Onyx:
I stayed at Beacon. I technically hid, but at this point I was sure Ozpin was aware of my presence.
But that is just a minor detail in the grand scheme, wasn't it? What's more important was the 'earthquake', or so it was reported in the Vale News. The moment it happened, the dance came to a hault. My few minutes with Jupiter came to an end, and I ran outside. I wasn't alone. Trinity, probably Ozpin, and a crowd ran outside to witness the White Grimm.
"Hello everyone! I had a little uh... fall. P-Please excuse me! Nothing to see here~"
His excuse almost expressed embarrassment, even when facing the swords of all of Beacon. Soon enough, the students lowered their weapons after noticing that he was A) Fluffy, and B) not going to hurt them.
It took a long time, but the students returned to their dorms on high alert.
"HHHKMMM"
Cerise cleared his throat to get my attention. I snapped out of my daze, glancing at the various students that squeezed into our dorm. Kana, with her new outfit, sat across from me. I had to blink twice when I first saw it. The traditional asian dress was very much like her old one, but the uh... heart cleavage thing and her hair made her look completely different. To my direct right say Jupiter, and to my left sat Baron. Ava sat next to Cerise, Press next to her. Rusty sat on his legs, his head tilted. Everyone was here.
"Time to go over the plan." Press said, opening the window. A light as Fluffy pressed his face against the hole lit up the room, causing Baron to blink rapidly.
"Project Black." I said, tapping the map. "It's already in its advanced stages, and now that we've 'activated' the Beacon, which is to say Fluffy is the Beacon, we can continue as planned. The Black Fang still has hold of that Atlas Satellite, now that the entire nation of Atlas has pretty much regressed into the stone age. I have Eve Taurus, my right hand, tracking the Other Grimm as we speak. Currently it's no more than a day away. Our best calculation is that the wave of Grimm will hit our location within one day."
"That doesn't give us much time." Cerise said with a frown, crossing his arms.
"That it doesn't." I said, glancing down. "From what we can see, the wave of smaller grimm is roughly a half a mile behind the Other Grimm, since he seems to be attracting them."
I glanced at Press, who gave a small frown. A few days ago, before the dance, I had Baron ask for Free's weapon. Press had been keeping it up until now. In order for my plan to work, we needed to map out several parts of my Orso Cilica, along with Free's flamethrower axe.
"The machines that we've built with our Ex-Atlas Engineer are 98% done, only testing remains. We'll use them to hold the Other Grimm in place, while my troops use our other weapon derived from Free's axe to mow down the smaller Grimm. From there, the rest of the Black Fang will charge in to get the larger ones, such as Nevermores. If we survive that long, it's our turn. We'll go straight for the neck of the Other Grimm." I finished, tapping.
"Kill him, and at least the smaller ones get less organized. It'll be easier from there." Jupiter said, nodding her head.
"I can assist in the fight." Fluffy said. "If I get close enough, the attractive force should overpower their bloodlust for you guys."
"Just don't die. We need you to lead the Grimm." Ava said, her words sounding colder than her tone.
"Like... what do we even do until then, man?" Baron said, taking out a banana. "The biggest fight since, like, ever happens in less than a day. How do we just... act until then?"
"I mean, clean your weapons I guess." Kana said with a frown.
"Oh, by the way, should I take Icarus' and Auburn's absence as word that they won't be assisting?" I said. Ava shook her head.
"No, they're just working with Ozpin right now. They're still trying to pull off that fake drinking on campus charge."
"Glad to see they have their priorities set straight." Cerise said. "But, I will say I'm with them in soul."
"Well... It's great to have you back, bro." Baron said, patting my back.
"What? Dude, you saw me like everyday." I said, flicking his forehead. "Well, anyways, I guess that's it. Class dismissed."
"Roger!" Rusty said, standing up. Team CARE left, leaving us alone.
...
Cerise:
We got in our own rooms, returning to our bunks.
