We do not own RWBY or any other copyright content. All rights to it go to Monty Oum, Viz Media, and their original owners. All OCs are owned us.
Writing credits go to Monsterhuntergod, Sharad the hedgehog, and Traines, as well as Kima Whitehawk Jordan on Facebook. And a very special shoutout and thank you to 501awezome and Mega Ghost Fanfiction.Net for all your support.
Tiger King and Dragon Queen
Volume 1 Chapter 24: Uncertainty of Position
"Gods above, where did that thing go?!" A frantic Sylver asked, shuffling through the darkness.
It was rare for the eternal sure and stolid wolf prince to be so out of his calm. Yet, as the darkness clung ever tighter around him, the harder he searched. Even his Faunus eyes were failing him at this moment, making him curse their failure.
"How the hell did I lose that beanie? I literally keep it on me at all times. If Sapphire finds out, she'll never let me live it down…" Sylver grumbled, his human ears nearly red in irritation while his wolf tail frantically and erratically moved about.
The air became more dense and tighter. As if it was trying to choke him. The dark, normally a comfort, was now oppressive. The slight tug of a teasing breeze, as if mocking his failure. However, something else got his goat. It was as if the darkness was hiding something, something wanting to find him. A rustle across the grassy terrain caught his attention, forcing him to turn around. Yet, when he looked, there was nothing.
"Great… I'm going nuts too… Just what I nee-what was that!?" Sylver said, cutting himself off as he felt something slither up his leg.
Hopping around and smacking himself like a lunatic, the movement eventually stopped. Thinking he had scared it off, he went back to his hunt. Not realizing his nighttime troubles had simply just begun.
Meanwhile: With the Others
"SYLVER!" Azura called out to his friend, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his shout before flinching and clutching his ribs.
"We aren't going to find him." Weiss said, arms crossed.
"Azura, you shouldn't yell. You might have broken ribs after that wallop you took." Yang said in concern.
Panting a bit, Azura composed himself. "I-I am fine, Yang. I have taken worse than this before…" He tried to reassure her, taking gentle breaths to not aggravate his injury.
"Just cause you've taken worse; doesn't mean you should push yourself like that." Yang said sternly.
"What are you now, my mother?" Azura asked, trying to search through the brush for his friend.
"If you don't shape up, I'll act like your nagging wife." Yang threatened before she continued the hunt.
"You wouldn't hear me complaining about that…" Azura muttered as he drew his sword and cut down a branch in their way.
"What was that?" Yang asked, turning to look at him.
Azura blushed to the roots of his hair. "N-Nothing! I said nothing!" He stammered, looking for Sylver more.
With that Yang turned away and walked back towards her partner. Blake, however, did not look back at her. Both did not speak, but both knew what was on the other's mind. An awkward silence held them till Yang finally spoke.
"You left us to die." Yang told the monochromatic ninja girl bitterly.
"Yes… and already I have… guilt. I shouldn't have… my fear got the better of me." Blake said nervously, as if still trying to process her own action even now. Trying to make some sense of it.
Yang just glared at Blake. "You. Left us. To die." She replied, putting emphasis on each syllable as she ground them out.
"Yes… I did… I failed you and everyone else… what did dad ever see in me to think I could succeed him…?" Blake said, muttering the last part, but realizing she had let the quiet part out.
"Succeed him? Succeed him how?" Yang asked, raising an eyebrow despite maintaining her glare.
"Great, I said the quiet part out loud too… no wonder your boyfriend has to make excuses for what he mutters under his breath." Blake said. "Are you sure you don't have bat ears under that mane of yours?"
Yang glared in rage as her eyes turned red and she moved to pop out her Ember Celica, making Blake realize she touched a nerve. Scrambling to show that she meant no offense, the monochromatic ninja girl tried to talk the blonde pugilist down.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Your hair is very nice. I didn't mean to hit a nerve. I'll explain myself if you please just calm down a bit." Blake bargained, tensing up for if her ploy failed.
Folding her arms over her bountiful bosom, Yang looked at her partner crossly as she waited for the explanation. Looking around to make sure the others were not nearby, Blake slowly reached up for her bow. Slowly taking it off, from underneath it flopped out two black cat ears. This caught Yang by genuine surprise, undercutting her anger as she felt compelled to speak.
