Chapter 11-

When it Rains

Yang hated hospitals.

The smell of bleach and other kinds of disinfectants always drove her crazy. All the different fluorescent tubes and trollies filled to the brim with sharp pointy objects made her feel like she was to be the next subject of some kind of science experiment. Not to mention the fact that you were always confined inside a small room, she was a free spirit at heart and never did like staying still for too long.

Beacon's infirmary wasn't exactly a hospital, but it was pretty damn close.

With a loud sigh, she tossed her scroll back onto the side of her sheets and leaned back against her pillow cushion. Tossing a quick glance towards her only other companion inside this medical cage of confinement, she could see Blake's face glued to the pages of another book. A stack of similar colored novels lined the table counter beside her partner's bed.

"You're actually enjoying this, aren't you Blake?"

The only immediate response was the sound of a page being flipped. Eventually, the black-haired Faunus shrugged; her Amber colored iris's never straying from the pages of her book.

"It's quiet," Blake finally replied, "And I finally have time to catch up on my reading."

Most people wouldn't have noticed, because of her gloomy demeanor, but Yang had been around Blake long enough to tell that she was in a good mood. And it wasn't because they were currently stuck in the infirmary with nothing to do. Blake had always had free time to read, but she had been so obsessed with the White Fang as of late that whatever free time she did have was always spent on said group.

Or perhaps, it was spent worrying about a specific individual.

She would probably never know for sure, since Blake was not someone that enjoyed talking about her past. They knew some details of their teammate; that she had been involved in the White Fang and had been rather close with Adam Taurus at one point in her life, but nothing really concrete.

The thought of the red-haired Faunus immediately caused an uncomfortable feeling to well up inside of her stomach. It was an unfamiliar feeling for her, one that she had probably not felt since she had been a child. She glanced down at her sheets and found that her hands had unknowingly tightened up and had dug into her bedsheets with a vice-like grip.

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to relax.

How long had it been since she had felt so utterly powerless? Since she had felt so… Weak? Memories of a time long ago began to resurface into the front of her mind, of two little girls, a small wagon, and the dark woods in the outskirts of Patch. She had been too young back then, too weak to protect Ruby, to stop mom from leaving.

She gritted her teeth.

In the end, even after all these years, in the face of real danger, was she still just that powerless little girl from back then? The thought made her angry, and she could feel her temper begin to flare. Dad had always told her to watch her temper and to keep it in check, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

"Yang…? Are you alright?"

She blinked.

Blake stared at her, and while her face might have seemed impassive, Yang could see the worry in her partner's eyes. The novel lay forgotten at the side of her bed. Yang forced a smile onto her face.

"Who me?" She waved off, "Pfft yeah, I'm fine, just really bored."

Blake frowned, before reluctantly reaching for her book once more.

"… You can talk to me about it," Blake eventually began, her face hidden from view behind the covers of the novel in her hands, "We're partners, right?"

Yang couldn't help but feel the fake smile on her face begin to morph into a genuine one.

"Yeah, we are," She wholeheartedly agreed, "I'm good though, really."

Yang was… Happy to hear that her partner was there for her, it wasn't lost on her that they had this exact conversation a week earlier, only this time, the roles were reversed. But, Blake had enough of her own problems to deal with; she didn't need to add her own issues into the mix. It was her job to make sure everyone was doing alright anyway, and despite the fact that none of them besides Ruby were related to her, Yang considered everybody in her team to be her family.

She'd shoulder her own burdens and everybody else's too.

After all, she was the big sister.

Their room was a lot quieter than usual. Though, that was to be expected, since half of their team was still in the infirmary and were probably stuck there for another day or two. Darkness covered one-half of the room, while a single nightlight atop her drawer acted as the only source of light for the other half of their small dormitory.

Ruby swiped through another news article on her scroll.

WHITE FANG ATTACK ON VALE THAWRTED BY BEACON ACADEMY STUDENTS

She took a brief glance at the contents of the article, skimming through it, before she swiped through to the next one. Similar headlines that involved the White Fang's attack in one way or another filled her scroll's screen as she lazily skimmed through the different pieces. It had only been a day since they had returned to the academy, and word of the attack had already gotten out to most of the major news stations.

Her team had been accredited as the main ones responsible for stopping the attack, with a couple of mentions of Professor Oobleck along with General Ironwood's troops here and there. Words of praise like "young heroes" or "gifted huntresses-in-training" for her team were littered throughout the many articles that she had skimmed through. But, no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't find a single article that even mentioned her blue-haired friend.

