AN: SORA FOR SMASH!
Also, apparently RWBY Volume 9 has been delayed until 2022. While it's a bummer, I understand that it's to keep the crew safe since COVID is STILL a problem.
I would like to thank Lord Maximus and ZeroTheOne for the help with this chapter.
Chapter 105
"Wow…" Ruby could only stare in awe at the numerous tents that had various games with prizes to be won, selling snacks and so much more.
"Got to admit. They know how to party," Yang said with a hand on her hip.
They had all agreed to check out a few games before going to the main building where dinner was being served.
"So this is kind of old fashioned, huh?" Jaune asked.
"Actually it is, going back to even before the Great War," Ozpin said, smiling a bit after Oscar allowed him to take over so to speak. "Before the Great War, Mistralians threw festivals like these in celebration of many occasions, many of which were born to ward off the Grimm. It was only after Mantle chose to limit self-expression did things start to change, but it was the Emperor of Mistral that agreed with Mantle and tried to impose it on his citizens."
"So what were they for?" Nora asked.
"Many occasions, such as a birthday in a family that had high social standing, honoring the dead, and even worshipping deities," Ozpin answered. "In the older days before the kingdoms, they were more barbaric, which is something I would rather not go into. Anyways, festivals such as these included a dance performed by a village priest or priestess to honor the topic of the festival."
"And the outfits?" Yang asked, gesturing to her kimono.
"Well, in early Mistralian culture that's still practiced by some today, it was important for the daughters of some important families to look absolutely beautiful to attract the eyes of someone important, like the son of nobility or even a war general to seek their hand in marriage and uplift the family's social standing. The daughters would be groomed to look stunning, to the point of embellishing them as their crown jewels. These days, it's a little less practical, but I guess they keep the tradition for the women to wear kimonos to festivals so they stand out in the crowds," Ozpin answered.
"That explains why they were working hard on the hair clip for Ruby," Yang said, smiling at the hair clip with the tiny jewels in Ruby's hair as her sister blushed. "Now I'm worried that we'll be fighting off boys that look at you."
"Yang!" Ruby whined, fidgeting a bit now.
It didn't help that all the lights reflecting off the crystals in her hair cast a glow around her that was enchanting to any eyes watching.
"Although, come to think of it, it's the girls we have to worry about, isn't it?" Yang added with a sly grin.
"Oh?" Aqua asked.
"Yaaaaaaang!" Ruby whined again, louder this time.
"This whole thing sounds a lot like Atlas," Weiss admitted as they passed a snack stand, ignoring the sisters' antics as usual. "Though at least I don't have to worry about that marriage nonsense here."
"Yeah, tonight is all about having fun. Stuffing our faces with food, winning prizes and having nothing but fun…" Nora said cheerfully, but then frowned at the end. "At least for some of us."
Oscar looked nervous a bit. "Um… any prizes you want? We can try winning some."
"It's okay, Oscar. You don't need to go out of your way to make me feel… better." Nora stopped when she saw a stuffed sloth at one of the game stands.
Jaune followed her gaze. "How about we get you a little friend to take home?"
"Say, why not make a little dare out of this?" Yang asked with a grin. "Everyone pick your games and let's see who wins the most!"
"You're on!" Ruby replied, now looking excited.
Ruby was grinning as she took the rifle and made several perfect shots, hitting the targets in the bullseye. "Yes!"
Oscar and Nora were at a fish stand, where they pick out a fish that they put down to "race" to others. Oscar may not have been around fish a whole lot, but he was a farmer and he knew just how to pick out the right fish that raced all over the place and reached the "finish line" first. Oscar rubbed the back of his head as he picked out the stuffed sloth for Nora, who smiled happily, taking it and hugging it.
Nora then spied a hammer with a test-your-strength game and grinned.
BANG!
A second later the game was broken in half, leaving Nora looking sheepish. Oscar could only look nervous from just how strong she really was.
Yang grinned as she grabbed two water guns and fired them like she was using Ember Celica, even making the punching motions. Hitting the clown's mouths and filling them up rather quickly, even though she was only supposed to be hitting one. When it was pointed out she just glared at the owner with red eyes and nicely "requested" her prize.
Jaune rubbed his head nervously while Weiss rolled her eyes, watching as he tried his hand at bowling, only for the ball to end up in the gutter. As for Qrow and Aqua, he tried winning a prize for his wife again, but his Semblance was getting in his way… again. At least until Aqua smiled and offered a little "help" with her telekinesis that guided the cork/bullet to its target and allowed Qrow to win her that stuffed Beowolf he had been eyeing.
