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Chapter 164: After Everything.
Consciousness came slowly to Felix and comprehension even more so, his thoughts jumbling and colliding with one another before they could truly form as his addled mind tried to make sense of the various stimuli that his senses threatened to overwhelm him with.
The first thing he was truly aware of was, unfortunately yet somewhat predictably the pain coursing through his body; a low, persistent and almost rhythmically dull throbbing ache that felt as though it came from his very bones that was punctuated with sharper and more insistent peaks of discomfort that demanded his attention and informed him of his condition despite the various Aura stimulants and medications that he had likely been pumped full of, a sharp stab of pain as he inhaled and an unpleasant tightness in chest where ribs had cracked in his fight against Salem, the dried and cracked feeling of his skin that burned as though he had been in the sun for far too long indicating that his body was still recovering from the massive uses of his Semblance, the more prominent burning pain in the stump of his tail where he realised that his prosthetic tail was absent and had likely been destroyed.
Then he felt, or rather didn't feel the space where his right hand and forearm should have been.
He swallowed thickly, keeping his eyes closed and screwing them shut even tighter as disjointed fragments of the battle against Salem came rushing back to him, forcefully reminding him that he had been the one to remove the limb and why; his breathing became quick and shallow and his heart hammered in his chest until he gripped at the sheets he realised that he was bundled in with his remaining hand and forced himself to take slower and deeper breaths until the medical scent assaulting his nostrils and the sounds of other peoples' muffled and hushed breaths in whatever place he had found himself made him curious enough to open his eyes and as he did so he found himself staring up at a ceiling that was as sterile and unmistakably medical with its' glaring lights as the heavy stench in the air. Without sitting up he spoke, his voice a hoarse and croaking whisper as he realised that this place was immediately familiar to him.
"How did we get back to Halo Academy?" he supposed that were the circumstances different he might have found it strange, comforting or any manner of other things to be back at the campus he had called home for so many years; however that particular though was followed by the realisation that he had no idea what the circumstances truly were and he bolted upright only to wince as several wires and tubes connected to body were pulled taut.
"Easy, easy Felix you're okay" it was Eagle that spoke and Felix realised as his vision ceased its' momentary spinning that she, Arctus and Diamond were in his private room within the medical wing and whilst all three of them were in sorry states, their bodies littered with cuts, bruises and burns and Eagle's eyes were red and puffy where she had been crying it was a relief beyond measure that Team FADE were all alive after everything they had been through
"Salem, did we-"
"You did it Dude" Diamond nodded "Best anyone can tell she's gone and she isn't coming back….Atlas bombed that entire island to nothing, made it look like an underwater volcano erupted" Felix fell silent at the news, unable to decide how he should react or if he should allow himself to believe and dare to hope that the Queen of the Grimm herself had been defeated, quite literally by his own hand. After several moments of silence he felt his friends gazes on him and realised that he needed to say something and of the truly countless question racing through his mind demanding to be answered he chose the one whose answer was least likely to cause him any distress.
"How long have I been out?"
"Almost two days" Arctus answered simply "Everything is still up in the air right now….All of Remnant knows something happened but Qrow is holding off on giving answers and at least some version of the truth until he's got everyone's story….including yours" this was more news for Felix to process in numb and dazed silence and he couldn't help but shudder at a feeling of something akin to dread as he realised that the truth would see him placed on a pedestal beyond anything he had ever hoped for, dreamed of or prepared himself for.
Felix Xiao Long, saviour of Remnant; slayer of Salem. He hated it, the titles left a foul taste in his mouth.
He remained silent for a moment longer, trying to decide what he would tell Qrow when they inevitably spoke until finally he looked up at his friends and glanced between them, each of Team FADE seemed to have aged several years through stress alone since departing from New Vale only days ago and the Lion Faunus's gaze honed in on Eagle, her exhausted face and puffy eyes told a story that he had no desire to ask her to recount, yet soon realised that he would have to if he wanted answers to any of the questions that now seemed far more urgent
"Eagle….where is everyone?" Eagle's eyes closed and she took a deep breath, clearly mentally preparing herself to answer yet she was spared the trouble as both Diamond and Arctus gently placed hands on her shoulders and the silver haired sniper, whose left arm Felix realised was burned at the point it met her prosthetic answered his question; sensing whom the Lion Faunus was most worried about.
"Team NEON are in a different part of the medical wing" she began "Helios is fine but Ether and Olivine were really hurt….they'll recover but it looks like they're gonna need specialist treatment"
"Nyanza's leg was damaged" Eagle added finding her voice, weak and fragile as it was without any of its' usual cheer "Poly-Tech are gonna be working on a lot of things but they'll be able to replace prosthetics if you, y'know…." she trailed off, remembering how Felix had initially reacted to the loss of his tail; Felix merely nodded in silent thanks, in his mind the two events were not comparable at all, his arm was a sacrifice he had made and he would do so again in a heartbeat yet the matter was still only a distraction in the face of information that he desperately needed and didn't have.
"Corey?" he asked the lone word a whole question "Where's Corey, she was supposed to be coming after us to-"
"She's here Felix" Arctus assured him gently "She's with your Mums, Aunt Blake and Aunt Yang are here….they were gonna wait here until you woke up but Corey needed them….Corey, Felix iris didn't make it"
"Oh" the single word was all Felix could manage, Team CLIR had been a constant in all of Team FADE's lives since they had begun attending the academy; his sisters' team were role models of what it meant to be a Hunter and to hear that Iris had made the ultimate sacrifice simply knocked the wind out of him and left him more numb than even his own injuries had, making the battle on Salem's island seem entirely final in a way that it hadn't since the Lion Faunus had first dared to hope that victory was possible. Silence reigned in the medical wing for a while longer and Felix would happily have let it continue until he realised that there was a specific trio of Faunus whose whereabouts and condition had not been discussed and suddenly Eagle's clear emotional distress made sense; prompting Felix to disconnect as many of the instruments connected to him as he could and drag himself as near to his partner as physically possible to pull her into a loose, one-armed hug
"Team GORE, Hellion-"
"She's alive" Eagle breathed out, those words alone seeming to give her strength as she uttered them "She's alive but it's complicated….and I know I shouldn't leave right now but-"
"Take as long as you need to do whatever you need to" Felix assured her "You don't need to explain yourself to me" with that Eagle leaned into his hug and Arctus and Diamond, silently and with no provocation other than simple need and instinct joined them a moment later.
