The Vytal Festival had begun, and Team AJCS signed up for the tournament. They watched as Team RWBY, Team JNPR, and Team SSSN fought, food and drinks in hand. They actually took Team RWBY's fight seriously, but by the end of the Team JNPR fight and the start of the Team SSSN fight, they were just enjoying themselves.
Sam had an arm around Dora's shoulders, and he laughed as he watched a terrified Neptune scale a mountain while Sun's temper was finally tested. Dora just picked apart a soft pretzel and snorted as Sage was launched out of the arena by a tornado.
Adam's arm rested on the back of Napa's chair as they watched the fight. The bull-Faunus was honestly in awe of how fast that petite young woman could suck down her grape slushy without getting a brain-freeze, but that awe was being overshadowed by amusement as the wolf-Faunus proved how seamlessly she could stop drinking and catch a piece of popcorn he threw in her mouth without looking away from the fight. She was adorable...
"Hm." A voice hummed, and Adam blinked behind his ribbon before looking up to see Blake and Yang smirking at him. Blake had evidently told Yang about their conversation at the cliff, and now the two girls were being relentless - they insisted, whenever they found Adam alone, that he had "a crush" on Napa Merlot.
Adam insisted that it was ridiculous. He and Napa had almost-nothing in common - they were Faunus seeking justice, they had made bad choices, they were pretending that they were younger than they were, and they had almost become monsters for their beliefs. That was it, Adam pressed.
Napa was small enough to pass for a child while Adam towered over most people. Napa came from a mixed-race family while Adam was a pure Faunus. Napa was skilled in the sciences while Adam preferred history and literature. Napa enjoyed the cold, and Adam tended to enjoy warmth. Napa, while burdened with a dark and feral force trapped inside her mind, was playful and openly loyal and caring; Adam, literally scarred by his past and morally-grey in his beliefs, was admittedly brooding and subtle.
... But Adam Taurus had agreed to be Napa Merlot's Shadow, anyway.
He agreed to travel the world with her until she died.
...
Adam sat in a chair across from Professor Ozpin. Behind him, Glynda Goodwitch and General Ironwood stood in silence.
"Mr. Taurus." Ozpin began, frowning. "You defied all order and instruction by stealing an airship and leading a group of minors to an island crawling with mutated Grimm, military-grade androids, and Feral Faunus in order to save the insane daughter of a mad scientist hellbent on unleashing his creations upon the world in order to force the leaders of the four kingdoms and the White Fang to abide by his rules for a just society."
"My partner isn't insane, sir." Adam protested, and Ozpin blinked. "She's hurt, and she's sick - and your orders were not going to stop me from helping her. I only wish that Doctor Merlot hadn't had to die. He wasn't the evil sort of crazy, he was just... Lost. He didn't know what else to do." Silence fell, then Ozpin smiled and gestured to a kettle.
"Coffee?"
"Uh... Sir?" Adam was confused, now. Ozpin folded his hands, grinning.
"What I said, young man, was a test - and you passed, with flying colors." Ozpin told the bull-Faunus. "You see, Mr. Taurus, with the death of Doctor Merlot, it is now much safer for his daughter to leave the Beacon Academy grounds and even Vale itself. However, my fear is that there are still many out there who would like nothing more than to find her and try to extract her father's formulas from her - one way, or another." Adam's body tensed. "So... It is my belief that, upon graduation, Miss Merlot should be placed in a program I have designed for individuals such as herself who require a sort of 'protected freedom' - that is, capable Hunters who have been tied with unfortunate circumstances and must then be assigned a 'Shadow' for their own protection."
"A Shadow... You're giving her a bodyguard?"
"A traveling companion, Mr. Taurus, a trained Hunter like herself who will fight by her side and ensure her safety... The problem is, we need to choose the Shadow." Ozpin's smile fell away. "We considered her brother, but... Yu, Mr. Taurus, are the only person I have ever encountered who is able to awaken Miss Merlot when she goes into one of her rages. Due to all of the factors present that could have triggered that reaction from her, I cannot be certain that anyone else will be able to manage that same feat if assigned as her Shadow." Adam's fists lightly clenched.
"I would like to make it clear that I am in extreme opposition to this, Major." General Ironwood stated coldly, and Adam looked over at him before looking down. "Entrusting someone as important as Miss Merlot to an individual with your background is-"
"James." Goodwitch scolded lightly. "That's enough." Ironwood looked over at her, annoyed.
