Not much to say here, other than that I hope that you enjoy this chapter. Have a nice day!
Chapter 8: Lucky Day, Dark Night
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.(Chapter Start)
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May 27th
Monday
Clear
Azura strapped Red Fox to his back, and his new dagger to his waist, where the pistol used to stay. He had yet to name it, feeling it was right to give Ruby the right to do so. It wouldn't be enough for what he owed her, but it was a step that he felt should be done. Perhaps after the trip to Forever Fall forest, which was occuring in a half hour, or one in the afternoon, where they would get on bulkheads to transport to the forest for whatever they were doing.
Supposedly, they wouldn't need weapons, but they were still cautioned to bring them in case a Grimm showed up. He closed his locker, keeping his old dust pistol in his rocket locker. It wasn't like he used his locker a lot, instead choosing to keep it in the dorm. It wasn't allowed, but he felt more comfortable with them nearby, so he took the risk.
Azura was met with Pyra's face as he closed the locker door, and he jumped slightly at the sudden closeness. "Uh, hello?"
"You ready? We're getting on the bulkheads now."
"Yeah, I would say so. You think we will be with team Juniper?" He asked.
"Probably, but I wouldn't be surprised if they had one of us go with another team. We don't know how or if we will be grouped up anyway." She replied.
About ten minutes later, everyone was ready and in the bulkhead. There was two bulkheads, all carrying the students who were on the trip, and they lifted off a moment later. Jaune was next to team CRDL, but it seemed that Cardin hesitated to do anything drastic while Azura was nearby. That, or he didn't want Jaune to puke all over him. Azura counted that as Jaune rebelling.
Pyra sat on his left, while Ruby was on his right, and team JNPR and RWBY seated around nearby. Various other students were scattered around, but Azura was more focused on what Ruby was whispering in his ear.
"I believe that Jaune will do it today. He was spending some more time with his team this weekend, and perhaps our work to encourage him will work."
Our work to encourage? Is that what she thought about his fight with Cardin?
Azura shook his head, it was probably best to keep it that way. "You think so? I hope you're right, it seems that Pyrrha is at her wit's end. Even with the extra time he spends with us, he still keeps a certain distance."
"I'm sure of it. Jaune is stronger than he seems, Just have some hope!" She whispered that last part a bit fiercely.
"Why are the two of you weapon builders whispering sweet nothings to each other?" Pyra asked, speaking just quiet enough to avoid Yang's anger.
Ruby coughed and leaned back in her seat, while Azura did his best to give her cover.
"That's not what we were doing! We've known each other for barely two months!" Azura said, matching her volume.
Pyra shrugged. "Not my fault that you spend more time with Ruby than you do with your actual team."
The sarcasm was heavy, but he could tell she wasn't actually mad. Ruby, the socially inept girl she was, missed the mark.
"Hey, it isn't his fault! I asked him to do someth-" She stopped as fast as she started, startled by Azura flicking her on the nose.
"She was kidding, Ruby. You don't need to defend my honor." Azura said with a smile.
"Aww, how cute. She's so quick to defend you!" Pyra said.
Azura could feel the smirk on her face. He turned to face her, flicking her forehead.
"Ow. Why do I get the painful flick?" She complained.
"I had to stop you. Otherwise, Ruby's prodigal brain will stop functioning." Azura said, waving the air nonchalantly. "I can't ruin her cute face either, she still has to grow. You're almost an adult."
"I don't need to grow, I drink milk!" Ruby complained.
"That's no excuse, coming from the pretty boy." Pyra said.
Azura laughed. "I accept my pretty boy status. I mean, I look like my mother, so maybe I am the prettiest one here."
Pyra rolled her eyes. "I refuse to accept that as a fact."
The three of them laughed together, simply talking and joking as they waited for the bulkhead to make it to their destination.A few minutes after they landed and were all gathered, Goodwitch gave instructions for what they would be doing here.
"You are here today because another professor, professor Peach, has asked for samples of the tree sap here. So, we will be gathering the sap with the tree tap and bottles, and then regrouping right here after two hours. You have ample time to go and gather the samples, but you are not to fool around. Grimm do exist in this forest, so I must ask you to have a level of caution as you collect. Stay in groups of at least three."
