Chapter 24: In Another's Shoes
Library, Beacon Academy
Fifteen minutes earlier….
"Seriously, I'm just going to jump him before class even ends. The second Port finishes his lecture, BAM! Punch him right in the nose. That'll get his attention," Mura fumed, pantomiming a jab in the air. Luna didn't blame her, even she was getting frustrated with just how tricky Umbra was to track down.
"Fine way to land you both in detention maybe."
"Yes, but then he'd be stuck in there for at least an hour, plenty of time to chew him out."
"Isn't that technically something Leif's supposed to do as team leader?"
"Well, he can get in line cause that tall blockhead has officially ticked me off," Mura growled as they entered the library. It was practically empty, save for a scattering of students who actually enjoyed the peace and quiet the library offered. Well, usually offered, as her partner's rant echoed around the vacant facility. Luna silently apologized to those whose peace they were disturbing. Hopefully she'd calm down once they started studying.
Finding an empty desk to the side was easy enough as they pulled out their notes and textbooks. An important test was coming up in Professor Alabaster's class towards the end of the week on the basics and theories of semblance control. So far this semester, this class had been the most intriguing to Luna, given that her main reason for even attending Beacon was to find out why her semblance behaved the way it did, not unlike Leif.
"Chapter 4, right? Emotional Stimuli?" Mura asked as she flippantly opened her textbook.
"That's the one." Trying to track Umbra was taking up too much of their time day to day, leaving little time to study. The three of them had decided to put a pin in that plan if nothing came of up by midweek, leading to the current situation. Both girls dug into their books, reading through the material at length.
While semblances typically are activated through the conscious will of the user, emotions can play various roles in how they function. For instance, intense stimuli through stress or sorrow can negatively affect how a semblance behaves, including activating itself without the consent of the user. This is believed to be caused by the semblance being a manifestation of a person's 'soul', and as the soul is influenced, the semblance is as well.
Professor Alabaster's class was the one Luna took the most interest in, given her situation. While she managed to avoid any more instances of her semblance activating around her teammates, it was almost impossible to keep it down for good. Her heart quivered recalling instances over the past month and a half. A face in the mirror full of suspicion and escapism masked by normality when she ran into Blake in the bathroom. A heavy weight of what seemed to be guilt from the past reflected in the window as she passed Ren with his neutral features visibly showing in the hallway. Each time it happened it seemed more and more hopeless that she would ever control it. This class was her best chance to find the answers that she was desperately seeking.
"Alright, what's taking our glorious leader so long?" her partner complained while rising up slightly to look towards the entrance, snapping Luna out of her thoughts.
"Maybe he went to vent some, like took a walk? It's not just that he's team leader after all, Umbra is his partner too…"
"Still should have told us where he's at."
"They're in detention." Both girls turned suddenly to see magenta eyes peering over the top of a book two tables over, belonging to a rather annoyed looking first year student.
"Wait, just how long were you there Ren?" Mura asked surprised.
"Long enough to see Leif and Umbra have an overly loud confrontation that ended with Leif throwing books and Umbra throwing punches."
"WHAT?" exclaimed her partner as Luna and Ren winced at the loud noise in what was supposed to be a quiet space.
"Yeah, a second year team broke it up before Professor Goodwitch hauled them both off to detention. It was nice to get the library quiet again, at least until now…"
"This is bad Mura. Leif and Umbra in a small room together…"
"We aren't going to have a leader anymore," scoffed Mura, pushing her stuff into her bag as Luna did the same.
"Thanks Ren!" yelled Luna as they ran towards the exit, neither waiting for his response. There was no time to waste. Crossing her fingers that they didn't run across any teachers to stop them from running, the girls twisted and turned through the hallways towards the detention hall. Luna pulled out her scroll to try and call him and saw she had missed a text from her leader.
[lcirci2017 {13:23}]: gonna be in detention with umbra, don't intervene please!
"Is he insane?" Luna blurted out as she showed the message to her partner. "It's like he wants to die!"
"Those two idiots, I swear we'll be lucky to get there in time to keep Umbra from ripping up the corpse." Mura swore. Luna winced at the negative, yet accurate, description. Having seen Umbra spar more than a few times, she could tell he was constantly holding back in class, although even then he was capable of defeating most first years. But given his hatred for Leif and the team...Luna pushed her legs to run faster.
Finally turning the last corner to the hallway that led to the detention hall, the partners slowed right at the windowed door. Peering through the glass, confusion set in at seeing an empty dark room. No Leif. No Umbra.
"Ah hello girls! What brings you two down here this evening?" a deep voice was heard from down the hallway, making them both jump.
"Professor Port, I heard my team members got detention, but no one's here?" Luna asked quickly.
