Chapter 96: Fireworks

-o-

While Ozpin had his nap, we enjoyed our time at Mistral.

The atmosphere had become more cheerful since the news that the Menagerie armed movement defended the academy, improving the reputation of the faunus in the kingdom and several businesses accepting them in their establishments. Meanwhile, things in the house were calm. The training sessions were the same, but everything was more lively with everyone there. Kali was more in the house while Ghira and Illia worked to organize the faunus who helped the kingdom police in patrolling the streets with them occasionally joining us for the dinner.

Everything was fine.

Mistral had not fallen.

Blake was back.

I got Longinus back, with whom I had talks.

I finally learned how to control the Overdrive.

Everything was in order... except for a single unfinished issue: Ruby.

As much as I wanted to put our affairs in order, there didn't seem to be a single right moment in a house with 10 occupants plus visitors. Finding a little privacy was as difficult as making an Ursa jump through a hoop, since the only time anyone could have a little alone time was in the bathroom and that didn't seem like a good option.

Then, almost out of the blue, the occasion presented itself in the form of a pamphlet.

"Haru Matsuri?" Ruby asked, curious as she read the paper that Blake's mom left on the tea table in the living room.

"Yes, it is a festival that welcomes spring and symbolizes a new beginning," Kali explained. "They are decorating the middle level plaza for the celebration in a few days. They gave me the pamphlet when I was shopping."

"Ooooh! Will there be food?" Nora exclaimed excitedly.

"Food, dance, traditional crafts... a bit of everything."

"I remember going with my parents. We were taking a trip from our village to Mistral to see the fireworks," Ren spoke wistfully and took Nora's hand, "It would be good to go again. Maybe the yukata rental shop where my mother went is still open."

"I've always wanted to wear one!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly.

I assumed it was the opportunity I wanted. A nice celebration and maybe where I could have some time alone with Ruby and maybe be able to fix what I had done.

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To Ren's delight, the establishment was still working and at full capacity with the amount of people who were renting yukatas for the festival. There were several styles that I didn't know exactly which one to use, but in the end I decided on a black one with a white belt. I couldn't see what the others were like as we had decided that it would be a surprise when we went to the festival. Yes, I wanted to know what theirs was like, but there was one person I wanted to see using it.

Just as the night before the Battle of Haven was full of uncertainty, the festival night was filled with excitement with everyone making plans of what attraction they would go to see based on the times in the pamphlet. For my part, I was looking for an opportunity to be alone with Ruby.

The plan was simple: we would go around noon to the picnic area we had rented to have lunch and have a good time together before parting ways in the afternoon and enjoying the game and food stands. In the evening we would meet in the square to see the fireworks; I had by then to meet my goal.

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After a good breakfast in the morning, there were two groups: the boys, who were ready in 30 minutes and left early to set up the picnic area at noon, and the girls, who took their time getting ready.

I really had to buy a yukata of my own for my days off, as I felt so light and fresh in the outfit while hanging out with Ren who was wearing a green one, Jaune with a brown one and Oscar with a dark green one. Qrow was simply wearing a black T-shirt and cargo shorts.

The streets were packed with people, shops and stalls that seemed to have the best day of the year, either buying or selling products. Seeing all of this made one feel that everything one fought for was worthwhile with all the families and friends who were gathered together to have a good time and not to console themselves for the loss of the symbol of security in the kingdom.

The mid-level picnic area was packed with people who had spread their blankets on the grass, under the cherry trees that dropped their petals in slow pink rain. Beneath one, seated on a huge sky blue blanket, was the imposing figure of Ghira, who seemed to scare away anyone who dared approach to take over the area.

We left the baskets with the food, plates and utensils and began to arrange everything on the blanket while we kept Qrow away from the cooler where the drinks were (which also contained some alcohol for the adults).

