I do not own/have any rights to One Piece and RWBY
My first Fanfic. Hope you enjoy
Chapter 11 - Work
-In a forest somewhere in Vale-
"Now, smile! You are on camera." A voice tinged with subtle amusement softly rang throughout what appeared to be a heavily guarded caravan canopy tent.
On the contrary to the young man front of him, however, the other male facing the small device only grunted in annoyance, as if he found the whole thing troublesome and overall not worth his time.
"Just get on with it human." The disgruntled male huffed as he stared at the stranger's softly glowing eyes. "I have better things to do."
If the young man noticed his annoyance, he certainly did not show it as he kept his polite smile.
"A little birdy told me that you and your men are on a 'Joint business venture' with a certain crime lord in Vale… Is it true?" The young man calmly asked.
A deep growl escaped the man's throat the moment he heard the other male's inquiry as bloodlust (albeit faint, yet noticeable enough to give pause to those around the tent), slowly filled the room.
"Not by choice, I assure you." The man barely managed to respond as he tried to reign in his poorly concealed rage.
"Oh?" The young man urged on. "Please, do tell." His polite smile widened ever so slightly.
For a few seconds, the agitated male did not say anything. But while he certainly was not vocalizing his thoughts, his body language was saying plenty. The subtle gnashing of his teeth, his ever so slightly trembling body, the soft creaking of his weapon under the increasing pressure of his grip… the source of his thoughts most definitely were not bringing him any pleasures.
After taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm his mind, he finally answered. "This woman… She called herself Cinder Fall."
And just like that, began the terrible tale depicting clashing of ideal, will, and strength. How the woman came to him, offering him wondrous promises of power, money, and resources in exchange for him basically working for her. And of how his refusal lead to her coercing him into accepting her deal, albeit begrudgingly, after she decimated his men.
The guy was surprisingly chatty.
"Any ideas what she plans to do with you and your men asides from working with Mr. Torchwick?" The young man asked as the irate male came down from his small ranting episode.
"No." Was his clipped reply. "She believes we are too dumb to understand the intricacies of her grand plans." His tone was dripping with sarcasm as he snorted disdainfully. "Such arrogance… How typical of you humans."
At the jab, the young man simply shrugged indifferently as he checked for the recording time on his scroll.
'It should be enough.' He reckoned
"Well," The young man began, catching the other male's attention. "I believe this should be enough, thank you for your cooperation for this interview. It must've been difficult for a busy man such as yourself."
The other male simply grunted as he gestured towards the exit. "If you're done, then leave."
With his business done, the young man silently rose from his seat. But just as he was looking over the video file on his scroll, he turned around as if he's forgotten something.
"By the way…" The young man glanced over his shoulder as his softly glowing grey eyes once more caught the other male's attention. "I never got your name."
That gave the other man a minuscule, yet noticeable pause.
"Adam Taurus." He eventually answered.
The young man simply hummed as he gave a slight nod of acknowledgment, before turning around and giving his attention to his scroll once more.
Video file - "Interview with Adam Taurus" ... Saved.
Beacon Academy.
Located along the cliffside at the east edge of the city of Vale, it was one of the most prestigious Huntsmen Academy in the world of Remnant. Everything from its grandiose entrance to its respectable staffs spoke of its rich history and its standings amongst other huntsmen academies. But if there was one thing that never failed to impress newcomers, it was the castle-like towers that stood tall at the center of the academy.
However, the normally quiet school ground was currently buzzing with activities and movements. A platoon of gunships soared through the skies, and a battalion of soldiers and androids patrolled around the perimeters as the titanic Atlesian airships' dominating presence loomed over the campus ground.
In the midst of all the activity was the commander of the fleet himself, General James Ironwood.
Everything from his pristine uniform to his stoic yet professional demeanor gave him something akin to an air of authority and of leadership.
But despite looking all but immaculate, those who were close to him would have most certainly noticed that something was off. There were faint, yet noticeable bags under his eyes. His usually crisp uniform had slight creases to them. Even his normally short and clean hair had few stray strands sticking out here and there.
The man looked haggard (at least by his standards).
