Growing Stronger with the Pain

The five hunters are walking like always heading for the next town hoping it would be closer, but looking at the map saying otherwise meaning they still have a long way to go as the road it very quiet, too quiet but no Grimm around so far.

"So, the next town is... uh-huh... uh-huh... We're lost." Ruby sighed thinking they made a wrong turn somewhere.

"We're not lost. The next town is Shion. My family used to visit it all the time." Jaune mentioned as he takes the map from Ruby.

"Oh yeah. Don't you have, like, four sisters?" Ruby asked.

"Uh, seven." Jaune answered which made Ruby giggles.

"You know, that actually explains a lot." Nora said as Ren nods a little.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Jaune asked nervous.

"That you went through 18 years of being overpowered by the large female numbers and barely survive them putting a dress on you." Kimi teased.

"THAT'S… mostly true." Jaune grumbled.

"I'm very curious if they taught you how to please a woman." Kimi whispered in Jaune's ear causing him to blush red as Ruby's cape.

"So, what did you guys do there?" Ruby asked to change the subject.

"Oh, all sorts of stuff! Over here is a great hiking trail, and over here is where we went camping all the time. I got my own tent because I was special. Also, so my sisters would stop braiding my hair." Jaune explained.

"Did they try pigtails?" Kimi asked.

"Yeah, I looked ridiculous. I much prefer a "warrior's wolftail" kind of style." Jaune imagined himself with that cool style.

"That's just a ponytail." Ruby pointed out.

"I stand by what I said." Jaune defended.

"Although, I think you could use a haircut. You're letting your hair grow too much." Kimi said, stroking Jaune's hair.

"As long as it is NOT girly ponytails." Jaune hoped as the others laugh.

"Huh, guys?" Ruby said.

Jaune turn to see what Ruby is looking at to make her a little pale and everyone saw what was in front of them: a city that appears to be destroyed with some broken buildings and two columns of smoke raising from the ashes. They quickly ran into the ruin city looking around to see how bad the city looks and it's pretty from the destruction everywhere including some of the dead bodies around, they run then the four gathered.

"This city certainly been through more than a rough Monday." Kimi said with a slight serious face.

"Let's keep looking around, there could be survivors." Ruby hoped there are still some people alive.

"Over here!" Ren called out.

The four quickly run to where Ren was calling from and saw him with an injured man wearing armor coughing up blood and his abdomen is bleeding. The group quickly recognize him as a Huntsman.

"What happened? Who killed all these people?" Jaune asked.

"Bandits. The whole tribe... Then, with all the panic..." The Huntsman answered before coughing up bleed repeatedly.

"Grimm." Ren muttered.

Kimi kneel close checking the wound on the Huntsman, seeing how deep the wound is means that the Huntsman will die at any moment.

"Alright, we can get him to the next village" Then Kimi cut Ruby off.

"And he'll be long dead before we could even leave this village. I'm afraid this place will be his final resting place." Kimi informed looking at the others showing she's not lying in her eyes.

"No, this… this can't be…" Jaune fall on his knees and look at the Huntsman who has already died.

This made everyone go silent for a few seconds feeling sad for the Huntsman and this village that were attacked by both the bandits he mentioned, and the horde of Grimm drawn in the negative emotions.

"Should we bury him?" Nora asked.

"We should go. It's not safe here." Ren suggested walking away without looking back at the body.

"No, we're going to bury whatever bodies we can find so they can rest in peace. It's the least we can do to help the souls." Kimi pointed out.

"I'm… I'm okay with that." Ruby agreed looks to Jaune looking down in shame like he failed to save someone again.

"It'll be okay." Ruby said.

"I'm just tired of losing everything." Jaune hated himself for that.

"You know, this isn't the first time I lost another friend." Kimi mentioned.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"It was eleven years ago my brother was playing with two girls, twins to be exact, and they always play together as Tori kept saying about being strong to protect them both. But he couldn't keep half of his promise when one of them was died from a car accident." Kimi explained the story about her brother, Tori.

"He must have been through so much pain." Ren said, knowing what is like to lose a family as Nora look at him with a sad look.

"Indeed, the other twin Horizon only had a slight injury, but she and Tori were so depress that they refuse to eat and sleep for an entire week. So, I did the only thing I could think of to snap them out of that depression: by forcing spicy seasons down their throats and throwing them through a window." Kimi mentioned making everyone sweatdrop.

"You… certainly an interesting way of cheering people up." Jaune said.

