Slash and Run
The ancestral castle of the Azure Family bustled with activity. Members of the clan's vast bureaucracy and their armies of clerks made their way to their offices. Bellowing samurai marched columns of uniformed soldiers in drills. Servants of all kinds rushed to and fro to get their work done. All under the gaze of the lords from their high vaunted estates at the higher levels, like gargoyles looking down from a church spire. Yet nestled in the heart of one of these great estates, something unusual was going on.
Ruby sat in a plush armchair overlooking all of this. The finely lacquered wood frames and painted rice paper panels that surrounded her gave off a marked serenity. Small statues and trinkets marked the room, arranged deliberately in some seemingly arcane fashion. At her side on a small oaken table was a strawberry lemonade in a shining crystal glass and a plate of finely made cucumber sandwiches on a plate of fine China. Yet there she sat, her silver eyes staring at all the activity around her. And her slender fingers dug into the silk lined leather of the seat in frustration.
"This is what Azura calls relaxation? This is torture!!" Ruby yelled frustratedly, catching some in the masses below her off guard.
"Is something wrong, Lady Rose?" A gentle and professional voice asked from behind her.
Ruby turned the best she could at who said that and sighed. Walking up in a sharply dressed suit and black polished shoes was a man that was only slightly taller than Weiss without her heels. Short black hair was slicked and properly combed revealing almond skin and piercing red eyes. Sticking out of slits in his sleeves were long, brown feathers like one would see on a bird. He gave her a small smile as he put a plate of cookies on the table next to her.
"Cookies?" Ruby asked, a hint of suspicion leaking into her voice.
"If you are worried about them being poisoned, Lady Rose, I can arrange for a taste tester to…" The man began to say only for Ruby to interrupt him.
"It's not that, Oliver. I'm surprised Azura would let me have them," She corrected, gently picking one up, and instantly able to tell that they were oatmeal and chocolate chip.
"The master simply wishes you to relax, my lady," the now identified Oliver explained.
"Then why is 'relaxing' so boring?" She asked through a small growl.
Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Would you prefer to aggravate your condition and slow down your own recovery even more, my lady? If so, I believe that I can arrange for a Grimm hunting session in the forest on the edge of the valley." He replied, extending a sarcastic offer.
Ruby sighed and said, "No. I just… I just wish I could do something. How do people do it?"
"To be fair, Lady Rose, most people would find this quite soothing. Not everyone has your level of energy," Oliver noted.
Ruby sighed and frustratedly laid back in her chair. "Apparently. Thank you for the cookies. I don't need anything else." She replied despondently, closing her eyes as she felt herself sink in the plush folds.
"Are you certain you do not require a glass of warm milk to go with them, my lady?" Oliver asked, raising an eyebrow again.
"Maybe later," She replied with a small sigh.
Nodding, Oliver bowed. "As you wish, my lady…" He replied before politely taking his leave.
Ruby then slowly opened her eyes, looking up at the gold leaf-plated ceiling. The others may be able to sit around, but she could not. She felt it in her blood, a desire, no instinct to be active. Every part of her brain knew if she tried that, it would hurt her, and her friends would not be happy with her. But… she had to try…
Meanwhile: In the streets of Tora Kuni
The crisp mountain air hit the rest of team RWBY as they walked beside Azura in the ancient streets beyond the castle. Row upon row of shops and ancient houses filled every street with no space between them. As if they were competing. Solid oak and pine timber clashed with the hard stone cobble that made up the streets. Everywhere they looked, there was something that could peak the fancy of anyone with money. Quality food, liqueur, weapons, hounds, and fineries unending were haggled for by not the Sōtora themselves, but their seemingly endless hordes of retainers. Haggling and bartering for the best deals for their masters.
"Really a lively place your clan's got here," Yang said as her lilac eyes scanned the jostling crowds.
Azura nodded. "This actually isn't all that unusual by Zodiac standards of living. If you think this is lively, you should see the bazaar." He replied, a hint of surprise to his tone.
This caught Yang off guard. "There's more shops on just this street than Patch has houses. How is this not a bazaar?" She asked shocked.