"Hey Weiss," She began, tossing her scroll to the side, "How come none of the news articles mention Minato?"

Her white-haired partner, who had been working on her homework, put her pencil down.

"I'm not surprised at that," Weiss eventually replied, "Professor Ozpin and General Ironwood probably kept him off record for a reason."

Ruby raised an eyebrow.

"Oh... Why would they do that?"

"I don't know," Weiss shrugged, "You'd have to ask one of them yourself. Why does it matter?"

"Because! Doesn't it seem wrong for him to not get any mention at all?" Ruby questioned, a slight frown on her face, "I mean, he was the one that ended up doing everything in the end. It's not like…"

She found herself trailing off. Everyone acted like they were heroes, but it wasn't as if they did anything. He had been the one to find the hideout, and the one that had stopped the White Fang.

They hadn't really done anything at all.

"I doubt he cares about receiving recognition Ruby. With the way he is, he's probably glad that they left him out of the papers," Weiss nonchalantly replied, "But it's not about that, is it? Something else is bugging you."

Ruby blinked.

"What? No!" She vehemently denied, shaking her head, "Nothing's bugging me!"

Weiss gave her a pointed look.

"Ruby, we're teammates and bunkmates," The Schnee heiress knowingly pointed out, "I've been living with you long enough to know when something is bothering you."

For a brief moment, the scythe-wielder remained quiet before she eventually gave in to her partner's unrelenting gaze.

"Alright fine," She relented, "Something's bugging me."

"I know," Weiss nodded, a slight smug smile on her face, "Now, are you going to tell me what it is or should I go back to finishing up my homework?"

Ruby looked down at her legs as they hung from her bedframe.

"It's just… We didn't… We couldn't do anything. If it weren't for Minato, who knows what might have happened."

Weiss sighed.

"Once again, let me be the voice of reason here Ruby. We're students, first year huntresses-in-training at that," The Schnee heiress began, "Just because we beat Torchwick and a couple of untrained thugs, that doesn't make us qualified huntsmen. Adam Taurus is a notorious criminal that is a problem even for trained huntsmen, what did you think was going to happen to a couple of first-year students and their professor?"

Ruby kicked her legs as they continued to dangle from her bedframe. She knew that, she knew that she was still just a kid, that they were all still first-year huntresses fighting against adults. But that didn't change the fact that she wanted to help, that she wanted to be the hero like in the fairytales she loved so much.

The helplessness that she had felt, that powerlessness, it bothered her a great deal. It reminded of her of the very same feelings that she had felt when her mother had died. If she weren't so weak, so powerless, she could've prevented her mother's death, she could've saved her. If she were stronger, she could help more people, save them even.

"I know what you're thinking Ruby," Weiss continued, "Look, we're still huntresses-in-training, it's to be expected that we would lose against someone with years of experience. As much as it pains me to say this, we are still children trying to compete against adults, there is nothing that we could've done," She sighed, "This is exactly why I was against this plan from the start. I hope that you realize, if it weren't for Minato's timely intervention, we might not be here right now."

"You sound like my uncle…" She mumbled, "And it's not as if Minato's that much older than us anyway."

Weiss pursed her lips at that.

"That… Is different."

"What do you mean, different?" Ruby asked, a puzzled look on her face.

"What I mean is that," Weiss began, "You can't compare him to us."

Ruby frowned.

"And why not?"

"Because, he's not normal, and honestly, he shouldn't even exist," The Schnee heiress sighed once again, "I don't even know what to think about him. He's an enigma."

Ruby's eyebrows furrowed.

"What's an enigma…?" She dubiously asked, "Wait, forget that! What do you mean he shouldn't even exist?"

"Well… Blake didn't tell anyone this, but she asked me if I could do a background check on him," Weiss explained, "So, when we went to the CCT that day, I did a little digging through the Schnee Dust Company's records on the side."

Ruby watched as her white-haired partner rose up from her seat and walked across the room, to where her scroll was currently plugged into an outlet. After a couple of seconds of tapping away at the screen, Weiss walked back over towards her desk and sat back down. She watched as her partner continued to tap away at her scroll.

"And…?" Ruby asked, impatiently.

"Hold on, I'm getting there," Weiss replied as she continued to tap at her scroll, "Alright, here, catch."

Ruby easily caught the electronic device as it flew through the air. Quickly flipping it over, she was greeted to a screen with a folder that was labeled simply as, "Minato Arisato". She opened the folder by gingerly giving it a quick tap with her index finger, before she frowned.

