Breaking Remnant: Bound by Shadows
Rating: T/M
Series: RWBY
Pairing:
Volume 2: Summer
Summary: Aganju came to Beacon wanting to be treated as equal. Pyrrha wanted to be viewed as a normal girl. Neither of them expected to be that fate would have them meet. Now, they navigate the academy grounds and beyond, with secrets and danger awaiting them at every corner. The alternate timeline takes place just before the start of RWBY volume 1 and AU in the Breaking Remnant series. (Rewrite of RWBY: Shadows of Destiny)
Author's Note:
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY... that honor belongs to Rooster Teeth. I do own the rights to my OCs.
Chapter 6
Amity Colosseum, a large floating arena or stadium, sailed through the sky above Beacon Academy. The roars and cheers from the crowd were deafening as they observed and marveled at the many battles that would unfold for their entertainment and subsequent bragging rights. This was the pinnacle of the Vytal Festival, and the cries for victory would only grow as the first fight of the day concluded.
"...And with that, Team RWBY is victorious!" Professor Port announced from the commentator's booth. Proud of his young pupils, he and his partner Dr. Oobleck began to announce the rules to give the crowd and the combatants a chance to settle down from such an action-packed match. "Professor Oobleck, would you be so kind as to start us off?"
"DR!" the coffee guzzling professor corrected before nodding in agreement. "The rules are simple. There are three rounds in the tournament, the first being a 4 vs 4 teams round. The winners of that round may select two of their team members to fight in the doubles round, the victors of which may choose one representative to fight in the final 1 on 1 round. The remaining combatants will fight through a final round to prove a victor. There are no specific brackets for age or schooling; the only thing that is put to the test in the tournament is one's skill."
Port opted to give his colleague a chance to catch his breath.
"Contenders are knocked out of the battle by falling below an Aura threshold (15%) and/or by being knocked out of the fighting arena. Aura monitors can measure the aura of competitors as numerical values, which are made visible to spectators and competitors." he cheerfully announced. "With that said, we will take a 15-minute break before the next match commences."
"And just who is up next, my good friend?"
"Why that would be none other than Team BNNY from Haven taking on the enigmatic Team ASRE of Beacon!" Oobleck announced with enthusiasm.
"I'm sure it'll be a fantastic affair."
It'd been several weeks since the incident with Merlot, and most of the children had managed to recover enough from the ordeal. This was to be expected, seeing as they were skilled huntsmen-in-training. The only one who was uncertain was their leader, Aganju. After arriving back to campus, h had spent the majority of his time back in recovery, mostly mental.
Thankfully, Professor Peach was able to get through to some of the issues that plagued the faunus, citing abandonment issues as the root of his desire to prove himself. It would take more sessions, but, given his willingness, the good teacher was more than happy to clear him for competition as his physical wounds healed rather quickly upon his return.
Now, the team in question sat in the waiting room, gathering themselves for the battle ahead. Scylla and Roxanne were fine-tuning their weapons to make sure they were at their optimal settings. Esu calmly went over different strategies in his mind, both individual and team-related in hopes of maximizing his role to the fullest extent.
Lastly, there was Aganju who was clearing his mind of all distractions; he would thank Yatsuhashi for this idea later.
After the dance, he and the others worked diligently to increase their chemistry for the event with tremendous results. From his time spent prisoner and pushed to his natural limits under the eyes of a madman, Aganju made sure to keep his focus on the task at hand. Even when his brain would stray off to more... pleasant thoughts, he fought to push them back for the time being; there'd be time for that later.
"You ready, Fang?" he opened his eyes to find the ram Faunus with her hands on her hips.
"Ready as I'll ever be, Roxie."
"Are you sure?" the ram frown slightly at her partner. "It's okay if you're not 100% on all of this."
"I said I'm...!" he nearly shouted, stopping just short of a full-on outburst, bowing his head in. "S-Sorry... I'm just anxious to finally take out weeks of frustration on someone after everything that's happened. I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
"Good. We can't afford to take our competition lightly."
"Agreed," Esu nodded. "Their leader, Beverly may appear cute, but she can be a handful if you let her."
"Let's just fight our fight and stick to the gameplan," Scylla added, polishing her newly upgraded pistols.
