Hey guys. Sorry this one took an extra day, but there's been some stuff going on. But hey, I managed to get it out fairly soon. This one is a little short, but I hope you guys enjoy.
Ruby refused to let anybody help her until Roland was taken care of. Paramedic rushed to her, asking if she was alright and insisting that she lay down, or get into the airship at the very least. But Ruby, being as stubborn as she always was, refused to leave Roland's side, and only got into the ship once he was loaded in on a stretcher.
Roland lost consciousness quickly, the mix of injuries and exhaustion from using his semblance being too much for the boy. The last thing he saw before his world went black was Ruby, refusing the help of those around her, commanding them to help Roland first.
The ride back to Beacon was filled with an unnecessary amount of noise, as most the paramedics were panicking due to the fact that Roland's body was resisting their healing. Every time a healer tried to use their semblance in the boy a thin layer of black surrounded him like a shield, making it impossible to touch him. Then panic turned to confusion as Roland started to heal at an alarming rate, a smoke like substance rising off his wounds, stopping the blood and patching up the damage.
Ruby, along with everyone else in the airship, could do little more than watch as Roland's body was restored in a matter of seconds. When they tried to check his back, it was completely healed as well, massive scars taking the place of the previously devastating wounds. Most his clothes were still stained in blood, most of which didn't belong to him, and turned the material into a black-red mixture, giving him a slightly sinister appearance.
Ruby was the only one that stayed close to him. The others had been scared off by Roland's healing or had decided that there was nothing left for them to do. Occasionally someone would approach the girl in the red cloak, asking if she was hurt or if she needed anything, and would only receive a short "No" or be ignored completely.
The ride back was short, but felt like an eternity for Ruby, who still didn't know if Roland would survive. His injuries may have healed, the speed at which they did so scaring Ruby slightly, but if he was alright, shouldn't he have woken up? Her mind raced, her body still producing small amounts of adrenaline, but she was soon forced to leave Roland as they arrived at the school, watching the boy get carried away on a stretcher. Ruby wanted to go with the boy, continue to watch over him and make sure that he would recover, but they made her stay, refusing her pleas to go with the boy.
The moment Roland was out of Ruby's sight she started looking for her team. Yang was probably having a heart attack, and Weiss couldn't be doing much better.
Ozpin felt satisfied. His plan had worked, and now, Roland would have no problem making a name for himself. Word of his power would spread like wildfire, and within weeks he could easily match if not surpass the skill of his parents. There was the problem of the forest, which had suffered massive amounts of damage when Roland had used his semblance, but it would heal over time.
For now, the forest had a massive scare, a very noticeable chunk being reduced to ash, leaving a massive grey circle in the sea of green that would be seen from anywhere in the school. Roland would be unhappy, especially if he found out that Ozpin planned this out. The boy hated his power, but with practice and training, he could easily find the strength to control it.
But those were problems for the future, not the present. At the moment, Ozpin had to focus on finding the boy a suitable partner. He would give Roland a team of his own, introducing him to new people one at a time. He knew that Roland did better when he was alone, and adding people would only further decrease his performance. So to counteract that, he would let the boy slowly adapt and adjust to having others around, and he was confident that they would be one of the best teams ever put together.
Now all Ozpin had to do was choose who to send in first.
"You dunce! You could've died out there! What were you thinking?" Weiss had wasted no time scolding Ruby the moment she had made sure her girlfriend was unharmed. Everyone had been incredibly relieved when they had seen Ruby again, their swarm of hugs followed quickly by an army of questions. All of them wanted to know about Roland, and what it was that they had just seen. The white screen was still sitting by the cliff, now blank after the camera had stopped providing footage. Most the people had returned in the morning to see how things would end, and after seeing Roland absolutely annihilate so much of the forest, everyone was confused beyond all comprehension.
"Calm down Weiss, I'm fine now aren't I?" Ruby said, smirking at the sight of her flustered girlfriend, whose cheeks turned as red as Ruby's cloak when the brunette placed a kiss on her soft lips.
