[Katsuya Akiya (MC) POV]
The days leading up to the weekend had flown by in a blur of combat theory, history lectures, and navigating the increasingly chaotic social circle forming around our two teams. Now, our first major field excursion was finally here: a trip to the crimson woods of Forever Fall to gather red sap.
Inside Team HRPN's dorm, the morning sun was just peeking over the horizon as we geared up. I stood in front of the locker mirror, fastening the chain mechanisms into the reinforced sleeves of my black coat and slipping the butterfly knives into their hidden sheaths. I checked the bracer on my forearm, watching the blue lights settle into a steady rhythm, before adjusting my tie and picking up my fedora.
"Are you feeling alright, Katsuya?"
I turned to find Pyrrha securing the strap of her shield, her green eyes looking at me with quiet, gentle concern.
"I'm good," I replied with an easy chuckle, settling the hat onto my head. "Just getting mentally ready for the trip."
"It's been quite an eventful week for you," she said, offering a soft smile. "Between classes and everything else."
"That's for sure," I smiled, leaning back against the locker. "Though I can't really complain. Pyrrha, you and Ren do a great job keeping Nora from breaking things, which leaves me dealing with the sisters."
Watching Yang shamelessly flirt her way across the cafeteria only for Ruby to launch herself like a surface-to-air missile to defend her sister's virtue had become the highlight of my afternoons. And lately, Blake had made a habit of claiming the empty seat directly to my left every day at lunch, opening a book and quietly leaning in close enough that her shoulder brushed mine while sharing her food.
Honestly, I liked the company. Yang was gorgeous and fun, and Blake was sharp, quiet, and remarkably pretty once she let her walls down. Having attractive girls constantly vying for my attention was an ego boost any guy would enjoy.
The only real issue was the glaring age gap.
I was an adult who'd worked shifts, paid rent, and lived on his own. Here? Everyone around me was sixteen or seventeen, with Ruby sitting at fifteen. Every time Yang leaned in or Blake brushed against my arm, my inner moral compass immediately hit the panic button. Reminding myself to keep my hands strictly to myself and act like a responsible, grounded human being was an Olympic sport.
"Though," I added aloud, rubbing the back of my neck, "having Blake suddenly decide I'm her personal comfort zone at lunch has definitely added another layer to the chaos."
Pyrrha's smile tightened just a fraction, a tiny, polite pout touching her lips before she smoothly cleared her throat. "Well... I'm glad Miss Belladonna feels comfortable around you. Though, as your partner, my seat is always available if things become too crowded."
"Good to know," I grinned. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Alright, Harpoons!" Nora announced, hefting Magnhild onto her shoulder with a wild, infectious grin. "Jars are packed, ammo is loaded, and I am ready to collect some delicious pancake syrup and smash some Grimm in the trees!"
"Let's focus on the assignment first, Nora," Ren said calmly, adjusting his weapons with a sigh.
"Professor Goodwitch made it clear that Ursa Major sightings have increased in that sector."
"We'll handle whatever comes out of the brush," I said, offering a confident two-finger salute to my team. "Come on. Let's get to the landing platforms before the rest of the class takes all the good seats on the Bullhead."
With Team HRPN fully suited up, we grabbed our field packs and stepped into the hallway, joining the rest of the first-years heading for the docks.
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The flight over the Emerald Forest gave way to an endless sea of crimson leaves as the Bullheads descended toward the landing clearing. Through the reinforced windows, the canopy of Forever Fall looked like a field of burning embers beneath the overcast sky.
The transport touched down with a heavy, pressurized hiss, the ramp extending into the damp forest floor.
"Remember, students," Professor Goodwitch's voice rang out crisp and firm over the clearing as everyone filed out. "You are each expected to retrieve a full jar of red sap from the local trees for Professor Peach's botanical research. The sap's scent is known to attract Grimm, particularly Ursae. Remain with your teams, keep your weapons within reach, and return to the extraction zone in precisely two hours."
"Alright, Harpoons, let's get this done quick so we don't have to scramble at the buzzer," I said, stepping off the ramp and heading straight toward the denser red grove.
I picked out a thick, ancient-looking tree with bark weeping that distinct, sweet-smelling scarlet sap. Pulling out my tap and jar, I slotted the spout into the trunk, watching the thick red syrup slowly begin to trickle in.
Team HRPN gathered around the adjacent trunks. Nora was practically leaning her nose into her jar, sniffing deeply. "Ooh, it smells like cherries and sugar! Ren, do you think it tastes like pancakes? What if I take just a tiny little sip?"
"Nora, please do not ingest the Grimm-attracting tree sap," Ren said without looking up, his hands steady as he secured his own collector. "We do not need you energized on both sugar and lightning while fighting bears."
Pyrrha stepped up to the tree right beside mine, her jar filling steadily. She glanced over with an easy smile, her red hair blending into the autumn-colored leaves above us. "Everything going smoothly over there, partner?"