"Speaking of fighting, Rusty, I don't think I've seen you fight anything yet." I said, crossing my arms.
"That would be correct." He said, staring at me. "Have no fear! At my estimates, I would beat Cerise Rose in 78% of virtual duels."
"Hey!" I said, puffing out my cheeks. "I-I could totally take you!"
"What about me, Rusty?" Ava asked. He turned, putting his index finger on his chin quizzically.
"Out of 1000 duels, I would beat Avalon Arc at a 40% success rate."
"Ha, Cerise, I'm better!" She teased.
"Debatable." He said, crossing his arms. "The high win rate comes from your magnetic Semblance, which takes advantage of my very unique body type. If we do not count Semblances at all in these duels, I would beat Cerise Rose with a 80% success rate, while Ava would be at 85%"
"Ha." I laughed.
"W-What about me?" Press asked.
"E-Er... Out of 1000 duels, I would beat Espresso Scarlatina at a 30% success rate."
Ava and I turned to her, our eyes widened.
"I-Is it really that high?" She said, her cheeks flushed with red.
"Correct. I glitch out due to subject's cuteness in 9 out of 10 scenarios."
Ava and I burst out into laughter.
"Is Rusty flirting? Dude, you already got Kana I think." I chuckled. "You do like her, right?"
"404, answer not found." He said, his face blank.
"Well, she's taken dude." Ava said, giving a wink at Press. "By a second year, no less."
"G-G-Guys..." She said, her ears drooping as she blushed.
"Alright, alright. I'll stop." I said, holding my hands above my head. "So, Rusty, do you like come with a coffee dispenser?"
"I fail to see how that would make me a better Healthcare Companion- I mean Combat Droid." He said, glitching out slightly.
"So that's a no, then?" Ava said with a sigh. "That's too bad, I could use a cup right now."
"I never confirmed I didn't, I just specified that I failed to see it's use." He said, holding up his hand. The top opened up, steaming brown-black liquid resting in it.
"Ha ha! Awesome." I said, grabbing my favorite mug. I paused, glancing at it.
Ce-Rising out of bed made easy with Coffee!
Onyx made me this mug. I had a love-hate relationship with it. On one hand, puns. On the other, it was custom made.
"Rusty, what's your Pun setting?"
"Punnery is set at 5%."
"Set to 100%" Ava said before I could do anything.
"Ava!" I shouted. Rusty turned to face me.
"Zwei so Schneerious?"
"Rusty! Set it to 0%! 0%!"
"I have completed your command." He said, turning. "Please do not mess with my settings too much."
"Uh... Sorry." I said, taking a sip from my mug.
...
Kana:
I stepped outside, taking a seat by the large white dragon.
"Hello, Kana." It hummed.
"Hey Fluffy." I said with a smile.
"You changed your look. I like it."
"Aw, thank you." I said, blushing slightly. "What's up with you?"
"Er... nothing, really. Beacon is... how do I put this... rather boring. I'm not a human, so I can't exactly do anything here. I just... sit." He said, glancing up at the night sky. It was the dead of morning, but it didn't feel like that. At the very least, Fluffy lit up the healing pad with his body.
"Do Grimm form bonds with each other?" I asked randomly. "Like, how we do."
"Hmm... not really. We are always connected to the same mind, so we sort of know everyone. I don't think it's really possible to get close to another..." He said, his voice trailing off. "Hmm, that's an interesting thought. Perhaps, if I ever lead the Grimm, I'll end the Hivemind."
"Is that possible?"
"I would imagine. I can isolate parts of me as it is, so it should be possible."
"With all this talk about leading, you sound like someone running for president." I joked. It gave a grin-like expression.
"And running for Spawn King for the year, Mr. Fluffy!" He said, mimicking some announcer.
"The way you say it is closer to a wrestling announcer than some news reporter."
"And in this corner, weighing in at 200 tonnes, we have the President Grimm!"
