RWBY: Grey Chapter 9

Blake dashed through the forest, Sun a few meters behind her. "You know, you seem pretty worried about him." He commented. "Huh? Oh... well... he is my teammate." She replied. Really, is that the only reason why she's worried? Wait... why am I questioning her... well actually it's because she's not the kind of girl who gets attached to many people, and she seems really attached to this guy she's only known for a week... Ughhh, it's frustrating, but I have to deal with that later, right now she wants help finding him, so that's what I'll do.

They reached the grave site, and were met with an odd sight. An enormous black sphere was suspended in mid air behind the graves. Blake and Sun's sprint screeched to a halt as they became transfixed by the object. "What is that thing?" She asked quietly. He shrugged, more to himself as he knew she couldn't see him. He felt a sharp shock rip through his head. "I don't know, but man... looking at it gives me a headache, it's like that thing is vibrating but my mind can't keep up with it." He groaned. "I... I think it is... I... can hear it humming." She said.

He began rubbing his fingers against his temples, his vision now suffering from his inability to process its movement. "You hear humming... for me it's like... someone slamming on a snare drum." He said. Blake slowly inched closer to the sphere. I don't get it... why is it floating? Sun felt his stomach churn, and he threw his hands over his mouth. "Sorry, I can't do this... I'll see you back at the school." He said, before spinning around and darting away from her.

She gave him no regard, and slowly crept closer, now being about eight feet from the sphere. Her hand reached out due to her rampant curiosity. A tiny bit of the black mass pulled away, splitting silently from the whole. The small substance darted around her hand, caressing her fingertips, and dancing in her palm. Without warning, the substance shot back into the sphere. The spot where the masses merged began rippling. Moments later, a hand, or at least the shape of a hand, emerged from the disturbed location.

More of a form began pulling itself out. Eventually, it was completely clear as to what, exactly, it was. It was Yuri... well, at least it seemed to be. His arms had become strange and gangling, his torso distorted. He was a solid black, and seemed to be incoherent as to his surroundings. His cold, dead looking eyes lacked pupils. His head twisted in a rather painful looking manner, then his gaze shot up to her, his eyes locking with hers.

"Oh... it's... you." He said, his voice was nearly indiscernible, and it rasped with heavy wheezes as he spoke. The long pauses between his words were filled with a nasty, gravelly crackle that seemed incredibly unnatural. She began to speak, but only had time to utter his name "Yuri-" before she felt the cold grip of his fingers on her skull, hindering her vision, a heavy gust from motion, then a sharp pain on the back of her head. He slammed me into a tree? She gave a shriek of pain when he spun her around. The feeling of his fingers on base of her neck brought no comfort.

Now she could see, just barely. My vision is so blurry... is that blood!? Oh god... is he trying to kill me!? Why? He threw her forward again, the left side of her brow slamming into the tree. He repeated the action again, then stopped. The massive pain that tore through her face and skull was nearly unbearable, and she knew that if he did it again she may not survive. Her hands dropped to her sides, as she realized that his grip was unshakable. Her fingers brushed against Gambol Shroud, and she squeezed her hand around the hilt, and she tore it from its sheath and swung it behind her.

She felt the blade tear into his flesh, but he didn't even seem to notice. His other hand wrapped around her wrist, squeezing her so hard that she had no choice but to drop her weapon. As it clattered against the protruding roots of the tree, she felt his face near her ear. He drew in a deep breath and spoke with a voice that was more reminiscent of his normal speech, but no less horrifying. "Wanna hear a secret? I'm not Yuri... nope... nope, not him... not him." He said. "Then... who are you?" Blake asked.

The thing burst into a heinous laughter that echoed in her ears. "I am him... but... I'm not... I'm his Faunus... and I want to kill you." It said. "What... why?" She asked. It rammed the hand that was once holding her wrist into her cheek. "Don't you fucking tell me you've forgotten what YOU DID TO US!" It screamed. What? What? What... did I do? "He may have forgotten what you did... oh but I didn't... I'm going... to fucking end you right here, right now... because you can't be trusted." It said.

It squeezed its fingers that were gripping her neck, and she felt her body lock up. It bent down and picked up the Gambol Shroud. "This is yours, yes? Good, good." It said. It slid the blade across her throat, readying to slit it open. "You killed them, now I kill you." It said. It started to cut into her throat, but stopped. It gurgled, then screamed violently. The blade slipped from its grasp, and it leapt away from her, pressing its back to the sphere. She spun around to see what had happened.

The thing was on its knees, clutching at its face. It screamed again, clawing at its own eyes. "No! She dies now! I won't let you stop me! Fuck... STOP IT!" It gave one final howl, then disappeared, melding back into the sphere. The mass vibrated wildly for a moment, then collapsed in on itself, giving off a bright flash that overwhelmed her sight. She shielded her eyes, but by that time it was simply to avoid any permanent damage.

The vibrations and noises stopped almost simultaneously, and her sight slowly began to return to her. After the ringing pain in her head subsided, she looked up. So... Yuri was in the sphere... At least, she assumed so... as he was lying unconscious on the ground where the sphere had once been suspended. She walked as quickly as she could to him. It wasn't until she was next to him that she realized he had changed from what Weiss had explained. From her estimation he seemed roughly six foot five. His hair was long and wavy, and it was splayed across his face and shoulders.

