Ghostly Visions and Living Partners

by Forest of Rubies

"A simple huntsman was all they wanted to be, all they planned to be. Life, unluckily, decided to play." Now hear me out about the OCs. There are only three, and only two of which that is considered important. Follows the main plot, with my own spin, but the main focus is on the main cast and the moments between them. POV is from an OC, but I needed it that way for story reasons.

7. Semblances

Another chapter finished and ready to go. I promise that I don't mean to write 9k+ words for each chapter, but I'm sure that it isn't a huge issue to you all. I know that people like long chapters, but sometimes you just don't have the time, which I can understand.

Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter. Have a nice day/night!

Chapter 7: Semblances

May 23rd

Thursday

Clear

It was early in the morning, with Azura being woken up by Luna. As he woke up, he remembered why she was doing so, realizing that the assumption of Jaune's tiredness was correct, for the boy was currently sneaking about.

Azura laid still as Jaune moved around, quickly leaving the room after a minute or so. Once he was gone, Azura moved out of the covers, checking to see if anyone was awake. The most movement being made was Luna as she grabbed clothing for him. He had to wonder if the line between material items and personal items were drawing closer.

Quickly getting changed, Azura left the room, and waited for Ruby to come out as well. It seemed that Summer was still tailing Jaune, so he could wait. Ruby came out of her room in her Beacon uniform, her cloak trailing behind her. She looked sleepy, clearly unused to waking up early, and quietly leaned against the wall next to him.

"Mmmm...give me five minutes. How in remnant do you do this daily?" Ruby asked, giving him an adorable yawn.

"You get used to it. And you have time, we're waiting for someone to come back. She'll know where Jaune is."

Ruby didn't even question it, sliding on the wall until she was leaning on him. "Sounds good...I'll try to not fall asleep."

Luckily, they did not need to wait long before Summer returned to them. Azura nudged Ruby, and she looked around, confused when nothing happened. Then her eyes widened in realization.

"Are you talking to a ghost?" She asked, sounding rather excited.

"Yes." He said, before facing Summer. "I assume you know what he's up to?"

The older woman nodded. "Yes, follow me. He entered the library about two minutes ago, so he should still be there."

"Good. Let's get going."

He pushed off of the wall, and Ruby stumbled to catch up with him. Despite her earlier tiredness, she was already talking, asking Azura a few questions.

"So, what's it like interacting with a ghost?" She started off with.

"Pretty normal, most of the time. It depends on how they died. And sometimes, the way they die doesn't change anything." Azura responded.

Ruby looked slightly surprised at the blunt answer. "Oh. Well, your semblance is activated, but it also has a passive state. Have you ever thought about what would happen if you fainted?"

Azura couldn't think of a time where he did. "No, I can't say I did. It requires a level of focus to stay active, but I have done this for a few years now, so I can passively keep them visible if I wanted to. If I were to lose my senses from a heavy blow or something though, I can't keep them visible, but they could still move me if they thought to. As for fainting...I don't know. If I were to guess based off of other semblances that have a on and off 'switch', I would assume that they wouldn't be able to interact with me at all."

"I guess your semblance isn't all-powerful if that is the case." Ruby said, looking thoughtful.

What do you mean?" He asked.

"Well, I do think it is powerful, if used correctly. I mean, from what you told me, you should be able to do a lot of things, even with the downside of needing a level of focus. You have beings that cannot die, that can fight for you." Ruby said, waving her arms as she continued. "There are so many applications that your semblance would be capable of! I even know a way that I would be able to help you to better your use of your semblance!"

Azura raised an eyebrow. "Not that I don't believe you, but what could you do that would help me with my semblance?"

"Your gun, silly." Ruby said, like it was super obvious.

Azura blinked, expecting her to further elaborate. "You going to continue?"

Ruby smiled sheepishly. "Right. If I were to get the custom parts, I could probably use the weapon shop connected to the Beacon garage to build you a custom mecha-shift weapon. If you want to stay with the pistol, it would probably be a long dagger. You could have a dust use for both forms and everything! For ammo slots, I mean."

Azura was happy that she would consider doing that for him. "Thanks, Ruby. But, you still haven't explained how a new weapon would help to increase the uses of my semblances."

It was like the inner workings of her mind jammed. "Oh...well, that makes sense." She said, rubbing the back of her head. "Well, you don't have a huge need to have a ranged weapon when you have ghosts who can be in another position."

Azura thought about it. "You do have a point. My semblance doesn't reach that far, nor can I choose who I make visible, though. I could probably work towards being able to changing that."

Ruby nodded her head, as if she knew what he was thinking. "Well, what do you think?"

"Fine. But I don't want to leave you to do it yourself. You want to have an apprentice while you work?"

Ruby looked like she just found a jackpot of cookies. "Yes! That sounds like so much fun!"

Azura could see that the library was growing closer. "Good. And it's time to start operations."

Ruby grew serious. "Right."

They stopped, hiding near the entrance. "Okay. Ruby, you remember the plan we made over dinner?"

She nodded. "I'll stay on the first floor, staying near the corners by the entrance, in case you miss him. While I do that, you'll be looking around the place, staying hidden while you search for Jaune."

Azura nodded. "Exactly like that. You're small, so you're be able to stay unseen, and I have the advantage of people."

They moved into the building, where they split up, with Ruby picking her little spot near the front doors. Azura moved along the walls, thankful that he was able to sneak without looking odd pretty well.

