14

 Chapter 14: V2C1: Growing Pains

Ruby Rose twirled Crescent Rose back into a ready position as she slid to a stop from the last exchange. Her opponent was possibly her toughest one yet aside from her Uncle Qrow but this one was extremely different from everyone else she's fought. Every other tough opponent that she's faced, her friends (even Jaune), and even herself were all innately talented. They were born with great skill and their training was largely to just refine that skill and hone their natural instincts. They could progress in leaps and bounds with each new wall they broke through and the training they underwent often had a multiplicative effect. They were special. They stood out. They were just naturally better at these things than most people.

Her opponent, however, was not like that. Ruby's opponent had no great natural gift. It was a hard difference for most people to notice but those who are naturally talented or otherwise had a keen eye could tell it right away. Her opponent had no natural talent but simply applied themselves and pushed what little skill they started with until they could compete with the people who were. Whereas Ruby's movements were all instinctual and almost involuntary, her opponent moved with practiced ease and almost mechanical precision. Their instincts were being used, most certainly, but not to intuit the next natural course of action but rather to select the best action from a wide range of options. It was as if the fight was a game and her opponent was looking down on it from above, trying to predict her next move and figure out the best way to counter it. Theirs was not a talent gained innately and honed through practice but a skill developed painstakingly through countless hours of training and honed on countless more battlefields.

And Ruby admired them greatly for it. To reach such an amazing level through nothing but hard work and determination was beyond impressive. To analyze the battlefield and determine the best course to victory was an invaluable skill, one she'd do well to try and gain herself. Even as all of her attacks and stratagems were repelled, rebuffed, and rejected sometimes almost as soon as they began, she found herself not annoyed but almost enamored. Even though she wasn't entirely certain she could win, she was glad that she had gotten this fight. She admired the fighting style of her opponent, admired the weapons they used, and admired them. She had known this before but this fight made it blindly obvious that she could learn a lot by watching this person.

If Ruby had her way, she'd never take her eyes off of him.

OoOoOoO

Emiya Shirou returned to his guard position after having fended off Ruby's attack, the familiar forms of Kanshou and Bakuya in his hands. The young leader had practically pestered him for a sparring match ever since the fight on the docks three months ago. Shirou had been hesitant to agree at first and had used his reluctance to show off his powers to convince her to delay it but now their end-of-semester exams were over, they were on winter break, most of the students were gone, and Shirou had no excuse. He consoled himself with the fact that at least this way he could properly go all out (or close enough, at any rate) and find all of the flaws in her fighting style as quickly as possible.

The fight had been an interesting one so far. The arenas of the sparring hall weren't terribly large, being a roughly ten-meter long square with a featureless surface, but Shirou still found them interesting due to the fact that the walls were made of some sort of energy that was invisible unless struck. It was practically a bounded field made from science but it spoke wonders that this observation didn't impress Shirou that much. The small size of the arena didn't really bother him but it was certainly affecting Ruby as she had to be very careful about using her Semblance and the size of Crescent Rose also meant that she had to be very mindful of her surroundings to avoid hitting the walls.

That aside, being able to focus on Ruby fighting was a great learning experience. While he had been able to see her fight numerous times over the course of the last semester, it had been clear that she hadn't been taking those fights too seriously and that none of them had terribly pushed her. Against Shirou, however, that was no longer the case. He was someone she had to take seriously and push herself if she wanted to win. That might have also been the case against Roman or Neo but Shirou had been preoccupied with studying them and had only been able to make periphery observations about Ruby.

What Shirou had discovered during the course of the fight was both impressive and disappointing. It was painfully obvious that Ruby possessed great talent, far greater than that of her peers, as that was what had gotten her into Beacon two years early in the first place. She also possessed a good deal of creativity and had been able to react in unique ways whenever Shirou caught her off guard which had allowed her to avoid a fair number of blows. Her instincts were also incredibly sharp to the point where, at times, they almost bordered on precognition. However, all of her good points were also her bad points.

Ruby's obvious talent meant that, aside from Qrow, she had likely never really seriously fought anyone before Neo. That meant that she had no real experience in handling an opponent on relatively equal footing who wasn't also using a scythe. This lack of experience meant that Shirou, with his twin short swords, had been able to slip into her guard and throw her off balance with relative ease. Her creativity was great but it was also predictable. After the first couple of times, it was easy for Shirou to keep up with her unusual recoveries and plan around them. This was the key reason why Neo, who Shirou had noticed focused entirely on observing her opponent's fighting style then countering it, had been able to handle her easily. As for her instincts, the fact that they were great was both a blessing and a curse. If Shirou had to guess, Ruby may have very well been born with her instincts and, as such, she relied heavily on them. While this got her through most situations without too much issue, the fact of the matter was that her instincts weren't nearly sharp enough to lead her to victory if her chances weren't that great to begin with. Even Saber, whose instincts had been near flawless, had relied more on strategy and only used her instincts as a supplement.

