3

Answer, Explanations, and Fun Things

Alrighty, we are on to the next one. I was going to do Hero and Holy Maiden first, but I've been on a major RWBY binge lately so I kind of feel like continuing here. Now, I will say that I am going to put in some things from Shirou's first fifteen years that we didn't see, I wanted it to run a bit like RWBY does, a few flashbacks for the important bits. I may even dedicate a few chapters on some of those earlier years in the future.

I also wanna address Shirou's semblance, yes he pulls the weapon from his RM, however, he doesn't break them. When he wants to do that, he'll trace them. When traced It would degrade because no matter what, it is a copy. As for dematerializing because of Gaia, that's something I never particularly liked about some Fanfictions, how he just can keep them around. Which is why I added the semblance. Needless to say, there are rules. Rules that will be revealed as time goes on.

As for his name, I was going to explain all that, since chinese and american don't exist in RWBY I decided to mix chinese and japanese for Mistral. I did think about it before, It's mistralian, it is spelled Shiro, I put Shirou because I haven't explained that part yet, it will change in the future when the cast realizes how its spelled. Why is he named that? again was going to wait to explain, but I'll do it now, it means white, for the uninitiated, Yang's name means white, the two were named to match but also because Summer named him after a damask rose, which can be white, which was her favorite type of rose in my story. Also, Tai liked it since a damask rose only blooms during Summer, Summer liked it because it is also called a rose of the Four Seasons, a popular story in the RWBY universe. Ruby was wrapped in red, Shirou in white after they were born. He had streaks of white in his hair when he was born that turned black. This would have happened during a talk with Tai in the future, but it would be best to properly explain because I know more people would wonder about it. Marksman and Vanadis will be named Tigre, and other characters too, I'll have to explain the name change when and if it happens.

Aria's are fun to come up with, not gonna lie. I have a ton of hobbies, one is gardening, writing is something I do all of the time eventually I got into FF after reading a few really cool ones, art, poetry, music, and anime obviously. So, its always fun to come up with some, the hard part is to match the characters mental state to said Aria. That's actually the hardest part. I will say, I had a lot of fun coming up with this Shirou's aria. I want it to be a good moment when he busts it out, but I also want it to show how big a deal it really is, I don't think people realize, Shirou literally bares his soul and mental state to everyone when he uses it. It is a big deal.

The hair thing is something is simply because when I see her hair, it will look black but grow more red near the edges. So, while I described black, you could make the argument its just really dark red. Same with Shirou. It's not that big of detail. It was more of stylistic choice to show how similar the two are.

Also, you incest enthusiasts out there, I won't count y'all out. I didn't expect to get some fans of that to be honest, but I won't count y'all out just yet. We'll just have to see how it develops you know.

I want to say thanks for all the reviews I've been getting and I'm glad you all have enjoyed so far. I'll try to keep it up. Yang will be the next sibling to get a spotlight this chapter. Fun fact, Shirou's sash has all three siblings' respective emblem on the bottom of both ends, the design in the middle being a mix of flames, vines, and roses.

Now, let's get on to the story!

Chapter 3

Yang and Ruby were roused from their dreams when a familiar scent wafted through the air. The two quickly stood and began to follow the scent to its source. They eventually found that the cause was, as they should have guessed, their brother. "Ah, well it seems my sisters have finally decided to wake up. You're a bit late ladies." Shirou said, as he began to put food on two plates.

It was an ordinary breakfast, bacon, eggs, pancakes, and sausage. Though, both of his sisters knew that it wouldn't taste like an ordinary breakfast. They both smiled at each other before they charged forward and began to eat. Yang figured she should have known that Shirou would end up waking up before them. He always made them breakfast early in the morning, so she should have guessed that he would end up finding the kitchen here.

"So, Shirou, are you excited for the test today? I'm sure that you and Rubes will blow everyone out of the water with your skills." Yang said in her usual tone of voice. Ruby was beginning to eat her pancakes, but saw that she had no knife. She looked at Shirou with a sheepish. He simply rolled his eyes playfully, before summoning a small knife and handing it to her.

"Actually Yang, I am looking forward to the test today. Last night, I suppose you could say I found my motivation." He said with a smile on his face. Yang noted that this wasn't one of his customary smiles that. It was a real one. Knowing this made Yang happy. Shirou was her little brother, someone who she was supposed to look after.

