A few days later, Team CSRD sat in the cafeteria with Team MGAT at their table like usual. However, Damien shifted uneasily in his seat as he ate, glancing between his companions cautiously. Something was off. There was a tension that hung in the air like a bad smell. Gemma refused to look at Axel, despite being practically bound to his hip since the moment they saw one another. Sebastian was nowhere to be found, and no one seemed to care one bit.
"Hmph." he scoffed, opening his mouth to say something, but decided against it. Things were tense enough as is, one wrong step, one misplaced sarcastic remark, and the results could be catastrophic. So, he remained in a state of awkward silence. And, as he looked closer, he could tell he wasn't the only one to feel this way. Everyone ate in silence for some time until Ainsley spoke, breaking the ice between them all.
"Hey Cyrus," she began to say. "Where's Sebastian? He's been pretty out of it for weeks now. What's going on with him?"
"That's a tough thing to answer," he responded, trying to avoid the conversation. "I don't have a really good answer for that."
Ainsley wasn't about to give up. She had seen his team ignore the problem for a while now. The boy had caught her interest when they met, so she wanted to do what she could.
"That won't work on me, Buster Brown." She waved her finger at Cyrus in the typical "uh uh uh" fashion. "I know you all went out to do something that night. You can't hide that from me."
"Wha-?" Cyrus flinched, stuttering. "D-did someone tell you?"
Mola appeared to be backing off a bit, but Cyrus noticed.
"Was it you, Mola?" Cyrus asked, eyebrow raised in a look of a detective about to question the culprit.
"Yeah, I did it," Mola didn't even try to hide it. "I was just worried about you guys."
"So what happened?" Ainsley continued pressuring Cyrus to cough it up.
Cyrus looked to his teammates for guidance, and both Axel and Damien nodded at him, giving him the ok on telling Ainsley what exactly went down that night. Cyrus took a deep sigh and began to talk.
"Sebastian tracked down some shady White Fang activity and we helped him to take care of the problem. When we got there, we expected to find someone Damien knew, a man named Noir, who works for Roman Torchwick. Instead, a girl appeared, someone who Sebastian instantly recognized. Apparently he saw her in Forever Fall when we were there."
"So that's who he wanted me to find when he asked me."
"This girl, Sierra, said some things about Sebastian's real reasons for being at Beacon. That instead of it being a new start, it was simply a means to an end to get out of the reach of the White Fang and lay low until they no longer cared about him. He seemed pretty shaken by all of it, which makes me worry."
"Is that all?" Ainsley inquired, but Cyrus shook his head.
"He went to fight her and the three of us dealt with Noir and some White Fang when they showed up. When we found him fighting her later, he wasn't himself. He was acting like he was out of control. He was more violent and vicious, something we never saw from him. Sebastian was always casual and cool-headed, not wanting to fight people unless he had absolutely no choice. But that isn't the worst part."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"You see, he had her beat, and she was down for the count, no aura, no nothing. All of a sudden, he grabbed a gun and pointed it right at her head."
Team MGAT all gasped in shock. Even if they barely knew the currently-distant Sebastian, they knew enough about him to be quite worried.
"We stopped him, but as soon as the opportunity came, Sierra fled and Sebastian kinda broke down. We tried to get him to calm down but it didn't work. He said something about a promise he made to himself."
"What promise was that?" She asked, concerned for what could have made Sebastian act like that.
"That he'd never kill someone again. He said he was inches away from breaking it. 'A promise he made to himself' is what he said. None of us could believe it."
Ainsley was both scared and worried at the same time.
"That's horrible. What could drive someone like him to do something like that? Sebastian would never do that." From what she had seen from Sebastian fighting, he had no issue against Grimm, but using his power against people must have been a rough spot.
"I agree," Cyrus replied. "But we don't have all the facts yet. I, however, don't think that he would ever kill on purpose. Maybe he was forced to?"
