AU: Hey people! Sorry for the long wait on this one. I wanted this to be as good as I can get it to be, and it required a lot of editing and rewriting. I also want to thank Kamen Rider Raika for helping a ton on this chapter. His input, ideas, and advice really helped on this, and he was simply great to work with. This chapter wouldn't be the same without him, and I'm going to take his advice to heart in future instalments. Feel free to check out his page, and enjoy the chapter.
Two years before Kebiin's acceptance to Beacon Academy
"I just don't get it." Mercury complained. "Why did Cinder have send us to this dusty old place? A ten thousand year old tomb isn't going to fill our wallets."
"Did you or did you not listen to her?" Emerald said, annoyed.
The two of them had been wandering through an ancient crypt for nearly an hour by now. The only light they could see was what their own flashlights had been producing, giving the rest of their surroundings an inky black tone. The entrance had already sealed itself several minutes ago, but according to Cinder, it would open once their job was finished.
From the little light they had to go with, they could tell that the crypt was spacious enough to house the population of a large village in each chamber, but the exact number of these chambers was unknown. The walls were engraved with depictions of human figures locked in some sort of war or conflict, but showed neither side gaining any kind of victory. Carvings of what resembled stars dotted the high ceilings above their heads.
"No, I heard her, but I just wasn't listening."
"You dimwit… I really don't get why Cinder thought you would be our best representative to our latest contact."
"Hey, how hard can it be to deal with a bunch of businessmen? This Roman Torchwick guy is probably just doing some paperwork on his computer or something."
Emerald rolled her eyes. "Honestly, you could at least try to be witty."
"Hey, it's not my fault!" He said, shrugging his shoulders and gesturing his hands forward. "Besides, this place gives me the creeps."
"What, afraid of the dark?"
"As if. But something just feels… off. Don't you think so?"
Emerald pointed her light back at the star-filled ceiling, realizing the dots didn't show the night sky she was familiar with. "Yeah... " She exhaled. "I think I know what you mean."
Several more minutes of wandering in the dark, and several more minutes with no sign this Torchwick fellow. Part of Mercury began to wonder if Cinder was telling the truth when she said that the door they came through would open again. Of course, Emerald being as devoted as she was, she was confident that Cinder had sent them on the right track.
They turned another corner to enter a corridor leading to another chamber. They could hear voices coming from the room, giving them a glimmer of relief.
"You think that's them?" Mercury whispered.
"Can't be anyone else." Emerald responded.
They ducked their heads into the hall, shining their lights into the chamber. Four men in dark suits and night vision goggles shielded their eyes from the light. They must have been Torchwick's mafia members. Other than them, a tall pedestal was the only notable feature in the abnormally small room.
"Hey, would you kids put that light out!?" one of them hissed through his teeth. "We've already got night vision." He said, pointing to the goggles.
"Sorry, bud." Mercury said, redirecting his flashlight toward the ground. "But we can't exactly see in here."
"Fair enough. You the two the ones Cinder sent?" To their surprise, another man ducked his head forward to reply to them. He was a thin young man wearing a white suit and holding a cane. He had neat orange hair that covered one of his green eyes and wore a fedora to top it all off. A half used cigar was held between his fingers.
"Yup." Emerald nodded. "That's us."
"Good. Roman Torchwick, at your service. I'm so sorry we had to meet in this dusty, dark place, but I'm still very much interested in Cinder Fall's offer. Now come along, I'm sure we've got a lot to discuss.
Now that his little introduction was out of the way, the two of them walked down the short narrow corridor leading into the chamber, both of them relieved that they had finally made some progress on their mission. But the closer they got, the more tense the mafia grunts seemed to look. Emerald tugged on Mercury's sleeve.
"Keep your guard up. Something feels off."
"I always have my guard up." He joked. "Besides, this place has felt off the moment we came in."
"That's not what I-" She stopped once they were in the same room as their contacts. Emerald shined her light on the pedestal in the room. Like the rest of the architecture in the crypt, it was decorated by elaborate alien-looking carvings. Two empty slots on the top of the pedestal were exposed, looking like they were meant to hold some kind of small item. Judging by the amount of dust and dirt collected, whatever was supposed to be in those little slots had been missing for quite some time.
"Alright." Emerald began. "So now that we're all here, let's get a few things down. We've already got a contract with Junior's gang, so the deal here is pretty similar. If you decide to team up with us, Cinder is willing to-"
"I'm afraid it's not going to work out that way." Roman said, waving a finger in the air as he took another puff of his cigar. "I hear Cinder's got a real big plan in place, and me and my boys here would very much like a little more… control over that little project."
"What are you talking about? We're here to talk for Cinder, not offer up our whole-"
Before she could finish, six other men, three for both Emerald and Mercury, lept from the shadows, putting them in choke holds. One man would keep them against the wall, blades to their throats, while the others drew firearms on them, ready to fire.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Emerald yelled. "Do you have any idea what double-crossing Cinder would mean for you?"
"It won't mean much if she doesn't have her two top lackeys." Roman said as he blew out a puff of smoke. "Which reminds me, I didn't catch your names."
"Let us go and maybe we'll tell you." Mercury spat.
"Hmm." Roman grunted, raising his eyebrows. "I like your sense of humor, kid. But I intend to call the shots once you tell me Cinder's plan. Now come on, just tell me what you know and I'll think about letting you go."
"We're not telling you a thing." Emerald said defiantly. She could hear Mercury swallow.
Roman chuckled and tossed his cigar on the ground, crunching it under his boot. "Look, kids. I really don't want to do this, but I'm just so, so curious about this job Ms. Fall is trying to pull. I like you two, so you've got one more chance. You'll find I'm a very generous guy when it comes to this sort of thing. Remember that one blue haired kid we helped out a while back?" He nudged one of his goons.
"Yes sir, I remember that street rat."