Everyone nodded, each of them flashing a confident smile before sharing a moment to embrace. It was evident that no matter the challenge, the four had become like a true family. From fighting their first Grimm in the Emerald Forest to this point, they had a bond that wasn't easily broken.
"Would Teams BNNY & ASRE please report to the arena for the next match-up? The next battle will commence in 5 minutes."
"Alright," Aganju grabbed Ngaungis. "Let's do this."
"Welcome back everyone! This is going to be an exciting match-up, for sure!"
"That's right, Oobleck! With Haven's Team BNNY going up against Beacon's Team ASRE, we're guaranteed to have plenty of fireworks in this match-up."
Aganju, Scylla, Roxanne, and Esu stood in the middle of the arena as the crowd erupted with cheers and jeers alike. Across from them stood BNNY consisting of Beverly, a sword and shield rabbit Faunus, twins Nox & Nessa who both wielded chain scythes, and Yori, an archery expert. The eight remained still as the arena soon began to die down during the randomized terrain generator.
One by one, they all kept a close eye on the screens as the roulette spun over and over again. Eventually, it would begin to slow, drawing more anticipation than when it first started. The first of the screens soon ceased its motions revealing the first half of the terrain: Urban. On the other side, the second biome began to appear as well.
"It appears that Team BNNY will have the forest environment while ASRE will have to make do with the urban landscape! This is going to be interesting."
The countdown started.
3...
Aganju gripped the handle of his sword while Scylla cocked her dual pistols.
...2...
Team BNNY took their stances, eager to gain the upper hand as quickly as possible.
...1.
Esu and Roxanne readied themselves for the impending attack.
The alarm sounded off and the battle began.
Esu crashed his blade into Beverly's sword, struggling against the equally powerful hare. She flashed a knowing grin at the dragon Faunus. Seeing this, he raised a questioning eyebrow before the girl sprung on her feet, kicking him backward and opening him up for an attack from both of the fraternal twins, Nox and Nessa who appeared from overhead.
Tossing their chain scythes, Esu wasn't fast enough to lift Porunga in time to block the attacks, making him a sitting duck. Thankfully, Aganju's double-edged glaive was able to ward off the attack. Unfortunately, the impact was still hard enough to launch the brothers-in-arms into a pair of destroyed vehicles. Nox & Nessa giggled creepily before gliding and swinging their weapons.
"Damn... that was unexpected," Esu grunted, struggling to pull himself up. "Didn't think such frail weaponry could pack a punch like that."
"It's gravity dust..." Aganju exclaimed, tilting his head at the purple glowing chained kunai.
Both twins launched their assault again at the boys once more only to have the scythes bounce away harmlessly, courtesy of Scylla's quick thinking. Using earth dust, she was able to create smaller rock constructs that kept the two at bay while her partners recovered. Even better, her excellent aim would push back the pair while keeping Yori at bay in the trees.
"Stay focused! We can't have our tank getting blown out of the water!" she hissed, firing off several shots to keep the twins on the defensive. This allowed the duo to get themselves back together. "Are you two alright?"
Both boys nodded as they dusted themselves off. However, the feel-good moment didn't last as they both looked up to see a blinking arrow sailing toward them. Three pairs of eyes widened in horror as the glowing red arrow combusted in front of them, triggering a massive explosion. Everyone in the crowd gasped in shock and awe at the display, some even worrying for the safety of Team ASRE.
Team BNNY looked on with proud expressions as the flames built up around the area. Even the two professors stood up from their seats at the pure destruction that unfolded.
"Holy cow! Such massive power could result in the fastest victory in Vytal Festival history!" Oobleck raved in awe.
"I think you went a little too far with the fire Dust, Yori..." the lagomorph chuckled.
"Wait... What's that?"
Everyone in the arena looked in wonder as the silhouettes of the trio appeared to be four now. As the smoke and debris cleared, it turned out that Roxanne was the one standing in front of the three. With a sneer of her own, the ram began to wave off the effects of the blast, her smile growing larger by the second.
"Astonishing!" Oobleck called out. "It appears that Roxanne Octane has activated her semblance, Smeltery. For those who don't know, she can either increase or decrease the effectiveness of fire dust tenfold. While it may seem one-dimensional, but against enemies who use fire dust, she can reduce the power it packs to the levels of regular dust on the ground and even use her semblance to increase the fire dust she or her allies may use. It is the perfect balance of offense and defense."
