A/N: Look how big this story has gotten! That's amazing! Thanks for sticking with this story. It's actually been a lot of fun to write, and I hope it has been just as enjoyable to read. I do get excited to read every review I get. It's an absolute blast and this is the most I've ever been itching to write! Alright, onwards.


Chapter 9: Always…an Outsider

A knock sounded at the door, drawing both Henryk's and Ozpin's attention. The Headmaster returned his gaze to the Hunter, who conceded by raising his shackled wrists. He wasn't going to force a fight if it wasn't necessary. The odds were less than favorable as well. He could sense how strong Ozpin is, surpassing even that of the Bloody Crow of Cainhurst, who perhaps was the most powerful Hunter he has ever had to face. At least Henryk got to say that he avenged Eileen. That old Hunter of Hunters said she took enough blood to save herself, but Henryk knew the truth. He could only hope she found a peaceful place to pass.

Ozpin was wary of turning his back to Henryk, but decided the Hunter was complacent enough to allow him to leave. The Headmaster knocked on the metal door, the clang resonating in the confined chamber before mechanisms clicked in place and opened. He turned his head back to Henryk one last time, who to his surprise returned to where he was previously seated. Ozpin left the room with the door closing behind him, locking once again before he was met by Glynda, who was accompanied by Leo. The sight of a woman in a suit of armor was enough to turn heads, but seeing this one in particular, who was at death's door the previous day, was all the more surprising.

"Impossible," Ozpin said with a frown, dumbfounded how she could have recovered so soon. He looked to Glynda for an explanation, who gave him a look that said she would explain to him later.

"I thought the same thing," Goodwitch acknowledged, but took a slight step to the side to allow Leo to step forward. "In any case, she wants to speak with Henryk, so I brought her here. Of course, the decision still falls upon you, Headmaster."

Ozpin nodded slowly as his gaze shifted to the woman who now stood before him appearing as a knight. "Is that so? Well, I am certainly glad to see that you have recovered and I congratulate you for it, but you will have to understand that I cannot simply allow you to talk to him alone. As it stands right now, he is a criminal, a fortunate one I might add, for the news of his crime has not spread far yet. As long as it stays that way, Henryk is in my custody, which is likely to be far more preferable than if the military were to catch wind of this."

"I understand, Headmaster. I have no right to make such a demand, but please allow me to speak to him." Leo spoke with such conviction that Ozpin was not expecting. Despite what she said, her tone might as well have made it a demand in it of itself. The Headmaster was actually impressed by her boldness. It hasn't been long since they met, but she seemed to be always somewhat unsure of herself and her place. Yet now she confidently stood before him, acknowledging his position in the academy, yet acted as an equal. There was no reason for him to grant her request, yet her demeanor was enthralling enough to make him consider it. "I have no problem if you want to be in the room as well. In fact, I would prefer it that way," Leo added.

Ozpin simply smiled, finally giving in. He supposed there could be no harm from this, and in hindsight, he should fulfill the request of the one who put herself in between his students and the man who threatened them. "Alright, you convinced me, Leo." The Headmaster turned his body as he stepped aside, gesturing for her to take the lead.

The warrior nodded her gratitude before unlocking the metal door and opening it, revealing the Hunter sitting within. Henryk looked up from the floor, eyes widening upon seeing the woman he swore he killed. Was his mind playing tricks on him? Did he finally succumb to madness? The Hunter stood up, unmoving from his place. "Leo? Is that really you?"

She nodded as she slowly approached the Hunter. "Of course it's really me. I told you that I am strong." Leo gave Henryk a reassuring smile before reeling a fist back and punching him in the stomach, the steel of her gauntlets making it hurt that much more. The Hunter keeled over, but Leo held onto him to prevent him from falling as he groaned in pain—shocking both Ozpin and Glynda, who remained by the chamber's entrance. "I promised to myself that I would do that if I saw you again. No hard feelings, yeah?"

Henryk knew he deserved that. In fact, he was getting off lightly if that's all she was going to do. The Hunter regained his composure as he straightened himself, looking into the eye's of the woman who brought him back from the brink of insanity. He never felt such joy to see someone alive before, but that wasn't saying much considering the circumstances in Yharnam. He was about to ask how she managed to survive, but recalled how she healed herself in their first fight. To think that her miracles were that potent to even recover from that state. "It is…good to see you." He thought back to the image of her with blood running down from the corners of her lips that was burned into his mind. Henryk felt his throat tighten as he hung his head in shame.

