Disclaimer:This is a work of fan fiction using characters and/or scenes from the show RWBY, which is trademarked by Rooster Teeth, and the video game Persona 3, which is trademarked by Atlus. I do not, in anyway, claim ownership over the characters, the world, the story, or any other aspect belonging to either one. This story should not be, in any way, considered canon. This story is written strictly for entertainment and not for profit.
Warning: This story will exhibit slight differences in character behavior since I will be taking the liberty to fill in blank points in the pasts of various characters. As such, expect that many characters will not behave exactly as their canon selves. I will attempt to keep their core personalities intact, but slight changes will be unavoidable.
Warning 2: With the ongoing status of RWBY Volume 4, it's to be expected that many of my ideas will go against what is canon, such as when more of each character's respective pasts are revealed. I will do my best to incorporate what I can, but expect that many will be blended with my own ideas or perhaps even ignored completely if incorporating it will be detrimental to my existing story plans.
BIG NEWS EVERYONE!
Actually, not that big. XD
I've set up a forum on site for group discussions about the story. I'm honestly not too sure how many people I'll get there who want to talk about it, but a friend of mine, one of the story's followers but never reviewer (Yeah, you know who you are XD), convinced me to set it up all the same.
So… yeah.
Just use the search function, set it to search for Forums, and input my name 'LeiCiel'. Or you can follow the link at the bottom of my profile. Either one works. Please read the rules I put there before posting as I'm quite strict about playing nice. Thank you.
Anyway, where were we?
…
Right, the story.
I know I said it last chapter but HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! Here's to another year of fun, fanfiction, and other words that start with 'F'. XD
...
Bet I know what 'F' word most of you are thinking of.
…
Yeah, that's right. FOOD! XD
Speaking of food here's a brief announcement, by request of Qruis, XD
WARNING! Chapter length is roughly 24,000 words minus the Author Notes. Please have sufficient food and drink nearby so as not to interrupt the flow of reading the story by taking a break midway. A bathroom break would be recommended too. XD
Also, this chapter brings to it even more changes to some character profiles. If there are still people reading this who hated that I made changes to Jaune's character development and history, then, well, you are most likely going to hate what I'm gonna do here even more.
Not to mention that I took the liberty of filling in one character's past. It gets a bit dark but nothing that would warrant an M rating. I think.
So… yeah. That's how it is.
IMPORTANT NOTE: I have no idea how it slipped my mind, but I completely forgot to include a scene in the previous chapter. It's a scene between Fuuka and Ruby that takes place after Weiss storms out of the locker room. I only realized it was missing when I was writing this chapter, since part of it references that scene. If you don't know what that scene is, then I recommend going back to Chapter 13 and reading that scene as it is a fairly important one.
Sorry for the interruption. We now return to our regularly(?) scheduled update.
Chapter 14 – Test the Waters; Dive Headfirst
November 4, XX13
A fierce, almost bestial, roar rang throughout the classroom, followed by a human body flying off the combat platform and tumbling along the ground. A loud buzz followed soon after, signifying the end of the match.
Professor Goodwitch announced the end of the match, but Yang was already to the center of the platform where they would be evaluated. She ignored what the blonde teacher had to say to their opponents. It didn't really matter to her what they needed to work on or what she recommended they do about it.
Soon enough, it was their turn.
"Ms. Belladonna." Yang could see her partner straighten up just a little but more at being addressed. "Your agility, combined with your Semblance, remains your strong point. But as you've no doubt noticed with your three recent matches, it will not always be enough. Ms. La Rue, Mr. Bronzewing, and Mr. Thatcher all managed to force you back simply due to your lack of physical strength. I recommend working on that with your partner. You don't need to be as strong as Ms. Xiao Long, but a little more power behind your blows and stronger defenses won't hurt."
Blake had noticed that her opponents lately had been able to match her movements well enough. Not always enough to hit her, but enough that she had difficulty breaking through their guard. They were also skilled enough to be able to force her into a direct confrontation, rather than taking them out from the flank or from behind as she usually preferred.
Her fight just now against Gazon Thatcher nearly ended in her defeat. He was about as quick and agile as she was, despite his large size and bulky frame, and at least twice as strong. With that combination, she often found her attacks repelled and her defenses broken with contemptuous ease. It was only with Yang's intervention that they won the fight before Blake was eliminated.
She didn't think that those matches had been set-up precisely to target her weaknesses. Professor Goodwitch clearly knew what she was doing.
"And as for you, Ms. Xiao Long." The blonde teen repressed a sigh. She knew what was coming. "Meet me in my office after class."
Yang blinked as she nodded mechanically. That was new. She had expected another brief lecture on staying calm, perhaps even more than just a brief one since she had been getting that same lecture for weeks now. Jumping from 'brief lectures' to 'office visits' was a highly unexpected surprise. And if she were being honest, one that she was not looking forward to.
She ignored the concerned glances she received as the quartet made their way back to the spectator's area, passing by the next quartet called down to fight. There was little that she could do about Goodwitch's request. 'More like demand.' Best to just get it over and done with. Hopefully the blonde professor wouldn't try beating around the bush and just get straight to the point when they met.
"Let me get straight to the point. Are you even trying to reign in your temper?"
That was definitely as straight to the point as it could possibly get. No greeting, no questions about her well-being or performance in other classes, not even a glance in her direction as the blonde teacher worked on something on her Scroll. Still, her words were spoken calmly. Yang couldn't even detect a hint of accusation or disappointment, nor were they condescending even though she didn't meet Yang's eyes when she spoke.
Despite how quick she was to show her displeasure when facing down unruly students, Glynda Goodwitch was the poster girl – poster woman? – for professionalism at any other time. Even now, after having told Yang at least half a dozen times to reign in her temper when fighting, she did not go on to berate the younger blonde just because she didn't heed the given advice.
"Not really," she answered honestly. Yang was fairly certain that Professor Goodwitch already knew the answer and just wanted to hear it straight from her.
"And why not?" Again, just a calm, ordinary question as bright green eyes remained on the Scroll, which was showing a replay of a fight. Yang's most recent fight to be exact. "I believe I first told you more than a month ago that you need to work on remaining calm rather than allowing your frustrations to turn into anger."
"It's just…" She hesitated. What did she say here? That it was just how she fought? That she didn't really care if her anger made her sloppy since a single Semblance-powered punch could end most, if not all, fights? "… It's bad to bottle up your emotions, right?"
That was quite possibly the lamest excuse to ever slip past her lips. Perhaps even the lamest excuse of all time. And judging by how the green-eyed blonde took the time to glance up from her Scroll, meeting Yang's lilac-colored eyes with a half-lidded stare, Professor Goodwitch was most likely thinking the same thing. She didn't even grace it with a verbal response. Instead, she laid her Scroll down on the desk and gave Yang her full attention, pausing the recording of the fight.
Yang squirmed in place. There was that feeling of discomfort again. A friend or a classmate looking at her so intensely wouldn't have been too bad, though sometimes it still made her uncomfortable depending on their reasons. But a teacher? The Deputy Headmistress to boot? It almost made her feel like a civilian staring down the Grimm, helpless and just waiting to be struck down.
"Keep in mind that what is said here will remain between the two of us, is that clear?" She wanted to ask what they were going to talk about that needed secrecy, but she just nodded. "Does your… temper have anything to do with your Semblance?"
Yang had known that it was only a matter of time before someone noticed. Barring Mitsuru and Fuuka's abilities of course. And given that both Giolla and Goodwitch often got on her case about her temper, it had always been a question of which of the two who would confront her about it first.
She nodded "Yeah."
"I see. If you don't mind telling me, is it your anger that affects your Semblance? Or does your Semblance cause your anger?"
'If only that was it,' Yang though in response to the second half of Glynda's question. The mystery of her bursts of anger was one she had yet to solve and she was no closer to the answer than when she started. She had clues aplenty, but not a single theory. If one didn't count those that had already been disproven and discarded. Her Semblance making her angry would have made sense if not for the fact that she Semblance was reliant on her anger and not the other way around.
"The first one." She didn't feel uncomfortable letting her know that detail about her Semblance. It may even get the older blonde to stop trying to get her to keep her anger in control. It wasn't as if she became angry on purpose when she fought. She just didn't bother holding it in when it wanted to come out.
"And is it the only way for you to use your Semblance?"
"… no."
"I see. In that case, I'll have to continue insisting that you learn to control your emotions." Yang definitely saw that coming even before she answered that last question. "Regardless of what your Semblance may be, overreliance on one ability or skill is never a good thing. It may not be today or tomorrow, it may not happen for another ten years, but one day that one ability or skill will not be as effective as it once was. Moreover, your anger clearly affects your judgment in combat as shown by some of your previous fights."
Yang just nodded wordlessly, but she could see the way Glynda's lips narrowed slightly at the lack of a verbal response. They both knew the younger blonde was just going along to get the conversation over with. Yet without actual knowledge of her Semblance, which Yang wasn't obligated to reveal, there was little the teacher could do to force Yang to do as she was asked.
Green eyes watched her from behind oval spectacles, urging her to say something. Anything. And yet… "You are free to go, unless you have anything you would like to say."
Again, Yang just nodded then turned around to walk away. She had already known how that conversation would end. Neither Goodwitch nor Giollah understood how she fought. Couldn't understand that the anger and rage she felt empowered her and that it was her greatest trump card.
They probably didn't even care to. The fact that Goodwitch kept insisting was proof of that. Besides, Yang was following her advice to not limit herself to one thing. Her Semblance activated one of two ways after all. Accumulated physical damage, or a burst of rage. If she never used the latter and relied only on the former, then she would be stuck waiting until she got hurt enough. Not only would that waste time, but it also drained her Aura. Since that was the case, wouldn't it be better to be able to have both options open?
More importantly, what kind of idiot would purposely get hurt just to use their Semblance? She may not focus much on defense, but even she didn't ignore her defensive abilities altogether. And that part was what Giollah failed to see. What he saw as a lack of style was her style. Her defenses weren't impregnable, nor was her offense a sure-win thing, but it worked for her and that was what counted.
And if they didn't like it then… well… that was their problem.
Besides… Yang glanced down the hallway, spotting the rest of Team KYBT waiting for her not far from Goodwitch's office. She released a brief sigh before walking in their direction. Forget Goodwitch and Giollah. She had a weekend movie marathon to plan for.
For the second time in just as many days, Weiss found herself in the dorm room with only Aigis as her companion. Well, companion would be stretching it since neither of them had planned on being the only two occupants of the room.
For some strange reason, SEES had once again gone up to the roof. An oddity in itself once Weiss thought about it. Usually they only spent Wednesday and Saturday nights on the roof. Not only did they break that trend last night, a Tuesday night, but they broke it again by returning to the roof tonight.
And as always, nobody answered as to why they did so. The closest answer they received, asides from the time when Mitsuru told them that they always trained at night back in Iwatodai, was that it was a SEES tradition. It was only after they parted that she realized just how skillfully they had evaded the question.
Which was the tradition, she wondered. Gathering twice a week? Staying up late? Watching the moon? Or perhaps it was something they had yet to see. Something they did only once everyone else departed for bed. As far as Weiss knew, nobody had ever thought to stay with SEES the entire night.
Perhaps it was because of the time when Mitsuru displayed her displeasure with Yang, and the rest of them as well to some extent, just last month. She would never admit it out loud, but something in Mitsuru's expression and demeanor that night had scared Weiss, calling to her deepest, most primal instincts to survive and screaming at her to avoid the redhead at all costs when she was in that state. And that was when it was directed at someone else. After seeing that, nobody was likely to want to cross her again.
She'd have to see if she could remain behind one time without being too intrusive. Definitely on a Saturday rather than Wednesday. That way she wouldn't have to worry about having to wake up early the next day.
Either way, Aigis was her concern at the moment.
Despite leaving the rooftop not long after arriving, Aigis had gone straight to the windows, standing in front of it to gaze up at the moon. Why she didn't just do so on the roof was a mystery. But when Weiss remembered the blonde's words from the previous night, she supposed it made sense.
And yet, even that was strange. What sort of machine felt things like guilt? Aigis, obviously, but it still confounded her. Displaying emotions was one thing, but actually feeling them? What use was there for a machine to feel such emotions? Or even to just feel?
While Weiss would never wish to be completely without emotion, there were certainly times when she felt it would be better if she couldn't feel them. Or at least, switch them off like a light bulb. Such as the times she dealt with the sibling pair of Yang and Ruby. If she couldn't feel any emotion during those times, then she wouldn't be annoyed by their antics. And if she didn't feel annoyed, then she wouldn't be wasting precious time and energy getting mad at them.
And it was certainly a waste of time since they very rarely listened for very long. Thankfully, Ruby had been giving her more space since the incident in the locker room the other day. Fuuka's doing no doubt, since the younger girl had been persistent in her attempts to form a bond of friendship. The elder sibling hadn't been bothering her lately for some reason. She wouldn't take it for granted, but she did wonder how long that would last.
Realizing her thoughts were straying, Weiss forced her attention back to the two notebooks on the desk in front of her, ignoring the android staring up at the moon.
After revealing her extracurricular studies a few days ago, Weiss was able to procure a copy of Fuuka's notes on Aigis dating back to the time when Fuuka and Aigis began to work on the latter's systems.
The earlier ones, as she had been told, were simply diagnostics for the basics such as Aigis's motor skills. Comparing them with her own notes showed that, while slightly different, Aigis was more or less similar to what the Atlesian Army currently had. Provided, of course, that what she was studying was completely up-to-date. For all she knew, what she was studying was from the very first generation of androids rather than the latest.
Of course, it was impossible to truly compare which was designed and programmed better with motor skills alone.
Which was why she was dedicating every free moment she had to deciphering the rest.
Instead of trying to decipher the android herself.
Like she was doing again.
The Schnee heiress bit back a growl as she forced her eyes away from Aigis for the fourth time that night. Her curiosity was getting the best of her again and it didn't help that it was connected to SEES as a whole rather than Aigis alone. Had it just been the latter then she could have ignored it. Instead, the blonde's words the night before still tickled her curiosity.
Why did she betray SEES? Why was she still with them if she turned her back on them once before? Were they unaware of her betrayal? For that matter, in what manner did she betray SEES? Did her betrayal have anything to do with the death of Mitsuru's father? Or was it just a coincidence that the two events occurred at roughly the same time?