The members of BNNY looked over at Yori who blinked blankly at the realization of Roxanne's ability and the disadvantage of the archer's arsenal; she only had fire dust based arrows. This realization only made things better for team AZRE who finally got their second wind from the sneak attack. The fox stepped forward, practically snarling to get back at the foursome.
"Burning rage?"
He smiled, flaring up his aura, and baring his canines.
"Burning rage..." he muttered, wiping the smudge from his face.
The pair looked over at Scylla and Esu who took their position. Esu, rolling backward twisting his body and gaining momentum while swinging Porunga. Scylla rushed toward him, leaping on the flat part of the massive blade just when he began charging his semblance. A few seconds later, the dragon launched his reptilian partner into the air as Team BNNY finally realized what was happening. Nox and Nessa tossed their chain scythes and even Yori began firing a volley of arrows, content that the serpent couldn't block the attacks from the air.
However, that hope was dashed when Esu lept in the air, blocking them with the great sword while reflecting the blinding rays of the sun on them. This left only Beverly who avoided the same fate due to raising her shield in time. Meanwhile, the rest of her team stumbled around trying to regain their bearings. Scylla took aim, firing off several ice and electricity bolts underneath their feet.
With the scattered shots, large shards of ice began to form a wall that closed in the stumbling opponents pushing them into a single file line. This was all Aganju needed as he and Roxanne charged straight ahead with blazing fury. Seeing her friends in danger, Beverly managed to hop in front of the two, blocking their imminent attack with her sword and shield respectively.
"Not. On my... Watch!" she grunted, barely managing to drive Roxanne back with a swipe of her sword. Aganju, seeing his friend knocked rearward, used the dust stored in his blade to flare up the weapon with a red hue as the bunny screamed. "I won't let you take them out...!"
"Who said THEY were the target?"
Beverly looked at her opponent with confusion.
Aganju responded with a sly grin before pushing off of the hare's defense. Now off guard, Beverly floundered back when she finally saw the logic for his gesture. Red dust scattered all around her as the fox twisted his body leftward of her position, kicking her sword from her hand. She didn't have time to contemplate his actions as she was pelted with various shots from Scylla's pistols.
With only her shield to defend most of the shots, more red dust began to appear like a cloud around the faunus, obscuring her vision. Fits of coughing and choking ensued, but Beverly continued stood her ground as she tried to make heads and tails of her surroundings. Unfortunately, the only thing she would see a growing silhouette coming closer at a blinding speed.
The smoke soon opened up revealing Roxanne who had dived in headfirst thanks to Esu hurling her through the use of his semblance. After connecting with a headbutt that sent Beverly back into her comrades like bowling pins, the lagomorph staggered about alongside her team. This would prove to be a mistake as, after the first blow, Roxanne had spun around, utilizing the momentum to launch herself, and channeled as much force as she could into the deciding blow.
Right hand cocked back, she activated her semblance once again to coat her punch in an explosive ball of flames. With a loud cry, she landed the punch, sending the hare sailing into her teammates with a ferocious velocity that wound up sending Team BNNY crashing into the barrier, knocking them all out in the process. The only image that remained was the heavily breathing Roxie, intricate dust designs glowing brightly like fireflies as she stood triumphant.
"With an explosive conclusion, Team ASRE will move on to the doubles round!" Professor Port announced over the intercom.
However, rather than the expected roar of the crowd, the arena began to fill with... boos and jeers.
This outcome was surprising to the group considering the majority in attendance were from the very kingdom they were representing. It truly showed the ugly side of the world as the four grabbed their weapons and began shuffling off, not bothering to even acknowledge the loud yet crystal clear jeers filling their ears.
"Filthy faunus!"
"Monsters!"
"Go join the White Fang!"
The threats were from random areas throughout, but, it was clear to the four Beacon students that they weren't wanted, even in spite of their being other faunus around and in the tournament. Though there were many who didn't necessarily agree with this display, the damage had already been done. No matter if it was Vale, Atlas, Vacuo, or Mistral, faunus were always judged as if the actions of a few represented them all.
