Has he truly…

I doubt it.

No...he has...one of our knights has defected.

You don't know that.

He is befriending a Grimm! He is disregarding his orders-

His orders were not to eliminate, only to observe. Don't you think getting close is a good way to observe a subject?

We know-

We don't. At this moment, Azure Schnee is merely a phenomenon, nothing more.

Is that so? Have you seen the report that Brezhnev sent after initiation?

...yes.

Then how do you explain the flames? The ones that made their presence known during the collapse, that the council as a whole determined that no living being could ever control?

We don't know exactly what his capabilities are. As for our knight, Micah Brezhnev has been loyal to us for nearly a decade now. While he has had his fair share of insubordination referrals, he has shown us that small details do not run past him. I see nothing but Brezhnev following his orders.

You're not serious-

Azure Schnee is merely a phenomenon at the moment. Our real target is the King of Agony.

IF I MAY INTERJECT/ TWO OTHER SIGNATURES SIMILAR TO THE KING OF AGONY HAVE BEEN DETECTED IN VALE/ CLASSIFIED AS CLASS-A PHENOMENON

Identification?

UNCLEAR/ SUSPECTED TO BE THE KINGS OF APATHY AND DESPAIR

Despair?

Something tells me T was coming on to a much bigger conflict.

What now? I move to contain Schnee so that Agony is not-

'It's never good to talk behind someone's back, you know.'

You.

'Hey, Amaterasu! It's been a while! Oh, hey, Susano'o's here, too. Ah well, I guess I can put up with you. And Kusanagi! Real bummer that you're just a plain ol', boring A.I. now, eh?'

How exactly did you gain entrance to this place?

'You ask that like you don't know.'

T.

'Bingo! Good ol' Take-Mikazuchi, always lending a helping hand!'

What is your game?

IF I MAY SPEAK OUT OF TERM/ I FEEL THAT AGONY IS NOT HERE BEARING ILL WILL

'Nice to see you have a little faith in me still, ba-'

IF I MAY ISSUE A THREAT/ I WILL NOT HESITATE TO ACTIVATE PROGRAM [ALTAMIRA]

'...still likes to ruin my fun. You really haven't changed, you know.'

I'll ask again, what is it you are here for? I would assume that, if you have access to this place via T in his sword form, you know of our actions.

'Even if I didn't, your knight really sucks at keeping stuff like that in the dark. And the observers...oh, man...they really don't give me much credit. They're practically broadcasting their aura whenever the kid so much as brushes up against them.'

Which begs the question, why reveal yourself to us now?

'I just came to give a little warning.'

And that would be?

'Butt out.'

Hmm?

'You heard me. From the sound of it, you guys picked up on Despair and...whoever the hell he decided to drag out with him. So, I came to tell you that you should mind your own damn business for now and let a real Grimm Lord deal with that rat.'

You plan to deal with him yourself? I doubt you even have a plan of action.

'What, you think I'm playing this by ear?'

Are you not?

'...he...haha….ahahahaha…...ahahahahaha!'

Wha-what is your damage?!

'That. Is. RICH! Nine years of watching and waiting equals an improv plan of action….I've never heard a better joke!'

Your actions since the collapse have been haphazard, so it would be best to assume that your plans are such. Are you trying to say that you have an idea, a direction you wish to head with this?

'Oh, I do. And everything's so much easier with a host body that doesn't crumble when the heat comes-in fact, I was really just ecstatic when he used my flames like they were his! It's incredible, a human using my powers...'

That means…

Azure Schnee…!

'Have fun looking into that kid, dig up everything you want about him. You'll be quite impressed. Oh, and one more thing before I go. Just to reiterate, Takamagahara stays out of my way. Capiche? Good! Ciao!'

…

Azure Schnee...Brezhnev...Aoiro.

"Charging again."

"It didn't work the first eighty times, why does he keep going in like that?"

Azure replied to his onyx-eyed friend's question without looking at him. "Lack of discipline. Jaune can swing a sword and hope to hit something, but that's about it. He's got no strength in those lanky limbs, he'll lose out to Winchester every time."

Just a normal day at Beacon, and teams RWBY, JNPR and AMBR were in class. Specifically, aura studies and combat drills. Today marked the umpteenth time that Jaune Arc, the uneasy leader of team JNPR, was sparring against Cardin Winchester, the one person in the world that could find new ways to make Azure question the prerequisites for acceptance into Beacon.

Not that Jaune didn't do that every once in a while, too, though. Despite Cardin's seemingly endless lack of knowledge, he still outclassed Jaune in more ways than one. This was always apparent when they sparred.

They had been paired for combat so many times, Azure and Micah made a game out of analyzing Jaune's shortcomings. Most of the others called it rude, but Azure couldn't stand watching another Jaune slaughter without making something of it.

