Chapter 7 - Introduction

After initiation had concluded, all the participants gathered in the auditorium to be assigned their team names.

Professor Ozpin started, "Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie." He called, as the aforementioned students stood before him, "The four of you retrieved the White Rook pieces. From this day forward you will work together as Team JNPR (Juniper), led by Jaune Arc." He announced, taking the young Arc by surprise.

"Huh? Me?" He exclaimed, regarding Professor Ozpin with a look of confusion which The Professor only returned with a small smile of his own, "Congratulations young man." He said.

Jaune still seemed rather discombobulated by the situation, Pyrrha smiled as she gave him a congratulatory punch on his shoulder which caused him to tumble to the ground eliciting a collective chuckle from the crowd.

Continuing Professor Ozpin addressed the next group, "Yosuke Utakata, Aria Pendragon, Toño Yuki, Saya Yuki," He recited, displaying their photos on a large screen visible to everyone. "The four of you have successfully retrieved the Black King pieces. From this day forward, you shall work together as Team STAY (Strawberry), under the leadership of Saya Yuki."

Aria's enthusiastic applause mixed with that of the crowd as her smile stretched wide. Toño stood tall, his chest puffed out with pride, donning a smug grin. "I expected nothing less from my sister," He praised, affectionately patting her head much to her obvious indifference.

"Absolutely, you deserve it." Aria beamed.

"Indeed," Yosuke agreed, nodding in affirmation.

Saya turned away, her ears taking on a pinkish hue as her pensive gaze fluttered above the crowd of spectators.

The crowd applauded the newly appointed team as they exited the stage, and without further pause Professor Ozpin spoke once more, "Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao-Long." He announced as they all stood before him, "The four of you have retrieved the White Knight pieces. From this day forth, you shall work together as Team RWBY(Ruby), under the leadership of Ruby Rose."

Weiss' mouth went slightly agape as she stared at the crimson-ette in disbelief.

"I'm so proud of you!" Yang exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Ruby.

'Looks like things are shaping up to be... interesting.' Ozpin mused.

-.-

After officially becoming teammates, Team STAY entered their new dorm room. As they pushed open the door and stepped inside, they took a moment to silently survey their surroundings.

"Wow!"

Well, mostly silence.

Aria stepped forward, clearly fascinated by the interior of the dorm room. The walls were a soft shade of white, adorned with a single landscape painting. Four beds occupied the space, two of them stacked to create bunk beds. The bed sheets were a deep ivory color, accentuated by crimson red blankets and pillows. The room seemed newly furnished, with small study areas positioned at the foot of each bed. A wooden desk, accompanied by a lamp, occupied the space in front of the window.

To the side, there was a bathroom and a dining area, complete with all the essentials for daily activities.

"Woah, this place has more stuff than my house!" Aria chortled as she excitedly rummaged through the kitchen cupboard.

Yosuke turned and locked the door before asking, "So, which beds will you guys be using?"

Aria's ears perked up as she darted back into the bedroom, "I call shotgun!" She declared, claiming the top right bunk with excitement. However, her attempt to gracefully slide off the edge didn't go as planned, resulting in a comical thud on the ground.

Yosuke couldn't help but chuckle softly at Aria's antics. "How about you two?" He asked, turning his attention to the twins.

Saya let out a weary sigh, making her way over to the left side of the room and settling onto the bottom bunk, "I'll take this one."

She crossed her arms and legs becoming lost in her own world as she peered out the window and took in the scattered light from the shattered moon that hung proudly in the darkened night sky.

"And I'll be taking the one above her's." Toño quietly followed suit, waltzing over Aria and joining his sister by taking a seat next to her, crossing his arms aswell. The room was filled with a sense of tranquility as each member found their places.

Stretching, Aria once more rose to her feet, her energy pooling to fill the air once again. "So, what are we gonna do now?" She questioned, looking around at her new teammates. Yosuke shrugged while the twins remained silent, seemingly disinterested in her query.

A slight grin formed on Aria's face. "Hmm... How about we play a game?" She suggested, hoping to ignite some excitement among them. However, her efforts were fruitless as Saya continued to gaze out the window, paying no attention to the proposal. Toño, on the other hand, pulled out his scroll and started doing whatever he was doing.

"No thanks," Yosuke replied with a sigh, flopping onto his bed. The groups' lack of enthusiasm was palpable.

But that wouldn't stop her.

Undeterred, Aria tugged at Yosuke's shirt, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "C'mon~" She cooed, her voice playful. "It'll be fun!"

"Brother!"

Yosuke released yet another sigh, meeting Aria's gaze. Why were they so similar?

"Very well, what game?" He asked.

Aria's face lit up as she took a seat next to Yosuke on the bed. "Truth or Dare." She replied, her voice filled with anticipation. Surely Yosuke would play with her.

Right?

The room fell into a deafening silence as the blue-nette processed the suggestion, laying on his side to closing his eyes, Yosuke sighed, covering his face with both arms.