"Uh… Weiss, there's barely anything here."

"Exactly," Weiss nodded, a slight frown etched on her face, "Aside from the most basic and bare minimum surface level of details, there was absolutely nothing in the database about him."

"So…? Ruby questioned, "There's a lot of people that aren't in the CCT's database Weiss."

"Yes, and while that is true," Her white-haired partner agreed, "You don't find it strange Ruby? That someone of his…" She paused, as if contemplating about what word to use, "… Caliber, would be working as a Café server of all things?"

Ruby simply shrugged.

"Not really. Maybe he likes his job?"

"There's one problem that I have with that assumption Ruby. He's strong, strong enough that he's had to have been a huntsman at some point in his life." Weiss pointed out, "And if he were a former huntsman, you would think that there would be records of him, perhaps at the very least, information about what huntsman academy he attended or something of the sort. And yet, there is absolutely nothing."

"Maybe he was trained by his family?" Ruby supplied, "I don't think I really learned that much from the academy anyway. I mean, everything that I learned was from my uncle Qrow."

Weiss held out her hand and a small glyph began to form in the air.

"Perhaps if this were a different case, I could've accepted an explanation like that," The Schnee heiress eventually began, "But not with him, not after what I've seen."

Ruby watched as the blue-colored glyph in the air began to whirl and spin. She could feel the Aura that began to radiate from the glyph as it continued to spin, faster and faster. And then, something began to appear. It was a faint, almost translucent exoskeleton of what appeared to be a Beuwolf. It was a fleeting sight, for as briefly as it appeared; it quickly shattered away along with the glyph that it had emerged from.

"Summoning is a unique ability that only someone from the Schnee family can possess," Weiss continued, unperturbed by the failed summon, "There has never been a case in history where someone other than a Schnee has performed a summoning."

Ruby blinked.

"Oh," The scythe-wielder paused, "… Oh my god, then does that mean Minato is your long lost brother?!"

"What? No!" Weiss vehemently denied, "How in the world did you come to that conclusion? For one thing, we look nothing alike!"

"Well…" Ruby sheepishly began, "I mean you did say that only someone from your family can summon right? And if I really squint, I think that I can see the resemblance?"

"Ruby, I think I would've known if I had a long lost sibling," Weiss deadpanned, "Also, his way of summoning is completely different. He doesn't rely on glyphs like how my family does. Anyway, that's beside the point! The real problem here is how could someone like him have gone unnoticed and not be in the largest database in the world?"

Ruby raised a curious eyebrow.

"What's the big deal?"

Weiss rolled her eyes.

"The big deal is that under normal circumstances, there is no possible way someone like him could not be in the database. I know firsthand how the system works Ruby, and Atlas is very thorough with how they compile their information. He was either removed from the database, or he was purposely kept hidden from it in the first place. Both of which, could lead to some very damning accusations."

Ruby frowned.

"Weiss, Minato's not a bad person."

"And I'm not saying that he is," The Schnee-heiress replied, "It's just that he's got something to hide, and whether or not that's a good or bad thing, remains to be seen."

Minato wasn't a bad person.

She was never the best when it came to understanding people. She wasn't like her sister; social interaction had always been a rather awkward thing for her. That wasn't to say that she didn't like meeting people, only that it was difficult for her to comprehend the social nuances that everyone seemed to take for granted.

Some would call her a weapons maniac, and they would be right. She loved weapons because unlike people, they were simple and understandable. It was easy to analyze a weapon and understand how every little piece of machinery that made up that weapon clicked together in harmony. You couldn't do the same to a person, they wouldn't simply allow you into the inner workings of their mind.

She didn't know much about Minato Arisato.

While she'd like to consider them to be friends, she wasn't sure how he viewed her. They didn't really talk much after all, but then again, from what she'd seen, he didn't really talk much to begin with. In a way, his reserved personality reminded her a lot of Blake. And just like Blake, whatever he had to hide, she was sure that it wouldn't change her opinion of him or who he was.

To her, Minato Arisato was a hero.

He found himself standing on the familiar campgrounds of Beacon Academy.

Normally, he'd be at work right now, but because of the rather dreary weather, it had been an extremely slow day. So, in the end, Charlotte decided to close up the store early. With his responsibility to his work having been satisfied, he found himself with the unusual problem of having all of this excess free time. He could've gone home, but he found himself curious as to how Team RWBY was doing after the incident at Mt. Glenn.

