Sorry about how long this chapter took to write, but I didn't want to separate it into two chapters needlessly. Hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 38: Troubled Peace
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.(Chapter Start)
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September 15th, past midnight
Sunday
Cloudy
Ruby stepped out of the bullhead and took in the rather peaceful scenery of the grounds of Beacon academy, feeling the stark contrast compared to the current state of Vale. Blake came in just behind her, standing next to her as she took a step forward and looked back at the others coming out of the bullhead, eventually grabbing Ruby's arm and pulling her away.
"Come on, the bullhead needs to go back out." She said quietly.
Ruby snapped out of her reverie, instantly growing anxious. Her fingers twitched and she felt like she couldn't stand still. She looked around the place, trying to not listen to her gut feeling to go back out to Vale.
"Ruby." Blake said, shaking her shoulder a little.
Ruby jumped a little, looking at Blake for a moment before looking down as she played with her fingers. "Sorry...I'm just a little nervous."
Blake sighed quietly, hand remaining on Ruby's shoulder. "Hey, they'll be fine. Team Juniper aren't exactly the worst group of Huntsmen-in-training. And Vale is more in control than when we first woke up, probably not many Grimm left."
"I know, I know. But...I just…" Ruby said, trying to articulate herself, waving her arms around tiredly.
"Can't help but worry?" Blake asked. "Ruby, look at me."
Ruby looked up at Blake, and found a little peace in her teammates' confident, if tired, face.
"They can handle themselves. And they aren't alone, remember? They have a pair of Huntresses that can easily take care of them if needed." She smirked. "Even got Torchwick officially arrested before we were ordered to go back."
Ruby nodded, though the spark of pride within her died shortly after. "It's not just that, either. I'm worried about Yang, Weiss, and Azura as well. We were all separated before this all happened."
Blake frowns, looking to the side. "Yeah, I know what you mean." She turned her face back over to look at Ruby again. "Why don't we see if we can find them?"
Ruby nods, feeling energy come to her from the idea. "Right."
"After you, dear leader." Blake said, a bit of a tease in her tone.
Ruby walked off, Blake trailing behind her, their search started. There were a lot of other students and some adult Huntsmen around, making it hard to truly find anyone she knew. The two of them weaved around people, trying to look out for Yang, Weiss, or Azura, though the small bullhead area made it even harder to find anyone because of how slow they had to move.
They made it past several bullheads and around several more people before one of their friends were found. A snow-like weave of hair, small stature, and the regal clothing. Ruby gasped, finding it within herself to practically run towards her partner.
"Weiss! Weiss!" Ruby yelled out.
The girl turned just in time to be embraced in a tight hug, letting out a sound of effort as Ruby made impact.
"You...dumb girl." Weiss said, her tone warm. "Honestly…"
Weiss returned the embrace, breaking off of Ruby once she saw Blake. Ruby turned around, a small smile on her face at seeing the two tired girls hug briefly, and approached them. Weiss was the first to speak again.
"I'm so glad to see you two are okay. I was...worried."
"We all were." Blake replied. "I still am."
Ruby nods. "So am I. We still need to find Yang and Azura."
Weiss looked between the two of them, then ran a hand through her undone and matted hair. "Then we should find them now. Before Ruby here explodes."
Ruby gave an awkward laugh, looking to the side. "Maybe…"
"Well, that will not be so necessary at this moment." A calm voice said, coming closer.
The three of them turned to see Ozpin approaching them, and Ruby's nervousness seemed palpable enough for Ozpin to speak again.
"Not for such a dark reason, Miss Rose, I promise." He said. "Miss Xiao Long and Mister Heart have been taken to get medical treatment, having sustained wounds during the time they were fighting."
Ruby's heartbeat hammered faster, not feeling at all calmer. "Are they okay?!"
Ozpin waved her off. "They are not in critical need of medical treatment, and will certainly recover in due time. The worst injuries they have seem to be heavy bruising on Miss Xiao Long's arms and stomach and the...burns on Azura's left side, as well as the bruise and blood from a head wound."
Ruby was prepared to demand that she see both of them, but paused when Weiss placed her hand on Ruby's back.
"I assume we cannot visit at this time?" Weiss asked, her voice controlled and stable.
Ozpin shook his head, holding his cane in front of him. "Not at this moment, no. Mister Heart was unconscious when he got here, with Miss Xiao Long refusing to let go. She simply fell asleep after being told where she and Mister Heart were going, likely from exhaustion."
Weiss nodded, looking at Ruby. Ruby looked over at Weiss, a grateful smile on her face, while Blake simply watched them in silence. Ruby turned back to Ozpin, though she was cut off by the man when she went to speak.
"But, that's enough of that, you three. Miss Rose, I wanted to speak to you for another reason." He said, gesturing to his side. "Miss Scarlatina, Velvet as you likely know her, asked me to bring someone to you if able. Since Mister Heart is currently unconscious, I agreed to do so."
Ruby looked to Ozpin's side, her eyes widening at who she saw. "Aurora!"
The snake Faunus hesitated for a moment before quickly moving over to Ruby, grabbing hold of her arm with both hands. Ruby looked down, checking Aurora over and tilted her head at the pink and white colored jacket wrapped around the girl. She didn't recognize the jacket, but wasn't going to complain, especially since it gave Aurora some warmth.
