[ A/N ]
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER :
This chapter contains a group of original characters, not dreamt up by me, but an exceptionally skilled Fanfiction author, Coeur Al'Aran, who granted me permission to do so. Thus, I do not own that person's ideas, characters or even the RWBY fanfics associated with them, such as "Not This Time Fate," "Professor/Headmaster Arc," etc.
That being said.
Enjoy.
:)
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The following day, early morning.
In an unassuming shop in the thick of Vale, out came a hooded teen.
Now, by first appearance, he definitely had black hair hiding behind his black cloak.
Yet, when he descended further into the new day's morning light, and when he was sure no one was looking, he pulled back the hood, revealing the conspicuous strands of white hair instead.
And then, in a blink and you'll miss it kind of way, another person appeared and was suddenly walking in tandem with him. A beauty of a girl with long pink hair.
To anyone else, it might have looked like they were on a date, what with how their charming appearances seemed to complement each other. Of course, there was also the fact that the pink haired girl was sticking very close to her white-haired companion as well.
In actuality though, Aisha was just enjoying finally being able to walk around outside of her spirit form.
Thus, Rio found himself just as satisfied.
Of course, the girl's expressionless face gave off the impression she wasn't having fun at all. But if one looked closer, rather than frowning, the girl's lips formed an even line. What was more, her eyes, normally droopy and un-expressive, were faintly widened as she took in the city's morning glow.
For anyone else, it might have been strange to show this much interest in the cityscape. The two of them had already been out and about for nearly an hour after all.
Not to mention, Aisha had already accompanied Rio to Vale already.
Although, the boy supposed there was a marked difference between a concrete jungle's night and day.
Well, Aisha had always been the type of person to find satisfaction with anything and everything.
Yet, it was that same easy-to-please nature that needled Rio with guilt.
Was this really enough?
Pressed by his need for secrecy and thinking it unwise to have her walking around the school, could something of this level really be considered a welcome reprieve?
"I'm having a good time."
Like a crack of thunder, that voice cut into Rio's innermost thoughts with ease.
Thus, he could only look over in surprise, at the spirit who was still facing forward like nothing of note had been uttered. Even so, her mouth moved once again.
"Haruto was worried about that. Right?"
Aisha finally looked at him, those un-expressive eyes boring into his.
Rio's posture couldn't help but slacken.
"...Was I that obvious?"
Aisha shook her head. "It's only because I know. Being considerate over others... Haruto has always been like that."
"...I don't think that's true," he sought to deny.
"No, it definitely is."
But Aisha didn't seem to want to let him.
It made Rio smile, a weak one, but a smile, nonetheless. "Well, when you're that confident. How can I doubt it?"
The girl hummed, and he might have imagined the way her lips faintly twitched upward.
The two kept on walking, their destination being the city's bullheads, which Rio had used to come to Vale in the first place.
His reason for being here had been completed, after all.
A small little errand, but an important one.
"You didn't sell all of them," Aisha pointed out.
"Yes. I didn't think it was a good idea."
The shop he had visited—it had been something of a pawn shop, specializing in the trade of rare gems and jewels. Of course, technically, Rio didn't have anything like that. But what he did have was numerous items with an apparent likeness.
He did feel a little guilty taking advantage of Remnant's economy by selling monster cores as if they were priceless treasures, but it should be fine as long as he only sold as much as he needed.
Three or four at a time was one thing.
But the several dozens he had in his subspace?
Troublesome rumors might spread about him being a thief or something.
Though, that was why he completed the transaction as the black-haired Haruto.
The air-docks were now in the distance.
However, rather than continuing forward, Rio was struck with a sudden idea. Stopping Aisha with a gentle tug at her wrist, he met her perplexed gaze and smiled, pointing somewhere off to the side.
"Let's make one more stop before we depart."
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...
"This is your first time having something like this, right?"
"Hm...!"
It was unbearably cute, how uncharacteristically expressive Aisha was as she fervently indulged in her beverage, that is, the straw poking out of a sizable helping of whipped cream.
They had stopped at a cafe, although technically, the establishment they were in couldn't be called that, not with how different it was from what Aisha — having had coffee before in his previous world — was used to. But that was exactly why he wanted her to experience it.
