Okay, here we go. We're reaching the end of this story
Cover Art: Terakali
Chapter 12
"AZURE!"
Sun watched the spot as bubbles frothed, a moment of shock that collapsed as he roared and dove off the netting, crashing into the waves with the knife gripped in hand. The water was murky, but the dark shape of the Grimm was unmistakeable. It had ceased its dive and was now headed back towards the surface.
In front of it, a much smaller figure was swimming upward.
Azure was struggling in the water, unable to hold his breath long enough to dodge under it and desperate to reach the surface once more, heedless of the beast below. Sun knew what would happen seconds before it did, but he still surged forward in a frantic bid to stop it.
The Grimm's jaws snapped down on Azure.
Blood pooled in the water.
No! Sun struggled against the swirling currents to bring himself closer, spotting through the mist of blood that Azure was trapped in the thing's mouth by his leg. He was still alive – the thrashing was an obvious sign – but it wouldn't be for long if the thing dragged him down, or even if it let go and snapped him in half.
Placing the knife between his teeth, Sun kicked towards it, twisting his body and landing with his feet on the side of its armoured carapace. His hand snagged out and caught its skull, holding him in place as it thrashed, trying to tear Azure's leg off entirely.
I won't let you, Sun thought, grabbed the dagger. Get the fuck off him!
The armour was too strong, and he could barley move his hand under the water. The first blow bounced off. The knife was made for slowly sawing through material, not stabbing or cutting flesh.
He aimed higher, forcing it slowly into the gap between the plates of bone, over the beast's eye. Swinging around, Sun placed his foot on the dagger's hilt and kicked himself off it, forcing the blade down through the creature's membrane and into its eyeball.
The sound that escaped its throat echoed through the water.
It let go of Azure, though. The boy fell limp – shock and pain preventing him from making his way to the surface on his own. Sun swam up, caught him with an arm around his neck and began to kick his way to the surface.
When they broke it, Sun dragged Azure above the water.
"Azure!"
"Arghhhh!" The teen cried out. "Arghh!"
Alive. In pain, obviously, but alive. Sun heard a motor engine and waved his arm in the air wildly, unable to see it over the rolling waves but hoping it wouldn't be the same the other way around. "Oi!" he yelled. "Help!"
"Over there!" he heard someone, Winter Schnee, call. "Hurry!"
The white speedboat pulled up alongside them quickly. Weiss and Winter were on it, leaning over the edge. On seeing Azure and all the blood, they hurried to drag him on board, with Weiss pressing a blanket to his leg and holding it there.
"Grimm!" Sun panted, hauling up with a little help from Winter. "The netting is broken. There's a Grimm in the bay."
"We deal with it later," Winter snapped to the driver. "Get is back to shore! Quickly!"
The man was only too happy to obey, pulling the lever and driving the boat on, swerving it to the side as the water bubbled where they had just been. It was not a moment too soon, as a huge black shape broke through the water, spraying them and rocking the boat. Sun fell on his side and scrambled for someone he could use as a weapon.
Winter had a gun out already. He had no idea where it came from.
One shot. Two. The dust rounds impacted the beast's side while it was in the air and exposed. Scales and bits of bone flew off, while Weiss stood at the side, Myrtenaster held like a harpoon, but not sure what to do with it. To reach it, she'd have to jump into the water and the boat was already speeding away.
"It's giving chase!" she yelled.
Looking back to Azure, but knowing there was nothing he could do, Sun scrambled up and looked back. True to Weiss' words, the wake kicked up by their engine was being pursued by a black fin that cut through the water.
It was gaining on them.
If it hit the boat, they'd all be in the drink. Azure wouldn't survive that.
"Can you freeze the water?" he asked Weiss.
"No. Too much." Weiss didn't waste time with sarcasm or shock. "Winter, your Semblance…?"
The taller woman was already on it. White glyphs appeared behind her and she pointed forward, launching Nevermore towards the fin. None of them could penetrate the water with any force, however, and the fin itself didn't appear a weak spot. It was pecked and damaged, but the thing kept coming.