"Three...two...one…"

On Micah's cue, the lights in the previously dark room went up and the match was over. Professor Goodwitch (whom Azure had gotten an earful from for not knowing her name.) explained that in an official match, an aura gauge in the red, as Jaune's currently was, signaled that the match was over.

"Mr. Arc, it's been weeks now. Please try to refer to your scroll during combat. Gauging your aura will help you decide when it is more appropriate to attack, or when it is better to move to a more...defensive strategy." Goodwitch explained to Jaune, who was currently seated on the ground. "We wouldn't want you to be gobbled up by a Beowolf, would we?"

Cardin set his monstrous mace on his shoulder. "Speak for yourself."

Azure frowned. "Bastard."

Goodwitch turned to address the rest of the students. "Remember, everyone! The Vytal Festival is only a few months away. It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing. Those who choose to participate in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale!"

That concluded the class, as Goodwitch's last bit of info had everyone, even Weiss, bursting with excitement.

Azure couldn't lie, he was excited for the festival. After all, it was a festival, and just the word had wonderful memories of the Winter Festival back home flowing through his mind like water. Then there was the tournament…

Realistically, there was no way Azure wouldn't enter.

'I'm always down for a good fight, and with students from all four kingdoms entering, I should be able to have the fight of a lifetime!'

Azure sighed, keeping in mind that all of these things were still months away. For now, all he could do was keep training and make sure he was always in peak condition.

'I'm gonna laugh so hard when you're on the receiving end of a one-hit K.O in the first match!'

Besides, he had bigger problems. Agony's little quips becoming more frequent was only one.

Walking to his next class with his team, the blond Schnee contemplated the ever-prevalent issue that was Cardin Winchester. Azure personally didn't have a problem with the brute, since he knew Cardin wouldn't stand a chance against him in a fight, and the CRDL leader probably knew this as well. The real issue Azure was having was with how he and the rest of CRDL treated everyone else.

A slight bump in the shoulder caught Azure's attention. As he tried to apologize, he saw a head of long, brown hair and bunny ears move quickly down the hall away from him.

Velvet Scarlatina, a second-year and member of the well-known and praised Team CFVY. A really cute and quiet girl, but supposedly she was hell on the battlefield. If that was true, then she didn't count a room with Cardin as a battlefield.

Azure felt his blood boil a little. His first impression of Winchester was definitely that he was an asshole, but the blond had enough faith in people to believe that he wasn't prejudiced.

Boy was he wrong.

Finally calming down over the course of the morning, Azure sat at a lunch table with teams RWBY and JNPR, as well as his own team. It was then he caught sight of Cardin's other frequent target.

While everyone else (minus Weiss, who was filing her nails) was invested as Nora regaled a riveting battle that rivaled Professor Port's tall tales, Jaune Arc sat quietly at the end of the table while Azure silently studied him from the opposite end.

Ever since the semester started, Jaune had been unlucky enough to be one of the several dozen students that Cardin and his lackeys painted a target on. Azure couldn't count on his fingers the amount of times Jaune had his books thrown down, his shield caught in the doorway, that one time he'd ended up in a rocket-propelled locker all the way to the heart of Emerald Forest…

All of them credited to Cardin Winchester.

The real thing that bothered Azure was that after nearly two months of this, as well as the several spars in class, Jaune hadn't gotten a lick stronger. It wasn't just CRDL, he'd never won a match against anyone, not even Pyrrha when she was trying to let him win. Why?

Why the hell wasn't Jaune getting better?

'You know, for all that aura he's got, he doesn't have the slightest bit of control over it.'

For once, Agony caught Azure's attention with something that he hadn't noticed.

'What do you mean? He's gotta have some aura control if he made it here.'

'That's just the thing, he doesn't. I don't think he even has a semblance, the way his aura's all static. See for yourself.'

As much as he didn't want to play games with the bastard, Azure was intrigued. So, he closed his eyes and focused on Jaune's aura.

'...huh...it's like a skyrocketing heart monitor. The pulses his aura is sending, they're-'

'Inhuman. Someone would have a lot of trouble learning to control aura like that.'

'What are you getting at?'

'I'm just gonna say this; If he's sitting there, unable to properly control his aura, how can you be sure he made it here the same as everyone else?'

The thought struck Azure like lightning.

Did Jaune actually have any experience fighting Grimm?

Fighting at all?

"Yo, Azure." Micah said, shaking his blond friend. Azure snapped out of his trance and looked up at the table, all eyes on him.

"Are you feeling okay, Azure?" Rachel asked calmly, yet slightly worried.

Azure brushed off the concern. "Yeah, just thinking about something else, no big deal."

