Author's Note
This is an attempt at humor which I haven't tried before. I've had this bouncing in my head for a while. Work on Zemuria Online is continuing at a very slow pace.
This is also an attempt at shorter chapters. Hopefully I can update faster, but I make no promises.
Again, I own neither FFXIV nor RWBY. I'm doing this for fun, and not for profit. Please don't sue.
Please comment and review!
Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy of Hunters strolled into the Infirmary's long-term care section, a mug of steaming coffee in hand. He frequented this sterile, hopeless place these days; the unnatural white of fluorescent lights and the soft humming of life-sustaining machinery helped bring his mind to focus.
Asleep on the beds were seven of his best students. Team RWBY and Team JNPR were going after Roman Torchwick of their own initiative when the load of Dust carried on the criminal's Bullhead apparently detonated violently. He could hardly fault them for doing so; initiative was a valued trait in any future Hunter. Glynda thought otherwise, but her personality focused on the Lawful more than the Good.
Glynda was also the first person from Beacon on the scene. All the police and the professors could find over the scattered remains of the Bullhead was eight unconscious bodies. They were, of course, immediately sent to the infirmary for emergency care, but the doctors and nurses found only minor cuts and bruises. Despite that, they would not wake: save for the soft breathing as if one were asleep, there was no sign of life in any of them.
Ozpin sat down at the bed of Ruby Rose. The girl was the youngest of her year, admitted into the school only on his special permission after Glynda wandered into her fight with Roman Torchwick. The girl slept peacefully, dressed in the sterile cream-green striped hospital gown and hooked to a myriad of electronic monitors. The monitor hanging at the head of her bed showed her vital signs. Ozpin glanced at it; the only meter that indicated there was something wrong with the petite girl was her Aura meter.
It stayed at zero. None of them had any Aura with them. Even Jaune Arc, the boy that had by far the most Aura for anyone in his year, had none. As the manifestation of the Soul, once unlocked, Aura couldn't remain depleted for long. Ozpin refused to believe the only hypothesis that made sense, that somehow their souls were whisked away from them in a bizarre Dust explosion.
Nothing on Remnant could do that to someone still alive, not even the machinery keeping the Fall Maiden alive in the Vault under his very school. But, as he could see, these children-his students-were very much still alive, even if they had been stuck in this vegetative state for two weeks now.
He leaned his cane against the nightstand at the head of Ruby's bed and sipped his coffee. The warmth of the deep-red liquid sent a minor shiver through his body. He took a deep breath of the aromatic beverage and let it out in a long, quiet sigh. Taiyang Xiaolong was informed last week of his daughters' condition. The man slugged him in the face when they met at the Bullhead landing pad. Ozpin could not fault him for his behavior; after Summer passed, these two were Tai's most precious people in Remnant. That Ozpin had failed to protect them had to have rankled with the blond brawler, as there was much yelling and shouting in his office right after the incident.
He glanced at the empty bed beside Ruby's. He could not prevent Jacques Schnee of the SDC from "taking possession" of his daughter's comatose body. Ozpin grimaced at the phrase even as the thought occurred to him. It was not a surprise that the bestasched old coot saw his daughter only as a piece on his megalomaniacal chess board, but that was not enough to prevent him from removing the white-haired heiress from Beacon's care. James Ironwood of Atlas had kept an eye on the girl as a favor to him, having no love for that arrogant fool, so he had some ideas of how Weiss was doing. Still, not even the considerable resources of the SDC had helped Weiss.
How could a Dust explosion render catatonic eight of the most promising children in this batch of freshmen? He was the victim of many such explosions, and aside from physical injuries, his Aura always returned. The entire situation was so bizarre that he could not shake the feeling of an unseen hand directing this series of events.
Roman Torchwick was not capable of this. A slippery swindler he may be, a dark lord he was not. He certainly was not capable of purposefully luring his students into this event. In this, he was as much a victim as these children. It was a moot point in any case, because they could not find any evidence pointing to his fate.
He leaned back and scratched his chin. Nobody he knew would be capable of doing this. Grimm were soulless monsters, certainly, but they were beyond the work of men, even ones as capable as her…
His scroll chimed. Glynda's face showed up on it when he picked it up. A couple strands of hair stuck out from her usually impeccable front braid, even though her face was calm as usual: "Headmaster, there is a Faunus at the gates of the school, asking to see you."
"Hmm?" Strange. He recalled no Faunus that would drop by and visit him unannounced.
