Alright, this is the chapter that I was excited to write. I hope you like reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Chapter 13: One In The Same
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.(Chapter Start)
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June 23rd
Sunday
Clear
A week had come and pass, and Azura still barely spoke to anyone on team JNPR. Small comments to Nora, who tried to be kind to him, silent engagements with Ren, and small talk to Pyra was all that occurred. It was easy to tell that Jaune wanted to speak about it, but he was busy with Pyrrha, who was unable to look at Azura.
Azura couldn't find it in him to care, going out of the way to avoid most contact with anyone on the team. It did give him and Summer more time to work, which was a perfect distraction for him.
However, training and practice fights was not what distracted him on the bright afternoon day of June 23rd. As he walked down towards the docks of Vale with team RWBY, and Summer and Luna, he saw plenty of people out and about, setting up signs and banners welcoming people to Vale and certain advertisements of the Vytal festival. It was like all of Vale was waking up to prepare for all of the representatives of the other kingdoms to come.
"Oh, isn't this just wonderful? Vale is doing so wonderfully to set up for all of the students coming in today!" Weiss said, excitement coming off of her in waves.
"She sure is excited." Azura commented to Ruby, who was next to him.
"Is that a smile on her face? It's...kind of scary to see after so many frowns." Ruby said.
"Indeed it is." Azura agreed.
"Oh, shush, you two. I smile often!" Weiss said, defending herself.
Yang snorted. "If you say so, Ice Queen."
"Oh, come on. I am not an 'Ice Queen'." Weiss said with a scoff.
"You totally are." Azura said.
"Yep." Yang said, adding on to what Azura said.
"I have to agree with them, Weiss. Sorry!" Ruby finishing the agreement.
Blake raised an eyebrow, but did not comment. Clearly, they were all in agreement.
"Whatever. That's not what we are here for, anyway. The docks are pretty close."
Azura could already smell it, even if not nearly as good as Blake might have. Being a half-Faunus didn't exactly open one up to all of the benefits. He was glad to have gotten the better eyesight of all things, since Blake's pinched face told him that the smell wasn't the best.
"So, why are we here again?" Azura asked.
"Weiss-cream here wants to greet the students from Vacuo." Yang answered.
"More like to get the edge on her opponents for when she fights them." Blake said, sarcastically correcting the answer.
"Hey, you have no proof of that!" Weiss said, once more on the defense.
Azura could see the docks at this point, the group nearing them by the second. Just as they made it there, Azura looked to the side, finding Luna and Summer looking in the same direction. It was an new-looking dust shop, one that had clearly been broken into. The windows were shattered, and police tape was covering the entrance and a small area around it.
"Woah." Azura said, catching the interest of the others.
"Another dust robbery. Second one of this week, last I heard." Yang said.
"Who could be doing this? This has been happening a lot." Ruby said, speaking to herself.
Azura rubbed at the back of his head, unsure of what they were talking about.
Summer spoke at his side, seeing his confusion. "Remember the Torchwick guy you ran into? He's suspected of running around at night and stealing all of the dust in the dust shops. What doesn't make sense is that he couldn't be doing it alone, and why only steal the dust? And honestly, you should keep up with the news more, Azura."
Azura couldn't really argue that, he had never been one to keep up with the news.
"If I had to guess, I would say that the White Fang is doing it, the degenerates that they are." Weiss said, a bit of heat in her voice.
Azura would have felt offended if he didn't agree with her on some levels. The White Fang were mostly made of criminals, but they had good reason to protest. Even if it was done through bad actions.
Blake looked slightly annoyed by the comment. "They aren't degenerates!"
Then what are they?" Weiss asked, looking ready to get into another argument.
"They are misguided."
Before the two of them could really get into it, shouts rang out from the docks. They all rushed to the edge, looking out over the water. The wooden pier that led out towards the boat was mostly empty, but two guards seemed to be chasing over a blonde haired man. A blonde monkey tail was trailing behind him, and it was easy to see with how he was dressed. Black and yellow shoes, exposed ankles with a bandage on his right leg, blue jeans with a white belt and a small chain running down his leg in a loop. He only wore a white jacket with a collar, and a necklace with something gold attached to it.
Azura was honest, and he knew that Sun had a good reason to be shirtless. Azura knew that he wouldn't hide his chest if he had amazing abs like Sun, even though he exercised nearly every day.
