Chapter 23 — Questions

"It's difficult to have any animosity towards someone if you recognize that on so many levels they're exactly the same as you."

— Jonathan Taylor Thomas

They remained in this position for a little longer until the man began to shift uncomfortably. Serena broke her eye-contact with him and only then did she realize that she was lying on his lap, oh God! Blushing crimson, her head shot up like a projectile and she scooted away from him.

Oh God, she'd been lying on his lap contently all this time! Oh dear Gods, if you exist, then please, let me disappear into the floor, she prayed silently. But, as usual, nothing happened and the girl was left to blush at her, in her defense, totally unintentional act. He was the one who'd laid her head on his lap!

But oh God, he's shirtless!

Even if he irritated the hell out of her, Serena was still very much a young teenage girl. And, as such, she noticed things like strong arms and toned bodies. The fact that he was still running around without a shirt on and that her eyes peaked at him each time he moved did not ease her own embarrassment.

She watched with great curiosity as he simply got up, staggering for a minute — she was sure his legs had fallen asleep because of her, damn it — before making his way over to his place at the fire without a word. Intrigued by his silence, Serena got up as well and joined him, taking her usual seat that put her on the opposite side of the fire and him.

"What was that?" he finally questioned.

Serena internally sighed. Of course he'd want to know why she'd been having a panic attack — though she was surprised that he waited this long to ask. Raking her mind for an explanation, she let her eyes rest on the fire, hoping it would aid her in some way.

"It's… complicated." His stare told her that the meager answer was not enough to satisfy him. She let out a long sigh before explaining, "It has to do with the way I came into this world."

"Came into this world?" he repeated, confused, one eyebrow arched.

"You see, I'm not really what you'd call from this planet or dimension, or whatever this is. I'm from another universe, if you will. Actually, I come from a planet called Earth, where I lived in Phoenix in the State of Arizona."

The moment she said she was not from this planet or whatever, Adam thought she meant to humor him. He was on the brink of interrupting her ridiculous farce when she continued to explain. But when she further explained, he couldn't help himself.

He laughed. Not only at her, but at the whole seriousness with which she said the words.

But then, the conversation they'd had a few days prior came back into his mind. Back then, she'd also said things such as 'my world' and so on. He carefully scrutinized her. If what she was saying was the truth, then she would be able to explain how she got "into this world". He decided to test that theory.

"So," he continued slowly, "If you're not from here, then how did you get here?"

Her eyes turned a darker shade of blue — the darkest he'd seen them yet — and her eyebrows wrinkled. Her face grew a little pale, and for a moment he thought she'd have another attack. But there was no gasping for breath, so he assumed that it was something else.

"I died."

The words were spoken quietly, but the message they contained slapped him as though she'd just yelled them into his ear. What does she mean 'died'? She sits right in front of me; she can't be dead.

"I was on a plane, on my way back home. But before we could even really take off, we fell into a frozen river. The entire thing broke in two, and many people were already dead. When I tried to get out, something from the plane had stabbed me. As a result, I drowned in the river."

"And how did you get here?" he asked, since her explanation made no sense to him so far.

"Honestly, I have no idea. All I do know is that I woke up in the middle of this forest. How and why I was brought here is beyond me, but I'm glad that I'm not dead," she finished.

Serena could see the lingering doubt in the man's eyes. She couldn't blame him though. If someone were to tell her such a story, she'd call the police and probably accuse them of being mad.

"And you expect me to believe this crap?" his angered voice spoke.

She did not want another dispute with him after he'd helped her. So, instead of battling it out orally with him, she simply stood up and lifted her shirt. The scar that ran across her abdomen and the one located on her right side were proof enough. The fact that she was technically exposing her entire upper body seemed to bother him little as she watched him observe them critically. He seemed satisfied when he gave a curt nod and averted his eyes, for which she left out a quiet sigh of relief before replacing her shirt. She sat back down and watched him. There seemed to be conflict in his mind, since his eyes kept on flicking around, never once staying still.

"How old are you?"

The question completely caught her off-guard, and Serena blinked a few times before answering, "Nineteen…" Again, his eyes shifted around and she could not help herself but ask, "And you? How old are you?"