The result was that, as the battle went on, it became increasingly one-sided despite the moral support of the rest of Team RWBY. This fact wasn't lost on Ruby but Shirou was interested to see that she seemed more excited than anything. She was certainly being a far better sport than he had been when he had started training with Saber.

Ruby suddenly launched forward in a flurry of rose petals so Shirou shifted his guard slightly. Ruby's attack was blocked but the force of the impact broke Shirou's guard, forcing him back a few steps even as his arms went upward. This was exactly what he had wanted, however, as he brought his weapons behind his back in time to block Ruby's follow-up attack. That last attack had been exactly what Shirou had needed to figure out one of Ruby's limits.

"You can only move in a straight line using your Semblance," Shirou noted as he returned to his guard.

Ruby looked shocked for an instant before smirking, "Maybe. So what?"

"You might as well stop using it. Even if I can't react to you, I can still predict your actions and act accordingly. If you keep using it, you might as well forfeit."

Ruby actually scowled at that. "Oh yeah? Then I'll just beat you with it anyway!" she said as she took off in a burst of speed.

Shirou couldn't believe that Ruby had fallen for that. Given by the way she had smacked her forehead, neither could Weiss.

Ruby's plan was as impressive as it was obvious. Shirou found himself in the middle of a hurricane of rose petals as Ruby bounded off of the floor, walls, and ceiling. The rose petals served to obscure her movements and position and it would have probably worked against most opponents but this had been exactly what Shirou had expected her to do. Instead of trying to follow her with his eyes, Shirou actually closed them and let his arms rest in a neutral position at his sides. He focused on his hearing and instincts and had no great issue in hearing where she impacted a surface but even that proved unnecessary when Ruby came at him from behind, exactly as he had expected.

Needless to say, Ruby was quite surprised when Shirou, who had been apparently doing nothing, suddenly turned on the spot and lashed out with those twin swords. The result of this counterattack was that Ruby found herself tumbling across the floor before crashing upside down against the wall while Crescent Rose clattered on the ground a few meters away.

Shirou walked over to Crescent Rose and picked it up with a small amount of effort, examining it for a moment before tossing it away.

"Hey!" Ruby shouted indignantly as she rolled to her feet. Shirou had returned to his guard with Bakuya reappearing in his hand. "Fighting me without my weapon while you still have yours totally isn't fair!"

Shirou tilted his head quizzically. "You're right but real fights are never fair. That being said," Kanshou and Bakuya disappeared, fading away like they were made of sand, "I don't mind fighting this way."

Ruby looked surprised for a moment before quickly adopting an extremely amateurish version of Yang's boxing stance. While Shirou wasn't an accomplished martial artist by any stretch of the imagination— people like Ren and that monkey Faunus could easily tear him apart— he could still pick out the countless flaws in Ruby's opening stance. This raised a number of questions but he put them out of his mind for the time being.

Ruby was looking rather hesitant, slowly shuffling her way forward and to the side to no doubt try and create a clear line to her weapon, so Shirou went on the offensive for a change. Ruby's eyes widened as she threw out a weak left jab but Shirou easily brushed her attack aside and lashed out with a palm strike to the bridge of her nose that she didn't even try to dodge. As Ruby stumbled back in pain, Shirou stomped on the instep of her right foot before sending a snap kick to her solar plexus that knocked her back into the wall.

Ruby quickly recovered and came at Shirou with a slow left hook that Shirou lazily ducked under before countering with a sharp jab to her stomach. As Ruby doubled over in pain, Shirou struck with an uppercut to her chin before finishing up with a heel kick to her temple.

Ruby growled as she recovered and Shirou sprung into action the instant he smelt Ruby's power start to flare. Ruby shot off to her right and bounded off the wall to get around Shirou but was sent hurtling to the floor when Shirou bounded off her knee the instant her foot hit the ground and caught her in the side of the head with his shin.

"Is this really the best you can do?" Shirou asked with a mixture of concern, honest curiosity, and more than a little disappointment.

"Yeah, okay, so I can't fight without my weapon. So what? I don't need to so long as I have Crescent Rose!" Ruby replied with more than a little heat.

The aura around Shirou instantly darkened even as it felt like the air dropped ten degrees. Ruby felt her breath catch in her throat as Shirou leveled a look at her that was emotionless yet filled her with a nameless dread. She expected Shirou to reprimand her like Yang and her dad used to or maybe even let her get her weapon back so she was totally unprepared when charged forward like a gale, closing the five meters that existed between them in an instant, and decked her across the jaw with enough force to stagger her.