"You're a Faunus?" Yang asked in surprise, her eyes turning back to their normal lilac color.
"Yes, I am. However, I wish it was just that." Blake said, looking away slightly.
"Blake… if it makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to tell me-" The blonde brawler began only for her nervous cat girl partner to gently cut her off.
"No, Yang. What I committed was a sin against our bond as partners. How else can I show you that I'm serious, that I know I messed up and want to make it right without getting punched in the face?" Blake firmly asked Yang, now turning the tables by looking her straight in the eyes.
Sighing, Yang gave a small smile. "You're as melodramatic as Azu. What, are you gonna say you're some kind of Faunus nobility or something?" The blonde pugilist playfully said.
"Again, I wish it was only that." Blake said with a sigh.
Yang was genuinely shocked to hear that part. "Wait… so you're higher up in society than Azu?" The blonde brawler balked in disbelief.
"My family, the Belladonna's, founded and have ruled the archipelago nation of Menagerie ever since it was given to us by the Kingdoms. We are one of the five imperial families, families that created the kingdoms and to whom the Zodiacs, like Azura, swear complete fealty." Blake explained, trying not to get too meticulous.
Yang was stunned to hear this. "So… you're the princess of the Faunus…?" she asked, very clearly still processing this revelation.
"Yes… I am. It's also why Azura was so certain he recognized me and was so cordial. He met me once when we were younger." Blake explained.
"Is that also why Wolfie's being so hostile with you?" The blonde, brawling beauty balked again.
"It's complicated." The cat eared warrior princess simply said.
Yang nodded in understanding. "That's fair. That's between you two, so I won't try to make you tell me." She replied.
"Just please don't tell the others. I've hidden this stuff because I don't want people viewing me weirdly or being deferential or other things like that. I just want to… have a normal life. One not surrounded by retainers, lords, and politics." Blake said mournfully.
Yang gave a playful smile. "Your secret's safe with me, Your Highness." she jokingly said, trying to break the tension.
"It is?" Blake asked, perking up at that.
"I won't tell a soul until you're ready to." The gold, brown, and black pugilist assured.
"Not even your Blue Shōgun?" Blake teasingly asked.
Yang simply blushed and playfully punched her partner on the arm. "I'll take that as a yes." Blake chuckled, rubbing her arm a bit.
Yang smiled and chuckled a bit. "Come on, let's go catch up with Azu before he pushes himself too hard and aggravates that wound." She told her cat eared partner.
Blake nodded as she put back on her bow. With that, the two walked off together to rejoin the azure samurai prince. When they arrived back, to the two's shock, they had found the wolf warrior wallowing in his woeful whims. By snoozing away with his beanie back on despite everyone's attempts at waking him up.
"Sylver? Sylver? Come on, old friend. Wake up." Azura told the sleeping wolf Faunus, lightly smacking his cheek.
"Sylver, you big dummy! Wake up!" Ruby said, pushing on his chest with her hands to gently shake him.
"How long has he been out for?" Yang asked, a bit concerned.
"Since before we found him here about five minutes ago." Azura told them.
"Well, that's what he gets for launching himself into the armored core of a demonic fire lizard." Weiss simply replied.
Sylver suddenly bolted back up, his eyes open with anger. "Say that again and I'll gut ya'!" He roared as Ruby sprang up.
"Sylver, you're awake!" The red rose reaper uttered in joy before crying out in disbelief as Sylver fell back over and went back to sleep.
"That neanderthal woke up simply to pick a fight with me!?" Weiss asked in sheer disbelief.
"HAH HAH HAH HAH!! Oh, Sylver's all right, guys!" Ruby cackled out, instantly on the ground laughing her butt off.
Azura sighed. "I'll carry him back to Beacon." The wounded and winded warrior prince said in frustration before moving to grab his friend only to be intercepted by his blonde maybe-girlfriend.
"Zhan can carry him, I'll carry you. Or I'll have my partner knock you out to make you." Yang said firmly to Azura.
