Chapter Text
The Courtyard of Beacon was awash with activity as the various students gossiped and talked about the mundaneities of teenage life. Some were eating homemade lunches in the courtyards and parks of Beacon during this free period, which gave ample opportunity for the Headmaster and one of his favored Employees to walk around and ensure all was going well.
And all was going well. For the most part, anyway. Save for Ozpin having to talk Glynda down from her somewhat-justified anger. "... And to think you could not be bothered to wake me up so I could see who this new young man you brought in is… I hope you allowing strays to stay here isn't going to become a habit, Headmaster."
"You seemed to enjoy me hiring the Sergeant," Ozpin replied confidently, his observation obviously having hit home.
She sighed and answered, "I will admit having her help for survival and CQC training has been a boon, however letting other people in randomly without consulting the rest of your staff should be reprimanded. The young man you added in will have to catch up to two months' curriculum while he doesn't have a Team…"
"I fully trust our students to welcome mister Shirogane with open arms and provide to him the materials he needs to catch up," The Headmaster replied coolly. He looked at the worried woman and said, "Let's also keep the Second Lieutenant's arrival secret from the Sergeant for the time being and vice-versa… Provide both of them a happy surprise."
Glynda looked upon her employer once more with a hint of concern, but the man seemed as calm and collected as ever. With a heavy sigh, she asked him, "Do you really enjoy keeping people in the dark so much, Ozpin?"
The Headmaster chuckled proudly, then replied, "It's only for their own good. If they know each-other, familiar faces are always going to be a welcome surprise."
"Or a nightmare, depending on their previous relationship," The Assistant Headmaster shot back, scratching her chin. She looked at her Scroll Tablet when it pinged, then let out a hum of surprise. When Ozpin was set to ask her what had happened, she told him, "Professor Peach confirms she's begun the examination of the Machine he came here with."
"We should let the Sergeant know about it after their meeting. She might be able to give us more insight into its capabilities," The Headmaster spoke, then took a sip from the mug of hot cocoa he'd brought on their walk. His cane hung off his belt, the primary support, that black hardened tube, having been retracted into the hilt.
Glynda hummed, then asked, "How do you think he will react to seeing her if they are from the same general area, or even the same unit?"
The Headmaster shrugged, answering with, "Like you said yourself, miss Goodwitch. It entirely depends on their previous interactions in that life. I'd like to think, however, that they will be happy. Considering mister Shirogane seems like a friendly young man, bar his inability to speak Basic requiring him to use a translator."
"... I just remembered that team RWBY knows he is for all intents and purposes an alien," Glynda added in a murmur. Ozpin smiled, while the woman continued, "I hope they know not to speak to the others about this, though they are likely going to tell team JNPR about it…"
"I believe they promised they'd keep it secret," Ozpin said to try and appease his fellow professor. Truth be told, there was no real harm to anyone, not even Takeru and the four young members of team RWBY if they brought up the fact that the Lieutenant was an alien by and large, save maybe some people considering the group of five crazy without clear proof;like the Lieutenant's recordings.
"You know how teenagers are," The woman replied with a heavy sigh. "They would like to get clout with their peers, especially in this place. While the Lieutenant likely won't blab about it to just anyone, miss Rose is a hyperactive young lady who would like to be liked by her peers. Should we trust the rest of her team to keep her in check?"
"Yes," He answered immediately, trying to avoid further scolding. Glynda let out a deep sigh of annoyance, taking off her glasses and rubbing off her eyes. He then told her, "Look, miss Goodwitch, regardless of the situation, I was not going to let a potential boon to our weapons and defenses, much more a young veteran leave for the wilds. I'm certain he won't cause any major problems."
"I hope you're right, but I have a bad feeling," She replied as they made it to the front of the School's cafeteria. Only a second later, did that bad feeling come true in the form of one of their students flying out through the main door, screaming bloody murder. He skidded across the floor the moment he landed and his Aura flared.