It was at this moment that Ruby realized that Shirou was no longer treating this as a sparring match and thus was no longer holding back.

Before Ruby could so much as blink, Shirou was on her again, slamming into her kidney with a palm strike that forced the air out of her lungs. She felt Shirou's other hand wrap around her throat before he knocked her legs out from under her with a leg sweep and slammed her into the floor. He then ran the length of the arena, dragging her along with him, before hoisting her into the air and slamming her against the wall. His hand mercifully left her throat but that was just so he could strike her solar plexus with another palm strike that made her cough up spittle along with what tiny bit of air was left in her. Her vision was starting to swim as Shirou grabber by the collar and headbutted her, the force of the impact knocking her head back into the wall. The instant that happened, Shirou summoned his twin swords and brought them together in a cross slash aimed at her neck. While her Aura stopped the blow, it left her pinned to the wall and unable to breathe even as her Aura crackled as it tried to repel the weapons.

Just as Ruby felt her consciousness start to slip, there was a siren as her Aura Meter fell into the red and the pressure was instantly gone. She immediately fell to the ground and began coughing and gasping for breath even as she massaged her sore throat. She looked up to see Shirou offering her a hand but, when she went to grab it, a blonde missile crashed into him from the side.

Shirou let out a pained cough as Yang pinned him to the far wall by his throat, her right hand drawn back to strike. "What the fuck do you think you were doing to my sister?" she asked in little more than a growl.

"Teaching her a valuable lesson," Shirou answered calmly as he stared unwaveringly into Yang's red eyes. Behind her, Shirou could see Blake hesitating between letting this play out and interfering while Weiss helped a worried Ruby to her feet.

"'Valuable lesson'? You were already winning that fight! What lesson could she possibly learn from you trying to kill her?"

"What it's like fighting someone trying to kill her. She wasn't taking it seriously even when I had disarmed her and had her at my mercy. She's training to be a Huntress, one of the most dangerous professions in the world. She needs to learn what it's like fighting another person who wants to kill her and it's better she learn that now under safe conditions than when in an actual fight for her life. She— all of you need to learn how to stare down death and not even blink. What it's like to be in a fight where even a single mistake will cost you your life. And not a fight against a mindless beast like the Grimm but against a living, thinking, reasoning person who can try to force their will onto you. Most people don't take this seriously until it's too late.

"When Ruby insinuated that she didn't need to know hand-to-hand combat because she was so good with her scythe even when in the position she was, I knew that I had no choice but to prove my point. Words would be wasted, especially since I'd be shocked if you've never tried to teach her yourself. So I did what I had to do. If words wouldn't work then I'd just have to beat the lesson into her. It's not nice but I'd rather be cruel for a moment than see her lying in a pool of her own blood because she wasn't properly prepared."

Yang's eyes were back to their usual violet color but her glare didn't soften nor did her grip loosen. They stared silently at each other for a long moment before Yang growled and let him go, abruptly turning on her heel and taking two steps away before just as abruptly spinning around and slugging Shirou in the jaw with enough force to drop him to the ground.

"I get what you were trying to do and I appreciate you trying to help my sister," Yang said, her voice dangerously low and full of venom, "but if you pull a stunt like that again, you will answer to me. You got that?" When Shirou nodded while massaging his jaw, Yang spun back around and began marching toward the exit. "C'mon, Rubes. Let's get out of here." Any objections Ruby might have had were ignored as Yang grabbed her hand and nearly drug her out.

Shirou was still massaging his jaw when a hand entered his vision. He looked up to see Blake staring down at him with an unreadable expression. After Shirou had grabbed her hand and stood up, she spoke. "For what it's worth, I think Yang was wrong but so were you." At Shirou's questioning look, Blake explained further. "While I agree with you about needing to learn that lesson, you shouldn't have just sprung it on her so suddenly. You should have explained what you were going to do ahead of time to make sure she was okay with it."

"Like I said to Yang, I'd much rather she resent me for a while— for her whole life, even— than die because she wasn't ready. Too many people have already died because I couldn't do anything. I'm not about to sit back and let more people die when I can do something just to spare their feelings."

Blake's blank expression softened into a sympathetic look at Shirou's words. She gave him a small smile even as she put a supportive hand on his shoulder. "I don't know what you went through but I think I understand what you're thinking. You're a good person, Shirou. This kind of thing is beneath you." They stayed that way for a long moment, Blake trying her best to provide comfort and support while Shirou stared down as his feet. Eventually, Blake withdrew her hand but her smile remained. "You should make it up to her. I happen to know that she really likes strawberries and chocolate chip cookies."

