10

Shirou had worked with many people in his past life. Even people that he hated, particularly mages who used humans as test subjects. So, when Shirou weighed the pros and cons of what he had just heard, well, working alongside a thief wasn't that bad when compared to someone like Raven.

Granted, Raven was his sister's mother, so she had some leeway, but the point stood. Shirou let out a sigh, 'Seriously, they want my help in getting rid of some fire witch?' He thought to himself. He was more inclined to pierce Torchwick's heart with his spear than help him, but Neo managed to 'talk' him into it.

If what they told him was true, then Vale was in danger, which meant many innocent civilians would be caught in the crossfire. He wasn't about to let that happen. 'What would mom do?' he thought to himself. 'I'm going to have to start coming up with some contingency plans.'

"I'll help you." He said to Torchwick, who only had a smirk on his face. However, Shirou walked over to him, "Hold out your hand." He said, getting a confused look from him. He shrugged and did as Shirou asked. Shirou quickly grabbed his arm and produced a small knife.

"Hey, what the heck are you doing, brat?" He asked, though Shirou only narrowed his eyes at him.

"Needless to say, I don't trust you, Torchwick. I know that you're only someone who sticks around when the odds are in his favor. So, I'm going to get some insurance, should you get it in your mind to betray me." He said with smirk. Shirou then cut his hand, causing a small trickle of blood to drip.

Shirou grabbed a small vial from his pouch and collected the blood, before storing it away. Both Neo and Torchwick were puzzled by his actions. "I'm not one to belittle people's interests, but even for me, that's a bit disgusting kid." Torchwick added, obviously a bit put off. Shirou only scoffed.

"This isn't for me." He then summoned a twisted black sword into his hand. "It's for this." He then touched the blade to the small pool of blood on the ground, causing red veins to appear on it. Shirou then let go of the sword. Neo appeared next to Shirou, inspecting the sword closely.

The blade began then began to move, skirting alongside the ground, inching itself closer to Torchwick, who was clearly disturbed by the sword. He began to backup as it grew closer. Neo was in awe of the sword, neither of the two had ever seen anything like it.

"It seeks the blood." Shirou simply said, before returning it to his reality marble, leaving his signature silver rose petals in the sword's place. "I have an arrow that does the same thing and it won't stop until it reaches its target. It may be underhanded, but you know about Raven and my semblance, so don't take it personally."

"Great, now I have another person who can kill me without breaking a sweat." Torchwick complained, though Shirou only shook his head.

"I won't do that lightly, I said I'd help you and I plan on doing just that. However, this 'fire witch, Cinder,' seems to be fairly powerful. Which means, you would likely betray our deal if it was in your best interests. For now, just keep doing whatever you're doing and send me updates." Shirou said, turning to walk away.

However, when he did so, Neo appeared in front of him with a smile on her face. "Neo, if you can make sure he doesn't do anything stupid, then this will go a lot smoother. Understood?" Neo tilted her head back and forth, as if contemplating his words, before looking at him and nodding.

"You said you two wanted freedom and didn't want to be responsible for so many innocent deaths, so I'm choosing to believe you. Don't make me regret it." Shirou said in a serious tone. Neo's eyes slightly widened, before her smile widened even more. She then took out her scroll and wrote a message.

"I knew I was right about you." It simply said. "Broken things stick together." The rest of the message read out. Shirou's eye twitched at that, though he didn't say anything, however, he felt a strange feeling in his chest. It wasn't panic, but it did bother him.

"You two should leave, the rest of my team, as well as my sister's team, will be arriving soon. Not to mention other authorities." He told them, attempting to ignore what he just read. He looked at Neo one last time, before continuing towards the door.

He'd need to contact Raven and see what she thought about everything. Then, he'd need to start training his team to get ready for the future. While their progress wasn't bad, he knew that he could improve them more. He was going to busy in the future. This included the Vytal festival, as well as dealing with his sisters and their training.

'What else could possibly happen?' He thought to himself, becoming a bit overwhelmed by his situation. He looked around, inspecting his surroundings and taking note of the bodies that littered the area of the docks he was located at. He let out a sigh, before reinforcing his eyes.