The mystery only grew the more she thought about it. And the more it grew, the less she was able to focus on the notebook she was studying. So with a resigned sigh, she shut both notebooks, hers and Fuuka's, and put them away.
Forcing herself to study when she clearly wasn't in the proper state of mind to do so wouldn't end well. The few times she had done so only did more harm than good at the end. So her studies would have to be put on hold for the moment.
There was, however, something else she could do.
"Aigis?" The blonde turned around when her name was called – unusually cordial in manner given who had spoken – and two pairs of blue eyes met in short order. "If… you don't mind me asking, what did you mean last night when you said that you… that you betrayed them?"
As expected, Aigis's expression fell at Weiss's question. The heiress could practically feel how disheartened she was just by having the topic brought up. But if she didn't ask now, then her thoughts were sure to linger in the coming days. It was just too big an issue for her to ignore. Especially considering Aigis was her team leader.
"I… That is…"
Weiss watched patiently as Aigis turned away, seemingly struggling with herself. Normally she would have said something the instant she sensed hesitation. Now, however, she would make an exception and be as patient as she needed to be. Some things, especially sensitive issues like this, were best coaxed out gently rather than by force. Even she knew that much.
She wasn't asking just for curiosity's sake after all. She had to know what happened. She had to know how and why Aigis betrayed SEES. She had to know if there was a possibility that Aigis would do it again. Nothing more, nothing less. Her future as a Huntress may very well be on the line after all.
And this may be her only chance to ask without anybody else overhearing or learning of her interest in the matter.
"Last year…" Aigis began but then hesitated once more, looking down and away. This time, it didn't take long for her to make up her mind, though she kept her face turned away out of shame. "Last year, a man we trusted betrayed us." Weiss held back a frown, wondering what the mysterious man had to do with Aigis's own betrayal. "He brought me to the Kirijo laboratory earlier that day. Under the guise of maintenance, he tampered with my programming. As such, I was unable to disobey him when he ordered me to capture and restrain everyone else later that night. Kirijo-san, that is, Mitsuru-san's father, was among them."
'So they were aware of it,' thought Weiss. More important, however, was the mention of the Kirijo patriarch. Was this connected to how he…
"Later, once they regained consciousness, he explained the reason for his betrayal and ordered me to kill Kirijo-san." A gasp nearly slipped past her lips, but she couldn't hide the way her body tensed at those words. "I resisted the order." Some of the tension faded, but most remained as she listened to Aigis's next words. "But I was unable to regain full control of myself. In the end, he shot Kirijo-san himself and proceeded to order me to kill everyone else."
There was no need for her to feel tense any longer. SEES was very much alive. But she couldn't help but want to know more even though her question had already been answered.
"I fought against the command once more. Twice more he ordered me to execute them. Both times I resisted until I finally broke his hold over me, releasing everyone from their bonds rather than killing them."
"Why would you consider that betrayal?" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Though she schooled her features to hide it, Weiss was certain that she felt just as shocked as Aigis looked at that moment, the blonde finally turning to face the heiress properly rather than looking away in shame. "Had you been human then it wouldn't have mattered if he forced you in some manner, like coercion or blackmail. A human in your position still made the conscious decision to give in at the beginning."
"But you aren't human." For some reason, saying those words felt both repulsive and relieving. Hopefully, neither one seeped into her voice. "You said so yourself, he tampered with your programming. He made you do all those things without giving you a choice in the matter. That you resisted him was enough. I'm certain that Mitsuru wouldn't have blamed you even if you killed her father. You even broke free and regained control of yourself before you could kill everyone else."
Rather than be relieved or encouraged, Aigis simply looked down and shook her head sadly. "At that time, the primary directive in my system, one that could not be overwritten, was to remain with Minato-san. Killing him contradicted that directive. Unlike the way I am now, I was still more machine than human at that time. I did not yet possess a proper 'will' beyond fulfilling my orders. As such, if not for that directive, I would not have been able to resist."
"But you didn't stop at him, did you?" countered Weiss, her voice firm and her expression fierce. "If that was all that mattered then you would have killed everyone else. Even before that, you still managed to not kill Mitsuru's father. That is not what I would consider betrayal."
Yet, once again, Aigis found her own counter. "Even so, my inability to resist sooner resulted in that outcome." Weiss was very close to reaching up with her hands. Whether to tear her own hair out in annoyance, or to throttle Aigis for being the cause of her annoyance was still up for debate. "I played a role in Kirijo-san's death, unwilling though I may have been. That they do not blame me at all does not feel… right."
Weiss clenched her fists tight, keeping the muscles in her arms tense lest she do something she regret. With those last few words, she understood now just what the problem was. Just why Aigis felt the way she did despite being a victim of the betrayal rather than one of two traitors.
And it had nothing to do with the actions that she had been forced to perform.
"May I… ask you something in turn?" Weiss nodded, not trusting herself to speak calmly just yet. Not after what she just realized. "Do you… do you hate me?" This time, she didn't move at all, not trusting herself to not do something she would regret. "You said before that you kept your distance from me because you wished to maintain a professional relationship with those in school. And yet, I cannot help but feel that you are actively avoiding me."
Despite the accusation coming from her, it was Aigis who looked uncomfortable while Weiss remained unmoved. Even so, the blonde went on, her voice and tone soft, almost pleading. "Have I done something to offend you? Or is it because I am-"
"I don't like you." Her words, spoken so plainly as though they were having an ordinary conversation, interrupted Aigis before she could finish her next sentence. She knew what the blonde was about to say. And if she said it, then Weiss may not be able to stop herself from revealing the full truth. "But I wouldn't say that I despise you," Weiss continued in a slightly softer tone once all of Aigis's attention was on her.
For now, an obscure answer would have to suffice to tide her over. Hopefully.
Then, with a barely audible sigh, she turned away from the blonde, pulled out a change of clothes from her wardrobe, and went into the bathroom. But just before she shut the door, she glanced at Aigis over her shoulder and said, "Make of that what you will." Then, without another word, she shut the door behind her.
Once it was shut, she listened for any sounds coming from the bedroom. Hearing none, Weiss folded her nightgown into a thicker bundle, buried her face into it, and let out a muffled yell.
And prayed that it was enough to hide the sound from Aigis's enhanced hearing.
November 6, XX13
"You want to fight me? One-on-one? Without your weapons?"
Akihiko gave Pyrrha a raised eyebrow filled with skepticism, wondering just where that request had come from. Next to him, Mitsuru was doing the same and was most likely asking herself the same question.
It was even more surprising since she waited until the end of their weekly training session before asking for the match. All around them, everyone had stopped preparing to leave when they heard the unexpected request.
All, that is, save for the red-haired girl before him who just nodded in response, giving no sign as to her intentions. "Yes."
The boxer exchanged looks with the fencer, the latter shrugging as though to tell him that it was his decision. Even so, Akihiko thought carefully about the request. It was beyond strange from his perspective especially since she was forgoing the use of her weapons.
In terms of overall combat experience, they were roughly even, although she may have a slight edge since she fought against a larger variety of fighters while he, up until recently, only fought against boxers and the other members of SEES. His form would be better since he had been boxing for years now while Pyrrha most likely only learned unarmed combat just in case she was disarmed, unlikely given her Semblance.
Though on her part, Pyrrha would most likely incorporate kicks into her fighting style, he had seen her do so in several fights already. That would inconvenience him as it was only here in Beacon where he had the opportunity to train against kicks. And judging by the look in her eyes, a strangely familiar gleam hiding within, she most likely had no intention of holding back to give him a fighting chance. If anything, she-
'Ah, so that's it.' Akihiko barely managed to hold back a grin. That was why her eyes looked so familiar. They were the kind of eyes he had seen so often in the past, all the way back in Iwatodai. He briefly wondered whether the challenge was a mere twist of fate or if she had known how it would turn out.
Either way, he would gladly oblige.
"Alright," he answered with a nod, doing his best not to give himself away. "But if you don't mind, I'll have Junpei backing me up with Rakukaja. I don't exactly stand a chance against you without that much."
He saw the way Pyrrha's eyes lit up at his acceptance as she nodded in response. Even his request did little to dim them. If anything, her excitement seemed to grow. Of course, her face gave nothing away. To anyone who didn't know what to look for, Pyrrha was simply accepting his terms.
Naturally, this meant that Mitsuru knew exactly what was going on. A quick glance out of the corner of his eyes showed his red-haired friend sighing discreetly in exasperation. Still, she said nothing. And that was the only sign he needed.
"Go get ready," he said to the Mistralian. "I'll let Junpei know what's going on. And maybe a quick stop to the restroom won't hurt."
As Pyrrha walked away, Akihiko turned around to seek out Junpei, who was off to one side with Jaune and Chidori. Walking alongside him, Mitsuru spoke to him in a low voice. "Try not to get carried away." He was sure that the grin that blossomed on his face did little to reassure her.
It only took a few seconds to let Junpei know his role in the coming fight. Before that, it took at least a minute to convince him that it was going to be a strictly one-on-one fight even though Junpei would be supporting him. Afterwards, he left the training room but returned in short order. He made one last stop to the side of the room, where his duffel bag was, before walking to the training area where Pyrrha was already waiting sans sword and shield.
Already, he could hear the excited chatters of his friends. He supposed it was understandable, considering Pyrrha was fighting. Unarmed at that. But he knew that they were expecting him to lose at the end either way.
After all, Pyrrha was both faster and stronger than he was. Pyrrha, known as the Invincible Girl, was the four-time consecutive champion of Mistral's yearly tournament. Pyrrha, Sanctum's top student in both combat and academics, was currently tied with Aigis for the top combat student in their year.
And that was precisely why he was going to make this a fight to remember.
As Akihiko was preparing for the fight, everyone else gathered to one side to watch the coming match. But the unexpected challenge from the Invincible Girl had caught all of them by surprise. Some began throwing out theories and speculations. Others chose to consult someone who might be more knowledgeable on the matter at hand.
"Why would she challenge him to this sort of duel? If she wanted to test her skills in unarmed combat then Yang or Ren would be a better opponent. Maybe even both at the same time."
Mitsuru glanced down at Weiss out of the corner of her eye, the shorter, white-haired heiress stepping up beside her and away from their more rambunctious friends. Even so, her question reached their ears despite their own conversations.
Yang, in particular, turned to KYBT's team leader as well. "She's got a point, Mitsuru. With the way she was grinning the entire fight last week, I thought Pyrrha would challenge Aigis to another fight. Why'd she choose Akihiko? And why fight without her weapons?"
Why indeed. She and Akihiko have been friends for nearly four years now, even if their relationship for most of that time was more of colleagues than actual friends. As such, she caught not only the grin that he had tried to hide, but also the one Pyrrha had been trying to hide. "I have my suspicions," she admitted out loud. "But I think it would be best not to say anything, just in case I'm mistaken."
After seeing what she did, however, there was very little chance of that. No, Mitsuru was absolutely certain that she was right. Hopefully they don't end up taking things too far the way Shinji and Akihiko used to.
Both fighters were now inside the training area, with Junpei standing just outside it with Trismegistus summoned, ready to provide Akihiko with a constant defensive boost. Everyone saw Akihiko's lips move, but his voice was low enough to not be heard.
Save for one person, that is.
When Blake heard that question, she had to struggle not to show her shock. Even more so when Pyrrha responded positively. She wasn't sure what was going on with the two who were about to fight, but she knew that it wouldn't end well. Not with what she just overheard.
Pyrrha stood ready, fists raised in a boxing stance much like Akihiko's. The question that the boxer had just posed threw her thoughts into a frenzy. It was a good frenzy, however, as she just barely managed to hide a grin that would have been wide enough to split her face in two.
"That's perfect, actually," she responded. And by the faint grin that blossomed on Akihiko's face, she knew that he at least suspected the reason for her challenge.
"Whenever you're ready, Junpei," Akihiko called to the teen standing not too far behind him.
Hardly a second passed before a familiar blue glow surrounded the boxer, providing him with a pseudo-Aura defense. And the moment the glow settled, Pyrrha charged forward.
She was a little disappointed that Akihiko opted to wait for her to approach. When she reached him, however, her disappointment turned into excitement.
In Combat class, Akihiko focused on defense as a single hit would spell defeat. The same went for their previous training matches as he lacked the ability to use Rakukaja by himself, and he didn't want to get used to having it since Junpei and Aigis won't always be there. Last week and earlier today, he focused on fighting alongside his Persona. But now…
She raised her arms to block another flurry of punches, weaving and sidestepping left and right to try and avoid them. But Akihiko was two steps ahead of her whenever she tried, circling around her to cut off her attempts to evade or aiming a punch where she attempted to move to. And when she tried pulling back to gain some distance, he advanced at the same moment as though anticipating her retreat.
Similarly, her own attacks were evaded with contemptuous ease, predicted long before her fist was halfway to its goal. Moreover, her unfamiliarity with boxing slowed her down. For every punch she threw, Akihiko threw nearly half a dozen back in response.
She had heard from Junpei that boxing was mainly done as a sport even if it could be used in an actual fight. Was this how Akihiko fought against other boxers? Though he was protected by Trismegistus's Rakukaja, he hardly needed the protection. Her fists couldn't even get close to him, never mind actually hitting him.
'I suppose this is what I get for trying to take him on with his style.'
She didn't tell him but, for this fight alone, she decided to limit herself to the same style that he used to keep the fight as even as possible. While she didn't know the specifics of boxing, she had seen enough to know that he used only punches and that his feet never left the ground at the same time.
Even when moving around, his feet would just glide over the ground rather than rising and falling with each step. The only time he did so was when he needed to close the distance between him and a distant foe. But when he was close enough, he remained solidly grounded.
Against someone utilizing a different fighting style, boxing, which was strictly punching and land-based combat, seemed highly inefficient. But now, facing him with the exact same limitations, she could actually appreciate the way he fought.
Swift and relentless punches setting the opponent up for the slightly slower but more powerful ones. Nimble, almost graceful, footwork that danced around the opponent but was equally steady and stable when pressed. He was like the reed that danced and swayed in the midst of a storm yet refusing to break.
It wasn't difficult to see why he was undefeated in his chosen sport. No, calling it a sport now was a severe insult. Perhaps the Japanese saw it as a sport. But her? A Mistralian? She called it art. A beautiful one at that.
