A/N: A lot happened in the last several chapters, but all of that has ended. And I'm sure Teams PASM, CPER, and their professors, can agree to this. But what does the future hold for Team PASM now, especially with Akira out of commission and with Patrick's dark power? Only time will tell.
Chapter 54: Time Heals
'It has been a month since this whole incident began.'
Selena's voice narrates as the past five days replay, starting with the Airships Teams PASM and CPER burrowed approaching Atlas. The airships land and several soldiers approach the airships, a group of them carrying a gurney. Mashika carries the wounded, unconscious, Marina onto it and they escort her into the building. Meanwhile, Selena and Marlene are helping Patrick, who is half unconscious, stand.
'Honestly, it is hard to believe everything that's happened. Especially everything about Patrick. It's scary to think that he's actually part Grimm, but at the same time, I still believe he is the same boy I made on that fateful night.'
Winter discusses everything with Ironwood, who sits at his desk listening to every word of her report.
'What's most hard to believe in is learning about this terrifying witch, named Salem. But after seeing what Patrick's become the second time he went berserk, it all makes sense.'
Mashika is sitting beside the hospital bed the sleeping Marina is laying in.
'Professor Rishima is doing all right. She's wounded pretty badly, as expected for someone with a frail body, but she's still pulling through. I guess all that training she was forced to do by her father must have paid off. Instructor Kirei agrees.'
Akira is still deathly unconscious in her room.
'Akira's still comatose. There is no improvement in her condition.'
Marlene and Earnest are sitting outside of a hospital room, Akira's room, and Rayla comes in and delivers them both coffee.
'Doctors have been threatening to pull the plug on her. But the good news is that's all in the past. Mother agreed to pay for her life support, and Plumette offered to stay by Akira's side and watch over her.'
Peter is standing in the hallway flirting with a gorgeous nurse, who just chuckles at Peter and pats him on the head like he's a child, and that's when Clawdia furiously pulls him on the ear snapping him back into reality.
'Sakuya and the Shadow Tread left us, disappearing without a trace. I doubt that'll be the last time we ever hear of them.'
Patrick is sitting in his hospital bed, looking down at his lap in depression.
'I haven't heard from Patrick. He wasn't injured, just physically exhausted. I haven't once seen him since we came here. Even though he was terrifying, I'm not scared of him. Not like how I was when he first went berserk. I guess I just don't know how to wrap my head around all of this and know that he feels just the same.'
Patrick looks down at his hands. They are normal, human, yet he still feels like he's looking at that frightening Grimm image of his.
'Maybe I should have visited him. After everything that's happened, he could probably use a friend. Especially the way he faced Salem. I actually wonder how well he's gonna take the news about her. General Ironwood and Professor Ozpin claim that he knows about the Maidens and that his sister was one of them. It's hard to believe that he's been shouldering all this burden himself.'
Selen is sitting at a desk in a hospital room, writing down a letter.
'I wish you were here. You probably know what to say or do in this situation. I miss you, Father. Selena.'
Selena lets out a sigh before she holds up the letter and puts it in an envelope. Then she takes out a box and puts the letter in among the dozens of sealed letters.
Patrick is sitting alone in his room until Mashika comes in. Patrick turns his attention toward her. "I shouldn't be surprised you're the one visiting me."
Mashika sits on a chair beside the bed. "Has your team not visited you, Love?"
"No...I guess they're just not comfortable seeing me. Especially in that terrifying state, they saw me as." Patrick says.
"That's not true. They're just overwhelmed. Still trying to think things over." Mashika says. "You doing okay?"
Patrick gives a small nod, not even looking at her. "Yeah. Just having a hard time taking it all in. Especially all the trouble I've caused."
"Don't blame yourself, Love. It wasn't your fault." Mashika says. There was silence between the two for a while. Then Mashika breaks that silence. "Hey, I've seen wondering. Marina and I saw what happened to Saurfang." Hearing that surprises Patrick. "What was that power he used to make him take his own life? I've never seen any kind of Semblance like that."
Patrick's silent at first then speaks. "It's called 'Domination'. It binds the victim to Rufus's will, forcing them to do his bidding. I think it mostly affects their Aura. His power doesn't work on me and I never had my Aura back then."
"Or maybe it's because of this Grimm part of you that made you resistant to his Domination." Mashika asks. "When you first unleashed this part of you, Selena's Semblance didn't work on you, and the rest of us believe it is also because of your hybrid nature that made you immune to my Charm Semblance and the will-draining power of those Apathys."
"You might have a point." Patrick says. "I've never even known that such a Semblance would exist. I did countless research on all types of Semblance, and there never was one that ever mentioned the kind Rufus has."
"I see." Mashika says. "So, about that voice. Have you..."
Patrick shook his head. "No. Ever since defeating that monster from my head, I haven't heard her voice. Might be safe to say she's out of it for good."
"Maybe, but it's only been a few days. We mustn't assume so quickly, Love. But given to how you pulled it off, you might be right." Mashika says.