None of it mattered though, it was something they'd all experienced individually and it was something that would hit them harder than any blow from their competition. After entering the tunnel, the group silently agreed to take a short break before deciding on their picks for the next rounds; each one going in separate ships to their intended destination.
Amongst the crowd, several eyes watched the team's exit; each having their own motives for doing so.
Concern.
Intrigue.
Deviance.
Empathy.
Even still, each member of Team ASRE had a measure of darkness that didn't go unnoticed by a select few. For Scylla, it was a crippling depression that ate away at her. Roxanne's eyes hid a conflicting nature that borderline on rage and fear. Esu's was probably the clearest to decipher as behind his silver eyes, there was a searing hatred brewing. Lastly, Aganju was the most difficult to place as, while there was indeed negativity, it was uncertain to what degree or place on the spectrum it currently resided.
Still, two pairs of eyes paid close attention to the fox as he disappeared inside the tunnel. One felt empathy while the other...?
I wonder...
Roxanne and Aganju were on the same ship but quickly split up once it touched down. It had been an awkwardly quiet ride although they made sure to stick by one another as they both noticed some of the supercilious gazes from some of the other citizens from the varying kingdoms. They were tough, but somehow, the patronizing stares seemed to cut deep for different. Upon departing, the fox and ram shared an understanding glance before going their separate ways.
Roxanne chose to go back to the dorms where she could lie down and rest up after a quick shower. The residue from her attack reminded her of her time working as a mechanic back in Vacuo. From the unrelenting region to the shady characters that lived there, every day was a fight for survival. She pulled off her huntress garments and stepped inside, letting the hot water hit her body, soothing her aching muscles.
Sadly, it did little to soothe her soul.
As she washed off the dirt and grime, her mind kept replaying the boos and jeers from some members of the crowd. It wasn't uncommon for her to experience discrimination but, there was one comment that pierced her intensely.
'Go join the White Fang!'
She clenched her eyes shut at the mere thought of that malicious group. Her auburn hair hung down to her midback, soaking wet but also clean as she grabbed a towel to dry off. She passed by a large mirror, hoping to wrap her hair up only to notice a glaringly obvious truth. On either side of her head, two spots were mostly devoid of horns, the evidence of her ram bloodline.
Fiery orange orbs widened in terror as Roxanne felt herself being thrust back to that horrific day. The day that she tried to forget suddenly reappeared, replaying the imagery of her unfortunate fate at the hands of the creatures that humiliated her. Her shrieks of pain echoed in her ears until they became too much to bear and she rushed out of the bathroom only to bump into someone, dropping her towel in the process. It didn't matter though as her team's room was next door.
Nude and trembling, Roxanne felt the stinging hot drops of her pain begin to form along the rims of her eyes. She curled up on her bed in an attempt to hide from the past that haunted her but found no reprieve from the nightmare that she was forced to live every day.
"Hello?" a soft voice penetrated the room, silencing the mental torture. Roxanne looked up to see two girls entering the room with looks of worry on their faces. It was Blake and Yang, the latter being the one Roxanne had bumped into only moments ago. "You um... dropped your towel..."
"Oh... Thanks." she sniffed, avoiding eye contact with the two.
"Are you okay?" This time Blake spoke up. "You appeared to be in a hurry just now."
"I'm fine... Thanks for askin'."
The blond looked at the girl's state and motioned for Blake to shut the door to which she obliged. The Faunus blinked back the last remnant of tears as the two sat across from her. Before she could inquire further, Blake cleared her throat.
"We heard some of the things that were said after your match..." her typically monotone voice spoke up. "...we stopped by to check up on you after you guys rushed out of the arena."
"Oh... so the humans care now?" she fired back coldly, making even Yang Xiao-Long cringe a bit. "I appreciate your concern, but I don't want your pity."
Being the hot-head of the pair, Yang was about to reply only to be stopped by the extended arm of Blake. The raven-haired girl then reached up, tugging at the ribbon on her head until it fell into her lap, revealing something that made Roxanne swallow her words. Instead of a verbal retort, the ram found herself greeted by twitching cat ears and a small grin.
"How about someone who understands?" the catgirl inquired.
"And someone who's willing to listen?" the blond added.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes the first round of the tournament! We hope that you enjoy the fairgrounds and be ready for more action tomorrow morning at 10 am sharp!" Oobleck's highly caffeinated tone rang over the loudspeakers.
