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Act II

Scene 19:

Reward

A/n: Holy shit

8 reviews in one day?

For one chap?

Thanks, makes me feel all tingly inside.

Or that's the unicorn tears.

Either way, here you go. The third part of the Introduction Arc.

Enjoy


Yang pov

The four of us, me, Weiss, Nora, and Ren, had all been called up to the Headmaster's office after breakfast through our scrolls. Right now, we were standing there in the clock tower, waiting nervously for him to address us.

He was standing with his back turned toward us, looking out the large window, occasionally taking sips from his mug.

What could he want? I thought nervously.

We were supposed to just receive a more extensive tour of the school, followed by registering for classes. That was supposed to take up the whole week before the Induction ceremony at the end after the second wave of initiates went through Initiation.

Did we do something wrong? I wondered Are we in trouble?

Did we fail? I considered.

I couldn't see how, I thought we did everything we were supposed to. But, then, we weren't supposed be here.

Professor Ozpin let out a loud sigh, shaking me out of my thoughts. He finally turned toward us with a blank look on his face.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why you're here?" He said.

"D-did we do something wrong, Professor?" Weiss inquired

"No." He said with a shake of his head. "No, you did nothing wrong at all."

Then he paused again, taking a sip from his mug.

"Do you know why Beacon has such rigorous entrance standards?" He asked with a questioning brow.

We all looked at each with puzzled faces, wondering where he was going with this. Finally, Weiss decided to answer him.

"Because Beacon only accepts the best, trains the best, and produces the best." She suggested, wary, but confident in her answer.

"Hmm…that is one of the reasons, yes, and that is the standard answer used today, but it isn't the primary reason why." He responded thoughtfully.

At that, Weiss grew a frown on her face as her looked turned pensive.

"Then, why does Beacon have such strict entrance requirements?" Nora asked curiously.

"Beacon has such strict entrance requirements due, primarily, to one fact…" He began, walking over to his desk.

"Most all Huntsmen and Huntresses at this academy would rather you have your dreams crushed, than your lights extinguished." He intoned darkly as he reached his desk.

He placed his mug down on the table with a clack that rung out in the dead silence his statement had caused.

"We only accept the best, not specifically because we only want the best to pass, but because only the best can pass. Becoming a Hunter is dangerous, and being one, even more so. If we allow anything less than the best to go out into the world, filled with confidence and pride, then they would be slaughtered" He explained.

"As there was yesterday." He finished as he picked up an active scroll from his desk.

And with that, the temperature in room plummeted. I could feel my blood run cold as I silently recoiled in shock.

"What." I managed to whisper out.

In response, Ozpin sighed, glancing away before returning his gaze toward us.

"The Initiation has always intended to be a trying trial for hopeful initiates. Something that would discourage the weakest, and highlight the most capable. It seems that yesterday's Initiation was...a bit too successful. Tragically so, in fact."

"What happened?" Weiss asked worriedly.

"A massacre. A large number of the initiates that entered the forest that morning are either dead or missing. Even more are injured and in the hospital. Only a handful made it out unscathed." He bluntly answered with a blank look.

"Physically or mentally." He added with a frown.

Then he directed his attention to the scroll in front of him, interacting with it for some unknown purpose.

"A-are you saying we got lucky? That we managed to escape a massacre just because we were fortunate enough to get there first?" I asked, my dread growing.

I couldn't help but be reminded of my dream last night. Of my nightmare.

I could hear a little voice in the back of my mind send a shiver down my spine as it whispered, Looks like you managed to cheat death again. It's only a matter of time, though, before you finally have to pay up.

At my question, Ozpin shook his head

"Luck? No. That, Ms. Xiao-long, was something you all earned. It wasn't something the universe decide to give to you on a silver platter. You worked hard to get there, and showed a great deal of potential and talent to do so." He argued.

"And I think you all should be rewarded for your efforts." He announced with a small smile.

"Rewarded?" Weiss questioned, surprised.

"Yes. You in particular, Ms. Schnee, have earned it. So, congratulations..." He began, handing the scroll in his hands to Weiss.

"Team Wyvern." He finished

Weiss, with a puzzled frown, graciously took the scroll from him, and read out the contents on the screen to us.

"It says: Team WYVR (WYVERN)" She read off

"Members: Weiss Schnee, Nora Valkyrie Yang Xiao-Long, Lie Ren"

"Leader:…" And with that, she paused, her eyes widening and her jaw going somewhat slack.

