Blue Bird's Flight

"Damn it!! How could I have been so stupid!?!" Raishun yelled in frustration. For the past few hours, he had been mindlessly wandering, taking care to avoid being seen by anyone lest they inform Laura of his location. Forced to take shelter in the halls of a random building, he now stood with his back against the wall. From Laura's outburst, it was clear to him that he was no longer welcome there. In a moment, he had gone from having a warm place to sleep and reliable teammates, to being alone in the cold autumn air.

In a fit of self-loathing, he lurched forward and slammed his fist as hard as he could into the wall. In response to the trauma, bright yellow aura surged around his fist. "I should have known that she always wanted to be our leader. I saw it on her face the moment I was given the title."

A sudden breeze tickled his cheek. His attention shifted to a nearby open doorway, through which pale moonlight spilled onto the walls.

Stealthily, he crept towards the door and peeked his head out just enough to see. His amber-colored eyes widened in awe as the campus was spread out before him. From above, the light of the ruined moon made the school seem so serene, so peaceful. He was so enraptured in the sight that he nearly missed the girl standing on the balcony in front of him.

[Yikes... I hope she didn't hear my outburst before.] He stepped back, [I should go before I disturb her.]

Despite his caution, she turned her head to face the doorway. "H-hello?" Her voice was quiet, and a hint of defeat weighed on her words. "I know you're there, so can you come out, please?"

Raishun sighed and stepped out on the balcony. Now that he wasn't trying to hide, he was able to get a proper look at the girl. She was cute, with bright silver eyes and red-tipped black hair. Her crimson-colored cape billowed in the autumn breeze, yet it seemed the cold didn't affect her too much.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bother you with my uh... outburst, back there." He lowered his gaze, "I thought I was alone, and it's been a bit of a rough day."

"You too?" She chirped half-heartedly, almost as if she was happy having someone in a similar situation with her. "As far as first weeks go, I think this one is the worst." After a moment, she motioned for him to join her on the railing.

He obliged, rested his arms on the cold metal beside her.

"One of my teammates told me that I'm not cut out to lead." As she spoke, her grip on the railing tightened. "She said that I goof off too much and that I'm not responsible enough to handle the weight of leadership."

"Talk about a coincidence. My teammate told me something similar." He grinned wryly as he recalled his unpleasant fight with Laura. "She said that I didn't have enough training, and I accidentally hurt her feelings."

The girl stared at him for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I think you and I hold the records for the worst week of school in Beacon's history." She smiled and turned her body to face him. "My name is Ruby, by the way. I'm the leader of Team RWBY."

"Ruby and RWBY, huh? You got lucky with the name there." With a wide grin, he posed with his thumb pressed against his chest. "Name's Raishun. I'm the leader--er... former, leader of team RGLA."

"Wait, Raishun!? As in the tenth Legion Raishun?" Her silver-eyes, which before were full of sorrow, now seemed bright and energetic. She seemed to sparkle with excitement in the moonlight, so much so that he could practically see her bouncing up and down in place.

"Yeah, that's me!" He replied, while shyly scratching his cheek. "I'm surprised you've heard of me. I'm just a Huntsmen in training."

"Are you kidding? You were all over the news after your announcement!" Ruby started circling the blue-haired Legion, not unlike a shark circling its prey. "They just never got a picture of you because that one tall guy on your team carried you away."

"Huh. Good to know, I guess." He felt his cheeks heat up, he had always dreamt of appearing on the news, though he had always imagined it would be for his acting skills, and less for his status as a Legion. "Is there a reason you're circling me or...?"

She stopped in front of him with her gaze focused on the ground. Her slender fingers were clasped together tightly, as she mustered the courage to speak. "Can I see you're Imperial Arm, please? I've never seen one in person before, and I know that they're really dangerous, but weapons are just so cool! Especially Imperial Arms and I've always wanted to see-"

"Okay, okay, calm down and take a breath, goofball." He chuckled, and with a single fluid motion, pulled the Caligula free from its sheath on his hip. Grasping it in both hands, he held it out for her to see.

With a wide grin on her face, and her silver-eyes going wide with excitement, she slowly reached her hand out towards the blade.

