Clarity

"Hey," she whispered as she placed her hand on his chest. They lay still in the dark of their dorm room, Mydnight looking over to the other side of the room to find that Bronzine and Ambur were still asleep. As they had left them, each of their partners still had their headphones in and seemed to be fast asleep, even after all the noise the couple had just made.

"Ya?" He asked as he looked back down to her, her head lay on his chest, pink hair spread all over him.

She was silent for several seconds and he could feel her breathing heavily as her hand tensed and relaxed several times, seemingly trying to think about her next words carefully. Mydnight, however, began to space out, beginning to think to himself about his actions over the short amount of time that he had been at the school with them.

He was becoming more and more aware of his decisions lately as the fog in his head began to slowly thin out. After the spell had been placed on him he had become much more of an animal than a person and it was only in these moments of clarity after exhausting himself with Rosa that his thoughts were clear and he could hear his conscience screaming at him.

It was always the same however and he knew that by the time he woke up tomorrow he would be back to his new self. Ignoring his friends and falling deeper into Rosaria's grasp, relying on her far too much. There was only one thing he was thankful for in all of this and it did help lift some of the guilt off of his shoulders.

He couldn't remember any of it.

Every single time that Rosa had seduced him and gotten him into bed he had blacked out and forgotten everything they had done. Obviously, he wasn't stupid and he knew that they were having sex on a very regular basis, but his actions during the sex were a complete mystery to him. She had told him on several occasions how assertive he had been and that she had liked each of their encounters, but he couldn't recall if he had actually liked it or not.

The problem was that through all of their encounters and all the time he spent with her it sort of felt like he was on autopilot all of the time. Like his body just wanted Rosa around to deal with his cravings, and in truth, he really didn't even care for her as anything more than a teammate.

He could see how badly she treated everyone around him but he was always too on edge from the spell to care or to notice in the moment. Every day was just a fog until they would get back to their room and do it, only to get this short moment of clarity every time. He had been slowly feeling slightly better of course but nothing really substantial, and he cursed himself day in and day out for ignoring all of Ambur's offers to help him train his new alter ego.

'Speaking of Ambur', he thought as he looked over to her again. She was different somehow. It was too dark for him to tell exactly, of course. His enhanced senses helped but he just couldn't seem to pin down what it was about her that had changed. It seemed like every time he had a clear look at her now that she was somebody else. He had in fact mistaken her for someone else several times now and he couldn't quite see through the haze enough to tell just how much different she really was now.

He just couldn't concentrate on anything anymore, to tell the truth. Classes were a nightmare, and he was only not flunking because all of the teachers worked for Ozpin and were told that he was going through something very difficult at the moment. Not to mention he felt like he hadn't actually spent any time with his best friend at all for weeks. Back at Signal, he would have never dreamed of a time when he would hang out with Bronzine so infrequently and for the life of him, he couldn't understand why they hadn't been together more recently.

He wasn't sure but it felt like every waking moment had been spent with Rosa lately, and he couldn't even tell how long they had been seeing each other this way. "I love you..." he heard as his ears perked up and the color ran from his face. He wasn't sure if he had heard it in his head or if those were the words Rosa had just said to him. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he had forgotten she had something to say to him.

After a moment of silence, however, he got his answer as she spoke up again, "Did you hear me? Are you asleep?" She asked as she began to stir. She propped herself up on her arms as she turned over to look up at him.

"Ya I..sorry I heard you," he began as he struggled to find words to give her. "I've just never..." He paused, realizing that he didn't actually need to come up with an excuse because he had a real one to use. "No one's ever said that to me before so you kinda...shocked me."

"Wait..." she said softly as she looked up at him. "Like...ever?"

"Well, Ya...Never had a girlfriend before...I don't have any family. Would have been a little weird for Qrow to tell me he loves me," he smirked.

"I mean I guess that makes sense but that's horrible," she thought aloud. "I'm sorry if I like...rushed it or anything," she apologized.

"No no it's...it's okay don't apologize for that."