"Well, where's what's his name? I've got some thanking to do." Yang said, interrupting the slight moment that Ruby and Weiss were having. Yang's thank you normally consisted of bone-crushing bear hugs, followed by a speech about how grateful she was. Ruby actually debated not telling her sister where Roland was being kept, thinking that Yang crushing him with gratitude probably wasn't going to help him get better anytime soon.
"Follow me, he's in the medical building." Ruby said, deciding that a little affection wouldn't hurt him too much. Nothing that Roland couldn't handle at least.
Four sets of shoes sent echoing clicks down the empty hallways, only interrupted by the odd nurse or doctor stepping out from one of the doors that lined the wall. No one talked, as there was nothing to talk about. The group followed their leader, noticing that her already brisk walking speed was steadily increasing, to the point where the girl was nearly jogging down the hallways, searching for the room that held her friend.
297...98...299… Ruby counted out the numbers in her mind, then stopped suddenly, causing her teammates to stumble a bit as they avoided running into her. She stood in front of a door, identical to every other door in the hallway, save the number 300, engraved on a piece of bronze that was in the dead center of the door.
Ruby suddenly felt very, very scared. What if she walked in and Roland wasn't okay? What if he didn't make it? What if Ruby was the reason that he died? The brunettes previous confidence melted away, leaving the girl staring wide-eyed at the door, wondering if she should go in or turn around and leave the boy be. She was about to turn away, now unable to face him for reasons that she couldn't explain, but she felt a hand grasp hers, felt fingers intertwine with her own. Ruby looked to the side, seeing Weiss standing at her side, her ice blue eyes filled with understanding as she looked at Ruby.
Unexpectedly, Weiss was the one to step into the room first, still holding on to Ruby's hand as she walked into the room, leading the timid girl. Blake and Yang followed, both worried for Roland well, despite barely knowing him. Everyone had noticed that Roland's behavior changed drastically when people were in danger. The boy who was normally silent, cold, having a heart that seemed to be made of stone, turned into a different person altogether. He had charged in without hesitation when Ruby was injured the first time, completely ignoring the threat of losing his own life and saving hers. Then he had willingly accepted her wounds, her mistakes, just to secure her well-being.
Roland should have died in that forest, everyone knew that. Had his semblance not produced those strange tentacle-like strands, not healed him at a rate that defied everything the paramedics thought they knew, Roland would be dead. These thoughts invaded Ruby's mind, making the girl curse herself as she couldn't help feeling guilty, knowing that it was unfair for Roland to be in this condition when Ruby was the one who had been injured not once, but twice while on a mission.
The state that Roland was in didn't do much ease Ruby's mind. He was still unconscious, hooked up to a variety of machines that had glowing monitors, filled with numbers and charts that none of the four understood. Roland was laying in bed, wearing a hospital gown that really didn't suit him, and even when unconscious he still seemed cautious. Unlike most people, Roland did not look peaceful when he slept. His back was rigid, arms straight at his side like he was standing at attention. His hands were in fists, and his face was one of caution and unhappiness, losing the more relaxed look that Ruby had grown accustomed to.
No one was sure of what to do, and so they all stood in dead silence, slightly stunned at the incredibly slow rate that Roland was breathing. The heart monitor let out slow beeps, and the girls felt that the small noises came a little too slowly. Despite his wounds being healed, Roland didn't seem to be any better than if they were still there.
Ruby squeezed Weiss' hand, feeling grief start to build up as a small tear fell down her cheek. She sniffled slightly, feeling Weiss squeeze, and told herself that Roland would wake up soon and be fine, going back to his normal, slightly intimidating self. "He's gonna be okay, right?" Ruby said, asking no one in particular. No one planned to respond, and all of them jumped back against the wall when Roland suddenly spoke.
"Didn't I tell you that I wasn't going to die that easily." He said, opening his eyes slightly, the green circles sporting a determined look.
Ruby was the first to recover from the sudden scare, and so was the first to speak. "Your current state suggest otherwise." She said, smirking at the boy as the tears left, along with the grief and sadness, replaced with happiness and joy at the sight of Roland moving again.
