten to take the boy away if she didn't get what she wanted. It's not like anyone could stop her. Well, one woman could, but Neo was terrified of her for good reason. The third reason was entertainment.
Neo planned to tease that boy mercilessly. His reactions were so adorable.
"Well that was a good morning exercise," Peter said with a chuckle as he gazed upon the cages. Two of the three were closed and sealed with a Beowolf and Boarbatusk. "The area was a little light on Grimm, but that makes things easier. Hope the others are having fun. I would hate to take all the glory when my students are growing up so fast into fine Hunters." He purposely left the last cage for Team JNPR. He turned around when he heard something rustle in the distance. "Sounds like purposely making two trips allowed the younglings to return in time. Excellent." He then heard a female yell loudly.
"Taste the hammer!" Peter recognized Nora's energetically loud voice. A second later, a Beowolf flew over a tree and landed a few feet away from Peter. "Nice one, Miss Valkyrie." Peter grabbed the dazed Grimm and threw it into the cage. He then reached up and slammed the door closed before it could get up. He heard several footsteps rushing through the brush and he turned to greet his students. "I'm glad you all could… what happened?" He immediately noticed Jaune carrying a skinny white haired boy.
"We found this boy facing off against a horde of Grimm," Jaune explained quickly. "We aren't sure how, but he can fight Grimm without having his Aura unlocked. However, he collapsed shortly after we arrived. We need to get him medical attention."
"Quickly then," Peter agreed and turned around. "Explain on the way." He, Jaune, and Nora took off running. "What do you mean he can fight Grimm without an Aura? Did he have a weapon?"
"No," Nora explained. "He could send Ursai flying with a single touch and Beowolves would break bones just coming into contact with him. When he wakes up, I'm going to get him to teach me how to do that."
"He didn't seem to take any damage from their attacks either," Jaune added. "But he collapsed in pain."
"I would say his Aura has been used up, but I can tell he still has it." Peter frowned. "Where are Mr. Ren and Miss Nikos?"
"This guy was looking for a young girl," Jaune explained. "Pyrrha and Ren are our best trackers, so they are looking for signs of her while we get this guy medical attention."
"This is indeed serious," Peter agreed. "Do you have a picture of the girl?" Jaune showed him the photo on the boy's device. "Okay, you two know where the medical center is. I'm going to help with the search."
"Our teammates know to return if they don't find any signs of her," Jaune said before Peter turned around.
"Excellent plan Mr. Arc," Peter told him and then rushed off back to the forest.
"This is why you were made the leader," Nora told him. "Always planning three steps ahead."
"I only used common sense," Jaune told her, but he felt his ears burn slightly at the praise. They took off as fast as they could, ignored a couple questions from other students, before finally making it to the medical center. The boy was taken away immediately, but one nurse wrote down as much information as she could from Jaune and Nora. After that, they were free to go. They didn't waste any time and rushed back out of Beacon to meet the rest of their team at the entrance to the forest. The three cages were still there and Jaune heard the Grimm scratching at the walls. He sat down on a stump and waited, his hands clutched nervously together. Waiting is horrible to find out news. Wish Ruby was with us. With her speed, she could have scouted out the entire half of the forest. Time passed and it was a little over an hour since they split up. Nora kept pacing back and forth anxiously. "Nora," Jaune finally said. "Our friends will be fine."
"It's not them I'm worried about," Nora replied instantly. "It's the girl they are looking for. Imagine how scared she must be. Trapped in the middle of nowhere surrounded by Grimm. If she's alive, Pyrrha and Ren will definitely find her. Ren is amazing in hide and seek. I have never once been able to hide from him. It's how he got his title of Master Seeker Ren and he has never failed. With Pyrrha's skills backing him up, even if a wall of Grimm stood in their ways, they would be fine. But what would happen if they find her and bring her back. They could feel like a family and then feelings would well up within them for each other. If Ren and Pyrrha start dating, where would that leave us? Would Ren still make me pancakes and would Pyrrha keep helping you? It would destroy the composition of our team and we would start falling behind the others and slowly get worse until we are all kicked out and…" Her face was growing paler with each word, so Jaune cut her off.
"Breath, Nora." Nora stopped talking and took a deep breath. "If the girl is out there, they will find them. When they return, everything will be exactly the same except we will also have reunited two people. You can stop being so nervous."
"I'm not nervous."
"There's a trail of dirt where you have been pacing."