"Weiss Schnee" She finished, stunned

Weiss continued to stare at the scroll. Then, ever so slowly, a smile crawled onto her face. But there was…an edge…to the smile, and edge that had no place on the normally well-mannered face of the heiress. There was a look in her eyes, one that held an air of familiarity.

One that reminded of my lost sister, and the look that promised many sleepless nights.

I could tell from looking at her. I could tell from being well versed in them myself. Her mask was slipping, giving us a peak behind the sweet, perfect, well mannered, heiress. A peek behind the nice human that society accepts, and a glance at the ugly truth underneath.

And as her own mask slipped, I could feel mine slip as well. As I saw that familiar look on her face, I remembered when I saw that same look on my precious baby sister's face for the first time, the look that had no place on her young form. I could feel myself slip back into that oh so vivid memory.

"It's okay Yang, I educated them." I could hear her say.

I could feel myself getting immersed in the memory

"They understand now."

I could feel it threaten to consume me, to shatter that carefully crafted mask I wore.

"They understand the truth."

So, I pushed back. In an effort to preserve that mask of mine that kept me safe and sane, I pushed back.

I forced myself to act, to move, to do something in accordance with my mask.

"Nice going princess!" I said with a cheerful smile as I gave her a powerful and congratulatory pat on the back.

The vibrant, teasing actions I performed I had done so frequently, and so convincingly over my life, it almost came naturally.

Almost.

Still, the shock of it knocked Weiss out of her little power-crazed stupor, and gave me the nudge I needed to knock my mask back firmly in place. Once again, just for a little bit, I could forget about my lost, hollow, little sister, and focus on the accomplishments of now.

After all, we had done it. We had passed, and apparently with flying colors. We had all made it out safe and sound, and we were being rewarded for our actions even. I just needed to look on the bright side.

And forget about the blood it was built on.

After my pat on the back, Weiss went from pleased, to indignant, and began to level a mildly irritated glare at me for my nickname for her. She was stopped when Ren spoke his piece.

"Good job Weiss, you earned it." He said with a small, sincere, smile.

In response, she closed her eyes, letting out a breath, before smiling again. This time it was more…serene, relaxed, and pleased than the one before.

"Thank you Ren." She responded graciously.

"Whoohoo!" Nora joined in, cheering.

"That scroll is something you will find most useful in managing your team. In addition, it will allow you and your team to register for classes, and chose your housing situation." Professor Ozpin explained.

"Something you get the first choice of out of all the freshmen this year, in deference to your performance in the forest." He added with a smirk.

"Thank you Professor Ozpin." Weiss said cordially.

"You are most welcome, but the best way you can thank me is by proving that I didn't give that to you in vain. Do not waste my gifts, Ms. Schnee." He responded with a small amused smile.

"I won't, Professor Ozpin." She responded resolutely.

Then, as the edges of her mouth curled upwards ever so slightly, she repeated it, saying with a whisper, "Oh, I definitely won't."

Soon, however, we left, and made our way down to the housing office to get our housing situation set up. But, on the way down, and as happy as I forced myself to feel, I couldn't help but feel a churning pit in my stomach at what it cost to get here.

I truly wonder what it's going to be like when you finally get your comeuppance. That little voice in my head said to me. You know what they say, after all.

Karma's a bitch.


Blake pov

We were sitting in the waiting room of the hospital. The hospital we had been in all morning.

Pyrrha was in a hospital gown and her left arm in a cast, apparently it had a mild fracture, something that would heal up in a day or two, if that. What was really surprising about it was the fact that was all she had. Again, considering what the Death Stalker did to her, and what happened to her arm when she killed it, I would have expected more severe and pervasive injuries.

It was one of the things I tried to ask her about, but seeing as she didn't even remember the events themselves, she couldn't really give me an answer. It still felt like there was something she was hiding from me about it, but she seemed as surprised as I was about her unusually good condition.

All of us had actually been given an examination to see how we were. At first, I tried to hide my Faunus heritage from the doctors using a hat I had…procured… in the hospital somewhere.

Old habits die hard.

Still, that cover lasted until the doctor decided that I was fit enough to be called an idiot, and smacked in the side of the head with said hat. He grumbled, saying I was really just making it harder for myself with that stunt. Things like that fact I was a Faunus, along with what type of Faunus could have a big impact on a diagnosis.

