Another week, another chapter. This one went a little longer, not that I mind, but I do hope you enjoy it! I hope you like the method I am using to keep track of the days now, I feel that it is a much improved aspect compared to what I was doing.
Have a good day/evening!
Chapter 6: Pride Only Takes One So Far
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.(Starting Chapter)
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May 13th
Monday
Sunny
It was early in the morning, and Azura was already up and about. He figured that he should start to get a workout schedule going, and went to planning it over the weekend. In the mornings, he would run around the edge of the campus for an hour to build endurance, and in the afternoon, he would spend forty minutes in the gym section of the training halls, mainly building up his strength, and spend thirty minutes to sharpen his aiming in the gun range area of the training halls after combat class.
He could probably do more, but doing all of this on top of combat class would be enough for him to keep in shape and more. Along with eating healthily and in portions, he would say it was rather well rounded. When he asked last night if anyone in the group would like to join him for parts of the workout or the entire thing, Pyrrha, Pyra, and Yang readily agreed to accompany him for the full thing, both girls stating that it would be for the best that they did something to stay fit and healthy. Ruby would join him for the gym and gun range portions, saying that she had enough endurance for a lifetime, and Blake gave the same reasoning. Weiss, Ren, and Nora had their own workout plans to use.
By the time he had finished everything and brought it up, Jaune was missing. He was starting to not hang out with them, Azura noticed. No one mentioned the shift, but Pyrrha said that she would ask him if he would join in.
So now, at five in the morning, an hour before the mess hall opened and four hours before Grimm Studies started, Azura sat on a bench just outside the front entrance of the dorms in blue gym shorts and a white undershirt. Not a minute later, Pyrrha, Pyra, and Yang walked out to meet him, all giving him a greeting. They were in an assortment of gym clothing, with Yang being a showoff, showing as much muscle she could. She was a brawler, and Azura finally understood why he always got his behind handed to him in those hand-to-hand combat classes. Pyrrha was in a black undershirt and red shorts, while Pyra was wearing black leggings and a black long sleeve undershirt.
"Hey, you three. I assume Jaune declined?" Azura asked.
Pyrrha shook her head. "Not exactly. He just said that he was busy. I did get him to agree to the afternoon portion, and he has no ranged weaponry, so he would not be joining us for that anyway."
Pyrrha looked like she had more to say about Jaune, but stopped there.
Azura wanted to doubt Jaune being 'busy', but he quickly shook those thoughts away. "Right. Well, let's get some stretches in before we start running."
About twenty minutes in, it was clear that Pyrrha was by far the most active runner out of the four of them, with Yang in second. Azura was much closer to Yang but he started to hang back to keep an eye on Pyra, since she seemed to be starting to tire.
Thirty minutes in, they came to a stop near the Beacon garage, which was across the way from the training halls that they passed a few minutes ago. There was a vending machine with water and other assortments of snacks, all of them healthy, and Azura flashed his lien debit card to the scanner, and tapped in that he needed four water bottles. Azura was glad to the Adels for giving him monthly checks of some money for him to use. He used it sparingly, even getting them to agree to send less money if he clearly didn't need it, since he felt bad just thinking of abusing it.
"Perhaps I should get a part-time job working at the boutique." He mumbled to himself.
The bottles were tiny, but they worked for a small break to catch their breath before they got going again. As they were preparing again, Azura noticed that Pyra was still leaning against the wall.
"You two can keep going. I just need a bit longer before I get going."
Yang readily agreed, and Pyrrha got caught up in it when she was challenged to a race to the next building before going to a normal jog, her competitive spirit rising in her eyes. They were gone within seconds, as fast as rockets.
"Thanks." Pyra said.
"Don't mention it. You don't have the endurance like us, if I were to guess." He replied, laying a hand on his waist.
She nodded. "I would say so. You three are certainly something."
"Well, I can always slow down for you. I'm sure Yang and Pyrrha would do the same."
"Please, there's no need for that. I'm just not as far along as you three. Besides, I can catch up over time." She said, pushing off the wall. "You ready to get going again?"
"Yeah. Let's go." Azura said in response.
They finished the rest of the way to the dorms, where they started, with five minutes left before it hit six. Pyrrha and Yang were waiting there, looking like they got here only shortly before they did.
"Well, Beacon is certainly larger when you go around the outer edge of it. Good catch, Snow." Yang said, giving him a thumbs up.
He chuckled. "Thanks. I spent a little bit of time trying to figure this one out."
"I'm always glad for aura. It allows us to be able to exercise like this everyday without a huge consequence, beyond having a little less aura than usual." Pyrrha said.
Azura had to agree. "It'll only be less if we keep practicing, especially with Goodwitch having a day focused more on aura control."
"It'll help Jaune a lot…" Pyrrha whispered.
Azura heard her, but was unsure of the meaning of it. He figured that she would say something if she felt that she should.
They went to their dorms to shower and get ready for the day, spending a bit more time doing so since they had more time before needing to go to class. The day went by as normal, Professor Port spouting some random story that bored the living daylights out of everyone. Azura wasn't sure how Pyra or Pyrrha could even deal with it. He could understand Weiss, the workaholic that she was, busily writing down any detail that she deemed important enough to know.
In history, however, he found that a few things were different. They had some older students in class, seemingly coming back from missions. That rabbit Faunus that Cardin bullied was just in front of him, but more importantly, he saw Jaune farther away, looking uncomfortable to be next to team CRDL. A look to team RWBY and NPR(P) showed that they had noticed as well, with Blake narrowing her eyes and Pyrrha sighing softly.