"That's both hilarious and disturbing." I said, crossing my arms.
"I... suppose." He said, lowering his head. "Are you ready for tomorrow?"
"I'm not too sure. I think I'm just going to treat it like any other Beacon mission. Fighting Grimm isn't something new to me."
"I suppose it isn't new to me, either." He said, pondering. "I..."
"What's up?" I asked.
"I... It's just I'm in an odd spot. You have to understand, killing humans is woven into my DNA. Yet here I am, talking with them and planning to slaughter my own kind." He said with a sigh. "I know it's for the greater good, for both of our kind, but still."
"I can sympathize." I said, nodding. "Ever since that experiment ended- you know about my experiment, right?"
"I do. That sad smile you wore when you were of a white dress spoke it too easily."
"Well, when that ended, I wasn't sure where I stood. I was a test subject, not human or soulless. Not a husk, not a Grimm, not a kid." I said with a sigh.
"I don't think that really matters, now does it? Onyx and Cerise were born from a test tube, Rusty built from metal. I think they understand at this point that it doesn't really matter."
"I guess, but this was back then. After the tests ended, which is to say shut down after I revolted, I didn't see my parents for a long time. Another year was spent in Vale's Quarantine. I felt like an asylum patient, just locked up in that white room."
"I... cannot share any experience to that." He said grimly. "This war, our kind... the hunger to devour never ends, does it? Even once we split ways, that won't be the end, will it? You humans are only semi-united due to the external threat we provide. Same for us Grimm."
"I mean maybe, but that's like saying World Wars are okay because they unite the nation."
"I... guess you are correct." He said, folding his wings. "Either way, I think I'll be far more comfortable once this is all over."
"Yeah, everything's been a little out of whack, hasn't it?"
"Yes... Tell me, has Onyx told you the other side of the plan?" He said, tilting his head.
"What side?"
"The side for the epilogue. After, if, we destroy Providence. How he will dissolve the Black Fang safely."
"No, no he hasn't. Has he really got a plan for that? What is it?"
"I... I cannot tell you. This is something he should reveal on his own, to those he cares about. I only know it due to my advanced ability to read humans, thanks to my high luna cell count."
"Fluffy, if there's a side to this that's so important, we need to know."
He shifted awkwardly, scratching at the landing pad.
"Fine. I will tell you and only you. Tell no living soul." He said, turning to me. "Especially not Cerise."
...
Onyx:
I sat on the destroyed peak of Beacon Tower, glancing up at the eclipsed sun. There was a lot on my mind, and far more than before the dance. You see, there were realities that I hid by worrying about who I would dance with. Not just about the Other Grimm, and how dangerous that would be. There was another reality, creeping ever closer by the 'day'.
I feared that reality, one that I was so scared of I couldn't even say the word. But that was selfish, wasn't it? Worrying about that reality. No, I should, as leader of my team and Black Fang, be more worried about how that eventual reality will affect them. About how there won't be a happy ending, even in the best scenario.
"What are you doing all alone up here?"
Jupiter's voice. Probably one of the worst people I could see right now.
"What's up?" I said, trying to sound like my normal self. Jupiter sighed, walking over to my and sitting down. Her long legs dangled over the edge, kicking back and forth.
"It's actually kind of beautiful, this eclipse." She said, leaning back.
"I guess it is."
"And the lights of the city. They're like little fireflies. I wish I could just bottle them up." She said with a small smile.
"Aren't you a half-full person today?" I chuckled.
"I guess." She said, shrugging. "I mean, if this is ever over, I think I'll miss this a little. A lot of people dream of seeing a solar eclipse. We got to live under it for a bit."
"Yeah... I guess I will miss a lot." I said.
"What's on your mind? I know you only get this cranky when something important is happening, and I don't think it's Project Black." She said, tilting her head towards me.
"It's... nothing." I lied. Her sharp eyes sliced right through it, narrowing like a hawk.
