This War of Mine

by Erithemaeus

It was a selfish wish, eliminating those who had in turn killed the individuals that I could relate to as friends. But for me, nothing was impossible. For this war of mine has just started, and I would not stop until I see it till the end...or until I die.

4. From the Ashes

[From the Ashes]

Consciousness. It's quite a confusing concept, since one could not possibly imagine the state of its opposite. Some say that one can best define consciousness by looking at what happens when one is devoid of it, but it is hypocritical to imagine a state of nothingness. The concept of unconsciousness, and its polar opposite consciousness, is a blank slate that could not be proven by following logical actions or experimentation. It is only a state of being, a word that definitions would only tarnish the overall weight of the concept. One could only be conscious, and that would be the extent of all observations. No asking on how did one arrive at such a conclusion. Nor the why and when.

But everything changes when you could see through a perspective that one wouldn't normally experience. Such as being in the shoes of a long-dead person, for example.

"Off with the blindfold." A rich, cultured voice said, one belonging to that of an Atlesian elite. I never had the experience of meeting one in real life save for Winter Schnee, but if all of them were like her, then I best stay away from them. It's not everyday that you see someone have the innate talent of pissing off everyone around them. "Let's see what we have here...Ah, the ringleader. Nice to meet you Hheron. Glad you could join us in my lab again."

My body trashed against its restraints, spouting curse after curse towards his captor. It wasn't hard to see why - Arthur Watts was on the other end, smug face simply oozing with Atlesian superiority. I had wiped that smirk off his face when I impaled him on a piece of rusty rebar, but safe to say that he still gets to live on in Hheron's memories. And continually grate on my nerves.

Hheron's string of curses was cut short by a backhand, and burning red orbs glared with barely concealed rage. Arthur Watts took a step back, cradling his aching hand like a coward, but he was too awash with amusement to even think of shutting Hheron's mouth. "Ungrateful lab rat", he spat, "We gave you a home, a family, and a way of life, and you pay us back by trying to escape?"

A second passed as Watts gathered his breath, before turning towards his guards with an icy glare. "Leave us."

"Sir-"

"Leave. Us."

The guards saluted, immediately leaving the room and living Watts to sneer in distaste the moment the door shut. "Can't even have competent guards around here lately", he monologue, before turning back towards Hheron. "So, where were we? Right, you being an incompetent twat. Hatching an escape plan even with traitors in your midst. Even an idiot would do better than you." He turned up his nose, the same way that all snotty Atlesian did. "Did you ever think that you would have traitors in your ranks? That we used them to keep the lot of you in line? It would seem that we would need to increase their punishments. If they ignored you, then you must have more power over them than we thought." Watts placed a hand on Hheron's shoulder, causing him to fly back in a murderous rage, to no avail. "Worry not, Hheron. We shall use you as an example for what would happen if they ever try to fail at their jobs once more."

I grimaced at that. While I knew the deeds that the bastard had done in the past, it would seem like he had to gloat over his power over them as well. As if he were playing deity. It was the main thing about his personality that made me hate him the most, since his damn pride was more or less a facet of his supremely large ego. As if everything in the world moved according to his designs.

"You're dead to me, you hear!? DEAD!"

"Now, now, don't be a hypocrite, Hheron", Watts said with a smug smirk, once again patting him on the shoulder out of sarcastic pity. "Dead mean should tell no tales, am I right? So just sit there and rage at the cameras. It'll be over soon. I promise you that." He turned around and pressed a communicator. "Status about the machine?"

Static. A huff escapes Watt's lips, his mood darkening by the second. "Damn idiots can't even respond properly!" Finally, the Atlesian had lost his patience, howling ay nothing in particular ab s he let his rage out on cold, unfeeling metallic tools. Most of them clattered all about the room, and he turned back towards Hheron with a silent snarl on his face. "...Nevermind. You're not worth the trouble." He pulled out a derringer from his pocket, laying it flush against Hheron's forehead. "This would be the only sign of respect that I would be giving you before your death. Savor it, cur."

The roar of the Grimm behind him however, said otherwise.

[From the Ashes]

"Couldn't sleep?" Qrow's voice snaps me out of my thoughts, and I glanced towards him out of the corner of my eye. I could see the toll that the withdrawal has given him. The sunken eyes, the bags. His complexion looked healthier however. A more healthy skin tone, and not like a pale horse. In his hands were two cups of water, and I swiped one off him and drank it all in one go.

"You can say that." I replied with a scowl, all but slamming down my cup onto the wooden porch. Nevermind that I'd actually wake up my foster uncle - I needed to let off a little steam. Waking up at about eleven in the evening with not even a full three hours of sleep would do that to anyone. But I wasn't going to tell Qrow about it. Nor anyone else, for that matter. Hheron's baggage are my baggage. He deserves the care. "How are the brats taking it?"

"They're confused." An accurate description, judging by the fidgeting stares that they've been giving me over the last few days in the cabin. Judging by Qrow's frown, it would seem that he knew that as well, and that he'd be blaming himself for it. Not that it wasn't patently untrue however. I was something of an open secret between Team STRQ, after all. Or at the very least, Hheron was. "Yang handled it better, but she's blaming herself for it. Ruby has been trying to get a chance to talk to you alone. Share stories and the like."

"She wouldn't like what I've got in store."

"You and me both on that one." Qrow grumbled back, a flash of guilt in his eyes. Yes, he could've done better, and his decision indeed pushed Hheron down a dark path that eventually led to his death. But I reserved a benefit of the doubt. I'm not even sure that Qrow and Summer had been thinking straight - from what I can hear, Summer was too obsessed with helping others out, and Qrow just wanted everyone else to stay together. It was that conflict of interest that led to strained relationships between the rest of them, Taiyang and Qrow even more so when Summer came back and married the former.

What a fucked-up story. "Ever give them the chance? To you know, make up for it?"

"I taught their classes." It was a weak excuse, and we both knew it. I sighed a second later, staring out into the glimmering sea, glinting light off the moon. Too sparkly for my tastes. In Vacuo, the sea looked more like a rumbling storm. "...It's not that I don't want to, Qrow. But I'm just a wandering spirit possessing the body of the cousin and half-brother that they would never have." And didn't that revelation require a little more explanation? Of course, it was all but half-baked theories at the time, but with Hheron's memories in my head, I'm slowly starting to get a larger picture. "Best to regret and move on rather than give them false hopes."

Qrow flinched, and I immediately zeroed in on the reason why. "You think Summer's the same as me. Someone gallivanting around in her body, doing who-knows-what." Each and every word came out of my mouth made Qrow flinch even harder, and the look of guilt on his face triggered something instinctual inside of me. "Look", I said, laying a hand on Qrow's shoulder as if I were an older brother, "I don't even know how I came into being. I blinked, and suddenly found myself in your son's body. It might be that what you're thinking is correct, and that Summer is gallivanting around somewhere with anyone else on the controls. But it's not going to change the fact that whether or not she's possessed by a ghost, she's not the one that you knew back then."

The older man sighed and slumped forward, putting his weight on most of the railing as I scooted over the bench and let him sit down beside me. He softly smiled, a far cry from the expression that he usually had, only for him to blink once in my direction. "Your eyes."