Mola spoke up next. "It's a possibility. The White Fang are known for being quite violent with those they have an issue with. Have you guys tried talking him into spilling the beans yet?"
"Not yet." Axel spoke up this time. "We all figured to leave him be a bit longer."
"Well, I'm not waiting!" Ainsley shouted, standing up from her seat, garnering the attention from other students in the cafeteria. "If there's anything I know about people with mental problems it's that you can't sit around and wait. So if you guys don't feel like helping him out, then I'll try and do it for you!" She stormed out of the cafeteria, clearly about to pay Sebastian a visit, whether he wanted it or not.
"She knows we have class after this right?" Trucy looked at everyone else and they all sighed with her."
"I'm sure she'll figure it out," Gemma responded. She glared at Axel, driving a mix of fear and shame to his core.
I wonder what that was for? Axel thought as they got up to leave. I mean I know she's upset, but that? That was SCARY. He shuddered, pondering the wrath he had incurred. Suddenly, he froze, and his eyes grew wide with realization. WAIT. IT'S-
Meanwhile, midway to Team CSRD's room, Ainsley stopped. "Crap! I have class! Okay, first: class. THEN I interrogat- I mean, 'talk' to Sebastian!" She turned around and headed for Professor Goodwich's class.
The two teams met up in the large, round sparring chamber just as Glynda was beginning her lecture.
"Today we will take what we have learned and apply it physically in the arena once again. Any volunteers?"
To the surprise of everyone (except Axel), Gemma stood tall and raised her hand.
"Ah, Ms. Florentine," she said with a smile. "Nice to see some new volunteers. Did you have an opponent in mind?"
Gemma took her place in the arena, then turned and stared beams into Axel's eyes. She raised a finger and growled in a voice that could only come from the deepest, darkest depths of her soul:
"HIM."
"Axel Royal. Another new face. Good choice." Prof. Goodwich motioned with her wand for Axel to come down. He rose slowly from his seat and shakily made his way down to the arena. Damien and Cyrus took one look at each other, both mentally saying the exact same thing: This is NOT going to end well. Prof. Goodwich gave him a slight welcoming bow, then returned to addressing the class. "Now remember, class. Strategizing is important before any confrontation. These two have what are called 'conflicting semblances.' You see, Axel here is electrokinetic. Gemma can become crystalline, which means she'll be unaffected by electricity. This means that Axel will be at a disadvantage, and will have to be quite resourceful in order to make up for that."
"Gee, thanks Professor." Axel muttered. "Love the vote of confidence."
"I meant no offense," Prof. Goodwich replied. "I was simply stating the facts. This is a classroom, after all, and this is a teaching moment."
Axel shrugged weakly and took his place in the arena, as Gemma took hers. They both assumed their fighting stances; Axel took out his staff and extended it to its full length while Gemma drew her bow and split it into dual daggers.
"Begin." Professor Goodwich announced as the combatants' aura levels were displayed on the big screen.
Gemma and Axel ran at each other, and Gemma swung at him with her dagger. Axel slid underneath her strike and popped up to his feet behind her, assuming a defensive stance. She spun to her left and tried to strike him with her elbow, but he blocked the attack with his staff. She grunted in frustration and tried a back kick, but Axel spun out of the way and backed off once again.
He stood there, still in his defensive stance, hesitant to attack. This infuriated Gemma.
"Come on! Attack me!" She yelled, crystallizing her arms. She swung with her right hand, but Axel ducked the punch and once again rolled past her, adopting his defensive stance once more. Gemma charged at him again, unleashing a flurry of punches at Axel's midsection. He was able to deflect the majority, but some landed, hard. He was left standing, but not unblemished as his aura level dropped slightly.
Seeing this, Gemma decided to change her strategy. She backed off, reattaching her daggers to form her bow. The two began a standoff of sorts, neither person moving to attack.