"She said Ruby Rose asked her to meet you right away." The name made Ozpin's eyebrows rise well past his hairline. It could be possible for the petite leader of RWBY to leave someone a message to deliver, but it was a stretch when he took the girl's style into account. Ruby was not one for subtlety. Blake on the other hand quite possibly would have done something like this, but she was trying to lay low from the White Fang.
So, just who was this mysterious Faunus? And how did she know about Ruby?
"Can you escort her to my office, please?" He picked up his cane and stood up with a grunt. His back was a bit stiff.
"Certainly." The call was disconnected. Ozpin made his way back to his office and was greeted by the ticking gears that surrounded the room. Not for the first time in his lengthy career as Beacon's headmaster did he question the sanity of situating the office in Beacon's clocktower. Certainly, the ticking unnerved whoever he met, but there was a reason he liked wandering on campus.
He steeled himself and sat down behind his desk. The afternoon light shone through the glass face of the clock and cast himself in shadow. Not the best look for a friendly conversation, but he needed to take the measure of this Faunus.
The door creaked open after a minute, and in stepped two lithe female figures. Glynda was fairly easy to recognize, what with her flowing cloak, clicking heels and that riding crop at her waist. The other one, though, caused his breath to hitch.
She was as tall as he was, but on her head were two long violet bunny ears that twitched and swivelled toward the ticking gears. Her hair was a luscious royal purple with streaks of gold, tied into a simple ponytail with some elastics. Her skin was a healthy bronze, which did little to darken her features. Her eyes were a shade of vivid jade, the strength of her soul evident in its sparkle. Her lips were glossy and red, curved naturally into a disarming smile. Her long coat was apparently made out of leather, and bright violet leather at that; the material had a sheen that indicated that it was well looked after. She wore white thigh-high stockings and a pair of crisp black combat heels with sharp pointed toes. On the left side of her waist hung a long sheathed blade that slightly curved; a katana, Ozpin recalled, a single-edged sword that was quite difficult to forge and to master.
"Headmaster," Glynda nodded curtly, and stepped aside, "Allow me to introduce Miss Heather Amaranthine."
Amaranthine. A shade of purple. Also, undying, everlasting. Hmm.
"Miss Amaranthine, I welcome you to Beacon Academy, but I have to admit, I am quite surprised to hear you mention by name one of our students," Ozpin stood up and smiled at the woman.
"So you're the headmaster I've heard so much about," Heather said. Her accent was rather peculiar, thought Ozpin; he did not know anyone who spoke like that in the Four Kingdoms. "From Ruby's description of you, I thought you'd be taller."
"I'm glad we see eye to eye," said Ozpin with a small chuckle as he picked up his coffee mug. "Now, would you be so kind as to inform me what business you have?"
"Well, I have news regarding teams RWBY and JNPR," she smiled at him. He was mentally prepared for it, so he did not let his surprise show. "Are they currently being cared for?"
Glynda wanted to speak up, her hand on the grip of her riding crop, but Ozpin held up a hand. He noticed Heather's eyes flit momentarily toward the huntress, but there was no tension in her frame.
"They are, though I am, again, quite curious about how you came by this information," he stared into Heather's eyes over the rims of his small glasses. "It seems as if there are quite a bit more to their condition than I have suspected."
"There is, Mr. Ozpin, but I believe it better to have them debrief you than a stranger like me." So she did have awareness of her status here. "For that to happen, however, I would require access to their bodies. Would you kindly oblige me?"
"Not before we ascertain your intent," Glynda hissed.
"My intent, as you so gingerly put it, is to return your students to their proper bodies," Heather hissed back at Glynda. There were people who could snarl and hiss at Glynda equally before; none of them ended up well. "The longer they remain catatonic, the more danger they are in. How long has it been?"
"Fourteen days," Ozpin answered while glaring at Glynda, who glared back and reluctantly backed down.
"Hmm. Shorter than I expected, but nevertheless." To Ozpin's amazement once again, she stuck her left arm out toward the side. Her hand plunged into thin air as a ripple formed seemingly in space. She stuck her tongue out a tiny bit as her arm shifted, as if she were rummaging through some storage container. Before long, though, she pulled her arm out of that space and brought a strange crystal with her.
"That is an interesting Semblance," he commented dryly. A Hammerspace-like Semblance was not unheard of; those who had it had quite the capacity for emotion in their souls.