A smile crept up on Leo, who eyed him peculiarly after he said those words. For some odd reason, she found hearing the hesitance in his voice as he uttered them charming. However, the smile just as quickly disappeared upon seeing Henryk look down at the floor. She recognized that look. She could guess what he was thinking. Leo gently cupped her hands around his face, just as before. She picked up his head to face her, and before him, he saw her smiling face once again. Unlike before, it was not one of pain, but reassurance. "How can I leave you? I have a promise to keep."

Henryk held a hand over hers, almost endearingly. He opened his mouth to say something, but it instead turned into a sigh. He lightly gripped her hand and pulled it away from his face, Leo allowing her other hand to drop as well. "Leo, I have to ask that you break your promise. I thought I killed you. I…do not want that to ever come true." The Hunter wondered where those words came from. He never would have imagined that he would say something like that, yet here he was. Henryk rationalized it as his beast-hunter nature—he would not kill anyone who kept their humanity.

"I won't break my promise. And I also promise that it won't ever come true. Who else but me could have done what I did?" Leo said confidently. From the surprise she has gotten from her being able to close her wounds so quickly, it was safe to assume that similar abilities were exceedingly rare now. Furthermore, if someone else had to stop Henryk, how many would be able to stop him without outright killing him? It had to be her.

"How many more times, Leo? How many more times can you keep bringing me back to sanity before…" Henryk trailed off, but they all knew what he was saying. Ozpin and Glynda watched them in silence, beginning to feel sympathetic for the Hunter. Perhaps he was telling the truth after all. Even so, the Headmaster would not change his stance. The safety of his students in the academy were of the utmost priority. If Henryk had to kill just to stay himself, then he would have no choice but to eliminate him. For what were the alternatives?

"It doesn't have to come to that," Leo shook her head before turning to Ozpin. "Headmaster, I have one more request. Please overlook this incident and let Henryk go." Ozpin frowned at her, and even Henryk was surprised to hear what she was saying. Glynda only listened intently, as she was curious as to what the warrior had to say.

"You expect me to let Henryk go freely?" Ozpin asked calmly. Even as kind as Leo is, it was still strange to think that she would want to completely forgive him for what had happened.

"Well, not quite," Leo began. "He would be under my care."

Henryk stared at the woman. "What?"

The Headmaster rose a brow as he leaned against his cane. "Explain."

"Henryk, you need blood to keep yourself sane, right?" Leo asked him for confirmation, who nodded in return. "I can provide it to you," she said, placing a hand over her breastplate.

"Leo…" Henryk didn't want to have to make her do this. He felt pangs of guilt that he normally never would have over what would be a simple blood transfusion. The Hunter wanted to think nothing of it, but the beasthood within him lusted after her sweet blood. He wanted this.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You realize what you're trying to do, don't you?" Glynda asked in a concerned manner. She didn't see a better alternative, but for Leo to do this was inhuman. The warrior only nodded her head with sunset hues that only showed resolve in her decision.

Ozpin hummed as he contemplated this. There truly didn't seem to be a better alternative that didn't involve outright killing Henryk, which was less than preferable if he could avoid doing so. It seemed that Henryk managed to get this far because he once hunted these so called beasts regularly, which the Headmaster can assume gave him a steady supply of the blood he needs. If only Grimm could bleed. "Very well, Leo. I will be leaving Henryk in your care while I try to clean up after this mess. Though, I do concede that you have made my job immensely easier by having already recovered. There's less explaining to do now," Ozpin almost smirked. "Henryk is not to leave your sight, understand?"

"I understand."


Ozpin and Glynda had returned to his office, with the Headmaster resuming his work at his desk. He was quite thankful to Leo for everything she had done. From protecting his students to keeping a promise to a volatile man—one in which continues to protect the rest of the academy. Ozpin didn't quite know the details of this supposed promise, but he could guess from context. While he had already discovered her kind nature through their talk by the cliffs, this truly cements that Leo wants nothing more than to help. Such a person is few and far between these days. He looked up at his longtime coworker and friend, Glynda, who had been uncharacteristically silent since they left Henryk to Leo. The Headmaster looked at her peculiarly. It was obvious she was concerned, but seeing her like this for someone relatively new was quite rare. That feeling was usually reserved to her students and friends. "You have been awfully quiet, Glynda. It's usually in these moments you begin chastising me for my decisions," Ozpin joked.