That said, he did gave me back the hat.

Soon all of us were given a relatively clean bill of health. Most of our injuries were just flesh wounds, something that would be a little uncomfortable and require bandages, but wouldn't really impair us too badly. Especially with our Aura. All of us were fit to leave whenever we wanted. All of us except…

Lilith.

Lilith was still in the ICU, and only her family was permitted to even see her. We weren't even sure what was wrong with her, just that she wasn't waking up.

After our little check ups, we were debriefed on what happened down there and how we survived. As a kind of act of trust, and at Pyrrha's plea, we omitted the part where she had a blackout. Well, we neglected to tell them that Pyrrha couldn't recall what she did. After that, we were dismissed.

So, we sat there in the waiting room of the hospital, hoping for any news about Lilith at all. We sat in the sterile white room filled with the scent of hand sanitizer and the dull buzz of activity. At first we talked a bit, but we quickly ran out of things to say.

Not that we really wanted to say anything at all.

Then the awkward silence was finally ended by the sound of a door behind us squeaking open. We all turned to look at the new arrival, and were surprised by what we saw. Though, in hindsight, I shouldn't really have been too shocked.

"Professor Ozpin?" Jaune said questioningly in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" Pyrrha asked.

"Is there anything wrong with visiting injured students?" Ozpin asked with a raised brow.

"Er…no, no, it's just…we're surprised to see you is all." Pyrrha explained.

"I would have thought you had more important things to do than visit little old us." Jaune added

Ozpin hummed in acknowledgement as he took a sip from his ever-present mug.

"You seem to undervalue your worth, especially to me. Regardless, stopping by for a checkup isn't the only reason I'm here." He began.

"But, I'd rather discuss these things in private." He added, gesturing with his cane to follow him.

He led us through the hospital into what looked like a conference room of some kind. As I closed the door behind us, I could hear it slowly dampen the chatter and energy of the hospital outside the room, before cutting it off completely.

As we took note of the dimly lit room, taking everything in and picking a spot to sit around the large, oval shaped, dark wooden table in the center of the room, I could hear Ozpin mutter under his breath, "Lets see if things go better than they did last time."

I opted to take a seat in one of the corner chairs, feeling more comfortable with all of the room in my immediate vision and my back to an empty corner than I did sitting towards the middle like Pyrrha. Jaune, in a sort of compromise, sat in between the two of us.

Without another word, Professor Ozpin sat down in the seat opposite Jaune, reclining in the chair, closing his eyes, and placing his mug on the table with a clack that cut through the weighted silence in the room.

As he sat there for a moment, the smell of black tea slowly began to fill the room, pushing out the sterilized scent of the hospital.

"Ms. Belladonna, I'm sure your ears would appreciate it if you took off that hat. I quite doubt they're comfortable under there." He said in a dull tone, not even bothering to open his eyes when he did.

Had it been anyone else, and had this happened a day earlier, I would have probably been shocked, or even alarmed to hear that. But after the little sharing session yesterday, and what happened to my little black bow, I wasn't terribly worried.

I figured that if anyone knew what I was, then it was Professor Ozpin.

So, answering his request, I silently removed the black flat cap from my head. I rubbed my slightly sore ears as they twitched under their newly regained freedom. The flat cap, honestly, wasn't the most comfortable thing for my ears, but it was better than some alternatives I had had to wear in the past.

I hate wigs I thought in response to a particularly unpleasant mission came to mind. And hair nets.

"I can understand why you feel the need to hide, Ms. Belladonna, and as much as I would like to eliminate racism from the school, and indeed, society, I am only a man, not a god. Still, I can, at the very least, allow you to feel as comfortable as possible within my means." He explained.

"…Thank you Professor." I responded, a little surprised. "But…why?"

"Why?" He reiterated with a raised brow

"I have many problems and issues that require my attention due to what I know, as well as my position. Racism I find to be one of the most trivial and, paradoxically, one of the most problematic." He elaborated tiredly with a frown, his eyes still closed shut as he reclined in the chair.

He paused for again for a moment, sighing tiredly.

"Today has been a very long, and very strenuous day, and it appears to be a trend that will continue through the week, if not the rest of the year." He admitted.

Then, slowly, the corners of his mouth curved upwards ever so slightly.