Glynda stared at Cardin Winchester struggling to stand up, fear in his eyes as he looked at the person that threw him out. Glynda also looked at the man who threw him out and saw Takeru, dusting his palms off with a scratch on his cheek. The young man started, "... How's that for a 'fee', dumbaaaaaa-" only to pause, stretching out the word when he saw Ozpin and Glynda.
The Headmaster looked at him with concern, while Glynda stared at the young man like she wanted to rip him in half. However, that wasn't anything compared to how she was glaring at the good Headmaster:Namely, ice cold daggers sharp enough to pierce the armor of a Tactical Surface Attacker. Behind Taker, in the meanwhile, team RWBY and a few of the other kids around them cheered.
"... Hi…?" Takeru greeted Prof Goodwitch awkwardly. She craned her head toward him, ice cold glare causing him to stagger slightly, almost in the same way Sergeant Jinguuji's used to…
… Having been brought and sat down in Ozpin's office due to his quote-unquote 'inappropriate behavior' at lunch, Takeru had now missed said lunch. He was thankful he got a couple of bites of the stuff in, because it tasted like the food from home, but fact of the matter was, he might have to rely on nibbling on MRE crackers before the next period.
Professor Glynda Goodwitch, the school's foremost combat teacher, seemed upset, surprisingly enough, but not only at him. Ozpin was receiving the brunt of the woman's complaints regarding safety, the school equivalent of OPSEC and, in her own words, "... He may not be suited to be amongst the general student populace, considering what you've told me! No offense to be taken, Lieutenant, but you throwing a young man through the doors of our cafeteria-"
"He's a bully who apparently has it out for new kids, including one of the JNPR ones. I was just making sure he understood who he was messing with," The young man tried to defend himself, his voice flat. Seeing that was the wrong answer as miss Goodwitch's metaphorical daggers turned toward him, the young man raised his hands and said, "Look, I don't really like bullies. We had some even in the military. Elitists, pricks who think they're above everyone else because they're either stronger or higher on the totem pole… While I couldn't do much to the latter, I figured I can ease at least my life with the former here, considering we're all nearly the same age."
"That is not excuse to-" Glynda wanted to yell at him, but he cut her off.
"With all due respect, ma'am, it is. Bullies don't get the message unless you say it on their terms. I couldn't just run to one of you guys and have people think I'm some dumbass tattle-tale who can't defend himself. It wouldn't have stopped any bullying, but emboldened Winchester and his goon squad to further press on it," He said with as calm a voice as one such as himself could muster, "I understand your authority on the matter, too. You're teachers, the people meant to keep the peace and make sure we learn how to fight and survive out there."
He then leaned back into the seat and sighed as he saw the woman's expression ever-so-slightly soften, before continuing, "... I don't wanna step on anyone's toes, but schools leave bullies be all too often. The military does, too, if they're the higher-ups of the people getting harassed, though at least there the UCMJ and stuff like that apply so you could technically report'em… You know."
The Professor thought for a moment, lowering her arms by her side as her memories of her time at school came back. She let out a heavy sigh, then her voice lowered to match Takeru's calm. She said to him, "... You still threw a young man out through a door. And without Aura to boot. You'll be the talk of the entire school."
"So much for keeping a low profile," He joked, wearing a smile that didn't reach his ears. He put a hand on his small wound, then sighed, feeling the sting. He asked, "Aura, huh? I don't think I got a brief on everything yet."
"In the simplest terms," Ozpin began, "Aura is a protective field made from a person's soul. It can be activated and controlled, with some of the best Huntsmen and Huntresses being able to project it over any weapon they wield, or use it as a weapon in and of itself. It also comes with the bonus benefit of what you would probably call a 'Super Power'. A Semblance."
"... Huh?!" Takeru blanked.
Glynda nodded, "Indeed. Miss Schnee, as an example, from team RWBY. She bears a hereditary semblance known as Glyphs. Her entire family line supposedly has it, allowing her to summon various highly-capable 'spells' of a sort that also match the Dust she has in her weapon's revolving drum at the moment."