The class started before anything could be done about it, with Doctor Oobleck rushing into a new topic, that being the 'Faunus Rights Revolution', mostly going over who was on either side, as well as what each side was fighting for. He finished the lesson with a brisk reminder that all students were equal and should be treated as such, speeding through the students in a manner similar to Ruby and her semblance to hand out a school assignment. As students left, Azura saw the rabbit Faunus exit the room, and decided to chase after her, sending Luna to go after her ahead of him. He heard a cry from his friends as he suddenly left their side, but he did not spare them a single glance as he went through the door.
It took him a few minutes, and a guiding hand from Luna, before he managed to find the chocolate brown haired girl, who was about to leave the building. The girl noticed his approach, turning her brown eyes on him.
"Um, can I help you?" She asked, shoulders tensed.
She had a accent that Azura didn't recognize, it was cute to him.
Azura shook his head. "Well, no. But, I have been meaning to speak with you. I'm Azura, if that helps."
The girl seemed to recognize the name. "Azura? As in, Azura Heart?"
Azura was left confused. "Yes? Wait, how do you even know my name?"
The girl giggled. "Well, my leader knows you. My name is Velvet Scarlatina, of team Coffee, or C-F-V-Y. We're fourth years. Does the name Coco Adel ring a bell to you?"
Understanding flashed through his mind. "I do! I had to live with her parents before Beacon."
Velvet nodded. "Coco told me as much. Come along, I can introduce her to you."
As they walked, Azura looked at his scroll, finding messages from Ruby, Yang, and Pyra, all wondering where he went. He quickly sent them a message, saying that he was with a friend and would join the rest of them in the gym soon.
Soon, they were in the dorms, and in front of the door that he assumed led to team CFVY. Velvet opened the door, allowing Azura to enter before her, closing the door as she came in after. A look around the room showed that only one other person was currently in the room, who he recognized to be Coco, and she was currently watching him. She was wearing some combination of clothing, most of the names of the clothing going over his head. She was wearing a lot of light brown and coffee brown colors. A moment later, she spoke.
"Hey Bunny? What's this first year kiddo doing here?"
Velvet facepalmed with a sigh. "Really? This is the 'kiddo' that you were going on about for a day or two."
The girl simply smiled, brushing the strip of light brown hair away from her face as her dark brown eyes focused on Velvet. "You sure about that? I was hoping you were snagging this boy for yourself. I would have left"
Velvet simply grew red in the face. "Coco!"
Coco laughed as she stood. "Relax, Bunny. I was just joking around."
She moved towards him, her heels giving her a inch on him, as she sized him up. He had forgone his Beacon uniform ever since he found out that they didn't seriously enforce the rule, so she was currently going over his casual wear, which consisted of most of his normal wear for combat, except for the black jeans and dark red short sleeve shirt. She finished looking him over, nodding once.
"Not bad kiddo. Were you wearing that before or after my mother dressed you up?"
"After." He said. "Does she do that to everyone?"
Coco laughed again. "You bet she does. Be glad I wasn't there, I would have played dress up with you. Cover up those muscles, not that it would be that hard, since you seem to want to be fit and lithe more than anything else...anyway, do that, keep that feminine face as is, and dress you up in female clothing."
Azura was horrified by her thought process.
"I don't think he seems fond of the idea, Coco." Velvet said, stepping in front of him.
"Geez, I try to go and make a joke, and you get all defensive for the guy. Besides, I want you to tell me that he doesn't look at least a little bit feminine." Coco said, waving a hand towards Azura.
Azura felt that he should speak. "Well, most people that see me say that I look younger and more female. At least, my face and body. My mother always said that I look like a carbon copy of her."
He didn't like the glint in Luna's eyes. It was like she missed some excellent idea from when he was a kid.
Coco looked like she had just struck gold. "See! Even he agrees."
"Not to the dress up part. I would prefer to keep some of my dignity intact, please."
"Fine." Coco said, letting a drawn out sigh release.
She sat back down, and looked over at Azura. "Well, what do ya need? Velvet must have brought you here for a reason."
"Well, I was just going to ask if Velvet was okay. When I introduced myself, I was just kind of dragged here. She seemed to recognize my name?"
Coco brought a hand to her chin and nodded. "Makes sense. I couldn't help it, my mother just kept talking about how cute you were before I left."
"Oh."
That was all he could think of saying.
Coco continued. "Well, if introductions are all that are needed here, why don't you get out of here. I'm sure you have some friends to go to. If you have any trouble, or just want a training buddy, come to me, you hear?"
"I'll keep it in mind, thanks. Uh, see the two of you later."
He left, confident that he had made both a friend and someone to never go to for clothing.
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.(Line Break)
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Azura would say that the strength workout went pretty well. Pyrrha and Yang had a weight lifting contest, Blake and Ruby were messing around on the machines to find which ones would be best for them, and Azura was making sure he had the appropriate weights. Even Jaune was getting into it, seeming to have an idea of what he wanted to work on.
Now, in combat class, Jaune was next to team JNPR this time, but clearly not talkative. Azura found himself antsy and not wanting to sit still. He wanted to get moving. Sure, his muscles were slightly sore, but it was something that his aura could easily fix. Once Goodwitch came out she was quick to announce the first match, that being Yang and and Nora.
