Three more new chapters with many more coming very very very soon! (Edit: the full update is out now!) I decided to go ahead put out these now since they were for sure done and might even help build up some excitement for new update :)

Just a heads up for returning readers, the start of new content will now be marked in the chapter name. This way it can be easier to jump back into the story at the beginning of an update since I post multiple chapters at a time. Hope this helps!

Once again, huge shout out to halvetyl000 for his amazing editing skills! Without him, this story would not be nearly as good or well written. I couldn't ask for a better editor! :D Special thanks my awesome beta reader for this update LightningLink, he really helped me make sure that this update was up to par quality wise and I highly recommend his stories here on the sight! :)

Dwai, HiddenCan, Mixedfangamer123, averhan, and The Duke of Destiny, thank you so much for the new follows and favorites, it means a lot to me that you enjoy the story that much! Huge thank you to all those who have favorited, followed, and reviewed before, I really do appreciate knowing you all liked the story so far! So without any more rambling from me, hope you all enjoy the new update! :)

Chapter 37: An Unexpected Parting
Beacon Academy First Year Dorms, Vale

Hunting through the whole school proved to be pointless for Leif and Luna as Mura proved to be just as hard to find as Umbra. At least the anti-social giant could sometimes be found at the library; Mura simply seemed to have vanished into thin air. Granted, this wasn't the first time the girl had done this, but it was a stark change after weeks of what seemed like improvement. Hopefully she'll get over whatever freaked her out before Leif would be forced to report this to the professors.

'Or before Luna's worries worsen.' Leif looked over at the Faunus beside him, trying to keep a straight face. While she was clearly trying to keep her composure, cracks started to appear as more and more places turned up Mura-free. Now they were on their way back to LUMO's dorm to check, but if that turned up empty as well… Leif would be forced to call in outside assistance. Maybe classmates first before professors to avoid any potential consequences, though asking either pained him. Why did it only seem like LUMO had these issues? Even CRDL seemed more unified then them, or at the very least hid it better.

Before the elevator doors even fully opened, Luna shimmied out and sprinted down the hall. Cut off mid-though, Leif hurried after her, trying to keep pace. He couldn't blame her for the urgency; despite their rough start, the girls had grown close over the course of the semester. They were practically sisters. Not that any of them knew what having siblings was like, except for perhaps Umbra, who none of them had asked for obvious reasons. Even while jogging, Leif caught himself wondering how he would react if it was Umbra missing instead of Mura? Probably would be more—

"Leif."

A sudden horrified whisper cut through his thoughts. Luna was standing right at their door, but had yet to enter. Unusual, until Leif closed the distance and saw why. The door had not been shut all the way. That wasn't too weird in and of itself, but given the past hour's events, nothing could be overlooked. He braced himself and slowly opened the door, hand in a fist as if he knew how to fight unarmed.

Thankfully, the fist was unneeded as their living quarters came into view: devoid of living souls, unless they were hiding under the bed like the Boogey-Grimm. However, while the Boogey-Grimm was just an old wives' tale to scare kids into behaving, the disastrous sight before him was very real indeed. Dresser drawers were pulled out, belongings scattered on the desk and nightstand. The closet door was half open, with some hangers left messily on the ground. Leif and Mura tried to keep the room fairly decent, though it was Luna who really made sure they were ready to receive guests at any time. Not that that happened often, but it was nice to have the option.

Had someone tried to steal something from the team? There was nothing of value here; their scrolls were always on them, their weapons in the lockers, and none of them had much Lien to their name. Furthermore, while there were no security cameras in the dorm rooms themselves, the hallways had them, same as the building exteriors. Whoever did it wouldn't be very hard to track down.

Luna's hand went to her vest's side pocket, producing her scroll.

"I'm going to call her again," she said nervously. Leif simply nodded. Something was off, that much was clear. But what could it be? There had to be a clue here, some evidence, something to— A loud buzzing suddenly came from the direction of the end table between the girls' beds. Some clichés really did happen it seemed. Leaving Luna to her scroll call, Leif moved towards the buzzing. It was rhythmic, buzzing at set intervals, almost like… like a… Leif frowned as he reached into the end table drawer. Feeling vibrations pulse through his bones, he pulled out an all-too-familiar looking device, its screen lit up to show an incoming call from 'Partner :)'. His heart sinking rapidly as accepted the call to confirm his suspicions.

"Mura! Finally! Where are you?" A panicked female voice yelled at him, both through the speaker of the scroll and from directly behind him.

"Right here in front of you," he sighed, turning around, holding up the scroll. It took Luna a moment to process before her wolf ears went flat against her silver hair in distress. Leif ended the call silently, bringing up the lock screen showing the dozens of other missed calls and texts from Luna, before reexamining their room with a new frame of mind. So Mura had come here, but left her scroll. Why? Why tear up the room? Has she hidden something here, somehow under all their noses? It's possible… but didn't seem quite right.

