The Cobalt Blues Ch. 7
Author's Note: Alright, so I've been kind of anxious to update this one because today RWBY Volume 2 is premiering :D I'm so excited I can barely stand it. Although I have to admit that I'm a little sad because here's where the potential for "canon" will most likely part. Oh well, it's always good to venture off the beaten path. Hopefully, you will all enjoy this latest chapter. Read on! –Kiba
Thank you all so much for your support. I'm still taking donations through my tumblr on . It's not something that's required by any means, I'm going to write regardless, but it would help out a lot if you guys could give even just a little bit. The money goes straight to groceries and rent so that I can continue working on my writing for you guys. My tumblr is kibavulpuselunal. Tumblr. Com. The button should be at the top. You can also check out my weekly blog there, every Tuesday I post some writing tips. As always, I love feedback so please favorite, follow, and review. Thanks a bunch :3.
The two of us glared at one another: me with my arm outstretched with her left gauntlet, her with her fists curled up tightly as she continued to seethe in a frenzied rage. "Give it back!" She demanded.
"Come and take it from me" was my reply.
With a howl of fury the golden haired beauty raced towards me, her fist once again cocked back for a powerful strike towards my face. Just as she got within distance, I was surprised when she instead planted her foot using it to pivot and give her strike more force. I was barely able to lift up her gauntlet in time to deflect the blow, but by doing so a terrible pain ran up my arm as though someone had just hit it with a sledge hammer. Hoping to have an opportunity for a counter attack I lashed out with my knee towards her stomach, though with her free hand she was able to hold back the blow enough that it was softened.
As she shoved my leg back down I struck out with my bare fist, landing an uppercut that sent her stumbling back. She immediately came at me again, her fists now swinging wildly in a flurry of strikes as she continued to deflect my kicks with her own legs. Every movement she made seemed to be faster than the last as her flames continued to singe my body with their incredible heat. I was running out of stamina and it was happening faster than I had anticipated when our match began. Following the books advice I knew that I had to make her move where I wanted, not where she wanted. That's when an idea came to me.
Leaping back from her to put some distance between us I slipped off her gauntlet, holding it and tossing it back and forth between my hands. "Sorry, I should have known you'd have trouble getting this back from me. I'll make it a bit easier for you and just hold it instead of wear it. Surely you'll be able to handle that challenge won't you?" I asked causing her eyes to burn crimson with anger.
"Don't you mock me you bastard!" She screamed as she rushed towards me again, my plan had worked perfectly. Time seemed to slow down as I tossed the gauntlet into the air, arching it over her head. As her eyes followed the gauntlet she stopped moving, placing her in the perfect position with her defenses lowered. With her guard down I rushed forward throwing my prosthetic leg hard at her chest while turning myself sideways. As I began to spin, I knew I had her, my other leg hooking behind her knees. Like a pair of human scissors I sliced through her center of gravity, taking her to the floor hard as the gauntlet hit the stage behind her, before tumbling away.
Flipping over to a prone position she went to crawl for the other gauntlet and I knew I had to find a way to stop her from recovering. If I could just keep her on the ground I'd have the advantage since she wouldn't be able to build more momentum. I dove after her, slipping the heel of my leg between hers quickly. My hand latched on to her ankle, just as I rolled to apply a major force on her calf. With my metal prosthetic as a brace, she'd have no choice but to tap out, otherwise she'd be risking a broken leg that would put her out of commission for a very long time.
However, just as I began to tug on her leg there was a click as she rotated her torso to point her newly acquired shotgun gauntlet directly in my face. The two of us had reached a stalemate, but neither of us was prepared to concede to the other.
"Break!" Both of us stared at one another, breathing heavily but not moving from our positions as Professor Goodwitch approached us, a look of anger on her face. "I said 'Break' you two, that's enough!" As Yang slowly pulled back her hand I could feel the flames of anger that she had been covered in slowly fading away as I released her leg from my crushing hold. Looking upward at our screens, both of our health bars were in the red. There was no victor. The professor stabbed her finger in my face, her eyes glaring into mine. "My office, now!" I nodded quietly, trying to understand why she was so angry with me. I just did what the book told me, the one she gave me.
