Disclaimer: first chapter
Chapter 33: Those Dearly Beloved
Jaune and Weiss were in the forest on the lookout for Naruto. They didn't know where he landed, but it was safe to assume for the both of them that the one they were looking for was east of the forest. Problem was the fact the pair needed to pinpoint Naruto's location. They thought it'd be easy; they thought to follow the destruction.
But there wasn't anything burnt to a crisp in the forest! Not a single disturbance or explosion rocked the forest at all.
Jaune was uncomfortable with that. His father taught him well enough to know that a silent beast is a dangerous one. It was trouble if something was silent. 'Either you're stalked, or paranoid; it wasn't safe to be either if you faced a beast like that.' He thought grimly while he kept a firm grip on his sword. He shook out of those troubling thoughts.
"Jaune?"
"Yes, Weiss?"
"Thanks for covering for me back there." She said sincerely.
"…" Jaune kept silent for a moment. Eventually, he stopped walking. "…We were lucky." He told Weiss just before he turned around to look at her. "We had friends covering for us. And I myself had a defensive Semblance that was crucial to that fight." His gaze lowered to the ground. "I made that one opening, and yet when that one Atlesian girl went for an all-out-attack, Naruto stood back up like what we did was nothing." His firm grip tightened. "When he only got angrier at you, my only thought was to get him out of Beacon as fast as possible before he did anything else more dangerous."
"…" Weiss didn't know what to say to Jaune's remarks. But what she heard made her tremble with fright. She remembered those furious eyes.
"We know how destructive Naruto is. It's a miracle he didn't do anything more drastic. Honestly, I expected more. It was…a miracle. Anyways, I did what I had to do to keep you- I-I mean…keep the campus safe." Jaune cursed his fumble with his words, and hoped Weiss hadn't heard that. He looked up to see Weiss shaken up. Instinctively, he came up to her, and pressed his forehead to Weiss. "Calm down. I can't have you going into a panic. You're the best fighter between the two of us at the moment. I need you at your best if we want to stop Naruto. Got it?" He stepped back.
Weiss took a few deep breaths. "R-Right… Thanks for that. I appreciate you bringing me back to reality." She smiled at him.
Jaune gave her a thumbs up. He turned around to resume walking when he stepped on a branch. Out of nowhere, a flaming fist struck his face. The surprise attack caught Jaune off guard that he was flung away into several trees. His Aura took most of the beating, and that he didn't want. He needed his Aura to fight. When he finally stopped via sturdy tree, he looked ahead to see how far away he was from Weiss.
His heart sank when he saw he was about a mile away. "Weiss…" He muttered in fear. He pushed himself off the tree he was stuck in. When he got the kinks out of his joints, he ran to Weiss as far as he could. All the while, the ground shook while tall pillars of flame erupted where Weiss was. It was the only indication to Jaune that she was even alive. 'Weiss! Please stay safe!' He prayed to any god to bless Weiss of living through this beastly nightmare.
Weiss calculated her dodges as best as she possibly could. She ducked under a swipe, and jumped over another. She used her glyph to block a tail. Though it didn't work. The tail broke through, and slapped her away. Her Aura took a chunk of the damage. Luckily for her, she didn't bump into any trees or rocks. She simply rolled on the ground. The moment she recovered and got her bearings, a sudden feeling of dread came over her. A glyph was instinctually made just beneath her feet. The glyph made her faster, and used that newfound speed to get out of the incoming attack. She dove to the left, away from one more crater that littered Emerald forest. However, the shockwave was more than enough to make her stumble.
This went on several times. The ground Naruto dug into became deeper and deep each time he missed. Even worse, the dust kicked up along with the flash of fire made it difficult to navigate around the already cluttered forest. Weiss had to resort to hiding behind the trees, and jumped towards new ones just before Naruto found her.
'How am I going to stop him?!' She screamed inside her head while she headed for cover once more. However, she was a tad late. The next shockwave tossed her out of her projected trajectory. Her body landed hard against the ground. She quickly attempted to sit up, but in her best judgement, cancelled her action. She laid herself flat the moment she saw a giant chunk of the ground fly inches above her body. Weiss rolled off to the side in time to evade a bolt of fire. She found cover behind another tree, and gasped once she heard the thunderous explosion off in the distance.