"Looks like one heck of a haul," Yang said with a grin, holding a bag of prizes. "Who's got the most?"
"Don't look at me. I got the one I wanted," Qrow said, gesturing to the stuffed Beowolf in Aqua's arms.
"Me, too," Nora said, holding up her stuffed sloth.
"Uh…" Jaune trailed off, having not been able to win much.
Ruby had a bag of prizes as big as Yang's, but she started handing them out to surrounding kids. Shrugging, Yang started doing the same, but kept a stuffed dragon that she had won.
"Guess the kids are the real winners tonight," Aqua said with a smile, proud of her daughters for their generosity.
"Corsac?" Ghira asked uncertainly. "Fennec? What happened to you?"
"Stay away from it!" Blake yelled, but it was too late, as the Heartless roared and charged at him, both mouths snarling open.
"DAD!" Blake yelled, but then the Heartless was stopped in its tracks. Tifa had caught one of the Heartless's jaws and was holding it open with her bare hands.
"Little help here!" Tifa called out, and Ghira quickly extended the claws from his fingers, slashing at the head that Tifa wasn't keeping busy. The whole creature recoiled, and Tifa let go of it's other mouth, slamming the head into the ground hard enough to leave a crater in the floor. "Uh, sorry," she said sheepishly to Ghira.
"Doesn't matter," he said, retreating from the monster that was slowly starting to get up. "What do we do about this monster?"
"Not much," Tifa said.
"We need someone with a Keyblade to kill it," Blake said, running to stand next to Tifa with her weapon drawn.
"Wait, you know about the Keyblade?" Tifa asked.
"You know about the Keyblade?" Blake asked just as incredulously.
"Uh, guys, talk later?" Sun asked, seeing as the Heartless had gotten back up. It roared, and its tails started to glow blue.
"That doesn't look good," Ilia said, and she was proven right when a blast of ice was fired at Sun, knocking him into the wall behind him and freezing him to it. The Heartless snarled and charged at Ilia, but Tifa grabbed one of its tails, stopping it in its tracks.
"Oh no you don't!" Tifa yelled, but then one of the tails smacked her, sending her flying before the tails glowed yellow, hitting her with a massive bolt of Lightning. Tifa fell to the floor, convulsing before the Heartless continued it's charge at Ilia. Blake tried to fire at it, but the tails deflected it, before launching a fireball at Ilia, forcing her to block. The impact knocked her into the wall behind her, but then the Heartless swiped at the support of the balcony, making it collapse.
And Ilia was underneath it, still too dazed to respond.
"Ilia!" Blake screamed and ran to pull her friend out before the balcony collapsed on her.
Only she was too late. The balcony fell right as she grabbed Ilia…
"BLAKE!" Sun and Ghira screamed.
Just before it hit them, there was a flash of bright light. Blake opened her eyes to find herself and Ilia in the arms of a… giant blue-skinned… man with black hair tied in a topknot secured by a small gold ring. He had a small, pointed nose and curved, pointed ears. He wore a single gold earing on his right earlobe and had a black beard that ended in a curl.
"H-ELLO!" the giant… man said as he floated up, holding the two girls with a bright smile on his face. "The name's Genie of the Lamp but my friends call me Genie! How ya doin'?"
Everyone stared in stunned silence at the being, who put Blake and Ilia down.
"Now, who summoned me? Not a lot of people can do that without a certain lamp." Genie leaned down and noticed the charm Blake had, taking out a magnifying glass to get a better look. "Ah-ha! So you summoned me, and judging by that charm you got, you could only have gotten it from someone with skills in summoning. So, you magical or do you have a Keyblade?"
Blake was stunned to hear that. "You know about the Keyblade?"
"Know it, I'm pals with it!" Genie laughed.
The Heartless roared, catching Genie's attention. "Well, lookie here." He suddenly transformed, now wearing a police officer's uniform. "Seal off the perimeter! We got us a Heartless infestation!"
Genie clapped his hands and suddenly the room was sealed by metallic doors that hadn't been there before. "Showtime!"
He transformed again, this time wearing colorful boxers, with boxing gloves on his hands. "Yo, Adrienne!" he shouted in an almost incoherent voice, bouncing on his feet in a boxing stance. He rapidly punched the Heartless in both heads, and the creature decided to retaliate by swiping its tails at him.
"Up-bup-bup!" Genie said, transforming again, this time looking like a lion tamer with chair held in one hand and a whip in the other. "Bad fox! Bad!" He swung the whip at each tail resulting in nine loud cracks reverberating through the air.
