Chapter 3: And By My Shoulder Protect Thee

4 Days Later

Kaede looked out the window, watching Aiko train with Thogrom with wooden staves, she was soaking up the basics like a sponge.

Kaede often wondered where this drive to help people came from, it didn't make sense to her, because with the exception of the Super Saiyan Diclonius, no one had tried to help them when they were suffering, why should she help people who wouldn't help her, and why would she want to?

3 Days Later

Unable to bare it any longer, Kaede voiced her confusion, and Aiko answered her. "Because if you don't help someone who needs it, and then they don't help you when you need it, you can't be mad at them, and if they do help you when you didn't help them, that makes them better than you." Aiko paused and let this sink in.

"So what if no one helped me when my own father tried to kill me, if I leave people to suffer the way I suffered, then I'm no different than the people back home, and I'm not going to be like that." Aiko proclaimed.

Kaede was completely shocked by the simple answer, and cast her gaze down in shame. "...So...I'm just like them..." She mumbled to herself, causing Aiko to rethink her words.

"N-NO! uh, it's just...maybe they weren't like them?" Aiko threw out, causing Kaede to look at her in confusion.

"Well, what if everyone who ignored our problems did so because they had problems of their own...or when they were our age no one helped them out either?" With Aiko's explanation, Kaede looked even worse, and Aiko could guess why.

"You hated them, I know, I did too, I felt like if they weren't going to do anything about my problems, they shouldn't even exist, that's why I'm doing this, so no one thinks that of me." Aiko declared.

That night would not be pleasent for Kaede.

She dreamt of a Faunus child coming from the woods and butchering her family, proclaiming that she had no right to live in peace while he suffered, this dream would be followed by the memories of when she herself had done the exact same thing to people who had never wronged her, she always believed that was because she never gave them the chance.

But worst by far was a dream of a silhouette of a woman that she knew to be Salem, enduring everything she did, and more.

The Super Saiyan Diclonius didn't rescue Salem, and Aiko was shot in front of her, she surrendered to Kurama in exchange for medical attention, but Aiko perished regardless, and because Aiko had killed her father in self defense, Kurama mistook her as a murderer and was shameless in her death.

Everything Kaede would've become, she saw as what Salem did become.

The Next Morning

Aiko had finished tying her shoes and grabbed her staff, ready for another round of training, when Kaede approached her. "...I'm coming with you."

Aiko smiled at her. "You know that you don't have to, right?"

"I'm still not sure about putting my life on the line for others, but I've been on my own for too long, so if this Salem wants to take everything I hoped for, then I'll...stop her." Kaede proclaimed, correcting herself before she could give away her past self, a past she knew that she would have to use against Salem.

1 Month Later

Aiko had put the basics behind her, twirling her sparring staff like she had owned it for years, it only took three strikes to disarm Kaede who held her hands up in surrender.

The two were drawn to the sound of slow clapping from Thogrom, who was approaching them along with Ingrid. "Excellent work girls, you are ready for the next stage of your training."

This caused the girls to look at each other in confusion, and then back to their father. "B-but Kaede still hasn't gotten the hang of staff fighting yet." Aiko stated.

"That won't be necessary, from now on Kaede will fight with this..." Thogrom started handing Kaede a much smaller training staff that was less than half the length of her old one. "...And her vectors."

This shut down Aiko's next complaint about Kaede having to work harder, and gave Kaede a complaint. "ARE YOU SERIOUS!? She can't fight my vectors with a staff!"

To this Thogrom nodded to Ingrid who approached Aiko and knelt before her, placed their foreheads together, and spoke.

For it is the Harsh Winter that forges strength, and in solitude that we achieve enlightenment, and as you leave my cold solitude for warmer climates, I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee.

From Ingrid's first word to her last, a bright blue glow enveloped Ingrid, spread to Aiko, before fading from Ingrid and growing darker, almost purple.

Ingrid stood up while Aiko and Kaede continued to gawk at the dark blue energy that surrounded Aiko.

"It's your Aura." Ingrid said, shocking the girls even further.

"Kaede will get hers after she helps Aiko unlock her Semblance." Thogrom added.

"Any further complaints?"

3 Months Later

Winter was upon them, and Kaede was looking forward to her first real Christmas, but that didn't stop their training.

Aiko may not have unlocked her Semblance yet, but she didn't seem to need it, her Aura made her stronger, faster, and she could take ten lethal attacks from Kaede's vectors before her Aura reached the red zone.

Aiko was coming at Kaede as hard as ever in an unrelenting barrage, her speed and strength taxing Kaede's vectors more than gunfire, and her Aura also allowed her to anticipate Kaede's counterattacks in spite of her vectors being invisible to eyesight.

Kaede used a recently adopted tactic, letting one of Aiko's swings at her vectors go through to be blocked by Kaede's own practice staff, which she wielded like a sword and striking with her vectors simultaneously.