"Oh. Wasn't that there already?" Jaune shook his head. Nora swung her hammer in a circle and then looked more cheerful. "I just remembered. Ren and I have the secret Sloth Call we use to locate each other."
"Sloth Call? Do sloths even have a call?"
"Of course they do Jaune-Jaune," Nora exclaimed with a roll of her eyes. "This is a secret call and I normally wouldn't share it, but you are our Fearless Leader, so you have earned the right to hear this." She took a deep breath and then called out loudly. "Buuurahhh!" She waited about ten seconds. "Buuurahhh!"
"I…I'm not sure that's the sound a sloth makes," Jaune admitted after a moment.
"That's what I told her." Jaune and Nora instantly turned and saw Ren and Pyrrha exiting the forest. "We need to take her to a zoo and find out for sure," Ren continued. Nora charged forward and gave him a huge hug that nearly crushed his ribs. Jaune glanced around and didn't see a girl with them. His eyes fell on Pyrrha's disappointed expression.
"Were there… any signs?" Jaune asked Pyrrha slowly. He couldn't bring himself to say anything specific. She shook her head.
"No," Pyrrha told him and Jaune felt slightly better. If there was no sign of blood, there was a good possibility the girl might be okay. "We couldn't find any signs of another person in the area besides us, so we backtracked the boy's steps." She frowned and cross her arms. "This is when it gets strange. We found a spot where the boy had come from, but…"
"His tracks stopped there," Ren explained. "It was almost like he started off there. There were no other tracks, his or anyone else's."
"He could have come down from a Bullhead or something," Pyrrha added reasonably.
"He could throw an Ursa Major over a mile!" Nora pointed out. "Maybe he can fly too. He could be a superhero after all."
"We don't know anything about him," Jaune said to humor Nora. "So he might be able to fly." Nora beamed at him and Ren shook his head.
"We looked around the surrounding area too," Pyrrha continued. "In case it was a Bullhead and the girl landed somewhere else, but there was nothing, except a couple Grimm and we took them down." She looked down at the ground. "I'm really sorry we couldn't find any clues."
"Don't beat yourself up," Jaune said to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "You did everything you could. You aren't omnipotent." He looked over at Ren. "You both did a good job." Ren nodded in acknowledgement.
"Thanks Jaune," Pyrrha said, slightly more cheerfully.
"Look Ren," Nora whispered excitedly. "Jaune's now cheering up Pyrrha. Their rolls are reversing. Maybe Pyrrha is going to become the team leader and Jaune is going to be invincible in battle."
"Shush," Ren whispered back and put his hand over her mouth.
"Mr. Arc is correct," a voice said from behind them and everyone jumped. They did not see the man approach. He was middle-aged with tousled silver hair and thin brown eyes. He had a light complexion and sharp facial features. A pair of shaded glass spectacles adorned his face and a small, purple, cross-shaped pin was on the cowl around his neck. His outfit mainly consisted of an unzipped black suit over a buttoned vest and green shirt. He also wore black trouser shoes and long, dark-green pants.
"Professor Ozpin," all four of the teens said in surprise. Ozpin stood before them drinking coffee from a mug in one hand while holding a cane in the other. He was the headmaster of Beacon Academy.
"What are you doing here sir?" Pyrrha asked politely.
"I heard from our medical staff you four were responsible for our unconscious guest," Ozpin said and sipped his coffee. "I wanted to talk to you while we made our way back to Beacon."
"Of course professor," Ren said. The four of them followed Ozpin back.
"Could you tell me what transpired since you entered the forest?" Ozpin asked. Jaune explained how the Grimm in the area disappeared and they had to go further into the forest before Nora spotted a flying Ursa. Deciding they should investigate in case whatever threw the Grimm would be a danger to Beacon, they traveled in the direction the Ursa came from. That is where they discovered the boy. They observed him for a moment and saw him rip the arm off an Ursa, break the bones of Beowolves, and with a single touch send Grimm flying. However, he collapsed and they had to step in. After killing the Grimm, the boy showed them the picture and fell unconscious. They had split up to get the boy help and look for the girl. Pyrrha then explained again what happened on her end. Ozpin listened to her story and nodded. He had been quiet and patiently let them finish.
"What do you think?" Pyrrha asked him.