However, it always seemed to be him that looked after Ruby and herself when they were growing up. She knew that he was more mature than his age suggested, it was something she blamed herself for. He had taken over the duties of Summer, and even their dad, after her death. Just like now, he cooked food for them, comforted them when they were down, and no matter what, he was always there when they needed him.

She wasn't like Ruby, as she didn't really see Shirou as her hero, well, not as much as Ruby did anyway. She saw Shirou for what he really was. She loved Shirou, deeply just as she did Ruby, but she felt like she knew him better than just about anyone. So, when she looked at Shirou and saw that he had an emptiness in his eyes whenever he was alone, she knew that she wasn't seeing things.

Yang wondered why Shirou often felt like he cared for nothing but the two of them. It was obvious that Shirou was happy when he was with them, it wasn't fake. After their mom died, Shirou seemed to almost turn into something inhuman. He focused on her and Ruby, and she had seen many times, where he would save them. Often at the cost of his own body, gaining many different scars on his body because of it.

It worried her, to see the little brother she loved so dearly, think so little of himself. So, she got stronger, and spent all of the time she could trying to make Shirou know that he both his sisters loved him and that he was irreplaceable to them. So, to see that smile on his face, and to even see a light in his eyes that was, previously, not there. It caused a tremendous feeling of relief to wash over her.

She was Shirou's older sister and she was going to make sure that Shirou never reverted back into what he was. Both Ruby and herself needed Shirou, without him, Yang knew that they would both feel incomplete. She would protect the promise they made when they were younger with all of the strength she had in her, a promise that no matter, the three of them would always be there for each other.

She remembered the jewelry Shirou had prepared for all of them after that promise. Her's was always on her belt, as a reminder of that promise, one of the many that Shirou had made to them. So far, he had yet to break one of them. She had a big smile on her face. "Well, thats good Shirou! You need to have that if you want to keep up with Ruby and me later today." She let out a laugh afterwards.

"Ooooh, Yang, what do you think the test is gonna be today? You think we'll all be on a team together? That'd be so cool." Ruby finally spoke, finishing the food on her plate. Shirou looked at her before patting her on the head.

"Well, I'm sure that no matter what happens or what teams we're one, we'll still be together. However, I feel I must remind you, that before you worry about any of that stuff, that the both of you should probably start getting prepared for the day. While it may be memorable, I doubt you two want to take the test in your pajamas." Shirou informed his sisters, who both looked down at what they were wearing.

Yang let out a nervous laugh, "I suppose you have a point. Come on Rubes, we should get dressed, Shirou will be waiting for us when we get back." She said as grabbed a hold of Ruby, who was currently drinking some milk. Shirou laughed as his sisters walked towards the showers.

After everyone got dressed and were informed to head to the cliffs, the three siblings set off to their lockers. "So, Shirou, I see you're going with the black kimono again." Yang said offhandedly. Shirou looked down at his clothes, before quirking a brow at Yang's comment.

"Yes? Is there a problem with that?" Shirou grabbed his sword from his locker and loaded a few dust cartridges into the handle, before placing extra rounds into the pouches of his belt. He then grabbed the pouch of dust crystals that had multiple different rune inscriptions on them, before placing it behind his waist.

"Well, nothing's wrong with it exactly, just that I'm sure you could be wearing something a little more stylish you know. Tell em Rubes." Yang said as she was inspecting Ember Celica and gathering spare ammo cartridges. Ruby was currently caressing her scythe when Yang called to her, however, Ruby answered without missing a beat.

"Yeah! I told you I wasn't the only one who thought that Shirou! After the test, we should totally try and find you a new outfit that shows how cool you are. Ooooh, maybe we can get you a cloak too, or maybe some more bandana things like Yang, that way you can be like us." She then began to go on a tangent, however, Yang got her answer. Shirou simply gave a lopsided grin at his little sister's enthusiasm.

"With this newly found enthusiasm you have, it would be a great time to reinvent yourself you know. Imagine all the ladies you'll be pulling in, thats gotta get you fired up for it right?" Yang wrapped her arm around Shirou and Ruby both. "Then again you got two awesome ladies by your side already, right Rubes?" She laughed.

Shirou let out a sigh, before flicking Yang on the forehead. "Yeah, my sisters are totally awesome. Which means I don't have to care about impressing anyone since your already here." He said with a smirk. Yang then narrowed her eyes at Shirou, realizing he had spun her words around on her. Just as she was about to start in again, she noticed Shirou's attention divert elsewhere. She followed his line of sight, seeing who he was looking at, the Invincible Girl.

