We're back, baby!

Had a lovely break these past two weeks. Spent some time with family and just lazed about the house, hanging out with MrsTheGoose. Definitely needed the breather from everything, as this week is already back to chaos at work. Waiting to hear the results from my interview for management while scrambling to get everything ready for the big test event next month that'll have me away from home for six weeks straight. Will need to take another break for part of that trip, but should be good for most of it. Of course, all of that relies on me not getting the promotion, since they'll likely want the new managers to start right in the middle of when I should be on travel for the test. Gotta make plans for both scenarios while juggling increasing demands as we near the deadline for this test.

We also got absolutely pummeled with snow earlier this week. Been years since we've had much snow at all. Still sore from trying to shovel the driveway on Monday, only for more snow on Tuesday that saw me back out there again. Went back out today to break up some ice at the end of the driveway. My poor shoulders really hate me right now. At least the dogs are having fun with it, and I got to stay home and telework all week. Back to the regular grind next week, hopefully with news on whether or not I got the promotion. Obviously really hoping I get it, but at the very least, I need to know what to plan for next month.

"Breaking news as Atlas security forces are reporting a brazen attack on the Schnee Manor that resulted in at least three deaths last night. Authorities are still searching the grounds, but it appears the attackers have already fled after stealing numerous valuables. While General Ironwood has so far refused to disclose who is responsible, several witnesses have confirmed that Adam Taurus and the White Fang were involved. Graffiti of their logo can be-"

Bzzzt.

"-heard from Jacques Schnee moments ago. Our sources believe he may have been the target of tonight's attack. While the CEO of the SDC was unharmed, his brother Reynard Schnee and wife Mavis were found dead within the Manor. Their driver was also killed outside. The staff was later found locked within a room inside the Manor. It's believed that at least one of the faunus employees conspired with the White Fang, granting them access to the Manor. Jacques Schnee has offered a reward for any information leading to the capture of-"

Bzzzt.

"-are still refusing to let us get closer to the Manor after locating and defusing an explosive set within Jacques Schnee's personal office. Police are searching the premises for other such devices before allowing anyone inside, including Jacques Schnee himself. No word yet on when-"

Bzzzt.

"In other news, a research facility north of Atlas was also attacked last night. In his statement earlier, General Ironwood refused to comment on the nature of the facility, though he did confirm that Atlas military personnel were slain in the attack, along with the scientists that lived in the facility. As of now, there are no reports of survivors. It's believed that the White Fang-"

Bzzzt.

"-White Fang-"

Bzzzt.

"-Adam Taurus-"

Bzzzt.

"Adam Taurus."

Bzzzt.

"Adam Taurus."

Adam sat impatiently in the small room back in Reyno, only half paying attention to all the news reports he flipped through in an effort to distract himself. Atlas was in an uproar, as he'd known they'd be. The White Fang was a known issue in Atlas, but in more of a distant problem that required their help. Mighty Atlas stepping in to save the day for their unprepared ally, once again proving the value and might of the Atlesian military. Even when Adam came to Mantle and blew up the refinery, those up in Atlas were never in any danger and cheered on Winter Schnee's victory. The avalanche at the mining camp was even more distant and disconnected from those atop the Floating City. No matter how rowdy the White Fang problem grew, it was always beneath them.

Not anymore.

The White Fang hadn't just set foot on the Floating City - they'd hit one of the most secure untouchable places atop it. Without a soul knowing, Adam Taurus had snuck his way directly into the heart of Atlas, striking at one of the highest points in the city already so far removed from Remnant. He might as well have infiltrated Atlas Academy itself at that point. And if he could reach the Schnees so easily, then nowhere was safe. What was to stop him coming into any of their homes and taking their lives? If the vaunted Schnee couldn't stop him, then who could? The safety and security they'd enjoyed their entire lives had been shattered in a single night.