"Luna, I need you to stay on the first floor and keep an eye on everything in the center. Stay floating to see easier."

It was redundant to say that, seeing that she was always floating, but she listened to his command easily. He turned to Summer. "Lead me to Jaune. Stay ahead of me, and warn me if you see Jaune or team CRDL."

"Stil weird to take orders from someone so young." She said with a smile, moving to stay ahead.

Azura rolled his eyes, staying along the walls as he moved to the stairs. Summer moved up the stairs, walking at a pace just awkwardly slow enough to compensate for the sneaking Azura. It seemed Jaune was on the second floor, and as Azura found out a minute later, Summer stayed true to her keen eye, knowing where he was. Team CRDL was also there, and Azura had to admit to getting tired of seeing their faces. They were fooling around, and just being dumb, looking like they were well-rested, despite the early hours. Jaune, on the other hand, was looking tired, and his eyes were dull, but he was still hard at work, writing at a semi-sluggish pace. Perhaps this was the extra work that Jaune was assigned to do by Doctor Oobleck?

So, why did it look like he had enough paper for two? A thought went towards the possibility that Jaune had to do the same work, but for Cardin as well. He couldn't hear what was being said, but luckily for him, Summer was right next to them, so he would have to ask what was being said. It looked like Jaune flinched back, then looked ready to argue something, only to deflate and nod his head numbly.

What was he being told to do? And why didn't he fight back? Azura couldn't wrap his head around it. Was he being blackmailed or something?

A few more minutes later, Summer came back to him with a frown on her face. "Let's go. We can talk elsewhere."

He nodded his head, making his way back to the first floor. He first signaled to Luna with a small wave, moving freely across the library now, then to Ruby that they were leaving. They moved quickly away from the library, talking on their way back to the dorms.

Before Ruby could ask any questions, Azura asked his question to Summer. "What did you learn? I wasn't close enough to hear them."

"Well, I am sure you are well aware of the trip to Forever Fall forest. They are making Jaune do something there, during the trip. I'm not quite sure what it will be, but at least we have a date for when Jaune might take things one step further than he would like." She said.

Azura frowned slightly before turning his head to Ruby. "Well, it seems that we are going to have to hold off until the school trip to Forever Fall. Something is going to happen with Jaune, and we'll be forced to wait until then."

Ruby tilted her head. "Alright, so we have a plan. That works for me. But, if I can, I want to talk to Jaune. Maybe I can help him make his own decision."

A shadow of doubt crossed her face, but it was quickly replaced by determination.

Azura smiled. "You're very kind, Ruby. I think you should try it. But, remember that the trip happens in four days, after this weekend."

Ruby nodded. "Of course. Perhaps we can talk about what kind of weapon you want me to make? We might be able to get the parts from Vale this weekend!"

"Sounds good to me."

The morning went off without a hitch. Ruby went back to her dorm room, with Summer going after her. She gave him a quick thumbs up, showing that she was in the clear, before shutting the door. Azura did the same, moving to the bathroom to freshen up. He didn't feel like running this morning anyway.

.

.(Line Break)

.

The next time Jaune and Azura was seen with the group was during breakfast. Nobody commented on his tired eyes and overall ragged face, and Pyrrha was not seen next to him, as usual. Now, Yang sat next to him, shooting him a concerned glance before returning back to food. The tension at the table was palpable, as if everyone was waiting for someone else to speak first.

Azura decided to start it off. "So, how has everyone's morning been?" It was a cliche question, but he had to break the ice somehow.

Ruby came to his rescue when no one else spoke up, giving him a slight nudge from her seat next to him. "It's been fine. Just the usual stuff."

Weiss answered, most likely out of courtesy. "As Ruby said, it has been fine."

Pyra was the last to answer. "Hungry."

Clearly, Jaune vanishing from the group recently has shaken the dynamic up more than it seemed. Team JNPR didn't even answer, and some of team RWBY was ignoring it. The rest of breakfast was a quiet affair.

The classes afterwards was able to make them look like a more organized group, despite Jaune being around team CRDL. Azura was itching to say something about their silence, but found that he didn't, while Ruby couldn't even pay attention. The young girl was slapping her pen against her unused hand, and Weiss had to grab her wrist before Ruby stopped for a while, before returning to her nervous habit.

Cardin and Jaune were once again held after class by Oobleck, and Azura sighed as he watched Pyrrha walk away, annoyance radiating off of her.

Azura was walking with Ren, Nora, and Pyra when Ren spoke up. "Do you think Pyrrha has the right to be angry? While I am unsure of what happened between them, it feels...unjustified."

Nora responded, much less energetic than usual. "I just want our team back together."

Azura had to agree with the two of them. Pyrrha was unjustified in her anger, just as Jaune was to not fight back. Was everyone else just at fault, for not speaking out?

That thought consumed Azura as he sat in the library throughout the afternoon, waiting for combat class to start.

.

.(Line Break)

.

There was an awkward divide between team JNPR and team RWBY when Azura walked up the stairs where everyone waited for combat class. Seeing Pyra between them was what made him choose to do the same.

Azura sat down and leaned towards her. "Well, this is awkward."

Pyra rolled her eyes, replying quietly. "You can say that again. It's not like Jaune was the only link between them."

Azura hummed his agreement. "You can say that again. Ruby doesn't look that happy about it."

"Neither do Ren and Nora." Was her response.

"Well, no one is doing anything about it." He said.

"Not like we have done anything to stop it." Pyra retorted.