When the ladies finally arrived, more than one of our jaws dropped at the sight of the , they were pretty in themselves, but that day they were stunning. The yukatas made their figures stand out and the hours they spent getting ready were for nothing. Blake and Kali wore a black outfit with gold details. Illia with a purple one. Weiss with a light blue with white details. Yang wore a yellow one with a dragon on his belt. Nora with a pink one. However, my gaze was fixed on Ruby, who was wearing a red one with details of white roses and a necklace that hung from her soft neck; one that I recognized instantly and which I didn't expect her to still keep. Our gazes met and we quickly averted them at the same time that I felt my face redden. Hell, she was beautiful.

The meal passed quietly, chatting and laughing as we ate and enjoyed the festival atmosphere until late afternoon and we parted ways to enjoy the stalls.

Maybe Qrow influenced the result or it was just coincidence, but I ended up losing in the Rock, Paper or Scissors competition to see who carried the baskets of plates and utensils back to the house. The road was not that long, but it would take time to carry all that, however, I was surprised when Qrow offered to help me.

"So this is the night?" he said suddenly as we walked down the avenue that led to the house.

"Sorry?"

"The night you clear things up with Ruby." I almost tripped over a loose slab, but managed to recover only to find her amused face. "Easy. I'm sure that when the night is over, the two of you will be together again."

"Maybe, but I don't know if I deserve that."

"Alright," Qrow breathed out, pausing before putting the baskets down and turning to me. "Stop with this 'the girl I love still accepts me but I don't feel like I'm okay with that'. It's already gotten a bit irritating."

"I'm sorry."

"Listen to me well. Yes, you left Ruby in Patch. That has already happened and cannot be undone, but she has already left it behind. You just need to do the same. Leave the moping behind and appreciate what you still got: You have your friends and a girl who still is welcoming you back to her. No many people have the same luck… even me. Whatever guilt you have, swallow it and move on."

Even if that all sounded too harsh to me, he was right. I thought it was time to let go of any guilt and regrets I had in order to move on. Maybe I couldn't save Pyrrha, but I was able to protect Ruby and Weiss was saved thanks to Jaune. That was a burden that I already had to release after all those months carrying it.

"You're right, Qrow. In the end it's true what they say: children and drunkards always tell the truth."

"Hey, I'm not drunk... yet. To tell the truth, I didn't feel good at all about the fact that you were dating my niece. It's like Alice and Summer dating again."

"Yeah, I- wait, WHAT?!"

"Didn't I tell you? Well, it turns out that Taiyang and Estral had a serious fight to the point that they turned their teammates against each other team. What idea did Summer have to avoid a war in the dorm building? Pretend she was dating Alice to make them feel bad if they started fighting with the team of their leader's girlfriend. How committed were they to acting? They kissed in front of us. They lasted about a few months until they said they broke up on good terms and told us the whole truth until graduation. I think that inspired someone to write a novel called Nisekoi."

Okay. Now I was freaking out. Not only had I found out that Ruby's mom and mine had a stage, but that it had inspired one of my favorite manga. An internal conflict ended and another began.

"That story aside, I'll take care of getting things home. You go ahead."

"Really?"

"Yes, I can manage from here. You have someone waiting for you," Qrow said with a confident smile.

"I owe you one," I was excited by the opportunity given to me as I went down the street as fast as I could using the wooden sandals as the afternoon turned into night.

I reached the middle level plaza to find a large number of stalls of various kinds arranged side by side. The air was filled with a myriad of food smells that churned into an aroma that made my stomach rumble. The only thing I could hear was the sound of the playing musicians, the murmur of the people and the laughter of the children. They didn't know anything. Nothing about Salem, the Maidens and the relics, Haven's attack being just the tip of the iceberg compared to what I knew. I missed being a part of it, when all I thought was about school and having a good time with my friends, but now it was my duty that the apparent peace of those people was maintained, even if they did not know everything we did for them. I shook those thoughts out of my mind. That was a special night and I wouldn't put those thoughts in my head that could ruin the occasion.

