AN: So…um…I'm not dead… Jeez, seven months without an update. That's a really depressing record. Anywho, I hope this chapter at least starts to make up for that. A lot of credit goes to BackslashEcho, a much better writer than myself, who will be beta-ing for me. He helped immensely with this chapter to make it what you are reading, by which I mean coherent. His stories are definitely worth a read, so check 'em out! And now, allow me to proudly present chapter twelve of I Am Me.
Let's jam.
(Ruby POV)
To say Weiss clings to her opinions is like saying Professor Oobleck likes a cup of coffee: it's so understated it becomes completely meaningless. There was a very good reason Yang nicknamed her "Ice Queen"; Weiss was proud by nature, and brought up to be both haughty and more than a little sarcastic—a very frustrating combination to interact with at all, much less to try to change her mind. I knew all this so well by now that it didn't occur to me until it was too late that I probably should have given Xion a better warning about what she was getting into.
It seemed to go well enough, at first. Xion introduced herself politely. Clearly caught by surprise, Weiss managed a civil response before she folded her arms across her chest and began scrutinizing Xion closely. Time seemed to compress for a moment—Weiss' face a picture of suspicion, while the Nobody maintained her delicate smile. Something about that smile—something in the ease with which it was conjured and the utter absence of the expected warmth—was just…unsettling.
And it hit me: I had seen that smile before. It was Roxas' smile: a perfect, practiced, joyous mask of what happiness should look like, but behind it there was no real emotion whatsoever.
Yang and Blake made a valiant effort to break the tension by offering their own names, but Xion's eyes never left Weiss', and the partners quickly excused themselves to their respective beds, no doubt hoping to go unnoticed. Chewing my knuckle nervously, I followed suit, kipping up beside Yang and leaving Xion and Weiss to their own devices. I was tempted to leave entirely, but decided I ought to remain vigilant in case Xion needed backup. Likely following some lesson of decorum her upbringing demanded, Weiss dragged a chair to the edge of her bed and invited Xion to sit. That's when the fun began.
"So," the heiress began, eyes narrowing instinctively. "What brings you to Beacon? Am I correct in assuming you're a new transfer student?" It was a fair assessment based on the recent trend, with the two boys appearing out of thin air and becoming students within three days.
Xion nodded, still with that empty smile. "Oh yes, from Mistral," she lied fluently. "I actually just transferred today from a small private institution called the Thirteenth Order—you may not have heard of it. It was a very old academy and there just weren't enough funds or faculty to keep the doors open." Her tone was perfectly casual, with no falter or stumble to betray the falsehood. How had she come up with all that so easily? "Beacon seems like a much more wonderfully diverse place."
Weiss gave a frozen smile herself, suddenly an eerie mirror of the dark-haired girl before her. "Oh, without a doubt. This is one of the most prestigious academies in the world, after all…"
The pair continued like that for a while. They seemed—appropriately enough considering Weiss' weapon of choice—as if they were fencing with their words. Xion was leading the conversation, flitting from subject to meaningless subject while trying to gauge the heiress' nature and the reasons behind her tension with Roxas. Weiss, meanwhile, kept up her half of the discussion easily, but was clearly at a loss as to who exactly this new girl really was, what she could possibly want, or where their talk was leading.
"Geez, this girl's talking circles around our Ice Queen," Yang whispered in my ear. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Yang shot me a suspicious glance at my silence, but quickly turned back to the two girls.
"Why did you decide to attend our academy?" Weiss was on the offensive now. "If you're from Mistral, why didn't you attend Haven Academy?"
"I heard a rumor a while back," Xion began, lowering her voice as if she were sharing a secret. "This may not be true, but I heard that two boys wielding odd, key shaped swords appeared here a little while ago." Weiss' posture stiffened noticeably. "I once knew a boy like that; he's how I got this." A noise akin to the metallic hiss of an unusual sword being drawn rang out, and a swirl of light revealed a sword suddenly in Xion's hand. A roaring silence filled the room for a moment. The hiss sounded again as the blade vanished and Xion's soft voice resumed. "He used to visit me sometimes, but then he just…disappeared." Xion paused again. "I'd very much like to see him again."
