The sun arose the next morning to find Roy dozing in a chair beside the window. He hadn't stayed asleep for long, the newly unearthed memories of Ronin causing him to suffer several night terrors. He'd tossed and turned for several hours, before finally getting up. With sleep having forsaken him, the faunus had sat in the chair all night, polishing Μόνος' blade until she practically gleamed in the moonlight. Roy got up, wincing as he felt several tendons in his back pop.

Sitting that long wasn't a great idea. He thought as he made his way over to the wash basin.

Gently cupping his hands in the cool water, he tossed some into his face, feeling the chill of the water chase away his exhaustion; at least for a while. The faunus grabbed a towel, quickly drying his face and hair before the water dripped down onto the pristine blue carpet.

Once he was suitably dry, he selected his clothes for the day and got dressed. Strapping Μόνος to his side, Roy exited to the room and made his way back to the great hall. There, he found Ebony and her parents already sitting at the table; enjoying a breakfast of bacon and eggs. Roy silently nodded to the village elder as he sat down and helped himself to a plate of eggs.

He looked down the table at his girlfriend and whispered a soft "Good morning Ebony."

Ebony offered him a small smile and mumbled, "Good morning," in return.

Roy sighed and set his fork down. "I wanted to apologize for my actions yesterday."

The Der Rieses turned to look at him and Coal nodded slightly at him, "I appreciate the gesture, but it's not us you need to apologize to."

Roy nodded, "Right, I plan on apologizing to them later. Where should I meet them this morning?"

Coal gestured to the door of the great hall, "If you exit out of our house and head straight to the gate they'll be waiting for you there."

Roy nodded and went back to his eggs. Once his food was gone, he got up, offered a bow to the family and headed out the door.

-:-

Ebony watched him go, a spark of hope kindling in her heart. She knew Roy could change and the apology was an important first step.

"I'm not sure I approve of your choice." Her mother said.

"He's a little rough around the edges, but he's a good guy." Ebony replied pointedly, causing her mother to raise her hands defensively.

"I don't mean to offend," she said, "I just want what's best for you."

Ebony sighed and pushed her eggs around with her fork, "I know you do, now more than ever."

Coal nodded solemnly, "Hearing all of your stories about the White Fang just put it in perspective how lucky we are to have you home."

Ebony stiffened slightly at the words, "I'm not staying."

Coal gently grasped her hand and gave it a light squeeze, "We know. You're a huntress now and we've no right to ask you to stay."

Ebony blinked in surprise, "I thought you wanted me to succeed you as village elder."

Coal gave a small chuckle, "I did, but you made it abundantly clear how little you want that. I just wish you hadn't felt like running away was your only option." He gestured at Jade, "Your mother and I will have other children, the line of succession will not be broken and Remnant will keep on turning." He sighed and squeezed Ebony's hand once more, "I do wish we could have you home more, but we know how much traveling huntresses do."

Ebony squeezed her dad's hand back, "Thank you. When I left the white fang, I had no plan, no goal in life. Roy was the one who stuck by me and suggested I pursue a life as a huntress." She blushed and smiled softly to herself, "I guess you could say he saved my life."

Jade smiled wanly, "Maybe once this whole fiasco with the bandits blows over, I'll thank him personally."

Ebony released her dad's hand and went back to her eggs, "Speaking of the bandits, I don't remember their names. It's been forever since I've seen them. I remember that the wife's name is Edel, but I don't remember the boy at all."

Coal nodded and took a drink of coffee, "The leader's name is Argent, he is the fourth in his line to protect our village. The brother is named Ira and Argent's son is named Morado, he's about five or so years younger than you."

Jade took a dainty bite of her food before fixing Ebony with an even green eyed stare, "You've told us a lot about Roy, but what about your other companions?"

Ebony nodded, "The tall one is Aster Ving, she's an independent pilot from Vale. The other girl is Dahlia Shino, one of our teammates from Beacon." She shot a glance toward the door, "Now that you mention it, it's strange that they haven't come down yet."

Coal set his fork down on his empty plate with a small clatter and laced his fingers together, "Your pilot friend set off earlier this morning with our smiths to inspect the ship, she said they'd be gone most of the day. As for Dahlia…."

As if on cue, the door of the great hall opened and Dahlia sheepishly slid into the room. "Sorry, I overslept," she admitted before helping herself to the food.

"No apology necessary," Jade said, "Ebony told us what you've been through and who am I to begrudge a few extra hours of sleep."

Dahlia's cheeks turned a light pink at the elder faunus' words, "I don't know about hardships, it's nothing compared to what Roy has gone through."

Ebony snorted to herself, "I know he'd disagree with you on that one. He often says 'Everyone's hardships are their own."

