Rojo said nothing when Velvet ceased speaking to gauge his reaction. He said nothing, nor reacted in any way to suggest anything other than his intent of listen to Velvet's story. After several more seconds of such waiting, she decided to continue with the end of her tale.
"A few weeks later, I'd began to attend Beacon. I was, not so coincidentally, I'd wager, placed on the same team with Coco, Yatsu, and Fox. You are aware of all that, though. You've met them. Whenever there was a free space in my day for the first year, Ozpin requested that he meet with me in his office. There were some times when Professor Goodwitch or another older man who's name I never managed to catch. Most times, he and I would be led down to an area within the tower. It was... " Velvet trailed, feeling that even Rojo was not within the boundaries of trust to know about such a secretive place like the vault below Beacon Tower. Instead, she simply changed the course of the conversation, hoping that Rojo wouldn't take notice of it. "We trained for hours and hours a day. Once my classes were over, I would venture there. We would train and work everything to the bone.
My Aura was enhanced in order to withstand more strain. We worked my Semblance the most, pushing the limits of what I could do. There were times in our later sessions when, albeit uncontrolled, my power levels were on par with records of past Maidens. After time, I was able to surpass those limits. We didn't stop there, however.
I began to learn techniques that allowed my Semblance to become stronger, ways other than the ones that Kandase or other people had taught me. We learned that, should I refrain from using my Semblance for an extremely long period of time, my power would increase tenfold. We then resolved to sharpen my skills in hand-to-hand combat against enemies, especially the Grimm. What Kandase had already taught me was a pivotal starting point from which Ozpin springboarded our own lessons.
Soon, I was able to strike down a Grimm with a single series of blows. Still, we did not stop there. After we effectively honed my physical skills, Ozpin moved on to the psychological factors of my training. He taught me how to become resistant to illusion magic, and mind readers. He taught me countermeasures So that I would be able to fight back against such foes. He indoctrinated me on the enemy that we were combatting, what they had done, what they were capable of. He trained me to steel my heart against hate, feelings of animosity and anger. One of the lessons that he lectured to me was this. 'It does not matter if you can best an opponent in a physical battle. If they can force themselves into your mind and manipulate your heart, then you have already lost. They can twist you, contort your thinking to fit their own design. By the time you become aware what is going on, it is already too late to act.'
With that in mind, we trained almost twice as hard to steel my psyche against such evils. It was one of the most grueling and mentally taxing things I've ever done. Regardless, I powered through. Though I sometimes had doubts about my place in all of this, I knew that I was needed in some shape or form to fight back. Whether I liked it or not, I had an obligation to the people of Remnant. No matter how ethically questionable I saw some of the methods with which Ozpin operated, once I knew how valuable my abilities were to the defense of mankind, there was no question of how I would use them. The people of this world needed me, and I couldn't simply leave them helpless.
After those months, after my meeting with Ozpin, that's been my life. I've spent almost every waking second of my life preparing to fight an enemy that may not come, to wage a war that may never happen. I'm in a warrior in a fight that was not mine, but made me its.
That's part of the reason why I'm so reclusive. If there was anything that I was taught while out on the run, it's that I'm not normal. I'm special, but in the way that makes the worst people com out to do everything in their power to hurt me in any way that they can. If they don't, then it seems like the ones that I care about the most end up getting themselves hurt because of me. That's why I stay away. That's why I don't like to get too close to anyone, even my team. I know that they're out there, watching me. I'm afraid, Rojo. Not of them, but of the possibility that my friends and loved ones will get caught in the crossfire. I don't want anyone else to be hurt and die because of me, and if I have to be alone for all time, then so be it. On top of that, I fear that I'll someday lose control of my powers, as some Huntsmen have been known to do..." Velvet trailed before continuing. "Like I've done myself. I don't want any of that to happen to any of my loved ones."
She paused once more, unsure of what to say afterwards. Instead, she crossed her hands and laid them on her lap. "Do you think that you deserve to be alone?" He said, startling Velvet. She turned to him. "What?"
"Do you think that no one cares about you? That we're idly sitting by, unaware of what you're doing? We know, Velvet. Not all of us maybe, but I've noticed at least." He turned away from the street to look directly at Velvet. She turned as well to face his stone gaze. "I've tried, ever since we met, to get closer to you. At first, I thought it was just me, until I realized that you acted the same way towards everyone. I was confused, natuarally, until today. With what you told me, Velvet, I need to set you straight about something."
Velvet stayed listening, intending to hang on to every word that was about to come from Rojo's mouth. "You don't get to decide which of your friends can get hurt by you or the people around you. It's always a given that the crap is set to go down at some point when you get attached to someone. The universe just has some weird sense of humor like that, I suppose. My point is that we're the ones who should decide whether or not we think you're worth the risk of getting hurt over, not you. If we're willing to walk the edge for you, then who are you to pull us back. You're a special girl, Velvet. Not because you have the power level of a god or anything like that, but because you're, well, you. You're the kind of girl who gives people a chance to make friendships they remember for a lifetime. In my opinion, it's really selfish of you to deprive people of the chance to experience a relationship like that."
Before Velvet could form a response, or even begin to think of one, she gasped as Rojo leaned over and wrapped his arms around Velvet's upper body area. She blushed a small amount as Rojo dug his face into Velvet's shoulder. "You don't have the right to cut us out like that." He directed. "If we want to fight for you, get hurt for you, or even die for you, then by the gods we'll do it." Rojo raised his head up, mere inches from Velvet's. "You're just going to have to deal with it, and let us fight with you when we can, because we're not going anywhere."
Velvet reached down, and clutched Rojo's hand tightly in hers. He grunted in a positive tone, nodding ever so slighty. She knew that he knew how much of an impact such a simple gesture meant to one of her closest friends, and she knew just how appreciative Rojo was of it. In that one instance, neither of them needed to say a word, for they had communicated everything in it.
The sirens of incoming police cruisers became ever more present as the sun ceased to be. Far off, the two could hear the loud cheers from the floating stadium above the school. Neither of them seemed to care about any of this, however. She allowed a smile to cross her lips, tipping her head down ever so slightly. "I think I can bear with that."
Hello, Huntsmen and Huntresses! I hope you've enjoyed the story, but it's not over yet! Up Next: The Epilogue.