"You heard right! Both boys were sent down to the storage wing to help reorganize some old learning materials. Seemed more appropriate then to leave them sitting in a room if I do say so myself!" the professor explained. "Professor Alabaster is in charge of them I believe-no running in the halls!" Both girls took off running.
"If Alabaster is in charge there is no way he's actually sitting in with them," Luna pointed out as they ran.
"Meaning it's only a matter of time before Umbra snaps," Mura concluded, pulling ahead of Luna, forcing her to run faster. It took the duo another ten minutes to navigate the halls down to the storage wing in the basement level of the school.
"Lights are on in Alabaster's office," Mura noted as they ran past.
"Meaning they're all alone in whatever supply room he left them in."
Most of the rooms were locked up, helping to narrow down the search, but the wing had several parallel hallways to it. Checking each one took time and with each passing second, Luna's worry grew. Deep down she wanted to believe that everything would be fine, but the image in Ozpin's glasses the night of Initiation haunted her now. That face of sheer hatred and contempt that Umbra's reflection had. Her semblance was never wrong.
"Well he's not dead yet," Mura called out tensely, flagging Luna over, peering around the corner of the final hallway. At the very end was an open door with the two male partners standing in what looked to be a face off. Mura moved to approach them when Luna pulled her back.
"Leif said not to intervene."
"Yeah well Leif's an idiot."
"Seriously?"
"Oh come on, even he admits it. Given the chance Umbra will literally kill him."
"Then we'll stop him, but Leif's still leader." Mura grit her teeth at the reply, but didn't try to rise again. Luna wasn't sure herself that this was the right action, but letting Mura rush in now would undermine any sort of positive rapport the three of them had built up in the past week. LUMO would be outright finished at that point.
Both male voices started to get louder, echoing down the hallway. While neither was coherent, the tone was unmistakable. Anger. Hostility. Her furry ears winced as Leif got shoved back into the shelves, as she prayed that she didn't make the wrong choice.
"Why else would you be at Beacon if you weren't?"
"Look, I'm just saying that we're all here for a reason. To train and become huntsmen, to be ready to protect the people of Remnant, to become stronger so we can face death-" A horrified gasp escaped her lips as Umbra shoved up against Leif, pressing down on his throat. Neither girl moved, although she wasn't sure if it was because of faith in Leif or fear of Umbra.
"What would you know about strength? About death? I've faced death a dozen times and each time I came away stronger than ever, yet you, a book loving weakling wouldn't have the slightest hint at what real danger is like, to have your very life at stake!"
"So here, let me show you just how weak you are."
Leif's voice was completely gone at this point. This was no longer something they could sit and watch.
"Alright, so now go save him?" Mura asked, thinking the same thing. Luna nodded as both girls rose to run down the hallway to save their leader from his own partner when both froze in their tracks. If someone were to tell Luna what was happening she would call them a liar. She was practically calling her own eyes liars right now.
Very slowly, step by step, Umbra backing off from Leif.
Darkness engulfed his vision. Not total darkness, but it was more than enough to block out his sight. It wasn't his semblance, these weren't shadows, but something else. *Water flows around me, sinking now, cold water filling lungs, no air left, bubbles rush out* Those weren't his thoughts but matched what was happening. His lungs felt empty, his skin cold. Bubbles went up around him from his mouth, but he didn't open it. Wait bubbles? Underwater? Why was he underwater? An unbelievable sharp pain ripped through his body as his head jerked around, out of his control, to see rows of sharp teeth clamped on his.
*'WHY DOES MY SIDE'- * More thoughts that weren't his own, further panicking Umbra. What the hell was happening to him? His vision began to blur. *Lots of teeth, all sharp, clamped around my right side, getting blurrier and blurrier, sight darkening*'can't feel my-'* Whose thoughts were these and why couldn't he-suddenly the dark waters vanished replaced by blurry bright lights racing overhead. *"Is he going to be okay?" "We've done everything we can, he needs rest so please step-" "That is my SON!" m-mom? Dad? Wet on my arm, tears? my right side hurts so bad, I feel so tired…*
Darkness engulfed his vision again, yet loud beeping filled his ears. Suddenly a bright white ceiling lit up his view, blurry and out of focus. He could barely make out two strangers who were peering over him, a man and a woman. He knew he didn't know them, but both seemed familiar, comforting. The female seemed to be crying with the male holding her. *where am I. everything is so blurry, feeling like mush. Crying wha…"Honey he's awake!" "Leif, baby are you okay? Mommy's here, it's okay, it's okay now" Mom? Dad? What's happening, where-THAT GRIMM!* The beeping got louder, throbbing in Umbra's braining, but he was prisoner to whatever he was experiencing. His vision went in and out of focus, his arms flailing, heart racing as though he was in combat. Pain ripped through his side again as a new stranger entered his vision.