"And I am so glad I was able to save this for last." He said.

"Save what for last?" Jaune asked, his face twisted in confusion.

With Jaune's prodding, Professor Ozpin finally opened his eyes and sat up. He paused to take another sip of his tea before responding.

"You four are quite possibly the best news I have gotten all day. You are, honestly speaking, one of the few things that gave me the strength carry on." He confessed.

"We are?" Jaune responded, staring at the professor, slack jawed in disbelief.

"Oh yes. I'm sure you all know by now what happened in the forest, correct?" He asked.

"Yes, professor." Pyrrha answered as Jaune directed his gaze towards the table, his jaw clenched.

"Then you know that you aren't the only team that didn't make out of the forest yesterday." He elaborated.

"You are, however, the only team that managed to survive the night all on your own in that forest, and return to us safe and sound."

"Not all of us did." Jaune remarked, his voice tinged with the bitter flavor of loss as his hair shadowed his face.

"Yes, Ms. Totenrot-" Ozpin began to reply

"Is she?" Jaune interrupted.

"-She is fine, Mr. Arc. She is simply suffering from extreme Aura exhaustion, blood loss, and a mild infection. Nothing life threatening. That said, she will be bedridden for at least a week, if not longer, and you'll have to ask her aunt for permission to see her, if you feel so inclined." He placated.

At his words, I let out a silent breath of relief. It felt like a weight that was on all of our shoulders, a pressure that had been in the atmosphere, was finally removed.

Thank god she's alright I thought.

I couldn't help but realize that she had endeared herself to me more while unconscious than she ever did while she was awake. I can't say I truly liked her, we hadn't ever really talked, and even when we did it wasn't on good terms. But, I also can't say I disliked her, and I certainly didn't think the girl deserved to die.

"Who…who is her aunt, Professor?" Pyrrha asked hesitantly, likely not sure if she even had the right to ask.

At Pyrrha's question, Professor Ozpin smirked and replied, "Ms. Goodwitch."

My eyebrows shot up to my hairline as my eyes widened and my jaw loosened ever so slightly.

The headmistress? I thought questioningly in surprise. That…was unexpected.

Jaune had already said that Lilith was staying with her aunt here, I just never expected her aunt to be the headmistress herself. In hindsight, I couldn't really give a specific reason why, Ms. Goodwitch just didn't…fit…in my mind at the time.

But…considering how she acted back in forest…it makes sense. I realized.

No wonder she essentially just brushed me off. She had just discovered her niece was alive, yet far from well. I'm honestly surprised she kept it together as well as she did.

"In any case, I believe it's time I actually got to the main reason I am here." He announced, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"You four, have passed." He began as he started to take something out of his inside pocket.

"Congratulations, Team Anvil. You've earned it." He said, turning on the device and revealing it to be a scroll.

"I'll be expecting great things thing from you…Ms. Belladonna." He added with a pleased smile, holding out the scroll to me.

I had to struggle to keep myself from recoiling in shock.

"What…" I muttered numbly. Barely even thinking about my actions, I robotically took the scroll from him, and silently read the contents.

Team ANBL (ANVIL)

Members:

Blake Belladonna, Jaune Arc.

Pyrrha Nikos, Lilith Totenrot

Leader:

Blake Belladonna

"I'm the leader…" I murmured, still stunned by the revelation.

"Good job Blake!" Jaune congratulated happily, clapping me on the shoulder.

"You deserve it." Pyrrha agreed with a small, vibrant smile.

I barely even registered the other two's existence. Instead, my mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, feelings, and most of all…panic.

This is not what was supposed to happen I thought in fear.

I was just supposed to be in the background and not draw attention to myself. I was going to stay in the shadows, not doing too well or too poorly. Just average. Just enough to be ignored and unnoticed. That's how I had always lived my life, after all.

In the shadows.

But now I was leader of a team. Not just any team, a team with the wildly famous Pyrrha Nikos, as well as Ms. Goodwitch's niece. I was leader of the only team to have weathered the storm, surviving by themselves in the forest after being left behind. The amount of attention that would be directed towards us meant one thing.

There was no way I could simply hide in the shadows now.

I looked up at Professor Ozpin with wide, pleading eyes, hoping and praying there was some mistake. Instead, he looked back at me with a wide grin tinged with mischief and pride, his eyes filled with confidence and expectation. It was then I knew.