Yuma had come by earlier to give an update. What he called spying was really just scrolling through online message boards all day, but it sometimes yielded useful info. Right now, the chatter in Atlas was turning. Not in favor of the White Fang, of course, but the next best thing. Public confidence in Atlas was plummeting. Their faith in Ironwood and his minions had been shaken, leading some to question how Adam had survived this long rather than boast of their eventual victory over the White Fang. Some even began to wonder if Winter Schnee was truly up to the task or if sending her after Adam had provoked the White Fang into attacking her family. Ironwood's overestimation of his protégé had endangered Atlas itself.

All good news, but right now, he just didn't care. They'd scored a major victory over both Atlas and the Schnees. Sure, Jacques had escaped unharmed, even avoiding the bomb Adam had planted in his office as a parting gift, but he'd taken down someone close to him and sent a clear message. All of Atlas trembled in fear at his name. Beyond that, he'd taken out a major threat and reminded those in power just how powerless they really were. Sienna had to be over the shattered moon right now. Last night had to be one of the biggest victories for the White Fang to date.

Except it'd almost come at too high a price.

"How is she?" Adam demanded the moment the door across the room opened.

"She's fine," Doctor Lusci assured him, her spotless, white coat helping reassure him almost as much as her calm demeanor. "A little tired, and her aura's low, but that's to be expected after a big mission."

"Can I see her?"

"In a minute." He'd heard that one before. Whenever someone said a minute, it always took way longer than sixty seconds. "She's resting right now, and I want her to stay that way. She'll be staying here tonight so I can keep an eye on her."

An overnight hospital stay? Well, not really a hospital, but the closest thing the White Fang had to one. It was more a large hall with several beds and the majority of their medical supplies, including a few machines that he didn't know anything about beyond they were important for…health reasons. Unlike most of what they had in Reyno, those had been purchased legally through one of their shell companies and smuggled out. They didn't exactly transport sensitive medical equipment like that outside the major cities.

Before Adam could start questioning the doctor's orders, she cut him off with her own explanations. "Normally, I'd assume she was just spent after a hard fight. She may be skilled at using aura thanks to your training, but I doubt she's used so much of it at once very often."

"Our spars sometimes go until we're in the red." Which meant they didn't have much aura left. Any further risked breaking their aura and doing actual damage, so it was always better to pull up a little short. He didn't know the exact numbers, but he'd guess their aura readings went red somewhere around fifteen to twenty percent. How their scrolls could measure aura percentages like that, he'd never know, but it sure came in handy for training.

The doctor shook her head. "I don't think you understand." She turned the tablet she'd been carrying around for him to see, showing a graph trending downward. "I accessed the logs on Blake's scroll. This is from a couple weeks ago. Most likely one of those spars you mentioned. You can see her aura trending downward in small spurts, likely in relation to her being hit." The drops were randomly spaced and uneven in depth, but that made sense.

"And?"

She swiped over to a new image. "This is from last night. Notice anything?"

The line started near the top as normal, though he could see it fluctuate in small amounts. Aura usage in the cold, most likely. Miniscule amounts that would drop off and recharge here and there. Nothing too concerning. A few hits came later, with the timestamp at the bottom coinciding with their attack. He'd taken the brunt of the fight himself, but his squad hadn't escaped unharmed. He'd wager almost every member of Alpha Squad had a similar chart if he pulled their data.

What they wouldn't have is a steep drop-off that consumed nearly all of their aura at once.

"What is that?"

"I was hoping you could tell me." Adam was as at a loss as she. "I'm no expert on aura, but it doesn't take a genius to know that's not normal. Did anything happen during the mission? Anything unusual?"

He wouldn't have brought her in if it hadn't, especially since Blake had refused to see the doctor. She'd tried to fight him on that, but unfortunately for her, she wasn't exactly in any condition to resist. That hadn't stopped her from pummeling him with all four limbs as he carried her over his shoulder to the medical building. Unlike her, he still had aura to spare and had weathered her ineffectual assault with ease. He dreaded to imagine what the rumor mill would make up at such a sight, but he'd deal with that later. Right now, he needed to make sure she was okay.

Especially after what he'd seen. Even now, he shuddered at the memory, desperately reminding himself that she was still alive. His eyes must've played tricks on him. Either that, or all the adrenaline had him seeing things.