"Yes, it was the day I cried for the last time. I remember what I said to them and the moment we had together." Kimi looked up at the gray sky remembering

(Flashback, Eleven Years Ago)

The scene shows of Kimi as a little child knee sitting on top of Horizon and Tori giving them each a punch to the face while lecturing them.

"Listen, you idiot duos! Neither of you aren't Aria! You understand me?! Just because she's dead doesn't mean you have to die too!" Kid Kimi then shoved the spices into their mouths forcing them to react from the pain and trying to get Kimi to stop which she's glad they're responding.

"Cry out! Cry out to your heart's content! Remember all the emotions! Blood and flesh, shuddering and tears… you two must regain what Aria lost." Kimi said as the two starts crying.

"No matter how hard you try, you'll never go to where Aira went, you two stayed right here with me and each other. You damn fools." Kimi said.

Finally, after an entire week of depression both Tori and Horizon let out the tears they've been holding back as Kimi holds them up in a hug.

"Now listen to me, my foolish brother and foolish friend, from now on, you both must live. Live on together like you're crying right now. Laugh and get angry just like a newborn, and then help those who can't do that. You must help others retrieve the things that were born with that have been lost or stolen. I promise to help you both." Little Kimi promised as the two hug her tightly and now Kimi is crying more than she ever has.

(Flashback End)

"And that was the last time either of us have shed a single tear since then." Kimi finished her story look to her husband and friends seeing they are mood.

"Wow, that was the most wonderful story I have ever heard." Ruby sobbed.

"You sounded more mature back then." Nora commented.

"And the method was a bit… intense, but you helped your brother and friend to get back into living their life. You truly are an amazing flower." Ren smiled.

"An amazing flower I married to." Jaune said as he walks up to Kimi and hug her. "How did I end up with a woman like you?"

"Probably because my sexy charm brought me the right man." Kimi smiled and they kiss for a few seconds. And she moans a little.

"Oh Jaune, trying to be naughty in front of our friends." Kimi teased.

Jaune was confused of what she meant until he felt his right hand holding something and looks down slowly then his eyes widen with the sound of glass shattering sound in his head, what he see is his hand grabbing Kimi's huge breast in the palm of his hand.

"Jaune!" Ruby called out angry getting his attention.

"Seriously, we're right here." Ruby said before walking away.

"And we just had a moment too." Ren sighed.

"Man, never thought you would move forward that fast." Nora teased.

"No, no, it wasn't me… it was Kimi, grabbing my hand." Jaune tried to explained with his face turning red.

"Now, let's give this village a proper funeral." Kimi said.

It took them three hours to bury all the bodies they could find, and Kimi sang the Song of Passing for the souls of the villagers to rest in peace.

Leaving the villager Jaune, Rub, Nora, and Ren have gained new determination to become stronger as Hunters to save as many lives as they can and help them regain of what they lost.

(Three Days Later)

"Haven is a lot farther away than I thought." Ruby sighed.

"Ruby? How long did you think this journey was going to take?" Ren asked.

"I don't know! I grew up in a small area; I've never been this far away from home!" Ruby winced.

"I had that feeling once wondering how big the world as from my floating home." Kimi mentioned.

"Remind me how long has it been since Musashi became its own official kingdom?" Jaune asked wondering.

"I believe it's been 25 years. It took the ones who made the city 60 years go to make it, meaning it was sometime before the Great War ended." Kimi recalled what she remembered in history class.

"How, your people must be advance." Ruby impressed.

"Yes, now about Ren's question." Kimi brought that subject back.

"Maybe like, uh... two weeks?" Ruby shrugged.

"WHAT?!" Jaune glared as Kimi facepalm with a teasing giggle.

"Okay, fine! Three or something! Look whatever." Ruby looked away from Jaune to avoid making eye contact.

"I just realize something: couldn't have taken a ride on Kimi's flying city to make our way to Mistral?" Nora asked.

Soon, everyone stops with their eyes widen and turn staring at Kimi.

"Hmm, guess that would have saved us a lot more time than all this walking." Kimi said.

"(Yeah, it would have.)" Everyone thought as they sweatdrop.

"Hey, what's that?" Ruby noticed something up ahead.

Nora jumps to the top of a broken fence seeing a wall and what appears to be a building.

"That's... strange. I didn't think we'd be hitting another village for a few days." Jaune checked the map.

"Or maybe… it used to be a town, but it was destroyed years ago, and the town was taken off the map." Kimi guessed.

This got the group in edge and decided to check the town seeing it has been broken down with some damage and seeing the place is dusty.

"Nothing." Ruby reported.

