Peach was flying overhead while Port was carrying the large cage with the struggling Boarbatusk on his back. Their movement was slow, mainly because Port didn't prefer to sedate the Grimm because he explains that it is better that way. How exactly? Peach never really got an answer nor does she want to learn that. What's important at the moment was the fact that many Grimm were converging towards where Jekyll had most likely landed. That, at least, made the culling of Grimm to numbers that potential students should be able to handle much easier. Hopefully, there were still Grimm for the students to be tested against afterwards. From the sounds of the Grimm converging, there won't be much excuse for the students to be failing at this part of the exam.
Cackling laughter and growling was heard in the distance that made Peach pause. Was that Jekyll? It sounded like him and yet there was a primal rage behind it. A sadism that was uncharacteristic of her assistant. Grimm could also be heard growling and roaring to finally whimpering. Jekyll's maniacal laughter was heard following it as if he was having the time of his life. The kind of time that only a mad man would find thrilling. Shaking her head, Peach pressed on. The Grimm had already begun to decrease in number making it safer to move. It should have felt safer and yet Peach felt compelled to go the other way. She wanted to be as far away from Jekyll as she could. His voice, now rougher and wilder, caused every hair and feather on her to stand on edge. Steadfast was shaking in her hands and Peach had to slap herself just to get herself together.
When the area started to open up, Peach managed to catch sight of the figure of who she assumes to be Henry Jekyll for he was covered in black smudge and a lone Beowolf. It was the strangest sight for Peach. While it was unsurprising that there would be huntsmen who would engage in close quarters combat, the manner that Jekyll did so here was unique. For one, he wasn't even trying to defend himself against the Grimm's claw swipes; he welcomed them as the claws struck across his face. Rather than reel back, Jekyll was laughing like a deranged clown and only used the momentum of the attack to swing his knife at the Beowolf.
There was something unnaturally foul about the whole ordeal. It was like bad had met with evil and neither Peach nor Port were certain which one was which. Jekyll pounced on the Beowolf, causing the two to fall to the ground with the huntsman on top. Rather than ending it then and there, Jekyll proceeded to press his entire weight on the Grimm's neck, chocking out the air. Despite the attempts at breaking free, the Beowolf's attack seemed to be ignored by Jekyll as he made no move to defend himself; he was focused entirely on the Grimm's pitiful eyes as the air was slowly leaving out of it. The Grimm began to whimper and whine like a living puppy being held over a flame by psychopaths. Peach personally found herself wanting to defend the Grimm instead before the Grimm eventually died as its body slowed to a stop.
Neither Port nor Peach wanted to move yet. It was only when they felt safe which came later did they do so. Entering the clearing and thus giving themselves a better view, both Port and Peach had witnessed the results of a massacre. Many Grimm corpses had begun to dissipate as they all lay there, lifeless and still. The only thing that was remotely alive and moving at all was a human being covered in black smudge. At first, she didn't want to approach him at all. She didn't even want to call that man as Henry Jekyll. No. It was as though something unnaturally foul and disgusts everything and everyone was standing there in her assistant's place. When she had mustered enough courage to call him, that...thing turned to them with a jolt and raised his knife only to let it freeze it in place with his other hand. Were his eyes different there? Peach missed it for it only lasted a second. She only caught them widening.
The knife fell to the ground just as Jekyll's knees fell. Suddenly, he vomited on the ground and began to breathe heavily after he was done. He was shaking his head as every other part of him was practically vibrating from a nonexistent cold.
"Good show, lad!" Port praised, opting to ignore the display earlier. The man didn't show it but Peach could see that Port was slightly tense and ready to act at a moment's notice. Action that was born out of honed instincts to detect danger and threats. "With all these Grimm lying about, students who have failed the initiation truly aren't ready for Beacon." He approached the jittery Jekyll and patted him on the shoulder with such force that Beacon's new staff fell on his knees, exhausted from pushing himself too far, surely. When Port patted Jekyll on the back, Jekyll faced the ground again, vomiting. "Easy there, lad. You've must have pushed yourself too hard." Port began to relax as time went on. Peach found herself doing the same as though the air around them started to calm down. "No need for bravado, my boy. There's plenty to go around."