Glynda looked at Ozpin and opened her mouth to say something before simply shaking her head, crossing her arms. "I don't necessarily think this was a bad idea. What other choice was there? We can't just kick Henryk out and make him someone else's problem—people would get hurt. Nor are we executioners, so this was the best we could do." The blond woman sighed heavily as she began pacing.

"But…" Ozpin began, indicating for her to continue. He took a sip out of his mug, admittedly curious to see Glynda like this.

Goodwitch stopped abruptly as she turned to face the Headmaster once more. "But I still don't like it," she huffed. "I mean, I know Leo said that she wants to do this, but—"

"It doesn't sit right with you, does it?" Ozpin thought seeing Glynda so hung up on this rather amusing. While she usually devoted that energy to scolding a student or the Headmaster himself, to instead worry about another in this manner was unusual.

"How could it?! Leo is acting as a walking blood-bag!" Goodwitch exclaimed exasperatedly.

"I know, Glynda, I know. I am not exactly happy with the outcome myself, but this is something she offered to do herself. Unless an alternative presents itself, all we can do is remain grateful and help her when she needs it." Ozpin reassured the woman, who couldn't seem to put the thought to rest.

She sighed once again. "I know."

"You've taken quite the liking to her, haven't you?" Ozpin suggested, only half-jokingly. Glynda only averted her eyes without saying a word.


Henryk walked beside Leo as they made their way through Beacon's halls. Somehow he was able to leave his cell without any trouble. Well, not somehow. He knew how. His crimson eyes fell upon the woman beside him, her armor making a subtle clunk with each step. Henryk was not always a trusting man. In fact, he was more skeptical than most, especially after waking up in Iosefka's Clinic with nothing but the Hunt awaiting him. He was forced into an unforgiving world with no memory from before being administered blood, said to cure all maladies. Perhaps he was sick, coming from afar to that clinic.

In any case, he stepped into the cobblestone streets of Yharnam and began his job as a Hunter, indiscriminately slaying all the afflicted who patrolled the fallen city. At times, he would let go of his cynicism and attempt to talk those who remained in their homes for any information whatsoever, or to help should they need it. Instead, he was met with hostility, the Yharnamites throwing insults his way for being a foreigner, with the exception of Gilbert, who was an outsider as well. Perhaps there was a sense of camaraderie between them for that. Still, Henryk didn't allow himself to get close. He knew Gilbert was sick. He tried to erase all of his feelings and think of nothing except hunting beasts and discovering the truth behind it all. That way, it wouldn't hurt when he inevitably had to kill Gilbert after he turned beast.

However, he found that changing once he reached Odeon Chapel and the singular being that inhabited it. When Henryk first arrived, he was caught off guard by the inhuman appearance of the blind man in the corner. His immediate thought was to kill him, just as he did with all the other Yharnamites who turned on the night of the Hunt. When the strange looking man showed no hostility however, Henryk showed restraint and spoke to him. That was the first of many conversations between the Hunter and the Odeon Chapel Dweller, and Henryk learned to trust again, even if only a little. He brought others to the Chapel at the Dweller's request—some were even grateful to him. After all was said and done, the Dweller asked for them to be friends. Henryk wanted that.

Instead, Henryk found himself in a new age where all were skeptical of him once more. He was no fool. He could tell what people were thinking. If he wasn't capable of that much, he would never have been a successful Hunter. Yet, he found another who he could actually trust. Henryk figured he must have been staring for awhile when Leo looked over at him and rose a brow. "Like what you see?" She joked, snapping him back to reality.

"I just realized I never thanked you." Henryk stopped, causing her to do so as well. "How can I—" Leo cut him off by placing a single finger over his lips.

"Enough of that. I have a promise to keep. Let me do this for you. We're friends now, are we not?" Leo lowered her hand back to her side, offering an affectionate smile.

Friends, huh? Henryk never quite had the chance to truly connect with anyone before. Perhaps now was finally that time. "Of course," Henryk smiled in return, with a strange feeling rising in his chest.

Leo seemed to pause, before turning around and continuing to walk back to her room. "Good."

There was some silence between them as they walked through the empty halls of Beacon at night before the Hunter spoke once more. "That person you loved. Can you tell me about that person?" At this point, they were only steps away from their respective rooms, which were only right next to each other. Leo leaned her shoulder into the wall as she faced the Hunter. In a rare moment, he was incapable of figuring out what she was thinking. Her face remained neutral as she only stared distantly, just like she did after their first fight. "If it is too much trouble—"

"No," she said quietly before the smallest smile crept on her face. "I was just reminiscing…I miss her." Leo sighed softly. "She was no warrior like me—quite the dainty woman," she chuckled. "She had long, beautiful golden hair. She wore a mask over her eyes because they were taken from her long ago." The woman paused before looking down as she crossed her arms. "I know how that sounds, but the eyes…"

"They allow her to see too much. Things that no one should ever see." Henryk nodded his understanding. Many seekers of the eldritch truth were much the same.