"So what happens now?" Diamond asked "About….everything"
"I don't know" Felix admitted "But whatever it is we'll just keep moving forward" and with that Team FADE fell into peaceful silence, clinging onto each other and taking enough strength to prepare themselves for whatever awaited them.
Corvid had been a truly inconsolable mess when Blake and Yang had found her, their daughter carrying the grief of her friends' death with her; something she would undoubtedly be carrying for the rest of her life.
The remaining members of Team CLIR had returned to New Vale aboard an Atlesian warship once the icy Kingdoms' fleet had bombarded Salem' former base of operations into utter ruin and placed a sizeable blockade around it to ensure that nothing that rose from the depths would escape; her teams' Bull-Head was docked close by in Halo Academies' own terminal, though thankfully with Professor Ren closing the Academy for a few months following the last attack on the city there were no students present to gawk at the instantly recognisable craft.
Corvid had been the one to find Iris's mother and contact her father on Menagerie and break the news that their daughter would not be coming home; she had done this alone despite Lux and Rusty's protestations and offers of moral support and Corvid had felt something inside herself die, she hadn't believe that anything could be worse than seeing Iris perish first hand until she saw the way her parents seemed to break on some fundamental level; her two surviving friends were now elsewhere in New Vale, likely at Lux's family home to ensure his parents that the two of them had returned from an ordeal that the media was beginning to speculate about, their ideas growing ever wilder in the vacuum of silence left by the lack of an official story. Along with her indescribably emotional turmoil Corvid was also suffering from her physical injuries, her ribs had been broken in the fight against Pantheon and whilst her Aura had recovered her bones were still healing, albeit at an accelerated rate which left her sobs even more choked and strangled until finally she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey" Yang's voice was gentle "We're here" a moment later she felt her mothers sitting down on either side of her Yang gently pulling Corvid into a hug whilst Blake rested a hand on her leg, unwilling to take her hand and risk her dropping the object she currently held; the three of them remained in silence for a while as they sat on the very edge of the anti-gravity platform that Halo Academy was built upon, staring down on the ruins of Old Vale and what had once been Beacon Academy in the distance below them until Blake broke the silence, sensing that her daughter would not do so willingly
"Don't bottle this up Corey….talk to us"
"What am I supposed to say?" Corvid's voice cracked "One of my best friends died so I didn't have to and I had to watch it happen"
"This isn't your fault" Yang murmured, trying to console her as best she could
"Yes it-"
"No" Yang cut her off "Your team are your family, every Hunter knows that….we all love our families and we'll do anything, sacrifice anything for them...trust me I know" Corvid saw Yang gesture to her own cybernetic limb but found herself merely shaking her head
"Then why didn't she let be the one to make the sacrifice….I knew what I was getting into, I told them to go"
"Because she wanted you to live" Blake said simply "And if she were here she'd stand by that decision" silence hung heavy in the air as Corvid tried to dispute the claim, to find some way that things could have been different and some flaw in herself that she could identify and correct; certain that if she had only been more, been the leader Team CLIR deserved then Iris would still be here.
The silence was broken when Yang gently touched the item that Corvid clung to dearly with both hands
"Is that…." she trailed off
"Venus Rising" Corvid nodded as she shifted the collapsed form of the oversized mace in her hands "Iris's weapon, neither of her parents are taking it….they said they want to remember their daughter as more than a Huntress; I'm gonna keep it, they might change their minds"
"That's good" Blake nodded, pausing a moment before saying something that she knew her daughter desperately needed to hear no matter how much she might not want to "Corvid….nobody blames you for any of this, you, Iris and all of Team CLIR are heroes; Iris made a choice and you can't blame yourself for it"
"Blake's right" Yang added "And remember that you've got all of us here for you, anything you need" Corvid nodded slightly before croaking out
"Just go" realising how much harsher than intended her words sounded she added "Please….go check on Fluffy for me"
"If you're sure"
"I am….I just not some time alone, I need some space"
"Okay" Blake nodded, she and Yang both leaning into kiss her temples "We love you" with that her mothers left and Corvid remained in solitary silence for a moment later until the sound of heavy footsteps behind her caught her attention and she clambered away from the edge of Halo Academies' hovering campus and turned to face a sight that brought a smile, weak and watery as it was to her face
"Hey" she breathed out as Onyx closed the distance between them
"I heard about Iris" he murmured as he wrapped his arms around her and Corvid allowed herself to melt into him, his padded fingers running through her hair as he leaned down to kiss the top of her head "I know what you're going through" Corvid simply clung to him tighter and buried her face in his shirt
"I don't know what to do" the words were muffled and pained yet Onyx heard her clearly, Corvid pulled back a moment later and met his gaze.
"I don't know what to do any more" she repeated "I'm gonna have to go back to Atlas and carry on training with the Specialists at some point but it just doesn't feel real right now and everything…." she trailed off, each word more desperate and frantic than the last until finally Onyx gently and tenderly cupped her cheeks
"Stay here? Stay with me….At least for now?" he asked before leaning down to brush his lips gently against hers "Please?" Corvid's arms were around his shoulders and the back of his neck a moment later and she pulled him down into another kiss before resting her forehead against his as she answered
"That sounds nice"
Eagle noted that her father seemed more weary than she could ever remember seeing him, Qrow appearing as though he hadn't slept in days and having aged to a point where he could only be described as timeless. Eagle herself looked exhausted and dishevelled, her armour had been discarded somewhere safe and a hot shower had washed away the stench and grime of the battlefield yet she had slept fitfully and for little more than an hour at a time since escaping Salem's fortress as her mind raced in an attempt to process everything that had happened.
