Setting: Alleyway

Green crystals encasing his surroundings made for a peculiar battleground. D'Rado stood to his feet as he heard the sound of metal grinding and crystals cracking. His eyes didn't leave the battle happening several feet away from him at the end of the alley. The feeling of dread he felt made him think of ferocious Grimm tearing each other apart. Alexandrite and Rouge were brawling without reserve and it terrified him to know that people were capable of such savagery.

A swing of her crystal sword slashed into Rouge's thick hide. His aura kept him safe and free to attack however he wished which he did by jabbing at Alexandrite with his drill. The speed of the drill's rotation was incredible and the noise it made verberated in the air. Alexandrite took a step to the side to avoid it and watched him punch a hole in the wall, breaking through the crystal and stone beneath it and leaving a hole.

With what little comprehension she had coupling her Supernova high, Alexandrite knew better to avoid the drill instead of blocking it. That weapon was too dangerous to take while spinning at that speed.

Alexandrite got a firm hold of her sword and used her semblance to add more crystal to the blade, changing it to a club. She performed this while dodging Rouge's drill then bashed it against the back of his head, smashing him into the wall. She began coating her entire body in purple crystals then charged into him, breaking through the dead-end with his body.

D'Rado was still in a daze as he watched the two big bodies tumble through the thick stone and fall to the ground. He ran forward to see how both of them were and was met with Alexandrite being knocked away and Rouge getting back on his feet. His drill stopped rotating as they hit the ground. With its power, Rouge didn't want to be maimed by his own weapon.

Alexandrite was tossed into the streets of the town whose residents gawked at the scene in confusion. Their reactions weren't surprising given a woman clad in crystal came out of nowhere, but Alexandrite paid them no heed. Her attention was directed at her only foe. Everything else was blocked out of her mind which was dangerous. For them.

She used her semblance to cover the ground in blue crystal. The flooring spread indiscriminately and began to trap people who were too close to run or react. The crystals wrapped around people's ankles, keeping them in place and leaving them to panic, but Alexandrite didn't care. Her clarity was lost. Supernova was piloting her brain now and it told her to destroy Rouge.

The large faunus stepped onto Alexandrite's battleground with no fear. He had a cocky smirk as he reveled in the fight. One step forward and a spire of crystal shot up grazing his chin as he took a step back. He wasted no effort and smashed through the small pillar with his drill then slammed the weapon onto the crystal floor. The power from his attack shattered the crystal around him and it spread to Alexandrite's area, earning a growl from the Behemoth.

"That's more like it. Show me what you can do!" Rouge commanded.

He charged at her with his drill in front, destroying any spires Alexandrite created in his path. She made pillars to pierce his sides and they were effective in chipping down his aura, but not enough to stop his assault. She wrapped herself in blue crystals as armor then threw her club at him. Rouge batted the makeshift weapon away but was jabbed by her halberd and kept at bay. The polearm striking his side halted his movements and left him open for Alexandrite who swung her halberd back and smashed the shaft of her weapon into his right shoulder. Her attack hit its mark but Rouge didn't fall. He was already in the motion to attack.

D'Rado witnessed his comrade strike Alexandrite in the ribcage with his drill, breaking through her crystal armor and ripping into her side. Thankfully her aura protected her from any real injury but without it, it would've been fatal. Alexandrite was knocked to the ground and Rouge pinned her with his hand pressing down on her chest to hold her down. He had his drill hovering over her.

"So much for your boost. Wasting my time like this and letting that kid get away. I'm gonna get an earful cause of you," he said then got silent.

The drill began to inch closer and closer to her face. Alerted, Alexandrite brought up her halberd to strike, but he caught it in his hand equipped with the drill and tried to force his way to her face. It was her might against his and he was winning. In her compromised position she couldn't put her entire strength behind her arms and while his weight added to his. The whirling of the drill got closer and closer and Alexandrite's breathing was getting faster as she took short breaths.

Even with this boost, was she going to lose? She didn't want to believe it. After the lengths she went through to learn about her semblance, it shouldn't end this-

"STOP!

D'Rado dropped his lance and ran to Rouge, grabbing his drill arm. He tried to lift it away from Alexandrite but he knew it was a useless desperate effort. Still, he had to try. Anything was better than just standing by and watching the battle unfold. His heart was beating so quickly he was afraid it would explode.

"Please. Stop this."

Rouge ignored his younger teammate to continue with his work. The intervention did nothing to slow his pace. He kept going, pushing against Alexandrite's struggling arms. She seemed to make a last-ditch effort as his motion was halted. It wasn't a concern to him…at first.