"Exactly!" Roman cheered, throwing his arms into the air. "I like to think I'm pretty nice. We've gone on for long enough so let's just-"
The room was suddenly illuminated by a crimson light at the sound of a *hiss-howl!*. The head of the man pinning Emerald to the wall fell off his body as a streak of red flashed across the men, making deep humming noises. She just barely made out the outline of a black hooded figure holding a glowing blade with a half-circle guard hilt, weaving his way and cutting down the gangsters with surreal ease. In a split second Emerald was free, and in another blink of an eye, so was Mercury. The severed limbs and heads of the men fell to the ground, wounds burnt and steaming. They didn't even have a chance to scream.
"W-what the hell was that!?" Roman raised his cane, pointing the end of it at the glowing blade, only for it to be severed in half in another flash of crimson. The dark figure raised the blade again, pointing the flickering tip right at Roman's throat, causing him to back up to the small pedestal.
"Ahaha...ha…" Roman chuckled nervously as he fell to ground. "I… uhh…" He gulped. "Listen, I don't know what you- AACCK!"
The figure raised his free arm and slowly clenched his fist as Roman was levitated off the ground, gasping for breath. Both Mercury and Emerald stood exactly where they were, completely caught off guard by the actions of this sudden and mysterious person. Why didn't they notice him before? How long was he here? And what on Remnant was that sword he had? Neither of them had seen anything like it.
Roman's eyes rolled into the back of his head and his face turned blue. He soon went limp, but was now breathing unsteadily. The figure turned to face the other two remaining people in the room other than him and the now unconscious Roman: Mercury and Emerald. The only sound in the room was the raspy whistling noise of the mysterious weapon.
Before either of them could suggest making a break for it, the figure waved his hand in front of him, and the entrance behind them sealed shut with doors neither of them even noticed.
"Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black?" The figure said as he removed his hood. The red light in the room allowed them to finally see his face. He was a young man that couldn't have been older than Cinder, meaning he was somewhere is his late twenties to mid thirties. His skin was just slightly lighter than Emeralds, indicating he was a foreigner of some sort. His amber eyes also reminded them of Cinder's own eyes, but his had far more depth and experience than the scemeing look Cinder's had. Against the crimson light, his hair seemed black but upon closer inspection, it was clearly a dark blue. "You two alright?" He asked.
"Stay back!" Was the first thing that came to Emerald's mouth. She reached behind her hip, pulling out her dual curved-bladed pistols. Mercury followed her lead, readying his boots. "Come any closer and you'll regret it!"
"Yes, because I regretted getting close to these fellows." The man said, nudging his boot against a decapitated head. He turned his attention to Roman's collapsed body, looking away from the two of them.
"I guess I'll have to talk to Cinder before I actually kill this man. I'm pretty sure she still needs him for something seeing as how she sent the two of you to meet with him." He turned his back, walking toward the pedestal in the center of the room.
Mercury glanced at Emerald, who nodded back. Whoever this guy was, there was no way he was getting near Cinder. Emerald took the charge, leaping forward with her weapons to simultaneously impale and shoot the man, while Mercury threw a flying sidekick while firing a round from his boot. The bullets from their firearms barely escaped from their chambers when the man held up his hand, attention still on the pedestal. Mercury and Emerald were levitated into the air, and forcefully slammed against the stone wall behind them. The glow from the man's blade reflected off small objects in the air. The bullets were completely suspended. A second later, the man dropped his arm, and the bullets fell to the ground with a *tink-tink*.
"I really suggest we try to get along." The man said casually. "I saved your lives and apprehended Roman Torchwick, I'd say that gives me the freedom to have a pleasant conversation with you two."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small glowing orangish-bronze crystal that looked like two rectangular prisms unevenly stuck together, placed it into one of the slots in the pedestal, and waited. Ten seconds of silence passed, and then twenty. Nothing happened. The man sighed, removed the crystal from its slot, and turned back to face Mercury and Emerald. "I still need both…" He whispered under his breath. "Now, let's talk."
Still pressed against the wall, Mercury was the first to speak.
"About what? Who are you?"
"My name is Rowand. I have people to represent and I hoped to become part of your operation."
"You what?" Emerald said disbelievingly. "You snuck into this tomb, followed us, and killed these people who wanted in on our plans so you could… be part of our plan?"
"You could distil it to that, yes." Rowand said. "You also forgot the part where I saved your lives and knocked out Torchwick. I figured Cinder would want to at least have a chat with the man who double crossed her."
"You didn't answer the question completely. Who -or what- are you? What the hell kind of sword are you using?"
Whatever was keeping Mercury and Emerald pinned against the wall released them, causing them to fall on their knees onto the stone floor. Before either of them could stand, Emerald's weapons skidded across the floor over to Rowand's feet. Mercury's boots slipped off his legs and followed soon after.
"Here's the deal." Rowand began. "You take me to see Cinder, I turn Torchwick into her, and I become part of your operation as representative of my people."
"Who exactly are "your people"?" Emerald said as she stood up.
"A couple of friends in Atlas. I guarantee Cinder will want to hear our offer." He paused. "And in regards to my saber, all you need to know is that this could happen to anyone if I felt like it." Rowand took his weapon, and waved the tip at Emerald's throat, then Mercury's. He then gestured to the severed and burnt bodies lain across the floor.
Emerald and Mercury looked at each other, realizing they had no choice. This man had saved their lives and was offering to help them in their plans. Refusal would not only have been illogical, but possibly suicidal. And if he really did intend them harm in the end, they would need Cinder to take him on.
"Fine." Emerald said. "We'll take you to Cinder."
"Hnn." Rowand snorted. "There we go. That wasn't too difficult." Rowand slung Roman's body across his shoulder, and waved his hand in the air. The sealed door behind them opened with a loud, deep grinding noise. Emerald's guns flew from the ground and back into her hand as Rowand walked passed them, illuminating the way with his weapon, but Mercury was hit square in the face by his flying boot. Rowand either didn't notice or didn't care, and gestured for them to hurry up.