She would endure however, there were things that needed to be discussed.
Before the two of them could speak the door to Qrow's apartment within the campus opened and Eagle was about to question the intentions of whoever it was simply inviting themselves inside without knocking, before remembering that her father kept his door locked and if that were not the case it had been left open for someone, meaning that this was a welcome guest rather than an intrusion.
"You wanted to see me Branwen?" Carcharodon rasped as he limped into view, still somehow appearing as imposing as ever despite barely being able to walk in a straight line and his body being a discoloured mass of bruises whilst the hoodie bearing the logo of Halo Academy that he wore in place oh his own clothes hung open to reveal that his cracked and broken ribs were bandaged tight.
"I did, both of you" Qrow answered "Take a seat" the Shark Faunus shuffled and trudged into the empty seat beside Eagle, the blonde noting, not for the first time how incongruous Carcharodon always seemed when placed in such domestic or ordinary settings; years of seeing him wearing school uniforms doing nothing to change the image of some seafaring warrior that he proudly carried with him.
"We have a few matters that need to be discussed" Qrow began, Carcharodon taking the opportunity to bring his own immediate concerns to light
"The first matter is Hellion, where is she?"
"Safe" Qrow answered, the vague answer coming out of habit and being enough for Carcharodon to let out a low snarl until Eagle interjected
"Dad, where is she?" hearing his daughters' voice, gentle but filled with undeniable steel Qrow let out a breath and relaxed
"Sorry" he shook his head, the many-limbed mechanical chair that carried him shifting slightly "I was going to tell you, I was going to save it for last though because I feel like it's going to need some explaining-"
"Then explain, quickly" Carcharodon hissed, his patience wearing thin.
"Hellion...or the bird that her soul and consciousness are currently trapped in is being examined within the restricted labs below the campus itself" Qrow explained "I've contacted Antonia, Eagle's mother….She believes that she can help"
"She can!" Eagle exclaimed, suddenly ecstatic as fresh hope for the future welled up within her. She had initially been planning on travelling to Atlas and asking her mother to do anything and everything within her power to restore Hellion, hence her explanation to Felix that she might have to leave soon but that had truthfully been no more than a desperate gambit and refusal to accept fate; to hear that something could actually be done about the Dragonfly Faunus's condition was something else entirely
"She can" Qrow repeated, his tone making it abundantly clear that there was a caveat to this information and that Eagle should brace herself for it "She worked alongside Polendina on the Aura transfer machines as well as helping to create Penny and Nickel….but this is different, this isn't creating an Aura or moving it from one person to another, that bird shouldn't have a persons' Aura inside it in the first place-"
"So what're you saying?"
"That it's going to take time….Nobody knows how long"
"Fine" Eagle answered bluntly "Then I'll go to Atlas with Hellion and I'll stay there for as long as it takes, when Hellion wakes up again I'm gonna be there for her" the fire in her words was undeniable and Eagle noted that Carcharodon nodded in silent approval whilst Qrow merely leaned back, making himself as comfortable as his injuries would allow before commenting
"That's honestly exactly what I expected you to say….I'll let you know when the flight is booked"
"Thank you"
"She will be in the best hands….this is beyond anything I have the understanding to fix and whatever my peoples' history with Antonia Arc is she is the only one who can help us now" Carcharodon noted.
"Then that's settled" Qrow nodded "The next issue is what do we tell all of Remnant about what happened….nobody believes the underwater volcano story and the Atlesian fleet hovering over where an island used to be is starting to cause some panic, we need a story"
"Are we going back to lying about everything?" Eagle challenged "Uncle Lie wanted us to move passed that, the people should know what it is we're protecting them from"
"That's true" Qrow nodded "But he, Nora and I are all in agreement that might not be what's best for you….Salem's gone, as far as anyone can tell she's gone for good this time and it was your teams that stopped her; if that's the story that goes out then you're going to be the new Ruby Rose, you're never going to have another moments' peace and if….Oum help us all if we're wrong about this and she comes back, you saw what the press did to Ruby. None of us want that for you"
"The people only need to know that they were saved….by whom is irrelevant" Carcharodon rasped out after a moment of consideration "Some glory isn't worth the price; all that the people need to know is what was accomplished and perhaps that this time they should be more gracious"
"I see" Qrow murmured "Eagle?"
"I'm with Car" she answered "I'm not sure that I want all that fame….I think the Vytal Tournament crowds are enough for me but I don't think it's my choice. It was Felix that beat her, and she is beaten I saw it happen; so it should be Felix's place to decide"
"I see" Qrow said again "I can respect that decision….I'll have to debrief….talk with Felix later, I understand he's awake but I wouldn't dream of trying to get to him before Blake and the firecracker do" the room fell silent again, the three of them searching for words to fill the space left and rendered awkward by the sheer scope of what had happened in such a short space of time until eventually Carcharodon made to rise from his seat
"If there's nothing else?"
"There is one thing actually" Qrow added, seemingly being reminded of the detail by the Shark Faunus "The Atlesians have your ship….it's heavily damaged but they recovered it; Winter is willing to have them deliver it-"
"If any Atlesian sets foot on the Nemesis Kharybdis I will hang them from the mast" the Shark Faunus retorted, his frayed nerves and turbulent emotional state finally making itself as this proved to be a bridge to far in terms of what he could willingly accept; Qrow merely chuckled
"We figured you'd say something like that….we'll arrange for you to be taken to where the island was so that you can recover it yourself"
"Thank you" Carcharodon nodded respectfully before rising from his chair and making his way out of Qrow's apartment; fully aware of the fact that Eagle had followed him and was hanging a few steps behind but choosing not to acknowledge the fact until she declared herself, though he only had to wait until they were in an empty stretch of corridor until her voice sounded out.