It's just an act. Just an act, I reminded myself, clenching and unclenching fistfuls of Yang's bedsheets. But it sounded so real—the pain in her voice; the hopelessness, the air of defeat. She's an 'artificial Nobody', to use her words, but what did that really mean? If she can sound so wounded and miserable, is she really any different from anyone else?
A nudge from Yang dragged me out of my thoughts. "Another key-shaped sword, huh?" she murmured next to my ear. "Think she could be talking about Roxas and Ven?" Before I could answer, she loudly cleared her throat to catch the attention of the two girls below. "Your name's Xion, right?" The black hair girl nodded docilely. "This guy you're talking about…his name wouldn't happen to be Ventus or Roxas, would it?"
"He's really here?" The excitement in Xion's voice was palpable. "You guys know Roxas?"
Weiss' loud huff brought the other girl back to reality. "Yes, we do," she declared darkly. "What about him?"
I heard Xion shift in her chair. Now she was getting a look of what she was up against. "It sounds like you're already acquainted," Xion joked, reverting to her lighthearted tone.
Weiss cleared her throat uncomfortably. "You may not know this boy as well as you think. He said himself that he's a Nobody, something that's not even supposed to exist." Her morose tone seemed unfitting of her words. It sounded more like she was relaying the news of Roxas' death.
Again, Xion just chuckled and donned her fake smile. "I didn't think anyone else knew what a Nobody is. Well, I guess the secret's out." At Weiss' incredulous look, Xion continued tentatively, "Is…that such a big deal? He's all right if you actually get to know him."
"Sit down and get to know him? He has no heart!"
"Neither do some businessmen, but no one seems to throw a fuss." It was a low blow even if Xion didn't realize it, but it did the trick. Weiss jerked back as if she had been slapped and Xion took the opening. "Honestly, just talk to him a bit and he won't seem too bad."
"Absolutely not!"
Suddenly Xion was losing ground fast. She may have been putting up a good fight, but she was lacking the final punch to break through the heiress' wall. Weiss got up to leave. There was no time to think, just act.
"Weiss, as team leader, I order you to…show Roxas around Vale!" Yeah, that would work. Far enough from the school that they can't just retreat to their dorms and the city's big enough to give them at least two hours together! Another point to the Ruby-meister!
"Oh?" Weiss challenged. "This command has no relevance to any training, assignment, or class, so what is forcing me-"
"I'll have you put on stand by." There it was—my trump card. Sure, Weiss was going to give me a piece of her mind later, but I've endured the heiress' ire before. This was a chance to finally change how Weiss thought, to get her to be more accepting. What kind of leader would I be if I didn't grab that opportunity?
Weiss' expression was beyond angry, it was downright murderous. "Ruby Rose, I swear you will regret this decision," she seethed, letting the threat hang in the air.
"Great!" Xion cheered, her face the very picture of fabricated joy. "It's a date!"
I received another dirty glare from Weiss.
(Roxas POV)
"Where the hell is she?!"
"Roxas, slow down!" Ventus yelled, following close on my tail.
This could not be happening. This could NOT be happening. I leave her alone for thirty minutes, THIRTY MINUTES, and she disappears into thin air! What if she tried using a Dark Corridor? Or if a horde of shadows attacked? Or—Kingdom Hearts forbid—someone found out she's a Nobody?
And to think I had been so excited to return to the dorm, going so far as to sprint out of class as the bell had just begun to ring. Instead of my best friend sitting on my bed waiting—like I had askedI found an empty room and Ventus' extra blazer missing. It hadn't taken Vexen's reconnaissance training for me to figure out what had happened; Xion got bored and decided to explore, stealing Ven's coat to use as a cover. But she didn't know the layout of the school, and without a Scroll I couldn't communicate with her like I could with Ven.
"Damn it!" I growled, dashing back out of the room. How could I have let her out of my sight like that? Idiot!
"Roxas?" Xion's confused voice stopped me dead in my tracks. Of course she was here, walking down the hall without a care in the world, staring at me like I was the stupid one. "What're you doing running around like that? You're going to hurt someone."