Trying once more, Winter sent two Beowolves into the water. They were hopeless but leapt in either to slow it down or hopefully distract it, giving it a new target.
It cared for neither.
"It's focused on the boat's engine," Winter hissed. "But we can't turn that off without being attacked." Winter stepped up onto the side of the boat.
Weiss caught her arm. "You can't mean to go in there!"
Even a fully-trained huntress would struggle in the water. If they were on a larger vessel that could stay upright, it wouldn't be such a problem but none of them could fight in the water, while it was perfectly designed to do so.
"Someone has to distract it," Winter said. "I do not intend to die but buying a little time might delay it enough for you to reach shore."
"The eye!" Sun yelled. "I stabbed a knife into its eye."
"That's all very good but-"
"If you hit the knife, it might go deeper," he explained.
Weiss' eyes widened. "Yes!"
Winter hummed but stepped back. "We'll only have the one shot, and you're without a weapon." It was their best bet however, and Winter threw an arm out. "Stand back. Give Weiss and I as much room as possible. Weiss, use ice dust. If you can freeze the eye that might cause more damage."
"I can distract it," Sun said, summoning some clones. Each of them grabbed the spare paddles in the boat, left there for if the engine died. The clones slipped by Weiss and Winter and crouched on the edge, ready to give their lives to distract the Grimm if needed.
The fin reached the ship and dipped under the water.
"Here it comes!" Winter yelled.
The giant maw reared up out of the waves behind them, its mouth open and revealing rows of sharp teeth. Its face was mostly hidden, pointed upwards, but there, sticking out from the left side, was a small rubber-wrapped handle.
"NOW!"
Sun commanded the clones forward – who threw themselves directly into the monster's mouth with no regard for their own lives. Meanwhile, Weiss and Winter unleashed twin elemental attacks of pure ice and dust that lanced upwards, freezing atop the creature's skull and crackling up towards the metal knife lodged in its eye socket.
"Left!" Sun yelled to the driver. "Go left!"
The boat swerved, both dodging the Grimm's attack as it latched down on them, but also causing it to drift by the boat itself – the left side of its body on full display. The knife handle in front of them, almost close enough to touch.
Sun wasted no time.
Launching himself off the boat, he bunched his knees and landed flat on the Grimm's skull. Gravity took hold, but before it could he stamped down with one bare foot, driving the knife down through its eye socket, through its already ruined eye, and into the creature's brain.
The Grimm reared up and twisted to the side, half-launching itself out the water, half-writhing in pain and shock.
Sun was only just able to kick off it – and only able to get back onto the boat because one of Weiss' glyphs caught and propelled him towards it. He landed rough and stumbled on his aching foot, supported by Winter's arms.
"That," she said, "Was reckless."
"Yeah. Never said I was a clever guy… Is it…?"
"If not dead, it is dealt with for now," Winter said, looking back. The huge shape was twisting just under the surface, its body breaking through the waves at odd moments. Whether it was dying or just trying to get the weapon loose, it wasn't chasing them anymore.
For now, that was a victory.
"How did you know…?" Sun asked, panting. "How did you know to save us?"
"Azure did in fact reach the shore," Weiss said. "He shouted for them to raise the alarm, then took his jet ski back out to rescue you. Winter and I requisitioned a boat as quickly as we could. If not for Azure, we wouldn't have known until it was too late.
/-/
A crowd awaited them on the beach as the boat came back in, slamming into the sand and riding several metres up it. Paramedics and first aid staff of the resort, along with armed guards and a veritable horde of curious guests that milled on the outskirts, desperate to get a glimpse of what was going on.
Between them, Sun and Weiss carried Azure out of the boat and into the waiting hands of the paramedics. Azure was lowered onto a sheet placed down on the sand and a man and woman in white started fussing over his leg, inspecting the wound.