The fight was amazing to watch. Just when it seemed Yang had total control over the crazed redhead, Nora would show off some other amazing trick. And as Nora showed a clear joy of pushing the advantage, Yang would combat it with her semblance, a purely anger-induced strength as her eyes turned blood red and her hair shined and almost bristled. It truly showed the truth of her soul, a strong and brave lady who wouldn't back down. Nora barely stood a chance after that, Yang's semblance turning her into some kind of tank, and was easily tossed out of the arena. They were both given the same advice after the fight, that being that they should never underestimate their opponent and get cocky.
Despite the brutal hits they both took from each other, Yang was as eager as ever and Nora was gleeful, almost like it never happened.
"Remind me to never get on her bad side." Azura said to Ren.
"It would be for the best." A hint of grimace was on his face, as if he was lost in a bad memory.
The next few matches weren't as amazing as the first one, not to say that they were bad, however. Azura was still feeling the itch to get moving, since he was only in a few matches ever since his battle with Ruby. He was currently on a four-win streak, and he wanted to see if he would get to five. He got his wish after the end of the current fight that was going on, between Ren and Russel Thrush. Ren was announced the winner, and Russel was told to not be so hasty to keep the engagement going when he was short of breath.
The next battle was Azura Heart against Blake Belladonna.
"Another member of team Ruby? Sounds fun." Azura said, allowing Blake to go down towards the arena first.
"You seem to have some odd luck." Blake remarked.
"Ah, come on, it could be worse."
"I won't go easy on you just because we share some ideals."
He chuckled. "I expect nothing less."
A few moments later, they were facing off against each other. They both held their weapons in hand. Blade and pistol in Azura's, katana and ribbon in Blake's. If he recalled, her weapon also worked while sheathed and could turn into a pistol that shot piercing ammo. At least it didn't pierce aura. Azura watched Luna hover over his shoulder for a moment before turning back to his opponent.
"Begin!"
They circled each other, slowly closing in towards the other. It was a quiet start to a fight, but Azura could feel the tension rolling off of his body. About ten seconds into the fight, and Blake was the first one to make a move. She shot off the ground as she pulled the ribbon taut, the dagger at the end of it gleaming. She was fast, but Azura knew better, having fought Ruby, and dodged it quickly as he ducked under her slice and shot her in the back with two ice dust bullets. Blake didn't seem that affected, but he saw the wince as she stretched her arm forward and shot a few bullets at him, giving him time to dodge, feeling a bullet graze his aura.
Getting back up on his feet, he found Blake already on him, and he brought his blade up, allowing it to take the hit of her sheath, and blocking the actual blade with the pistol, struggling to keep it straight.
"Sorry." He grunted.
Before getting any response, he focused his aura on his head and smashed his forehead into hers. It knocked her off of him, and he was quick to take her sheath and chuck it out of the arena as fast as he could. Blake was back on her feet, and went back to circling him, pistol form out and pointed at him once more.
He was caught in a circle, having to shuffle on his feet to keep an eye on her. He moved quickly, only to be met with Blake swinging a blade towards him, and a clash of blades ensued. It was rapid, and Blake clearly knew her speed. It ended with a kick to his gut and a few bullets as he sprawled on the ground. He was unfocused as he stood, needing to take in all the air he could to try and get back into it.
Blake would not give him that time as she slashed towards him, but he managed to raise his blade against her. It barely helped as she overpowered him and brought the blade down and out of his hand, before jerking a leg towards it to kick it away. His last defense was his pistol, which he brought upwards. He grabbed her clothing where he could, dragging her down to shoot his pistol into her stomach, but his first bullet was met with the evaporation of what seemed to be a clone.
"Semblance!" He gasped.
It was too late for him when he realized the fact, and a slash to his back dropped him on his knees. Blake came around in front of him, sauntering like a predator. As she raised her blade, looking to end the fight, he stretched his arm out to his blade. Luna understood the signal, already heading to get his weapon. Blake moved swiftly to end the fight, and Azura raised his arm to protect against a finishing blow, feeling his aura grind against the weapon. Moving on to a plan b, Blake brought the ribbon around the arm, attempting to drag the arm down to stab towards him in another manner.
Luna threw the weapon towards him, the blade spinning like a disco. She was fast, but this was faster, and Azura grabbed the weapon by the blade. Blake's eyes widened, realizing her mistake to attempt to bypass his last second defense with the ribbon, and Azura brought the hilt to her head with all the force he could muster. She dropped to the ground, fainting from the force, and Azura was dragged down to the ground with her from the ribbon still wrapped around his arm.
"Mister Heart is the winner!"
It was hardly as brutal as Yang and Nora, but he had to play dirty to get the victory. He was forever glad for aura as he looked at Blake's face. It would protect from cuts and all sorts of things, but it couldn't stop a surprise attack or if one were to not be paying attention.
Blake woke up a few seconds afterward, and rubbed the side of her head as she groaned.
"Did you have to hit me so hard?"
Azura sighed in relief. "Sorry about that. You going to be okay?"
Blake groaned again, but seemed to be more aware of her surroundings as the seconds passed. "I'll be fine. You just surprised me and I fainted from it. It's not like aura wouldn't protect me, since it was still partially activated."
Goodwitch called out towards them. "Are you feeling okay, Miss Belladonna? Do you need to go to medical?"
"No. I'll be fine. I'm feeling good, all my senses are clear."
Goodwitch hummed. "Fine, since you seem coherent, I'll let it go."
Blake reached down to unwrap her ribbon from around his arm, and Azura stood up once he was free. The discarded parts of their weapons were returned as Goodwitch used her riding crop and semblance, telekinesis, to return them. Once the two of them seemed healthy enough to stay, she started her routine to give advice.