Sweetening black coffee was one thing, but the artificially sweetened delicacies of a modern-day coffee shop so much like Japan?
The difference was night and day.
Well, technically, a triple shot vanilla latte was more dessert than coffee, but...
The white haired boy sweat-dropped.
This wasn't a bad idea, right?
Rio hoped that drowning his companion with such an energy inducing drink wouldn't spell any disastrous consequences, like leveling the city.
Of course, that was just a joke.
It was very much unrealistic for an increase of caffeine to cause a spirit's powers to grow haywire.
...Right?
Abruptly and without warning, a shrill noise blared into his ears, and Rio immediately found himself tensing up, his twin ambers gaining a sharp glint to them as they collapsed on the source. However, whereas Rio was expecting a threat, reality turned out to be very different.
In fact, his tension slowly left him.
A family was quite excitedly milling about in the nearby plaza, encircling where bullheads were coming and going.
At least, Rio thought they were a family.
The group shared some remarkably similar appearances, after all.
In any case, even from where he and Aisha were sitting, their spills of shouts and laughter were hardly muted.
But...
That number... is quite large, no?
Rio was looking at almost ten people.
And even if two of them could be parents...
Well, maybe there was some extended family mixed in as well.
Either way, it was definitely a sight for Rio, who as Haruto, had lived in a country where having only a few children per household was the most commonplace. Still, seeing so many, and for them all to be blonde at that... no matter how one looked at it, he had to be staring at some kind of outlier.
Even more distracting was the gender disparity, the only male present presumably being the father, an older man looking to be in his thirties or forties.
The rest were females of varying ages, from somewhere around ten, to maybe even twenty.
Ah.
And a few of them were now looking his way.
He had been staring too long, hadn't he?
Not wanting to give the wrong idea, Rio simply gave a faint grin and nod. And it was somewhat of a relief when Aisha even mimicked the action, as if she didn't want to be left out.
She didn't smile though.
Or maybe she was trying and couldn't quite manage it?
Either way, Rio stole one more look, hoping that would be the end of it.
All nine of them were now staring.
Rio's expression considerably faltered.
Still, he schooled his features.
While he was still very much confused, his curiosity didn't win out over his desire to enjoy his remaining time with Aisha as they finished their beverages.
Besides, even if that family did in fact seem to be waiting on public transport just like they were, the odds that they would be heading in the same direction were very low.
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...
Rio had been very wrong.
Awkward.
Perhaps there was a better word to describe the heightened tenseness of the situation, but he couldn't really think of one.
It was now a simple ten minutes from when they had been seated in that cafe, sipping coffee. In that time, Rio and Aisha had dispensed of their trash, pushed in their seats, and then hopped in a bullhead right as it was touching down, one that was bound for Beacon.
And unexpectedly, the vibrantly blonde family had joined them.
Beyond the simple "good morning" they had exchanged as they got in, they hadn't spoken a word to each other.
Of course, that wasn't to say the surroundings were dead silent. The family showed no reticence in talking amongst themselves, a fact that Rio was grateful for.
But every once in a while — and by that he meant very consistently — they would just stare at him as if realizing anew he was there.
Rio... weathered it the best he could.
Luckily, staring was all they were doing.
Yeah, he really shouldn't have jinxed it.
"So. Rio Amakawa, is it? Our daughters tell me you fluked your way through a match with some Huntsmen."
The man who had spoken, the oldest and only male among them, had quite the steely look on his face as he stared at Rio.
A civilian might even think the expression hostile. However, rather than say he was glaring, the white haired boy thought it was closer to a resting expression.
But even if Rio couldn't see the power radiating off the man in waves, the way he carried himself was proof enough.
This man was no stranger to combat.
"Nicholas!"
"D-Dad! That's not what we said!"
Nonetheless, before Rio could even think up a response, others beat him to it, the man's words causing quite the outcry.
The first was a very pointed scolding from a woman of similar age, presumably his wife. Beyond that, there were the few indignant and arguably embarrassed protests of those younger, revealing themselves as the man's daughters after all.
Some of them, at least.
"Geez, I am so sorry for him."