Headmaster Ozpin had wanted a follow-up on their initial meeting either way, so he was more or less killing two birds with one stone. One way or another, Headmaster Ozpin or General Ironwood were going to try and find a way to get answers from him, so he'd rather do it on his own terms. And while the White Fang might've been stopped, he couldn't shake the feeling that something bigger was going on in the background.

The rain continued to pour down as he walked down the archway towards the tower in the middle of the campus. Students dressed in various different uniforms, probably from other huntsmen academies here for the Vytal festival, hurried about the campus, most likely rushing to whatever classes they had next. It had been a long time since he had felt this feeling of nostalgia, of being a student once more, as he watched all the huntsmen-in-training go through their daily academic routines.

The rest of the trek towards the tower was as uneventful as expected. A couple of students here and there would occasionally cast a curious look towards his direction, but only for a brief moment, before they turned their attention back to whatever they were doing at the time.

It wasn't long before he found himself in a rather elaborate looking elevator, riding it all the way up towards the top floor. Slowly, but steadily, he watched as the lights on the buttons flickered past the various floors, before finally stopping on the very last one.

The headmaster's office.

The doors opened with a slight hiss and he was greeted with one of the more bizarre design schemes he had ever seen in a long time. Headmaster Ozpin seemed to have a fondness for clocks, or rather, the various cogs and gears that usually made up a clock. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee hung in the air, no doubt because of the white-haired man that was currently seated in the middle of the room, behind a desk with such an intricate design that it looked as if it belonged in an art museum rather than an office.

"Ah, I've been expecting you," Ozpin began, "Please, take a seat."

Eyeing the empty chair nearby, he obliged.

"Sadly, the general is currently preoccupied, so I'm afraid he won't be able to make this meeting," The headmaster continued, "I'm sure you realize, that with the Vytal festival looming near, all of us headmasters are quite busy during this time of the year."

He nodded at that.

He could only imagine the amount of planning and work that went along with setting up the Vytal festival, as well as the pressure that came along with it. After all, any problems that occurred during the festival would have a negative impact on the kingdom that was the acting host at the time. It didn't take a genius to realize that the economic consequences would be quite severe if anything were to go wrong.

"Well now, if you would, how about we continue on from where we last left off, Mr. Arisato?"

He nodded in agreement.

"… What do you wish to know?"

The headmaster folded his hands against each other.

"Tell me, Mr. Arisato, just what exactly do you think Aura is?"

He blinked.

He had been expecting questions pertaining to his Personas, or perhaps even his history, or the lack thereof. What the headmaster had asked however, was something that he had definitely not been expecting. For just a brief moment, he hesitated, as he thought about how he wanted to answer that question.

"… It is a manifestation of the soul."

The headmaster took a sip from his mug.

"Indeed it is. And did you know that the form this manifestation takes is one that protects us, like an invisible shield?" Ozpin asked, quizzically, "It protects us from harm, it heals our injuries, and it makes us stronger, quicker."

The headmaster set his mug back onto the table.

"From what I've been able to gather," Ozpin continued, unperturbed, "Your soul specifically, manifests itself in a very unique way. I am not a scientist, so I will not press you for answers as to why that is. However, what I do wish to know is what else you can do?"

Now that, was a question that he been expecting. At this point, it was no longer a well-kept secret that he was different from the huntresses and huntsmen of the world. Honesty was an important aspect when it came to building trust, and the headmaster had been honest with him so far. Of course, while the headmaster was honest, he wasn't exactly transparent either.

Nonetheless, he would extend the same courtesy.

Slowly, he held out his palm.

Agi.

A very small and controlled flame began to dance around his palm and fingertips. It was a weak little thing that barely had enough intensity to keep itself from getting snuffed out, but it served its purpose by providing a demonstration. He clasped his hand shut, before slowly opening it again, only this time, rather than a flicker of fire; it was a small translucent shard of ice.

He repeated this process, as he went through a few of the basic incantations for some of his lower-level elemental spells. They were low-level spells that he had picked up during the climb of the early floors of Tartarus. Once he finished displaying the spells, he clasped his hand shut and let it slowly drop back towards his pockets.

It was but a small demonstration, nothing but a tiny fraction of what he learned from his journey scouring up the tower. There was no need to show too much, after all, it wouldn't be good for him to attract even more attention to himself.

Headmaster Ozpin had not uttered a word throughout the entire demonstration; the expression on his face was an unreadable one.

"Your case is quite the intriguing one, Mr. Arisato," Ozpin eventually said, "I cannot recall if there has ever been a case quite like yours. Those powers of yours, if certain people were to find out about them, you would without a doubt, find yourself in grave danger."