Suddenly, he couldn't bear down on Alexandrite anymore. They were at a standstill. A few seconds later, she was pushing back. Rouge couldn't understand what was going on. He pressed his weight on her but it did nothing. Even D'Rado was pulling his arm up.

He realized that Alexandrite wasn't getting stronger. He was getting weaker.

Alexandrite wasn't sure what was going on, but she took this chance to save her skin. As she lifted the drill away from her face, she got a better look at Rouge whose body was emitted a strange aura. It was dark and phantasmal like a spectre. This weird aura began to move. It went from Rouge to D'Rado who was now glowing with the same aura but it changed from dreadful black to a vibrant array of colors.

As if hit with a surge of power, D'Rado raised Rouge's arm and pushed him several feet away from Alexandrite. The smaller boy lifting and throwing the larger man was a sight to behold. Alexandrite had no idea what that was and neither did D'Rado. He looked at his arms and hands, finally noticing the colorful hue on his body.

"What is this?" he wondered aloud.

Rouge crashed then fell through the wall of a building. The people inside were alarmed by his sudden appearance and ran away, fearing it to be a Grimm attack. He slowly got up as his body felt haggard, but he didn't know why.

"How the hell was that squirt able to do that? Something like this shouldn't be happening… It can't be happening. What is going on here?"

Alexandrite looked on at D'Rado in astonishment. How was he able to do that and what is that aura around him. The young Huntsman turned to her with concerned eyes and a held out a hand for her. "Are you alright?"

Again. She couldn't understand it. The purity in his eyes combined with this raw strength was so contradicting to her. Looking at him as he was now...felt repulsive. Alexandrite refused his help and got up on her own two feet. "I'm fine," she said curtly.

Her reaction seemed to affect him, but she didn't see what face he made. She couldn't look his way at this moment. With the clarity of the situation, Alexandrite guessed the little Supernova she injected into herself had worn off. That guess was made much clearer when the side effects began. Her body was riddled with pain and she crumbled to her knees and held onto herself, crossing her arms and gripping her shoulders tightly. She wanted to moan in pain but refused to appear weak in front of Rouge or D'Rado. Especially D'Rado as he is now.

"Let me help you!" he told her and without her consent, he placed his hands on her shoulders.

The energy flowing through D'Rado began to transfer to Alexandrite. This colorful aura surrounded her body, and she felt somewhat better. The pain was still coursing through her, but her body didn't feel as fatigued or tired as they should've been. She was almost normal after the conditions of Supernova.

"Who is this kid?" she wondered to herself.

"What happened here?" a familiar, authoritative voice called out.

Both fighters turned to their backsides to find Zinnia with her arms crossed and Ebony dragging Cedar by the collar of his dull gray tunic. By Zinnia's tone, body language, and the way she stared at them, they had a feeling the real battle was just beginning.

Hearing Zinnia speak from inside the building, Rouge realized continuing the fight was suicidal. He walked away through the building to escape.

Ebony scanned the area around them, taking note of the people still trapped in crystal and of the aura around Alexandrite. It was a peculiar sight indeed. Zinnia was trained on Alexandrite, believing her to be the cause of this. She didn't show any signs of Supernova except for pain, but she believed it would be too quick to assume that. She could be hurt from the battle.

Alexandrite, though incredibly uncomfortable, was the first to speak up. "H-how long have you been watching us?"

"Long enough to know you were fighting Rouge and D'Rado activated his semblance," Ebony answered.

D'Rado perked up when he heard her say that. "My what?"

"Your semblance seemed to have finally manifested when you were trying to save Alex. Guess a very strong desire to protect was the trigger. Congrats!"

It was surreal. He activated his semblance out of a desire to protect someone. This wasn't the first time felt like this, but he surmised the other times didn't seem as desperate. After all, he always had the Caped Corps to back him up, but with the enemy being a member of the Caped Corps…

"...No. The Caped Corps are not bad guys. Patterns and Rose have always been good to me…even Rouge. Rouge, what are you doing?"

Zinnia turned to Cedar and said, "Found him trying to run away from the commotion. He was trying really hard not to come back here. At least now we can finally understand what is going on."

Ebony let go of Cedar's collar and cupped his face so he could only look at her. She kept a calm face and a leveled tone as she activated Charm and spoke to him.

"Please tell us what happened. I promise you're not in trouble. We just want to know every detail so we can get you back to your family."