"What about them?"

"They're silver." I raised an eyebrow at Qrow, who promptly rubbed his eyes to make sure that what he was seeing was correct. "...Actually, never mind", he said, waving me off without a second thought, "Must be a lack of sleep."

I didn't believe in him one bit. A part of my mind chalked it up to another matter that needed to be investigated, but I knew that it would come back to haunt me sooner or later. Maybe then. But what I needed now is some very-much-needed RnR. It's only a matter of days before I need to set out. Qrow and Taiyang all but told me that to my face just this afternoon.

"Back to bed you go, then." I said, shooing him away with a gesture as he scowled and rapped me on the head. My Aura immediately went down to about thirty-five percent, and I couldn't help but grimace at the lingering pain. Even if I knew that it was going to be fine in just a minute or two. Even if I was sure that I didn't say something that I would regret. "Go. Shoo. Leave me alone to stare at a beautiful sea. I promise you I'm not going to throw myself into it."

Qrow narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but eventually returned back to giving me a glare as a yawn slipped past his lips. He sighed, slowly getting off the bench as the evening air rushed in to cover his wake. Within seconds he was back in the cabin, lazily sprawled out on the couch without a care in the world. Lucky for him, he was already sleeping.

Lucky for me as well, since I didn't want to sleep for longer than necessary.

[From the Ashes]

I stared out onto Patch's docks, watching the slow roil of the ocean and waiting for the first ship out of this godforsaken island. Somehow, in someway, I found myself collapsing out of exhaustion. Luckily, it came with the benefit of dreamless sleep, but it meant that my schedule was delayed to tomorrow. Sadly, I could still see it whenever I closed my eyes. Each time I blink, I find myself transported to a washed beach, the sea water never looking so fresh and verdant. I find myself in front of roils of sand, stretching out beyond the horizon as far as the eye can see.

...Every time I blink, I find myself back at that damnable Vacuan beach. "Hey Professor."

I take a glance at the figure that sat beside me, silver eyes glinting in the morning light. Heron's half-sister by a few years sat with knees on the water, kicking ever so often when the waves weren't suited to her tastes. We kept silent, letting the early morning mist speak out to both of us, but it ended when the first light of dawn began breaking through the misty waters.

"You're leaving... Uncle Qrow said that yesterday, but I thought he was just joking." An awkward laugh escapes from her lips, only to fall back into silence when I didn't reply. More silence passed between the both of us, her waiting for an answer that I would never give, and she finally lost her patience. "Why didn't you say anything? At Beacon... even here. I-I just want to know. I need to know."

"Want and need are two different things, Ms. Rose." I replied, snorting at the mere thought of it. "You think that you require an answer, when you could simply reach it by thinking about it logically." She frowned. "I don't teach. I guide." I repeated, the same words flowing through my lips for the first time ever since my first class. "So go on. Think. I'll tell you if you're correct."

More silence. I shifted my meager belongings as I scanned the skies for any signs of my ship, but there was still nothing. A few moments later however, Hheron's half-sister replied. "Nepotism?" She asked, and I replied with nothing more than a nod. "That doesn't make any sense", she said immediately after, eyebrows scrunching as the gears behind her head began to turn, "You'd still be a great teacher even if we know that you're our cousin."

"Sometimes I forget that you're a bit too young for this." I replied with a sigh, shaking my head as I stood up with my bag slung over my shoulder. I slowly fingered the trigger guard of my gun, an impression of a ship slowly floating through the misty waters. "Sometimes, the only way for fairness to be justified is when you are completely removed from the situation. Liken it to your heroes - would you be willing to save a few extra people for the sake of the brother that you never had?"

Once again, she was silent. I chuckled, ruffling her hair in the same way I would ruffle my sister's own, and I watched as the ship pierced through the mist. Winter Schnee's ship moved with a quickness that I hadn't expected, docking down in a few seconds before she came out of the ramp with her weapon raised and aimed towards me. I sighed, quickly yanking Hheron's half sister back, and immediately placed my gun flush against her temple. Ruby Rose could barely stifle a scream before I spoke.

"Let me go, or she dies."

Both of them froze. Winter Schnee looked like she was unable to make a decision for once in her life, and Ruby Rose's eyes flashed with a mixture of betrayal, indignation, and fear. As the seconds tick by, I can see the Schnee's gaze harden. She called my bluff, and so I cocked the hammer back when she tried to take a step forward. "You know what this did to Qrow." I said, my voice still even, all while fighting back the distaste at the bottom of my soul. "I fire, and I might as well be holding a bloody piñata in my hands."

"You damn monster...!"

"Funny, coming from the one who arranged all of this." I tilted my head back towards the island. "The leave. Qrow's guilt. The rest of my family's confusion. You were aiming to stall me long enough for you to stage an ambush, lock me in a cell, and bring out the thumbscrews to let out my secrets." I hissed, taking a deep breath to school my features once more. "How's the thumb drive that Qrow gave you?"

"What's your angle, Branwen?" Winter Schnee hissed, the mist roiling around her, and I couldn't help the smirk that came upon my face once I saw the barest hints of a mirror shard.

"Same as you", I coolly replied, savoring the panic on her face as I grinned and pushed Ruby Rose towards her. "...An escape."

She saw the blade coming too late. Blood began to spread on her right shoulder as Neo quickly ducked underneath her, using Ruby Rose as a springboard as she hurtled towards the air towards me. The determination in her eyes told me enough of what she was about to do, and I gave her the barest of nods just as she grabbed my arm.

The sound of shattering mirrors assailed my ears, all but sounding like chalk against a blackboard, but I bared through the sound as we hurtled through the air, our clothing fluttering behind us as I spied a Bullhead roaring at the edge of our vision. A mad grin formed on my face, pulling Neo close as we dove towards the Bullhead, and I reinforced my entire gun arm with the rest of my Aura before I fired.

Our momentum came to a complete halt for an instant, and I managed to grab onto the Bullhead's ramp just before it passed by. Instants turned to agonising seconds as adrenaline pumped through a thudding heart, and I managed to roll onto the small platform even as the Dust engines continued on their toll. Something snagged my ankle, and I found myself reeling back towards the Bullhead's cargo bay, the telltale smell of tobacco already telling me who it was.

"Hey, kiddo." Roman said, a smug grin on his face as he removed the top part of his cane from my ankle and closed the Bullhead's ramp. I promptly released Neo from my grip, but she barely got to the seats by the fuselage before she collapsed in a heaving mess. I turned towards Roman with a raised brow, but he simply shrugged before pulling me up. "That little stunt of yours probably depleted most of Neo's Aura. Don't do a thing like that again, alright? I'll be the first to bash your head in."

"Not if I do it first." I groaned, already feeling a few bruises forming all over my body. That, and a couple of skid burns too. The adrenaline was going to wear off in a few more minutes, then I'd be in hell until we got to Mistral. "I'm going to need a bed roll first. Then, you can tell me all about your adventures in Mistral."

The master thief grinned. "I believe that could be arranged. You should've seen the look on Neo's face when we met up with little Miss Malachite..."