"Smooth as can be," I replied, adjusting my fedora. "At this rate, we'll be done in ten minutes."
A shower of scarlet leaves fluttered nearby as Team RWBY set up shop a few yards away.
"Look, look! Mine's already halfway full!" Ruby called out, bouncing on her heels and proudly holding up her glass container.
"That's because you jammed the tap straight through the bark like a maniac," Weiss pointed out, arms crossed as she waited by her own meticulously leveled jar.
Yang strolled over, leaning casually against a low branch with a wink in my direction. "Don't mind her, Katsuya. Ruby's just competitive about literally everything, even tree juice."
"Nothing wrong with a little enthusiasm," I laughed.
Blake quietly walked past to secure a fresh tree near our perimeter, giving me a subtle, knowing nod as our eyes met. She held her wrist up just enough for the dark moon bracelet to catch the light, a faint, contented smirk pulling at the corner of her lips before she turned to monitor the tree line.
Everything was relaxed, easygoing, and completely on track.
Then I felt a prickle of irritation at the back of my neck.
I turned around, leaning back against the trunk with my hands tucked loosely into my coat pockets, and scanned the clearing.
A dozen yards away, standing near a withered stump, was Cardin Winchester.
His jar was completely empty, hanging loosely from one hand, but he wasn't paying any attention to the assignment. Instead, he was staring straight at me. His jaw was still slightly bruised from our sparring match, his teeth clenched so tight I could see the muscles bulging in his cheeks. He was glaring daggers through the red leaves, his eyes burning with pure, festering hatred.
I blinked, genuinely baffled.
Why is this guy still so obsessed with me?
I'd already spared him a hospital trip on the Bullhead in the cafeteria, and thoroughly drained his Aura in Goodwitch's ring. Any normal person with two working brain cells would have cut their losses and avoided eye contact for the rest of the semester. But here he was, puffing out his chest and staring at me like trash.
It was honestly getting exhausting.
I met his venomous gaze dead-on, letting my sharp eyes lock onto his face. I tilted my head, gave him a pleasant, polite little smile, and raised my right hand to my throat.
Slowly, deliberately, I dragged my thumb horizontally across my neck in a clean, unmistakable slice.
The smug, hateful sneer melted off Cardin's face in a fraction of a second.
His eyes bugged out, his throat bobbing in a hard, audible swallow as all the color drained from his cheeks. With his knees practically shaking, Cardin spun on his heel so fast he nearly tripped over his own boots. He frantically jammed his tap into the withered tree trunk, desperately pretending to be completely absorbed in sap collection like a model student whose life depended on it.
I chuckled quietly to myself, shaking my head. A little reminder went a long way.
"Psst! Katsuya!"
A soft tug at my coat sleeve pulled my attention away from Cardin's panicked work ethic.
I looked down to see Ruby looking up at me through her hood, her silver eyes darting nervously back toward where Yang, Weiss, and Pyrrha were chatting around their jars. She shifted from foot to foot, chewing her lower lip with an unusually tense expression.
"Hey, Ruby," I said, tilting my head. "What's up? Need help with your jar?"
"No, my jar is fine!" she whispered urgently, tugging my sleeve again. "Can you... can you come with me for a minute? Just over there. Out of earshot."
I blinked, genuinely confused. "Uh, sure. Everything okay?"
"Yeah! Totally fine! Just... come on!"
Leaving the others to finish up their harvest, I followed her as she led the way deeper into the crimson trees, the dry red leaves crunching softly beneath our boots. The thick red canopy filtered the sunlight into a warm, scarlet haze, muffling the distant chatter of the other students.
Ruby walked a few paces ahead, her hands clasped tightly behind her back. Her shoulders were rigid, and every few seconds, she'd glance sideways at the trees, clearly working up the nerve to say whatever was on her mind.
"So," I began, breaking the quiet with an easy smile. "What's on your mind?"
"I just... I've been thinking a lot lately. Ever since the Bullhead."
"The Bullhead?"
"Yeah. Yang dared me to talk to you, and I... I totally messed up and asked to be friends instead of what I was supposed to say," she stammered, a bright pink blush beginning to dust the bridge of her nose. "And then in the cafeteria, and the training hall... you've just been really cool, and really nice, and you don't treat me like a little kid."
"Well, you're a capable fighter and a good leader," I said, offering a warm shrug. "No reason to treat you any less then what you are."
Ruby stared at me, her blush deepening into a full, incandescent red that rivaled her cloak. Her breath hitched, and she looked down at the fallen leaves for three agonizing seconds before her hands whipped out from behind her back.
Clutched in her small, gloved fingers was a freshly gathered bunch of vibrant red and gold wildflowers, their stems slightly crushed from how tightly she'd been gripping them.
She thrust the bouquet toward my chest, bowed stiffly from the waist, and squeezed her eyes shut.
"Please be my boyfriend!" she shouted.
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[(Author: Short chapter for now, I'll release two more soon though 😜)]