Eventually, the sun had nearly completed its descent over the kingdom of Vale. Whether in the city or on the campus of Beacon Academy, the indulgence of pleasure and glee encompassed every square inch of the nation. Even the members of AZRE had managed to have their moods lifted.
Blake & Yang had managed to break through Roxanne's defenses, having her open up about her past which created a link between the three. Earna was busy playing games and winning prizes alongside Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee, the former of the two crying about losing while Weiss cheered them on. Zaffre had gotten lost in the moment with Scarlet, the pair getting rather close ever since introducing themselves earlier.
However, a particular fox was absent during the revelries.
[Beacon Cliff]
Emerald Forest; The place where it all began for one Aganju Umbrae who sat on the edge of the cliff that overlooked the venue for his initiation. Ever since the conclusion of his team's bout, the vulpine decided to stay away from others as he collected his thoughts. Even in spite of his stomach groaning for food, his mind held a stronger grip on his actions. His eyes watched the sun fade with emotionless eyes. Surprisingly, he wore his hood over his head, keeping his faunus ears hidden, not that it mattered when he also had a limply hanging tail.
He was away from the crowds, the people, the haters of his kind. That was all that mattered. As he sat there in solitude, all Aganju could think about was the comments being hurled at him and his team.
Filthy faunus!
Monsters!
Go join the White Fang!
He tried to fight through it; any thought would do. Sadly, the cruel hatred that spawned after their victory was all that filled his head. He remembered how some of his own kind had looked at the section from where the hate speech originated and how they were relatively uncomfortable. He even recalled the gloom that settled over his friend's heads as they took the seemingly long walk back to the locker room.
All of that led to the fox sneaking off and remaining hidden for the rest of the day.
But, like most things, Aganju knew that this couldn't last forever.
Given his sensitive ears, he picked up the sound of footsteps shuffling against the grass. While he expected to be found by someone at some point, he didn't recognize the scent of the figure approaching him. With the light nearly gone, he still could barely make out the figure other than they had a feminine shape. Even with his ability to see in the dark, it didn't help him to ascertain the identity of the mysterious woman.
"Who's there?"
The woman raised her hand summoning a fiery orb that she hurled at him. Aganju jumped out of the way of the flaming projectile, landing in some nearby bushes.
"What the hell?!" he growled, clutching Nguangus. In anger, he began thrusting with the weapon which the woman gracefully dodged as if it was child's play. No matter the attack strategy, Atsura just couldn't manage to land a blow on the strange woman. "Hold still, dammit!"
He spun around to avoid a roundhouse kick only to turn into an elbow that. As he shook off the hit, he wound up getting caught into a flying knee that knocked him on his ass. Dazed and disoriented, Atsura slowly rose to his feet while the woman stalked closer to him, her hand once more ignited. Interestingly, the fire began to solidify into a blade, glowing with brightly lit embers.
Aganju, thinking himself to be disoriented, grabbed his weapon and separated it into its dual-blade form.
He rushed at the unknown woman, using both blades to throw her off. This did little to help though as she expertly countered and blocked every blow he threw. Despite his strength, the woman appeared unphased by his attacks. Exhaustion began to set in on the faunus and the woman took advantage of this by flashing a blazing gaze before ducking a diagonal swipe with a kick to the stomach.
Towering over his roughed up form, the unknown figure stalked closer with her blade drawn, prepared to strike but stopped short when she heard multiple footsteps approaching, forcing her to retreat into the wooded area.
"Aganju!"
"You've grown..." the figure hissed with eyes burning toward the recovering Atsura.
The fox-boy groaned as he stood up on shaky legs with small embers surrounding him. The footsteps grew louder, revealing three figures whom he recognized.
"He's over here!" the first voice was clearly that of Jaune Arc.
Following close behind him, Pyrrha Nikos immediately rushed past the swordsman to embrace the staggered Atsura. Behind them all, Professor Ozpin appeared more concerned about the miniature spots of flames flickering nearby.
"Are you alright?" Ozpin asked, adjusting his glasses.
"I'm fine..." Aganju dusted himself off. "What are you guys doing here?"
"We were worried about you ever since your team left the arena. We've been looking for you ever since the end of your match. We were lucky enough for the Professor's help," Jaune smiled.
