Disclaimer: I do not own either RWBY or Star Wars
Wayle and team RWBY were gathered in their room. He had stayed one final night there, for old times' sake, and now, as they were all awake, he decided to deliver the news to them.
"Unfortunately, it has become so that I will leave Beacon." He said sombrely.
"Eh?! Why!?" Ruby exclaimed in surprise at this statement.
"I am about to become quite busy with other… matters, and find that I will be unable to continue my studies here." He responded.
"Well, it's not like you needed any training in slaying monsters…" Yang said, attempting to be flippant, but an involuntary nervous chuckle ruined it.
Weiss sighed. "Wayle, this is about the Army of Union, right? Is it not so that you are being kicked out-"She started saying, but the young Sith interrupted her.
"No. I am leaving out of my own free will. I am not being kicked out for my… activities." He said firmly. "Although, Ozpin would have dismissed me if I had not done so myself, but ultimately only to protect his students. I would not bring trouble onto this prestigious establishment with my… foolish actions…"
Remorse tinged his words, but his eyes showed nothing but determination.
"Wayle…" Blake muttered sadly. She looked as if she was about to say something, but before she could even open her mouth the youth continued.
"I would only ask this of you, and all the other students of Beacon. Stay out of this, continue on the path to become Huntresses… Protect all from the Grimm." He said seriously, bowing slightly, not for politeness, but to convey his plead.
None of them could say anything. Blake held her hand to her chest, Ruby looked wonderingly at Wayle, clearly confused, Yang looked a bit uncomfortable, shifting slightly on her seat. It was only Weiss who were unfazed by this sudden behaviour, and she shook her head wistfully.
"Don't you worry Wayle. We'll keep that front covered, so you go and do your work. And…" The speech that started proudly wavered, and tapered off. "Try not to hurt my sister… please…?"
A smile formed on his lips as he righted himself. "Thank you Weiss. Hopefully, I will not even need to try." Even as the words left his lips everyone present could see the forlorn look that passed in his eyes.
"You know as well as I do that that's… unlikely Wayle. As much as it pains me, I don't think they'll let you get away with what you've done." Yang said, uncharacteristically serious. "Which, by the way, even I think wasn't the best of ideas."
A small laugh escaped from Wayle's lips, one of the rare, true laughs that allows those that witness them to glimpse the person he could have been, had he not been taken from his life. A far simpler, kinder soul, perhaps still with a penchant for knowledge, but more childish and less secure.
"Wow…" Ruby stared at her sister, then shifted her gaze towards Wayle. "I guess it's bad when big-sis says something like that…"
"Hey! What's with that look?" The blonde responded indignantly.
Wayle looked at them all, a certain amount of fondness sneaking into his expression. "You truly are good people. Do not change, do not lose your way. I will believe in you all. Come, it is time for breakfast, is it not?"
A small disgruntled growl from the girls' stomachs was all response necessary as they rose to follow.
-Break—
"So, I heard you're leaving Beacon?" Coco Adel said as she sauntered up to the table team RWBY plus JNPR and Wayle were seated at.
Team JNPR looked surprised at this statement, primarily because Wayle hadn't said anything about it to them yet.
"My my, it seems that news spread fast around here." Wayle said amusedly as he turned towards her.
"Nah, it's announcements that travel fast." She replied sassily.
At this Pyrrha took a look at her scroll.
"She's right, there is an announcement." She said with surprise in her voice.
"My, that became a big deal suddenly." The young force user said bemusedly.
"It's more that Ozpin wants to inform everyone when a classmate leaves, so that everyone knows that they left instead of dying." Velvet said as she walked over as well.
"That is most helpful. I can most certainly see why he would do it as well." He responded with a small smile.
"So, what's up with this? Am I going to have to take you down?" The brown-themed team-leader asked jokingly.
"Hardly, at worst I would be considered a criminal. There is no reason for a Huntsman or Huntress to get involved." Wayle responded in kind.
At this statement team RWBY flinched slightly, knowing they had several times stuck their noses where they didn't really belong.
"But as a good citizen, the story would be different, no?" Coco replied with a smirk.
"True." The Sith conceded with a grin.
"I'm pretty sure you would in the worst case be considered a terrorist or rebel, not just a criminal, although that would put you farther out of our jurisdiction." Velvet interjected with a thoughtful expression. "I'm also pretty sure that worst case is quite likely…"
"I would guess they would rather call me a terrorist. It is easier to rally public support against a 'terrorist' than against a rebel." Despite the direction of the conversation Wayle's expression remained amused. "Against rebels there are people who wonders what they are fighting for, but against terrorists they only say: "How terrible." A major oversimplification, yes, but it is certainly not false."
"He has a point." Ren chipped in, taking some time from overseeing Nora.
A silence descended upon the table and its surroundings.
"Uh… Can we change the subject? This is a bit too much to have at breakfast…" Ruby suddenly suggested, breaking the silence.
They all acquiesced.
-Break—
After breakfast had been finished, and they had scattered to various places, the Beacon students for schoolwork and Wayle for his preparations to leave, Blake had once again approached Wayle.
This was strange since… well… she had gone off to do some research she had said, and he would have assumed it would take some time, and that he would have to go to her when the time came for him to leave.