"The bazaar itself is actually just up ahead. This is merely the street leading to it, intended to entice people there," Azura replied, motioning ahead of them.
"Zodiac clans aren't just a few family lines. Any one of them could qualify as a small kingdom," Blake explained, reading a new Ninjas of Love novel she just picked up in one of the shops.
Azura smiled. "By the way, Lady Blake, how did you enjoy the bookstore? I trust that its accommodations were up to your standards?" He asked.
Blake looked up from the pages of her novel with a smile before giving him a firm nod. "That was one of the best book shops I've been to. I'll have to go back there again to have a more detailed look at their wares." She explained.
"I recommend it. Zodiac bookstores have practically every book under the sun," Azura noted, looking back ahead.
"How do you all keep this place so clean with all the people packed in here like sardines?" Weiss asked as her eyes diligently scanned the chaotic surroundings.
"We employ public service agents who handle regular cleaning and have kept it up to date with modern amenities like sewers," Azura explained.
It must have been exceedingly difficult and expensive to install modern features while keeping the atmosphere of your ancestors' time, Blake said, sympathetically.
"It was, and it took a great deal of care and coordination. Many have found it wasteful. We find it comforting. It shows our ability to adapt while still remaining rooted in who we are," Azura explained with a comforting smile.
"I can't say it wasn't effective. This is definitely aesthetically pleasing…" Weiss noted before trailing off as a shop caught her eye.
Weiss's eyes widened as she saw a high-end clothing store, sporting the latest samurai attire-based fashion. Magnificent silk kimonos, gorgeous yukata and haori, functional but amazing looking hakama trousers. It had it all. The store had a sign that read "The Silk Path" above it.
"I'll catch up with you girls later…" Weiss said before, in the blink of an eye, disappearing into the endless chasm of silk of the store.
"... What did Ruby see in her as a partner?" Yang asked Blake.
"Did you forget already how rocky their relationship was?" Blake asked snidely.
"... Fair enough." Yang replied with a shrug.
"If any of the stores here strike either of your fancies, do not be afraid to go look. I have my own mission here." Azura offered graciously, motioning to the stores around him with a wave of his hand.
"How much money do you have?" Yang asked in shock.
"… We are getting off the subject," Azura simply said, continuing on his way.
Blake turned to investigate the nearby square and pointed. "I think I see your man, Azura." She said, causing the other three to look.
Leaned against the entrance of a bar was a young man of middling height, pale skin, well-kept black hair, and piercing blue eyes. He was wearing a refined black and charcoal-gray uniform, giving him the air of a noble servant's elegance with a warrior's dignity. A fitted vest was worn over a crisp white shirt paired with pleated hakama pants and a tailored coat styled like a formal haori, bearing the crest of the Sōtora and Azura's personal lightning ball emblem. To complete his outfit, he had on a pair of white gloves, polished black boots, and subtle silver accents on his hakama and haori completed his professional-looking garments. Azura smiled at seeing him before turning to look at the girls.
"I will catch you three later. I have a meeting to get to," Azura said, before giving the members of team RWBY a respectful bow.
"Milord, we should hurry. If we don't, you will be late," The man told him, pulling a pocket watch from a pocket on his haori and opening it to check the time.
"Don't worry, old friend. Who do you take me for, my brother?" Azura said with a small smile, walking up to the entrance.
"Which one, Milord? Your wild man twin or your epicurean brat little brother?" The young man asked playfully.
Azura's smile widened as he slowly opened the door. "Decisions, decisions." He mused playfully.
The young man then gently took the door to hold it open for Azura. "Allow me, Milord." He told the warrior nobleman.
"Cao. Do you take me for one of those samurai who's enslaved to their valet?" Azura asked with a knowing smile.
"Of course not, sir. Merely doing my job," Cao said playfully.
Soon the doors were flung open. The bar was by many standards, including his own, to be somewhat seedy in nature. Tacky and flickering neon lights, random taxidermized beasts of suspicious size, a haphazard assortment of chairs and tables. Even random bits of broken wood and metal from previous barfights were still embedded in the walls. Various doorways branched from the back wall of the bar with signs matching that of rental rooms. As the two walked in, they heard Kenshi's voice near one of them.