"Twenty-two," he mumbled absent-minded. Her guess was that he was still pre-occupied with whatever was swirling around in his mind and hadn't really thought about her question. But she was, nonetheless, glad that he answered; one more thing she now knew about him. It made him less of a stranger to her.

Adam contemplated the information carefully. It certainly did not make sense that someone from another world or dimension would suddenly end up here. What bothered him the most, though, was the fact that she was actually a dead person.

Adam Taurus was a person of logic, so he had a hard time accepting the fact that, technically, he was talking to a ghost.

The question about her age had been one of pure curiosity, and he had a tendency to voice his thoughts without much thought. At least now he had a few more answers regarding this very special, very peculiar human.

Another question popped up. "Hey," he spoke, catching her attention. "Why did you help me?"

A look of surprise flashed across her face and she replied in a dumbfounded voice, "You were hurt."

"I know that, but why did you help me? Why did you save my life? I know you know about us Faunus. And about the White Fang," he explained, slightly irritated by her slow mind.

"Ah!" Her face lit up with understanding and she snipped a finger. "That's what you're getting at! Well, you certainly are correct. I know about both the White Fang and the Faunus. Though I don't quite understand why that should keep me from helping you," she voiced, tilting her head in confusion.

Adam felt his eyebrow twitch and he was about to lash out at her again, but she prevented him from doing so as she continued.

"I mean, for me, there is no difference between Human, Faunus, or a member of the White Fang. I do know that the White Fang is a sort of terrorist group…" She looked at him, expecting him to berate her for calling them terrorists. He didn't and she continued. "But, honestly, I'm not the kinda person that just lets someone die when I can help it. Like I said, there's no difference between us."

The explanation surprised him, but Adam kept it from showing on his face. Truly, she was different from any human he'd met in his life. Perhaps it was because she came from a different dimension?

"I meant to ask, and I'm sorry if I intrude onto something private, but what's it like? In the White Fang, I mean?" he heard her quiet voice ask shyly.

What was it like? It certainly wasn't a field trip. The missions were dangerous, the training rigorous, and the expectations high. Additionally, he had to spend time with brainless morons whose only assets were their strength. Only a handful of Faunus — mostly the high-ranked agents like himself — possessed enough brains to be called decent company.

He told her as much. What caught him off-guard once more — she was doing that a lot he noticed begrudgingly — was when she giggled at his words.

"I didn't think this to be funny," he said monotonously, and his voice must have held some of the confusion and irritation he felt at her laughing.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, smothering down another giggle. "I'm not laughing at you or anything. It's just…" She stocked for a moment before muttering, "It sounds like a lot of fun."

"Fun?" He arched an incredulous eyebrow.

"In a way. I mean, you get to go together on missions, you can spar with each other, and you can share a meal when you want to. And you're never lonely; there's always someone close-by. It's lively, you know. Like a big family of sorts."

It took him a moment before he understood — she envied him. She envied him for the human company and interaction she seldom got. She must be incredibly lonely if she was jealous of him. In a way, it was quite sad.

The Faunus shook his head, banning the thought as soon as it had popped up in his mind. No fraternizing with the enemy, he reminded himself. She was human, and as such, she was his enemy and that of the White Fang. It would bring him little if he started to feel sympathy for her now.

"Anyway," her once more cheery voice interrupted his battling mind. "I think it's time I properly introduced myself." She gave him a sheepish smile before standing up. Walking around the fire, he blinked when she stood by his side and stretched out her hand for him to take. "I'm Serena Cauldron, pleased to meet you."

It took him a moment before he grasped her hand in his — gods, she had small hands — and gave it a solid shake, standing up as well. He was not uncivilized, and knew when to be polite. And since she was making an effort, he assumed that he might make one, as well.

"Adam Taurus."

She gave him another small but radiant smile. Then she offered him another cup of her home-made tea and he accepted. They engrossed themselves in some more talk, mostly her telling him what her world was like. And even though he didn't show it, he liked the small smile that played upon her lips whenever she talked of her family or friends.

But he reminded himself: No fraternizing with the enemy. Even if the enemy was a lonely girl.

Edited 07/07/2017

Once again, I decided to simply re-write the entire thing.

This time, I decided to make this all into one chapter, so that there will be no more confusion. Hope you liked and enjoyed the read. Do comment if you did or did not.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of its characters. All I do own are my OC and the idea and plot of the non-canon parts of the story.