Peach, on the other hand, wasn't as easy on the praise. That was certainly something but still, to leave behind this many corpses? Presumably, there was many more than had already dissipated which meant that Jekyll's count must have been abnormally high. For someone who hasn't gone through the Academies, he was certainly talented. Or dangerous, her thoughts invaded. She looked at the rather miserable state of her assistant. Underneath all those Grimm remains, his eyes were tired with bags for days. He was massaging his temples like he had a headache. Given his movements and the vomit in this moment, it was as though Jekyll went out on a night of heavy drinking and this was the hungover.
Making her descent to the ground, Peach noted that some of the remaining Grimm had some differences. Green eyes? She noticed. Grimm normally have red eyes, if one could call them that. Scanning the area around her, Peach then began to see pieces of metal on the ground. Not just any metal but the same kind of metal that Port's cage was made of.
"Professor Port," she said. "Have you laid out a bunch of traps for the Grimm before this little excursion of ours?"
"I have not." Port shook his head. Not finding any lie in that statement, Peach then turned to the other huntsman in the area. "There is no greater thrill than to put the Grimm in the cage by own hands, I say."
"Jekyll?" she asked, jolting her assistant. Why was he so jumpy all of the sudden? If he could handle so many Grimm, what made answering a few questions so difficult?
"I haven't noticed anything," said Jekyll, after calming down. His voice was skittish and his hands were shaking. "Too focused on… other things."
Peach's eyes narrowed but let it go. Whatever he was going through, it was personal. She would have to earn his trust first if she wanted answers. However, something inside of her was telling her not to. Instead, it was telling her to run, get behind something or someone. It didn't matter, so long as there was something between her and her assistant. No. She shook her head. She wasn't going to let Jekyll face it alone. Call her names but Peach found kinship in the man and she wasn't about to give that up so easily.
While Port was helping Jekyll clean himself the best that he can, Peach continued to investigate the area. Whatever metal that was used here, the original source must have come from further out with the Grimm unknowingly carrying it closer towards Beacon. There wasn't one sizeable enough that Peach could bring back to investigate. All she could do is note it down and come back later. Perhaps this was the lead that she was looking for in terms of the increase in Grimm activity.
Considering that there was only so much that merely dusting of the remains of Grimm, Peach suggested, "okay, let's go back so that you can have a shower." She reeled back when she managed to get a good whiff of the scent. It was an unnatural filth that just felt rotten to its core. "And do your laundry as well."
"Yes," Jekyll replied weakly. "Yes, let us do that."
The walk back towards Beacon Academy had the noise mostly filled by Port retelling one of many of his stories. Peach was behind them both. She wasn't flying this time and opted to walk on the ground along with them. Her eyes never once left Jekyll's back. From her angle, she could see that he was on edge. Understandable considering that there is someone watching him. His hands never stopped shaking and he didn't appear to be listening that much to Port's tales. Jekyll's mind was clearly elsewhere as he at least tried to give his focus to Port's stories.
As Beacon's spires got closer and closer, Peach's eyes moved away from Jekyll and on the metal scraps that they had found. They could see the airships carrying the prospective students making their descent as Ozpin and Glynda's silhouettes can be seen as holograms. The three of them moved elsewhere and away from the general sight of those students as they made their way towards the dorm rooms where they could rest until further notice. The other faculty would have to make their own way or wait until after the students have all settled down for the day.
Every once in a while, though, Peach's eyes would glance over Jekyll who jolted stiff whenever she would look at him. He must still be on edge. Whatever happened to him earlier, he clearly has yet to recover from it. Most huntsmen and huntresses usually start out without much experience in de-stressing from their missions. Some are still on high alert even after the danger had past. That was Peach's rationalization of everything that has happened thus far. It made sense to her and should have calmed her down. A kind of stress that would have gone away once the human body realizes that it is safe, that is what was afflicting her assistant. Peach should have accepted it that and feel at ease for the time being.
But she didn't.
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Even after a full bath and laundry, Henry Jekyll continued to splash water on his face as he stared at the mirror in his bathroom. The face he saw was most definitely his own. His fingers touched his face and that of the mirror, still verifying that it is indeed his face. Even then, there was still a lingering doubt that plagued his mind.