"Dust," Ozpin started, noticing the boy's confusion, "Is a sort of catch-all term for a series of very powerful crystalline ores we can find below Remnant's surface, with the main four being based on four elements. Water, fire, wind and lightning. Combining them in varied compositions leads to the other types, such as Hardlight, Gravity-"
"Wait, GRAVITY?" He balked, "As in-"
"A Dust Type that can both apply and reverse gravitational pull depending on the type of current or Aura that flows through it," Ozpin nodded, "You will get more information on this in your last class of the day, however, Lieutenant," and he looked at Glynda. She nodded, then tapped a few buttons on her Scroll Tablet and the young man's own Scroll pinged.
He pulled it out of his uniform pocket and extended it, looking at the notification. The words WRITTEN WARNING flashed across the screen, garnering a short, slow blink out of the young man. He looked at miss Goodwitch, who said, "Consider your case closed for the time being, Lieutenant Shirogane… And please, try to stay out of further trouble."
He smiled, "I'll do my best."
"Doubtless that Cardin likely won't let that humiliation go, however," She grumbled, then said to him, "Request for one of your classmates to awaken your Aura before your next class. It might prove very useful… And if you wish to further embarrass mister Winchester, whose father is on the Vale Council, by the way, do it in classes."
The smile immediately shifted into a grin, "So you're okay with me beating the tar out of him then?"
"I said no such thing," Glynda denied, but batted a confirmatory eyelash at the young man. She then said, "Now, go. Get to the next class before you get a tardiness warning, too… And possibly some issues with your next teacher. She is strict," before a small smirk formed on her face. "Dismissed, Lieutenant."
He stood up and saluted, then walked out. He visibly cringed, however, when he realized the salute was a bit off, before the door of the elevator closed behind him. Glynda sighed and told Ozpin, "I hope things go well."
"They will," Ozpin said self-assuredly, giving his aide a pat on the shoulder.
Later on…
Takeru had managed to speedily head to his dorm and nab the cracker pack from one of his MREs, alongside a bottle of fresh water from a vending machine. He reached Beacon's main classroom building and was strolling down the Hallway toward his classroom when he caught sight of team RWBY already standing by the door. They were engaged in a conversation where Yang was showing off something with what seemed to be her characteristic smile. Other students had also gathered, five minutes before class started.
Yang had stopped mid-talk when she noticed Takeru approaching, then her grin widened as she greeted him with a wave. Awkwardly, the young man waved back as he walked to join them. She said, "There's the guy of the hour. Not even two or three hours into Beacon classes and you already got yourself into trouble! Gotta be a record."
"What can I say?" Takeru chuckled, then joked, "I am a trailblazer."
"A man flying a super-mech and defeating bullies before they get to him," Weiss snorted, "And escaping with only a simple Warning? Color me impressed, Lieutenant."
"I think I got through to them somehow," He answered, then shrugged. He then looked at the title of the class and mumbled, "Combat and Survival Training…? Huh, sounds familiar," as his thoughts wandered back to the CCSE and how that had gone for him and his teammates. A metaphorical Death March.
He wondered how Beacon handled this stuff, turning to the girls and asking, "How is the teacher for this one?"
"Sarge is a hardass," Yang chuckled, "In the best sense of the word. Sure, she presses us to be tough as can be, but she can be a bit harsh," as she stretched slightly, her uniform stretching over her muscles. She looked at him and saw a hint of recognition in his eyes, then smirked and asked, "Sounding familiar?"
"Oh, yeah," He nodded, "Must be a common trait for Sergeants honestly," before the bell rang. He said, "In we go…" before he propped the door open. Slowly, the students walked inside the room, a large amphitheater with a central desk sitting on a raised platform right in front of what looked like a mix of holographic board and a basic chalkboard.
Ruby said, "Don't worry! Teach is awesome! She's pretty cool, too… C'mon and sit with us! We have a couple free chairs beside us," and gestured to their row. He shrugged and joined them, sitting off to the left side of the middle row while the team sat side-by-side, combat partner by combat partner, AKA in the following order:Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang. The blonde gal was sitting next to him, with a smirk on her face.