Briefly distracted by it all, Rio almost missed the way the mother turned to him, an apologetic frown upsetting her features.
"Ah, there's no need to apologize, Miss," Rio said after a beat, lips curving into a tight smile, more from the sudden attention on him than anything else. Beyond that, he wasn't really comfortable being on the receiving end of such sincerity.
"Besides..."
Smile still present, his eyes flicked right back to the father.
"Your husband's assessment was in no way incorrect. If I was tasked with repeating that match multiple times, I wouldn't be confident in my odds of success. That is to say, I got lucky in various aspects."
Being unable to overpower his opponents in a one-sided manner. Exploiting glaring weaknesses. Capitalizing on opportunities to stall for time. Demonstrating flashes of skill in combat, but even more in evasion.
Rio gave off every impression that he only clawed his way to victory through lucrative ideas and meticulous strategies.
That had been the impression he wanted to leave, after all.
"Well, that's very mature of you to realize..." the man acquiesced with a nod, but not without an intense stare that seemed to last longer than what Rio was comfortable with.
It was perhaps a mercy when it was forcibly halted by a stray hand, slapping the man's shoulder. "Oh, honestly. Stop being so serious, Nicky," the mother scolded, before turning to Rio with a merry smile. "I know I'm changing the subject, but I hope you don't mind it when I say you and your girlfriend are very cute together."
Rio's thoughts slowed to a crawl for a second.
Girlfriend?
But then the boy looked down and understood.
Aisha, his spirit companion, who with the words, "Haruto, I'm sleepy," had been using his lap as a pillow this entire time, was now fast asleep. He had even been absentmindedly stroking her hair, too.
To him, he was simply appeasing the soft-spoken, almost childlike girl as usual, but for others, it must have painted quite the picture of their relationship.
Rio looked back up, finding the warm gaze of the mother.
Also, prior, he hadn't wanted to stare at the family too much due to his status as a stranger, but now that he was prompted to make proper eye contact, he had to come to the objective conclusion that the mother, despite likely being in her thirties or forties, was still quite beautiful. And naturally, just as blonde as the rest of her family.
The same went for the rest of them, actually.
Even the father had a rugged handsome appearance to him.
But speaking of the others, those younger especially, he realized that their side conversations had gotten increasingly sparse, an observation that seemed to coincide with when Aisha dozed off.
He supposed that was a testament to their character, despite their rowdy disposition...
It was a welcome kindness; one Rio would be remiss not to pay back.
"Thank you for the compliment," Rio agreed with a smile. "But we're actually not in a relationship."
It was somewhat amusing, the way their eyes seemed to widen as one, especially when they all shared such stark resemblances to one another. Thankfully, Rio was able to keep his laughter in check, his smile faintly growing wider instead.
The woman seemed to want to apologize again, but Rio waved her off before she could.
"I don't blame you for getting the wrong idea. And honestly, it's a bit embarrassing for her to be clinging to me like this. Still..." Amber eyes drifted to the slumbering pink haired girl. "Aisha is always helping me with so many things. And she never asks for anything. So... doing this much is more than doable."
Still stroking Aisha's hair, focusing on her sleeping expression, and smiling that faint smile all the while, the boy did not look up.
Had he done so, he would have caught the somewhat embarrassed stares sent his way. Not out of longing, attraction, or anything like that—not to say the boy's face wasn't pleasing to look at.
Still, his soft-spoken sentiment was overwhelmingly more so.
The care in that gaze, it was at a level worth envying, but just the same, it was pleasing to watch...
"You say that, but I'm sure that girl feels very treasured. Take it from someone who's happily married..."
Rio looked up, meeting the eyes of one of the older girls, in their twenties or so, and honestly a spitting image of her mother.
That being said, just like her words, the expression on her face was kind. Still, despite being a little caught off guard, Rio smiled back, just a hint of embarrassment showing on his face.
"Well, I'd be happy if that's the case."
The girl gestured to herself. "I'm Sapphire, by the way."
"It's nice to meet you, Miss Sapphire," Rio said, inclining his head.
"You're very polite for your age, Rio," the young woman's lips quirked upwards.
"I'm, haha, told that quite frequently."
"Haruto...?"