"And he just threw a banana peel at a guard. I like this guy!" Yang said, seeming to enjoy the spectacle that was occurring.
The Monkey Faunus was running away, showing off his flexibility like he wanted the world to see what he could do. He ran up the stairs that were nearby, a smile on his face, and passed by them. He could have sworn he winked at Blake, if the face of being utterly impressed on her face meant anything.
"Well, you wanted to see the competition, Weiss. And, uh, he's getting away." Yang said, hands on her hips.
"We have to go after him and observe him!" Weiss exclaimed, already running off behind the two guards that were giving chase after mister bare chest.
Ruby and Yang were quick to run after her, leaving Blake and Azura there to blink in confusion.
Luna had already gone ahead, while Summer was waiting for them to move.
Azura nudged Blake. "I'll race ya."
"Let's just get going." Blake said, breaking into a run.
Azura laughed, running after the cat Faunus. The streets around the docks were luckily empty for the most part, allowing them to run faster than they would usually be able to if there was a crowd. Corner after corner, street after street, and Azura felt like they would never catch up to the rest of team RWBY.
Summer turned yet another corner, and Azura ended up crashing into her back, not expecting her to have stopped. He was caught by Luna, who stopped his stumble backwards. Looking for the reason for Summer to have suddenly stopped, he found that everyone else had stopped as well, a few feet away from Weiss, who had fallen on someone. He assumed that this was why that blonde guy was missing, they had run into this new girl.
Lining up next to Ruby, he voiced his confusion. "So, who's Weiss currently on top of?"
Weiss got up and scrambled backwards. "I have...no idea."
"Salutations!" The orange-haired girl said, still laying on the ground.
The girl was wearing a simple, white blouse that was covered up by gray overalls that had two green lines around her waist. She had a black collar that also had the unnatural glowing green color around her neck, matching the colors on her stockings. Beyond that, she had a light pink hair bow on the back of her head and emerald green eyes.
"Uh, hello?" Ruby said.
"Do you...want to get up?" Yang asked, seeming unsure of what was going on.
"...Absolutely!" The girl said, smiling widely as she got back up off of the ground.
"Who are you?" Azura asked.
"My name is Penny Polendina, and it is amazing to meet you." Penny said, still smiling.
"Uh, right. My name is Azura." He said, nudging Ruby.
"Um, I'm Ruby."
"My name is Weiss."
"Blake."
"Yang's the name!"
"Well, that is wonderful! It is very nice to meet you." Penny said, repeating herself.
Weiss blinked, confused. "You...already said that."
Penny didn't even look fazed. "Yes, I have!"
"Well, we should really get going." Weiss said, turning around.
"Yeah. It was nice to meet you, friend." Ruby said
They were able to walk all of five feet before Penny sped in front of Ruby, practically giving the girl a heart attack.
"Am I really your friend?" Penny asked, looking pleased with the idea.
Being behind Ruby, Azura had a full view of Yang, Weiss, and Blake trying to tell her that she shouldn't say yes without words.
"Uh...yeah, sure." Ruby said, looking unsure of what to say.
Penny threw her hands up into the air. "Oh, that is just wonderful! There are so many things that we can do together!"
As the girl went on to list every single thing that they could do, Azura tuned her out as Ruby made a comment to Weiss.
"Was I this bad when you first met me?" She asked.
Weiss rolled her eyes. "No, she's far more coordinated than you are."
Yang coughed to grab Penny's attention. "So, what are you in Vale for?"
The girl stopped and spun around to face her. "Oh! I'm here to fight in the Vytal tournament!"
"Wait, you're fighting in the tournament?" Weiss asked.
"Of course! I am com-bat ready!" Penny said, saluting Weiss.
"You hardly look like you would be." She replied.
"Say the one who wears a dress." Blake commented.
"Hey, it's a combat skirt!" Weiss defended.
"And it looks cool!" Ruby said, sticking her tongue out at Blake.
Azura was just glad that Pyra wasn't here for that comment.
Weiss walked up to the girl, grabbing hold of her shoulders. "Wait, if you're here for the tournament, does that mean you know that monkey-tailed rapscallion?"
Penny blinked. "The who?"
"The criminal from the boat!"
"Why do you keep saying that!?" Blake said, clearly having caved to irritation.
"Huh?" Weiss said, seeming genuinely confused.
"Stop calling him a rapscallion! Stop calling him a criminal! He's a person, just like us!" Blake continued, walking closer to the girl.