"And I can't believe you're even humoring this, Glynda. The risks involved-"
"I know, but-"
"This is just irresponsible!"
"We need to trust-"
"Enough!" Ozpin shouted, frustrated. "You two are acting like-!"
"I'll do it." Adam looked up, his eyes narrowing behind his ribbon, and the teachers froze for a moment, their eyes widening. Then, Goodwitch and Ironwood seemed to grow skeptical skeptical, and Ironwood even went to speak, but Ozpin raised a hand. His face had fallen, his brown eyes were still wide and he seemed genuinely unsettled. Adam could have sworn that the headmaster had even gone pale.
"... Mr. Taurus, I know this must be uncomfortable, but-..." Ozpin took a deep breath. "Can you look me in the eyes, and say the same?" Adam was silent for a moment, then he reached up and removed his ribbon. The three teachers' eyes widened as Adam looked up at Ozpin, frowning and nodding.
"I'll do it." The bull-Faunus repeated, completely serious. "I'll be Napa Merlot's Shadow... And I'll guard her with my life."
"Why?" Ozpin asked quietly. Adam did not even hesitate.
"Because she's my partner... And partners protect each other."
...
Adam looked down at Napa, like he was looking at her for the first time. She had been Ruby's age when she was forced into her father's experiments, when she had been forced to be something she wasn't.
Napa Merlot was no monster. She was a vertically-challenged genius with frizzy hair that pretty much exploded around her head when her ponytail was absent, a quirky little oddball. She had suffered, but the suffering did not consume her or envelope her in anger and hate.
That, Adam decided, actually hurt to think about. With all of the suffering she had endured at the hands of humans, she had never stopped believing in justice and peace - equality without subjugation, without fear. She was more animal than the average Faunus, but that somehow made her even more human...
Napa was what Adam should have been, as a member of the White Fang, and she saw the good in the man who had forgotten how to see the good in the world. That, Adam told himself, was the sort of peson who needed to be protected.
"Adam?" Napa asked, having noticed his gaze. Adam blinked behind his ribbon, and she smiled. "Popcorn me?" Adam rolled his eyes, grabbed a piece from the bucket, and threw it into the air, and she caught it with ease. There was a flash, and Adam deadpanned as Yang lowered her scroll while Blake smirked.
"Damn you, Blake." He muttered quietly. Napa raised an eyebrow.
"Adam, is something wr-?"
"No."
"... Are you s-?"
"Yes."
/\
When it was their turn to battle, Team AJCS went down to the locker-rooms and got ready to face a team from Haven, Team SAND. Amity Coliseum chose an icy wasteland and a savanna for their locations, and a whistle rang out from the commentators booth.
:Oh, you Haven kids are SO screwed now!: Anino Merlot grinned, and Port and Oobleck looked at him with deadpans. :Hey, sis! Kick some serious a-!:
:Mr. Elurra!: Port scolded, his brow furrowing. Ani blinked, then his face turned red as the audience laughed.
:Err, TAIL!: Ani corrected himself, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. :Yes, yes - tail! This is a family event, despite all of the violence and g-!:
:Ani!: Oobleck exclaimed, his eyes narrowing. Ani rolled his eyes.
:Fine, fine. Sorry...: The wolf-Faunus deadpanned heavily. Adam looked at Napa as the countdown for the fight began, frowning slightly. They stood on the wasteland side of the arena, and it gave him an idea.
"You know where you will be of the most help." Adam said to her quietly, and she blinked. Then, she looked down at her boots - at the cleats on the soles.
"Adam, I... I thought about hanging back and striking from a distance with my bow. The tactics people can use, I could get angry and-"
"Don't think about what could happen." Adam's eyes narrowed slightly, and she looked up at him. "Just realize that sometimes, there won't be a choice... And I've got your back, if you need me."
"... I f**king ship it." Sam announced, and the live feed automatically bleeping the curse. The match began, and Team AJCS charged into battle, each member pick an opponent to take on.
Adam blocked a strike from Susanna Albright's katars with Wilt before ramming his shoulder into her face and sheathing Wilt in Blush. When Susanna looked up, he fire Wilt out of Blush and smacked her in the forehead with the blade's hilt before catching Wilt as it bounced back. Susanna looked up, angered, and she raised her katars and fired the guns that were built into them. Adam spun Wilt to block the strikes and absorb the damage for his semblance.