I stepped into the crowd, opening my eyes wide in case I could see Ruby, who was with Nora and Yang at a dart stand. I took a deep breath and walked towards them.

A few feet from reaching them, something caught my eye. An older man struggled to carry several boxes that he was carrying. One was rocking dangerously at the top of the pile and with the possibility of falling on his head. The box moved out of place and was about to hit the man's bald spot when I used my face and caught it in time.

"Thanks boy. You managed to save the frozen octopus," the man thanked me. "The sale of takoyaki would have been affected if that ingredient was missing."

"That's too many boxes," I observed, "Don't you need help?"

"I can do it! Takoyaki is a part of my life. My grandfather made them, my father made them, my children started doing it as children and my grandchildren will too. Not for nothing I have several establishments throughout Mistral. Also..."

For a moment I stop paying attention to his tantrum about how he is still in his radiant 75 years and that he will outlive everyone. Ruby and the girls are finishing up at the dart game and moving on to the next spot. On the one hand, I wanted to go to her and put into action what I had planned, but also didn't want to leave the man to his fate, who, as much as he bragged about his vitality, could see that he had problems carrying the boxes.

"...and let me tell you that kids today think that- hey! What are you doing?" the man interrupted his monologue when he saw that I was taking several of the boxes he was carrying.

"Tell me where I take it."

He seemed tempted to object, but in the end seemed to give up, "The booth with the yellow canopy with red."

I followed him until we reached the stall, where a woman stood with her brown hair tied up in a red bandana as she moved the food on the griddle.

"About time you got here, Dad. Mix is ready for the next batch." Then she notices my presence, "And who is this?"

"The next batch is for him. The house invites. He begged me to let him help," the old man said, opening one of the boxes and starting to organize its contents.

"I'm Kaiden," I introduced myself.

"Mei Lin. Don't tell me: my dad was carrying a huge pile of boxes by himself again."

"Well..." I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to give away who was giving me takoyaki.

"Dad, my brother bought the dolly cart so you wouldn't be carrying so many boxes."

"Nothing happened. Everything was fine," he said, seemingly omitting that a box was about to fall on his head.

I could see the mixture being poured into the perforated metal tray and put the octopus inside. The dough spheres inflated into an incredible round shape, the aroma of which made me salivate.

"Here you go," Mei Lin handed me the paper tray with several spheres of dough steaming with a sauce covering them. "I put a few more on you as a thank you for helping my dad."

"Thank you, I will enjoy it."

"On the paper is the address of our main establishment where I cook, in case you want a little more," she said with a wink before returning to the grill.

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It didn't take me long to get back close to where Ruby was, hanging out with Weiss and Blake. The takoyaki seemed to be a good excuse to go to a quiet place to eat it and to be able to talk about it once and for all. I walked towards her again with a firm step, making sure that my posture reflected total confidence in myself. I could already see the details of the rose on her yukata when I caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of my eye. A boy, maybe 8 years old, was glued to a stall, trembling with his terrified gaze going from one place to another in search of something or someone. It was clear that the boy was lost. I once had that dilemma: follow Ruby or attend to that emergency. Guess what I chose.

"Hey, buddy. Are you lost?"

The boy looked at me and nodded fearfully, "I was with my parents... then I saw a man who sold goldfish and I let go of my mother's skirt... and then ..."

The boy was about to cry when I knelt down and our gazes were on the same level, "Hey, okay. We will find your parents soon. What is your name?"

"Calvin. Clavin Yuki."

"Hello, Calvin. My name is Kaiden." I stand up to see the stall owner, "Can you reach an officer? We have a missing child here."

I pass the child's name to the faunus who attends the place, who in turn sends one of his employees to give notice. He puts boxes for us so we can sit where we wait for the parents to arrive.

Calvin was uneasy. I had to do something to reassure him.

I moved the tray closer, allowing the aroma of the takoyaki to distract him from his anxiety, "Do you want?"