"Guess you were right, Kimi. This town must've been destroyed years ago." Jaune said to his wife.

"Hey, I think I found something!" Nora called out.

Jaune, Kimi, Ruby, and Ren rush to Nora who is staring up at sign with perhaps the name of the ruin city.

"Oniyuri? Never heard of it." Nora said.

"Me neither." Jaune said.

"I have." Ran said looking sad and serious.

"You might think of it as Anima's Mountain Glenn, had it never been completed. Years ago, the richest members of Mistral were unhappy with how the Kingdom was being run." Ren explained looking around a little.

"I heard about this too. They were angry at the council for not giving them and their people much freedom as they claim. So, they pooled their resources together to build their own city, with their own laws. They hoped that one day, it could maybe even become its own Kingdom. Many thought it would be the future." Kimi explained as well.

"My parents believed it." Ren said.

"What happened?" Ruby asked.

"What always happens." Ren answered.

"Grimm." Jaune clenched his fist.

"Not just any, one." Ren mentioned.

"One?" Ruby confused.

"Yes, few of the men from Musashi came back brutal injured said it was a single Grimm that destroyed this whole town." Kimi mentioned.

The made Jaune and Ruby scared a little as everyone on Remnant always feared that the Grimm were getting stronger and they will have to caution and careful, preying that they would never run into this strong Grimm.

They walk through the city to continue their journey, but Ren suddenly sense a presence nearby putting his hand up to stop the others. He feels the unknown presence coming toward them fast and brought out his StormFlower as the others follow bring out their weapons, then a man jumps over them twenty high and then charge with his armbrace blades.

Ren clash toward the man slashing by the mysterious man, but he dodges and block Ren's attack even defending against the bullets before he jumps to avoid a swipe kick from Kimi. Kimi and Ren sandwich attack this guy with tight space though it didn't work as the man manage to grab Kimi's arm throwing her away and kick Ren away too. The man charge at Ruby as she defends herself from his attack, but he was moving faster than Ruby could expect and he slash at her aura. Jaune try to attack him with a shield ram attack, but the man saw that coming and jumps onto the shield giving the blonde boy a creep smile. Nora ran to smack the guy off Jaune, however, the man already jumps off the shield and land on Nora's hammer before jumping to a building crashing through the old walls.

"Well, he's certainly a rude one." Kimi glared.

"We're not looking for a fight!" Jaune yelled.

"Who are you?" Ren asked.

The man with the creepy smile jumps down from the tower-like building revealing himself again.

He is a pale man with gold eyes and a brown ponytail braided to resemble a scorpion's tail. He wears a white sleeveless jacket with leather belts strapped to it under a dark brown duster jacket, along with white pants. His jacket is left open, exposing his bare chest, which is crisscrossed with prominent scars. His arms are covered with purple bandages and leather vambraces. He also wears leather boots covering his entire shin with knee guards. On each earlobe is a silver, ring-shaped earring, and near the top of his left ear is another matching earring.

"Who I am matters not to you." He pointed at Ren. "Or you." Pointed at Nora. "Or—" He paused at Jaune. "Well... you do interest me." This made Jaune gasps nervously.

"Back off, bastard! He's my husband!" Kimi pulled Jaune on his and place it between her breasts.

"Really? No matter, I only matter to you." He pointed at Ruby.

"Me? Ruby tilted her head in confusion.

"You, you haven't the slightest clue, do you? Oh, how exciting this must be." The man laughed crazy.

"What do you want?" Ruby demanded.

"Oh, the rose has thorns! My little flower, I'm here to whisk you away with me!" The man answered dramatically.

"Well, what if she doesn't want to go with you?" Nora asked glaring as she got in front of Ruby.

"Well, I'll take her." The man answered simply.

"We're not going to let you do that." Jaune said as he stands between the man and Ruby with his shield held in front of him.

"You know it's rude to not at least introduces yourself when meeting new people." Kimi scolded pointing her katana at the man who laughs a little.

"Tyrian Callows. The last thing you'll ever know." Tyrian smirked.

The five teen Hunters ready themselves for what maybe the most dangerous fight in their life.

KO a new chapter is done and hope you all enjoy it!

I thought about adding Kimi's past with some Remnant touches making Horizon having a twin sister named Aria and giving Kimi's team the motivation to keep moving forward. Now our young heroes are facing against an insane and dangerous man named Tyrian Callows who wants to take Ruby for whatever reason he's here for, and they'll soon learn that when he fights it's no laughing matter.

KO comment, favorite, and follow through of how this story will go!