He looked at each body. Some were frozen from his sword, some were smoldering from flames, while others were knocked out cold. That wasn't counting the others who were more than likely internally damaged from his noble phantasms. 'Doesn't look like anyone's dead though.' He thought to himself.

He did hold back on his noble phantasms and threw Gae Bolg at an empty area, though it seemed like it was still a bit too much for some of them. 'Perhaps it was because they didn't possess aura.' He could hear sirens approaching, so he knew that they would be getting medical attention soon.

'How many innocent people have they harmed or killed in the name of equality?' He thought to himself, looking at one of the emblems of the White Fang with narrowed eyes. 'It will never end for them. If they died, how many innocents may be saved from their terror?'

Shirou looked down at them, already knowing that this battle the White Fang waged would never end. He viewed some of the histories of the weapons that were laying on the ground and only felt more contempt. Weapons filled with hate and blood, sadness and remorse. Revenge and only more revenge.

'Does it not matter what world I find myself in? Will this always be the way things are?' Shirou looked at his hands, 'How many did I save in my world? Going from battlefield to battlefield, from town to town, searching for what it meant to be a hero.' He felt a pit in his stomach.

'No matter where, innocents are caught in the crossfire. How many times did I intervene? Killing and killing some more, hoping to allow those innocent ones to have one more day of joy. But, now that I'm here, looking at this. Does it truly matter? If it isn't humans and faunus, it's the grimm. If not the grimm, it's the human and faunus.'

'Why did I hold back? Should I not have killed them and been done with it? At least then, Ruby and Yang wouldn't end up having to do it. So, why did I hold back? At the very least, I would rid a few sources that attract grimm.' Shirou could feel a deep pain within his soul, but he also felt a warmth emerging.

'Will conflicts always follow me, no matter what world I find myself in? Is that what it means to be a hero? Will I only be there to face the conflict, and never see the end of it? I, suppose, Archer was right. The dream of being a hero truly is a fools errand.' He thought to himself, gritting his teeth.

"Do you truly believe that?" Shirou opened his eyes and looked around. Before remembering those words. That was a question he asked, to his mother. He remembered that conversation. It was the first time he saw a mechashift weapon. That warm feeling, he knew what it belonged to.

A blade then emerged from his arm, bursting from his right arm, before dissipating into white rose petals and reforming into his hand, revealing his mother's weapon. Despite the pain, a faint smile emerged on his face, followed by his eyes slightly watering. He never noticed the small corpse of a grimm seed on the ground that began to fade away.

"Of course, Shiro." The memory of his mother, of Summer Rose. The two were sitting on the porch of their home. Ruby was asleep on her lap, while he sat next to her. In his small hands, was her weapon. He looked up at his mother and remembered smiling.

Her short black and red hair, reminiscent of Ruby, even her facial features were identical. Shirou knew that Ruby would probably end up looking just like her when she grew up. She wore a white cloak, much like Ruby, though the inside was red. However, he wasn't focused on what she was wearing.

No, what he focused on, was the amazing and beautiful smile on her face. It was bright and kind, but possessed something that Shirou couldn't quite explain. Almost as if she had the answer to what true happiness was. Whenever she smiled at him and his sisters, he saw something in it that he found beautiful.

She possessed the greatest joy and happiness. She had something worth fighting for. She had found the answer. Shirou wanted to smile like that. To possess that happiness and steadfast belief. His mother was a bright light for humanity, a shining beacon that should have led the way for all others.

"Remember this, sweetheart, true strength and happiness comes from here." She said to him, pointing towards his heart. "Love, compassion, and understanding, our family has always been one that has extolled and shared these virtues with the world. From the first Rose all the way to you and Ruby, we have always strived for a better world."

"Even though you are young, I know you understand how dark and ugly the world is. As you grow older, I'm sure you'll see more of that, but don't be saddened." She said to him with a soft and warm voice, placing her hand atop his head, as she began to play with his hair.

"When the night is at its darkest, when it feels like it's too much to bear, when all of your strength has left you, that's when our light shines the brightest." He remembered seeing her silver eyes shine a bit brighter. "We have to use that light to protect others, to share it and bring the world together."