:Yeah, whoo!: Adam cheered for the bull-Faunus, clapping excitedly. Port and Oobleck had pretty much given up and let him take over the commentary. :What an impressive display by Adam Taurus! What a swordsman, what a champ!: Adam scoffed, annoyed, then he returned to the fight. :Does anyone have a rock?! My sister's partner is being really rude, and I DO NOT APPROVE!:
Dora faces Nina Coast, a girl with a golden trident that could fire the two outer-prongs with cables, like grappling-hooks. Dora dodged the hooks and let them pass on either side of her, her eyes narrowed as she reached to her sides and grabbed the cables. Her aura glowed at her hands, the the girl let out a small yell as she whipped both cables at once. Nina yelped as her trident was sent flying up and out of her hands, and Dora whipped the cables to her left, sending the weapon away. Nina looked up, horrified, as Dora drew a grenade from her duffle-bag and smirked.
"Oh-ho-ho... You really are screwed, now."
:Go, Dora!: Ani cheered, pumping his fist. :You da bomb!: Oobleck looked up, absolutely annoyed.
:By the gods, so much old pop-culture... Jaune Arc, if you are still in the coliseum, I recommend that you evacuate immediately! This is too much!:
Sam was up against Daniel Grace, a ram-Faunus wielding an enormous club. However, Sam did not even draw his weapons and he dodged the club easily, practically bouncing circles around his opponent.
"Hey, Grace! You'd think you'd have more grace, huh Grace?!" Sam exclaimed rapidly as he moved, the huge boy missing all his strikes and growing increasingly frustrated, then Sam laughed as he got behind Daniel and hit all the pressure points on his back, dropping his aura down enough to knock him out. "It was fun, but I gotta run!"
:... Not gonna lie, that was actually pretty terrifying.: Ani admitted, his eyes wide. Port and Oobleck slowly nodded.
"One down, three to go!" Napa noted as she ran towards the wasteland, leading her larger opponent - Ace Mark, a flamethrower-wielding human. Dora's grenade went off, sending a paint-covered Nina flying out of the arena. "And another one bites the dust!"
"You're dead, squirt!" Ace shouted, annoyed. Napa looked back, smirking.
"Doubtful!" She told him, then she stopped short, her cleats gripping the ice, and she laughed cheerily as Ace slid past. "Oh, here we go! Fun times are here at last!"
:That's my Snow Queen!: Ani beamed, seeming proud. :Take him down, sis, IN THE NAME OF THE VERTICALLY CHALLENGED!: Napa looked up at her brother, irked.
"Really?!"
'He's gonna die.' Adam thought as he blocked Susanna's katars again and briefly looked over at his partner. Napa somehow performed a back-handspring on the ice to dodge a wave of fire, and she landed in a superhero-landing and drew her spear, looking up with a smirk.
"Getting distracted by your girlfriend?" Susanna asked mockingly, and Adam let out a shout of surprise as he was knocked to the ground. Susanna smirked, raising her katars. "She's cute, but if you keep checking her out during fights, it's gonna get you killed."
:F**K YEAH, IT IS!: Anino's voice screamed over the speakers, his curse getting bleeped-out. Port and Oobleck reacted anyway.
:MR. ELURRA!:
"Huh?" Napa's wolf-ears flicked, and she looked back and saw Adam on the ground. Her eyes widened, then she looked over at Ace and activated her weapon's whip-form. "I'm going to need to borrow you, for a second."
"What?" Ace asked, confused. Napa caught the boy around the waist with her whip and drove her cleats into the ice as she sharply turned. Ace shouted in surprise as he began sliding on the ice, and as Napa kept spinning, he found himself being lifted off of the ground and into the air.
"Here we go!" Napa shouted, then she pressed a button on her whip and sent Ace flying. Susanna was about to bring her weapons down on Adam, but she cried out in alarm as Ace slammed into her and they both went flying across the battlefield.
:WHOO! AWESOME JOB, SIS!:
"... What?" Adam asked, stunned. He looked over as Napa arrived on the edge of the tundra and collapsed her weapon into spear-mode, and through his ribbon, their eyes seemed to meet.