"You have to do something, Axel." Gemma taunted through gritted teeth. "We could sit here all day." Axel's concentrated face broke a bit, and he opened his mouth to speak, but once again couldn't find was no easy fix for this. There was nothing he could say to her that could take back his wrong. She'd gone all this time thinking she could trust him as her friend, and he'd pushed her away with a single stupid utterance. So he closed his mouth and remained silent. This did not sit well with Gemma. "Fine. Have it your way," she growled as she fired three laser arrows at once.
"Hmph," Axel scoffed, charging straight toward them. At the last moment, he dove underneath the arrows' trajectory. He tucked and rolled, pressing a button on his staff, turning it into his sniper rifle. He pointed it at her and fired, but missed by a few inches, singeing a hole in the wall to her left. She knocked two more arrows and prepared to fire, but lowered her bow slowly, and began to tremble.
"Oh come on, Axel," she stammered, "you designed that sniper rifle yourself. You calibrated the sight for easy and precise target acquisition. I've seen you hit the soft spot on a boarbatusk from over 100 yards. You and I both know that you wouldn't miss at this range. Especially that badly." She shook her head. "Why won't you fight me? You don't have to hold back anymore."
Axel lowered his rifle slowly. The corners of his jaw jutted out as his teeth clenched and unclenched.
"Don't I?" he snapped. "I didn't ask for this. I figured I'd already hurt you enough for one week."
"I can handle myself!" Gemma yelled. She crystallized her entire body and charged him once more, firing arrows as she went. He ducked and dodged the arrows, but he looked up to find her upon him, and he caught a strong left jab to his midsection that caused him to flinch. Gemma took this opportunity to put her bow on her back and pummel him with a relentless string of punches. She kept up the pressure, striking at his midsection and his head. Axel got his arms up and was able to absorb most of the blows coming at his head, but in doing this he left his core vulnerable. Gemma saw this and capitalized, pounding away at his stomach and ribs. He tried to dodge and get out of the onslaught, but every time he'd try to move out of the way, he was dragged back in by another strike. Axel's aura quickly dropped to half as she finished with a powerful kick directly to his chest, sending him flying back into the wall. He fell to his knee, panting and grunting in pain as he looked up to see her standing there, stone-faced. The tears were gone, a glimmer of a confidence he'd never seen before shone through. "I told you. I passed the entrance exams, same as you. I went through initiation, just like you. And I EARNED my place here... JUST. LIKE... you..." she yelled, but her voice trailed off near the end and her semblance deactivated, causing her crystals to dissipate and her body to return to its regular state. Tears began to run down her face and drip onto the floor. "When we were kids, you always looked out for me. When Grimm tore up my family's garden, you fought them off. When people bullied me for not being able to control my semblance, you stuck up for me. You did it all without a second thought, and you never once complained. Even when your shop was going through rough times, you always made time to come check up on me and my family. You would look me in my eyes and tell me to be strong, even when things were hard. And now, here I am, trying to show you how far I've come, to prove that I'm strong enough now to stand all on my own."
Axel's expression softened, changing from fear to shame. Cyrus was right, he thought to himself. She really has grown up. He rubbed his chest where she had kicked him and let out a slight chuckle. And I've got the bruises to prove it.
"Fine." He said.
Gemma wiped away the tears.
"What?"
Axel gave a soft smile.
"I said, 'fine'. If it's a fight you want, It's a fight you'll get."
"That was kind of the point from the start," Prof. Goodwich's voice interjected from the stands. "But it's good to see you've figured that out."
The two shrugged off the comment, and retook their places. Axel kicked things off this time, reverting his rifle back into a staff. He leapt into the air and spun his staff above his head, charging it with electricity. He brought it down and slammed it on the ground near Gemma, discharging a wave of electricity. She tried to turn to her crystal form, but wasn't fast enough. She was hit by the electrical surge, and her aura level dropped to slightly above the yellow. She shook it off and gave a slight smile. She turned to her crystal form and swung at him with her dagger. Axel dodged underneath again, but this time Gemma was ready.