"But Yang, I'm…" The azure prince began to protest only to be cut off by the blonde, busty beauty.
"You say you're fine again and I'll make you not fine, you stubborn Zodiac." Yang sternly said, her eyes beginning to alight with red fire out of frustration with him.
Sighing, Azura nodded obediently as Yang took his arm and slung it over her shoulders so he could lean on her. As he did so, Yang blushed slightly when she felt his muscles press against her beneath his clothes and smelled his male musk. For some reason, she did not find it unpleasant in the slightest.
"Why do you smell like sweat and testosterone, Azu?" Yang asked, trying to stay calm.
"A side effect of my Semblance. My apologies if it smells awful…" The blue prince nervously told her.
"No, it's okay. I… kind of like it…" The brawling beauty replied as the two blushed.
"What…?" Azura asked, shocked to hear that.
"Flirt later, you two! We need to get moving!" Nora told them energetically from up in a tree branch before clutching her own rips.
"I'll flirt with you by shoving my foot up your ass, Valkyrie!" Yang yelled up at the short stack attack dog.
"Nora, please. Don't try to playfully pick a fight while you're still hurt. And get down from there." Ren told his enthusiastic partner.
"But Ren…" Nora said, trying to put on a puppy dog face.
"No buts. I'll carry you back to Beacon if I have to. Now please…" Ren began to say only for Nora to jump down from the tree and into his arms.
"You had me at carry! To Beacon, Ren! Heeya!" The thunder-thighed girl uttered, gently tugging a bit on Ren's hair.
"Are we sure they're not a couple?" Ember asked the group.
"Are we sure these two aren't?" Zhan asked, pointing to the awkward blue and yellow pair.
"Your silence would be greatly appreciated, Zhan! /You shut your mouth, Iron Brain!" The two said simultaneously, blushing at the insinuation.
With a chuckle from the others, they made their way back to Beacon. It was a long, arduous, and tiring journey after such a hard set of fights. However, they made it after what felt like forever. Both Glynda and Ozpin were waiting for them and turned to greet them after addressing another set of successful applicants.
"So glad you all could make it back." Ozpin addressed them with a small, cordial smile.
"Raauughr, who else wants a piece of me!? I will put the fear of the Wolf God violently in your ass!" Sylver screamed as he woke up, ready for another round of fisticuffs.
"Since you all have passed, please follow the signs to the nurse's office to get your injuries treated and your physicals taken." Glynda continued.
"Is anyone going to address what just happened?" Oren asked.
"Roll with it." Mido answered bluntly.
"Also, from what I have heard from the others, well done on defeating the Efreet. I was wondering when that thing would rear its ugly head." Ozpin said with a smile.
The present students all looked at Ozpin in shock at that. "You… knew that thing was in there…?" Honey asked in disbelief.
"Of course we did." Glynda said simply.
"This school's run by crazy people…" Wysteria uttered in fear.
"Rest assured, all of you will be getting extra credit for defeating it. Especially the young Lord and Lady Tenrō for dealing the killing blow and the young Lord Sōtora, Mr. Arc, and Miss Rose for coming up with the plan that defeated it with minimal collateral damage." Ozpin reassured them, sipping from his mug.
"Does this mean I can skip classes for the next… um… week?" Sylver asked hopefully.
"No, you still need to attend." Ozpin replied, breaking it to the young wolf prince upfront and bluntly.
"Dammit…" Sylver grumbled.
"For now, join the others in the Great Hall. We will be assigning you your teams tomorrow after the evaluations are complete. For now, you need sleep." Ozpin explained.
"Wait… I thought we were going to be getting our teams assigned right away. Isn't that how it's usually done? I mean that's what my uncle told me." Torrent asked in confusion.
"Normally, yes. But, due to the extraordinary and extenuating circumstances, we are making an exception this year. You could all use the rest." The mysterious headmaster explained as Glynda looked on approvingly.
"Yay, sleepover!" Ruby yelled.
"First we get Azu and Nora to the infirmary to get patched up." Yang insisted in concern.
"Forward, noble Ren!" Nora yelled happily, with Ren dutifully walking forward following the signs.