"%^&*(&^}{":""?!#*&^%$^#~_):# %!" Naruto's roars were becoming more and more furious. Weiss needed to calm him soon.
The Schnee gulped, and steeled her resolve. She'd calm Naruto down. 'Or DIE trying!' She shouted in her mind. She walked out of her cover to look at the beast in front of her. He roared at her with such force that she needed to brace herself against the buffeting of harsh, stormy walls of air. Her tiny tiara was blown away by the winds, and unwound her ponytail.
When the roaring stopped, Naruto's fury reached a new peak and a new windstorm brewed. Air thrashed around much like waves collided with a cliffside; violent. The trees swayed all the way to the base. The ground was tossed around. His tails were spread out once more. And at their tips, a sphere of concentrated Aura grew in size. Wind wrapped around each sphere like a vortex. The wind pressure was enough to force Weiss back several feet away from her original spot.
The Schnee peeked through the gap between her arms. The vortex around the spheres calmed down; however, they donned a far more sinister look in her opinion. Jagged wind blades, four on each sphere, spun around with an unbearable screech. The ones closest to the ground tore up the environment as if it was paper. Then without warning, Naruto threw the leftmost, rightmost, and the middle spheres of total annihilation at Weiss.
Weiss closed her eyes, and concentrated. She connected her Aura to her Dust cartridges while she made a layered glyph system, one for each dust in her chambers, beneath her feet. Her mind wandered off to the Grimm that possessed a giant suit of armor; her greatest trial before her current situation was a thing. When she got the image down, she dashed towards imminent danger. She made herself faster with another glyph, and rushed in between the gap of the three spheres thrown at her. She made it through, and felt the cataclysmic blades of wind disrupt the calm atmosphere. Despite the effects, it didn't alter her course.
Naruto rushed her, but she was quicker than he realized. Weiss leaped above him, and released a dark purple glyph in the air right above Naruto. Weiss triggered the effect of the glyph, and instantly, a giant dark purple broadsword shot out of the glyph, and attempted to stab Naruto's back into the ground. The impact was enough to make a deep crater that covered the entirety of Naruto's current form. It was an effective maneuver in Weiss's part. Even more effective was the fact that the first of the Dust-infused Semblances was Gravity Dust.
Weiss stood on a glyph of her own making, and watched as a giant glyph formed from her construct. The area that surrounded Naruto was sucked towards the epicenter —towards the blade. Chunks of rock, trees, and other things found in the forest were pulled in. The spheres that seemed to float at the tips of Naruto's tails crashed against each other along with the other debris that it was only a matter of time until it blew up.
An explosion rattled Emerald forest once more; however, this time it shook all of Vale from the mountains to the shores. The explosion itself wasn't wide, but it was at least taller than the highest point of Beacon Academy. The shockwave that came made a visible ripple through the treetops if one looked at the battleground from the air.
Weiss managed to stay on her glyph, but she knew she was at her limit. Her body ached all over the place. She breathed heavily too. She decided then and there that this form of Naruto was an Atlesian obstacle course cranked up to eleven and then some. Weiss's Scroll indicated she was a third of the way before she ran out of gas. A piece of her mind thought that it was a miracle she lasted this long consistently using her glyphs.
She took a deep breath. "Winter did say the more I used them, the easier it became…" She laughed inwardly at the fact that her greatest strides were because she fought with Naruto. "Don't worry, Naruto. You'll be back to yourself in no time…"
Ironwood watched at Emerald forest burned. The explosions and the sheer intensity of it all was much like the War as his grandfather foretold. But for one person to be the cause of it all baffled the General more than anything; moreover, this display didn't compare to his grandfather's depiction of the catastrophe caused by the first Fiamma.
No. This was something else entirely. And Ironwood wanted to put a stop to it even if he broke his word to Ozpin. From his view in his flagship, he watched Weiss Schnee fight to the very end. Commendable. But useless because there was no sign of the threat to ever stop. None of Ozpin's students could stop this threat.