He raised an eyebrow at that.

"… And just who are those people?"

The headmaster stood up from his seat and slowly made his way towards the window.

"There are those out there who wish to instill great harm into the world," Ozpin cryptically replied, "As you can imagine, they would be very interested in powers like yours."

Before he could respond, the headmaster spun around and looked him in the eye.

"I'm going to be honest with you; I am not sure what to make of you yet, Mr. Arisato," Ozpin continued, "However, I think that you could play a big role in the potential battles to come."

He kept his silence, unsure of where the man was going with his monologue.

"The general believes that you are a danger, an unknown that should be carefully monitored, and knowing James, in a cell more than likely," Ozpin persisted on, "I do not share his sentiments."

The headmaster walked back towards his desk and slowly sat back down.

"Tell me, Mr. Arisato, what do you know about the story of the four Maidens?"

He blinked.

"… The fairytale?"

He had read a book about the story of the four Maidens once in the past. It was from a book of fairytales that he had gotten from Tukson. He was familiar with the story, but unsure of why the headmaster had decided to bring it up.

"That is the one," Ozpin nodded, "Would you believe me, if I told you that fairytale was real?"

He stared at the man, for a brief moment.

"… I would," He eventually answered.

Why wouldn't he?

After all, not only had he seen far stranger things, he had experienced them first hand. Tartarus, The Dark Hour, the Shadows, and far too many others to count. Not to mention the fact that he was more or less an alien from another planet. In comparison, a fairytale turned into reality was far more believable than some of the things that he had gone through in his lifetime.

The headmaster let out a light chuckle.

"You are the first person to believe me without question."

He simply shrugged.

"I've seen stranger things."

"Oh, I'm sure," Ozpin agreed wholeheartedly, "And as curious as I am about your history, that is not what is important right now. What is important is that these Maidens are real, and that a Maiden's powers are not permanent."

He furrowed his brow.

"They are not permanent?"

The headmaster shook her head.

"A Maiden's power is passed on, upon the death of that particular Maiden," The headmaster explained, "We are not sure of the exact circumstances, but what we do know is that the powers are passed on to the person that was in the last thoughts of that particular Maiden. I'm sure that you can imagine that there are those out there who wish to take the Maiden's powers for themselves."

He blinked.

That was a lot of new information to take in. If the Maidens were as powerful as they were depicted to be in the stories, the fact that one could steal their powers, was a harrowing thought. Was that the goal of the ones that were pulling all the strings behind the White Fang attacks?

"This peace that we have known for so long is now at risk," Ozpin continued, "The future… Is uncertain, and thus, I find myself compelled to make you a request."

"… A request?" He repeated.

The headmaster nodded in response.

"I would like for you to join a group. It is a group that was formed in order to defend the Maidens, as well as the world, from its hidden evils."

He stared at the man.

An offer to join a secret group in order to protect the world. The similarities brought back nostalgic memories of SEES and his time combating the Shadows.

But, Remnant was not his world. He had already played his part once before, even going far enough to offer up the ultimate sacrifice, to martyr himself for the world. He had no wish to play that role once more. And yet, he knew, that deep down, his consciousness would never forgive him were he to refuse.

However, along with SEES, the memories of Ikutsuki resurfaced as well. That, gave way to hesitation. While Headmaster Ozpin had been honest with him from what he could tell, the whole cloak-and-dagger act, as well as the hidden motives, gave him pause. He had been burned once before in a similar fashion, and now found himself a lot more weary.

"I don't expect you to give me an answer immediately," The headmaster said, as if noticing his apprehensiveness, "I would actually prefer if you took some time to dwell on it, as it is not an easy decision to make."

The headmaster took a long sip from his cup.

"Of course, I think that this goes without saying, but you need to keep this discreet."

Slowly, he nodded.

The sound of the rain splattering against the windowsill was a familiar one for her.

Blake had always liked the rain. The melodic sounds that the dreary weather produced always served as good background noise for her reading. Reading had always been a relaxing activity for her, but with everything that had been happening with the White Fang lately, she found herself reading even less and less.

But now, now that everything had been dealt with?

It felt… Good to be able to simply lie in bed and read an interesting book. During these last few months, it was an activity that she hadn't realized how much she missed until now. Since Yang had fallen asleep a while ago, it was just her, her book, and the continuous pattering of the rain.