"It can't be," he whispered. "It simply cannot be. How could it have come to this?"
Out of all the outcomes that would have happened during his summoning in this world, this was not what he had expected. Yet, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Why was it that he had been so quiet? Why was it that he never once spoke? Why was it that during the times of heightened emotions that Jekyll sometimes failed to notice him creeping out? No. It wasn't that. Anything but that. He begged that it be anything but that.
He had just gotten lost in the adrenaline of it all. That happens to everyone, doesn't it? It was known as being in the zone by some people. Yes. That is what had happened to him earlier. Henry Jekyll had gotten lost in his zone as he defended himself from the Grimm. Of course, that meant that he had to take full control as soon as he noticed that he was taking over. There is no telling what Hyde would do if Jekyll wasn't always vigilant of the bastard's control; he never would have noticed if he hadn't vaguely heard someone call out to him. He had been subtle. That was it. He was just being subtle. There was no way that it could be possible, right? Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde are just sharing the body and mind but are still separate from one another, right? They haven't been made whole, right?
Hyde had just found his opening when they had been launched. Jekyll's surprise, fear and lack of a landing strategy must have drawn the Grimm to him. It was getting rather too much for him to handle that in a moment of weakness, Hyde had taken over. Disguising his control as Jekyll's own need to survive must have given Hyde the opening. That is what happened. Jekyll had been in his zone that he never noticed. He kept telling himself that. He kept convincing himself of their separation because the thought that it was just him was too terrifying for someone whose mind is as broken as Henry Jekyll.
No, he thought. Amber didn't want this, she wanted Arthur! Arthur Pendragon! King of Knights and a much more proper hero than me. As he is now, Jekyll concluded that because of Hyde, he is more of a liability than he is an asset. As Hyde, he poses more danger to those around him. His eyes drifted to the weapon that rested on the table. His fingers traced the handle of the knife as it was raised higher and closer to his face. I can't… I—he mustn't hurt them. But I could end it here, before it becomes a problem. His eyes turned to face the mirror and widened when red orbs were staring back at him rather than the usual green. He fell back and was only saved by the wall.
"Why?" Jekyll cried. "Why did it have to be like this?" The knife continued to shake in his hand. His grip then tightened as the knife was stabilized. "No. I am not Hyde. I am not Hyde!"
There was a knock at the door. It had broken through to Jekyll's dilemma. Peach's concerned voice could be heard from the other side asking,"Jekyll? You alright in there?"
Jekyll breathed in and out. It had taken him a minute or two before he responded. He needed to calm down. Now was not the best time for that. Not until Amber was better would he make that decision. Even if it would pose to be greater risk the longer this went on, he could not fail Amber. He could not. He would not. "I'm okay," he said.
"You sure?" her concern never changed from across the room. She and Port had nearly seen it earlier. The near end of it when Jekyll tried to gain control again. Hyde must have been satisfied enough that control was relinquished willfully. That was the case, Jekyll told himself.
"Yes." He also nodded even though Peach would never have seen the movement of his head nor the predicament he just had, he needed to make sure. Jekyll needed to be certain that it was still him. Getting back on his feet, he cleaned and fixed himself and went out of the rest room to meet with Peach who was opening the door to his dorm.
"Sorry," she said. "If I am disturbing anything."
"It's fine," he lied. Whether that was to Peach or to himself, he wasn't so sure.
Peach's concerned expression never left her face. Seeing her be this concerned only pained the heart of Henry Jekyll. It would be best to push her away now. Better than risk her getting hurt should Hyde ever win with this new strategy of his; that is what it was, right? He didn't want to think about what Hyde would should he lose this fight. His thoughts went to dark places only to be forced back to the current situation. No. He will not let himself give in to Hyde's sins. Call him a mad man but Jekyll is still a good man, right? There is still goodness in one's madness, right?
"Is there anything I can help you with, Peach?" Jekyll asked, fixing himself to become more presentable.
"Headmaster wants to gather all the faculty and staff." She sighed. There was something more that she wanted but she appeared to have let it go for now. "We will have to watch over the students during the initiation, stepping in on the chance that the students would get in danger they couldn't handle."