My mouth opened only to close again, looking like a fish out of water. There was nothing I could possibly say to this girl. Ven choose that moment to step in, walking up beside me. "So you're the famous Xion. It's nice to finally meet you. The name's Ventus, but you can call me Ven."
"It's a pleasure." Xion smiled genuinely. "Roxas, it's not nice to glare." And it's not nice to scare me half to death, but you did that anyway. "Could you guys show me the way back to your room? I'm a little lost."
That was the last straw. "You don't say!" The frustration and anxiety were uncontainable. I stormed toward Xion and grabbed her wrist in a vice-like grip. "This is not a mission." Each syllable came out harsh and pronounced through my grit teeth. "You can't just wander around and RTC when you're in a bind. Remember what Vexen said, 'we run a covert operation'." Xion stared at me with an indiscernible expression. "Stay inconspicuous and trust no one here."
A harsh silence hung over the walk back to the dorm. Xion would glance up at me every now and then, careful to avoid my eyes. Ven trailed a little behind us, rolling his own eyes but keeping his thoughts to himself. My hand was still tight on Xion's wrist as I stomped back down the hall.
…What the hell was wrong with me?
This place was changing me. 'Trust no one'? Had those words really come from me? And what gave me the right to yell at Xion? Beacon had me feeling on-edge all the time. I was sure that RWBY and JNPR had pegged me as a monster… Maybe—in that void where my heart should've been—I had started to believe them?
The atmosphere in the dorm was no better than it had been during our walk. Ven finally greeted the female keyblade wielder and helped her to get settled in terms of sleeping arrangements as the setting sun painted the walls red. All the while I sat on my bed, attempting to study Ven's notes from Oobleck's lesson today. The red was quickly transitioning to the pale white glow of the moon.
Ven was the first to turn in for the night, followed soon after by Xion, who crawled under the covers of my bed. We'd bunked together on missions in the past, on the rare occasions they lasted more than more than a day, so I didn't think anything of it. My eyes drank in the features of her peaceful face, committing them to memory. It was painfully like relearning a long forgotten skill. Memories of Xion had only begun to return upon arriving in Remnant, and the simple act of remembering had been more painful than forgetting. The initial loss of those memories had been instantaneous and indiscernible. But each regained memory had been a slap in the face, a reminder of events that I had promised would always stay with me. It was almost unbearable.
"Roxas?" Xion's voice was soft and timid, barely audible over Ven's gentle snoring. After a grunt of acknowledgement from me, she continued. "I'm sorry." She said nothing more as she curled further into her blanket, making me cringe with guilt.
"It wasn't your fault." Ven snorted in his sleep before stilling. "I've just been a little on edge lately. The people here have been somewhat less than welcoming." I huffed bitterly. "Did you at least see anything interesting while you were ignoring my request to stay put?" It was a small jab, but it was a step in the right direction; chiseling a hole in my defenses to joke around.
Xion hummed thoughtfully. "I met a girl in a red hood. She was really nice and even introduced me to her friends." She paused. "I think her name was Ruby."
"Got it memorized?" I joked, eliciting a muted chuckle. We enjoyed a moment of relaxed silence for a moment before I spoke up and soured it. "You didn't tell them—"
"No." And with that, the at-ease mood returned.
I rolled over onto my back, staring up at the white ceiling illuminated by the shattered moon outside. "Think Axel would've liked this place?" I asked.
"I think he would've."
"Really?"
"Yeah. The beds are comfy. He would've been in paradise."
I snorted loudly, laying back and resting my head on my hands. "You have no idea how happy I am you're here."
A ghost of a smile painted Xion's lips. "We'll see about that in the morning."
Axel once told me that days off are 'like love letters from the higher-ups'. A full twenty-four hours of unstructured, uninterrupted freedom to do as one pleases. Given the rarity of such days, Organization members learned to value such respites. Many amongst our ranks opted train against the Dusks in the Hall of Empty Memories. Others would gather in the Grey Area to play cards and unwind. The more senior members—Xemnas, Xigbar, and Saïx—would often meet in the Round Room or Where Nothing Gathers to discuss the Organization's progress; those not participating in any of the aforementioned activities would most likely be sleeping in their rooms or killing time in a different world. Those were some of my fondest memories from the organization—not that I had many other fond memories from that time—wasting away the hours of perpetual twilight in Twilight Town with Axel and Xion.