"Yeah…" Leo uncrossed her arms as her gaze returned to the Hunter. "Her whole life was dedicated to this duty—to tend to the Flame. I would not have blamed her if she chose to abandon it all. That was no way for a person to live. I was actually angry at her upon my first few visits to the Shrine, but she was patient and forgave me nonetheless."

"What was her name?"

"She didn't have one. Isn't that cruel?" The woman let out a low, bitter laugh.

When one had nothing but a duty to fulfill, names became irrelevant. Henryk knew that. His name wasn't even truly his own. "What did you call her, if she had no name?"

"She was a Fire Keeper. Calling her that was enough, apparently."

Henryk frowned slightly. Fire Keeper? Why did that sound familiar?

"And you, Henryk?" Leo asked curiously. "You have me talking about myself a lot. It is about time you share your part."

"What about me?" Henryk rose a brow.

"Was there anyone you loved?"

"No." The answer was curt, but the single word was enough to tell Leo a lot about the man before her and the time he lived in. She already knew the world he had to face was a cruel one that forced him to fight endlessly, much like her own. However, to so quickly answer like that indicated Henryk never allowed himself to be close to anyone, whether it was purposeful alienation on his part, or others alienating him. Leo once had a similar mindset before she met Siegward.

"Is there anyone you miss?"

There was a slight change in Henryk's expression. The frown disappeared and his notoriously sharp eyes softened. "Yes. I respected few, but there are even fewer I still think about. Likewise, they lacked any true names. One who was always there, waiting for me every time I woke, much like your Fire Keeper. And another, who I would have liked to become friends with."

Leo gave a sympathetic smile. That was enough for her. The strongest part of humanity was the ability to think of others before oneself. That is what separates them from self-serving monsters. "Never forget them, Henryk." The woman turned to her door, placing a hand on the doorknob before turning her head to the Hunter one last time. "When you need blood, Henryk…come to me. My door is always unlocked." The warrior disappeared into her room, closing the door behind her.

Henryk smirked at how suggestive that sounded before turning to his own door as well. Once inside his room, he found Maria already standing in the center, waiting for him with her arms behind her back. "To have your own personal blood-bag—one with such exquisite blood at that. The nobles at Cainhurst would have been jealous."

Henryk glared at the Old Hunter. "That is not what she is."

"Then what is she to you?" Maria asked, her eyes following him as he moved to the single table in the room that had the Chikage resting on it.

Henryk placed his palms against the table, staring at the weapon that was capable of expelling the bad blood within and replacing it with the elegance of a blade. "She is a friend."

"Is that so?" Maria said plainly.

"Where does your loyalty stand, Maria?" Henryk turned his head, a single crimson eye peering over his shoulder as the moonlight reflected against it.

"My loyalty? I care for none other than you, Henryk. I am a part of you now, after all." Maria walked over to the table as well, looking at the sheathed sword in disgust. She was well aware of the nature of the weapon and how it feeds of the life of its user.

Henryk scoffed. "You care, do you? You, who told me to stand up for Leo's sake only to refer to the woman who saved me as a blood-bag."

"I care only for you, Henryk. That is what it took to give you the spirit to move forward. Though that woman managed to survive, so it amounted to nothing after all." Maria shrugged, turning around so she wouldn't have to look at the cursed weapon from where her lineage originated.

"I would not say so." Henryk looked up from the table, turning his head to Maria with the slightest smile.

The Old Hunter was surprised to see the expression. "No?"

"No. I truly have something worthwhile to fight for now—my own purpose."

Maria's face became blank once again as she studied the Hunter before her. "I see."


A/N: This chapter's title is part of a quote from H.P. Lovecraft's short story, The Outsider, "I know always that I am an outsider; a stranger in this century and among those who are still men." I strongly recommend reading it. I believe that The Outsider is perhaps Lovecraft's greatest work, even outshining his most iconic, The Call of Cthulhu. Not only that, but it will truly give you a glimpse into how Lovecraftian horror inspired Bloodborne.

I forgot to mention that Chapter 7's title is a quote from Shakespeare's, The Tempest.

As always, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Until next time.