She continued after a moment. "Before you all get going, I have one more thing to say. If you find any trouble, such as a large number of Grimm, I want you to come and get me. I will be right here if that is the case. You are all dismissed."
As they went to split off in groups, Azura saw Pyrrha looking over at Jaune. The blonde was currently being dragged along by Cardin and his team, but he was looking at Pyrrha and Azura before he fully turned around to walk away.
He wished that he could send Luna after Jaune for safety, but he hadn't perfected the ability to focus one ghost in particular, and he didn't know if that only worked inside of his radius or not.
Not to mention that Summer was still missing.
"You two coming?" Pyra asked.
Azura shook his head and turned around to catch up with them "Sorry about that. Let's get going."
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.(Line Break)
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About thirty minutes in, they found sizable trees to get sap from. Other than Jaune, they decided to move as a group for the occasion, before splitting up to get all of their bottles filled.
"Do you mind helping me out, Azura?" He heard Pyrrha ask.
Azura nodded. "Of course, let's get this done."
As he found a good spot for the tree tap and grabbed a bottle from Pyrrha, she spoke to him.
"So, I noticed that you don't seem that worried about our leader."
He watched the sap slowly come out. "Jaune? Why would I be worried?"
She sighed. "Since he is spending more time with Cardin and his goons again, I'm worried."
He laughed. "I'm confident that team Juniper will be fine. Ren and Nora are fine. Pyra is fine. And Ruby agrees with me that Jaune will be back. Just watch, it will happen today."
"You've been spending a lot of time with Ruby, don't you think?" Pyrrha said, and Azura could feel the frown without even looking.
"I mean, that isn't a problem, is it? You should know by now what Ruby and I were doing, and now I owe her a favor for it. It makes sense that I would spend time with her. I wouldn't say I have spent more time with Ruby compared to you and Pyra. Maybe everyone else, but I don't exactly have to be best buds with everyone." Azura said, watching as the sap took its' sweet time.
"No, you're right. I apologize. I'm just…"
"Annoyed?" Azura finished for her, turning his head around while he held the bottle in position.
Pyrrha nodded. "Well...yeah. Jaune has just been...I'm not sure what word I am looking for."
"Yes, you do. You want to say that he's weak." Azura said.
"But he can be strong!" She retorted.
"Never said that he couldn't. Just watch, I think he'll come back soon."
"Today?" She asked, looking nervous.
"Maybe. Ruby seems to think so." He replied with a shrug.
"Ruby is young and naive, surely she could be wrong."
"You're better than this Pyrrha. We aren't that much older than her anyway, and age has always meant less in recent years. When was the last time you saw a birthday party?" Azura responded, feeling his own annoyance rise up.
Pyrrha was silent, so he went on. "I'm sorry for being so heated, but you aren't like this Pyrrha. You're the most understanding person I know, which isn't a lot, but you get my point."
Pyrrha smiled, looking much more like herself. "I suppose you're right. I've just been getting frustrated because of Jaune."
Azura smiled at her, turning towards the bottle again. "I'm sorry for not paying more attention to your needs. I must have been a bad friend. I'll try to do better next time."
He laughed off the awkward atmosphere, capping the first bottle off as it finished. Placing it down to his side, he grabbed the second one he and Pyrrha were going to fill. Before taking the cap off, he looked around from his kneeling position to see how everyone else was doing.
Ren was working on the second bottle as Nora seemed to be jumping from topic to topic, while Ren showed no signs of struggling to keep up. How he managed to do that, he didn't know. Pyra was with Blake and Weiss, looking like they were making small talk while Blake filled their own second bottle. Ruby was left with bottle duty and Yang was going on about something, touching her hair like it was a priceless jewel.
He turned back around to fill the bottle, with Pyrrha looking at him. "See, everyone else is currently accepting their daily life as it is. Jaune will return, I can promise you that."
"I hope so." Was her only response.
They stayed in place as they watched the bottle fill, this time faster than before. By the time the second bottle was full, about ten minutes had passed. Azura stood up, and handed a bottle to Pyrrha for her to hold.
As he stretched his aching legs, he saw members of team CRDL come running into the clearing. The first two members, Sky and Dove, if Azura recalled correctly, ran past. The third, Russel was stopped by Yang, who grabbed him by his shirt.