"Very interesting," Ozpin mumbled. "A boy, without Aura unlocked, being able to perform the acts you described." He sipped his coffee. "Once he wakes up, I would like to speak with him for sure. As for his companion," he turned to each of them in turn. "You could find no signs of her and yet he was looking for her in that area. What do you think could be the reason for that?"
"She might be in a different area," Pyrrha answered. "It was possible they escaped an inflight Bullhead and she landed somewhere outside our range."
"Interesting theory," Ozpin said. "What about the rest of you?"
"There is a chance the girl could have some unusual power like him," Ren suggested. "It might make her untrackable."
"If that turns out to be the case," Ozpin commented. "Then neither we nor the Grimm would be able to catch her and she would be safe for now." He glanced over at Nora. "Miss Valkyrie, I'm sure you want to say something." He saw her bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"They are obviously superheroes here to help us save the world!" Nora nearly shouted. "They can fly and that's why we can't find her. The guy we found was probably injured after fighting a legendary Grimm, otherwise he would have destroyed the weaker ones."
"Unusual theory," Ozpin acknowledged and the corners of his mouth twitched. "What about you Mr. Arc? I'm sure you can think of a different explanation." His eyes fell on Jaune, who frowned.
"Well," he said slowly. "If the other theories are wrong, maybe the girl never actually was here." His teammates frowned, but Ozpin motioned for him to continue. "I was thinking, we don't know how he got here right? Maybe there was an accident and he woke up in the forest. The girl might have been with him before he arrived in the forest and he just assumed she was with him. He only said, 'find this girl.' He never said she was here."
"A well-thought out theory," Ozpin complimented. "We have little to go on, so we must entertain all ideas." He sipped his coffee. "For now, I feel like you four have done enough for your detention. Someone will stop by to collect the Grimm you and Peter collected. I'm sure Peter will be too busy scouring the forest for the girl today to remember them anyways. I will let you know when the boy wakes up. He will most likely want to thank you all for helping him." He was also planning to contact a few of his acquaintances in and outside Vale to see if any of them found the girl. Her picture was on the boy's device and Ozpin was planning to pass it on. He had also used the opportunity to have his students think like hunters. After all, sometimes the truth isn't obvious at first glance.
"Thanks professor," Jaune said gratefully. The four of them watched Ozpin walk off before Jaune turned to his team. "What do you want to do? I'm sure Team RWBY is in the middle of their trip into Vale and going off to meet them probably would use up of the rest of day." He didn't feel like doing anything, but he wanted to know what his team thought.
"I'm hungry," Nora volunteered. "I vote we eat. Right Ren?"
"I could stomach something," Ren agreed, much to Nora's delight.
"I don't have much of an appetite," Jaune muttered. The girl reminded him of his sisters. He had seven of them and four were younger than he was. The thought of one of his sisters being trapped in a forest of Grimm made him sick. "Think I'll start working on that history essay for Oobleck's class. It's due Monday and Ruby wants to do something tomorrow."
"I'll go with-…," Pyrrha started to say to him, but the rumble of her stomach interrupted her. She blushed and stopped talking.
"Looks like someone agrees with us," Nora said and elbowed Pyrrha in the side.
"We can bring Jaune back something," Ren whispered. "I think he wants to be alone for a little bit."
"Okay," Pyrrha relented and she watched Jaune head back to their dorm. If something is wrong, he can talk to me about it. "When we get back, I'll see if he needs any help on the essay. I only have my conclusion left." Ren and Nora pattered her on the back and the three of them headed for the dining hall.
"What's this place?" Touma asked Neo.
'Restaurant, where my friend hangs out.'
He had adapted quickly to reading Neo's scroll when she flashed her answers to him. It actually surprised her. He was pretty naïve, trusting her so quickly, but there was more to him. He seemed a lot more comfortable in the city and didn't draw attention to himself. Of course, being in her presence caused people to overlook him as they took in her appearance. She could still walk around in most of Vale, since it was her boss that was in trouble, not her. The people who knew her true personality either worked for her or died. It was actually kind of nice not to be recognized by a younger boy who wasn't lusting after her. She noticed Touma seemed to be relatively toned, as if he exercised regularly. Also, while he kept looking around at everything in the city, he didn't seem to surprise. Was he used to something… more? Determined to see his embarrassed expression, she waited until several guys were looking at her and grabbed his left arm.