His shaking hand took one of the dumplings on the toothpick, blew on to cool it, and then shoved it into his mouth. His eyes left fear for a moment and lit up with excitement when he tasted the snack.

"Is it good?"

Calvin nodded energetically, still chewing on the first piece as he grabbed another.

The sound of the speakers was heard making the announcement of a lost child, indicating our location, which made the feeling of concern return, so I opted for another distraction.

"Hey, check this out."

I extended my hand palm up and closed my eyes. An image formed in my head as I concentrated on my face. A small figure formed on my palm; a small replica of me made of darkness. Calvin exhaled in surprise when another figure appeared in the shape of a beowulf, which the little man of darkness finished off with his sword.

"Wow, are you a huntsman?" Calvin exclaimed in amazement. "Did you fight in Haven?"

"I'm just a student, but yeah. There I was."

"That's so cool! I wish I was a huntsman too, but I'm always scared."

"And you think that doesn't happen to me? I always have the fear that each fight may be the last, so I do my best to be able to return home."

"And how do you fight if you are afraid?"

"Without fear there is no courage to rise. I have learned that one cannot completely get rid of fear and accept it. Either fighting Grimm or when one gets lost at a fair. You lost sight of your parents and stayed in one place. That is smart."

"Really?" The boy's gaze seemed calm until he brightened, standing up and waving his arms in one direction among the crowd. Towards us came a couple escorted by security personnel.

"My work here is finished."

"I'll see you again?"

"Maybe. For now go and remember to be brave."

Calvin gave me a quick hug and ran to his parents, who nodded their thanks before leaving. Calvin looked at me one last time and gave me a warm smile. Seeing him with his parents made me remember to send a letter to Mary and the General, if only to let them know that I was fine.

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And I returned to base 1. I wandered between the stalls with my eyes wide open in case I saw Ruby, but without success. I assumed that I was already far away, so I gave up and played several games; winning a fox mask in one of them.

I sat on a bench and was finishing a soda that I had bought when Yang appears.

"Hey Kai. Nice mask."

"Thanks. I'm thinking of making it my new combat mask."

"I don't know. The skull one looks cooler. By the way, have you seen Ruby?"

"I saw her with Weiss and Blake."

"I just saw them and she's not with them. She even left her bag with her wallet and scroll with Weiss. Where has she gotten to?"

"Most likely she's still at the fair. Now I'll help you look for her."

"I'll go get the food stands. Try the rest area."

Before she could reply, Yang was leaving and for some reason she was smiling. I decided not to discuss the plan of action and began my search for the girl. I didn't understand why she was asking me to search the rest area if it was near the food stalls and the area was not very large.

The place was full of picnic tables and places that were lit by lamps that gave it a magical touch. Mostly there were families who seemed to take a break from the bustle of games and rested with their children. On the other hand, there were couples who were together, enjoying the moment while hugging each other tenderly and giving each other quick kisses. I longed for those moments with Ruby. Being close to her and forgetting the world and its problems in that little bubble of tranquility. However, even if I went back to her, would it be the same feeling? Even knowing everything that we now knew?

Once again I longed for the good times when I enjoyed being ignorant of everything.

"Come on, come with us."

"I already told you guys to leave me alone."

The discussion caught my attention. I looked in the direction of the conflict and found Ruby, who seemed to be cornered by 3 guys older than us. From her expression, she didn't seem to enjoy his company.

"You're alone, aren't you? We'll have a good time together."

The one who appeared to be the leader of the gang was about to stroke a lock of Ruby when he intervened, holding the guy's wrist tightly.

"She said leave her alone," I warned them, releasing him and stepping between her and them.

"Go away, brat," the boy snarled. "This is none of your business."

"Actually, yes. I'm with her."

"And look, you leave her alone. Whoever finds it keeps it."

"Yes, tadpole. Get lost."

"Guys, I've fought opponents more intimidating than you, but it's a nice evening and I want to avoid trouble."

"Too bad, because you already have them."