"What's going on?"
"Th-there's a big Grimm back that way!" He said, fidgeting as he was held in place. "It has Cardin!"
She let him go, looking at Ruby as everyone gathered together. Weiss was the first one to speak, already devising a plan.
"Alright, we have nine people here, so we should split up a few roles real quick. We need the fastest people to go and get professor Goodwitch, which means that Blake, Ren, and Ruby should go together to stay safe."
"But we need fast people to go and help Cardin and Jaune!" Ruby quickly complained.
Weiss sighed, but did not argue. "I will go with Ren and Blake then. Our biggest hitters will keep an eye out for other students, so Yang, Nora, and Pyra will do that." She waited for more complaints, continuing after hearing none. "That leaves Ruby, Pyrrha, and Azura to go and find cardin and Jaune. Now, go!"
As they all ran off, Azura could hear Yang yelling out. "You are a damn good planner, Ice Queen!"
He would've laughed, but he was busy keeping pace with Pyrrha while Ruby was up ahead. Azura doubted that Ruby was even at her full speed, but was glad that the girl was keeping their precaution of groups in mind.
As they were running, they could hear the roar of the Grimm, similar to a Ursa, but much deeper.
"Ursa Major!" Ruby called out to them.
Azura frowned as he thought of it. He struggled with three, only saved by Pyra's incredible semblance.
They came upon the clearing where they could see Cardin on the ground in front of the Ursa Major, with Jaune between the two of them. Azura took Red Fox and shifted it into blade form, doing the same with the still unnamed dagger. But, as he saw Ruby to the same, Pyrrha held them back.
"You two seem to believe in him, so give him this moment." She said.
Ruby looked at Azura, and he could see that she felt the same worry as he did. He shook his head silently, lowering his weapons, and Ruby followed his example. The grip she had on Crescent Rose was tight, her knuckles turning white. Pyrrha looked more confident than she ever did today.
Jaune was standing his ground, intently staring at the beast. The Ursa Major roared, taking a swipe at him. Jaune ducked, barely avoiding the hit, before wildly swinging his blade and cutting into its arm. The swing was far reaching, and it cost Jaune a hit to his back as the Ursa Major swung back around.
Jaune went sliding along the ground, but came back up quickly, rushing towards the Grimm. It was another mistake, as the Ursa easily slapped him back towards Cardin again. The blonde got up again, looking dirty and bruised, but ready to continue.
As the two got closer to each other, Jaune raised his shield arm as he swung his sword arm towards the Grimm. The Ursa Major raised a paw towards his shield side, and it was easy to tell that Jaune would not block it in time. Azura went to scream at Jaune to dodge, but was stopped as Ruby covered his mouth with her hand, rose petals fluttering to the side.
As he went to shoot her a glare, he saw Pyrrha raise her hand towards Jaune. He could have sworn that he saw Jaune's shield turn dark, but it was gone as he blinked. He almost dismissed it as fantasy, but his shield was raised higher and closer to his body than before. He could hear Jaune grunt as he took the hit on the shield and finished his slice, cutting through the throat of the Ursa Major.
It dropped to the ground with a grunt, twitching a few times before starting to evaporate. Jaune stood there a few seconds, before shifting his shield back into the sheath form, and placing Crocea Mors into it. He turned around with a determined look, offering Cardin his hand, which the larger boy took.
"Don't you ever try to mess with me or my friends again. Just leave us alone...and stop bullying. You're trying to be a Huntsman, act like one." Jaune said, oozing of confidence.
Cardin didn't respond, but he looked utterly shocked. He nodded dumbly.
Pyrrha spoke quietly to Azura and Ruby as they watched the scene unfold. "Ruby has her speed, and Azura has his ghostly companion. I have polarity as my semblance. I can control magnetism."
It all clicked in place for Azura. The days where they practiced semblances, she was raising her metal-based weapon, or the moment during orientation where she couldn't get her weapon out of the Deathstalkers' eye. However, he did not have the time to contemplate all of the hints that Pyrrha might have given. Jaune stood there, in front of Cardin, looking like he was the king of the world. It was like he was reborn.
It made Azura feel like he saw a brand new huntsman rising up to make something out of himself.