[From the Ashes]

It's been a month since my stay in Mistral. While it was amusing to see the rise of Roman's criminal empire for the nth time, I usually spent the rest of my time here as a tag-along on his men's raids as some form of 'extra back-up' - Roman's words, not mine. While I mostly helped out in securing trafficking rings with his newly-found men, the process of taking over the entire criminal structure of Mistral was quite a long way ahead. Sure at the moment we might have the same clout as one of the old families, but we might just get stabbed in the back soon.

Which meant allies. Which meant more opportunities for us to be shanked in the back. It was a risky proposition, but Roman gave it a shot anyway. Just because I was THOR's sole strategist didn't mean that I had to be responsible for everything, but the chain-smoking idiot just waved me off with a smile.

Ergo, while Roman became the face of our current venture and Neo was currently vetting through every applicant in the book, I stuck to logistics and planning. Where to hit, who to hit, and making sure that the men had enough supplies plus a bit extra for each hit. Which meant networking with others to keep the stable supply of resources going.

Let it be known that I am not the go-to individual for negotiations. "You're here again, boy?" I sigh, sliding alongside the bar as I gave Miss Malachite a forlorn nod. She barked in laughter, slapping me on the back quite a few times before going off to make my usual order. "Well, I can see that you've been working hard these past few weeks. Get Roman to do your job for you soon, alright?"

A shot glass slid over towards me, and my eyes met Miss Malachite's lecherous gaze. I shivered in my spot, wondering as to how Roman managed to tame that, and eventually decided that I wouldn't like the answer one bit. "I'm sure he'll take up your offer as soon as he's done with whatever he's doing", I promised her, all the while dooming Roman to his doom, and I swore I could hear someone snickering up in the rafters. Neo, perhaps? She talks sometimes, that I was sure.

Miss Malachite hums, cleaning up the rest of the bar before coming up to a stop right in front of me. "So sonny", she asks with a grin and crossed arms, "I take it that you're going to be needing more Dust? Your bunch seem to go through a lot of those these days." I grimaced at that. Not that she was wrong, but my blade sucked up so much of the damn stuff that I only have a few spare blades left in stock. While Dust was good as an alternative to explosives and a great primer for bullets, most of the damn stuff actually goes to my weapon.

There was a reason as to why Dust blades went out if style, and it wasn't because of the lacking utility that they offered. "Yup", I replied with a short nod. There wasn't even any point in lying about it. Most likely, pretending that we have things under control would strain relations between the two gangs. "We're planning on raiding the ROGS today." Miss Malachite raised a brow, and a sharp glint came to my eyes as I downed the shot that she gave me.

Might as well take the bullet, for what it's worth. "...Frankly, we're planning on scuttling the entire trafficking ring. Atlas knows that it needs the demand."

A few seconds pass in the all but abandoned bar, the rest of its patrons quickly going away the moment they saw my face. While the first time had been particularly... grating, on my nerves, they soon learned that they didn't mess with whoever had the balls to deal with Miss Malachite herself. Of course, a few of them didn't have enough brain cells to understand a warning from one of the most powerful gangs in Mistral, and tried to mug me clean the moment I got out and managed to hammer a deal.

There was a reason as to why handheld railguns were all but banned outside of Atlas control. "Well, you've got guts, kid. An honest streak a mile wide too." I frowned at Miss Malachite's statements, staring down into my empty shot glass as she moved to refill it once more, a nostalgic expression on her face. "It'd take me about three days of pestering to be able to get the same thing out of Roman, you know?"

"Point is?"

"You're callous, sonny." Miss Malachite ruffled my hair, and I could only grumble about it as I downed another shot. Still non-alcoholic, which was nice. "To be honest, I never really did get as to why we need subtleties in these kinds of things, but if I were any less unscrupulous I would've milked you for what it's worth. Roman's word or not."

I reared back with a frown on my face, hand ready to draw my gun, but Miss Malachite waved me off with a huff. "What I'm saying is that don't expect your bluntness to work in every situation. As for your request however..." Her eyes narrowed, and I felt like she was trying to bore a hole through me. I would've done the same if she actually attacked, although the metaphorical bore would be much more literal. "...Someone had the brilliant idea of copying that little Roman's work and has been stealing Dust right before it gets distributed to everyone in the business. Hard not to know who they were, considering they just up and told us that they were raiding all our incoming Dust supplies lest we acquiesce to their demands."

My eyes narrow. "I've got a bad feeling about this..."

"Then your intuition's as sharp as ever, sonny." Miss Malachite smirked, sliding over a letter towards me, with a very familiar crest. "How about you meet with your dear ol' family members and persuade them to stop, eh?"

Damn it. I really didn't want to involve myself with them.

[From the Ashes]

Roman stared at me as if I were insane. Which I obviously am, considering that I looked serious enough to charge straight into a horde of Beowolves, which counts as suicide by proxy for those that know me. Seriously, Ursae are dead meat when compared to my usual tactics, which ultimately equate to 'stand as far away as possible from the Grimm and shoot them with an Atlesian battle rifle'. I assume Neo was of the same mind, since she was constantly checking me out for any sort of brain damage. It was cute and endearing, but also incredibly annoying.

"I can handle this."

"This situation is so out of our control that we can't just 'handle this', Hheron." Roman mocked, even making air quotes as he took a large drag out of his cigar and blew the crowd straight at me. It annoyed me, and we both knew it. "Raven Branwen is one of the most successful people in these parts of Mistral because she can strong-arm people into going along with her whims. And now she's gunning for you. That means that she knows who we are, and what we're trying to do. And she doesn't like it. We're still at the phase where we can't afford to outwardly antagonise those stronger than us. You know it'd be absolute chaos in the streets if the Branwen tribe invade, and the Grimm would follow. It'd be like Vacuo all over again."

A scowl escapes my lips at that, accompanied by a flashes of imagery that I wanted to get off my head. Black figures huddled in the sandstorms, accompanied by human screams as cracks of rifles pierced through the air, the fallen rubble and the rising ground that made it difficult to get solid ground...A momentary respite of clear skies that showed the mangled corpses of those who tried to escape. "Sit down for a second, kid, and let's think this out before you rush in like an idiot." Roman's voice snaps me out of my thoughts, and I blinked to find myself in a posh room filled with comfortable couches, shattering mirrors echoing in our wake.

Neo...? "You're thinking again, Hheron." A calm voice snaps me out of it, and hands settle upon my shoulders as Roman's face comes into view. "Now, while I appreciate that specific skill of yours when it comes to our jobs, it's not that charming when I find you burning yourself out every night." I wince. Just how did-? Neo. Of course, it was Neo. Roman never really needed to curb her spying tendencies-

-Slap.

I blink. With a gaping mouth, I stare at Roman's hard eyes, a harsh breath escaping his lips as he takes a seat beside me. "Look kid, I'm not sure that I should be the one doing this. Ornus knows I fucked up with Neo somewhere, but I'm sure Tyre would chew me out for letting you go on like an idiot." He takes a drag out of his cigar, and turns away from me before puffing out the smoke. "So let's state the facts, Hheron. You have a lot of baggage with you. You haven't let it out. You've been running around who-knows-where for the last decade or so doing who-knows-what, all for some ill-gotten revenge plot. Now that you've gotten your revenge however, what are you going to do now?"