"I was thinking about letting the chips fall where they may." Pyrrha said, Shirou catching the tail end of their conversation. He could see that she was currently being polite, but that she seemed slightly uncomfortable with the attention she was getting from the Schnee.

"Hmm, letting fate decide who's on your team huh?" Shirou added to the conversation. Pyrrha's expression noticeably brightened. She turned and saw Shirou walking over to her. "Pyrrha, right? I thought I'd come and say hi, since we parted so soon yesterday."

"Oh, Shirou, yes. I remember you, we ran into each other." She let out a small laugh. "I suppose you could say that I'm allowing fate decide. Then again, who knows, sometimes you just have to take a more proactive approach, wouldn't you say?" Shirou let out a small smile at her words.

"Definitely. Well, I'm sure whoever you partner with will be lucky."

"Well, I heard that the teams will be comprised of four students each. So, perhaps you'll be that lucky person." She said with a sweet smile. Shirou didn't expect such a direct response. As he was getting ready to be reply to her, he was interrupted.

"Excuse me, Shirou was it? Do you even know who it is your talking to?" The Schnee said to him. He quirked a brow at her, before noticing Pyrrha make a slightly disappointed face.

"Pyrrha Nikos. I know we weren't talking that loud, but I'm sure you heard me say her name. Wait, is that explosion still affecting her hearing?" She began sputtering and her face reddened. "There's no need to be embarrassed, it happens to the best of us." Shirou smirked, he was sure he heard Yang and Ruby giggling somewhere behind him.

"No! That's not what I meant and you know it! What I meant was that Pyrrha is someone who graduated at the top of her class at Sanctum." Shirou tilted his head, his eyebrow raised. "She won the Mistral Regional Tournaments four years in a row, which I might add it a new record." Weiss's eye began to twitch when Shirou continued having an unimpressed look on his face. "She's on the Pumpkin Pete's marshmallow flakes box!" She threw out as a last ditch effort. Shirou decided it was time to humor her.

"Oooh, I know that one. Ruby and Yang like to collect those boxes, I thought you may have looked a bit familiar. A shame the cereal isn't to good for you." Shirou said as if he was finally enlightened. He looked at Pyrrha who seemed to have a small smile on her face at his words. "So, wait, why are you asking me if I know a cereal spokeswoman?"

Weiss looked as if she was about to blow a gasket at his words. "That wasn't what I was trying to tell you, you dolt! My point is that she's one of the most famous and most skilled people entering Beacon, and your acting like its no big deal!" He looked at Pyrrha and gave her a small smile.

"Well, despite the fact that you say she is famous and all that, to me I see a potential team mate and student training to become a huntress. On the battlefield, things such as fame and fortune are irrelevant. The quicker you understand that, the better. I'll catch you later Pyrrha, who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and be on my team, my sister and I were called prodigies after all." He said as he walked away with a smirk on his face.

He was pretty sure he heard Weiss about to attempt to screech at him, but Glynda's voice on the intercom interrupted her. "Will all first year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation." He reunited with Yang after a few more steps.

"Smooth little brother, real smooth. Already attempting to capture the heart of the invincible girl, eh?" Yang said as she bumped him with her hip. Shirou only let loose a small chuckle, before noticing something.

"Hey, where's Ruby?" Yang only looked at him through the corner of her eyes, before letting out a mischievous smirk. Shirou's eyes widened at the realization, "Wait, Ruby, no!" He managed to grab his sword from behind his waist just as a small body landed on his back. He let out a grunt has he quickly readjusted himself, managing to keep himself standing upright as Ruby latched onto him.

"Forward my noble steed! Onwards to our destiny!" She exclaimed. He let out a sigh as he noticed Yang holding in a laugh. He simply smiled, knowing that after today, moments like these wouldn't be coming as often as they used to back home.

The three made to the cliffs and stood on the final three platforms available. They got a quick rundown, but Shirou narrowed his eyes and was very frustrated at what he heard. Gaining teammates that day wasn't that big of a deal. "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So, its in your best interest to be paired with someone whom you work well. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

Shirou wanted to skewer the silver haired headmaster. He was a schemer, Shirou knew that this wouldn't be random, but rather than be upfront, he was obviously trying to give them an illusion of randomness while guiding the teams from the shadows. Shirou knew this guy was a magus of some kind just from his methods and way of thinking.