It was quite the cathartic experience.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed. She wasn't sure how many pages she had flipped through or how many paragraphs of text she had read. For however long that moment of solitude lasted, Blake was lost in her own little world, until the door to the room slowly creaked open.

Her ears twitched at the sound that had caught her attention. When she tore her eyes away from the novel in her hands, she was met with a familiar mess of blue. As was usual, Minato Arisato's hair was as unruly as ever.

Blake watched as the blue-haired boy quietly closed the door behind him. His eyes appeared to quickly survey the room before pinpointing the location of a nearby chair. In the very same subtle manner that he had entered the room with, Minato pulled out the chair and quietly took a seat by her bedside.

For a moment, nobody said a thing. Silence filled the air, and the only sounds that could be heard were the constant pattering of the rain against the building. Blake found herself at a loss for words, a feeling that she been far too familiar with as of late.

"How are you feeling?" He eventually asked.

"Fine," She softly replied, "… They should be letting me out in the morning."

"… That's good."

Silence reigned supreme once more. Blake watched as Minato's eyes shifted past her towards Yang's sleeping figure in the bed next to hers. It was subtle, but she could make out the slight pang of worry that flashed across his face.

"Yang's fine too," She reassured, "We're all okay."

He gave a small smile at that, but otherwise said nothing.

The conversation soon died out once again and a familiar silence hung in the air once more. Blake could feel herself begin to fidget a bit at the awkward silence, before she turned her attention back towards her book. Her eyes scanned through the text, attempting to find where she had last left off at.

"… Minato," She eventually began, her eyes never leaving the pages of her book, "About what happened… No, about everything… Thank you."

Blake paused, and let out a soft sigh.

"I'm guessing that you want to know the whole story," She continued, "About me and the White Fang?"

He simply shrugged.

"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."

Blake couldn't help but shake her head. That was such a Minato-esque answer. She wasn't the type of person that enjoyed divulging her past to people. Aside from the barest minimum of details, she hadn't even mentioned much of her past to her team. But, there was just something about him that made her feel at ease; that made her want to talk. Whether that was due to his quiet demeanor or something else entirely, she didn't know.

"The White Fang, it wouldn't be wrong to say that I was born into it," She quietly began, "They were different back then."

"… You mean before Adam Taurus took over?" He asked.

Slowly, Blake closed her book.

Adam. That was a name that reminded her of nothing but bittersweet memories. She had looked up to Adam at one point, admired him even. He was everything that she had wanted to become, and at one point, they had even shared the same dreams of the future.

"Adam… He wasn't always like this," Blake murmured, "In the past, he was a different person. He used to lead the rallies and the protests."

She paused and began to reach over towards the counter by her bedside, grabbing at the spine of a very familiar book.

The Man with Two Souls

"As time went by, and the rallies continued to fail, he began to change," She brushed over the cover of the book with her fingers, "The kind Adam that I remembered appeared less and less, until eventually, all that was left was anger and hatred."

She let out a deep breath.

"He… The White Fang… What they've become, it frightened me," Blake admitted, "And so, I ran away…"

And that's my story.

….

A pale hand touched her shoulder. It was warm and the grip was firm. Glancing up from her book, she could see a warm smile on his face. There were no comforting words like how others would've given her, only the very slightest form of physical contact. And strangely enough, she couldn't find herself wanting for anything more.

"Do you think…" She slowly began, "… That Adam will ever return?"

The hand slowly left her shoulder.

"Nothing ever stays the same," He replied, in an almost melancholy manner, "People change, for better or for worse. In the end, all we can do is help them along their way and hope for the best."

He glanced out the window before giving her a slight smile.

"I should get going, before the rain gets even worse."

Slowly, she nodded in response.

"… Minato," She softly whispered, "… Thank you."

Never breaking stride, he lazily lifted a hand in the air as he stepped out of the infirmary room, slowly closing the door on the way out. And just like that, as quietly as he arrived, he was gone. The only audible noises left in the room came from the continuous pattering of the raindrops crashing against the building's exterior.

The sounds of rummaging sheets soon caught her attention.

"… Yang?" She asked, "Are you awake?"

Her partner in question all but crawled out from underneath her bedsheets.

"Morning sunshine~," Yang yawned.

Blake let a small smile flash across her face.

"It's a little late for that Yang."

Her partner stretched out her limbs.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Yang agreed, "… Hey, Blake?"

"Yeah?"

"We'll always be there for you," Yang replied, a serious look on her face, "No matter what happens."

Blake blinked.

"Yeah," She nodded, a small smile beginning to form on her face, "Yeah, I know Yang."