"Miss Belladonna, I must give my compliments to your sharp thinking and ability to outsmart the opponent, such as with your semblance. You played Mister Heart during several parts of that fight, where he had no choice but to take it or take action to prevent it. However, to be very critical, you do not seem to have the best ways to end a fight and make an opponent give up or become unable to fight. It is either that, or you hesitated to do so. Even if Mister Heart is a friend of yours, you should still give your all in these fights."
She looked over at Azura. "Mister Heart, despite the odds that were against you, you showed a great ability to think up ways to get out of a situation. Even when you were on your knees, you brought ways you could to end a fight in any situation. I must commend your on-the-spot planning. However, you could have ended the fight in an easier manner. Miss Belladonna is not the best fighter for head-on fights, and you gave her the advantage by always playing her game instead of making more rules. She paused. "In any case, there is one more thing. While you did not do much, I appreciate that you are taking these more seriously, even if you barely showed the capabilities of your semblance. You would do well to make use of it more."
That sent whispers through the crowd. He could see the remaining members of team RWBY and JNPR giving each other a glace, with Pyra looking towards the ground.
"More rumors...just what I needed." Azura whispered.
Thirty minutes after combat class ended, at 4:30 p.m., Azura sat down against the wall and sighed as he watched everyone else on the gun range. Only Ruby, Pyra, and Pyrrha were practicing. As Azura, Blake, and Yang found out, a good fight in combat class would tire them out a bit too much, to the point of not wanting to lift a gun or their weapon up to shoot,
"Azura?"
"Yes, Yang?"
"Maybe we should cut the running down a bit. Make it not as long. That, on top of the weight lifting and combat class, might be a bit much." Yang said, putting her head to the wall.
Azura smirked. "Yeah. You might have a point."
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.(Line Break)
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May 21st
Tuesday
Cloudy
After history with Doctor Oobleck, Azura and Ruby were making their way towards the training halls, the others stating that they would be there soon, before quickly running off.
You have any idea as to why they ran off?" Azura asked.
Ruby shook her head. "Not at all, but they said they would meet us there. So it shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"I suppose not." Azura said.
They continued talking aimlessly as they walked. After a few minutes, they found Jaune walking by, carrying more books and paper than he could seem to handle. The blonde looked slightly downtrodden, so they approached him.
"Jaune! Are you okay?" Ruby asked.
"What are you doing anyway? The training halls are the other way."
Jaune looked around, almost warily, before answering. "R-right. I know that, but I can't make it. I'll be busy."
"With what?" Ruby asked, tilting her head.
"Oh, nothing that important." Jaune said, shifting the weight of the books. "Well, I'll be going. I wouldn't want to keep them waiting.
He walked off, moving faster than before. Azura looked at Ruby, who was looking frustrated, while Summer was watching Jaune leave. He ignored the ghost to place a hand on her back, ushering her forward.
"Come on Ruby. I'm sure he has his reasons."
Azura said this, leaving out the part that he was thinking, team CRDL had to have something to do with this. Ruby seemed to be lost in thought, simply allowing him to guide her.
About twenty minutes later, Azura noticed that Ruby wasn't all that focused on working out, so he walked over to try and help.
"What's on our young prodigy's mind?" Azura asked.
Ruby looked startled for a moment, before relaxing at seeing Azura. "It's nothing in particular…"
"Is it about Jaune?"
Ruby looked away, silent for a moment, before nodding.
Azura looked around the gym, seeing everyone busy working out and not paying much attention.
He looked down towards Ruby as she sat on the seat of the machine. "Well, how about we get changed and meet in the halls? We can talk then."
Ruby looked almost shocked to be asked. "Well...what about your exercise? You need to keep it daily during the week, right?"
"Nah, I'll be fine. You're more important than a bit of muscle." Azura responded, brushing her worries away.
Ruby's next words were quiet. "Okay...I'll see you in a bit."
They met up in five minutes, with Ruby following Azura as he walked in silence. After another minute or so, Azura figured that here would be a good enough place. He sat down against the wall, propping one leg up and putting his arm on his knee. He took a moment longer to check if anyone was around, before gesturing for her to sit down next to him.
Once Ruby was sitting down, he started. "So, you wanted to talk about Jaune. Is it about his odd behavior?"
A nod was the only response he got. He frowned, hoping that she would speak.
Then, an idea struck him. "Perhaps you really do have abnormal knees, little prodigy. Am I too lowly for you?"
"Normal knees! And that isn't funny!" She pouted, unable to stop some laughter from leaving.
Azura smiled. "Feeling better?"
Her silver eyes shone brightly. "A little."
"Want to talk about what's got you down?"
Her next words were a surprise. "Do you think I'm not good enough to be Jaune's friend?"
"What? Of course you are! You've been nothing but kind to Jaune."
"Well, what if it's not enough? What if I'm just a burden?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I have all these people giving me special treatment. Yang is always trying to protect me, Beacon brought me forward by two years...a lot of students just keep looking at me like I'm some special little girl. What if Jaune got sick of being around me?"
Azura sighed. "Ruby, you know that isn't true. If anything, you are perfectly capable to be someone's friend."
Ruby shook her head. "Not good enough if he doesn't want to be around me. You were there about an hour ago. He wanted nothing to do with me…"
"Ruby. If he wanted nothing to do with you, he wouldn't look so sad to leave us."
It was a bit of a stretch, one that Ruby caught. "But then he ran off as soon as he could. What if he thought that I wasn't worth his time?"
Azura thought that he might have found the problem. "Is this because he was the first person to treat you kindly here?"
Her lack of response was telling.
Azura ran a hand through his hair, wondering what was taking Luna so long. "Well, I'm sure Jaune might just be busy."