"Alert to the rest of the fleet." Ironwood commanded to his communications officer. "Ready to engage with all weapons." He turned to his Scroll. "As soon as the students get out of there, give indiscriminate fire to the target."
Ruby, Yang, Pyrrha, and Glynda ran as they watched in horror as the Atlesian air fleet mobilized. Far behind them, Nora, Ren, and Blake were unnerved by such a sight. The former group kept running —this time faster and faster than before. Ruby didn't want to waste her Aura just yet, so she made the pace for the others to follow her towards the chaos.
Glynda had other plans. An airship was far faster than anyone on foot. It was an undeniable fact that what they did was useless. But with her power, anything was faster if thrown in the general direction. "Miss Rose, Xiao Long, and Nikos. I have a way to get you three to our destination quicker."
Yang glanced behind herself. "You do?"
Glynda nodded. "I'll throw you three to him. It's the fastest way."
Ruby slowed down to keep in pace with the instructor. "Why don't I use a new skill of mine, Professor?"
"You mean when you manifested the black flames?" The combat instructor guessed. Yang and Ruby were surprised. "I've been told about the Fiamma's peculiar Semblance. It's no surprise to me, Miss Rose." She gave the trainee Huntress a small smile. "So? What is the ability of the unknown black flame?"
Ruby grinned. "Teleportation, ma'am!" She looked towards the battlefield when a new set of explosions rang out. An inferno grew to immeasurable heights before it disappeared. "It works with a visual. So if you could throw us up into the air like you planned, I can teleport the three of us to the edge of the battlefield."
"It would cut off most of the travel time." Pyrrha said her thoughts on the idea. "Please, Professor! We'll do our best."
"We'll knock him back into his senses!" Yang boldly declared.
Glynda nodded in approval of their resolve. "Very well. You three hold each others hands." She ordered. The trio of trainee Huntresses did as told. "I trust that you will do your best. As some of the best the new batch has to offer, I shall trust you with his life. Save Naruto!" She pleaded. "Save my son!" The woman watched the three young women's eyes go wide with surprise. Without warning, she shot them up into the sky.
During the conversation outside the battle, Weiss looked over the crater's epicenter by standing on one of her glyphs. Another glyph was made above Naruto's position. This time it was burning red. Another giant broadsword, red and molten, descended like a meteor. And like a meteor, it scarred the earth —this time like a bullet. The ground lit up like a second sun. Another blade, one made of earth, struck. It made the fiery pit turn into that of molten lava. Two blades came down. One was ice, the other air. The ice blade froze the land. The wind cooled the ice as well as the air, turning the area into a small snowstorm. Still, the heat from before melted the ice to reveal a new layer of earth, one of cooled rock. She jumped off her glyph, and made yet another giant one at the tip of Myrtenaster. Naruto directly beneath, Weiss aimed her blade down as she descended. A final giant blade emerged from the glyph; this one was made out of lightning. Contact was made and signaled by a momentary lightning storm that quickly subsided.
Weiss had no more energy left. She couldn't even twitch a finger. The only sign to show she was even alive was the fact that she breathed shallowly. The only thing that kept her in her stabbing position was her firm grip that somehow had yet to waver. Her gamble left her in such a state. She couldn't get out of the way if Naruto was still berserk and came after her. 'Did I reach you, Naruto? Did I…did I knock some sense back into you?' Her glassy eyes lost focus. 'Please…co…bac…' Her body leaned forward, and a hand caught her left shoulder.
"You did great, Weiss." It was Jaune who complimented her efforts. Not that she'd know it was him. Jaune quickly carried Weiss and her sword away from the battlefield. He was cautious. No. Scratch that. He was very cautious. He ran back towards Beacon as fast as he could. There was no point in endangering themselves further when they were exhausted.
The ground rumbled. It caused Jaune to stumble, but not enough to completely topple him out of his balance. He shrugged it off in favor of prioritizing safety, and continued. It was only when a flaming arm broke through the rock terraformed by Weiss did Jaune worry. "Are. You… Kidding ME?!" He ran faster for the sake of Weiss's safety. To the nearest tree he ran, and placed Weiss there. He took a moment to look at the defeated warrior princess before he turned around shield first.