"Oh, does it now?" The boy suddenly sat up, confusing the girls as he seemed to shrug off the previous state of exhaustion. Not stopping there, Roland started ripping off the multiple patches of fabric that connected him to the machines. Everyone, even Yang, winced a little when Roland pulled out a needle that had been stuck into his arm, staring at the thin line of metal as he held it by the cord, which was apparently connected to the heart monitor as a long, dull beep filled the room.
"Oh, hm. Well, that's gonna cause a bit of excitement…" Roland said, now standing up, even after his visitors tried to get him to stay in bed. They all expected him to nearly collapse when he tried to stand, but instead he stood tall and proud, appearing to be at full strength. As though it was part of his everyday routine, he walked over to a closet that sat in the corner and began to rummage through it, withdrawing a folded up mass of black cloth, which the girls assumed to be his combat clothes.
It seemed like Roland was going to say something, but was cut off by a swarm of doctors and nurses that suddenly busted through the door. Most of them were freaking out, and they nearly lost it when they busted in to see an empty bed, the monitor still sending out a deep beep.
Roland, seeming more casual than anyone had ever seen him before, suddenly spoke up. "Ah, yes, sorry about the scare, but I'm ready to leave, so you do whatever it is you do, and I'll go change." The boy then walked out of the room, straight past the group of wide-eyed doctors who were so confused that they couldn't even speak. Ruby and her team felt the same way, and had no idea how to react to the fact that Roland had just unplugged himself from a number of medical machines, retrieved his clothes, then nonchalantly walked out of the room to change as if nothing had happened.
He returned surprisingly quickly, returning to a room so full of confusion that he could almost feel it in the air. The doctors still acted like they had seen the face of god, standing with their mouths open as their brains tried to comprehend what they had seen. No more than ten minutes ago the boy had been on the verge of what seemed like death, and now he was walking about as though he had just come back from a sunday stroll.
Roland ignored the doctors, squeezing past them as he turned his attention to the girls. "Well, shall we be off? I'm starting to get sick of this place." He said, his attitude slowly returning to the familiar style of displeasure.
The four girls could only nod and follow Roland out, all of them taking a moment to remember how to move their legs. The doctors watched them as the group walked through the hallways, led by the tall boy in all black, his cloak torn to shreds as it flowed in the small amount of wind produced by the boy's brisk pace.
"Uh, Roland? Are you sure you should be walking?" Yang asked, her mind still trying to piece together how Roland had even managed to open his eyes so soon.
"Or moving, for that matter?" Blake chimed in, her mind racing just the same as everyone elses. Roland paid them little attention, wanting to get back to his room and take a nap. He was still tired, and felt his eyelids get heavier with every step he took.
"I'm fine, don't worry. It's gonna take much more than a few scratches to keep me in a hospital bed." Roland responded, giving them a slight wave of his hand, hoping the gesture would be enough to reassure the group.
Roland went directly to his room, excited to feel the comfort of pitch-black darkness surround him while he relaxed in bed, not having to worry about the outside world as he would be left alone with his thoughts. It was the boy's favorite pass time, being able to live in different worlds through his imagination, letting his past melt away as he lived in his own reality. But today, that would not be the case.
The first thing Roland noticed was a change to his door. Before, a single R had been burned into the surface of the wood, and the R had stood alone and proud. But now, that R was joined by and E, which made the boy angry at first, wondering who had messed with his belongings. His question was answered when he opened the door to see not only a new bed opposite to his own, but also a new person sitting on said bed.
The girl stood up suddenly when Roland entered, seeming slightly surprised at his sudden entry. The fact that she wore a set of fuzzy pajama bottoms and a tank top only further proved this. She had black hair, and a single purple highlight started at her bangs and traced all the way down her hair, ending where her hair rested on her shoulders. Her eyes were dark purple, seeming full of energy and mischief, and one of the most prominent features was the pair of cat ears that rested on her head, which were almost completely identical to Blake's.
But by far the most surprising thing to Roland was that the girl had not only faunas ears, but a tail as well. Roland had only heard of these faunas, remembering that they were incredibly rare, and there was some special name for them that Roland couldn't remember at the moment. But that could come later. For now, there was a much more important question he demanded to know.
"Who in the living hell are you?"
Just same old same old, leave reviews/questions/comments if you have any, and thanks for reading.