She stretched her hand toward his shoulder, then hesitated. Wait... maybe I... no... I trust Yuri, I don't believe that thing that attacked me was him. She pressed her hand to him, giving him a gentle nudge. He shifted slightly, then shot up. Blake jerked back slightly, then put her hand on his shoulder again. He looked quite distraught, even terrified. His breathing was heavy and uneven, and he seemed unaware of his surroundings, his head turning slowly as he took in the things around him. His eyes fell on Blake, then widened.

He looked at her for a moment. "What... happened to your face? You look like you got hit by a train." He said. He hand darted to cover her face. "It's nothing... I'm fine." She murmured. He blinked quickly, thoughts rushing into his mind with reckless abandon. Wait a minute... "You... had a run-in with the clone, huh?" He asked. She averted his gaze as best as possible, but she knew she couldn't hide it. She nodded. He sighed, evidently quite upset. "I'm sorry, Blake... there's no... wait..." His voice trailed off. "The command I gave that clone was to do away with anyone that had any ill will towards me... were you coming here to hurt me?" He asked.

Oh no... I didn't realize that... was that thing mad at me because I tried to touch the sphere? "I... touched the sphere, but only because I didn't know what it was." She said. I... don't know what it meant when it talked about "what I did to them" ... I don't even know who "they" are, so I won't tell him about it. He looked at her for a moment, then nodded. "I suppose the fact that you tried to touch it made him a little antsy. Here, let me fix you up." He said.

He moved her hand from her face, then tilted her head slightly to the side, trying to see what exactly he was dealing with. He made a noise of disdain as his fingertips brushed lightly over her skin. She shuddered in slight pain. He shook his head, clicking his tongue between his teeth as he did. "Ugh... I'm really sorry he did that to you." He said. He pressed his fingers to the bruises on her cheek and brow. "Royalty Ignition: Heal."

She felt a burning sensation on the side of her head, not a painful one, it was... more akin to the heat from a warming pad for sore muscles. She felt her vision skew, and her neck loosened, causing her head to go limp to the side. She remained that way for a while, unable to get her neck to follow any commands she gave it. Eventually, her muscles contracted, and allowed her head some more voluntary movement. "There you go. Ugh... now... the only problem with healing you like that is...oh... they're already here." He said.

She turned, now aware of the noises in the forest. A single Beowolf stood at the treeline, watching them. She made a move to turn and grab her weapon, but Yuri pulled her back to him. "What are you doing?" She questioned. He didn't have a weapon, and although she knew he was proficient with his hands, she still felt safer with her weapon at her side. He stood, turning his front to the creature. "I've been... changed... it's hard to explain. Just... let me handle it, please." He asked.

She backed away from him. Despite being worried about him, she had no grounds to dismiss his request, so she slipped behind the tree that was currently covered in her blood. The Beowolf slowly crept towards Yuri, but he seemed uninterested in the beast. As it stepped closer and closer, he sat down with his legs crossed, then began speaking to it. "Easy there, darling... you and I can have a polite interaction today." He said. To Blake's surprise, its head raised in what seemed to be some sort of understanding.

By this time it was standing mere feet from him. It pointed its head down towards him, obviously pleased with his scent. He reached his hand up to its nose, running his fingers through its fur. "Hmm, your fur is softer than I imagined. Look at you... so peaceful, so beautiful... you're a good girl." He mused. The creatures eyes closed, and it made a sound akin to purring. Is... he... getting along with the Grimm? He rubbed the creature's head softly. "See... you're not so bad, are you... you just don't understand... you don't know what our lives mean to us... but maybe you'll learn one day." He said.

The beast turned around, looking into the thick brush for the source of a sound. "Oh? What do you hear?" Yuri asked. Almost as if on cue, a young Beowulf peeked its head from the brush. It hopped out, then stalked along the ground over to Yuri as well. It looked at him, seemingly excited at meeting a different creature. "You must be her child... not to worry little one, I will not harm you." He promised. The young creature's arms stretched to Yuri's, tapping him lightly. It jerked back after their bodies touched, and Yuri laughed at its skittishness. After a moment, it leapt onto his lap, jumped in a small circle on his legs, then laid down on him.

He turned to Blake, who was marveling at the scene that had begun playing out before her, and waved her over. "You should learn about this. We have to extend our own understanding of others." He said, lifting the tiny creature into his arms. She sidled up next to him slowly, and he lifted the baby towards her. "Hold him." He commanded. She took the baby from him, and it wrapped its claws and arms around her midriff. It craned its necked to sniff her face, and once it had achieved its goal, it hopped from her arms.

He smiled as the creature returned to its mother, then lifted himself onto his feet. "Why aren't they aggressive?" She asked. He smiled. "Well... I'll tell you once we get back to the school, I'd prefer to tell everyone at once." He said. She nodded, and he turned back to the Grimm for a moment. "Good luck you two... be safe." He said. He took Blake by the hand, and pulled her along the path. "Aren't you worried? About the Grimm I mean?" She asked.