As I walked off the stage, I stole a glance to my team who all had a nervous look on their faces as I left the room. Entering the empty office, I sat in the chair putting my hands in my lap as I tried desperately to remember whatever it was that would put me in the hot seat like this. My eyes glancing upward I watched as the rather bland clock slowly ticked by, as though it were my life slowly fading away. For all I knew it could have been. Despite her kindness to me in the library I could always feel an unsettling chill whenever I was in the professor's presence. I had absolutely no doubt that if she were to display her wrath it would rain down on me on a biblical level.
It was then that I realized that I was trembling badly. It wasn't for fear of punishment, rather it was the feeling of adrenaline that had rushed through my body now starting to fade away and it was then that the pain of the fight truly sank in. I took a deep breath as I sat there, trying to maintain my composure. As the door slammed open, I nearly jumped out of the seat in shock. Professor Goodwitch stormed in as if there were ominous dark clouds surrounding her. "I cannot believe what saw out there today. You, young man, are in a lot of trouble." She slammed the door shut behind her before going to where she sat at the desk, her eyes focusing on me. I swallowed nervously as she seemed to search me with her eyes for something. "Mind telling me what that was out there that I witnessed? I want to hear you explain yourself."
"You...told us...to spar?" I asked, still racking my brain trying to find some crime that I could have possibly committed.
The professor frowned at my words, placing her fingers on her temples and massaging them as though she were trying to get rid of some terrible migraine. I had the feeling that my lack of knowledge of my sin was the source of that migraine. "You don't even know do you? You don't even realize what you did out there?"
"Sorry." I whispered softly. "I wish I did."
She leaned forward, placing her elbows on the desk so that her face was intimidatingly close to mine. "You're right. I did tell you to spar, not to brawl! That move you performed at the end of that fight could have seriously injured her! If you'd messed up, even just by a tiny little bit of force, you would have broken that girl's leg and ruined her dreams of becoming a Huntress. I gave you that book so you could learn to be a better Hunter, not so you could rise to the top of some fighting syndicate or to get petty revenge for a few flung insults!" That was what she was angry about?
"I don't mean to be disrespectful professor, but a real opponent wouldn't pull their punches against me in a fight. I want to return that favor to my opponents. If all I learn to do is spar then I won't be able to win when a real fight happens."
Her hawk like eyes seemed to narrow even more than they already had, a feat that I would have thought impossible. "Listen to me well Mr. Delsune. Your stunt out there is unacceptable in this school. If you have to defend yourself in a fight with a real criminal then you have permission to maim them as you please, but until that time you are to show restraint any time you are placed in a spar. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes ma'am..." I whispered softly. I could feel in my heart that she was right, but I had just been so angry, so...excited? "I'm really sorry. I just tried to do what the book told me."
"The book told you to break a girl's leg? I highly doubt that."
"Rule 26: An expert in combat moves..."
"...the enemy but is not moved. Yes, yes I know. That does not mean that you are allowed to use such a technique against a classmate when it was meant to simply be a friendly spar."
"It may have been a spar...but there wasn't anything 'friendly' about it." I shot back. "She taunted me, ridiculed me, and told me that I didn't belong at beacon. Even made a comment about my leg. When she took the gloves off, I decided I'd take mine off too."
"Oh yes, and you didn't taunt her at all. Don't think I didn't hear your side of the argument Calyx. You and she were doing the exact same thing: trying to anger the other one into recklessness. Yours worked well, but you couldn't have just been content with beating her, you had to hear her surrender didn't you?"