After a few minutes of exchanging blows, with a poor exchange rate on her part, the two of them broke apart, fists still raised and breathing heavier than normal, though no worse for wear. It was only now that she noticed the lack of metal plates on his gloves, and that the gloves themselves were different from what he normally used. She hadn't really thought about using her Semblance this fight, but clearly he thought that she might.
Then he shot her a taunting grin.
"What's wrong?" he called out to her. "Don't tell me you're actually thinking of taking me on with just boxing." She grinned back, and was about to respond in the affirmative when he spoke again. "If you're just gonna go into this half-assed then I'll just end it here and now."
The grin on her face fell but then came back in full. Only this time, it looked far more vicious. Disadvantageous as it would have been for her, she had been planning on keeping it a boxing match just to see how she matched up to him first. But now…
She charged forward and responded to his taunt with a powerful spin kick aimed at his head. A raised forearm stopped it, but she quickly lowered it and spun in the other direction, her other leg coming up to his side. Again it was blocked, but his lack of familiarity when facing kicks was showing. He stumbled a bit, though she noted that his overall posture was now defensive in nature. And that gave her the opening she needed to take control of the fight.
Unarmed combat wasn't her preferred form of fighting, but she was still fairly adept at it.
It didn't take her long to wrest control of the flow of battle from Akihiko. And in no time at all, their situations were reversed. Akihiko was now the one struggling to block and dodge her attacks, unable to sneak in more than one or two punches for every ten attacks she made.
Most of her attacks failed to breach his defenses, but a few glancing blows landed, enough to know she reached his skin but not enough to truly affect the battle. But as the seconds turned into minutes, more and more got through as she analyzed his defenses and adapted. He adapted to her changing tactics as well, but not as fast as she adapted to his defenses.
Despite that, however, she could see the fire in his eyes even as they darted in every direction to keep up with her attacks. She wasn't fighting at full strength just yet, not wanting the fight to end too soon, but she made sure to keep it at a level slightly higher than his. Just to see how he fared, how he would react.
And he certainly didn't disappoint.
Despite constantly shifting her attack patterns and styles, changing the speed and timing of her attacks, and keeping the overall flow of combat in flux, he was still able to adapt with only slight difficulty. And however limited his own fighting style and combat experience may be, his instincts served him well and helped him anticipate most of her attacks even when she was confident she would finally succeed in breaking through.
Even her more acrobatic and airborne attacks failed to surprise him enough to fully pierce his defenses. Either he had already gotten used to fighting such opponents during his two months at Beacon, or his fighting instincts were naturally great, enough to anticipate even something he had never or rarely encountered before.
And then he turned the tables on her.
The first real blow of the match landed, her leg connecting with his right side. His opposite leg shot out to the side to widen his stance, keeping him upright and steady as the blow rocked his body. That, in itself, was a surprise since it was one attack she hadn't expected to land. It was relatively slow, even if powerful, but it was a kick that had been meant to drive him back rather than hurt him. So her surprise was understandable.
Yet allowing herself to feel that brief moment of surprise was her first mistake.
In retaliation, his fist quickly lashed out and struck the side of her face, her shock at actually hitting him allowing the punch to land unchallenged. The punch hadn't been powerful, just a quick jab of his right hand aimed to knock her off-balance. And with one foot off the ground, the punch was doubly effective.
Pyrrha stumbled back while maintaining her balance, keeping her attention on Akihiko the entire time as he would undoubtedly capitalize on her situation. And that was her second mistake. It barely took him a second to close the short distance between them. Soon, punch after punch rained down on her, from every direction. From the front, from the sides, from below, and even a few that came down from above.
Having regained control of the flow of battle, Akihiko pressured her and came at her relentlessly. Using her superior speed and agility, she was able to block and evade every attack that came her way. But his boxing experience came into play and he kept her from counterattacking by making sure her arms were too busy fending off his attacks. In fact, move of his punches targeted her arms rather than her face or body, keeping them pinned down and unable to strike back.
And as close as he was, kicking would only make things worse for her. He was too close for her to properly kick. And while kicks were stronger than punches, for the most part anyway, they also took longer to execute. Akihiko could punch her at least once in the brief span of time it would take for her leg to reach its target. And as with earlier, that would be enough to throw her off balance.
As it was, there were only two ways she would be able to regain control of the battle.
She could let some of his punches through, sacrificing some defense to be able to strike back offensively just like he had done just now. She was stronger than him so a few hits would be enough to make him stagger and give up control.
She could also disengage from the current bout. Even if he chased after her, that would be enough time for her to regain her bearings and re-engage him in a manner that benefits her.
But both options stung her pride just thinking about it. One would mean willingly allowing him to strike her just for the opportunity to strike back. Even without her tutor's lessons, she found it a mark against her skills to resort to such a tactic. The other would mean being the first to retreat, a sign that she was overwhelmed. The earlier incident didn't count in her mind as both she and Akihiko pulled away at the same time.
It shouldn't have been difficult to decide. Retreat was an acceptable strategy, even by the standards of the most critical of Mistralian martial artists.
But whenever green eyes met gray, her resolve wavered.
Those cunning gray eyes sought her green ones out at every opportunity. Every moment they weren't scanning her defenses or watching out for a counterattack, they were looking directly at her. Chiding her. "Why aren't you fighting?" they seemed to ask her.
His grin was the same. Smug and vicious, almost beast-like in ferocity. Yet even without moving, his lips seemed to be able to convey his message. "Can you keep up?"
There was no doubt in her mind now. Akihiko didn't just suspect it, he already knew why she had challenged him. The only question now was, why?
This was it. This was her chance. So why couldn't she rise to the challenge? Why was she suddenly hesitating?
Then, all of a sudden, the relentless barrage of punches stopped. It didn't even register immediately. She stood there for a few seconds, arms raised defensively and eyes searching for where the next attack would come from, before she noticed that Akihiko had dropped out of his stance and was just standing there calmly.
Pyrrha lowered her arms slowly but remained tense, wondering if this was one of his many ploys. He had shown, both in class and in training, that he was incredibly shrewd despite his straightforward fighting style. But even when her arms were hanging straight down and her back had straightened, he didn't move. Her ears barely registered the sounds of confusion coming from beyond the transparent blue barrier surrounding them as she wondered just what Akihiko was doing.
Then, just when she was about to open her mouth to ask, he sighed with a small frown on his face. "Let's do this another time." She froze briefly, wondering why he would suddenly say that. He must have read the question through her expression since he spoke again. "You've clearly got something else on your mind right now. You may be able to fight but you're obviously more than just a little distracted. That punch I landed earlier shouldn't have hit you."
She didn't want to admit it but he was right. She normally would never have been so slow, so unfocused, that his counterattack would strike her so solidly in the face. Even surprised as she had been at that time, he was still in front of her where her eyes could see. At worst she would have just barely dodged it, or perhaps put up a hasty guard.
But neither one happened. Instead, his punch landed squarely on her cheek.
Then she had allowed him to retake control of the battle. Instead of cautiously waiting for his next move, she should have put more distance between them or even rushed back in to intercept his counterattack. Again, she did neither. She foolishly waited for him to approach her, leading to the loss of initiative and momentum, which he gained in turn.
Akihiko was already walking away by the time she came out of her thoughts, the transparent blue hard-light walls fading away as the training session was ended prematurely. He didn't turn back, nor did he answer the questions from their friends. He essentially just waved them away as he packed his belongings and left the training room.
But Pyrrha remained in place, asking herself once more why she had hesitated at such a crucial moment. And all around her, everyone just watched in confusion, wondering what had happened.
Everyone could only watch as Pyrrha rose from the table and quietly left the dining hall, Jaune following after a few indecisive moments. Once the pair left, everyone turned to Akihiko, who was the only person who might have the answers they were looking for. But before anyone could even open their mouths to ask, he had already cut them off.
"Don't ask." There was certainly no way he could be clearer than that. "Even if I knew what was bothering her, it's not my place to say."
Some accepted his words, and some pouted and deflated. Only one was undeterred. "But you do have an idea, don't you?" asked Mitsuru, to which the boxer nodded, taking another bite of his meal. "Assuming you're right, is it something we need to worry about?"
Akihiko shook his head. "Not right now, no. Best to let her try handling it herself." He looked up from his meal to face Junpei. "Though if I were you I'd keep an eye on her in case things get worse. But unless she says something first…"
Team JACN's leader nodded. "Yeah, got it. But if it takes too long I'm talking to her. It ain't healthy keeping stuff like that in for too long."
"You're her team leader so it's your call, not mine," was Akihiko's response, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with his junior's decision. "You can do whatever you want so long as you man up to whatever happens."
"No need to tell me that." The response was accompanied by a wry grin. "That's pretty much the rule we lived by since that day, right?"
When not just Akihiko, but all the members of SEES nodded, Nora turned to the boxer and asked, "What rule? What day?"
In response, a sardonic grin matching Junpei's appeared on his face. "A rule that woman made us agree to follow before she trained us."
"To live our lives of our own free will, and to face the consequences of every action," recited Aigis, speaking with her eyes shut as though remembering the moment she heard those words. "It was only after we agreed that Elizabeth-san began to train us."
"That doesn't sound so bad," commented Yang. But her words earned a head shake from Blake. "You don't think so?"
The amber-eyed girl turned to her partner. "You'd be surprised how easy it is to run away from responsibility. Even words like 'It's not my fault', 'I was told to do it' or 'I had no choice' are ways of running away from responsibility."
"It's easier to blame others than to accept that you made a mistake." Surprisingly, to the Aura-users at least, those words of wisdom came from the youngest person at the table. Ken looked down sadly. "It's easy to say that our actions are because someone else wronged us first, or that it was only natural we would do it after something that someone else did."
It was strange, they thought, to see a boy as young as he was speaking such words. But they could tell by the hollow gaze in his eyes that he was not just reciting words he had read somewhere. This was not mere knowledge. This was wisdom born of experience.
The question now was, what had happened to cause him to learn such a lesson at a young age?
"Hey Ken?" called out Nora from across the table. "Are you…"
The orange-haired girl hesitated to ask what was on her mind, but also uncertain as to where to begin, and that was enough for the door to shut before she could set foot into the room beyond. "I'm fine," Ken answered, looking up with a smile that everyone could tell was forced. Then, he rose from his seat and picked up his tray, his meal only mostly consumed. "I'll go take Koromaru for a walk. I'll see you back in the room."
Nobody made a move to stop him, just like they did with Pyrrha. Only this time, nobody made to check on him even though some people turned expectantly to Akihiko. "He'll be fine," was what he said in response to their looks. "This is something he's already settled long ago. Doesn't mean it won't hurt to remember. He's still young after all. But he's got it handled. Don't worry."
Nora looked like she wanted to argue, but a hand on her shoulder, courtesy of her long-time friend, stopped her. She backed down, but everyone could tell she wasn't happy leaving the matter alone.
All the while, bluish-green eyes followed Ken's form as he walked out of the dining hall, greeted soon after by a white dog, and remained locked onto him until he disappeared from sight.
"Are you alright Pyrrha?"
Jaune could only watch sadly as Pyrrha shook her head. He had expected that. Ever since the unexpected end of fight with Akihiko earlier today, his partner had been more than a little distracted.
The two of them were the room's only occupants at the moment, with Junpei sending him a message that he and Chidori would be in the library to finish the week's homework to give them some time alone. Though the image Junpei typed up with various symbols – what did he call it again? And emochi or something? – one that depicted a smiling face giving a thumbs-up, made his cheeks burn just a little bit.
What did he think they were gonna do in the room?
Pyrrha was lying listlessly on her bed, her shoes the only thing missing from her usual combat ensemble. Everything else was still the same as she, obviously, hadn't bothered to change into something else.
Idly, he wondered if this was how he looked to everyone else back when Scarlett told him that she would be taking him home, before the 'special' training began. Then again, his red-haired partner didn't exactly look like she was told the world, or even just her world, was ending. Just… distracted. And perhaps more than a little frustrated for some reason.
Jaune sat down on the side of his bed that faced his partner. "Do you… Do you wanna talk about it?" he offered. He couldn't exactly help if he didn't know what the problem was.
But no response was forthcoming at all. Not a nod or a shake of her head, or even so much as a whisper or groan. And yet the blonde waited patiently, knowing first-hand that some things were just that difficult to talk about, even to close friends and family, never mind people you met just two months ago. So he would wait. Even if the only answer he received was a 'no'.
Eventually, his patience paid off.
"What do you know about Mistral?"
Well, it wasn't what he'd expected but he would take what he could get. Better than being unable to do anything at all. "Honestly, not much. Just that it's one of the four Kingdoms, the location of Haven Academy, and that someone called Invincible Girl lives there. I mean, seriously, who names their kid Invincible?"
Pyrrha's lip didn't even twitch. Given her mood, his attempt at humor had probably been dead long before it even left his lips. Still, he thought with a barely restrained sigh, he had to at least try even if he knew it had very little chance of succeeding. His entry into Beacon, both legal and otherwise, had been the same after all and yet he managed to scrape by.
"Mistral, or at least, the territory controlled by the kingdom, covers several different ecosystems as well as varying cultures because of that same diversity." Pyrrha's tone was bland, like someone reciting words from a book they had no interest in. "But in spite of all that, the people of Mistral all valued one thing in common. Nature."
"Whether it was the life-giving breath of the wind, the bounties of the sea, or the many blessings of the earth, any and all aspects of nature were highly revered. It's said that even the mightiest and fiercest of storms had blessings to bestow."
"And so hundreds of years ago, not long after the City of Mistral was first established, people turned to the arts in its various forms to show their appreciation of nature. Paintings, and music and literature were said to be the first. One captured a visible image while the other two projected an image through words. Less direct interpretations followed later such as stage plays and sculptures. Later still, it extended to other things like fashion and architecture."
"Soon, the Kingdom of Mistral came to be known as a kingdom where art in all its forms is the very heart of its culture. And that holds true to this day. Visual or aural, material or abstract, nearly any form of art is greatly valued within the Kingdom of Mistral. Even the art of combat."