"There is an old tradition, a game that we all play! You start by getting liquored up and sharpening your blade! You take a shot of whiskey, grab your knife and pray! And spread apart your fingers, and this is what you say! Oh, I have all my fingers! The knife goes chop, chop, chop! If I miss the spaces in between, my fingers will come off!" Kenshi's voice said as they turned to look in that direction.
Swiftly homing in on his voice, he saw his brother stabbing into a well beaten-up table with a large knife; his fingers splayed out. As he danced the knife between his fingers, Azura noticed someone sitting at the table with his feet up. He was a boy of similar height and muscular build to his own, wearing simple shoes, black jeans, and a black sweater. A silver furred tail brushed across the ground, like a dog's would when bored. His face was weather beaten and almost feral looking, but still possessing a noble spirit, as his silver eyes looked at something on the ceiling. A mane of equally silver hair draped from his head, and a pair of tall wolf ears lazily danced to Kenshi's tune.
"I thought mother taught you better than to play with knives?" Azura asked playfully, walking up to the table.
Kenshi jolted in shock and stabbed the knife into the table on instinct, just barely missing one of his fingers as he embedded the knife deep into the table. Turning to look, the spiky, silver-haired swordsman turned to glare at his brother. "Damn it, Azu! I nearly took off my middle finger because of you!" He snapped out.
"Yeah, Azura. It's his favorite finger," The silver-haired boy said in a calm, almost relaxed yet cheerful voice.
Kenshi simply used said finger to give the boy a crude gesture. "Shut up, Sylver!" He snapped out.
The boy named Sylver simply chuckled before looking down from the ceiling, before giving Azura a wolfish grin. "So, shorty, what brings you down to our level?" He asked cheekily.
Azura growled in frustration. "For the last time, Sylver! We. Are. The same. Height…!" He gritted out in anger.
The boy chuckled before wiggling his wolf's ears a bit. "Are we?" Sylver playfully asked, giving the samurai a wink and a nod.
Azura simply rolled his eyes. "What are you two idiots even doing here?" He sighed.
"Well, unlike you, we were doing something useful for once," Kenshi said with a smile, his tone indicating pride.
"Ah, yes. Playing drunken knife games in a bar. So useful," Azura sarcastically replied.
"Well, it does teach good hand-eye coordination. Especially if you don't use Aura. But I'm waiting for gramps, and this gentleman treated me to a drink," Sylver explained before lifting a large beer tankard. "Thanks, Ken."
"Well, that explains why you're not in Atlas…" Azura muttered. "Also, you are fifteen. Why are you drinking?"
"Everyone knows that the drinking age for the Tenrō is different from the Sōtora drinking age," Sylver replied playfully.
"Then why so early in the day?" Azura asked, raising an eyebrow.
Sylver simply shrugged. "It's five o' clock somewhere." He replied before taking a chug of his tankard.
"Well, I am here to talk to Grandmaster Yūri. Is he in one of these rooms?" Azura asked pointedly.
"Oh yeah. He's in the one next to us. Though I think you're in trouble," Kenshi replied, pointing to a nearby door with his thumb, and a wicked smile.
"What kind of trouble could I be iiiin… oh my gods…" Azura replied as he looked before trailing off in shock.
Kenshi chuckled and laid back in his chair, beginning to rock it. "Any reason Grandmaster Raitesu and Master Byakurai would want to talk to Yūri so badly?" He teasingly asked. "Stay in your lane, bro. I'm the troublemaker, remember?"
Sylver chuckled. "Yeah. What did you do, set a temple on fire or something?" He added jokingly.
"Cao. Keep these two out of trouble for me. And… prepare to call an ambulance for me…" Azura explained before knocking on the door in front of him, getting a wordless nod from Cao.
"Well, I'm gonna explore. Tell gramps I said I look forward to our quality bonding time. He'll know what it means," Sylver said with a grin.
Before Azura could reply, a voice rang out from behind the door. "Come in." The voice of Yūri came from the other side.