"Uh, Blake?" Ilia asked. "What the hell is that thing?"
"I wish I knew," Blake said.
"Alright, playtime's over!" Genie said, creating nine copies of himself wearing military garb, with himself standing large dressed like a general, complete with a sabre. "Charge!" he shouted, and each copy of himself grabbed hold of one tail, while the general Genie, unsheathed his sword and presented it to Blake. "Your weapon, Ma'am. Give him hell."
"Uh, thanks?" Blake said uncertainly, picking up the sabre. The Heartless snarled, trying to thrash out of the grip of multiple Genies.
"One second," Genie said, growing large and stepping one the Heartless's back to pin it in place. Blake shrugged, charging at the monster with Genie's sabre in hand. In two quick movements, both heads fell away from the creature, and the Heartless dissolved into ashes.
"Mission accomplished!" Genie said with a salute before fading away. The ice around Sun melted, allowing the monkey Faunus to fall to the ground.
"Um, does anyone want to explain what just happened?" he asked.
After a bit more playing around, the group approached the shrine that was the center of the festival. There were several tables set up on the grounds of the shrine, and a small stage with a piano at one end, with a dance floor in front of it. Waitresses were bringing out various forms of food to the guests seated around the area. They brought out things such as fish, chicken, noodles, and more traditional Mistralian dishes like sushi and dumplings.
"Wow…" Ruby licked her lips from the delicious aroma. "That all looks so good."
"Well, this is the place I booked for us," Qrow said, before looking at Weiss. "Hey, uh, don't you have that, uh, thing to get to?" Everyone looked at him in confusion until Weiss's eyes widened.
"Oh, yes!" she said. "The thing! You're absolutely right! I should go and take care of it! Have fun!" she took off, leaving the group dumbfounded.
"What was that about?" Yang asked.
"Nothing," Qrow said, looking to the members of the group that weren't family. "Well I reserved this place for the four of us, but you're more than welcome to join us."
"I should probably go back to the house," Jaune said. "I really need to talk to Ren about how he's been acting lately. You guys have fun, though."
"Alright, see you later, Jaune!" Ruby said, waving happily to the boy as he left. "What about you?" she asked Nora and Oscar.
"I want to look around the festival a little more," Nora said, looking to Oscar. "Whaddya say?"
"Uh, sure," Oscar said. "We can probably find some food stalls around here."
"Great!" Nora said, grabbing his hand and dragging him away back towards the festival. Yang chuckled.
"Oh man, that kid's got it bad," she said.
"Looks like it," Qrow said with a chuckle. The family found a table to sit down at, and some waitresses quickly filled it with various foods.
"Holy crap," Yang said, her mouth starting to water.
"Well, dig in," Qrow said with a smile.
They spent several minutes just enjoying the delectable before a man approached the microphone on the stage.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," the man said. "If you would give me your attention, I would like to announce your entertainment for tonight. Playing the piano and singing, I would like for you give a warm welcome to…" he looked down at a card. "The Ice Princess!"
"Huh?' Ruby asked, looking up to the stage, as out stepped…
Weiss?!
"Weiss?" Aqua asked.
"'Ice Princess'?" Yang asked, raising an eyebrow. Weiss took a seat on the bench in front of the piano.
"Hi everyone," Weiss spoke into the microphone. "Tonight is a very special occasion, not only because of the festival, but because a very dear friend of mine, Aqua, is celebrating her second wedding anniversary to her husband, Qrow." They could hear a smattering of applause from the other guests. "So, I would like to sing a song for them. I hope you enjoy."
Weiss readjusted in her seat, held her hands above the piano keys, and started playing.
Aqua recognized the melody. She and Qrow had danced to it at their wedding.
"Isn't this-?" she asked, but her husband stood up and held out a hand for her. She smiled, took his hand, and was swept up to the dance floor, where Qrow pulled her close.
Then Weiss started to sing.
"How did I live,
In a kingdom of thieves,
With people who say,
Things they don't really mean,
Really mean?"
Aqua wrapped her arms around Qrow's shoulders, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. They held each other close, and started swaying to the music.
"You're only everything I ever dreamed,
Ever dreamed of, ever dreamed of.
You must be kidding me
Did you really think I could say no?
I want you for a lifetime,
So if you're gonna think twice,
Baby, I don't wanna know,
Baby, I don't wanna know.
Everything is just right.
But if you're gonna think twice,
Baby, I don't wanna know,
Baby, I don't wanna know."