"WAIT!" Just as her fingertip was about to touch the crimson wrapped hilt, he drew the sword back, hugging it close to his body. "Don't touch it, I heard that it kills you if you do."

"Eek!" Ruby gulped, before staring at the sword with renewed determination. "O-okay. I'll remember that from now on!"

Raishun held the Imperial Arm out once more, and she leaned in for a closer look. Her eyes sparkled as she took in every detail of the rare weapon. From the polished golden handguard to the intricate gold lines than ran along the length of the blade.

"It looks so cool! Can it transform into a huge lance, oh, or a gun!?"

"No, it's just a normal sword." He grinned, "But if it ever does transform into something like that, you'll be the first one I'll tell."

"Awesome!! Thank you so much, Raishun!" She closed her eyes and smiled cutely. When she opened them again, they looked up at him hopefully. "Hey... Do you wanna help me solve our leadership problem? My Uncle Qrow always said that two heads were better than one."

"Eh, why not. We can't exactly go back to our dorms looking depressed." Raishun held the joint of his index finger to his lips in thought. Ruby struck her own thinking pose, placing her hands on her hips and slightly cocking her head with a confused expression.

"You know, I think the answer to your problem is pretty easy."

"Really? What do you mean?"

"If someone thinks that you're not good enough to lead, then you just have to prove them wrong." His amber-eyes softened as they gazed into her silver ones, "Show them that you can lead them responsibly in your own way, without changing yourself to please them." With a toothy smile, he gently poked her forehead, "Because the way I see it, there's nothing wrong with being a goofball most of the time."

Ruby went quiet with her head hanging low as she mulled over his words. All traces of hesitation in her eyes were gone when she lifted her head to gaze at him. Now her eyes were filled with determination and mettle, "Do you really think I can do it?"

"When I was younger, my father told me that as long as I believed in myself, I could accomplish anything." Stretching out his hand for a fist bump, he nodded at the black-haired girl, "I believe in you, and I know that you believe in yourself! So get back to your dorm and prove that teammate of yours wrong goofball!"

"Right! I'll do my best, Raishun!" Ruby reciprocated his fist bump, then playfully saluted him. She took one step, before turning into a red blur that seemed to fly into the hall and out of sight.

Raishun couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm as red rose petals fell around him. He caught one in his hand and pushed it around with his thumb, suddenly realizing that they hadn't found a solution for his problem.

Turning, on his heel, he stared out over the balcony again; this time, his gaze was drawn to the sky's ruined moon. Since he had arrived, the sight of the shattered moon served as a grim reminder that he was far from home.

[I've been so tired since I got here... why do I even bother.] His brow furrowed in thought, [Because I want revenge on that person...?]

He shook his head. That should've been his answer, yet he felt wrong accepting it as such. From the deep recesses of his mind, a second answer appeared.

[Because I want power. Power to destroy anything that stands in my way, power to kill that person who dragged me here.]

The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, quickly he snapped his eyes shut and shook his head to rid himself of the thought. [No, that's not me. That's not who I am.]

[Ozpin knew who I was, even though I never met him... He has answers.]

With a breath to steady himself, he cast one last glance at the moon before walking back into the dark hallway. If he was going to get close to Ozpin, he would have to make peace with his team.

"Time to practice what I preach." He muttered, feeling a little more at ease, at having figured out the first step to finding his answer.

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Raishun could feel his heart thumping loudly in his chest as he stood in front of the entrance to his dorm room. He had lost track of what time it was, though judging by how heavy his eyelids felt, and the suffocating darkness outside, it must've been early morning. In his hands was a small bundle of white flowers he had picked from the school garden as a peace offering.

Brushing some loose hair from his face, and tightening his grip on the flowers, Raishun grasped the doorknob. [Now or never!]

"I understand that you're feeling frustrated." Gil's voice could be heard from the other side of the door. The Legion froze in place and pressed his ear against the door.

[Sounds like they're talking about me... Maybe this won't be difficult, after all.]

"But we should've thought things through before we pushed him away. If we ever run into him again, then his-"

"That man nearly robbed us of our future, and you expect me not to be frustrated?!?" Laura's tone was furious. Each word she spoke was laced with venom. "I swear to you Gil if we ever cross paths with him again... I'll personally tear out his heart!!"