Silence filled through the air as I focused on the empty space in front of me, my hands balling into fists as I tried to come up with a solution. I knew that I'd be pursued the moment I did my job in Vale. I knew that I would be responsible for a lot of the deaths that happened. I knew that I needed to escape somewhere, hide, and get another new identity. After that, after that...

'As much as you wish for it Hikigaya Hachiman, there is no power in this world that would allow you to return back home.'

"I..." The all-knowing voice of a genie flashes through my head, and an indescribable feeling of hollowness surges through me. My arms quiver, and my neck freezes up as my eyes grow even wider. I thought to be an inconvenience at the time, considering everything that happened in Vacuo, but... After that... After Tyre's revenge, after Ornus' revenge... There's nothing for me is there?

Not even a hero's welcome. Not even a safe and loving family. I threw it all away just to be a fugitive, and for what? To make another criminal empire? To help my brother by choice accomplish his life goal of drowning out all memories of the slums that he used to come from? What happens to me after that? When even that was done? I can't get back. The genie all but said so.

"Fuck..." This was pathetic, and I knew it. Hikigaya Hachiman does not cry. Hheron Branwen is a sterling young man who always bore the pain of others, and she'd tears for them. But never for himself. Always for others. But Hikigaya Hachiman does not cry. Who am I really? I was naught but a spirit who wanted to do the impossible. Hheron wanted the impossible. "I... A family was all that I had left... and, and I fucked it up. I can't go back. I-I can't." My eyes shifted to Roman, eyes wide and crazed, not even bothering to hide the tears that flowed across my face. "What do I do?"

"Where do I belong, Roman?"

The thief's eyes shifted downward, clutching his cane even tighter. I could hear the metal creak, but it seemed like he was lost in his own mind, words occasionally escaping through his lips. "I thought you know", he eventually said, "I thought as to what would happen after Vacuo. Here I was, reduced to nothing again. Nothing but a street rat pretending to be a big shot once more."

"It's hard, to think about it. To think about what actually happened, to see the deaths of those that died around you, while you lived. To choose your own life above another's, to see each and every single person you abandoned just lurking out of the corner of your sunconscious, damning you with your glares." Roman sighed, shifting in the seat next to me as his cane clanked against the floor. "... Sometimes, you wonder why you even bother."

A smile played on his lips, green eyes turning towards a particular dust bunny on the ceiling. "I found my reason not even a month after the entire thing. A mean-spirited midget with a penchant for the things that her father never allowed her to have. Might be a little more than sadistic, but she became an annoyance. Then, a partner. Finally, my responsibility. Little minx always grows on you like that."

I hacked at the cloud of smoke that flew through my face a second later, throwing a stray haymaker at Roman and missing as the damn bastard stood up. His hat was back on his head, and he kicked up Melodic Cudgel in his waiting grip, accompanied by a sudden shattering of mirrors as Neo suddenly looked very interested on whatever Roman had on his face right now. "Find your reason, kid. Every cook's got someone to feed, after all. Doesn't have to be a living person, if you're into that. Until then, you're off the job."

Mirrors shattered a second later, and I found myself in an empty room, a musty smell filling the air. I don't think that I can just stand up. My legs were too tired. So, I tried finding a crutch, a lovely little pillow that I can lean upon as I try to get myself back up. But I found myself laying down on the couch, pillow held in an iron grip, as I stared at the stray ceiling fan slowly make its rotations.

So...i was off the job. That meant to wage, no salary, no influence. All I had are my wits, and everything that I could scrounge from my fake bank accounts. Nothing exceeding a thousand lien, I was sure. But there was a silver lining in there somewhere. That a part of me felt relieved that I wasn't part of the entire mess that was Mistral's gang wars. That I was free to do whatever I pleased. That I could find the others, catch up, and hope to the Brothers that they were willing to help fund another orpha- No. No, I can't find myself doing that.

As I found myself withdrawing every single ounce of lien that I had on my scroll, I spotted a small, insignificant thing upon a map of Mistral. It was naught but a tiny little thing, nothing more than a few lines and a grainy picture on a city close to a railroad, but the words beckoned me to focus. To make sure that I wasn't dead or dreaming.

With a heavy sigh, I booked a train to Argus. Damn ticket didn't even cost me 20 lien.

[From the Ashes]

Panic, then fear, then dread. Everything that I saw in my nightmares, only multiplied even higher by the fact that I didn't even have the slightest bit of Aura, and the forest was more than spooky and foreboding enough to make sure that any idiot with a brain knew to avoid it. Yet still, I ran through the bushes, tearing off bits and pieces of clothing behind me like a trail of breadcrumbs towards the Grimm. It wasn't Vacuo for sure, which meant that this was another one of Hheron's memories. His escape from that damn orphanage. His death.

My takeover.

I can clearly see myself moving through the same bushes, as if already tethered towards him. Nothing but a wisp, a gray cloud of utter insignificance compared to the large, looming creatures slowly stalking through the trees. For being all but an orphan in name however, Hheron was quick on thinking with his feet. A quick jump here, a swerve there, anything to keep his adrenaline pumping and muscles moving. Cramps were starting to settle in however. The moment he stops, he's going to hurt like hell, and he'll manage to draw an entire regiment of Grimm on his tail.

Finally, a break. Light filtering through the trees, and he quickly deduces that there's a clearing not much further. The sudden spark of hope wards off a Beowolf about to strike, but only for an instant - Hheron's moving again, sprinting through the trees and trying to break line of sight. He skids to a stop the moment he rushes through the bushes however, seeing one of the guards currently being chewed on by an Ursa.

He freezes, suddenly aware of the bloody gurgles that tried to escape the Atlesian soldier's mouth before his neck gets mangled by an Ursa's paw. Hheron freezes, negative emotions swirling around him like a hurricane, and warped concern for the rest of his comrades coupled by crippling fear turns every Grimm's head within a hundred meters. The Ursa turns to face him, blood dribbling from its lips, and the moment its paw moves forward, Hheron suddenly explodes into action.

The Ursa surges forward, bounding on Hheron in an instant, but he had already gotten the rifle of the fallen Atlesian soldier. His mind moving kilometers in a minute, his face contorted into absolute fear and denial, he points the barrel towards the crashing maw of the Ursa and fires.

A loud bang echoes through the air, followed by a flash of light as Dust ignites and pierces through the Ursa's flesh. The recoil smacks Hheron to the ground, all breath living from his lungs, but he continues on firing as round after round meets Ursine flesh and slowly starts to tear it apart. His voice was animalistic, more so that the bear that tried to kill him, and as the sound of an empty magazine echoes through the still air, he heaves a few deep breaths at his target.

By a twist of fate, the Ursa stumbles backwards, barely crushing Hheron under its weight as she's slowly begins to come out of its form. A thud echoes through the clearing, hyperventilating breathing tinged with joy, and I honestly felt a smile forming on my face at the sight. I knew better than to hope however, seeing the flock of Beowolves rushing into the clearing and immediately spotting Hheron by the center.

Its howl shocks Hheron out of his victory, and his screams stain the air a second later as fangs cut deep into his right shoulder. Blood stained the air, the dark red liquid splattering on the grass around him as the coppery taste immediately filled his mouth. Years of training and experience told me that it was a fatal wound, and Hheron would feel the pain for about a quarter of a day before the blood loss eventually took him. Until then however, unimaginable pain. Pain great enough that protocol dictates immediate euthanasia.