"No."

Aria puckered her lips, shoulders hung and arms crossed in disappointment. Rising to her feet, she huffed, "Y'all are so boringuhhh!" Whining as she strolled towards the door.

"I'm gonna find someone else to play with then!" She declared, closing the door behind her. However, her playful nature got the better of her, and she couldn't resist sticking her tongue out before swiftly closing the door again, a light click's onomatopoeia resonating through the dull room.

Yosuke remained atop his bed, his gaze fixed on the underside of the bunk above him. Another sigh escaped his lips before he finally stood and grabbed a fresh set of clothes. He then sauntered off into the bathroom for a quick shower.

Swiftly doffing his clothes, Yosuke stepped into the shower, sliding the door shut behind him as he tested the multitude of taps before him. Arm poised to his left, Yosuke twisted the knob in silent anticipation as not a second later, ice cold water rushed through his hair and back, flinching at the temperature only to turn the knob on the right, happily feeling the heat and cold blend into a comforting trance, thin and continuous pellets rained upon his skin, engulfing his body in a crystal cascaded, dampening every crevice.

After a few minutes he turned off the tap and stood beneath the shower, as the cool liquid dripped off his body and onto the floor. Shifting the sliding door, he stepped out of the shower and picked up his clothes before quickly donning them.

He wore a black joggers with two white stripes running along the sides along with a black tank top under a light-blue sleeveless hoodie. Standing in front of the mirror, Yosuke gently ran a comb through his oceanic waves, pushing down the loose strands that only he could've seen (it still bothered him nonetheless). Finally, he tied his hair into a bun leaving only the right side to frame his face.

Emerging from the room of bath with a small smile of satisfaction, Yosuke strode to his bed, casting a wayward glance to his left to see Saya stalking past him and into the bathroom leaving her brother on his scroll.

Yosuke settled onto his bed, his unwavering gaze fixed on Toño, who's annoyance grew by the second, "You stare alot don't you?" Toño posed, irritation evident in his tone.

"Apologies." Yosuke replied as he averted his gaze briefly, the room fell into silence, the only sounds being the faint hush of running water emanating from the shower and the rhythmic ticking of the wall clock.

Suddenly, "What is your semblance?" Yosuke asked, causing Toño's eyes to narrow with a vague ire, "Why should I tell you?" He growled out, his heated gaze searing into Yosuke's skull, prompting him to elaborate.

"Seeing as we are going to be a team for the next few years, it would be odd if we didn't know at least that much about each other. Though, you don't have to answer if you don't want to." He finished with a small, friendly smile.

Toño regarded Yosuke for a moment before heaving an annoyed sigh. "Fine." He reluctantly agreed, placing his scroll on his lap.

"I'll go first. I call my semblance Hard Hitter as with each successful hit my strikes get faster and stronger, however, the downside is that my aura depletes rapidly upon use."

"...You didn't use it earlier, then?" Toño inquired. Yosuke shook his head, "No. My teacher taught me not to rely too much on my semblance."

Quirking a brow, Toño snorted, "Hn, he's not wrong."

"Now, may I know yours?"

"...I can change the trajectory of an object already in motion. But I can only focus on one at a time. It doesn't have a name."

"I'm guessing the size and weight of the object is directly proportional to the amount of aura used aswell?"

"Yeah."

Yosuke hummed, content with satiating his immediate curiosity, "Interesting..."

"You talk like a rich kid." Toño remarked casually causing Yosuke to chortle lightly in response.

"Well, you aren't wrong. I come from a village located on the outskirts of Vale where my father was the village head. I lived there with my family a few years back before I came to Beacon to become a hunter." Yosuke said as a distant memory crept out from the back of his mind.

"No, you're too young, Yosuke."

He donned a smile while suppressing the memory, "How about you?" Yosuke inquired, leaning forward slightly as he awaited his reply.

"Saya and I come from Mantle." Toño said, Yosuke nodded, a queue for him to continue, "We lived with our parents, happy times... Until...until..." He spoke, a phantom grin gracing his lips as he reminisced the past, only for it to vanish as quickly as it came.

Toño slipped off into a daze, his eyes staring vacantly at the bright screen of his scroll. Yosuke stared at him, his curiosity dissipating before his eyes flickered with pity. To him, Toño seemed... Sad... almost hurt even.

A pain he understood all too well.

"Mom! Dad!"

"Did they-"

"Don't ask." Toño scowled as he snapped back from his trance and began browsing through his scroll, leaving no room for further. Yosuke's gaze lingered for a while before nodding with understanding and falling back onto his bed. The soft sheet swallowed him whole, its embrace as warm as a mother's touch. Shifting his gaze to the clock, he slowly drifted off into his thoughts as time ticked by.

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'They must have had it rough... Assuming their parents died...'

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'I wonder if he experienced the same thing as I did...'

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"T-Take care of your b-brother f-for us."

Tock

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'...'

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