Azura gulped and slowly opened the door. Before him was a small tea table with various refreshments, including several bottles of sake and other alcohol, with several futons laid out. One was directly in front of him, as a light flickered on and off above him. Yuri sat on one of the futons, who gave him a small nod.
"Please. Come in, Azura. Have a seat," Yuri said, motioning to the futon directly in front of Azura.
With another nervous gulp, Azura walked in and made sure to close the door behind him. He nervously sat down, kneading it a bit with his knees as he sat, trying his best to get comfortable. It was then, and only then, that he saw the other two people sitting on each side of Master Yūri. The one on Yūri's left was an ancient Faunus with scaly turtle skin. His wrinkled scales were twisted into an amused grin as he looked upon Azura, wearing azure robes with a green haori and green hakama trousers. He had the stereotypical old martial arts master's beard, but it was more of a pale azure than a white or silver. The other was a tall, muscular, but not overly bulky Faunus man with a stern face and salt-and-pepper hair patterned with black lightning bolts. He had firm, steadfast blue eyes and wore a white robe with an azure haori over it and black colored hakama trousers with a pair of daishō blades on his hip sheathed in white saya scabbards and snow leopard fur-colored wrapping around the tsuka hilts. Lazily waving behind him was a snow leopard tail that completed his appearance.
"Grandmaster Raitetsu, Master Byakurai. It is an unexpected honor to see you both today," Azura said. Bowing to the point the tip of his nose touched the floor.
The snow leopard Faunus nodded. "Azura. You look… less weak than when I last saw you. Good. That means you have not been slacking." He replied curtly and bluntly.
"My time at Beacon has… nearly matched the pace of your training, Byakurai Sensei. I could not slack if I tried," Azura said, trying to keep his tone calm.
Byakurai grinned a bit of a feral smile at that. "Is that so? If the Huntsman academies have stepped up their standards, then perhaps we should do the same." He purred out with a slightly sadistic tone.
"... Not quite. More of the… circumstances that I have found myself in. And what is the reason I wished to speak with Master Yuri this fine, chilly day," Azura explained, speaking a bit slower than normal, as he was trying to choose his words.
The elderly turtle Faunus raised an eyebrow. "Has the tiger cub found himself in the middle of an unexpected storm?" The elderly grandmaster asked.
"A storm implies there is a center to its chaos, Grandmaster. If there is one to the problem I find myself with, then I cannot fathom it," Azura replied, lifting himself up off the floor.
Raitetsu grinned a bit at that. "Then perhaps a mad old turtle and an uptight, hard ass snow leopard can help you find the center of that storm alongside a certain ageless old man." He playfully added.
"... Mind if I take a quick drink first?" Azura asked dryly.
Yūri nodded in response, holding a hand up for a waitress. However, to the surprise of the three masters present, Azura picked up a sake bottle and just downed it like a shot of vodka. Shaking himself off a bit, he soon began.
"I have met someone at Beacon that only can provide me with a sufficient challenge of strength… but has also challenged my perceptions upon the foundation that strength is built upon. And how easily it can be torn away from you…" Azura explained, sighing heavily as he was cut off by Byakurai.
"Do not beat around the bush with us, boy. It is a waste of all our time. Get to the point," Byakurai bluntly told him.
"I need to know how to balance the fire one finds inside a Beastman," Azura firmly asked, turning to look at Byakurai with a fire in his eyes.
This surprised them. "A Beastman? Boy, they are just a myth." Byakurai insisted.
"They are not myths. Simply rare," Yūri pointedly replied before sipping from his own cup.
Byakurai looked at him in shock as Raitetsu continued. "A bolt from the heavens. How exciting. Unfortunately, we cannot help you, young cub." The old grandmaster replied with both amusement and disappointment.
Azura sat there in shock; the last sentence the old master said was still ringing in his mind. His hand began to shake a bit before he clenched it into a fist. Then, he smashed it into the table with a loud, booming thud, catching the three off guard.
"Ruby has stood in the line of justice! She nearly died for the things she has believed in and now sits with a crisis of faith! And that is all you can tell me!?" He snapped furiously, his clenched hand trembling as he gritted his teeth frustratedly.
