(I didn't really write an AN for this one, so just bear with me.)
Chapter 5: Sunset
"No..."
Blake had found our enemy's newest victim. I'd hoped it would be someone we didn't know. I'd actually been prepared for that. But, unfortunately, it WASN'T somebody we didn't know. Far from it.
Of course, it was Sun we'd found, lifeless and bloodied, in the halls.
I tried to speak. I tried to comfort her. But no words came. It was official. This was personal.
That day had been somber. Ren was dampened by Nora's absence. Ruby was annoyed that the vampire hadn't been found. Emmi, of course, was screaming like a madman, accusing everyone in the room of being the hidden Nosferatu.
But Neptune and Blake were definitely taking last night hardest. I almost understood what they were going through. My family had been torn asunder by the White Fang years ago. But I'd always been on the recieving end of comfort. I'd never given it myself.
"With Sun gone," Neptune said at the table that day, "it's going to be a lot less lively..." Tears fell from his eyes as he said it. "Why? Why Sun? It should have been me..."
"No one cares about you," Cardin told him. "If it'd been you, no one except maybe Sun would be crying."
"CARDIN!" Jaune shouted angrily, but I raised my hand to silence him.
"He has a point," I said. "The Nosferatu is a sub-species of Grimm. It leeches off of negativity. We established that when Yatsuhashi died. Making us all depressed is what it wants."
"I'm not sure I understand," questioned Penny. "Why attack in such an erratic manner? Especially when one could easily ravage the school in any other manner..."
"Because it's playing off of our feelings," I reminded her. "As much as we all care for Neptune, I think more of us were good friends with Sun. It's striking where it can sow the most negativity."
"Or," Yin suggested, "it's literally just acting on instinct. If it really was that smart, why randomly assault my teammate when nobody really knew us before this whole mess started?"
"Whatever the case," Cardin said, standing up, "Sun is dead. And we're no closer to our killer than before."
Emmi growled. "Do any of you even give a damn about the facts?" she roared. "People are dying, Winchester. And instead of mourning, you and the rest of these first-years are too busy trying to find our murderer."
"Oh, really," chuckled Cardin. "Just two seconds ago, you were accusing left and right, doing exactly what you're scolding us for. This isn't about Liam anymore, princess. And it hasn't been since we found Yatsuhashi's body. It's been about keeping more people from meeting the same fate."
Emmi's eyes narrowed in rage. "You are an uncaring, emotionless asshole, Cardin. No wonder we've never seen you cry."
"Yeah, I get it. I'm an asshole. But I'm also a huntsman, Wynn. And huntsmen protect people. All you ever cared about was avenging Liam, regardless of how many more people have to die to do it. I'm a bully, but I'm also smart enough to realize that revenge only leaves you empty." He looked back at Jaune and Pyrrha. "A lesson I was taught by the very people I hated most. But if all you want is to kill the Nosferatu because of what it HAS done compared to what it WILL do? Maybe I'm not the uncaring, emotionless asshole."
As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone in the room gasped. When Cardin spoke, we'd expected his typical boorish, nasty insults. What we got was much more- a bit of a reality check from Cardin Winchester, of all people.
Emmi crossed her arms. "Fine. Be that way. But you have no idea what you've done."
She stormed off, leaving her half-eaten lunch at the table. Yin and Orson watched their teammate storm off, a look of worry on their faces.
Yang just had to kill the mood. "So, is she gonna come back and eat that?"
Emmi and Cardin's argument had put us in a bad mood for the rest of the day. Velvet and I agreed to meet with Yang and Ren to see if Nora's condition had caused her any further issues. Unsurprisingly, she'd already sent Ren three letters within the first fourteen hours of her absence.
"Dear Ren," I read aloud, deciding to combine the three rather short letters for clarity's sake. "What's up? I've been okay, I guess. It's been a little shaky, but I've managed. I'm not dead yet, so that's a plus.
"I've had a lot of meat to myself out here. Not saying you should try to get converted or anything. I do miss you though."
"How's Team RWBY holding up without me around? Do they miss me? Oh, wait, what about Jaune and Pyrrha? They're our teammates, should have asked about them first."
I looked back through each one. "Wait, these are all only one paragraph. This isn't a letter, it's the kind of note one passes in class!"
Yang looked at one of the letters. "P.S.: I sent a bag of blood with the letters. I hope you find a use for it." She scanned the area, finding the bag in question. "Aww, she really does care. She even gave us bait."
I quickly realized what I was going to have to do for Blake's sake. "Yang, we should find a place to hide this. Like you said, it's bait."
Velvet arched an eyebrow. "But... didn't she send it to Ren, though?"
"Trust me," I said. "We'll have to hide it. It's the only way we can guaruntee it stays away from the creature."
"Whatever you say," Ren replied. "Although I suppose Nora could have at least sent us something saner."
Yang smiled. "I know, right?" she asked. "This is so weird to get in the mail."
To this, Ren cracked a smile of his own. "This is actually one of her more normal gifts."
Bartholomew Oobleck - Living
Blake Belladonna - Converted (C4)
Cardin Winchester - Living
Cinder Fall - Living
Coco Adel - Living
Emerald Sustrai - Living
Emmi Wynn - Living
Fox Alistair - Living
Jaune Arc - Living
Liam Pryce - Converted, Slain (C1)
Lie Ren - Living
Mercury Black - Living
Neptune Vasalias - Living
Nora Valkyrie - Converted (C3), Escaped (C4)
Orson Drew - Living
Penny Polendina - Living
Peter Port - Living
Pyrrha Nikos - Living
Qrow Branwen - Living
Ruby Rose - Living
Sun Wukong - Murdered (C5)
Velvet Scarlatina - Living
Weiss Schnee - Living
Yang Xiao Long - Living
Yatsuhashi Daichi - Murdered (C2)
Yin Kasumi - Living