I took a sharp breath. Was that really the case? The truth was I didn't know why I went that wild. She was right of course, I could have used my distraction to simply blast her health bar into the red but instead I nearly took her leg. I opened my mouth to try to defend myself but the professor held up her hand to silence me. She readjusted her glasses, pushing them up on her nose before speaking.
"Believe me Calyx, I understand. I've seen some of the most cold-hearted men and women in my time and I know that you are not among them. I can understand that you expected her to surrender when you got her in that position, but you need to understand. She would not have given up. She would have rather you broke her leg than surrender."
"Then isn't it her fault for being so stubborn?" I grumbled.
"If you were in her position Calyx, wouldn't you be?" My silence was more than enough to answer her question. "Calyx, this school is for the exceptional. I realize you think you're special...and you are. But as is everyone else here. No matter who it is everyone has worked hard to earn admittance into this school and they wouldn't let anything jeopardize their hard work by simply surrendering in a fight. So promise me, the next time you spar with someone don't be so apathetic towards your opponent. They've got their struggles too...you're not the only one who has something to prove."
I could tell by the way her voice had become softer that she did understand my plight. But I also knew that she was indeed right. There was a line and I crossed it. "So what happens next?" I asked softly. "Do I get expelled?"
"Of course not Calyx. You're going to be an excellent hunter someday, but you need to learn restraint and control. You can't simply go all out against every person you encounter. Now I asked Ms. Xiao Long to wait for you outside my office. I want you to apologize to her, and then you can report to your team and prepare for your next class." I nodded softly.
"Yes ma'am." I replied, pushing my chair back and standing before heading towards the door.
"Oh and Calyx..." she called, my hand on the doorknob to leave.
"Yes ma'am?"
She smiled softly at me. "You did very well. If it were a real fight, I've no doubt that your opponent would have crumbled. But a suggestion...I wouldn't try that move against a Beowulf." Despite the terrible reaming she'd given me her last words filled me with such hope. I knew now that if there was any human whom I could ever trust fully, it'd be her.
I returned her smile, opening the door and stepping outside to see Yang leaning against the wall in waiting. "Hey." I greeted her gently, I knew I was supposed to apologize but I felt so awkward. I didn't know how to go into it.
She turned to me, her purple eyes shimmering as a sly grin came to her face. "Hey killer. Teacher give you hell?"
"With good reason." I replied, "Listen Yang...I'm really sorry about all that stuff I said, I didn't really mean it. And I'm sorry that I almost broke your leg back there. I kind of lost myself there." She smiled at me before slapping me on the back playfully.
"Don't worry about it. We'll just pretend everything we did or said in that spar didn't happen. I'll even forgive you for touching my hair. But only just this once. Got it? If you touch it again I'll snap your arms off and beat you with them."
"That's fair." I laughed, glad that the tension between us was already fading away. I had such few friends, the last thing I wanted was to lose one over a sparring match. The more I thought about it, the more relieved I was that the professor had stopped me from breaking her leg. I don't know if I could have lived with myself after taking someone's leg. "So...now what?" I asked. "Do we hug it out or something? I'm not really used to this whole apology thing."
Yang's eyes gleamed impishly as she leaned closer to me, staring me dead on. "I thought we could perhaps kiss and make up." My cheeks immediately turned a bright red as I swallowed nervously.
"R-really?" I asked, my voice coming out a tad bit higher than I intended before I cleared my throat nervously.
"Sure. You have kissed a girl before haven't you?" She asked, her finger drawing small circles on my arm. Now I was really blushing. Not trusting my voice I silently shook my head 'no' causing her to grin widely. "So...that means I'd be your first huh?" Her words were dripping with flirtation as I nodded, able to feel the warmth of her body against me as I tried to compose myself. "So do you want to kiss me?" I could feel her hand reach around me to gently trace my spine through my tunic. I could feel my heart racing as my breathing became a little heavier.
"Tell me the truth..." I whispered, "are you just doing this to screw with me?"