"Let's get you looked at, Azu." Yang said with a smile as she followed behind Ren and Nora, carrying the blue warrior prince.
Azura smiled. "Lead the way, Snapdragon." He told her before blushing upon realizing what he called her.
"S… Snapdragon…?" Yang asked, blushed a bit.
"I-I apologize for being so forward, Yang…" The samurai prince began to say.
"No, no. It's fine… I could get used to that…" The blonde, busty brawler said with a gentle smile that made Azura's heart race.
Later: In the Great Hall
The great hall was packed with the first-year students. To everyone's surprise, this year practically produced a bumper crop of new teams, with them getting murmurs from the faculty about capacity. However, the hardened core of our heroes was even more of a talking point, as no other grouping had bagged such an impressive rack of titanic Grimm kills. Least of all killing an Efreet. Needless to say, the other students could not help whispering about them as some other guys tried to crowd around the girls, especially Yang.
"Hey, sweetheart. So, you're one of the ones who took on that Efreet, huh?" A random guy asked, walking up to Yang with a grin as he looked her over in her pajamas.
Clad in an orange top with her signature emblem on it and black short shorts, she turned to look at him. Nothing particular stood out about him. However, her father taught her not to be rude.
"Yes, I was. My sister was one of the leaders that came up with the plan to kill it." Yang politely explained.
The guy smirked as he stepped closer. "That's pretty damn impressive, hot stuff. What do you say we go somewhere more private and… get more acquainted…?" He offered flirtatiously.
"I appreciate the offer, but after today, I'm not in the mood for it." Yang said with a yawn.
"Aw, come on Goldie. Don't be so cold." He reached out, trying to grab her wrist.
Before he could make contact, a hand shot out and grabbed his forearm in a tight grip. Looking at the source, he saw our favorite blue samurai, clad in azure tiger striped pajamas, casting him a disapproving glare.
"She said she is not in the mood." Azura's frigid voice said with firm sternness.
"I think that sending me off should be left up to her, Scarface." The young man rudely said with a sharp glare.
"Keep your hands to yourself unless given permission before you lose them." The azure shōgun coldly told him.
"U-Understood…" The boy fearfully said before turning to walk away.
"Well, that was awfully quick of you." Yang said with a smirk.
Azura grinned a bit as he looked at his friend. "I knew you could handle him, but taking care of unwanted suitors is not work for a beautiful young lady no matter how strong she is. I simply acted as any gentleman would and offered my assistance." He told her playfully.
"And that makes you a wanted suitor?" Yang asked just as playfully.
The azure warrior prince blushed at that. "I-I assure you; my intentions are pure. I was merely offering aid to a lady in need, like any gentleman should…" He nervously replied.
"Thank you, Azura. Though you shouldn't rile yourself up before bed. It's bad for getting a good night's sleep." Yang told the blue daimyō, making him lay down next to her.
Meanwhile, Ruby had wandered off as she usually did, wearing her normal pajamas and sleep mask. Wandering on the outer edges, she didn't quite know what she wanted to do, but she was restless. However, soon a familiar presence came up behind her. Turning, she saw Sylver, in his plain gray pajamas, with his sword still on his back and a hand over it.
"Sylver?" Ruby asked confusedly.
"Hey, Rubes." Sylver casually responds.
"What are you doing up? The nurse said you should rest if you're going to get better…" Ruby said, her concern for him leaking through her voice.
"Yeah, like two hours ago." The canine warrior of chaos replied.
"She said you needed to rest for two days, you giant dummy." Ruby said, her cheeks puffing out in annoyance, which got a sudden change out of the wolf prince.
Sylver chuckled a bit. "You're as cute as ever when you pout, Rubes." He told her.
"D-Don't try to weasel your way out of this!" Ruby nervously shot back, blushing lightly.
"Since when do I listen to what people tell me to do? Besides, infirmary beds suck worse than my uncle Isa's cooking." The silver wolf prince asked with a playful grin.
"Alright, but, if you lose motion in those shoulders of yours because you didn't let them heal, don't say I didn't warn you." Ruby huffed and turned away.
