Roy ran pell-mell through the forest, Ebony's wounded body clutched tightly to his chest. The Wyrm didn't seem like it was following anymore, having slunk away to lick its wounds. As he ran, he kept one ear trained on her at all times; monitoring her breathing and vitals. His arms ached and sweat beaded his forehead as the emerald canopy whipped by him in a blur. His frantic eye finally caught sight of the village through the trees and he practically flew toward it.

"I need a healer!" he yelled frantically as he passed through the gate, "can anyone show me where the healers are?!"

Dahlia had been sitting by the bakery when Roy charged into the village. She leapt up as soon as she heard him cry out and ran toward him, "Ebony! Oh Gods, what happened?!"

Roy gently hefted Ebony's body in his arms and pushed past the smaller girl, "We ran into a grimm, where are the healers?"

Dahlia took off running down the street, gesturing for Roy to follow her, "It's this way, follow me!"

The smaller girl led him to the town hall, throwing open the door with a boom that rattled the windows. As they neared the door that led to the infirmary, Roy saw a brown haired boy sitting at a desk next to it.

He took in Roy and his precious cargo in at a glance, his eyes widening as he clicked a button on the desk to page the physician, "Dr. Der Riese! We have an emergency!"

A moment later, Jade appeared; wearing a traditional mistrali healer's uniform. Her eyes flashed with anger as she saw her daughter lying limply in Roy's arms.

"Bring her," she ordered.

Turning on her heel, she led him up a staircase and through several hallways to the main room of the infirmary. The room was octagonal, with beds and medical equipment placed at each of the eight sides. A skylight set in the ceiling allowed the dusty yellow light of day to creep in, while small light sconces set above the beds cast a more focused white light onto each one.

"Put her there," Jade said quickly, pointing to the bed with a sky blue comforter nearest to the door.

Roy obeyed, hurriedly setting Ebony down. Jade gripped his arm, gently shoving him away from the bed as she slipped on a pair of medical gloves.

"What happened?" she snapped as she began inspecting her daughter.

"I attacked a grimm. We were fighting it and she got injured." Roy said miserably.

Jade sighed angrily, "Yes! I know she's injured stupid boy. How is she injured?"

Roy colored at the insult, but quickly pointed at his girlfriend, "It's her ribs, I heard them snap."

The elder faunus began to unclasp Ebony's jacket, but thought better of it. "Get out," she said simply, pointing to the door.

Roy nodded silently and backed toward the door as Jade resumed her ministrations. Before he shut the door behind him, he caught one final glimpse of Ebony's side. Her mother had succeeded in getting her jacket opened and now, the angry, purple-blue coloration above her ribs was revealed.

He clenched his fists, turning away from the door as the voice continued to echo in his ears. Roy caught sight of Dahlia standing near the banquet table, her fingers aimlessly playing with a piece of cutlery. As he walked over, he noticed that she wasn't alone; Morado stood close by.

The two appeared to be in deep conversation, Morado pointing at him as they talked. Dahlia turned to look at him, her face was pink and her eyes were angry as they looked at him. He'd been about to walk over to her, but now he thought better of it and retreated back to a small bench beside the door.

Sitting down heavily, Roy clutched his head in his hands; content to sit and wallow in his misery.

-:-

What seemed like hours passed. Roy eventually left the bench and began pacing the length of the room. His footfalls echoed through the hall as he went, the sound bouncing off the rafters far above. The faunus checked his scroll so frequently that he eventually disabled the auto dimming function so the time would display as soon as he took the device out.

As Roy crossed the room for the 50th time, the door to the infirmary opened and Ebony's mother appeared. Roy quickly walked to meet her, but the elder faunus pushed past him to address Dahlia.

"She wishes to see you and Morado first," Jade said quietly, turning her green eyes to Roy, "Then she wants to see you...alone."

Dahlia and Morado followed Jade back into the infirmary, leaving Roy standing by himself in the great hall. About fifteen minutes later, the door reopened. Dahlia and Morado exited, the smaller girl walking over to him.

"She's ready to see you." she said simply.

"Dahlia I…" Roy tried to say, but she turned away.

"We'll talk later," Dahlia said softly.

Roy nodded, walking past his teammate into the infirmary. Ebony was sitting up in bed when Roy entered. Her face was pale and she was pointedly looking at her hands which were clasped in her lap.