Something changed in Pyrrha's voice when she spoke those last few words. The bland, monotonous tone had given way to a hint of emotion, one that Jaune couldn't properly identify. If he had to guess, she sounded… pained? Troubled? He knew the feeling. He couldn't quite put it to words but he knew that he was supposed to know that emotion.
He didn't know why he did, but he did. That tiny speck of emotion that seeped into her voice at the very end resonated deeply within him for some reason. He knew. He understood. And yet he couldn't put it into words or give voice to it.
Ignorant of Jaune's sudden confusion, Pyrrha continued to speak. "But just because someone studied martial arts didn't mean they were artists. Martial arts is not about the ability to overcome your opponent." This time, Pyrrha's words sounded rehearsed, something she, or someone else, had repeated many times until the words were engraved into their memories. "Those who fight only for the sake of fighting, who lose themselves in a quest for power and seek only to achieve victory, are nothing more than uncivilized brutes."
"So… Yang?" That got a tiny twitch of the redhead's lip. Certainly, Weiss had called the blonde brawler that one enough times that it was practically a nickname already. Or a comedy duo title. The Uncivilized Brute and the Ice Queen.
But that moment of levity faded in an instant as Pyrrha resumed speaking in that same flat tone. "I… I've always…" Though monotonous in tone, the hesitance was clear and Jaune knew at that moment that the next words out of Pyrrha's mouth would be the most important part of their conversation tonight.
"I can't remember when I first realized it, but I've known for years now that I could never be called an artist." Again, those words resonated within him, calling to an emotion he couldn't name. But he was much closer now to remembering what it was. He could only hope further explanation of her situation would help. "Unlike true martial artists, who found contentment just by going through the motions, I wasn't even the least bit satisfied unless I was testing my abilities against another person."
"My classmates were so far below my level that I grew more frustrated fighting them. Joining the Mistral Regional Tournament brought some relief, but by my second championship I had surpassed them all to the point that I was barely satisfied even by the final match. My tutor and teachers would lower their ability to around my level but I couldn't be satisfied knowing that, even if I beat them, they were not fighting at their best."
"So… you wanted to fight someone strong?" deduced Jaune, picking up the bits and pieces that Pyrrha gave him to complete the picture. "Then why'd you challenge Akihiko? Why not challenge Aigis to another fight? The two of you are pretty much equal, right?"
Much to his confusion, Pyrrha shook her head. And instead of answering his question, she posed one of her own. "Tell me Jaune, what do you feel when you fight?"
Though unexpected, the blonde swordsman mulled that question over in his head, thinking back to his own fights and what he felt. "Well… afraid, I guess?" Then, so as to avoid a misunderstanding, he hurried to explain. "Well it's… I guess it's because I'm not that good yet. I mean, I noticed I was doing better this week, even though I still got knocked out of the fight, but I'm not losing as quickly as I used to."
When his explanation was over, Pyrrha nodded to show that she understood, but her expression remained tired and empty, and her gaze dull and lifeless. "Aigis feels a sense of duty when she fights, since it is what she was made for. But going by what she said, it sounded like she also feels hopeful that the fighting will one day end, and she can live for something beyond her original purpose. And so she keeps fighting until that day comes."
"When she told me that, I was… disappointed." The redhead sighed and slowly shut her eyes. "Not in her, but the situation. I thought that I'd finally found someone like me. Someone who strives to always be better, someone who can't be content not being the best at what they do."
Jaune raised an eyebrow at that and leaned forward. "But… isn't everyone like that?" he asked. "I mean, wouldn't it be stranger if nobody ever wanted to get better?"
Pyrrha shook her head, her eyes still shut. "Most people just want to be at the top. But I don't want to be at the top just for the sake of it." Emerald green eyes opened, and Jaune saw a strange fire burning in them. Her arm rose, reaching for the ceiling with an open hand. "I want people to keep climbing up to me, to try to take my spot and knock me down. I want to struggle for that position, to fight with all I have never knowing whether I will win or not rather than fighting a battle that was all but pre-determined to end in my victory."
No, neither her hand nor her gaze were aimed at the ceiling. Her eyes saw beyond that. Her hands reached past that. Her goal was the sky that lay behind the steel and concrete. Or perhaps even beyond that.
"Aigis was the only one who could push me that far, to force me to struggle for victory. Neither fight was finished, but I know that she and I could have pushed each other to greater heights." Then, with a heavy sigh, her hand fell sideways and hit the bed, her elbow down to her hand hanging off the edge. "But she didn't feel the same way I did."
"She then suggested that I speak with Akihiko, since he, apparently, was the same as me when he first took up boxing. Nearly undefeated, a desire to keep growing stronger, a never ending hunger for strong opponents, and an unquenchable thirst for victory. It's why I challenged him today."
"So what happened? Why did…" If Akihiko had been the one she had been searching for then why did she look so down? Why did their fight end with the boxer stopping it and just walking away?
"I… I was..." The rest of her words trailed off but, due to the silence of the room, Jaune's ears still managed to catch her spoken words.
And those words resulted in his eyes shooting open in surprise, his jaw slack and partly open. "Wh-What?" He must have misheard her. There was absolutely no way she just said that. Not Pyrrha of all people.
But his hopes were for naught as she spoke those same words once more, speaking firmly this time around as her face hardened as though to scold him for making her repeat herself. "I said I was too afraid." Then she turned her head away, facing the wall as though to hide her shame at the admission of fear. Jaune noted that her hands were now clenched tightly into fists.
"But… But why?" He could hear the disbelief in his voice, the sheer incredulity of her statement hitting him hard. "You're… You're you. You're one of the smartest in our year, and one of the two strongest, maybe even one of the strongest in the school. You're… you're… you're the Invincible Girl."
"So that's what you think too?" she muttered beneath her breath, too low for him to properly understand this time. But when he asked her what it was she had said just then, she just sighed wearily. "It's nothing."
Before the swordsman could ask any more, Pyrrha pushed herself up and turned to the side to face her partner. "I'm… going to walk around a bit," she announced without any warning, bending down to put on her boots. Jaune nodded and made to stand after she did, but she stopped him with a slow but firm shake of her head. "I'm sorry Jaune, but I… I need some time alone."
Though he was confused by her decision, he knew that he didn't really have any right to insist on otherwise. Besides, she wasn't a child that needed a guardian to accompany them wherever she went. And so, with another nod of his head, she turned to the door with a faint smile of gratitude.
It had been the correct decision, he was certain of that. Why then, he wondered as the door clicked shut after she left the room, did he feel like he had just made a horrible mistake?
Unknown to Jaune and Pyrrha, the room across from theirs was about to play host to a conversation that was very much related to the one they had just finished.
Akihiko stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in a plain white shirt and loose black pants with his silver hair still damp from his shower. The first thing he noticed upon exiting was that Nora was now standing – or rather dancing slightly as though unable to remain still – directly in front of him, wearing a black shirt with the word 'BOOP' printed on it, short pink shorts with white bolts of lightning, and an expectant look on her face.
"So~o…"
He rolled his eyes at her sing-song voice but allowed a small grin to raise the corner of his lip. While she hadn't asked about Ken, she did pester him more about Pyrrha's situation. And so, he promised her, shortly after returning to the room, to explain what had happened earlier. At least, as much as he could without talking about personal matters. That is to say, not very much at all.
"It's nothing that serious," he began, walking around Nora and heading towards his bed. He took a seat on the side facing Nora and Ren's beds, his back to Ken's. Speaking of Ken, a quick glance showed that the adolescent boy was absent. With the absence of Koromaru as well, he could hazard a guess that the two have yet to return to the room from their after-dinner walk. "It's like I told Pyrrha earlier, she seemed distracted during the fight. I didn't think it was a good idea to continue the fight while she was like that so I ended it early."
Ren, sitting sideways on the chair in front of his desk, just nodded, accepting the answer, but Nora looked incredibly put out. And just a little bit indignant at having been made to wait for so little. "Awww… really? I waited for you to finish showering for that? I thought it was something more exciting."
He knew he was going to regret it, but he had to ask anyway. "What did you think it was about?"
"We~ell," she began, rising from her bed and standing up with her crossed. "It was strange that Pyrrha challenged you so I thought about why she'd do that since she could easily beat you even without her sword and shield. Then I remembered that sometimes boys bully girls when they like them because they didn't know how to tell them. So I thought, what if Pyrrha was the same? What if she challenged you since she didn't know how to confess her feelings for you properly?"
Akihiko slapped his palm to his face and groaned. "Nora…"
Ignoring her silver-haired team leader, Nora continued to narrate her thoughts, arms waving around and even acting the part of either the Pyrrha or the Akihiko in her thoughts. "I thought she was going to beat you up so you'd get fired up and fight harder. Then the two of you would grab each other by the arms and start wrestling until you were both rolling around on the ground, trying to pin the other down."
Akihiko had to wonder how she managed to wrestle herself to the ground while making it look like she actually was wrestling with someone.
"After a while she manages to hold you down using her superior strength. She sits on you and asks you 'What now?' while you struggle to push her off you. Then you realize that you can't get away so you just frown and say, 'Go ahead, do your worst.' So Pyrrha just gives you this evil grin, leans down and-"
"ARF!"
"KOROMARU!" In a blur of black, pink, flesh, and orange, the girl he was just talking to suddenly disappeared, rushing towards the white-furred dog that just entered the room with the fourth member of their team, who looked decidedly better than he did earlier. "Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy?"
Akihiko just sighed a mixture of relief and exasperation. Thankfully, no one on their team was fond of gossip and the like so no one would ever hear of Nora's expectations of the earlier fight. Still… how did she get to that conclusion?
"Probably best not to ask."
"KENNY!"
Ignoring the now familiar byplay happening by the door, Akihiko glanced up and found Ren standing in front of the window, half-sitting and half-leaning on the low bookshelf with a look of understanding on his face. The boxer nodded in agreement. Asking would just invite another incredible story. And with that story, another headache. "Yeah."
"Any ideas though? About Pyrrha I mean," Ren tacked on the second part quickly to avoid having Akihiko think that the question was in relation to Nora's tale. "I'm not sure if you saw, but she looked really troubled after you ended the fight."
The boxer nodded and leaned forward on his knees with his forearms. "I have a pretty good idea why she challenged me," he said, tuning out Koromaru's excited barks and Nora's squeals as the two of them played around. "But I've got nothing on why she was distracted. Must be something big if it's distracting her, of all people, in the middle of a fight. You don't win tournaments and championships if you're easily distracted by small things in a fight."
"What about the fight itself? Anything you can tell me?"
Akihiko gave a short laugh. "I didn't think you were one for gossip, Ren."
"It's fine if you can't tell me," the raven-haired boy responded with a shrug and an understanding nod. "It's just… I'm sure I'm not the only one who was expecting Pyrrha to challenge Aigis to another fight. Not only is she the only one who can keep up with her, but that's two fights now that they didn't get to finish. I'm sure they're both curious as to how it'll end."
"The whole school wants to know how it'll end." Even the ever stoic Ren cracked grin at those words. "Not sure how much is safe to tell you about why she challenged me without getting into personal territory, so I'll just say one thing."
"And that is…?"
Akihiko shot Ren a near manic grin, his lips slightly parted to show a hint of his teeth. "It's not always opposites that are attracted to one another."
November 8, XX13
Today, the second set of Persona-Aura Interaction Tests would be taking place. Just like last time, everyone who was aware of the existence of Personas was gathered in the Combat classroom. However, Glynda, from her position beside the Headmaster, noted the strange atmosphere surrounding some of the students.
Pyrrha Nikos had an air of despondency around her while her teammates all looked quite concerned for her. Several members of the other three teams seemed to be doing the same. Something must have happened involving the Mistralian. Something fairly serious, if it made half the group worry for her.
Yang Xiao Long, at first glance, looked to be excited for the second set of tests. But years of experience dealing with teenagers with various personalities and temperaments showed her that this was not the case. She was restless for some reason. Since she wasn't glancing in her direction it was safe to conclude it had nothing to do with their talk about the younger blonde's temper.
Weiss Schnee was quiet, as always. Unlike previous times, however, her silence didn't seem to be for the usual reasons. Her posture was needlessly tense, as though she were expecting some manner of misfortune to occur. She was, however, quite adept at hiding it. Her eyes remained focused, not darting around searching for something that had yet to exist or occur. Again, only years of experience allowed her to pierce the façade.
And if she could see it, then no doubt Peter, Ruadh, and the Headmaster could see it as well. She knew that, for now, none of them would act upon it. The students were in no danger and have yet to approach them for aid. So they would let them handle their issues on their own, let them grow through their own experiences rather than having someone step in at every turn.
This was a school after all. And a classroom need not be limited to a room with chairs, desks and blackboards.
Glynda turned her attention back to the combat area, where Khloe, Ruadh, Aigis, Junpei, Akihiko, and Yukari were waiting for the order to begin. Off to the side, next to the combat area's exit, were Doctors Mores and Blackthorne, ready for any medical emergency that may come up.
"If everyone is ready, then let us begin," Ozpin announced without any fanfare.
Just like the other week, they would most likely stop at an appointed time so as to give the students a chance to enjoy the rest of the day. Although Glynda did feel sorry that Mitsuru, at the very least, would be needed at the debriefing that followed, cutting her weekend even shorter.
Bright green eyes watched as Aigis placed her Evoker to her temple and summoned her Persona, Athena. Counting the initiation and the previous test, this was the third time Glynda was seeing it. And she was certain she would see it more in the coming weeks, months, and years.
"Tarukaja."
Though the words were softly spoken, Aigis's voice carried up into the stands. Rakukaja and Marakukaja were SEES's defensive abilities, granting a temporary pseudo-Aura. The only difference between the two was that the former could only be used on a single person while the latter could be used to support a group, rather than repeatedly using the other.
A yellow glow surrounded Yukari as she was empowered by whatever the ability was. If it followed the same trend, then it should have a counterpart that could be used on a group. Now all that was left was to see what it did.
Or rather, how powerful the effect was. There was a reason why they needed the testers to be the same pairs from the previous test.
Tarukaja and Matarukaja, an ability that increased the offensive power of the recipient's Persona. Yang and Nora, the most excitable of the Aura-users in the room, had loudly protested how unfair that seemed. In response to their accusations of cheating – shouted with a mix of indignation and playfulness – the Persona-users just laughed. Their claims that only the Persona was strengthened did little to settle the issue.