"Got your back." Napa teased, spinning her spear. Adam blinked, and Napa walked over and extended a hand. "Let's win this thing, partner." Adam took Napa's hand, and she pulled him to his feet and stood by his side as Susanna and Ace recovered. Sam and Dora watched excitedly as Adam slowly smiled down at Napa, then the two Faunus looked forward as their opponents stood. "How do you want to do this?"
"You remember that move we modeled after Blake and Yang's Bumblebee?"
"Which version? Tornado or Sirius?"
"We both agreed that Tornado was a bad idea. I'm talking Sirius."
"... Fine." Napa sighed, and Susanna and Ace blinked as Napa and Adam switched weapons. "I hate it, though."
"I know." Adam smirked, then he looked at Sam and Dora. "Buy us some time! Angry Archer!" Sam and Dora nodded, Sam drawing his crossbow as Dora drew a grenade.
"Hey, a**holes!" Sam shouted, grinning as his curse was bleeped over the speakers. "Over here!" Ace and Susanna made the mistake of looking over at them just as Sam fired his crossbow and Dora threw her grenade, and Sam's crossbow-bolt landed at Susanna's feet and froze her to the ground while Dora's grenade exploded with paint and blinded Ace. "Gotcha!"
"Now, guys!" Dora grinned, looking over at Napa and Adam. Napa rolled her eyes as she looped her whip around her own arm three times, gripping Wilt in her other hand, and she looked up at Adam as he gripped the handle of her weapon.
"Don't you dare let me go."
"Never." Adam assured, smiling, then he smirked. "Ready?"
"As I'll ever be." The wolf-Faunus replied nervously. Adam spun Napa around using the whip, her feet leaving the ground as the momentum picked up, and Napa looked up at Adam and nodded. "Now!"
Adam extended the whip, and Napa held Wilt out as she passed by Susanna and Ace. The force of the stike was so powerful that it knocked Susanna out of the ice, depleted her aura and Ace's, and sent the both of them flying out of bounds.
"Hang on!" Adam collapsed the spear and caught Napa out of the air as she flew back, and she looked up at him with wide eyes as the crowd roared with applause and cheers. Adam set Napa down, collapsing her weapon into its storage-form, and she blinked before grinning awkwardly.
"I, um... I'll go get your gun." She said, turning and walking over to the fallen half of her partner's weapon. She picked it up and Napa smiled, spinning Wilt before sheathing it in Blush. She looked back at Adam, and he blinked before shouting in surprise - he accidentally gripped the wolf-Faunus' weapon too tightly, and it had sprung into full size.
"Dude..." Sam smirked, walking up and nudging the bull-Faunus. "The gods are literally giving us real-world subtext. Why haven't you asked her out, yet?" Adam glared at him, irked.
"Shut up."
:YEAH, SAM! SHUT UP!:
In the locker-room, Napa sighed and stretched before sitting down on a bench.
"I am beat... And boy, do I have a headache." She commented, and her teammates looked at her. Dora was washing her face, Sam was fixing his hair, and Adam was sharpening Wilt. "Ani was shouting like a maniac... I was so focused on the battle and frazzled at the end, I have no idea as to what he was going on about."
"Nothing important." Adam said quickly. "Just your usual, average fight-commentary." Sam and Dora exchanged glances and shook their heads, sighing, then they smirked.
"... My knee!" Sam shouted, gripping his knee and cringing. "I think I sprained it! I can't fight, guys! I am WOUNDED!" Dora gasped and raised a hand to her heart.
"Oh, no!" She cried out dramatically. "My partner is hurt! I must stay behind to recover my aura so that I can heal him!"
"But what about the doubles-rounds?!" Sam asked, feigning being horrified. "Who will fight?!" The boy let out a dramatic gasp. "Oh, I know! Let's send Napa and Adam to the doubles-rounds!"
"Yes, let's!" Dora agreed enthusiastically. Adam and Napa blinked, then Napa slowly looked up at Adam.
"Um... Do you know anything about this?"
"Yes."
"Ah... Do I want to know?"
"Nope."
"Ah... Alright."
/\
Later that day, Sam and Adam were alone in the dorms. The girls were in the library researching for some project that was due once the festival was over, and since they were alone Sam looked over at his leader. Sam was bouncing on his bed, and Adam sat at his desk.