Whether that was true or not was only known to Ebony. The important thing was knowing as much as they could about the situation. The fear he displayed was melting the more he looked into Ebony's eyes and listened to her words. Zinnia is reminded that Charm was a very effective semblance.

"Uh… I was selling some Supernova around town to earn some Lien then that big guy came out of nowhere and started attacking me. He said he was taking back what I stole."

That was...confusing.

D'Rado tried to grasp his words but didn't understand. "Did you take some Supernova off of him?"

"No! I swear! This was the first time I ever saw that guy! He asked for some then attacked me as soon as I tried to hand it over to him. I ran for my life then you people showed up."

...Nope. D'Rado still didn't get it. He had to be lying. Rouge is helping Patterns to get rid of Supernova. Why would he say he's taking it back?

"Ebony, you don't think…" Zinnia stopped and then glanced at D'Rado with a pitiful expression.

"Maybe Rouge has gone rogue and is part of this drug-selling ring? Seems like it," Ebony stated in a matter of fact tone with no reservation for D'Rado's feelings. It needed to be said.

"That can't be true!" D'Rado barked without realizing the tone he took with her. He composed himself as best he could before continuing. "Rouge has been fighting with us all this time. He wouldn't betray Patterns and Rose… and us. He's still here! Maybe we can-" He took a few steps to the building Rouge crashed into and realized too late that the man was gone.

"Having a man on the inside of the group spearheading their end would be a wise move," Zinnia chimed in.

"We'll know more as we travel to our destination," Ebony told them as she directed her attention to Cedar. "Go home and forget about this drug-selling business. Your grandpa and little brother are worried sick about you, Cedar."

Using Charm once more, she was able to sway him to listen. A quiet nod from the mouse faunus was all she needed. Cedar walked away presumably back to Aeolus to be with his family.

Ebony's eyes were now on D'Rado who was disheartened by the conclusions they made about his brother in arms. It was not an easy thing to claim but it had to be said. All possibilities couldn't be ruled out to spare someone's feelings. Still, ignoring his concerns was too cold, but there was something else she needed to know.

"Alex. Cedar said he left his bag when you guys ran into him. It has to be full of Supernova. Did you see it anywhere?"

The Behemoth's back was to Ebony, but her hesitation was obvious. She knew what Ebony was asking and she was certain her answer would ruffle some feathers. Using Supernova again did nothing but to strengthen her already rocky relationship with Ebony and Zinnia. The chilly sensation going down her spine was proof that Zinnia's eyes were on her. Judging her. Condemning her. Alexandrite sighed in defeat. It was better being honest than to lie.

"It was left behind while we were fighting Rouge! We didn't have a chance to see what was in it, but I guess it had to be Supernova" D'Rado spoke up. Alexandrite was stunned by his intervention and willingness to lie.

His face was neutral and deceptively calm as he spoke. Ebony and Zinnia turned his way then looked away. "We can search and grab it so no one else can use it. Then we'll go to the location where the Underland Flower should be."

"What about our stay at the inn?" D'Rado asked.

"Ideally, I wanted to rest and search for Cedar, but the situation has changed and we got the info we needed. Something I didn't count on was Rouge's involvement and he's still out there. It wouldn't be safe for us to stay here with him lurking around. The plan has to be accelerated. Let's go."

Ebony led her group to the alleyway where Cedar left her bag, but she turned to D'Rado before taking another step. "It might be wise to let Patterns know about Rouge. Call him."

That was something D'Rado agreed with since Patterns requested updates on their activities. He made the call and told Patterns everything.

"Rouge is...damn. Uh... I'll tell Rose. We'll try to meet up with you guys, but no promises. Have a few things to wrap up on our end and it might take a while. Don't tell the others we're going after him. Rouge is one of us. If he's a turncoat, then it's our job… our duty to deal with him. Just keep doing what you're doing, okay?"

"Okay, Patterns."

"Good luck," Patterns said before ending the call.

D'Rado told Ebony she updated Patterns about the situation and that was it. He kept his end of the deal about not sharing Patterns' desire to find Rouge himself. It was like he said, Rouge is a matter for the Caped Corps.

Setting: Forest

"What kind of semblance do you think I have?" D'Rado asked Alexandrite as they trekked through the forest, following Zinnia who led the group.

"I got strong enough to overpower Rouge then I passed that power to you. What do you call that?"