"Well still...I don't expect you to say it back unless you mean it so for now just forget I brought it up okay?" She smiled before leaning up and kissing him on the cheek before reclaiming her sleeping position on his chest.

He lay there for a minute before looking around the room again, checking to make sure once again that they hadn't woken up their teammates, though this time, in the darkness of the night he found a bright red pair of eyes staring back at him.

'Ooohhhh man,' he thought to himself as he watched his leader's eyes stare back at him softly. Ambur had woken up and he didn't know how much she had heard but from the look of her eyes, he felt that she had at least heard what he had said back to Rosa. She looked sad as if she felt sorry for him. But before he could even get the chance to do anything about it he saw her roll over to the edge of her bed and stand up, pulling on her hoodie in the darkness to cover up her minimal sleeping clothes, the hoodie stretching down past her shorts.

As she pulled her hair free from the back of the shirt she headed for the door, slipping out as quietly as she could. Mydnight, in turn, tapped his hand on Rosa's shoulder and began to slide out from under her. "Hey, I gotta use the bathroom okay?" He lied to get her off of him.

"Ugh fine..." She groaned before rolling over and letting him up. As quickly as he could he pulled on his black t-shirt and he was already wearing a loose-fitting pair of sweatpants as he always did to bed. He left the room as quietly as he could and began to listen in the hallways, trying to figure out which way Ambur had gone. He quickly found that she had headed for the stairs so he chased after her, finding her leaning up against the banister of their floor that overlooked the large foyer of the dorm building. There were no lights on but the moon shone through the large windows beautifully.

"Ambur..." he sighed out softly, catching her attention, not having heard him coming.

"Ah!" She turned around quickly only to find Mydnight walking toward her. "Gosh don't scare me like that!" She whispered loudly, not wanting to wake anyone up.

"Sorry, I uh...I just wanted to see if...you were okay?" He said as he walked up beside her and leaned up against the railing as well.

"Ye...yeah I uh..." she began, surprised that he seemed to care. "I'm fine why do you ask?"

"Well because I know you heard what just happened in there and your eyes spoke volumes to me..." he looked to her with a small fake smile on his lips. She exhaled deeply as she leaned back into the railing beside him and replied.

"Ya...Sorry I wasn't trying to eavesdrop or anything..."

"No, it's fine don't be sorry for that...It's your room too after all. We've been kind of...forgetting that you two live there too lately and it's...not very nice of us..."

Ambur looked at him with surprise plastered all over her face. "Well...thank you for realizing that I guess...and I'm...really sorry about...what you said I-" she began before he waved his hand to cut her off.

"Don't...worry about it okay it's not like it's your fault or anything it's just...weird," he sighs. "I'm not like...mad about it or anything it's just really weird to hear those words from someone for the first time..."

"I would imagine it would be ya..." She said softly as she looked back out the window to the moon.

"Especially..." he began before thinking better of his statement and shaking his head.

"What?" she asked nervously.

Mydnight looked over to her, their eyes meeting briefly before he looked away from her again. "Especially like that...from her."

"Well...what do you mean?"

"I mean..." he started before looking behind him to make sure no one else was around. "What if I don't...feel the same? What if I don't even know HOW to feel the same?"

Ambur went dead silent as her bright red eyes widened, her mind racing to try and find words to say back to him without giving her excitement away. Her heart pounded as his words washed through her brain and she strained herself to keep her emotions under control. She cleared her throat and tried to focus before replying, "Well...I uh...I don't really know what to say. I've never been in your position before you know? I've never dated anybody or...told someone I love them, other than my family anyway," she said as she looked back into his eyes.

"Really?" he asked, seeming shocked as he looked her all over again, this time with the moonlight helping his eyes focus on her. "Is something...different about you?" He asked without realizing that the words had come out of his mouth, having meant to keep them in his head.

"Uh..." she blushed as she brushed some of the hair out of her face. "I mean I...Ya," she fumbled. "Liv has been helping me out with my wardrobe and I...got my hair cut," she said quickly as she pointed to it, "No more black. And I've been...tanning a little," she managed to get out nervously as she felt his eyes follow her words up and down her body.

