A/N: This chapter was hell. And I mean hell to make! (two weeks)But I'm happy it's over.
Chapter 13: Aftermath
You know, I was ready for anything once I got back to my medical room. I was expecting mom yelling at me or worse getting beaten up in the arena, in front of everyone once my mom came towards me. Hell, maybe even Pyrrha joining in on the beating if Mom told her as well. But I was not expecting this.
"How are you feeling? Are your legs ok? How's your heart? Did you apologize to Pyrrha after you punched her in the face? Where did you find that sword?
"..."
"Well, what do you have to say?"
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...
"I'm sorry Mom. I'm a little confused here aren't you mad?"
...
"Oh, sweet heart... You have no idea how hard I'm trying not to strangle you right now. But since you are already hurt, I think you are already punished enough for today. But once you get better... You are so grounded."
Ok yea, there it is.
"So if you don't want me to get upset with you, even more than I am." She leans in and looks me straight in the eyes. "Start answering these questions."
I do not know if I should lie to her or tell her the truth. But seeing now that I don't have any other options I guess now I should tell her almost everything.
Sigh..." Fine. Well, it all started yesterday after you left."
I had to be careful about what I told her. I don't want to throw anyone under the bus with this. So I had to take the fall for now.
"So what time did you actually leave your room?"
"Umm. I think that was around seven. So I was out for a good three hours if so. Why?"
"Oh... Nothing I think I need to go have a word with someone after this."
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...
...
I think I just sold someone out.
"So, You went with Pyrrha and Bolin to get a weapon and then you went to get food. How were you able to walk all the way over there with two broken legs Seth?"
"Well, I think having my Aura up the whole time was a big help, even though it was flickering the whole way there."
"You know that's dangerous right? What would have happened if you were to get attacked by some drunk?"
"I mean we were all together Mom. I don't think anyone would have try something. Also, we were in a crowded place."
"Don't get too comfortable Seth. Mistral has a gang that would have caused any trouble for anyone even in crowded places."
Wait really? We didn't see any group that looked like a gang. Wait was it those people who were wearing purple?
"Well, at least the good thing was nothing happened then."
"Yes. I'm glad... Well then now for your punishment."
Yea, I was expecting this from her. Well, I can't blame her for this. This was my mistake for wanting to fight even though I promise not to. How bad could it be then?
"Your first punishment is. This is going to be your last tournament until you become a huntsman in training."
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...
"What! Mom hold up you can't be-"
"Shut up."
"..."
"You promise me Seth that you would not fight. And look what happen, you went against your word to me."
I mean... I did promise Pyrrha first that we were going to fight...So...
"Your Second punishment is that we are not training until you become 15 Seth."
"WHAT! But mom that-"
"You keep this up and it will be until you are 17 Seth."
"Shutting up then."
"Good. Now for your last punishment of the day... You need to go and apologize to Pyrrha for hitting her in the face."
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"Umm, Mom we were in the middle of a fight."
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"17 it is then."
"WHAT!?"
"Kidding... But seriously you need to apologize to her once you see her."
After a good heart attack from her. I feel like this was the best punishment I got. How bad could it be?
KNOCK! KNOCK!
We both turn to the door and In comes Pyrrha.
"Hello, Seth how are you feeling?"
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...
"Why do I say things."
"Huh?"
"Nothing! Just talking to myself."
"Well if you excuse me." My mom said as she gets up and starts to walk toward the door. "I need to go hunt for someone, I'll see you later sweet heart, and don't leave this room." she looks at me with a 'or else look'.
"Don't worry Mom, I promise I won't." What does she mean by hunt?
"Good." She nods and turns to Pyrrha. "Don't be too mad at him." With that, she leaves the room. Leaving both of us alone.
"What was that all about?" Pyrrha asked.
"Well... Promise me you won't get mad."
"Oh, Seth we are friends why would I?"
Oh, I bet you are not gonna be saying that after I tell you.
After explaining and apologizing to her about what has happened, let's just say her reaction was to be expected.
SLAM!
"AHH! Fuck that was my bad leg!"
SLAM!
"AHH! Now my other leg!"
"You went into a fight without your AURA SETH!"
"I know I forgot but I was careful the whole time."
SLAM!
"Ow! Would you please stop that?!"
"Then you decide to walk around Mistral with your broken legs just to get a weapon, and to make things even worse we have a fight that could have caused your body even more damage than it already is. So tell me Seth what part am I not supposed to be upset about?"
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"...Um... I did try to tell you but... I was cut off every time, soooo."
She was about to throw another punch, but I was able to catch it this time.
"Ok. Please let me explain! Before you start punching."