Azura nodded, and said nothing more. He wasn't sure why he was keeping what he and Ruby were trying to do secret. Was it because they were unable to do much of anything?

Azura quickly decided that he hated doing nothing. He'll try and talk to Jaune if he could.

As the matches started for the day, Azura was hoping to get either a good opponent, or someone to take his frustrations out on. He got his wish once Goodwitch called his name, with his opponent being Cardin Winchester himself.

He must have been wearing a cocky smirk, for Pyra quickly spoke up. "Don't go walking around like that. Cardin might pull something on you."

Azura laughed. "I'm aware. Rule number one: never underestimate your opponent."

As he walked down the steps, he thought of what he knew of Cardin as a fighter. He used a mace, and had the strength to swing it around with one hand. He was feisty, and had admirable speed for a slow fighter, but Azura was confident in being faster. Beyond that, Cardin had the tendency to keep fighting, no matter what.

So, he had strength and size to his advantage. Azura had the speed and agility to counter it. His fighting style was meant for lithe and flexible fighters, so he still held the advantage. As they walked onto the arena, Cardin shot him a sneer.

Azura smirked. "A sneer can't even fit your ugly mug."

An insult to start off a fight, that was new for him.

"I didn't realize the pretty boy had such a sharp tongue." Cardin replied.

"Enough of the talk, you two." Goodwitch said. "You are to fight, not play a children's game."

Azura drew his pistol in his left hand, and Luna transformed the blade from its metal band form, with Azura grabbing it as it dropped. Cardin raised an eyebrow before hefting his mace up, resting it on his shoulder.

"Begin!"

Azura stood still as Cardin rushed him, simply leaping to the side as Cardin swung his weapon. He needed to see how Cardin attacked before anything. After a minute, Azura was sure that he figured Cardin out, minus the possibility of a semblance.

"What's wrong?" Cardin called. "You scared to take a swing?"

His silence seemed to irk Cardin as he went back into his normal string of attacks. Charge, swing, turn, swing, chase, slam. It changed here and there, but just barely. As he finished with a slam, Azura took the chance to shoot several ice dust bullets into the mace, freezing it to the ground.

As Cardin tried to break it free, Azura took the chance to shoot the rest of the magazine into the mace users' foot, and kick at it, making him go down on one knee. Azura slashed at the bigger boy in the chest, not worrying about the armor, thanks to the way aura worked. He leaned back as Cardin swung an arm out to stop him, and gave a final slash before hopping away backwards.

He reloaded his other ice dust magazine, seeing that it might have been his best solution to stop Cardin safely. A quick glance showed Cardin at 70% aura, while he was still at 100% aura.

By now, Cardin had broken the ice, and was taking a more serious approach this time. He moved slowly, almost analyzing Azura while the white haired boy was standing still again.

Azura sighed in a mocking manner. "Come on, Cardin. Surely you have something up your sleeve?"

Cardin growled, and his mace suddenly glowed a deep red. Just like most weapons, Cardin had a secondary function on his weapon, this one seeming to infuse fire dust into the head of the mace.

"There you go." Azura said.

Cardin charged as he yelled out. "Let's dance, pretty boy!"

And so they danced, as Azura dodged around Cardin, the big boy seeming to get angrier as Azura got a few pokes in. Towards the end, Azura slipped up, with the mace making contact to his chest, and was sent flying.

Azura coughed as he grabbed his weapons and stood back up, and another look at the aura board showed Azura at 75% aura from one hit, while Cardin sat at 62%. The heat of the weapon would have left a burn mark if aura didn't exist. However, it seemed that Cardin had run out of dust, his weapon returning to its dull look once more.

"You sure do know how to pack a punch." Azura commented.

"Almost as much as how well you know to run away." Cardin retorted.

Azura shrugged. "I was a dancer in a past life. It must have stuck around."

Soon, they were back in the loop that started the fight, with Cardin chasing and swinging, while Azura kept dodging to the side. Honestly, did he expect for it to work the second time around?

However, when Cardin was about to slam his mace down, he kicked out towards Azura, making contact with his leg that was stepping back, and Azura fell to the ground on his back. Cardin slammed his mace down, making contact with his aura, which had pooled above his stomach to soften the blow.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Cardin jeered, pressing a massive foot down on Azura's chest after kicking his pistol away.

When Azura did not respond, he continued. "Such a shame. I was hoping to crush you, and maybe get that redhead to realize how much better I am for her than her. Ruby, was it?" Cardin breathed out as he leaned down, and whispered. "How fun is she? I bet she got into Beacon from doing some...favors. You know what I mean."

How dare he even say that. She was far worthier than him. He didn't even care if he was only saying it to anger him. If it was anger he wanted, it was anger he would get.

That was when Azura responded. "I dare you to make one more comment about Ruby. In fact, I dare you to make any degrading comment about my friends in front of me. If you do, I'll kick your ass." He gave a devilish smirk. Oh, and I would look up."

As Cardin did so, he saw nothing. Then, all of a sudden, he saw the ghostly shape of a white haired fox Faunus fall towards him, and was forced to get off of Azura.

As Azura stood and grabbed his sword, he saw Luna return with his pistol. He took it, and sheathed it once more. A look showed him all that he wanted to. Beyond his aura being at 50% percent, while Cardin stayed at 62%, he saw the shocked faces of the sitting students. Team JNPR was in shock, and even Jaune was paying attention. They all looked stunned, but Pyrrha seemed to realize what those semblance training sessions really were, while Pyra seemed to be smiling. She had good reason to do so, since she has seen Luna already.

