Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any other things please don't sue me.
"Your lost friends are not dead, but gone before, advanced a stage or two upon that road which you must travel in the steps they trod" -Aristophanes
A RWBY universe story
The 8th squad
Side mission: Losses
By
P "Doomtrooper83" T
Cyan Carrigan stood just across the street from her estranged mother's apartment, she had been by their several times in the past hour. Still trying to work herself up to walk up to the door in her full military dress uniform and knock on the door. Every time she thought she was ready, memories of the fight they had had a year ago ran into her mind causing her to stop. The rain had just started to come down that evening. She quickly pulled a umbrella from under her issued long bluish gray uniform jacket, the pattering of it on her umbrella only made standing their feel more unsettling.
For Cyan wanting to make up with her only family came after Aero's death, they all felt the crushing blow at the loss of their friend and squad mate. The funeral only made it hit harder for Cyan, seeing that Aero's had like herself estranged family that knew nothing of the life they lead. Cyan did not want that to happen to her mother, in her mind she kept replaying the argument they had over a year ago. The sudden rejection from the Schnee Company followed by the secret that she was Mr Schnee's bastard child.
The yelling and screaming they had done at each other, the lies her mom heaped upon her for all those years. The money, the easy life they had while others had it worse off, all of it for one purpose to keep her hidden away. Cyan's hand gripped the umbrellas handle as she looked at the ground taking a deep breath in pushing the memories away.
"J…just get up there and get it done," Cyan whispered to herself as she started to take a step forward only to be stopped by a sudden voice.
"Excuse me, are you Cyan Carrigan?" Cyan turned to the voice seeing a woman flanked by a pair of a Atlesian knight two hundreds. One of the bots holding an umbrella over the woman's head keeping the rain off of her snow white hair. Cyan could tell she was just a bit older than herself, tall with a set of light blue eyes, her hair was tied back in a bun with her bangs just over the right side of her face. Cyan stiffened a bit as she saw the woman was in a uniform as well, that looked like a modified Atlas uniform.
"Yes, yes I am..can I help you with something?" Cyan responded feeling her shoulders getting a bit tense as she watched the woman come forward just a bit. The woman seemed to sense the sudden tension stopping short her face softening a bit,
"I don't mean you any harm. My name is Winter Schnee," Winter said as Cyan's face grew red with anger gripping her umbrella handle tighter.
"I see…here to drop off more money to my mother I take it, sorry I am not the beggar type," Cyan said turning sharply around starting to walk away.
"No wait please, I am not here for that,I just want to talk to you. I didn't know about you until this year please," Winter said as she followed behind Cyan. Cyan stopped suddenly at the remark taking a deep breath in turning to face her,
"Look I appreciate you reaching out to me, but I have wanted nothing to do with your family. Also professionally it would be conflict of interest where soldiers… in two different armies," Cyan said as she looked at a crest fallen Winter.
"T..that is true but, I see you as family you're not the one to blame for my father's indiscretions. I just wanted to see you," she said giving Cyan a nod starting to turn away herself. Cyan bit her bottom lip watching Winter starting to pull away remembering what she came here for. She wanted someone to know what she was doing, and just could not quiet face her mother just yet. Looking at the back side of her half-sister Cyan pushed aside
"You're not to blame for my mother's either, but..now is not the time for this. It might be someday," Cyan blurted out suddenly causing Winter to stop suddenly.
"I, I see. Until that day then, you will know where to find me," Winter said without turning around as she continued down the street. Letting out a sigh Cyan turned back to her mother's house surprised to see her mother Cerise Carrigan standing in the door way. They just looked at each other across the rainy street for a moment before Cyan turned away walking down the street,
"No…not today…" Cyan said softly to herself as she just focused on the sounds of the rain hitting the ground around her as she walked.
It had taken two hours of off again on again crying and a half bottle of wine for Indigo White to finally calm down after the funeral. She was happy to shed her uniform for once changing into some simple work clothes still half drunk, not caring what she looked like. She just wondered outside of her family's farm and laid down in the large hammock ignoring the wet braids after the sudden rainstorm. Feeling the gentle evening wind rocking the hammock she just closed her eyes gray eyes putting her arm over them feeling another bout of tears on the way.
Indigo was on the verge when her pointed white wolf ears ear's flicked up hearing the shuffle of feet approaching her. Opening one eye she slowly turned in the hammock seeing that it was her girlfriend Cerise Morrgan slowly walking towards her.