"Roman Torchwick…" Cinder purred. "Who knew you would be this foolish?"
Cinder's lackeys led Rowand to the remains of a border village outside of Vale, only to find a steel-enforced bunker underneath the whole abandoned town. Despite the surface being rather dull and dirty, the bunker itself was incredibly well maintained and clean. Cinder's personal office was dimly lit, but given sufficient light, Rowand was sure he would be able to see his reflection. Cinder herself sat on the edge of a long wooden desk with a small flame flickering in her palm, holding it right in front of Roman's eyes. His hands were bound together behind his back and was forced to the ground on his knees by Emerald and Mercury. Rowand waited his turn to speak near the closed entrance at the back of the room.
"I send my lieutenants to make one simple deal with you, and you try to have them killed. Luckily, because of our mysterious and sudden friend, this very well may work out better than I expected."
"Ma'am?" Emerald perked up.
"So… you're gonna let me live then?" Roman said optimistically.
"Quiet!" Cinder snapped. "You, what was your name again?"
"Rowand." He said as he walked closer toward Cinder.
"Roman and Rowand… you two sound awfully alike."
"Trust me, we're nothing alike." Rowand reassured.
"Given today's events, I can see that is true. Tell me, why did you want to see me? You have my attention."
"I have powerful people in Atlas that want a cut of your mass Dust operation. Now that Torchwick's gang is off the table, I thought you might like our help."
"Are you so certain we can negate Torchwick's gang?" Cinder asked.
"Don't be!" Roman said. "I only had a few guys with me in the tomb. Trust me, the rest will come lookin' for their boss pretty quick."
A device on Rowand's wrist blinked a small green light while making a chirping sound. "I wouldn't be so sure about that." He said. He pressed the button on the device and a woman's voice spoke through it. It was a commlink.
"Nyxona?" Rowand said through the comm.
"Ah, Rowand. You would not believe how easy it was. Nearly a hundred men and they surrendered so pathetically. How did things go on your end? Do you have their leader Torchwick?"
"Yes, in fact I do. I even managed to meet Ms. Fall."
"Splendid! Please, do tell Torchwick that his loyal grunts are headed to a reeducation camp. They won't be a problem anymore." The comm chirped again, and the signal cut out. Rowand made sure to note that they would soon be getting around a hundred more stormtroopers in the next few months.
"She… There's no way she's talking about my guys, is she?" Roman went pale. "Who was that lady?"
"She's someone like me." Rowand glared at him menacingly. "You're all that's left."
Roman gulped and looked up at Cinder, who was chuckling enthusiastically.
"Haha! This is simply rich! You lost your whole little army while it looks like I'm gaining an ally that's actually capable of getting the job done. But, given my previous plans for you, Roman, this may just be able to make up for your loss."
"Oh yeah? Enlighten me."
"I need someone to be my more… public persona. For now, you will head off to work with that man Junior's mafia and then the White Fang soon after. And given that your whole gang has been disbanded, it only makes sense that you would be looking for work with your fellow crime organizations."
"I don't suppose I'll still be getting paid for this?"
"We can pay you a visit if you don't do what I say." Cinder growled. "You're doing this to make up for crossing me now."
"I would ask what would happen if I refuse…" Roman directed his eyes to the half-circle guard hilt on Rowand's belt. "...but I think I know the answer to that." He paused. "Fine." Roman nodded. "If I get to live, hey, that's a win in my book."
"Excellent. Mercury, Emerald, please get him cleaned up."
"Yes, Ma'am." The two of them rushed to either side of Roman and hauled him up, walking him to the door. Roman angrily mumbled something about being able to walk himself on the way out.
"Now, Rowand. Let's talk. Who exactly are these people you're representing? And who are you exactly?"
"For now, you can call us "The Midnight Song". We have enough foresight to see what you have seen. A war is coming, and we intend to be on the winning side before it begins."
"You want to be on the winning side, eh?" Cinder snickered. "Then you have chosen your ally wisely. Come, let's see what sort of deal we can arrange."
The docks weren't nearly as uplifting as Ruby had hoped. Kebiin and Blake had been distancing themselves from each other the whole day, and both of them were just as uncomfortable with it. Just when they were getting along, too…
Weiss was the only one genuinely enjoying herself, going on and on about cultures and the upcoming tournament. Even if those by themselves were interesting, the way she put it made it sound like it was being spewed out at a business meeting. Overall, not very good at lifting any spirits.
"Do you have any idea how much planning and preparation goes into these events? So meticulous, so precise! And all this being dedicated to the cultures of the world… ah, it's simply breathtaking!"
"You sure know how to take a cool thing and make it sound boring…" Yang followed up.
"Oh, hush you! All this is a representation of peace. We should be happy regardless!" She took a quick glance at their gloomy teammates. Blake looked at her in response, but Kebiin kept his hands in his pockets. Despite their little spat, Kebiin still wore his scarf. His slightly furrowed brow indicated that he had a little more on his mind than just what was going on right now.
"So how are we holding up?" Yang whispered to Kebiin as they continued on their walk. The others in front of them started to chat, allowing the two of them to talk in a somewhat private manor.
"Fine I guess…" He whimpered, running his fingers across the old baton on his belt.
"Really? You sound a little un-fine."
"How could you tell?" Kebiin asked rhetorically. "The first time I'm able to confide in a living person, and I blow it."
"Confide in a living person? What do you mean?"
"You remember that wind storm a while back? Blake and I showed up to the dorm late?"
"How could I forget? The way the two of you just snuck out like that."
"Hnn." Kebiin snorted. "You've got a rather active imagination."
"What can I say? Runs in the family."
"No it doesn't!" Ruby shouted from up front. "Only Uncle Qrow is like that!"