She looked down at Ruby, who began to move around, and simply pet the top of her head. "That is why our family was born into this world. Those that have silver eyes have always been guardians of the weak. Whether you're a huntsman or a hero, just know, I believe in you and I know that you'll make the world a better place."

She had a loving smile on her face, one full of hope and happiness. "I love you, Shiro. You, Ruby, and Yang have made me happier than I ever thought possible. If something ever happens to me, I want you to watch over your sisters, and to look after your father." She said, taking his hand into hers.

It was a singular moment, one that Shirou truly felt at peace. He let out a deep breath, once again looking at the bodies on the ground. He shook his head clear of any doubts he still had. 'Thanks, mom.' He thought before allowing his mom's weapon to dematerialize into silver petals.

He searched through his reality marble, finding the object he was searching for. In his past life, when he was old enough to travel. He left the Fraga village and travelled the lands of heroes with a young runaway mage from Germany. The two viewed many museums and historical sites together.

Fiore was the reason he managed to find the catalyst to summon Hippolyta in the first place, finding an unexplored cavern that possessed her sash and the remains of Kalion's saddle. Together, the two found many different relics, multiple bows that included the bow of Qin Shi Huang, multiple shrouds and shields, along with swords and other items.

Shirou enjoyed the time the two were together, being treasure hunters and even gaining quite a bit of money in the process. Thankfully, because of the treasures they found, Fiore didn't have to worry too much about running away and Shirou became acquainted with a few interesting people and families.

While the initial reason for Shirou's adventure was to visit the homelands and locations of the heroes he grew up admiring and to help people, he ended up finding another reason to keep searching. Fiore was born with a defect in her magic circuits, making her unable to walk without the aid of a mystic code.

'What kind of hero can't even help his best friend?' He thought to himself. He resolved himself to continue on, to find a way to heal her legs, even if he had to search the ends of the earth.

The two searched tirelessly for something and someone to help her. This, of course, led to the two into many traps, but they weren't weak. For four years, the two searched, finding many different relics that helped alleviate the pain, but never anything that enabled to her walk.

Eventually, Fiore decided to try switching into a puppet body, but Shirou managed to talk her out of it. While he had no doubts that an Aozaki puppet might work, he wanted to try and find a way that didn't involve such a risky procedure. "Why shouldn't I try it if it can fix my legs?"

"Because, we don't know what will happen. Sure, it could work, but the procedure to do so is risky. We're talking about your soul here." He said to her, however, he remembered something as he was talking. "Wait, there's a way. It's the whole reason I was able to go home in the first place." He said to her.

"What are you talking about? Shirou, we tried everything. Sure, my pain is gone, but I want to walk. Don't you understand that? We've tried everything." Fiore said to him with tears in her eyes. Shirou kneeled down in front of her wheelchair.

"The Holy Grail War." He said simply, trying to remember what he knew of it. He didn't have good memories, knowing he lost his parents in that fire, only being saved because his mother covered him in runes, and because of that man. "The Holy Grail is an omnipotent wish granter, if we win, we can heal your legs."

He remembered seeing hope return to her eyes. He managed to talk her into waiting and to come with him to Japan, to Fuyuki. That was the start of his journey, the true start. He didn't realize until he called forth a staff and shroud, the staff belonging to a student of Asclepius and the shroud, allegedly being Saint Luke's.

The shroud wasn't Luke's, but due to belief, it gained some healing properties. The staff was, likewise, not Asclepius's staff, but it was a potent mystic code that Fiore and him stole from a necromancer. He wrapped the shroud around the staff, to increase the healing effect of the staff.

He took out his healing rune papers and began to head towards the fallen White Fang members, but stopped when he heard a whimper from some crates that were nearby. Shirou raised a brow, placing a hand on Retrograde's handle, readying a dust blade, just in case.

The sounds of the sirens were growing closer, though he suspected he still had a little time to take care of whatever was making that noise. Though, he was worried about his team and team RWBY. As he grew closer, some more whimpers were heard. Shirou activated his aura, preparing himself.