Team RWBY was in a similar state, with Blake and Weiss seeming to have a brain malfunction. Ruby looked starstruck at the reveal, and Summer seemed rather satisfied with what Azura just did. Yang cupped her hands and brought them to her mouth.

"Go get him, Snow!" She yelled down towards the arena.

Even professor Goodwitch looked impressed, though he could barely see it.

Returning his eyes to Cardin, the armored teen was looking around wildly, looking for Luna. The problem was that she was invisible once more, returned to her passive state. Azura found that he was still angry at Cardin for his statements, so he rushed towards him, leaping towards him with a technique he learned from his adoptive family, Aether. It had a name, but it was just fusing some aura with the blade, and slamming it down with the built momentum.

Cardin turned around and raised his mace to block.

"Now!" Azura called.

Luna came back into reality, slamming the replica family blade that Azura held, one that she summoned, into Cardin's backside, making him stumble forward. Azura brought the blade down, cracking it down on Cardin's back, which brought the goliath of a teenager down to the ground.

Azura brought the blade down to Cardin's head, and Luna kept hers in hand as she hovered just barely above Cardin. "Surrender, Cardin. You've lost."

A glance to the aura bar showed that the surprise aether brought Azura down to 40%, but took Cardin to 30%. It seemed that Cardin's aura was actually smaller than Azura's.

The large boy tried to get up, only for Luna to place her foot down on his head, pushing it down. He never surrendered, and Goodwitch had to call the match in Azura's favor to end it.

As she looked around to quiet the students in the audience, Azura removed his blade and crouched down, "Never talk about Ruby like that again. You mess with my friends, I'll embarrass you even worse than just now."

He stepped away, Luna back to not being visible, and hoped that his words reached him. If not, then maybe this would give Jaune the courage to stand up. Cardin stood up, silent and trying to not look angry. Goodwitch had finally quieted the students, despite some whispers still making their way around.

"Mister Winchester, I do not know what it is that you said which provoked mister Heart, but I suggest that you do not do it again. The only lesson I have for you is a very simple one." She narrowed her eyes. "Never underestimate an opponent."

Her eyes shot over to Azura. "As for you, mister Heart, I must say that you should be more cautious to keep your emotions in check. Had you fully given in to anger, you surely would have lost." She gave a small smile. "However, I am rather glad that you decided to truly show off your semblance. I hope you will keep it that way, so that you can reach your full potential. You are both dismissed."

Cardin was quick to move, keeping eerily quiet as he went up the stairs and sat down next to his team. Azura followed after him, noticing that team RWBY and JNPR were interacting again, even if it was only because of his match. Despite Jaune looking awkward as he stood on the outside, Azura was glad to see the blonde goof hanging out with his team.

He was met with their words as he sat down, though it seemed that professor Goodwitch was busy organizing the next match.

"That was rather impressive. I had no idea such a semblance existed. How does it function?" Weiss asked.

He never got to answer as Pyrrha spoke next. "What a fantastic show of skill you showed, Azura! And to think that your semblance wasn't what I thought it was…"

He chuckled. "What can I say? I'm good at hiding."

He was given compliments on his fighting, or the reveal of two abilities from him, from everyone else. That was when Yang spoke.

"So, Snow. That was certainly a fight. But, I could have sworn you said something to Cardin about 'not saying another thing about Ruby'. What did he say?" Her eyes flashed red. "Do I have to beat someone up?"

Azura had to admit to still feeling rather angry about it, but he stuffed it down for now, presenting her with a smile. "It was nothing to worry about. You know, schoolyard insults. Nothing special."

Yang breathed out. "Good. That's good. Well, I'm glad to know that you were that fed up with it. You're a good friend, Azura."

"Thanks, Azura! You put up quite the awesome fight. I can't wait to improve your gear, it will be so much fun!" Ruby said, a wide smile on her face.

"Of course. It will be an enlightening experience for me, as well." Azura replied.

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.(Line Break)

.

Over dinner, he was forced to give the details of his semblance once more. He told them what he considered to be safe, such as what his semblance it, how it works, and details regarding what those ghosts and spirits could do. They were particularly interested in the identity of the ghost who fought with him, and if he knew any more.

"Well," He started. "I have worked with other spirits before, in the past. Beyond that, I have only worked with one other ghost. In fact, they are both here right now."

Ruby was quite excited, even if she already knew this info. "Do either of the ghosts do anything beyond following you and stuff?"

Azura paused for a brief moment. "Well, yes. One of them follows me around most of the time, and likes to fool around and stuff. The other has taken to following some of you, to probably sate her boredom."

He looked over at Summer, who shot him a glare. He shrugged, it was the best he could do without lying.

Pyrrha spoke next. "So, what is the identity of the ghost woman who fought with you?"

Azura nearly dropped his fork. That info was rather personal. To this day, he was unsure of why he revealed Luna to Pyra when they first met. "Oh, it's no one important. Nothing to worry yourself over."

Pyrrha frowned. "Are you sure? I didn't get a good look at her face, but it seemed like you knew each other rather well."

Looking for an escape, he was rather pleased when his scroll went off. He was less pleased to see that it was Ozpin. He didn't want to be near the man at the moment, but he would take the escape for what it was.

"Sorry guys, but it looks like Ozpin wishes to see me. I have to go."

Pyra looked confused. "Just you?"