He continued with his speech, about finding relics and saying they'd be graded, which Shirou knew was more than likely bull. "Are there any questions? Good. Now, take your positions."

"This is really idiotic." Shirou said simply. Ruby turned her head to look at her brother with a questioning gaze. "Its nothing Ruby, just stay safe and remember your training." He said with a reassuring smile. Ruby returned the smile, before once again getting ready. The platforms one by one shot the students forward. First Yang, then Ruby, before he was the next one. He let out a final sigh, before narrowing his eyes at Ozpin. He then was shot forward.

While flying through the air, he heard Ruby's voice cry out "Birdie no!" which caused him to let out a laugh while flying. He saw everyone use different methods to land. He then saw Pyrrha bust through multiple trees with her shield, before landing on a branch. She began to aim through her weapon form, before gaining sight of him.

He let out a smirk as he waved at her. Pyrrha was obviously surprised at how far he could see, but decided to smile back. She transformed her weapon in a javelin, which brought on a brief sense of nostalgia for Shirou, before throwing it towards him. "Blade Works, set!" A spear appeared in the air, which he grabbed onto spinning around it like an olympian athlete, before letting go and grabbing Pyrrha's javelin as he landed on a nearby branch.

"Reminder, use more aura when decelerating from a large fall. Hmm, she was in that direction I believe. Set!" He said as he ran and began to leap from sword to sword, before jumping down in front of Pyrrha, who was making her way to him. Pyrrha, rather than jump or be surprised, simply smiled as Shirou placed her weapon into her hand. "I suppose that makes us partners, doesn't it."

"I believe it does." She replied. "Shall we?" she motioned towards the direction they thought they needed to go. Shirou nodded and the two began to make their journey towards their destination. "So, are those silver rose petals yours?" She said, making small talk.

Shirou let out a small sigh, "Yeah, those are mine. Blade Works leaves behind petals after I dismiss whatever weapon I call." He provided an example by summoning a small knife and dismissing it, the petals blowing away in front of Pyrrha. "My sister has a speed type semblance and when she uses it, red rose petals trail behind her. So, I suppose to sort of runs in the family." He chuckled.

Pyrrha smiled, "You mentioned your sisters earlier, you always seem to have a smile when talking about them." Shirou was about to reply, when both of them heard a loud yell that reverberated through the forest. Shirou was sure it sounded like 'You monster', which immediately caused him to laugh. Pyrrha tilted her head at Shirou's strange behavior.

"Sorry, I'm just pretty sure that was my older sister." Pyrrha then smiled, once again realizing that her partner really cared about his sisters. "To provide an answer to what you said, yes, my sisters are very important to me. Honestly, I probably wouldn't have come to Beacon if it wasn't for them. I promised my mom to watch over them, but now that they are training to be huntresses, I can't always be holding their hand."

Pyrrha looked at him with understanding. "I see, I think its great that your so close with them." She then looked at him with a mischievous look, "I won't have to compete with them for my partner will I?"

"Hmm, when it comes to cookies, you'll definitely need to be ready to face off against Ruby. She can be quite the little warrior when it comes to getting her cookies." He joked. Pyrrha let out a giggle in response.

"So, baking is one of your talents I take it." She asked, Shriou only looked at her and smiled in reply.

"It seems that the final pair has been decided. Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie, poor boy, I don't think those two will get along very well. On the other hand, Pyrrha Nikos and Shirou Rose seem to already be building up a camaraderie already. Both have been noted to be excellent combatants and their semblances seem to mesh well. What do you think Professor Ozpin." Glynda asked, looking up from her tablet and at Ozpin, who was currently looking at his own tablet. He only answered her in a hum.

"I expect great things from you, Shirou Rose. Ozpin may not have his eye on you, but I can certainly see the makings of an excellent huntsman and a beacon of hope in you, silver eyes or no." Glynda whispered, watching as the pair stopped at the mouth of a cave. "If Ozpin is going to favor certain students, then I think it shouldn't be a problem for me to do the same. I can already tell, you are different."

"Hmm, I'll admit, I may not be the smartest person in the world, but I don't think the relics will be in here. What do you think Pyr?" Shirou asked, catching Pyrrha off guard with the sudden shortening of her name. Her cheeks slightly reddened, she wasn't used to having someone be so casual with her, honestly, she found it to be a pleasant feeling.

"Um, I think your right, it doesn't really give off a relic vibe huh." She replied. "Hmm, perhaps we should head that way, I think we would have more luck in that direction." She was about to keep talking, when a rumbling noise was heard. Shirou tilted his head at the sudden sound, before his eyes widened. He grabbed Pyrrha and jumped backwards as the cave entrance exploded.