Naruto charged at him only to bounce off to the edge of the other side of the clearing. Jaune kept a firmer hold of his shield. "You're not getting past me, Naruto. I'll make sure of it!" He declared as he thought of Weiss's vulnerable form behind him. "I don't know why you're like this, but for her sake and for the rest of this kingdom…YOU'RE NOT GOING THROUGH ME!" He shouted at the feral Naruto.
A bolt of fire flew at him. Jaune dared not to look away nor blink at the incoming threat. An explosion rocked out to the left of him. Another was fired off. This time the explosion went to the right. A third one came at him, but made impact with the mountains behind Naruto. This time, an unrelenting barrage came at him. Jaune's only thought was to keep anything that meant to harm Weiss away from her at this moment in time.
But he could only take so many hits. Jaune knew he wouldn't last without anyone else interfering; his Scroll showed his Aura levels in the red. With how much he used his Semblance, that gauge chipped away with each hit. He prayed for this assault to end.
It did.
Instead, Naruto came at him once more like the wild beast he was. "What did I tell you…?!" Jaune growled. His shield was coated with the last of his Aura. His sword was left stabbed into the ground beside him. Jaune made a combat-ready pose with his left arm shielding his torso. The moment Naruto was close enough to him, Jaune raised his shield. "YOU'RE NOT GOING THROUGH ME!" The shield smack Naruto's fox head full force along with the aid of Jaune's Semblance.
The impact sent Naruto more than thirty feet into the ground.
And like Weiss, Jaune had nothing left in him. He too was unable to move because the amount of energy exerted into this was more than he ever had to deal with. And yet unlike him, Naruto still came back angrier than ever. Jaune glared at Naruto the moment said attacker stood in front of him. "…You." He tried to speak, but found it difficult to express his drive like this. His eyes narrowed to a sharper glare.
The beast that was Naruto only looked at Jaune. A tail quickly slapped the exhausted blond to Weiss's left before it moved in front of Weiss. It moved its right hand just in front of the Schnee, and made that gruesome sphere that burned as it ground on the enemy's defenses or body.
A hand reached for Naruto's right wrist. "I-If...this is...my final moment." She spoke softly. "Please remember...my words, Na...ruto." The attack slowly shrank. It understood her. "You...take care of yourself now. Better -ngh control your...temper. No one...will like you if you're like this...all the time." The wrist she held on to lowered at the sound of her voice. "If I sound like...I'm lecturing...then it's because I care. And..." She willed her body to release the last pints of energy she had left to caress the fox head's cheeks with both her arms. "...And I want...nothing more than my friends to be...safe." And with those words uttered, she lost consciousness.
Upon hearing those words, little of its sanity was returned. Only now did it notice the damage done to it. Its body struggled to move without feeling any sort of pain. It was fatigued as well; however, despite this, a distorted voice spoke out from the beast to the defeated Schnee. "I'm...sorry, Weiss." Its body swayed back and forth because it was unable to hold its balance any longer. It fell forward face first to the ground just right of where Weiss leaned on her tree. A blue, watery flame creeped over the orange one like a wave that reached a sandy shore. The new colored flame engulfed the beast in it, and out came a barely conscious Naruto with tears that leaked out of his eyes.
He never heard the voices that called out to him and the friends he fought to the brink of death. No. He was too lost in the shackles of regret to listen. The final thing he registered before he became unconscious was a clump of vibrant red hair that dangled before his very eyes.
I floated in darkness. Up, down, left, right, front, and back were filled with that empty void. It was a crushing feeling. My shoulders were tugged down as if I was a fish in a hook. My fingertips felt frozen to me, yet my palms burned. My chest felt hollow, yet my body felt heavy. My arms legs felt like they moved through syrup while held down by chains I couldn't feel nor find. I tried to look for a way out of this; I ran. I ran, and I kept on running without any idea what progress meant. After a while, I stopped.
No way out, I stood there indefinitely. It felt lonely being in this darkness. No one to talk to. No one to look to. No one to fight for. No one to love. Such thoughts were numbing to me. The heat in my palms were overrun by the coldness of my fingertips while my arms felt more restricted. My legs were useless a while ago; they felt like they were petrified -or unbelievably heavy. Nonetheless, I did not resist this.