He used the staff to lift the lid slowly, before the lid popped up with a lot of force. He grunted, taking a step back and quickly unsheathing Retrograde. A figure jumped out and quickly darted behind a wall of crates, though he knew that there was a dead end that way.

He followed the figure carefully, not wanting to catch a bullet to the chest. As he inched closer to the corner, he decided to take a leap and quickly jumped forward and held his weapons ready.

What he found caused his heart to sink. A girl, who appeared to be around the same age as him, maybe a year or two older. She had on black tights and blue and black shoes with dark navy shorts. She had on a white button up shirt that was covered in some sort of oil.

The shirt was ripped in a few places, though it seemed more like wear and tear, than signs of an assault. 'Thank the gods.' He thought to himself. However, what she wore wasn't what he was focused on. Despite not looking in the best condition, appearing as if she hadn't eaten for a few days, he had to admit she was very pretty.

She had beautiful pink hair with twin pigtails that came down to her shoulders. Her skin, while dirty, reminded him of Ruby in a way. Though, he had to admit, he was entranced by something else entirely. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of light blue that he couldn't help but look at.

She was on the ground and scooting backwards on the ground. It was easy to see that she was terrified, as she moved towards a corner and tried to hide herself with her arms. Shirou's eyes widened, before he dropped his weapons removed Retrograde from his back.

He held his hands up and slowly approached the girl. Without a second thought, he called forth the first thing he thought of when he imagined comfort. A white cloak appeared in his right hand. "It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you, I promise." He spoke softy, memories of similar cases in his old world flashed through is brain.

The girl moved her arm down enough to look towards him. "B-but, you hurt all those people. I-I saw it through a hole in the crate." She managed to get out, though her voice was shaky and fearful.

"They were White Fang and working for a criminal. I didn't kill anyone and I was just about to try and heal them, I'm sorry if I scared you. I'm a huntsman, okay? I don't want to scare you and I won't hurt you. I swear." He slowly inched closer towards the girl.

As he did so, he noticed what looked like blue scales on the back of her neck. 'She's a faunus.' He gave her a comforting smile, trying to emulate his mother. "My name is Shirou, Shirou Rose. What's your name?" He asked her with a gentle voice.

She seemed to get a bit more comfortable, though there was still fear in her eyes. 'That won't go away so easy.' She looked at him, inspecting him up and down. He held the cloak towards her, which she quickly grabbed, holding it close to her body. "I don't remember." she said bashfully.

Shirou frowned, not liking the sound of that. "I see, do you remember where you're from?" She moved the cloak around, putting it on correctly. She lifted the hood up and tried to cover herself up with the cloak. "It's okay, I won't let anyone hurt you."

"I don't know. I remember being held by the White Fang for as long as I can remember. T-they took my blood and kept me in a small house. I-I think they were scared of me. Another group smuggled me into that crate, but I ended up being transported somewhere else. I don't have a home or family to go back to."

She struggled to speak, obviously being overwhelmed with the tears running down her face. However, Shirou couldn't help but draw closer, eventually being within arms reach. He reached forward and wiped away the tears on her face. The moment he did so, she visibly recoiled before grabbing his hands and trying to wipe away the tears with the cloak.

"No, no, no!" She said frantically. Shirou knew exactly what she was trying to do, because he felt it the moment her tears touched his fingers. He used his left hand, which compared to the archery glove on his right hand, had more openings. He actually cursed the fact that he didn't wear a full glove on his left hand, opting for an open finger design.

The moment her tears touched his skin, he felt something try to invade his body. 'Poison?' He thought to himself, realizing why they were taking her blood. The thought actually made him mad. Rather than react, he remain stone faced. It wasn't particularly strong, but he was surprised when the tears appeared to levitate and fly to the ground.

'A semblance? She can manipulate her poison? Or rather, maybe it's poison in general? No, there has to be more to it than that.' His mind raced for a conclusion, but decided to worry about it later, as the girl was currently panicking trying to help him.

"Hey, hey, it's alright, I'm fine." He said to her with a smile, however, he had to admit that he could feel some sort of toxin in his body. "See?" The girl looked at him with wide eyes, before looking back down at his hands. She calmly let go and seemed to calm down.