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.(Line Break)
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In the end, the three of them decided to let Jaune take the glory of the moment, allowing him and Cardin to explain the events that occured. Now, they were on the way back to Beacon, with the filled bottles that they could recover after the spectacle. Azura felt like today was a day of change. Jaune was with the rest of his team, laughing as Nora said he was the strongest hunter to ever live. Pyrrha looked completely joyful, and Ren seemed to be the same as always, other than the small smile on his face.
Pyra was currently with them, acting in a similar manner to Ren. Team RWBY were grilling Ruby for what had happened, begging for her to go in full detail. Azura was glad to see them all so joyful, to see team JNPR and their sister team, team RWBY, all back to normal.
But the best part of Azura being able to see all the students on the bulkhead was seeing how team CRDL was taking it. Cardin looked annoyed as he spoke to his team, probably about how they ran away from the fight. But as Azura watched their conversation, he saw that Cardin wasn't actually yelling at them, and was now talking more seriously. Azura hoped that they were having a change of heart, because he knew they could be good huntsmen.
Perhaps now was the time to hunt for Summer. If the day was this lucky, surely he could continue the streak. Luna was behind him, tapping her fingers on his shoulders, and he felt a boost of confidence. He knew what he should do when he got back.
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.(Line Break)
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However, it seemed that hanging out and dinner was the first order of business to take care of. The good mood had come with them to Beacon, and Azura couldn't just leave and ruin it. Jaune seemed the happiest of them all. It was hard to get the desire to miss the moment, all the way to the mess hall.
But Azura knew he couldn't stay. He had business to take care of, and he found that the need to do it only increased the longer he stayed. Before he goes to Ozpin for that book, he needed to find Summer.
He leaned over to quietly talk to Ruby, who was on his right. "Hey, I have a question for you."
Ruby was confused by the secrecy, but after seeing everyone else not paying attention to the two of them, complied. "How can I help?"
If you were a ghost, where would you go in Beacon to avoid a person who can talk with ghosts?"
Azura thought it might be a longshot to hope that Ruby and Summer were similar enough for her to know, but he had to try.
Ruby seemed surprised by the question. "I mean...maybe somewhere with a view? I would want to go somewhere to clear my mind, since you make it sound like an argument happened, and a good view would be perfect for that."
It wasn't exactly a argument, but he was unsure of what else to call it. "That makes sense, thanks Ruby."
Azura could feel someone gazing at them, and it seemed that Ruby felt it too. He needed to say something else to make it seem less secretive.
"And, I haven't named the dagger you made for me yet. I felt that you should have that right, so be sure to think about it, got it?"
Ruby opened her mouth to protest, but he had already stood up, using the abrupt action to see who was listening to them.
Blake. How had she even heard them over Yang and Nora talking loudly? Why was she even listening? Azura shook his head, moving quickly after waving to Ruby. "Don't worry about it too much, Ruby! Just think it over. It should be easy for a weapon prodigy like you."
He never heard her response, and he felt bad for leaving her with the questions for why he was leaving, but he needed to see who was listening to them. It wasn't the most private topic, but Azura was not a fan of someone eavesdropping on them.
He exited the mess hall, standing outside of the entrance as he surveyed the area. Somewhere with a view. Azura doubted that the Beacon tower was where she was. She wouldn't want to see Ozpin, and she couldn't float like Luna, assuming they had different semblances. The private gardens aren't open to a wide view, and he doubted she was in a building.
The night sky was starting to loom over the sky, a dark blue slowly taking over. The moon, partially shattered in pieces, gave him a good amount of light to see outside of the light that was given on the walkways. What else was in the direction of such a view?
Vale was beyond that way, the city probably lighting up for the night, like a giant glow stick. So, perhaps he could see if she was on the cliffs shadowing over the Emerald forest.
As he walked towards his destination, he thought about what he would say if he found Summer there. It wasn't an apology he should give, and Summer had nothing to apologize for. But then, what would he say if he found her there?
Azura felt like he was putting too much thought into a simple thing. Summer was clearly hurt in some way, emotionally or mentally. And thinking of the situation like that made a lot of sense to him. She didn't want an apology or honesty from him, and she clearly trusted him, a seventeen year old boy, more than the headmaster of an academy.