"Sorry, I...probably should have noticed that I've just...been in such a fog lately. Even now I feel kinda...not drunk but like...I'm not all here you know?"

"Ya trust me we have noticed..." She sighed as she put her arm on his back. "You haven't spoken to me or Bronzine for more than ten seconds in months Mydnight."

"Months?!" he asked a bit loud before looking around, realizing how loud he had reacted before quieting back down. "What do you mean months?"

"Mydnight...you haven't been coming to me to help you with your...semblance in over a month...that's probably why you're still in such a fog."

"Jeez, I...I didn't realize it had been that...long," he groaned as he began to hold his head in his hands, clearly seeming distressed. "God that makes a lot of sense."

"Hey hey come on," she soothed, holding his hands, "Look at me," she suggested as he strained to open his eyes and look up at her. "Come on," she began to lead him toward the stairs.

As they made it outside in the courtyard the night air began to chill the exposed skin on her thighs but she tried to ignore. She led Mydnight out into the grassy area of the courtyard, looking around to make sure no one had followed them. "Why don't you change now and get a little exercise in, maybe it will help huh?"

"Are you sure that's a good idea? So close to the school? I don't know if I can control myself. I haven't changed since...well since the last time you were with me..."

"Wait...really?" She asks dumbfounded. "Mydnight it's been weeks have you really not changed?"

"Well, why would I if I wasn't with you?" He groaned back to her.

"Well I thought that...maybe you had told Rosa and you were training with her instead..."

"What? No, I haven't told her. Oz told us to keep it a secret didn't he? Or did...did I dream that?"

Another wave of relief made its way through Ambur's body as she took a deep breath and smiled to herself. "Yes you're right I'm sorry...Yes, I am sure you should change right now and don't worry about the school, I'm right here," she said softly as she held his face in her hands. "I'm not gonna let you hurt anybody okay?"

"...Okay," he forced a smile out before darkness began to spill off of his body as he began to transform.

/

The next morning team AMBR stood in Ozpin's office waiting for the headmaster to show up and explain why he had called them there. For once all four members stood together and were actually seemingly able to keep up a halfway decent conversation.

Mydnight's fog seemed to be a bit less thick this morning, as he had actually been able to speak to Ambur and Bronzine for more than a single moment. Rosa didn't seem too incredibly mad about it either and Ambur chalked it up to her possibly being in too good of a mood from confessing to Mydnight the night before. She still hung all over him of course, never leaving his side for a moment but she did seem to be laying off of some of the meaner things that usually came flying out of her mouth.

Ambur wondered to herself if she could actually be changing but she silently shook the thoughts from her head. It was more likely that Rosaria simply saw that Mydnight wasn't in such a haze today and that she didn't want to be such a bitch in front of him if he was more likely to notice it and take offense to her actions.

"Ah, good to see you all made it," they heard from the elevator as the doors opened and their headmaster walked inside.

"Nice to see you too professor," Ambur answered politely as he walked by the group of students and took his seat at his desk. "Do you have a mission for us?" She guessed.

"Indeed I do, your first mission as a team will be given to you today and I just wanted to first give you a little..." he paused as he searched for the right words as he looked to Mydnight and Ambur specifically, "Checkup, as it were. See how you are all getting along."

"Well," Ambur said quietly as she inhaled before looking across to her teammate's faces. "Not bad. We mostly get along just fine," she couldn't help but slightly lie but she knew that Ozpin was well aware of their issues already and probably was asking more about Mydnight's condition than anything else. "I for one feel fine and ready to finally get out there on our first mission but," she paused again as she looked back to her partner, "How about you guys?"

"It'll be nice to get away for a little while so ya I'm ready," Bronzine spoke first before Rosa grabbed onto Mydnight's hand and answered.

"Absolutely, we are ready."