Why?
I don't know.
I gave up.
Was there a drive to begin with? Why did I want to leave?
I don't know.
I don't know. How long have I been here? How long ago did I look for a way out? How long ago did I stop?
How long until I can't move?
How long until I can't think?
I don't know.
I yearned for light. It didn't need to be big; just something I could see. The small dot of a star was enough for me. It was enough. It's all I want. It's all I need. I want an to see an 'end'.
Four lights blessed me with their presence. One was pink, the other gold, burgundy, and lilac. They were warm, soothing, tender… My fingers twitched. My heart -if there was such a thing- throbbed. My soul screamed. I closed my eyes. Those lights were replaced by four maidens. One was lively as Spring. Another was as passionate and energetic as Summer. The third was calming like Fall. The final one was delicate, reserved like Winter. I felt my eyes well with tears that soon leaked out of the corners of my eyes.
I remembered them.
My dearly beloved.
I opened my mouth, and called to them. My ears never heard what I said. Nothing came out of my mouth. Yet in my mind, I heard their names clearly. I remembered the sound of their names. I also remembered the lullaby they sang to me. I delved deep into my mind, and remembered the lyrics. My mouth opened to sing, but was in my mind that I heard my voice.
One day you will realize
The stars you are chasing shine bright deep inside you
But will you ever let it shine from within?
And cast all of your fears aside
You'll see the light, but until that day comes…
My Dearly Beloved
Be strong, I shall be there
Always here beside you
So keep your head held high
The shadows of this world will try to steal you away into their arms
But you belong in mine…
A deafening boom stopped me from singing. I opened my eyes to see the lights in front of me were gone. Instead, a new light came. One from a shattered red moon. The darkness was no longer all encompassing. The darkness were silhouettes. Giant silhouettes of beasts. And in front of the largest beast…
Was a woman in white.
My teeth gnashed against one another. My fangs were bared for that woman to see. My eyes wanted to fly out of their sockets with how intense my glare was. My arms, legs, and body were free from their imaginary restraints. When I charged at her did I only notice something familiar. No progress. I could not move based on what my perception told me. I didn't move an inch towards that woman no matter how hard I tried to get at her. I fell to my knees.
An orange light was in front of me. A man this time. I looked up to see him bathed in golden flames. He felt familiar, but I couldn't put a name to him. Just then he started to talk.
"Shukaku, Matatabi, Isobu, Son Goku, Kokuo, Saiken, Chomei, Gyuki, Kurama… For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul to guide unto me, and by my shoulder protect thee."
I realized he mostly spoke the lines meant to activate Aura. And as he finished saying those words, a light sprouted out of the nine great beasts. The woman in white was confused.
"But as I release your soul, know that your bodies stay. Know that corrupted they'll stay; however, you all shall remain as you are in spirit. Let me be your vessel once more, and be the conduit of your emotions. From joy to hate, I shall express all your thoughts through me. And when the day comes that I purify your bodies, you'll be released from this shell called my body." The lights from the beasts' chests linked to the man's own. He turned his head to glance back at me.
I was stunned silent. The man I saw was me.
Then I was blinded only to move on to another placed as if I transitioned from one scene to another. I knew this scene. I don't know why. But I knew it.
In front of me were four maidens, named after a season. Winter acted much like Her, but was more confident and firm. Spring was a little more childish than who I considered to be like Spring. Summer was just as lively as the one I knew. And Fall was admittedly the same as my Fall, but less aggressive. They reminded me so much of my four beloved, yet unique on their own.
My soul throbbed. The beasts I allowed into my soul agreed that the maidens were much like my beloved. I clutched my chest. I wanted to return the kindness; I wanted to return the favor. "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release my soul, and by my power protect thee." I said the revised lines with conviction. A large sphere of energy, larger than the mountain I stood upon, split into four smaller, yet still impressive equal sizes. "Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, I give to you the knowledge to connect your physical power to your soul. This knowledge will allow you to connect with the innate energy inside each of you to physically change a piece of this world through channeling this energy through your bodies. I also give to you a piece of whatever remained in me. This piece will amplify the powers you'll possess."