"We cannot help you because we don't know enough, Azura. Public knowledge of Beastmen souls is… scarce at best, my boy," Yūri explained, clearly wishing he could offer more.
"But you know the element of fire. You know how to balance the elements inside of yourself, of the Animal Spirits. Surely you have something that can help me relight her fire?" Azura asked, his voice softening from fury to pleading, as his mind raced about what might happen should he fail.
"We know some ways, boy. But we do not know how effective they will be on a Beastman. They are creatures who physically embody the Wild Spirit and Element of Fire. Such an imbalance may be impossible to correct," Byakurai explained.
Hearing this, Azura looked down at his own hands. "Then… how can I convince her she's not a monster?" Azura asked somberly, unable to look at them.
Raitetsu took a sip of his drink. "Ah. Sometimes, a change of perspective requires a change of outlook. Rather than view the storm's destruction from without, perhaps try looking at its chaotic beauty from within the eye." The ancient grandmaster explained.
Hearing this, Azura sat there in silence. It was not the easiest task to unpack the words of the old master. But, this time, he did get it. Before he could speak up, he heard a voice speak from within himself. One similar, yet different than his own.
'Looks like the old coot has the right idea. To understand others, you gotta understand yourself first,' A certain voice mentally told Azura.
'Did I ask you?' Azura growled into the recesses of his mind.
'You wanna help her, don't ya? Well, I can help you do that. But you'll need to tell her about me and open up to her about how you got me to do that,' The voice explained.
'... And why should I trust you? After everything that has happened?' Azura mentally asked as he quirked an eyebrow.
'Because it's your idea after all. Remember, the elements of the soul, never stray too far from the heart,' The voice said, getting a bit playful at the end.
'And just why would you help me? I thought that the things you wanted to protect were different from the things I want to protect,' Azura mentally questioned the voice.
'... Even after seven years, you still don't get it. Do you?' The voice asked, disappointment clear in its tone.
'Get what? Speak plainly, Raizen,' Azura replied, a bit annoyed with the voice.
'Because I am you, and you are me. We are both, and we are none. What I want to protect… is you. So that you can continue to protect what you want to protect. I'm just the one that wants to admit it. Unlike you…' The voice identified as Raizen explained.
Before Azura could reply, the door flung open behind him, with Cao rushing into the room to speak. "My lord! I have been informed that Lady Rose is no longer in the castle!!" He explained frantically.
Hearing this, the three masters raised a curious eyebrow at such a notion. Azura, however, was far more candid in his response to that assertion.
"What?! That castle is a fortress the size of a small city! How did she get out unnoticed?!" Azura asked in disbelief.
"I have merely been informed by a footman sent by Oliver. He has informed Grun, and he has informed not only your retainers, but also the staff and guards. Despite every measure spreading the word of such a disappearance, no one has come forward with a sighting of her," Cao explained. "We lost her…"
Azura grit his teeth in frustration as he yelled in frustration. "How do you lose a girl?!" He roared in fury.
"You forget to cherish her!" Sylver's voice called out from the other side of the wall.
"Silence, Sylver!" Azura called back in anger.
"It appears that Beastmen continue to possess abilities that are almost impossible to replicate," Yuri said, stroking his chin as he spoke.
Azura took a deep breath to calm himself. "Find. Her…" He gritted out.
Cao gulped at that. "But milord. There is already a search going. What more can we do?" He asked nervously.
Azura glared at Cao. "Think of something. Now!" He growled out in anger.
At that point, Sylver poked his head into the room. "Got any cookies and/or strawberries?" He asked.
"… Why didn't I think of that?! She loves strawberries and cookies!" Azura called out in disbelief.
Yuri raised a curious eyebrow at that. "How do you know that, Sylver?" He asked.
"You think I don't know my bestie?! Come on, Gramps!" Sylver replied indignantly.
"Focus, people! Send search parties anywhere that cookies, strawberries, or strawberry-flavored cookies may be found! Ruby does not leave this city!" Azura called out.
With a bow, Cao rushed off to give the news. Azura stood up and bowed respectfully to his masters, before leaving. None of the three wizened ones stopped him. He had more important matters to attend to…