Weiss, as short as her temper, snapped back at the girl. "Oh, I'm sorry," She said, sarcasm dripping in her voice. "Would you prefer that I stop calling the lamp post as a lamp post?"
"Stop doing that!" Blake yelled.
"Stop what? He broke the law, he's a criminal! Give a criminal enough time, and he'd surely join up with the White Fang." Weiss said, waving Blake off.
"You ignorant, no-good, brat!"
Blake stormed off, only stopping once Weiss gave chase, the two of them still arguing. Penny had basically vanished, and Yang had gone to Ruby's and Azura's side. Azura could feel Luna's tail flicking against his back once more in an agitated manner, while Summer seemed rather surprised by the sudden turn of events.
"We should probably go." Yang said.
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.(Line Break)
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"You sure you're still up to this? I know you don't like the fact that Weiss and Blake are fighting again." Azura said, keeping an eye on Ruby as they walked down the old road to the orphanage.
She shook her head. "No, it's fine. I should give them space anyway...plus, Yang said that she would be there to stop them from ripping each other to pieces."
"We're all a little dramatic, aren't we?" Azura said jokingly, trying to get her to feel better.
A small smile appeared. "You could say that again."
"We're all a litt-"
"Don't actually do it again!" Ruby said, laughing.
Mission accomplished.
"You told me to say it again!" Azura said, in a mock complain voice.
"Just shut up." Ruby said, still laughing in short bursts.
Laughter was always a great way to feel better. It made him feel better, it made Ruby feel better. Maybe it could make Weiss and Blake not want to always argue with each other.
They made it to the front door of orphanage shortly after, with Azura knocking on the door. If Ruby had anything to say about the condition of the area or the building, she kept it to herself. He didn't blame her, this area of the city was in a depressing state.
The door opened, with Lu looking out at them. She seemed surprised to even see Azura, and even more surprised to see a new person.
"Hello, Azura. It's very nice to see you again!" The elderly woman said with a smile. "Who have you brought to my doorstep this time?"
"This is my friend, Ruby. She wanted to come with me this time."
"To see Aurora?" She asked.
Azura must have seemed confused, because Lu clarified after a few moments.
"Velvet told me that's what you would most likely be here to see her. I'm sure your friend knows what to expect?"
Azura didn't like the sound of that. "She's aware." He said, feeling annoyance build up in him.
She wasn't, but he would tell her in a bit. Lu let them in, and Azura waited for Ruby to take in the sights before speaking. "I was thinking of trying to bring Aurora out, if she felt comfortable."
Lu frowned. "In broad daylight?"
"I have a plan. She's a small girl, you know." Azura said. "Trust me on this. I'll take responsibility if I need to."
Lu sighed heavily. "Well, she can stay out in the sun for a little before it starts to truly bother and hurt her, but you have to be careful. Promise me that, and I can let you do it. Velvet trusts you, and I trust Velvet."
"Wonderful! If she agrees, we won't be out for long, I promise." Azura said, a smile on his face.
Lu nodded in return. "Well, I won't stop you now. Just be careful out there."
She walked off, most likely to do whatever she needed to get done around the place.
"So, what am I supposed to know?" Ruby asked, tilting her head.
Azura sighed, looked at Luna and Summer, who shrugged, then looked back at Ruby.
"Just a few things to keep in mind, really. For one, she's albino. Can't keep her in the sun for long, and have to be cautious to keep her safe while outside. Keep in mind that she seems to have a lisp, pronouncing the s letter like a hiss. She's a snake Faunus, so she might have picked that up from genetics or something."
"Anything else?"
Azura sighed again. "She can sense, or maybe see would be better, your emotions. Her semblance can sort of see the emotions of a person, but I never asked for the specifics about it. She was even able to see the ghosts." He said, pointing a finger to his side, where Summer and Luna stood, watching.
Ruby seemed a bit overwhelmed by the information. "That's...a lot to take in."
Azura laughed, starting to lead her towards the room they needed to go to. "You'll get used to it. She's a sweet girl, but doesn't know when to not say what her semblance shows her. Are you sure you still want to see her? She wouldn't mind it if you didn't."
Aurora wouldn't even know. What she didn't know didn't hurt her, right?
"No, I can do it." Ruby said, a look of determination on her face.
"Good! She could do with another friend." Azura replied.