"Seth what is there to explain?! This has to be one of the most stupidest things you have ever done. Like it's one thing to not have your Aura unlock, but you still decide to fight. Then there is another thing of going down to Mistral and walking around with broken legs, just to get a weapon. And last but certainly not least you decide to go and fight again with injuries that could have caused you even more problems in the future if you weren't careful. What's worse is that I could have caused you that injury. How do you think I would feel if I did that to you? Huh!?"
You know she is hitting a lot of good points, that even I couldn't argue back at. Man... Why do I feel like Pyrrha is worse at making me feel more guilty than my own mother here.
"I think you would feel real bad at-"
SLAP!
A strong sting is felt on my left cheek.
"Ow! Pyrrha what the fuck!"
"I'm sorry... But you make me so mad right now Seth. Why didn't you tell me you were injured? Why didn't you just talk to me about your Aura? Why?"
...
...
"I forgot."
She raises her hand again.
And I raise my hands to cover my face. "Pyrrha you know I forget about a lot of things, right? That was something I told you about when we became friends. So why is this a shocker to you now?"
"Because I care about you, Seth!"
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...
"What!?"
"Seth... I care about you... You... You are my best friend. And to think I could have injured you or worse. How do you think that would make me feel."
Horrible. Stress out. Depress. Trust me, I knew those feelings, back then.
"Pyrrha look... I'm sorry, I promise from here on I'll tell you the truth, and I won't forget to tell you everything then."
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...
She just looks at me knowing well, that I might be lying to her, but when she saw me just stare at her, she must have known that I was telling her the truth this time.
"Thank you, Seth." She smiles at that. "I'm sorry for slapping you."
"Nah it's fine. I feel like I deserve that for doing something stupid."
"Yes. It was really stupid of your part."
"Okay thank you, Pyrrha. Just wait until you do something stupid, I'm going to laugh so hard that tears are going to fall out.
After calming down we started to talk normally... Well, kind of there was this tension in the air for us. That made us both nervous.
"So... What was that all about back in the ring Seth?"
"What was what?"
"That sound that was coming out of you. You said something about your Semblance?"
"Oh, that yea. Yea, it's my Semblance."
"Really?"
I mean I think it is, I still don't have an explanation for it but I guess I'll just go with it.
"Yea. It's my Semblance."
"But you said that you just unlock your Aura yesterday and yet you were able to get your Semblance right away?"
"Yea... Mom doesn't know how it's possible but we really don't have a better explanation for this."
Still... It is weird that the song that I was thinking about to try and calm me started to play. It's almost like I chose that song to start playing. It's also weird that I was able to control the speed of it too. Huh, maybe later I can try to test it out more once I get the time.
"Well, I think you are really special Seth. You were able to get your semblance right away."
"Yea...What about you, what's your Semblance?"
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"What! I don't have a Semblance yet!?"
"Pyrrha, I think you should leave the lying to me. Also, I saw it at the final moments of our fight."
She just looks at me with narrow eyes when I told her that, knowing too well that I was the one who lies out of the both of us.
...
Sigh..." Well, I had my Semblance for a good six months now, But I have not tried it before in a fight. It just kind of happened."
"Really? By the feel of it. It was like you had control of where my weapon was going. So what is it."
"Well... From what I gather and the training I have done, also what my Mom told me. I call it Polarity."
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"What?"
"I can control metals, Seth."
"Ohhhh. So magnetism, right?"
"Yes. But I'm calling it Polarity."
'That's a stupid name then.'
"Huh, not bad."
"What about you? What are you calling your Semblance then?"
Oh wait I got to name it. Shit, no one told me I had to name my Semblance. I thought Mom just liked calling out her attacks when she fights. Why does she do it? Well at least she started calling her attacks ''Air Slash''. Well, I'm happy that she at least use one of the names I told her was better.
"Oh um, I still need to work on that. But I'll think of something later."
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We have been quiet for a good minute after that.
Well, this is awkward.
Usually, we just talk like normal and think nothing about it. But now I feel like there is tension in the air for some reason.
"Sooo. How are you feeling about Mistral?"
Nice one.
"Oh, Mistral is wonderful from what I saw. It would be wonderful later down the line if I decide to apply here for school. What about you? How do you feel about it?"
"Well for the most part, I feel like it's a nice place, the school looks nice too, the people... Well, they have their perks."
"Yes the people here are-"
SLAM!
"Kid! Call off your mother!"
Rushing into the room Qrow quickly closes the door behind it.
"Umm what? What did you -"
SLAM!
"Ok, you damn drunk I need to have a word with you about lying to a mother now. Oh Hi, sweet heart and Pyrrha how are both of you? Did you apologize Seth?"
"Uh yea Mom I did. What is going on right now?"
"Oh, nothing I just need to have a word with this man about something." She just smiles at me.