"Car….she's gonna be okay, I promise" he came to a halt before turning towards Eagle and walking slowly towards her; the freckled blondes' face morphing through a dozen or more expressions as she tried to read the Shark Faunus's stoic and inscrutable face only to be left utterly stunned and unable to form coherent words or thoughts as he did something entirely unexpected.
He hugged her
The embrace was a clumsy and awkward thing, Carcharodon's usual lithe and powerful grace entirely absent in the unfamiliar gesture yet as he wrapped his arms around Eagle's shoulders and biceps to pull her closer Eagle found herself patting his back gently, only for him to reveal that the gesture was her benefit as he whispered
"I know she will….there is nobody I trust with Hellion's safety more than you; you truly are one of us" Eagle's crimson eyes widened at the admission only for her to pull Carcharodon into a proper hug, as if to show him how to do it properly.
As she did so she decided there and then that things would be okay.
They were on their old spot on the roof above what had once been their dorm.
Arctus and Diamond had been more active and busy than either of them would have liked during the two days since the battle against Salem had ended. Firstly, once brought upon one of the Atlesian ships that had rescued them they, along with every other member of Teams FADE, NEON, GORE and CLIR had bad rushed into the infirmary and checked for any immediately life threatening injuries; though from there each and every one of the Hunters who had set foot with Salem's fortress including Ruby Rose had been placed in quarantine and exposed to a gaseous form of the medicinal variant of the Fracture compound and then kept under surveillance for twenty four hours to ensure that none of them carried any remnant of Salem or any ancient Grimm tissue that any vestiges of her presence might cling to with them. Those who had been critically injured during this time had been operated on by the best doctors Atlas had to offer whilst the ships were flown steadily towards New Vale and Felix was one of the Hunters who had been unconscious for the duration of the trip; whilst Arctus and Diamond both understood why what had happened was necessary neither of them could honestly say that they looked forward to telling their friend about the treatment.
Once they had returned to Halo Academy things had only continued, those who were in any condition to do so had been asked to attend a debriefing more akin to an interrogation; all feelings and compassion being put aside momentarily as every aspect of what had occurred was examined in minute detail by Qrow along with every member of his shadowy group of individuals including the heads of each of the Hunter academies and Specialist Commander Chiffon who had succeeded Gangrel Slate until finally each of them, at least for the moment were satisfied that the battle had been won and that whilst the Creatures of Grimm remained and would continue to exist for as long as humanity and the Faunus did Salem was gone and they were without any true leadership.
From there Arctus and Diamond had done the only thing that made sense to either of them and sought out some peace and quiet so that they could collect their thoughts before calling each of their families to assure their parents that the two of them were unharmed. Arctus's family, due to the various connections they had to institutions such as the Atlesian military and other equally powerful people knew almost all of what had happened before they were told, Weiss and Gangrel having pulled their daughters out of school so that they could be told any news regarding their brother the moment it arrived; the news that Team FADE had been the ones to finally defeat Salem once and for all had stunned and silenced them all, only for Athena-Jade to proudly exclaim that she did have the coolest big brother on Remnant and after much tears and reassurances and with a vast wave of relief washing over them some semblance of normality returned. Diamond's explanation to Mercury and Emerald had taken longer, the two of them having no knowledge beyond what little had leaked out into the media and what Mercury, as a pilot had been able to learn about the no fly zone established across an island chain between Mistral and Vaccuo but after learning the truth in its' shocking entirety Mercury; unable to think of anything else to say had simply grinned and noted 'That's my girl'.
And then finally they had been alone together.
Making their way onto the spot on the roof had been the most natural thing in the world, as had Arctus wrapping an arm around Diamond as she in turn nuzzled into him whilst the two of them tried to ignore the aches and pains of their various injuries. Diamond's cybernetic arm had been briefly detached so that its' various mechanisms could be inspected for damage and a new, heatproof casing applied to its' exterior whilst the point where the limb met her arm had been treated for burns; Arctus sported considerable bruising on his chest and a serious case of Aura fatigue after the fight against the Queen of the Grimm, the campus's medical staff whose presence had been an almost amusingly familiar comfort to the Faunus noted that his Semblance may be unreliable in the coming weeks due to simple strain; though it seemed Felix's case was far more severe and that his cousin had been ordered to take a mandatory leave from his Huntsman duties for several months whilst his body recovered from everything it had been put through. They were together, despite it all though and that was what mattered the most.
"I love you" Arctus mumbled into Diamond as held onto her as if his life depended on it "So much"
"I love you too Big Guy" she replied sleepily, the two of them perfectly content to drift off together on this roof and remain here until their responsibilities found them. The two of them remained in peaceful silence until Arctus felt Diamond's smile and shifted his weight so that he could see her face more clearly, playing absently with strands of hair that had fallen in front of cherry red eyes that now beamed with amusement as he did so.
"You know our careers have peaked right?" she noted, sharing the source of her sudden amusement "Like dude….we're a few months out the Academy and we just beat the Queen of the Grimm, how do we even top that?" it was the kind of comment that only Diamond could make and after taking a moment for it to fully register Arctus found himself laughing almost uncontrollably
"You're right" he eventually admitted "We've done it, we've done the biggest job we're ever gonna do….so what now, do we look for something else to do for a thrill?"
"Oum no" Diamond shook her head with a laugh before pausing and chewing her lip for a moment "But….we could do something about these engagement rings, if you don't want to wait around?"
"I mean we could" Arctus paused, considering his next words carefully before continuing "But you wanted to wait, have a long engagement and wait until we were set up and our feet right?"