The blood in Raishun's veins ran cold. He stepped backward and tripped over thin air. He toppled against the far wall with a dull thud. The flowers that were supposed to serve as a peace offering were sent flying and landed scattered throughout the hall.

"What was that sound?" Laura spoke from the other side of the door.

[RUN!!]

In an instant, Raishun was on his feet and sprinting down the hall towards the stairwell. Behind him, he could hear the sound of a door opening. He heard Laura yell something, but her words were drowned out by blood rushing through his ears. He reached the stairwell and began jumping down the stairs, taking four at a time. Twice he nearly lost his balance, only to regain his footing.

[I need to get out! The forest, they won't follow me there!]

Using his shoulder, he threw himself against the doors standing between him and the campus grounds. He felt a slight impact against his shoulder, followed by the chill of the autumn night. Without stopping to check his shoulder, he forced himself to move faster. While he couldn't see them, he could hear two pairs of footsteps.

He was halfway across the field when it happened. Raishun heard something whiz past his ear and bury itself in the ground in front of him. As he ran past it, he could see it was a silver-colored metallic rod. He took one step past it, and then a sudden pressure slammed him to the floor. His fingers clawed hopelessly at the ground as he tried to free himself from the weight.

"This semblance is Laura's!" The realization made his stomach drop, "But she needs to touch something to use it, how-- the rod!"

With a pained effort, he tried to turn his body to reach the rod. Yet the closer he got to it, the more the pressure increased, so much so that just moving his hand near it forced him flat against the ground. In a panic, he tried to draw his hand back towards his body only to find it immobile under pressure.

"Raishun!!" Laura's yell echoed throughout the field. It wouldn't take her more than a few seconds to reach him.

His breath hitched in his throat. [I don't wanna die!] His amber-colored eyes focused on the forest ahead, and began to claw his way forward with the hand he could move. He felt frustrated in his weakness that he was going to be killed by people he had trusted, that he wasn't even going to die on his feet. The gaze he cast at the forest turned into a glare, he stopped clawing and reached a desperate hand towards the forest.

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE ALREADY!!" He yelled, and the next thing he knew, he was lying at the edge of the forest. The pressure that kept his body pressed against the ground was gone. Without stopping to question what had happened, he sprinted into the woods and didn't stop until he was sure that he was alone.

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Raishun stopped running and fell to his knees as the realization of his actions sunk in. Beacon was no longer his home, returning would be certain death at the hands of Laura. Staying out in the wilderness would get him killed by Grimm, and he had no money to live in a city or village. For the first time since arriving on Remnant, he was truly alone.

A sudden vibration on his hip snapped him from his despair. He looked down and saw the Caligula's crystal pulsing brightly, illuminating the area around him with yellow light.

"That's right." The moment his hand clutched the sword's hilt, the loneliness and fear he felt faded. "I'm not alone, we're not alone. We'll come back one day and show them the power of the strongest Legion!" The crystal hummed in response to his speech as if cheering him on. Raishun smiled and pressed his forehead against the crystal.

A bush to his right began to shake. He shifted his gaze and stared at the pair of glowing red eyes that shone through the bush.

"Grimm..."

He broke into a sprint, jumping over roots and crashing through bushes as he raced to escape. His ears picked up the loud thundering of paws on the ground behind him, it seemed the Grimm had called for backup. Cursing under his breath, he ignored the pain of branches whipping against his skin and forced himself to move faster.

Despite his efforts, one of the Grimm managed to flank him. It let out a shrill roar as it pounced at him, teeth bared and ready to tear into him. Raishun reacted by drawing his sword and taking a desperate slice at its throat, all without breaking his stride. The Grimm flew past him and into the bushes to his right, he didn't stop to check if it was dead.

His brow furrowed, as ahead of him, the forest ended in front of a large ravine. Without a second to spare, he skidded to a halt just as he was about to go over the edge. Raishun turned to run back into a forest, only to come face to face with the massive horde of Beowolf that surrounded him.