Yang returned the smile.

"Good, because that's what partners are for."

"Hey Yang…" Blake slowly began, "Were you awake this whole time?"

The blonder gave her a sly smile.

"Hey now, I couldn't just go and interrupt your little moment with Blue, now could I?"

Blake felt her cheeks flush a bit.

"Yang! It's not like that and you know it!"

The blonde only snickered in response. After rolling her eyes, Blake couldn't help but chuckle a little bit as well. Yang was a good friend, and she was glad to have her as a partner. She was glad to have met all of them, everybody on Team RWBY. And while she knew deep down that nothing lasted forever, she still couldn't help but cling to the small hope that Team RWBY wouldn't ever change.

By the time he had made it back to his apartment, his clothes were so soaked to the brim that he dearly regretted not bringing an umbrella. Checking the daily weather report was not something that he did, and now he clearly paid the price for not embracing such a habit.

Cold shivering hands fumbled with the door key before finally correctly fitting in the key into the keyhole. With a quick twist on the doorknob, the door slid open as he eagerly stepped inside the warm confines of his apartment. Indoor heating was expensive, and he was quite annoyed when his guests insisted on leaving the heater on, but he couldn't help but be thankful for their pestering just this once.

Slipping out of his soaked blazer, he quickly tossed it into the laundry basket as he began to make his way towards his kitchen. It was around dinnertime and he had yet to eat, so he was feeling quite famished at the moment. As he stepped into his kitchen, he was greeted to the sight of Neopolitan happily devouring a bowl of what appeared to be Vanilla flavored ice cream.

He thought about asking her where she had acquired the aforementioned desert, but thought better of it. The girl in question seemed briefly surprised at his appearance before giving him an amused wave. He returned her greeting with a slight nod of his head before he made his way towards his refrigerator.

Opening his fridge door, he began to grab a couple of ingredients that he would need to make a quick meal. He wasn't a good cook by any means, and he very rarely actually did cook, but he had picked up a few things here and there from Shinjiro before his untimely passing. As he placed a random assortment of eggs and vegetables onto his kitchen counter, he grabbed his apron and reached over for his freezer door handle.

When he pulled open the door, he couldn't help but blink.

He wasn't expecting to see his freezer filled to the brim with perhaps the largest assortment of different flavored tubs of ice cream he had ever seen. That explained where the ice cream had come from. It took a great deal of effort to resist the urge to roll his eyes as he began to move the tubs of frozen sweets out of the way in an effort to reach the ingredients that he needed, which were now evidently stuck at the back of his freezer.

Once he deemed that he had the necessary ingredients, it was finally time to get cooking.

He wasn't making anything too extravagant, just a simple meal to satisfy his hunger. An omelet with a few various pieces of different meats and vegetables mixed in. It was a simple recipe that Shinjiro had shown him, and he was finished in a matter of minutes.

Pulling out a chair, he took a seat at the opposite end of the table.

"You're late," Neopolitan gestured, a curious expression on her face.

He simply shrugged in response.

While he might have two new guests living in his apartment, not much had really changed in regards to his daily routine. Roman and Neopolitan had mostly left him to his own devices and he had done the same. After the incident from the first night, he had quickly laid down some ground rules, which the two seemed to actually follow, much to his relief.

Well, the rules were mostly geared towards Neopolitan rather than Roman, since the man was almost never here. He had probably only seen him twice since the first night and when he had questioned the man on it, the only reply he received was that he was "taking care of some loose ends". That in itself was a bit of a double-edged sword for him, because while it meant Roman wasn't here to annoy him, it almost meant that Roman wasn't here.

And because Roman wasn't here, that left him alone with Neopolitan. It wasn't as if they didn't get along, because they actually did, due to their rather similar quiet demeanors, and Neopolitan was far less annoying to deal with than the thief in question. But, she also had a rather mischievous personality, and without Roman here, that left him as the sole target of whatever shenanigans she had planned for the day.

He couldn't help but shake the feeling that Roman didn't approach him due to the lack of a place to stay, but rather the fact that the thief assumed he would make a good babysitter and keep the whimsical girl out of trouble. Now, he wasn't sure just exactly what kind of relationship the duo had with one or another, but from he'd seen; he wouldn't be surprised if it were more than that of simple business partners.

Biting down on the last piece of his omelet, he placed his fork atop his now empty plate.

Neopolitan had finished her meal a good bit earlier than he had and had been staring at him with a rather amused expression on her face the entire time. He ignored it as he focused on finishing his meal at the time, but now that he was done eating, he found it a lot harder to brush off.

