"Kujaku" •RWBY•

八

[Disclaimer:] I am not well-versed in certain musical instruments. I am also very bad at puns. If you figure them out, good for you. And hell, if team CFVY can do it, SO CAN I!!!

While the Death Stalker is in shock, Suzume turns to the strangers, including her friends. She wipes the drained look from her face in favor of waving wholeheartedly at the group.

Nora squishes her cheeks together and lets out a dramatic gasp, "Ana!" She bursts. The ginger grins mischievously and staggers her left foot back, planting her right flat on the ground. She narrows her eyes before surging forward toward Suzume.

Suzume holds her position by bending her knees and spreading her arms out. She welcomes Nora as the other slams into her body. They tumble to the ground, giggling uncontrollably. 

The reunion is sweet and emotional, especially for Suzume. All the conflictions she once felt disappeared from her mind as she enjoyed the moment. The scent of lemon zest wafts into her face and mixes with Suzume's jasmine and vanilla -- and it feels natural. Nora squeezes Suzume harder and rubs her cheek against the mantis-eyed girl's face.

"Mata aitai ne," Suzume mutters into the ginger's hair after they settle together.

Nora kicks her legs up and down from elation, "Me too," she gushes before pulling back to stare directly at Suzume. Suzume lays in the grass, her hair a slight mess from being tackled and her clothes becoming grimy from the dirt. Nora casually keeps Suzume pinned to the ground by straddling her waist and planting both of her hands on either side of Suzume's head. The latter doesn't realize their compromising position, instead, too happy about meeting with her best friend.

Nora's cheeks flush a dark pink as she jumps up and strains a laugh, "I mean-- you're here! That's so great because we're friends, and friends are usually this happy to see other friends after not seeing that friend for a while! Yeah..." she trails off after her rant and rubs the back of her head timidly.

The Death Stalker screams at the group of teenagers, causing them to become alert after the surprising interruption. Suzume gets on her feet as the scorpion skitters toward them. The ground shakes from its angry stomps, its target being the same person who gave it a handicap.

Nora stands in front of Suzume as the Grimm gets closer. She leaps forward to spin on her foot and slam the side of her hammer into one of its pincers. At the same time, Ren and a girl in black clothing dash past each other, slicing at the scorpion's bone armor with their weapons. A white circle appears under Suzume, and she marvels at the sharp snowflake that twirls in the middle. Another girl in frost clothing yanks on Suzume's arm and pulls her back by using the circle to accelerate their movement.

As they land a few feet away from the commotion, the blue-haired girl turns to the other teen and stares into her cold, pale blue eyes. They contrast greatly compared to the delicate, sea-green appearance of Suzume's irises.

"Be more careful next time," the frost girl scolds with her hands firmly on her hips. She looks a bit prissy in that position, but Suzume doesn't judge.

Instead, she gives a two-fingered salute, a habitual grin spreading across her face, "Got it. Thank you, Snow White," she says, and without gauging the other's reaction, she turns to begin running in the direction of the other students. 

The frost queen splutters as she stares disbelievingly at Suzume, "Wh-Don't call me that!"

They run to another abandoned structure in the middle of a canyon. Suzume sees a wide array of stone towers, each connected by a series of stone bridges. A lone bridge leads to a central tower, and smaller towers with long, stone walkways lead to the main one. Behind the ruins is a large cliff, and it takes Suzume a moment to rethink her decision about aweing at the historical piece.