Even as he was walking up to the elevator that led to his good friend's office, he couldn't help but let out a soundless sigh. A lot has been on his mind as of late, especially after the little chat he's had with his latest agent a few weeks back.
The emergence of the new, yet powerful player in the name of Cinder Fall.
Someone powerful enough to control Roman Torchwick.
Someone powerful enough to control the White Fangs.
'A coincidence?' He wondered as his brows formed a subtle frown.
It was only a day before he was scheduled to leave Atlas for Vale when he received Qrow's message regarding a Queen's pawn. And not a week after that came the news of the latest underground supernova that not only had one of the most infamous Crime Lords in Remnant, but also the self-proclaimed group of Faunus "Revolutionists" under her control.
The timing was too convenient.
A soft sigh escaped him as he tiredly rubbed his eyes. It sufficed to say that he's not been sleeping well as of late.
But before he could ponder any more deeply about the possible connection between the two events, a crisp 'ding' of the elevator bell brought him back to reality, allowing him a brief moment to recompose himself.
"Ozpin!" The General greeted the ashen-haired man as he walked out of the elevator.
"Hello, General." He greeted back, looking ever so formal just as he's always been.
"Please, drop the formalities." The General joked as he walked up to shake hands with the Beacon's Headmaster. "It's been too long." He said as a set of nostalgic chuckle escaped him.
Looking to the side, he noticed another one of his long-time friend and colleague slowly walking towards them, and the General didn't hesitate to acknowledge her as well.
"And Glynda, it has certainly been too long since we last met." The General addressed her as he added a very subtle undertone of playfulness.
"Oh, James…" She replied with equal amount of cheer.
Pity it didn't last long.
"I'll be outside." She deadpanned to the remaining occupants in the office as she moved to make herself scarce.
Internally chuckling at her byplay, the General once more addressed his host. "Well she hasn't changed a bit."
"So, what in the world has brought you all the way down from Atlas?" Ozpin asked as he prepared a cup of tea for his fellow Headmaster. "Headmasters don't typically travel with their students for the Vytal Festival."
"Well you know how much I love Vale this time of the year. Besides, with you hosting?" The General answered as he gratefully accepted the offered beverage, while not forgetting to add his own little "touch" to the drink… he could never have enough of it as of late, with so many things on his mind.
"I thought it might be a good opportunity for us to… catch up." As he stood, he could really use a break away from work, however brief it may be.
The Headmaster of Beacon nodded in agreement to the suggestion as he too poured himself a cup. "I can certainly appreciate quality time between friends. However… " His tone grew slightly wary as he met the gaze of the fellow Headmaster. "The small fleet outside of my window has me somewhat concerned."
At that, the Atlesian General couldn't help but sigh softly to himself.
'So it's come to that, huh…' He thought wistfully as he gave his honest answer to his inquiry.
"Well…" Qrow's message… Roman Torchwick… The White Fang… And Cinder Fall… "Concern is what brought me here." And he's already lost not insignificant amount of sleep over the said concern.
"I understand travel between Kingdoms has become increasingly difficult-"
"Oz…" Sometimes, the General couldn't help but wonder why his friend opted to play the fool so often. "You and I both know why I brought those men." He finished as his tone grew somber.
Both men knew the gravity of the situation.
Of how fragile, and superficial the current time of peace could be.
Of how powerful, and malicious were the forces that sought to shatter the said peace.
And judging by the soft sigh that escaped his lips, Ozpin knew all too well of the truth.
"We are in a time of peace, James." 'Regardless of how fragile it is' was left unsaid. "Shows of power like this…" He gestured towards the window before he continued. "I am afraid it's just going to give off the wrong impression."
James understood.
He really did.
If it weren't for the unseen threats looming over, he would have happily taken a personal day off at his expense to visit his friends and colleagues in private… "But if what Qrow said is true, then-"
"If what Qrow said is true, then we will handle it tactfully." The ashen-haired man interjected gently, yet firmly. "It's the Vytal Festival. A time to celebrate unity, and peace… So I suggest you to not scare people by transporting hundreds of soldiers half way across the continent."