Aganju simply stared at the three once Pyrrha pulled away from him, feeling a bit guilty now that his anger had subsided.
"I'm sorry for worrying you all..."
"Think nothing of it. However, it seems that you weren't completely alone. Perhaps you three should head back to the school? You all certainly need your rest for the doubles round, you know."
All in agreement, Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, and Aganju Umbrae bid the headmaster goodnight before departing down the pathway leading back to the campus. Once they were completely out of sight, Ozpin hardened his gaze as he observed the now dying embers. His mind began working into overdrive. He looked out over the starry sky, sensing something was amiss before receiving a call on his Scroll.
"What is it?"
"Oz... We need to talk..." the voice sounded annoyed yet had a lazy tone. "It's about the Queen."
"Very well, I'm on my way to the office."
Closing the device, the headmaster of Beacon spares the landscape one final glance before walking away, leaving the tiny sparks to disappear on their own. Interestingly, instead of completely flickering out, the spots abruptly faded completely as if they never existed, to start with. The mysterious figure slowly emerged from the shadows once the coast was clear.
She scanned the area before choosing to return to Beacon Academy with a contemplating look. Dark black hair and lit eyes were aflame.
"Intriguing..."
[Beacon Dormitory]
After getting back to Beacon, Jaune split off once he noticed Weiss & Scylla nearby in an attempt to 'woo' the two girls who were relaxing in the common room. This left the pair to head upstairs to their dorms in uncomfortable silence for a bit before they arrived on their floor. However, while it was expected for them to go off into their respective rooms, Aganju found it interesting that Pyrrha continued on with him upstairs to his team's quarters.
Even more intriguing was when he saw that she didn't seem to notice or care that they did.
"Uh... Pyrrha?"
"Yes?"
"Did we just pass your room a little while ago?" he raised an eyebrow.
"It would appear that way..."
"Then why...?"
"I'm not going to bed until I'm sure that you're okay."
Aganju had no true argument as she ran a hand through his coal-black hair. When they arrived, the pair simply sat on his bed, neither really saying much for another few seconds. The silence was smothering for them as the friends couldn't even summon the courage to look at one another. It wasn't until after some uncomfortable shifting that the pair's hands touched one another's.
"Sorry..." Pyrrha whined softly, immediately pulling her hand into her lap. She was grateful that he didn't notice her blushing or she might've rushed out of the room at that very moment. Still, she figured this was as good a time to address the elephant in the room; the very reason she was even here in the first place. "Aganju?"
"N-no problem."
"What's bothering you?"
"It's nothing..."
"Aganju? You know that you can tell me anything."
He bit his lip, a sign of his shield cracking. It was one thing to hide his feelings and thoughts from others, but, there was a small handful that he couldn't deceive. In light of that, Pyrrha was essentially at the top of that list, the others being Ozpin, Glynda, and Roxanne. Oh, how he dreaded having to share something with them, especially now.
"I know... It's not something that I like to talk about, Pyrrha."
"I'm really sorry..."
He looked over at her with a perplexed expression.
"What? Why are you apologizing for?"
"I heard what the crowd said during your match," she spoke up. "It was foul and disgusting. You and your team didn't deserve those cruel insults!"
Slowly, Pyrrha's eyes began to water while she gripped her skirt, showing signs of her calm facade breaking. This was the first time he'd seen his friend in such a position, and he didn't like it. The slight trembling soon after made him feel guilty, despite not being the cause for her feeling this. In his eyes, Pyrrha was taking on the weight of other's crimes, even when that wasn't necessary.
"But, you didn't make those comments though," he quickly stood up, fixing his eyes on his friend. "It's just..."
"Just what, Aganju?!" she cut him off, finally dropping the proverbial shield. "When we first met, you were this quiet and mysterious upperclassman. Even more, you weren't even threatened by my reputation after it was revealed. You knew little about me and yet, you've become one of my closest... friends. I never once cared that you were a faunus, you were my first friend here at Beacon, but I feel like I'm staring at a stranger right now."
Guilt washed over Aganju while he watched Pyrrha begin to shiver after sharing her thoughts. With his stomach in knots, the vulpine returned to his spot on the bed. Hearing her soft sniffles, he hesitantly pulled her into a light hug. It was completely foreign for him to show this side of himself, but for Pyrrha, it was worth it. She silently cried for a few minutes while her friend just remained there, allowing her to do so.