"Azura? Can I tell you something? You have to promise to keep it secret though."
Even if he wanted to, he couldn't say no to those silver eyes, it was like she knew all of his secrets. "Of course. Your secret is safe with me."
"Well, I'm starting to regret coming to Beacon early. I mean, I want to be a huntress so badly, and I am glad to have met you all...but I miss the few friends I knew back at Signal."
"Ruby…"
"Please...just let me finish." She said, a sigh escaping her lips. "I struggle with conversations and making friends, and I'm not good with picking up social cues, and I don't know how to carry a conversation that doesn't have to do with weapons. I only made a few friends in Signal, and it was them approaching me to be my friend. I'm more open now, but I am still very socially inept." Her lips quivered as she stopped for a moment. "And now...after I made all these friends, I figured that Jaune would stay as the first friend I made in Beacon. Was it wrong to assume that?" She sighed, before mumbling. "I hate opening up like this…"
Azura was silent for a moment before answering.
"Ruby. Jaune isn't running away from you, and I can tell that he wants to be your friend still. How about this, would you like me to get Pyrrha to talk to you? She would give you a more concrete answer, if you don't believe my word."
He wasn't all too sure how true that was.
Ruby smiled slightly, which Azura could say fit her more than a frown. "I do believe you. Or, I would like to believe you." She stood up. "Okay. After combat class tomorrow, I'll ask Pyrrha. Can you...can you come with me?"
Azura smiled at her, one that Ruby returned. "Of course."
"Thanks. I'm going to go walk outside, I need some peace and quiet."
Azura knew what she was saying, she wanted to be left alone for now. "Then go. I'll wait for you in combat class."
"Okay."
Azura watched her walk off, leaning against the wall once she was gone. He sighed, wondering if it was about time he spoke to Summer Rose, the only response he got being Luna hugging him from the back.
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.(Line Break)
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May 22nd
Wednesday
Clear
Combat class was over, and Azura was walking with Ruby towards the entrance of the training halls, with Ruby explaining that she asked Pyrrha to wait for her there.
"So, she should be there already and I am keeping her waiting! We have to move!"
Azura continued their pace, much to Ruby's frustration. "She'll still be there, Ruby. Pyrrha is patient enough."
"With you! She doesn't know that you will be there." Ruby looked down. "What if she doesn't care to listen to me? She never seems to listen when I asked…"
Azura decided to intervene. "Ruby."
She looked over, and he could see the uncertainty in her eyes. He was confident that she had no idea what kind of people she knew. "She'll be there. I promise."
"Really?"
"Yes."
She seemed less unsure of herself now, but stopped once Azura put a hand on her shoulder. "And, I don't mean to sound assuming, but I know how you feel. I used to struggle with social interactions, and I still do. If you want to, we can learn together."
She was silent for a while, so Azura spoke up again. "I mean, if you don't want to…"
She shook her head rapidly. "No! I mean, I was...ugh! I do want to. Please?"
Azura smiled. "Of course. Now, to our mission objective!"
"Operation 'Save Jaune' is a go!" Ruby exclaimed.
He was just happy to have the excited and happy Ruby back, and he hoped to never see her sad again. Where was Summer when he actually needed her? A look around showed that Luna was the only other person with them.
A minute later, they found Pyrrha waiting outside the entrance. The tall redhead seemed surprised to see Azura with Ruby.
"Well, hello Azura. I can't say I expected you to be here as well. Did Ruby need to speak with you as well?" Pyrrha asked, tilting her head slightly.
Azura shot Ruby a glance. "Something like that."
"Well, I wanted to speak with you about something." Ruby said.
If Azura never saw her uncertainty, he would think she was perfectly capable of holding a conversation.
Pyrrha was quick to figure out what was going on. "Jaune...right. Come, we will talk in a more secluded area."
So, Pyrrha did know something. After a few minutes, it was shown that Pyrrha had led them to the private gardens near the central tower.
Pyrrha and Ruby sat down, while Azura leaned against a nearby tree.
"Well, where to begin?" Pyrrha asked, mostly to herself.
"Well, there was the time you said that you would wait for Jaune after history. It was last Friday I think. And he was more distant ever since, even with the bullying." Azura supplied.
Pyrrha nodded. "Right. Well, I waited for him after class, and brought him with me to one of the rooftops to talk in private."
"Wait, so should you even be telling us this?" Ruby asked, looking like she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
Pyrrha shook her head. "No, I shouldn't. But, it's for Jaune. Something is clearly wrong though, and I should do something to help."
"Okay. So, shall we continue?" Azura asked.
"Yes. I brought him to the roof, intending to offer my help in his studies, and maybe more. But he had some shocking things to say."
"Like what?"
"He didn't want to be helped. He said that he didn't want to be the damsel in distress, stuck in the tree as his friends fought in his stead, that he wanted to be a hero. His family came from a long line of heroes, according to Jaune"
Azura sighed. "What a prideful guy."
Ruby turned towards him. "Can you really blame him, though? I wouldn't want to be helped if I was him."
Azura thought back to his childhood, after his mother. The Blue family, the one that took him in. They had wanted to help, and Azura could remember refusing for the longest time.
"You have a point."
Pyrrha coughed to get their attention again. "Well, here comes the part that I really need you to keep secret."
"We promise." Ruby said, not even giving Azura a choice. Not that he wouldn't keep it a secret.
Pyrrha looked around, before leaning forward, forcing Azura to move closer. "He actually never truly got accepted to Beacon. He got forged documents. He never went to any combat school, or passed any tests…"
"Well, now it makes sense that he could never really seem to fight." Azura said.