Even though the Beowolf dies a second later by a familiar scythe blade, the damage was already done. Hheron was sprawled out on the forest floor as his vision wavered, voice hoarse, croaked, and all but begging for the pain to stop, and the blood red cloak that flashed by his vision didn't help matters at the very least. Even as Qrow brandished his blade and rendered the entire party to dust, there was no point. Hheron was all but dead.

"Fucking... Semblance!" Harbinger carves through the last Beowolf, and Qrow stabs his greats word through the Grimm a few more times as he screams in anger. Tears stained the corner of his eyes, and when the Grimm finally collapses to Ash, he stabs the ground with his sword and lets out a slow breath. Red eyes slowly open, cold yet concealing the regret that formed on his face, even as he shakily grabs his sword from the ground beside him and slowly walks over to Hheron.

He can't talk anymore. Heron's blood was probably choking him out by the second, and he wouldn't even last that longer if it was the case. A light shimmer began to overtake him, his soul's reaction to his demise, yet Aura was not enough to keep him from choking to death. Even as his wounds started closing, even as the internal hemorrhage was being dealt with, he would still die due to the amount of blood that he can't get off his throat.

Qrow stood over him, quickly diagnosing his soon-to-be cause of death. Silver orbs meet red, and a choked sob rises out of the man, the gears in his mind clicking at the last moment as he kneels on the ground beside Hheron. "Sorry... Sorry, kid. I... My..." Qrow closed his eyes, lips quivering as he slowly took a deep breath to behold the mistake that would haunt him for life. "I'll stay with you. Until you die. I... I swear that I'll bury you with full honors."

A weak twitch of a finger was all he got from Hheron. Yet I knew at that moment that the little insignificant wisp that had lingered upon the edge of the tragic scene was pulled from its place, spiralling down right over Hheron's heart, and being spread thinly all over his body. Almost like a second skin.

The spirit coughs, blood gushing out of its mouth, and in exchange for Hheron's life, Hikigaya Hachiman is pulled back into the living.

[From the Ashes]

My vision returns, throbbing headache mangling all sense of direction as I slowly awoke from my slumber. Everything felt cold, even with the layers of clothing that I bought on the way to... wherever this is, and the early morning light shines through a bunch of leaves as a breeze slowly rustles my hair to slowly bring me awake. If this was the world's way of saying sorry, then I would've demanded them to bring me back to my old life. To Komachi. To the Service Club. To my friends.

To Earth.

I blink, trying to move my arms in any direction, only for a tin to roll off a bench and bounce onto the stone tiles. The grating sound wakes me up even further, and I narrow my eyes at one of the most popular cans of beer on Remnant, neatly stacked into a pyramid with the cherry on top quite a few ways from the bench. I figured that it was probably my idea. Which made me try and remember what happened the previous night, but a weird... fuzzy, buzz kept on playing around my head.

My hands twitch, aiming to check my pockets just in case someone tried to mug me, but a soft voice instantly shatters my thoughts. I freeze in place, thoughts flying in all directions as I wonder as to whether or not my mind was failing me and I actually died of hypothermia, but I knew that I was dead the moment fingers wrapped around one of my arms and tugged it closer to... whoever it was.

When somebody comes across the scene later, they would immediately say that I didn't scream. That they would swear on their lives and honor on their families that Hikigaya Hachiman, spirit possessing Hheron Branwen's body, did not scream like a girl at that very moment. That he was simply pleasa- damnit Hachiman - surprised of the cuddle bug beside him, a full head of brilliant red hair and verdant green eyes the color of grass. That he was sure that whoever it was he had awoken with on that bench, he had not laid a hand on whoever it was, and he would sue anyone who said so. That whoever it was on the bench beside him while he was sleeping had signed a contract that they take full responsibility for whatever actions that he or they did and did not do, and that any deviation from the truth would immediately count as a case of libel against a civilian court.

Above all else, she didn't crack up at seeing my panicked, confused, embarrassed, and pleased expression all at once. I-I mean, did you seriously think that I have what it takes to sleep with someone that beautiful, huh!?

"S-Sorry if I scared you there... Hrk!"

Damn you woman! I heard you laugh! "And I'm also sorry for any kind of misunderstanding that I might have caused with you. I know that my husband and daughter would make a bid deal out of this. They sure would..." Oh dear Brothers it was worse. The situation had just went from bad to worse. I have a sinking feeling that it was just going to be a road straight off a cliff. "Would it bother you to come with me and explain the situation?"

"Yes. Yes it would bother me so very much. Please leave me alone. I'm going to go find the nearest cliff and throw myself off it." Stop trying to make me stay, woman. I beg you to please let this matter go. For both me, and your continued reputation. There are already people whispering around the damn place, pointing fingers at us and everything. I'll have to disappear. This was a bad idea. I'm going to go back to Roman with the mighty dogeza and ask him for funds to complete a full plastic surgery.

Instead, the woman simply wiped a tear from her eye and leaned back against the bench, letting out a laugh that sounded eerily familiar... "Ah, my daughter was right. You are fun to tease."

... My mouth narrows into a neutral line. Red hair, similar features. Genetics may be responsible for the lack of hair color, but the father would probably be responsible for half. I needed to get out of here. For completely different reasons than before. I'm sure it was just a bit of paranoia, but there's nothing like coincidence in this world. "And your daughter is who exactly, Ms...?"

"Nikos. Helena Nikos." I hold my breath, mouth suddenly dry, even as I stare at the hand proffered in front of me as if it was a glowing piece of metal. Which it was. It obviously was. I didn't prepare for this. I didn't prepare for any of this. All I wanted is to check out as to whether or not the rumor holds true, but I can't get out of this situation. Not without... "Come on, I won't bite."

Damn it. Damn it all. "...Hheron. Just Hheron." I eventually mutter back, fingers lightly crossing over the woman's own as I tried to yank my arm back immediately. Instead, I found my hand wrapped in comforting warmth, even as the woman in front of me beams with a wide smile, even as she talks about her daughter visiting with her newly-minted boyfriend a couple of hours later.

When I couldn't stop her from continuing on her spiel, I turn around to garner some sympathy for the rest of the residents, but all I find is a sandstone statue. Preserved in lacquer, scratches by weathering all over its surface, but eerily similar to the memories that I wanted to forget. Of Vacuo, of the VAGC, of that damned beach... It all came crashing back down, and force once, I wasn't prepared nor blacked out for it. Everything came in a particularly crashing blow as I stare with held breath at the sight of my partner immortalized in stone, grinning at an unseen figure with an unwilling figure beside her.

This time, made out of compressed ashes. I could recognize the eyes, looking eerily similar to a dead fish. I could make out the shaggy hair that he didn't bother trimming once during his stay in the VAGC. I could see the individual folds in the scarf that surrounded his neck, hiding the scars that he once received from a time long past. I could see his weapons sheathed around his waist and hips, along with the rifle slung over his shoulder. I could only gape at the statue of obsidian and ash, even as I shakily took a step back, away from the woman's grip.