Summer spoke out. "What happens to you?"
"I'll barely live." I told them. "My immortality is set by the God of Death. I'll only die in battle, as per the condition it gave to me." I grinned. "But look at me! I don't look older than my mid-twenties! Still fit as a fiddle too!" I slammed my fist to my chest. "I'll take a miracle to kill me off."
Spring asked, "But what of your powers?"
"I still have it. Little bit of it, but still there." I replied. I waved the question away. "Look. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth! Take my blessing, and know you can do so much more. Whatever your limits were before are now null and void." I told them boldly. I smiled at the maidens. "Instead, find new ones as you help others because you are able."
Fall bowed. "Thank you, Wizard."
I waved that title away. "Don't call me 'Wizard'. Call me Naruto!" I said then ended with a grin from ear to ear. A strong breeze came my way, and with it brought along a flurry of autumn leaves that left their trees. My grin became wider as I remembered a phrase. "…How appropriate. The old leaves fall to let new ones grow."
Winter was the one to ask next. "What do you mean by those words, Wiz- I mean…Naruto?"
"I leave to you the safety of this world." I told them. "I…I've done this for far too long; it's time new hands took my job as a Guardian." I scratched my head. "I believe you'll do far better than I did, and with a bigger drive than mine. In fact...I'm counting on it! As I have blessed you, your four shall bless this world with miracles of your own." I smiled softly. "I believe in you. All of you."
Fall bowed to me once more. The rest of the sisters emulated the elder sister. "Thank you for this gift." They said in unison.
"Rejoice, fair maidens. Because from now on, you can do so much more." I smiled at them one more time before I disappeared in a flurry of leaves.
I return to darkness.
Who am I?
Naruto.
Who is Naruto?
Am I the Hero Granny mentioned?
Or am I his namesake?
I don't know.
I don't know.
But I do know something isn't right.
And I intend to find out why it's so.
Adults watched the Holoscreens in the lobby. Two of them were a couple, blondes decked in armor like knights of old. The man looked much like Jaune. Or rather...it was the other way around, but more rugged due to age. His clothes that went along with his silver armor was as blue as the sky. His wife in comparison had gentler features, and her hair was braided all along the length of her back while her ensemble was a dark, regal purple. One was a man with freshly cut hairstyle whilst slicked back with a blindingly white suit. His mustache was as white as his hair while his eyes were ice cold. The final one was Glynda.
"General. Is there any more information regarding the attack two nights ago?" Asked a reporter that stood next to the Atlesian leader.
"At this point in time...it's been confirmed that the attack at Beacon was devised by a lone wolf -a Human sympathizer of the militant White Fang. The Dust robberies in Vale, ones not done by Roman Torchwick, and done in the duration of five years were all suspected to be linked to this individual, whom we can't identify anymore because of a lack of a body."
"'A lack of a body,' you say?"
Ironwood on the screen nodded. "We believe that a misfire of one of this individual's insurmountable amount of Dust ended the attacker's life. We suspected it was the explosion that created the magnitude six "quake" last night. The ones after the this misfire were set off most likely due to the unstable environment and the concentration of residual Dust in the area." The man took a deep breath. "Still, it should be noted that while the attacker made his own demise, the brave souls that fought this attacker answered to the call of duty, and should be commended for their quick response. Alabaster Tinsoldat, Reef Marina, Braende Tinder, Lavendel Svane, Neptune Vasilias, Jaune Arc, Weiss Schnee, and Naruto Uzumaki fought this attacker, and did their best."
"Yes. They are indeed brave souls. I'm quite surprised the Heiress of the Schnee company was engaged in such an earthshaking battle." The reporter looked to delve deeper into the situation with the Schnee; however, a small thought graced her face. "Um...of the eight you've mentioned, I can't recognize the last individual. You've mentioned one team from Atlas. One student from Haven participated too. And two were from Beacon. Who is the last one?" Glynda tensed. The man in white did too.