A moment after the warm thought, Ruby realized what exactly was going on. Why Aurora was here. She wouldn't be taken here if there was a home to return to after the breach was taken care of. She snapped her head up, looking at Weiss and Blake with wide eyes, seeing similar reactions. When she looked at Ozpin, he was giving her a look that was equally serious as it was trying to tell her to not say her thoughts.
"I will explain everything about this later, I promise. But not until the four of you have rested from the events of this night. I'm sure you are all very tired, and rightfully so." He said, a smile coming on his face. "And, if it helps you sleep, I can confirm that most of the breach has been dealt with. Everyone out there is simply making sure the city is safe at this point, dealing with stray Grimm, or working with Professor Goodwitch to repair the breaches."
"Thank you, sir." Weiss said quietly.
"No, thank you. You all did a wonderful job of defending Vale. I bid you a good night, team Ruby."
He walked off then, leaving the three of them to look at each other, then down at Aurora. The girl was quiet, keeping her face down and almost hiding herself within Ruby's clothing. Ruby felt terrible, but tried to stuff it down as she remembered Aurora's semblance. She sighed, shifting the girl's hand down to be around her own hand, then she gripped Aurora's smaller hands within hers.
"I guess...head back to the dorm for now." Ruby said, already distracted by her thoughts.
Weiss and Blake nodded, and the four of them walked away from the bullheads and began to follow after the large group of students ahead of them. Ruby knew the way back to the dorm like the back of her hand, and since everyone was inclined to remain silent, she was left to sift through the thoughts running through her mind.
The first thing that came to her mind was Torchwick and his arrest, surprisingly. It had been a simple affair with the group of Huntresses they met back in Vale, with two of them taking Torchwick away to get properly arrested while the other two remained with team Juniper. Ruby was personally just glad that something went right this night. She was still frustrated with herself for agreeing to let Azura go alone as easily as she did, confident that everything went wrong just because of it.
Her thoughts drift away and return to a previous topic, that being Aurora. Ruby knew that something was severely wrong there, especially with how Aurora was acting currently. She was shy, but not so bad as to cling onto her hand as tightly as she was doing so in this moment. There was also the almost hollow silence, which furthered Ruby's worries. She disliked not knowing what happened because it rendered her useless to help, which was the entire purpose of becoming a Huntress in the first place to her.
Ruby's tired shoulders drooped. Useless. She was utterly useless at this moment. She couldn't stop Azura from throwing himself into danger, couldn't keep her own teammates safe, and she couldn't even do anything about any of it. She had to keep going forward, hoping that this breach was the worst thing to happen. An idea kept popping into the back of her mind, whispering to her endlessly. The idea that she was at fault.
Yang trained at Signal and came to Beacon because she wanted to be a Huntress. Weiss and Blake kept getting into all sorts of trouble because she rallied her team to investigate the White Fang, even if Blake might have done so either way.
And now, her sister was getting medical care because of her desire to be a Huntress. Her undying need to stop the bad guys and help people led to Weiss and Blake being put into dangerous situations with a large organization bent on doing crime.
Azura was another topic altogether. Ruby knew that he was like her, someone who wanted to help others if he could. It just so happened that he wanted to help her, which tore at her heart at times. She was grateful for all of his help, from helping Blake with her problems to trying to keep things civil when Yang was taking issue with him, to even him taking her to the dance just because she had complained that Yang was forcing her to go, not to mention what he was trying to do for her regarding her...deceased mother.
But she struggled with her feelings of guilt over his predicament with her mom and a sense of regret for letting Azura coax her into believing in seeing her mother again. She felt responsible for Azura's current situation, plain and simple. Ever since that night months ago, when she saw him struggling to likely stay conscious on the bench outside of the tower leading to Ozpin's office, it just seemed to get worse for him. That sense of relief she saw come from him when she laid her hands on him, it made her feel horrible.
She had known that it involved her mom soon after, once Azura kept pretending that the "other ghost" he referred to wasn't Summer Rose herself. Ruby always felt like she was being watched by her mother, even though she had died long ago, so she made a guess there. Once it turned out to be true, and she saw Azura's body with his now red-white-black mix colored hair and one silver and one yellow eye instead of two, it just seemed to get even worse.
Her stubborn anger didn't really start to fill her until after her suspicions of what Ozpin said to Azura prior to the mission were confirmed. She wasn't angry at Summer or at Azura, and she wasn't even angry with the headmaster. It was hard to explain to herself why she felt the way she did, lost in her thoughts as she was. But it was getting increasingly difficult not to snap at Azura for how much he disregarded himself when her mom was involved. It was like he was just some middleman for Ruby in his mind, someone to come to if she wanted to talk to her mom.
"Ruby."
Ruby was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear someone call her name. There was so much to think about, it was overwhelming. So many 'what-ifs' and anxiety-filled ideas to consider. An all consuming thought process that even Ruby herself knew could be self-destructive if done excessively, but it was something that she couldn't stop herself from doing. Being the way she was, it was normal to overthink even the most simplistic of events, down to the words said. When Ironwood had thrown out the idea that she was involved in the infiltration of the Beacon CCT during the dance, she couldn't handle the pressure. It was like a hand was holding her throat, cutting her voice off, and Azura was her only lifeline in the moments after when her shell started to crack.