"Seriously, Adam..." He began, and Adam looked at him. "Anyone with a brain can tell that you have a thing for Science-Girl."
"I do not have a thing for Napa." Adam protested, crossing his arms. "We are teammates, partners."
"Dude, I can tell that you two are closer than you let on."
"Sam-"
"Adam." Sam stopped bouncing and placed his hands on his hips. "... Dora and I are dating. We've been together for years." At that, Adam blinked in surprise behind his ribbon. "I know what it's like, that initial denial. Girls are fucking terrifying... But Dora and I, what we got's the real deal - and I've got a feeling that it could be the same for you and Napa."
"... We are friends. Nothing more."
"Fine." Sam raised his hands in surrender, sighing. "Can't say I didn't try, pal. I just wanted to dance at your wedding."
"SAM!"
After a few minutes in silence, Sam was laying on his bed, and he looked over at Adam again.
"... She likes you, you know." The dark-haired boy spoke, and Adam blinked. "She's never said it, but it shows... That's where Dora's gone for real, Adam - she's trying to talk to Napa about this."
"Why?" Adam asked, annoyed. "Even if there was something there, it would be between Napa and I. Why are you meddling?"
"Well..." Sam sighed, closing his eyes. "Adam, you didn't know Dora and I before we knew each other. And you didn't know us before we were together... I was a criminal, a vigilante and a thief. And Dora, well-... She wasn't in a good place, Adam." Sam opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. "We were so broken inside... We needed help to put ourselves back together. We needed a win, or we would have destroyed ourselves." Sam looked over at Adam. "We were each other's biggest win. She's my world, my reason for getting up in the morning... Adam, buddy, you need something like that. You need a win, and so does Napa - and Dora and I look at you, and we know." Sam gave a small smile. "So please, just... Just give it a chance, okay? We're trying to take care of both of you, and we need you to let us."
"... Why do you care so much?" Adam asked, and Sam sat up. "We're-... We're only Faunus." Sam blinked, then his expression became forlorn as he stood and walked over to Adam.
"Stand up."
"Why?"
"Because I'm gonna hug you, you edgy jerk." Sam replied, shrugging. "Because I don't give a damn about what someone is, just about who they are. Because you're a person, and even though I don't really know anything about you, I don't think you've been told that enough." Adam blinked behind his ribbon, surprised. "Because you're kinda scary sometimes, but I think of you like an older brother, and family's family." Sam managed a light grin. "Because I love you, and Napa, and Dora - we're a team, we're friends, we're family... Because I need to know that you know that, Adam, and I need you to know I'd do anything for you guys."
"... Fine." Adam sighed, standing up, and Sam immediately hugged him. The hold was tight, and Sam rested his face on Adam's chest as he closed his eyes. Adam was still for a moment, then he slowly closed his eyes and hugged back. "I don't know if my little brothers are alive... But I'd be proud, Sam, if they were like you."
"God, I'm gonna cry!"
"Don't be so dramatic." Adam joked, opening his eyes, but he realized that Sam really was crying. Adam blinked, then he rested a hand on the back of the younger boy's head and closed his eyes again. "And please, don't cry... I'm not worth-"
"Yes, you are... Y-you are... Everyone's al-always worth it."
"Sam?"
"... I'm so scared that it'll happen again." Sam whimpered softly. "How Dora was, before... I-I can't let my guard down, again. I have to t-tell everyone..."
"Tell everyone what, Sam?"
"Th-they're... They're perfect."
/\
At the library, Napa hummed as she scanned the shelves. Finding a certain book, she grabbed it and pulled it free, only to gasp as she found Dora standing on the exact other side.
"By the gods, Dora!"
"Sorry." Dora said, but she obviously did not mean it. "... Napa, we need to talk." Napa blinked, then she raised an eyebrow.
"About what?"
"You and Adam."
"What about us?"
"Napa, you're brilliant. Don't play dumb." Dora set her book down and walked around the shelf to enter the aisle Napa was in and face her. "... You like Adam."
"No shit."/"No duh." Two voices spoke at once. Dora and Napa blinked, surpised, before looking around.
The owner of the second voice was no surprise - it was Neptune, standing at the end of the aisle, and he smirked even as a deadpanning Sun arrived and dragged him away. The owner of the first voice, sitting at a table just outside of the other end of the aisle, was Cardin Winchester and the rest of his team. The other three boys were looking at their leader like he had a death wish.