I could tell by her expression that my question had thrown her off. She'd been expecting a straight yes or no, but the truth was that I didn't know what I wanted to do. But I certainly knew that I wouldn't let her play with me like it was a game. Her stunned state didn't last long, however, which became evident by the way her other hand gently reached up to be placed on my chest. I could feel her nails gently trail along the thing fabric, causing it to ripple beneath her touch. "Oh no. Screwing comes much , much later."
"That's not what..."
"Will you just shut up and close your eyes so we can kiss already?" I was astonished by her forwardness but after mulling it over, I obediently let my eye lids fall shut. I could hear her breathing as she leaned closer to me. Soon I could feel her breath on my lips, hot like the sun and so I leaned closer as well.
"What are you doing?" A voice asked, causing my eyes to open as Yang let out a sigh, leaning back. The voice belonged to Lyn who was standing beside us, arms crossed as she glared at me.
"Well we were about to kiss." Yang remarked bluntly. "Though I'll admit you kind of ruined the mood there." Lyn's eyes turned to the blonde as she stepped between us, pushing me back from her.
"Lyn?" I asked.
"Hush." She snapped quickly, "I'll get to you in a moment. You on the other hand..." She stared intently at Yang. "Do you normally make it a habit to kiss guys that you just bump in to?"
"I fail to see how that's any of your business." Yang replied, completely unfazed by Lyn's attempt to intimidate her.
"It becomes my business when you're doing it with my team's leader." Lyn shot back, Yang's lack of caring causing her to become more flustered by the moment.
Yang shrugged. "What's the big deal anyway? It's not like it would have meant anything."
"It wouldn't?" I asked confused. "I..." The words struggled to form themselves on my tongue. I suddenly felt incredibly foolish. How could I have let her get to me like that?
Lyn rolled her eyes. "Listen to me carefully you harlot, you can't just mess with him like that! He's sensitive and he's not the best at social tact and etiquette as it is. So if you plan on kissing him you'd better be prepared for him to take it seriously because he doesn't understand things like casual romance."
"You realize I'm standing right here?" I muttered causing Lyn to put her hand up to shut me up again as she continued to have a stare down with Yang.
"Alright, easy there Fido, I'll stay out of your yard. Sheesh. You don't have to run to the end of your chain and bark at me." Yang grinned, knowing her words were just drilling into Lyn's core.
"I am not a dog!" Lyn snapped at her.
Yang just ignored her smiling at me behind her and nodding. "Whatever. I'll see you around Calyx. Thanks for the match; it was fun having such an intimate session. We should do it again sometime but next time, try not to suck so bad okay?" She winked before going to leave.
"What did she just say?!" Lyn fumed as Yang just turned and walked off. I quickly grabbed Lyn's wrist to keep her from running off after Yang. "Calyx will beat you senseless in the ring you...you...harpy!" She called after her, trying to come up with an appropriate insult. The golden-haired combatant just flipped her the bird and kept walking. Lyn huffed before turning back to me staring me in the eye. "How could you just let her talk to you like that? Don't you have a spine?" Lyn demanded putting her hands on her hips.
"What is your major malfunction Lyn?"
"My malfunction?" She asked in disbelief pressing her finger in my chest. "I'm sorry, I wasn't the one who was about to kiss some skank he'd just met! I mean what was going through your head? You know what, don't answer that. It's obvious which head was thinking."
"What are you talking about?" I asked, raising my voice. "I was just apologizing because Professor Goodwitch asked me to."
"And you normally kiss girls as an apology? Because this is news to me!"
I blushed before snapping back at her. "That's not fair Lyn. She said she wanted to kiss and make up. It's not like I'm the kind to just kiss random women you know..."
"Somehow I find that hard to believe. What's so great about her anyway?"
"Why are you being like this Lyn? You've been on my back all day!"
"Because you moron, can't you see that I like you?!" She shouted, stomping her foot before realizing what she said, her cheeks becoming pink with chagrin.