"Ruby." The voice said again, this time grabbing her free arm.
Ruby jumped, loosening her grip on Aurora for just a moment, before turning to see Weiss, and she calmed herself.
"Our dorm is right here, Ruby." Weiss said, looking her over. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah." Ruby said softly, regaining her natural smile within the whirling thoughts on her mind. "Everything is fine."
Weiss didn't look convinced, but did not push. "I'll believe you. Now, come on."
Ruby nodded, looking down at Aurora, who was looking up at her. "Ready?"
Aurora nodded slowly, mechanically. Ruby squeezed her hand a little tighter, trying to reassure the girl, and smiled. Aurora mimicked the smile faintly, which made Ruby honestly feel better already.
They entered the dorm, closing the door. Ruby sat down in the chair by the desk, putting Aurora in front of her while Weiss and Blake got out of their damp and dirty clothing and put on their much warmer sleepwear. They quickly dumped themselves into their beds, sighing in relief at the comfort, and after a minute of watching them, Ruby deemed them to be asleep. If she wasn't prioritizing Aurora, she would've envied the idea of taking off her dirty clothing now and just collapsing into her bed to sleep the entire next day away.
Ruby helped Aurora take off the jacket that she still didn't recognize, but once again paid it no mind. Once she went to bring it away, Aurora grabbed it tightly.
"Take care...of it." She said softly, making it hard to hear her. "It is…Azura's friends' jacket. She saved me..." She explained further after a moment, the lisp of her S's coming out.
Ruby wasn't sure what she meant by that, or who she was talking about, but did not argue. She nods, placing the damp thing on the desk. "Of course. Why don't we get you out of the rest of your wet clothes and get changed, yeah? You can borrow a pair of my pajamas for now."
True to her word, Ruby helped Aurora out of the rest of her clothing and into her rose petal sweatpants and a simple blank shirt. They were still a size or two bigger than Aurora, but Ruby's petite body made her clothing better than any other set of sleepwear currently in the room. Ruby let her go for a few moments to get out of her own dirty clothes, from the boots to the beloved hooded cloak itself, and into a much more comfortable pair of gym shorts and a tank top.
Ruby turned to Aurora, who was watching the floor, and spoke quietly after placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. "We'll make sure to get your clothing cleaned later, I promise. Now, let's get some sleep, okay?"
Aurora nodded, allowing Ruby to help her up onto her bed above Weiss's own bed after turning the light off, and laid down next to Ruby as the tired leader of team RWBY did so. They looked at each other for a moment, and Ruby smiled softly as Aurora pushed herself closer towards her, returning the gesture by placing an arm over the girl and pulling her to her side.
As Aurora's body slowly relaxed, and her breathing slowed, Ruby stared out at the wall. Her thoughts still troubled her, unable to be left alone. As the minutes passed, the almost serene silence and Aurora's gentle breathing lulled Ruby into sleep as she slowly closed her eyes, her worries about the coming days slipping away.
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.(Line Break)
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September 15th, early afternoon
Sunday
Mostly Sunny
When Azura awoke, the first thing that was apparent to him was the pain of his left eye and the dull ache of his left arm and hand. His eyes were still closed, but he could hear the sounds of medical devices around him, and feel the soft and cool breeze coming from an open window, making him aware of his location in the medical facility of Beacon and the afternoon sky waiting for him to open his eyes.
He began to open his eyes, wincing at the bright lights assaulting his vision, both artificial and natural. The clean white walls and ceiling came into view, and Azura looked around the room until he paused to look at Luna. His mother was gripping the bed sheets tightly, watching him intently and analyzing his face.
He smiled at her, ignoring the dull ache in his left arm to reach out to her and letting her grab his hand with both of hers, hiding the wince from the action of something rubbing on his aching left limb. She was shaking, tears running down her pale and ghostly face, but her relieved and overjoyed smile brought peace to Azura despite her tears.
"Yeah, I'm still kicking." Azura said, his throat dry.
Luna looked at him for several moments before turning her head away, letting his hand go. A look of shame was on her face, and Azura sighed as he took it in. He didn't blame her for feeling the way she did, but it still saddened him.
"It's okay." He said, letting her keep her gaze away from him. "No one will blame you for being unable to face...what happened in the past. I know I won't."
Luna nodded slowly, pushing her hair back to smile weakly at him. Azura returned the smile, then turned his head to look out the window. Sunlight draped into the room, and the cool breeze kept flowing in. A new day had begun, which reminded him of the cold contrast of the storm last night. And that, in turn, brought forth the memories of everything that occurred. Raising his left hand and looking down at it, his eyes scanned the dark marks around his arm and hand, recognizing the thorny stem of what would be a rose. They wrapped around his arm, looking like it had a constrictive hold on it, the skin around the marks red and raw.
There was an irony there, he knew. The stem of a rose, as well as when it first appeared. His free hand felt at the area around his left eye, not feeling anything in particular outside of the slight pain it brought him to touch it. He began to try and understand what happened as he rubbed his throat, lightly touching the bruises on it.