A grimm in the shape of a giant scorpion, a death stalker, burst through. "Of course, with my luck, the giant grimm still appears despite leaving it alone." Shirou said exasperatedly. He ran a hand through his hair before grabbing his sword, Pyrrha doing the same. "I'll go in close, cover me, I'll try and cut off the tail." He called out, Pyrrha nodded.

"Blade Works, Birdcage!" Shirou yelled out as he jumped toward the grimm, multiple swords of considerable size appeared in a circle around the death stalker, stabbing into the ground, locking him in place. Gunshots rang out as Pyrrha knocked away the claws with her dust rounds. Shirou blocked the stinger with his sword, the force pushing him down onto the back of the grimm, he immediately switched it to it's scythe form. He used his free hand to grab a few of his rune dust crystals, ice, lightning, and gravity, activating them as he jumped toward the stinger. The gravity caused the tail to lower itself into the ground with the body, the lighting and ice causing it to stun and freeze in place.

Shirou brought his scythe directly underneath the hinge of the stinger, he was ready to try and brute force the cut, but he was surprised when Pyrrha appeared above him, jumping from the cliff face. She dove towards the stinger with her shield facing forward, colliding with it, acting as a counter force allowing Shirou to cleanly slice off the stinger. Shirou called his blades afterwords, stepping from blade to blade until he landed on the ground a few feet away from Pyrrha. The death stalker began thrashing around, attempting to escape from the dust and blades that were trapping it.

"Alright, so that's the tail taken care of." Shirou said as the grimm began to break its bindings. Pyrrha looked at Shirou.

"Hey, didn't one of the students have a really big hammer?" Shirou looked at her with a raised eyebrow, not getting what she was implying. "Well, I was thinking that maybe we could set up one of your larger swords in a way so that she can pierce its armor by hammering it."

Shirou understood the logic, though he could also probably manage to break through its armor by unleashing a never ending barrage of his mundane blades. He could trace a few weak noble phantasms and fire them from his bow, but he didn't want Ozpin to know what he could do just yet. After going through the debate in his head, he finally nodded, "So, I'm guessing we should probably start running." He said as he motioned at the grimm.

"Yeah, probably a good idea." The two immediately ran, however, they didn't get too far before they heard the sound of Shirou's swords breaking.

Elsewhere, Yang and her partner Blake had just collected their relic. Yang looked at the knight piece in her hand. She wondered if her brother was one of the people who had retrieved a relic before them, considering some of them were missing. She began to make her way back up to her partner when she asked her something.

"Hey, do you hear that?" Blake asked Yang, causing both of them to look around, however, as the sound grew closer, Yang realized where it was coming from. She looked up and saw her little sister falling from the sky, yelling for help.

"Shirou, save me!" She heard Ruby scream. Despite the dire situation, Yang had a deadpan expression at hearing her sister think her brother would save her when he was nowhere to be found. She got ready to use her weapons to jump up and catch her when, as if just to prove her wrong, one of Shirou's javelin/spears flew through the air and caught Ruby's hood and stuck her to a nearby tree.

"Huh, that was incredibly well timed." Yang heard her partner add to the situation. Though, Yang didn't have any time to retort when she noticed a girl ride a grimm into the ground. Her partner following behind her out of breath. As she grabbed her relic and began to sing a little tune, Yang, was once again pulled out of the situation when she noticed her brother his partner dodging the claws of a death stalker that was following them.

Needless to say, she was about to have a breakdown. "Are you kidding me?! Can everything just chill out for a minute!?" She screamed out, her semblance firing up around her. She began to idly wonder if there was anything else that was going to happen that would be out of the ordinary. Knowing her brother, he'd likely do something else that was considered heroic without even knowing he did it. Though, she was kind of happy that she didn't see any opportunities for that besides maybe killing the huge death stalker.

Then she heard another voice screaming. She let out a sigh and looked up and saw Ruby's partner falling from the talon of a huge nevermore. Needless to say, she already figured what was going to happen in the next few moments. She knew her brother would end up using some technique to save the Schnee, then him and Ruby would end up coming up with a crazy plan and everyone present would end up looking top notch for the professor. She sort of hated how she knew what her two younger siblings would end up doing, she let out a sigh and decided she'd do what she always did when it came to them.

She'd just roll with it.