His question remained in the air. Alexandrite didn't reply. She refused to. Even with Supernova and a somewhat better grasp of her semblance, she still lost. Rouge was on the cusp of beating her until D'Rado intervened and overcame the larger, stronger faunus. He achieved so much more than her today. She couldn't tell the others because it would reveal she used Supernova again so she was left with her frustrations swimming in her mind again and again. It was supposed to be her moment…

"Uh...Alex?" D'Rado called to her again and she responded by walking ahead of him.

She left him confused as she passed by Ebony who was listening to their conversation. The Charming Vantablack slowed her pace to take Alexandrite's space beside D'Rado who was rather disheartened by the cold shoulder given to him earlier. Ebony leaned into his space to get his attention.

"Your semblance is quite unique. I've never seen another one like it."

"But what IS my semblance. In the heat of the moment, I just acted. Doesn't help me understand what happened during the fight."

"What about after? That moment you had with Alexandrite was something."

"...I'm not sure what I did. I felt power then it went to her after I touched her."

"And the aura around you two was different than the one affecting Rouge. Hm… Interesting. Give me a few minutes and I might be able to decipher what it is. Look at the bright side, you can use your semblance whenever you want now!"

D'Rado felt his ego grow when he took her words to heart. "I can't believe I actually did it."

"You had a strong desire to protect Alexandrite and it brought your semblance forth. It may be a bit cliche to say this, but people gain strength, real strength when they fight for something more than themselves or personal gain. Fighting to protect others, dreams, and ideals gives people greater strength than they could imagine. It's worked for you and it's beginning to work for me too."

"You, Miss- I mean Ebony." He tripped on his words, wanting to remain casual as she requested.

"For a long time, I've been doing things to achieve selfish goals and nothing else. Back then, it was easy to disguise my desire with honeyed words and acts of charity, but it was all false. I was...humbled not too long ago. It was devastating and it took a lot for me to recover…"

Ebony spoke to him, but her eyes made their way to Zinnia.

"...If it wasn't someone close to me, who really cared about me, I don't know where I'd be. My dream is still something I want to make a reality, but I also take into account those around me. They're just as important now. We work together to make sure everyone's desires are fulfilled and we're stronger for it."

"Wow…" His praise earned a giggle from the Charming Vantablack.

"It's no different than you and the Caped Corps."

The mention of his team left D'Rado with a bitter feeling etching in his mind. With the revelation of Rouge's betrayal, he wasn't sure how well the team would be. Their future had some cracks in it.

"Are you sure?" he asked her. His doubts about the team he idolized were breaching his noble heart.

There was no attempt to hide his feelings and Ebony responded to them, wrapping an arm around shoulders and pulling him close. His face turned red from the proximity but she kept a smile on her face.

"If you ever feel like things are faltering around you, know you can always count on us."

He looked into her silver eyes and was lost in them for a moment before finding his way back to reality. "Thank you," he whispered, not meaning to, but she heard him.

Further ahead was Alexandrite who was eavesdropping on their conversation. The sentimentality she could do without but the words Ebony spoke about strength in fighting for something greater than yourself. It was a lesson she heard in children's stories and cheap anime shows so she brushed it off as nonsense. But was there truth in such a statement? What happened in the battle could be a sign. How else could one explain D'Rado's boon in power while she felt…

Alexandrite stopped walking and stood in place. She didn't realize it until now.

"I feel inferior…"

Ebony and D'Rado walked past Alexandrite. The shadow he cast looked over her and she did feel small compared to him, lowering her head in. Her tactic to use Supernova felt so small and stupid given the sacrifice to her body and relationship with the others. She lifted her head, looking at the trio before her.

Grayson, Platinum, Shiranui, Vago.

Any bonds she had with them were never real. They weren't friends. Barely colleagues like Ebony and Zinnia. She felt like it was fine to call them colleagues. Ebony more than Zinnia who actively dislikes her, but she was very similar to Azura in that fashion and it made her want to tease and taunt her out of amusement. It was clear they don't get along, but there was no true hatred between them. Alexandrite could sense that.

And Ebony… was an enigma.

Thinking deeply about it, a colleague didn't fit the description for the Vantablack. She gave her a nickname, bought her clothes, and...genuinely cared for her.

"And how much of a bitch have I been to her?"

"Alex! Are you okay? Why'd you stop?" Ebony called out to her.

The distance between them didn't matter. Alexandrite could see it clearly. The worry in Ebony's eyes was real and Alexandrite's eyes widened as they flashed from blue to purple.

Did Ebony see her as… Were they?

"Are we...friends?"