When Azura nodded, Summer moved over to his side. "Yes. It's probably something small. Perhaps he wants to talk about the first use of my semblance, since I held it close to my chest. It was my ace in the sleeve, so it happens."

Everyone seemed satisfied with his reason, and left him to walk on his own to the tower. After a few minutes, when they were outside, Summer spoke to him.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" She asked.

Azura shrugged. "I don't have much of a choice. You don't just deny the headmaster of the academy."

Summer sighed. "I suppose not. I'm not sure what happened when he touched you the last time, but I don't want it to happen again."

"I was just caught off guard." He replied.

Azura wouldn't admit that he had no idea if being on guard would even stop what had happened last time.

Once Azura made it to the tower, he was once again given quick access to the elevator. At the top, he found Ozpin sitting at his desk, looking a little tired, despite the mug of coffee that was next to him.

"Take a seat, mister Heart." Ozpin said, waving an arm to a chair.

"What's this all about, sir?" Azura asked as he sat down.

Ozpin laughed. "Do not worry, this is a simple talk about your semblance. And before you ask, no, I have not yet found anything regarding the Grimm you seek. I believe it has gone into hiding somewhere."

Azura nodded. "Right. What else did you want to talk about?"

"I wished to ask you if you wanted to have a specified training method for you to train your semblance." Ozpin said, leaning forward. "Specifically, it does not seem that you wish to have Summer be seen by the public eye. And I assume, young Ruby as well."

"So, you wanted to offer a private manner to train with my semblance? Why would I need Summer to do that?"

Ozpin sipped at his coffee. "Well, it would be fantastic for your semblance. What if you were to be able to expand the radius of which you could make a ghost visible? Or, maybe make one ghost visible instead of both? Perhaps even the ability to get rid of the of radius, and specifically have a ghost be visible anywhere?"

Azura frowned. "What are you trying to say?"

"What I mean is that you would need more than one ghost to practice that." Ozpin explained.

Azura knew that it made sense, so he glanced over to Summer. When the woman nodded, giving him permission, he decided to go with it. "Okay, it makes sense. When and where would I be doing this?"

"The when would be whenever you decided to do it. As for the where...well, we do have a open clearing in the Emerald forest, and it is right next to the trail that leads back to Beacon."

Azura blinked. "So, we never had to get launched in the first place?"

Ozpin chose to ignore it. "Well, I do believe that settles it. I will make sure that every faculty member know that you are allowed to be in the forest. You are dismissed."

No one spoke until they were outside. "I just can't believe that he launched a bunch of students into the Emerald forest for no reason."

Summer sighed. "Well, some things never change. So, when shall we do that special training?"

"Well, since I don't do the workouts on the weekend, we can put an hour or two for Saturday, and do the same for Sunday, assuming I have no other plans. I know this weekend that me and Ruby have to go to Vale, since she seems determined to upgrade my pistol."

Summer laughed. "Looks like she has my spirit for weapon making. Just be sure you make it up to her somehow."

Azura waved her off. "Of course I will."

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.(Line Break)

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May 25th

Saturday

Clear

Azura barely had time to eat before Ruby was dragging him away towards the early, as in ten in the morning, airship to Vale, with everyone except Yang, Pyra, and Weiss looking surprised.

Azura knew that she was excited for this, but even he was shocked at how excited she was. He supposed she really did love to work on weapons. Other than two of them, Luna and Summer was going with them, not that it shocked Azura. He also noticed that Ruby was once again in her casual clothing, the red jacket playing off of the dark pants and her short hair.

"You know, it'll be warm enough to ditch the pants soon." Azura commented as they sat down, the airship starting to move soon after.

"It's not like you will be changing anything either." She said, sticking her tongue out. "Plus, my combat dress has leggings."

Azura laughed. "You got me there. So, what are you planning to do with me today?"

Ruby seemed to shake with excitement as she answered. "I'm glad that you ask! So, first of all, there's this shop that has the parts that I need, but I also need to know your dust types, and see what I can do or if I need a different part."

Azura shook his head. "I didn't really think to bring my pistol, but I use lightning, ice, and fire dust, though I mostly use lightning and ice dust the most. Is there anything else you might need to know?"

"Nope. That should be all I need, but you never know. You'll be sticking around for the process anyway." Ruby said with a wave of her hand.

"That is what I agreed to do." He agreed.

"Hey, have you thought of if you wanted a second form on your blade? Or an easier shifting form?" Ruby asked.

"No, I haven't thought of that. It's a family blade, so I never thought of it." Azura said.

"Oh...well, you know, you don't have to do that. I wouldn't want to impose on tradition. I think classic weapons have their own charm! Just forge-" Ruby stopped when Azura lightly chopped her on the head.

"You worry too much, Ruby." Azura said.

He looked over to Luna, and she just shrugged, seeming to tell him that it was his choice.

He turned back to Ruby, who was waiting for an answer. "It's technically my blade now, so I don't think she would mind. What did you have in mind?"

"I mean, if it's not an issue…" Ruby trailed off, still looking nervous.

Azura smiled. "No, it's not an issue. Please, continue."

Her mood brightened. "Then, you know how I am making your new dagger have the other shift form of a pistol?" She waited for his nod before continuing. "Well I have been thinking about it, and I should be able to do it in a fashion that allows you to have two firing modes, and they would be a lightning dust mode and a ice dust mode. It would have two slots for magazines, so you might need to practice reloading a bit." She brought a hand to her chin. "That would force you to give up fire dust, is that okay?"

"I would find it agreeable." Azura said.