Ruby had joined them in protesting the unfairness of it all when the third ability to be tested was revealed.
Sukukaja and Masukukaja, an ability that increased the body's, or rather the mind's, ability to process information. In their own words, they were briefly able to process things faster, the world around them seemingly moving slower. And thus, they were able to react better. They didn't move faster than they normally did, but seeing everything else moving slower allowed them to react better to attacks and such.
In a way, it really was unfair, thought Glynda. Tarukaja for power, Rakukaja for defense, and Sukukaja for evasion and reaction time. Temporary though they may be, using just one against an opponent who was unaware of it could be devastating, never mind all three. And with the Ma- equivalents, entire teams could be empowered in just a split second.
Once the glow subsided, Yukari stepped forward and raised her Evoker. Opposite her, Khloe mirrored her actions while Ruadh stepped back. A gunshot echoed throughout the room and Isis appeared, the bull-themed Persona hovering above Yukari's head.
"Garu!"
The attack brought forth wisps of green power, coloring the air as it guided the air to swirl around Khloe. The attack looked slightly larger than before but, since the last experiment was two weeks ago, Glynda couldn't say for certain. She'd simply have to compare the video recordings later on.
Then, as she'd come to expect from the series of attacks that Isis was capable of, all the gathered wind converged and struck Khloe. The lavender-haired young woman easily withstood the attack, having already known what to expect. What caught Glynda's eyes, however, was amount of 'damage' the attack did. Seven percent. Isis's Garu took out seven percent of Khloe's Aura. Two percent more than it did two weeks ago, according to the data on her Scroll.
Was it the result of the ability that Athena had used? Or was it merely a fluctuation in the results? Perhaps the attack was bigger than before. Looking back, they should have performed multiple tests of a single ability to establish an average. She made a note on her Scroll so she would remember to bring it up later.
The next two attacks came soon after, Garula and Garudyne as she had expected. The results, however, were not entirely unexpected. Garula took away eleven percent while Garudyne took away a shocking twenty-five percent. That was, respectively, three and six percent higher than last time. With that, forty-three percent of Khloe's Aura was gone.
Next, Junpei stepped forward while Ruadh did the same. Aigis summoned Athena once more to boost the cap-wearing teen's offensive power. Then, much like Yukari, Junpei repeated the previous test, engulfing Ruadh in fire twice and blowing him up once. And again, Glynda made note of the damage done on her Scroll, barely acknowledging the increase from the previous test.
Then Khloe and Yukari stepped forward once again for the third test of the day. This time, Glynda actually tensed up slightly. Unlike the first set of tests, or the testing of Tarukaja's effectiveness just now, the next pair of test could very well be cancelled depending on how the ability reacted.
Akihiko raised his Evoker up to his forehead, fired, and summoned Caesar, the white armored form of the Persona materializing above him. "Rakunda." As soon as those words left his mouth, a blue glow, a shade darker than Rakukaja's appeared. Not around Yukari, but around Khloe.
Her eyes shot up to Khloe's Aura gauge, watching it for any changes. Next to her, Ozpin was doing the same, as was Mitsuru to his other side. After a few tense seconds, Glynda released the breath she was holding.
The biggest worry they had, once Mitsuru described the effects that Rakunda had on the Grimm – namely a weakening of their body structure, making them much more susceptible to damage – was what it would do to Aura. Or worse, to a human being.
That sparked a not-so-small debate that involved the teachers and the doctors, with Mitsuru, Fuuka, and Aigis providing any necessary information but not stating an opinion either way, letting the adults ultimately decide whether to take the risk.
Ozpin wanted to test it, citing that the effect was temporary and that he would be the test subject if necessary. He would not make someone go through a test unwillingly.
Glynda wanted to avoid using it on a human altogether. Just knowing what it did to the Grimm was enough.
In response, Bart mentioned needing to know whether it was something they could use should they ever face a criminal who had Aura. He hypothesized that, since it weakened the Grimm's body, that it might do the same to Aura, causing it to deplete faster. It might even reduce someone's Aura upon use, perhaps even deplete it altogether, providing a significantly easier and safer way to engage such opponents.
Flora, as a doctor, argued that if the ability targeted only a person's Aura then it was fine. But if it ended up weakening the person's body, just like it did the Grimm's, then the effect may not be reversible even if it was supposed to be temporary.
Rosalyn plainly stated that it was too risky and Khloe expressed interest in knowing but not wanting any of them to take the risk.
Peter, Ruadh, and Reuben remained mostly silent but stated that they understood both sides. Peter and Ruadh were leaning towards testing it, while Reuben, as a doctor, recommended against it.
Four wanted to take the risk, five did not. And that should have been the end of it.
Then Aigis made a sound. When they turned to her, they found her eyes lighting up like someone remembering something. She then mentioned that Athena had an ability that could undo the effects of Rakunda without needing to wait for it to wear off. When questioned why she didn't mention it sooner, she stated, "We did not use those abilities against one another so I had no reason to use it. As such, I had forgotten about it."
That changed things. Although Flora reiterated the possibility of changes to their bodies being irreversible, Aigis's revelation of another of Athena's abilities was enough to shift Khloe's stance. After questioning Aigis briefly about it, she decided to put her trust in the android and announced that she would be the one to test the ability.
In addition, she mentioned that she was the best possible candidate. She and Yukari already had a baseline to compare the results with. And Yukari's wind attacks, though forceful, were the least harmful when compared to being electrocuted, frozen, burned, or attacked directly by Athena.
For now, turning her attention back down to the combat area where everyone was looking up for the final confirmation from the Headmaster, they could only hope that their decision did not cause irreversible harm.
When Ozpin nodded, letting them know it was fine to go ahead with the test, Yukari summoned Isis once more. "Garu."
Glynda held her breath when the attack began to form, and her entire body tensed when the attack converged upon Khloe. Then she released the breath she held in, and allowed the tension to flow out of her when Khloe remained standing, looking no worse for wear. A quick glance up at her Aura meter later, and what little tension remained faded away.
Seven percent. That was all the attack took away. The next two attack proceeded with Ozpin's permission, and the results were recorded once more.
The rest of the tests proceeded without delay and, soon, the tests were over. All that was left now was to retrieve the surveillance video, erase them from the server, and discuss the results.
"So what are the numbers this time?"
Glynda glanced over at Khloe as she all but collapsed onto the chair in the teacher's lounge where, once again, the same group as before was holding a debriefing of the tests. The main teaching staff, two doctors, and three Persona-users sat around the table, each with a copy of the day's results on the table in front of them.
"Let's discuss it in the order the tests were performed," she began, glancing at her copy of the results. "When compared to the first set of test, it would seem that Tarukaja increases offensive ability by roughly thirty percent. Similarly, Rakunda appears to weaken one's Aura to allow an attack to cause a similar increase in damage."
She double checked the next set of results before speaking again. "Their Personas' healing abilities do not seem to affect Aura, and we've agreed to simply take their word for it that it heals physical wounds. As we have no means of measuring it's exact effects, we can only cite that their Sukukaja and Sukunda abilities works as noted."
"I'll say," groused Ruadh while Khloe nodded. "Felt weird seeing the world slow down like that. The difference from real-time wasn't that big like they'd do in movies, but that slight difference is enough that a decent Huntsman could probably dodge and block bullets from a dozen guns firing at him all at once. The body doesn't speed up, but since everything else is slowed down too, it still gives someone more time to react."
Then he winced as he remember what he helped test next. "The opposite was worse." At that, Khloe winced sympathetically, having gone through the same thing. "I know everything was still moving normally from the outside, but seeing everything suddenly speed up, again not by much but enough, really threw me off. Even if it felt like my body was moving faster too, my mind isn't exactly geared to moving faster so I ended up stumbling around like an idiot."
"Yeah, that's pretty much how it was for me too," added Khloe, having helped test the effects alongside Ruadh. Then she grinned mischievously at her fellow teacher. "Minus the idiot part, of course." If she was hoping to provoke Ruadh into something, she was sorely disappointed when all he did was roll his eyes in her direction. "Still, I'm no expert but I don't think it's accurate to say that it was my mind that was speeding up or slowing down."
"Oh?" Flora leaned forward in her seat, interested in the unexpected turn. "How so?"
"Honestly, I don't really know why. But something's telling me that it's more than just that. It just… doesn't really feel like my mind was what their abilities affected." Khloe shook her head and gave a wan smile. "Sorry. I know it probably doesn't make any sense but that's just how it feels to me."
When she had nothing else to say on that matter, everyone turned to Ruadh. "What do you think?" Glynda asked.
Ruadh took a slow, deep breath with his eyes shut, taking the time to think of his response. As he let out the breath, he opened his eyes. "It's hard to say. But I think that Khloe may be on to something. Something about it just feels… off. It may sound ridiculous but it almost felt like time itself slowed down or sped up. I doubt it though," he added at the skeptical looks he was receiving. "If time sped up or slowed down then my movements would have been similarly affected, not unless only my mind sped up. But if that happened, I'd think there'd be other problems like the flow of blood and other things like it."
"It may be that we just aren't used to it, but in my own, personal, opinion, we're missing something crucial. Since Personas as a whole are mostly a mystery, even to the scientists who studied them as Ms. Kirijo mentioned before, we may never really know until we learn more."
Seeing that nobody had anything to add on that subject, Glynda moved on with the next and final test performed that day. "Finally, the results of the initial test of applying the effects of Tarukaja, Tarunda, and Rakukaja on Aura-users." All eyes once again turned to both Ruadh and Khloe. "Thoughts?"
Strangely enough, both Ruadh and Khloe frowned a bit. That didn't fill the others with confidence. "It's…" began Ruadh.
"… hard to say," Khloe finished after a brief pause. "Rakukaja is easy. Everyone saw its effects. It didn't replenish our Aura or anything but, like with these kids," she waved a hand towards the three Persona-users, "The barrier it provided completely minimized all damage. It took Ruadh and I several punches before we knocked out a single percentage of each other's Aura." Despite the good news, however, her tone was subdued, almost dull, the entire time. "It may be temporary, but hell, I could fight all day with that kind of protection if I've got one of them keeping it up on me the whole time."
"It's the other two that's weird." Several people leaned forward in interest, with Glynda getting ready to take notes. "One's supposed to make us stronger while the other weakens us but… well… it…"
"We didn't feel any different," Ruadh's low, rumbling voice chimed in when Khloe struggled to find the right words. "But when I tested my attacks on Peter, it was… strange."
"How so?" asked the aforementioned man. "It certainly felt like your punches were stronger and weaker respectively."
"That's just it. We know that those abilities boosted or hindered our abilities even through our Aura. But I didn't feel it at all." Ruadh took a brief moment to assure he had everyone's attention. "I didn't feel stronger or weaker. Not the slightest bit. I almost thought that, unlike Rakunda which weakens our Aura or Rakukaja which complements our Aura, Tarukaja and Tarunda failed because it affected our physical bodies, which would mean going through our Aura first. And since Ms. Kirijo explained that only their Personas were strengthened, I assumed that, if it did work, only our own Semblance would be strengthened, something which we won't be trying until the next test."
"And yet the fact that Sukukaja and Sukunda worked, even through your Aura, meant half of that theory was invalid, while the results further invalidated the other half," finished Bart, one hand rubbing his chin in thought. "Interesting. In that case, did you feel anything during the actual testing? Or did it still feel as normal as it usually was?"
This time, Khloe answered. "The latter. If you hadn't told us afterwards that our punches actually dealt more damage or less, I'm sure we would have kept believing that it did nothing at all. It's as if… as if our physical strength doesn't affect it at all. Like something was just… 'boosting' the attack itself."
The next person to speak was, unexpectedly, Mitsuru. "That's certainly a possibility." When they turned to her for clarification, the red-haired young woman glanced up from the table. "Back in Iwatodai, we mostly relied on the power of our Personas. If you truly didn't feel any increase or decrease in strength, then perhaps our own attacks were strengthened as well and not just our Personas'. We never once thought to test how it affected us personally."
"So your words earlier, that they only affected your Personas' abilities, could very well be inaccurate in light of this revelation," summarized the green-haired teacher.
"Indeed," agreed Mitsuru. "Though that does bring up the question of exactly what it does."
Nobody had an answer to that. If Mitsuru and Aigis, who all of SEES vouched for as being the most knowledgeable of the group on the topic of Persona, didn't know, with Fuuka being a close second, then it would fall to them and the experiments to discover the truth.
Eventually, after going over some minor details as well as planning the next set of experiments ahead of time, the group dispersed to allow them all to enjoy the rest of the day. And soon, Glynda and Ozpin were making their way to Beacon Tower.
Sunday it may be, but there was always more work that needed to be done. Not all of them pertaining to Beacon.
"I still say having all those abilities is much cooler."
Walking down the streets of Vale, Yukari just rolled her eyes at Yang's response. "It's not like all of us can do it. Stupei only has Rakukaja, Akihiko-senpai and Chidori-chan can weaken all three, Aigis can use all three to strengthen everyone, and Koro-chan can use Sukukaja."
"And that's another thing," Yang all but spat out, though there was no real heat in her tone. Just a lot of frustration at the growing list of impossibilities turned reality. "A robot with a Semblance I can understand. It's practically an open secret that Atlas is trying to make 'em with Aura, not that they have just yet. But a dog? Really? How does that even work?"
If she didn't value her hair so much Yukari was all but certain that Yang would have grabbed her by the roots and started pulling in frustration. She'd never met anyone who was so protective of their hair before. At least, not to the point that they wouldn't let anyone so much as touch it, never mind helping her brush it like she offered one night.
"Don't ask me," she replied with a casual shrug. "Not even the Kirijo scientists could figure out how it happened back when we discovered it. For all we know Koro-chan could have been human at some point." Yukari giggled at that suggestion. "Yeah, right. Like that's possible."
Yang stopped walking and turned to face Yukari with a flat stare. "If that turns out to be true, I'm going to shave my head bald, give up being a Huntress, and live by myself up in the mountains where no more impossible stuff happens."
Yukari scoffed. "Good luck with that. You wouldn't even touch a pair of scissors with that goal, never mind actually cutting your hair."
The pair stared at one another, waiting for the other to give in and admit their mistake. Then Yang shrugged in defeat. "Yeah, you're right. I wouldn't."