Cerise was a plane looking woman, just a little taller than herself with soft purplish looking hair and dazzling green eyes. Indigo felt lucky that they had met at the Cross continental transmit system by accident two years ago, then things just took off for the both of them. In Indigo's eyes she was the loveliest thing in the world as she came up next to her, reaching down to gently stroke her head.
"Room in their for one more..I know you wanted some time alone. I was just worried about you," Cerise said as Indigo gave a slight nod as Cerise slid in next to her. Indigo wrapped her arms around her and gently pressed her face into her chest,
"I did not mean to make you worry..I..just going to miss him.." Indigo said feeling tears starting to well up again only to have them calmed by Cerise's touch.
"I..I know hun..I'm here for you alright anything you need," Cerise said as they looked into each other's eyes. Indigo gripped her tightly for a moment taking in a deep breath,
"Marry me…before I got out on the next deployment," Cerise blinked for a few moments her face turning red.
"Y..your drunk…aren't you?" She said with a smile giving Indigo a quick kiss.
"A little but question still stands love," Indigo smirked caressing Cerise's cheek as the woman's blush just deepened. The weight of the situation finally dawning on her as Cerise began to tear up kissing Indigo back, saying with a soft whisper
"Yes,"
Vermillion Kase saw the last patient out of his father's clinic locking the door as they left he rubbed his tired eyes. They had all been given leave after the last operation but after the funeral of their friend Vermillion could not seem to keep still at his house.
He decided to take that nervous energy coupled with grief and do what he had always done, help the sick. He spend long hours at his father's practice helping him from the common cold to some minor surgeries. Still at the end of the day the thoughts kept coming back to him, he was in the streets of Pleak his friend Aero bleeding on the cobblestone street. He could not save him.
Every time the thoughts came on him Vermillion just sat down on in a chair, the doctor side of his brain kicking in telling himself that he had done all he could have. Only to have it counter acted by thinking he had not done enough, had he only run faster, admitted a different medication just done more. Vermillion slammed his fist on the table scattering some papers on the ground as he leaned over, rubbing a few errant tears streaming down his face.
"It's different when it's a friend son," Vermillion looked up to see his father Ashmore Kase standing in the doorway slowly hanging up his white lab coat. Vermillion leaned back as his father walked over pulling up a chair next to him, setting his heavy frame groaning softly. Vermillion knew that his ageing father was starting to hurt more in his later years from working at the clinic. He could see in his father's dark skinned face new worry lines each year forming, yet despite this his dark brown eyes was just as vigorous as ever.
"It…it is dad," Was all Vermillion could say in response as he father studied him for a moment rubbing a hand over his short graying hair.
"I know what you're thinking, I have thought it before what if I did this, what if I did that. Sometimes son, you just can't save them all no matter how hard you try." Ashmore said seeing that Vermillion was going to speak and held up a hand.
"I can't tell you it will be alright, I can tell you this. I know you and you did everything that you could do, you saved others that day. So did your friend son," Ashmore said as he gave his son a soft pat on the shoulder.
"I know, but I"ll still carry it around for the rest of my life," Vermillion said as his father gently hugged him close.
Lu Xiong had finished reading the Four maidens to his sleepy kids, gently tucking them in before slipping out of their room leaving the door slightly ajar. Lu sat the book down on the kitchen table before slipping outside into the cold night, sitting down on the edge of the front porch letting his feet sink into the grass as he looked up at the shattered moon.
"Sweetheart are you alright?" It was Aqua his wife joining him suddenly in the cool fall air as Lu swallowed down a lump rising in his throat.
"No..no hun..I'm not.." Lu calmly said feeling the tears starting to come back, suddenly feeling the warm embrace of his wife around him. She just held him close as he gripped the side of the wood porch hanging his head letting his grief out.
After a few moments he composed himself still feeling his wife hugging him from behind, as he wiped the tears from his eyes. Lu wiped his eyes as his wife slowly came around to his side the slender woman leaning against the big framed man, letting her soft straight blue tinged hair drape across his arm.
"I..I have one year left on my enlistment, then I am coming home," Lu said as he looked back up to the sky his hand holding hers.
"Ok..ok.." Aqua said as she just held his hand and pressed closer to him.
Cobalt Bale was busily scrubbing crusted pans in the back of his family's bakery, not minding the scaling hot water as he worked. Cobalt busied himself at his parents bakery on the time off he was given, he had worked their almost every day until closing. He just wanted to keep his mind busy after the funeral trying not to let dark thoughts creep into his mind.
He felt his scroll buzzing in his back pocket as he lifted his soapy hands checking to see who was calling. It was Kuro Applegate, the huntress he had met during the fight at the temple of the scattered legend, afterword's they had started to date. While they had enjoyed each other's company their perspective careers kept both of them from fully being together. His finger hovered over the accept button for a few moments, only to have the scroll stop.