Aiko felt the attack coming at her and, with her enhanced strength, cleared Kaede's striking range in a single, backwards, leap.

Kaede decided to take advantage of the freshly fallen snow that surrounded them, flinging it at Aiko with all four vectors.

Kaede then struck her vectors to the ground with enough force to launch herself like a rocket towards Aiko.

Aiko threw up her staff as she felt Kaede's approach, Kaede positioned two vectors to block the attack and prepared to strike with the other two.

CRACK!!

Kaede was sent flying with such force that she crashed through a tree and would've splattered against a bolder if she hadn't been using her vectors to absorb the impact, leaving four handprints imbedded in the bolder as she slid down wheezing.

"...aede...KAEDE!!" Aiko shouted as she ran up to her. "KAEDE ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?!?"

"...Uhhh..I think s- KYAA!!" Kaede tried to get up, but when she tried to move her arm, she cried in pain.

"WHAT HAPPENED!?" Ingrid cried out as she and Thogrom arrived.

"I DON'T KNOW! W-WE WERE JUST SPARRING LIKE NORMAL, AND THEN I STRUCK HER AND- SHE SHOULD'VE BLOCKED IT! I-I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!!" Aiko shouted hysterically.

"Calm down Aiko, it's all right, now, was anything different about this attack?" Ingrid asked as Thogrom saw to Kaede.

"Sh-she threw snow in my face, a LOT of snow, but that's it." Aiko explained, causing Ingrid to pause and think, before pointing to the bolder Kaede landed on.

"Aiko, could you try to lift this for me?" Ingrid asked, causing both girls to look at her like she was crazy.

"Uhh, I don't think my Aura gives me that kind of strength." Aiko said, taking two steps back.

"Your Aura might not, but I think your Semblance will." Ingrid smirked confidently, and suddenly the pieces fell into place.

"M-my Semblance..." Aiko echoed looking at her hands as though she expected to see some visible difference.

Ingrid and Kaede moved out of the way as Aiko approached the bolder and put her hands on it.

She placed her hands underneath the snow and wormed them beneath the bolder and started to lift with her legs grunting with the effort.

The bolder shifted only slightly, but enough to make Kaede believe that she was stronger than normal.

Suddenly, Ingrid aimed her staff at Aiko and shot her with Ice Dust, before Kaede could be shocked by this, Aiko flipped the bolder on reflex like a cheap coffee table, shattering the ice that imprisoned her in the process, before wrapping her arms around herself and staring at Ingrid with shock, confusion, and a hint of anger.

"I'm sorry dear, but it would appear that you've found your Semblance, enhanced strength based on your body temperature."

Aiko's anger melted away as she realized that she just flipped a giant bolder that weighed at least a ton. "I-I did it, I found my Semblance, ooohhhh..." Aiko looked at Kaede regretfully.

"Oh no no, Th-this is just Karma, I-I hurt someone when I unlocked my vectors too, I had it coming." Kaede said, rubbing the back of her head with her good arm, tip toeing around the details of how she hurt people.

"Well, I'm sorry either way, but it helps to know that you don't hold it against me." Aiko said, smiling nervously and rubbing her arm that held her staff with her free hand.

"Absolutely not, if anything, I'm sorry that I won't be able to get you back for awhile." Kaede said, gesturing to her broken arm.

"Actually, you'll be sparring again sooner than you think." Thogrom said, causing Kaede to look at him, confused, until he knelt down and placed his forehead to hers.

For it is in the Darkness that Shadows cannot reach you, and as you now stand ready to put aside the Void's protection and face the Light, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee.

From his first word to his last, a pitch black energy emanated from Thogrom, passed on to Kaede, before fading from Thogrom and brightening to a light pink.

Kaede looked at the Aura on her hands until it faded from sight, shocked at how much stronger she felt, just from seeing it.

"Your arm should be healed up by morning, until then, I guess you'll have to learn how to eat with off hand for the night." Thogrom said as the family headed home for the evening.

Author's Note:

So, Aiko has her Semblance and Kaede has her Aura, and yes Kaede is getting a Semblance as vectors are a Diclonius thing just like how Faunus can see in the dark.

After seeing the third episode of Volume 6, I see a lot of Manga Lucy when I look at Salem, who else?

What did you all think of the speeches for awaking Aura, too cheesy, not cheesy enough, comment down below.

Speaking of comments, special shout out to Guest for dropping the first comment on this FanFic (if there are others, I apologize, the app's been getting screwy with me lately)

I'm keeping their main hands vague intentionally, because, as a lefty, tend to envision characters as left-handed and I wanted to give that freedom to my readers.

As I may have mentioned in my last story, I'm an action addict, however, if there's a popular demand for me to slow down and focus on Kaede and Aiko's family life before they go to Beacon, I suppose I can squeeze a Slice of Life chapter in, comment below and I'll see you next time.