"You should be more careful. The White Fang said I was cursed. That any who touch me would die." She said solemnly, as if she had given up. He then realized why she was trying to cover herself so desperately. Shirou, in response, held out his hand.

"How about I call you Brigid?" He asked her, though she looked at him with puzzled look. She held her hand close to her, looking at his hand closely. She slowly reached out and took his hand.

"What kind of name is that?" She asked with a small voice. Shirou only maintained the smile he saw on his mother's face.

"It's the name of goddess in a forgotten land. She was the goddess of many things, but the two I think of with you, is health and healing." He said to her, getting a bit nostalgic at the memory of one of the goddesses of his homeland. He found himself missing Ireland from time to time.

Her eyes reminded him of the blue lakes that were near his village. Perhaps, that was why he was so entranced by them. Even her blue scales seemed to remind him of home. He helped her to her feet, though she still tried to keep herself small. "Can...can I help you heal those people?" She asked him meekly.

Shirou simply smiled and nodded. "Of course, I'd appreciate the help." He replied. He handed her the staff. "You can use aura, yes?" She nodded as she gripped the staff in her hands. "Good, let's help them."

The two helped many of the faunus before the authorities managed to show up. As he did so, he saw the two teams also make an appearance. It seemed they managed to handle things on their end, which he was glad to know. Needless to say, it was a long night.

Thankfully, it wasn't as bad as he thought it would end up being. Neo and Torchwick successfully escaped without causing a fuss, team RWBY and his team brought down a White Fang dust smuggling operation, and he successfully rescued an imprisoned faunus girl by the name of Brigid.

All in all, he had nothing to worry about. Though, he was a bit worried about using his noble phantasms, but nothing came of it. It wasn't like Ozpin, or anyone else for that matter, was that good at sensing magical energy that wasn't right under their nose.

There was also the fact that he none of the faunus he fought that night died, which was another plus. He didn't think Brigid, or Blake, would have appreciated it if he ended up accidentally killing someone. Then, there was the fact he remembered things that he had forgotten, specifically, his old world.

He didn't realize it at first, but he had been having trouble with some of his memories. He knew that Summer basically overwrote the memories of his childhood that were burnt away, but he didn't realize that there were more memories he had lost.

Thankfully, he was still able to recall them thanks to his magic circuits. He didn't like using them for that reason, but he was glad that he could. He would've hated to forget about certain things from his old world. Specifically, his friends and the people he thought of as family, like Fiore.

He didn't like having to speak with Ozpin, but it was necessary. Thankfully, he had Glynda present, so it wasn't as insufferable as it would normally be. It was annoying, but he put up with it.

Thankfully, there was a nice time of peace and quiet. It was calm and he didn't have to worry about anything to groundbreaking after Ruby's team managed to make up with each other. He had been ready to be confronted by Blake, but she had yet to actually approach him.

Which he found interesting, since she seemed rather interested before the dust smuggling ordeal. She would occasionally sneak glances at him, but she didn't show up on the rooftops anymore. So, he thought he'd get her a gift, to apologize or something, he still didn't know.

Which led to his current status. "Um, Shirou, I'm still not comfortable being out in the open like this." He heard a small but sweet voice say to him. He turned his head to the side and looked at Brigid.

She now had a blue jacket with black and dark navy designs. The length went down to the middle of her thigh, just long enough to hide the pouches and satchels she wore on her waist. She even had a dark navy vest that went over her button up shirt. Though, she tended to always have her hood on, much like his sister.

He had to admit though, she was very pretty and tended to have a lot to say when it came to fashion. He was surprised to find out that she was very passionate about that, despite still being shy. He shook his head.

"You'll never be ready if you don't get out of your comfort zone. Besides, we won't be gone long. I just want to check out the bookstore. I'll even buy you some fashion magazines to make it up to you." He said with a smile, noticing her face light up.

"O-okay, I suppose that's fine." She said, pulling her hood down to cover her face. He let out a small amused huff. "C-can we bake some cake when we get back home?" She asked shyly.