Her sorrow seemed to integrate with his soul, coiling his very core with a vice silence allowed the two to communicate in a way that few had been able to comprehend, let alone experience.
"I'm sorry..." he whispered with clenched eyes. "I didn't think you'd be so hurt from my actions, but I'm so sorry."
The depressing air around them steadily began to lift and evaporate after his plea. Aganju rubbed her arm, missing her slight grin due to her ponytail hiding most of her face, but he could feel that her mood was lifting as well. Combine this with her hearing his heartbeat, and Pyrrha could swear she was feeling his energy flow into her.
"If it makes you feel any better, I feel much better after saying all of that." she giggled.
"I'm glad you did," he chuckled. "I think it made me feel a little better too."
"Agan? What's been bothering you?"
The faunus hated how adorable she sounded using her nickname for him but, he wouldn't fight the warm feeling he got this time. Sighing, he allowed a soft grin, one not completely devoid of emotion yet, still lingered with pain.
"Honestly? Those insults reminded me of my past, back at Argus," Pyrrha pulled away from the boy just enough to see the sad smile on his face. "While at Sanctum, I was an orphan; a monster. I never got to celebrate any accomplishments with family. The closest thing to a friend I had? She ditched me for being 'weak'. I didn't have love or adoration, only condescendence, and rejection. I was told that I was allowed into Sanctum only as a charity case. My own mother left me to die... It's a wonder that I didn't turn into those villains you'd find in one of Blake's books."
Pyrrha was stunned upon hearing Aganju share his story. The more he revealed, the more she truly understood the parallels between them. For every memory of her receiving praise from her peers and others, he would be dismissed and shunned. Where she would find eyes filled with awe, he'd get nasty looks full of prejudice. Where she was predicted to be hero, he would be viewed as nothing more than a leech and a blight.
By the time he finished explaining, Pyrrha Nikos felt a new wave of respect for the fox.
"Do you know what I think?"
"What's that?" he chuckled inquisitively.
She placed her hand over his own, feeling the tiniest of sparks from the contact.
"I think you and I would've been good friends back then had we met earlier."
"I was considered a troublemaker growing up. You'd probably get into a lot of mishaps hanging around me."
"Then, it looks like I would be your willing accomplice."
Seeing her bright smile, Aganju couldn't help but feel his pulse hasten. In spite of that, he nodded in agreement, though he couldn't withstand the urge to chuckle again, this time to combat the excitement sneaking up his spine. Pyrrha noticed this sudden shift in tone and gasped in shock.
"Sorry!" He laughed at her embarrassing response, earning his an irritated glare from the girl shortly after. "What?"
"Nothing!" he snickered. "You just look cute when you're embarrassed."
"So, you think I'm cute?"
Immediately, the faunus ceased his laughter after hearing her tone drop to a more sultry variety, nearly choking on his spit from the question. Even his dark brown cheeks gave into a bright shade of red while his tail stuck up in shock.
"W-What?! I... I mean..."
This time, Pyrrha erupted in a fit of hysterical giggling much to his dismay.
Once she calmed down, Pyrrha leaned in and gave him a kiss on his burning cheek before standing to leave. However, just as she was about to exit the room, she looked back to see the boy with a goofy grin on his face and his tail now wagging slowly as a result. When he was able to regain his composure, Aganju noticed that she flashed a beguiling glance in his direction.
"I must admit, I think you're cute too," she smiled brightly before resuming her departure. "Goodnight, Agan!"
"Night, Pyrrha..."
The remainder of the night saw the two, respectively, lying in bed staring out of the windows. Neither planned for their earlier encounter, but they wouldn't complain either. Soon the two would turn over to get some rest for the next day's trial. While they slept, however, they had no idea that they were being watched from a distance.
Two pairs of crimson eyes looked over the teens, one with curiosity while the other, a mere bird cawed its own disapproval before flying off into the night, neither knowing of the other's existence, let alone intent. The identities of their stalkers would remain a mystery, but those would be solved at some point, one sooner than later.
As the fowl slipped away into the night, a young girl made her way back to the dorms where she was initially stationed for the duration of the Vytal festival.
She's officially on the list.