"What made you not trust him?" Azura said to himself.
He could see the cliffs coming up, and shook his head to clear the thoughts going through it. Now wasn't the time to think of what happened in the years of Summer being a ghost. He could see her in the distance, sitting in the grass with her knees up and arms resting on them. She looked like a older Ruby to him, even if he doubted Ruby would ever be as tall as Summer.
He approached her from the side, and all he got was a glance from her as he sat down before she returned to looking out towards Vale. Azura was unsure of whether she wanted him here or not, but he took her silence as a pass to do so. They sat in silence for a minute before either of them said anything.
"You know, you should appreciate being alive." Summer started.
He looked over at Luna, who was a couple feet away from them, looking at the moon, and knew that she was right. Life was a gift, even if his gift was to see the dead. He waited to see if she continued.
"But there are some things that only the dead can learn. Some things cannot be thought about until you have seen death." She said, breathing out a heavy sigh. "When I was laying there, slowly bleeding out, all I wanted to see was my family. I thought I could lay down my life, die for them, for humanity...but as my vision blurred and darkness started to take me, I realized that I couldn't do that. I wanted to help Ruby as she grew up, be able to spoil Yang rotten. Their father, Taiyang...I wanted to see him again. I wanted to see his smile again."
Summer laughed pitifully. "And now look at me. I'm giving my final thoughts before I became a ghost to a teenager with the ability to talk to ghosts, but I can't even start to trust Ozpin again."
Azura waited for her to stop before speaking. "Why don't you trust him?"
Summer shook her head, a light smile on her lips. "Asking the big question first, huh?" Her smile disappeared. "That was a mission that I wouldn't have survived. I figured that out after a few years of contemplating it, and there was no way Ozpin didn't know that. He's very intelligent, and he knows a lot of info. More info than a forty year old man should, like he had a few lifetimes to truly understand and make plans. But I was a fool that trusted him. My trust in him got me killed."
"Maybe he just made a mistake." Azura said.
"There's no way he would've done this without a plan, Azura. He's too smart for that. He had a plan for me, and he has a plan for you. I'm confident that he has a plan for Ruby and that warrior girl, Pyrrha, as well. I died for a reason, and I don't mean to say he killed me out of a evil intent...but he clearly intended something for me that would cripple me and put me out of commission. If my silver eyes weren't needed...then why? Was it a way to get to Ruby?"
Could Azura really trust her word? What if she had just been twisted by the cruel reality of death? Were the silver eyes really that important?
"But he needed your eyes in the past, right?"
"Yes, but not now. He's gone to my Ruby. I don't want to see that." She said. "I know you could kill a ghost for good, Azura." Summer finished coldly.
He flinched at the harsh tone.
"You can interact with them, with us. You can clearly kill us again if we were to be evil or whatever. Perhaps even stop a person from becoming ghost before it happens."
"S-Summer...what are you saying...?"
She turned to him fully, pouncing on him and pinning his hands to the ground as she sat on him. "But I could also kill you just as fast. As fast as Ozpin killed me, as fast as he might do to you and anyone else who plays his game of chess."
He could do nothing but struggle. Her silver eyes shone like the moon that was above them, the strength they showed was mixed with a murderous look. The look of a trained huntress, like he was some Grimm. Her nails were biting into his forearms, and he could feel thin trails of blood starting to run. He could also see something else, a look that reminded him of his own mother.
They were the eyes of someone who hadn't accepted their death yet, someone who couldn't move past their living body. A soul that seeked release.
Then, the eyes were gone, and he could see Luna on top of Summer as he got back up. Her white tail was waving wildly, and her anger was visible in the way she shook. As for Summer, she didn't even fight back. The only thing she did was start crying.
Azura had never seen another full-fledged Huntsman cry. The only other time being the night after he first found his semblance, where Luna cried and sobbed silently as she held onto him.
"Luna! Get off of her!" Azura cried out as he moved over to them. His arms hurt as he tried to take Luna off, but she wouldn't budge.
She stared at him like he had lost his mind. Azura felt like he might have. She stayed on Summer while the pinned ghost quietly cried.
"Luna...trust me. Please. I know that as a mother, you probably don't want to at the moment, but I want you to listen to me as my friend."