"Where do you think I get it from?" Yang laughed. Ruby rolled her eyes and kept going forward, going back to her conversation with Blake and Weiss.
"Well, I guess I of all people should know." Kebiin said, tapping his temple.
"True, true." Yang said. "But anyways, what about you and Blake?"
"Right…" Kebiin took a glance at Blake to make sure she wasn't listening. "We talked about our pasts, and I thought we could understand what we were going through. We both ended up leaving lives and people behind, and we both wanted somewhere to belong. I thought she would be the first person I could be that close to. I've never had anyone I could talk to like that in years."
"Was there anyone before? Before you ended up here, I mean."
"Well.." Kebiin paused, rubbing his arm. "I told Blake this already, but… there was my mom."
"Was?"
Kebin nodded "Was."
"I see." Yang's tone changed. She tilted her head downward slightly, narrowing her eyes and trying to keep up a weak smile.
"Well, If you want someone who can understand at least that much, Ruby and I are right here for you. Thats two more you can confide in."
Kebiin tilted his head back up at Ruby, who was smiling and laughing as always. The corner of Kebiin's mouth almost cracked into a light grin, but he exhaled and tilted his head back down.
"So that's why…" He whispered.
"What's why?" Yang asked.
Kebiin opened his mouth to answer, but suddenly stopped in his tracks, eyes wide open.
"What? no… that's… that's impossible… the only ones are me and Jaune…"
"The only ones? Slow down, what's going on?"
"Hey, stop that faunus! He's with the White Fang!" A voice cried from back at the boats.
The five of them snapped their heads back, seeing the figure of a monkey faunus leap off one of the boats and. The very same person who Kebiin had juggled the radio with.
"I ain't with the White Fang!" the faunus called back. "I'm way too good for them!" he shouted as he lept off the railing and onto the main road. Just as he ran across the street, he caught a glimpse of five familiar color-coded faces. The first to catch his eye was the sexy cat faunus in black, and the blue-haired kid he sparred with just a while back. He ran, winked at the group, and continued on his merry way.
Yang looked at Kebiin, expecting him to react to the taunt by starting a chase just like last time. Instead, he swallowed, and ran in the complete opposite direction, to the other side of the bay, surprising the fleeing faunus just as much as his team.
"Where does he think he's going?" Weiss said, hair still flying from the wind generating by Kebiin's sudden dash.
"Yang and I will go find him, you and Blake catch that faunus guy!" Ruby ordered. Yang nodded, and the two of them followed their blue haired teammate, leaving Weiss and Blake behind to follow their orders.
"C'mon, let's get that White Fang scum!" Weiss said determinedly.
"Scum?" Blake said, narrowing her eyes at Weiss.
"Yes, that's what he is! He's a faunus, isn't he? Now c'mon, we need to catch up to him!"
Blake gritted her teeth, but followed her teammate in pursuit of the blonde monkey faunus.
There was no mistaking what Kebiin had sensed. It was another Force sensitive, just like him. This definitely wasn't Jaune, who wasn't even aware of his potential power. This was far more controlled, sinister, and dark in every sense of the word. Even so, Kebiin kept on running to where he had sensed this entity. He didn't care that the faunus who had bested him was escaping, even if he had been brought up on the idea of Mandalorian dignity. Sensing a presence of this precision and power trumped his pride.
Kebiin didn't know how long he had been running, but it didn't feel very long, especially considering the speed he was moving at. In his haste, he turned a corner and *SMACK!*. He ran right into a freckled girl with orange hair. The two of them tumbled onto the ground, rolling several feet and trying to avoid any scrapes or bruises.
"Ahh! Hey, are you- Ow!" Kebiin winced as he stood up. His palm, forearm, and cheek stung when he noticed that they had been grinded against the asphalt, scraping off a layer of skin and exposing a little bit of blood. Bits of dirt and rock had lodged themselves in a few of the cuts.
"Sorry about that. You ok?" Kebiin reached his hand out to help up the girl he had tackled.
"Oh no, I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking!" The girl sounded genuinely distressed. From her tone, she may as well have run over a kid with a car. She reached up to grab his hand, but he pulled it back the instant she was back up on her feet. His wrist was sprained. It was already red and swollen, and something felt almost out of place. The incredibly sharp pain whenever he moved his hand didn't help either.
"You're injured! Here, I can help." The girl reached into her back pocket to pull out a soft cloth, and began to gently brush the pebbles out of Kebiin's scratches and dabbing blood away. Kebiin winced as the girl cleaned up his scrapes, but quickly moved her hand out of the way.
"I'm sorry, but there's something I have to see just right over there." Kebiin pointed to a large warehouse on the set of docks closest to them, just a few yards off the road and a few meters drop from a railed ledge. Whatever he was sensing resided within there.
"You can't do that!" The girl protested. "Look at your hand." She said as she scanned his arm. With her tending to his wounds, Kebiin was able to get a better look at her. She was a tad scrawny, but she seemed active enough based on how much concentration she was putting into cleaning Kebiin up. She had a pink bow in her short orange hair, and a tight-fitting black collar that covered her whole neck. Her face was dotted with freckles and accented with strikingly bright green eyes, complementing some of the green stripes and lines along her outfit.
Kebiin winced a little more as he let the girl tend to his wounds, but he doubted that she was going to be able to fix him up right on the spot. "Hey, I'm sorry I tackled you like that. You didn't hit your head, did you? I didn't mean it, honestly. So what's your- oww!" Kebiin yelped as the girl grabbed his wrist to wipe away at his scrapes.
"Your wrist! I'm so sorry…"
"No, no, it's alright. I've been through worse." He smiled at her in the hopes she wouldn't feel guilty. "My name's Kebiin. Yours?"
"My name is Penny. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."
"You don't need to keep apologizing, Penny. It was my fault. You feeling alright?"