As painful as the images were to revisit, he needed the doctor's help, and that meant the doctor needed to know what he'd seen. "Blake and I were heading for the prisoner block. Alone." Had he known there'd be more guards down there and what they were up to, he would've brought backup. "We heard…they were executing the prisoners." The doctor didn't look as shocked as he'd expected her to look. Then again, they were dealing with the people who routinely let faunus suffer and die in their gods-forsaken mines. "We rushed in, but the guard…he had some sort of sound weapon thing."

"An acoustic amplification device?" Adam could only stare. "What? You think I got my medical license without studying a little science? Go on."

Whatever. "It hurt a little, but Blake…it really affected her." With her faunus ears, she'd be more susceptible to sound based attacks like that. Just another example of the cruelty of humans. "After that, they…they shot her." A lot. "She screamed, and I…I couldn't do anything. I just stood there and watched as they-"

"Calm down, Adam," Doctor Lusci insisted, grabbing his arm to steady him. "It's okay. Blake is fine. You got her out safe."

"N-no, I didn't." He hadn't saved her. He'd watched her die to that hail of bullets. He'd lost her. He was sure of it. And yet, she'd come out alive. "She couldn't even move. And then…when the bullets hit her, she just sort of…vanished."

"Vanished?" The doctor gave him a skeptical look as she made a few notes.

"Vanished," he repeated. There really wasn't any other way to explain it. "One moment, she's lying there begging for help. The next, she just sort of…wasn't. It was like she exploded into smoke or something. I don't know how to explain it."

"Could it have been some sort of weapon?"

"I don't think so." Not unless Atlas was perfecting teleportation bullets, which seemed as unlikely as it was implausible.

"Maybe she managed to roll out of the way?" The doctor was spitballing now, and they both knew it. "Or the bullets threw her back? Or-"

"No. I know what I saw." As much as he wanted to deny reality, he knew better than to doubt his senses. Doing so on the field of battle would get him killed. "Blake died. They shot her, and she died." Her aura readings showed she'd been hit by something - something powerful enough to wipe out her aura entirely. He'd have assumed some sort of anti-aura bullets, but as far as he knew, no such thing existed. If it did, they would've used it on him by now.

"Well I have a very undead Blake in the next room who would beg to differ." Undead? Not really the proper term, especially if she was as familiar with some of Blake's books. Why did so many romance stories happen in post-apocalyptic settings? If the undead were real and wiped out ninety percent of humanity, he doubted he'd be able to waste time on feelings and love triangles. "That, plus her aura readings, make me think this is something a little outside my expertise. I think you'd be better off talking to someone more experienced in that field."

"What field?" Zombies? Undead? The occult? Oh great, the doctor's comments were messing with his head now.

"Well, your field, I'd guess." Had she not heard him? He had even less of a clue than she did. "Semblances." A Semblance? He hadn't even considered that, though in his defense, he hadn't exactly had time to sit down and calmly consider all possibilities. "You should read some of Doctor Eugene Myers' work on aura applications. Fascinating stuff. Much of our modern understanding of aura usage is based on his findings."

"You were getting to the point?" He really didn't need her summer reading list.

"Oh. Sorry. Sometimes I get a little carried away." No kidding. "My point is, Semblances are sort of a massive unknown in the scientific world. What causes them? What determines what a person's Semblance will be? Is it based on the person, or does it shape them somehow?" Interesting stuff, but rather useless at the moment. "Well, what little we do know is that unlocking a Semblance typically happens at a moment of intense physical and/or emotional stress. Often life or death moments. What's less documented is the toll it takes on a person's aura, since we can't normally predict when someone's Semblance will unlock."

He hated to ask, but he knew he had to. "Normally?"

"Ah. Let's just say there were some…less than savory experiments conducted a long time ago." That's what he thought. Forcing a Semblance to unlock sounded complicated, but he could imagine some psychopath deliberating putting people in harm's way to try and force it. Maybe it wouldn't work every time, but with enough tries, they'd luck out eventually. "Semblances are based on aura, but when they're used for the first time, the body - or the soul, I guess - isn't really ready. Not sure if it just takes a lot of aura to actually unlock the ability, or it just pours too much aura in the first time. Either way, the first time can be a little jarring."