"Yeah, especially with that guard coming," I said pointing behind them. As soon as they turned around to see that no one was there, I took Ruby by the hand and we ran in another direction. Obviously they noticed, but they fell flat on their faces as they tried to chase us since I had held their feet with my semblance to buy us a little time.

"Get them!" I heard screaming behind us as we ran down a street. We both had a hard time keeping up with the wooden sandals we wore.

"Sorry," I told Ruby. Before she asked why, I pulled and tossed her for a few seconds to remove my sandals and catch her in my arms. In gratitude, I received a slap.

"Don'ot do that again."

"I'll make it up to you later," I said as I tried to dodge people in the way. I didn't know where I was going, but I couldn't stop to ask for directions when I heard that the gang was approaching.

"Over there!" Ruby pointed to an alley. If she hadn't warned me, I wouldn't have noticed and that was perfect since they would be so focused on chasing us that they wouldn't pay attention to anything else.

I spun on my heel and walked into the alley. The only problem was that it ended in a gate and was still in sight of the street, but I had already thought of something else. I jumped to land on the shore before concentrating my aura and jumping back towards one of the walls, where I put my foot down and propelled myself over another until I landed on a roof. The murmur from the street subsided, and our pursuers had apparently passed by. The only thing we could hear was my heavy breathing as I caught my breath.

"You're good?" I asked him breathlessly.

"Yes, thanks for helping me."

"Those were real idiots," I put Ruby on the floor.

"They just came up to me and started saying pickup lines that would have made my dad stick their head up their butts."

"It would be better to wait a bit in case those are around."

"There's a bench there. Let's rest for the time being."

Looking at our landing zone, it was like a rooftop garden, where there were several plants and a bench next to what must be the entrance that led to the stairs inside the building.

"Nice mask."

"Ah, this?" I took off the fox mask from the side of my face. "I won it at a game of darts."

"So you had a good night."

"Why do you say that?"

"I saw you helping that old man and then with that child."

"Well yeah. That happened every time I looked for you-" I snapped my mouth shut. Ruby's face was red as she looked at her hands that were moving restlessly.

"Hey Kaiden. I never asked you: how was your trip from Atlas to Mistral?"

"It was like everything we had imagined it would be like when we got our licenses and became professional hunters: fighting Grimm, defending defenseless people, seeing the starry sky at night. But I also felt lonely. No one to enjoy everything with."

"During my trip with the boys, it was almost the same. The emotion of going on trips like the one my uncle spoke to Yang and me. The bonfires that we made we talked about what we had seen in the day, but I also felt that something was missing Like my team's company… and yours."

I felt a pang in my heart, but I accepted it knowing that I deserved it.

"We started the journey with the aim of reaching Mistral and finding out more about what happened to Beacon, but I also wanted to try to find you and find out the reason why you left. It was then that we reached Lotam and I met your grandmother. "

"What did she say?"

"She says she misses you and hopes you're okay."

"Amid all the chaos of what happened, I have not sent any letter to her, to my mother or to the General, to tell them that we are fine."

"I'd like to write some to you too. Also one to my dad. He must be worried about me leaving, just leaving a note."

"Just like me."

"So we are the same," she whispered, slowly leaning towards me. "Tell me, was there someone else during your trip? Did you meet someone?"

"Ruby," her name came out of my mouth in a soft whisper as I took her hand, "I always thought of you. Every night that passed, I looked at the moon and hoped it was the same one you looked at. I always wished you were safe."

"Sure there was no one else? I won't get mad if that's the case."

"Ruby, why is that question?"

"Well, I talked to this girl in Lotam: Yumi. She didn't tell me directly, but I felt something happened between you."

'Shit', I thought as I felt a chill run through my body.

"Nothing happened, I swear. We chatted one night and then she kissed me. Maybe I liked it a bit, but then I thought of you and pulled away."

"Yeah, that's what she told me. And don't worry. I've been curious about other guys, but nothing else."

"Who? Jaune? Ren?"