The message icon beeped a moment later and Cobalt slowly pushed the play button,
"Cobalt..hey its me. I just heard about Aero, I..I'm here for you just give me a call back when you're ready to talk."
Cobalt stuffed the scroll into his pocket rubbing his eyes for a moment shaking his head as tears stared to slowly go down his face.
"When have I ever been able to talk about the people I have lost…" Cobalt said in between rubbing his eyes as a bout of dizziness hit him. He stumbled to the side for a moment gripping the sink only to stumble down sending a pan banging to the ground as he landed. Blinking through hazy vision he could see someone crouched down over him the only thing he could see where a set of piercing red eyes.
"You should start to," It was that female voice again that just seemed to cut through the ringing in his ears. Cobalt grimaced as his head swam for a moment longer his vision coming back into focus the ringing going away just as suddenly.
"Hey, hey are you all right?" It was a young girl no more than fifteen standing above him now with a pair of silver eyes, and dark black hair. Cobalt slowly started to sit back up as the young girl backed a way, she was dressed in an elaborate red and black dress with a long red cape flowing behind her. Cobalt reached up for the sink top getting up slowly the young girl helping him.
"I..I"m fine..h..hey how did you get in here..where closed," Cobalt managed to say as he stood up still leaning on the counter top.
"Well I uhh…s..saw the lights where still on up front and the door was unlocked. T..then I heard a crash back here and when no one came out," The young girl said as Cobalt dusted himself off.
"I thanks, just got a little dizzy all of a sudden. You a beacon academy student?" He said as he glanced seeing one of the academy's backpacks on her shoulder.
"I umm..yes my team is studying late tonight, and a good leader doesn't let her team go hungry on a cram session," She said with a nervous laugh as Cobalt regarded her.
"It's a mark of a good leader looking after those under your command, if you don't mind waiting just a bit I can fire you up some good stuff," Cobalt said with a slight smile as the young girl nodded. Cobalt quickly made up a few loafs of bread bringing it out to her wrapping it up in sheets of wax paper. He saw the young girl starting to pull out some lien and put up a hand.
"No charge," Cobalt said as the girls eyes lit up as she began to stuff the bread into her backpack excitedly.
"Wow really! Thank you.I umm..when I found you..you were crying are..are you sure you're ok?" She asked as Cobalt took in a deep breath.
"I'm a Vale solider you..you lose people sometimes and the one I lost was a friend, a good one. It's not the first time but, it hurts none the less," He said as he slowly walked to the bakery entrance with her just a few feet behind him.
"I'm sorry to hear that, I know what it's like to lose someone. You shouldn't..bottle it up inside it will get to you if you do that sort of thing." She said softly as she slowly went through the door turning around suddenly looking up at Cobalt.
"I uhh..t..thanks for the advice," Cobalt was the only thing he could say as she walked out the door turning around towards him standing up tall.
"One last thing you're a Vale solider right?" She said as Cobalt gave a soft nod as the young girl suddenly saluted saying,
"Thank you for what you do," She said with a smile surprising him with the sudden action.
Cobalt felt awkward every time someone told him that never quite sure how to respond. He did not know how to explain to the young girl that he just needed to risk his life so that others could keep living theirs. He never sought any praise or recognition for it, he just felt that it had to be done. Most people would not be able to understand that concept but, Cobalt knew that this young girl would soon be a huntress someday. So maybe she did understand what drove people into this type of life, at least he hoped she did. Cobalt smiled as he returned the salute,
"Thanks for what you're going to do in the future. If Goodwitch finds you after curfew you're going to get an earful," Cobalt said as the young girl blushed a bit looking a bit awkward as she dropped the salute fiddling with her hands.
"Your right thanks again!" She said as she disappeared in a flash down the street leaving behind a trail of rose petals in her wake. Cobalt slowly closed the door fishing his scroll out of his pocket looking down at Kuro's number on the screen, hitting the redial button. After a few short rings she suddenly picked up,
"Hey, I um..ready to talk," Cobalt said as he leaned against the counter as he began to talk.
Ending theme
"Bird of death"
Nisemonogatari OST
About doomtrooper28: The author's first foray into the world of fan fiction/OC fiction. He spent seven years in the Texas State Guard as a 38B civil affairs specialists before leaving in 2014. Is an active outdoorsman and tactical shooter.
The 8th squad will return in their next adventure
"The Fall Maiden's Weapon"