Chapter 7

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, opting to point a bent knuckle at the tip of the lady's nose.

"No."

Aria puckered her lips, shoulder 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 youthfully 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 couldn't hide his annoyance. "Do you have a habit of staring at others?" 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.

"What is your semblance?" Yosuke suddenly asked, halting Toño whose eyes seemed to narrow with a vague sense of ire at the curious boy, "What?" He growled out, his heated gaze searing into Yosuke's skull who then further added to his earlier question.

Yosuke continued, "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." Yosuke explained.

"You didn't use it earlier, then?" Toño inquired. Yosuke gave a curt "No" in response.

"Now, may I know yours?"

"I can change the trajectory of an object as long as it's already moving. But I can only focus on one object at a time." Toño explained.

"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..."

"The way you talk reminds me of a rich kid," Toño remarked casually.

"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, a distant memory emerging 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 sadness. To him, Toño seemed like he was... Sad... almost hurt even.

A pain he understood all too well.

"Mom! Dad!"

"Did they-"

"That's all I'll say." Toño said, leaving now room for further inquiry as he snapped back from his trance, Yosuke's gaze lingered, nodding in understanding as he shifted his gaze to the clock watching as it slowly ticked by, quietly drifting off into his thoughts.

Tick

Tock

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

Tick

Tock

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

Tick

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

Tock

Tick

'...'

Tock

Tick

-.-

*Huff* *Huff*

Beneath the iridescent light of the shattered moon of remnant, a man with scarred legs trudged the land; his feet bare as his bloodied toes desperately pounded against the concrete. His breathing was shallow, hoarse even as he clutched at his damp abdomen barely preventing a crimson flood. His dirty auburn eyes sifted through the empty alley as he ran with all his might. Bumping into a trash can, the metallic container only served to aid in his descent as he planted face first into the moss covered ground, an agonized grunt escaping his chapped lips as he applied pressure to his wound.

Slowly, he pulled himself behind the garbage bin as he leant against it, each breath shaky with fear with only a single thought emerging from the depths of his mind.

'Is he gone?' The man thought to himself, huffing as he peered out into the direction from which he came. Muddled orbs of fear moved briskly within it's bony cage, straining to take in every inch of the darkness; only the faint light of the broken celestial barely aiding in his plight.

The man checked, he checked again and again… he saw no one. A relieved sigh escaped him, but as if to mock him, he heard a sound emanate from the depth of the shadows. The man's breathing hitched as he peered into the darkness.

If you gaze long enough into the abyss…

It gazes back into you.

Red. That was all he could see… Vermilion orbs of death inching ever closer from the abyss, the bloody spheres made eerily prominent with the hauling chunk of rattling iron in its spindly aurelian grasp.

Run.

His body screamed, it begged him to run…

And so he did.

The man pulled himself up from his seated position, limping away as fast as he could; his muddy vision yet again aiding in his downfall causing him to stumble into various objects. Despite his deteriorating vision all he could truly do was Run.

Hope.

Pray he would escape from the crimson jaws of death. The metallic symphony drew closer to his limping form scarily slow. The man shuddered as he quickened his pace, shaky breaths evolving into erratic spurts whilst his chest became the embodiment of a conga drum, beating rapidly against its skeletal prison in a desperate attempt to escape.

The pain in his abdomen intensified along with a slight buckle in his knees as one became two when met with his sight. The man pleaded in his mind, begging for the help of the long gone creators of his world.

"Please… I don't wanna die…" He begged, nothing happened.

"Don't let me die here! Don't let that thing kill me! I beg of you!!" He bellowed to the wind, the blood from his abdomen seeping through his black tuxedo and through his fingers.

The only response he got was the sound of metal being dragged against the ground.

Why had the gods forsaken him? He was confused, yes, he might have been a bit harsh at times. He might have been a bit underhanded in his methods of gaining power but that didn't make it right for him to suffer despite his previous acts. Yes, he might have killed one or two faunus… well, maybe a few dozen...hundred—a-anyways! He shouldn't be killed for his way of life...

Right?

Right???

As the man wrestled with his thoughts, the sound of chatter entered his ears along with the distant footsteps of people and the lights of the streets. The man could feel the beginnings of tears form at the corners of his eyes as he took another step forward.

"Just…a little more..." He huffed, forcing his tired body to press forward. He had been running for a long time, it might have been a few minutes but it felt like hours coupled with the searing pain in his abdomen.

His head pulsed as he stepped into the light, blood threatening to spew from his lips as he limped on. He pressed forward, his body screaming for him to run yet his mind was begging for him to rest. However, he chose to obey his body as he edged on.

Casting a glance behind him, he watched with baited breath as the vermilion orbs of death slowly faded and with it went its eerie melody.