There was no getting out of this.


2 Hours Later

After I had been named leader, something I was still trying to wrap my head around, we took a ride back to Beacon with Professor Ozpin.

I had put the black flat cap back o my head, and I'd probably be wearing it for a while, at least until I could find a satisfactory replacement for my bow.

Not that anything could really replace it.

Still, though, the flat cap would do for now. Even if my team knew about me being a faunus, that didn't mean I was going to advertise it to the whole school. Even if my team accepted me for what i was, I doubted that everyone else would extend that courtesy.

At least I could give my ears a nice break in our room. This hat wasn't the most comfortable of things.

A top hat or bowler hat would probably be more comfortable but...

no.

Just...no. I thought with a shake of my head.

Before we had left the hospital, Professor Ozpin gave each of us one set of the school uniform in our size to change into. Something we were all in need of. Now we were on our way to the locker rooms to collect our stuff before heading over to the housing office

As we entered the room, I pulled out the piece of paper that had somehow survived Initiation in my pocket.

Locker Number 1998 It read.

"My stuff's in locker 1431." Jaune said, looking down at the paper he had taken from his pocket.

"Where the hell is that? And why is the number so big?" He murmured questioningly with a furrowed brow.

"It's a system to describe where it is. 1 is the year of the locker. 4 is the row. 31 is the locker number in that row." I explained, looking down all the rows for the ninth one.

There I thought, seeing it.

As I made my way over to it, I saw Jaune and Pyrrha moving towards their own out of the corner of my eye.

I was still a little wary about Pyrrha, but she seemed be a bit more...normal...recently. She hadn't acted like cold-blooded killer again, so that was something.

Aside from those rare moments where she had caused my instincts to scream Danger!, she was actually quite nice. Much different than I would have expected the "Invincible Girl" to be, considering how famous she was.

I'm not sure how I would have been able to deal with being on a team with someone who was important, knew it, and liked to flaunt it.

It probably wouldn't end well.

And Jaune, well, he was green, something that was very apparent during the fight. Still, he could follow directions well enough, so he wouldn't be a big problem.

Plus, I could get along with him easily enough, and he seemed to respect my privacy.

Something they both did.

Lets hope it stays that way. I'd rather they not try to pry into the skeletons in my closet. I thought as walked down the row to the end

That said...I should probably extend that same courtesy to the rest of them. Lilith, Pyrrha, and even Jaune seemed to all have something...off...about them. Something they were trying to hide, or some kind of mystery surrounding them.

I guess we all do I realized with a silent amused smirk.

And with that thought, I resolved to leave my teammates to their own devices, to a degree, at least. I'd give them a measure of privacy, and as much as my curiosity drove me to delve further into them, I would leave their secrets be.

As long as it didn't become a major concern, that is.

I was shaken out of my thoughts when my ears twitched at a quiet whisper.

"No..." It said silently in despair. Had I been human, I probably wouldn't have been able to pick up on it.

Pyrrha? Did something happen? I wondered, recognizing her voice.

Turning away from my own locker for a second, I made my way over the red head.

"Pyrrha? Whats wrong?" I said, walking over to her.

"Can I-" I began before the words died in my throat at the sight before me.

Pyrrha was sitting on the ground, leaning up against the row of lockers in front of hers, looking at her own with a lost look on her face, just like what she wore in the cave after waking up. Her locker had been torn open, the door nearly ripped off it's hinges, and it was devoid of contents inside.

"O-oh." Was all I was able to say.

It looked like while we were gone, someone had come in, broke open her locker, and stolen everything inside.

I looked back toward her with a sympathetic look on my face. With this, she had lost everything she had brought with. Literally all she had was her weapons, and her ever present bronze headdress.

"Pyrrha I...I'm sorry." I said, not knowing what else to do.

I could see her eyes redden and water, tears threatening to spill forth as she looked up to the ceiling. "Why?" She whispered with trembling lips.

"Why?" I repeated

I gave a disgruntled sigh as I turned back to the looted locker before me.

Probably because you're the "Invincible Girl" I thought cynically.

If a couple students knew she didn't get back on a transport and get back to Beacon, then they would know that her stuff was still in her locker. They would also know that they could sell anything related to the rising star for a fortune, and now would be the best time to do it. How they knew which locker was hers, I could only guess at, but it seemed the most likely scenario.

"Because some people are assholes." I muttered.