"I mean yeah?"
"So what's the rush" Arctus Grinned, leaning close to kiss her before adding "You said it yourself, we've just beaten the scariest thing we're ever going to face….We've got our whole lives together and all the time in the world"
Team NEON were together and that, to Helios at least was a monumentally important fact.
The four of them refused to be separated for a moment longer than was made necessary by the various medical procedures that they had needed to undergo; first on one of the many ships that made up the strike-fleet Winter had sent to their aid, not whilst in Halo Academy again and in the care of medical staff they were well acquainted with and not when Ether and Olivine had been transferred to another hospital within New Vale aboard a Medical transport.
Right now the four of them were in the private hospital room that Olivine had been given waiting for her to wake up, which the nurses had assured them would likely occur at any moment; Helios was the least visibly injured of his team though he still moved gingerly and had been told that his wounds would likely scar as his Aura had been so depleted with the overuse of his Semblance that it was unable to fully heal his body where his crushed and deformed armour had cut into his torso, beyond this however he would likely heal entirely; his armour and weapons remained at the academy where he would recover them later, twisted and damaged but mercifully not beyond repair.
Nyanza stood beside him and had in truth suffered little more than a concussion, countless minor cuts and bruises and fatigue though he seemed to be far more injured than he was due to the fact that he supported himself with crutches and his right leg was simply absent from the knee down where his cybernetic prosthetic had been removed and sent to Poly-Techs' facilities in the city for repairs that they promised would be made swiftly.
Ether was sat in a chair beside Olivine's bed and it was clear that the two of them had suffered the most from their ordeals; Ether had needed several blood transfusions and surgery even as his Aura was pumped with stimulants so that doctors could repair his punctured organs even as the tissue regenerated at uncomfortable rates, it was likely that he would walk with a pronounced limp for some time and his recovery time would be significant; currently he used the metal stand which several pumps and fluid bags were attached to as a cane as he moved. Olivine's situation was less life threatening but no less grisly, specialist doctors had pulled the wreckage of her goggles and faceplate away and thankfully managed to save one of her eyes, her right eye was lost however and both her face and heavily burned forearms would be permanently scarred; though as Team NEON looked at her unconscious form covered in bandages each of them realised just how much worse things could have been and that they were lucky that she, along with the rest of them was still alive.
The sound of Olivine coughing and sputtering as she woke up caught all of their attention
"Hey, hey you're okay" Ether assured her as she frantically tried to pull herself into a sitting position, gently helping her up before handing her a cup of water and peering into her remaining eye; the white stained red with blood yet she was alert and cogent, speaking the moment she drank the water
"I….I can see" she managed to breath out, clearly astounded by the fact "Everything's blurry but I can see"
"Yeah" Ether nodded, gently taking her bandaged hands to assure her that he was present and would not be leaving her "You got hurt bad, we both did….but we're here, we're all here"
"We made it" Helios informed her, stepping forward into what he hoped was her field of vision "We gave Salem nowhere to run and Team FADE defeated her….we saved all of Remnant"
"Good, then it was worth it" Olivine assured, taking a moment to regard her injuries before pushing through the pain and focusing on what they had achieved
"Yeah" Ether nodded "Now you just need to rest….Helios and Nyanza can go on without us for a while"
"Huh?" Nyanza lurched forwards on his crutches as he spoke
"It's fine" Olivine nodded "If this was Team NEON's last run then I'm glad it was something important, we made a difference together but Ether and I….look at us, even we're ever fit for duty again it's gonna be a long time; you two aren't done saving the world" her words seemed to linger in the air for a while before Nyanza swallowed thickly and nodded in understanding
"So this is it huh?"
"No" Helios interjected "This is a lot of things, but it's not a goodbye….whatever happens, wherever the four of us are; we are still Team NEON"
"You got it" Ether grinned "We pulled through this, we can pull though anything together" silence hung around them again until Nyanza let out an annoyed sigh as something occurred to him
"Yeah….Heely I think we're gonna need to look for work as soon as I get my leg back" he chuckled and shook his head before adding "Nobody contracted us to deal with Salem….we just took down the Queen of all Grimm and we did it for free" the observation was enough to leave all of Team NEON in hysterics, each of them realising that the bushy tailed Faunus was likely entirely correct but unable to be even slightly annoyed by the revelation and simply laughing until they were breathless.
Shortly after a small knock preceded the door to Olivine's hospital room opening and a slightly nervous looking nurse entered, giving them an apologetic look before stammering out an explanation for her presence
"Um….Miss Degrass's mother is here to see her and um, we only allow so many guests at once so I-I'm sorry but-"
"We understand" Helios nodded, speaking gently and assuring the woman that no matter how fiercely Team NEON had clung to each other and refused to leave one another's side, she would not be subjected to his ire. He gently placed a hand on Ether's shoulder, silently conveying that he should stay whilst leading Nyanza out of the room and into an empty corridor that stank of medicine and left the Faunus wrinkling his nose; the two of them trudged through the hallways filled with the dull drone of conversations and the bleeping of various machines until Nyanza spoke up
"So do you believe what you said back there?" he asked "You think Team NEON are gonna stay a part of each others' lives even if we split up like this?"
"Have you ever known me to be a liar?" Helios countered "Besides, do you honestly think we could drift apart so easily after everything we've been through"
"I guess not" Nyanza smiled weakly, remaining silent for a moment before adding "So what's the next move?"
"I head back to Halo Academy to see if Felix is awake….I presume that you'll be returning to Patch"
"Yeah, my folks know I'm okay but I need to see 'em" Nyanza agreed "But I meant y'know, now what; what do we do next?" Helios understood his partners' meaning and considered for a while before answering
"Perhaps we look for a mission that takes us to Anima?" he suggested "I would like to visit my people after everything that's happened and I believe you have a date in Mistral to attend….I feel like we've earned the right relax a little"
"Oh we definitely have" Nyanza nodded in vehement agreement, the thought of visiting Razzmatazz to celebrate her graduation from Haven Academy, Team NEON's role in defeating Salem and victory against whatever they encountered on Anima seemed like a truly great idea and then he would visit Olivine and Ether upon returning home again.