"You tell him girl. I swear...men." A woman interjected, her crimson red hair flowing behind her as she passed. It was odd that she looked a bit like Traiko.
"Was that just Traiko's cousin? Why would she..."
"Don't change the subject." Lyn grumbled. "So now you know okay? I like you."
"Why?" I asked in disbelief.
"Seriously? That's the first thing you have to say?"
"I just don't understand why you'd like someone like me."
She frowned and shook her head. "You have no self confidence." She scolded as she turned away from me. "So? Do you like me too?" She asked as I began to feel the burning in my chest.
"Are you seriously using your semblance on me now?" I replied trying to resist the urge to just blurt out my thoughts.
"I want to know if you're telling me the truth. Considering you were about to be lip-locked with a perfect stranger I figured you owed me at least that much." She retorted, turning to look me in the eyes as the burning became even fiercer, fueling the compulsion.
"I..." I strained to say, gritting my teeth. I didn't want to say the truth, I was worried it would hurt her too much. She just stared at me, waiting for me to finish. Already my will was crumbling as her semblance raged out of control. "I don't know." I finally said taking a deep breath, the heat fading from me.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"I mean I don't know. I mean...we've only been friends for what...three days?"
"You've been friends with that succubus for only a few hours!"
"Her name's Yang."
"I don't care! I want to know why you were willing to kiss her but you can't even say whether you like me or not."
I bit my lip hard, trying to keep the dark thoughts from tumbling out before my lips parted again. "Because I think you're only saying you like me because you pity me."
Lyn swallowed, a look of pain flashing in her expression. "I see..." she whispered, the stubborn hostility she had just displayed fading away quickly. "Fine...I'll see you back in the room." She replied, turning away from me and walking towards our dorm.
"Lyn..." I called after her.
She didn't respond, just walked even faster away from me towards the dorm. I stood there, unsure of how to react or what to say. I knew that kissing Yang would have been a stupid mistake on my part. Hindsight is always 20/20. But right now, she was the farthest thing from my mind as I watched my teammate leave.
Lyn hurried down the hall, feeling stupid and foolish. She'd just blurted out her feelings like that and of course things had gone wrong. They always seemed to when her heart was involved. When would she ever learn that people just couldn't be trusted? Traiko opened one eye as she moved past him in the hallway, causing a soft grin to appear on his face. "You let it slip didn't you?" He asked, causing her to stop in her tracks.
"I don't know what you're talking about." She muttered back.
"Oh please...you think I can't tell? I knew you liked him from the very beginning. I'll admit, when your jealousy started showing I was surprised he hadn't caught on, but judging by your face I'd say you told him and it didn't end well."
"Yeah well...I kind of was on the spot."
"Yang was about to kiss him huh?"
Her eyes quickly flashed towards him. "How did you know that?"
He just chuckled. "Call it intuition. I mean come on, the writer of your life story has been building that tension between you two since this morning's chapter."
"What are you babbling on about?"
"I'm saying that you, him, everyone in this academy, heck everyone in the world can be read like a book. Let me guess, you told him you liked him because you made a huge deal about interrupting his kiss with Yang. Good call by the way, that'd be a terrible first kiss. Seriously, I don't think he'd be able to handle that sort of stress right now. Then, despite the fact he was clearly hesitant about saying something, you pressed him to find out if he liked you back. And see, you could have handled if he had said 'no'. Being rejected didn't worry you. He said that he didn't know and because you used your power you know it's true. Worse, due to his lack of self-confidence, he accused you of liking him out of pity. Did I forget anything?"
Lyn bit her lip nervously before standing beside the large man, unable to keep from looking down at her shoes. "Please Traiko...tell me what to do. You obviously know a lot more about him than I do."