By now, other couples had joined, dancing around the fairgrounds and listening to Weiss's beautiful voice. Aqua didn't pay them any mind, just letting herself get lost in her husband's dark red eyes.
"I really don't get,
What everyone else believes.
So why do I say,
Things I don't really mean,
Really mean?
I'm only crying cause I never dreamed,
It'd take this long,
It'd take this long."
"I love you," Aqua said, nuzzling into Qrow's shoulder.
"I love you, too," he said kissing the side of her head.
"I want you for a lifetime,
So if you're gonna think twice,
Baby, I don't wanna know.
Baby, I don't wanna know.
Everything is just right.
But if you're gonna think twice,
Baby, I don't wanna know.
Baby, I don't wanna know.
Don't think twice.
Don't think twice.
Don't think twice.
Baby, don't think twice."
The rotation of their bodies brought their daughters back into Aqua's view, watching them dance. She could see light bouncing off some excess moisture in Ruby's eyes, indicating that the girl had started to tear up.
Aqua smiled.
"If you wanna take it to an even higher level,
All you gotta do is say the word,
You know I'll follow.
If you wanna take it to an even higher level,
I don't, I don't mind.
If you wanna make it happen, nothing's impossible.
All you gotta do is say the word,
And walls will crumble.
If you wanna make it happen, nothing's impossible."
Aqua lifted her head up, looking her husband in the eyes again.
"The girls are all grown," she said.
"Yeah, they are," Qrow agreed. "Don't really know if they need us anymore."
"I think they still do, but they'll be fine without us," she said. "So, when this whole business with Salem is over with…" she leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "…I want to have a baby."
His eyes shot open wide, before he looked at her with the biggest smile she had ever seen.
"I want you for a lifetime,
So if you're gonna think twice,
Baby, I don't wanna know.
Baby, I don't wanna know.
Everything is just right.
But if you're gonna think twice,
Baby, I don't wanna know.
Baby, I don't wanna know.
Kiss me once.
Kiss me twice.
Kiss me three times.
Cross the line."
Aqua put her hands behind Qrow's head, pulling him close for a long, passionate kiss.
"Don't think twice.
Don't think twice.
Don't think twice.
Baby, don't think twice.
Kiss me once.
Kiss me twice.
Kiss me three times.
Cross the line.
Kiss me once.
Kiss me twice.
Kiss me three times.
Be mine.
Don't think twice.
Don't think twice.
Don't think twice.
Baby, don't think twice."
Weiss finished up the performance by playing more chords on the piano, finally standing up and taking a bow. The rest of the audience burst into applause over the stellar performance.
Qrow and Aqua were too lost in each other.
By the time Blake and the others had exited the inferno that used to be the Belladonna household, a crowd had gathered to see what was going on.
"Back!" a guard directed at the crowd, as people were trying to get a closer look. "Everyone, stay back! We've got people inside doing their best."
The attention of the crowd was drawn when Dad walked out, carrying the bodies of a guard and a White Fang soldier on each shoulder. He handed the bodies off to the guards as the captain of the guard, Saber Rodentia, arrived on the scene.
"Get in there!" Saber ordered to his guards. "Search for any stragglers!" he looked over to Dad, giving him a salute. "We came as soon as we got the call. What happened to the Albains?" Dad sadly shook his head, and Saber huffed in contempt.
Blake looked around at her parents, at Sun, Tifa, and Ilia, and then at the crowd. Her eyes narrowed, and she stormed towards them.
"Humans didn't do this," Blake declared, pointing at her smoldering home. "We did this: Faunus. We did this to ourselves. We are just as capable of hate and violence as the humans, but I don't think any of us would jump at the chance to point that out. So why are we letting Adam do it for us?! By doing nothing and staying silent, we let others speak and act in our place. And if we're not proud of the choices they make, then we have no one to blame but ourselves. This is the message that Adam Taurus will bring to the world if no one stops him. But we can stop him! You have to understand that all of you are looking for simple answers to a very complicated problem. And I can't give that to you. I don't know how to make hate go away, I don't. But I know that this kind of violence is not the solution. I understand that to ask you to leave your homes and protect Haven Academy is asking you to put your lives at risk. But that's what's at stake. So I'm going, and I'll stand by myself if I have to."
"I'll stand with you!" Ilia declared. Blake turned to look at her with a smile. She could hear confused whispers from among the crowd. After all, an hour ago, Ilia was among those carrying out Adam's will. Ilia tried to step forward, but Saber grabbed her arm.
"You're not going anywhere!" Saber said.