"… Is there something wrong?"

The amused look remained on her face.

"Nice apron. I didn't think pink was your color."

He simply shrugged once more.

Pink definitely wasn't his color, but he hadn't chosen this apron out of a need for fashion. Rather, it was for more sentimental reasons if anything. A sign of respect to a dear friend that he had considered to be an older brother.

Shinjiro had always worn a similarly colored apron after all.

Standing up, he carried his now empty plate towards his kitchen sink. After a couple of brief minutes scrubbing, he set the dish into his dish washer. Feeling satisfied now that he had satiated his hunger, he supposed that he might as well take a shower. As he began to make his way towards his bathroom, he felt a slight tug from the back of his blazer.

Tilting his head, he could see Neopolitan looking up towards him.

"Roman left you a message."

Mercury stood on the edge of the rooftop, watching as the rain continued to pour down.

He'd always hated the rain, ever since he was a little kid. Dear old dad's drunken rampages were always worse during the dreary weather. And without mom around, that only left one target for dad's violent tendencies. The rain always did manage to sour his mood; it reminded him of a time that he would rather not remember.

A time when he had been weak.

Just the simple thought of it irked him to no end. Were it not for Cinder's orders, he'd be inside, in the nice warm confines of their room, instead of freezing out here in the pouring rain. Normally, he would have protested, but Cinder had been in a bad mood as of late, and Mercury wasn't an idiot, there were just certain people in the world that you just couldn't piss off.

His current boss was one of them.

He didn't blame her for her current mood, their scheme had been foolproof; it had been so intricately planned out that nothing short of a complete abnormality could've interfered with their plan. Unluckily for them, the appearance of one Minato Arisato proved to be just that abnormality.

Mercury didn't think much of the boy at first. Sure, he had been beaten, but he hadn't been taking that fight seriously from the start. And while the guy had an interesting Semblance, it didn't take a genius to figure out that as long as if you kept him away from that pistol, killing him wouldn't be too much of an issue.

Then he heard about what happened at Mt. Glenn.

He had never seen Adam Taurus fight personally, but judging from his reputation, the White Fang leader wasn't a joke. If Minato Arisato managed to defeat him, he probably had even more tricks up his sleeve other than that freaky summon. Were it not for the fact that he had already long grown used to the ominous, he might've been creeped out by that summon.

But when your boss answered directly to the mother of all Grimm, you very quickly get used to dealing with things of a sinister nature.

Dear old dad wasn't that far off the mark either.

The slight vibration in his pants pocket signaled that it was time for work. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the scroll and brought it towards his ear. The voice that came through the small device was one that he had grown quite familiar with.

"Mercury, you've got fifteen minutes max," Emerald's voice buzzed through the speakers, "Don't screw up."

He scoffed.

"Who me? Yeah right."

He wasn't stupid enough to fail Cinder twice. Those that did usually never even got the chance for a third try. He could see why Roman and his little midget of a partner had gotten cold feet and jumped ship. He didn't blame them for their choice; the thought of leaving had crossed his mind a couple times.

Mercury wasn't like Emerald, he didn't have the same blinding loyalty to Cinder that his green-haired partner had. He wasn't like how Roman had been either, who stuck around more out of fear than anything. No, he remained for the simple reason that Cinder gave him a purpose. His identity was that of an assassin and nothing else, all he knew how to do was kill.

It just so happened that Cinder had need for his talents, nothing more, nothing less.

Dear old dad had trained him well in that regard, perhaps too well. He wasn't like his dad, who suffered from a guilty conscience, needing alcohol to drown it out. Killing had come easily for him; it was no more difficult than breathing. Even when he had finally snapped the life out of his father's neck, it had felt no more different than any of his other kills.

It was routine.

Leaping off from his perch on the rooftop, Mercury tuned out the unnecessary thoughts from his head. It was time for work, and any thoughts other than how to better assassinate his target were unneeded. This was Mercury Black, and when it came time for work, he was nothing more than a weapon.

And a weapon's purpose was simple.

It was to kill.

Author's Notes- Been busy with school and the fun times of writing papers. Finally got this chapter finished though, sorry for the wait. For what's it worth, it's one of the longest ones I've ever written. Speaking of that, this story is now the longest thing I've ever written. Woo milestones. Hopefully, I can hit a 100k words one day eh?

Anyway, as usual thanks for all the support. Hope you guy's enjoy the chapter, I'm going to go get some much needed sleep now, until next time~

-SFX