She laughed internally at this expression. His face was burning and he could look her in the eyes. He had tried to pull his arm away from her, but she clamped it tightly. After muttering incoherently for a minute, he finally asked her what she was doing. Her response was it prevented other people from hitting on her since they were in a hurry. Touma was surprisingly adaptable and walked with her effortlessly. His only question was about a couple Faunus. Turns out, he hadn't seen the people with real animal parts before, only fake accessories. The rest of the trip progressed with them connected until they reached the old building. It was kind of rundown, but there was a flashing open sign. Neo pushed the door open and gestured Touma in after her. There was one person in the corner reading a newspaper, but otherwise was empty except for one man behind a counter in front of the kitchen. He didn't look up and flipped a page in a magazine.
"Sit anywhere," he spoke in a bored voice. "I'll be with you in a…. Miss Neo!" He had looked up and his faced paled. Neo could feel the boy's eye on the man and she wanted to stop any suspicion from forming. She smiled at him and gestured wordlessly to the back door. Then she pointed to Touma, before she brought a finger up to her neck and slid it across. The message was clear.
Say anything to him and die.
"He's in the back," the man told her respectfully and his eyes fell on Touma. Neo turned to him too and smiled before gesturing for him to follow. Touma had frowned, but Neo was confident she could pass off the nervousness from an employee simply as her being a strict boss. They walked down a hallway, passed several doors muffling the sounds of men arguing and laughing, until they reached the last one. Neo thought about knocking and grinned. Instead, she pushed the door open and walked inside.
"Doesn't anyone know how to knock around here?!" a male voice demanded and a fancy leather chair spun around. The man had slanted, dark-green eyes and bright, long, orange hair, with long bangs covering his right eye. Black eyeliner traced his visible left eye. He was wearing a red-lined white suit with long black pants and black shoes. His accessories included a small gray scarf, black gloves with buckled sleeves, and a black bowler hat with a small feather tucked into its red band. "Neo? I didn't expect you back today. Terribly sorry about our earlier disagreement. I have been thinking about it and… who's your friend?"
Neo looked over at Touma for a moment, as if she was in thought. She didn't have to use her scroll with her boss, he was perfectly able to read her sign language. However, a devious thought entered her mind. She typed on her scroll and held it up for both guys to see.
'He's my new boyfriend.' She got the desired result.
"Not again," her boss sighed and placed his hand against his forehead. He didn't fall for her jokes nearly as much, but she got the intended reaction from Touma.
"W-what?!" he spluttered. "Neo… we just met. This is moving way too fast. We barely know each other!"
"She's messing with you kid," the man told him. Touma closed his mouth and saw him gesture to Neo. She was laughing as she sat down in a comfy chair, before she finally calmed down and winked at Touma. "You can have a seat too." Touma sat down in the only other chair. "I take it Neo brought you here for a reason?"
"Yes sir," Touma confirmed.
"A kid with manners?" The man sounded surprised. "I like you already. I have been dealing with a lot of very rude people lately. One should always strive to be a gentleman, wouldn't you agree?" Touma nodded. "Fantastic. I assume you want to join our happy family then? There will be a few physical tests to make sure you are up to it. I'm getting tired of grabbing random people who can't last. Though, since Neo personally selected you, I doubt there will be a problem."
"I'm flattered sir," Touma responded. "But I'm not really into that." Neo frowned while the man only looked confused.
"What did you say?" he asked.
"I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it," Touma said quickly. "I'm just not into guys." The silence lengthened as everyone became speechless. Finally, someone snickered. Touma and the man turned toward Neo, who could not hold it in any longer. She suddenly burst out laughing and tears were coming out of her eyes. The man snapped to his senses and turned back to Touma.
"Are you implying that I'm gay?" the man asked. "What on Remnant gave you that idea?!"
"I don't judge people on that," Touma explained, his face pale. "There's nothing wrong with it. But if you aren't… sorry. I jumped to conclusions based on your words, Neo saying you had unusual tastes, and your outfit…." He gestured with his hand to the eyeliner, scarf, and hat.
"I'll let you know this outfit is at the height of fashion," the man lectured Touma angrily. Neo finally looked up and shook her head back and forth, but stopped when he glared at her. "Kids these days," the man muttered while he rubbed his temples. "Don't understand fashion at all." He sighed and looked up. "Well then kid, why don't you tell me what you need?"
"It's kind of a long story-…," Touma began when he stopped as his stomach started rumbling. Neo chuckled and the man looked annoyed. He glanced over at Neo, who grew serious for a second. She nodded toward him and gestured with her hand out the back door. Roman turned to the boy and the clicked the intercom on his desk
"Bring our guest some food," he said and then looked at Touma. "I hope you don't mind pasta."