"Let her come," Blake said.
"Huh? You're just going to forgive her? After everything she did?!"
"I am," Blake said simply. Saber sent a confused look to Dad, who just nodded. Reluctantly, Saber let Ilia go, allowing the chameleon Faunus to walk down the stairs.
"What does she think she's doing?" Saber asked.
Dad smiled. "She's learned a lesson that evaded me until I was much older: That there is strength in forgiveness."
When Ilia stood next to her, Blake put a hand on her shoulder, smiling to her.
"I'll go!" one of the Faunus in the crowd shouted, starting a chain reaction. Suddenly the entire crowd was in an uproar, showing their support for defending Haven. Sun and Tifa stood next to Blake and Ilia, looking out over the enthusiastic crowd.
"Well, that's one way to get a crowd riled up," Tifa commented.
"Looks like we've got work to do," Sun said.
"Thank you," Blake told her friends. "For everything."
Sun suddenly pointed at Ilia. "You stabbed me."
"I—" Ilia said before Sun interrupted her by pinching her in the arm. "Ow!"
"There. Let's just call it even."
Blake's parents approached the group, happy but determined looks on their faces. "We have about two weeks before Adam's attack on Haven," Dad said. "We're going to need shields, training, whatever we can do to protect as many people as possible."
"We'll need transportation too," Mom said. "For everyone."
Blake smiled. "I think I know a ship captain who owes us a favor."
A man in black coat stood on a rooftop overlooking the crowd, applauding quietly to himself after Blake's speech.
"Not bad, kitty cat," he said to himself. "I think my little friend can learn a thing or two from you." He stopped clapping, letting his arms fall to his sides. "I suppose that depends on her willingness to learn. Either way, looks like our little Princess is finally growing up."
"I just realized that we've never actually heard you sing before," Ruby said after Weiss sat down at their table to eat. Mom and Uncle Qrow were still up, as the DJ had continued playing music even after Weiss's performance had ended. "That was really good."
"Thank you," Weiss said graciously, looking down in delight at the food spread out before her.
"Yeah, good job 'Ice Princess'," Yang said with a snicker.
"What? I felt that it was best to not use my real name right now," Weiss said. "You don't know how people would react anymore, especially now that I'm no longer a member of the Schnee Family."
"But you couldn't have picked a better name?"
"It was spur-of-the-moment. Your uncle only asked me if I would sing last night."
"Well, it was sweet of you to agree," Ruby said. "They played that song at their wedding."
"Really?" Weiss asked, looking surprised that Uncle Qrow was capable of being that thoughtful. "Why does that man keep surprising me?"
Suddenly, a small red dragon jumped up onto the table, swiped a dumpling off a plate, and swallowed it in one bite.
"Mushu!" Weiss harshly whispered, pulling the little dragon off the table and onto her lap. "What are you doing here?"
"I heard they were serving ramen and chicken dumplings," Mushu answered.
Weiss had to keep the little dragon hidden from people walking past their table. "Isn't Cloud or Ren feeding you, Simba, and Dumbo?"
"A little house that that's no place for a dragon," Mushu complained wiggling up Weiss's arm. "Come on, I saw that sweet gumbo they're bringing out. Besides, those guys aren't any fun."
Weiss groaned as she shoved Mushu into a sleeve while Yang was snickering. "Something funny?"
"That's some summon you git, Weiss. Glad I don't have to worry about that from mine." Yang chuckled.
"Yeah, because no one would think a lion or flying elephant would be any harder to deal with than a tiny dragon," Weiss said with a sigh.
"Who are you calling tiny?" Mushu slipped out and landed in the gumbo soup. "You forget I saved you already."
Weiss sighed as she pushed the soup bowl away, leaving Mushu to relax in it. "This must be why I was never allowed any pets growing up."
"Who are you calling a pet?" Mushu complained.
"Yeah. Yang and I trained Zwei just fine," Ruby pointed out, having just learned to use the chopsticks.
"Maybe we can trade and you train Mushu." Weiss rolled her eyes.
"Again, who are you calling a pet?" Mushu repeated.
Weiss just picked up a chicken dumpling and gave it to Mushu, who dunked it in the gumbo and started to snack on it.
Raven sat in a bar near the festival, having expected to appear near Haven, but her link with Qrow, Aqua, and Yang took her to a festival, and she spotted them having dinner in the midst of it all. She slipped away and found a nearby bar, deciding to take a moment to sit down and relax. She took a sip of her drink as the door opened up and in walked a man, taking a seat next to her. Raven did her best to ignore him and look away, but she noticed he was wearing a thick fur overcoat with a large sickle for a right hand.