"Hey, how'd you wind up fighting the BETA, by the way?" The girl asked while the last students walked to their seats and sat down. Takeru also noticed Cardin and the others of team Cardinal sitting in the uppermost area, with Cardin seemingly nursing the jaw he nearly broke with a pack of ice. The two men caught a glimpse of each-other and Cardin looked away.
He hummed, then looked at Yang and said, "... I dropped by a UN Base and joined in. Simple as, considering the shit the BETA were doing to my homeland and to the Earth overall," which got a few looks of surprise from the girls. He continued, "Do you need a bigger reason beside saving humanity and all that?"
"... I guess not," Weiss replied with half a mouth, "When monsters are overrunning your home, your only choice should be fighting."
"Yeah, because fleeing only delays the inevitable," He added, tapping a finger against the desk and looking around at the other students. Most were just talking, same as this little group. When he turned to look upon his benchmates, he saw them staring at him like he'd just said something concerning. He shrugged, "You know… That's what I think, anyway."
"Honestly, I agree," Ruby answered, "Running's no answer."
"You're a lot more grown up than most people, Ruby," Takeru replied with a smile. The girl laughed, a small red tint on her cheeks, and rubbed the back of her neck. She gave a thumbs up, while Weiss rolled her eyes and shook her head. Beside her, Blake was busy reading 'something'. He peeked past Yang, narrowing his eyes when he saw that what was behind the leather-made cover that looked like a standard school book was one of those weird newfangled YA/girl novels.
He frowned when he read a line, shook his head and said, "Blake…" which caused the cat to yelp, closing the book immediately. He told her, "C'mon, girl. Do it on your own time, not during class-" before pausing just as the door facing the group propped open. He whispered, "That must be Teach. Wonder how she's-" and he visibly froze.
Team RWBY looked at him, then at the woman approaching the desk. Shoulder-length, wavy, bright brown hair and eyes, a beautiful face that felt more fit for modelling than teaching, a yellow ribbed turtleneck sweater and skirt, leggings and high heels. She also had a jacket in her left hand and a mug of coffee in her right. The Jacket dark-greys and blacks with blue strips and a strange globe on the puffy shoulder.
She set it onto the chair and said, "Good morning, Students!"
"Good morning, Ma'am!" The entire class called out, chairs scraping as they stood up.
She smirked, "Louder! You're supposed to be humanity's defenders! Lemme hear your voices!"
"GOOD MORNING, MA'AM!" They cried out, all save for Takeru, who was still sitting, staring in pure shock at that which stood before them.
With an approving nod, she set her mug of coffee down and said to them, "I have to work with all of you on that after today's class… Sit your asses down!" while she prepared her Scroll tablet. She opened it, looking around the room from the uppermost rows down, speaking, "Anyways! I hear we have a new student coming in! Let's see…" then her eyes darted back down to her Scroll.
The name flashed on screen first. She started reading aloud, "Takeru! Shiroga… Ne…" and visibly froze, her voice lowering to a whisper, eyes shooting wide open. She frowned, then looked up and yelled in a tone that made several of the kids twitch, "Shirogane! SOUND OFF!" sounding more military than before.
"HERE!" The young man replied loudly, standing up, back ramrod straight. For a moment, the girls and the Teacher saw his face scrunch up, but he quickly put that stone mask back on. The woman looked him up and down, the young man clad in his Beacon uniform. She pursed her lips, the frown slowly shifting into a look of… Pity? Concern? The girls couldn't discern it.
"Think they know each-other?" Yang whispered to the others. All three seemed to nod, though Ruby looked excited.
"Well, well," The woman began, a small smile forming on her face. She read through Takeru's file as the man started to sweat, then said, "Getting a warning on your first day of classes is a record at Beacon, Shirogane! Care to explain yourself, or should I just read the report poor Professor Goodwitch had to write!?"