"Yes, I'm functioning perfectly fine. It's just that you're the first person I've talked to since I came to Vale, and now you're all hurt… "
"It's no problem, friend. I blame myself, really. But please, I have to see what's in that warehouse, it's impor-" Kebiin's words faded before he could finish them. Whatever what was drawing him into that warehouse suddenly disappeared. It didn't move, it didn't weaken, it just simply faded away. He gritted his teeth and clenched his uninjured arm into a fist, swearing under his breathe. It was almost as if the Force wanted to keep answers away from him. If the Force had a will of its own like he had been taught, did it have desires? Could it really toy with him like this?
Kebiin felt a light tug on his shoulder paired with several muffled voices.
"Kebiin! C'mon, snap out of it, man!" It was Yang.
"Huh?" Kebiin came back to his senses. He never even noticed that he had entered a small trance. Yang was placing a hand on his shoulder, and Ruby was standing next to Penny, noticing how close she was holding his arm. "When did you two get here? Where's Blake and Weiss?"
"Weiss messaged me." Ruby said. "They didn't catch that faunus guy, so they're on their way to meet us here. You doing alright? Your eyes were all glazed over like you were dreaming."
"Have you ever seen him during class? That's just his normal thinking face." Yang said, tapping the side of her head with her finger. "Besides, I'm more concerned with the fact he's got a cute girl Florence Nightingaleing over him. Care to let us in on this one?"
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Penny said sheepishly, letting go of Kebiin. "People don't like it when others cling to them, right?"
"No… It's just… it's gone" Kebiin mumbled.
"What's gone?" Ruby asked.
"I'm not sure exactly. But I could've sworn-"
"There you people are!" Weiss came running down the street, followed by Blake. "Do we need to keep you on a leash, Kebiin! You're not a dog faunus, so don't go running off like that again! And who's this?" She pointed at Penny.
Kebiin looked at Penny, who was blushing from the awkward attention. He tried to reassure her by giving her a light smile.
"This is Penny. Looks like she's a new friend. Penny, these girls are my teammates at Beacon Academy."
"Y-you go to Beacon Academy?!" Penny squealed as she excitedly pulled her arms toward her chest, looking back and forth at Kebiin and the rest of team RWBBY.
"Yup!" Ruby proudly puffed her chest forward. "And I'm the team leader!"
"Wow! That is simply sensational! And all of you are friends? I didn't know people could have so many friends! What are your names?"
"Ruby!'
"Erm… Weiss."
"Blake."
"You… don't go out that much, do you?" Yang said only to be jabbed in the ribs by her sister. "Ow! Oh, right, I'm Yang."
"It's so nice to meet all of you! And, no. Father never lets me go out with strangers. This is my first time in Vale."
"Really? Where are you from?"
"Atlas. It's a lot more strict over there, though, especially with the new council."
"Tell me about it…" Weiss folded her arms.
"So how did the two of you run into each other?" Yang waved her finger between Kebiin and Penny.
"Well… I literally did." Kebiin said, rubbing the back of his hair, slightly embarrassed.
"So you're saying you tackled her? Man, at least get her a drink first."
"Where do you keep getting these ideas?!" Kebiin yelped. Yang's implication seemed to fly right over Penny's head.
"You just make it too easy!" Yang laughed. After her little cackle, Yang opened her eyes back up and her attention was drawn to Kebiin's abnormally purple wrist. Dude, your hand! What'd you do to jack that thing up?" Yang said, border-line over exaggerating her surprise.
"This?" Kebiin raised his arm and winced when the sharp pain shot back up his arm. "Got this when I umm... tackled Penny."
"So you admit it!"
"Yang!" Ruby tried to scold her sister.
"What? This proves me right!"
"I think you're forgetting that Blue Boy's wrist is actually turning blue!"
"Here, we can talk about this on our way to the nurse. But really, I think we need to talk about that faunus riff-raff that slipped through our fingers." Weiss said as though it were now her mission.
'What about him?" Blake spoke up.
"Did you hear that man yell earlier? He said he was part of the White Fang!"
"Yeah, but that faunus said he wasn't."
"You can't trust the faunus though!" Weiss argued. The fact is that the faunus are a dirty, untrustworthy lot."
The air went still. Blake's knuckles had already turned white, and her body was just barely resisting the urge to hit Weiss. Everyone in their group could feel the tension between the two, even if Blake had yet to speak her mind. Penny was the first to disrupt the silence.
"I don't think that was very kind of you, Weiss. Considering that-"
Blake's eyes widened, bracing herself for what she suspected Penny was about to say. Fortunately, Kebiin interrupted her loudly enough to get her to stop talking.
"Hey! Blake, my hand reeaaally hurts. Can you help me get back to the school's med room? The others can check out the Vytal preps without us."
Blake took an unrelaxed breath and silently nodded in agreement. With her head still tilted down, she walked next to and right pass Kebiin, leading the way back to Beacon without saying a word. Ruby and Yang nodded, tugging on Weiss's sleeve to head the opposite direction.
"Nice meeting you, Penny. Hope we can meet up again soon." Kebiin waved with his good hand as they left the scene. The two parties split, and Penny was left wondering what had just happened.
Blake sat down next to Kebiin as the school nurse wrapped a cast around his wrist and applied rubbing alcohol to his cuts. He didn't seemed too phased by the stinging of the alcohol, but he looked more impatient than anything else. The nurse finished cleaning him up, and waved a finger at him scolding that he should be more careful in the future. He gave the obligatory "yes, Ma'am" and was left alone in the room with Blake.
"How are you holding up?" Kebiin said to his agitated teammate.
Blake had been rapidly tapping her heel on the ground and snorting rather frequently ever since they arrived, still thinking about how she was going to tell Weiss off when she would run into her next. "I'm fine…" she said in an obviously not-fine tone.
"You don't sound like it."