Nevertheless she did her best to ignore him until…
"Hey, bartender. Let me buy this woman a drink and one for me too," the man said in a gruff voice.
Raven rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I'm not interested."
"Neither am I, Raven," the man said as the bartender placed two drinks in front of them.
This time Raven looked at him. "How do you know me?"
The man smirked at her and lifted his glass up. "Ravens… Symbols of death. I guess that matches your tribe and philosophy. And Branwen means 'blessed white raven'… Heheh… I never got a name that translates to anything like that. I always thought my name would translate to bee or something like that."
Raven narrowed her eyes as the man sipped his drink, planning to take her sword out and threaten to cut the man in half when she noticed something. Bees crawling around his coat, his neck, and two even crawling onto the table. She closed her hand into a fist and moved to bring it down on one when the man caught her fist, looking at her dead serious.
"Don't."
"Do I have your attention now? Are you done playing this stupid game and going to answer my questions now?" Raven puller her fist back.
"I actually came her because my client is interested in you and your tribe," the man answered.
"That isn't what I asked." Raven growled.
"Fine. My name is Daniel Robitalle. I am not Huntsman, I'm a mercenary. Right now, my client is Midas Goult," the man explained.
Raven narrowed her eyes, knowing that Midas Goult had kidnapped Yang, but she had thought Aqua took care of him when she sent her and the Schnee sisters to Yang. Guess she shouldn't be surprised.
"One of your guys and Midas' men made a deal together, and it led to Midas losing a lot of men and resources. Now he wants to get even," Daniel continued.
"And what does this have to do with me and my tribe?" Raven asked.
"Because it's your daughter, brother, and sister-in-law that have crossed Midas. Now we're going to get even, and Midas is giving you a chance to discipline them for getting in his way. After all, they are your family," Daniel answered. "So, you in?"
Rolling her eyes, Raven snatched her mask. "They are not my concern and trust me when I say they're more trouble than they're worth. Midas is better off just letting them go since they won't be a problem much longer."
"Oh? Someone else is going to do that?" Daniel raised an eyebrow.
"Maybe, maybe not. Either way, neither I nor my tribe is for hire to someone like Midas. You want to try your hand wit them, go ahead. It might make things easier for me," Raven said, putting her mask on and grabbing her sword.
With that, Raven turned and walked out of the bar while Daniel turned to the bartender, pushing his empty shot glass away. "Fill it up with whiskey."
Blake knocked on the door to the Ilia's room at the tavern. Since Blake's home had been, well, burned, they had to shack up there, the owners more than happy to house the Chieftain and his family.
He had initially insisted that they pay for it, but Blake's father had insisted otherwise.
"Come in," Ilia's voice called from inside the room. Blake slowly opened the door, revealing Ilia standing in the center of the room, wearing a stylish black jacket over a dark grey undershirt, both short enough to leave her midriff exposed, along with maroon capris and black heeled boots.
She always was the more fashion-conscious of the two of them.
"Oh, Blake!" Ilia said, surprised to see her old friend visiting. "Did you need something?"
"I don't really need anything…" Blake said. "I wanted to apologize."
Ilia stood there slack-jawed for a moment. "What in the world do you have to apologize to me for?" she asked, dumbfounded. "I was the one who tried to ship to off to your psychotic ex-boyfriend so you were out of the way so I could kill your parents!" There was an awkward pause. "…Sorry about that, by the way," she said with an ashamed blush.
Blake chuckled. "You came around, so that's all that matters," Blake said. "I wanted to apologize for not noticing how you felt."
Ilia's eyes shot open, and her blush deepened. "I, uh… Can we please just forget I said anything about that?"
"No, this is important," Blake said. "You were right. It wasn't fair to you. I was so obsessed with Adam and making him happy, that I totally ignored your feelings. I'm sorry about that."
"Blake, please, you don't need to apologize," Ilia said. "Yes, it sucked, but you don't owe me anything. We were friends, and I guess we are again, and that's enough."
"…Okay," Blake said, but didn't leave the room. "You know, there was only one thing about leaving the White Fang the way I did that I regret."
"Hm?" Ilia asked.
"I regret that I had to leave you behind."
"Wha…?" Ilia asked, her blush returning.
"You were my best friend," Blake explained. "I missed you. But leaving when I did was kind of a spur-of-the-moment decision. Yes, I hadn't been happy with the direction Adam was taking things for a while, but what happened on that train was the last straw. If I hadn't left him behind when I did, he would have slaughtered everyone. But, there's something I've been wondering. If I had approached you beforehand and asked you to come with me, would you have?"