"... I-" Takeru started, looking a bit worried.
She shook her head, smile growing wider, then said, "Sit down. Class is starting," before she looked at the others and said, "As for everyone else, I can see team JNPR isn't here, meaning mister Arc finally took my advice and decided to stay at home and nurse his cold with his friends. Team RWBY," and she saw them perk up, turning toward her. She ordered, "I expect you girls to help our new student catch up with the curriculum so far. Am I clear?"
"Yes, ma'am!" All four of them replied, Blake looking particularly fearful. They all looked at poor Takeru as the young man seemed to be going through a string of emotions before settling on what looked to be joy, going by the smile. The Sergeant gave a nod of approval, then showed them to sit down. Takeru had already found another group of young women to help him.
Heh. Typical, the Sergeant thought. She turned and said, "Alright, let's begin with today's class! Maintenance! All of you Hunters have different weapons that need different means of maintenance, so the good lord knows you should keep an ample supply of Spare Parts! And yes, mister Winchester," and she turned toward the man with the hurt jaw, then grinned, "That also means your explosive Mace."
"Yes, ma'am," He replied awkwardly, before cocking his jaw and wincing.
She snorted and added, "And try not to heckle soldiers next time, son…" before she thumbed her tablet and activated a few images. While the rest of the class laughed, the Sergeant said, "Oh, laugh it up, kids! We've got more to talk about in this class, not just Winchester's desire to compensate!" and that further bolstered the laughter. "Alright, enough. Focus," She then ordered, voice flat as she put up the presentation on the holo-screen.
Almost an hour later, the woman was still speaking, saying, "... And as such, your weapon is always going to be an extension of who you are, regardless of if you bought it at a store, inherited it or made it yourself," and she eyed Ruby. Deactivating the holo-emitter, the woman turned toward them, tablet in hand, before stating, "I'd have had you kids running laps, but seeing the presence of our new comrade in arms here, I figured I might as well let you go today. Just this once."
The kids cheered, while Takeru looked at the woman. She looked right back at him and said, "Except you, Shirogane. On me. We've gotta talk," which got several gasps and 'ooos' and 'aaahs' from the class, as if they weren't expecting the young man to be an immediate target. Yang joked about something, but Takeru didn't hear. He stood up, while the Sergeant ordered, "Alright, go! Before I change my mind about those laps!"
The class immediately filed out leaving young Takeru alone in the room with the Sergeant. She walked over to him slowly, moving her hands behind her back. She looked exactly like back at home. That same silly, loud outfit, but the hardened eyes and facial expression of the Sergeant still stood first in front of him.
The two stared at each-other, with the Sergeant very obviously sizing him up, before her eyes settled back onto his. And she smiled, "... Hello, Shirogane-san…"
"M-ma'am-" He was about to salute, voice cracking, but she showed him to stop.
"No… I'm not Sergeant Jinguuji right now, Takeru… Just Marimo, your teacher," She said softly, then walked up to him, putting a hand on her shoulder, "... How'd it go after I went out?" only to see the young man bow his head. She frowned and asked, "... Did you-" while her mind thought of the worst, that humanity had lost, that Japan was gone.
Takeru looked up with his own smile, though she could see his eyes clouding. He spoke with a low voice, "We took out the Kashgar Hive… We did it. Operation Cherry Blossom was a success, but God, the people we lost, both then and during the defense of Yokohama," while Marimo visibly blanked. She smiled brightly, while he asked, "... Marimo-chan…?"
"Don't push your luck," She joked, then sighed deeply and smiled, "... But yes… I think I'm just like you in a way. A mix of memories."
"... So you remember-" Takeru blinked.
"A few things… Walk with me to my office. We've got some catching up to do," The Teacher said, then picked up her jacket. She watched Takeru for a second, seeing the young man stare at her in confusion, then said, "Would you rather I make it an order even though I'm a Sergeant, Lieutenant Shirogane?"
He sighed, then nodded and followed her inside. This was gonna be interesting…