He grinned at her and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "Well for starters...it is way too early in the series for you to make your confession. But you already have done that so we'll have to be a bit more cunning about this. Now think about it like a TV drama. What will happen next?" Lyn looked at him, trying to figure out where he was going. Her confused look caused Traiko to sigh. "It's obvious! He may not like you, but that doesn't me he doesn't see you as a friend. He's coming after you right now most likely to try to apologize, but his apology will be empty like his head because he doesn't know that he hasn't done anything wrong. But you're upset so he puts that blame on himself. That's part of what makes him a good leader is that he's willing to shoulder everyone else's problems and take it on himself. If you really want to win him over, the answer is simple. Don't go after him, let him come after you. Come on, that's like the first play in the woman book."
"You think you're so smart don't you?" Lyn grumbled causing him to chuckle.
"Listen Lyn, you're a sweet girl. And would I be telling you this if I didn't think you had a shot? You two are being shipped by the fates that be and you can't even see it. Calyx has never had a friend before. You are his first real friend that he's had ever. Don't you think that means something to him? It's not like he's emotionless you know."
"How do you know all this?"
"It's simple. I just know the elements of a good story."
"But this isn't a story Traiko! This is real life!"
"And real life is nothing more than the life story of a bunch of different people Lyn. Don't be such a Debbie Downer. People like you more for your cheerfulness anyway. Oh, speaking of that..I predict that there will be a very touchy-feely scene here in 3...2..."He held up his fingers, counting down before jerking his thumb down the hall.
Sure enough, I had just rounded the corner. "Lyn! Please wait." She stared at Traiko flabbergasted as he just smirked.
"I'll give you two some privacy." He chuckled, leaving the hall way to have us both standing there.
"Lyn, please don't be upset with me. I'm sorry..." I began, but she just reached upward and placed a finger to my lips shaking her head.
"No. You don't need to be sorry." She whispered softly causing me to look at her puzzled. She just smiled at me, the pain and hurt that had once been there having faded away.
"But..."I began but she shushed me again. Her beautiful eyes looked into mine, the brown disks shimmering like copper.
"Is it true that you've never kissed a girl?" She asked curiously, causing my cheeks to burn in embarrassment from her question. She just giggled, the cheerfulness that she seemed to always display returning to her. "Interesting." She commented, not needing a response to get her answer. She pulled her fingers from my lips before turning as if she were to go back inside, but after contemplating it for a moment she turned and placed a quick peck on my lips causing my eyes to open wide and my tail to fluff up in surprise. She smiled at me another giggle escaping her lips. "There." She whispered. "Now come on Leader, I believe you promised Baku and I that you would put up a divider between our beds."
Unsure of how to react I just nodded to her, following the gossamer trail from her cloak into the room. As I sat down at my workbench I just looked down at my tools, her kiss having stunned me to stupefaction. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Traiko smirk from the corner of the room before lifting the book he was reading back up to his face. I couldn't believe it, her lips were so soft and gentle. I could still feel my heart pounding in my chest.
It was then that Bakulah stepped into the room, glancing around at the three of us. With me staring off into space, Lyn humming cheerfully to herself, and Traiko simply reading his book she just blinked. "Okay...what did I miss?" She asked.
"Lyn was Calyx's first kiss." Traiko called out from behind the book, causing both Lyn and I to turn to look at him, astonished.
"Traiko!"
Bakulah frowned as she glared at me. "I knew it! You are a pervert after my sister. Yeah well, you may be our leader, but I'll be damned if you try to pull me into your personal harem."
"It's not that kind of anime." Traiko said from the corner of the room. "Besides, Lyn kissed him. He's stunned because he wasn't expecting it. C'mon Bakulah, at least try to keep up with the subplot. You're lagging behind. People will start wondering if we forgot you existed half the time."
Licking his finger, he turned another page, the room falling silent before Lyn just started giggling before breaking into laughter. I had to admit her attitude was contagious as I to began to chuckle. "What is so funny?" She asked, only causing us to laugh even harder. As our first day of classes came to a close I began to wonder just what would be in store for the next chapter of my life.
To be continued...