Luna seemed to have given up, or at least needed a moment, shuffling over to sit on her partner's bed. Her downtrodden expression grew as she moved Mura's uniform, unfolded and laid messily over the bed spread. Out of habit, she began to fold it, eyes beginning to water. As worried as he was about Mura missing, a flicker of anger was beginning to burn. It was one thing to leave him and Umbra in the dark, but her own partner? Inexcusable, far worse than just leaving out her dirty clothes all over… all over the…

Leif frowned, gears starting to turn as he looked over the mess. At first he thought it was just everyone's things scattered about, but then he realized a key difference. Not one of the things left out were Mura's with two distinct exceptions. Her school uniforms and her scroll. Her school assigned scroll that could likely track her if absolutely needed. Her uniforms that were only required to be worn at school. Why were those her only belongings here? A thief looking for valuables would have taken the scroll; a stalker would have taken all her clothes, not just some. If it was Mura who had come to the room, why would she take everything but those two things? Unless…

"She's not planning on coming back."

Beacon Courtyard

Umbra scowled as he stretched his legs, his muscles still surprisingly aching from today's event. It had been a while since he had seen that much action in a single go, evident by his soreness. This only served to grow his frustrations further; curse this school for making him go soft by Skugga standards. True, he had won the competition, the only one of LUMO to actually succeed at something today, but it should never had been that close. He needed to finish his mission and leave this place, the sooner the better.

Though apparently he wasn't the only one to feel that way. The last fifteen minutes had been spent tracking his teammate, his curiosity for once winning over his disinterest. He had exited the library when he saw first saw Mura, looking paler than usual, talking in low whispers with an unknown man, both moving somewhat quickly towards the dorms. The stranger definitely had a crisp military look, though he failed to recognize the uniform. Umbra had a hunch he wasn't local though, probably from wherever Mura hailed from. Following the two undetected to the dorms, Umbra had chosen to wait outside, rather than risk discovery in the narrow, well-lit corridors. Another ten minutes had flown by, most of which was spent debating whether this was worth his time, before he saw more movement by the dorms. Leif and Luna, both looking very perturbed; his idiot partner anxious, the Faunus distressed. Seconds after they went in one side of the building, Mura and the stranger exited the opposite, this time outfitted with a large backpack, the same one she had the day they first met.

Definitely looked as filled as it was that day, but with one distinct difference.

No shields.

Interesting.

Unlike the bag however, Mura's expression was far from the same, a mix of uncertainty and defeat. Very unlike the normally annoying cocky attitude she usually had. Something was off, which would explain the buzzing of the school given mobile device on him for the past half hour. Leif and Luna were obviously looking for her, but would likely just miss her.

'Oh well, not my problem,' Umbra shrugged, turning to head to the cafeteria for some dinner. About ten steps into the journey, his feet ground to a halt, concern growing. Not for Mura's safety or anything trivial like that, but for his own mission. If Mura really was leaving, it was likely that the Beacon staff would fill her spot on the team somehow. That meant learning a new person's patterns, as well as making sure that the newcomer would be as docile and disinterested in his habits as their predecessor. Worse, Mura leaving may put the team under the watchful eye of others, to make sure it wasn't something wrong with the team itself.

His face scrunched up in frustration before a long exhale steamed out his nostrils, turning around as he dug the Dust powered device - what did the others call it, a scroll? - out of his robe's pocket. Time to figure out how to use this thing. This new challenge was welcomed though, since it would help distract him from a different, new, confusing emotion that dwelled deep down within him.

If it had been any other day, Luna would have been blown away by what was on her scroll. She would have asked her partner to pinch her, to make sure she wasn't dreaming. However, this wasn't any other day and her partner was nowhere to be seen. But now thanks to Umbra, they finally had her location, or at the very least, her destination.

[uimaly0028 {18:47}]: MUraahheaqded toolanndefing pasd

Considering none of them had even seen Umbra use his scroll before, the fact that he was able to send a message at all was a miracle in itself, never mind the contents. Her and Leif burst out of the dorm building doors closest to the central courtyard, sprinting towards the main causeway. Urgency filled their every step, both first years likely realizing the same conclusion. Mura's stuff was gone with the exception of her school stuff and she was heading for the airship docking pads. If they didn't catch up with her here, they might never learn the truth.