"Well, how else do you expect me to react!?" She snapped. "I should've figured Weiss was just an ignorant brat just like the rest of her family…"
"Weiss is your teammate. You need to get along either way. Why are you so defensive about the faunus?"
"Because-" She stopped herself. She tilted her gaze down to the floor and clenched her fists against her thighs. "How can I not be? Just because I'm human doesn't mean I have to hate an entire people. That's something Weiss still needs to figure out..."
"Then fix that! Make her realize she's wrong."
"I've already tried yelling at her. What else can I do?"
"You can do something the rest of us can't. Make it personal for her. Give her a reason to-"
"Make it personal? How? She's just a snobby little girl who thinks she's better because she never had to fight for her rights!"
The room went quiet. Blake was standing up now, fists still clenched and leaning over Kebiin. He inspected the brace around his wrist and squeezed it. He didn't respond at first, letting Blake's last statement linger on.
"Blake, I…" He trailed off.
"You what? You know how to turn a racist into a loving person? It doesn't work like that."
"No, I… Ni kar'taylir…" He whispered.
There it was again. Kebiin's mysterious language. Blake's ears twitched, trying to pick up on what he had said. He was looking down, averting eye contact. His fingers wrapped around his sheets tighter.
"What?"
"Promise me you won't freak out, ok? I'm only asking you this because I want to help."
"I won't. What is it?"
He glanced at the cat ears concealed under her bow. He looked her dead in the eye, trying to find a balance between confidence and shakiness.
"Will you tell the others who you are if I tell you what I am?"
The color drained from Blake's face even before she could provide cover for herself. "H-how did you… I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Blake, I knew what you were the moment I saw you. You don't have to hide."
She knew she wouldn't be able to convince him of her being human. Afterall, the kid could read minds. There was no way to wriggle out of this one.
"How did you know?" She asked quietly. "Did you read my mind then, too?"
"No, of course not." Kebiin reassured. "I like to think I'm not that shallow. Faunus just have a different… feel about them than humans. I sensed it whether I wanted to or not."
"You "sensed" what I am? Huh. Guess I shouldn't be surprised by your wide arrange of powers by this point." Blake let out a hopeless sounding chuckle. "What else do you know?"
"From the story you told me, and knowing you're a faunus, I figured you meant the White Fang. The only detail I really know about is Adam's name."
"That's it? You can read minds! You could find out whatever you wanted from any of us if you felt like it."
"No, I really can't. I can only see glimpses. I don't know how to do anything more than that. And you're my teammate. I wouldn't be able to bring myself to do something like that to you."
Blake brought herself to look back up at him. The sincerity in his voice was crystal clear. The warm inventiveness on his face only reinforced that. He wore the look of someone who could truly understand her pain. The seemingly lax but forced smile, the stern look in his eyes, it was all there. Adam looked just like that back in the day…
"So." Kebiin said. "Will you tell them? As their friend?"
"You still need to stick to your promise." She noted. "What's your big secret?"
She was right. Kebiin did say he would tell her where he came from. Maybe he hoped she would forget in the middle of the conversation, but that was futile and perhaps even a bit hypocritical. Kebiin shifted his legs so they dangled right off the edge of his bed, facing Blake directly.
"There's a small cube in my pack. Could you grab it for me please?"
Blake look a little confused, but she did so. She inspected the ornate designs on the blue and golden cube before holding it to Kebiin. Instead of grabbing it with his hands, he closed his eyes and levitated it toward him and above his lap. He focused the Force inward on the holocron, turning the corners and letting them float away to orbit around the room. When he opened his eyes, Revan's small glowing masked figure stood as he always did. Blake's jaw hung open just a little in surprise, wondering what she was even looking at.
"Kebiin, what is-"
"I believe I should be asking that question, quite frankly." Blake jumped onto her feet the moment Revan spoke. "Who is this girl? What happened to your wrist?"
"Trust me Master, you don't need to be too concerned right now."
"Your mother tasked me with keeping you safe and learned. I'd be doing something wrong if I wasn't concerned about you."
"Kebiin, what the hell is that!?" Blake yelped shockingly.
"Wait, I thought you guys had holograms?"
"Not ones that can fit in your pocket! Who is this guy, anyways?"
"Well, he's umm… How do I explain this…"
"My name is Revan." He took over. "I'm an AI tasked with giving knowledge to whoever activated this holocron. In this case, I'm Kebiin's teacher. However, I thought he was going to lay low and keep me out of sight like I taught him…" Revan turned his head over to Kebiin.
"Revan, I can't keep going on like this. I have friends, a team, a new life! At least a few of them deserve to know."
Revan turned to Blake, who was still in shock seeing this whole conversation go down. "Do you trust her?" He turned back to Kebiin.
"Yes. I do."
"Then I will trust your judgment. What is it you need?"
"A map... of home."
Revan's image faded away, and a new image spanning the whole room replaced him. Several lines emitting from the main body of the holocron spread out to the different pieces floating in the room, forming what looked like coordinates. Then, an image of a spiral galaxy flickered into life, taking up most of the space in the room, which was now glowing a faint blue from the light of the virtual galaxy. Blake stood up, looking up at the images in wonder, occasionally batting her hand out at the holograms.
"Woah… this is… it's amazing…"
"Like I said, it's a map. Granted, this map is almost four thousand years old." Kebiin said.
"Four thousand years? Nothing like this ever existed that long ago!"
"Not on Remnant, no."
Blake tried to speak up, but Kebiin did so first. He reached his hand up, and pointed to a small, indistinguishable star on the edge of one of the galactic arms.
"This is it." He said. "Planet Ceibur, in the next galaxy over, just bordering the Outer Rim. It's not much, but… it's home."
Blake was caught between a state of shock, confusion, disbelief. She looked at the different stars surrounding her, unable to find the constellations that should've showed in Remnant's night sky.
"This has got to be a joke, right? You, an alien? That's not possible! You look so human!"