Later that Night
Yang let out an audible yawn as she sat up from her sleeping bag. Typically, on important nights like this, she always got up in the middle of it. Figuring a nice stroll would tire her out for some proper sleep, she got up as quietly as she could and snuck out. Soon arriving at a nearby balcony, she got to see the forest canopy she was under now wreathed in silver, calming moonlight.
"Why can't a mission ever happen on this kind of night?" Yang muttered to herself.
She sighed as she looked up at the moon and stars. The busty blonde beauty thought back to what had happened earlier in the day. As happy as she was to be at Beacon now… she could not prevent the events with the Efreet from flashing through her mind. Of Azura pushing her and Ruby out of the way of the Efreet's attack. She felt herself tremble and tear up a bit, hating herself for feeling weak.
"Azura could've died… he got hurt because I let my guard down…" She whispered; her hands clenched into tightly balled fists of pure frustration.
"Don't blame yourself, Yang." A familiar voice called out, making Yang jump a bit as she turned to look.
Standing in the doorway of the balcony was Azura, his pajama shirt off to expose his bandaged chest to the cool night air. Yang flinched as she looked away, drying her eyes. Not wanting to look weak in front of him of all people.
"Azura? I thought you were…" she began to say.
"I could not sleep. And it looks like I am not the only one." He told her, walking up to her and gently taking her hand.
Yang looked away at that. "Azu… you got hurt because of me…" She told him.
Yang flinched when she felt a gentle finger beneath her chin, tilting her head up to make her look at him. As she did, the blonde busty beauty could not help but admire how his dark azure eyes shined like stars in the night sky under the moonlight.
"Yang… that was not your fault. I chose to protect you and Ruby. I did it because I did not want you two to get hurt." Azura told her.
"So, you just don't care you nearly died? That you could have had all of us be forced to witness you die and live with that for the rest of our lives?" Yang asked insistently.
Azura flinched and looked away ashamed of that, having not considered that option. He could not have rested in peace knowing that he had hurt Yang, Ruby, and the others like that.
"Azura, please. Tell me what's wrong." Yang insisted, stepping forward.
"Yang, I… I just…" He began before taking a deep breath. "I'm… not good at this sort of thing…"
"If it makes you feel any better, Blake is too. But she was able to stop me from punching her in the face." Yang explained.
Taking another deep breath, Azura looked Yang in the eyes. "Yang… I know we have not known each other for a long time. I have only known you and Ruby for about a year now. But still… I just… cannot imagine my life without you in it. Without either of you in it…" The azure prince admitted, trying to get the words out.
"Then don't fight to die for us. Fight to live with us." Yang pleaded, getting more exasperated with each attempt to get through to him.
Azura pulled her into a gentle hug. "I will do my best. I am sorry for worrying you both. I really am…" He told her, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Meanwhile, watching from the shadows were Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and the others. Looking on, Jaune smiled as he watched the two.
"Man… that Azura's as smooth as silk…" The blond knight whispered.
"Maybe you should take notes, Jaune." Zhan snidely and quietly answered him.
"We really shouldn't be doing this…" Pyrrha whispered.
"Shhh…! They'll hear us…!" Nora whispered, shushing the Mistralian champion.
"They'll be official inside the month. Calling it now. The signs are there." Weiss said firmly and in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Azura is too prim and proper to rush into a relationship this serious that quickly." Blake insisted with a smile as she watched her partner and the blue samurai.
"I'll take that bet." Sylver whispered with a smirk.
"We are not betting on when my sister and Azu will get together…!" Ruby hissed quietly at Sylver.
"Put me down for a month and a half." Rena firmly said. "And I'll raise the bet."
"I say two months." Ember whispered, watching the two with a smile on her face.
"I'm with you, Suga…" Dahlia whispered with a smile.
Oblivious to the murmurings of a most uncouth gambling arrangement, lay Yang in the arms of the tiger prince. Her mind was so lost in thought that even Azura could not figure out what she was thinking about. Yet, the same question beat in her brain like a hammer on an anvil. Blake was willing to lay her deepest secrets to her to save their partnership, yet Azura was still so reluctant to reveal his own secrets. Just what could a man who was so strong be so afraid of…?