He thought about it for a moment, then smiled. "Our interaction with that young Beowolf... was likely the first time it had ever seen people... that's not something it will ever forget... when it meets a person again, it may not be aggressive towards them." He said. "Slowly but surely, if we try hard enough, we can change things, make life more peaceful. While I was in that sphere... my Faunus side told me... he told me that I was a hypocrite for loving only people, and that if I truly believed what I was saying, then I should try to save the Grimm as well." He said.

Wait... as in, the Faunus that tried to... kill me? It tried to murder me for a reason that may not even exist, and it wants save them? I... doubt many people have ever even humored that thought, let alone attempted it. Hell... I promised I'd help him with his dream of peace didn't I? Well... I suppose I got quite a bit more interesting. "So why exactly did you wait until early evening to come looking for me?" He asked her as they walked casually along the path. "Well... I told them that I knew where you'd be, but they wanted to check around the school first, just in case." She said. He nodded. "Fair enough, although, you were right, if I ever leave to do anything that doesn't involve my duties as a vigilante, I'll either be at the graves, or at the pond." He said.

She smiled. She had once worried when he walked through the door of the dorm about a week and a half ago that they wouldn't get along, or that he would begin to make life in the dorm more difficult, but now he just seemed like someone who had been there all along. "Well, its almost dusk, have you all eaten?" He asked. She nodded, before turning the question on its head. "Have you?" She asked. "Hmm, no... however... I'm not exactly hungry, so I suppose that I'll wait." He told her. They approached the small cliff east of the school, and they scaled it with little to no problem.

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Yuri sat on the floor with his back firmly against the wall. "So... Weiss has heard about this from my mother, and as I expected, had no knowledge of the topic." He sighed. "So... Royals. It's not an easy task to explain what exactly that is... but I'll do my best." He sighed again as the four girls looked on enthusiastically. "Humans and Faunus... are obviously ancient creatures... that much is known and widely accepted by the public, because it's true. Now... what most people don't know is how exactly people managed to survive when they didn't have weapons or Dust." He said.

He took a moment to stretch his legs, smiling as they popped, letting the tension pour from his muscles, as he had been cooped up in a sphere all day. "We all had one thing that the Grimm didn't. I'm sure I don't have to explain what that is." He said. Ruby perked up, her mouth taut with confusion. "But... Aura doesn't work like that, it's mainly defensive, and its other capabilities are primitive at best." She said. Yuri nodded, then stood up. "Very well... I suppose it would be simplest to show you. Royalty Ignition: Standard." He said loudly.

His body jerked into a perfectly upright position. A small black sphere now forming at his chest. "This is the Standard Ignition process for a Royal, we condense our Aura into our spines, and our bodies, which evolved differently, allocate the Aura to the area of our choosing." He said. "However, I'm a bit different, I'm... an Omni. Royal Ignition: Omni." He had barely finished his command when the black ball jumped to the top of his head. It burst out above his head, spreading to the tips of his head. After it seemingly rested, it began drifting upward, evaporating after a certain distance.

Weiss' eyes lit up as she saw the way his Aura was acting. "I get it. Royal... because your Aura looks like a crown." She said. "Indeed, right now my Aura is completely displaced from my body." He said. "Wait, that's not possible, you barely survived with 1% Aura back in town before, so how could you be fine with no Aura now?" She asked. He tilted his head. "Well if you don't believe me you could just check my stats on your Scroll. Also, for some reason, activating Royal state... changes us... destroys our dependence on our Aura. I've never known how it works... but it does." He said.

She did, pulling out her Scroll and checking his biometrics. "Holy... He's right. His Aura is at zero." She said. "Royal Ignition: Shutdown." He said. His Aura on the Scroll jumped back up to 95%. "Wow... that's... something." Weiss said. Yuri began panting. "I don't use it enough to warrant any kind of amazement... it's just a part of me... and I thought you all should be aware." He told them. He looked outside, then back to them. "I'll be back in an hour or so, I want to check on something. Then... I want to get a shower." He said. The girls gave him a wave goodbye, and moments later he disappeared.

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Yuri peeked inside the room, then, seeing that the girls were asleep, pulled a new set of clothes out of his bag. He turned down the hall, creeping as quietly as possible to avoid waking any of the other students. He turned into the washroom, checking to see if anyone was there, although considering the time, he doubted very much that anyone would be. He quickly threw his change of clothes on the counter, and stripped bare. He angled himself underneath the shower head so that the cold spray of the water would miss him. His body shook a bit in anticipation of the warm water against his skin.

He heard a soft sound behind him and immediately spun around. Nothing. Oh, shit... calm down buddy... you're being paranoid. His hand darted under the water jets, but the water was still quite chilly, so he stepped back again. Another noise, this one was undeniably a set of footsteps, one that he in fact recognized. He spun around for a second time. Nothing, but this time, he wasn't fooled. "You may as well come out, Yang. You should know better than to think you can hide from me." He laughed. It was indeed Yang, as she peeked her head around the dividing wall. "Alright... what do you want?" He asked.

Actually... I know exactly what she wants.