Rio's shoulders immediately stiffened.
That sleepy voice entered the cabin.
Aisha suddenly waking sent heat creeping up his neck; the thought that she had even overheard some of their conversation—a dizzying one. So, it was somewhat a relief when he found that not to be the case, the girl still being very much asleep.
It seemed... she had just unconsciously uttered his name.
Which... was quite embarrassing by itself.
Rio tried to ignore the quiet giggles all around him.
"Haruto? Is that supposed to be you?"
That question, however, spoken with such lackadaisical bluntness and an expression to match, came from a girl who hadn't really been participating in her family's conversations thus far.
Now, the reason for that was unclear, but he was sure the sudden reaction of the others had something to do with it.
"Coral," the mother said with a hint of warning.
The disapproving gazes didn't just end at the parents, though, but some of her sisters as well. But what might have seemed like overkill to Rio, the newly introduced Coral simply took them with an indifferently raised eyebrow.
It was like an imaginary 'what?' was floating above her head.
Nevertheless, far from being bothered, Rio smiled.
"Haruto is just a name I used to go by."
"Sounds shady."
"I suppose it is, isn't it?"
Rio must have surprised her by agreeing, because her expression faltered somewhat. The others did as well, now looking torn between scolding the girl again and considering Rio's —admittedly — rather cryptic reply.
But their curiosity didn't seem capable of turning into the kind of pushiness that would have them pry.
But, again, Coral didn't seem to hold such reservations.
She opened her mouth. "Then—"
"Daughter, ease up."
A gruff voice cut off the attempt.
Nicholas, arms crossed, was giving his daughter a very steely look. It very much suggested this wasn't unfamiliar territory, for either of them. At least, that was Rio's opinion, smile turning more brittle by the second as he was involuntarily coerced into becoming a bystander.
"Is there a reason?" Coral asked, shamelessly jabbing a thumb at him. "He doesn't look annoyed."
Nicholas sighed. "He doesn't look annoyed because he's being courteous. Giving vague answers but still making the attempt at appeasing you, he most likely has a high tolerance for people asking intrusive questions, as you are doing. In other words, he's just being kind."
Wow. Both of them. They're really talking about me like I'm not even here, Rio thought, smile still unbearably cramped.
"Kind? What, did he fall in love with me or something?"
"He didn't."
The father instantly rejected it.
Then, as if that wasn't enough, he turned to Rio.
"You didn't."
The words sounded less like a question, and more like a demand, to the point where Rio felt he was practically forced to agree, if only to prevent himself from landing in the cross-hairs of an overprotective father.
Still, because the look on that father's face was quite scary, Rio thought it wouldn't hurt to be thorough.
"I didn't, sir..." he said, and with halting awkwardness. "...It goes without saying that your daughters can do far better than someone like me."
At first, Rio actually thought he had done well.
Then he spotted Nicholas' lips very obviously pulling downward.
The mother, on the other hand, was all smiles.
This was due to, unbeknownst to Rio, the pervasive embarrassment of her daughters. This was the case for a few of them at least, suddenly struck with an irrational urge to look anywhere else than the front.
But...
"...Interesting, you actually believe that," Coral murmured, staring at him with a fixed expression, the kind that seemed to be appraising something only she could see.
That said, Rio's expression was a bit puzzled, but he was prevented from thinking about it further when the mother suddenly put a hand to her mouth and laughed.
"Oh, so modest, even with a handsome face like that. Still, are you aware, Rio? You made these daughters of mine happy just now. Why, just look at Hazel and Jade."
"M-Mom!?"
"W-What are you saying?!"
Said girls, twins by the looks of it, immediately voiced their fervent protests, embarrassment coloring their faces red.
The rest of the girls, however, seemed content with silence, those younger feeling awkward and meek, and those older feeling flattered and just the tiniest bit embarrassed.
Although, the youngest among them, a little girl of around ten or so, didn't seem to know what was going on in the slightest. But because she seemed to like the faces everyone was making; she was smiling happily.
"Amber, stop squirming. You'll fall out of your seat," chided another one of the eldest, before turning to the mother with an exasperated look. "And Mom? Stop trying to play matchmaker, hm?"