Everyone seemed to accept his answer, as Pyrrha turned the topic to another blond. "Jaune, are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Why?" Was his response.

The RWBY leader seemed to pick up on the issue. "It's just that you seem a little...not okay."

"Guys, seriously, I'm fine! Look!" Jaune attested as he held a thumbs up and a forced smile.

Just then, the three teams' attention was diverted to a table across from theirs, where the notorious degenerates of CRDL were once again moving in on Ms. Scarlatina. Azure had to take a moment to contain himself and not make a scene, looking over at Micah and Byakuya. His two male teammates appeared to be in the same position as him.

Pyrrha once again moved the conversation back to the Arc. "Jaune, Cardin's been picking on you since the first week of school."

Jaune continued to put up a fight. "Who, Cardin Winchester? Nah, he just likes to mess around! You know, practical jokes!"

"He's a bully." Ruby stated, unusually serious.

Jaune scoffed. "Oh, please! Name one time he 'bullied' me."

The Arc's challenge was met with the blank stares of everyone at the table (excluding Weiss, who once again was tending to her nails).

"Ah...I...I didn't land far from the school!"

"Jaune, you know if you ever need help, you can just ask." The red-headed amazonian reassured.

"Oh!" said Nora, shooting up and standing on her seat. "We'll break his legs!"

"Or we could cave his skull in." Byakuya suggested.

"Might as well get rid of all four of those assholes. Do everyone a favor." Micah chimed in.

As much as the brainstorming was pleasant, Azure could feel the violent intention rising. He figured Jaune did, too, as the blond Arc tried to diffuse the situation. "Guys, really, it's fine! Besides, it's not like he's only a jerk to me; he's a jerk to everyone."

"Ow! Stop, that hurts!"

RWBY, JNPR and AMBR eyes turned back to Velvet and CRDL. They were met with the unpleasant sight of Cardin pulling on Velvet's ears while the whole team laughed.

Now, Micah had reached a breaking point. Azure and Byakuya attempted to talk him down and hold him back, but to no avail.

"Let her go."

CRDL turned to face the magentahead who stared daggers into the four.

"Excuse me?" Cardin said mockingly.

"I said, let her go. Now."

Cardin put on a shit-eating grin and tightened his hold on Velvet's ear, causing her to squeak in pain, much to CRDL's amusement. "Why don't you make me, huh?"

"Suit yourself." Micah said grimly, aura flaring a bit.

This had gone on long enough.

"That's enough."

Before anyone knew what had happened, Azure was in between Cardin and Micah, Velvet's ear free of the CRDL leader's grip as Winchester held his slightly sore hand. The whole room dropped what they were doing to stare at the sight before them, Micah and Cardin completely silent as they watched black flames seep lightly from Azure's body.

Azure turned to his friend. "Get a grip, Micah. You could get in trouble starting a fight here."

Onyx eyes flared. "You think I give a damn?"

"No, but you could at least think a little clearer before jumping at someone's neck."

Micah stayed silent, knowing that Azure was right. The blond Schnee then turned to a scoffing Cardin.

"Count yourself lucky. Next time, I'll handle you personally."

Three fourths of CRDL stiffened a little at Azure's threat, while Cardin swore his eyes had turned blood red for a moment.

The situation now defused, Azure noticed the absence of Velvet. He figured she must have left as the conflict raged.

Walking back to his seat while the other students went about their business again, Azure caught the respectful nods from his friends and an unreadable glance in acknowledgement from his Schnee sister. Noticing the absence of Jaune, he glanced up to see the Arc walking calmly out of the cafeteria.

Azure could stop a bully dead in his tracks, but could he solve an utter enigma?

"Now, have any of you been subjugated or discriminated because of your faunus heritage?"

At Professor Oobleck's prompt, a couple students raised their hands, Velvet doing the same after a moment. Azure, who'd sat next to her since he'd gotten to class a little later than normal, took note of her shyness.

"Dreadful, simply dreadful!" Oobleck exclaimed. "Remember students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence! ImeanImeanImean just look what happened to the White Fang!"

That note had piqued Azure's interest. Discrimination caused something to happen to the White Fang? He made a mental note to look into the history of the order. Hell, maybe he could find some clues about how to take it down.

Oobleck's lecture continued. "Now, which one of you young scallions can tell me what many theorize to be the turning point in the third year of the War?"

Weiss raised her hand. "Yes?" the professor acknowledged.

The Schnee heiress gave her answer in her overly-proud manner. "The battle at Fort Castle!"

Ding-ding-ding. "Precisely! And, who can tell me the advantage the faunus had over General Langune's forces?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Azure caught a glimpse of Cardin readying a paper ball of sorts to throw at a sleeping Jaune's head. He started immediately started calculating a defensive.