They finally reached the door that they needed, with Azura taking a deep breath. He was more nervous than he expected. Knocking on the door three times, he waited to see if she would reply. A few seconds later, and with the pitter patter of footsteps, the door finally opened to reveal the porcelain white skin and hair, and the pink eyes that widened in surprise upon seeing Azura.
"Azu...ra?" She asked, seeming like she had all but forgotten how to say his name.
"Hey, Aurora. How have you been?"
"Happiness." She said, still looking up at his face.
It took a moment for Azura to realize what she meant. "Yes, I am happy to see you again. How have you been?" He asked again.
Another blink. "Good. Who is behind you? They seem...scared? Ne-nervous?"
He shifted over for Ruby to be seen before bending down a bit to be on her level. "She just doesn't know what to say. She's not the best at talking to people."
"Like me."
Ruby joined Azura, crouching down next to him. "Just like you. My name is Ruby...uh, hello?"
Aurora giggled lowly. "Hello."
"Hey, Aurora. I want to ask you something." Azura said.
The girl tensed up slightly, before silently tilting her head like she was waiting for him to say something.
"How would you feel about going outside?"
The girl blinked rapidly, like she had heard incorrectly. "But...I can't. The sun is out."
"What if I had a super smart plan to help that?"
"You...do?" She asked.
"You do?" Ruby asked.
Azura flicked her on the side of her head, then turned back to Aurora with a smile. "I do."
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.(Line Break)
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"Your not bothered by this, are you?" Azura asked.
They were currently walking through the more shaded streets as they returned to the more financed areas. Aurora was being carried on Azura's back, wearing his hoodie, which easily covered her body and the hood did plenty to hide her head and provide shade. Not many people were around, which was useful for bringing two socially inept people around.
"No."
A moment of silence reigned as Azura smiled towards Ruby, who smiled back at him.
"You are...happy. Glad. It makes me happy." Aurora said, her soft voice muffled against his back.
"I like to see you happy. Does the air smell good?"
"It is...not like my room. But, I like it." She responded.
At Ruby's suggestion, they were heading towards a small park that she knew. Apparently, it wasn't used often, which was perfect for what they needed. It took a few minutes, but they had managed to find a shaded bench within the park to sit down and use.
"Okay, I can handle this for now!" Ruby suddenly exclaimed, turning to Aurora, who was next to her. "Have you had ice cream before?"
The girl nodded. "A little, lady Lu has given us some before. I think it was vanilla. It was sweet, and cold."
Ruby smiled. "What if you had some right now?"
Aurora was instantly enticed. "May I?"
Ruby looked at Azura, and he knew exactly what was going to happen.
"Is there an ice cream shop nearby?" He said, a sigh coming out.
Ruby's grin grew. "Yes, just go back the way that we came, it's right outside the park."
"Gotcha. I'll be back, Aurora. Be good for Ruby, okay?"
"Okay." The girl said, looking to be lost within the sweatshirt.
He started to walk off, making a final callout. "Help Aurora find herself in the sweatshirt, will you? I'll be back in a bit."
Luna and Summer trailed after him silently, letting the calming part of the day stay that way. Azura had yet another thing to feel grateful for in regards to Ruby, this part of the city was just perfect, and it wasn't even that far from where they came from.
After finding the little shop that he was tasked to get ice cream from, and buying two bowls of ice cream, one bowl for vanilla ice cream, and the other was larger and filled with strawberry ice cream. He would have gotten some for himself, but he didn't want to juggle it all the way there.
"So, it seems that my little Rose is prepared for this occasion. Isn't she just wonderful?" Summer said, almost gloating.
"Whatever you say. The more time I spend with you, the more I see just how different the two of you are." Azura said, rolling his eyes.
"What's that supposed to mean!?" Summer said, drawing her question out in a complaining fashion.
"I have no idea what it's supposed to mean." azura said, playing the fool for a moment before becoming more serious. "You don't mind if it's just me, Ruby, and Aurora, right? You don't need to go away, just give us some distance, you know?"
Summer pouted jokingly. "And have me and Luna have to be all alone?" She said, before laughing and answering more seriously. "Yeah, that's fine. Just don't go do something crazy without the adults, you hear?"
Azura laughed shortly, before catching sight of Ruby and Aurora on the bench. The hood of his sweatshirt was down, but it looked like she wasn't all that bothered by the sun, staying in the shade that they were in. Ruby had somehow pulled a book out, and he wasn't exactly sure where she kept that on her person, and seemed to be currently reading for Aurora.