Team NEON were together, no matter what distances separated them and that, to Nyanza at least was a monumentally important fact.
Felix's head was spinning as he made his way towards the main doors of Halo Academy, the sound of his footsteps echoing throughout the academies' spacious and currently otherwise vacant entrance hall jarring nerves that still felt raw and somehow numb at the same time after everything that had transpired and yet doing little to distract the Lion Faunus from his attempts to process the emotional maelstrom that he had endured over the last several hours.
After Team FADE had gone their separate ways to attend to their own matters, promising to rejoin one another as soon as possible Felix had met with his mothers, both Blake and Yang pulling their son into crushing hugs and crying over him in simple, unrestrained belief that the young man, despite his injuries was still alive after his most valiant attempt yet to heroically sacrifice himself in a blaze of glory; something which the Lion Faunus denied and protested vehemently.
From there he had met with Corvid albeit briefly; his sister had been withdrawn and almost entirely silent as she was lost within her own thoughts though quietly happy for her brothers' presence, a fact which Felix needed no help to recognise and had eventually explained to him exactly what had happened to Iris, how her friend had sacrificed herself to both save Corvid and defeat Pantheon. Eventually Corvid had departed, stating that she needed to be with her team-mates and would either be staying with them or wherever Onyx holed up for a few days which would most likely be the academy itself though she had promised that she would return home to Patch soon.
Then the true ordeal had come.
Qrow, Ren and Nora had debriefed him and though he had been spared the same inquisition as his friends wherein Winter's dedication to her duties outstripped her compassion despite her best efforts or the heads of the other academies whom were total strangers to Team FADE and their allies demanded to know everything that they deemed to be pertinent, but still it had been hard, with Felix realising more and more with each word of his recounting of the battle towards and then against Salem just how truly lucky each of them were to still be alive. Eventually however the facts had been established as best as possible considering her incorporeal nature as the manifestation of the Grimm greater consciousness, with Qrow noting that he would turn his efforts towards locating the next iteration of the Wizard as this would likely give some final proof though for now it seemed that the corrupted Witch was well and truly dead in every sense of the word that could apply to her and from their the conversation had turned towards more mundane and immediate matters, namely what the people of Remnant would be told about what had occurred.
Felix's answer had spilled from his lips almost of its' own accord; unplanned and yet the most honest and straightforward one that he could have given which, after some deliberation had been accepted by Qrow and his compatriots.
The Lion Faunus found his focus drawn back to the present moment by the sound of giggling children that flitted out of view, visible only as blurs in the corner of his eye as they bested him in a game of hide and seek he had been unaware that he was a part of and he smiled despite his drained state; from what he understood one of the team of students Carcharodon had taken under his wing had brought a group of lost and orphaned children to Halo Academy and in the days that they had been absent Ren and Nora had begun plans to repurpose or expand part of the campus into a home for children like them, knowing what he did of the last remaining members of Team JNPR Felix realised that the idea was perfect; giving the children a home whilst ensuring that the students attending Halo Academy never lost sight of what was truly important in the fight against the Grimm and if Felix was entirely honest with himself the idea of Carcharodon as a doting but grumpy uncle of some sort to the children was simply too entertaining to be ignored.
With that thought bringing a tired smile to his face Felix reached the doors of the academy and pushed them open, his missing arm itched as if it were still there; his entire body ached and he felt as though he could sleep for days on end whilst the destruction of his cybernetic tail irked him in a harder to describe way, it was an old wound that he had come to terms with but knowing that his powers were temporarily curtailed was bothersome no matter how unlikely it was that he would need them any time soon; as he stepped out into the cool evening air and felt the breeze against his dried and cracking skin however he soon found himself feeling much better.
A condition caused in no small part by the sight that greeted him.
Helios, once again wearing his still damaged armour knelt in front of the statue of Pyrrha Nikos, the true Pyrrha Nikos and the bastardisation of her memory that Salem had unleashed upon them and paid his respects. Felix waited a respectful distance away until it was clear that Helios had seen him and then pounced, practically flinging himself into the taller mans' arms and burying his face in Helios's neck with what little strength he had; clinging to him one-handed
"You're okay" he managed to whisper, still not believing it until he leaned back and cupped Helios's cheek "I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you"
"Avenge me I hope" Helios's eyes twinkled with rare mischief and Felix couldn't help but laugh at what was clearly an example of the redheads' unique humour until the two leaned into one another again and Helios rested his forehead against Felix's with the two remaining in contented silence for a moment before the Lion Faunus broke it.
"If you want to head back to Anima for a while after everything I completely understand"
"Nyanza and I discussed the idea of taking on work there" Helios confirmed "Though he'll be unable to hunt for some time….perhaps you could join us"
"That sounds nice" Felix grinned "I'd have to talk to Team FADE as a whole though….I don't want us to split up right now, we should be together. And I need to ask you for a favour"
"For you, anything?"
"Spend tonight on Patch" the blonde Faunus murmured "Not just for me….I mean for me, but for Blake and Yang as well, I can tell they're shaken up by everything and you're part of the family now"
"I'll tell that you send their love and will be on Patch as soon as things are in order with your team" Helios assured him before leaning down to kiss him gently "And I'll be waiting for you"
"I love you"
"I love you too" the moment between them was as perfect as anything could be and yet it was far too brief, cut short as Felix pulled back with a low growl escaping him; the familiar sound of something speeding towards them reaching his keen ears and putting him on the defensive even those his weapons had been lost in the battle against Salem and he was in condition to fight.