At this point, a faint yet unmistakable feeling of frustration began to bubble within the Atlesian General. "I'm just being cautious." He sighed out.
"As am I" The Headmaster patiently replied. "Which is why we will continue to train the best Huntsmen and Huntresses we can."
"Believe me, I am" His reply was honest, and genuine. However, the thought of the Queen and her forces prompted him to halt his steps on his way out.
"But ask yourself this," He challenged his longtime friend, as he turned to fully face him once more. "Do you honestly believe your children can win a war?"
"I hope they never have to."
He hoped so too.
But just as the Atlesian General was about to step into the elevator, a soft buzzing of his scroll informing him of a mail caught his attention.
Once he saw the sender and its content, he couldn't help but sigh loudly this time.
"Ozpin?" He called out to the said man, catching his attention. "Keep an eye out for any woman named Cinder Fall." He advised as he looked at the Headmaster over his shoulder.
After a moment of pause, the ashen-haired man nodded in acknowledgement.
"Will do, old friend."
And with the final nod of farewell, the General entered the elevator. Once the door closed, he allowed himself to sigh one last time before looking over his scroll once more.
Sender: Y. Lloyd
From your happily employed agent to the ever vigilant General~
Video file - "Interview with Adam Taurus"
"- and… sent." There was a certain amount of exasperation in the former assassin's voice as he pressed the "send" button.
It has been a busy week after all.
Ever since the night at the docks (and the subsequent chat with his employer), it has been quite the melodramatic week.
In retrospect, he should have seen this coming.
While the young man certainly succeeded in his goal of contributing to the General's increasing number of grey hairs, it quickly became rather clear that it wasn't without consequence.
The number of calls coming from the General increased by 70%.
The amount of nagging increased by 50%.
His workload increased by 130%, while his free time decreased by 255%.
The amount time he had to spend tracking down a guy, who knows a guy, who knows this girl, who is an ex to this guy, who is a cousin to this girl, who is an active member of the White Fang that knows the location to their command center… it was better left unsaid.
A long repressed sigh escaped the young man. At times, Yury couldn't help but think that he himself was his worst enemy.
'Well, what's done is done I suppose…' He thought as he idly observed his surroundings.
Here he stood, in the middle of the infinitely vast forest dyed in crimson. But contrary to its appearance, it was not entirely devoid of its inhabitants. The forest was a home to countless species, ranging all the way from tiny ants to the towering Grimms. Yet among the lives that resided within the forest, there was one group in particular that stood out.
The White Fangs.
Not a bad place to settle all things considered. The forest was abundant with wild games and fruits. The forest provided shelter from prying eyes and ears, being so far away from most civilizations. The forest gave the Fangs the tools and resources to become self-sustainable in case of emergencies.
'Not a bad choice indeed.' The young man thought to himself as he looked over the encampment in the middle of the clearing.
Just as one would expect from a rogue organization's command post (no matter how temporary it may be), there wasn't much to look at. Asides from the typical crates full of weapons and Dusts, along with various other comms units strewn about in a way one would expect the camp site of a terrorist organization to be, there wasn't much that caught the former CP9 agent's eyes.
However, there was one thing that made him slow down his impromptu tour.
It was the members themselves.
Faunus of all kinds were gathered here, all the way from the relatively common canine types to the somewhat rare reptilian types, it was certainly a diverse gathering.
A soundless sigh escaped Yury as he idly observed them.
They were all so young.
While he certainly wasn't in any position to lecture them about "working" so young, the former CP9 agent couldn't help the small feeling of regret bubbling up within him as he watched the young men and women in their early 20s mingle about throughout the camp.
'Why can't people just get along?' The young man thought as he began to make his way out of the camp.
On the way, he watched how a bear Faunus helped a struggling bird Faunus to prop up her tent.
'What's the point of all this?'
He studied how the grizzled old Faunus trained the fresh recruits.
'Why do humans have to care so much about appearances and status?'
The young man observed how they smiled and laughed as they enjoyed their meal together.
'Why is it so difficult for them to get along with each other? So that I could take my naps in peace… So that kids could be kids… ' So that people like him won't have to exist…
Just as he was about to enter the forest, the young man turned around to take a look at the clearing one last time.