"Not this time!" she yelled playfully as she spun around and swept her leg around, tripping him up mid-dodge. He landed on his back with a loud OOF. She spun again and hit him in the chest with a powerful crystallized spinning axe kick in the same spot she'd kicked him before. He rolled over and groaned in pain, and his aura dropped to just outside the red. He opened his eyes and got up, his body crackling with electricity. Gemma laughed.
"Did you not hear Professor Goodwich?" she taunted, "you can't hit me while I'm in my crystal form." Axel smiled.
"Who said anything about hitting you with electricity?" Axel said as he discharged a bright flash, blinding her temporarily. While she was stunned, he surged toward her and hit her with an electrically-charged spinning back kick sending her careening into the wall. She got up and rubbed her eyes until her vision came back, her aura level now thoroughly in the yellow. Axel didn't let up. He came after her with his staff, swinging it down at her. She rolled out of the way, drew her daggers and threw one of her daggers at him. He dodged the flying dagger, rolling to the side. However, when he got back into position to face her, he was met by a powerful right hook from the pommel of Gemma's remaining dagger. He retaliated with a few quick jabs with his staff to her midsection, before spinning around and finishing with a powerful tornado kick, sending her into the wall again. Her aura level dropped even to his, and she was forced to turn back into her human form.
"Huh. Not so tough without your crystals to save you, huh?" Axel mocked playfully. "You see, that's the difference between you and I. When I take hits, my semblance gets stronger." He collapsed his staff and put it on his belt. Then he began to rub his hands together, charging them up with electricity for one final assault. He surged over toward her, and let loose a powerful electric haymaker, strong enough to finish the fight.
That is, if it would have connected.
There was a flash, and a loud thud. The light faded to reveal Gemma, her hands crystalized, having caught the punch, smiling back at Axel.
"And you forget: I still have some aura left." She stuck her tongue out mockingly and delivered a massive uppercut with her free hand, knocking Axel down and dropping his aura completely into the red.
The fight was over. Gemma had won, fair and square. Axel lay on the ground, battered and exhausted. Gemma walked over and held out her hand to help him up. He took it, and she yanked him upright and gave him a big hug.
"I'm sorry for being a burden." she sighed, a wave of relief flowing down her body.
"No, I'm sorry," Axel said, hugging her back. "I should never have doubted you. You're right. You got into Beacon just like I did. You're not some little-sister-type I have to take care of anymore." He pulled back and gave her a smile and a wink. "You can handle yourself." She smiled and hugged him again, tighter this time. He winced in pain, and she loosened her grip and looked up at him, concerned. He laughed. "What? I'm a little tender there. You DID kick me in the chest. Twice. As a ROCK-PERSON." The two smiled and made their way to the edge of the arena where they entered.
"And that will be all, students. Well done." Professor Goodwich said. "That's all for today."
Over in the stands, Cyrus and Damien looked at one another, stunned.
"Dude. he got his shit rocked." Cyrus said. Damien nodded, his mouth hanging open in astonishment. Axel and Gemma walked up, and Cyrus turned to them. "Dude. you got your shit rocked."
The two laughed, and Axel winced in pain again.
"Okay, it hurts to laugh. Let's not do that anymore."
As soon as class ended, Ainsley busted out of the room and charged straight for Team CSRD's room. She was going to get him to talk one way or another. Damien was quick to notice Ainsley make for the door and exhaled in apprehension.
"Oh boy. Trading one unfortunate turnabout for another, I guess."
Sebastian laid on his bed unmoving for quite some time. He wasn't able to get up and eat or even try to fall asleep. His body refused to move. He could only think of what had transpired that night. No. Everything that had happened up until that point as well. What he didn't expect was a loud knocking on the door. He flipped around to face the door, and the dreary-eyed gloomy Sebastian didn't want any unexpected visitors.