"Azure! Azure, my baby!" Millennia wailed, pushing through the crowd. The large woman collapsed on her knees by the boy, hands hovering nearby as though afraid to touch him and make his injury worse. "Oh my goodness, Azure!"
"I-It's okay, mom." Azure winced but managed a wry smile. "I'm alive."
"The wound looks worse than it is," one of the paramedics said. "He'll need to stay off it for several weeks, perhaps even use a crutch of wheelchair, but apart from some scarring, I don't think there will be any extreme damage. You'll be weak right now, son. Try not to exert yourself."
"Is he low on blood?" Sun asked. "Does he need a transfusion?"
"If so, we have blood stores here at the resort. Don't worry."
Millennia's head snapped up. "You!" she hissed, like a coiling snake. The large woman pushed herself to her feet and stabbed a hand out towards Sun. "This is your fault! You tried to kill my baby boy!"
Sun recoiled.
"What?" Weiss snapped, just as angrily. "Unless you're blind, Sun saved him!"
"Azure wasn't supposed to be out there! He was supposed to be getting ready for the dance! Your monster of an ex lured him out there and tried to kill him!"
"N-No," Sun stammered. "There was a Grimm!"
"And you're a huntsman!" Millennia screamed. "You could have killed it if you wanted. Guards, guards arrest him! He was so jealous of my boy, he lured him out onto the ocean and tried to murder him! Guards!"
Several armed men moved forward. They didn't look for evidence, only their weapons.
Both Winter and Weiss closed ranks before Sun, weapons drawn.
"I didn't…" Sun said, eyes wide. "N-No, I'd never have. He's my friend."
"Lies! Lies! You hated him from the start. For being better than you, for being better for Weiss, for bein-"
"ENOUGH!"
It was Azure who roared out, shocking everyone into silence. His face was pale from shock, but his eyes were clenched shut and his body shook with barely concealed anger.
Millennia turned. "Azure…?"
"Enough, mother!" he hissed, quieter, and yet with no less intensity. "Sun did not try to kill me. He saved my life."
"But-"
"There is no but! I was the one to suggest we go out there. I was the one who chose to investigate the netting. I was the one who chose to stay and help him instead of fleeing when Sun bought me the chance."
"You just think that, sweetie," Millennia whispered. "He tricked you. He was forever jealous of you and Weiss."
"Jealous? Sun!?" Azure laughed. "No. If anyone was jealous, it was me. Jealous of his freedom, of his determination. Jealous because I have none of those things." He winced, and then gritted his teeth at some invisible pain. "I'm nothing more than a prize dog to be dressed up and paraded around."
"That's not true."
"Isn't it? You're already trying to set me up with some girl I'd never met before. Pushing the issue so much you've broken up her relationship with my best friend." Azure shook his head angrily. "Did you ever ask if I wanted that? Did you ever ask what I wanted?"
"But the marriage-"
"There is no marriage!" Azure yelled. "There won't be one. I refuse! I categorically refuse!"
Millennia looked like she'd been slapped. "Is this because of him?" she sneered, looking to Sun again. "Haven't you caused enough damage here!?"
"I-" Sun tried to answer.
"NO!" Azure rasped. "It's not him. It's me! It's you! It's everything else but him!"
"Millennia." Martyn Metelia said, stepping from the crowd with Jacques Schnee beside him. Mr Schnee looked furious. "I think you should listen to our son. He's not going to allow the paramedics to take him away like this, and your arguing is only risking his safety."
Azure nodded gratefully at his father, or as best he could. "It's not about Sun," he said, softer. "It's about Weiss. And me. And what I want from a marriage. I don't want some loveless union for money, power or some stupid deal over the resort. I want someone I can fall in love with, and who will love me back."
"You can fall in love with her," Millennia said. "You're still young."
"Not when she doesn't love me, I can't. All she'd ever remember me as is someone who stepped in to take away her happiness. It doesn't matter how hard we tried, that would always stand between us. Besides, she wants to be a huntress. I want to stay here and protect the cove's ecology. It would never work."