She continued after she had his word. "Then it should be fine. The most that would have to be done is to have a mechanism that could shift between the two, which is easy for me."

"And the family blade?" Azura asked.

"You keep calling it 'family blade'. Have you not named your weapon?" Ruby asked.

"No. Is that a problem?"

The young girl looked offended. "How can you do such a thing?! You put shame on my baby Crescent Rose! That's it, we are naming your weapons when I am done with them."

Azura felt that he should just let it happen. "Is it normal to name your weapons as a hunter-in-training?"

"Of course it is!" Ruby said with a pout.

"Alright. We'll name the weapons, I promise."

Ruby nodded, satisfied. "Good." Then she seemed to remember what they were talking about. "Oh, I know what we can do about your family blade. I know you probably like the arm band, but it's not that efficient of a method for the weapon. Well, not in this day and age, that is. I was thinking that I could make it have a easier form to grab onto and transform it into a blade, similar to how Crescent Rose comes out. It should be easy enough to re-route the small chunks to make it work."

"How did you even know about that?" Azura asked, taken aback by the info she knew.

"Easy. I love weapons." Was her reply.

"I see. Did you talk to Jaune yet?"

She nodded. "Yes, but I don't know if he took my words to heart or not."

Azura was confident that Jaune would listen. He might not know the blonde that well, but he knew he was a good guy.

.

.(Line Break)

.

About a half hour later, Ruby found the shop that they were looking for, simply called 'Blacksmith'. It was a place that was just outside the shopping area that Ruby showed a week or so ago, hidden in the shadow of another building.

Despite the odd location, it was a rather clean looking place, and a bear Faunus stood at the counter, a kind smile on his face.

"What can I help ya with? You kids look like you're from Beacon, so you must be here for parts."

Ruby, who usually seemed to shy away from attention, looked comfortable here. "I'm actually here to pick some parts up. Uh, it's under the name 'Rose'.

The man nodded. "I remember ya. Lemme go to the back and find what you need ."

"I have some extra parts that I need, if you don't mind." Ruby said.

"Go right ahead. I'll be a few minutes." The Faunus said, before fully disappearing.

Azura stood by the counter as he watched Ruby go off. He would follow her, but he didn't know much about weapon building. Weapon maintenance was one thing, but actually knowing the parts was another. He was confident that he would be talking to Ruby about the dagger before it gets made to make sure.

"These parts for you, kid?"

Azura turned to see the store owner had returned with a sealed box. "Oh, yeah. My friend seemed excited to do it, and I couldn't say no. It shouldn't take more than a day or so to learn the new parts anyway."

A gruff laugh escaped the owner. "Well, aren't you a nice fellow."

Ruby came back a few moments later, placing the extra parts down. When the total price was determined, Azura was shocked to see four hundred or so lien. Weapon parts were expensive, but Ruby did get a bulk. It made him feel bad.

"Well, you don't need to show ya student IDs, I know you two youngsters are from Beacon. Student discount is fifteen percent." The owner remarked.

"The least I can do is pay for this." He said, pulling out the card he had been using for any needed purchases.

It was too late for Ruby to protest, as Azura had already handed it over, allowing the owner to authorize the purchase. However, her silence lasted just long enough for them to be settled with another box for the parts, both of which Azura carried, and out of the store.

"Why did you pay for that stuff?! I had enough lien for it…" Ruby complained.

"Just trying to repay the favor." Azura said, then he snickered.

"Don't think a pun will save you from this!" She continued.

"Ruby, come on. You're doing me a huge favor, even if I never asked for it. I want to pay you back for it, and paying for the parts is just the beginning. I'll be sure to think of something to really show my appreciation."

Ruby sulked. "You make me feel bad when you put it that way."

"Sorry."

Ruby blushed. "Whatever, just stop talking. Why must social interactions suck?"

Azura didn't reply, and simply shrugged.

.

.(Line Break)

.

It was noon when they got back. After Azura made Ruby eat lunch before they got started, they made their way to the garage entrance. Azura found that the Beacon garage was spacious, but rather grab. I mean, he understood why the walls were made of concrete, with its durability and gray color, but it was colorless without all the machines and vehicles around. He was a bit shocked to see how many students were coming in and out though.

"Over here!" Ruby called from a few feet away.

He walked over to her, and followed her into a seperate room, where she closed the door behind him once he was inside. "We have the room to ourselves for the weekend, so get settled. We're gonna be here for a while. I got a key for it and everything."

And that was the last of the talk they had before they got working. Ruby did most of it, being the mastermind of the project, but Azura helped where he could. His help mostly ranged from grabbing one gadget or another for her to use as she sat at the main desk, or holding on to a piece to keep it still, sometimes doing the adjustments himself. She said that she would handle most of the work, but Azura still had enough to do to keep focused.

They worked to get everything together, and it seemed that they managed to get a lot of work done for the day, with Azura announcing that it was eight in the evening.

"Well, that was certainly an interesting experience." He commented.

"Right? It's loads of fun to do that. I am surprised you didn't have your companions do the work for you though. It would be easy." Ruby replied.

Azura shrugged. "I prefer to do the work for myself. It builds character."

"It would be rather dull. I would die again if that was the only escape from such a fate." Summer said sarcastically.

Azura laughed, prompting Ruby to be confused. "Why are you laughing?"

"Sorry." He said with a smile. "One of them cracked a joke, and I am rather unused to a ghost making snide comments."