The Next Morning
The great hall was packed with the students of every year, centered around the incoming first-year students. The first years for their part were packed in like sardines. The faculty stood up by the podium with the titantron ready to go. Soon, Headmaster Ozpin flanked by Glynda arrived at the podium, and after a quick mic check, Ozpin began.
"Thank you all for your punctual attendance. I understand that this is unusual for it to happen the day afterwards, but due to a record passing rate from this year's crop of first years, adjustments had to be made. And don't worry everyone, we didn't make it hard for them either." Ozpin said with a small smile, getting chuckles from the older students on that.
"Your list, headmaster." Glynda said, handing him the folder.
Ozpin cleared his throat and began. Several teams formed up without any issue. However, it only made those that had not been picked more nervous. For a team was life or death in the world of Huntsmen.
"Zhan Vulkan. Rena Septim, Ember Hedda. Sōtora Azura." Ozpin announced, leading to whispers abound from the other students at the mention of Azura's name as the four students stepped up on stage.
"Having retrieved the White King pieces, they are team AZRE. Led by Sōtora Azura." Ozpin proclaimed, and the team and their portraits flashed up on the giant screen as the other students clapped in congratulations.
"Well done, boss!" Zhan yelled, punching him in the arm with excitement.
Rena nodded approvingly as Ember gave a smile. Azura sighed but smiled and nodded in acknowledgement as he bowed slightly to Ozpin. With that, the newly formed Team AZRE stepped off the stage as Ruby and Yang moved to congratulate their friend.
"Congrats, Azu." Yang said with a smile, giving the still wounded warrior prince a gentle hug.
"We got a real top tiger now!" Ruby squealed and fist bumped the air.
Azura chuckled a bit. "Girls, please. Let us not make too big of a deal out of it." He nervously told them.
"Next, having retrieved the Black Bishop pieces, we have Sky Lark, Dove Bronzewing, Russel Thrush, and Cardin Winchester. Together you shall form Team CRDL, led by Cardin Winchester!" Ozpin proclaimed, and the four smugly celebrated this auspicious union as the other students applauded.
"Next, having retrieved the White Bishops is Honey, Oren, Mido Calico, and Emi. Together they shall form Team HOME, led by Honey." Ozpin proclaimed, surprising the four.
"Well shucks…" Honey said, rubbing the back of her head.
"Not gonna lie. You're the only one I could tolerate being team leader. Because I sure didn't want it." Mido said.
"Traitor." Oren muttered.
"How?" Mido asked.
"Can you guys just shut up and enjoy the moment?" Emi asked in frustration.
The two boys grumbled but took it in stride as their names were flashed up. Another team was called as Ozpin then made his next major proclamation.
"Collecting the white rooks, we have Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren. Together they shall form Team JNPR, led by Jaune Arc." Ozpin said, stunning the new team.
"Wait, what?" Jaune asked in shock.
"Great job, big guy!" Nora excitedly said after smacking him on the back.
"Well done." Ren said with a nod.
"We believe in you." Pyrrha said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"I wouldn't go that far." Nora tentatively said as the four walked off stage.
"Next, having retrieved the White Knight pieces, we have Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long. Together, you shall be known from this day forward as Team RWBY. Led by Ruby Rose!" Ozpin announced, much to the surprise of the team of four girls.
"That's incredible, Ruby!" Yang cheered, hugging her little sister.
"Yan'! Canp breafe!" Ruby yelled, muffled by Yang's generous mounds, much to the jealousy of almost every boy present.
"Well… things should be interesting, huh Weiss?" Blake asked, turning to the white clad heiress.
"I guess she'll make for a decent enough choice. With us around, at least." Weiss reluctantly admitted.
"Next, having retrieved the Black King pieces, we have Sylver Tenrō, Hunter Greene, Dahlia Davis, and Wysteria Wilde. Together, you shall form Team SHDW, led by Sylver Tenrō!" Ozpin announced, much to the frustration of the wolf prince as the whispers started up again at the mention of Sylver's last name.
Dropping to his knees, he bent his head upwards to the sky. "For the love of all that is holy, why!? What have I done to deserve this torture, oh Great Wolf!? WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME!??" Sylver wailed to the heavens.