"I really hope they quit this and just go home soon…" He sighed out before turning his attention once more to the small forest path.
'...so that I won't have to kill them all when I'm ordered to.'
Yet he knew, in the deepest depths of his mind, that none will leave.
'My, what a beautiful sunset.' The young man thought distractedly as he made his way out of the scarlet forest, his mood still ever so slightly wistful.
The trek out of the forest has been uneventful besides the occasional Beowolves and Ursai, and it was relatively relaxing for the young agent.
He couldn't remember the last time he's had a leisurely walk like that, and he savored every moment of it. But alas, he knew that all good things must come to an end.
With a soft whistle, he lazily walked up to his car (that was surreptitiously parked next to a large bush), and opened the driver's side door… which he promptly closed again.
"... I must be getting tired from all the work." The former agent tried to convince himself as he massaged the bridge of his nose.
It didn't take long for him to reach for the door once again. But this time, his movements were slow and deliberate, much akin to poking a sleeping beast.
After a soft click, he gingerly opened the door, hoping against hope that what he saw inside was just a figment of his imagination… pity it wasn't.
[Hello!]
As his steel grey eyes met his car's current occupant's mismatched eyes, he could feel all the telltale signs of the ever-familiar headache on its way.
"Miss Neo… what are you doing here?" The young man groaned out. It only took a moment for him to get his answer.
[I'm here to see you silly!] She even gave him a wink as she held her scroll out.
"And how exactly did you find me?" The young man asked, his voice muffled due to his hand that was currently palming his face.
But instead of "answering" him, the diminutive girl simply reached over to the glove compartment and fished out the driver's manual. While he was silently raising his eyebrows in mild confusion, she seemed to find what she was looking for as she held out the book, opened up to a certain page.
A page that had a small button-like device taped onto it.
… that was blinking.
… making it look suspiciously like a tracking device.
A loud sigh escaped the young man, as he stared annoyingly at the device.
But when he tried to reach for the small device, she quickly pulled the manual away, hugging it closely to her chest, all the while giving him a challenging grin.
Despite the increasing twitch of his brows, Yury simply settled for a mildly painful flick of her forehead. The resounding sound of twack of his finger meeting her forehead was just about soothing enough to lift his mood, and make him chuckle in light amusement.
He had to dodge a set of small throwing knives and a swipe from a parasol for his trouble however.
[To treat a maiden's body so roughly only after our second date… you beast!] She "cried" out in outrage before falling helplessly on the ground as she shielded her body away from the young man.
Her only reply from the former agent was a soft scoff and an eye roll.
"Said's the 'maiden' who sexually assaulted me within 10 minutes of our first meeting." Yury calmly replied as he walked past the girl on the ground to enter his car, ignoring the pout that was being sent his way.
Shortly after starting his car however, a sound of the passenger side door opening drew his attention to his right… only to find it occupied by the diminutive girl.
When he raised his brows in a questioning manner, all he got out of her was her blowing a raspberry at him before being presented with her reply of being called a [Beast].
With a dismissive shrug, he began his drive back to Vale.
The drive back was surprisingly uneventful, considering how "chatty" she tended to be sometimes. But it was a comfortable silence, perhaps born out of subconscious mutual understanding between the two assassins.
For Yury, it was pleasant to say the least. And had he been with any other woman, he might even go as far as to dare say, romantic.
A relaxing drive down a scarlet forest in a supercar with an admittedly cute lady into the sunset?
'How cliché.' He thought amusedly.
But speaking of scarlet and lady, his thoughts strayed into a certain princess.
Both of them has been rather busy as of late, the princess with her studies and training and Yury with being back in the field, so they haven't had any real chance to meet like back in Mistral.
'At least she was understanding about it.' The young man mused. And if he was being perfectly honest, he didn't expect his childish little princess (to him at least) to be so accepting of the whole situation.
He's expected at least a few guilt trips and temper tantrums from her.
While she certainly made her discontent abundantly clear, she never pushed the issue too hard unlike the many times when they were in Mistral. Well, although he's never admitted it, he does remember sort of hinting at the possibility of him going back on the field all those weeks ago when she first ran into him.