"So you're saying Blake unlocked some sort of teleporting Semblance or something?" That sounded ridiculous. Then again, so did turning blocked damage into power. Or duplicating yourself. And don't even get him started on the nonsense of the Schnee Semblance.

The doctor shrugged. "Maybe. Could be any number of things. Teleporting away. Super speed. An illusion. Memory alteration. I've even heard of a luck based Semblance that subtly affects the world around them. Maybe it made all the bullets barely miss her. Heck, she could even have some sort of bullet repelling ability for all we know. The possibilities are endless."

So her aura might have been drained by an unlocked Semblance with unknown power that saved her through some unexplained means? Great. That helped. "Are you sure?"

"Not in the slightest." Thanks, doc. That really helped. "But it makes more sense than anything else I can come up with." Bit of a cop out, but he couldn't really think of anything better either. "Think about it. How did you feel the first time you used your Semblance?"

The first time? He tried to think back. Fighting against Winter wasn't the first, even if it was something new with his Semblance. Afterwards, he'd felt miserable, but then again, he had just blown himself up, so he could probably be excused for feeling like crap. There'd been the time in Orostachys. He couldn't say one hundred percent it was his Semblance that killed Gideon. Hard to explain how he'd taken down someone with aura so thoroughly in one blow. Afterwards? Well, he'd gotten the beating of a lifetime - nearly the end of his lifetime - so everything at that point was sort of a muddled blur of pain and rage.

But before that, there'd been the bandit. Again, he couldn't prove it was his Semblance, but the idea that a barely trained kid could take down an experienced bandit in the Branwen tribe was just too implausible to believe. Raven Branwen valued strength above all else, so even the weakest among her tribe had to be at least somewhat competent. He'd felt…rage. Anger. Desperation. The last one more than the other two. He could still remember thinking how doomed he was and pouring everything into a final, desperate attack, if only to make sure his killer suffered. Instead, he'd carved through aura and flesh as one, all but killing the man. Beaten within an inch of his life and facing down a killer like Raven, Adam had stood his ground.

And then he'd hit it.

At the time, he'd just chalked up his collapse to exhaustion from the fight and an adrenaline crash, but what if it'd been more than that? Had his new Semblance eaten up what little aura he had left and sent his body reeling? He had no way of telling. In fact, most people wouldn't. With Semblance unlockings linked to highly stressful situations, most of them unlocked in combat. Life or death situations. You didn't narrowly escape one of those with full aura and tons of energy. Even if their aura tanked and legs gave out, they'd be a little too busy being grateful to have survived than to bother investigating their aura readings. And if they did look into it, they'd probably just chalk it up to the intensity of the fight or something.

Whatever the case, the doctor's theory at least helped calm him down a bit. An unproven theory was better than nothing and sounded better than Blake exploding and her aura bottoming out. For one, it meant it shouldn't happen again, at least not to this extreme. It also meant the Blake in the next room was his Blake, and not some weird clone, alternate version, or something even weirder.

Okay, he was officially laying off Blake's sci-fi books from now on.

"Guess we're not in a sharing mood." Oops. He'd sort of gotten lost in his own thoughts again. That tended to happen a lot. "Anyway, I'm recommending she take a few days to rest and recover. I'd like her to come back in a week for another check-up. No spars, no using aura, and absolutely no trying to recreate whatever happened back there."

A week of no fighting? Easy for the doctor to say. She wasn't the one who'd have to enforce it. "Blake's not gonna like that."

"Which is why I'm telling you. As her superior, you need to look out for the health and wellbeing of your subordinates. And as her…whatever you two are, that goes double." As awkward as she put it, she wasn't wrong. "Best I can do is force her to stay here tonight. After that, it's up to you to keep her from overdoing it."

Offloading the responsibility onto him. Nothing new there. "And after?"

"After that, if we don't see anything unusual in her readings, I'd say you should work on training her to use that Semblance. Not really sure how that works, but that's not my problem. Should be more in your wheelhouse."