"Sapphire Tenrō, Fuchsia Branwen, Lance Ryokugyū, and Torrent Lyndon-" Ozpin announced only to be cut off by Torrent.
"It's Lyndōn." Torrent said, a bit annoyed as the whispers started up again.
"If so, then why did you pronounce it wrong in the forest?" Sapphire asked, a bit confused.
"Excuse me for being distracted by a wet, sexy she-warrior with massive booba." Torrent replied as the Tenrō Princess chuckled proudly while almost every male student in the audience grumbled jealously.
"Having retrieved the Black Queen pieces, you shall be known as Team SFLT. Led by… Sapphire Tenrō!" Ozpin announced.
"I'm a better choice than any of these dumbfucks, that's for sure." Sapphire said with a grin.
"Hey, I slightly resemble that remark!" Lance replied in indignation.
"Careful or you gonna get it, bitch." Sapphire snapped fiercely.
"Shutting up now." Lance replied, backing down.
"I guess there are worse options for a team than a sassy Faunus princess, cannon fodder, and a pervert." Fuchsia replied with a shrug.
"Who you callin' cannon fodder?!" Torrent demanded in anger.
"The man who gets thirsty at the sight of the first Faunus woman he sees." Fuchsia shot back.
"And what's wrong with being a Faunus?" Sapphire asked offendedly.
Suddenly, and without warning, Fuchsia's tongue shot out of her mouth to slap her partner upside the head. Soon revealing to everyone Sapphire's mistake. And the Faunus princess was quick to make amends.
"My bad. Didn't mean to assume." Sapphire replied sheepishly.
"Apology accepted." Fushcia said with a nod.
"With that, we have our ten new teams. Everyone, give them a warm Beacon welcome." Ozpin said to signal a raucous round of cheers and clapping that filled the great hall to the brim with energy.
It took an hour for things to calm down, enough for the students to head on their way. As soon as they did, Azura felt a small bit of vibration from his scroll. Flipping it up, he saw several missed calls from the same number. With a text to follow them up.
"Call me when you are available. It is important." The text said, listed as being from Hattori.
With that, Azura dialed the number on his contact list and waited. It did not take exceedingly long for Hattori to pick up.
"Lord Azura? I am sorry if I was interrupting something important." The man's voice said regretfully from the Scroll.
"I take it you found out something related to the matter I asked you to look into, Hattori?" the azure prince asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It took a while, my lord. You know how fast paperwork piles up around here. But I finally found something." Hattori said.
Azura nodded. "Go ahead, Hattori." He told the shadow warrior.
"Well… it turns out this was a joint investigation not just with the civil authorities and clan investigators… there was an imperial investigation into the matter as well." Hattori nervously explained.
The azure daimyō raised an eyebrow at that. "An imperial investigation? Why?" he asked, confused.
"The report has the official imperial statement on the matter being that this case crossed clan, civil, and even kingdom lines. Making it an imperial level case by the Mistralian Constitution." Hattori explained regretfully. "Explains why the paperwork piled up fast and buried this then."
Azura was shocked to hear how serious this was. "Hattori… please. Tell me what happened to my father and our kin." He almost pleaded to his most trusted shinobi.
"None of these details contradict the story you heard, my lord. You were not lied to by anyone. They simply add to its morbid tragedy. The mine collapse was an accident, caused by the carelessness of those who caused the incident in the first place. The White Fang, impatient on receiving their demands for the hostages, caused the collapse. Your father died a hero reducing the toll that the incident caused on human and Faunus life." Hattori explained, the normally unreadable shinobi sounding like his heart sank into his stomach.
Azura's hand not holding his Scroll clenched into a fist so tightly balled that it hurt as he took a deep breath, his expression unreadable. He had suspected as much from what he had been told. He just had to be sure. "Thank you, Hattori…" He told his favored warrior of the shadows, trying to maintain his composure. "Please keep digging."
"Of course, my lord." Hattori said as he hung up on the call to perform his duty.
"White… Fang…!" Azura growled, his dark azure eyes burning with incandescent rage as they briefly flashed a bestial, vicious electric yellow.