"Right," he replied, fully regaining composure. "Off we go then?"
"Are you sure you're okay?" Peach tried again.
"It is fine," he lied. "I was a little excited if you will from what happened earlier. I certainly didn't expect that that is how the initiation will go." As far as explanations go, it fell flat in Peach's eyes. Jekyll could read that much from the woman.
The two walked side-by-side in silence. The only noise that filled Beacon's halls were the chatter and small talk that was being had among the Beacon students. It was night and most were in their sleeping clothes. A sea of colors and shapes filled the otherwise empty halls of Beacon Academy. Some of the older years were there as well, volunteering to take the role of watching over the prospective first-years. Jekyll needed this; he needed the distraction.
As his eyes drifted over all the prospective students of Beacon, feelings of sadness came over him. Many of them would not be accepted into Beacon. Yet, Jekyll felt that they are more of a hero than he is. After all, not all of them would have to deal with their own darkest aspects like he does. No. Hyde is not an aspect of Jekyll. He is not Hyde. He will never be Hyde.
"Jekyll?" Peach asked. He had never noticed but he had stopped walking as his mind wondered.
"Just thinking," he replied, weakly. "So many of these students would have to be turned away because of the initiation. Feels like we could use what numbers we could to combat the Grimm if they were this much of a threat."
"While it is sad," Peach agreed. "There is more than one way to become a huntsman. You and I are proof of that, after all. Besides, it might be they are not yet ready if they are unable to handle the initiation."
"I suppose so. Forgive me for getting distracted, let us go."
"Are you sure?" Her eyes narrowed but it was not one of suspicion. "You know, if you want to talk about it, I'm here to listen."
"It is nothing," Jekyll said.
"Doesn't sound like nothing," Peach replied.
"I said it is fine!" Jekyll, for a moment, exploded. It had caught the attention of nearby students and other staff. "I'm sorry. I'm just sorting something out. I'm sorry for exploding at you."
"It's alright," Peach, now slightly farther away, replied. She also avoided looking at him as her tone had a hint of frustration. It was probably safer that way. She would be safer if they did keep their distance from one another especially during battle. "Just know that I am here if you just need someone to talk to, okay?" She sounded disappointed. "When you're ready?"
"Thank you for the offer, Peach," he said, less anxious than before but still was far from calm. He screwed up big time here. Damn it, Hyde. "I'll think about it. But let us go to the headmaster's office as soon as we can."
The two never exchanged words after that. They had kept their distance from one another as much as the elevator allowed. Shame filled Jekyll's heart as he could not raise his head to even look at Peach's direction. When the doors had opened, it was unmissed by everyone in the room.
"Is everything alright with the two of you?" Headmaster Ozpin asked, one eyebrow raised. "I sense that there some tension between the both of you."
"It's alright," Peach said, monotonously."A little disagreement was had and we'd rather let it sit at that."
All eyes turned to Jekyll, expecting him to corroborate that information. "I would rather we not speak about it." Jekyll looked away in both shame and guilt.
"Very well." Ozpin was content enough to let it be at that. There were other things that they needed to do first. "Now, let us first move unto the important matters. Tomorrow is the initiation of the students. For now, Professor Greene, along with some volunteers from the upper years, are watching over the initiates as they sleep." Ozpin then had a map of the Emerald forest projected over them all. "Here is the general area that we will watch over them from. Any student who strays too far from this area must be retrieved and brought back to within. There is no point deduction unless there is reason to do so."
All the other professors nodded along. Jekyll did as well. For a moment, he had caught Peach stealing glances from him when she thought he wasn't looking in her general direction. Would he ever be ready to tell her? Could he tell her at all?
"Now to the other matter at hand," Ozpin continued as he changed the image. This time it was that metallic scrap that Jekyll, Peach, and Port had picked up earlier. "Professor Port has reported to me that he, along with Professor Peach and Mr. Jekyll have managed to find a scrap of metal." He turned to them for confirmation. Then, Ozpin asked Jekyll, "could I ask you to share what it is that you found about the Grimm, Mr. Jekyll?"
"There isn't much to say," Jekyll replied. "The Grimm acted no different from what I have seen. Although, if I recall, some of them had a greenish coloring to them."
