All That Matters

AN: This chapter came out later because a new episode dropped and I have to spend the entire day working on a review. I've also been sick the last few days. It's also really hard to write from this perspective. I'm just not anywhere near used to it. That's it for the excuses. Here's the chapter.

Chapter 2: Scold

Mrs. Ruby will be here tonight or tomorrow depending on how fast the ship she's taking is. Dad told me to be on my best behavior while she's here. It's funny because he's always telling me to be on my best behavior as if it means anything.

I decided to spend the day with another friend. Rasa Mano was a year older than me. She was one of the best in her class at Oasis Academy and had already met with several Shade professors who had told her what it takes to get into the Huntsman Academy. It was more than just going to the next level. All schools taught some level of combat. That's just what it took to survive in Remnant. A huntsman had to be on a whole nother level.

"So, I heard you kicked that Apollo punk's ass." Rasa says.

"Him and his two little cronies." I reply. "They had it coming."

"I'm surprised people haven't already met with you." Rasa says. "Ever since you were a little kid you could take on boys twice your size. You're the daughter of two war heroes. Your mentor is a legendary fighter. And you even know Ruby Rose."

"My dad says it's because I'm too much of a problem child." I say in air quotes.

"Nah, Professor Gull doesn't really care about that much. If you didn't have issues to work through there would be no reason to go through the Academy, except as a formality."

"Come to think of it…" I think back to the other day when I met Suna Gull. "I did meet him. It was after I beat up Apollo. My dad and Yang were arguing and I snuck out. Scaled Shade Academy and got chewed out by the Headmaster. He did say he was holding me to a higher standard."

"Geez, you're so lucky." Rasa gushed.

"I'm really not." I blush as I prop myself up on a dumpster.

I hear footsteps coming from down the alley. I look in that direction. A young woman, probably a teenager with red hair and goat horns starts walking our way. She looks at us and her hand drifts to the sword on her hip.

"You two, get lost." She says.

"You don't own the place!" I say.

"Nova, maybe it's not a good time to fight." Rasa says as she grabs my wrist.

"Hey what's the hold up!" Another voice shouts from around the corner.

"Just some punk kids looking for a beating." The woman said.

"You know what….we were just leaving." I say as I narrow my eyes. Something doesn't feel right. And I wasn't about to get involved prematurely. Rasa leads me out but then I pull her around the corner.

"What are you doing?" Rasa asks.

"How good are you at climbing?" I ask as I look up the side of the building.

"Impeccably decent." She says as she moves tufts of pink hair from her eyes. I nod and jump to the nearest out of place brick. "Nova, what are you doing?" She growls in frustration before following me. I climb the building the same way I did Shade. Rasa slowly follows behind me. Her hands glow with pink energy as she uses her semblance to keep her grip.

I dart to the edge of the rooftop and lay down. My eyes peek over the edge into the alleyway. A punch of people with swords are meeting with a bunch of people with guns. All the ones with swords were Faunas and all the ones with guns weren't.

"Get down." I hiss as I force Rasa down with me.

"Nova Wukong, what the hell are you doing?" Rasa whispers.

"What are we doing you mean." I correct.

"Don't group me in with yourself at a time like this." I roll my eyes at Rasa's cowardice.

"You want to be a hero, you're going to have to get a little dirty." I state. "Now shut up, I'm trying to hear." Even with silence I couldn't make out what they were saying. But I saw the Faunas pull out some cases full of cash and the other gang pull out cases full of dust. "That's all I needed to see."

I stand up and jump down on the one of their faces. I flip around and kick the leader of the other gang in the nose. I create a clone so that I could punch two more people at the same time. The element of surprise wears off and one of them pulls on my tail and slams me down. I defiantly stare down the barrel of a gun, confident that my aura could tank the shot.

"Well, well, well, what have we here." The human thug leader was wearing a snake skin suit.

"Boss Cobra." Says the woman who kicked us out of the alley. "Looks like this brat didn't get the memo. Allow me to end her life."

"Eh, she's just a kid." Cobra says. "Tie her up and leave her." A pink ray cuts his gun in half as Rasa jumps in. Her glowing fist collides with Cobra's nose.

"Damn you Nova." Rasa growls. Sirens started blaring in the distance. "Think before you get yourself killed."

"Everyone scram!" Boss Cobra shouts. He grabs the suitcase of dust but the redheaded swordsman steps on his hand. "We'll seal the deal another day Eve."

"No, we need this dust now." She snarls. Her hand reaches for her blade and pulls it out. In the blink of an eye she fully swings the sword. It clinks against a metal object as a black blur intercepts the attack. Eve's sword is snapped in two. The blade flies into the wall. Standing face to face with the swordsman was Mom.

"Mom?" I blink.

"You!" Eve hisses. My Mom stands unflinching. Boss Cobra still looks confused as to how he's still alive. Mom clenches her sword and starts to draw it. Eve turns tail and runs away.

"Don't let her get away!" I shout as I chase after her but my mom stops me. "Kuso yoroi." I hiss.

"Rasa, right?" Mom says. Rasa nods. "Go home." She grabs my hand and pulls me away from the alley.

"Let me go!" I try fighting back. Mom's hands are calloused and her grip is stronger than a pair of handcuffs. "You let her get away!" I kick her shin. She slaps me across the face. She had never slapped me like that before. She had hit me, but only ever on the butt when I misbehaved.

"I saved your life." She says as tears well up in her eyes. "Those people are dangerous! What would have happened had I not been close? That man would be dead and it would be your fault. And if Rasa hadn't called the police…."

"You were spying on me!" I shout, though a part of me feels relieved that she stayed so close.

"That's not the point! You can't just jump into the middle of two powerful gangs without a plan."

"Don't lecture me like you know me! You don't know how strong I am. You don't know what I can…"

"No this is where you zip it! The adult is talking." She pushed forward. "That man, Boss Cobra, is a government informant. What if he died tonight? Different story because that's on you. And if something happened to you, I feel like that's on me." My eyes drift down to her feet.

"I just wanted to be like you and Mrs. Ruby." I whisper. "I want to be the hero, I want to be the best. I….when you can fight, and you see bad things happening, and you don't do anything, and people get hurt, they get hurt because of you. When I see people trading money for dust, I just, start thinking what they're going to use it for." My mom drops to her knees and pulls me into a hug.

"That's no excuse for acting stupid." Mom says through tears and laughter. "Even Ruby thinks about the people she's putting at risk with her actions. But maybe….you're just too young to really get that. Please…." She kisses the top of my head. "Don't grow up too fast."

AN: Short chapter, but most of the chapters in this fic will be pretty short. That's what makes it a mini-story.