She looked up as he came in, her eyes sad and misty. "Roy, I have several things to say to you. I would ask that you stay silent until I finish."

Roy nodded and Ebony took a shaky breath, "I have decided that, due to the events of the past few days, we should take some time apart."

Roy's heart clenched at the words and he fought to keep his face straight as Ebony continued, "This relationship that we have is not healthy; your self destructive way of thinking will only lead to you being hurt or dying. I don't want to bury another person I care about. I went through the same thing with Ronin and I refuse to go through it again. I also refuse to ignore the fact that I can't help you right now."

Tears appeared in Ebony's eyes and her voice began to shake, "During our argument today, I struck you several times out of anger." A small sob escaped her, causing her to wince as the breath strained her ribs and it took all of Roy's self-control not to run to her. "I am so sorry and I want to ask for your forgiveness." she managed to gasp out before the sobs overcame her voice.

For several minutes, Roy simply sat and waited until Ebony had brought her emotions under control. Every fresh wave of tears felt like it was tearing another chunk out of Roy's already fractured heart.

Eventually, the female faunus took a deep breath and continued. "We both have things we need to figure out, but we can't be linked romantically while we do. I realized that I'm using you as a crutch, a way for me not to face my feelings. I need to deal with all of this anger I have pent up and you need to stop using violence as the only answer. I can't tell you how to do that, but you have friends who are trying to help you. Friends who don't have the same emotional baggage as I do."

Ebony turned her eyes upward to the skylight, allowing the light of late afternoon to play over her face. "I pray that you can change before you get yourself killed. We're training to be huntsmen and huntresses; there are enough things trying to kill us as it is without adding ourselves to the equation." Ebony looked back at Roy and gave him a sad smile, "Once we've dealt with our respective demons, I hope we can come back together like we were before."

As she finished, Roy felt his legs grow weak. Ebony's words, words she'd been trying to say for the past few days had finally hit him where it hurt.

Jade stepped between the two of them from where she'd been observing the exchange, "My daughter must rest, please leave."

Roy nodded numbly and turned, walking out of the infirmary as his legs shook beneath him. He made it all the way to his room before his legs gave out and he slumped to the ground. His mind was reeling and it felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest.

I almost got her killed, He thought, I almost got the most precious thing in the world to me, killed.

He felt Μόνος' pommel digging into his side and furiously tore at the buckle of the sword belt trying to get the weapon off of his hip. The sword finally fell to the floor with a quiet thump, finally allowing Roy to curl up into a ball.

He lay there for a long time, his mind going around and around in circles. He tried to think of a course of action, a way he could change, a way he could fix things. But any plan he came up with was quickly swept away by the hopeless morass he was trapped in. A soft knock sounded at the door, but Roy ignored it; content to wallow in his misery alone. The door opened and someone gently walked over and knelt beside him.

"Hey shortstack," Aster's quiet voice reached his ears, "What'd I miss?"

Roy could tell from the way she asked this that she knew everything, but he responded anyway, "I messed up," he whispered, "I thought I was doing what was best to protect everyone. But I only ended up hurting them."

Aster gently laid a hand on Roy's shoulder, "Oh buddy…"

Roy shook his head, "I'm afraid. I'm afraid of losing everyone, of failing those I care about."

Aster squeezed his shoulder, "Don't be, they'll always be there for you."

Roy sat up and looked Aster in the eye, "But what if I'm not there for them?! What if something happens because I wasn't fast enough...or strong enough, or-"

Aster held up her hand, "Ebony and Dahlia are both capable warriors, you need to realize that."

"I do-" Roy started to say, but Aster cut him off again, "You say you do, but your overzealous and downright self-destructive rush to protect them says otherwise." The pilot scowled, "You're making me say a lot of big words here. I hope you get what I mean."

Roy nodded, "I think I do."

Aster sighed, patting his shoulder, "Good, now what happened today?"

Roy quickly explained the day's events, sparing no detail.

The pilot grimaced, "That is a mess, how did Ebony react?"

Roy sighed shakily, "she broke up with me."

The pilot gave a small 'oh' of surprise, "Wow, so...it's over?"

Roy nodded miserably, "for now, she said that once we've dealt with our demons, then she would be willing to try again."

Aster patted his arm, "Hey that's something! Don't lose hope!"

Roy shook his head miserably, "I don't know what to do to make it up to her. I've been laying here, wracking my brain on how to do that."