Passing by the courtyard's fountain, they turned onto the main walk, thankful that it was devoid of people due to the dinner time rush. Down at the end, they could see the unmistakable purple hair of their teammate, her partner, back turned as she walked further away. What almost slowed her pace however was the taller man walking beside her. Hair greying, almost matching the color of his clothes, Luna couldn't begin to fathom who he was. Glancing over at Leif as they ran, she saw he looked equally confused but no less determined. Further confounding her was the sight she saw beyond Leif, moving at fast walking speed yet able to keep pace due to his massive stride was Umbra, eyes trained on their teammate.

All of LUMO was here now, a rare sight outside of classroom functions.

Her surprise began to turn to horror as she heard the distant sound of an engine growing closer. The origin was quickly identified as an airbus flew up from below the cliff side, settling down to land, its purpose easily guessed. They weren't going to make it, not unless-

"MURA!" she shouted with all the volume she could muster, trying not to lose speed, though Leif and Umbra started to pull ahead. Her voice didn't go unheard however, as her partner slowed to a stop and turned around, surprise evident. Not just surprise though, it was clearly mixed with something else…sadness. The man accompanying her turned about as well, his facial features now visible. The man was no spring chicken, looking to be around the age of her father, not quite fifty but definitely beyond thirty. It was his white clothing, or rather, the insignia on his white uniform that was more identifiable however.

What the hell was an Atlas military officer doing here?

What did Mura have to do with this?

Her feet slowed to a stop as her mind slammed full speed into a brick wall of realization.

'You just don't understand,' Mura's words after her meeting with the headmaster echoed in her mind.

'I just have a lot of stuff in my past,'More of her partner's past words, this time from their apologetic talk by the practice field.

All the signs were there, plain as day. Luna just didn't look deep enough, trying to slowly grow the trust between the two, though it seemed now that that trust was one sided. At least that what logic was screaming, but her heart just didn't accept yet. Not yet. Not until she heard it from her.

Mura seemed to start towards them, but the man was faster, imposing himself slightly between both sides. Behind him, the airbus set down, the doors opening to reveal two more individuals, though both were wearing less formal attire compared to the older man. Judging by their disciplined looks, it wasn't much of a stretch to guess they too were from the military complex of Atlas. Both stared down the three students, looking warily at each, hands twitching.

"What's going on here?" Leif asked loudly, both him and Umbra, who was still off to the side, coming to a halt, keeping a respectful distance from their teammate and her escort. Mura again, looked like she was about to speak, but was again cut off by the officer.

"Escorting this young lady home, at her mother's request," the man stated, voice unwavering.

"She is a student at Beacon Academy and a member of my team," Leif countered, trying to match the stranger's confidence, if only barely.

"Family trumps teammates, young man," he said crossly, obviously unimpressed.

"Then why did her mother send you instead of coming herself?"

"Because as Murasaki's uncle, I serve in that family role just as well as her." Unlike Leif's counter, Luna could tell this one actually struck home. Her leader's confident look faltered for a brief moment, yet it was more than long enough to be seen by the man. Mura's face was stone, but her eyes showed sadness, not fear. Fear would be the response if she was under duress, if the man was lying, but sadness was a different story. And that would mean…

"I assume you ran this by the administration?"

"You're welcome to double check." The man gruffly replied, still countering Leif's every word. She heard Leif swear uncharacteristically under his breath; they could double check, but that'd take time and it was clear this man wouldn't be waiting. Then Leif's face lit up as he reached for his pocket.

"Sure thing, let me just grab my scroll here." The man's face shifted for the first time from confident to a grimace. He obviously hadn't expected to Leif to call his bluff like that, or at least not be here when he did. She heard a sudden shift in moment to her far right; Umbra's hand had flown behind his back, freezing just around his staff. The cause was the officer's hand drifting to his side, hovering over what looked like a block. Both plain clothes individuals shifted to fighting stances, hands moving to unseen equipment. Tension grew even thicker in the air, her own trepidation growing quickly, unsure as to what to do.

Would they really risk a fight here? Only Umbra was armed out of the three of them, not to mention they were only first years. A fight would be over instantly, but would draw plenty of attention-

The silence was broken by her own partner.

"Guys, I'm sorry," Mura blurted out, "just let me go, please. I have to go home."

Luna was dumbstruck, her vision starting to blur again. Had Mura just said that?

"What?" their leader questioned, sounding as shocked as her. "Y-you actually want to leave?"

"Yea-ah. What, are you gonna do, order me to stay?" Mura shot back, in character but sounding almost forced. It was hard to tell now, Luna's thoughts muddled more and more by emotions.

"No! I just, I thought…" the revelation had taken its toll on him as well, his voice and conviction beginning to falter..

"Good-d" Mura declared, swallowing out of what looked like nerves "Well…goodbye then."

Feeling utterly defeated, Luna could only watch sadly as her partner boarded the ship with her uncle, flying slowly out of sight.