"Kid, she is crazy tell her-"
"Who the hell are you calling crazy you Motherf-"
"Ok enough!" I yell out.
"..."
"..."
Sigh..."Ok from the start, Mom what happened?"
"Well, he lied about not telling me you went missing yesterday and told me you were in your room."
Ok, so I did mess up somewhere when I told her what happened. Great.
"Ok Qrow what happened?"
"I was about to leave the school and then I was attacked by her."
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I just turn to my Mom.
"Really, you attacked him?"
"Are you really taking his word over mine?"
If I didn't know you any better Mom I would not, but knowing you all that well...
"Yes. Because I know you too well that this is a reaction you would do if someone were to mess with you."
"... Fair point."
Sigh..." Mom, it wasn't his fault. I told him to keep it a secret from you once I came back and he did keep it so if anything this is my fault."
"Seth that's fine and all but he told me this before you came back so he still lied to me from the start."
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I turn to Qrow.
"Well, I did all I could. This is on you then."
"Kid!"
"Ok fine... Mom just let it go I mean he did tell me how to better control my Aura so it doesn't flicker anymore when I was walking. So please let this one slide."
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"Fine, But if he's not taking the fall." She turns to me. "Then you are."
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I turn to Qrow. "You own me you damn drunk."
"Well I better get going Seth take care," Pyrrha said as she starts to leave the room.
"Yea, that's fine. Umm, Good luck with the rest of your matches. You better win this."
"Thank you, Seth. I will." With that, she left. Leaving Me, my Mom, and this damn drunk in the room.
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Snickering is heard and I just turn. "Man, you two are so awkward around each other."
This guy!
"Why are you here again? Oh right, you were scared of a woman am I right."
pfft..."Yeah right, I was not-"
The wind started to pick up around the room and we both turn to my Mother with her eyes narrowing down staring at the man.
"You better leave or else I don't think I can stop her once she is mad."
"Yea, I think you are right. Thanks again, kid." With that, he leaves. Leaving now my Mom and me.
"Sooo, Dumb question but... Did you get the food?"
The food for the most part was good even though it was cold. But I think sitting here in the medical room just relaxing and talking with my Mom. I think this was the best part of the day for me.
"So sweet heart" she starts and reaches into her jacket taking out.
I look at her and see her taking out my notebook. " Oh, my notebook!" I try to take it but she pulls it back toward her.
"So tell me why this notebook was so important to you. That you had to use it, as a way to get me to leave this room? and don't lie to me, Seth."
Well, here we go. After all of the years, I had kept this secret from her. Now it's coming out. And I can't lie about it either great.
"Well. What do you want to know about it?"
"How about we start from the beginning, and work our way to now."
"Ok, that's fine. Well, it all started when we got to Argus."
"That long ago. You were only five when we got to Argus, why didn't you tell me?"
"Well, I had no idea what it was or yet what was happening to me. Every time I went to sleep, it just kind of happened. I sleep and in my dreams, I hear music, sometimes I hear happy songs, sad songs, weird songs, and sometimes songs I hear someone sings in them. So for the last nine or so years every song that I heard of I just wrote down in that book."
"Hmm. So it just happened when we arrive in Argus right nothing else?"
"Yea... For the most part, well until now."
"What do you mean?"
"When I was fighting Pyrrha and she landed a hit on my heart. I put my hand on my heart to try to stop the pain, then the drum beat started and when I try to stop it, it didn't go away no matter how hard I try to stop it. I try to calm myself but instead of going away it was replaced by a piano beat playing."
"Yes. I heard that melody when I was watching you fight It was a calm one at first then It speed up. why is that?"
"That melody was one of the songs I heard in my dreams Mom. I don't know how but when I started to think about that song it just started to play out of me."
"... Seth tap your heart."
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"Really you want me to try it out now?"
"Better to understand it now rather than later right?"
Yea, she is right I better get a good understanding of this now. Oh well, let's see if it works. I raise my hand to my heart and tap it. Then the drum beat came out.
"Now try to remember the song that you were thinking of."
"Oh, that's easy... Night Walker."
Soon the melody changed and the drum beat changed into a slow piano beat.
"You named it?"
"Yea... Almost every song in that book has a name, some of them make sense but others don't. And the rest well I don't have names for them."
We just listen to the melody play out and for some reason, my mother just kept her eyes close moving her head left and right flowing with the beat of it.
'Huh, I think she likes it.'
"Seth, can you change the song?"
Change it? What like to pick a different song, well this could be a good training to see if I can do it.
"Uh, sure any preference?"
I see her open the book and point to one of the songs. "This one, do you think you can play it."
I look at the song and see that it was one of the ones I couldn't remember.
"Let's see if I can."