"Uh..." Napa raised an eyebrow. "What?" Cardin did not even look at her as he ripped another page out of his history textbook and began folding it into a paper-airplane.
"You heard me."
"... Let's talk someplace else." Dora suggested, smiling awkwardly. Napa rolled her eyes.
"Cardin, now would be a great time for you to try and kill me."
"Nah, it's better to let you suffer." Cardin smirked, throwing his paper-airplane. Napa deadpanned as Dora dragged her away.
Dora and Napa stood outside of the library. Dora had her hands on her hips, and Napa had her arms crossed.
"... You like Adam." Dora repeated, frowning. "And you need to go and get him, Napa."
"Dora..." Napa gave a soft laugh, shaking her head. "I can't focus on that, right now. My life is a mess. I have a lot I have to sort out before I can even think about that sort of thing, especially with someone like Adam." She looked down. "Guy is like the sort of person you bring home if you want to REALLY piss-off your parents."
"I think it's cute." Dora smiled, and Napa looked at her. "Come on, the mad scientist's daughter and the ex-terrorist. It's like something you'd find in a really edgy novel."
"Tch." Napa gave a light smirk. "I suppose it is..." She looked down, frowning. "But Dora, I can't. And even if I was interested in that sort of relationship with Adam, he's got his own agendas. He's like me - he has a lot he has to sort out, and he can't really move on until he does."
"... You could help him." Doda offered, and Napa sighed. "You could, Napa. I know it."
"How?" Napa looked up at her. "How, Dora?" Dora was silent for a moment, then she gave a tired grin.
"Because Sam and I are together, and that's what he did for me." She answered softly. "You didn't know me before I had Sam, Napa... I was such a disaster."
"Dora-"
"There's a reason why grenades are my only weapons." Dora spoke, and Napa blinked. "I used to have a gun... And Sam took it away." Silence fell between the two young women. Dora was still smiling, but Napa's face had fallen and her eyes were slowly tearing up. "So, Napa... When I say that I think you and Adam need this... I suppose you can call me a professional." Without another word, Napa stepped forward and hugged Dora, closing her eyes. Dora gently hugged back, humming softly. "Hey, now - it's okay. As long as Sam and I are together, it's all gonna be okay... Now, are you going to go and talk to Adam, or am I going to have to resort to desperate measures?"
"... I'll talk to him."
/\
Late that night, Adam went to the training arena to clear his head. Once he had finished blowing off steam, he began walking back to the Team AJCS room. As he walked down a particularly dark hallway, the hair on the back of his neck rose, and the bull-Faunus slowly stopped, frowning as he looked around in the dark.
"Who's there?" Adam asked quietly. A moment passed in silence...
"Hello, Adam." A voice greeted, and his eyes widened behind his ribbon. Calming himself down, he turned to see-
"Cinder." Adam glared, seeing some unsettlingly familiar faces. Cinder Fall, with Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black, stepped out of the shadows. "... I was wondering how long I would have to wait before our talk."
"I saved a dance for you, but you never arrived." Cinder smirked, resting a hand on her hip. "I was so disappointed, but I understand that you were occupied by your rabid little wolf." Adam's fists clenched at his sides.
"... What are you doing here?"
"You know why we're here, Adam - and I could ask you the same question." The leading woman replied, crossing her arms "What happened to your force of revolution? What happened to never betraying or risking your men?" Cinder raised an eyebrow. "Why did you leave the White Fang? Don't tell me it was that Belladonna girl, your student."
"So what if it was?" Adam's voice was as cold as ice. "... If you value your lives, I suggest that you leave Vale."
"Oh, Adam." Cinder cooed, approaching. Adam immediately regretted leaving his weapon in the locker room as she raised a hand to the side of his face. "Your time here has changed you. What happened to your passion? Don't tell me that it's all being directed towards the scientist's daughter."
"Shut up." Adam felt rage boiling up inside of him. Cinder wanted him for something. Was Banesaw not enough to keep the White Fang under her control? "I won't repeat myself again..." Adam grabbed Cinder's weist and forced her hand from his face, and she quickly pulled away and stepped back. "Leave Vale, or you will die."