A flurry of rose petals announced his aunts' arrival.
"Hey Aunt Ruby" he managed to grin, choosing not to comment on what had been interrupted when he saw the expression on Ruby Rose's face; serious, questioning, apprehensive and countless other feelings being conveyed through a single glance until finally she spoke.
"Qrow told me what you want to do" the simple sentence was enough to leave Helios glancing between Felix and Ruby in confusion, vibrant green eyes lost until Felix let a sigh and explained for his boyfriends' benefit.
"Nobody believes that it was an underwater volcano, we've got to tell people something or the panic is gonna build and all of Remnant knows about Salem now, they're panicking about her and making the Grimm more agitated….so I told Qrow that I think that we should tell Remnant that she was beaten again, if not for good at least for a long time" the Lion Faunus braced himself before adding "But I don't want to take credit for it, I want to tell the people that Team FADE held the line until Aunt Ruby got there and finished the job"
"But why?" Ruby asked, Helios nodded in silent acceptance if not understanding; for a moment Felix could manage no more than a shrug however as the words came to him he managed to form them into something coherent.
"You're a hero, you've always been a hero to everyone…..If someone other than you was the one to beat Salem then they're taking your place, they become that beacon of hope to all of Remnant that you've been for as long as I've know what a Hunter is" Felix shook his head "I'm not ready, I can't take up that mantle. Remnant needs it's legendary hero and that's not me"
"I understand" Ruby nodded slowly before pulling her nephew into a hug "I'll do it, I'll tell the story that you want people to hear…..but I want you to know something Felix"
"What is it" Ruby Rose, hero of all of Remnant, the epitome of a Hunter and coolest Aunt on Remnant beamed at him brightly, silver eye shining in the setting sun as she said
"You and your whole team are heroes and you are ready for anything that might threaten Remnant….when I have to pass the torch on one day Fluffy it's going to be to you" the Lion Faunus swallowed thickly, reaching up to wipe his eyes before diffusing the situation before it could become one more emotional outpouring than he could handle in a day in the best way he knew how; smirking as he said
"And in the meantime how do I get sponsored by people who make cookies?"
Arctus and Diamond had remained together on the spot on the roof that they would forever consider theirs no matter how many years passed and new groups of students claimed it as their own, the two of them falling asleep together and enjoying that peaceful solitude until they were awoken by the chill in the air as afternoon faded into evening. From there the pair had eaten and met the acquaintance of some of the children who now called Halo Academy their new home, going through the motions of normality until they began to feel real again and eventually they had set off hand in hand in search of their team-mates.
Eagle managed a small wave as they reached her.
"Hey, you okay?" Diamond asked as she and Arctus took places on the railings around the outer edge of the anti-gravity platform the kept the campus aloft beside Eagle, watching the sun set over New Vale; its' rays painting the remaining Hive Towers a dull gold; the blonde looked as though she had rested at least a little since they had seen her last and that was enough to give her friends a little hope.
"I will be" Eagle nodded "I'm gonna be leaving for Atlas soon, my Mum thinks she can help Hellion"
"That's good" Arctus nodded before the sight of birds wheeling in the air some distance caught his eye "Is she-"
"No" Eagle shook her head, managing a small grin as she realised what the question would be "She's still the labs….like the one Pantheon was kept in; but she or at least Marauder was awake and I think she understood me when I talked to her….she's in there"
"Things are gonna work out" Diamond assured her and Eagle merely nodded in agreement, the three of them remaining in peaceful silence until Arctus caught sight of someone approaching and quickly discerned the newcomers' identity
"It's Felix" he murmured and the three of them made their way towards the Lion Faunus who seemed to be making his way from the airship terminals.
"I was just saying goodbye to Aunt Ruby and Heely, they're all heading back to Patch" he explained as he limped and shambled his way towards them, all three of his friends instinctively offering him physical support.
"You're not going with them?" Arctus asked
"Maybe later….I wanted to see what you guys are doing" he paused for a moment before simply admitting "I didn't want us to split up, it didn't feel right"
"I get it dude" Diamond answered whilst Eagle gave her partner a gentle hug before making a suggestion
"We can all stay at my place tonight, we'll all figure out where we're going tomorrow….promise we'll all stay in touch?"
"Promise" the answer came from every member of Team FADE at once and the four of remained there, on the grounds of Halo Academy for a while longer as they searched for the motivation to leave until they were interrupted by the sound of the new Scroll Felix had been given vibrating in the pocket of the clothes he had borrowed.
"Who even has this….it's Qrow" the Lion Faunus braced himself as he saw that it was his great uncle calling him; it was an audio only call and Felix placed it on loudspeaker as he answered so that his team could hear.
"Fluffy, I've got news….the story you wanted to tell is what we're going to run with"
"So Team FADE held the line, Ruby Rose is the greatest Huntress that ever lived again" Felix gave a bright smile which his team-mates mirrored "Good"
"I just want you to know that it's not going to convince everyone"
"What?" Felix's blood ran cold for a moment before he sensed how utterly unconcerned Qrow seemed to be about this development
"Most of Remnant will buy the story" the grizzled veteran noted "But there plenty of rich and famous people who saw you on that same island chain and plenty of Hunters and military personnel who saw you leave, add that to the condition Salem's fortress was in when backup got there and well…."
"Conspiracy theories" Diamond noted "So what does that mean for us?"
"Considering how many conspiracies have been proven in the last few months, probably some awkward questions" Qrow answered honestly "There's something else though"
"What is it?" Felix braced himself for the worst, whatever that may be
"People know that we're related to half of your team Fluffy….people have somehow got it into their heads that I'm your agent or manager and honestly it doesn't matter whether you beat Salem or held the line against; the fact is you did what nobody else could and everybody who needs to hire a Hunter for anything is slowly finding out that fact" thee answer was nothing any of them could have expected and Team FADE remained silent for a moment until Eagle finally spoke up
"None of us can take on work right now"
"I know that" Qrow assured her "But whenever you want to get back into the field….well let's just say you're never going to struggle to get jobs again; in fact I've had sixteen requests for you already, so maybe if you need someone to help you get yourselves set up professionally you'd let this dusty old bird take the job?"
