The Bird and the Garden 2: Restart!

Chapter 4: The Initiation

Back at it with the initiation. First, the disclaimer.

DISCLAIMER! The video and music is not mine. All rights belong to ReveX, a YouTube content creator. Please check out his channel when you get the chance. He is amazing. Also, I will let you know when to play the song.

In the previous book, Y/N and Vao had recruited Roman and Neo as their teammates. That will not happen in this story. I have other plans for those two.

Instead, do you guys remember Sasha Steel and Verde Forest? Those two are their teammates. Verde's background still has not changed; she was abused by her father in terrible ways. In the previous story, she was adopted by Ironwood - I'm not changing that. Sasha has been aged down to Y/N and Vao's age, and her background is mostly left unchanged - she grew up as a thief in Vacuo. I'll explain it when I make a character introduction chapter, and it will be mentioned throughout the story.

As always, enjoy!

...

Y/N walked through the forest, his legs still sore from his fall. His Semblance only healed his wounds; it didn't take the pain away. And as a result, he was having a hard time moving fast. His katana rifle was resting in it's sheath at his hip, which clicked every time he moved his leg. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing, but was leaving it to his Aura to correct the issue.

He wasn't entirely confident that he knew where he was going. He hadn't seen the ruins while he was falling - he was too busy trying to survive the impact. With a sigh he leaned against a tree, resting his eyes for a moment. He had a lot to think about.

He was beginning to worry about Ruby more than anything. She had become a walking time bomb; she seemed to explode at any given moment. He momentarily thought about what Vao had said, about the voices Ruby was hearing. Maybe he needed to take her to a therapist.

"You're sleeping during the first test?"

Y/N opened his eyes. Something big was standing in front of him. He craned his head up, meeting the green eyes of a tall stranger. She towered over him, and was wearing a smile on her face.

Her tanned skin was complimented by her red hair and green eyes, and she seemed to almost glow with positive energy. She was wearing foreign clothes - if Y/N had to guess, he would've assumed they were from Vacuo. Her midriff was showing, revealing a defined six pack that made Y/N very self conscious. Strapped to her back was a large greatsword with a curved blade - a scimitar almost as large as Y/N.

"I... I'm not sleeping," he answered finally. The tall girl only laughed, folding her toned arms. "Sorry, I meant napping."

"I wasn't doing that either!" He protested. But the stranger didn't seem to believe him.

"Well, whatever," she shrugged. "Guess we're partners, now. I'm Sasha Steel. You?" She held out her hand.

Y/N pushed off from the tree, shaking her large hand. He felt like a child clinging to his mother's hand. She was huge. "Y-Y/N, Y/N Rose. Nice to meet you."

She seemed to pick up on his nervousness. "Hey, don't be scared! I'm just tall, that's all."

And muscular, Y/N thought to himself. He had no doubts that this woman could throw him back up the cliff if she really wanted to. But hey, at least he didn't have to worry about his new teammate slowing him down. Together, they began to walk through the forest.

"So where're you from?" She asked suddenly. The question caught Y/N off guard.

"O-Oh, Patch. It's a little island west of Vale. What about you?"