"…I don't know," Ilia said after a few seconds to think about it. "A part of me wants to say that I'd go anywhere with you, but another, more rational part of me knows that I might have just told Adam about it. I still believed in the cause. I think it would've been impossible for me to not feel betrayed."
"…I see," Blake said sadly. Ilia walked closer to her and put her hands on her shoulders.
"But that doesn't matter anymore," Ilia said. "I'm here now."
"I'm glad," Blake said, pulling her into a hug. "It feels so good to have you back."
"It's good to be back."
"So, what do you want to do next?" Nora asked, finishing up the order of something called "Takoyaki" she had gotten from a food stand. She and Oscar were walking by a river, the spot that they found themselves in being less crowded. After parting ways with the group, the two of them had played every game they could find, and Nora proved to be just as filled with energy as she always was.
Oscar liked to think this was a date, and while he had actually never been on one before, he was pretty sure this was a success. He was having a lot of fun.
That didn't mean he could keep up with her indefinitely.
"Actually, can we take a break?" Oscar asked, looking over to the edge of the water. Nora nodded, and the two of them sat down on the ledge next to each other, their feet dangling over the water. Nora had asked Jaune to bring her stuffed sloth back with him, leaving her free to lean back on her hands and enjoy the breeze.
"This was fun," Nora said with a smile on her face. "Thanks for coming with me. You didn't have to, but it was sweet of you."
"I wanted to," Oscar said. "So, uh, you don't really need to thank me. You really wanted to go, so you shouldn't have to go alone."
He also wasn't going to miss the chance to take her on a real date.
"…You really didn't deserve to have Ren talk to you like that," he said. "It's obvious that you care a lot about him, and you just wanted to do something fun with him. He didn't need to snap at you like that."
"I'm kind of used to it," Nora said sadly. "He's always been kind of closed off and difficult. It's just never been this bad before. What happened with Sephiroth must have really affected him."
"If you don't mind me asking, what's his deal?"
Nora sighed. "When we were kids, we lived in a town called Kuroyuri. I was a homeless orphan, and he lived with his parents. One day, a giant Grimm called the Nuckelavee attacked, destroyed the village, and killed Ren's parents. The stress of it awakened his Semblance, and he was able to use it to keep the two of us hidden from the Grimm. We've been together ever since." She chuckled humorlessly, her face down towards the water. "…Just not… together-together."
"…I'm sorry to hear that," Oscar said. "That must have been difficult."
"Well, at least we weren't alone," she said with a small smile, and even that looked forced. "Anyway, we had to pass through the ruins of Kuroyuri on the way to Mistral, and the Nuckelavee just happened to come back. But before we had a chance to fight it, Sephiroth just sliced it in half like it was nothing."
"I think I understand now," Ozpin said from inside Oscar's head. "Mister Ren is upset because he was robbed of his closure. He thinks he needs to defeat Sephiroth in order to get it."
"Okay, I understand that he thinks he needs to get stronger to fight Sephiroth," Oscar said, both paraphrasing Ozpin and letting Nora know that he was listening. "But why was he being such a jerk to you?" Nora was silent for a few seconds, looking off into the distance. The way the moonlight made her glow made her look radiant, but Oscar had to focus on the problem at hand.
He could admire her later.
"I haven't really told anyone this, but I always blamed myself for the Nuckelavee's attack," Nora said, surprising Oscar. "I was just so miserable. I was homeless, starving, and the other kids bullied me. Of course I felt like I was the one that attracted it. So, after Ren saved me, I promised myself that I would never be sad again. If not for my sake, then at least for Ren's. Of course, that just made everyone else think I was just this annoying airhead. Ren was always different…Or at least I thought he was. Turns out I'm just annoying to him, too."
"You're not annoying," Oscar said quickly, trying to cut off the self-deprecation before it had a chance to begin. "I like being around you."
"It's okay," Nora said sadly. "You don't have to make me feel better."
"I'm not just making you feel better," Oscar insisted. "I want you to be happy because I like you. I want to see you happy. Your smile makes everything better."
"Huh?" Nora asked, whipping her head to the side to look at him in shock.
"Everything that's been going on lately has me terrified. More scared than I ever thought possible. But then, I see you smile, and I just feel like everything will turn out okay." Oscar found that he couldn't stop himself from rambling. "And you're strong, and kind, and you always did your best to make me feel welcome, and you're so beauty—"
His brain finally caught up with his heart, and realized what he had been saying, his face lighting up red.