Coal raised an eyebrow at his daughter, "What does he mean by that?"

Ebony thought for a moment before replying, "He means that even though one man's hardship is another's inconvenience, we must learn to look at the context. Everyone is dealing with their own hardships and to say that one hardship is harder than another is foolhardy and petty."

Jade hummed thoughtfully, taking a dainty sip of water from her glass, "An interesting outlook to be sure." A few moments of silence followed until Dahlia broke the silence again, "This is such a big house, how long did it take to build?"

Coal chuckled, "We're not sure; it's technically the town's main hall, built back when Akichi was founded." The patriarch pointed to a set of double doors with a desk beside them. "That infirmary however, was a recent project that took about two months."

Jade nodded, setting her fork down with a gentle clink, "We felt that the old infirmary building needed replacing and considering the fact that I'm the head physician, it made sense to build it onto the town hall." The elder faunus stood up from the table, offering a slight curtsy to the three of them, "If you all will excuse me I will be resting in my room." With that, the woman swept from the room.

Ebony hid a chuckle at the slight waddle that marred her mother's otherwise graceful gait. "How's mom handling being pregnant again?" she asked, turning to her father.

Coal was smiling too and there was a twinkle in his eye, "Like a trooper. It was honestly a surprise to both of us. We hadn't really been trying it just sort of...happened."

Dahlia offered a small smile, "I'm excited to meet Ebony's brother someday."

Ebony didn't miss the hint of sadness in the smaller girl's voice and her heart sank as she remembered. "Dahlia I'm sure when the time comes you'll be able to have children."

Dahlia shot Ebony a surprised look as Coal turned his attention to her, "If you want my opinion, I would say you are much too young to be thinking about children. But I will say this, if the gods want you to have children, then when the time comes, you will have children."

Dahlia's hand drifted to where Adam's blade had pierced her stomach and nodded, "I'll start praying then."

-:-

Once both girls had finished their breakfast, they took their leave of the house and set out to explore the town. The village had changed over the years, but much of it was still how Ebony remembered it from her childhood. The ancient oak tree that grew inside the north wall, the bakery on the main street, even the little school house with the swing set in the back where Ebony had learned to read and write. The memories came thick and fast and Ebony was happy to share all of them with her smaller teammate. Dahlia listened with rapt attention to all of Ebony's stories, enjoying a blueberry muffin that the taller girl had bought her from the bakery.

"It's such a beautiful place," Dahlia said once Ebony had finished telling her about the school house, "What made you want to join the White Fang?"

Ebony sat down on one of the swings, the aging chain link cold against her hand, "My aunt lives in Mantle. Whenever she visited, she brought stories about just how unbearable life as a faunus in Atlas was. I knew I needed to do something. I told my parents I wanted to join the White fang. It didn't go over well." Ebony stared at the ground as she thought back to that day, "We got into a big fight. My mother begged me to stay and my father told me it was my duty to succeed him in leading the village. It was...too much and in the end, I ran away from home."

Ebony sighed and looked skyward, watching the clouds drift across the azure expanse. "Sometimes I think about what might've happened if I hadn't left, if I would've just stayed here and succeeded my father like I was supposed to."

Dahlia shrugged, "Well you would've never met Roy or Hunter...or me!"

Ebony smiled at her smaller teammate, "I was looking for positive reasons Lia."

Dahlia snorted, "Oh hardy har, I swear Roy's sense of humor is rubbing off on you."

Ebony laughed, "maybe you're right. By the way, what time is it?"

Dahlia checked her scroll, "noon, why?"

Ebony got up from the swing and brushed her coat off, "I wanted to take Roy lunch, no doubt the Viesses are putting him through the wringer."

Dahlia shrugged, "To be honest, he kind of deserves it. What do you think has gotten into him lately?"

Ebony sighed, "Roy told me he feels like if he doesn't strike first, something bad will happen."

Dahlia chewed her lip softly, "I mean...I can see how he might feel that way. But if he keeps going off like that, he's gonna get himself or someone else killed."

Ebony nodded, "exactly what I'm thinking. We need to get this thing figured out soon."

"How are my two favorite ladies today?!" A voice called out from behind them and they turned around to see Aster striding toward them. The pilot had changed out of her good clothes, leaving her in nothing but a pair of off-white pants and a purple sports bra. Her body and clothes were stained with grease and, despite the laid back greeting, her face was creased with worry.

"We're well," Ebony replied, "How's the Daydream?"

Aster sank down onto the swing Ebony had just vacated, "Well, we won't be flying her for a couple more days; the dust converter is completely shot. That's what caused her to stall. On top of that, several other engine parts were damaged in the crash." Aster casually dug around in her cleavage and retrieved a metal bolt.