A familiar voice reached their ears before their conversation could continue. "Wouldn't what?" Turning, the two saw two familiar girls walking towards them with two boys following close behind.
Yang recognized Coco and Velvet from the other week. It was hard to forget since that was the day that Yukari- She shook those thoughts out of her head.
She already knew that, though Yukari's lecture was the one to start it, her continued bursts of anger were not caused by her, directly or otherwise. The first few days after the talking-to she received, perhaps, but only because the memory was still fresh in her mind. Afterwards, Yukari had nothing to do with them at all.
Turning her thoughts back to the present, her eyes sought out the two people she didn't recognize.
The first was a dark-skinned boy with copper red hair reaching just past his ears but with a long fringe. He wore a dark orange, zipper vest showing off toned arms, and loose, black jeans. What caught her attention the most were his pure white eyes and the numerous scars on his arms and face.
She turned to the other person and, coming face to face with his chest, looked up. And up. And up. Without a doubt, he was the tallest person she had ever seen, in or out of Beacon.
The tall teen had light brown skin and buzz-cut black hair, the latter making Yang briefly think of Junpei. He was wearing a pale green robe, of which only the right half was present, cutting diagonally across his torso and revealing the upper-left side of his chest, which was covered by a sleeveless black undershirt. The robe reached down to his thighs, a wide, leather belt holding it in place, accompanied by loose brown pants tucked into black, steel-plated boots.
"Hey Coco," greeted Yukari. "You guys on a team outing or something?"
"Just a quick supply run," explained the tall brunette. "I'm low on ammo, Velvs needs some parts for her weapon, and we're low on maintenance stuff in general." She looked down to the shorter brunette and tilted her sunglasses out of the way. "And you still didn't answer my question."
The archer just rolled her eyes in response before turning to Yang. "This is Team CFVY in full. You've met Coco and Velvet before so no introductions needed there. Behind them are Fox and…" she paused briefly, the corner of her lip twitching in barely concealed amusement. "Yatsuhashi."
"You know," the massive teen named Yatsuhashi began, his eyes turning towards Yukari. "You still haven't explained why my name amuses you." Yang thought that his voice was surprisingly soft and gentle for someone his size.
The archer reined in her amusement. "S-Sorry Yatsuhashi, it's just that you have the same name as a snack we have back home."
"Oh?" Yukari nearly froze at Coco's tone. And it took her a moment to realize the mistake she made. "Looking to try and get a taste of our Yatsuhashi then? I'm sure we can arrange something so that the two of you can have our room to yourselves for a day."
"Wha- Hey, come on, you know that's not what I-"
Coco's laughter, joined by Yang's snickers, cut off Yukari's indignant response, the two of them finding amusement in the way Yukari had blushed red all over. The rest of Team CFVY just looked on with a sigh, more than used to their leader's… vibrant personality.
Once she had her fill of laughter, Coco sidled up next to Yukari and placed an arm around the shorter girl's shoulders. "So where are you two headed?" she asked, a teasing grin dancing on her lips. "Or were we interrupting your date?"
Unlike her last attempt at teasing, this one just received another roll of Yukari's eyes in response. Followed by a sharp looked aimed at her blonde teammate when Yang made to speak. "First of all, it's not a date." The blonde's mouth snapped shut at being headed off, though the grin remained. "Besides, I'm not really looking to get into a relationship now. Probably not for a long while either. Second," she added quickly, interrupting Coco as the fashionista opened her mouth to speak. "Not that there's anything wrong with it, but I'm just not attracted to girls in that way."
"And lastly, I was going to buy some more arrows and Yang came along since she needed some stuff of her own. My last opponent in Combat class cut up most of my arrows so I need to replace them all. After that, we were going to go to lunch then meet up with some of the others to watch a movie or two. And maybe something else afterwards."
Coco made to speak but was interrupted. "Do you want to join us?" Velvet offered, sending Coco a warning glance. "We'll be buying supplies too then we'll be going to lunch afterwards. You're more than welcome to come with us if you want."
Yukari turned to Yang, thus missing the grin Coco sent the rabbit faunus. "What do you think?" she asked the blonde.
In response, Yang just shrugged. "I don't mind. Though do you really want them around for our date?"
That elicited a groan from Yukari. "Don't start."
"Hey, relax Yukari. I'm just…" The blonde paused briefly and grinned before continuing. "Yangking your chain."
That elicited a groan and a face-palm. "Why do I even bother?" Yukari muttered, shaking her head in exasperation and gently removing Coco's arm from her shoulders. "Just try to remember never to make a pun in front of Mitsuru-senpai. I know Junpei warned you about it already but I'm not taking any chances."
"Oh come on, why not? Even if she doesn't like them what's the worst she could do?"
"A year ago, she would have just ignored it. Now?" Yukari shivered and everyone could almost feel the terror coming off her. "Don't ask Yang. Some things are just better off never being known."
The other five glanced at one another, each one shaking their heads or shrugging in response to the unvoiced question. "Is it really that bad?" asked Velvet. "I haven't spoken to her but she doesn't seem like she'd hurt someone over a pun."
"Yeah," Yang agreed with a resolute nod of her head. "I mean, no matter what she'll do it's not like she's going to kill me, right?"
"She won't." A victorious grin blossomed on the blonde's face but was quickly reversed by the brunette's next words, spoken in a flippant, matter-of-fact tone. "She'll just Execute you. Then you'll wish she killed you."
"H-huh? W-wait, what? What do you… how does that even… what exactly is she gonna do?" Yang's confused queries went unanswered as Yukari continued down the street, her expression completely neutral and giving nothing away.
The blonde briefly exchanged confused glances with the members of Team CFVY before walking after her teammate, the second-year team following soon after. "H-hey, you were just kidding, right?" she called out after her teammate, sounding almost desperate. "She isn't actually gonna hurt me just because of a pun, right? Right, Yukari? Y-yukari?"
"Hey, Junpei? Mind if I ask you something?"
Junpei hid a grin as he looked up from his food. That was way too easy. "You just did but sure, you can ask me another." Unfortunately, his joke fell flat, Jaune's dejected expression barely even changing. The leader of Team JACN sighed, already having an idea of where this was going. "So what's up?" he asked with a more serious expression. "I'm guessing this is about Pyrrha."
The blonde swordsman nodded, cradling the side of his head in his hands and resting his elbows on the table. "I just… I don't know what to do. I tried talking to her last night but she never really told me what the problem was. I tried talking to her again this morning but she just said she wasn't in the mood to talk about it yet. I was going to try again after lunch but then…"
Junpei sighed, remembering how Pyrrha went her own way earlier, claiming she wasn't that hungry and that she'd just come back and eat when she was. It was hard to tell if she really wasn't in the mood or if she was trying to avoid the questions. Speaking of which...
"What about last night? What did she say?"
Jaune recounted his and Pyrrha's conversation from the previous night as best as he could. He couldn't remember everything she had said about Mistral, but he remember most of what she said that involved herself. Probably because he felt the latter was more important.
After recounting how Pyrrha eventually went for a walk, Junpei frowned. "Sorry dude, don't really understand what's going on more than you do. Sounds like Pyrrha's got some issues of her own to work out but I'm not really seeing what it is so I can't help you there. I think we should just give her some time and some space to work it out on her own, but let her know we're here for her."
Jaune let out his own sigh, looking down in defeat. "Guess that really is all we can do, huh?"
He had been hopeful that Junpei, who had been able to give him plenty of good advice so far, would have an idea of what to do, or even what was bothering Pyrrha. But now those hopes were diminished. It didn't sit well with him to just let Pyrrha handle it on her own when she had been helpful with regards to his many problems, both big and small.
But without knowing the problem there really wasn't much he could do. Acting carelessly and without enough information might even result in making things worse.
"Junpei-kun."
The soft voice that called to the team's leader pulled their attention from Pyrrha's situation and to the team's other redhead sitting beside the leader. "What's up Chidorin?"
The redhead didn't even bat an eye at the nickname, more than used to Junpei's childish naming sense. "I forgot to tell you earlier that I won't be able to go to Vale with you and the others later on."
"Huh? Why not?" Junpei looked confused for a brief moment before a look of concern overtook his expression. "You feeling alright?"
"I'm fine," asserted Chidori, though she smiled at his concern and how quick he was to worry. "I received a message from Doctor Blackthorne last night while you were in class. She made a mistake with the assigned readings and forgot to include two chapters. I'll have to stay behind if I want to finish the readings in time for our next class tomorrow."
"Oh, I see." While he was disappointed they wouldn't be able to go together, even if their plans included most everyone else, he was just relieved it wasn't anything bad. "Want me to stay behind and keep you company?"
The white-clad redhead just shook her head with a soft smile. "That's sweet of you but I'll be fine. I'm going to see if Blake can help me with it. Knowing her she's already done with it, if she didn't already finish it even before we got the message last night."
Junpei chuckled, aware of Blake's bibliophilic tendencies. "Well, alright. Want me to pick up anything from Vale before we get back?"
She hummed in thought but then just shook her head. "Nothing in particular." Then, Chidori looked around them. Satisfied that nobody was looking, not even Jaune, who had gone back to playing with his food, she leaned forward and lightly pressed her lips to his cheek. Even before she pulled back she could feel the heat rush to her cheeks at having done that in the dining hall of all places.
Not giving Junpei a chance to recover from his shock, she rose from her seat and picked up her tray. "I-I'll be going ahead then," she managed to squeak out with just a bit of a stutter. "I-I'll see you later then."
She hurried away as calmly as she could, dropping off her tray and its contents at the small station at side of the room, and exiting the dining hall. She stood outside the doors for a moment, gathering her composure. Once she did, also managing to settle the rapid beating of her heart, she extended her senses through Hecate.
Hecate was not as skilled in detection as Medea. For that matter, Medea had never been specialized for detection the way Juno, and previously Lucia, was. Even so, the limited ability Hecate had was enough for her current task. It only took a minute to locate her quarry, having grown familiar with the presence of all her new acquaintances.
With her destination in mind, Chidori made her way in that direction. She didn't know what would happen when she got there. But she couldn't just leave things the way they were.
"What kind of weapon do you have if you need to buy that much?"
Coco laughed off Yukari's question, the shorter brunette still staring wide-eyed at the ammo crate next to the store's counter. It was bigger than one of Aigis's own ammo crate. Big enough to fit even someone like Yatsuhashi. Yukari didn't think that Aigis even went through that much back when they were still exploring Tartarus. And that had been months of exploration.
Then again, an hour a night averaging three or four nights a week depending on their school schedule wasn't that much in the long run. Even then, it's not like Aigis relied solely on her firearms to fight, further lowering the amount of bullets she went through.
"If you really wanna know, why don't we have a fight?" the fashionista asked while leaning on the crate, waiting for the cashier to finish checking the rest of her order. "You never did get back to me on my offer for a joint training session."
"Wait, they asked to train with us?" Yang cut in before Yukari could respond, three head-sized boxes of her own ammo in her hands. "And you didn't tell us?"
The archer shrugged, only looking halfway apologetic. "Honestly, I was going to ask senpai but it slipped my mind. That was the day we heard about Jaune's problem so I think you can understand why it wasn't really the biggest thing on my mind."
"What about now?" Coco asked as she turned around to pay. "I heard you kids have been holding group sessions every Friday so why not this coming Friday? Second years have Combat class in the morning until noon. Just give us some time for lunch and we're pretty much free the rest of the day."
The archer shook her head and placed the three large bundle of arrows down on the counter. "That won't work since we've got our own Combat class at three. And senpai likes to have a meeting after the training session to discuss the results."
Despite the sunglasses, Yukari could tell that Coco was giving her a strange look. "A meeting? Isn't that a little too much? I mean, we're all still just in school after all, even if we do go on missions later on in the year."
"She just wants us all to be at our best," said Yukari, defending her friend and leader. "Don't forget, we were there when the Grimm pretty much destroyed our home." 'Even if we didn't actually see it happen.' "We know we aren't strong enough. So we have to keep getting stronger, getting better."
"All the more reason to expand your horizons then." Coco certainly didn't miss a beat as she and Yukari stepped aside while Yang set her own boxes of ammunition on the counter. "Tell you what, let's talk about it over lunch."
"If you say so," relented Yukari. "But if you ask me, then only way it's happening on a Friday is if you skip class. Otherwise, the only other time everyone is free is Sunday. And good luck convincing everyone to give up their Sunday."
For some reason, the grin that Coco sent her way made her very uneasy.
Once all their purchases were paid for and scheduled to be delivered to Beacon the next morning, the group of six left the store with Velvet in the lead. After a while, Yukari recognized the area they were in and wasn't completely surprised when they came up to that same little faunus-fun restaurant they had eaten at last time.
Velvet had probably seen the expression on her face since the rabbit faunus addressed her. "Yatsuhashi and Fox wanted to come here after we told them about it the other week. It's…" Her face fell and she turned away slightly. "It's rare to find a faunus-run business, especially one that hasn't been…"
Yukari withheld the sigh that bubbled up when Velvet trailed off again. There was no need to finish that sentence. If what they learned in History class from Professor Oobleck was even half-true, then it took no stretch of the imagination to know what happened to "unwanted" faunus businesses.
They arrived before the lunch rush but there were still a fair number of guests inside. They sat at a long, rectangular table at the back corner as it was currently the only table available for a group their size. Yatsuhashi and Fox took the two inside seats while Velvet and Yang sat beside them.
When Yukari made to sit down, Coco tapped her on the shoulder. "Mind if I take that seat?" she asked the archer, pointing to the spot beside Yang. "I'm not too fond of having a wall take up most of my view."
The shorter girl just shrugged. "Sure, I don't mind."
The fashionista grinned. "Thanks."
Yukari felt that there was something more to that grin than just gratitude, but didn't let it bother her much. She took the seat next to Velvet and picked up the menu, her face morphing into one of slight distaste as she scanned the contents.
Despite having lived at Beacon for a little over two months, Yukari still wasn't too fond of the mostly western style food that was available. It wasn't that the food wasn't delicious. It was, there was never any doubt about that. It was just that she, and just about every member of SEES, longed for a taste of Japanese cuisine once more.
Eventually, a waitress came with several glasses of water and took their orders. Noting the tone in Yukari's voice when she made her order, Velvet turned to her and asked, "Is something wrong? It almost sounded like you didn't really want to order that."