"But, what does it all mean?" Azura thought to himself, confused. "I recall...choking. The Nightmare Grimm was killing me, was about to end my life. And then, Summer screamed. A sudden feeling of strength, of hope, rushed through me, and it was retreating from me. The last thing I remember is seeing Yang...Yang!"
Azura jumped up, ready to get into action, but froze as a brown-haired doctor came into the room, watching him with a surprised expression, tired blue eyes looking into Azura's heterochromatic ones.
"I understand you must be in quite the state, given what happened last night, but you shouldn't be hasty." The man said, looking down at the bed itself. "Especially if you will conjure rose petals."
Azura looked down, seeing a few white-red rose petals around his left arm. "Oh, sorry." Azura looks back up as he speaks, a sheepish smile on his face. "But, who are you?"
"Ah, forgive me. I am Doctor Star, Andrew Star." He said, gesturing to himself. "It's nice to meet you when you are finally awake."
It took a moment for Azura to understand what he was saying. "You took care of me? And Yang?"
"Yang? Oh, yes, Miss Xiao Long." Star said, nodding his head. "Do not worry, she has been getting cared for as well. Even woke up earlier than you. But, that is not why I am here."
"Er, right. You came to check up on me, I guess?"
"For the most part, yes. We were alerted that you had woken up, and it's currently my objective to make sure you are ready to be given the clear to leave."
"So early? I thought that, I don't know, you'd make sure I'm perfectly healthy or something." Azura replied.
Star chuckled. "We made sure of that while you were unconscious. The blow to your head was not as bad as it first seemed, though I must advise right now that you don't try anything that might shake your head a lot." He coughed into his arm, looking towards the window as he continued. "The bruising on your throat is already regressing, mainly due to your aura coming back, and any other minor combat wounds are healed." He sighs this time, looking rather displeased. "Though, that does not excuse the odd markings on your left arm, hand, and around your eye. The burns on your arm and hand are minor, but the marks themselves have only begun to fade slowly around four hours ago. And your eye...is still unexplainable. We do not have an actual answer for it."
"But I'm still being released." Azura said plainly.
"Correct." Star said, turning to Azura with a slight frown. "Headmaster Ozpin has requested that you be able to leave as long as the other wounds have become minor or have healed. The man certainly pays attention to you when you come here, if last time means anything."
"Last time? Wait…"
"If your question is if I was the one to take care of you last time, then yes, I was. Though, not long into it, the headmaster took things over. As for why, I cannot begin to guess." Star says, shaking his head with a sigh. "No matter, it is not my position to ask. Your clothes have been cleaned and are within the side room for you to change into. Any questions before I leave?"
"Can I visit Yang? I want to make sure she's okay." Azura asked.
"Of course. She's still bed-ridden, but likely awake. Lucky for you, she's actually in the room just across from yours." Star replied. "And though you did not ask, your weaponry and scrolls are in your dorm room. Your team was a hard bunch to drive off with just that for now, just to say."
"Thank you. For everything you've done for me the two times I have been in here." Azura said, a grateful smile on his face. "And for dealing with my friends. They can be, uh...a little stubborn."
Doctor Star smiled back. "Of course. But do not make it a habit to be involved in dangerous events and end up unconscious here, you hear? I'd prefer for your team to not make a ruckus." He said jokingly.
The man left, allowing Azura to look at Luna again as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.
"Come here." He said, his hands out in front of him. He spoke again when Luna gently took hold of them. "I need you to do a favor for me. Can you check up on my team while I visit Yang?"
Luna nodded her head in agreement, but did not move. Azura smirked, speaking again.
"I'm in a safe location, mother. Beacon is the safest place I could be at the moment, there's nothing to worry about. I'll still be here when you return."
Luna hesitated for a moment more before letting go and slowly floating off through the window, glancing back at him once more. When he nodded, she nodded back, and picked up speed to fly away. Azura got off of the bed now, looking around for his clothes, and found them where he was told he would. He got changed back into the dark jeans and combat boots he was commonly seen with, slipping into the dark gray shirt and black-red sweatshirt that was with the clothing.
There was a small mirror in the room, hanging on the wall in the side room, and Azura could see his reflection. He was not surprised by what he saw, considering the doctor's words, but his curiosity was at an all-time high. Unlike the thorny rose stems on his arm, the mark to the left of his eye, down in the corner and connected to the eye itself, was more like a vein. It was a dark black, a sharp contrast to the rest of his face, pale and without any other wound. He brought his hand to it again, tracing it with a finger, wondering what exactly it could mean.
"It is no coincidence of timing, that's for sure." Azura muttered. He frowned, speaking up a bit as he felt a spike of guilt before it was drowned out and left his calm demeanour alone. "I can feel you there, Summer. What's wrong?"
"I'm so sorry." She whispered in reply. "So terribly sorry."
"Sorry? What for?" Azura asked in the mirror, not caring if anyone overheard him.
"My fears...I was so afraid of losing something again." She quietly said, her raw and emotional voice making Azura's mind and heart conflicted on how to react. "I hurt you."
"You saved me, Summer." Azura replied. "I do not care about the 'how' here, you genuinely saved me when the Nightmare was about to kill me."