Helena Nikos let go, a wistful smile on her face quickly flowing away from my mind as I stared agape at the statue of her deceased daughter and her partner in their usual positions. Whoever sculpted the danm thing even had the brooding expression down to a tee. "I take it this is your first time seeing the statue."

She said it so softly, as if almost disappointed that I hadn't visited here before. Her mother stood alongside me, wearing a nostalgic smile on her face, even as she steps forward and reads the title of the statue itself, a mere three words unlike the detailed biography that was etched in cursive script.

"It's called 'From the Ashes', by Oliver Birch. I thought it would be fitting, don't you think?"

No... No it definitely wasn't.

[From the Ashes]

Breakfast at the Nikos residence is both parts awkward and fulfilling. For the first time in my entire stay in this hellhole called Remnant, I had finally found the perfect brew of coffee that I had been searching for this past decade. No more drinking caffeine water. No more drinking whatever the hell Atlesian Black was supposed to be. This blend of simply pure, bittersweet, Georgia MAXXX Coffee. On the other hand, I am currently dining with Tyre's mother. The mother of my former partner, who I razed an entire Kingdom as 'revenge' for her death.

Somehow, the hole in my gut simply grew bigger. "Here", she said, the matronly voice that she exuded at odds with the guilt that currently simmered beneath the surface. "It's not much, but it'll have to do for the meantime. I still have to shop around for my little daughter's reunion, after all." The meal in front of me was a simple omelet, steam oozing out from the perfect yellow shell, and I would praise it to the high heavens if it were not for the fact that it was being served by the parents of my partner. My deceased partner. My dead partner.

"I..."

"Do you really think that just drinking enough beer to drown an entire bar counts as an early morning breakfast?" Helena Nikos raises an eyebrow at me, a little grin tucked beneath the locks of red hair that always reminded me of Tyre's own. I didn't move from my spot, still hanging over the perfectly warm meal like a serial killer, and the woman in front of me grasped my shaking hands, preventing me from lifting the damn fork to eat the damn thing. If this wasn't sending mixed messages, then I'm at my wit's end.

"Hheron, correct?" The stern voice snaps me out of the familiar-looking meal, and I gape at the instant shift from mother to something else. I could see the frown on the edges of her face, the wrinkles straightening to look more menacing, and the thin-set frown of her lips began to remind me of my own expression. Did I always look like that? Yes. Yes I did. It's just a bit surprising to see my own face mirrored on the parents of the partner that I... this was getting old. "I do not blame you for the loss of my daughter." Her grip tightens around my wrists, cutting off my flinch before it even began. "If you came here a month or two after her body was delivered to us, then I would've..."

Silence echoed through the still air, accompanied by a scroll's music locked away in a far room. Its haunting tones coincided with the increasing pain that I felt on my wrists, up to the point where I was considering on using Aura to make sure that she didn't break anything, but I knew that I deserved whatever she was going to do to me. "But that's not the point." Helena Nikos released my hands, and I quickly stuff them into my pockets and push my middling Aura into them. Considering that it was gone in a flash, it would seem like she underestimated my strength. "My daughter sacrificed herself to save your life, and the life of everyone else who had survived the siege of Vacuo. I would not cheapen her life by hating those that she saved."

"Although I am curious." Green eyes narrow into slits, and I take a deep breath and place a hand on my sword. "... What did Tyre see in you that she would be willing to go so far for your sake?"

More silence. My gaze fell down towards the plate of food, already lukewarm as the wisps of steam that rose out from it seemed to disappear in an instant. I opened my mouth to speak, only for no words to come out, my mouth simply hanging in the awkward atmosphere before I bit down on my tongue. "You really don't know?" Helena Nikos' voice snaps me out of whatever thoughts that I had brewing behind me, but the sheer incredulity in her voice makes me question about myself. What did I do, to deserve the dubious honor of chucking Tyre Nikos into an early grave? I don't know. Given that the person herself is dead, I would never know.

"...Or perhaps, you simply refuse to see yourself as such." The sliding of paper somewhere in front of me made me glance back up towards the table, finding Helena Nikos' previous expression to be gone. A sealed envelope was in her hands, the seal making me hold my breath, and I was pretty sure that my mouth hung open ever-so slightly at the sight of Tyre's seal on the damn thing, still pristine as if it was never touched. "This is one of her last belongings. The... the authorities found it on her body, addressed to the rest of us. One for her father, one for me, one for Pyrrha... and one for you."

I slowly reached out to touch the thing, afraid that it would just go up in smoke and disappear. It didn't, and even Helena Nikos let out a chuckle at the fact that I was so surprised by it. "I'll leave you to read it by yourself", she said as she stood up from her seat, moving over towards me before laying a hand on my shoulder. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be off to buy some food for when Pyrrha and her boyfriend comes here in a few hours." With that, she left, the clicking of the lock echoing through the empty house. My gaze turned back towards the letter in my hands with a worried glance, and I was all but tempted to throw it into the trash and set it on fire.

Was I scared? Now that there were no other individuals in my current vicinity... yes. My eyes strained to find out as to what kind of letter had she hidden amidst the envelope, but the ashes, soot, and sand that were stuck on it did nothing to help. There was no other choice than to open the damn thing up and read what's written inside.

The seal came off easily, but I made sure that it didn't break.

[From the Ashes]

To Hheron. Or Hachiman. I don't know - I just keep on calling you by both names and you keep on responding for both of them so ugh...

... nevermind. I'm going to start now. I think. As long as I don't keep on wasting paper. Funny to think that someone had a stock in some dilapidated building not far from where I... well, at least someone's thinking things through.

Anyways, if you're reading this, i died. Probably. The only reason that this is going into your hands while I'm alive is if you pry it from my cold, dead corpse. It's hard to be embarrassed about something that you're writing in case of death, but hey there's a first time for everything, right? Right. So, I'll start. Now. Probably. I might put it off again if I start going off in tangents once more.

So, I'm dead. And you're reading my last thoughts. Is it weird that I'm thinking of you right now? Sounds cliche and boring and awfully forward of me I know, but I can't help but wonder whether my little tyke's doing alright. Knowing you, I'm preparing myself for every eventuality as to what kind of bullshit you'd come up next. Not that I'm blaming you for that, however. It's actually quite amusing. And funny. At the very least, I seem to think so. Not sure about Roman and Ornus. I was all but convinced that Roman seemed to hate every fiber of your being until our first mission. Whatever happened in that White Fang base? You didn't want to tell me. Roman told me to go and screw myself.

Which brings me to here.

... I swear it was a good joke. Now, I'm sure that you might be asking me as to why I was willing to be so stupid to do such an idiotic thing like charging through legions of Grimm just to get at that Arthur Watts. It might be the look of pure murder on your face when I mentioned that name. It might be because the guy was responsible for bringing down the... the VAGC. Ugh, seriously, who named this damned Academy? I swear I'll introduce them to my wonderful blade.

Ooor, it might be because I didn't think things through. Again. This is like, the nth time where I did something like this, but this time... I don't have you to bail me out of this one. Maybe I shouldn't have been so stupid to charge into this damn problem again, huh? I'm regretting it already. The sandstorm doesn't help matters, either. It's coarse, it's rough, and it gets everywhere... you get the point. If it weren't for you the last few times that I did this sort of thing, I would've been in a body bag much sooner than anyone would expect. Might even set a world record, really.