"Maybe a little bit on both, but Ren is already marked by Nora and Jaune ... well, you know: Pyrrha. Also on guys we've met along the way."

I was about to be alarmed by it, but I thought about it and realized that it would be hypocritical of me to make a fuss about it. Ruby is a beautiful and incredible girl and anyone would be fascinated when meeting her.

"I'll be honest: I've also kissed two more girls."

"Yes? Who?" Ruby's voice didn't sound stricken or annoyed, but rather curious.

"But it will stay between us."

"My lips are sealed."

"Well...," I took a deep breath. "First, Winter."

Ruby gasped and a mischievous smile grew on her face, "Noo! What? She doesn't seem like someone who would do that."

"It was kind of funny. I was looking for a way to get out of Atlas after Ironwood imprisoned me. She was training me and we had a match. We bet I would make any request if I won."

"Wait. Did you beat Weiss's sister?"

"By mere technicality and a lucky kick. I just had to land a hit to win. Well, before I asked her to bring Mistral with her on her recon mission, she thought she thought I wanted to kiss her and took the initiative."

"Ohoho... Weiss is going to hunt you down for it."

"Possibly, but someone promised it would be a secret."

"I wonder who promised," she teased. "Well, who is the second one."

"It was... Yang."

I closed my eyes and waited for the girl's reaction, but what she said instead was:

"When?"

"The morning after she arrived at Mistral."

"Heh… She finally did it."

"Wait. What?"

"Let's say Yang has been curious about how you kiss for a while, even before we started dating. One day she asked if she could give you a taste and I told her she could for 50 lien. She was getting ready but started the tournament and you were busy with the Holosseum and she didn't have a chance anymore… at least, until now."

"And you didn't give me a part of the payment?"

"Where do you think that deluxe pizza that we ate at Parchis Pizza came from? I had told you that later you were going to taste something interesting."

"But I thought you meant that later I was going to eat your-"

"Nope. But I still enjoyed it," she commented with a smile.

"Wow, it's been a crazy few months," I breathed.

"Not to mention it. If I had been told when I started at Beacon that months later I would be defending Haven from attack, I would have laughed or passed out."

"But the important thing is that we are together again," I said, gently squeezing her hand.

"Yes, and this time I'm not taking my eye off you."

"As long as I have your attention."

That moment seemed to drag on for an eternity. Seeing her flushed face and her silver eyes shining in the moonlight reminded me one by one the reasons why I had fallen in love with her: her way of being, her beauty, her gaze. All of that filled that void that had eaten away inside me every day since I left Patch.

Our faces were slowly getting closer. His breath was so warm and he drew closer and closer to her. My lips tickled, as if Ruby's were calling them. My breathing was getting slower and slower.

Before we could carry out what our instincts called us, a bang brought us back to reality. The night sky lit up in different colors while more outbursts were heard before another blaze that formed various figures above us.

"Fireworks!" Ruby exclaimed in amazement. "It is so beautiful."

Seeing her like this reminded me of something else that I loved about her: the expression of emotion she made. Every time she saw a new weapon, something cute, or something exciting happen, her eyes would light up.

"Yes, really beautiful," I whispered looking at her.

I thought my words would be silenced by the outbursts of the explosions, but she turned to me. I didn't think about it anymore. I put my hand on her cheek and brought her face to mine. Our lips lit up like embers burning again. Her hand stroked my hair while mine stroked her back.

In every adversity she faced, I would be by her side. In any decision, I would be there to give her my advice. At any moment of pain, I would be there to comfort her. I would never leave her side.

I would find out later that she and her sister had planned for us to meet (except for the bullies, who were a bonus), but that didn't bother me. The only thing that mattered to me was that I was with whom I had longed to be.

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Well, the long awaited reconciliation.

I'm sorry for taking too long to post the new chapter. The preparations for the Holidays and having to deal with both grandathers being delicate have been tiring. However here we are.

I hope you enjoyed the festivities and everything goes better in this 2021.

Seeya.