His heart skipped a beat and his nails bit into his palm as they tightened up upon saying the name. That had been his closest call, he knew. He would have died if not for Summer. When Azura got no response, he asked a rather serious question on his mind.
"What did you even do last night to make it actually hurt?"
"It's nothing. Just pure luck." Summer answered curtly, and Azura caught the deflection of his question.
"It clearly wasn't." He said aloud, before beginning to talk mentally. "Summer, you did something that I have never seen or even heard of. It's something you can do...it's just like that moment! When I saw you fight, you used some power that helped you kill so many Grimm."
"It's nothing, Azura. Please, leave it alone." Summer said, urgency in her tone.
"Summer, I can't just be left with no answers. I don't want that to be something that happens to us."
Summer paused as she went to respond, her gentle sigh echoing in his mind. "Give me time to think, please. I need time."
Azura nodded, moreso just used to the action. "It's fine, take your time. We shouldn't fight and argue. But, Summer?"
"Yes?"
"I'm here for you, don't forget that. I want you to have the best I can offer."
"I know." Summer replied, much warmer than her previous words. "I'm here for you, as well. We wouldn't be in such a weird, yet safe, situation if we didn't." Her warmth fades away as her guilt comes back again. "I am still so sorry for the pain I caused you last night, though. I know now...what could happen."
"It's okay, Summer. I trust you. If a little pain becomes necessary, I will continue to trust you."
She didn't reply then, and Azura looked at himself for a few more moments before walking out of the side room and exiting the main room itself. The hall he entered had the same sterile and white walls and flooring, and Azura quickly strided across the hall to the door in front of him. He knocked on the door, and waited for a reply.
"You can come in." A voice called out, and Azura recognized Yang's voice.
He opened the door, closing it behind him, and stepped into the room itself. "Hey, Yang."
The blonde girl stared at his face for several seconds, narrowing her eyes slightly as her hospital robes shifted with her body. The gaze quickly vanished, replaced by a more relieved look. "Hey, yourself. They finally let you go, huh?"
Azura nods as he pulls a chair up to sit next to her bed. "I was apparently cleared before I woke up." Seeing her confused look, he simply answered. "Headmaster Ozpin."
Yang shrugged. "Alright then. I'm still stuck here, though."
"Any reason in particular?"
She sighed. "Something about running a physical test today before I could officially leave. I don't feel hurt or wounded, but I guess aura isn't a good enough excuse for medical staff."
Azura laughed, shaking his head as he smiled. "The mighty Yang, taken down by nurses and doctors."
"Shut up." Yang retorted, though she was trying not to laugh. The moment didn't last that long before Yang grew pensive and asked a question. "Your wounds. What are they?"
Azura dropped the smile, looking right back at Yang. "Which ones?"
"You know which ones." Yang replied, no trace of playfulness in her tone.
"Right." He said, raising his left arm in front of him. "I'm not entirely sure what they are or how I got them. I just remember when."
"When you got them?"
"The other Grimm from last night, the Nightmare." Azura said. "You saw it last night. But, when I was forced out of the plaza and away from you, it...nearly killed me. The only thing I remember was Summer screaming and, next thing I know, I was on the ground in pain and the Nightmare was retreating."
Yang looked down. "Yeah, I heard you. Does she know what happened?"
"No, Summer doesn't know what happened." Azura felt the lie come to him naturally as he spoke, covering for the woman.
Yang frowned, but seemed to take the answer. "I see." She looked back up at Azura as she moved on. "Speaking of those two Grimm, the weird mutant one is dead. Team Coffee and I managed to kill it while it was weakened."
"I'm just glad it was weakened by her." Azura said. "It made your chances of survival that much higher when I couldn't stay."
"Yeah." Yang said, agreeing. "But who is this rather mysterious 'her' you are talking about? I know you mentioned a woman on the train, but nothing else beyond that."
A sudden need for secrecy shrouded Azura's heart, so he chose his next words carefully. "I don't know who she was or how she got here, or even why she chose to save me. She just appeared and sliced the Grimm's arm off, then left shortly after forcing the Grimm off of the train. She didn't give a name or anything."
Yang nodded slowly, thoughtfully. "That's a shame." Her clouded eyes cleared and she returned to her more cheerful self. "Well, I'm glad to see that you are alright. You had me worried last night."
Azura smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I'm happy to see you alive and well, too." He stood up then, preparing to leave. "Well, I'm going to head out, I just wanted to check up on you before I did."
"Alright." Yang replied. "But, can I ask you a favor?"
Azura paused mid step to the door, turning to look at her. "Anything."
"Could you tell Ruby and my team that they can visit me? Well, I want you to make sure they are okay first, but I also want to see them."
"Of course." Azura replied. "I'll be sure to do that first."
Yang smiled back. "Thanks."
"Sure thing." Azura said, then turned to open the door and leave Yang to her own devices.
He walked through the halls, down a set of stairs, and through another hall before making it to the lobby. No one stopped him as he looked around the place, seeing other groups of people waiting, some patiently and others nervously. Azura felt bad for a moment as some people looked at him, their hopeful gaze turning downcast as they realized that it wasn't whoever they were waiting for. A few others cast glances at his face, with Azura knowing that they were looking at the mark around the silver eye in particular.