"Tell me." She said, her face as serious as when she almost called the Council Army on me. I let out a sigh, throwing my hands up in defeat.
"There's something about Project Black that I haven't told you guys about. It's what happens after. But if I tell you... I'm not sure how you'd take it. Or Cerise. Or anyone, really."
"What, you afraid we get angry and drop out?"
"All possible reactions to this scare me. Even the one where you guys act like nothing is wrong."
She gave a bittersweet smile, shifting her hand over slightly. Her fingers interlocked with mine, her eye gaining a slight water.
"I already know."
I blinked in shock.
"How?"
"Baron."
"That bastard monkey..."
She let out a painful giggle.
"Cerise has a right to know. We aren't weapons, you know that. We're heroes. Withholding this from Cerise, and all of us, isn't right."
But what was right? Could anything be right anymore?
"I guess."
She leaned her head against me, clenching her eyes shut.
"My father, always gone. My mother, gone. My brother that I never knew about? Gone." She said, her voice cracking.
I winced. Even though it wasn't said, the message was clear. She turned her head to mine, leaning in and pressing her lips against mine. As soon as I grew to know how soft they were, she pulled back, her words slicing into me.
"I don't want you to leave too."
...
Cerise:
I flipped my wrench back and forth as I held Press' nunchuck bow in my hand.
"There, upgrade complete." I said, glancing at Baron. "Thanks for letting us take apart your Dad's staff."
"Not a problem." He said, turning and leaving for his own bunk. Press' nunchuck bow would also now have pistols in it, because everything could use more guns. I still needed to find El Dorado, a gun that could shoot guns. Maybe one day I'd crack the code, but today wasn't that day.
"Well, I'm going to take a walk. All that sitting down to fix that thing has made me as stiff as a log." I said, leaning back and popping my spine in several places.
"Bye." Ava said from her bunk, gaming away on her scroll.
I turned and left, walking down the halls. The silence was odd. Not that Beacon's hallways usually weren't this level of quiet, but what was it...
Oh, dammit, Mom didn't my MP3 player to my hood like I did to my old one. Did I leave my good pair of headphones in that box out in the middle of nowhere? Well, I guess it will be a good gift if I ever send my kid on a wild goosechase or something.
A figure walked down the halls, black. Squinting my eyes, I noticed it was my cousin.
"Hey, Onyx!" I said, waving him over. "What's up?"
His face was grim. With a sigh, he placed his large hand on my shoulder.
"Cerise, we need to talk."
"Uh... sure?"
"Now." He said, walking down the halls and turning into the sparring arena.
"What's up?" I asked, furrowing my brow.
"I didn't tell you all of Project Black." He said, crossing his arms and shifting uncomfortably. "There is another side to it. Subsection Nekros. It is a policy I placed in order to be acted out if and once the Other Grimm is slain." He said, not holding eye contact.
"Really, I trust you Onyx." I said, tilting my head. "I'm not good with politics, so you don't need to lecture me."
"No, Cerise, please." He said, his voice cutting out. "Just let me talk."
I swallowed, nodding.
"Upon slaying the Other Grimm, this policy was to be instated. As already been performed, the Head Council of Vale has been called by the head and subhead of the Black Fang. A deal was made. Upon the slaying of the Other Grimm, along with several other terms, all crimes by the members of the Black Fang will be forgiven, allowing them to become productive members of society."
"That's... great Onyx. You did it, changing it from the inside."
"The first term, after the slaying, is the abolishment of the Black Fang itself. A new organization, governmental in nature, is to be created. The name is yet to be determined."
I moved to speak, remembering how he requested to let me stay quiet.
"The second term is that several members of the SDC be granted a public apology, in exchange for a new 'Co-CEO' to help with Faunus relations. We are allowed to choose that individual." He said, covering his mouth. His face was deadly pale, his hand trembling.
"The final... The final term... is the public execution of all high ranking Black Fang officials, including myself."