"Wayle… I- um… need to speak to you about something…" She said, holding on to a book in a surprisingly timid manner.
It was a rather adorable action, but also one that clashed slightly with her general personality.
Of course, Wayle recognised the book in question. It was his journal.
"What is it, Blake?" He asked curiously.
"I thought I should… return this… Now that you're leaving…" She held out the book, a slight shakiness present in her arms that shouldn't be there.
His eyes narrowed as he observed this.
"Blake, what is wrong?" He asked suspiciously.
She flinched slightly, paling a bit as well. "Nothing."
"I can clearly see with my eyes that there is something wrong. Please, tell me."
She sighed and presented Wayle with a small notebook.
He took it and looked at the first page. And then the second.
And immediately unleashed a deep sigh as the pieces fell into place.
"I knew you were a smart girl Blake. I should probably never have let you keep that thing. There are some things in there that is better off not known." He shook his head slowly.
"At first it was fine, just ideologies and combat techniques… but then… then came less and less pleasant aspects of the Dark side, culminating in… horror…upon horror…" There was a slight sob in her voice, a small hitch.
He embraced her slender frame, feeling all the more clearly the miniscule shaking of her body.
"I promise you this… while I have the theoretical and sometimes even practical knowledge, I will never put much of that to use." He whispered with conviction.
"Honestly, just thinking you would have to have experienced it first hand to be so familiar with it scares me…" She whispered back, slowly regaining some of her composure.
"I have endured much horror in my time. But I implore you Blake, try to shoulder through these revelations… I need you…" There was a slight pleading note to his whisper.
She nodded slightly and gathered herself. Then, with full seriousness she turned her head towards him... and said:
"Don't turn out like that Darth Sion or Nihilus please."
He was left somewhat dumbfounded for a few moments at this request.
"I do not think I could hope to emulate either of those monsters, to be honest." He replied, deadpanning slightly.
She pouted angrily. "I don't care. Don't turn out like either of those."
"Understood my love. I will not turn into a walking corpse or living life-draining void." He responded.
"Good." Blake nodded happily at this response, although Wayle knew well that she was pushing the bad things away from her mind.
He then received his journal from her. "I will be taking this back. I am sorry for my own carelessness."
"Please stop talking about that."
"Of course my love."
They shared a kiss, short put passionate.
"Good bye Wayle." Blake whispered as they pulled apart.
"I will return to you. This I promise."
Blake simply nodded and returned in the direction she came from.
-Break—
After making their farewells, with everyone gathering, which became a bit redundant for Wayle and Blake, although neither really minded, he and Latune set out.
Wayle of course made sure to also make a gesture of farewell to Ozpin, Glynda and Ironwood, all of who were observing his departure from the headmaster's office.
While the Sith was uncertain what exactly his apprentice had been doing when she prepared for departure, she did bring a few things with her.
He himself was carrying a bag with a few clothes, as well as some other things he had accumulated over the days.
The youth did feel a small pang of regret in his heart, knowing that things would change now, greatly, for the better or the worse, and he couldn't quite tell what yet.
As they entered Vale proper, Wayle paused, sensing a familiar, if unknown presence.
Not far away he spotted a rugged looking man with black hair leaning against a tree.
As soon as he noticed the man he pushed off, slowly starting to move towards them.
While he seemed like a man who drank a lot, right now there was no indication of drunkenness, and while his posture was perfectly relaxed, it was still that of a warrior, an experienced Huntsman.
They stopped not far from each other, and Latune gained a surprised expression as she saw the man in question.
"I believe this is our first proper meeting. I am Wayle, but I suspect you already knew that." Wayle greeted. "May I have the honour of your name?"
"Heh. I'd heard from my nieces and that old coot that you were the overly polite sort, but I didn't think you would be worse than the Ice Queen. I'm Qrow, Ruby's and Yang's uncle."
The youth raised an eyebrow at the usage of 'Ice Queen', but ultimately ignored it in favour of exactly who this man was.
Not just an experienced Huntsman, as was his first impression, but also the one who had taught Ruby how to fight.
"Qrow Branwen." Latune said astonished beside him.
"Yup. That's my name." The man said confidently.
"My, but this truly is an honour. To think I would meet a member of a friend's family… Most assuredly this is a pleasure." Wayle said pleasantly.
"Please cut the formal bullshit. I'm not here to trade pleasantries."
"Well then. What is your business here?"
"Just checking-!" The large sword on Qrow's back flew towards Wayle's neck.
Yet it stopped shivering before it could reach its mark, a hand interposed between them.
"-something. Geez, blocking it with only a gesture. You really are something."
The blade disappeared like nothing it was never there, the base returning to its resting place on the small of his back, its owner leaving like nothing happened.
"Later kid, I gotta go say hello to my nieces."
A small chuckle left the young Lord's lips as he withheld his companion.
"Interesting…"
He then moved on, the chuckle erupting into laughter, leaving Latune bewildered.
Author's notes: Well this... I don't quite know what to say. I'll just leave a request for feedback here. Please review and tell me what you thought, if you found any mistake and... honestly I really shouldn't need to say this, yet it almost seems like if I don't then nobody says anything...
I hope you enjoyed and that you have a nice day.