The pilot was silent for a bit, obviously deep in thought. "You know," she said finally, "A shower always helps me think."

Roy turned to look at the pilot, finally taking notice of her appearance. Her hair was down, cascading over her shoulders in a great purple curtain. It was still damp and Roy's nose picked up the faint scent of violets emanating from the tresses. He suddenly became aware of the state he was in. Dirt clung to his skin and clothing, the strong musk of sweat mixed in with the naturally earthy smell.

"I think a shower would do me good," he said softly.

Aster smiled cheekily at him, "I think so too, I'll get some clothes out for you."

-:-

Several minutes later, Roy stood inside the shower. The interior was breathtaking. Rich wood and tile lined the inside of the stall, which was larger than any shower Roy had ever been in. The water cascaded down from a massive square shower head that was haloed by a square skylight. A second shower head, this one able to detach from the wall, was within easy reach and several bottles of purple shampoo and conditioner sat on small stone shelves along the side of the stall.

Roy undressed, tossing his clothes into a small bamboo hamper, and stepped beneath the cascade of water. He began to run his hands through his hair when he discovered he'd left his eyepatch on. Quickly unbuckling it from around his head, Roy laid the patch on a second shelf out of the water's reach. He watched water drip steadily off the time worn leather, his mind turning back to the day he lost his eye.

Ronin wasn't evil then,
he thought sadly, allowing the water to stream over him. He was scared. In time, that fear became the catalyst for the rage that consumed him. He became what he thought he had to...because of fear. I'm making the same mistake now; I'm allowing my fear to define who I am.

He leaned against the shower wall, feeling the cool tile against his back, I wish I would've seen it sooner. I was too blind... He sighed, sweeping his hair to the side, 20/20 hindsight as always Arashi.He walked back into the deluge of water, his face turned upward. The water washed over his face, driving away the fatigue that had gripped his frame. He proceeded to wash himself thoroughly; scrubbing his ears, washing his face, even cleaning the dirt from underneath his finger nails.

Now squeaky clean, Roy turned off the water and exited the shower. Wrapping a brown towel around his waist, he headed back to his room. He found Aster inside, reclining on his bed.

"Weren't in there as long as I thought." she quipped, motioning to a change of clothes draped on the end of the bed. "When we get to Atlas, remind me to take you clothing shopping, you barely have any!"

Roy nodded as he picked up the clothes and proceeded to get dressed, Aster averting her eyes until he slid his blue undershirt over his head.

"I know," he said sheepishly, "Most of my clothing was lost at Beacon and what I was given afterwards wasn't much."

Aster nodded and patted the bed beside her. Roy obliged and lay down beside the pilot.

"So," the pilot began, "get any ideas for how to get Ebony back?"

Roy sighed, resting his arm across his eyes, "That's not the issue anymore. She was right; we both have demons to face and issues to fix. After that's done, we can think about getting back together."

Aster nodded, "True...True." A few minutes of silence passed between them before she spoke again, "So any ideas on how to start?"

Roy sat up and hugged his knees, "I think I need to start by getting the bandits to come back."

Aster studied him intently, "how do you intend to do that?"

Roy rubbed his face, feeling the fatigue of the day begin to sap his strength, "That's what I need to figure out."

A frenzied knocking at the door caused the two of them to jump up suddenly. "Roy? We need you in the great hall!" Dahlia's urgent voice exclaimed.

Roy fastened his sword belt around his waist and quickly moved to the door, swinging it open to reveal Dahlia standing in the hallway.

"What's-" he began, but Dahlia grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the stairs, "There's no time, you'll learn everything at the meeting."

-:-

When the three of them arrived in the great hall, the meeting was already underway. Coal and Jade sat at the head of the table, while an armor clad woman with rich brown skin sat on their right. All of them were observing a holo map, which cast the room in a vibrant blue light. About 30 clicks or so east of the village, a myriad of red dots were blinking rapidly.

Roy scanned the map, watching the dots slowly make their way towards Akichi, "How many grimm are there?"

Coal sighed, his brow wrinkled with worry, "Too many. They'll reach us tomorrow morning at the speed they're going."

Jade gazed around at the people seated at the table, "Due to Roy's actions…" She gestured to the faunus and Roy's ears drooped, "We are without our usual defensive force."