The red prodigy stopped midway, staring him down like she was a predator about to catch her prey, feeling scared before realizing that she had somehow figured out that he got strawberry ice cream for her. She had some sort of sixth sense for her favorite foods, and it was quite possibly the most terrifying part of the girl.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you so much! You're the best friend I could ask for, but not as great as Weiss, since she is the best partner, but at this point I have to wonder if she would have gotten me ice cream of this caliber and man-" She said rapidly, only stopping when he held the bowl out to her.
"Stop talking before you scare people away." He said with a laugh, watching her take it with both hands.
He did the same thing for Aurora, who muttered a small thank you to him. Seeing that Ruby was distracted by the ice cream, he grabbed the book from her lap, seeing that it was a book of fairy tales. He smiled, this was just the kind of book he was expecting Ruby to have been holding on to.
"You want me to read this with you?" He asked.
Aurora nodded. "Yes please."
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.(Line Break)
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After seemingly falling asleep on top of each other with Aurora in the middle and stumbling around after waking up, bringing Aurora back to the orphanage, promising to see her again soon, and finally making it back to Beacon in time for dinner in the mess hall, Azura and Ruby were exhausted.
"That was a lot of fun. Aurora is just...so...adorable!" Ruby said, a tired smile on her face.
Yeah, that's true. Should I assume that you would want to join me again then?" Azura asked.
"You betcha! Well, thanks for joining me this morning and letting me join you this afternoon. It was a memorable day!" Ruby said, smile on her face.
She turned around, flying off with her semblance.
"So much for being exhausted." Azura said.
He watched her leave as he, Luna, and Summer stood there, the setting sun behind them. He just hoped that she had the energy for the next few days, since it looked like Blake and Weiss were at each other's throats. He just hoped that their arguments eventually got resolved.
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.(Line Break)
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June 25th
Tuesday
Clear
The warmth of the afternoon sun and the heat of the day was annoying to Azura, but sadly, his private area to train was only given so much shade from the trees. At first, Summer had teased him over the fact that ghosts couldn't get sunburn, but they have now been training silently for three hours.
Azura had to admit, it was nice to be in a peaceful silence, meditating and trying to work on being able to choose who becomes visible between Luna and Summer, and it barely tired him out beyond mental concentration and slowly draining his aura, seeing as he was testing out how they could manage to do such a task.
At Summer's suggestion, they decided to see what it looked like when he was trying to sense aura. As usual, Luna was visible and patiently waiting, her fox ears on alert. Summer was starting to become more visible, but stayed as an outline, but he could see her reading the journal that Ozpin gave him.
"Alright, I think that's enough for now. You have to take a look at this." Summer said.
Azura stopped his aura and opened his eyes, looking over to see Summer looking at a specific page. When Azura moved over to sit next to Summer, he saw what she was talking about. It was an entire page about souls, similar to the other one that he had found, but this one was on the last page.
'I have spent a very, very long time studying the soul. What causes it? Why can it bring out a defense mechanism like aura? Why does it form a semblance? These are only a few of the questions that I have dedicated myself for years upon years to answer, yet I feel like I have still not found a concrete answer.
However, I do have an answer to one question. A soul bond is a very specific occurrence, one that must meet three requirements. The death of one person, the start of another, and a full willingness to take on what they have done. But, even with an answer to this question, I continue to be confused. What do these requirements truly mean? Alas, this is the end of the journal. I shall write this now, to remind myself to get a new one.'
"The confusion of who wrote this page is confusing me even more. The death of one person requires the start of another? A willingness to take on what they have done?" Azura asked, frowning as he thought aloud.
"It certainly makes it seem like it requires two living partners, and for one of them to die. But, it's odd. It's described in a way that would seem to say that one of them all but vanish from the world, while the other takes over everything." Summer said, voicing her own thoughts.
Azura sighed. "Still, I wonder if that's the only way for it to work."
"I know what you are thinking, and my answer is no." Summer said, giving him a glance.
"But something like this might be the start of something greater!" Azura replied.
Summer sighed. "I do not know what you think you could do with this, but not only are you not thinking of the consequences of this, it is still much to dangerous to even consider. You could be falling straight into a horrible situation from this!"
"Yeah, you have a point. It's just...what if I could do something more with it? Who's to say what happens to others if my semblance is used as a middle ground?"