"You want to be our manager?" Felix asked with an arched eyebrow, he knew that Team FADE would almost certainly find their way into Qrow's shadowy group that protected Remnant from threats unseen but to hear it discussed in such a way made it seem almost mundane
"I mean only part time, I'm still a teacher" Qrow chuckled softly; Felix turned to his team-mates silently questioning then until Eagle's smile widened to almost comical proportions and Arctus and Diamond merely nodded
"Yeah" Felix finally answered "Yeah we'd like that"
The four of them realised there and then, as they stood on the ground of the academy where their story had truly begun, watching the sun set over the Kingdom that they had called home that despite everything they had faced Remnant was safe, they and their friendship had endured every challenge that had been thrown at them and now with their sudden fame Remnant was looking to them and seeing protectors and future heroes of legend.
Team FADE's story was not over, but this chapter had found the happy ending that the four of them deserved.
Author's Notes:
Hey guys….we're almost done, just hang in there.
The epilogue is gonna have a time-skip; so if you wanna see the next chapter of Team FADE and friends' lives, well it's gonna be in the next chapter and I promise you that it's gonna be a fitting end to this story and it will make you go "Awww" multiple times.
I wish I had more to say here, something fitting but I think I'll save it all for the notes of the epilogue since that's the real ending.
So, let's summarise shall we?:
More "Waking up in a hospital bed" scenes than Evangelion.
Yeah losing the arm sucks, but I imagine it's different to having his tail hacked off.
Of course they're back at the Academy.
So yeah Salem is gone and all of Remnant knows something is up, just not what exactly yet.
Felix waking up is the perfect medium for status updates on everyone else.
Keep moving forward….I feel like I'm allowed to play that card here right?
You know it's bad when Corvid doesn't want to be in the spotlight.
Corey shouldered that responsibility alone because she's Corey and that's what she does.
I mean Iris did kinda pull a platonic "Get away from her" moment so Yang is qualified to talk about this.
So Corey has Iris's weapon….the Omega Wing was heavily damaged; upgrades anyone?
They you go, have the Air-Raid moment; Corey is still gonna be a Specialist and Onyx is still gonna be Onyx but they're together
Carcharodon in the equivalent to a college sweatshirt just amuses me for some reason.
Yep, we're gonna get robot Hellion….which is funny; Eagle looked up to Ruby Rose so much that she got herself a robot girlfriend.
Qrow makes a point, if Team FADE go public they're going to be "The Chosen Ones".
Car also makes a point.
Qrow calling Yang firecracker is a callback that us writers don't make enough.
The Nemesis Kharybdis is more or less salvageable….it's fine, they've already salvaged it once.
Carcharodon giving hugs, we are truly in the happy ending stages of the story.
Yay talk about quarantine and stuff, because topical.
Writing the debriefing and/or the calls with Weiss and Gang or Em and Merc crossed my mind but I felt like it didn't really add anything.
Yeah they're getting some mandatory time off after that fight.
"You know our careers have peaked right?" okay but is she wrong though?
Arctus deciding that they don't need to get married straight away felt important, it means he's stopped worrying….because let's be honest; he's been rattled these last few volumes.
So Team NEON took a collective beating, Heely and Nyanza will walk it off but Ether and Ollie got wrecked.
"We just took down the Queen of all Grimm and we did it for free" again, a solid point being made.
So that was Team NEON's send off, they're all alive but the fact is they do want different things from their careers; so they're all still on great terms they're just gonna be going their separate ways.
Felix interacting with Felix, Blake and Corvid would have been nice but I don't feel like it would have added much beyond what I summarised….except for Yang making arm jokes.
If another Wizard turns up then it means that Salem is definitely gone.
Those kids that Shine was looking after at the start of Vol.12, that Car told him to send to the academy….yeah they're still here and the idea of Ren and Nora building an orphanage into the academy is too good to pass up.
….Also yeah, grumpy uncle Car.
"Avenge me I hope" god dammit Heely.
You didn't really think we were ending a RWBY story without Ruby?
So that's what Felix told Qrow in his briefing; he's gonna essentially give back the title of "Greatest Hunter on Remnant" to Ruby by telling everyone that she finished Salem off.
I had to end that scene with a joke, otherwise it would have taken away from the importance of the final scene.
The last scene of this story (Sans epilogue) was Team FADE together, because it had to be.
So long story short, Ruby might be the greatest hero on Remnant again; but Team FADE and friends are still "Those freshly graduated kids who fought Salem to a standstill until she could get there" and besides, Qrow needs someone to help him look for the next Wizard and Maidens, and he's gonna need people in the field if Ruby is gonna be a teacher.
Basically the story ends with Team FADE being exactly the kind of Hunters they wanted to be at the start of the story.
And you have no idea how hard it was to write that final line.
Thank you to SumoSnipe and MajorBrony95 for their reviews on the last chapter.
"With a spoon" one of the most underrated movie quote of all.
Yep, Eagle is such a fan of Ruby Rose she committed to the aesthetic and got herself a robot GF.
First time for everything.
I mean, I'll probably write RWBY again at some point, I just have at least one other thing to finish up before I start any major endeavours….Although who knows what ideas Vol.8 might give me.
Ollie's not quite blind, only in one eye.
Oh yeah, I melted down my wicked witch….Although this was more of a "The One Ring" situation than tipping a bucket of water over her.
I'm glad people appreciated the effort I put into the final battle, I wanted the pay-off to all of this to be worth it.
As for another battle….Well, we do have an epilogue to get through.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review