*"He's panicking, get me a sedative and painkillers now!" "It's okay son, you're safe now! Just calm down" the Grimm, it's teeth, my side hurts so bad, I can't, I- "Shhhhhh, we're right here, shhhhh it's gonna be okay baby, your parents are right here, it's gonna be okay" warmth. My parents are here. It's okay. But I never should have- I should have listened* So many foreign emotions raced through Umbra, none of them feeling like his own except one he hadn't felt in very long time. Helplessness. Suddenly the light started fading, his body calming down.
*Mom, Dad. I'm so sorry* Then darkness consumed his vision once more, along with an overwhelming feeling of guilt and regret. Suddenly a sharp pain emitted from his skull.
Then suddenly the sight of the dark grey floors filled his view. His breath was short and strained. No explanation for what happened occurred to him, but he felt very wrong inside. Like he had left his body. A tipped over box with its contents spilled out laid in front of him. Was that what hit him?
His brain finally clicked what he was trying to do.
Trying to push back his confusion, he tried to locate his weakling partner. It took only seconds, as he was still on the ground only a few feet away, struggling to get to his knees. His body shimmered red, telltale signs of weak, almost broken Aura. Yet his face had changed. It was no longer one of a beaten soul, but one of resolve. The same one he wore the day they met in the forest. It clicked.
Leif's Aura was draining despite Umbra not laying constant attacks on him, during those visions.
Leif's semblance did that to him.
'That was his memory' Umbra tried to move forward, but his body was still trying to process the rush of alien emotions and feelings he just went through. He heard Leif clear his throat, saw him looking him in the eyes. His hand had shakily pulled up his ragged shirt, making the scars on his right visible to anyone looking. Umbra's own side winced in pain in the exact same place. The pain he felt from the memory.
"I've faced death before. I know what it's like to be powerless and afraid." Shut up shut up shut up, Umbra wanted to scream. But his voice was still missing.
"That's probably why I came to Beacon, deep down. Almost losing my life nearly a decade ago, the anguish I put my parents through. No one should have to feel that kind of emotion. So it's why I won't give up. Not now, not ever. Not even against you."
This conviction was deafening to Umbra's thoughts. Every conceived notion about Leif Circinus was that he was a cowardly weakling, unfit to be a warrior, much less a leader. Yet, they all were falling flat at the sight before him. His thoughts wrestled with themselves, his hands locked in fists. This was all too much, he just wanted it all to go away.
"So I'll just have to put you down for good," Umbra spat out, grinding his teeth. Anger flared as Leif just laughed again, dismissingly waving his hand from his prone position.
"I'd rather you not. But I have a better idea if you feel like listening for once in your damn life." Listening was the last thing he wanted to do, but the phantom pain he felt on his ribs was etched in his mind, Leif's pain. Looking back at Leif, flashes of that white room, loud beeping and crying adults ripped through his mind. The regret, the guilt, among other emotions that he didn't quite know because he had never felt them before. The memory flashes had ended quickly, but the emotions were left behind. Leif's emotions.
"And what would that be?"
Leif sat up, looking him in the eyes, with a small grin.
"What the fuck just happened?" Mura explicitly asked, not bothering to censor herself and not expecting an answer from her equally stunned partner. Luna would have chastised her over it if the tone wasn't so fitting. Both remained hidden down the hall as they observed the two males talking, their voices out of earshot.
"Did you know he even had those scars?"
"No, Leif never mentioned it once," Luna answered, still surprised. Out of the four of them, Leif was the last person she would have suspected of harboring secrets. Yet, it was whatever he did to Umbra that really concerned her. As much as she liked him, there was no way he could beat the stronger first year. Yet it was the look on Umbra's face that was nagging at her, it seemed familiar.
'The day I met Leif' It clicked instantly at that thought. Leif had a similar out of mind look, which he pinned on his semblance. But his semblance only worked on him…unless he left something out.
"So are you two down here to try and help your teammates with their detention?" Luna whirled around to see an elderly professor looking down at the girls. Despite the accusation, his wrinkled features looked more curious than cross.
"In our defense, we haven't actually helped them," Mura quickly said, causing Professor Alabaster to chuckle as he peered around the corner to check on his charges.
"I suspect that that may have helped them all the same," he remarked cryptically. Luna peered back around the corner to see both boys back at work, neither seemingly acknowledging each other again.
"Now run along, lest they discover you both when I relieve them of their detention assignments for the night."
"But-" Mura started to object but Luna nudged her partner and shook her head. Both girls headed back to the dorms, trying to process what went down.
"It just doesn't make sense. What the hell did Leif do to make Umbra back down like that?" Mura questioned for the hundredth time as they rode the elevator back up. Luna didn't bother answering since she honestly had nothing to say.
Whatever happened down there, one thing was for sure. There was more to their team leader than they thought.