"Sure, let's call it that," she waved her right hand at him dismissively. The crystal in her left hand was a milky white, tipped with what seemed like crystallized organic growth of rubies. The white part glowed faintly on its own; it was a warm reddish light, similar to that of the sinking sun in autumn.
"This is Ruby's crystal. It contains her soul," Heather said, holding onto the crystal gingerly. "It must be reunited with her body quickly to allow her to return."
"How did…?" Glynda was about to protest, but Heather held up her right hand at the Huntress as she returned the crystal back to wherever she stored it.
"We will answer your questions together when the teams are returned to Remnant. One of my dearest friend and comrade imbued this crystal with his own life essence to allow the complete transfer. Please do not make me squander his sacrifice."
If she had been lying, she would be a gods-damned good liar, because a liar would not make an expression as convincing as that. Wordlessly Ozpin stood and walked toward the door. "Follow me, Ms Amaranthine."
They rode the elevator down to the infirmary level. Ozpin was amused to see Heather fidget and take in the sights as a habitual reaction. The sterile hallways, however, took her by surprise: "How dull."
"I take it you have never been to a hospital before?" Ozpin asked in amusement as they strode into the artificially-illuminated hallway.
"I have been to apothecaries and infirmaries. Most didn't have such an… industrial setting," Heather glanced around. "Reminds me of Garlean Castrums, though much brighter than those and much less deadly."
Glynda held her tongue, surprisingly, but the look of consternation was clear on her face. "All will be answered in due time, I assume?" Ozpin arched an eyebrow as they came to a stop at the door of the teams' room.
"Naturally," came Heather's curt reply as the door slid open. Ozpin was surprised at how quickly she moved as she practically dashed from bed to bed, placing individual crystals by the head of each comatose student. She frowned and stopped at the empty bed, before turning toward Ozpin: "Where is Weiss?"
"Her family took custody of her as soon as they were informed of her condition," answered Glynda.
"Of course," Heather heaved a long sigh of resignation. "It is as we feared, but that could wait a moment."
Ozpin was going to speak up, but the scene unfolding in front of him stayed his tongue. All seven crystals started to glow brilliant white, with shades of individual colors varying from person to person. Ruby's crystal glowed with a shade of rose red, while Jaune's was almost a brilliant gold. The bodies were glowing, too, as if their Aura had become visible. The monitoring instruments, surprisingly, were not going haywire despite the amount of energy being involved here. The Aura meter on each panel filled steadily as the glows intensified.
He watched in amazement as Ruby's hand twitched slightly. With a groan the black-haired girl sat up and stretched as if she were in a long sleep, complete with a squealing yawn. The Aura meter above her bed read 100% as the glow quickly subsided.
She opened her eyes-those captivating silver eyes-and scanned the room quite warily. Her gaze swept over Ozpin and Glynda and locked on Heather. A smile cracked at her lips: "How long was I out?"
"Two weeks," Heather responded easily with a matching smile that lit up the room. "Welcome back, Ruby."
"Thanks, Heather. And Headmaster, and Professor," she hastily added with a small blush. "It's good to be back."
"Good morning, sis!" Yang had already swung her legs off of the bed and was trying to stand up. "See? I told you everything'd work out. I mean, with Heather around, how can it not? Right?"
"Yeah, I guess I was worrying over nothing," the blush on Ruby's face deepened. Then, as if remembering something, her eyes shot toward Heather again: "So did you bring the crystal to the Exarch?"
Heather's smile only widened: "Yeah. Everything went well. I'll see if I can carry a message to him when I return."
Ruby's posture relaxed slightly: "And Thancred? Y'Shtola? Urianger? Alphinaud and Alisaie?"
"All safe and accounted for." Tension further bled out of Ruby. Her shoulder visibly sagged in relief, and she let out a breath she did not know she was holding, "They've been out of action for far longer than you have, so they bade me to make my way to you while they recuperate."
Ozpin arched an eyebrow. Those names rang no bells in his head. But then, a loud burst of bed creaking and heavy object landing interrupted his train of thought.
"I! HAVE! RETURNED!" Snarled Nora, who leaped out of bed and struck a pose with her right hand pointing upwards, her left hand on her hip, and her feet spread apart. "Mwahahaha! FEAR ME, REMNANT, FOR YOUR QUEEN HAS DEIGNED TO GRACE YOU WITH HER PRESENCE!"
"Nora, there are other people here," Ren rubbed his forehead tiredly as he, too, sat up.