"Of course we can. We can even ask Snow if she wants to help out if you want." He said, seeing her hood begin to nod. Another thing that surprised him about her, was that she really enjoyed baking. Any chance she got, she would bake something and share it with him.

It wasn't until recently that Wiess and her managed to become friends. He may have tricked Weiss, but he knew that the two would get along, especially with Weiss beginning to enjoy baking too. 'Now, if I can only get her to try and be friends with everyone else.' He thought to himself.

She still had a phobia of people and had trouble interacting with anyone that wasn't him, Weiss, and his sisters. 'The White Fang really screwed her up.' He thought angrily. He thought she'd get along with Blake, but he had yet to see the two interact.

'Well, I knew it would take time. Phobia's and trauma are hard to heal, especially Brigid's.' He let out a small sigh, before the two arrived at the bookstore. Shirou opened the door and watched Brigid happily bounce inside of the store.

When Shirou walked inside, he noticed that Brigid made her way towards the magazines, as he expected, however, he also noticed that they weren't the only customers. He saw two people, around the age of Yang, standing inside of the store. They both turned and looked at the two of them.

Shirou only quirked a brow at their stares, but ignored them. One was a gray haired boy who had a face that Shirou couldn't help but want to punch. He was dressed in gray and black, which he thought clashed a bit. 'Great, Brigid's rubbing off on me.' He didn't have a weapon, at least, not one that was visible.

Strangely enough, his eyes were able to analyze his legs, which he found were prosthetics. 'Hmm, their pretty well made. Oh, his name's Mercury, well I'll file that away for later.' He thought, before shaking his head and making his way towards the counter. That's when he took note of the girl that was there.

She had green hair, red eyes, and brown skin. Her light clothing reminded him of someone from Vacuo, as did her weapons. 'Emerald? I see, she's a thief. I guess that explains the clothes, easier to pick pocket men who are distracted.' He mentally shrugged. He didn't reach to far into the history of the weapons, as they weren't all that interesting to him.

'I suppose it was only inevitable that I'd run into something troublesome.' He thought to himself, quickly analyzing what he could from the situation. The owner seemed a bit tense, though the two in the store didn't seem troubled in the slightest.

"Blake comes by here, right?" He asked the owner, who looked towards him with a puzzled expression. "I'll take that as a yes. I'm looking for gift, so if you could recommend something she'd like, I'd appreciate it."

Brigid appeared next to him, holding some magazines. "If you have books about baking, could you recommend some of those too?" She asked with a sweet smile on her face. With a swift movement, Shirou grabbed the wrist of the dark skin girl.

"I'd suggest you keep your hands to yourself." His eyes looked directly into Emerald's eyes, slipping a minuscule amount of his aura into her wrist.

Unknown to the other occupants except him, but Shirou ended up terrifying the girl. Mercury noticed Shirou's movement and was in the middle of making his way over towards his partner, when she recoiled, as if burned. Her eyes were wide and she was beginning to nervously sweat.

"We're leaving, Mercury." She said simply, quickly making her way to the exit. Obviously, Mercury was puzzled by the change in plans. He looked at Emerald, before taking one last glance at the pair of hunters.

He smirked as noticed Shirou looking at him. He let out a scoff before following along with Emerald, not knowing there were multiple blades hidden behind a few bookshelves aimed directly at him.

When the pair were outside, naturally, he had to open his mouth. "Alright, what's the deal Emerald? I thought we were going to kill that bookshop owner?" He asked, obviously let down by the whole thing. However, Emerald only looked at him with an angry expression, surprising him.

"Are you an idiot, Mercury?! I'm not going to risk my life to kill him with that monster in there! I actually like being alive." She exclaimed, still freaked out. Unknown to Mercury, who was somewhat taken aback by her outburst, Emerald knew when she was outmatched. Life on the streets taught her when to fight and when to run.

The moment Shirou grabbed her wrist, Emerald was transported somewhere for only the briefest of moments. However, in that brief moment, she felt like her body was skewered by countless blades. In fact, in her eyes, those blades not only skewered her, but were actually bursting from her body. 'That monster, his body is made of infinite swords.'