"Naruto Uzumaki is a custodian of Beacon. He is the infamous "Warrior Janitor" that was popular moths ago. Yes, he wasn't identified before. Us Headmasters have the choice to divulge or hide information on employees. There was no need to reveal his identity until now. Now as for the specifics, his age is that of first years, but as you know, he went to Beacon for employment. He is an orphan that lives in one of the many orphanages in Vale. A Faunus too. Arguably one of the bravest I've ever heard of. He was the first one to engage the attacker, and ended off with the most injuries due to the lack of proper combat experience." He cleared his throat. "Both his forearms, hands, legs, and feet were victims to second-degree burns while he's suffered multiple bone fractures, or total breakage. Compared to mere exhaustion and fewer injuries of those other seven I mentioned, this young man had it worst in that incident."
"Well I can confidently say that I wish him a full recovery." The reporter turned to her right, to Ozpin. "Headmaster Ozpin." She addressed the silver-haired man. "How do you feel about this incident?"
Glynda left the room. The man in white did as well. To the two of them, they only wanted to know how this incident was warped for the media; they knew the truth, and believe the truth was more fiction than it actually was. The lie told to the kingdoms was more believable. The two heard enough, and left the room in order to go to their respective child. Soon, the blond couple left after the exclusive news special regarding the weekend incident ended.
Eis Schnee entered the hospital room occupied by his youngest daughter. A redheaded young man looked behind him, then faced the man with a bow. "Sir. Lady Weiss is awake."
The man looked over his still weakened daughter, whose eyes were barely open. "Thank you for watching over her, Vaege." He told the young man. "I'm grateful for your diligence."
"I am Lady Weiss's bodyguard." Vaege said to the elder Schnee. His head faced the floor as he went down on his knees. "It's my duty to watch over her. And I feel nothing but frustration at the fact that I wasn't here to do something to help Lady Weiss..."
Eis Schnee lowered himself down to a knee as well. A calm hand reassured the young man. "Go to your sister. I'm sure Braende would like your presence in her room. She's still recovering?"
The young man nodded. "The backlash of using her Semblance again reached a whole new level. She's still unconscious, but that's about it."
The man smiled. "That's good to hear." He patted the young man's back repeatedly. "No. That's great to hear." His icy blue eyes twinkled. "Rejoice, your sister is a strong one." Vaege smiled at the compliment for his sister. "I can clearly see your worry for her. Like I said moments ago...go to your sister. I'll allow it this time. Your family needs you right now." He offered a hand to the young man, who graciously took it to stand up from his kneeled position.
"Thank you, Sir."
Eis Schnee patted the young man's back once more. "You're welcome." He watched the Vaege leave the room before he took his seat beside his daughter. He took his daughter's right hand, and gently rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. "Weiss...how are you feeling?" He asked.
"Like...I'm trapped...in ice." Weiss weakly responded.
Eis looked away. "I'm sorry for not coming sooner."
"I...wouldn't know..." Weiss said. "I'd be...uncons...sious."
The father firmly grasped his daughter's hand. "Save your strength. Rest up once more. I'll return when you're fully awake and rested."
The blond couple entered Jaune's hospital room. "How is he?" The man asked to his seven daughters that surrounded Jaune's bed on all sides.
"Asleep." The girls answered in sync.
The man took a deep breath while he shook his head in disapproval. "This is why I didn't want him to go to Beacon!" He groaned out in frustration. He furiously scratched his head to the point if he had blades for fingered, he'd mow off his own head of hair.
The woman hummed. "And yet you were the one that paid for his tuition the moment you got a call from Ozpin that Jaune was accepted into Beacon." She crossed her arms, and tapped her right foot. The daughters were quite familiar with this certain action their mother took, and it made their father all the more conflicted.
"I trust him, Jeanne. I trust Ozpin." The man told to his wife. "He's the one with the brains to keep our team out of trouble back in the day." He said as if that statement alone was enough to justify his change of heart for Jaune's choice as a Huntsman-in-training. "If he deemed our son capable of being in a combat school, then my fears were misplaced." He properly combed his hair back with his hands. "But then this happened."
