BLCK

VIII

We stood in the crowded observation deck of a mass movement transport. I was surrounded by hundreds of people that I did not know, nor were like to meet. I turned around to my team and held out my hand in greeting, taking off my helmet as I did so. I smiled gently.
"Greetings, my new friends. My name is Brutus Maul, I am your leader and friend. I had a troubled past where I was used over and over, before being abandoned and repulsed due to my unusual eye colour. I have spent the last five years relying on myself and building up a steady income for myself. I am a scythe wielder who implements both two and one handed scythes, I am also adept at throwing knives."
"You go' a semblance, oh adorable leader?"
I glared at Charles before replying, "I'm not going to tell you everything."
My response was met with a hug from Lydia, which incited chuckles from Kristophe and Charles.
"What?"
"Oh you're just so adorable!"came the muffled reply from my shoulder.
"Excuse me?"
I pulled away and glared at my team, "just go socialise or something!" I turned and stomped away into the crowd.
"I can't believe my little sisters coming with me to beacon!"
I searched for the speaker and found it in a tall blonde with an open top jacket, openly displaying the top of her exponential chest. I growled as I went to disregard her, but then caught sight of who the blonde was talking to. Ruby.
I was suddenly interested in the blonde, this was Ruby's elder sister? Perhaps I should introduce myself. I waited until their conversation was over and they were enamoured with the sight of Beacon before making my move.
"Hello." I said, striding over. "I couldn't help but hear your exclamation, little sister?"
"Yep, my sister here got into Beacon early! Isn't that cool?"
"Yang!" Ruby hissed, elbowing her sister, "its supposed to be a secret!"
I chuckled quietly, I never meant to, I was simply building my facade.
"In that case, I shall tell you one of my secrets, miss...?" I addressed Ruby.
"R-Rose," she completed, "umm...R-Ruby R-Rose. A-And T-This is Yang."
"Hi!"
Why was she so bashful?
"That's a beautiful name, miss Rose."
"T-Thanks..." she trailed off.
"Well, I'm also here early, courtesy of professor Ozpin. Just like you, it seems. If I may, how old are you? I'm fifteen."
"I'm fifteen t-too"
I cocked my head, "at your sufferance, why do you stutter?"
"She thinks you're hot." Explained Yang.
"Yang!"
I chuckled again, "I'm flattered, Ruby, let's be friends first, then maybe we'll take it from there, eh, Ruby?"
She blushed and nodded furiously. "Ok..." she whispered.
"See, Ruby, that wasn't so hard!" Yang exclaimed, "you've already got a boyfriend and you haven't even arrived at Beacon."
"Yang! For the love of God, shut up!" This was punctuated with a much harder punch to Yangs arm.
"Well, let's be friends first," I broke in, "I think you may be overloading your sister by moving too fast, miss Rose."
Yang then turned to me with her grin and massive chest and corrected me, "oh, I'm a Xiao Long- I'm Ruby's half-sister."
"Oh I see, thank you for the clarification, miss Xiao Long."
As I finished the sentence, the ship docked and we finally docked at Beacon academy. As we exited, a blonde-haired boy in white plate half-armour threw up on the side. Obviously not all were cut out for flying. I stood and watched as the students dispersed, I spied my team amongst them. I watched as Ruby was abandoned by
her sister and slowly walked over. She then met with a girl I thought I'd never see again, the daughter of my fathers greatest associate and my childhood friend. She wore a white dress with high collars alongside a white combat skirt, her long white hair was tied in a ponytail and was slightly off to the side.
Weiss Schnee.
I watched as Ruby sneezed and and a dust-fuelled explosion ensued. I was about to walk over when the Belladonna daughter walked over, said a few things then left, followed by Ruby. Well, now or never.
"Weiss!" I called out, and she turned to me with an annoyed look on her face. As she realised who I was, she gasped and wrapped me in a hug.
"Brutus!" She exclaimed, "it's been so long-when your mansion burned down... I thought I'd lost you..." she whispered this last part as she stared into my eyes, "I was so worried..." she began to tear up. Caught off guard, I pulled her into another hug as she began to sob into my armoured shoulder. "Oh Brute, it was so hard! Daddy kept me locked in the house-I was alone, and Winter left, oh, Brute, it was terrible! Th-they killed uncle, and, and-oh!" And she began to cry even harder.
I held Weiss as she continued crying, setting her down, I went over to her bags and picked them up, before returning. And setting them down beside Weiss as I sat beside her.
"Weiss, i know it's been so long since we last spoke, and I have changed so much since we did. But we don't have time for that now, we have our futures ahead of us. So let's do what we promised to, and keep each other safe, let's win together Weiss, I know we can do it, nothing could stop us then, when we were small and powerless, so I'd like to see something try now that we're huntsmen-in-training. So let's go, it's best not to be late on our first day. Cmon, heiress, let's do it like we used to."
At this, she smiled thinly, wiping her tears, "only if you come with me, noble sir."
I grabbed her hand and pulled her up, drawing her into another hug before we both set off to the lecturing hall.
As we arrived, I separated from Weiss, moving to find my team, greeting them quietly. Minutes later Ozpin began to talk, but I heard nothing. I was dwelling on the past, surprised at how easily it had caught up to me. First Ruby, now Weiss? This job was getting harder and harder. And what was happening to me? With Weiss I had been...sincere, and even when talking with Ruby, behind my fake chuckles was a flicker of real mirth. Something was wrong. As the announcement finished and we were sent to bed, I went outside to cool my thoughts, climbing up to the roof and sitting there, staring at the shattered moon. As time passed, I became aware of other presences around me. I registered Lydia leaning on my right arm, whilst a familiar king cobra wrapped itself around my neck and over my shoulders. I felt the reassuring weight of a familiar giant standing close by my shoulder and sighed. We all watched the moon together, as a team, a unit, as...friends.
Until the end.
But it too would end. As all things must.