Yukari shook her head. "It's not that. I just miss eating Japanese food. Everyone on SEES does, actually."
"SEES?"
"I guess I never told you guys about that, huh?" And so, Yukari launched into an explanation of SEES. Or at least, the explanation they agreed to tell everyone else.
It surprised the members of Team CFVY that the group of eight hadn't actually chosen to be Huntsmen and Huntresses, or whatever the Japanese equivalent was. Even more surprising was the fact that they had chosen that path now, after losing their homes to the Grimm, despite having the opportunity to live quieter lives. Yukari refused to tell them the exact reason why, only that they not only owed it to a lot of people to see things through – whatever those 'things' were – but they also had to do it for themselves.
"Sorry," she said, but not looking very apologetic despite her words. "It's… It's a pretty personal thing. Let's just say we each have a reason for fighting and leave it at that."
Though they were curious, none of them pried into the matter further. Instead, Coco switched to a different, but slightly related, topic.
"So," she began, leaning back into her seat. "Any ideas how we can convince those friends of yours to spend their Sunday training with us?"
But before Yukari could respond, an unfamiliar voice reached their ears. "'Scuse me, any chance I could speak with the owner of this place?"
Six pairs of eyes, as well as many that belonged to the other patrons, turned to the adjacent corner of the room, where they found a fairly tall, red-haired man wearing a black suit with a red tie and black-tinted sunglasses addressing the cashier. Next to him was a short and slim young woman with chin-length black hair, wearing a similar suit but wearing red-tinted sunglasses instead.
"I'm sorry, but he isn't in at the moment," replied the cashier, a black-haired faunus with scales on the right side of her face that Yukari recognized as their waitress the other week. "He should be back in about half an hour though if you want to wait for him."
"Sorry, can't really wait for 'im," the man replied with a careless shrug. "I got some other stuff I need to take care of before a meeting with my own boss. Mind giving him something for us instead?" The young woman next to him place a plain brown business envelope, which bulged lightly from its contents, on the counter. "Let him know there's no hurry and that he can get back to us whenever. Or even never if that's what he wants."
"I can do that." Though the faunus accepted the envelope, it was clear that she was a little suspicious of the man, probably due to his appearance.
"Thanks. Come on little lady," he said as he turned towards the exit. "Off to the next one."
"S-Sir," the young woman protested for some reason. "I keep telling you. I'm not a woman."
All 'her' protest got in return was a kind laugh and lots of surprised stares from the observers. "And I keep telling you, I'm not gonna judge. Heck, you could wear a skirt and the matching top and jacket made for women if you want to and it wouldn't matter to me so long as you can do your job. 'Sides, with that cute face and slim body of yours I'm sure the other guys won't even notice that you're physically a guy underneath it all."
"S-Sir!" cried the young woman(?), sounding quite distressed. "That's not-"
The door shut behind them, cutting of the rest of their… interesting conversation. Interesting enough that everyone in the restaurant stared after them, their meals and conversations forgotten for the moment.
"Sooo…" began Yang, sounding more than just a little bewildered by the exchanged. "Anyone else think that that… guy… was way too cute to be a guy?"
"You and me both," a male, brown-haired cat faunus sitting at the table next to theirs answered. "There's just no way a guy could look like that."
"I think it's pretty brave of him to come out in public like that," came a female voice from another table.
That started up a small debate as to whether the man's companion really was a man or if they were just joking around for whatever reason.
Coco, however, just leaned forward in her seat. "So," she drawled out, looking over her sunglasses at Yukari. "About that training match."
Yukari could only roll her eyes at Coco's single-mindedness.
There was still plenty of time before the next airship left for Vale so Fuuka decided to return to Team ASYR's room to pick up a sweater. It wasn't that cold out yet, but since their plans had the potential to extend to a time when it would be colder, she felt that bringing one just in case was prudent.
When she entered the room, the sight that greeted her was that of Weiss, pacing around the room. "Um… Weiss?" she called out, noticing that the white-haired girl had yet to notice her entrance. "Is everything alright?"
"Huh?" Weiss looked up and paused, surprised to suddenly hear someone speaking to her. "Oh, Fuuka, it's you. It's… No, it's nothing. I was just thinking about something. What about you? Didn't you have plans with the others?"
"I just came back for a sweater," she replied even as she moved to the wardrobe she shared with Aigis for the aforementioned article of clothing. "We might end up coming back later than expected so I wanted to be prepared."
A single white eyebrow rose in response. "I thought you were just going to watch a movie."
"We were," responded the Japanese girl, searching for the sweater she wanted. "But some of the others thought it might be nice to stay in the city a bit longer since we rarely go as a group. Actually," she turned around to face Weiss. "Are you sure you don't want to come along?"
"I'm sure," came Weiss's swift response. If Fuuka had been the sort to be more skeptical of things, she might have even labeled it as 'too swift'. As such, she didn't pay it much mind. "I'll just continue looking into the results of Aigis's last scan. I think I found what we're looking for in one of the later chapters, but I'll need to read everything else in between before it makes sense."
"If you're sure but… won't you be lonely by yourself?" she asked, turning around with the sweater in hand. "Please don't misunderstand. Aigis and I are grateful to have your help, but…"
"But what?" Weiss prodded gently.
"I don't mean to be presumptuous but…" Fuuka fidgeted nervously, looking away for a moment before meeting Weiss's gaze once more. "I'm a little worried."
Weiss blinked in surprise but kept her features free of evidence of such. "Worried?" she parroted. "About what?"
The teal-haired girl nodded, holding her sweater to her chest. "It's just… Asides from classes, group training, or mealtimes, you always seem to spend your time alone. Aigis and I weren't sure of how to approach you, and Ruby's more… direct approach didn't seem to appeal to you. So Aigis and I tried to give you some space rather than force the issue."
Weiss's breath was caught in the back of her through, and she felt her heartbeat speed up for some strange reason as she listened to her teammate's words. But why? Why did… why did she feel this way?
"But now…" Fuuka hugged the sweater tighter and looked down and away, her voice soft, sounding almost guilty, as she continued to speak. "Lately, I've been worried that we went about it the wrong way. I've been worried that maybe you thought we didn't like you, or that, even though you took the time to help us, we only see you as a teammate and not a friend. I'm worried that we ended up pushing you away instead."
Weiss took the time to digest Fuuka's words, not really knowing what to say in response. That, and she needed to breathe and calm her heart. But… how long has she felt that way? She knew that Fuuka was kind and considerate to a fault, but this?
Whenever she thought she understood something about SEES, about any of them, they suddenly defy her expectations and reveal something new, often something that left her speechless for a time.
Mitsuru's willingness to bend the rules. Junpei's staunch defense of Jaune even against the latter's family. Akihiko's vast knowledge of training and combat that allowed Jaune, of all people, to fight at a much higher level, however briefly it lasted. Yukari's sudden bout of consideration despite their less than amicable relationship. Aigis's feelings of guilt despite not having done anything wrong. Ken's brief display of maturity and wisdom just the night before. Even, to a slightly lesser degree, Koromaru, a dog, having a Persona.
And now… now she's realizing that that she had underestimated the depths of Fuuka's kindness. It was one thing for the diminutive Japanese girl to be considerate of her requests for silence and respect for personal space. But this? To worry that those same actions were responsible for why she often chose to be alone? To feel that her inaction was the reason for Weiss's seclusion?
That was so preposterous, so utterly ridiculous, that it wasn't even within the realm of amusement any longer.
Weiss wanted to tell Fuuka that she was not responsible for those things. That she appreciated her consideration and that she stayed away because she wasn't interested in anything more than a professional relationship as classmates and teammates.
And yet, for some inexplicable reason, her lips refused to open. Refused to allow her to speak those words. Why?
Before Weiss could answer, both Fuuka's concerns and her own questions, the teal-haired girl shook her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you with my worries. I'll… I'll leave now."
Some part of Weiss was screaming from within her to stop Fuuka, to explain herself and let her know that she was, in no way, at fault. And yet, once again, the words were lost before they could reach her lips, nor was she able to will her body to move, to stop her even if it meant getting in her way.
So when Fuuka stopped just beneath the door frame, turning around, Weiss fought with herself even more, not wanting that small chance to go to waste. "But for what it's worth," said the teal-haired girl, completely unaware of her teammate's inner struggle. "We do still want you to be our friend, and not just our classmate and teammate. If you'll still have us, that is."
It was only when the door clicked shut that Weiss found her body responsive once more. By that point, she knew it was too late to explain herself. She walked over to her bed and fell back onto it with a sigh.
'Good job telling her what you really think, Weiss,' came her sarcastic reprimand. 'Now what?'
Fuuka walked along the pathway leading to the airships. Up ahead, she could see a fairly large gathering of people, most of whom she recognized even from afar.
She tried not to let the conversation with Weiss bother her, but the thought of leaving the heiress by her lonesome really did bother her. If she were being honest, she had absolutely no idea why Weiss often chose to remain by herself.
It could be that, like she had told Ruby the other day, Weiss was simply a very private person who preferred to keep to herself. Minato had been, in a way, similar. He did not turn people away when they spoke with him, but neither did he often seek out someone else simply for companionship. It was only much later that he began to do so and not for any sort of need such a clubs or SEES-related matters.
Mitsuru once said that, when she was younger, she was often expected, or even outright required, to join her father when meeting with business partners. Some of those her age or fellow heirs to other groups and companies often had an overly inflated opinion of themselves, believing that only those on their level were worth noticing. As such, it could also be that, as someone of high-born status, Weiss could be one of those people. Though the fact that she did not completely ignore, or even openly disdain, the rest of them meant that she was, at least, willing to interact with them to a degree.
Or, as ridiculous as it may sound, Weiss might just be incredibly shy, hiding her insecurities and such behind a cold façade so that people would not notice.
That last one, however, was incredibly unlikely and something Fuuka only thought of when she remembered a manga she once read. After all, not only is it contradictory for a shy person to be able to put up such a mask, but Weiss gave off an air of absolute confidence that tread on the realm of arrogance. Someone like that couldn't possibly be shy or insecure. Not to mention her upbringing would have prepared her for dealing with people.
So no, as interesting as it might have been, a shy, stuttering Weiss was simply beyond the realm of possibility.
'Although it would be funny if it was true,' she thought with a giggle.
"And what, may I ask, is so amusing?"
The voice stopped her short and she turned around to the source to see something, or rather someone, she didn't expect. "Weiss?"
Indeed, standing there was her teammates, whom she had spoken with not even ten minutes earlier. The same teammate who said she wouldn't be joining them in Vale.
"Shouldn't we be going?" Rather than pursue the answer to her first question, Weiss asked a different one. "I believe the airship will be leaving in a few minutes. If we dawdle any longer it may leave without us."
"Huh?" Fuuka was sure that she looked suitably confused. "But weren't you-"
"Obviously, I changed my mind," Weiss interrupted with a brief roll of her eyes, but with only a slight hint of annoyance in her tone.
Then, without any warning, she began to walk towards the airship. Fuuka took a moment to regain her composure before jogging briefly to catch up with her teammate.
Fuuka opened her mouth to ask something but then thought better of it. Instead, as they approached the rest of the group, who were beginning to board the airship, she asked, "Do you like any kind of movie in particular? We haven't decided yet so it would be good to know if there's anything you don't like watching."
"I'm not too fond of comedies myself," Weiss responded plainly, if a little on the cold side. "I find that making comedy for the sake of it is just…"
Hearing Weiss speak more than she normally did, even for just something as insignificant as movie preferences – or rather because it was something so insignificant – Fuuka knew she made the right decision not to question the heiress's change of mind. Instead, as they boarded the airship and joined their teammates and friends, Fuuka just smiled and accepted the unexpected outcome. Unexpected, but certainly not unwelcome.
As the majority of the members of Teams KYBT, ASYR, ANKR, and JACN as whole boarded the airship, a long figure watched from a short distance away, hidden behind and in the shadow of one of the many trees scattered around the courtyard.
As they watched, their hand, resting on the trunk of the tree, curled into a fist and trembled slightly. Once the ship began to rise and depart for its destination, the hand slowly opened as the tension in their body slowly bled out, the opportunity lost.
Just as the figure prepared to leave, an unexpected voice spoke to them from behind. "You really should be more honest, Pyrrha." The Mistralian spun around, shocked that someone had managed to get so close to them without being noticed. But upon seeing a familiar head of red hair framing a calm, almost emotionless, face, Pyrrha relaxed. "If not with others then, at the very least, with yourself."
"Wh-What are you talking about?" she stammered out nervously, all the tension returning two-fold at Chidori's mysterious words though Pyrrha tried her best not to let it show.
No words passed Chidori's lips but her brown eyes seemed to almost glow in the shadows of the tree, boring straight into Pyrrha. She felt as though the girl dressed in white was staring straight into her soul, seeing into the innermost depths of her very being.
Then Chidori stepped forward. Each step she made Pyrrha's heart beat faster, her own feet frozen in place by some strange force and unable to escape Chidori's cold, predatory gaze. She didn't know why she felt so nervous at the shorter girl's approach. She simply was.
And when Chidori was only two steps away – Pyrrha found it strange that she was unnerved by this tiny girl whom she towered over by nearly a foot – she broke eye contact and went to stand beside Pyrrha, facing the direction of the airship in the distance.
"A long time ago, there was a girl," Chidori began in her usual tone - that is, calm and near emotionless – while Pyrrha was still trying to settle the rapid beating of her heart. "This girl, along with many other homeless children, were gathered by a group intent on using them for their research."
Already, the tale carried a dark undertone and the few details Chidori provided told Pyrrha that the story was unlikely to end well. She wanted to speak, to perhaps lighten the mood somewhat, but her throat had gone dry for some reason. All she could do was turn around, to face the now distant airship as Chidori was, and listen to her fellow redhead's tale.
"You don't trust me, do you, Coco." Yukari's words were not a question but a declaration of what she felt was the truth.
The aforementioned girl smirked at her friend, walking closer and wrapping an arm around the shorter girl's shoulder. "Of course I trust you, Yukari." At the deadpan look she received, the grin grew wider. "I trust you to 'forget' to ask your team leader again about that joint training session we were talking about."