Not really. He'd sort of used his through trial and error, usually in situations he wouldn't dare risk Blake against. He'd need to see if they had any books on the subject. Then again, they knew someone a little more experienced in such matters. He'd have to ask Sienna if she could convince Kaito to come for a visit. He'd helped Adam master his Semblance, so why not get him to help with Blake's? Doctor Lusci wasn't the only one who could delegate.

That could wait until later. Right now, only one thing mattered. "Can I go see her now?"

The doctor sighed, knowing she couldn't refuse him forever, especially after he'd already waited over two hours in the dinky room already. He wouldn't be going anywhere until she agreed. "Fine, but try not to get her too excited. She needs her rest."

"I'll make sure she stays in bed," Adam assured her.

"It's an open room and I'll need to check on her periodically. I'd rather not walk in on anything. Understood?" Adam paled at the insinuation. They weren't like that. Even if they were - which they weren't! - he wouldn't do something like that in a hospital. He didn't bother dignifying her demand with a response, instead following along quietly through the doors to the main room. The only room, really, other than the tiny waiting area. Even the doctor's office was nothing more than a desk and some cabinets in the corner.

The handful of beds were empty save one, in which a rather bored Blake sat grumpily. She glanced up at the sound of the doctor returning, only to perk up when she spotted a second person. "Adam!"

"Lay back down," Doctor Lusci immediately ordered. Blake hesitated, already halfway out of her bed before slouching back into the mattress once more with a huff. "That's better. No getting out of bed or I'll keep you here all week."

"You can't-"

"I can and I will." Blake could've taken her, yet the firmness of her words had Blake giving up without much of a fight. "This is just a precautionary measure. If everything checks out, you'll be out of here first thing in the morning."

"Fine." Good to see her stubbornness extended to someone other than him. "But Adam stays."

"Not like we have visiting hours here," Doctor Lusci allowed. "But I expect both of you to be on your best behavior."

"Yes, Miss Lusci."

The doctor sighed. "Please, call me Lea. I'm not that much older than-" She stopped as she realized she was talking to a teenager. "Okay, I'm not much older than-" Adam provided no safe haven either. "Fine. In that case, I'm too old for this. I'll be at my desk if you need anything." So saying, she stormed off, distancing herself from the condemning youth of her patient and guest.

Adam ignored the display, grateful just to have some time to talk to Blake at last. "How are you feeling?"

"Annoyed," Blake answered. "I'm fine, Adam. I don't need any of," she held up her arm to show the IV stuck in her, as well as a few wires that disappeared under her hospital gown, "this."

"Better safe than sorry," Adam insisted. Blake clearly disagreed. "It's just for one day."

"Fine, but you owe me." Owing Blake was a dangerous game. "After I get out of here, I want a spar. A proper one. Think I need to work out some frustrations."

In other words, she needed a punching bag, and he'd just been volunteered for the job.

Thankfully, the doctor had already given him a stay of execution. "Not for at least a week. Doctor's orders."

"What?!" Her outburst was more directed at the woman in the corner than at Adam.

So much for keeping her calm. "She just wants you to give your aura a break after what happened. Make sure it recovers fully and you don't have any other incidents. After that, I promise we'll get back to training as usual." Or more, since she'd need to work on that Semblance as well. He'd keep that in his back pocket for now. Better to have something to appease her next bout of anger than to waste it all now.

"What did happen back there?"

That was the million lien question, and one he didn't have a complete answer to yet. Even Blake seemed confused, despite being the one to go through it. Then again, he didn't recognize his Semblance the first few times, so maybe that was normal. "What do you remember?"

Blake sat up a little taller, trying to recall. "I…I remember…pain. My ears. Something…a weapon, I think."

"A sound weapon," Adam confirmed. "Something designed to hurt faunus, especially those with ears." Faunus ears, that was. He still had normal ears, and while the high-pitched sound burned a bit, it hadn't sent him to the ground in spasms of suffering. He knew better than to think it was just him being stronger. Whatever that thing was, it had been designed specifically with certain faunus in mind. Not exactly a foolproof weapon, but even if it only incapacitated a limited number of faunus, that would still tilt the odds in the humans' favor a bit.