"Green?"
Jekyll nodded. It was a vague memory, given what had happened to him. But he was sure that some had that color instead. If Jekyll recalled correctly, it was those green-eyes ones that posed the biggest problem for him; they were the ones who brought Hyde out. "Their eyes were of the color green and they seemed to be tougher than their red-eyed counterparts."
"I see." Ozpin was silent for a minute, contemplating about something. "Can I ask you and Peach then to investigate this further? Professor Peach here has already been researching about the Grimm in the area and would have the most experience at the moment. Of course, it doesn't have to be immediate and I could always have someone else if—"
"It's alright," interrupted Peach. "I would prefer if we could leave our personal issues between ourselves."
Jekyll nodded along but it did nothing to stop him from shrinking further. The further away he is from people though, the better. He would have preferred to do this alone if only to guarantee the safety of others but he would be going in blind with no knowledge on what it is to even look for. If anything does happen, Peach can fly away. As Hyde, he could only do so much while grounded. Maybe the Grimm could even protect her by being attracted to the negativity that is himself much like what it did earlier. The two caught each other looking again.
The rest of the meeting was normal with nothing much to note. The faculty were expected to intervene should the students be in trouble and watch over in case any terrible elements decide to enter the Emerald forest. They are also to make sure that the students are actually going the right direction and not elsewhere. Of course, once that occurs, a student's prospects of being accepted into Beacon becomes slim if they weren't outright rejected. The Emerald forest was a rather big place that made it so easy to get lost in. Once the initiation had finished, they are to gather all the students still in the forest, also informing them of that they did not pass the initiation.
Soon, the faculty and staff where dismissed. They have an early morning tomorrow and so most have already gone to their respective rooms with some having taken some of the guest rooms for tomorrow.
Jekyll laid in his bed, unable to fall asleep easily. His fear that he would one day wake up as Hyde again made it difficult to close his eyes. I was able to sleep before and nothing had happened, he thought to himself. It will be fine. It should be fine. Jekyll twisted and turned on his bed until he found one that was the least uncomfortable for him and began to close his eyes and seek rest. How would Peach even react if he told her of his own dark side? No. Hyde is something else entirely. He is not him.
/-/
"No!" Jekyll screamed as he rose from his bed. It was in the middle of the night and he was bathing in his own sweat. Outside there was thumping to be had. Someone must have been awake then, surprised at the sudden scream that came out of his lungs. Jekyll got out of his bed and checked himself in the mirror, ignoring whoever it was that was snooping outside. He had other things that take priority. Despite the fact that it was his own reflection staring back at him, he found no comfort in it. Even as he checked to see that it is indeed him on this side of the mirror, he still felt uncertain about himself on the other side.
He shook his head. He could not have been Edward Hyde. The two of them are still separate. It was just his own anxieties again trying to take hold and in those moments of weakness, Hyde's grip on his fractured mind tightened. Jekyll couldn't let that happen. They were not whole. They couldn't be whole. Henry Jekyll didn't want them to be whole. For if they were, that would mean that Henry Jekyll wasn't a good man.
"Am I," he asked his own reflection. "Am I good man? I am a good man, right?"
Ever is there a fine line between a good man and a b—mad man. Yes, this sort of matter is between a good man and a mad man, isn't it?
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In the other room, with the door hastily closing behind her, Thumbelina Peach had rushed back after listening intently to what was happening beyond the doors that led to the room of Henry Jekyll. They were the sounds of pain and struggle. It was not the physical kind but whatever nightmare he was having, he was talking loud enough that she could make out a few words but the rest was a jumbled mess. Something was definitely bothering Henry Jekyll. She should just let it go. If it is something that her companion wishes to keep to himself then Peach should respect it until he was ready. Despite that, she had a feeling that it was something important that mustn't be kept secret lest it would hurt someone else or him.
If Jekyll had something to hide, then Peach had something to seek.
AN: If any of you haven't heard of "Confrontation" from the concept album, absolutely recommend it. I'm not sure if I could drop the name of the performer here (really amazing range) but know that the cover photo for this fic is patterned after said concept album which you can find on Youtube.