The way her face went from relaxed to 'I wonder what this goes to' caused Ebony to laugh, "So how many days will we be here?" she asked.

The pilot deposited the bolt in her pocket and sighed, "hard to say, it depends on how fast your village's smiths are to get the parts repaired. One thing's for certain; we'll definitely have to stop off in Argus to get some official repairs."

Ebony nodded, "Sounds like a plan, You should probably go get cleaned up and dressed."

Aster grinned mischievously and posed seductively on the swing, "But I've been getting so many admiring looks, especially from some very attractive young ladies."

Dahlia giggled and Ebony fought to hide a smile, "Be that as it may, my mother will have a fit if she sees you like this."

Aster snorted, "Your mom's not so bad looking for her age either." she joked, causing Ebony to softly pummel her arm with play punches.

"What's with you and peoples mothers?!" the female faunus exclaimed.

Aster laughed and fled back toward the town hall. Dahlia smirked and looked between Ebony and the receding dust cloud that was their pilot, "Who's older again?"

Ebony shook her head with a grin, "She is… I think. I'm going to get lunch for Roy, you go hang with Aster."

Dahlia threw Ebony a mock salute and retraced Aster's footsteps, out of the school yard and back to the town hall. Once her petite companion had left, Ebony made a quick stop at the town's small tavern to pick up a sandwich and a small ceramic bottle of fruit juice to go. The parcel held tightly in her arms, Ebony passed through Akichi's front gate and headed into the surrounding woods. As she walked, she took in a deep breath through her nose. Her heightened sense of smell caught a whiff of Edel Viess' perfume; a pleasant mix of violets and elderberries. The smell became stronger and stronger the farther she walked, but soon, another smell began to mingle with the scent of the perfume.

Ebony couldn't put her finger on what it could be; it was sickly sweet, almost like honey with a pungent layer to it. Ebony stopped where she was and scanned the surrounding forest. She'd come to a halt in a small clearing, a thicket lay several yards in front of her and a thick clump of bushes was on her left. She turned her head to and fro trying to catch a glimpse of where the smell was coming from but to no avail.

Suddenly she was grabbed from behind and dragged into the bushes. She dropped the food and the ceramic bottle broke with a small crash. She fought tooth and nail before realizing the person was Morado.

"What are you doing?!" She whispered indignantly, "is this some sort of joke?"

The youth shook his head, pressing a finger to her lips. Before she could continue asking questions, the sound of running feet reached her ears. Peeking out from inside the bush, Ebony watched as Roy sprinted past with his sword drawn. The next second, a massive grimm barreled through in hot pursuit of the faunus.

It was akin to a massive centipede; multiple legs, an armored carapace and a nasty stinger-like tail. It's mandibles opened, making a sickening clicking noise as it passed and vanished into the brush with a flick of its tail.

As the noise of the grimm receded into the distance, Marodo released Ebony and stepped back, "Sorry, I just didn't want that thing to hear us."

Ebony stepped out of the bush and looked in the direction the grimm had charged off too. "What is that thing?" She asked, her nose wrinkling at the sweet smell that still hung in the air.

"It's a wyrm," Marodo replied, "Biggest of its kind. My family usually steers clear of it when we find it in the woods but ..."

Ebony felt her heart fall and closed her eyes as she begged the Gods for patience, "Don't tell me…"

Marodo spat into the dirt, his brow furrowing as he frowned, "It surprised us in the woods and your boyfriend attacked it."

Ebony found her vision becoming tinged with red as she clenched her hand so hard her knuckles popped. "I'd better go help him."

Marodo nodded, "you do that. If you want to find my family, we'll be at our camp."

Ebony stalked into the bush, retracing the steps Roy had just taken. She was so angry she could feel her hands shaking as she walked, Maybe that grimm should get to him before I do.

-:-

Roy tore through the forest, dodging this way and that through the trees. He could still hear the grimm crashing through the underbrush behind him and it spurred him to go faster.

The grimm hadn't attacked when it first wandered out of the bush, but Roy hadn't been about to give it the chance to. Unfortunately it became pretty obvious that the wyrm was no normal grimm and he'd had been forced to retreat into the woods.

He suddenly came to a break in the trees and found himself looking over an embankment at large plain. It stretched out for about 300 yards; nowhere to hide and no high ground, only a sporadic dusting of dying bushes. Roy turned around, deciding to stand his ground right there on the edge of the embankment. The grimm was slowly gaining ground on him, the clicking noise it made growing louder and louder in his ears.