Finally… he was finally free! He would leave this damned place and never return! Why did he even choose to go to Mistral below? Was he insane or did his lust for power and pleasure trump his common sense? He knew he had a target on his back but he chose to ignore it and what did that cost? A chunk of his gut is what!

Never again will he return to Mistral below… NEVER!

The man limped through the crowd, his condition worsening with each stride he took. However, it mattered not if he were to be robbed to by the hand of another in those dirty streets. His destination was his apartment a few blocks away from his current position and he intended to reach it.

Grunting, the man trudged on determined to make it out alive. His breaths were heavy, his legs felt like lead and his head was pulsing like a quake yet he somehow continued to move his body. Now that that thing had stopped chasing him he should be able to-

Rattle

"No…" The man muttered, hoping that his mind was only playing tricks on him.

But it wasn't

Glancing back through the crowd, there gazed two deadly scarlets carved into the crooked mask of a lanky Golden silhouette. The man's eyes shook with fear as his heart dropped.

Orbs of deadly Scarlet locked onto spheres of fearful maroon, the aurelian mask rested on the face of the lanky figure with the crooked smile of a hollowed pumpkin roughly etched onto its features. The figure donned a short leather jacket with a hue as prominent as the sun, beneath that was a tightly wrapped dusty brown vest. Behind the figure, a jade tail with crimson spikes laid flat against the ground. Its legs were prosthetics covered by green pants with belts upon belts colored yellow and red respectively.

The spindly figure stood in silence, its golden appendage grasping the elongated chunk of iron firmly as it gazed upon its stumbling target.

The man cowered, eyes of confusion and fear staring at the towering individual. Turning around, the man ran once more, his feet feeling like cotton on air. With each step came blood and with each drop of blood followed the eerie jingle of steel.

The man pressed through the crowd, giving no regard to the people he pushed to the ground, his only goal was to escape and why would he even care for the lives of others anyway? He mattered most afterall. He always did!

His head pulsed as if it had been cracked open with a sledgehammer, coupled with the ever increasing agony in his abdomen; the continuous blood loss, each breath raspy yet shallow all the same were in a race with his heart to see who was the fastest with his heart winning by a mile as it pounded with crippling intensity.

Every glance the man took the silhouette would appear, every step the man made the clattering of iron would fill his ears, every breath he breathed he would see red.

The man blitzed through the crowd, uncaring of whatever was toppled in the process. Running was all he could do at the moment and he would be damned if he stopped.

Soon, the man ran until he had fallen to a knee. But it was worth it, he had finally lost the red eyed bastard after circling the block a few times.

Slowly, the man rose to his feet, shaky steps accompanied by shallow breaths and a racing heart carried the man forward.

His house was just before him, it's bronze knob now in his sweaty grasp. Applying a bit of pressure, the man opened the door and made his way inside.

The interior was dark, save for the light of the television and the lamp in the corner. Striding in, the man clutched his aching wound as he stumbled forward into the living room before collapsing onto his couch.

A dry chuckle was all he could manage as his tired eyes slowly fluttered to a close, "Finally, I can leave this damned place." He muttered, "When I return to Atlas, I'll consult General Ironwood and ask if he could take care of the pest that was after my life today." The man scoffed, although he wasn't particularly fond of the military loving buffoon he would be an idiot to undermine his power and reach.

"Speaking of Ironwood, I wonder when Jaques will deal with him like he said he would. Though, I myself would be a fool to put all my faith in the hands of a false Schnee, who can't even take care of his own compa- ugh!" The man winced, his gut throbbing as crimson ichor stained his tux.

"...I can berate Jaques later, first I should change out of these clothes and seek medical attention." He decided, rising from his seat as his abdomen pulsed with pain, "Damn rogue, attacking me just for a few million lien… Barbarian. I'll capture and torture him until he spills everything about who hired him, and if he so happens to be a faunus that'd make it all the more enjoyable." He mumbled, limping into the main hallway with a few grunts here and there.

As he was about to make his way towards the stairs, the door creaked open slowly, a cold draft of wind blowing into the apartment as it opened further. Cautious, the man narrowed his eyes at the entrance, the dark streets of Mistral coming into view accompanied by a deafening silence.

Then suddenly a silver sword shot forward, its bladed edge extended; easily tearing through the man's flesh and bone before embedding itself firmly into the wall and staining it a bloody crimson.

"Wha-" The man stood, dumbfounded as his torso erupted with scarlet fluid not unlike a geyser, blood pooled into his mouth before being expelled in a flurry of crimson juices. The man's shaky vision returned to the abyss, lost brown meeting resolute scarlet. Darkness quickly overtook his vision as the song of death resounded in his failing ears with each clink of conjoined metal.

The metallic jangle of chains signified his grisly end. The last thing he witnessed being the piercing orbs of vermilion glowing ominously through a radiant gold mask with a crooked grin.