He stopped paying attention to the glances, instead choosing to just walk outside and into the cool afternoon day. The sun was up and outside of a few clouds, the blue sky was clear. Azura took a few steps out into the day, simply enjoying the feeling compared to the downpouring rain. He did not get to enjoy the wonderful silence for long before he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. He was surprised by the sudden action, and even more surprised to see that it was Weiss of all people.
"Weiss?!" Azura exclaimed, not expecting the action at all.
She broke off the hug, looking embarrassed as her crystal blue eyes looked up at him. "Sorry...I got a little ahead of myself there."
He smiled warmly. "No, it's great to see you too, Weiss. I'm glad to see that you are mostly unhurt."
"Right." Weiss said, shaking her head slightly to shake the feeling off. "It pleases me to see that you are…" She frowns as she looks closer at his face. "Wait, your eye. What happened?"
Azura's smile diminished slightly. "It's a pretty long and uncertain answer."
"One that I'm sure we'd all like to hear, once Weiss here has fulfilled her physical touch quota of Azura." Blake said, sarcasm heavy in her voice.
"Quota? Excuse me!" Weiss exclaimed, though she pauses as Azura laughs and pats her shoulder.
"It's just a joke, Weiss." He said, before turning to the approaching Blake and looking her over. "And you are very outspoken and active today, Blake. Good mood?"
"Not bad." Blake said. "Glad that no one I know got seriously injured last night, honestly."
Azura smiled again, hugging Blake. "Well, let's not count you out. I'm glad that you are doing well after everything."
Azura was expecting Blake to give some awkward pat on the back or something, but he instead got a hug in return. As Azura began to comprehend the surprise, she tilted her head to whisper to him.
"Ruby's in a bit of a state. I'd explain, but I feel you should be told by her specifically."
She leaned back, a dark look on her face as she looked at him. "Ruby will be here soon, if you're wondering."
Azura blinked a few times, responding shortly after. "Right...yeah." He nods, moreso to himself, then speaks to both Weiss and Blake. "Well, anyways, I have something to say to the two of you. Yang asked me to tell you guys that she was able to be visited, and to get you going towards her."
Weiss rolled her eyes. "Like we wouldn't have visited either way."
"Exactly. We're a team, we take care of each other." Blake said, smirking. "Nothing will stop that."
"Figured that would be the case, but I told her I would do it." Azura replied, chuckling. "Well, why don't you two go ahead and do that?"
"What about Ruby?" Weiss asked.
Azura glanced at Blake, who was watching him. "Don't worry, I just wanted to speak to her for a bit before I let her go after you guys."
It dawned on Weiss what was going on, and she sighed. "Alright. Why don't we do that, then, Blake?"
"On your lead, Weiss. I'll be right behind."
The two of them nodded, bidding Azura farewell as they moved past him and towards the entrance of the medical building he had just left. Azura watched them passively, though he felt the worry coming from Summer. He was worried as well, but her own emotion of worry was so strong by itself.
When Azura turned back, he could already see Ruby in the distance, though he was equally happy and surprised to see Aurora next to her, holding onto Ruby's hand. She was safe, which made him feel much better, but the almost blank look on her face did worry him. It looked like she had shut down, and Azura had a thought that he didn't like. He wondered if she was possibly trying to shut her semblance out at the moment.
Azura had a sinking suspicion of what had happened. And it was one that he really hoped wasn't true, but wouldn't be shocked if it was. He could see it easily on Ruby's face. She looked exhausted still, like she had a lot on her mind. And while a troubled Ruby meant a lot of things, the way that Aurora clung to the young girl seemed needy. He pushed down his own anger towards those that caused the breach, and he could feel Summer pushing down her own feelings.
Upon closer inspection, Azura realized that Aurora was wearing what seemed to be some of Ruby's pajamas, though what really caught his eye was the very familiar jacket of the mute Neopolitan.
"Did Neo save Aurora before Coco and Velvet arrived? And if so...why is she here at Beacon now?" He thought.
"Better here than with her."
Azura didn't disagree.
When Ruby was close enough, Aurora let go of her and began running towards Azura. Azura bent down on one knee, arms open as the girl ran into him with a hug. Azura embraced her, one hand rubbing the back of her head.
"I'm so happy to see you safe." Azura whispered, turning his gaze to Ruby as he spoke, who looked at him with a tired, though still happy, smile.
Her body shook in his embrace, and Azura tried to push his guilt and other dark emotions away for Aurora's sake. They stayed like that for a few moments, but Azura pulled back a little to get a look at her, letting her keep a grip on his sweatshirt. Her pink eyes looked haunted and tired, but she smiled slightly as Azura smiled at her.
"You're safe now, Aurora." Azura said, hands on her arms. "I promise you."
She nodded slightly, and Azura remembered something with widened eyes. "Wait, the sun!"
"It's fine, Azura." Ruby said to him, crouching down to his side. "She's actually had aura for a while, but never knew how to use it properly. I helped her practice a bit this morning, and she's a natural with it. Kind of reminded me of Pyrrha talking about Jaune learning how to use his aura."
Azura relaxed. "Oh, that's good." He looks back at Aurora. "That's great, Aurora. I'm glad to hear that."