Alright, so maybe I'm rambling. Forgive me for this Hheron, Hachiman, but I've still got a few more things to say to the lot of you. While Ornus has been pretty busy in taking care of his kid, and Roman's been watching over his back like a hawk, you're just... there, hanging around the rest of us without no real purpose in life. I thought you said that you don't want the same thing that happened in your orphanage to ever happen again. Where did that go? Did your entire stay in the VAGC made you change your mind or something? The moment we graduated, I promised you that we'd be kicking criminal rings like there was no tomorrow. Of course, there went your usual pursuits of wanting nothing more than rest, but I think it was just formality back then.

So uh, I actually didn't think you were serious when you said that you were going to stay with me, no matter where I went. It might sound creepy from anyone else - and was I creeped out when you said that - but I realized that you were basically telling me that I had your back in everything else that I'd do in the future. Even if it might include marrying a hopeless piece of garbage that shouldn't exist. Maybe I should've left the ring with you, eh? Made it more clear what I wanted to do. Denseness doesn't even describe you that well, Hachiman. I swear.

But, the more we kicked butt, the more I came to the startling realization that you were just going to do that. You're going to stick by my side, helping me out in whatever I do... and nothing else. No plans to spend some vacation time at your foster father's place. No plans to just take it slow and get a tour around the Kingdoms. Hell, you didn't even flinch when I said that we needed to cancel our food trip to Vale because Pyrrha was coming along. That's not a good way to live. I'm not sure if I could live like that if we swapped places.

I... I guess that my actions must've bitten me more in the ass than I thought. I was so caught up in trying to make you better that I didn't even realize that I became part of the problem. Sometimes, you just zone out, stare into the world around you as if nothing ever existed, you know? It scared me, thinking that my partner would off himself at the earliest opportunity. But I should've been more scared when you stared at me and everything seemed alright. What happens when I'm gone? What happens if I die earlier than you?

And now I'm here, writing my last will and testaments while hiding under an armada of Grimm. I'm pretty sure that I'll die. I'll believe in the Brother Gods when I manage to pull myself out of this mess. But I still worry. I wouldn't worry about my parents or Pyrrha - they might grieve. They might be in sorrow. But I know that they'll move on sooner or later. But what about you, Hachiman? What would you do if I was gone?

... Ha, and I was thinking of making it light-hearted too. You know what they say, though. Sooner or later, you can't lie to the ones that you love.

So, yeah. Here's me telling the truth. Don't need a microscope to check out the subtext on this one. Stay safe, you hear? I'll be watching. Except for when you go back into your room. I shudder at the things that you might be doing while you're inside.

Yours truly,

Tyre Nikos, glad to have Hheron-Hachiman, as her partner.

[From the Ashes]

"RAARGH!" My Aura shapes itself to cover my hand as I try to punch a hole through the statue, only for nothing to happen. I didn't stop. Again, again, and again I try to crack the statue, to make sure that there was nothing left, but it still stood strong. Like her. Like Vacuo. Like Roman and the others. Unlike me. "Fucking... piece of... shit! JUST FUCKING DIE ALREADY!"

Another punch. Another action that did nothing. I all but gave up, my legs threatening to fall out from under me as I take my bloodied hand and try to slam it against the statue once more. This time, the blood sticks onto my caricature's eyes, only making the illusion seem more real. It was pathetic. I can't even vandalise properly. "Useless..."

"You seemed to take the letter well." A voice snaps me out of my thoughts, and I turn to see Miss Nikos holding a bag of goods, each strapped to an arm. A thin smile formed on her face, her matronly aura shining through, and she hefted up a paper bag to her face. "Instead of trying to deface public property, maybe you could help an old woman with carrying goods too heavy for her."

For whatever reason, a snort comes to my lips at that, even as I take Miss Nikos' baggage without much of a fight. "Please, you're too young to be calling yourself an old man."

"Lucky for you, my husband isn't here." Miss Nikos quipped in good cheer, making me slump forward and sigh as I began following her along winding streets and cobblestone. It gave me more time to stare at my nearby surroundings, seeing quite a few teenagers staring at me with something akin to awe on their faces, their fingers pointing and hushed whispers filling the air. I turn towards Miss Nikos with a raised brow, only for her to give me a coy smile in return. "It seems you're gaining more fame by the second. Might be a coincidence to see you trying to punch out your own statue, don't you think?"

I freeze. That meant that word was spreading right now. I had thought that coming here was a good idea, but given the military presence here, it would've been a death warrant. It would be, considering that they'd probably catch wind of my presence in a few hours. "I'm sorry", I blurted out, causing Miss Nikos to pause as she turned towards me with a puzzled expression on her face. "Look, I-I didn't want to intrude upon you, so I swear by the time that we get back to your home I'll be going. I'm sorry for being such a bother."

"Oh, so now you're being considerate?" I can still sense the hint of sarcasm in Miss Nikos' voice, but I still flinched. More out of guilt than anything else, and coming face-to-face with a truth that I didn't want to know. Her demeanor changed an instant later, laying a hand on my arm as she gave me a soft smile. "... I'm sorry, dear. It's been a... trying time, to get her words into your head. While I'm happy to see that my approach worked, I'm not particularly keen on the outcome." The rage, the screaming, and even though I tried so many ways to get rid of the damn thing, I just couldn't. So I turned towards punching off that face from the damn statue. I didn't deserve to be there, vaunted alongside Tyre. Not me - Hikigaya Hachiman, liar extraordinaire.

"... All of it's my fault. I'm sorry."

"Now don't you be a downer here", Miss Nikos piped back, turning towards me with a frown on her face. "My daughter... Even though I'm sure you didn't know at the time, she enjoyed your company. Up until the very end." My lips purse, with green eyes immediately narrowing onto my change in expression as a teasing smile came on her face. "Oh, what's this? It'd seem like she enjoyed your company more than I ever expected. Would you care to share?"

"I don't want to." Damn that beach. Damn myself too, unconscious reactions are hard to fake, so Miss Nikos could only chuckle and pat myself on the shoulder as we continued on our path to the Nikos household.

"To be fair, I would've approved of you regardless." She suddenly spoke, causing me to blink at where she was suddenly coming from. "I wouldn't know if my husband would have to traumatise you first, but you have my seal of approval." I open my mouth to speak, but Miss Nikos silences me with a glare. "Now normally I would be apprehensive of someone like you, Tyre's letters painted a picture of what you were. What you could become once more. A lazy, cynical young man that always searches the easiest way out of a situation. Couldn't fight for his life with a sword, but can aim properly with any guns that he can get his hands on. Always liked fighting from the back line, more suited to giving support for the rest of his teammates."

"Might act like a puppy craving for his master's attention too, her letters told me." My cheeks turn red even as Miss Nikos chuckles and shifts some of the baggage in her arms, and we turn another into their neighborhood. "I can quite understand as to why you were so attached to her however. She was the only one willing to help you during your... rocky, first month's at the VAGC, right?" I don't know how she pronounced the acronym without gagging or snorting in laughter. "I guess you run by the rules of quid pro quo."

"It's a give and take relationship."