He was just barely able to take up a defensive stance as one of them charged at him. Sidestepping at the last second, he slashed his sword across its face, and it crumpled to the ground lifeless. Another one followed it's brother, this time leaping at the Legion with fangs bared. He ducked down at the last moment, and the creature flew over the edge and into the ravine below.

With two of their members down, the entire group surged towards him in a rage. Adrenaline coursed through Raishun's body. [I killed my first Grimm!! All on my own!!] With a loud roar, Raishun felt his semblance activate just as the horde crashed into him. The ensuing battle was a blur to him. Claws tore at his clothing and flesh, his sword cut through flesh though no matter how much he swung, none of his foes seemed to fall.

Knowing that taking so much damage to his aura would get him killed, he did his best to stay to the perimeter of the group. Thanks to his semblance, he was occasionally able to bound off one of the nearby trees and land a fatal blow to one of the Grimm. Even after he'd felled five of the creatures, two took the place of each one he killed.

He felt his aura fully deplete, the protective barrier shining gold around his body once before disappearing. His semblance went with it, leaving him to fight the remaining horde with his own strength. Yet despite it, he kept fighting, his sword cutting through flesh as if it were paper.

With a pained swing, he cut the head off one of the Beowulf in front of him with a war cry. His breathing was ragged, blood flowed from wounds on his arms and legs, painting the ground below him a muddy crimson color. Amber-eyes scanned the battlefield, despite how hard he was breathing he had barely made a dent in their numbers. In moments the others would soon charge him once more, and that would be the end of him.

To make matters worse, out of the bushes stalked a large bear type Grimm that he learned in school was called an 'Ursa.' The Ursa stopped three meters away from Raishun at the head of the horde. Rising on its hind legs, it let out a deep roar that, while typically would've chilled him to the bone, only annoyed him.

"Great, another one of them." Slowly, he pointed his sword at the horde and took up an offensive stance. If he was to die, he would die on his feet as a warrior. "If this is how my life ends, then I'm taking you all to hell with me!"

"That wasn't a bad speech, newbie!" A masculine voice declared. It seemed to reverberate from every direction. "Just save that kind of talk for your deathbed, and we're golden!"

Three figures dropped from the trees above, and into the battlefield. Two of them landed in the middle of the horde, the tallest of them landed on top of the Ursa. A fast, bright red flash in the darkness and the bear's head was impaled to the ground with a rapier.

"I'm impressed you were able to last that long in that crowd!" The figure spoke in the same masculine voice that Raishun had heard before.

Moonlight passed through the trees overhead and illuminated the man's features. It was no understatement to say he was very handsome. He had a strong jawline, tanned skin similar to Raishun's, and crimson hair that was somehow fluffy yet curly at the same time. He was well built, with large muscles on his arms and exposed chest.

As skeptical as Raishun was of the new arrivals, he didn't have the liberty to choose his teammates. "I don't know who you are, but as long as you're killing them and not me, I'll watch your back!"

"Haha! No questions asked, huh?" The man let out a deranged laugh as he charged into the horde of Grimm. "Just the way I like it!"

The man was nigh unstoppable in battle. His rapier flashed through the moonlight. The sharp tip pierced through eyes, throats, and chinks in the Grimm's armor with terrifying accuracy. In the time that it took Raishun to fell one of his attackers, the man had already slain a dozen.

With the help of the strangers, the fighting was quickly quelled. The two figures who had jumped into the fray walked closer to Raishun and the red-haired man but stayed in the shadows. The man pulled his rapier from a Beowolf's skull and grinned at the blue-haired boy.

In a flash, Raishun turned his Imperial Arm on the trio. The black blade glinted dangerously in the moonlight, as he cautiously eyed the trio. "I appreciate the help you gave me, but I can't exactly trust a bunch of strangers after meeting them." He glared at the red-haired man as he stepped backward and leveled the tip of his sword at him. "And if you guys try to kill me, I'm taking at least one of you down with me!"

The red-haired man snorted at his reaction and began to heartily laugh. He flourished his rapier in the air and struck up a fighting stance. "All that fighting with the Grimm, and you STILL want more!?! With your injuries!? I like your style, I'll take this dance!"