"After that? I remember trying to get away. I saw him aim at me. He…he shot me. B-but it didn't…it didn't hit me. I remember it hurting. Not the shots. Something else. Something…inside. I thought I'd gone into shock or something. Then he…missed." She seemed to be searching for answers, only to get lost in the fog. Looking up to him, she asked, "How did he miss? I was right in front of him. He shouldn't have missed." No, he shouldn't have. Even someone with no training could hit a target right in front of them. Instead, the soldier had somehow missed.

Except he hadn't. Adam had seen the shots hit. He'd watched Blake die. And yet, here she was, completely fine.

He decided to just get straight to the point. "He didn't miss."

"What do you mean?"

"He didn't miss, Blake. I watched you…he shot you. I tried to save you, but I couldn't. He shot you, and you…you just sort of disappeared. Smoke. Or mist. I don't know. I thought…" Adam reached over to gently squeeze her hand, more to reassure himself that she was real than to help her. "I thought I lost you, Blake."

"That doesn't make any sense." Finally, they were on the same page. "I told you. He missed. I-"

"He didn't miss," Adam repeated. "At least, that's not what I saw." Not what the soldier saw, either, he'd guess. Hard to tell, seeing as he wasn't exactly around to ask. "Doctor Lusci and I-" A cough interrupted him. "Lea and I," Adam corrected, "think you might have unlocked your Semblance."

Any lingering annoyance at being stuck in the hospital were washed away as Blake's eyes widened in excitement. "A Semblance?"

"It's just a theory," Adam hastened to clarify. A good theory, but he didn't want to get her hopes up. Really he just didn't want her getting too worked up and have Doctor Lusci coming over to strap Blake to the bed. "We could be wrong, and even if it is your Semblance, there's not much we know about it yet. That's why I'm going to ask Kaito to come visit and help train you."

"A Semblance." Blake tasted the word and found it pleasing. "My Semblance. You really think?"

"Why not? You've had your aura unlocked for a while now, and you've trained pretty extensively. Honestly, I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner." Or maybe it had. For all he knew, this wasn't the first time she'd…done whatever she did. Just like he couldn't say when it would happen again. "We'll talk to Kaito. See what he thinks. If anyone can help you figure out your Semblance, it's him."

As aggravating as his training could be sometimes, Kaito's track record spoke for itself. Better him than Adam, too. He could remember the frustration he felt trying to develop his Semblance and get it under control. He didn't envy Kaito going through that again with Blake, who was just as impatient, twice as stubborn, and about a million times more vocal with her complaints when things didn't go her way.

"Something like this takes time," Adam warned, hoping to at least temper her impatience with Kaito. "It took me weeks to understand what my Semblance even was, not to mention months of training just to use it on command. Just try and remember that Kaito knows what he's doing."

"I will," Blake promised. Sure. Easy to say now, but in three weeks when she still couldn't make it happen again, he'd see just how well she kept her word.

Poor Kaito.

"But none of that happens until the doctor clears you for training again," Adam reminded her, putting a dent in her excitement. "That means you do exactly as she says, or I'll tell Kaito to take his time getting here."

"Then I'll just have to pester the person with the most experience in Semblances." Suddenly, Adam was rethinking his plan. Considering most of Reyno didn't even have their aura unlocked, let alone a Semblance, he had a sneaking suspicion who her so-called expert would be.

"Just promise me you'll behave."

"I always do." If this was behaving, he'd hate to see her acting out. "One week. Right?"

"One week," Adam agreed. "After that, we'll-"

The lights flickered and dimmed before shutting off completely, interrupting the two of them as the room was plunged into darkness. Relative darkness, of course. Being faunus had its advantages.

"Stupid generator's acting up again," Doctor Lusci complained, grabbing a lamp and heading for the door. "Told Cerco I needed a new one. You'd think the hospital would get priority on something like that." Adam would have a talk with him later to stress the issue. It didn't matter much right now, but he dreaded to imagine it happening during an emergency. All that fancy equipment needed power to run, after all. "I'll be back in a minute."

"Need any help?"