Aurora nods with a little more energy, finally speaking. "Ruby was...very kind to help me. It feels...weird, but also nice."
Azura smiled. "That's how it feels at first, trust me. I'm sure you'll get used to it, though."
"We can help you out along the way." Ruby said.
The two of them stood back up, Azura placing his burned hand on Aurora's back as she attached to his side. Azura and Ruby looked at each other, and he saw several emotions flit through her eyes before she cast her eyes down towards Aurora.
"Can you do something very important for me, Aurora?"
Aurora looked at Ruby, tilting her head.
"Could you go ahead and join Weiss and Blake to visit Yang, my sister? I'd really appreciate it."
Aurora froze, and Azura spoke when he felt her grip tighten. An idea came to him, so he decided to give it a try.
"Would it help if you had my sweatshirt?"
Aurora looks at him then, seeming to consider it. After a moment, she looked down and slowly nodded her head. Azura simply smiled, taking off the sweatshirt and wrapping it around her. She got comfortable in the piece of clothing, staring at the two of them.
"We'll have time to be together later, I promise." Azura said to her.
That seemed to do the trick for Aurora, because she slowly took a few steps past them. She looked back at them once, then continued to take a few more steps before entering the building itself, and Azura could see the girl through the glass doors, grabbing at Weiss's arm. He tried not to laugh as the heiress jumped in surprise, though he was happy to see the ice queen herself act warm and eventually grab Aurora's hand to walk with her.
He heard Ruby sigh then, and turned to look at her. She was staring at his arm, covered in the black and thorny stems that seemed like a legitimate tattoo wrapped around his arm and hand. Azura tilted his head, turning to fully face her now.
"Ruby?"
She frowned, her body looking stiff, and kept looking at his arm. She flicks her head up to look at his face, and Azura could tell that she was looking at his eye.
"Ruby, what's wrong?"
She quickly stepped forward, embracing him tightly. Azura was less surprised that Ruby hugged him compared to when Blake did, easily embracing her back. Her stiff shoulders and tight grip on his shirt relaxed as she rested her head on him.
"You're safe...we're all safe. We all made it out…" She whispered. "But you got hurt again."
"We all did, Ruby. Let's not just single me out." Azura said.
Ruby leaned back, her silver eyes narrowed. "You were the only one given a task by the headmaster, for that stupid data thing. And you were likely given it because-"
"I'm the one who accepted it out of the two of us, Ruby." Azura replied, cutting her off. He grabbed her arms and pulled her away to look at her properly. "Yang didn't get hurt because of Summer. She got hurt because of the Grimm I saw in there, because it was chasing me for whatever reason."
Ruby shakes her head, and he saw her gaze harden once she took notice of the wounds. "And these? Are you telling me you got such a specific wound from a Grimm of all things?!"
Azura frowned, unsure where the stubborn aggression came from. He smiled, trying a more caring approach. "Ruby, relax for a moment. Breathe." He saw her do so, looking down for a moment before meeting his gaze again. "The burns and marks I have are caused by Summer, I will admit. But, she saved me by doing so. Whatever she did, it saved my life."
"I...what?" Ruby said, now confused and sounding annoyed. "So, you'll just take the pain and disregard yourself, despite this situation being forced on you?"
"Ruby, that's not…" Azura said, sighing. "I know that you're mad. Whatever it is that you don't like about this situation, though, can we not do this?"
"But…" Ruby said, looking down at the ground. "I don't know why it makes me so frustrated. I should be more focused about Yang, or about Aurora, or even my own teammates...not this dumb idea in my head."
Azura shook his head. "No, Ruby. Look at me." She looked back up, instinctively smiling back when she saw his calm one. "It's normal to be frustrated, you shouldn't disregard yourself like that. And we will work through what you don't like with words and communicating with each other, not by fighting each other over our opinions or something." He sighs, looking to the side. "I was like that with Weiss at first. And well, once I stopped being dumb, I'd like to say the two of us have become good friends."
"What are you trying to say?"
"What I'm trying to say, Ruby, is that you shouldn't pretend that you don't feel one way or another. Yang will recover without issue. I will recover without issue, and you and I will work through your feelings regarding me and Summer kind of being in a single body, for lack of a better term, okay?"
"Okay…" Ruby replied quietly.
"You aren't alone, and you shouldn't feel like you need to be. You have me, Yang, Weiss, and Blake. And hey, if that's not enough, you have Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, Ren, and Pyra as well. I mean, they did come to help in Vale, right?"
"Of course they did, dummy." Ruby said, trying to not laugh and remain all Blake-like. "Why wouldn't they?"
"Well, that's my point, then!" Azura said, his smile wide. "If all of us can fight together in the breach of a city, I think we can work together for any problem, separated or not." He paused for a moment, turning his head to look at where Aurora had been, then turned his head back to Ruby. "As for Aurora, we'll take small steps with her, all of us. Whatever happened has hurt her, and will continue to hurt her for a while yet. This time, it won't be just us to help her, we'll have all of our great and amazing and caring friends as well."
"I know that...I do." Ruby said, looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry for being so worked up over nothing."
"No, there's no need to apologize to me. Emotions are what make us alive, after all. If you can feel, you are a living being." Azura said. "And I wouldn't want you to die, you know. It'd be boring without my favorite prodigy here to entertain me with her excited talk of weapons."