"Allowances can be made-"
"On who, mother? Who has to give something up? And why? Right now, we're both compromising and sacrificing things for a marriage neither of us even wants." He sighed and slumped back. It looked like he wanted to rest but refused to as long as there were words left. His face was pale. "No. I'm sick of pretending nothing is happening and going with the flow. Of letting things happen to me without my control. Mr Schnee," he said, looking up to the stern man. "Regretfully, I have no interest in marrying your daughter."
"Azure!" Millennia gasped. "You're not in your right mind. The blood loss. The shock-"
"I've wanted to end this stupid thing since the day it started. I refuse. Force the issue and I shall disown myself from the family. I'll seek legal representation."
Millennia looked horrified.
Martyn sighed. "This is the decision you make?"
"It is. It's the only one I can make."
"Then there is little we can do."
"Martyn!"
"Azure has spoken, Millennia. Jacques, you heard him."
"I did." Jacques' eyes were locked onto Weiss', conveying some silent message, some silent judgement. Demanding to know whether this was her doing, and whether she should be punished for it.
Weiss held her ground, head held high.
"The marriage was never a binding part of our agreement," he eventually said.
"No, but it was a means of ensuring our son's future. If we sell the resort, his future is left open…"
"Perhaps," Weiss said, interjecting, "Azure could remain as CEO of the resort. He knows its running, its staff and the peculiarities that we do not. It would save you having to find someone else suited to the task, father."
Again, he glared at her, wondering if this had been her plan all along.
Martyn Metelia was quick to chime in. "We would support this proposal."
Trapped.
Jacques Schnee was trapped.
Angry, belligerent and more than willing to show it, he was still a businessman. He knew when it was time to step away from the negotiating table, especially if the deal looked like it was becoming tenuous. "Very well. I shall guarantee him five years, and more based on the fiscal performance of the resort." Turning, he walked away. "I will meet with you tomorrow to finalise details."
"Thank you." Martyn moved over to Millennia and pulled her up by her arm. She continued to glare at Sun, her thoughts on the matter clear. In an effort to avoid an argument and put Azure at further risk, Martyn led his wife away. "Get well soon, son," he said to Azure. "We will be sure to visit you as soon as you are stable."
"The netting…" Azure gritted.
"I shall see it replaced and checked across the grid. No one shall be allowed in the water until it is." The latter was said loudly, to all those watching. After seeing Azure's wounds, few would dare risk the water, even if the Grimm responsible lay dead.
With Millennia removed, the paramedics brought Azure up onto a stretcher.
Sun and Weiss quickly appeared his side.
"Azure, I'm so sorry," Sun whispered.
"Don't be." Azure tried to laugh but winced and cut off. "You told me to run for it. You bought me the time to escape."
"You came back…"
"Wasn't going to leave you. Wasn't going to explain that to Weiss. Wouldn't… ah, that hurts… wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror again." He fell back. "Sorry for being an idiot. Y-You're the huntsman."
"Dude, you were a hero," Sun said. "You saved my life."
"Yeah?" Azure raised a hand weakly. "Friends?"
Sun clasped it. "We were already friends, you idiot. Saving my life doesn't change that."
He had to let go as Azure was swept away. Sun stood on the beach and watched him go.
Winter placed a hand on his shoulder. "You handled that as well as you could."
"Yeah." Sun wiped his eyes. "Thanks for saving us, you two. If you hadn't come…"
"We did come," Weiss said. "So, let's not think of what might have happened in a world where we weren't fast enough. You're both alive. That is what counts."
"Indeed," Winter said, "If not you, someone else would have discovered that Grimm, and likely with a far more tragic outcome. Though it may not feel like it, this was the best result. Although, I am sure father will not feel the same way."
"No. He won't." Weiss' eyes closed.
Sun winced. "Sorry…"
"It's not your fault. I'm pleased you saved Azure and I am… relieved that I will not have to carry on this charade with Azure." Weiss sighed and looked down at her fancy dress. "I guess this dance is over and done with."