"I've got it," she insisted. "Not the first time I've had to fix that piece of junk." Yikes. He'd make sure she got a replacement as soon as possible.

"Well, I should probably get going before she throws me out," Adam said, not exactly eager to go but knowing he couldn't stay forever. He'd put off the report to Sienna too long, not to mention he needed to talk to Cerco about the generator, check in on the rest of his team, and about a million other things that felt a lot less important to him right now but couldn't be ignored. Leaning over, Adam kissed Blake's forehead. "I'm glad you're okay. I thought I'd…" Adam choked a little on the words. "I don't want to lose you, Blake."

Blake caught his hand before he could step away, refusing to let him go. "Stay?"

"Hm?"

"Stay…with me." Blake's voice sounded almost desperate. "It's kind of boring in here. I could use the company."

He shouldn't. His position in the White Fang came with a mountain of responsibilities. Blake was just one of hundreds of people relying on him. The world didn't stop just because he wanted it to. As leader of Alpha Squad and Sienna's right hand man, he needed to focus on the important matters.

Right now, alone with her, nothing felt more important.

Adam nodded, pulling a chair closer to her bed. True to her word, Doctor Lusci returned shortly after the lights came back on. She took one look at the two of them and decided it wasn't worth trying to make him leave. Hand in hand, Adam endured Blake's onslaught of questions about Semblances and his own training, never once bothering to so much as check the time - never tearing his eyes off the woman he loved.

He loved her. Maybe he always had. The realization had been startling at first, but he knew it to be true. It felt a little embarrassing to realize it took almost losing her to realize just how precious she was to him. Love wasn't just some deeper form of affection - it was finding that one person that you simply couldn't live without. The missing piece that completed you, even if you'd never realized something was missing in the first place. Faced with the possibility of life without her, he'd finally come to understand just how meaningless life would be without her by his side.

Adam wanted to tell her. Heck that. He wanted to shout it from the rooftops. Adam Taurus, the monster, was in love. Except he couldn't be a monster. Monsters didn't love. Blake had saved him from that fate. She'd faced down his demons for him, stood by him in the worst of times, and nearly given her life alongside him. She'd already done so much for him, and he vowed to make it up to her, even if he knew he could never fully repay the debt he owed. For the first time in what felt like forever, he finally had a reason to live. Not something to die for, but someone to live for. So he'd go on living, even if he had to take on the entire world to keep their love safe. No one would take that from him.

Despite that, he kept his newfound feelings to himself. She deserved better than a bedside confession in a hospital. He'd take a page out of her book and make it special. Something just the two of them could share. He felt giddy just thinking up plans as she continued talking well into the night, ignoring the occasional checks by the doctor. Even when Blake started to wane and exhaustion threatened to reclaim her, he still stayed there, unwilling to leave her side. They sat in content silence after that until she finally nodded off, sleeping soundly with her hand in his.

Adam and Blake on missions for Menagerie. K-I-L-L-I-N-G.

Bit of a transitionary chapter to ease myself back into the swing of things. Blake has her Semblance unlocked by the looks of it, but these things don't exactly come with instruction manuals. She'll need to piece it all together and figure out how to use it properly. Kaito's got his work cut out for him. Adam, on the other hand, is grappling with his new feelings, which some of you might have spotted last chapter. He probably didn't even fully realize it at first. Funny how that sort of thing happens in real life.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Goose chapter without some minor character explanations at the end. Doctor Lea Lusci is a bit of a reference to Florence Nightingale. Little cheeky with the reference, since she's known as the "Lady with the Lamp" historically. Had to find an excuse to give her a lamp, just for fun. Meanwhile, her first name comes from Lea Hurst, Derbyshire, which was one of the places she grew up. Lusci comes from Luscinia, the genus of birds that nightingales belong to. When in doubt, slice up a scientific name and call it a day. Also a quick reference to an authority on aura, Eugene Myers. You might know him as E. C. Myers, the author of the RWBY novels. Bounced around a few ideas for a name before realizing I had a great answer right in front of me. Actually, right across the room from me, where I have all three books, the DVDs for each season, and a few other things that stay in my office.

Next chapter: Semblance training and feelings.