"Shush, you." She replied, laughing now. She spoke again once she stopped. "Thank you, Azura. I think I needed to let some emotion out."
"That's fine." Azura said, ruffling her hair to her muffled complaints. "Now, why don't you actually go visit your sister? She probably wants to see her actual family, yeah?"
"Okay, okay. I'm going." Ruby said, grumbling. "Just don't mess with my hair."
"No promises."
Ruby rolled her eyes at his reply. "We'll talk to each other later?"
"Of course. Now go, before Yang tears the building apart to see you."
Azura watched her walk off, a smile on his face, standing in place as the wind blew. It seemed that Azura would not be allowed to enjoy the silence, however, as the sound of footsteps on the stone path came closer. Azura turned, seeing Ozpin approach him.
"Good to see you out in the sunlight, Mister Heart. How are you?"
"Good enough, I suppose. Tired, recovering, but good." Azura said. "Summer's still in my noggin, so everything is relatively the same, I guess."
"Good, good. I am glad that you and Miss Xiao Long were not taken by the night." Ozpin said, his gaze lost in thought. "Do you care to walk with me? I'd like for us to talk."
"Sure." Azura said, shrugging.
The two of them began down the path, and Azura recognized that this led to the very familiar cliffside that he and Summer were beginning to frequent quite often, wondering if that was where Ozpin was taking him. As they moved away from buildings and any signs of people walking through were gone, Ozpin began to speak.
"Last night is being officially called the 'Breach of Vale' by the council of Vale." He began with. "And though it has caused around four thousand deaths, it's been agreed upon that the response to such an event was better than anyone could have hoped for. I will congratulate those who fought to defend Vale soon, but other things have taken my attention at the moment."
Azura looked at the man, who was currently without his normal mug of coffee. "Other things? What could be more important than making sure Vale can recover from the breach?"
Ozpin chuckled. "Well, for one, they are adamant about the Vytal Festival happening, and were rather unhappy that they had to push it back for repairs before the festival could happen. They were rather angry about the whole thing, if I have to say."
"That makes no sense." Azura said bluntly. "Who cares about a festival being pushed back, people died!"
"Precisely." Ozpin replied, stepping off of the path and out onto the grass. "They are so proactive about making the event happen, though. Enough so to force my hand and give General Ironwood full control of security in the event and the tournament together."
They stopped as they reached the edge, with Azura speaking. "They did?"
"Yes."
Azura frowned, looking at the headmaster he had conflicting thoughts over. "Why are you telling me all of this?"
Ozpin sighed quietly, hands over each other as he planted his cane into the ground. "Because I believe that you should." He looked out at Vale, taking a moment to silently observe it. "But, that is not the main reason I am talking to you right now. The task I gave you prior to going to Mountain Glenn, did you find anything?"
"The lab was there, like you said it probably would be." Azura said. "In there, there was a scroll. I believe it was Merlot's personal scroll to use for his experiments, since I found notes saying that he would put all of his data on it." Azura frowned, thinking back on the place. "There was also a Grimm in there, mutated beyond anything I've seen. It looked like a Beowolf, but it had these metal parts on it and acid on its back."
"A mutated Grimm? An experiment, then…" Ozpin said. "Perhaps the scroll will have answers in there. Do you have it on you?"
Azura shook his head. "No, I don't. I was told that my gear was left in my dorm."
"I see." Ozpin said, looking thoughtful as he turned his gaze to Azura. "Well, how about your wounds? I was told they were not exactly natural, to say."
"Oh...I mean, they're fine." Azura said. "But, I'm apparently the only one to think so."
"Well, they do not seem to come from combat. Or rather, the marks left behind on your arm and around your eye, Summer's eye in particular, do make it more concerning if one doesn't know where they come from."
Azura looked away. "Well, I'm not too sure where they came from either. There's something I really want to discuss with you, though."
"Oh? What is it?" Ozpin asked, curiously looking at him.
"The Nightmare Grimm. It was there last night, in the midst of the breach, and it attacked me like I was a target." Azura said, his hands gripped into fists. "I don't know what to do if it's here, but I want it dead."
Ozpin was silent for a few moments, though he spoke seriously when he did. "We should talk about this in a private area. Why don't you come to my office tomorrow night? It would be wrong of me to not give you time to visit your friends, plus I'm sure you'll have your hands full with getting little Aurora acquainted with Beacon. Which," Ozpin said, raising a hand to stop Azura from speaking. "I will be sure to talk about everything regarding that at a later point, once things settle down. As of right now, Aurora is more than welcome to stay."
"Thank you, it means a lot to me."
"Of course." Ozpin said, turning to walk away as he said his final words. "And remember, when you come to my office tomorrow, be sure to know your favorite fairy story."
"What?" Azura asked, but received no response.
If Summer's quick inhale of breath wasn't enough to alert him, then the suspicion he felt come from her definitely was. Azura frowned, turning back around to face the cliff, and sat down.
"No time better than now to think, I guess." He said.
.
.(Chapter End)
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Wow, this chapter turned out much longer than I thought it would be. Lots of things I wanted to do here, so I guess it makes sense.
Well, have a nice day/evening!