"Let her have this moment, Ren," Pyrrha smiled at the pink-haired girl's exuberant behavior. The Mistral champion's hair was loose, and she also had exhaustion written on her face. "But, it's good to be back. Isn't it, Jaune?"
"Hmm? Yeah, yeah it sure is," Jaune chuckled nervously. His hair was more of a mess than it usually was. But, Ozpin thought, Jaune's eyes shone with something that he was hard-pressed to find words to describe. It was obvious that the young man had grown a lot in the two weeks, and it was obvious that the two teams had been through quite the journey, whatever it was. But there was this sliver of sorrow in him whose cause Ozpin was having trouble to pinpoint.
"Where's Weiss?" Blake Belladonna was walking toward the empty bed. "Did her father take her away?"
"I'm afraid so," Ozpin answered with a grave nod. He was once again surprised when Blake tugged on the bow he instructed the doctors and nurses to leave on. The ribbon slid apart with some effort, and her cat ears were, for the first time, exposed for everyone outside her team to see. They twitched and swivelled around before flattening as she let out a low, rumbling growl at the empty bed.
"It sounds like a trip to Atlas is in order," Heather summarized. With a clap of her hands, she successfully directed the attention of the seven children to her: "Raid on Atlas, who's in?"
"YEAH! I'M TANKING!" Nora jumped in jubilation.
"Guess I'll heal, then," Ren swung his legs off of the bed with a grunt and also stretched like Ruby did.
Tanking? Healing? What were they talking about? The mystery deepened further and further for Ozpin. "Ladies and gentlemen," he started before the chatter got out of control, "I think both Professor Goodwitch and myself are in need of some explanations, and you are in need of rest and recuperation. We will arrange transport to Atlas, but in the meantime, I would very much like to be debriefed."
"Of course, Headmaster," Jaune nodded and stood up. The boy had no physical changes save for some lost weight, but he somehow seemed much taller than before. Perhaps it was the way he took charge easily for his team: "Team, we need to gear up and familiarize ourselves again with our weapons, too. So, what do you say we go and grab some pancakes?"
"PANCAKES!" Nora almost tackled Jaune. "GIMME!"
"Glynda, can you make sure we have pancakes and cookies delivered to my office, please? In addition to the necessary furniture for these students and Ms Amaranthine," Ozpin gestured to Glynda, who took out her pad and started typing instructions. He turned toward the students, who had all stood up from their beds. "The medical staff is no doubt on their way. Glynda, please also stay behind and answer their questions."
"Headmaster," Glynda said flatly. There was a snarl in her voice. "Please do not abrogate your duty."
Ozpin's shoulder slumped. So did the children's. "Getting debriefed is more important, no?"
"One, I would like my question answered as well and I doubt they want to tell their stories twice. And two, how do you suppose I am to defend your irresponsible decisions from the horde of medical professionals who, mind you, have every right to perform thorough examinations on seven teenagers who were, up till now, in a deep coma? And three!" Glynda put away the pad and slid the riding crop from her belt holster. The crop made an angry smack as she slapped it against the wall; the harsh noise made all eight children-Ozpin included-jump in fright, "such a decision is uncharacteristically irresponsible, even for you, Headmaster. These children need a check-up to make sure there are no ill effects from prolonged coma, and yet here you are trying to snatch them away and prevent the medical professionals from discharging their duty. I thought you knew better than to derelict your duty, Headmaster."
There was silence. Then, Heather broke it: "Wow. Quite a lot of big words to say 'follow the rules or be spanked', Mrs. Goodwitch."
"Miss Goodwitch," Glynda's eyebrows twitched in irritation. "And don't think you're off the hook, Miss Amaranthine. I am not a trusting woman. If you ever think about plunging my students into danger without my consent, so help me Gods I will give you a thrashing you will never forget."
Heather simply smiled at the scowling professor. "Well, that tells me who wears the pants in this relationship of yours," she said simply as the door slid open and in charged a squad of nurses and doctors with as much panic in their eyes as murder. The children deflated, and Ozpin sagged his shoulders deeper in defeat. Glynda, on the other hand, blushed indignantly at the insinuation.
"But… my pancakes…" Nora whined as the nurses forcibly put her and the rest of her classmates back into bed.
"You'll get them later, Nora," Heather smiled. She then turned toward the Headmaster: "Maybe the check wouldn't take that long, hmm? Why don't we sit down and wait while having some coffee?"
That didn't sound too bad, Ozpin decided.