"And he refused your offer to help?" Ruby asked.
"Yes. It was around that time that he stopped hanging out with us. Is it my fault that he is this way?"
Azura rolled his eyes. "What is with you guys and blaming yourselves for such a thing. Does no one think that Cardin might be doing something?"
"Like blackmail?" Pyrrha asked.
"What? No, of course not. I think Cardin is just making the bullying worse for Jaune."
Ruby spoke up after a few seconds of silence. "Well, why don't we find out? I'll talk to Jaune when I can, and see what I can find. It's my duty to my first friend at Beacon."
Pyrrha protested. "Why wouldn't I be the one to talk to him?"
Ruby gawked from shock, so Azura took over. "Well, Jaune doesn't seem that willing to talk to you. No offense, but he might be avoiding you the most.
Pyrrha looked almost angry. "Fine. I'll leave it to the two of you to figure something out."
She almost stalked out of the gardens, but her polite nature forced her to a stiff walk.
"Do you think I went too far?"
"I don't know…" Ruby responded.
Azura looked at Luna, thinking of a new plan. "Well, why don't you go on ahead. I want to stay a little longer."
"Well, will I see you for dinner? Ruby asked, looking a little hopeful.
Probably not, but he still smiled. "Of course. I'll see you later."
Once she was gone, he turned to look at Luna, who was already waiting for what he wanted to ask. "Go find Summer Rose. The two of us need to talk."
.
.(Line Break)
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He waited for more than twenty minutes before Luna came back with a confused Summer Rose.
"Miss, why are you bringing me here? This boy can't talk to us." Summer said, her voice not as high pitched as Ruby, but carrying the same soft and sweet tone.
"Who says that I can't, Summer? And that isn't 'Miss'. That's my mother, Luna."
Her reactions were still similar to Ruby. "Wha…?"
"I can hear you." Azura said, feeling more confident than he thought he would be.
Summer was still in a state of surprise, but came back to her senses in record time. A trained huntress, Azura figured. "How is this even possible?"
"My semblance, Coexistence. It allows me to speak with spirits and ghosts."
Summer couldn't do much to doubt it, considering everything. "Okay...while I am curious, I have to know why you decided to hide this."
Azura laughed. "Who wouldn't? A person who can talk with the dead, a person who can fight with the dead and speaks to open air most of the time? Most would consider me crazy, even if I showed it off."
Summer actually looked hurt, and Azura was instantly reminded of Ruby. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay. Ask any questions that you want."
Summer was quiet for a moment. "Can only you see us?"
"Currently."
"How?"
"It's a passive part of my semblance. In this form, you can interact with my personal belongings, such as my weapon, clothing, or even my body. Even your semblance can interact with me."
"In this form? You can activate it, then?"
"Yes. If I were to activate it, you would be visible and physical, able to interact freely. You would also have a replica of your weapon."
"So, if I wanted to, I could talk to my daughters?"
Azura was silent, hoping she wouldn't ask, even if he knew it would come up.
"Azura?" Summer asked as she crouched down in front of him, her silver eyes wide and desperate. "Please tell me I can do that."
"You can…"
"Then let's do that."
"We can't. Not yet." Azura said, shaking his head.
"Why not?" Summer asked, not seeming angry at all.
"Ozpin wants to know first."
Even if he said it would be the right thing to do to have Ruby see Summer first, but he could face Ozpin compared to Ruby with this.
"Are you scared to see what little Ruby might do?" She asked, her eyes softening. "I have waited for years, I can wait a little longer."
"I can't do that to you! That isn't fair…" Azura said, already feeling bad for denying her.
Summer shook her head. "Azura. I am a mother, and I think Luna would agree that us mothers can wait a lifetime to see their children again."
"Right." Azura said.
"Why does Ozpin want to see me?"
"I don't know. I only know that he want to."
"Then let's go. We can get it out of the way."
Azura saw the way she gripped her arms as she stood.
"Do you not like Ozpin?"
"It's not that. But, years as a ghost changes a person, Azura."
She walked off, and Azura and Luna moved to catch up. The three of them walked towards the tower where Ozpin could be found, and Azura barely had to ask before he was given access to the elevator, being told something about having specific consequences that gave him direct access to Ozpin.
The elevator ride only had the horrible music to fill the silence. Once the door opened, the three of them stepped out to see Ozpin staring out his window, just like the last time Azura was here.
"Hello, mister Heart. It is good to see you again."
"Headmaster." Azura said, nodding his head in respect.
"Again with the formalities. Just Ozpin is fine." He said, turning around and walking towards the front of his desk, leaning against it for support. "Now, what can I help you with?"
"I did what you asked of me."
The older man's eyes widened for a moment, before pushing his glasses up and placing his mug of coffee on the desk behind him. "I see. Is that why you are here?"
His calm demeanor did nothing for Azura's nerves. "Yes. I can show you, if you wish to speak with her."
"So, you can do that, then. Interesting. And, if you would, I do wish to talk to her."
Once Azura activated his semblance, Luna and Summer appeared next to him. It seemed that even Ozpin couldn't believe it.
"Luna as well?"
His mother waved to him.
"Hello to you too. And hello, Summer. It has...been quite some time." Ozpin said.
"Ozpin." Summer said, looking quite, well, unlike the Summer that she had shown Azura.
Either Ozpin chose to ignore it, or he was very good at being dumb.
"This conversation will be a private one. I must ask you to leave, mister Heart. As well as your mother."