"That is…uh… I mean…" he started stuttering.
"Did you mean all that?" Nora asked, looking at him with wide eyes.
"Might as well bring it home," Ozpin said with a sigh.
"Every word," Oscar said. He just noticed that his hand was resting on top of hers.
"That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me," Nora said, a genuine smile on her face for the first time since this conversation had started.
Oscar's heart melted, knowing he was responsible for that look of pure happiness on her face.
"Oscar."
The two of them stared into each other's eyes for several seconds, and before either of them knew it, their faces started to inch closer.
"Oscar."
Oscar wasn't sure if he should let this continue, but his heart told him to run with it. He closed his eyes as their lips were mere centimeters apart.
"Oscar!" Ozpin suddenly shouted, making Oscar jump in surprise.
"Wha—" he tried to ask, but he felt something hit him hard in the back of the head.
And then everything went dark.
Jaune stepped into the front door of the house, Nora's stuffed sloth in his hand. Cloud was lounging on the sofa, and raised an eyebrow at the plush toy.
"Nora won it," he explained.
"The others still out?" Cloud asked.
"Yeah," Jaune said with a sigh. "I came back to talk to Ren."
"He's downstairs," Cloud said. "Been kinda mopey since you guys left. Don't get paid enough to deal with moody teenagers."
Jaune said nothing else to the mercenary, instead heading downstairs, seeing that Ren was sitting on the floor in the middle of the basement dojo, meditating.
"How was the festival?" Ren asked before Jaune could say anything, but the blond could tell by his tone that he really didn't care. He was just being polite.
"It was, uh, it was fun," Jaune said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "Nora seemed like she was having a good time. She missed you."
"Like I told her earlier, we don't have time to waste at a festival," Ren said, not bothering to open his eyes. "Not when we don't know when Sephiroth will be back."
"Does fighting him really matter that much to you?" Jaune asked.
"You were there. We stood no chance against him."
"I know that, but still," Jaune said. "You didn't have to talk to Nora that way. She cares about you, and she just wanted to have a nice night with you. You can take a break every now and then."
"You just don't understand," Ren said. "I thought Nora at least would."
"You're right," Jaune said. "I don't understand what your problem is with Sephiroth. But I do know that Nora doesn't deserve to be brushed off like that. I'm not telling you that training is a mistake, but I at least expect you to apologize to her when she comes back."
"What do I—"
"You know damn well what you have to apologize for," Jaune said. "She cares about you, wanted to give you something fun to do to give you a break from the constant training you've been putting yourself through, and you paid her back by treating her like a nuisance. How do you think she feels?"
"…I…" Ren shook his head. "…I suppose you're right. I was… unnecessarily harsh with her."
"That's an understatement," Jaune muttered.
"I guess when she comes back, I'll see what I can do to make it up to her."
"We're back!" Ruby's voice called from upstairs.
"We'll be right there!" Jaune called back, reaching out a hand for Ren to take. "Looks like now's your chance." Ren took his hand, and Jaune hefted him to his feet. They walked upstairs, seeing Qrow, Aqua, Ruby, Yang, and Weiss standing in the living room. "Where are Oscar and Nora?"
"They aren't back yet?" Ruby asked.
"They're probably just still having fun," Qrow said. "I wouldn't worry about it too much."
Midas stepped into his garage as a black car backed in with a smile on his face. The vehicle parked, and Hidekazu stepped out of the passenger's seat, and Chuck stepped out of the driver's seat.
"Open it," he said, approaching the trunk. Hidekazu nodded and opened up the trunk. Once the trunk was opened, Midas had to quickly duck out of the way of a pair of feet kicking out. He looked back up, seeing a pair of teenagers stuffed in the trunk. One of them, a girl with ginger hair pulled into a bun and wearing a kimono, was glaring angrily up at him and growling behind the golden tape sealed over her mouth. The other one, a younger boy with black hair, was unconscious. Both of them had golden chains wrapped around their arms and legs, and golden tape covering their mouths.
Midas grinned.
Soon, that blonde bitch was going to pay.
AN: This is the last time someone gets kidnapped, I swear!
So, this is actually the reason why the Battle of Haven isn't going to happen quite yet.
I'm not sure if I'm satisfied with the fight with the Heartless, but I'm happy with Genie's introduction.
So, now we have another problem to deal with before we get to Haven. What's going to happen to Nora and Oscar?
As always, thank you very much for reading, and I'll see you all next time!