Ruby rolled her eyes, and moved to clean up. They then locked the room up after they finished cleaning up and organized the materials they used.

"Let's go get food. Not sure about you, but this made me feel starved." Ruby groaned.

"Sounds good. We can get going at this again tomorrow. Will we finish by then?" Azura said.

"We'll be able to do it. The dagger is getting there, since it can smoothly shift between forms, but the magazines are causing me a lot of trouble, so I would say that we are halfway there. As for your family blade, it'll be easy. I just have to take the extra metal I bought, take the mechanism of your weapon apart, then basically combine them both to fit what you want as the new form. That's not that special or hard to do. We'll probably do that first tomorrow."

"I'll trust your judgement on that. Let's get going then, I am quite hungry as well." Azura said.

.

.(Line Break)

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May 26th

Sunday

Clear

The next morning, after the morning run he did, Azura found himself wandering down the trail that would lead to the Emerald forest at seven in the morning. Luna and Summer followed behind him as they walked, trying to figure out what they would do.

"I'm unsure of where we should start, to be honest. Maybe we should work on range for now?" Azura said.

Summer seemed to think otherwise. "I do not believe that do much. You said that the radius has never increased since you started working on it?"

"That's right. It can just about cover the entire arena that is used during combat class, reaching about thirty feet high.." He replied.

"Well, it seems that the range isn't what we should focus on here. Have you thought of specifically making one target visible?"

"Not until recently. I never had a reason to." Azura said, shrugging.

They made it to the small clearing that Ozpin was talking about when Summer replied. "Then let's do that."

It took a minute, but they quickly set up. Azura sat in the center, with Summer in front of him to the right, while Luna sat to her right.

"Okay. Now, just focus and try to sense us for now, and we can see where to go from there." Summer said.

Azura took her words to heart, and they spent the next few hours simply sitting there as Azura tried to find something. Soul searching proved to be much more difficult than he thought, and the most progress that was made was a semi-visible form for Luna, while Summer was still in the passive state.

That ended quickly once a voice spoke. "I'm glad that you were so quick to take advantage of this place, mister Heart. It seems that you are quite determined to work you semblance now, which is good."

Startled, Azura quickly lost the focus he had. Looking over, he saw Ozpin standing there, this time without coffee. "What are you doing here, headmaster?"

"Please, Ozpin works. And I am here to see if you had managed to make any progress." He replied.

"Not much. I can have one of them be semi-visible while the other remains in a passive state. We haven't tried moving yet." Azura said, shaking his head.

Ozpin tapped his cane on the ground. "Perhaps you should read a book about it."

"A book?"

The man smiled. "Yes. Come to me after your trip tomorrow and I can give it to you."

Azura beamed. "Thank you! I'll be sure to do that."

"It is no problem, mister Heart. I shall see you soon. Oh, and miss Rose seemed to be looking for you when I saw her. Something about lunch and weapons. I would go find her." Ozpin said, before he turned around and started walking back up the trail.

Azura made to follow, but was stopped by Summer grabbing him by the wrist.

"Summer?" He asked.

Her grip tightened. "Don't trust him."

His wrist was starting to hurt. "Why?"

"You can put faith in him, let him help you...but do not let him give you special treatment." Summer said, her silver eyes sharp.

Azura could see Luna getting ready to step in, but he stopped her by raising his free arm towards her. He then moved the arm over to Summer, where he placed it on the arm holding him.

"Summer. I won't do that. He's trying to help, but I haven't been given favorable treatment."

She frowned, like he had said the wrong thing, then shook her head. "Now isn't the time." She whispered, before looking back at him. "Just trust me on this. Stick to your friends, and stay that way."

Azura wasn't sure why she wouldn't trust Ozpin, but he nodded to show he understood. She let go of his wrist and moved to start walking back, her shoulders stiff.

His wrist hurt, and he saw that it left a mark. It would fade soon, it seemed, but Luna grabbed his hand and inspected it anyway. She looked at him, and her yellow eyes showed concern.

"Go after her. She needs someone to talk to more than I do." He said, giving her a smile.

He had no idea why Summer seemed to not trust Ozpin. But, if he has learned anything over the years, it would be that a ghost was less likely to endanger him. Summer knew something, but wouldn't tell him for some reason, and so he was left to think as he walked back up the trail.

.

.(Line Break)

.

He had made it back when he realized that he missed lunch, his scroll telling him that it was three in the afternoon. He groaned, but continued onward. He was used to days with less food than usual anyway.

Luna joined back up with him a few seconds later. Luna had her usual smile on her, warmth filling the yellow eyes, but Summer was missing. Azura shook his head, unsure of what would help her. Perhaps some time alone would help her clear her mind.

"There you are!" A voice said.

Azura looked around for a moment, before spotting Pyra and Yang walking towards him. He moved to meet them in the middle.

"Where have you been? You missed lunch and the afternoon portion of the workout." Pyra said, a frown on her face.

Yang was much more calm about it. "What's going on with you? Ruby was all over the place, trying to find you." Her eyes narrowed. "You aren't avoiding her, are you?"

It felt like she meant several different things from that question. "Of course not, I was just busy. Where is she now?"

"The garage. Said that she would be working without you for now." Pyra said.

He gave a quick thanks before jogging off towards the garage area. After finding the room they used the last time, he opened the door to find Ruby working at the bench, headphones on her head. Seeing that she wasn't paying attention, he snuck up behind her and grabbed the headphones, letting them fall on her neck.

She made a noise of surprise, before turning around. "Azura! Don't do that."