"I think this holiday will be over and done with," Winter said. "I expect father will want the two of you gone as soon as possible lest you… influence the Metelia family any further. Whatever your friend's good will, it's clear his mother does not share it."
"She refused to believe Sun didn't have a hand in this. Even now…"
"It's normal," Sun said.
Weiss scowled. "That doesn't make it right!"
"No, but it doesn't make it your problem to fix either. Leave it, Weiss. Don't get upset over what some stupid old woman thinks. Azure is alive. That's what matters." Sun cracked his shoulder. "And I need to practice fighting in water. I was helpless…"
"Few are at their home in the ocean," Winter said. "Still, additional training is not a bad thought." Stepping away from them, Winter wrung some salt water out of her white coat, dripping it onto the sand. "I shall arrange transport to take you both back to Beacon tomorrow. That should give you a final chance to have some words with Azure before you leave. I know you'd like to stay to see him well, but I think it would be best for everyone if you left."
"Yeah…"
"I understand, Winter." Weiss nodded. "I shall leave it to you."
No words passed between them that night, despite that both wanted to say something. Anything. Sun and Weiss built the wall of pillows between them and laid down on either side, staring up at the ceiling. The marriage, the holiday, the charade, the pretence. Everything was over. On the morrow, it would be a return to Beacon and the life they'd had before.
Neither of them said a word.
/-/
When the day dawned, it was to a message from Weiss that their flight would be in less than four hours. Never had Weiss felt such relief and emptiness at the same time. She told the news to Sun, who said that it was good, but in a way that lacked enthusiasm.
Weiss felt the same, even if she wasn't sure why.
Did she like it here? No, not really. Her father was a constant miasma around her and the Metelia family were little better. Millennia would glare at her and Sun whenever she saw them, and Weiss wanted nothing more than to escape them and get back to her team.
But it somehow felt like something was missing. Unfinished.
When Sun suggested they visit Azure, she agreed. Perhaps that was it.
Sun was let in first to talk with Azure, more a requirement to get him out the way before Millennia could come by and freak out at the very sight of him. Weiss wasn't sure Azure would want to speak with her at all, but when Sun came back out with a tired smile, he held the door open for her.
"He wants to talk to you."
Surprised, Weiss entered. The room was in the hospital ward set aside in the resort. As wealthy and well-equipped as the rest of it, each patient got their own room in the greatest luxury money could afford. Azure lay on a bed in a pale blue-green robe. The window beside him was open and he had the palm of his hand extended outside, bird seed collected in it.
A brightly coloured bird stood on his fingers, nibbling at the seeds. On hearing the door close, it flew away, and Azure turned back to her. Despite his injury, he was smiling.
"Blue-tailed cove finch," he explained. "They're native across Mistral, but for some reason the blue-tailed variant only exists here. They nest in the mountains. They don't normally like people, but they're hungry little things and will investigate if you stay still and offer food."
"I see." Weiss hovered nearby, unsure what to say or do. "You wanted to see me?"
"Sure. It might be my last chance." He grinned. "Unless I can come and watch you two at the festival."
"Please do! It would be a pleasure to perform for you."
"You can drop the manners, Weiss. I'd like to think we're friends…"
"My-" Weiss closed her eyes and sighed. "Sorry. It's an old habit."
"I know. I do it, too." He laid back onto the cushions piled up under his head. There was a book on his lap, opened on a certain page but laid face-down. A book on wildlife. "I think I did it all my life until now, doing whatever my parents expected of me, trying to make them proud of me. I thought it was all that mattered, that it would somehow make me happier if they were happy."
Azure sighed.
"I was wrong. The thing is… I'm not even sure it's their fault on what they did. I never told them what I wanted. I never acted like I wanted anything. If you spend your whole life trying to please others, they're not going to realise. They're going to think you like doing that kind of stuff." He shook his head. "I was so busy trying to make them proud of me that I never realised I wasn't proud of myself."