"That's what I thought when I first saw the people on this world. My mom sent me here for a reason, and I think you and I looking the same species was part of it."
"The same species? This doesn't make any sense. There isn't even any proof of life on other planets, so how can... " She trailed off. "Wait, your mom?"
Kebiin nodded. "I'm a little… complicated even for my galaxy."
"Complicated? I'd say that the fact you keep saying you're from another galaxy is complicated enough already. You don't even have any proof."
"Can you please just hear me out?" Kebiin said as he walked to his pack, taking out his lightsaber and holodisc, leaving the E-11 blaster inside. "It's not too crazy, I promise. Both of us lied to each other to better fit our situations that night we snuck out."
It took a minute for Blake to make up her mind, but in the end, she took her seat again and nodded.
"My dad was something called a Mandalorian. They're warriors, always seeking the challenge of a good fight, and the glory of battle. The galaxy doesn't really view them fondly. Him and his clan was where I was raised for most of my life. It's where I learned to fight, to pilot ships, survive, and where I learned my language."
"So you're one of these "Mandalorians"?"
"My clan would say yes, but…" He took a deep breath before continuing. "My mom was something called a "Jedi". For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice throughout the whole galaxy. But that was during the reign of the old Republic.
Questions were bombarding Blake's mind left and right. His story was insane, but he sounded and looked so sincere. He was going through a whole lot of trouble explaining this to her, but there was always a chance he was telling the truth.
"Slow down." Blake said, crossing her legs and putting a hand out. "There's the Jedi, the Mandalorians, and the Republic? Who are they?"
"Right, sorry..." Kebiin let out a long sigh. "The Galactic Republic ruled the whole galaxy, and the Jedi were its guardians. They used their special powers to uphold peace and justice wherever and whenever they could."
"Powers? Do people in your galaxy have Semblances?"
Kebiin shook his head. "In my galaxy, there's something the Jedi call "the Force". It's an energy field created by all living things that surrounds us and binds everything together. People like my mom, and I are called 'Force-sensitives.' The Force gives us incredible powers, like telekinesis, telepathy, physical strengthening-there's endless possibilities. But there's also a spiritual side. It speaks to you, guides your actions, but also obeys your commands. It's an entity you can trust."
Blake nodded. So, that was how he was able to speed towards Cardin, leap whole buildings, and read minds. Still, she had more questions. "Does that mean this Force some sort of god? Are the Jedi a religion?"
"No, not really. The Force simply is what it is. The Jedi are the ones that make the code and learn how to wield it for good." Kebiin looked to the holocron. "Revan was programmed to teach me about the Force, so I could protect myself."
"From who?" Blake asked.
"The Empire..." Kebiin clenched his fist, driving his nails into his palm. He gritted his teeth, and any object that wasn't bolted to the ground either shook or levitated into the air. The air grew cold and dry, seeming to tingle with electricity. Blake felt her stomach sink as she shrunk into her chair. The light had even seemed to dim, and there was a low rumbling sound ringing throughout the room.
"Kebiin, what's going on? What's happening?"
Kebiin snapped out of whatever anger-induced trance he was in and widened his eyes, taking a shaky breath. He collapsed onto his knees, dropping the items he held in his hand and placing his palms over his eyes. The floating objects fell back to the ground, and the holocron shut off as it bounced against the floor.
"Kebiin!" Blake rushed over to frantically check on her teammate. "What happened? What was that? Are you alright?"
"Blake, I'm so sorry… I didn't mean… The Empire, I just-"
The door flung open as the nurse ran back into the room. "What was that? Are you two doing okay in here?" She looked down to see Blake holding Kebiin in her arms, both of them looking up, somewhat embarrassed.
"Yeah, yeah, we're okay…" Kebiin said. "Wrist is all good. I just tripped."
"Right…" The nurse said as she shut the door. "Stay safe, you two." The door closed, and they heard the nurse's footsteps wander away down the hall. Blake let Kebiin go, and he stood back up on his feet, leaning against his bed.
"Really though, are you alright?" She asked concerningly.
"I'm fine." Kebiin said. "Stuff like that happens when you can't control the Force." He took a deep breath. "I've got a long ways to go, huh, Revan?" He said to the now inactive holocron.
"So what's "The Empire"? Who are they? Why do they make you so angry?"
"The Empire rose up after the Republic fell from what was called "The Clone Wars". They were the ones who wiped out the Jedi. They killed almost all of them, and then took over nearly the whole galaxy."
"They killed all of the Jedi? How many were there?"
"I'm not sure. Ten thousand, maybe even more? They didn't even spare the younglings… Then again, the Empire is perfectly fine with murder…" He gritted his teeth.
"My god…" Blake but her hand over her mouth when she gasped. "Why did they need to kill them all? So many people…"
"Because the Jedi would've stopped them."
"But how did they even manage it? The Jedi could use the Force, right? Isn't the Empire just made up of regular people?"
"No… not entirely. The Jedi were betrayed by one of their own, and their most powerful members were too spread out in different star systems during the Clone War. Those out in the galaxy were all killed in surprise attacks, and over at the main temple… my mom was there. She said that the Jedi Knight who betrayed them led the army that finished off everyone who was there. There weren't any more fighters to protect them, and they were hopelessly outnumbered. She never really did talk about it much. I don't blame her… it's not easy talking about the genocide of an entire culture".
"I see… So what happened to your mom?"
"Well, she survived. She ended up being captured and had to work for the Empire but deserted after a few years. She ran into Clan Ceibur, met my dad, and then after a while, I was born."
"So how did you end up here?"
Kebiin paused for a moment. He was never able to think of this event without growing angry, afraid, or sad. But he had to tell Blake. He had come this far. He regained his composure, and continued on the best he could.