"Go away," he muttered lazily.
Ainsley, on the other end of the door, didn't like the answer she was given.
"It's me, Ainsley. Open the door Sebastian, I just want to talk."
"I said go away. I don't feel like talking right now." The answer he gave was cold and heartless, a feeling he wouldn't usually give off. Ainsley grew saddened by the response. If his teammates couldn't get through to him, she wouldn't have a chance. But even the toughest of nuts have to crack eventually. She slid down the door, her back pressed against it.
"Sebastian," she said softly. "I know what happened that night." Sebastian's ears perked up slightly and his eyes widened, sad that someone as nice as her knew what kind of monster he was. "It's okay to feel the way you are right now. I can't feel your pain, but you can share it with us so it doesn't have to hurt so much anymore. Please, Sebastian. Just talk to us."
Sebastian sat upright on his bed and gave it a thought. He needed to do it. But he couldn't. How would they react? What would they think of him after he was done talking? He couldn't risk losing what he just found.
"I'm sorry, Ainsley," His eyes sunk to the floor. "I just can't bring myself to do it. Forgive me."
"It's okay, Sebastian. I know it's a rough spot for you. Just know that we care. If you ever feel like coming around, you can always come to me." Ainsley got up, disappointed that she couldn't make any progress with him. But then, a thought came to mind. If she couldn't do it and his friends couldn't either, then there was but one person left who could.
It was later in the day and the rest of Team CSRD were up to the usual goofing off procedure. That is, until they were approached by some familiar angry faces. It was Cardin and the rest of his goons. Russel was the first to instigate the conversation.
"Where the hell is that no good friend of yours, huh?" He got right up to the others, who all leaned back.
"He isn't here right now," Cyrus responded.
"Well he better be soon because we have a little proposition for you guys." He smiled with a devilish grin.
"What kind of proposition?" Damien stepped up and matched Russel's tone.
"In five days, our team against yours in the Emerald Forest. We'll decide if you're good enough for the tournament."
"Think of it as a way to settle the little quarrel your friend caused." Cardin towered over Cyrus. "If you don't show, then you all have no shot at the tournament. Sound fair?"
"Why should we take up your offer?" Damien got in Cardin's face. "We don't have to prove jack. Especially to you guys!"
"Because you don't want everyone at Beacon to know your furry friend is a killer right?" Cardin grinned, knowing he had the upper hand.
"What the? How the hell could someone like you know that?" Damien was both surprised and furious. These bastards were basically blackmailing them into a corner to fight them. It was clear that this whole situation was rigged for them somehow.
"Someone here has an excellent sense of smell ya know." Cardin laughed and so did the rest of his gang. "I would get him in peak shape." His face went from that of glee to one that was filled with a serious and grim intent. "Don't keep us waiting either." The group turned around and left, leaving Team CSRD standing there, confused and frightened.
"Well shit," Cyrus utters. "We have to do something about this."
"You mean talk to Sebastian?" Axel looks at Cyrus and Cyrus nods.
"Good," Damien says. "We're going to need him to be ready for this.
They all rush back to the dorm room as fast as possible and they practically bust down the dorm to find that Sebastian wasn't in the room.
"Why the hell isn't he here when we need him?!" Axel shouts out in frustration.
Sebastian walked down the long hallway leading to where he was headed.
"I can't believe I missed three calls from him! HIM of all people! My ass is seriously gonna be grass when I get in there. He approached the doors, took a deep breath, let it out, and opened them. He walked into the large room that looked out above everything. Inside he found who he was looking for, sitting at his deck, hands folded at the face. It was none other than the headmaster himself: Professor Ozpin.
"Ah Mr. Skobeloff," Ozpin began. "I see you've finally made it after three calls." To Sebastian he looked pissed off. "What's the matter? Please sit down." Ozpin extended his arm, pointing to the chair across the other side of the desk where Sebastian was. Sebastian hesitated for a moment, then sat down.