'If I can time it correctly, he can throw the paper and then, halfway between him and Jaune, I can burn it to a crisp in a split second so only Cardin sees and gets the memo, while Jaune isn't put on the spot and no one notices! It's perfect, now...'

"Mr. Arc! Finally contributing to class! This is excellent! Excellent! What is the answer?" Oobleck shouted.

The paper had already hit Jaune, and Cardin was particularly smug about it. The Arc now stood in the face of the daunting challenge of answering a question about a lesson he had slept through entirely.

'Instead of thinking about what you're gonna do, maybe you should, you know, do it.'

'Can it.'

Glancing to the row above him, the blond Schnee saw Pyrrha trying to communicate to Jaune via hand signals, making multiple hand movements and symbols to send the message 'night vision.'

Velvet caught wind of this, too. "Y-You think he can make her signals out?" She said to Azure softly.

"Well, Jaune isn't as stupid as he looks, and Pyrrha's symbols are pretty obvious. You'd have to be an idiot to not understand-"

"Binoculars!"

The whole class erupted into giggles while the red-headed Nikos face-palmed. Azure and Velvet only sat still before the rabbit faunus' mouth curved up at the edges slightly. "You seem to have spoken too soon."

Azure gave a mock pout, which elicited a giggle from the shy girl.

'Well, aren't you the charmer~.'

'Again, can it.'

The highly caffeinated professor was not amused. "Very funny, Mr. Arc. Cardin! Perhaps you would care to share your thoughts on the subject?"

The CRDL leader lounged back in his seat. "Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier."

While Azure could see that Pyrrha had a retort, he couldn't resist putting the punk in his place, seeing the expression on Velvet's face contort into shame.

"Guess that means we should put you on a leash."

The entire class erupted into laughter, Oobleck even giving a slight smirk at the remark. Cardin, however, was less than pleased.

"You got a freakin' problem?" He said as he stood up in his seat a little.

Azure's mouth formed into a grin. "Nope, but I got the answer. Night vision. Lots of faunus have almost perfect vision in low-lighting, and Langune didn't think about that. When his forces tried to ambush the faunus while they slept, they destroyed his soldiers and took him prisoner."

The blond turned to look at Cardin, his smug expression turning serious with a slight fire in his eye. Winchester got the message, scoffing and laying back in his seat.

"Right. Mr. Arc, Mr. Winchester, see me after class for additional readings. Moving on!"

Oobleck's class ended, and so did the school day. Azure left the classroom trailing slightly behind the rest of his team as they headed to get some quick training in before dinner. Byakuya walked slightly ahead of him while Micah and Rachel conversed about the lesson.

Azure thought of it as just another boring school night, that is, until…

'Hey, borrowing this!'

'What are you-'

After a moment, Team AMBR stopped and looked back at their leader, who was now kneeling.

"Uh...dude, you cool?" Byakuya asked.

In response, Azure stood up and faced his team with a grin. However, Micah and Rachel stood extra alert when they felt the air around him...change.

"I'm fine, thanks. Hey, listen, you guys go on ahead, I'll catch up!" And the blond Schnee ran off, leaving Byakuya confused and the two Brezhnev's slightly on edge.

"Micah...was that…" Rachel began.

"...I...I think it was…"

...

Azure walked down the hall and made a turn. When he was sure he was alone, he closed his eyes. Opening them, his heterochromatic green-and-amber orbs were replaced by pure crimson ones.

"Sorry, buddy! You can have your body back tomorrow, but right now, I need to look in on this Arc guy, and I'm pretty sure his little admirer is gonna get him to spill it in a few minutes. So, just sit tight, and I'll do all the hard work."

With that, a red-headed girl and a blond boy raced down the hall. Taking that as his cue, Agony followed.

A/N: Damn dude, I had to literally motivate myself to finish this chapter. This one was kinda tough, considering I didn't quite think it over as much this time. As a result, this one may or may not feel a bit weird. I kinda think it is.

Oh, classroom scene. I dunno, I always kinda thought Pyrrha's response at Cardin's racist thing was kinda lame. "Oh, you're not the most open-minded and I'm above that blah blah blah." Same thing with the bullying scene, everyone was kinda like "I'm disgusted by that and I'm above that." It straight up bothered me that heroic characters were looking down on it more than they were actually doing something.

Anyways, I'm not gonna argue that I could've written some of the canon scenes better. I always have a nagging feeling that since it's in the show and people have seen it, I'm kinda skimming over some tiny tidbits that I probably shouldn't ignore.

Guest 1: Thank you so much!

Still, we continue! Next time, Jaune gets into more trouble and Agony may or may not feel the need to screw with everyone, now that he's gotten and inch, so to speak.

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Later~!