Summer frowned. "It could also just be a trap. Azura, you know how little I trust Ozpin."
Azura blinked. Despite his lack of trust for most people beyond Luna and Summer, he hadn't even considered what Ozpin could want from him having this journal.
Maybe one day, if he ever had the courage, he would ask Ozpin what he truly had planned for the students of this school. Was it possible that Ozpin was actually aiming for something beyond training the students to become hunters or huntresses?
"Well, care to join me in the library while I do homework? Not like you guys have much more interesting things to do." Azura said, getting back up and stretching.
"Not my fault that ghosts have nothing better to do. Besides, you could use me for information. What's it about this time? History of Atlas? Why Ursas migrate the way that they do?" Summer asked.
Azura laughed, letting the dark thoughts leave his mind for now.
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.(Line Break)
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June 27th
Thursday
Cloudy
"So, the guy that we saw running around a few days ago was Sun Wukong?"
Blake nodded. "That's what he told me."
"Did he tell you why he was being a stowaway?" Azura asked, raising an eyebrow as he wondered why Blake decided to drag him to the library to tell him.
"He supposedly wanted to get to Beacon before his team did. Something about a bet. I told him that he was crazy." Blake said, putting a hand to her chin as she leaned back in her chair.
Azura chuckled. "That's because it is crazy. I guess he's exploring Beacon at the moment. Don't blame him, this place is almost stupidly large."
A moment of silence stretched out between them. As usual, Azura was the one to break it.
"So, tell me why I'm actually here."
Blake sighed, tapped her fingers against her chin, and shifted to lean closer to him across the table, matching his current position of having his arms on the table.
"I want your opinion on something." She said.
As usual, he had to ask for elaboration.
"On what?" He asked, raising a hand to ask for more.
Blake sighed again. "What do you think of the White Fang?"
Azura figured that would be the question. Blake and Weiss have been going at each other a lot over the past few days. "That's...a loaded question. I think that the White Fang, misguided or not, aren't inherently evil. But, I cannot say that they aren't doing bad things in recent years. At one point, they were doing it peacefully and without force. And it was working...but very slowly. And now, they fight with crimes and violence. I cannot agree with that part. We are all supposed to be working together to stop the Grimm. They are a bigger threat than anything else."
Blake was silent as she listened to him. He waited for her to organize her thoughts as he thought of his own words. In the end, he felt like he had said what he really felt about the White Fang.
"You have a good point, but to say that the entire White Fang group are criminals? That feels wrong."
Azura nodded. "You're right, not every single one of them are criminals. And, since Weiss isn't here, I'll ask you something for her. Have you thought about it from her perspective?"
She scoffed. "What perspective? She wouldn't understand what it's like to be hated. She's a Schnee. Born with everything, living to gain everything, and will die upon a mountain of riches."
Azura sighed. "Maybe she isn't just one thing? Have you ever taken the time to try to get to know her?"
"No, and I would rather not know her. She's playing all of her cards, and it's not like Ruby or Yang are doing anything. It's like I'm backed into a corner, unable to take any action."
Azura leaned forward, resting a hand on her arm. "Just take some time to think, okay?"
"Yeah, I'll do that. Thanks for talking with me."
He just smiled, leaning back down in his chair. He reopened the book he had left unattended as they spoke. He had forgotten that he had even brought it with him. He would leave Blake with her thoughts, happy that he was able to help.
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.(Line Break)
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June 28th
Friday
Clear
This wasn't the first time Azura had been in the JNPR dorm in a week, but the atmosphere of the room felt different on this moonlit night. More open, cleaner.
Seeing Blake and Weiss slowly tearing team RWBY apart, it was easy for Azura to let go of any of the petty anger that he felt. Clearly, everyone else felt the same. Everyone on team JNPR was discussing something as he came in, but Azura wasn't sure exactly what.
"Welcome back." Pyra said.
Azura looked over everyone, moving forward and letting the door close behind him. "I think...I think we all agree that we have to talk."
Jaune stepped forward. "That's what we were discussing just as you came in."
"I see. Well, I'll start it off. I am very sorry for letting my emotions get the better of me a week ago. I was angry, and frustrated that it felt like I wasn't able to talk to other people. But, I didn't stop to consider the fact that I have been doing more and more training by myself. You have to understand that I am in a delicate situation because of my semblance, but I also understand how frustrating it must have been with how I acted." Azura said, staying in his place in front of the door, looking downward.