He laughed as she pouted. "Yeah, yeah. So, what have I missed?"

"Mostly me finishing your sword. I was itching to get working on it, but I couldn't find you. I missed lunch because of it!"

Azura shrugged. "Sorry. If it makes you feel better, I missed lunch as well. But, what did you do?"

She lifted the blade with ease, showing off the new look. It was the same white metal for the blade, but the rim was lined with a red colored metal, and the hilt looked more mechanized, the yellow ribbon was also laced with thin metal rods below it. When Ruby pressed a button on the bottom of the hilt, the entire sword transformed into the links that once made the blade, and the hilt shifted to cover over the top of it. When all was said and done, it looked like a rod, just a bit larger than normal and long enough to cover his waist. There was a strap, made with the same yellow ribbon, hanging from it.

"That's amazing, Ruby!"

She looked proud of the praise. "Thanks. You place it over your shoulder, and when you want to transform the rod into a blade again, the hilt is at the top. There is a button to do so. When it happens, just hold onto the hilt for a second."

She handed it to him, and he turned it back into a blade. It was a beautiful thing to behold, and Azura could tell that Ruby put her love of weapons into it. "It's wonderful. I can't thank you enough."

She put her hands on her hips. "We're not done yet, mister. We still have the actual mecha-shift dagger to work on. But before that, name the sword."

"Just...on the spot?"

"Of course!" Ruby said, like it was obvious.

He took a moment to look at the blade. It was his mother's blade before him, and the new red rim signified the work of one Ruby Rose. "Red Fox."

He knew that was the right name. It felt natural for the weapon. He looked at Ruby, and he could see that she was pleased with his choice.

"Good. Now put him away. We have to work on the dagger. The magazines are still being annoying, and we have to make sure the transformation will work the way it should. Those two things come first." Ruby said, turning back around to the desk where the dagger sat.

And with that, they were working again. They were a few hours in, and they finally managed to get the magazines to function, with Ruby already having the proper dust bullets prepared. The mechanism for firing fit snugly, with one trigger for his pointer finger, and another for his middle finger. Now, it seemed that the transformation was having trouble, so they had to go back a few steps to see what the issue was. As they were about to figure it out, Yang barged in.

"How are you two workaholics doing?" She said.

"Yaaang! I told you to not barge in when I work years ago. Why do you still do it?" Ruby complained.

Yang waved her off. "Doesn't matter. Anyway, if you haven't noticed, which you guys probably haven't, it is six thirty in the evening. I know both of you missed lunch, so come eat dinner with us."

They moved with haste, remembering how hungry they were.

.

.(Line Break)

.

They returned by seven, trying to figure out where they left off. When they managed to get back on track and working, Azura got a call on his scroll.

"I'll be back in five minutes, Ruby. You got it?"

She turned her head to look over at him, and he could see tired bags forming around her eyes. He figured he looked the same. "Yeah, we're almost done. It should be done before you get back."

"Got it. I'll return the key on my way as well." Azura called as he grabbed the key, and left the room.

He finally picked up his scroll, finding out that it was Pyrrha who was calling. He put the scroll to his ear as he started walking to the office where the keys were held.

"Pyrrha? What's up?"

"Azura? I was wondering when you would pick up."

The white-haired boy shrugged. "Sorry, I was working with Ruby. So, what's with the call?"

Silence followed the question for a moment. "I'm just worried about Jaune. He won't work with us, will he?"

"Possibly not. Jaune's a good guy, Pyrrha. He'll find a way, even if he doesn't know it yet."

A laugh was heard on the other side. "Of course. I'm sorry for calling. I am currently alone, and I needed to voice my thoughts. Ren and Nora should be back soon, what about you?"

"We're almost done. I promise to be back soon." Azura said.

"Okay. I'll see you there, but I might be asleep by then." Pyrrha replied.

"You do need the beauty rest." Azura said jokingly. "See ya soon."

"Right."

By then, Azura had reached the office, giving the attendee there the key, watching him walk away for a moment before walking back the way he came. However, when Azura returned to the room, he was greeted with the sight of Ruby sleeping, her face pressed to the desk.

Approaching her, he saw that the dagger was finished. It had a similar look to the the sword, with white color on the inside, and red on the outer layer. The hilt was gone, now made with the slightly blockier magazines.

"So that was the issue." He said.

He cleaned the area up, placing the bits and pieces of metal in the bin labeled as 'scrap'. He gave Red Fox and the new dagger to Luna for her to carry, and went up to Ruby, nudging her shoulder. She was awake, but clearly just barely, shifting her head a bit to look at him.

"Ruby, can you hear me?" He whispered, watching her shake her head. "Okay, I'm going to turn around, and I'll carry you back to the dorms."

He turned around, and crouched down. He felt Ruby drag herself off of the chair she pulled up, and slump against him. A few moments of getting a good position and grip, and he was lifting her up. He was holding onto her legs, and he could feel her body give out as she let him carry her, as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She mumbled something as they walked out of the garage, and Azura smiled softly.

The silly girl worked really hard for him, and he was grateful for her doing that for him. As they made their way to the dorms, Azura promised that he would make it up to her somehow.

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.(Chapter End)

.

And that's a wrap. This chapter felt a little all over the place, but I admit that I had more to write than I thought. Well, here's some Ruby moments for you folks. She and Pyrrha have been given a lot of time for a reason, but Blake and others will be having more of a presence soon, I promise.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. See you next chapter!