Mydnight looked to her face briefly before looking back to Ambur and then down to the sitting professor, "Ya I uh...I'm feeling a little better today so ya. Ready," he said quietly as he looked back to Ambur, finding her still looking back into his golden eyes.

"Right! Well then," Oz said as he stood back up from his chair and placed his scroll on his desk, a projection beginning to display out from it. "If that's the case then lets dive right in shall we?" He asked rhetorically as he pointed to the display. "Your mission is to clear a potential infestation of Grimm at a town not too far from our borders. Glade," he said as the display shifted to a map of the region and showed a clear route to the smaller town just to the southwest of Vale. "Every other town and city makes regular check-ins daily to make sure that they do not require help from the larger kingdoms. Glade has missed the check-in for the last two days and no one has shown up in person to explain."

As he said this the elevator doors opened again and this time Qrow walked out, crossing the room until he was standing beside Ozpin. "Normally," the headmaster began again, "We would be sending you out with one of our own teachers for a mission such as this, however, given the circumstances, Qrow has volunteered himself to join you and miss a few days teaching at Signal instead."

"Oh?" Ambur asked aloud, "That's great!" She let out excitedly as she looked back to Mydnight quickly. "Thank you," she smiled to Qrow.

"Don't mention it," Qrow smirked before taking over. "Normally your first mission wouldn't be quite so dangerous but you kids are...quite clearly the top fighters in your class so a potential small horde of Grimm really shouldn't be that difficult for you. But just in case you are overwhelmed I will be there to help you."

'Ya and you'll be there to keep an eye on me right,' Mydnight thought to himself as he reflexively rolled his eyes before smiling. "I guess that's for the best," he sighed out loud as Qrow looked to his younger counterpart and nodded his head, knowing that Mydnight knew exactly what was really going on.

"In addition, we will be clearing the railroad tracks if need be. The train down to the city runs only twice a week and the first one did make it so hopefully, the line isn't damaged. The trip is only about a day from here on foot so it is possible this mission could take several days, make sure to pack accordingly," Qrow speaks up again.

As all the students nodded their heads Qrow spoke up one last time, "Alright. We leave tomorrow morning so make sure you all get totally packed up tonight and maybe get in a good workout to loosen up okay?" he said as Ozpin waved his hand at them, signaling them they are free to go about their day.

"Yes sir," Ambur answered happily as she turned and led her team back toward the elevator, heading inside and down to the ground floor. As they walked out of the headmasters building she pulled out her scroll and scrolled to Liv's number. "Alright you all heard him, make sure you pack your stuff today and tonight before we go to bed. We will have a meeting and check each other's bags so no one forgets anything okay?"

"Huh..." Rosa groaned as she exhaled deeply, seemingly dropping her appearance she was keeping up in Ozpin's office. "Ya ya fine whatever we will, come on," she said as she tugged on Mydnight's arm, intending to lead him away from their teammates but he didn't budge at first.

"Well..." Mydnight started quietly before looking to Ambur. "What are you guys gonna do today?"

"Well," Ambur said with a soft smile. "I was gonna see if Liv wanted to go to the gym for a little while and I mean," she said shyly as she looked to Bronzine and then back to Mydnight, "Y'all can come along if you want to."

"Pfffff sure," Bronzine shrugs his shoulders, "He said stay lose and be ready so why not."

"Ya no thanks," Rosa scoffed as she looked Ambur up and down, "Why do you even go there if you're already so strong? Probably just an excuse to show your tits off," she rolled her eyes before grabbing onto Mydnight's hand even harder and she began to drag him away.

As Mydnight sighed he looked at Ambur, mouthing the words 'I'm Sorry' to his team leader as her smile ran away from her face and she looked to the ground, shuffling her feet in place as the two got farther and farther away from them.

"What a total bitch," Bronzine sighed at a normal speaking level, not even trying to hide his disgust for his partner as he saw Mydnight's ears perk up as his shoulders sank, following his girlfriend wherever she was leading him. He knew that his best friend had heard him but at this point, he didn't care. "Come on," he sighed softly as he placed a hand on Ambur's shoulder, causing her to look down into his eyes. "Don't listen to her alright you know she's a crappy person. Doesn't matter what she thinks right?" he smiled.