Luna hesitated, but ended up getting off of Summer. She stayed nearby, with her blade in hand, prepared to cut her down if she tried anything.
Summer was no longer crying, but was sitting up, her head hung in shame. "I...I don't...I'm sorry."
Azura walked up to her, crouching down before he spoke. "Do you want to die?"
She was silent.
"Do you want the sadness and anger to end?"
She nodded.
"Do you not want to talk to Ruby and Yang again?"
She stared up into his eyes, like she never thought of it. All he could see at this moment was Ruby as she confessed her fears and anxiety, and his chest felt tight as emotions flashed through him.
"Do you no longer want to see them? To not have the chance to talk to them?"
It might have been an assumption that Summer was Yang's mother, but she clearly cared for Yang a lot. Perhaps this Taiyang was blonde?
"Of course I don't." Summer said softly.
"Then why did you attack me? Luna would have killed you on the spot if I didn't stop her."
She licked her lips as they quivered. "I don't want to see more suffering...I don't want to imagine my daughters being used by Ozpin. To be sent on a suicide mission like I was."
"Then let's help each other in a better way. You clearly don't trust Ozpin...so, maybe trust me? We can stop him together if he tries anything. It's better than just dying again."
Azura doubted that they could do that easily, but anything to get her off of the mindset she was stuck in.
"I do trust you, since you cared enough to stop me from doing something dumb. I know Ruby got that from me." Summer said.
He smiled at the little joke, before fully standing. "And I trust you. They can say my vision is false and my eyes led by ghostly whispers, but I trust a ghost more than anyone."
Her tone grew emotional as she stood to meet him. "You really cannot turn down anyone, can you?"
"No can do. I like helping people, understanding people. So, are we in agreement? I promise to help you with seeing Ruby and Yang again. Maybe not soon, but when Ruby is ready. I know she wants to see you, but I want to do it when she thinks she is ready." Azura said.
"Of course. I can wait for her to be prepared to see me." Summer said, a look of determination in her eyes. "Don't you need to see Ozpin still? I want to be there. I don't want you to be alone with him, even if Luna is there."
"You're right, I do have to still see him. You realize that you might be seeing more of me and less of Ruby and Yang, right?"
"I need to do it. You are integral to me talking to my children again. And I admit to wanting to be in combat again, if only to protect people with you. If I can stop death from occurring, then I want to."
Azura nodded. "Sounds good to me. We should train my semblance in June then. It will be good for all of us."
"Of course." Summer replied.
He looked over to Luna, who had relaxed somewhat, but still had her weapon out. "Now, I want the two of you to talk...or, have Luna listen to you. I want the two of you to have some trust, for my sake. That means no weapon, mother."
Luna frowned, but listened to him anyway.
"Good. Now, I'm going to leave, so that you two have privacy. Meet me in the JNPR dorm when you're done so that we can see Ozpin." He said.
After making sure they were going to talk, Azura walked away towards the training hall building, where the nearest pathway currently was. However, as he rounded the corner of the building, he was dragged back against the wall. He gasped as one of his bruised arms hit the wall, the sound being muffled by a hand that covered his mouth.
The dark shadows meant nothing to Azura as a Faunus, but it was hard to see anything but the amber eyes of Blake Belladonna, which seemed to glow in the dark. He stared at her as she looked him over, grabbing his arms and frowning at the marks and blood. Even if there wasn't a lot, it must have looked weird.
When she finally removed her hand from his mouth, he questioned her. "What are you doing? And why?"
And why could she see so well? She was a human, wasn't she?
Her eyes narrowed. "Not here. We're going to the dorms, I have to clean you up. Then we'll talk."
She didn't grab his arm, clearly avoiding it. She opted to walk briskly, avoiding the paths altogether. He followed her despite just being shoved against a wall by the very same girl.
This day just kept getting weirder as it went, Azura thought. He hoped that he would still get to see Ozpin, and get his hands on the book that Ozpin wanted him to take from him. It would be important for his semblance according to the headmaster.
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.(Line Break)
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Azura was seated on one of the beds in team RWBY's dorm, wondering of the teetering bunk beds that they built would stay stable. Blake was in the bathroom, clearly looking for something. He figured she was searching for rag to wet and clean the small cuts, as well as something to cover over them after. Hydrogen peroxide would have worked, but he felt that a wet rag would be enough, since he doubted that a ghost could have dirty nails.