An armored woman shot Roy an angry look, her teal eyes glinting dangerously, "ma'am, I don't think our guards can fight off a force that big. We've never seen this many grimm at once, much less fought them off."

Dahlia leaned over the table, her steel blue eyes reflecting the light of the hologram, "where did all of these grimm come from?"

Coal swiped his hand, causing the map to move several more 'miles' to the north. A larger dot was sitting by a lake, staying completely still as they watched it. "We believe that, due to being attacked, the wyrm is attracting grimm."

Aster raised an eyebrow, "It can do that?"

Jade nodded, tapping a large, leather-bound tome sitting on the table, "According to our historical writings, it only does so when provoked." Her eyes flashed at Roy, causing him to take a step back.

The armored woman sighed, "I think we should concentrate on defending our walls. If we shore up our gate, the grimm will have a tougher time getting through."

Roy summoned his courage and spoke, "That won't work."

Everyone turned to look at him and the armored woman growled slightly, "Why is he here anyway?" she asked, pointing at Roy, "he's the reason we're even in this mess in the first place!"

"Because he is one of the only people here who attended a huntsman academy." Jade said shortly. Roy gave her a surprised look; he hadn't been expecting the matriarch to stand up for him. The elder faunus raised her hand, "Peri please, let him speak."

Roy nodded gratefully to Jade before zooming out of the map until the pack of grimm and the Wyrm were both visible. "Our best bet is to try and take the wyrm out. Without it attracting them, the grimm will be more inclined to leave."

The armored woman, scoffed, "Great plan, but thanks to your little shit show, we don't have enough people to spare for a move like that."

Roy gestured to himself, Aster and Dahlia, "What about…"

"No," Coal said firmly, "You and your friends are the only ones here who have trained to fight against the grimm. We'll need you here."

Roy nodded, "then let me reach out to the bandits, maybe I can make a deal with them."

Jade locked eyes with him across the table, "If we survive this, I hope to reinstate the prior agreement. I feel sending you to negotiate on our behalf would be counter-intuitive."

Roy tapped the table, "We need to send someone!"

Jade stood quickly, her voice raising in volume, "These woods are dangerous enough as it is without excess grimm. Only an experienced fighter would make it through and we can't afford to send any of our warriors away!"

Coal cleared his throat and Jade sat back down. "It's settled then," he continued, "we shore up the gates and prepare to weather the grimm."

Roy bit his tongue to keep from arguing and stepped back from the table. The meeting adjourned shortly after and Roy retreated back to his room with his two friends in tow.

"We need the bandits," he said, shutting the door securely behind him.

Dahlia crossed her arms, "I agree, but you heard Mrs. Der-Riese, She doesn't want you meeting with them."

Roy sighed and began to pace. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers, "What if I wasn't the one meeting them?"

Dahlia's face broke into a grin, while Aster looked confused, "I'm not following."

The smaller girl started to explain, "Roy's going to send one of us to talk for him."

The pilot's brow furrowed, "But coal said that the experienced warriors should stay here."

Roy twitched an ear at her, "How much grimm fighting experience do you have Aster?"

The pilot shrugged, "Almost none. If I ran into grimm during flights, the daydream's cannons usually took care of..." Now it was Aster's turn to grin, "You little weasel, are you usually this good at finding loopholes?"

Roy shrugged, "I just like thinking out of the box." He pulled up his scroll and showed Aster a copy of the larger map from the meeting. "The bandit camp is marked on the map, it's a bit of a walk."

Dahlia raised an eyebrow, "How did you get a copy?"

Roy tapped the scroll, "When I stepped up to the table, I may have connected and 'borrowed' a copy of the map."

Aster snorted, "You would make a great smuggler kid." The pilot pointed to herself, "I can go. I have longer legs, so I can make the journey faster."

Dahlia and Roy shot her wounded looks and she quickly raised her hands. "No offense guys, those are just the facts."

Roy grinned, "We know, we're just messing with you."

The faunus took his scroll and powered up the camera app, "I'm going to record a message for the bandits, a way for me to explain why they should help. Once it's recorded, I'll send it to your scroll Aster."

The pilot nodded and left the room with Dahlia, leaving Roy to record his message.

I'll be honest, this bandit section is something I'm very shaky on. I like the idea, I'm just not super confidant in how I'm executing it. If you guys have any pointers, I'd love to here them.

Until next we meet!

-Ar3mRising.