Mashika and Patrick talked for a while, by the time they were finished, it was already night. Mashika leaves Patrick to return to Marina's room. Selena is in a similar state. She's been up all night, not leaving Akira's side, until finally, the exhaustion of boredom and sleep deprivation overwhelms her. Even Rayla and Lumiere walk in to find her in this state and carry her to the free bed.
By the next morning, everyone is awake, except for Marina who is still asleep. This time, Patrick is visiting him, looking at her in the weakened state she's in. Patrick can feel his chest tightening. Marina is like this because of him. Even though Salem had done a ton of damage to her, he can't deny that she forced herself through the agony of the magical storm to reach him.
Patrick is caught by surprise when he hears a soft moaning. He sees that Marina is beginning to awaken. She turns her head towards Patrick, looking at him with half-opened eyes, and offers a smile. "Hey, there." She says, her voice quiet.
"Well, glad to see you're awake at least." Patrick says. Marina softly chuckles. "I still can't believe you put yourself through hell just to save me." Patrick looks away saying this next part: "You're an idiot."
"Maybe I am." Marina turns her head, staring at the ceiling. "When I was in that storm, I kept thinking about my past, how the doctors use to tell me and my father that I'm weak and frail, yet despite their warnings, he just kept pushing me into his training. I guess all of that past torture actually paid off."
"If that's what you want to believe." Patrick says. "While you were in my head, did to learn about...everything?"
Marina's smile disappears. "I saw a lot of things about your involvement with the Agency." Marina turns her head to look at him. "I can't believe you were involved in such a young age. I think I now understand why Mashika acts so motherly towards you. What surprised me more is what happened to her."
Patrick looks down in shame. "Yeah. She never blamed or judged for what happened back then. Was just a 'It's what a Huntress does' kind of job. But, she nearly died. All-cause of me. I still remember how much the guilt had crushed me."
"In life, there are some things that are out of our control. Sometimes, it is best to not let it control us." Marina says.
Patrick doesn't say anything. Just thinks about her sentence. Later, Mashika returns and takes Patrick's place, who leaves the room. As he closes the door behind him, Patrick leans against the door and slides down to a sitting position. "To think Marina was in my head learning the dark past..." Patrick looks down at his hand. "Maybe she and Instructor Mashika didn't learn my darkest secret..." As he stares, he thinks back to that day, when he was facing Cinder. And she once again mouths the one thing she said that startled him. "But how did SHE know?" He asks as he tightens his hand into a fist.
Once he gathers enough of his thoughts, Patrick decides to wander around the hospital. All he could do was think about everything that had happened since the Vytal Festival. He tries to find the answers but he still feels more lost than ever. He even thinks about the advice Marina has given him.
Patrick wanders until he finds himself on the training grounds level, where he meets up with Team CPER. "Hey, Pet-rick." Clawdia calls him.
Patrick approaches them. "How are you fairing, Master Patrick?" Rayla asks.
Patrick throws Rayla a glare. "Stop calling me 'Master'."
'YOU MUST BE FEELING WELL TO BE TALKING BACK LIKE THAT.' Earnest says.
"Well, I wouldn't say I'm well. I'm still pretty much lost with everything that's happened." Patrick says.
"Well, we don't blame mew. Honestly, we still can't believe we made it out. We thought we were hiss-tory." Clawdia says.
Peter crosses his arms. "Still, what's most unbelievable is what you are. A Grimm Hybrid? That sounds pretty frightening." Peter says.
"It is frightening." Clawdia yells at him. Clawdia soon realizes what she has said and turns to Patrick. "Uh, no offense, Pet-rick."
Patrick shook his head. "No, you're right. During my imprisonment within my mind, I was still fully aware of my actions. I've witnessed all the harm and destructive power I unleashed in that form."
"Actually, I have been wondering." Rayla says. "Professor Ozpin has told us everything you told you about the Maidens and their powers. How is it that you are able to wield their magic?"
"Your guess is as good as mine." Patrick looks down at his hands. "I don't even understand how it is I can only use my magic in that form."
'WE WERE TOLD THAT YOU HAVE A SISTER.' Understanding what Earnest is saying startles Patrick. 'AND THAT SHE TOO IS A MAIDEN. DO YOU THINK THERE'S A CONNECTION?'
"No, from what I was told it doesn't work that way." Patrick says. "So, where are Marlene and Selena?"
"They are with Mistress Akira." Rayla says. "Honestly, I wish Mistress Selena would get some rest. She's been watching over her friend all day and night."
"She won't listen to any of us. We tried everything to talk her out of it. It's claw-ful." Clawdia says.
Patrick doesn't say anything. As team CPER talks to each other, Patrick takes his leave. Patrick wanders through the building. He returns to the hospital floor, as he walks he finds Marlene sitting outside of a room. He approaches Marlene, who greets him. Patrick stands in front of the door to the room. He only stares at it in a frozen state. Even Marlene takes notice of his behavior.
"You sure you want to go through this?" Marlene asks.