But she did make him promise to call her whenever he could.
And she would always answer.
They wouldn't talk about anything too important, but mundane things like how they were, or in her case, mostly about his well-being.
He thought it was rather cute of her to be so happy about getting a simple phone call… and he supposed he didn't mind the small distraction it provided either.
Though lately, she has been rather insistent about knowing when exactly he would be home this weekend, much to his confusion. And her almost giddy tone when he told her he would be home this Saturday (i.e. today) was not anymore revealing either.
But before he could think any more deeply about it, a small tug on his sleeve drew his attention to the side.
[I'm hungry.] Neo "complained", as she gave him a look of an abandoned kitten on a sidewalk. [I'm hungry.] She emphasized by further presenting her scroll to the young man.
The young man sighed in exasperation as he glanced at the clock.
It was almost 8 p.m.
"Once we reach the city, I'll take you to a restaurant that I know." the young man replied. He too was getting a bit hungry as well anyway.
[Thanks for the treat Honey! I love you! ]
A muted groan was her only reply.
While there were many downsides working as a glorified errand boy for a nation's military commander, there certainly were few perks that made the whole ordeal a little bit more bearable.
"Haa…" A content sigh softly rang out the young man's throat as he savored the taste of his wine.
In front of him were what most would consider a first-class gourmet meal… and they would be correct. The succulent high-quality steak that was grilled to perfection, combined with the sauce made from finely aged balsamic vinegar was enough to wash away whatever fatigue he might have had from his work. And the wine that has been aged for 84 years complemented the steak unlike anything he's tasted before, pushing the whole experience over to the divine realm.
The view certainly didn't hurt either.
The Painted Heaven was located on top of a one of the tallest finance buildings in Vale, providing its clientele with stunning views that was beautiful to look at whether it was a day, or like now, night.
But if he had to complain, then it would be the eye-popping price tag that came with it. Most people had to save up for months in order to afford a meal for a single person, notwithstanding the amount of time they had to wait to reserve a seat during a dinner time.
Luckily for Yury however, such factors were a non-issue for him.
Shortly after the purchase of his current penthouse and his car, he found himself almost buried with mountains of what basically were scam mails. But amongst the piles upon piles of what essentially amounted to scrap papers, he noticed something.
It was a letter encased in a black envelope with elegant golden markings framing its edges… it was a formal invitation from The Painted Heaven, asking him if he wanted to become one of its executive members.
One of its perk included a permanent reserved seat for him to come at any time he wished, however many times he wished.
He obviously did the right thing and signed up for it right away.
Although it came with the annual fee of 50,000 Lien (and other few additional fees), money wasn't an issue.
After all, he had that.
The invincible black credit card issued by the esteemed General himself (that he's come dangerously close to losing… again).
Well, technically it was classified under food expenses… Hey, what could he say? He did at times demand finer things in life after all.
And speaking of someone enjoying finer things…
Across from the table was the little shadow that's been following him around, enjoying her ice cream in muted glee.
'She has been surprisingly "quiet".' He idly mused. The irony was not lost on him.
Ever since the first bite of her ice cream, she has been completely "silent". Her eyes were slightly glazed over, while her cheeks were loosened into a content smile.
For the first time in the admittedly short period he's known her, she looked happy.
It was enough to elicit a small smile himself, before he too went back to his meal.
It was the small happiness like this that kept the assassins like them sane (somewhat) after all.
"Well then Miss Neo, I wish you safe travels on your way back." The young man bid the young woman his farewell as he entered his car.
At least he tried to.
A delicate, yet strong hand that was holding his jacket was preventing him from doing so.
"What is it now, Miss Neo?" Yury sighed out, his tone tinged with subtle annoyance. "I'd rather go home and sleep if you don't mind."
However, instead of her usual teasing or suggestive "replies", she simply handed him a letter.
While he did raise his brows in mild suspicion, he accepted the letter nonetheless.
When he finished reading the said letter, the young man couldn't help but let out an annoyed sigh as he massaged his temple.