Looking back toward her, I wondered about what to do. Emotional stuff still really wasn't my thing. But...

I was the leader now. I should probably at least put in a good faith effort.

Even if I felt like I had no idea what I was doing.

So, with a resigned sigh, I offered a hand down to her.

"Come on, get up." I said in a soft voice. I almost winced at how...tactless that was.

Still, it did the job.

Pyrrha looked up at me with those teary emerald eyes, before nodding. She wiped the tears from her eyes with her hands, before turning back to me to accept the hand given.

Grasping onto her surprisingly rough hand, I pulled her up and-

Holy shit is she heavy. I thought in surprise. Pyrrha was surprisingly heavy, much more than she looked. I actually had to use Aura to assist me a bit when I pulled her up.

Once on her own two feet, I gave her a little once over, trying to figure out why the hell she weighed so much.

Is that all muscle? I thought incredulously.

It was then that I noticed the coils of muscle running up and down her arms again. It wasn't excessive, like if she was some sort of bodybuilder, but it was...extensive. It wasn't muscle simply formed to lift big things, it muscle built to do things, and do them well. It was athletic and slim, but powerful.

And it honestly made my arms feel like twigs in comparison.

Not that I really felt the need to bulk up or anything, it was just...

Holy shit, she had a lot of well toned muscle.

Shaking my head from the thoughts of her athletic form, I brought myself back to the topic at hand.

"We can go ask security about it later. I'm sure they have a state of the art security system in case this sort of thing happens." I said, trying to comfort her.

She gave me small nod and sniffle in acknowledgement.`

"But first, why don't we head to the housing office after me and Jaune get our stuff. That way we can actually sleep in a bed. I think would all use a good nap on something better than rocks." I remarked with a small smirk, trying to bolster her spirits.

Given the small chuckle and light smile that grew on her lips, I'd say it worked.

"That does sound good." She responded, her mood already brightening.

Maybe I won't actually be a terrible leader after all I thought as I walked back to my own locker.

Though, as Jaune walked up and Pyrrha told him what happened, I couldn't help the second thought.

Doesn't mean it's going to be easy.


Ruby pov

As I stared out into the star before me, I saw, out of the corner of my eye, Lucifer's lips curl upwards ever so slightly.

I had a distinct feeling of foreboding at the sight of his small sinister smile.

"What is it?" I asked warily, deciding to take the initiative.

At my question, his grin widened, though he continued to look at the Light.

"Something very…interesting…is about to happen." He commented cryptically.

At the use of the word interesting, I frowned.

"Interesting?" I questioned.

"Oh yes," he began.

Then he glanced towards me, shifting his head ever so slightingly in my direction to gaze at me with his starry void eyes.

"Though, you can probably already tell where this might be going." He said cryptically.

I sighed, realizing I would have to play his little game.

"What's going on? What is it that's so interesting?" I asked.

"It seems as a consequence of your actions, as well as your current state of being, two very interesting events are about to happen, neither of which you want to happen at all." He began to explain.

As he talked I could feel my soul begin to still in fear of what was to come.

"For a price, I'll step in again and avert one of them, but the other crisis you will have to handle on your own." He offered.

"What crises?" I asked again, feeling like I was still several steps behind him, trying to play catch up.

"First," he grinned, "given the state you're in, the doctors are going to learn quite a number of curious facts about your body. Facts your caretaker will learn as well"

I could feel my soul freeze in sheer dread.

"What?" I managed to breathe out as I stared up at him in horror.

"Oh yes. Your caretaker is going to learn about all kinds of secrets your physical form holds, and when you wake up, she's going to have questions. Questions, you can't just wipe away. Not in your state." He explained, turning back to the Light.

"No no no." I said under my breath, horror consuming me.

Ms. Goodwitch was going to find out about the…oddities…surrounding my body. She was going to ask about them, and eventually crack open the deep dark secrets I could never wipe away that they held.

Last time Lucifer had stepped in to shift the hands of chance in my favor. He shifted things ever so slightly to keep my secrets. He did it large part to perpetuate what he called my "truly titillating tale"

But this time…

I might have to face this on my own.

And on that note.

"W-what's the other crisis?" I asked in a shaky breath, afraid to even know

In response he gave me a dark chuckle before turning his head toward me. "Your sister."

I barely managed to suck in a terrified breath before my entire being stopped.