"... Prove it." Cinder challenged him. "In a few days, this entire kingdom will be overrun with Grimm and White Fang - and I will be a fully-realized Fall Maiden." Adam's fists clenched. He remembered her plan, remembered it well... "When the two sides of this conflict finally clash, be sure that you are on the right one." With that, Cinder and her minions began to walk away.
"... I am." The bull-Faunus announced curtly, then he departed. Cinder paused, her eyes widening, then her eyes narrowed in anger.
"Very well... Desperate times call for desperate measures."
/\
Adam walked back to the dorms, deep in thought, so he did not even see his partner turning the corner. Napa, also deep in thought, yelped as they collided and ended up falling to the floor.
"Ah!"
"Sorry!" Adam grabbed her upper arms, lifted her up, and set her back on her feet. The two looked at each other, surprised, then Adam released her and cleared his throat. "So, um... I assume that Dora-"
"Yeah... And Sam-?"
"Yeah."
"... Why don't we give them the room, for the night?" Napa asked quietly. "We can figure something out." Adam nodded in agreement, and Napa smiled. "Want to go for a walk?"
"Sure." Adam awkwardly offered her his arm, and Napa hesitantly looped hers through it. The two departed, arm in arm, and side by side.
Napa and Adam eventually settled outside, in a corner of the school grounds. Their backs rested against a tree, and they could see the Forest of Forever Fall in the distance.
"... How long did you say you lived out there for?" Adam asked quietly. Napa gave a small shrug.
"A few months."
"Ah... There's a White Fang compound, out there. If you'd come there, they could have taken care of you." Adam blinked, then he frowned. "They weren't violent, yet - so why didn't you-?"
"I was scared." Napa admitted, and Adam blinked. "I was a freak, Adam. I... I didn't want to be seen that way."
"Oh." Adam looked down, then looked back at Napa. "But after, when Ozpin and his associates finished training you... Did you ever consider joining the other side of this? I mean, the White Fang?"
"... I'm my father's daughter, Adam. Part of me still thinks that his methods could have worked, but all of me agrees with the outcome he sought. They have to be stopped, because with the way they're doing things, nothing's ever going to get better."
"Oh."
"... Why?" Napa looked at Adam carefully, then she sighed. "You're considering going back to the White Fang, aren't you?"
"No, no... I was just wondering."
"Okay." Napa seemed a little wary, then she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "... I trust you."
"... But what if you knew that they were going to win? Would you side with them to survive?"
"Adam, I would rather die with my friends than live among murderers." Napa told him quietly, then she looked away. "Not that I have a choice. Ozpin and his people know who and what I am... If this ever became a real war, I'd be a bomb they'd drop on the baddies."
"You're a person, Napa. Not a weapon to be deployed - not with your knowledge, and definitely not with your Feral. You would be killed."
"Yeah... Not a weapon..." Napa looked up, giving a wry grin. "Just like you're not a sociopath."
"Hey!"
"Honesty!"
"Honesty? Well, you're a violent little Snow Queen!"
"Oi!"
"Taste of your own medicine."
"Jerk."
"Oh? You're descending into petty insults, now?"
"Yep."
"I hate you."
"No, you don't." Napa teased, and silence fell. Then, Adam chuckled quietly and shook his head.
"No, I don't." He agreed, then he noticed that Napa's jaw had dropped. "... What?"
"... You laughed." Napa whispered, and Adam blinked as she smiled. "It sounded nice." Adam blinked again, then he grinned and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"It felt nice... Now, let's get some rest - we've got a doubles-match to win, tomorrow."
"Right." Napa agreed, then she closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder, smiling. Adam looked down at his partner for a moment, then he sighed and closed his eyes as the shattered moon rose high above their heads.
Volume 3! :D
... Volume 3. 0_0
Well... Yeah... I don't really have much else to say.
Having flashbacks there, Ozpin?
Anino Merlot for Best Sports Commentator?
Damn, Sam and Dora?
What the Hell, Napa and Adam?
Go to Hell, Cinder?
Here we go, I guess?
... Did anyone notice my jokes with the attack-names?
Tornado, making fun of cows getting picked up in the cyclones?
Sirius, the dog-star? Putting a dog in the sky?
Angry Archer? Dora's been shown to have attitude, Sam's an archer, and I wanted to make a Transformers: Animated reference?
... Yeah, this chapter was a rollercoaster. That's all, I suppose.
I only own my OCs. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)