"...Ya," she smiled slowly as she shook her head. "Ya you're right," she nodded before looking back down to her scroll and pressing the call button on Liv's entry.

/

The next morning the team walked out of their room as quietly as they could, trying not to wake the students in the rooms adjacent to them as they had been all morning. All their critical belongings had been packed the night before and each was ready to meet Qrow at Signal Academy on the way out of Vale. As they boarded the shuttle all was quiet, none of them had the energy to speak to each other yet as the sun was just now peeking up over the horizon.

As they landed Ambur finally spoke up, "Coffee?" She simply asked as she led them down the empty city streets.

"Is anyone open this early?" Bronzine asked.

"Hopefully ya," Mydnight confirmed as Rosa took hold of his hand and began to walk beside him, wiping her eyes as she had been all morning.

"Well, we can check a few places then," Ambur confirmed as she headed down another street toward the coffee shop that she and Liv had been frequenting since moving in at Beacon. Surprised to find it open the team walked inside and placed their orders. Mydnight placed an extra order for Qrow. Their spirits slightly lifted as they received their drinks and headed back out to the street and walked toward Signal Academy.

Upon arrival, they found Qrow on the front steps of the school sitting and staring at what looked to be a photograph, but before anyone could get a look at it he heard them coming and stood, shoving it down into his back pocket.

"See you all made it just fine," he said before looking down at his scroll, "On time too," he smiled as Mydnight handed him the drink he ordered for him. "Thanks," Qrow said as he patted Mydnight on the shoulder before grabbing his own bag from the steps beside him and slung it over his shoulder.

"No problem," Mydnight smiled back as Qrow looked to Ambur.

"Everybody got everything?" He asked her.

"Triple checked," she smiled and gave him a thumbs-up before sipping her drink.

"You certainly did," Rosa groaned as she rolled her eyes and began to walk away from the group. "Can we get a move on please?"

Qrow looked to Ambur for answers but all Ambur could do was shrug her shoulders as always. "She's always like this I got nothing," she assured him before Qrow too shrugged his shoulders and the group began to walk to catch up with her, Qrow and Ambur eventually overtaking the rest of the group so Qrow could lead them in the right direction. "So are we taking a train or something or are we walking all the way there?"

"Well, part of the mission is for me to assess how capable you all are at hoofing it when necessary and to observe your survival skills. Part of a huntsman's job is to be able to survive in the field if they become lost or they need to track something or someone through the wild."

"Fair enough," she sighed as she downed the last of her coffee and dropped it in a trashcan along the sidewalk as they grew closer to the edge of the city. "I told you guys packing toilet paper was a good idea," she said as she stuck her pointer finger up in the air without turning back to look at them, sending the boys and Qrow into a small laughing fit.

As he came down from his laughing fit however, Mydnight found himself captivated by the morning light reflecting off of his leader's white hair. The morning sun had risen just enough to make the sky turn wondrous shades of purple and orange as they came to the southern gate of the city, where there were no buildings in the way obstructing the beautiful sight.

As they continued walking out onto the road he couldn't help but watch as Ambur walked ahead of him, the sun kissing her skin and framing her perfectly as he found himself unable to look away. The sun shone through the dwindling fog in his mind as the world seemed quiet for the first time in months.

"Hey," Rosa said as she finally grew impatient and smacked her hand into his arm, pulling him out of his dazed state.

"Wha...what?" he asked as he looked to her quickly before reflexively looking back at Ambur.

"What are you looking at?" She asked, assuming that his eyes were fixed on Ambur's backside.

"No-nothing just the..." He said nervously before calming himself and closing his eyes for a moment before he spoke more clearly. Though as he spoke he saw Ambur turn her head to the right to look back at them with curiosity and a small blush on her face.

"I've...never really noticed before how beautiful the sunrise can be."