Weiss couldn't meet his eyes. "And you are now?"
"I think I am." Azure laughed weakly, and then a little louder. An honest laugh. "It's stupid, right? All I did was shout at my mom and tell her I didn't want us to be married, and suddenly, I feel like I'm on top of the world. I feel so free, so powerful, so me."
"Mother is probably angry," he admitted. "I'll have to calm her down. Lashing out at you and Sun was ridiculous, but it must seem like you changed me."
"Did we?"
"No. I was always like this. I just… I never felt brave enough to show it. Never felt like I could afford to be myself when I was so busy trying to meet their expectations. To mother, it must seem like I've done a complete one-eighty. I think father understands. He must have noticed, but even he never did anything. Perhaps I fooled them as much as I did myself."
"Then I am pleased you've found some measure of happiness," she said. "I… I don't think we could have worked out."
Azure grinned wryly. "You think? I didn't want to come between you and Sun."
"That…" Weiss winced. "You deserve to know the truth, Azure. Sun and I… we were never… how do I say this?"
"You were never together?" he said. "You were faking it to throw a wrench in the plans and escape having to marry me?"
Weiss' mouth fell open.
"I'm not an idiot, Weiss. We were told you were single. We did our own research. When you suddenly came with a boyfriend, I figured out what was going on. Everyone did. You looked really awkward together."
Her skin turned a light pink. They really thought they'd fooled everyone… "Then why did you say you didn't want to come between us?"
"Because you do have feelings for him, Weiss. It's really obvious…"
It was like a slap to her face. "I don't."
"You do." Azure looked out the window. "I saw the little signs and how relaxed you were around one another, even when you started to get closer. I'll admit, I was jealous. Not jealous in that I wanted you, or to take Sun's place, but jealous in that I wanted to feel that as well. To be able to grow close to a girl I met and feel the same thing. See her look at me like you look at Sun."
She didn't… That was… Weiss' eyes closed, and she bit her lip.
"Sun and I are not together and never will be."
"Not if your father has his way," Azure agreed. "Of course, if he had his way – and if my mother had hers – the two of us would be preparing for our marriage even now. The only reason we're not is because I decided I wanted to be free."
"I cannot do the same. I'm not an only child…"
"I was prepared to leave my family name and the resort to get my freedom, Weiss."
"It's not… My situation is more complicated. It's not so simple." She had her dream, her ambition, and Sun just wasn't compatible with that. Not because he was a bad person, not because he was cruel or unfair or didn't want her to succeed.
All because her father wouldn't let her.
Because Sun was a faunus.
"You make your situation complicated," Azure said slowly. "I won't tell you how to live your life, Weiss, but whatever happens – however this ends – it is you who will make the decision. Not Sun. Not Winter. Not me, and not your father."
Weiss stared at the floor.
"I just wanted to talk with you to say that," Azure said. "And to say goodbye. I won't lie and say it was easy, but I'm glad to have met you both. If I didn't, even if it wasn't you, I'd have been forced into some other union I wasn't happy with."
"I'm pleased to have met you too, Azure." For once, Weiss meant it. "I wish you a speedy recovery."
"Weiss!" he called when she reached the door.
She paused but did not look back.
"Decide what you want in life and then pursue it to the best of your ability. Don't let other people dictate what makes you happy."
"Thank you for the wise words, Azure."
Stepping out, Weiss found herself in the lobby with Sun. He was curious, but maintaining a polite distance, both to give them some privacy and so as not to pressure her. The distance between them had felt like that ever since their last kiss.
Perhaps that was for the best.
"Let's go home, Sun."
/-/
The flight was without incident.
They collected their luggage with no problems.
The Bullhead trip back to Beacon went by smoothly and quickly.
Her team was waiting for her.
"Weiss!" Ruby hit her like a rocket. "How did it go? Are you okay? Why are you back early?"