"Tell him to go along with her plans for now." He replied, but not before fixing her with an accusatory stare. "Couldn't you have given this to me at the forest?" Yury pointed out, his tone dripping with mild exasperation.
[I was bored.] Was her curt yet playful reply as she shattered into countless glass shards, but not before she blew him a kiss.
"Of course you were…" The young man sighed out to the now empty parking lot as he looked over the letter one last time.
To my devilish friend,
I have been ordered to hold a rally for the animals in four days in time at 6 p.m. by our mutual "friend". If you need me to do anything, inform Neo about it.
-R.T.-
AN: For the past 9 month, I have fallen into the bottomless abyss known as fanfic and LNs, and only now just managed to climb myself back out. Thank you for being so encouraging and patient. I am back (for now), and while I can't promise any scheduled updates, I will try to get them up as soon as possible. I am only a human after all. As always, don't be afraid to ask me any questions if you have any.
Omake
By the time Yury came home, it was already past 2 a.m.
But despite the time, he had a guest. And judging by the aura signature, it was someone he knew intimately well.
'What is she doing here at this ungodly hour?' He thought as he lazily opened his front door.
The place was dark, save for the dim light coming from the kitchen.
With a curious shrug, he quietly ambled to his kitchen.
But once there, the young man couldn't help but raise his brows in mild confusion as he looked around.
Nothing really seemed out of place. The kitchen was clean, the countertop was clean, the utensils were in their appropriate place, and pretty much everything else was in proper order… well, except for the obvious.
There she was, Pyrrha Nikos in all her glory, gently snoring away on his kitchen table.
Yet that was not all.
In front of her, was a small cake. A small cake that read, Happy Birthday!
'Was today her birthday?' He silently panicked as he wracked his brain. However, no matter how hard he thought about it, it wasn't (much to his relief).
There was a time where he almost missed it… she still brings it up occasionally.
But that begs the question, if it wasn't her birthday, then whose was it?
It wasn't the princess', and judging by the distinct lack of her teammates, it wasn't theirs either… then who-
Then it hit him.
It was his.
Granted, it wasn't his real birthday as he's forgotten about them long time ago. After all, who would bother to remember a birthday of a nameless street rat?
So when the young champion asked for his birthday shortly after their first meeting, the young man simply made one up on the spot… which happened to be today.
'Really… what a cheeky little brat.' He silently "complained", never noticing the small smile that was beginning to form.
It wasn't the first time she's done this as well.
Ever Since their time in Mistral, she never forgot about the random date that he's told her on a whim.
His eyes silently traveled to the cake. Never did she fail to bake him a cake herself on this day.
His eyes glided to the little box that was placed next to the cake. And never did she fail to bring him a present on this day.
'Really, so cheeky…' A small, yet fond smile was adorning his lips as he gently patted her head (an action that he didn't seem to realize that he was doing).
But as things stood, it was too late to have something like a party and a cake. Hence, after placing the cake in the fridge, he moved to gently pick up the princess in a bridal carry.
It was her favorite after all.
As if to confirm, the young girl began to snuggle into his embrace, releasing a content sigh in the progress.
But problem arose once he got to the guest room.
She simply refused to let him go.
Whenever the young man would try to gently pry her off, she would simply tighten her hold on him. Whenever he tried to "reason" with her by whisper-arguing, she would simply whine like a puppy and ignored him entirely.
In the end, he relented.
With one last sigh, he joined her on the bed. "Don't get used to this kid." He weakly complained. But despite his "warning", it didn't take her long to attach herself completely to him.
A content sigh escaped her as she snuggled deeper into his chest.
After a exasperated eye roll, the young man settled in to get some sleep himself. But just as he was about to fall asleep, a sound of murmuring woke him up slightly.
"What's that?" He tiredly asked purely on reflex, not really expecting an answer.
"Hai… berr.." She murmured, still deeply asleep.
"What?" He prodded again.
"Hap..py birr...th day"
When he finally understood the message, he couldn't help but tighten his hold on her ever so slightly.
"Thanks, kid." He replied in kind, he too gaining a content smile (albeit much muted compared to the princess) as he joined her in the realm of Morpheus.