"I can't do that, sir." Azura said.
Ozpin sighed. "And why is that?"
"I don't mean it disrespectfully, but I can only keep ghosts visible in a certain radius, and I haven't seem to find any other way for it to work at the moment."
Ozpin closed his eyes for a moment, deep in thought.
Summer did not have the same patience. "Whatever you wish to say can be said in front of him."
"I very much doubt that. Some things should not be discussed in front of a child." Ozpin replied.
Summer bit her lip. "Then ask me what you wish."
Ozpin stayed cool. "Of course."
Azura felt like he didn't belong here. The tension was rising, and the only thing that kept Azura from bolting was Luna holding on to him.
Ozpin spoke again. "You've changed Summer. Do you not trust me anymore?"
Summer breathed in and out, looking creepily calm. "I do trust you, but being dead for a decade or so will change a person. There isn't much for us to talk about, is there?"
Ozpin looked at Azura, and Luna wrapped her fox tail around his waist. "No. I have just a few questions for the moment."
"Ask away." Summer said, leaning against one of the pillars in the room.
"What happened on that mission?"
"I was in a fight of impossible odds. Not even the silver eyes could save me."
Silver eyes? What was so important about them?
"I see." Ozpin seemed troubled. He kept shooting Azura glances, almost like he expected the boy to attack him or something, before fully facing him.
"Mister Heart, do you know if something happens when a person dies and a ghost is formed?"
Azura licked his lips. "Well, not everyone becomes a ghost or a spirit, but the fashion in which they die usually causes a problem for them. Well, all I know is that my mother died with wounds to the throat, so she can't speak. We've tried all the methods we could, but the most we found was that she can do simple things, like pointing and stuff."
Summer seemed shocked. "When did you find this out?"
Azura put a hand to his chin to think. "I'm seventeen now...and I have known my mother as a ghost for about a decade. So, when I was seven, I guess. No one knows the Grimm that did it though." He said the last words with a clenched fist.
Summer was quick to make her judgement. "Ozpin, you have to do something about this. You wanted him to bring me to you, the least you can do is return the favor!"
"And I shall. I believe I know what could have possibly done this Luna, and I will look into it later."
Azura brightened up. It seemed that his goal was a step closer to completion. "Thank you, sir."
"Of course. You are a student of Beacon, and I must do what I can to help them. But, I do have a few more questions before I let you all go." Ozpin said.
They all perked up a little. Even if it didn't seem like it, Ozpin gave off quite a good aura of a leader.
"So, going off of what Azura has said. How did you die, Summer? Azura might be able to translate what you cannot do."
"Well, it was Grimm that brought me down. It was along the edges of Vacuo, and a mix of a lot of Grimm. I cannot say that I remember all of what happened. But, when I died, I remember a flash of light before anything happened. I think...the silver eyes did something."
Ozpin was frowning. "What do you have to say about that, mister Heart?"
Azura was confused by the silver eyes, but tried to think past them. "From what I can tell, I'm not sure what it would be. There's not enough info. It is possible that nothing has changed for her."
Ozpin hummed, breathing out heavily. "Then we will have to go with what you say. Let me know if you and Summer find anything else out in that regard. If not, I will call you here myself."
The man moved to be in front of Azura, and placed a hand on his shoulder. It felt like it was burning, the fire reaching into his chest. His very soul. He had to be seeing things, Summer's eyes were like a burning fire, and Ozpin looked like he had several spirits following him. They all looked like younger versions of the man standing in front of him. The man let go a second later, not noticing Azura's state, or ignoring it. "You are dismissed."
The man looked rather somber as they left, with Azura deactivating his semblance. His thoughts were a mess, and he stumbled his way to the open air once the elevator doors opened, the cool wind giving little relief. His chest felt tight, and he sat at a nearby bench with help from Luna and Summer, feeling sick to his stomach, and he felt that his legs were shaking. He felt like he just saw something unexplainable, something that shouldn't even happen.
Luna kept watch, ears up and alert, as she stood behind him with her hands on his shoulders. Her grip was strong, anxious. Summer was once again in front of him, crouching, as she grabbed his face.
"Azura. I need you to look at me."
He did so, and those silver eyes burned into him. The power behind them felt so much more real than before. He wanted to look away, but found that he couldn't.
"Just deep breaths. I need you to calm down. Focus on my eyes. Listen to my voice."
He did so, and felt his desire to look away ebb away. The eyes that held so much strength in them looked softer, kinder. She was humming some lullaby to him, like he was a child, but Azura found that he didn't care.
After a half hour or so, he felt Summer suddenly take her hands away, the cold touch leaving his cheeks cool, and moving over to his side. He looked up from the ground as he sat on the bench, finding Ruby looking at him. Her silver eyes held a glimpse of the power that her mother's silver eyes held, but they looked so fragile. So innocent. Did people just not see this in Ruby's eyes? Was he going crazy?
"Azura? What are you doing here? You didn't show up to dinner at all." Ruby said.
He wanted to speak, but his brain felt so sluggish. It was like his mind was overloaded, and he was unable to figure something out. It was like he could only see the spirits around Ozpin, like it would choke him to death. The silver eyes glowed like a lighthouse in a sea of night, and Azura was a captain looking for a way to keep his ship together.
In the next moment, he felt hands grabbing onto his arms. They were warm, and he wanted nothing more than that. He was no longer trapped in his mind, and saw that his head was tilted back. He could see Ruby looking at him with concern, As she put her hand to his forehead, she jolted back a little, like she just touched ice, before putting it back.