A reassuring hug from his wife calmed him down somewhat. "Lumière... All is fine. He's a stubborn one, our son. Just like how you, your father, and your ancestors were. You can't fault him for a trait passed down through the generations. He even got the Arc family Semblance suited to the built-in stubbornness." That last sentence got a small smile out of the husband. "Don't worry about him. His Semblance manifested, and now he'll be quite durable. Now all he needs is improvement in his offense, and he's well off for the most part." A few reassuring pats on the back calmed the husband down. She whispered into his ear. "I heard he used it to protect the Schnee Heiress. And from what I heard from Atlesian officers that witnessed the battle, he didn't move out of the way at all. He-"
"-Of course he fell for a Schnee." Lumière pinched the bridge of his nose. "I foresee headaches to come if he and the heiress become a thing."
"What's this? Our little brother has a crush on the Schnee? And you're not surprised?!" The eldest asked in disbelief. She crossed her arms. "I'm sensing some needed backstory here, Dad."
"No." Was the father's firm reply as his cheeks gained the slightest tinge of pink. The daughters pleaded. He refused again. They pleaded harder. He kept his stance on the matter. All the while, the mother snickered at the situation.
Glynda entered Naruto's room silently. He was fast asleep on his bed while he was stripped of his (damaged) normal clothing in favor of a hospital gown. The only thing kept on his person was his ring(s) still attached to his right hand. The others were handled by Ruby, who kept the rings in her back pouch. He was equipped with the necessary medical equipment to nourish him and keep him alive except for the respiratory ones.
An empty chair was placed beside Naruto's bed. Glynda sat there, and watched Naruto silently. Deep down, she was devastated that she didn't help in the end. She failed to help him. She failed as his mother again. Bitterness brewed inside Glynda. Self-depreciating thoughts echoed in her head, and her facial expression said it all with how sour and unpleasant she made it. "I don't understand how you can tolerate me..." She muttered. "I've failed you time and again." She leaned forward to bury her face into her palms. "Why can't I do a thing right?" She asked lowly while inwardly, she sobbed at her supposed failures.
The door behind Glynda opened. A voice called out to her. "Professor Goodwitch?" It was a young woman's voice -Yang's voice to be precise.
Glynda attempted to compose herself as best as she could in such a short amount of time. Her voice cracked when she asked, "Yes?"
"Could the two of us talk?" The younger blond requested.
Blake managed her time by going to the library. Any text regarding the legend of the Hero was brought out to read, analyze, and connect said Hero to the one with the same name as he. Yet, most of the sources she used were centuries-old parchments or modernized children's books that may or may not have deviated over several millennia. While consistencies were there, inconsistencies were inevitable too. Though upon many hours of reading, Blake lost her train of thought or could not identify if one was an inconsistency from other pieces she read.
A cup of tea was presented to her. "Drink some, and get some rest, Belle."
Blake looked up to see Adam in front of her. "...I can't. I need to know why he became like that."
A sharp poke to the forehead made the Cat Faunus fall backward like a house of cards. "Rest." Adam ordered. "No more fantasy theories tonight."
Blake sat up then requested, "Just one more." Adam allowed it, but only that one book she'd chosen. She searched through the pile of books she hoarded for the day. Her eyes gave each book a once-over before she finally chose one that she felt like she could get answers from to support her theory. She took the book to her reading spot, and plopped the rather large book on the floor.
Adam read the title of the book aloud. "Hm...Tome of Beginnings."
"So close...yet so far. A little push, and He would have returned once more."
"Is it imperative that he regains his memories as well as his powers?"
"But of course! In my opinion, the greatest form of despair is the one that results in the destruction of hope." A snicker. "The same despair he felt when his friends didn't return and won't return to normal. I savored that feeling, that imagery, that...SATISFACTION of breaking a supposed "Unbreakable" man."
"How do you plan on returning his powers?"
"Through the ashes of War, and the gift of Dust."
And that's it folks. Hoped you enjoyed. Once again, no tricks here. If you got what you read, you got the plot points addressed here in this chapter. So yay! More info to connect the dots with!
BTW, song used is "Dearly Beloved" by Amalee.
So review, follow, favorite, I don't care.
This is Azure signing off.