Shirou was silent for a moment longer before nodding his head. "Yeah. I probably should."

As the two of them walked out, Weiss couldn't help but watch them. She had never seen Blake that affectionate before and what was all that about people dying because of Shirou? The redhead was a mystery wrapped in an enigma and it seemed like the more Weiss learned about him, the more confused she became. What had happened between Shirou and Blake during those three days that they were missing? What was happening between them now? While both important questions, there was one more that was far more important than the rest. One that she probably should have been asking herself since she first met him. One that she was determined to find the answer to.

Who was Emiya Shirou?

OoOoOoO

Shirou cautiously opened the door leading to the roof of his dorm building, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the light of the setting sun. Sitting at the edge of the roof, staring out over the grounds of Beacon and to the city beyond it, was Ruby; her legs pulled up to her chest and her chin resting on her arms. He couldn't see her face from this angle but he couldn't feel any off-kilter emotions coming from her. Still, seeing the usually energetic girl be so still and quiet was disconcerting. He supposed that everyone needed a break every now and then but he couldn't help but feel like he was at fault here. Which, of course, was exactly why he was here and carrying a small container in the first place.

"Hey, Shirou," Ruby said as the redhead sat down next to her.

"Ruby. What are you doing up here?"

"Nothing much. I like to come up here sometimes and just kinda unwind. Just not think about things and enjoy the sunset." Shirou glanced over at Ruby's face and saw that she seemed perfectly calm and content. There were no signs of troubled thoughts or discomfort. She seemed to be completely honest and, not for the first time, Shirou wondered if Ruby even had it in her to lie.

Regardless, Shirou had something to do even if it was viewed as unnecessary. "Here. I made these for you," he said as he held out the small container to her.

"You made something for me? How come?" Ruby asked as she took it, more than a little intrigued and excited.

"It's an apology gift. I'm sorry. Yang was right. I shouldn't have attacked you like that at the end of our sparring session. I should have talked to you about it first," Shirou said as he bowed his head towards her.

"Oh, no, it's okay, really!" Ruby said quickly as she placed the container down and waved her arms back and forth. "I understood why you did it and you were right. I really wasn't taking it that seriously. It's probably why I didn't do so well against Neo. I'm really sorry Yang hit you like that."

Shirou shook his head, astonished that Ruby would apologize for something her sister did when he was the one who was clearly in the wrong. "No, it's okay. I deserved that. Aren't you going to see what I made you?" Shirou asked to forestall any counter-arguments from Ruby.

Ruby opened the container and Shirou couldn't help but smile slightly as her eyes went wide as she gasped. She pulled out one of the pink chocolate chip cookies and Shirou's smile threatened to split his face as she went all starry-eyed after taking a bite.

"Strawberry chocolate chip cookies‽ Shirou, you're the best!" Ruby screamed as she threw her arms around the redhead's neck. For his part, Shirou tensed up, every muscle in his body freezing at the unexpected contact. She let go before he could react further and returned to her treat.

"It's no problem, really. You should thank Blake for telling me that you liked strawberries and cookies."

"How did you know I preferred crunchy to chewy?" Ruby asked as she swung her legs back and forth over the side of the building and helped herself to another one.

"I asked Yang."

"Yeesh. That must of been fun given that she was still mad at you when I last saw her."

"Yeah, but she calmed down when I explained what I planned on doing."

"That's Yang for ya. There are two things that are guaranteed to make her mad: Messing with her hair and hurting me. I love her but I really wish she'd calm down. I can handle myself."

Shirou hummed and turned his attention to the sunset, deciding to enjoy it himself while Ruby happily munched away at her cookies. After some time, Ruby spoke up again.

"Hey, Shirou?" she asked tentatively.

"Hm?"

"Do you think you'd be up to helping me train? You're really good at all of this fighting stuff and I think I could learn a lot from you."

"Of course, Ruby. I'd be more than happy to help."

"Thanks, Shirou. You really are the best," Ruby said as she beamed at him.

Shirou returned her smile with a small one of his own even as a small part of him began feeling uncomfortable. "Not really. I just do what I can."

Ruby just hummed in response, clearly not agreeing. It seemed like she'd be getting her way after all.

(Remnants of Fate Volume 2 OP: "PEACE SIGN" by Jonathan Young)

A/N: It sure has been a while. Sorry for the delay, everyone, but life got pretty hectic for me. Volume 2 is, at last, complete, however, so, barring anything crazy happening, you should be able to expect weekly uploads from now until we reach the end of the volume.

There's quite a bit of original content in this volume and quite a few changes to things here and there. I'll be explaining these changes as they come up.

I hope you've enjoyed the story's return and I'll see you next chapter!