I close my eyes and try to remember the melody of the song. But no matter how hard I try to remember I just couldn't picture how it went.
"... I don't think I can Mom. That song is one of the ones I can't remember all too well. Some of the songs I wrote down have a 'Yes or No' on them. Those are the ones I try to remember everything about them while the others I can't remember at all. Sorry."
"Don't worry, it's fine if anything this will help us understand how your Sembalance works. How about this one?" She points to a new one and I see that it's one I remember well.
"Summer Sky"
Summer Sky - Aoko Aozaki Theme
Soon the melody changed and the beat started to pick up replacing the slow piano, with a more upbeat tone.
"Wow. I don't think I ever heard this melody before. And you say it just appeared to you in your dreams right?"
"Yea for the most part this song did appear in my dreams like I just knew what it was. Is that weird?"
"Well I won't say it's weird, but for something like that to just appeared out of nowhere and to have a beat ready like this is not... Normal at all... Seth Music takes time to compose and for you to just hear it in your dreams and for it to just be ready like this."
She waves at me while the song continues to play.
"It's not Normal at all. Are you hiding something from me? Seth, you can tell me."
...
I can't tell her what I know about myself, for all she knows I was just a baby to her when I came here to this place and to tell her I was from somewhere else. No, I'm not going to tell her that, for all I know that was my old life and this right here is my new life. A life I decide to take and start new because I was given the chance.
I tap my heart to stop the song and look at her.
"No Mom that's all I know, and I don't know anything else about this."
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"Very well, I believe you sweet heart."
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I'm so fucking stupid sometimes.
As the days went by the end of the tournament came close, and to my surprise, Pyrrha had made it to the finals. All she had to do was beat her opponent and she would be crowned the new Mistral regional champion.
So what did I do...Well, the only thing a friend can do.
"Kick Her Ass Pyrrha!"
Cheer for my friend.
I had to convince my mom to let me go and see the fight in the Arena. She told me 'no' a bunch of times but once she saw someone in the Arena. She changed her mind right away.
Pyrrha just looks at me and waves her hand.
"Today we are about to decide which of these two competitors would be crowned the new Mistral regional champion."
The crowd erupts in cheers wishing both fighters luck.
"You think she got this?"
I turn my head to face Bolin. "Yea, she got this if anything I think Pyrrha has a good chance of winning this tournament. I mean she beat me."
"Well you did fight with broken legs and lost, that's not something to be proud of."
"And who beat you with no Aura again?" I smirk at him.
"Touch Seth. Just go cheer your girlfriend."
"We are just friends!" I say with a blush.
"I know." Now he smirks at me.
'God damn it, Bolin.'
POV Qrow
Ring! Ring!
Pulling out my scroll, I see a receive a new message.
'I'll look into him later, For now, I need you back here in Vale.'
Great now I need to return back. Well, at least I could stop and visit both of them.
'Got it.'
I turn and see the television and see both of the competitors fighting, but I had a feeling about who was going to win this. And raise my glass and take my last drink.
"Ahhh that's the stuff."
"I can see why my son calls you the 'damn drunk' now."
I turn and see. "Ah Miss Sapphire good to see you too. What you here to drink as well?"
"No. I quit a long time ago, I came here after talking to the headmaster and giving him a piece of my mind after going missing for a good week. So now I'm just taking a walk." I see her take a chair next to me and sit down.
"Water please."
"So what do I have the honors then."
"I wish to thank you."
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"Huh?"
"Thank you for telling my son about how to control his Aura when he went to fight. I'm still mad about you lying to me about him missing but that is water under the bridge now. So again Qrow Thank you.
"Heh, no problem... So you want to buy me a drink?"
"I don't drink."
"For me though I'm leaving soon. So a drink for the road."
"... Fine. It would be a thank you then."
"You know there are other-"
She turns to me and I see her dark blue eyes just looking at me with murder on them, and see the wind start to pick up.
"I think the drinks are all I need thanks."
"Good."
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"You have a good kid."
"I know. He is everything to me."
"And yet he is taking the role of a huntsman."
"As much as I didn't want him to take this road. It was his decision and I just supported it."
"You know Haven is a good place for him to come, but nothing beats Beacon.
"Hmm well, it's his choice after all. All I can do is support him in it."
"Hmm yea."
A/N: We are done with this place. Now I can make the weapon and visit someplace. (we are still missing one person to see) I know but I have a plan. (will it make sense?) No, but I can make it. make sense. I really hated this chapter. If anything I had no direction on it all I knew is that I had to explain a few things. Thankfully it's over now. Thank you for reading this mess of a chapter and hopefully I'll post on Thursdays now. And now nothing will get in my way.
(Do you think a clown can work in Remnant?) ...WHAT!