For the fifth time since leaving the restaurant, Yukari took Coco's arm in her hand and removed it from her shoulders. "You could just admit that you'd rather just talk to senpai about it directly. I'm not gonna get mad at you for that, you know." The challenging grins that Coco and Yang gave her made Yukari sigh in surrender. "Alright fine, I would have been a little mad. But you don't have to make up excuses like walking us to the movie theater."
"Who says it's an excuse?" Coco threw back, that same taunting grin on her face. "We actually talked about it when you went to the restroom earlier. Since we didn't have any other plans for the day, we thought we'd join you and do a little bonding with our fellow trainees."
"Trainees who just so happen to be the same people you wanna train with for some reason you still won't tell me."
"Exactly!" Never let it be said that Coco didn't admit to things after the truth was brought up.
Wanting to switch topics, Velvet increased her pace so that she was walking next to Yukari. "What movie were you thinking of watching?"
"We haven't decided yet, actually." Yukari would never say it out loud, at least not in front of Coco, but she was glad for the change in topic and conversation partners. She liked Coco, but her strong personality could be a little stressful to deal with at times. "It's why we're meeting this early. We're hoping we could catch two movies, maybe three if we're lucky, instead of deciding on just one that not everyone might like."
"So a movie marathon then?"
"Yang's idea." Yukari replied, jerking her head in the direction of her blonde teammate, who was walking ahead of them next to Coco and laughing about something. "She wanted the whole group to hang out more often so she spent nearly the whole week convincing everyone to do this."
"Why a whole week?" Fox asked from behind them. "We've seen your group and you all seem quite close."
A short, resigned sigh left Yukari's lips. "We're close, yeah, but we're lucky if we can get any four people who want to do the same thing at a given time. Most of us have our own thing we like to do so unless we plan ahead this far, like Yang did, then you're not likely to get us all in one place that easily. Not unless it's to eat."
"Well, everyone is different, I suppose," the copper-haired boy commented with a thoughtful look. "It would be far stranger if all sixteen of you liked and did the exact same things."
It wasn't long before they arrived at the Vale City Theater where they found Akihiko and Ren already waiting. After exchanging brief greetings, the silver-haired boxer turned to Yukari and Yang. "So, friends of yours?" he asked, his eyes glancing towards Team CFVY, who had hung back a little.
"Three friends and one maybe," Yukari replied jokingly, to which Coco just smiled in response. "This is Team CFVY. That's Coco, their leader and the 'maybe'." The aforementioned girl waved in response. "Next to her is Velvet. Beside her is Fox. And last is Yatsuhashi. Before you ask," she added quickly, seeing the slight shift in Akihiko's eyes at the name. "Yes, like the snack back home but no, his parents didn't know that there was a snack by that name."
Akihiko stared at her for a moment. Then, with a deadpan tone, he said, "You laughed didn't you?"
Yukari seemed to choke on air, or her own saliva, while Yang just snickered. "You totally nailed it," she stage-whispered in Akihiko's direction.
Doing her best to ignore the amused looks Team CFVY was giving her, never mind those coming from Akihiko and Ren, Yukari swiftly changed the subject. "Where are Ken and Nora?"
"We got here early so Ken decided to go for a walk with Koromaru," explained Akihiko. "Nora decided to go with them. They should be back before the others get here. If the airship's on schedule anyway."
Hearing an unfamiliar name, Velvet turned to Yukari and asked, "Who's Koromaru? I don't think you've mentioned him before."
"I haven't?" Yukari was honestly a little surprised by that since she had told Team CFVY quite a few stories. "Guess it slipped my mind. Well, Koromaru is-"
"Arf!"
"HIYAAAAHH!"
'Well this is oddly familiar,' was the thought shared by Yukari, Akihiko, Yang, and Ren, even as three members of Team CFVY went on high alert, searching for whatever it was that had scared their fourth team member. When they found it, all three could only stare in surprise.
Twice before, Koromaru's arrival gave someone a good scare. The first time was after the formation of their teams, on the way to the requested meeting with Headmaster Ozpin. The second was the other Friday, when Blake went into a panicked frenzy in the training room. This was the third time the Persona-using dog scared someone. The only difference, was the absence of a certain black-haired girl.
Instead, Yukari watched, both amused and bemused, as Velvet used her much larger teammate as a meat shield against the Shiba Inu that was now standing next to Akihiko. Koromaru seemed curious, crimson eyes looking in the direction where Velvet currently was, despite Yatsuhashi's frame blocking the way.
"Are you alright Velvet?" she called out, kneeling down next to Koromaru and speaking with him breifly. "Let's try not to scare anyone else like that, alright?"
"I-I-I'm f-fine." With all that stuttering, Yukari was ready to mention that the faunus girl didn't sound fine at all. The only consolation was that Velvet was peeking her head out from behind the tall boy, even if her face reflected just how nervous she was. "J-just… a l-little scared." Or scared.
"I know it doesn't help but Koro-chan's pretty friendly and-"
Velvet shook her head rapidly, almost violently, cutting off Yukari. "I-It's not that. It's… he…" she squeaked and hid behind Yatsuhashi once more when Koromaru turned his red eyes towards her.
Seeing that they weren't getting anywhere, Coco placed a hand on Velvet's shoulder, and gave a smile to the girl hiding behind her teammate. Then she turned to Yukari, her expression notably absent of accusation. "What Velvet's trying to say is that she had a run-in with that dog of yours before. He chased her around for a good half-hour before she managed to get away."
"What's strange," Coco continued before anyone else could speak, "Is that Velvet's never been afraid of dogs. At least, not for as long as we've known her. A little nervous when it comes to the fiercer looking ones, but never like this. Not saying it's yours or your dog's fault." She knelt down in front of Koromaru with a smile and began rubbing the top of his head, which Koromaru reacted quite happily to. "Just that it's weird she gets this way around a dog that's a bit on the small side and more than just a little cute."
After a moment of silence, Coco grew curious, and admittedly slightly suspicious, at the lack of response. Glancing at the girl kneeling beside Koromaru, she found Yukari deep in thought. Looking up further, she found Akihiko in the same state. "Something wrong?" No response. "Yukari?"
Hearing her name seemed to pull the girl out of her trance, she her brown eyes sought out Coco's sunglasses-hidden ones. "Huh? Sorry, did you say something?"
"Is something wrong?" Coco repeated, looking a bit concerned.
"Not… wrong. Just…" Yukari looked up towards Velvet. "Hey Velvet, when did Koromaru chase you around? I think we would have heard of something like that happening since he's usually so well-behaved."
"Th-the day of the initiation," the rabbit faunus replied, sounding much calmer compared to earlier. "I got away from him just a little before Ozpin announced the new teams. Why do you ask?"
Instead of answering the question, Yukari turned her thoughtful expression to the dog next to her, who was enjoying the head-rubbing he was receiving. "Hey, Koro-chan?" The albino dog whined softly and turned to Yukari, looking both expectant and curious. "Do you remember the day after we arrived at the school?" Surprising the members of Team CFVY, and startling one of them, Koromaru barked happily and even seemed to nod. "Didn't you tell Aigis when we met up again that you were playing with a rabbit?"
"Wait, what?" Coco's confused question went mostly unnoticed as everyone's attention was now on Yukari.
Again, Koromaru's response seemed to be the affirmative. Yukari then turned to Velvet. "Was Velvet that 'rabbit' you were talking about?" A third bark, much like the other two, came from Koromaru.
"Okay, seriously, how was he able to tell you that? Do you have a dog translator or something?"
"Pretty much," Yang answered vaguely. It wasn't much, but Coco looked slightly placated to have her question answered. Even if she was giving Yang a clear look of doubt.
Yang just shrugged at the look. She wasn't really sure whether she could explain who, or rather what, Aigis was, never mind how she was able to understand 'dog'. She turned her attention back to her teammate only to freeze at the archer's next question. "And later, you called Blake a 'cat', right?"
Koromaru barked once more before Yang could interrupt. Her mind instantly went into high gear, trying to find a way to mask her partner's secret. She could already see the gears turning in Yukari's mind. And while the brunette wasn't on Mitsuru's level of intelligence, she was far from stupid. With all those clues provided by Koromaru, of all people – or would that be 'of all dogs'? – it was almost impossible for anyone with even a semi-decent working brain not to connect the dots.
"Koromaru!"
Yang's relief came in the form of Ken and Nora, who rounded the corner of the building shouting the dog's name. In response, Koromaru turned around and barked happily, tail wagging furiously as he watched the two run up to him.
"There you are," Ken breathed out, panting a bit as he came to a stop. "Why'd you… run off like that?"
"Don't worry about it, Ken-kun," said Yukari rising to her feet and smiling at the boy. "Koro-chan probably realized we were here with a friend of his."
"A friend?" Nora exclaimed, looking around excitedly. "Ooh, where is he? Where is he? Or is it a she?"
"She, actually," Yukari replied with a grin then pointed at the seven-foot tall boy. "And she is standing over there, behind Yatsuhashi."
With all attention turned in her direction, Velvet squeaked in surprise once more and hid behind her teammate. When Nora ran around Yatsuhashi and her blue-green eyes landed on Velvet, the rabbit faunus froze in surprise. But then, Nora kept looking around, searching for something.
"Hey Yukari, I don't see her anywhere," Nora said in a loud voice, her head turning this way and that. "Did she run away?" Then her eyes locked onto Velvet once more. "Oh hey, did you see a dog around here?"
On the opposite side of the human wall named Yatsuhashi, Yukari was giggling in amusement, Yang and Akihiko laughing quietly as well. Unfortunately, this left Ren to go reign in his friend before Nora bothered Velvet too much, though Yukari did spot a brief grin on his face as he walked over to Nora, who was still waiting for an answer from a nervous and tongue-tied Velvet.
"Did I miss something?" Ken asked innocently, looking around in confusion.
"A bit, yeah," replied the archer, looking quite amused. "You remember that 'rabbit' that Koro-chan said he played with back when we were taking the initiation?" Ken nodded. "Turns out that Velvet," she paused to gesture to the rabbit-eared girl with her hand, "Was that 'rabbit'. Since he's never seen a faunus before, I'm guessing their scent or something is what made him call her a rabbit."
Ken looked a little uncertain. "Oh. That's… good? I guess?"
Then, as an afterthought, Yukari added, "And I managed to figure out what he was trying to tell Aigis afterwards." Ken and Akihiko gave her curious looks. Yang, unnoticed due to standing slightly behind Yukari, had frozen with a look of utter panic on her face. "Remember how he was calling Blake a 'cat'?" Understanding dawned on the two boys immediately. "Not exactly sure why she's hiding it but I'm pretty sure that Blake's actually a faunus. She's probably-"
"SHE'S A WHAT?!"
The sudden outburst that came from behind Akihiko and Ken brought a halt to everything as everyone turned their attention to the source. Everyone, that is, save for Yang, who palmed her face, lowered head, and shook her head while muttering curses under her breath.
Standing there were the rest of their friends save for Chidori and Pyrrha, whose absences would have been noticed were it not for the current issue. And that issue was the incredulous shout that came from none other than Weiss Schnee, who, along with everyone else in the recently arrived group, was now staring at one particular person in disbelief and shock.
Said person, standing at the back of the group, was equally shocked, her eyes as wide open as they could possibly get along with her mouth. But it was not just shock that she was feeling and expressing. Mixed with her surprise at someone knowing her secret was a massive dose of fear and panic. And seeing over a dozen pairs of eyes staring at her, Blake did the only thing she could think of.
She ran.
"Wha… Blake!"
Several voices called out to the departing girl, and none of them could say for certain who shouted first. They followed after her, chasing her down the sidewalk and into the alleyway next to the movie theater. But when they got there, they found it absent of their friend and teammate. A quick glance up was the only reason they had even seen her as she pushed off the wall one more time to climb up the roof.
And then, without even turning back once, she was gone.
Silence reigned for the better part of the minute as everyone tried to process what had just happened. It was the sound of flesh meeting flesh, though one that was not loud enough to have been a slap, that broke the silence. They turned to see Yukari palming her face and shaking her head, what little they could see of her face twisted in regret. "Me and my big mouth."
And here we have the beginning of the next story arc as well as developments for several others.
I have to be honest though. This chapter gave me a lot more trouble than I was expecting. I had already pre-selected which scenes to include, but I kept changing which scenes to write while writing the story since the flow of the chapter felt wrong a lot of the times.
I managed to finish it, obviously, but I can't say I'm 100% satisfied. More like 95% satisfied, 4% uncertain, and 1% 'I don't think I should upload this and just redo it'. Needless to say, I didn't listen to that tiny part, but I can't help but worry that I should have.
Oh well, nothing I can do about it now since I've obviously uploaded the chapter.
Some of you may be wondering why I chose to present the effects of SEES's support spells, specifically the Taru- and Suku- spells, in that manner, rather than just outright making someone stronger and faster. But as much as I would like to answer that now, the answer is actually plot-related. So unless someone PMs me to ask or goes to my forum to talk about it, and risk spoilers from a long way into the future of the story, then all I'll say here is just that. It's plot-related.
As I've already mentioned above, I started a forum as suggested by a friend, though I doubt I'll get a lot of visitors. Still, just search 'Leiciel' under forums using the site's search function and the forum should come up.
On another note, I recently posted a teaser to a Code Geass story I'm working on. Planning the story is partly why this chapter took this long to finish. If there are any Code Geass fans reading this, please check out the teaser/preview and let me know what you think.
And finally, I put up a poll on my profile with regards to this story. The topic in question is the Vytal Festival. Originally, I was going to go with the canon tournament format. But recently I've been toying with the idea of creating my own tournament format just to mix things up a bit.
This will be one of the very few times I will ever let readers decide which direction the story should go, mainly because the tournament format is a fairly minor thing since the events I've planned will, ultimately, be left unaffected. So yes, check out my profile and drop your vote.
The Vytal Festival arc is a long way away so it shouldn't be an issue for me to change the format once the poll is closed. On that note, the poll will officially be closed when we start the arc BEFORE the Vytal Festival Arc. That will give me time to, if necessary, adjust the plan.
As always, please consider leaving a review to let me know what you think. Constructive criticism is highly appreciated, criticism in general is also appreciated, rudely phrased criticism will be considered but will not receive a response, and outright being rude will be ignored completely.
With that said, have a nice day everyone. And here's to another new year. \(^o^)/