"Anything is fine," Touma told him gratefully.
"Give Neo and me a moment to discuss your predicament privately," the man continued. He stood up and motioned for her to follow him. They entered the back room of his office and he turned toward her. "Why on earth did you bring that boy here? This better not be to satisfy some fantasy of yours or to get back at me." Neo smiled and the man knew she was still thinking of the misunderstanding that happened a moment ago. Her expression then turned serious as she entered work mode.
How dare he think I would risk our operation for a fling? Free of using her scroll, Neo began to wordlessly mime everything that happened when she met the boy. She started with Touma being surrounded by Grimm who would not attack and eventually left. Her story was followed by what happened to the King Taijitu. It actually retreated from the boy and disappeared with a simple touch. Then Neo repeated the question and answer session they shared. Her boss's expression started off angry, then curious, and finally beamed at her with admiration. Neo had a smug look on her face when she finished and he spoke at last.
"Let me see if I have this right," he said. "You found a boy who, without any Aura or Semblance, has the power to destroy Grimm with a single touch. In fact, his power is so dangerous to them, the beasts are actually afraid of him. Then this ability can also remove an individual's Aura with contact. To top that off, he isn't from this world and has no idea how things work around here and even what Grimm are." He grinned. "From what you said and from what I observed, this boy is clueless and stupidly naïve. Right now, his first priority is looking for his friends." Neo nodded. "Did I miss anything important?" Neo thought about it and decided not to mention she enjoyed messing with him. That was her own entertainment and not to be shared. She shook her head. "Congratulations Neo, once I confirm his power is real, you will have your raise." He walked back into his office and she followed. The boy had just started eating and looked up when they entered.
"Did Neo explain my situation?" Touma asked and the man nodded. "Do you think you can help?" Touma's eyes suddenly widened. "Sorry, I have been really rude. My name is Touma Kamijou."
"Ah," the man said. "I should have introduced myself first. My deepest apologies. My name is Roman Torchwick." He paused. "I'm going to be honest with you kid. If you really came here from another world, I'm not sure what we can do anytime soon. I know a couple people who would love to research this phenomenon, but it will take time. As for your friends. I can have my contacts look for them if you can provide a picture."
"I do have one," Touma said and pulled out a device similar to a Scroll. He pulled up a picture of a skinny white haired boy and a young brown haired girl. The picture was passed to Roman. "I tried calling them, but I don't get a signal. Your technology is different than in my world."
"I will ensure this gets out to my contacts," Roman promised. He sat down and watched Touma across his desk. "While this occurs, I was wondering if you would be willing to help me with a task of mine. Neo explained to me about your ability and its power to keep Grimm away."
"It didn't really keep them away," Touma admitted. "They just didn't pounce on me immediately."
"From what I heard," Roman continued with a smirk. "They would not go near you unless forced. The area you were in is always heavily populated by Grimm. Since it was your first time seeing one, I bet you yelled out and ran away in panic, correct?" Touma reluctantly nodded. "Grimm are attracted to negative emotions, like fear, and loud noises, like yelling." He laughed. "I bet you confused them greatly. They wanted to eat you, but also run away from you."
"I'm glad you thought it was funny. I was terrified."
"Relax kid. It's an expected reaction to the Grimm." Roman leaned forward. "Would you be willing to help us out while my men search for your friends? Your power could save a lot of lives when we are required to travel through Grimm infested areas."
"Of course," Touma agreed. "I would be more than happy to help out as thanks for your assistance." Neo smirked to herself. People with pure hearts and the desire to help others were so easily to manipulate and Roman wasn't done yet.
"Wonderful," Roman said and clapped his hands together. "Since you are new to our world, I will need to give you a brief overview, for your safety as well as being able to adjust to the way of life here. There is no telling how long you will be stuck here."
"Thank you."
"Think nothing of it," Roman said dismissively. "You see, Vale is controlled by a totalitarian government that oppresses its citizens. The people might have had a chance to overthrow the system, except for the government's Aura empowered enforcers, which we call Hunters…"
Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.
Well, this should be enough for a lot of people to see how this story is going to progress. Seriously, Roman Torchwick and Neo are two of my favorite villains in any series. Team RWBY didn't get a scene because they are being punished for Yang's terrible puns last chapter.