Suddenly, Ebony materialized from his right and tackled him out of the grimm's path. The two faunus bounced down the embankment, sand and dirt sticking to their clothes as they landed in a heap at the bottom. Roy extricated himself from Ebony and sprang up, his eyes darting to the top of the hill. For the moment, the grimm seemed remised to follow them.

"What the hell Ebony! I had…" Roy turned around in time to catch Ebony's fist to his face. He staggered backwards, falling onto his rear with a bump. He looked up at his girlfriend in shock, rubbing his cheek where she'd struck him. "Ebony…"

The female faunus' eyes flashed dangerously and her tail was three times its normal size. "Get...Up." she gritted.

Roy quickly did as he was told.

"How could you?!" Ebony snapped, "After all I've said, all that was on the line?!" Roy avoided eye contact, staring off to the left as Ebony continued, "I vouched for you! I put my reputation on the line for you! And you just spat in my face!"

"But… the grimm…" Roy said lamely.

Ebony was shaking, one hand gripping her wrist as if stopping herself from hurting him, "Do you remember the lesson on goliaths from Port's class? How they don't attack unless provoked?" Roy nodded and Ebony gestured to the top of the embankment, "THAT grimm is like that. It's lived in these woods for years. It never attacks anyone as long as people keep their distance." She pointed at Roy, her finger quivering with rage. "You've provoked it, it's out for blood now and it won't stop until it's sated."

Roy crossed his arms, "Well then why not take it out now while we can?"

Ebony face palmed, the resulting smack echoing across the plain. "That's not the issue at hand Roy! The issue here is that you keep flying off the handle! There was so much depending on you NOT being rash and yet you did it anyway!"

Roy started to argue when the grimm reappeared with a thunderous crash, sliding down the embankment toward the two faunus. Roy redrew Μόνος twirling the blade deftly. He was just about to charge in when Ebony grabbed his arm, "No Roy, you'll only make it angrier!"

Roy wrenched his arm away and lunged toward the grimm, swinging his blade into one of its many legs. The sword cut through the limb with a small ping as it cut through the exoskeleton. The wyrm reared back with a shriek and swung its tail toward Roy. He dodged out of the way, feeling a slight wind on the back of his neck as the tail missed him by mere inches. Sheathing Μόνος, he sent a dust round whistling toward the grimm and watched as the bullet deflected off the wyrm's shell with a sprang.

Damn, he thought, none of my weapons will pierce its shell.

Ebony shot past him, swinging Archimedes in a wide arc as the grimm turned its attention to her. The grimm opened a toothy maw and let fly a large cloud of slime. Ebony twirled Archimedes, desperately trying to deflect the slime. She succeeded, mostly. A few large globs of it made it through and splattered against her aura. She staggered backwards and pawed at the slime, her aura glitching as the substance began to rapidly drain it. Roy leapt up onto the grimm's back, running up its long segmented body towards its head.

Ebony let out a small roar of frustration as the slime finally caused her aura to break. "Roy we need to go NOW!"

Roy ignored her and finally reached the head. He swung Μόνος into the grimm's eye with a grunt, the blade cutting through the eyeball with sickening ease. The grimm went mad, pitching and swinging its head as it shrieked, desperate to get the faunus off of it. With one final toss of its massive head, it finally succeeded. Roy flew through the air and felt himself collide with Ebony, sending both of them smashing into the side of the embankment.

As they hit the embankment, Ebony pinned between Roy and the wall of sand, his keen ears heard something snap inside her body. They fell to the ground, Ebony immediately curling into a ball and clutching her ribs.

"Ebony!" Roy cried, trying to pry Ebony's arms away from her side to better inspect her injuries. Ebony swung her hand out at him, her nails catching him in the face.

"Get away from me!" she yowled.

Roy's hand flew to the spot where she'd scratched him, feeling hot blood drip down his cheek. "We need to get you out of here!" he cried lamely.

Ebony's eyes flashed, "oh, so NOW you care!"

Roy's ears drooped and he slid Μόνος into her sheath, gently hefting Ebony into his arms. The female faunus screamed, her hand clutching his shoulder so hard he actually winced.

"I'm sorry," Roy apologized, running as fast as he dared back toward Akichi. He tried to lessen the bounce of his steps as much as he could, but the constant jarring of Ebony's wounds eventually got to her and she blacked out. Roy felt a thrill of panic course through him as he felt her go limp and he pushed himself to go faster. He crashed through bushes and flattened ferns in his furious rush back to the village.

Hold on Ebony, he thought desperately, I'll fix this.

Dangnabbit Roy, you had one job! How are you going to make this up to everyone now?! Woof. I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, it was a ton of fun to write.

Until we next meet!

-Ar3mRising.