Luna never got dirty, nor did she ever seem to need to shower. That was enough evidence for him.
She came out with a wet rag as he thought, but he felt that the bandages were a bit much, even if it was just enough for his arms. Azura decided to just let her do what she wanted, since he was curious to know why she had felt the need to look for him, and if she had heard any of the conversation between him and Summer. Even if she only heard one side of it, that was still a conversation to be kept secret.
She sat down on his right, clearly intending to work on that arm first. As she got to work with the warm rag, Azura asked the first question that he wanted to ask.
"When did you find me?"
Blake didn't look at him as she spoke, continuing to watch her hand as she rubbed his arm with the rag. "I followed after you two minutes later. I found you pinned to the ground, and you know what happened after that. What happened?"
Azura smiled. "So, you want to play that game? Okay. I was having a conversation with the ghosts I mentioned before, and things got heated. Why did you follow me?"
Blake moved to his left side for his other arm before speaking again. "Since I know you're being honest, I will be too. You remind me of someone I knew before he changed. It made me curious." Her tone was the same, but she ran the rag down his forearm a little harder for a moment. "Why can't Ozpin be trusted?"
"That's private."
Blake sighed, putting the rag on the desk that sat near the window and between the beds. "Fine. Give me a non-private reason for why he cannot be trusted."
"He plays a game he shouldn't." He said flatly. "Are you watching me?"
Blake finally started to wrap his arms, even if Azura felt they were a little useless in this case. "I'm...keeping an eye on you. Do you need a reason to trust me?"
"What do you mean?" Azura said in confusion.
"I want a secure place."
"As in, you don't trust Beacon?"
"Not exactly. It's complicated." Blake said, finishing the second bandage and moving to the bed that was opposite of him.
"Then, why?" Azura asked as he brought the sleeves of his sweatshirt back down.
"I am placing trust in you that I am unsure if I can place in my team. Weiss has Ruby and Yang wrapped around her finger, and I refuse to let the same happen to me."
"You sound paranoid." Azura said firmly.
"I am not!" Blake said, turning her hands into fists.
"But you have problems with trust."
Blake ignored him. "I want you to trust me so that I can trust you."
Azura decided to just let it slide for now. "And how would I do that?"
Blake returned to her passive state. "Since you won't tell me why Ozpin cannot be trusted, I will ask for confirmation. One of the ghosts, Luna, is your mother, and the other is connected to Ruby in some way, correct?"
Azura sighed. "You're good at information gathering, you know that? Both of those are true." It was just a shame that she missed the mark by a little, but he wouldn't tell her that. "Now, how can I trust you to keep this info?"
Blake smirked. "Easy."
She reached up to her bowtie and took it off. Azura would like to say that he was shocked, but he knew that his suspicions were confirmed, even if he dismissed the idea rather quickly. She was a Faunus, like him. The cat ears were pretty hard to deny. She put it back on just as quickly as she took it off.
"Now I know why you said that about Weiss." Azura mumbled, before speaking louder. "Fine. Is that all?"
Blake was silent for a few moments. "I'm not that person anymore...I have to put some trust in." She mumbled.
"Blake?"
"I was a part of...the White Fang."
Azura blinked a few times, before her words made sense to him. His first thought was to knock her out and report her, but his next thought was of all that Blake did. Surely she wasn't just a spy?
"Okay." Was all he said.
"Okay?"
"It's for trust. You're watching me, but you gave me info that could ruin you. The least I can do is trust you enough to not kill me."
Blake looked shocked to her core. "R-right."
"You have a private scroll? So that we can talk and stuff."
"O-of course." Blake said, stumbling back into her stoic face before tossing it to him.
He did the same with his private scroll, and they exchanged their scroll info with each other before passing scrolls again.
"I have one more question for you." Blake said as he stood up.
"What about?"
"That ghost...why did it attack you?"
Azura sighed. "Their both females, just to clear that up. I thought I mentioned that before." He shook his head. "Anyway, I have one specific theory. She hasn't fully accepted the fact that she's a ghost, and she never fully recovered from that final battle before her death. I mean, she understands that she's a ghost, but she hates it. She doesn't want to be one. She...she's been a ghost for longer than Luna, and they have both gone through this situation. I think she wants me to free her soul, to kill her."