"Of course it was." She countered back with a sly smile, stopping at the front door as she fumbled for her keys. In her impromptu quest, she brought out a small box, her green eyes locking onto them immediately as a flicker of emotions cross her face. Eventually, she settled onto a snort and a smile, passing on the box towards me with a smile. "Hold onto that", she warned me, before pulling out a keyring from her pocket and unlocking the door. "Come in."

"Your box-"

"Did I say that I wanted it back?" I fell silent, feeling a twinge of curiosity at the small thing as I opened it, finding a plain ring in polished sandstone. By all means, the moment I put this on, it was going to snap when my fingers ever grow, but I guess it would fit... on... any finger...

For now...

My mind flashes back towards the letter in my pocket, the faded ink growing heavier and heavier by the second. I stare at the innocuous little thing, connecting it to an innocuous little line, and I can't help but stare at the ring in slight awe. My lips might be trembling. My eyes might be tearing up. All of a sudden, everything clicks, and I make sure to hug the damn thing close to me as my legs finally fail, sending me kneeling in front of the Nikos household, clasping the damn sentimental, little, insignificant... ring in my arms like some sort of weirdo.

A hoarse scream erupts from the base of my throat, a hand coming up to shield my eyes from everything else as I soon felt a warm embrace against me. It wouldn't stop. It never would. But at the very least, I hope that I would get used to it, given enough time.

[From the Ashes]

I sat on the bench close to the statue, taking in Tyre's figure with a soft sigh. A can of coffee sat beside me, condensation pouring out in waves, half-filled with the life giving liquid. Once more, my eyes move back towards the statue, eyes fluttering at the frankly horrible statue of me that stood beside her. Hunched posture, hands in pockets, lackadaisical attitude with blank eyes more often than not focusing on a scroll, he was the bane of true Hunters everywhere, from Atlas to Vacuo.

Yet it's quite ironic, to be both Hero of Vale and Atlas fugitive at the same time. "How'd you deal with it, Tyre? With everything?" I knew that I was talking to a statue. I know that I might have some sort of mental problems by considering the fact that I was currently talking to a statue. But this time, I can admit that I'm lost. I'm lost and I have nowhere to go. I didn't belong anywhere in this world, except if one wanted to make a pile called 'Grimm fodder'.

Well, I haven't stopped with the self-deprecation, that's for sure. I wouldn't be Hikigaya Hachiman otherwise. My eyes closed, slowly taking in the details as to what had happened on my decade-long rampage, along with some unsavory facts that I had to accept, no matter what.

"You will not be able to return home, Hikigaya Hachiman. Not until you die."

The genie's words ring through my ears, reminding me of a truth that I would like to forget in the bowels of madness. No matter what I do, I can't go home. Not until I'm dead, anyway. The cliff looked oh-so-inticing, but glancing at the Nikos Household, where Helena Nikos was busy making conversation with Jaune Arc? I could read the mood, no matter how Roman wants to object to the opposite. "What do I do Tyre, when I'm stuck between returning to my family, and wanting to stay longer with the rest of them? I can't take a magical third option here."

My deal with Raven Branwen still stands around in my mind, and I wanted every bit and fiber of my being to make sure that I spit on her face. But not when she's still a Maiden. Not when she's a bandit with no qualms about killing like Qrow and the others do. I'm going to need a magical third option here, one that doesn't result in all-out war on Mistral's streets. "To be honest, I don't know where to start. I can't just leave things be. I've got Roman to protect. A niece to spoil. A student to train. A sister and a family to make up to. Prioritzing hasn't always been my strongest suit, you know? There was a reason as to why they made you leader."

Of course the statue wouldn't reply, idiot. Versions upon mockeries of those lines crop up somewhere in the back of my mind, but I quickly trim them down to more manageable pieces when I turn back towards the statue. A jingle catches my attention, and I turn towards the small sandstone ring currently serving as the relatively simple centerpiece of my new necklace. A thin smile forms on my face, but I quickly force it down as I tried to keep a smug grin from showing on my face.

It was hard, but it became more manageable over time. It would seem like these little reminders seem to lose their potency the more time that goes on. Kind of weird, isn't it? How the easiest path to everything is just to accept that you're gone. I thought that I had a handle on that. Me, Hikigaya Hachiman, the guy who's hopelessly addicted to complexity. So I always figured that I might as well get some mileage out of my grief. Now look at where the world is: Vale reeling back, Atlas all but blaming others for its mistakes, and the Grimm amassing in number in Anima. You should've made me a more hopeful person. One that wouldn't just say 'fuck it' and drag the entire world screaming alongside his downfall.

Then again, you were pretty hopeless as well. I guess great minds think alike as well. "Oh yeah, let me tell you about Neo. You know, Ornus' kid? Yeah, she's about nineteen now, but don't make any jokes about her height. She's really shy about it, and she could be quite as vicious as her father when all the chips were down..."

And so I talked. My voice was shaky, uncertain, and everything else in between that isn't me, but I still kept on talking. Anything to pass the silence. Anything to ignore the fact that I wanted to bring back the chaos that the past once held. "So you know, I'm trying to get her a present, but I think that just giving her a truckload of ice cream is bad for her health. You think so?"

My lips purse as I wait for an answer that would never come, and I sigh and lean back onto the bench, gazing up towards the sky, where a gray expanse hung over the entirety of Argus. A bitter laugh escapes my lips as I hold out the sandstone ring for me to see, a thin smile on my face. "I guess it's both of our fault. If I... Well, if I've been more conscious of myself then this would probably never happen. Maybe if we just..."

"Professor, help!"

I sigh, tucking my necklace back into the folds of my clothing as I glance back towards the impromptu picnic just a few feet away, finding Miss Nikos turning over my student with a discerning eye. A small chuckle forms across my lips, a mere shadow to what it was like before, but baby steps. I'd get there. I have to.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming..."

---

AN: To the end of this chapter! Twas Broken Paladin before, but after a little bit of soul-searching I found myself bearing the name of Erithemaeus! For reasons, but the biggest one is because it actually resembles a pen name.

AAnyways, this is the fourth chapter of This War of Mine, continuing on with the events from the first chapter. I'm currently editing the damn thing since I'm sure that most were turned off by the bad grammar, but eh I did the first chapter on my phone. Not really a good thing, considering it just fits in my palm unlike the new-fangled doohickeys that seem to be one-upping each other in the size department...

... I'm not jealous, I swear.

So! About this chapter's themes. I wanted to bring more focus into what comes 'after', along with the disillusionment that one would have at the end of accomplishment. For 8man, it's the joy of managing to stop Salem's plans once more, but she's not really featured that much in this chapter. After all, this one's a character study. This time, of a Hachiman with all his purpose robbed, and how he initially deals, reacts, and slowly copes with it.

Due to this, I had to scrap my preview. Sorry about that, but adding a fully-functioning Hheron in this story would just blow off all stakes. Having a dead man as your constant aid would be quite the tension-breaker.

Also, I added a few little bits and details to answer some questions that one might or might not have, all in the power of details. While I wanted to talk a bit more about the way that I have been writing this entire chapter, I'll save it for another time. Until then, peace.

Or at least, until mah next poll. Mwahahahaha!

EDIT: Poll's up!