"Oh, what's the harm, Sable dear."
"...Dad's literally about to pop a blood vessel over there."
"...I'm not."
"Nicky, you're glaring," the mother pointed out.
"...I'm not."
The mother sighed, before looking back to Rio, who looked like he couldn't decide whether to be baffled by the back and forth, amused, or slightly concerned.
The father was still glaring, after all.
"I'm sorry for this, young man. I'm sure this isn't the kind of morning you thought you'd be having, huh? Sorry for being such a rowdy family."
The woman's tone and smile was a genuine one, even if apologetic. Perhaps it was a shame on par with going out in public with a crying infant. Thinking things in that way, perhaps it was only natural for her to apologize; justified, even.
However.
"You say that like it's a bad thing..."
Rio spoke those words softly, looking down at his lap, his lips curving upward. He locked his hands together and squeezed. "In fact, that relationship you all have, I'm a bit envious of it..."
When he looked up, seeing them try to parse through his statement, the somberness he couldn't fully hide, he panicked somewhat.
"I-I'm an only child, you see," he quickly decided to say, lest he reveal something else by mistake.
Saying he no longer had parents in this sort of situation... wouldn't be the kind of mood he wanted to indulge in.
However, there was no way Rio believed that he was as alone as he implied.
There was his cousin, Ruri. His practically adopted sister, Latifa. Aki as well, his biological sister, even though he was well aware of how much she despised him.
Still, even with all those boons in his life, there was a part of Rio that was curious.
What could it be like, to be a part of a big family like the one in front of him?
Where he didn't have to be a wanted fugitive, a deceased college student, or the child in between, hell-bent on revenge? Where he could just be Rio, a caring brother who could help out his loving parents by looking after his precious siblings?
Such a fantasy... it was a tantalizing one.
But it was just that, a fantasy.
"W-Well, you'd be cool, as a big brother..."
Shocked, Rio blinked himself out of his musings.
Then, he looked over to the girl who had mostly kept to herself the whole time.
She had a thinner frame than the rest of her sisters and was just as soft spoken as well. She gave off that shy impression. She... might have even felt the most conscious of the fact that Rio was a stranger.
But despite that...
The white haired boy's shoulders fell, and his lips curved upward, somewhat exasperatingly. She didn't need to say that for my sake... Struck with that jostling truth, he opened his mouth. "Thank you very much for saying so, Miss. Would... it be too rude to ask for your name?"
"H-Huh? M-My name?" The girl's eyes were wide. "It's Lavender..."
"I see. Then, thank you once again, Miss Lavender," Rio said softly.
And his words—they weren't frivolously chosen to appease the girl. Nor, were they the whimsical pleasantries of a pretender with a false smile, the persona he was used to playing.
No, he absolutely meant them.
That said...
Rio was a little worried when Lavender went completely still.
Even more so when her fellow sisters put on what looked like cheshire grins, needling the stiff girl with comments that didn't make an ounce of sense to him, but was clearly making Lavender flustered.
Confused and suddenly curious, Rio glanced over at the parents.
He immediately regretted it.
The mother's smile was so sweet it hurt to look at, but that wasn't the source of his discomfort. It was the contrast of the man next to her. The way Nicholas was staring at him was so worryingly close to bloodlust that Rio's hand twitched, as if wanting to grab for his sword.
"Well, I agree with Lavender. Rio's got that brotherly, reliable aura about him... despite being, what, sixteen, seventeen? Maybe because he's so calm and articulate?" Sable, he believed it was, mulled aloud.
Beside her, Sapphire quietly laughed, nodding her agreement.
"Plus, he's, well, you know, strong," Hazel then murmured, as if stating a fact. "I mean, right?"
"W-Why are you asking me? Sure, I guess." Jade looked caught off guard by the sudden attention but still answered vaguely.
"WAY different from our brother," Amber jumped in, with the kind of seriousness that was cute on her small face.
"Ooh. Can I be the one to tell Jaune he's been replaced?"
Coral's comment, had Rio been of a clearer head, would have been quite the reveal. However, suffice it to say, the boy was a little distracted.
Girls. Please stop. Your father. His eyes.
The bullhead continued ever so slowly to Beacon.