When Ven told me that we get two days off each week here at Beacon, I was beyond ecstatic. Forty-eight hours to do whatever I wanted? Sign me up. I'd planned my first "weekend" the second I heard about it. The town below the school—I vaguely remembered someone calling it "Vale"—seemed like a great place to start. Supposedly it was larger than Twilight Town and its commercial district exemplified that fact. Finding an ice cream shop in a place like that should be relatively easy.
The town—no, city—was impressive, but somewhat run of the mill. Aside from the holographic amenities such as street lamps and traffic signals very little stood out. The vast majority of the buildings were no more than four stories tall, much shorter than Memory's Skyscraper in the World That Never Was, and were built from beige or pale bricks. However, unlike that perpetually-empty city, the people here made the landscape come to life. Pedestrians littered the sidewalks and street-side restaurants and cars zipped down the streets, filling the air with the buzz of conversation and the roar of engines. I could have spent all day crowd-watching, gazing at the various humans and faunus as they went about their daily business.
"Well, are you coming or are you going to stand there all morning?" Weiss demanded hotly, a deep scowl evident on her features. "Quit staring, it makes you look daft," she added bitterly as my eyes narrowed of their own volition.
Joy, there be thy anchor.
Xion had not been joking when she told me to wait until morning to voice my opinion of her. Upon stepping out of my dorm I was ambushed by the icy white haired girl who, with one of the most disgusted expressions I had ever seen, invited me to tour Vale.
"This is my first time in this city," I ground out slowly, standing my ground. "I'm allowed to take in the scenery." Weiss muttered something that could have been 'then make it snappy', but I took a calming breath and ignored it. Behind us someone giggled, causing me to glare over my shoulder. "Remind me again why the hell they're tagging along."
Yang waved jovially and Ven flashed a grin. "I'm just here to make sure you two lovebirds don't skip out on your date." Despite my murderous glare, Yang maintained her cheerful demeanor. Yeah, she was definitely enjoying this.
Beside her, Ven shrugged.
"Free entertainment." Up yours, Ven.
"Wonderful." Deep breaths, Roxas. At least Weiss looked as angry about it as I was.
I took a moment to review my situation. Location: Vale, an unfamiliar city of which I don't yet know the layout. Company: Ventus and Yang, who would likely be no help and only act as (extremely annoying) observers; and Weiss, a girl who had been nothing but antagonistic to me and was apparently being forced to spend time with me. Reason: Unknown, but safe to assume Xion had a hand in this. Conclusion: Keep your damn mouth shut and don't make this worse than it already was; try to be civil and see where that gets you.
"Where are we going?" It sounded like someone had a gun to my head, if the look of confusion rather than contempt from Weiss was any indication. "If at all possible, could we look for an ice cream shop?" Please kill me.
"We're going to the center of Vale," Weiss announced slowly, as if unsure with how to react to my complete change in tone. "Now if you could stop your gawking, we might be able to finish this quickly and be rid of each other." No complaints there. Again, Ven and Yang exchanged a few quiet words followed by equally quiet chuckling.
My teeth ground together as I fought to remain silent. Between Weiss' less than veiled aggression and Tweedledee and Tweedledum bringing up the rear, it was going to be a very frustrating Saturday afternoon. So much for my lazy Saturday.
AN: And there it is. We see a little more of the main plot I hinted at. I assume many of you either know or have a very good idea of the direction this story is taking and I hope you all enjoy it. It'll be a little divergent from my usual style, but that should give me a chance to develope.
Now, how about I shut up and respond to some reviews? And holy crap there are A LOT (18 to be exact). Since it's been seven months, you might want to look at the reviews to remember what your question/comment/concern was.
Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: And wonder you shall until I get my act together! But in all honesty, thank you so much for the support. You're super consistent in reviewing and I really appreciate it.
ShadowSnowdapple: Thanks for the kind words! And...um...happy...new year? I'm really sorry about how long you've had to wait for this chapter.
Lorion: Thanks for telling me about that mistake; I went back and changed it. Also...maybe…(looks away shiftily).
darkmoonrise312: C'mon dude, that was my favorite line from Xigbar in 358/2 Days! Thanks so much for the praise. Yes, you are most certainly correct that Ruby should have reacted more to what Xion told her, but I guess I just screwed up. Sorry 'bout that. Thanks for the awesome review!
lioncousin: I'm glad you liked the chapter! In response to your comment...I plead the fifth.
Kuroyami Fukaikuro: My good sir, nitpicky they may be, but accurate and helpful they most certainly are... I'm very tired. Thanks for all the support and if I ever screw something up, let me know that I'm an idiot.
Guest: I definitely agree with you and hope to learn more about Weiss. And hooray for RWBY Volume 3 (which was recently announced to be in production). However, I have never seen Frozen. Thank you so much for the review! [Editor's note: 'Fixer-Upper' was a song from Frozen. Also, your humble editor is a huge Weiss fan, and acting as the author's consultant on our favorite Ice Queen.]
Taenaiea: Thanks! Glad you're enjoying the story!
Ultimate Black Ace: First of all, thanks for the multiple reviews! Everything you brought up was extremely valid. Honestly, I'm still undecided about Roxas' dual wielding ability. However, I'm leaning toward having him keep his Synch Blade ability, as it is his trademark. It'll take some major fussing on my part, but I'll work on bringing it back. Maybe Sora will make another appearance. Also, thank you so much for suggesting Lost Memory for Xion's keyblade, I completely forgot about that weapon but it fits so well. So my good sir (or madam) all credit goes to you on that call. Thanks for showing some interest and for the awesome suggestion! [Editor's note: In reference to the Corridors, control of Darkness or not, Roxas would need his Black Coat to travel it safely (they provide the same protection as the Armour did for Ven & Co. in BbS), and he wasn't wearing it when he was going to storm out.]
Webb360: While I'm still undecided about the whole dual-wielding thing, a sidearm might be cool, though slightly unnecessary. Roxas is pretty proficient with magic based on him using Thundaga during the spar with Cardin. Anywho, thanks for the multiple reviews! [Editor's note: You do bring up a good point about the concentration of Keyblades up at Beacon, though. The Heartless hate and fear them, so they try extra hard to take the Wielders' hearts. Hmmm…]
DualWieldUltimateRoxas: Certainly! It just might, y'know, take me a few months to get to it. =I
BackslashEcho: Thanks for helping me out dude! I really appreciate having you as my beta-reader for this story!
Stormblade: Yeah, Xion might look good in purple. I already have an outfit picked out for Ventus (look at the picture "Ventus" by dorkynoodle on Deviantart). I'm not really sure why everyone agrees that Roxas' underwear should be black, but I'm not one to argue. Anywho, thanks for the review!
Blind seer of fortune: I'm so sorry about the update drought. I was finishing up my junior year of high school so with SATs, ACTs, college visits, not failing my classes, studying for finals, and working on my college essay, I didn't have as much time to write as I would've liked. That's no excuse, I know, and I'm truly very sorry. I'll update again as soon as possible. Thank you for showing some interest in my humble work!
And those were all the reviews I received in my seven months of absence. Again, I am very sorry about how god awful I am with updating; you all deserve a much shorter wait.
Final editor's note: Hi all; BackslashEcho here. The moral of my presence is, beware of open-ended offers of aid when you leave reviews. You might end up beta-reading a story…but then again, you might end up inspiring an author whose work you enjoyed to pick the story up again. C'est la vie.
Thanks to all of you for sticking with me. Just because it makes me smile, I want to share the stats for this story. Followers: 152. Favorites: 112. Views: 23,703. Seriously, you guys make my head explode. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart! And without further ado, until next time.
Read, Rate, and Review. Rinse and Repeat.
-Ventusblade