"It went…" Weiss considered her answer. "Well. It went well. I'm back early because we finished everything ahead of schedule, and I'll tell you the full story once we've all had a chance to sit down. Suffice to say, I'm not getting married any time soon."
"Yeah!"
"Nice," Yang echoed, wrapping an arm around her. "We got Sun to thank for that one?"
"In a manner of speaking…"
Sun grinned weakly.
"How did he do?" Blake asked curiously. Her eyes were on the boy.
Weiss fought down the brief flash of some ugly emotion. How had Sun done? Given all that happened, and all the things they'd been through? Weiss closed her eyes and answered honestly.
"He performed admirably. Far better than I had ever imagined he might, and with more respect and decorum than any would have demanded. It is no exaggeration to say that I am both relieved and grateful that he chose to accompany me."
Sun's eyes softened a little. "No problem, Weiss. What are friends for?"
"Really?" Blake sounded surprised but looked at Sun in a new light. "That's wonderful news. I'll honour my end of the deal. See you this Saturday?"
Sun nodded. "Looking forward to it, Blake."
"Let's get to it, then!" Ruby cheered. "I want to hear all the things you got up to." Ruby tugged on her arm, but Weiss pried her hand off.
"Can you… Maybe you can get the room ready and fetch me a drink? I think I'd like to have a few last words with Sun, if I may."
"Heh? But you just flew back from Mistral with him…"
Weiss winced.
Yang came to her rescue. "Come on, sis. Let Weiss be polite. Sun bent backwards helping her out."
Blake agreed, the three of them leaving once they had a promise that she would catch up quickly. Left alone in the hallway, Sun and Weiss stared at one another.
"So…" Sun began. "I guess this is it."
"Yes. I suppose so." Weiss swallowed and looked away. "You were marvellous, Sun. I… really meant what I said. I'm glad I got to spend this week with you."
"Yeah. I feel the same. Still up for that sparring?"
"Yes. Of course."
Sun laughed.
Weiss smiled.
The silence crept back in.
In it, Weiss remembered that first time on the balcony when she'd given in to temptation. When his hands were hot upon her, and she had wanted nothing more than to sink into them. Here, in Beacon, that felt so long ago. There was her team, Blake, the dance and the promise that Blake would be the one to take Sun to it.
Say something, her mind whispered. Say something. Anything.
Thank him. Praise him. Tell him how much he meant to her. Show him how much he meant. Hold him. Run her fingers through his hair. Kiss him. Have him. Tell Blake what happened. Take a risk.
Do something.
Anything.
"I…" Weiss opened her mouth. "I…" Her stomach sank. "I guess I should go and catch up with them."
Sun smiled. A sad, resigned, smile. "Yeah. And I should catch up with mine, too."
"I will see you around, then. At the dance." With Blake. "And after…"
As students. Associates. Friends. Nothing more. Life would return to normal. Simple, predictable normality. A life where she was nothing more than a member of Team RWBY, and he was just the transfer student. They'd never be anything more than that, and likely wouldn't have a chance to be as close as they had been. Even talking in private would be difficult with Neptune and Blake around, let alone Ruby and Yang. They'd probably never have a moment together again. Ruby would want to come watch them spar. Sun's team would come as well.
This, Weiss knew, was her last chance.
Which was why it hurt so much that she was a coward.
"Thank you, Sun. It was... fun."
"Yeah." Sun looked like he wanted to say more but wouldn't. Couldn't. "I'll see you around, Weiss."
He turned but didn't leave. Not at first. He was waiting for her to call him back.
"Yeah." Weiss turned as well, biting down on her lip. "See you around, Sun."
With her eyes clenched shut, Weiss walked away.
Only one chapter after this remains.
Azure was the first to snap, in what I imagine won't surprise a lot of people. I didn't want a long fight sequence with the Grimm like I'd normally have in my other stories. Those are actions fics whereas this is a romance. The Grimm was just a means to an end.
Next Chapter: 19th March
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur