LOVE

Prologue 1: The White Lion

I walked up to the gravesite with the moon's rays illuminating the path in front of me. This was a faunus only burial ground and it was where my foster father was buried. He was the one who took me in when I arrived in Vale and I was soon inducted into the White Fang, a eco-terrorist group bent on making sure faunuses - people with animal like qualities and such - are treated as equals but their methods are a bit unorthodox and until last year I was a member. I glanced towards the moon, tipping my jet black fedora over my eyes. My katana was strapped to my back ready to be drawn at a moment's notice while my pata was at my waist. My dark jacket fluttered in the wind and I turned to make sure I wasn't being followed. In my right hand was a letter addressed to me from Beacon Academy, a prestigious school that trains future hunters and huntresses. It was also where my foster father attended and so I decided to follow in his footsteps and fight for the greater good.

I looked at a single hill in the middle of the site where a lone grave sat with a bed of white roses surrounding it. I climbed the hill taking note of the faunus buried. Some were warriors in the Great War and others were just plain folk. Putting down my backpack, I sat and sighed. "Well dad it seems I'm going to be able to follow in your footsteps...I just wish I could erase the bad memories that the White Fang produced." I pulled out two sandwich triangles putting one on the grave, "Just in case you're hungry but I doubt you are." Laughing softly I started to munch on my grilled fish sandwich savoring the somewhat bland flavor. But that's when something felt wrong, like the past had just come back to haunt me but how could that be...this was an out of the place graveyard. I removed my fedora to hear a bit better and caught a rat's squeak and a bull's huff.

Standing I gripped my katana and ran smack dab into Commander Rust, a bull headed member who switched sides once our new leader came into power. "Watch where ya going, recruit!" Good thing he hasn't recognized me but this could spill trouble if he did. The girl to the left him had aqua colored hair and her qipao was unbuttoned at the top showing a bit of cleavage. Her shoes were traditional making her look a bit like a fighter on the street. To the right was a short, stout guy with bright yellow hair and a rat's tail poking out of his butt. His clothes seemed a bit small as they were bulging and trying to fit on him but he carried a mace at his side as opposed to the aqua haired girl's whip. But Commander Rust was wearing his usual steel armor decorated with a bright red cross and you would've guessed he was a pure palladian but then you'd be wrong. His temper was foul and he even abused members under his care like they were his toys.

"Talk when your Commander says something to you!" He tried kicking me in the shins but I blocked the strike giving him a cold stare. "So you wanna lose your life, rookie? I'll have you know I beat the legendary White Tiger of the White Fang with both hands behind my back." The comment made me laugh. The White Tiger was my foster father Blanco Leo...he was as peaceful as you can get but piss him off and you'd be six feet under. The only way he could've beat him was if my father wasn't trying or better yet, refused the fight.

"What's so funny? I could do you in just like the old man!" Seeing my refusal to apologize he pointed to his two henchmen and with a shout he said, "Aqua, Amarillo show this lackey that he can't disrespect me!" Aqua slung out her whip and cracking it she brushed my side. She cracked her cat tails whip once more but it hit my exploding shadow. I reappeared next to the gravestone. So they wanna play rough, I guess I can show him the true power of the White Tiger. I dashed at the girl and swept her legs out from under her. The rat faunus ran up to me swinging his mace and cracking the red wood trees in his vicinity.

"Taste this, rookie!" He brought his body around and would've got me had I not used my semblance to create a shadow copy. But this was tougher than I thought it would be...only if I could separate them then I could win but how would I separate them? I unclipped one of my dust grenades and slipped a white container into it. I scanned the forest floor for any sign of the lackeys when a skinny pink tail caught my eye. I lobbed the grenade and not even a second passed when I heard a squeak and a small explosion. Good, he should be encased in the ice allowing me to take care of the blue haired chick. "Dammit Amarillo, wait here I'll take care of him." The girl ran towards me cracking her whip every now and then. This chick was crazy and seems to be the type of person to focus on one thing...that's when an idea came to me. I could use her power against her.

I ran to meet her and when she whipped her weapon towards me I made a shadow double with a white dust container in it. Appearing behind her I heard the container crack and a cry of anger. So now her whip is stuck taking care of that problem. "Dammit you two! I guess I have to do everything myself." Rust called out in frustration. I'd be frustrated too if my underlings were frozen and couldn't move. I could tell he was trying to stay silent but the clinking armor revealed his location. Guess he didn't think it through. I whipped off my jacket letting my tanned muscles show and pulling out my pata I formed my two weapons into a sniper rifle and carefully took aim. I wouldn't trust my swords against him until I could remove his armor and to do that I'd have to unclip it by my bullets. But the shield in his right hand would be a problem, he could block my bullets without even trying. I closed my eyes starting to think but the clinking of his armor caused me to open and I saw him below me angry and revealing his clasps holding up his metal plates. I took a deep breath and fired off two shots of red dust catching him by surprise but they did the job allowing me to change my rifle back into two separate swords and that's when I jumped out the tree and onto his back getting my swords around his necks. I leaned in close to his ears and in a threatening tone I told him to leave before anything bad happens to him and his lackeys. "Y-You don't scare me p-punk." I inched my swords further causing some blood to start to trickle down his chest. "S-Sir you might want to listen...h-he's the White Tiger's s-son I just now recognized his cold eyes and piercing stare." Commander Rust looked up at me with fear in his eyes and replied, "F-Fine...guys back to base t-this bitch can stay ignorant to the White Fang's goal." I released my swords from around his neck and he ran off leaving Aqua and Amarillo to break themselves out and follow suit. I inhaled releasing my anger and glancing back towards the grave I picked up my fedora and with a sad tone told the empty gravesite, "I guess my past will never leave me..." Picking up my bag and jacket I left the gravesite hoping to leave my past behind me at Beacon.

L- Leo Tipu
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