Blake was taken aback. "I'm sorry."
"It's hardly your fault. I can help her, I know I can."
"You do?" Blake asked, a skeptical look on her face.
"Course not. I may have gone through something similar, but how am I supposed to know what would help a decade old ghost?"
Now that he thought about it, with the way Summer was talking about Ozpin, he would have to be headmaster by then. He supposed that it made sense. Ghosts don't age, but Luna was thirty-two when she died, and Summer didn't look older than twenty-five.
"Before I leave, just know that we are still friends. Just...not the best kind of friends. Not now."
He felt like he was both closer to and farther from Blake than an hour ago.
.
.(Line Break)
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Twenty minutes after his talk and agreement with Blake, he was riding the elevator up to Ozpin. It was a different experience this time, with Summer's words in his head. Both Luna and Summer were there with him, the two of them seeming to have come to terms.
Luna kept her ears up and was intentionally staying closer than usual to him, and Summer wouldn't even look at her at the moment.
So they had come to terms...somewhat.
The doors of the elevator opened and Azura could see Ozpin sitting at his desk, looking at him.
"I'm glad to see that you are in good health, mister Heart. I assume you are here for that book?"
"That's correct, sir."
Ozpin sighed, but didn't comment on the formality. "Wonderful. I have the book here and prepared."
He handed it over to Azura, and Azura could see that it was a simple black book. The only thing on it that he could see was a title that read 'Chasm of the Soul'. It was worn and old, and as he paged through the book, it looked like it was handwritten by pen. It was small enough to pass as a journal.
"And this will help me?" Azura asked.
"Yes. I believe it will help you to understand your semblance more. I would know, since I used the book to help my own semblance."
"You did?"
"It was due to certain circumstances. A very long tale, for a different time."
Summer scoffed to his side. "I doubt he would ever tell you. Still, it won't hurt to ask the question you want to ask."
She had a point, Azura noted. "Has any progress been made for the Grimm I want to hunt?"
Ozpin nodded, and he felt excitement fill his body. "Not a lot, but some. I believe your mother was killed by a Grimm known as Nightmare. Only one has ever been recorded in history, and it is, at the least, an ancient Grimm. I don't mean to bring up any bad memories for you or your mother, if she is present, but the targets of such a Grimm are usually killed swiftly, mostly from ripping their throat out."
Azura paled, and he could feel Luna grip his shoulders harder.
"It is not a particularly strong Grimm, but it is very smart and cunning. It comes in when people are weak or distracted by other problems. Luckily, it hasn't been spotted in years, with its last known location being southeast of the city of Vale and south of the ocean border to Mistral. I have a certain individual looking into it."
"I see…" Azura said softly.
"I didn't mean to leave you on a dark note, but you are dismissed. Stay safe, mister Heart."
Azura left swiftly after that, not wanting to stay in the room. If anyone thought it was weird that he was gripping at the air, he didn't care. He held onto Luna's hand like his life depended on it, and he could tell that having to think over her death had drained any energy she had.
.
.(Chapter End)
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I have to admit, I didn't actually plan for the chapter to go like it did as you see. But, when I looked it over, I felt that it actually fit. Is it dark and a bit too dramatic? Yes. But I want to make a few things clear.
Summer being the way she is has a simple reason. She has been dead for about thirteen years (As of the story, but she is dead for about fifteen years as of Volume 6), so would that not change the kind of person that Summer is? Not much is known about her, so this is more of a headcanon, but I hope you like it.
Ozpin is not evil. I don't mean for him to come off that way, but I want to drive home that he is not a good person. He has plans within plans for people, and he will do what he does since he believes that what he is doing is the right thing to do.
As for Blake, I am following certain themes for her character that I feel don't get enough love. I'm doing the same for Ruby. But, what I mean by that, is that I am looking at the base themes they have, such as Blake having issues with trust and Ruby not knowing what to do to help Jaune, since she has had very little experience with friends in my opinion. And it's not that Azura hates Blake now, but it can be hard to trust someone fully when they are watching you like a hawk.
I hope you still liked what I did with the chapter. See you in the next chapter!