"I'm gonna have to face Akira sooner or later." Patrick says. "Besides, someone's gotta talk some sense into Selena."
Slowly, Patrick opens the door and walks in. He stands frozen at the sight of Akira. All hooked up in wires and tubes with the heart monitor only slowly beeping. Patrick can feel his hand shaking. He uses his other hand to hold it still as he approaches. He finds Selena out cold, sleeping with her head resting on the side of the bed. Patrick then removes his coat and lays it over Selena's body.
He then moves to the other side of the bed and gets a hard look at Akira. His eyes are fixed on the bandages wrapping around her chest and torso. The bandages are covered in bloodstains from her wounds. Patrick rests his hand on the top of the wrapped wounds, hovering his fingers over the surface as he traces them. He can hardly believe this is his own doing, watching his small human hands trying to match the Grimm-clawed cuts.
And that's when the image flashes before his eyes. The moment he swiped Akira, tearing away her flesh. Then seeing the dead Akira in Selena's arms as Selena and Marlene looked at him with horrified expressions.
Patrick slashes back into reality when he suddenly collapses onto his hands and knees, panting heavily. Patrick tries to calm himself from the panic attack. After a while, he regains his strength and stands up.
"Patrick?" Patrick becomes startled when he hears Selena's voice.
"Selena? I thought you were asleep." Patrick says.
"I was until I heard a noise." Selena says. Selena stands up. She's surprised to find herself wearing Patrick's coat. "What are you doing here?"
"I was checking up on you. I heard you've been up all night and day with Akira." Patrick says. "Everyone's worried about you, they said you've been like this ever since that day."
Selena looks down in despair. "I just don't know what to do." Selena turns her attention to Akira. "She sacrificed herself for me. She's like this because of me. All my life, I've never had any friends who cared for me instead of my fame. Akira was different. I felt like I finally had someone I had been hoping for, and now..." Selena falls onto her knees, looking down. "You wouldn't understand."
"You think I don't understand?" Patrick asks, his tone sounding offended. "In case you have forgotten, I am the one who did this to her. The power of the Grimm within me went fully berserk and attacked her. Do you have any idea how it feels, seeing the state she is in caused by my own hands, while also seeing the horrified image you and Marlene were expressing?" Selena doesn't say anything about Patrick's comment. "Selena, I may not understand your solitude, but you're not the only one who is suffering the guilt of loss." Patrick turns, looking down in shame. "It's even because of that feeling...I lost myself to the Darkness once more. And I nearly destroyed you guys, and Professor Marina."
"Patrick..." Selena says, her voice breaking.
"But..." Patrick says. "I just don't see why you are doing this to yourself. The blow may have been for you, but it is not your fault. Akira only did what she believed is right, and if she were awake, I just know she would say something about being a warrior or a Huntress doing her duty. So quit carrying the guilt and pain all by yourself. What if you two switched places, that it was you who was knocking on death's door for taking the blow that was meant for her, do you really want Akira to drown herself in the guilt and despair for something that wasn't even her own fault? If your answer is no, and you are still doing this to yourself, then you're an even bigger fool than Kazuto." Selena is astonished to hear that. Patrick then takes a deep breath and speaks calmly. "If that isn't enough, then ask yourself this: You've spent days, maybe even a week, away from Akira to stop me and my berserk rage. She didn't leave during that time. Do you think she'll leave when you take a break to eat and sleep? Or return to Beacon? And in case you've forgotten, your most trustworthy maid is watching over her in your place. Akira isn't going anywhere." Patrick looks at Akira. "She made it this far. She'll pull through."
Selena doesn't say anything. She takes in Patrick's words. Just then, there's a knock on the door. The door opens and Winter walks in. Selena's startled, realizing she's not in her disguise and quickly hides her face.
"What do you want, Schnee?" Patrick asks.
"Nice to see you too, Patrick Aki." Winter says. "The General has requested your audience in his office."
Patrick doesn't say anything, he does as Winter orders and follows her. Winter escorts Patrick down the halls, until they reached General Ironwood's office. There, Patrick sees Qrow, Mashika and a hologram of Ozpin. Whatever's going on here, he has a bad feeling about it.
"Thank you, Winter. Leave us." Ironwood says.
Winter was hesitant, but she obeys her General and leaves the office. Patrick walks in. "What's going on here?"
"Uh, hello to you too." Qrow says, in a disappointed tone.
"Qrow." Ironwood says at him.
Mashika clears her throat before speaking. "How are you doing, Love?"
"Adjusting." Patrick says.
"Well, I hope you're well enough to handle what it is we called you here for." Ironwood says.
Patrick doesn't say anything. He knew this was coming, then Ozpin speaks. "Miss Kirei brief me in about the 'Voice in your head'."
"I already told her, I no longer hear that sick creature." Patrick says.
"Yes, we are aware of that. But...there's more to it about that 'creature'." Ozpin says. "Listen closely."
Patrick does as instructed, as Professor Ozpin begins his explanation.