A few seconds of hearing feet move towards him made him look up, seeing that Pyrrha had made her way towards him.
"I wanted to be the one to apologize to you, so I'll just say it now. I'm...just so terribly sorry for how selfish I was. I was just scared to see our team fall apart. It's only been a few months, but I think you guys are like family to me." She said, her voice starting to have emotion creep in. "I didn't want to lose that, so I snapped at you, I got angry. I let my fear take over and cloud my judgement, just like when Jaune was being blackmailed."
She stood there, looking ashamed of herself, so Azura did what he felt was necessary. He walked over to her, grabbed her hands, and met her green eyes as she snapped her head up to meet his own yellow eyes.
"And look at what happened because of it. Jaune is becoming a more capable fighter with each passing day, a more confident leader. We all grew a little because of the conflict. Pyrrha, it's not that friends cannot argue and fight like we do. It's not about being perfect friends who never disagree. It's about moving past those opinions and still being their friend, about mending any arguments that happen. I know I never thought any less of you while I avoided you, even I might have wanted the space."
Pyrrha let go of his hands to reach forward and hug him. "Thank you, Azura."
Azura smiled, accepting the hug. A body suddenly latched onto the two of them, Nora yelling out in glee as she joined them.
"Group hug!"
As everyone joined in, Pyrrha laughed against Azura's chest. Azura laughed as well, once Jaune was the last one to join in.
The blonde teen was smiling. "I love you guys."
Nora might have been the only one to reply back to him, but Azura felt that everyone felt the same. He hoped that Blake and Weiss would be able to make up with each other like everyone on team JNPR was currently doing.
"No!" A voice cried out from across the walls, sounding angry. It was Weiss.
Or not.
Azura broke off from the hug, moving back towards the door.
"The White Fang are a bunch of liars! Pillagers! Murderers!"
He opened the door swiftly, now worried about where this would be going. He knew very little of Blake or her history with the White Fang beyond the very little she had told him, but maybe he could stop this argument. However, he was stopped right at the door by what was yelled out by Blake.
"Well, maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!"
That was not good. Blake had just revealed herself to them. And at the worst possible reigned the entire area between RWBY's dorm and JNPR's dorm. He took a glance back at his team, and he could see the shock on their faces as they began to realize what that meant. This was turning from bad to worse.
The door to team RWBY finally opened, revealing a Blake that looked beyond terrified. She was shaking and he could see the fear within her amber eyes. It only took a second, but the next thing he knew was that he was being dragged with Blake, who had grabbed his wrist and ran down the hall.
As he finally caught back up to speed and wasn't stumbling, he turned around to see that the only people coming after them was Luna and Summer, who were looking to join him more than to stop him, if he could guess.
They stopped in the central courtyard, where a statue of a male Human and female Faunus stood on a stone. A Beowulf major was below them, looking like it was roaring. He understood why Blake had stopped in front of this statue in the moment that she let go of his wrist. This is exactly the kind of idea that Blake had in mind. No Human or Faunus stood there as they faced the Grimm. They were of the same cloth, both people that were fighting against the true threat, Grimm.
She reached up for her ribbon, and Azura watched as she did so. He had already seen her take the ribbon off, but it felt different than last time. Like it signified a change in Blake. As her cat ears were freed to the open air, a voice spoke behind them.
"Well, this isn't what I expected from a walk at night. You look better with the ears out, you know."
"Sun?" Blake said, surprised.
"You two looking for a way out of Beacon right now? Follow me if you do, I have a secret path that got me here. Sun said, smiling like a fool.
"Technically, it's 'you four', but whatever." Summer said, almost killing the entire mood.
Azura didn't comment.
"...I am looking for a way out." Blake said, sounding ashamed by the idea.
She looked over at him, asking him the silent question of what he wanted to do.
He breathed out heavily, contemplating the idea. On one hand, he would be able to stay with everyone else. On the other hand, he had the chance to stay with her and maybe even help to convince her to go back.
"Well, let's get going. Lead the way, Sun."
He just hoped everyone trusted him enough to see that he would do what he needed to get Blake to go back to them.
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.(Chapter End)
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I'd like to think that I met my own expectations with this chapter, but I hope that you at least liked what I have written. The events of volume one are coming to a climax, but we shall see how it goes down with Azura being thrown in the mix.
I hope that you enjoyed the chapter, have a nice day/evening!