"I take it you know why you're here?" Ozpin started.
"It's about my current 'condition' isn't it?" Sebastian struggled to meet Ozpin eye to eye.
"It is yes. A friend of yours came to me to help you get out of your 'phase'. So here we are."
"I don't need someone to get me out of this. I can do it myself."
"Clearly not." Ozpin stood out of his chair and walked to the window, looking outward. "I want to ask you a question, Sebastian. Why are you here at Beacon Academy?" He glared at Sebastian through the reflection.
"I… I don't know anymore. I don't have a purpose, I have nothing tying me down except for my team."
"The way I see it," Ozpin said, turning around to look directly at Sebastian, "is that you have two choices. Either leave Beacon and be forced back out into the wild you are so accustomed to, or stay at Beacon and find out what it is you are meant to do."
"If I leave, the White Fang will just hunt me down again and I'll be forced to break my promise. If I stay, I'll just end up getting everyone caught in the crossfire. I don't think either choice seems right."
Before Sebastian began to break down. Ozpin looked at him straight and made no attempt to comfort him."Life is a cruel and unforgiving thing, Sebastian. It torments us in any way it can. But it's how we deal with the pain it gives us that makes us into better people. I used to feel just like you in a way. Not knowing if I could go on with the cards I was dealt. But look at where I am now." He pushed up his glasses slightly. "Teaching kids like you, how to become better than who you were before. To help you all become Huntsmen and Huntresses. I try to see the best in every one of my students, and I see that there is potential in you." Ozpin sits back down and takes a quick drink from his mug.
"So you knew the truth about me from the very start then? You accepted me into Beacon despite all the risks you'd be taking? Why do something like that?" Sebastian couldn't comprehend what Ozpin was thinking, nor what he had been through in his lifetime.
"It's as I said before. To put it another way, I wish to put young people onto the right path, so that they do not end up making mistakes that will cost them more than they could ever imagine. I'll be blunt Mr. Skobeloff. You've already made mistakes that have burdened you, but you clearly wish to seek out a better future for yourself, whether you see it or not yet. I have taken many risks in my lifetime, each one of them I do not regret. There are others like yourself I have brought into Beacon, much for the same reasons. Whatever my reasons may be for letting you in, you must find your own reason for being."
"My own reason for being? All I've done is run away. I lied to my teammates. I've done nothing but horrible things. Is it really okay for me to stay here, despite what people think I am?" Sebastian looked at Ozpin, water forming in his eyes, a feeling of sadness washing over him. Ozpin merely closed his eyes and took yet another sip from his cup.
"I will allow you to stay if that is your choice. In the end, only you can decide what you do. But you must look at the people around you and see that they can help you come to that decision."
Sebastian sat for a moment, contemplating his choices. He knew most of them would want him to stay. Only Damien would advocate for him to be moved somewhere else to get help. Sebastian always believed he never had a choice, but now, he was given one. It wasn't just about his friends, but about himself. What did he want for himself? Could he really become a better person? After some thought, he looked at Ozpin with a confident look in his eyes.
"I've decided to stay." Ozpin smiled at Sebastian making the right choice. "I want to be at Beacon to overcome the pain I've had to manage for so long. I want to learn my purpose here at Beacon, and strive to be someone that I can be content with. Someone who is no longer burdened by the past. I will move past it and become someone my team can rely on!" Sebastian stands up from his chair and turns to face the door. "I'll start by telling my friends the truth. They deserve answers after all." With that, Sebastian left the room and headed for his friends. As the doors closed, Ozpin looked towards the night sky.
"I believe in you Sebastian," he spoke to himself. "Like I believe in all of my other students. For I have to believe that you will all be ready when the time comes."
Sebastian walked down the halls of Beacon Academy, thoughts racing through his head. One thing was clear to him at the very least. He had a lot of explaining to do.