"Oh no, you don't" One of the figures spoke in a feminine tone. They stepped forward into the moonlight and grabbed the man by the ear. He winced and began to cry out in pain before being thrown onto his back. "You're really gonna make him fight in his condition! Look at the poor guy. He's barely standing!"

The girl had short and spiky purple hair and was dressed in a simple pair of blue overalls in a white top. A line of freckles dotted her cheeks and button nose. While Raishun had seen many exotic hair colors at Beacon, what caught his attention were her vibrant crimson-colored eyes. They eerily reminded him of Serah's.

She sighed, wiped her hands on her overalls, and looked at him sympathetically. She took a step forward, and Raishun turned his sword on her. As much as he hated to admit it, the woman was right. His condition wasn't excellent, his arms and legs fell numb, and he was so light-headed that he worried he would pass out any second.

The woman noticed a slight shake in his sword and smiled. She stepped closer to him, slowly pushed the sword aside with the back of her hand, and began to wrap his arm with a cloth. The gesture surprised him.

"...Thank you." He muttered.

"Mhm. It's nothing. I've gotten good at taking care of wounds thanks to that bone-headed fool over there." She cast a glance at the red-haired man. He clicked his tongue in mock annoyance and stuck his tongue out at her.

The purple-haired girl giggled and tied off the cloth with a cute bow. "There we go!" She retreated a few steps back to give him space before continuing. "That uniform you're wearing, it's from Beacon Academy, right? We can give you a ride back if you'd like."

Raishun smiled wryly, "Yeah, I technically was." Sadly, he looked at the ground, saying, "Some things happened, and it's not safe for me anymore. I've got nowhere to go."

Sensing that she had made him uncomfortable, the woman began to bounce on her feet nervously. "Oh! I'm sorry." She looked at her allies, nodded, then returned her gaze to him. "M-maybe, if you'd like, you could come with us. We live in a village a few hours from here, and we could always use some more hands to help in the fields."

"Really?" Raishun stared at the trio with a surprised expression.

[If I go with them, then maybe they could teach me how to fight. The way they killed all those Grimm was terrific, they didn't even break a sweat! If I could become even a fraction as strong as they were...]

Raishun cleared his throat and nodded. "I wouldn't want to impose on you, and I promise I'd do all I can to help."

"Impose?" The red-haired man spoke boisterously while tenderly nursing his ear. "Naw, a fighter like you is a huge catch for our village." He nodded in approval, then winked. "You're not a bad fighter either. I'm sure all the purple-haired beauties in our village will love- GECK!!"

The purple-haired woman slapped him over the head hard enough to make him hunch over. He let out a charming chuckle and winked at her, causing her to blush.

"Well, thank you for letting me stay then!" Raishun chuckled as well, then extended his hand in greeting. "Oh, my name's Raishun, by the way! It's nice to meet you."

"Castor de Roma, at your service!" Castor smirked and clasped Raishun's hand. After a moment, he let go and wrapped an arm around the purple-haired woman. She huffed in annoyance but did nothing to shake him off. "This here lass is Yona. She may act nice and all, but rub her the wrong way, and she'll beat you within an inch of your life!" He said with a wink.

Yona glared at him, but Castor ignored it and turned gestured the last figure, who had yet to leave the shadows of the forest. "That shy little birdy over there is Carmila. You won't see much of her for the first few days, but once she starts warming up to you, she's as sweet as a pea. A real good cook too, the stuff she makes puts the food at Beacon to shame!"

Raishun focused on Carmila's figure and saw her head slowly peek out from behind a tree. He waved in greeting, and she quickly disappeared back behind the tree.

Breaking away from her counterpart, Yona looked at Raishun sympathetically. "We should really get going, I want to get your wounds treated as soon as possible."

"Ah, right!" He hadn't noticed before, but the adrenaline that kept his body going was quickly fading away. His wounds stung, they would've brought tears to his eyes had he not been so tired. "How are we getting back?"

"Heh, you'll see!" Castor giggled mischievously, and began to walk into the woods, Yona and Carmila followed close behind. Raishun took a few tentative steps, and once he was confident that his legs would not give out from exhaustion, he followed behind Yona.