My soul cracked, and my mind came to a grinding halt.

"Oh yes. You're going to be in a death-like sleep for at least a week, something that will bring great concern to you caretaker. As a result of her desperation, guilt, and code of conduct, she will bring in, at the very least, you sister to find out why you're like this, if you'll be okay, and a number of other concerns." He explained, eyeing me with a cunning grin.

In response, I could only think about this one thing.

No

It was too soon.

Far too soon. I wasn't ready, not in the slightest. I couldn't face Yang yet.

I was going to face her eventually. I was going to confront her to see if I could convince her to love me like she used to. To see if I could get her to be my big sister again.

But not now.

If all went according to what Lucifer said, then the situation would already be far outside my control by the time I could do anything about it. I would wake up with her right above me, and she would be oh so close, and I would be oh so weak.

And that…

That was unacceptable.

"So," He began, shaking me from my thoughts, "Which will you chose? I'll delay one, but the other I leave in your hands."

"I-I…I don't know." I stuttered, turning to stare out blankly into the calm, empty, Void.

I found the way the absence of the Void seemed to churn, ripple, and undulate despite its emptiness oddly calming.

Something I needed right now.

"In the end, it really comes down to who I trust not to hurt me." I said, thinking out loud and already feeling the relaxing effects of the Void on me.

"If Ms. Goodwitch learns about some of my secrets, she might learn too much. She could learn the truth. She could learn to fear me. She might even turn on me, hate me, just like my father." I considered somberly.

"Just like everybody else has." I added darkly.

"And I don't want that. I'm tired of people fearing me. I don't want to have to remove her from the board, not with all the problems it would cause, not with all the potential she has, not after I'm so close to finally having things go my way. But…"

"I might have to." I said, clenching my fists. "If she turns on me, I might have to."

"And then there's your dear sister" Lucifer supplied. "One of the only things you still love."

"Yang…" I muttered mournfully.

I closed my eyes and let out a loud breath, then inhaled a nice full breath of the Void into my being in an attempt to calm my nerves.

But the storm of emotions within me would not be so easily quelled.

"On the one hand," I began, "I love her, and I want to see her again, to be able to touch her again without her flinching away, so badly it hurts."

"But…" I said, opening my eyes taking in the dark majesty of the Void again to give me strength.

"I'm afraid." I admitted.

"I'm scared she'll reject and hate me like my father did. I want her back, but I don't know if that can happen, not yet. She knows so much about me, but she doesn't understand me. No one does."

"I want her to. I want her to understand and love me for how I am now. I want it more than most anything else. It's what I've worked for all my life, to come back to them, but I'm terrified it was all for not. I'm terrified that everything I've done was meaningless, that I'm meaningless." I said, confessing to Lucifer my deepest, darkest fear.

I supposed it was ironic that the nothingness that was the Void was able to comfort my fears of being meaningless.

"You're going to have to confront her sometime." Lucifer commented.

"I know, I know." I conceded.

"But I want it to be on my terms. I want it all to be on my terms. Right now, things are out of my control, I can't do anything to influence the outcome myself. Either way, I'm going to have to rely on trust and faith." I explained.

"So then, which one will you confront? Which fear will you face?" He inquired.

As I wracked my mind with options and possibilities, I remembered something about what he had said earlier, and decided to distract myself with it.

"What's the price?" I asked, worried what this would cost me.

At that, he grinned sinisterly, "That, my dear, is an excellent question."

Turning fully to face me, he continued saying, "I want the same thing as last time."

Then, he picked up his cane and pointed it at me. He wore a wide grin filled with impossibly white teeth with a predatory edge. He looked at me with those eyes, with those stars immersed in darkness, as he told me the cost of his assistance.

"I want you, my dear, to put on a show."


A/n:

Ozpin drinks Tea now

Deal with it.

Also it turns out that Ruby being the cause of the nightmares wasn't a big surprise.

That makes me a little sad.

Still, it's not really surprising for me. I did leave a fuck ton of hints. I probably would have been more surprised if most people didn't have a clue.

Which reminds me, I have left a lot of hints about a lot of things. If you've picked up in the hints and have gathered something I've implied, tell me. I would love to know.

Knowing what all you guys know and don't know is helpful in determining how I write the story.

How I write the story, not what I write the story.

But, that's enough about the past, lets focus on the now.