"The Empire found us. They attacked with star fighters and elite troops while we slept. Only a few of us had weapons or armor on, and we were outnumbered. My dad… he threw himself over me when a fighter dropped proton torpedo. He… he shielded me from the blast, but…"
Kebiin's eyes watered up. He could hear the roar of the TIEs overhead as the camp was sent up in flames, the crunch of stormtrooper boots on the ground as they gunned down his family, and he could still smell the charred scent of his father's plasma burnt body. The smell that was forever burned into his memory. Even still, he had to continue.
"My mother and I escaped, and she took me to the Empire's capital world where she said there was a ship that could get us away from the Empire. We snuck our way into the imperial base, but they were already waiting for us. I managed to escape, but only because my mom held them off." His voice cracked and he swallowed so he could keep going. Blake tried to speak, but Kebiin continued before she had the chance. "I was on that ship for two months, traveling farther and farther away from home. My mom snuck Revan's holocron in my pack so I could have someone to learn from and talk to. We crashed on Remnant a few years ago, and here I am."
Blake was awestruck. His story was so outlandish, straight out of a novel. There was no way it could be true. And yet, the sincerity Kebiin spoke with, and the emotions those memories conjured up had to have some truth to them. Why would he have to go to all this trouble to tell such a ridiculous story unless it was true? Not to mention, that hologram and map clearly weren't made on Remnant.
"Kebiin…" Blake tightened her grip on his hand. "I'm so sorry…"
Kebiin sniffed and wiped his reddening eyes. "No, I really should be the one apologizing here. I made you sit through my whole life story and it's not even believable. Pretty crazy, right?"
"No… I believe you." She pulled him in for a hug.
Kebiin was dumbstruck. She… she actually believed him? After all these years, he was finally able to confide in a living person. He hugged her back, and levitated his lightsaber and holodisc back to his pack with his mind while still embracing his friend. Looks like he wouldn't need them to prove where he was from.
"So… what happened next? About the Empire, I mean. Are they still around?"
"I don't know." Kebiin said. He diverted his eyes to the floor for a moment and let out another deep sigh. "I just hope that they're far, far away…"
The two of them spent the next few minutes picking up the clutter that Kebiin had set flying around the room, tidying things up so the nurses wouldn't get angry. Kebiin placed all his belongings in his pack, checked up on his wrist one last time, and walked out the door with Blake.
"So will you tell them?" Kebiin asked Blake as they walked back to their dorm.
"I will…" She squeezed her arm. "A deal's a deal, right?"
"A deal's a deal."
"What about you? Will you tell them?"
Kebiin thought for a moment. "Not now. Maybe after a little more time has passed. Two big revelations in one night would be a bit much for them, don't you think?"
"I guess you're right." She agreed.
Once they arrived at their door, the voices of their other teammates could be heard on the other side. Blake put her hand on the doorknob, taking a deep breath. Kebiin put his hand on her shoulder, reassuring her of what she was about to do. They opened the door, and sure enough, Ruby, Weiss, and Yang stopped their conversations as the two of them entered.
"Everyone." Blake began. "I have something I need to tell you all." She glanced at Weiss for a second or two longer than the others. "I've been keeping this a secret for a long time, but I think it's about time you learned what I really am."
"Secret? Hiding what you really are? What are you talking about?" Yang asked.
Without speaking, Blake took her shaky hand and reached up at the black bow on top of her head. She pulled on a loose ribbon, and the whole bow unraveled, revealing her dark feline ears. She closed her eyes, letting everyone else take the time to realize what she was.
"Blake, you're… you're a faunus?" Weiss gasped.
"Yes… I am."
"So that whole time we were arguing it was because…"
Blake nodded. "Mhmm. They're my people, Weiss. I can't let discrimination like that happen."
"Blake…" Yang said, not knowing how to react.
"I think they're actually kind of cute." Ruby said meekly. "The ears, I mean."
"I…" Weiss swallowed. "Fine. I apologize." Her pale face began to redden. "I'm sorry about what I said about the faunus. As long as you have nothing to do with the White Fang, I don't care if you're a faunus."
Blakes brief smile of relief quickly faded, being replaced by a look of dread.
"Weiss… I… I…"
"You what?'
"I used to be a member of the White Fang. I left so I could come here, make a real-"
"The White Fang!? Do you have any idea about what they've done to my family? The family friends and board members I've seen disappear? The Dust that has been stolen and used to hurt so many people?"
Kebiin winced when he help a sharp pain deep in his forehead. No one else noticed, too fixated by Weiss's sudden shift of mood. The hatred she held inside was surfacing.
"Weiss, please, I'm trying to say I'm not-"
"No! You don't know what it was like!"
"Weiss…" Blake's voice was shaky from tears.
"Every night, my father came home furious, always ranting and raging about those thieves and murderers… They've killed our friends, families, employees… He was so busy hating you, he never even reached out to me and Winter…"
Kebiin tried to interrupt, still holding his palm against his head. "Weiss, not now. She's trying to explain everything. You can't just-"
"Yes I can!" She snapped. "You mean to tell me, that my teammate-my friend-, was part of the organization that kept my father out of my sister and I's reach for all these years? Do you know how difficult they made life for us? I didn't think he even noticed us until he sent me to this backwater kingdom only to run into a primitive animal such as you!"
Weiss finished her outburst, muscles still tightened and teeth still clenched. Blake still stood in front of her, staring at the ground. Weiss's face and body relaxed, eyes widening once she realized what she had turned this moment into. Blake had come here to pour her heart out, and here she was, blaming her for all of her childhood loneliness.
"No, Blake, I didn't… That's not what I-"
A gust of wind blew through the whole room, sending everyone's hair to fly in front of their faces and causing any fabric in the room to float away. Blake was nowhere to be seen. She had darted away to who knows where right in front of their eyes at a speed that matched Ruby's Semblance. Tears streamed down Weiss's face, realizing she had driven away one of the only close friends she still had in her life.