Azura could feel the world coming back to him, and after a few seconds, he was fully back. He no longer felt like he was losing his mind, like he had stumbled into death's halls. He was shivering slightly, like he jumped into a lake in Atlas, but no longer sickly.
Ruby no longer had glowing eyes. It was like she never had them in the first place. He must have imagined them, there was no way those eyes were special. But then, Ozpin seemed to be keenly interested in them.
"Azura! Azura! Can you hear me?!"
Ruby was talking to him. Yelling. He had to respond.
"W-why are y-you so lo-loud?"
"Thank god. Are you fully here?" Ruby said, with a quieter tone.
Azura nodded his head against her knuckles, which still rested against his head. "Yeah...yeah, all here."
"What was that? You seemed so out of it, and you wouldn't stop looking at my face. You were shivering and it stopped once I touched you."
Azura said the first thing that came to mind, feeling his senses rapidly coming back. "My semblance. It must have flared up. I'm sure it has happened to you as well."
Ruby frowned. "Of course it has. When I first unlocked mine, I couldn't stay at a constant speed. But what you just did, that was scary. No semblance should almost cause...whatever that was. Just what is your semblance."
"You wouldn't want to know…" Azura said, looking past Ruby towards Summer, noticing that her eyes weren't glowing anymore either.
Ruby looked behind her, only to see nothing. "Azura, what are you talking about? Do you need to go the medics?"
He shook his head. "No. I'm feeling better now."
Ruby frowned deeper. "You clearly weren't okay! Azura, I will not move from this spot until you tell me what your semblance is. What if something like that happens again?"
Azura doubted that he would ever let Ozpin touch him again. "It won't happen again."
Ruby still did not move. "Even if it doesn't, wouldn't you want someone to know your semblance if it does?"
"Pyra knows." Azura countered.
"And she can't always be around. You usually spend time with her, Pyrrha, or me. And we're not always near each other."
"You really would not like to know." He said.
"Nope!" Ruby said, shaking her head.
"What?"
"Nope! You tell me about your semblance, or I send Yang after you."
Azura groaned. Why must he be friends with the most stubborn person ever? "Fine. But I'm not showing you yet. Sit down."
She moved to do so, and Azura had to admit to missing her warm touch.
And so Azura told her about his semblance. How he could see ghosts and spirits. How he could passively see and interact with them. How they can interact with him. First Pyra, then Ozpin, and now Ruby. It made him feel bad for keeping Pyrrha in the shadows, perhaps he would have to tell her later.
Ruby was looking towards the slowly turning night time sky, the spring hours dragging early twilight on as long as it could, as she listened to him. She didn't even seem scared when he went over it. Was he just paranoid when he thought people would be scared of him because of his semblance?
"Okay. So, were you being possessed or something?" Ruby asked, a fixed smirk on her face.
Azura sighed. "No, Ruby, I was not being possessed."
She laughed. "I was kidding!"
Azura coughed, embarrassed. "Right."
Their laughter ended a few seconds later. "Is your semblance always so hurtful to yourself? Is that why you won't use it?"
Azura looked off into the horizon. "No. It's just...I don't want people to see it. I mean, if the manifestation of my soul is death, what would that make them think?"
"If the manifestation of your soul is death, then my ability to run really fast would make the manifestation of my soul to be a coward." Ruby replied.
"But you aren't a coward."
Ruby smiled. "Thank you. And I think your semblance is a wonderful thing. Not even talking about combat capabilities, I think it is wonderful. Think about all the people you could help to have another conversation with their dead relative."
He hadn't thought of that. "Yeah. You might have a point."
"Azura?" Ruby asked, so softly that he was surprised.
"Yes, Ruby?"
"Never mind. Don't worry about it. I've already asked you so much recently." Ruby said, shaking her head.
"I don't mind."
"No, I couldn't. It's rather personal…" Ruby said, trailing off.
Azura knew when to not push. "Okay. Well, how about this. You tell me when you're ready. I might know what you want though."
Summer was on the end of the bench, looking at Ruby. Azura promised to himself that he would let Summer talk to Ruby, when Ruby was ready to tell him that he wanted to talk to her dead mother. Call him cocky, but it wasn't hard to know what her request was.
"Huh?" Ruby said, shocked.
Azura laughed lightly. "Don't worry about it. Just tell me when you're ready." He stood up with a stretch. "Thanks for the talk, Ruby."
She followed suit, standing up. "Right. No problem!"
Azura laughed again. "Alright, that's enough emotional talk for a week. You ready to start 'Operation: Save Jaune' tomorrow?"
Ruby saluted him. "Of course I am! I was born ready!"
"My little hero." Azura said, lightly punching her shoulder.
Ruby was quick with a retort. "Of course I am! I'm a huntress!"
"In training." Azura reminded.
"Semantics!" Ruby said, sticking her tongue out.
"Right." Azura said with a smile. "Let's go."
"To where?"
"The mess hall, Ruby. Where else? I'm starving."
Ruby laughed. "You're silly, Azura. Come on, it's still early enough. In fact, everyone else might still be there."
As they walked in silence, Azura knew that his mood had improved drastically. Ruby was special. A very special person. Not because of the silver eyes or whatever they meant for a person, but because of her heart. It was hard to describe, and Azura made a mental note to try and explain it in the future. If she could put some trust in him, telling him about her struggles with social interactions, then he can put some trust in her.
.
.(Chapter end)
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Yeah, I know, a lot of talking. However, I would say that the conversations between characters and their interactions are the most important part of RWBY. There have been themes about family and friendship since the first volume, and I wish to keep that theme in this story.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!