And now I feel like some people are going to riot over who I made Team ANBL's leader.

I can kind of understand why, a little bit.

"You had Jaune and Ruby on the same team, why not pick from them?" You might say.

To which I respond, well, yeah, but does it really matter?

Seriously, does being named the "Leader" actually matter? Not so far as I've seen.

Say Jaune's made leader of the team. If Jaune's shit as a leader, he's just going to be the technical leader. The person who's able to actually assert themselves as the actual leader will be the real one in practice.

It might be different if they were in the military or some shit, with rules and regulations, but the Huntsmen seem more informal than that.

Basically, it doesn't matter what some piece of paper says, the one who is the leader is the one who actually leads.

At least, that's how I see it.

But, regardless, that's not why I made her the leader.

Honestly, I was at an impasse regarding who was going to be the leader of Team ANBL. First it was going to be Jaune. Then I considered Ruby, then Pyrrha...

...Lucifer...

Eventually I settled on Blake in part because of how the Death Stalker fight went.

In the fight, Jaune, understandably, lost his shit for a bit and didn't really come up with any awesome plans. He did, however, take Ruby's advice and take them to the cave.

Still, the cave was Ruby's idea. She was just too busy being almost dead to follow through on it. And on that note, she didn't really contribute much to the team, other than tasing the shit out of the Death Stalker. Plus, Pyrrha and Blake kind of have to resist the urge to kill her on first glance right now. That's generally not considered terribly productive for being a leader. Not unless you know how to use it.

Then there's Pyrrha. Right up until the Death Stalker, she was a good candidate. Then she freaked out, blacked out, went weird, and started to let her crazy leak out. More importantly, she has little to no experience fighting in a team, and as such her teamwork will be kind of shit for the moment. I mean, she, herself, is strong, but the way I'm writing her the "teamwork" part of being a team isn't going to come so easy to her.

Blake, while she didn't do anything too crazy during the fight, kept it together throughout the whole day with a, mostly, level head. She has experience working in a team, though not leading one. She was able to come up with a half-ways decent plan to take out the Death Stalker, even if it was sabotaged half-way through.

Over all, I feel like they would have seen Blake as the best choice for leader.

Then there's the way I did it from a more authorial point of view.

There are literally hundreds of stories where Jaune or Ruby is the leader. That's mainly because they don't change the teams from how they are in canon.

However, in the rare case they do, Jaune or Ruby is still usually the leader.

Point is, Jaune and Ruby are usually the leader of the team or something similar. There are plenty of stories like that already, why not do something a little different.

I'm not saying there aren't any stories where she's the leader or in a leader position or the main focus or anything like that. I'm just saying they're exceedingly rare, and I think it's an idea that could work well.

Besides, I think she could be a good leader, I think it could be fun.

Especially because it would force her to develop outside her comfort zone. As she said, she likes to be in the shadows. Now she'll be the face of the team, much to her chagrin.

Not that Blake is specifically becoming the central character. She's just a main character, as are all the people on Team Annabelle

Also, Weiss is leader of Team Wyvern. That...

...really shouldn't be a surprise. It was kind of super obvious.

And on that note, team names.

They're not changing. I love them, and I think they're perfect. Team Wyvern and Team Annabelle? I think they're both extremely fitting.

Oh, also, Yang is struggling to keep her growing guilt in.

And Pyrrha's struggling with keeping it all together.

Pyrrha's just had a shit couple days. Well, she's kinda had a shit life really, but she's made the most of it.

That said, it's going to get worse before it gets better.

That kind of goes for all of them. Goes for everything, really.

And Ruby has a choice.

Which will she choose? Each one is something she really doesn't want to happen, but she'll have to deal with one or the other.

Either Glynda learns much more than She's comfortable with.

Or her sister finds out she's at Beacon, and either they reconcile...

Or Yang tries to kill her.

But, you'll learn the answer to that question Sunday.

And that should be fun.

Oh, and this isn't an opportunity for you to vote on the outcome. I've already written it. What you say has no impact on what will happen. It'll just affect my feelings.

Also, on that same Scene I'll let you guys in on my plan for this story.

I might also rage.

Depends on how this Scene goes with you all.

And as a final note, perception is very important in my storied. Just because a character says they see something or know something, doesn't make it fact. This isn't 3rd person omniscient or anything, the people are fallible in what they see, hear, and think.

Just keep that in mind.